Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Demon-Fueled Recruitment
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Within Unwoo Guild, the Demon Dragon Corps, and the Ghost Soul Annihilators, Yong-un's orders were absolute.
Disobeying didn't bring separate punishment, but everyone in these forces staked their lives to carry them out somehow.
Such was the command to complete Yong-un's organization.
It turned the Demon Dragon Corps and Ghost Soul Annihilators into groups living day after day without a moment's rest.
Both the Demon Dragon Corps and the Ghost Soul Annihilators likely shared the same thought when they first set out to fulfill Yong-un's order.
After all, they were seeking the fortunate few destined to write history alongside the Supreme One himself—surely anyone would bow low and seize the offered hand.
But that was nothing more than their own delusion.
"Sorry. I just don't want to be a hunter."
"Damn it, we're busy. Get lost?"
"How about network marketing with me instead of being a hunter? Oh, everyone has such a bad image of MLMs..."
No matter how fortunate the opportunity, it was luck only to those who recognized it. To the utterly indifferent, it was just pointless nonsense.
And through this, they learned that far more people held hunter licenses yet showed zero interest in the profession than they'd imagined.
"Haa... This isn't easy."
In front of Myung-su's house, a member of the Ghost Soul Annihilators.
Myung-su let out a deep sigh as he gazed up at the sunset sky.
Then, from afar, Sword Tiger approached, his shoulders slumped in defeat.
"You strike out too?"
"Yeah, way harder than I thought."
Ring ring ring.
A phone rang for Sword Tiger, who had plopped down heavily beside Myung-su.
"I've got a call."
[Please consider this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and think again about the network...]
"No thanks! I said no! That damn MLM!"
Click.
Sword Tiger glared at his phone in fury.
"Can't snag even one decent recruit, and all these weirdos keep crawling out... What a shitshow."
"Heh, looks like one of your targets was running an MLM scheme?"
Myung-su snorted as Sword Tiger scowled deeply.
"How the hell was I supposed to know? Looked like a legit company name, so I went for it, and the bastard starts saying I could make bank using my pitch for their gigs."
"Almost got recruited yourself, huh?"
"Shut it. At least you landed one."
Sword Tiger's words drew a grin from Myung-su.
"Yeah, a real gem. Perfect fit for becoming a Ghost Soul in the Ghost Soul Annihilators—hell, I still think we timed that approach perfectly."
The day they first brought Seong-min into the Ghost Soul Annihilators.
Under the guise of a dinner gathering that evening, they shared plenty of conversation.
No one in the Ghost Soul Annihilators was free of pain.
Perhaps because of that, the individual scars borne by the group washed away even Seong-min's agony, the kind that had driven him to contemplate the ultimate escape.
'Only those who've endured pain themselves can even begin to understand it.'
Myung-su had given Sword Tiger a casual reply to his question, but in truth, recruiting Seong-min had sparked a flood of thoughts.
As one of the Ghost Souls in the Ghost Soul Annihilators—a force under Yong-un—other organizations were surely similar, but his own might be even more tightly knit than most.
'Yeah, the Ghost Souls of the Ghost Soul Annihilators... they're family.'
Understanding each other's pains, growing ever closer, supporting one another.
Family.
Every time he saw Seong-min's face brighten a little more since that day, Myung-su felt the same pride as the other Ghost Souls, watching him settle in as a true member.
And the very name "Ghost Soul Annihilators" took on even greater weight for Myung-su.
"Sigh, lucky bastard. I bombed out. At least the others'll bring some in."
Sword Tiger sighed at the sight of Myung-su smiling unconsciously.
Snapping out of his reverie, Myung-su asked,
"Come to think of it, looks like our Ghost Souls and the Demon Dragon Corps members headed to the same spot?"
"Huh? Your crew went to Mast World too?"
"Yeah, sent the Third and Fourth Ghost Souls."
"Really? I dispatched Jong-hyeon and Jeong-won. No overlap on targets, right?"
"Nah, nothing like that as far as I know. But it's almost evening—why aren't they back yet?"
At Myung-su's puzzled words, Sword Tiger—who had been about to lie down—bolted upright.
"Now that you mention it. Those punks have been gone forever and still no show? Sent 'em to recruit, not party!"
Given the location, Sword Tiger and Myung-su shared the exact same suspicion.
Their darkening expressions soon spilled out as mutterings.
"We're screwed."
"This won't do."
The pair, who had been on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion, shot to their feet right there.
And then they bolted toward Mast World.
At that very moment, chaos was erupting inside Mast World.
A demon had appeared out of nowhere, and for three full hours now, the emergency evacuation announcement blared throughout.
[All customers, please evacuate immediately. A Gate overflow has occurred nearby, allowing one demon to enter Mast World. Follow the guidance of our staff and...]
Yet contrary to the evacuation broadcast, the atmosphere in the central plaza stood in stark contrast to the panicked frenzy outside.
Hundreds of citizens made no move to flee. Instead, they simply held up their phones, filming away.
No trace of terror on their faces—no urge to run screaming.
"Whoa..."
They merely stared in fascination at the demon in the center and the four people surrounding it.
But the onlookers gawking at the demon in the plaza weren't insane.
Even someone in the midst of evacuating who paused to watch the scene quietly for just one minute would surely join the crowd. The actions of those four encircling the demon were nothing short of awe-inspiring—verging on miraculous.
Thwack!
"Kieeeek!"
The demon, struck by a fist and sent tumbling across the ground, let out a shriek.
And then a voice rang out.
"Hey! It's my turn now!"
"Ah, sorry, bro. It came my way..."
Jong-hyeon was yelling at Jeong-won, who had just smashed the demon with a fist wreathed in demonic qi.
But at Jeong-won's apology and the demon's surprisingly intact state, Jong-hyeon asked,
"You used Tyrant Dragon Incarnation, right? Why's this thing still so fresh?"
"I definitely ramped it up to two stars. Why?"
"Two stars isn't for straight punches. Watch."
Jong-hyeon kicked off the ground.
The demon—which had boldly assaulted Mast World—trembled visibly in fear. It crossed its arms, summoning its signature dull gray-black demonic qi for maximum defense.
But.
Thung!
Jong-hyeon's fist whipped through the air with a whoosh right before the demon's crossed arms, shattering its guard in one blow.
Followed by a barrage from Jong-hyeon.
Papapang!
"Guhk! Kehk!"
The demon's body jerked wildly in midair, like a paper doll buffeted by the wind.
"See? Two stars amps basic destructive power with massive repulsion force. You lift from below to break their guard or float the body a bit first—that sets up the follow-up. It's not for direct attacks."
"Aah~"
Who could possibly believe it?
Treating a demon—the terror of all humanity—like a training sandbag.
The scene was so unbelievable that even the eyewitnesses gulped dryly, unable to tear their eyes away.
"So what about three stars?"
"That's where you use it just like that. Three stars is destruction, pure and simple."
Whoosh. Bang!
Black flames erupted from Jong-hyeon's hand before scattering with his thrust punch.
Jong-hyeon possessed a brilliant mind sharp enough to land him the casting director role at Garosu Guild.
A position not won by strength alone.
It demanded power matched with a successor-caliber intellect.
Thus, while others blindly mimicked the Tyrant Dragon Incarnation upon learning it, Jong-hyeon dissected the technique and mastered its most efficient applications.
"I figured the whole thing was just destruction... Awesome! Let's go again!"
With Jong-hyeon's advice, Jeong-won regained his battle rhythm and clenched his fist tight.
He lowered into stance, ready to kick off and test what he'd learned.
"Sorry, but it's our turn now."
"Ah... Just one shot. I wanna fight it..."
"Can't. It might actually die next time."
Swish.
The Poison Witch flashed a smile and vanished from the spot.
Jeong-won clicked his tongue in disappointment as her form melted seamlessly into the scenery.
"Tch."
But soon enough, he turned his gaze back to the demon, eager to witness the Poison Witch's enhanced power.
After all, with no presence whatsoever, her target had to be the demon.
"Grrr..."
The demon scanned its surroundings with weary, fearful eyes.
Detecting no signs of life nearby, it hauled its battered body upright.
"Here... gotta run."
True to its lowly station, it mumbled in clumsy Demonic tongue.
But that lasted only a moment.
"Can't see you at all."
"...?!"
Slash!
A woman's voice sounded right behind it. The demon whipped around in panic, slashing with its claws.
But there was nothing—just empty air.
Then.
Sizzle!
"Guh, gaaaaah!"
Smoke poured from the demon's previously unharmed hand in a dark blue haze.
Writhing in agony, it flailed its claws wildly at random.
"Can't sense the poison qi at all, huh? Must be driving you nuts."
The woman's voice echoed again.
The demon's claws merely rent the empty air over and over.
"Seriously amazing."
Poke!
As the demon thrashed about madly, something jabbed its cheek.
A different woman's voice rang out.
"Urgh..."
Two ghostly presences—invisible and imperceptible.
The demon finally ceased its clawing frenzy and stared up at the sky.
It had chosen flight over staying to die.
Grip.
Dense, heavy demonic qi gathered at the demon's feet.
Its kick cratered the ground with raw power.
Tang!
But.
"...?!"
The ground cracked, rebounding with force, but contrary to the sensation at its toes, the demon's body didn't budge an inch.
As if something had clamped down on its feet.
"Spirit arts too, huh."
"Shall we wrap this up?"
Faint killing intent whispered in the bewildered demon's ear as a long, thin blue line appeared across its neck.
The Poison Witch and the Dancer materialized before its eyes.
Poke.
The smiling faces of the two women were the last sight etched into the demon's memory.
The head of the demon that had terrorized the crowd tumbled to the ground.
The spectacle of the Demon Dragon Corps and Ghost Soul Annihilators toying with the demon like a sandbag spread like wildfire via the bystanders' phones, igniting the media.
Their videos turned into news articles, rocketing to top views on every community site they hit.
[Holy shit, that's hunters? Insane.]
[How'd I never hear of these hunters?]
[Same. Who are they? Hunters who look hot AF? Pisses me off lol]
[Active hunter here. Those guys are at least A-Rank. Looks like a rankless demon, but handling one like that? No way below A.]
[Heart-pounding battle! Pulled aggro just to show this off.]
[Beautiful to see them giving their all.]
[Cleared first try, no delay.]
[Wanna be a hunter too...]
So many comments poured in about hearts burning hot just from the footage.
If mere videos stirred this much, imagine those on the scene.
"I'll do it. That thing."
"I want in too!"
Kang Jin-mo and Kim Gu—the very ones who'd received recruitment offers from the Demon Dragon Corps and Ghost Soul Annihilators—felt an unprecedented fire ignite within them. Faces flushed, they voiced their intent to join Jong-hyeon and the Poison Witch.
"Didn't you say you had zero interest in being a hunter?"
"What changed your mind all of a sudden...?"
In truth, neither Kang Jin-mo nor Kim Gu had ever desired a hunter's life.
Fighting monsters terrified them, but more than that, the profession's direct tie to life and death kept them from aspiring to it.
Yet in witnessing the Demon Dragon Corps and Ghost Soul Annihilators' clash, they felt something entirely new in all their years.
"Consider me interested now. Truth is, maybe I always was, just no opportunity."
"They're awesome."
The cheers erupting from the crowd with every demon takedown.
The envy toward the Demon Dragon Corps and Ghost Soul Annihilators, living with hot blood and pounding hearts unlike their own meaningless days as fellow hunters.
And finally, the thunderous applause from the grateful people they'd protected.
All of it set their cold hearts ablaze.
Their perceptions shattered and reformed in that moment.
The ingrained image of hunters as scary and dangerous...
Transformed into scary and dangerous, yet heart-thumping and meaningful.
'I want to do it.'
'I want to fight alongside them.'
The fears of danger that had shrouded it fell away.
A dormant hunter's desire—a blazing passion—awoke deep within.
"Can I?"
"I want to!"
At Kang Jin-mo and Kim Gu's earnest cries, Jong-hyeon and the Poison Witch exchanged glances and grinned.
Then they shouted,
"Yes! One more recruit!"
"Been a while since I can expect some praise from Sword Tiger Captain."
Jeong-won and the Dancer, smiling from behind, approached Kang Jin-mo and Kim Gu respectively.
"Congratulations. You're now part of the Demon Dragon Corps, Kang Jin-mo."
"Welcome. You've got a shot at becoming a Ghost Soul in the Ghost Soul Annihilators, Kim Gu."
"Thank you."
"Thank you!"
The three-week deadline Yong-un had set to complete the Demon Dragon Corps and Ghost Soul Annihilators.
The first of those weeks was already drawing to a close.
With each group adding one new member, one new Ghost Soul.
Puk. Thud!
"You punk!"
"Guk."
The joyful evening atmosphere, complete with the eagerly awaited new member.
That lively vibe shattered the instant Sword Tiger plummeted from the sky, slamming Jong-hyeon into the ground.
"Eek! Captain? W-wait?"
Jong-hyeon—who'd been treating the demon like a toy—was already embedded in the earth, knocked out cold.
Sword Tiger, foot planted on Jong-hyeon's gut, locked his gleaming eyes on Jeong-won, who was backing away like fresh prey.
"Wait? Every damn day we're swamped, and you show up late from screwing around?! Time to chant 'we're screwed' in unison!"
"Uwaaaaaah!"
Tang!
Jeong-won shook off Kim Gu's hand and bolted at top speed.
"Don't you dare stop!"
Sword Tiger vanished from before the dazed Kim Gu's eyes, outpacing even Jeong-won.
"What the...?"
Kim Gu stood there utterly lost, the only one left in the Demon Dragon Corps' spot.