Part 2 Prologue: Breathless Pursuit
“Hah— hah—”
The woman clutched her chest as she sprinted through the primordial jungle, thick with tangled undergrowth. It had been ages since she'd run this hard, not since becoming a hunter—her breath catching in her throat like this.
'Damn it, I tol' ya not to come to the Magyong!'
She cursed the party member who'd egged her on to enter the Magyong. She should've known better than to believe that nonsense about it being safe as long as they didn't go too deep. The rumors of her old squad making a killing on the Yalu River defense line had lured her in—big mistake.
Every choice she'd made was a regret now.
'Shoulda wrapped up the winter defense and headed straight back down. Hoo, who'm I gonna blame? Me for believin' that crap—I'm the idiot. Ain't even anyone left to curse at now...'
All six of her party members who'd come in with her had met their ends at the hands of mysterious thugs. She was the sole survivor. If monsters hadn't crashed the scene right before she blacked out, the dank Magyong swamp would've been her grave too.
But the crisis wasn't over yet.
Though she couldn't see them, her instincts screamed that the pursuers were closing in. At this rate, they'd have her by the nape in no time.
Suddenly, a spark of an idea flashed in her mind.
'That's right! There was a swamp, weren't there?'
A long, swampy river stretched along the path she was running.
She slid down the muddy riverbank. Unhooking the monster-binding rope from her belt, she jammed her dagger deep into the firm ground at the swamp's edge and tied the rope to the hilt.
“We've almost got her! If we lose that bitch, we're the ones who die!”
No sooner had the urgent shout echoed from nearby than she hurled herself into the swamp.
She tried to submerge her body, but unfortunately, it sank too slowly. There was no way she'd hide before the pursuers arrived.
She threw every ounce of mana into swimming downward like a desperate stroke. Going too deep might trap her for good, but getting caught meant instant death—no time for second thoughts.
Luckily, the pursuers only showed up after she'd fully concealed herself.
“Hah, that North Korean bitch got lucky. Of all times, running into the 'Three-Horned Rhino' right then.”
“Looks like their scouting DPS. Fast on her feet. Should've brought someone with long-distance pursuit skills.”
“Anyway, if we let her slip, we're the ones who'll pay. We gotta catch her, no matter what. If word gets out about this, we're screwed.”
The pursuers caught their breath and tightened the reins of pursuit, speeding off at a brutal pace.
Moments later, a massive bubble erupted from the nearby swamp.
“Kuhek! Khk! *Cough cough cough!*”
The woman burst from the muck, coated head to toe in sticky sludge like some clay figurine.
She wiped the grime just enough to clear her eyes, then yanked the rope and crawled out on her belly. The moment she hit solid ground, relief at shaking her pursuers washed over her, and she collapsed flat.
“Thought... I was gonna suffocate in there.”
After a quick breather, she sprang up and turned in the opposite direction from where the pursuers had gone.
The path back to the Tumen River was crawling with them, no doubt.
Shivering at the memory of her party members getting slaughtered, she steeled herself.
'Shoulda circled wide back toward the Yalu. Better to face monsters than those psychos. With luck, I might make it out alive.'
She snatched the dagger she'd planted in the ground and slipped away from the scene.
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