153. Like Hitting the Lottery
Kang Moo-hyuk needed to assess the situation.
Even if hunters are selfish by nature, this is unusually low.
There was a reason only three had gathered, just as he'd suspected.
"Everyone's scattered in small groups, and it's hard to break through those seed bastards. There are just so damn many. Luckily, the hunters with message skills managed to link up. Our group was closest to the county office, so... we came to request reinforcements."
"Our group implies more than one. Why did you come alone?"
"Well... on the way here, we ended up taking down the mother of those seed bastards..."
It clicked immediately.
"How many of you?"
"Four..."
"We had five."
"You too?"
The hunter who'd been quietly gauging the mood chimed in awkwardly. He showed no grief over his fallen comrades, suggesting they weren't close.
Kang Moo-hyuk rubbed his throbbing forehead.
Nine in total.
Seven dead, two barely escaping alive. A stroke of real luck. Charging a mother body with its seeds and having two survivors out of four or five was no small feat.
But the real lucky one was someone else.
"And you? How many were hunting when they died?"
"M-Me? I came alone. I snuck through hiding..."
"......"
"......"
The other two hunters gaped like fish out of water. One nearly died, the other strolled in unscathed.
Even Kang Moo-hyuk couldn't make sense of it. The seed clusters near the county office were like an ant swarm.
Breaking through a full encirclement without a scratch meant serious skill.
But Wang Gi-cheol didn't look like high-rank material. B- at best, generously. His mana felt around C+.
"Something exploded with a boom, drawing all the monsters there. I slipped in during the chaos."
The high-rankers like No Song-rin had cleared the area near the county office, making it safe.
In other words, the other parties' suicidal charges on the mothers had pulled the aggro, letting him waltz in.
"You got lucky."
"Yeah. I'm pretty lucky."
Though his instincts weren't great.
Wang Gi-cheol was the textbook example of a hunter who lived by luck alone.
His senses were off for a hunter, always stumbling into monster fields, yet he never died. That was luck.
Even now: strolling to the rally point oblivious to the monster blanket, only saved because other parties yanked all the aggro trying to kill mothers. Not a hair out of place.
Hunter life was one part skill, three parts luck, but this bordered on miraculous.
Hah, I didn't expect this level of recklessness.
Kang Moo-hyuk felt a pang of regret over the hunters' choices. Sticking to basic engagement doctrine would've kept their parties intact.
No Song-rin and the others had even cleared the perimeter for safe rendezvous. These fools had charged straight into the trash compactor.
Then it hit him—they were freelancers. Unaffiliated.
Heard freelancers' training is subpar... North side must be worse.
Bomb spore flowers weren't common even for veterans. Weak seeds suggested weak mothers, so they figured it was easy.
Hence volunteering for county office contact.
Not wrong. Offspring strength usually mirrors the mother. Not absolute, but most monsters followed it. They'd judged on basic common sense.
Kang Moo-hyuk realized he needed a major plan revision. No time—think on the move.
"Follow me. We'll talk while checking the situation room map."
The situation room walls held two large maps.
One: Korean Peninsula overview and Tumen River area. The other: Enlarged Da Hong Dan County.
The massive Da Hong Dan map detailed alleys, houses, even hole-in-the-wall shops.
Kang Moo-hyuk handed dry-erase markers to the two survivors.
"Mark your party's start points and linked hunter locations. All known hunter counts too. Comms tower's down—smartphones are dead. Connect any message skill links."
"Uh, my message guy died..."
"I can. Mine works."
Thus, a rough distress map of stranded hunters.
Kang Moo-hyuk frowned.
"Scattered like idiots and trapped."
Not few—71 confirmed.
Problem: Two to six per group, all splintered.
Obvious how it happened.
Fleeing danger, merging and splitting haphazardly until trapped.
Like rookies failing a surprise test on guild entry.
Major guilds boot entire groups for less, unless rare talents. True potentials show early. Even newbies must solve low-level hunts or bust.
Guilds didn't demand perfection—just minimum response.
These hadn't even met that. Classic freelancers.
Kang Moo-hyuk tapped numbers from live message links.
"Number 3—biggest group at seven. Why hole up in that tiny shop?"
"Hold on. Asking."
Mo Il-ju, the message skill hunter, relayed for ages.
Message skills linked only palm-registered hunters.
Freelancers connected familiar faces or occasional hunt partners, so intel required daisy-chaining.
"Oh? Yeah. Got it. Ah, so... Number 3 got cornered dodging mobs like rabbits."
"......"
Confirming a few parties clarified the picture.
3, 6, 11—heaviest seed clusters. Mothers nearby. Phase 3 starts at one of these.
Kang Moo-hyuk cleared his mind and turned to Yi Suk-young nearby.
"Call in all hunters clearing outside. Briefing starts."
* * *
"So? The leader's joining the assault himself?"
"Yes."
No Song-rin spoke; Kang Moo-hyuk nodded.
"No, he's a civilian. Not a hunter. Just command from here. Why tag along on the hunt?"
"If we had a full raid force, sure. But only three now."
Kang Moo-hyuk had reasons for frontline command.
Bomb spore flower phase 3 is boss fight territory. Can't brute-force with seeds everywhere. Rank gaps. Need optimized parties.
71 hunters, intel lacking. Message chaining too slow—Da Hong Dan would be ash by then.
Form optimal parties on-site, adjust live, max raid potential.
"I get it, but... field unknowns. Can't protect you."
"No C Warehouse gear? Improvise. Or everyone dies—hunters second. Mothers moving means buildings smashed, people targeted."
"I know these things... but still."
No Song-rin thumped his chest in frustration. He knew Kang Moo-hyuk wouldn't back down. Best option.
Damn. No raid leading experience hurts.
Why this approach? No one here had ever led a raid.
Veteran raid leaders belong frontline, but locals topped at party lead.
Hwang Dong-soo: No formal training, experience-driven brawler. Hyeon Jeong-geon: Strategist, but assassin schemer core. Yi Suk-young: Freelancer.
No Song-rin led a Taeseong faction once, but no big raids then. Ujungdo roots favored brawls over tactics.
Orc raid his first and last—executing Kang Moo-hyuk's preset plan.
"Can you lead the raid, No Song-rin?"
"No confidence. Raids aren't grab-bags."
"No incoming raid from Hoiryeong support. Local forces only. Only I can optimize and command."
"He's right, No. Guy's a beast at this."
Hyeon Jeong-geon grinned, backing him.
"Quit smirking. Your game's obvious."
"Oops, too obvious? Can't help it. Fun shit around the boss."
No Song-rin eyed Hyeon Jeong-geon as Ujungdo 'heartbreaker' tier villain. He'd been close once, but Kim Myeong-jun made him feel 'good guy' by comparison. Hyeon topped that. Imagining him loose without Kang Moo-hyuk? Exhausting.
Why worry? Playing hero now? I'm off.
Kang Moo-hyuk nailed it shut.
"I'll hang back for finale. Rest as it plays."
"Hah, won't listen anyway. Fine. Boss calls the shots."
* * *
Hunter positions split two ways.
Tank. Dealer.
Subdivided further.
Dealers: Ranged, melee.
Within: Archers ('bowmen'), swordsmen ('bladesmen').
Archers branch to rangers (scout/survival) or snipers (quick strikes).
Many niches.
Tanks too.
Pure tanks (high defense), hybrids (versatile).
Pures: Defenders, attackers.
Defenders: Armored knights (single buffs, shields), paladins (party/raid buffs).
Personal styles splinter endlessly.
Media lumps as 'tanks.' Hunters too, unless partying/raiding.
Hwang Dong-soo lacks main tank stability, but high-rank unavoidable. Tougher than B-rank anyway.
Kang Moo-hyuk slotted Hwang as main tank, Party 1.
Broadly tank, precisely attacker, two-hand greatsword style.
Unlike dual-wield aggro-chainers for party safety, greatswords pinned singles with heavy hits.
Greatsword warriors need iron bodies, matching gear essential.
Hwang, Sinuiju prison village alum, never full-geared.
Near-nude hunts without crippling? Insanely tough.
Imagine him geared...
The sight unfolded before him.
"Queeek!"
"Kyaek!"
"Kkuek-kkuek!"
Greatsword cleaving monsters, charging in.
"Berserker."
Seeds and mothers shredded alike.
"Predicted this style, planned gear accordingly. But seeing it... like hitting the lottery."