184. Do It After You're Dead.
Seong Seon-je issued orders to the ranged dealers to ensure Go Eul-ji's covert withdrawal from the raid went unnoticed by Garuda.
"Keep Garuda distracted. Don't let it look anywhere else."
The snipers and mages from each party concentrated their firepower. Garuda ramped up its speed, streaking across the sky. Even after losing one ankle, it showed no sign of fleeing—clearly convinced this fight was still in its favor.
Its nest must be nearby, so it can't run now. It can't let us find it.
In the end, this raid had to be settled one way or another.
Either the hunters would be wiped out, or Garuda would die.
Of course, there was a third option: abandon the nest and escape. It could always breed more later.
But Seong Seon-je doubted Garuda would choose flight so easily.
Harpy instincts run deep in kin loyalty. Especially their protective drive toward offspring—they never abandon their young. Garuda shares those traits, so it won't flee until it's truly cornered.
That meant they couldn't push it to the brink. They just needed to hold it long enough for Go Eul-ji to snatch the chicks.
And the moment an opening appeared, they'd deploy their trump card.
"Guild Master Jeon, get that ready."
Jeon Ye-seong frowned at Seong Seon-je's order.
"I've said it a hundred times since you requested that thing, but this is a degraded version of the original. It can't catch something that fast."
"An opening will come soon. Use it when I signal."
Jeon Ye-seong didn't argue further. He knew Seong Seon-je's assurances weren't empty talk, whatever that opening might be.
"Time it perfectly. You only get one shot. If that clever bastard spots it, you won't get a second chance."
Go Eul-ji descended the rugged ridgeline, where bare branches tangled like a snare.
These obstacles alone couldn't shake Garuda's line of sight, but with the raid party's all-out assault distracting it, she'd slipped away unnoticed.
Heading down General Peak toward the coordinates Kang Moo-hyuk had given her, she paused.
"Wait, where the hell am I?"
Every mountain looked the same in every direction. Asking for directions now would just get her chewed out for not paying attention during the briefing.
As she pondered her route, help arrived—a drone spotted her and hovered overhead, circling.
"Follow you?"
The drone shot off northwest. Go Eul-ji trailed it, skimming low over the twisting foothills.
The scenery blurred by. It wasn't top speed, but navigating Bukpo Taesan's basalt terrain along the valley made the convoluted landscape hard to track. One wrong turn, and it'd be a crash landing.
Yet Go Eul-ji pressed on fearlessly, even pulling off near-ground acrobatics at times.
Hunters were still human; without special traits, dizziness hit hard. No one wanted road rash on those rocks. But she flew without hesitation because she trusted her perfect control.
Go Eul-ji didn't just fly—she scanned the surrounding space with her ability. Something pinged on her senses.
Huh? A ton of flapping things?
Right on cue, the drone slowed. Go Eul-ji spotted the forest beyond the valley as her target.
> [Go Eul-ji Hunter. Can't let a single one escape.]
Yi Suk-young relayed Kang Moo-hyuk's order. Go Eul-ji flashed a thumbs-up to the drone and crested the ridge.
"Whoa, there's a shitload."
Dozens of nests sprawled in the forest's blind spot.
Trees and brush hid them well, but nothing escaped Go Eul-ji's spatial dominance.
Recalling Garuda, she moved to clear them fast and return.
The moment her foot hit the nesting ground, shrill screeches pierced the air.
Three sentry harpies dove at the intruder, talons bared.
"Ugh, so annoying. Hey, squawk all you want—it won't help."
Go Eul-ji clapped her palms together.
Clap!
The three harpies crumpled like they'd been fed into a compactor, shrinking until only splatters of blood remained on the ground.
More harpies swarmed next, claws and beaks gleaming as they targeted her.
Another clap echoed, and the flock plummeted, mangled and deflated.
Fierce glints flashed in Go Eul-ji's eyes—monstrous enough to blur the line between hunter and beast.
She crushed the waves like flies, pressing forward.
Deeper in, chick peeps echoed from the nests—like any animal young, Garuda's offspring blinked curiously, fluffy and cute.
Some older ones glared with their parent's savage eyes, flailing tiny limbs in threat.
The moment Go Eul-ji's gaze lingered on the chicks, a harpy flock dove from above.
"Playing dirty for mobs?"
She snatched a heftier Garuda chick by the scruff. Its kicks battered her arm—claws sharp enough to shred flesh despite not yet flying. But her barrier held firm, unscratched.
Powerless, the chick wailed. The harpies froze mid-dive, ruffled feathers settling.
"Still protective of your own, huh?"
That sparked her rage. Bad memories surfaced.
"My mom and dad did the same. Against monsters. So—"
Memories from a forgotten childhood.
Parents lost in the Small War.
Monsters valuing their spawn? Disgusting.
"Save the grudges for after you're dead."
A massive invisible hammer crashed down on the harpies.
BOOM!
Harpy flock and conifers pulverized into mush. Go Eul-ji snapped the chick's neck, then summoned gravity's hammer again for divine judgment on the nests.
A giant's drumroll thundered across the area. Nests vanished, chicks and eggs crushed to paste.
"Okay, all caught. Except you guys."
Go Eul-ji headed to the nest she'd spared on the edge—for bait to hook Garuda.
Inside: two blind newborns and an unhatched egg.
She levitated them. Low, resonant cries escaped the chicks—mother-calling wails.
Go Eul-ji knew the sound.
"What, calling mom and dad? Sorry, I sealed the area already."
She'd erected a barrier to contain the noise. Grandpa's harpy fights taught her their habits. If these lures summoned Garuda here, the plan would crumble.
No clueless high schooler, Go Eul-ji's kill count rivaled veterans.
By monster-slaying skill alone, she ranked top 1%.
"Bait's set. Time to fish."
She flew back to Nampo Taesan.
Garuda raid struggled against its freakish speed—until Go Eul-ji returned with the chicks. Then the scales tipped decisively.
As she scattered harpy feathers and dangled the young, Garuda shrieked and lunged.
"Shouldn't mess around."
Go Eul-ji snapped one chick's neck, hoisting another as a shield. Garuda halted.
Seong Seon-je signaled Jeon Ye-seong.
"Now!"
Jeon Ye-seong drew the weapon strapped to his back, long concealed.
A harpoon spear with a hooked head. The shaft extended into a long spear.
He gripped the handle at its base.
Dragon Harpoon.
Treasure of Dragon Hunter Guild.
Once rated beyond Unique to Legendary, this copy in Jeon Ye-seong's hands scraped Rare-to-Epic at best.
A knockoff mimicking the original from the Nine Dragon Tombs raid.
Not dragon-slaying material, but enough to bind an exposed Garuda.
Bitter at wielding a fake, Jeon Ye-seong hurled it. The handle stayed in his grip; the head whistled through the air.
Garuda noticed too late.
"Kieeeek!"
The harpoon pierced its wing. Jeon Ye-seong slammed the handle into the ground.
Garuda thrashed skyward, but invisible force yanked it back.
Suddenly, feathers parted, revealing armpits and tailbone vents puffing hot steam.
"There we go—that makes sense. No wonder it flew without full wings."
Go Eul-ji snapped her fingers at the revelation. Crack—the last chick perished.
Enraged, Garuda bellowed, heating up. The ground trembled.
"Damn, the harpoon's slipping..."
Jeon Ye-seong ground his teeth at the unexpected pull, despite the binding skill.
Then a massive shadow loomed behind him.
He whirled to the sunlight-blocker.
Iron Will's...
Yeom Soo-hyung.
Gigant form seized the rising handle.
Garuda's brief freedom ended. Yeom Soo-hyung yanked it down, slamming it into the dirt.
Hunters, stunned by the rare Gigant ability, snapped to as Garuda hit ground.
They swarmed.
Garuda loosed feathers wildly, but forewarned hunters blocked them.
Weapons rent its flesh. Named toughness resisted instant kills, but dozens of slashes crippled regeneration.
Poisons, magic, paralysis debuffs piled on relentlessly.
Wing feathers and scales shed; comb crest tore free. Garuda bled green, vents spewing hot air in final defiance.
Grounded, it was easy prey.
Jang Deok-gu's sword pierced its heart; Seong Seon-je severed the neck. Garuda stilled.
Confirming death, Go Eul-ji smashed the last egg.
"Flying monsters are always tougher than their rank, huh."
The grumble chilled every spine.
If the raid delayed... if no united party... Garuda army from that nest.
Hit-and-runs across the peninsula? No counter.
Not raw strength—matchup. Only Go Eul-ji could match its mobility now.
Hunters who'd mocked Kang Moo-hyuk reconsidered.
Not just any non-hunter strategist—him.
He hadn't fought, but orchestrated it all.
"Garuda raid complete. Return."
Seong Seon-je declared end, sensing the shift.
Agora Magos and Armored Lizard raids, simultaneous with Garuda, ended successfully too.
Their guilds' prowess limited casualties to minor injuries—no fatalities.
As hunters rested, Kang Moo-hyuk prepped the next.
Abomination.
Evolved ogre Named, dubbed hunter-killer.
First sighted in North America: razed a small town, wiped responding hunters.
Kang Moo-hyuk pondered countermeasures.
Safest: call Guild Master Joo Se-ah for a one-on-one.
She'd brawled ogres barehanded at A+. Now S-rank? Abomination might sweat.
But summoning her derails everything else.
China, Russia, now Japan.
His grand design weaving Northeast Asia and Russian Far East forces risked unraveling.
He valued controlling post-Makyung dynamics over this raid. Joo Se-ah was his ace for that.
"No choice. Go textbook— it'll be a war of attrition."