#268. Anyway, You Can't Do Without Me.
The first to sense something off was Joo Se-ah, leading the vanguard.
A chill ran down her spine.
What the hell?
Joo Se-ah cleaved two vultures sneaking up behind her with her spear in one stroke, then eyed the hive.
Shadows—three of them—were crawling out leisurely from the door at the hive's center.
They had a humanoid silhouette like the champions before, but unlike those vaguely human-like foes, these looked like insects walking upright on two legs.
At a glance, they seemed like a less-evolved strain compared to the champions, but the power hidden within surpassed them.
Joo Se-ah clocked the ferocity of these new hornets right away.
Can't let them run into the other hunters.
She moved to strike first, before they could budge.
But then the carnivorous hornet legion swarmed in.
The narrowing space pinned her feet. Spear-fighting was getting dicey now. She switched back to her sword just in time.
Tch! One step too late? Gotta punch through this mess to stick to those new ones.
Breaking out was no issue, but the new arrivals' strength and abilities gnawed at her.
Even their aura felt off the charts. Hunter instincts kicked in hard. No S-rank worth her salt threw herself into obvious danger without prep.
In that split-second hesitation, a few hunters got swept up in the hornet rush without thinking and lost their lives.
Joo Se-ah spun, rescuing the trapped hunters amid the swarm. She rocketed toward Camilla, who was handling expedition orders.
"These bugs aren't messing around, huh?"
"Those new ones. What do you think?"
"Hard to say for sure till we clash... but one thing's crystal clear."
"What?"
"Bees acting like big shots pisses me off."
"Yeah, no kidding."
"Can't drag this out. Bad vibes all around."
"Just nail those three for us. We'll handle the rest."
Joo Se-ah nodded and pushed to the expedition's front.
Humans versus monsters.
The two lines faced off in formation.
As she stepped forward, the three new-type hornets followed suit.
"Full of fight, aren'tcha?"
The moment Joo Se-ah felt their chilling killing intent, the new-types vanished from sight.
Left.
Block with left forearm.
Thwack!
Lower right.
Legs for this one.
Boom!
And the last?
"Yeah, textbook—top or back."
Joo Se-ah slammed her sword tip into the ground and swung upward in a massive arc.
Creeeak!
It was a classic hunter-versus-monster clash, but the hunters from both guilds were floored by the exchange.
They'd flinched once at the monsters' eye-blurring speed no one could track.
Then again at the mana shockwave rippling through the entire space from the collision.
S-rank for real. But what the hell are those things tangling with her? Without Guild Master Joo, we'd all be goners.
Taylor, who'd dropped expedition leader duties to frontline, rubbed his pounding chest. Even in red gates, monsters this nasty were rare.
Gates kept mobs in fixed spots, dialing down the raid difficulty. You could dodge 'em. Scout thoroughly, prep accordingly.
Not like this—popping out of nowhere.
No time to gawk soon enough. The fight kicked off the hornet breakout.
Hornets blew past Joo Se-ah and the new-types, hitting the hunters. Hunters ignored the new-types, battling the regulars.
A wide berth naturally cleared around Joo Se-ah and the new-types.
"Fine. Credit where due, you three. Let's do this right from the jump."
Iron Skin
Dragon Scale
Skills layered atop a body already beyond human limits granted her invincible might.
Her presence surged, and the three new-types fired acidic venom from their tail stingers in unison.
Joo Se-ah took it head-on.
Venom? Hmph!
Her armor coat melted away. The jeans and black tee underneath took some damage too. But her skin? Pristine. The sizzling acid dripped down her arm to the ground, smoking corrosively and eating through the floor. Nasty stuff.
Stunned it did zilch to Joo Se-ah, the new-types hovered back, exchanged glances, then charged with four arms and two legs.
Joo Se-ah's Mokaru swung horizontally, mana-packed.
The new-types met it head-on, no dodge. Their limbs pulsed with mana too—not partial like champions, but shaped techniques.
Mana control like that? Only seen it in top-tier variants. First for bug monsters.
Dozens of clashes in a blink. Mokaru's blade chipped. Hornet limbs shredded too. All three torn and ragged in spots. They healed fast, but Joo Se-ah's onslaught drained their fluids nonstop.
Joo Se-ah versus new-types: dead even. Expedition versus hornet legion: stalemate.
At least on the surface.
Only Joo Se-ah hadn't shown her full hand.
Was gonna drag it out, lure the queen. But sticking around racks up hunter casualties. Better wrap quick.
The moment she geared to unleash—
The hive shuddered. Hornets mid-fight bowed heads. New-types too. They peeled from Joo Se-ah, prostrating.
The hive split in half. Golden light leaked from the crack...
Ziiing!
Kaboom! Boom! Boom!
"Everyone, dodge!"
Thud! Slash!
"Gahk!"
"Damn, defense skill... Gurk!"
"What is this? Shields ain't stopping it?!"
"Evade!"
"Evade where?!"
No answers. The light ravaged mercilessly. Hunters and hornets alike vaporized. Hornets didn't dodge—embraced the death ray.
Joo Se-ah figured she had to block this laser-like beam somehow.
Lucky break: just one beam from the split, wreaking havoc.
Block the exit, done.
Trusting her toughness, Joo Se-ah hurled into the gap. A bit elevated, but she dug feet into the hive, crossed arms in an X, jamming fingers into the fissure.
With her plugging it, the thrashing beam locked on the obstacle, no further.
Her arms blocking charred black. Armor coat sleeves—already ragged from acid—turned to ash. Sparks from the heat shredded the rest to rags.
The instant Joo Se-ah pressed close: beam vanished. Massive arms burst out, smashing her away.
Raw power was nuts, but the overwhelming mass's impact force? Devastating.
Joo Se-ah flew to the opposite wall. Crash—wall crumbled.
Silence fell.
Hunters panicked seeing the S-rank launched.
But no time for her.
Golden light surged again.
"Ugh...!"
"!!"
"??"
No screams, blasts, noise. Just crackling burn in the air.
Hunters looked up one by one. An invisible barrier over their heads halted the golden rays.
Before they could question it, a cheeky girl's voice echoed from above.
"Anyway, you can't do without me."
Go Eul-ji's grand entrance.
* * *
While hunters gawked at the sudden girl's heroics, Joo Se-ah had already clawed from the rubble, rejoining the front line.
Her unscathed form eased their nerves.
Go Eul-ji descended from the air to greet her.
"How's a guild master supposed to let this slide on her watch?"
"I'm a classic tanker. Great at charging in and smashing, sucks at holding ground."
"Isn't it the opposite? You're the tank."
"Ever seen a tank just sit and defend? Tanks are for charging."
"Kinda makes sense... but also not."
"Guild master's word is gospel, y'know?"
"Nah, that's old-school talk. Even Grandpa wouldn't say that."
"Your grandpa said it."
"Wise words are worth picking up, huh."
"......"
Go Eul-ji switched topics, no comeback.
"So, sitrep?"
"As you see—queen finally graces us."
Where Joo Se-ah had plugged: the hive split clean in two. Inside loomed a behemoth easily over 20 meters.
"Bees ain't supposed to be that huge. Laser beams, creepy looks. Gross af."
"Where's an ugly monster anyway?"
"Right next to me?"
Only Joo Se-ah beside her.
Calling the guild master a monster but pretty? Hard to get mad.
High-level troll? Hanging with Boss Kang's turned her into a pro at backhanded digs?
Shelve it—ask about the party.
"Rest of the crew?"
"Mostly here by now. No Song-rin uncle dragging ass on comms setup. I flew ahead solo. Figured you needed me."
"Good call. Queen block was bonus. That too."
"Got this hairpin. They said it's OP, so I came locked and loaded."
Even with telekinesist favoring ranged offense/defense, an A-rank like Go Eul-ji tanking a boss? Wild.
But amplified by her unique Dragon Scale Hairpin? Defense viable, if not dominant.
"Alright. You hold. Focus shielding these hunters. I'll hunt the queen."
"Wanna bag the queen too."
"You take her, I tank?"
"One-on-one? Eh... she's the boss."
"Then shut it and follow orders."
"Yes, ma'am......"
Joo Se-ah fretted how to toughen this kid up as she approached the queen.
The queen's bulk lumbered from the hive in response.
Joo Se-ah gauged its tier.
Red gate boss material.
Bosses varied wildly, but this 5th-gen queen was top-shelf tough.
Back then? Never solo. Raid plan months out.
But now. S-rank her.
"Think I can handle her alone."
Joo Se-ah recalled a skill she'd rarely touched.
Styx River
The top-tier skill that had saved her from death against deadly bosses resurfaced after ages.