44. There Was a Reason for the Total Wipeout
“Hup!”
Kang Moo-hyuk felt his breath catch in his throat. His heart pounded faster, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.
It was the precursor symptom of mana addiction.
“Director Kang, what’s wrong? You okay?”
Pyo Beom-hee startled and caught the staggering Kang Moo-hyuk, supporting him.
Kang Moo-hyuk forced strength into his legs. He couldn’t collapse. He wasn’t a hunter, but the director’s position demanded steadfastness. If the team members learned of his illness, it would only fuel doubts about his already questionable qualifications as director.
Fortunately, with everyone focused on the goblin battle, none of the hunters noticed his abnormality.
That black thing… mana?
Sometimes instinct was sharper than reason.
Just as veteran hunters’ intuitions proved true, Kang Moo-hyuk’s hypersensitive senses screamed danger at the black energy slithering upward like a belch toward the sky.
He realized it was another form of mana, invisible even to A-rank hunters’ eyes. It might be a phenomenon only he could see due to his illness.
Breathing heavily, Kang Moo-hyuk pulled a metal case from his inner jacket pocket. His trembling fingertips fumbled it, but Pyo Beom-hee snatched it mid-fall.
“Th-the… in… injection…”
Pyo Beom-hee didn’t question the case’s contents. Seeing Kang Moo-hyuk drenched in cold sweat and barely speaking, she flipped it open.
Neatly secured inside were syringes.
As a hunter versed in emergency gear, she instantly recognized them as laser injectors.
“Butt cheek?”
He shook his head vigorously, mustering all his strength.
“Too bad.”
Pyo Beom-hee swiftly pulled out a syringe, rolled up his sleeve, and injected the medicine into his arm.
Moments later, color returned to his pallid face.
He scanned the surroundings. Thanks to the quick handling, no one seemed to have noticed.
Pyo Beom-hee eyed him poutingly.
“That injury from Ma Tae-sik. This isn’t some aftereffect, right?”
“How’d you know about Ma Tae-sik?”
“Even coming from Titan, word gets around… Don’t change the subject!”
“I have a minor chronic condition. Nothing serious. Not fatal or anything. Just needs injections and meds to manage.”
A half-truth mixed with lies.
Pyo Beom-hee eyed him suspiciously.
“For real?”
“If it were terminal, you think I’d be out here like this?”
“It’s monster hunting. For you, Director Kang, it’d be crazy enough.”
Unanswerable, Kang Moo-hyuk awkwardly shifted topics as something struck him.
“More importantly, I have a question.”
“Shoot.”
“Can you break through that goblin unit ahead?”
“Break through? Depends on the goal. Total wipe? Or just secure a path?”
“Team Leader, just you and me. Fastest route to Sanjeong Lake.”
Pyo Beom-hee glanced toward the ongoing battle. She lightly hopped up, soaring nearly three meters. Surveying from the air, she landed softly.
“Possible, yeah. But better to wipe ’em first. Leaving ’em behind spells trouble.”
“Putting you in the main force could do it, but it’d take time. Speeding up the raid pace mid-fight risks casualties. Our guild’s still too short on manpower to pivot tactics on the fly.”
Guild strategic teams often called raids a “paper war.”
A war fought on paper with pre-planned strategies.
A raid’s success or failure was largely decided in the planning phase.
Training and gear were tailored to that plan, making mid-raid changes difficult.
Raids had variables requiring improvisation, but straying from the core strategy invited disaster.
Off-script actions needed solid justification and skill to yield results.
Failure’s fallout fell squarely on the hunters, so changes weren’t taken lightly.
Kang Moo-hyuk judged tactical shifts poison for Iron Will’s current state.
“Fair point. Hunting’s never that simple. If you want breakthrough, I can manage. Why?”
“That variable I mentioned? Seems it’s here.”
“Variable?”
“Private comms channel only I use. Connected briefly, then cut. Something’s up with Guild Master.”
Kang Moo-hyuk lied stone-faced.
No time to explain. And I couldn’t make you understand anyway.
How to describe this ominous black mana only he saw?
Mana addiction alone would take ages. Plus, he didn’t understand it himself. Couldn’t explain the unknown.
Pyo Beom-hee sensed something off but trusted him. She knew his skills, and his instincts had always been sharp.
She’d stake her life on him for monster hunts, at least.
“Alright then. Been a while since I swung this sword.”
Pyo Beom-hee shrugged off her jacket, revealing a matte leather armor upper body. She donned a black armor coat reaching her knees, transforming her vibe entirely.
As she geared up, Kang Moo-hyuk slipped on his own armor coat. Wouldn’t protect like a hunter’s, but better than nothing.
He then contacted Jo Choong-hyeon via his left earset.
—Yes, Director.
“Team Leader Pyo and I will be stepping out.”
—Something wrong?
“Part of the pre-planned ops. We’ll punch through the goblins. Orders here go fully to you, Strategic Team Leader. I’ve called backup just in case.”
Backup was Yeom Soo-hyung, finishing off the goblin riders.
Not one for detailed explanations, but Jo didn’t nitpick.
The director had bargained with Taeseong’s vice chairman Tae Su-man for his cooperation. With orders to assist Kang Moo-hyuk, no need to probe.
Curiosity aside, hunters focused on monsters first during hunts.
—Understood. Anything I can do?
“Signal comes, tank line pushes hard. We’ll exploit the goblin front line’s disorder.”
Kang Moo-hyuk then outlined order priorities for contingencies.
Pyo Beom-hee, geared with weapons and ampoule kit, approached ready.
“Been a while on-site? Gonna be dicey. Ugly sights ahead.”
“Go easy.”
“Then, pardon me.”
As Kang Moo-hyuk deep-breathed, Pyo Beom-hee hooked her left arm around his waist.
Vision blurred upward. Hunters below his feet. Then, stomping a goblin’s head.
“Now!”
Dazed by the rocking view, Kang Moo-hyuk signaled Jo Choong-hyeon with a grunt.
Tank line unleashed skills, shoving. Front-line goblins toppled, losing balance.
Seizing the chaos, Pyo Beom-hee leaped into the goblin midst, sword flashing.
Toxin Strike
Pyo Beom-hee’s unique skill extracted toxins from blood and breath.
Poison skills were easy to acquire but hard to master.
The biggest issue: needing prepped venom. Handling was risky—carelessness caused disasters.
Worst case poisoned the party. Everyone knew poison’s value, but few could wield it.
But in Pyo Beom-hee’s hands, poison skills shone.
Her awakening specialized in toxins, synthesizing safe ones internally. Tailor-made for her.
Goblins used anesthetics and venoms too, but against her, mere fireflies to moonlight.
In a blink, nearby goblins’ skin blackened, foaming at the mouth.
Monsters versed in poison, they recoiled, grasping her venom’s potency.
Space cleared around Pyo Beom-hee.
Kang Moo-hyuk swallowed dryly, tensing at her long-absent prowess.
“Power’s as fierce as ever.”
“If this impresses you, we got problems. I’ll show I haven’t slacked.”
Kang Moo-hyuk widened his eyes in feigned awe.
He knew her skills well, so hadn’t factored extras. Just baseline calcs.
But.
Didn’t expect this?
Her goblin-slaying display surpassed the Pyo Beom-hee he knew.
She’s patched her weaknesses. More versatile deployment now.
Pyo Beom-hee shivered under his gleaming, scheming gaze.
“Why’s it suddenly chilly?”
Regret flashed: Shouldn’t have shown off.
* * *
The moment Joo Se-ah crushed the great mother goblin’s ribcage and pierced its heart.
A chill ran through her.
Black energy rose, clinging to her arm. She kicked the great mother’s gut free. The black mist grasping her flailed directionless.
Separated, the black energy vanished—but one strand lingered, circling.
Joo Se-ah couldn’t tear eyes from the now-corpse great mother. Hostages didn’t cheer. Goblins neither turned nor charged, just stared blankly at their standing-dead leader.
“Ugh……”
“Hrrrmmm……”
Hostages’ groans snapped her back.
Drooling mouths, vacant eyes.
Mindless.
Not just humans—goblins too.
Joo Se-ah realized she was no different.
Her high magic resistance fought fiercely, preserving her mind, but her body was frozen.
Time lost meaning. Moments? Hours? Dazed.
Anyone—even top hunters—panics losing body control.
But Joo Se-ah gritted teeth, unyielding.
The Indomitable Witch.
Her spirit never bowed to strong monsters, villains, or despair.
Move. Gotta move.
The endless black energy from the great mother’s body showed no end.
She didn’t know what happened.
But instinct screamed doom followed.
Move… move… move.
“Move!”
Brave Heart
Blood-coughing shout ignited her heart hot.
Finally, one step forward, breaking invisible bonds.
“Puha! Hah… hah…”
As she caught breath.
Clack!
A beast’s hoofbeat.
Close.
Very close.
“Drujplizm shikadu.”
A frail voice tickled her ear.
“Kahak!”
Joo Se-ah spat blood, collapsing.
Forcing head toward the voice.
The great mother lay crumpled. Hollowed shell. Not even meat—just skin sloshing on floor.
Behind, black energy swirled, forming something.
But Joo Se-ah couldn’t see it.
Her eyes showed only script or sigil.
Overlapping large-small circles, mysterious strings between.
An ominous womb-shaped glyph.
Some mark, but meaningless.
Unknown? Never heard of a monster like this.
Not even allowing form-viewing.
Was this even a monster?
The sigil-spawned beast spoke.
“Drujplizm shikadu. So bvpt pidiẓl aekp.”
Unheard tongue. Joo Se-ah bit her tongue, yelling.
“Wh-what the hell are you saying?! Kugh!”
Propping her slumping body, a familiar voice came from behind.
“Foolish human. Do not stand before me.”
“K-Kang Moo-hyuk……”
“Seems my ears catch it fine.”
Kang Moo-hyuk calmly stood beside Joo Se-ah.
“That’s why Brazil Guild got wiped.”
Joo Se-ah nodded at his words.
Kang Moo-hyuk addressed the visible-invisible entity.
“You… the one who invited me?”