Even a Real Ogre Couldn't Survive.
Yu Jung-geol, who had been hit by a car and plunged into the lake, had just barely surfaced when he heard the sound of an explosion.
"What the hell? What just blew up?"
He scrambled up the embankment and finally grasped the source of the blast.
"......"
He was too stunned to speak.
One hunter was rolling on the ground, one eye a mangled ruin. Another had a gaping hole punched through his chest.
'Did some B-rank hunter show up?'
Scanning the surroundings, he quickly pieced together the cause of the carnage.
A revolver and detonator lying on the ground.
He didn't know the exact sequence of events, but those two items had clearly wrought this havoc. Otherwise, no ordinary person could reduce two hunters—no matter their low rank—to this state.
"You fucking idiots. Always strutting around like hot shit just 'cause your rank's a notch higher. Get killed by some non-hunter? There's a limit to complacency. Hey, quit your whining and get up. Eye's gone? Get regen treatment. Or shove in a prosthetic. Bitching like a baby over a little eye pain. Tsk! Hey, even if it's messy, you gotta finish the job."
"This goddamn... it's my eye, asshole."
Yu Jung-geol toed the hunter curled up clutching his face with both hands, then approached Kang Moo-hyuk.
"Thought it'd be a cakewalk. Guess the guild master's got some fight in him after all. Don't hold a grudge. That's just how this game works, right?"
Yu grabbed the collapsed Kang Moo-hyuk by the collar, hoisting him to the perfect height. He reared back his fist, aiming to smash his skull in one blow. At least he wouldn't drag out the pain.
"You're Kang Moo-hyuk, mister?"
The sudden voice of a girl from the side made Yu Jung-geol flinch just as he swung.
Turning, he saw a petite woman crouched beside Kang Moo-hyuk, chatting away.
She wore an oversized cloak that dwarfed her small frame, and her hair was tied in a severe bun that clashed with her cute face.
"Who the hell are you?"
Ignoring him, she pulled out her smartphone and held it up to Kang Moo-hyuk's face. His photo was on the screen.
"Yup, it's him. Took forever to find you. What kind of guild holes up in a dead zone with zero signal? Phone's dead, resort's empty—whew, thought I'd die of frustration. Oh? Looks like a few bones busted. Ouch, that hurts just looking. Can't even answer properly, huh?"
Chattering nonstop, she checked his condition and moved to support him.
Only then did Kang Moo-hyuk manage to turn his head.
"You! Who the fuck are you?!"
Her casual demeanor sparked a flicker of unease in Yu Jung-geol. He bellowed, redirecting his fist toward her head.
Bang!
'Shield?'
His fist bounced back with elastic force, a sharp pain shooting through it.
"Mind clearing that away?"
Her finger pointed at Yu Jung-geol. Kang Moo-hyuk nodded faintly.
She stood up. Barely reaching his chest—around 160 cm, give or take. Yet for some reason, she loomed larger in his eyes. Like she was looking down at him.
"Good thing I wasn't late. If you'd died, Grandpa would've cut my allowance this month. Got my bros' concert next month—almost missed tickets."
She cracked her neck side to side. A sharp crack echoed.
"Huh?"
Yu Jung-geol blinked, his vision tilting oddly. No way she was leaning sideways otherwise.
As consciousness faded, one truth dawned on him.
'That bone crack... was from my neck?'
It was his final thought.
"That guy's a bad one too, right?"
Before Kang Moo-hyuk could respond, she reached out and snapped the one-eyed hunter's neck with a flick toward empty air.
"Came for orcs, end up bagging these villain punks instead. Small fry at that. Tch, total waste—no loot, just ruined my appetite."
She smacked her lips like her mouth was dry, then noticed Kang Moo-hyuk's paling face and tapped his forehead with her palm.
"Aigoo, you'll croak like this. Hold still. This here's expensive potion. Even Grandpa won't let me waste it, but for you... Huh? Why dodge? It's a gift—don't waste the gesture. Aaah, open up. There we go."
"If... if I drink it... in my state... I'll die."
"Sheesh, such a worrywart. I know potions overload normals. But not that bad. Just a sip for first aid."
"Got a condition. Can't handle mana stuff... without my meds."
"Potion allergy? Whoa, weirdest illness ever. Turning down this?"
Unscathed herself, she chugged it like vitamin water—contradicting her earlier "too pricey" line.
Kang Moo-hyuk wondered who she was. She had helped him. Ally? Or foe with an agenda?
No certainty, so he stayed tense.
'High rank. That wasn't a shield. Or any spell. But the attack stopped mid-air...'
Her identity was a mystery, but her trait clicked.
"You're a telekinesist, aren't you?"
"Bingo."
"You were the one flying earlier. Wasn't seeing things. A-rank top hunter?"
"Yeah. A-. Grandpa mentioned you. Sharp as hell, mister. Didn't even go full power."
"Grandpa?"
"Yeah. He said don't embarrass yourself. Made me run ragged. Though, hey, skipped school so silver lining? Rushed out in this cloak rag, no time to change."
Only now did Kang Moo-hyuk spot the school uniform peeking from her cloak. Her chatty innocence fit her age.
'Not innocent. Kills casually, no matter the crime. Confident enough to ignore security 'cause she could end anyone.
He read the brutality beneath her childish antics.
His mental roster flipped through names.
'A- rank. Female. Minor. Telekinesis trait. No one I know fits. Someone this specialized staying hidden? Deliberate. Don't know why, but I know who sent her.'
He had to confirm.
"That grandpa... Hunter Association Chairman Han Byung-gu?"
"Spot on. My great-grandpa."
A few questions later, he had the rundown.
Her name: Go Eul-ji.
Hunter Association Chairman Han Byung-gu's granddaughter. A- rank telekinesist.
Telekinesists topped their rank in destructive power. Hers was immense.
'Well-trained telekinesis rivals high mages. Wait—A- telekinesist? Might just work.'
A new plan sparked. Pain forgotten, he gripped her shoulders.
"Telekinesis range and output?"
"Whoa, sudden much?"
"Emergency! Guild's getting wiped!"
His urgent pallor startled her into answering.
"Uh, roughly? Crushes a high-rise easy."
"Floors? Area?"
"How should I know? You count rice grains per bite? Measure air per breath? Just ballpark."
"Concrete structure: 50m long, 8m wide, 5m high. Smash in one go?"
She scratched her head at the math problem.
"Ugh, math's my kryptonite. 50 by 8 by 5? Tough, but doable maybe. Gotta try to know. Why?"
"You said you came for orcs?"
"Yeah."
"Then let's go hunt orcs."
* * *
Jo Choong-hyeon ground his teeth. The two rookies ahead wouldn't break. He was the one yielding ground.
'That supporter... Choi Mi-ran? Dismissed her as perpetual C+, but she's a pain.'
One-on-one with Kim Seong-hyeon, he'd have ended it despite same rank—vast experience gap. But her interference blocked his finishers.
He eyed chances to drop her first.
Kim Seong-hyeon wouldn't allow it. He guarded her fiercely, matching her support. Seamless teamwork, no overnight thing.
'Guild master didn't pair them randomly.'
Kang Moo-hyuk had reorganized parties at the recent "tactical adjustment meeting," breaking up buddy groups for efficiency.
This pair was an exception.
Initially thought for surveilling Do Kyung-hoon's remnants, but now it seemed pure power optimization.
Jo grew anxious.
His ambushers likely nabbed Kang Moo-hyuk, but if they failed and he brought the bomb?
'Disaster. Kill him, then these two!'
Swords clashed wildly, battle peaking.
Jo spotted oddity: Choi Mi-ran's gaze drifted elsewhere.
"Seong-hyeon. That..."
Her cue: Kim swung wide, retreating.
Jo followed suit, then traced her skyward stare.
A woman hovered, peering down.
"Who is that?"
Choi Mi-ran muttered uneasily first.
Flight alone screamed overwhelming hunter—ranged mage type.
Ally or enemy?
"You two! Kang Moo-hyuk's underlings?"
"Uh? Y-yeah."
"Yes. Correct."
"Roger. Fall back that way. No, quit inching—get out from that dam."
As they backed away hesitantly, Jo sensed danger.
"Hey! Who are you?!"
"Hmm, yeah. Bad guy face. Don't care if you live or die. Anyway—let's get started."
She extended a hand downward. The sluice gate trembled.
It definitely trembled.
"Wh-what the... damn it!"
Jo's scream echoed as cracks spiderwebbed the concrete.
From tremor to collapse: instant. No escape.
Like a giant smashing a matchstick house, chunks exploded outward.
Jo was swept into the torrent.
Not even B-rank withstood 460,000 tons of pressure.
The deluge surged the gorge, uprooting streamside trees.
As lake water charged like a runaway train toward the falls, a massive boom erupted.
Kaboom!
"Whew~ They timed that nice."
Go Eul-ji felt a brief dizzy spell. Releasing her telekinesis, she descended, breathing deep.
"Hoo~ Exhausted. Overdid it? Should've paced. Bossing a stranger around. If not for Grandpa... What am I, a slave? Sigh. Might as well vent stress. Alright, time to orc-neck for fun in ages?"
* * *
Jang Deok-gu held the front, fending off encircling orcs masterfully. The rest were battered wrecks.
Multiple criticals, even dead. No time for grief or orders—just survival.
Without his shield, orc waves would've overrun them.
'Fuck fuck. Kang Moo-hyuk! This ain't what we planned!'
Baek Hyeong-gyu, already uneasy, inwardly cursed him nonstop. Nothing else to do.
As death loomed—
Kang Moo-hyuk's voice crackled.
-Detonating now. All retreat. Count 30 seconds.
Jang bellowed like he'd waited forever.
"Full retreat! I'll cover rear!"
Holding back till now, he unleashed skills with a roar. Mana-honed strikes ravaged orcs.
Without orc captains tanking bodily, the encirclement might've shattered.
Hunters bolted. Tanks ditched shields, hoisted wounded.
"Ropes!"
Na Dong-pa's shout: ropes dropped from both fallsides.
Hunters climbed, gear and injured slowing them despite superhuman strength. Summit reached in seconds.
"Party leader!"
Timing mentally, Jang leaped with 3 seconds left.
Orcs pursued rabidly. Couldn't let totem-smashers escape.
As Jang hit falls-base, explosion rocked above.
He vaulted, snagging rope mid-cliff.
Falling rocks and water bomb battered him wildly. Not direct hit, but grueling.
Debris-water combo hammered orcs below.
They wailed in weird chorus, swept away.
Even taller captain-grade orcs no exception.
Only the orc general lasted longer, but succumbed to lake's wrath.
Battered by surges, Jang crested top.
Collapsed, soaked hair slicked back, he peered at watery chaos.
"460,000 tons... Yeah, not even A-rank survives that."
"Even a real ogre couldn't withstand it."
Na Dong-pa shuddered at hundreds of orcs submerged.
"Won't drown 'em all. But heavy losses."
Catching breath, Jang rose.
"Not over. Fetch rider wolves. Time to mop up remnants."