Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Breakthrough
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My greatsword was plenty big, but I needed an overwhelmingly larger weapon.
I looked around.
There was a massive tree.
It was so thick I couldn't wrap my arms around it.
Perfect size.
"Step back."
The people around that giant tree moved aside at my words.
I raised my greatsword high.
They still looked baffled up to that point.
-Crunch!
I swung the greatsword and cleaved the massive tree.
-Crack.
"Wh-what are you doing?! It's f-falling!!"
The hunting team, huddled together, gasped as the tree toppled toward them.
I quickly caught it.
"Huh?"
Then I let it fall in a direction clear of people.
-Boom!
They stared at me in bewilderment for suddenly felling a tree.
"What the hell are you doing?! Monsters will swarm us!"
Im Cheol-woo again. That guy was subtly getting on my nerves. I figured smashing a few of his teeth later wouldn't be a problem.
I ignored him for now.
-Slice!
I cut off the top, leaving about 10 meters.
Then I jammed my greatsword into the base of the log.
-Thud!
'Suni.'
[Yes. Understood, Master.]
Reading my thoughts, Suni used mana conversion to form a solid core in the center of the log, securing the greatsword and wood together.
I gripped it and lifted the log with the sword embedded.
A 10-meter-long massive log sword was complete.
"Wh-what..."
People gave me strange looks for my bizarre antics.
I had no time or intention to explain to each one.
"Grrr."
Monsters were ambling toward the rift.
I charged forward, swinging the giant log sword.
-Whoosh!
-Thwack thwack thud!
-Kyaaak!
Monsters hit by the massive log sword flew into the sky.
"Wh-what the... heck..."
I'd hoped they'd die, but no EXP came in, so they were probably still alive.
They'd taken a shock, though.
They might come back soon.
No time to relax.
I had to move fast before they returned.
Instead of hunting with swings of the giant log sword, I swept monsters aside to clear a path forward.
If anyone died from this, it was just bad luck.
"N-no time to stand around! Chase after him, quick!"
The dazed people snapped to at the tactical team leader's words and followed behind me.
-Crunch!
I swept monsters away like with a broom and advanced quickly.
"Th-this is..."
The hunting team gaped at monsters flying from the giant log sword, but hope slowly dawned on their faces.
Jae-eun and Jin-ah, along with the other D-rank awakeners, held off monsters approaching from the rear.
That's when we'd pierced three D-rank rifts and one F-rank rift.
"C-, C-rank dimensional rift."
The tactical team leader warned in a tense voice.
He'd been guiding us toward D-rank rifts mostly, but this meant we couldn't avoid it anymore.
Near the rift were four dark red, bear-like monsters.
Their bulk rivaled a Blue Drake.
"Don't stop. Keep running."
I shouted without slowing down.
"B-but even so, a C-rank..."
Even one breaking into formation would devastate us.
But the monsters chasing from behind were no joke either.
We couldn't stop now even if we wanted to.
"Hup!"
Minding the monster's size, I swung the log carefully.
-Boom!
-Krooong!
The monster bear struck by my giant log club flew into the sky.
"Cr-crazy!!"
"Ru-run!!!"
The hesitating hunting team finally surged after me.
-Boom. Boom.
I led the charge, batting monsters aside as I ran.
They wouldn't die from that, of course.
They'd catch up soon.
Still, I steadily cleared rifts and grabbed the cores without forgetting.
Rift cores were precious and expensive.
The hunting team might not care, but I wasn't so flush I'd skip them.
"W-we broke through, I think."
The tactical team leader reported to me dazedly, checking his detector.
At that, I discarded the log.
But it wasn't time to relax yet.
A good number of monsters trailed us.
I'd only knocked most aside; few were dead.
"Guide the group to camp."
"We broke through! Head to camp fast!"
At my order, the tactical team leader shouted back.
"We broke through?! Fuck yeah!! Let's go~!"
Faces exhausted from the sprint lit up.
We'd pierced the rift zone; no major threats ahead.
But glancing back, the monster horde would catch the rear.
"Jae-eun. Jin-ah. Take the front."
I handed the front to the two D-rank body enhancers and moved to the rear, waving people past.
At the very back, a female supporter was struggling to run.
"Huff! Huff!"
Supporters were rare as female hunters anyway.
She was dutifully carrying byproducts even now.
Pro behavior, but she looked at her limit.
Impressive she'd hauled that far.
But as a non-awakener civilian woman, extreme situations exposed her innate stamina limits.
Monsters rapidly approached from behind her.
-Flop.
Her legs finally gave out, and she fell.
"Krrk!"
She reflexively looked back, eyes glazing over at the monster nearly upon her, sensing death.
-Thud!
I smashed the monster's skull as it lunged for her with my greatsword.
Then I took the load from her back.
She finally looked up at me in confusion.
"Th-thank..."
"No time. Run."
"Y-yes."
She scrambled up and bolted toward camp.
The ground shook from the massive monster pack behind.
"Hmm..."
Looking back, I saw the female supporter I'd saved running far off.
Just heading to camp like this seemed problematic.
This called for...
"Herding hunt?"
Mana gathered along my greatsword at my will.
A ridiculously huge 10-meter black greatsword formed.
The monsters' eyes bulged, frenzied to tear into me.
Perfect distance.
I swung the massive black greatsword horizontally with all my might.
-Boom!
-Crunch!
-Splatter!
The clustered chasing monsters were crushed and bisected, spraying massive blood and flesh.
-Plop plop.
Even nearby trees were swept away, clearing a small open space.
But monsters soon filled it, charging in.
-Boom!
I swung the ultra-massive black sword once more.
-Crunch!
-Plop plop.
Two good swings culled their numbers sharply.
Why not from the start?
I wondered, but...
'No. If I had, I wouldn't have farmed these mana stones.'
For the hunting team's sake, we had to pierce the rift zone.
I wouldn't have had leisure to collect stones.
While splitting the occasional latecomer, I picked mana stones from the monster corpses piled up.
"Too many..."
The sheer number overwhelmed me a bit.
But bending once was like scooping armfuls of cash.
No matter how detached from money I was now...
Passing this up would be idiotic.
"Yesss! We made it."
"Fuck yeah!! We're alive!!"
-Bleurgh!!
The hunting team had run like mad following Park Un-ho.
Reaching camp after that extreme sprint, people dropped to their knees vomiting.
"In-insane. We b-broke through!!!"
Those arriving in camp were filled with joy.
"Uncle!"
Jin-ah saw Jae-eun scanning around for someone.
She knew who without asking.
"Jin-ah, where's Uncle?"
Jin-ah recalled Un-ho ordering them to the front before heading to the rear.
"I saw him go to the back."
He didn't seem the type to sacrifice for others.
But with him not back yet, she worried a little.
Then a female supporter teared up emotionally with news of Un-ho.
"H-he faced the monsters to keep them from me!!"
'That guy?'
The supporter was cute-faced.
'Thought he was a womanizer, but...'
But hearing that, Yu Jae-eun paled.
She rushed out of camp.
"Where?!"
"Where else! To save Uncle!"
Jin-ah couldn't imagine the man swinging that giant log and blasting monsters dying pointlessly.
But Jae-eun heading out alone seemed reckless.
"Lots of monsters swarming. Dangerous."
Before Jin-ah could stop her, tactical team leader Jeon Gyu-hyuk blocked Jae-eun.
"Move."
Jae-eun growled lowly.
-Flinch!
Her eyes blazed blue, leaking immense killing intent.
-Gulp.
"Yu Jae-eun Hunter. C-calm down..."
Tactical team leader Jeon Gyu-hyuk sweated coldly and stepped aside.
She vanished into the forest.
Jin-ah thought she couldn't stop the seemingly berserk Jae-eun.
But she couldn't let Jae-eun go alone.
Jin-ah followed.
"Ah!! Kim Jin-ah! You can't go!!"
Ignoring Jeon Gyu-hyuk's protests, Jin-ah quietly trailed Jae-eun.
Soon, she had to stop.
A blood-soaked crimson forest everywhere.
And a field of monster corpses carpeting the ground.
Amid that brutal scene stood a massive man leisurely picking mana stones, oddly at ease.
"Th-this is..."
Jin-ah got chills at the grotesque sight.
No other aides visible.
Meant he'd handled all these monsters solo.
'This... is a C-rank body enhancer? B-rank? No... more...'
-Gulp.
It hadn't been long since he said his abilities improved.
He hadn't seemed to train hard either.
How'd he grow this much so fast?
Jin-ah thought the world unfair compared to her stalled growth despite efforts.
"Uncle!!"
Like reuniting with a resurrected lover, Jae-eun ran and hugged Un-ho joyfully.
"Wait. Why'd you come back."
As she clung, his hand naturally went to her waist, then slid to her butt—classic him.
"Without you, I was really... really..."
Unable to continue, Un-ho looked a bit stunned at Jae-eun's teary eyes.
Comforting her, still...
His hand didn't leave her butt.
"........"