Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Evil Zone Sweep (2)
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Center 3. The first thing that caught Su-ho's eye was a man with two longswords strapped to his waist, their lengths dragging along the ground.
"Masaki. Call him Masa. He's a physical-type who wields dual swords. His lethality falls short of Eun-woo's, but his agility is top-notch. He moves so fast you can barely see him."
As if reading Eun-woo's gaze, the man with sharply upturned eyes scanned the surroundings. Ji-young continued.
"We don't call him Masa, though. We call him 'Intsu'."
"Intsu...?"
Ji-young's lips curled up at the corner.
"Yeah. Human trash."
Human trash.
"He must have a really bad personality."
"It's not just 'bad'. You'll see why he's trash soon enough. And next to him is Takahiro. He's the leader of Center 3."
A heavy aura emanated from the man standing there—the only one wearing hunter gear.
"He's the oldest among the SS-grade hunters in Sector 1. Turns forty next year, I think?"
"He doesn't look it."
His face looked young for someone nearing forty, and his physique was impressive too.
"He takes good care of himself. Oh, if Masa's trash, Takahiro's a gentleman. Polite and kind. His main abilities are electricity and water manipulation."
Feeling their gaze, Takahiro looked over at Su-ho and Ji-young. When their eyes met, he gave a light bow. Su-ho nodded back in greeting before looking away.
The next person to enter Su-ho's naturally shifting view was a man in a character T-shirt. With his burly build, he held a bag of potato chips in one hand and stared intently at a tablet in the other.
"...Buta. You'll always catch him reading weird idol comics. His main abilities are wind manipulation and telekinesis. His telekinesis feels different from ours—you'll get it when you see it. And next up are Center 3's A-grade Helpers."
Finding Center 3's A-grade Helpers was easy. Two of them stood side by side: a man in crisply ironed Helper uniform with spotless white silicone gloves, and a woman standing neatly beside him.
Strangely, Centers 2 and 3 had fewer A-grade Helpers compared to Center 1.
"See the guy with the gloves? Name's Shintaro. He's got severe OCD. Hates monster blood splattering on his clothes, and he refuses Cleanses if a hunter's sweaty."
Helpers had to physically touch their clients to perform a Cleanse, so contact was essential.
A Helper with OCD, though.
"That must be tough."
"Yeah. The one next to him is Mino. She's super shy. I've only exchanged greetings with her. Alright, that's everyone."
Ji-young stepped forward and called out.
"Hi, guys!"
She waved lightly, and people greeted her back in their own ways—waving, bowing, or just a nod.
Casually returning the greetings, Ji-young turned to the Center 1 group.
"Let's go say hi."
Su-ho stood beside her, awkwardly making the rounds with greetings.
Ji-young smoothly introduced Su-ho to the folks from Centers 2 and 3, and they all responded warmly to him.
All except one.
They'd just finished greetings with the Sector 1 crew and were about to move on when Masa, fiddling with his katana, muttered.
"Still carrying that trash sword around, huh."
It was Japanese, but even Su-ho, who didn't speak it, could tell from the mocking tone.
It was the same mutter he'd given Su-ho earlier, scanning him up and down during their greeting with Ji-young.
That's when Eun-woo, holding A-rin's hand, stopped dead in his tracks.
"A-rin told me not to fight."
He muttered, slowly lifting his head. His gaze was ice-cold.
"You little shit... watch your mouth."
A-rin grabbed Eun-woo's twisting lips as he turned.
"Eun-woo..."
"Two things I can't stand: anyone touching A-rin or my sword."
Eun-woo's heirloom sword had been passed down through his family like a treasured relic. He took immense pride in inheriting it.
Stepping in front of the turning Eun-woo was Takahiro, wearing his hunter suit with the Center 3 badge.
"My apologies. Masa seems to have been rude."
Speaking halting but clear Korean, Takahiro bowed politely to Eun-woo. From behind him, Masa shouted.
"Why the hell are you apologizing to that bastard...!"
"Quiet, Masa."
Unlike his Korean, Takahiro's voice was low and stern, his eyes sharp.
"I told you not to stir up pointless trouble. We're Center 3, but we're also part of Korea's Sector 1 branch. We're practically teammates, and I won't tolerate you ruining the mood."
Masa spat on the ground with a scowl. Takahiro clicked his tongue in disdain before turning back to Eun-woo.
"Eun-woo, please understand. I'll keep a closer eye on him."
Eun-woo glared at Masa for a moment before turning away.
"That guy's always picking fights with Eun-woo."
Before Su-ho knew it, Ji-young was whispering at his side.
"Has Masa been picking on Hunter Eun-woo for a while?"
"Yeah. They're both physical-types who use swords, and both SS-grade, so there's bound to be some rivalry..."
Ji-young stood on tiptoe and whispered in Su-ho's ear.
"Honestly, Eun-woo's got better physique and looks better. Plus, he's got a pretty A-grade Helper girlfriend. Masa's just jealous and nitpicking."
"...If that's really why..."
"Yeah, it's lame."
Shaking her head, Ji-young stepped forward.
"Time to start sweeping the Evil Zone, huh."
At her words, everyone's attention—whether mid-conversation or slacking off—snapped to her. Receiving their gazes, Ji-young flashed a bright smile.
"Let's get it started."
As they all shifted into combat stance at her single command, Su-ho couldn't help but be impressed. That's when Seong-hyeok spoke to him.
'Didn't you know? An Ji-young's the overall leader of Sector 1.'
'Leader? Not you, Seong-hyeok?'
'I hate dealing with people, so I usually go solo. Anyway, Ji-young's got the personality, but her leadership is killer.'
'...Makes sense.'
He'd sensed it from the greetings. No one dared defy Ji-young. It clicked that she was the leader, and he admired her for it.
As Su-ho marveled at Ji-young, a foul stench suddenly hit his nose.
It wasn't just foul—it was the reek of rotting, festering corpses.
"Monster."
Su-ho's face stiffened as he stared into the distance.
"Boss-grade monster."
The dense trees towering toward the sky shook all at once, shedding leaves.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The steady rhythm sent vibrations through the ground each time.
How big was this thing to shake the earth like that? Su-ho swallowed dryly.
'Endgame boss right from the start.'
Seong-hyeok, as if already knowing what it was, chimed in.
'This'll be a pain.'
The ground vibrations stopped. Then, right in front of where Sector 1 stood, the earth bulged slightly.
It was a tiny mound, barely enough for a mole to pop out, but the Sector 1 hunters all entered combat stance.
Leaders like Ji-young, Takahiro, and Liu Xian stepped forward, glaring at the mound. Eun-woo hid A-rin behind him and drew his sword; Masa quietly gripped his hilt.
As tension filled their faces while staring at the mound, someone strode forward boldly.
"Guess it's time for me to show what I can do. Liu Xian, I'll handle this solo."
Kai Qing swept back his bangs and turned to Ji-young.
"Ji-young! Watch closely."
He even winked before turning back.
That's when the small mound quivered. Like a plowed furrow piling up soil, the ground surged straight toward Kai Qing at terrifying speed.
Thudududuk—.
The bulge reached his toes, and something burst out.
Kieeeek!
A hard shell mixed black and red, its body segmented into dozens of joints, each sprouting sharp legs twitching in all directions.
It resembled a centipede. Bigger, grosser, more menacing than any known.
Kieeeek!
Mandibles flanking its mouth opened, aiming for Kai Qing's neck. In an instant.
"STOP."
At the short command, the mandibles froze. Kai Qing tapped them with his index finger.
"Really gross-looking thing."
He stepped back.
"Ugly things gotta die."
The mandibles began to pry apart. Surpassing their limit, the monster's mouth tore open along them.
Kyaeeek!
Dark green fluids dripped from the writhing monster's maw. Kai Qing grimaced and extended his hand.
The segments snapped one by one. Legs on severed joints flailed in the air.
Drenched in green slime, the monster wailed grotesquely. Annoyed by the noise, Kai Qing gestured at its head segment.
Crunch. It severed with a sound.
It was gruesome. Mouth torn wide, body chopped at every joint.
Su-ho watched the monster, unable to even strike back, head toward its end. His gaze shifted to Kai Qing.
'Ji-young didn't explain. Kai Qing's ability is telekinesis. Others use it as support, but for him, it's his weapon.'
It made sense. Just like Seong-hyeok, a flick of the hand, and the segments were diced. No doubt telekinesis snapping them.
'Downside is it drains him fast, needing constant Cleanses.'
Still, overwhelming power. Not on par with Seong-hyeok or Ji-young, but strong enough to shrug off the flaw.
Kai Qing dusted off his hands nonchalantly.
"If it was just this, I should've worn my best vest too."
Regretting not suiting up fully under his dress shirt, Su-ho let out a hollow laugh. Seong-hyeok spoke up.
'No way it was that easy.'
No sooner had he said it than thud. thud. thud. The ground rumbled steadily again.
'Meaning what Kai Qing killed wasn't the main body.'
'...Not the main body?!'
The one Kai Qing killed was three or four times human size. And that wasn't the main one?
"Gasp!"
Someone gasped in shock. Before identifying who, all eyes turned to the bulging earth.
"What the..."
Toadstool-like mounds weren't just one. Dozens—no, hundreds.
And that meant they were all monsters.