Chapter 42 |
‘There were guests who arrived first.’
Sooho, who had secured the hostages as soon as he appeared, glanced at the eyes focused on him.
After reading the memories of Secretary Kim, he immediately came to the Stardust research lab, where a fierce battle was already taking place.
‘There are about 30 Hunters for 10 hostages.’
Every time Sooho’s gaze met them, the Hunters flinched. Due to his somewhat shocking entrance, it felt like the air around them had stopped.
“Ugh…”
The only thing that could be heard piercing through the heavy silence was the groans of Park Jongchul, who had lost his arm and leg and was lying on the ground like a bug.
“What are you doing, you bastards!? Don’t just sit there like idiots, fight! Fight…!”
Suddenly, the Hunters of the Fiend Guild, who regained their senses from Park Jongchul’s harsh words, sprang into action.
“Let’s all attack together!”
“Aaaah!”
The attacks aimed at the Association Hunters turned their direction and flew toward Sooho.
It was a battle of 30 against 1.
Since the minimum unit of a raid team was 10, it was like three raid teams were rushing toward Sooho to kill him.
But Sooho had no intention of being a sitting duck. He lifted his head and looked up at the ceiling.
‘Ruler’s Authority.’
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! An invisible hand burst the fluorescent lights on the ceiling one by one.
“What the, what’s happening!?”
The Hunters attacking Sooho stopped in confusion as the vision suddenly went dark. Even for Hunters, it took some time to adjust their eyes to darkness when the vision suddenly went pitch black.
‘But I don’t need it.’
Sooho immediately flew through the darkness. He had come in wearing a crow mask that brightened his vision, aiming for this.
Splat! Chachachachachak!
“Ah!”
“Ugh!”
“Kuh!”
Screams erupted from all over the darkness.
“Be careful, he’s attacking… Argh!”
In an instant, five of them collapsed, drenched in blood.
“Fire!”
Swoosh! At that moment, someone conjured up a fireball that illuminated the surroundings. But by then, the figure of Sooho had already disappeared without a trace.
The Hunters’ eyes darted around frantically.
“Find him now!”
This research lab was a hideout cherished by Vice Master Lee Minsung. It would be a shame to the Fiend Guild’s name to let it fall into the hands of a mere intruder like this.
“Healers, attend to the wounded! Don’t scatter, regroup and fight!”
They moved according to the manual, even in this unexpected situation. They outnumbered the enemy anyway. They had the upper hand as long as they focused on taking him down.
Swoosh! Swoosh! More fireballs appeared, pushing back the darkness.
However…
‘You guys are already my prey.’
Sooho’s eyes glinted in the darkness.
“Arise.”
Shwaaa-
Behind Sooho, a shadow grew longer, and eight legs stretched out in all directions.
And the being that stood up from the ground was…
[Arachne Lv.1]
Knight Grade
As big as a house, with dozens of eyes. Its mouth was grotesque, and it had a pair of giant pincers. The ‘Tomb Spider Arachne’ caught in Magok Field had returned from the dead as Shadow Spider.
[Kwurryaaak!]
Chwaaaaak- chwack-chwack! Black spiderwebs spread out in all directions. Chwack, chwack! Chwack, chwack, chwack!
Those spiderwebs stuck to the walls and ceiling and began to reshape the entire container building into a spider nest.
“What, what is this sticky stuff!?”
Eventually, those spiderwebs even reached out toward the Hunters.
[Arachne uses ‘Skill: Puppet Show’.]
“Oh no! My body is moving on its own…!”
Poof!
“Ack! Why am I…?”
The Hunter’s arm caught in the spiderweb accidentally stabbed his nearby colleague.
Thud.
“Huh?” The Hunter, who had become a puppet, was greatly startled by his colleague falling to the ground bleeding. “Oh no! It’s not me! This sticky thread is moving my body…!” But his body had already found another victim, and he swung his sword at them.
“What the hell are you doing attacking someone on our side, you bastard?”
“It’s not me! I’m not moving!”
And that was the beginning.
Chwackchwak! Chwack, chwack, chwack!
[Arachne uses ‘Skill: Puppet Show’.]
[Arachne uses ‘Skill: Puppet Show’.]
“Ah! I’m caught too!”
“Aaaah! Scatter!”
“No, don’t scatter! That’s what the bastard wants!”
“Then what should we do, damn it!”
Dozens of Hunters started swinging their swords at each other.
It was a battle royale in the true sense of the word.
“Cut the damn spiderwebs first!”
“Don’t get caught up in his skill!”
Snap.
[You have purchased ‘Lesser Healing Potion’.]
Taking advantage of the moment, Sooho poured the potion from the shop into the mouth of the kindergarten student he was holding.
To think that the one-sided violence of the Hunters had spread to this small body.
Sooho’s fierce gaze turned to Park Jongchul, who was lying on the ground.
Then a small shadow came down on top of him.
[You have angered my little king…]
Beru’s hand tightly grabbed the man’s head.
“Hmm!?” Park Jongchul’s eyes widened as he was forced to look up. Above his dilated pupils, the black beast’s mouth, which resembled a demon’s, parted.
[You will not die easily.]
Crack! Crack! Crack!
“…!” A silent scream leaked from Park Jongchul’s mouth.
Meanwhile, the potion’s effect seemed to have started to work, and the child’s condition noticeably improved.
Sooho’s gaze turned back to the enemies.
“Arachne.”
[Kraaak?]
Arachne, who was throwing Hunters away with its giant pincers, turned to Sooho.
“Take down the Healers first.”
The Healers were the top priority targets, as many of them had not only healing skills but also annoying buff skills.
During the first attack, Sooho intentionally inflicted only critical injuries on the Hunters instead of killing them to flush out the Healers. As a result, the Healers were now diligently moving around and pouring their mana generously onto the injured.
[Krrrrk!]
Arachne immediately started attacking those Healers.
“He’s targeting the Healers! Protect them!”
‘I’m going to use this opportunity to save the other hostages.’
Sooho shifted his gaze toward the prison. However, Association Hunters were already on the move there. Since their goal was to rescue the hostages from the beginning, they rushed into the prison first without even trying to find out who Sooho was.
The problem was that the members of the Fiend Guild also noticed this fact.
“The materials are trying to escape! Stop them!”
“Capture the hostages first!”
Shrug!
They surrounded the prison.
“Ugh!”
Association Hunters ended up being trapped in the prison with the hostages.
But to make matters worse…
Thud!
“What the hell is this!?”
Just then, the research lab door opened, and the supporting troops arrived. The problem was that the reinforcements were not from the Association but from the Fiend Guild.
Dozens of Hunters from another container building rushed over here after hearing the commotion!
“Ha.” A sigh of despair escaped from the mouth of Han Jaehyuk. He murmured with beads of sweat on his forehead, “Can we get out alive?”
“Of course.”
“…!” Startled by the sudden answer, Han Jaehyuk looked over to the crow mask that had approached outside the iron bars.
Sooho opened the iron bars with force and held out the little boy he was holding.
‘What kind of strength…’
Stunned by Sooho’s incredible strength, Han Jaehyuk took the child over in confusion.
Sooho put the bent iron bars back in place and spoke to him. “I guess it’s better that way. Please protect the hostages there for a while. You can cover any attacks from outside with your shield skill, right?”
“What are you…”
As Han Jaehyuk was about to say something to Sooho…
Chwack, chwack, chwack!
Suddenly, black spiderwebs flew and tied the prison door from outside. Now it wouldn’t open from the inside or outside.
Han Jaehyuk looked at Sooho in confusion again, but Sooho was already looking at the enemies approaching him. “Just rest there for a while.” His back was broad and sturdy. “It will all be over soon.”
With those words, Sooho walked slowly towards the enemies rushing toward him, which had doubled in number.
If it was just about escaping, it could be done anytime. But should these guys, Hunters who killed their own kind to gain power, be spared? They were no longer human.
Looking at the monsters—no, villains, Sooho promised.
‘I will uproot them today.’
That thought was conveyed to someone far away.
[The King of Beasts, the Beast Monarch, is pleased that the hunting time has come.]
“Divinity.”
As soon as Sooho spoke, Gray’s body, which was in the Shadow Dungeon, suddenly floated and became transparent.
“Grrr?”
“Huh? Spiritualization?” Esil, beside him, recognized the phenomenon and widened her eyes.
[The spirit of ‘Pet: Gray’ dwells in the shaman’s body.]
Gray’s spirit climbed up on Sooho’s shadow and nestled in his body.
Shwaaa! Sooho’s hair turned into a shining silver at that moment, and the beast’s power surged through his entire body.
“…!”
“Wh-what is that!?”
The members of the Fiend Guild were frightened by Sooho’s sudden change. The imprisoned Association Hunters reacted the same way.
“Wow. That must be…!”
“The White Tiger Guild…!”
[The King of Beasts, the Beast Monarch, nods approvingly at the transformed appearance of the shaman.]
‘Is this how it feels?’
Sooho looked down at the wild energy coursing through his body. A divine wind loaded with mana wrapped around his body.
“All right, let’s see what that shaman’s power was that you were boasting about.” Sooho smirked at Rakan, surrendering himself to the surging energy.
At that moment…
“Roar!” Sooho roared like a beast and rushed toward the enemies with explosive speed.
Clang, clang!
“Ahh!”
… Gulp.
Team Leader Han Jaehyuk, who was watching the scene from behind, unconsciously swallowed dryly. A certain memory came to his mind.
‘This is not an ordinary beast transformation.’
He had seen the battle scene of Baek Yooho, the leader of the White Tiger Guild, from a far distance only once. Of course, he wasn’t saying that the man in the crow mask had the same energy as Baek Yoonho. Baek Yoonho was an S-rank. His tremendous presence was so intimidating that he was even afraid to recall it.
But why…
Why did the memory of that day keep coming back to him?
“Beast King Crow…”
“Yes?”
When the name suddenly came out of Han Jaehyuk’s mouth, his subordinates looked at him.
Yes. Why did it only come to him now?
On the article he had seen last night…
Magok Field.
Crow mask.
“… The one who inherits the power of the King of Beasts.”
Was that the person?
Growl! The fierce roar of the beast rang in their ears.
Right before the eyes of the Association Hunters, the Beast King Crow was ruthlessly hunting down prey with a giant spider.
Author's Thoughts❄Support the original in its official site if you can!
❄You'll do us great service just by not publicizing our links to social medias. It is ridiculous to ask to be lowkey when this novel is anything but that; however, every effort counts in the continuation of the translation.
❄You can read ahead by purchasing the advanced chapters, but it is not required to have the full access of the novel as everything will be unlocked with time.
❄What we lack in speed, we make it up in quality.