MY RANGE IS ONE MILLION

by Kideo11

Have you been targeted? Maybe, since you've been in his range all along. What else can you do but prepare yourself to be killed?

1. Chapter 001 - 100

Chapter 1

A raid group of fearless hunters walked along the pitch-black dark mountain path in the middle of the night. None of them could see anything up ahead but they continued on with their weapons armed and in hand.

"Found it. 500 meters towards that way… Nothing's moving though…"

"Good…"

They couldn't see anything through the darkness but they held onto their heavy weapons and moved faster as soon as they heard the sound of the leader's voice echoing from up ahead.

"We have to move faster. We have to take care of this tonight…"The leader commanded.

"Aren't we just wasting time?" One of the hunters said with an impatient voice.

"Quiet, Chung Hwan." Another replied.

"Whatever." He responded in a condescending tone.

The bickering didn't end until they finally reached their destination. It was an empty and quiet area leaving them to nothing but the sounds of crickets singing through the night as soon as they walked silently. From the looks of it, it seemed that the monster must have already gotten away. Their raid group was made up of incredibly skilled hunters but they were still at risk for a dangerous situation.

"Something's strange. Why isn't it moving?" Asked a guy with a husky voice.

Another group member then replied,

"Shhh. Don't make a sound… The monster must have escaped over that gate, it must have heard us coming. Let's finish this quickly. Jolie… Miyeong, get into formation D."

"Got it." They answered at once.

They then spread across the ground that was covered in dead leaves trying not to make a sound while getting into formation. The path soon began to grow narrow as they started to see something at the end of the valley path. It was curled up and sleeping, making it look like the shape of a giant boulder. Although they've all had lots of experience in hunting, it was nothing like they've ever seen before. It was huge and covered with shiny armor.

"Chung Hwan!" A member of the group shouted.

"Already on it!" Chungwan said taking the lead with two more of the group's members running along behind. He wore shiny gray armor and had his sword prepared in a holster on his hips. He quickly ran up ahead…

"Hahahaha! Well, what do we have here…"

He got a glimpse of its scaly skin and drew his sword. Ready to test his strength against the monster. He then instantly struck it again and again… He soon started to feel tired after a couple of strikes that didn't even make it flinch. He gave up feeling exhausted.

The others that rushed behind him finally caught up but immediately stopped in their tracks with a hint of confusion on their faces.

"What are you doing?!" One of them yelled from behind him.

"Wait!" Another added.

"What's this?!" Chungwan said in surprise as he walked towards the scaly creature. It looked like a gigantic armadillo but with eight legs and three tentacles on its head. But there was also one arrow that was sticking out of it.

It was sticking out of its head. Daejeong saw it and reached for it.

"Um…Daejeong, I don't think that's a good idea…!"

Chunghwan tried to warn him but he was too late as Daejeong's hand was faster than his warning.

Daejeong then pulled the arrow from the monster's head. It wasn't an ordinary-looking arrow, It was short and black. Daejeong looked at the arrow confused by its unique appearance.

"He was right." He said to himself in a low voice.

The arrowhead had a broken tip. Arrow tips normally had a triangular shaped spade but the one he was looking at was covered with a black material that came from inside of the monster's body. Its armor was shiny and clean. But, as he took a closer look, he saw a little crooked handwriting on the monster's armor.

"Hey, don't touch it… If you were going to take it out then you should have done it slowly. What level is this monster anyway?" Chunghwan said.

There weren't any traces of the arrows' owner. There seemed to be a warning written on it but it was already too late to consider that as Daejeong had already taken it out and touched it. He then took a deep breath and looked around the area where the monster was slumbering.

"It looks like there's just this one room…The inside is completely ragged…"

Jolhu said.

He was then called to use his knife to scrape samples from the hole of the monster that the arrow was pulled out of.

Miyeong watched them while feeling terribly anxious.

"Where are we going now?" Daejeong asked.

"It doesn't matter, we still have today's monster to deal with…" Answered the group's leader.

"This wasn't much of a successful mission."

Said Daejeong who pulled the arrow out of the monster's head with his bare hands.

"It's getting cold. we have about 2 hours left to get back on time…"

"Gosh! I guess we have to hurry and just leave it here."

"How about the others gathering things this late at night, they're moving along well, right?" One of the members asked.

"I hope so. Damn.. Let's just call it a day.." Daejeong said throwing the arrow on the ground venting his anger. But, that turned out to be a big mistake.

Bangg!

Something white, sharp and plastic passed by his head along with a huge gust of wind.

"Argh!"

Chunghwan then screamed in pain, placing his hands on his head as he sank to the floor in pain. Luckily he was wearing a helmet so the injury wasn't as bad as it could have been. But the pain was still nearly unbearable.

His scream alerted the others of the attack. They immediately got into action but stopped as they saw something on top of the monster's head.

It was like a giant falcon. It had a strange red light coming from out of its entire body and it seemed to have grown almost 10 times bigger after it stood up. It was actually a well known monster that had the ability to create illusions upon its victims. The falcon's body was clad in armor and there was a sign hanging from its neck that caught the group's attention.

'The second warning: Irritate it and deal with the consequences. -Owner, Bheak.'

"Damn it…"

He realized then why it attacked him in the first place making him feel frustrated because of his own carelessness. He looked into the sharp eyes of the giant monster as he slowly took a few timid steps away. He wanted to fight back but by the rumors he had heard, this monster was not something he wanted to mess with. He heard that a raid team attacked it while it was mad and lost most of their fingers as a warning to not bother it again. Or else.𝑙𝘪𝑏𝓇ℯ𝑎𝒹.𝒸𝘰𝓂

That could have been just a rumor but, there was also a good chance that its owner would track them down and attack them as well if they irritated the monster. There was a saying that an arrow to the foot would make a third tier monster quiet. But they didn't want to take such a big risk, they would rather have to calmly end the raid.

"Let's go."

Daejeong said and they all then went back without a sense of hesitation.

Although he was angry that all of their efforts went to waste, at least they were still alive.

He thought about what people said about the arrow's owner and erased his prints off of it before leaving it behind…

Or else he could become his next target.

Prologue, The end.

Chapter 2

A Flawless Archery Machine

"Jae Hwang."

"Yes, Director?"

"Your hand... how is it?"

Jaehwang lifted his right hand revealing his scars spanning from his fingers to his wrist and to the back of his hand. He then gathered his hand into a fist and answered her question.

"The important thing is that it's healing. The doctor said that it will take some time but I will recover soon and get my strength back."

"That's a relief." The director said as she took a deep breath and leaned back into her chair.

She stared at Jaehwang who was sitting right in front of her in a chair across from her desk. He was tall, muscular and had facial features that resembled those of ancient Greek gods. He was very handsome, well.. at least he used to be.

People used to call him an Archery Prince. He was a prodigy since elementary school and was also a part of the national team.

[A Flawless Archery Machine]

In middle school they would call him the 'Archery Machine'.

He was gifted with great talent. Jaehwang would participate in every archery competition he could enter and he would set a new record every time even if he was up against older and more experienced archers. He was only getting better with time. People even started calling him the nation's unbeatable archer.

Jaehwang was living the time of his life. That was until an unfortunate event changed his life forever. He was driving with his family one day when a drunk van driver went across the lane and hit them. He lost his face, two of his fingers, one of his eyes, and his parents.

And since that day, the world's archery genius has lost confidence in his skills.

The worst thing that could happen to an archer was to lose his hand or fingers. He was lucky to be able to make it to the hospital where the doctors were able to stitch his fingers back on.

The accident happened at night on a dark and windy road, and he only arrived at the hospital around 12 AM. It was a miracle that he lived.

One of his uncles from his mother's side took all of his family's insurance money, sold their house, and disappeared without a trace. He had cut all ties with his uncle when he found out about it.

"The anniversary of your parents' death is soon, right?"

"Yeah."

The director knew Jaehwang's parents. She didn't know his father well, but she knew his mom. They were considered legends in the archery world 10 years ago. His dad was an archery master like his mother. People looked up to him for so many years and they soon had Jaehwang who had inherited the same talent.

Since the day he was born, his father gave him a bow as a toy that he would play with all the time. He carried a bow with his little hands before he could even learn how to walk and talk. He has been pulling bow strings since he was three, and by the time he reached the age of six, he was already hitting targets from 500 meters away.

"The national competition... Are you thinking of participating?"

"Yeah. If I enter the medal contention ranking in the next meeting, then that will be enough."

Jaehwang did not hesitate when he gave his answer. But the director already knew what he would say...

"I see."

With an injured hand and eye, he thought that he would be unable to hold a bow and arrow anymore. But after one year, he suddenly returned to school and his skills that unbelievably fell went up along with his rankings to the point that he could even now compete in the national competition.

There could only be one winner. All he needed to do to overcome his injury was to change his way of shooting as well as his stance. To adjust to his right hand's condition, he just has to train his remaining hand more

"Jae Hwang."

"Yes?"

"About the competition... How about resting?"

"?" Jaehwang kept his mouth shut, unsure of what she was implying. There's no way that she could be saying what he thought she's saying. He thought that she wanted him to enter the team selection.

"You seem to be having a hard time. I'm worried. You said that you ranked second in the last meeting... It seems that your skills have been failing because of your condition."

Jaehwang wriggled his eyes after hearing what the director said. His skills have actually been falling since before the accident. But...

"The maximum score is 360. It takes a lot to be number one."

"Weren't you ranked 2nd last time?" The director continued to talk and it felt as if her words went through his ear and left out on another.

"It was a new meeting record. The person who ranked first only had 1 point more, right?" What Jaehwang said was completely right. His skills were in decline but he couldn't compare himself to his talent before the accident. 𝘭𝒾𝒷𝓇𝘦𝑎𝑑.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Besides, focusing on his recovery was his current and utmost priority.

It was not like he hasn't lost everything, everyone still praises him.

"Huwu... Jae Hwang."

"Yeah?"

"You've only been resting for a year, you should get some more rest."

"I've already finished resting. Well... I'd say that my condition is about 90 percent"

Jaehwang listened without saying anything back...

"That's it! That's it! You have to do something for yourself. That dog-like uncle of yours is a problem, and you haven't even gone to the army yet but you rested for a year!

The director yelled, and they both sat in silence for a moment.

"Director..."

"What..."

Jaehwang stared at her from the other side of the desk without an answer to her response. He had a cold look in his eyes which made the director unknowingly lower her head as a reply.

"Director..."

"What is it?"

"I..."

"..."

She was the first person there for him whenever Jaehwang felt unhappy. Even when he was in a coma, she came to see him every day and when his parents passed away, the person that he trusted more than anyone else... was her.

"Just say one word. Whatever you say, I'll follow along."

"Anything?"

The director nodded as she showed him her sad eyes. Jaehwang's lips slightly moved as he said that one word but the director's eyes suddenly grew bigger in surprise before she bit her lips. The office was then filled with silence.

'Ugh... Idiot.'

Jaehwang took a short breath and cursed himself. He questioned himself how he could have said that in front of his director.

She didn't answer back or maybe she's just thinking about how stupid he was. Maybe she's waiting for him to leave to feel relieved. That's what he thought.

"About school... I'm quitting that... And archery."

After hearing that, the director glared at him as she instantly stood up from her chair.

"What are you talking about!"

"Maybe archery was only my mom's wish... I don't have to go through with it since she's gone... It's just no use if I keep trying. But I'm thankful for everything during that time," He replied.

"You must be crazy! Why would you stop archery?! It has only been one year!" She lowered her head and yelled at him from across the table.

"It's just... that's what I'm going to do now. I'm sorry."

"Jaehwang, your ranking is falling. But don't you think that you can improve them again, right? Please don't say you're going to stop." The director desperately tried to stop him.

Jaehwang was an honest person who had never lied. If he had said something like this, she knew that he was serious even if it meant that he would never come back to her once again.

'I can't.'

The generation's prodigy was crumbling in his hands, he felt guilty. Maybe if he dies, he could shoot an arrow board with his sunbae archery players for a thousand years in the afterlife. But no... Right now... All he could feel was guilt like crazy.

There was then a hand placed on his shoulder. It was the director who reached out to him.

"Director..."

"What is it?"

He looked down towards the director, not with eyes filled with disappointment or hatred but the eyes filled with disgust and sadness.

"You have eaten, right?"

"Ha...?" The director froze on the spot... She sat back into her chair, she was left unable to move as well as to focus her eyes.

"I... I..."

She just stuttered. Jaehwang then bowed his head politely and turned around to leave.

Click...

"Phew..."

Chapter 3

"Phew..."

He leaned on the door and took a deep breath after leaving the director's office. He lied about archery and everything else and he honestly knew that there was no way he could give up archery. He loves archery and there's nothing else that he could even think of doing.

"Well...I guess I'll leave? Han Sooji..."

He went back after he recovered and everything he once knew disappeared like a mirage. His uncle took his parent's insurance money while he was receiving treatment and he even sold his family house before he disappeared.

All of the scornful looks he got from everywhere disappeared. He started to see the light of praise...the compliments and that's what he loved.

'Do I really have to do this?'

He met her for the first time in an elementary school archery contest. She glanced at him all day and made him nervous to the point that his face would turn beet red due to the sheer embarrassment. That was the beautiful girl who stood behind her mother.

They met again when they both got into a middle school famous for its program for archery. Before, his head was always filled with thoughts about his beloved sport but now, he can't stop thinking about her. He did not want to miss the chance to confess to her. The two of them were the prince and princesses of archery that brought home all the awards.

But after Jaehwang finished his recovery from his injuries, he went back only to find out that she had been transferred to another high school. His heart was torn to pieces realizing that he wasn't able to do anything. Smartphones weren't that handy from where and when he was recovering. There were no signals and you couldn't even make a call even if you went to a different place around the area.

Without Sooji, he felt miserable and dejected.

And, one day throughout his year of recovery, he received just one text from that girl.

'I want you out of my life.'

Those were just a few small and cold words but Jaehwang couldn't understand where it came from. He had never received a text like this from her and it was already a text bidding her farewell.

He asked himself 'what did he do wrong', did he make a big mistake? Did she only pretend to like him on the outside and hated him on the inside? He was so confused.

He then remembers a question that he asked the director a while ago.

'Is it the Samjeon company?'

'That's the one.'

'Don't drop out of your competition and don't stress about it.'

'I'm sorry.'

He goes to school and uses all of the equipment that was supplied to him. The company that generously annually donated was... The Samjeon company was owned by Han Soojii's parents. Since Sooji suddenly left school, the recovery equipment he requested was never sent.

Jaehwang still didn't understand why they did it.

Tap...

At that moment, someone placed their hand on his shoulder. He turned his head and saw someone taller than him standing there.

"Hey... What are you doing?"

"Oh... Hi Dongchul."

He was 186 centimeters tall, he weighed 106 kilograms and it was easy to mistake him for a bodybuilder. He was friendly and outgoing but they don't talk to each other that often but despite that, they shared the same brotherly bond. Jaehwang could tell that he also wanted to drop out of school and Dongchul could feel that something was bothering him as well.

"What did you and the director talk about? I can tell that something's up with you."

"I'll tell you later. I'm busy thinking right now." He waved his hand to move Dongchul away.

He spoke in a calm manner instead of replying in an angry tone that might start a fight like Dongchul used to do. When Jaehwang returned to the hospital after his treatment, Dongchul could tell something was bothering him better than anyone else.

"Just tell me now!"

Dongchul raised his voice and Jaehwang responded by taking a short breath. His voice was as loud as a train whistle and he's the kind of person that will keep screaming if you don't give him an answer. So to avoid that, Jaehwang told him what happened.

"She wants me to enter the national selection competition after a year of rest."

"What?! Why is she talking nonsense?"

And of course, the sound of Dongchul's voice echoed throughout the hallway and made Jaehwang regret his decision. He can't bring himself to think straight at the moment because right now, all he wants to do is to just put his feelings and thoughts to rest.

Dongchul noticed how he's feeling without even thinking for a second.

"What's the matter?!"

"Shh. Let's leave."

"Hey! Am I not mad right now? I know you're having a hard time! What is it!"

"Samjeon."

Dongchul stopped talking as soon as he heard that one word.

"Samjeon... Is the director pressuring you? Is that why she said you rest for a whole year?"

Jaehwang shook his head at Dongchul's question and answered, "No... I said that I'm stopping with archery and school... And I'm sorry to you. We won't be able to graduate together."

Dongchul began to explode after hearing those words. He clenched his hands into a fist, making his veins visible enough that it looked like there were earthworms inside his skin.𝒍𝓲𝙗𝒓𝒆𝓪𝒅.𝙘𝒐𝓶

"Samjeon industry...Sooji...That year?"

"Dongchul..."

"She taught you archery throughout that entire year of middle school. I don't understand what happened and what's going on...Ugh!"

"I still don't know either! Don't talk so carelessly!."

Dongchul looked up with a surprised look on his face. Jaehwang noticed and, in response, Jaehwang lifted his head to see what was going on only to mirror his expression. He froze with that look on his face, his mood had boiled up and his compassion disappeared.

It's been a really long time since he had seen Jaehwang look that way. It looks like the eye of a predator that caught its prey. He lost his sight in one eye and can only see blurred images. But, with his other eye he can see fine.

"Ah right, your eye is hurt. I got it."

"Thanks."

Dongchul took a deep breath.

He remembered the day when they first met. It was the second year of middle school. But, at the same time, he wasn't only lucky enough in the second year, he also had a group of friends in the third year.

When he thinks about it now, he wanted to fit in but he was taller than 99 percent of the middle school students... He was good at fights. And lastly, because of the fact that he was an orphan, the mean friends only made him lonelier.

And because of that, he had a hard time. That is until he one day bumped shoulders with Jaehwang while he was walking to school. He used that as an excuse to start an argument and they went into an empty alleyway to fight.

Since then, they eventually became friends after they continued to run into each other. Then they got into the same archery team and they even ended up going to the same high school.

"Damn it... I hear sunbae students whispering..."

Dongchul is kind of dumb but there's no one more strong-minded than him. He was the only person that could calm Jaehwang down when he's angry.

"Let's go."

"Okay. It seems to be 6 of them... Let's go eat and drink."

"Not right now..."

Dongchul calmed down as Jaehwang tried to lead him back outside. It was much harder than it seems since it was a small hallway where it was difficult to breathe in... They then suddenly heard voices coming from down the hall.

"Hey!"

Chapter 4

Usually, to leave peacefully, Jaehwang had a trick of being extra nice. When he finished his treatment, he came by and he became lonely. The 3rd year sunbae students were in charge so they yelled at quite a few students who got in their way.

He just finished shooting and he had used his equipment without using anything. The director had banned the students from walking down the hallway with arrows in their hands and thus, they had just created chaos at that moment.

"Sorry." Jaehwang's decision to quit school had nothing to do with the arguing that he hated. He just politely lowered his head and turned around but unfortunately, the sunbaes wouldn't let them slip away that easily.

"Hey! What are you doing? Why'd you come, Dongchul? Are you trying to skip school?!"

"Uuh..." He kept his cool and followed Jae Hwang out of the building, giving not the slightest bit of care about the sunbae students trying to start a fight.

"How dare they try to start something with us?!"

Pong!

One of the sunbaes marched up to Dongchul and slapped him on the side of his face. They might have driven them mad because they just walked away without a word or it might be Dongchul behaving like a quiet bear around the school. He kept his calm to the point that they are not sure what to do with him now.

After being hit, Dongchul turned and looked towards Jae Hwang in surprise, asking him if he should not hold back this time.

In the beginning, he wanted to be friends with Jaehwang but he couldn't since his parents only let him have friends who play archery. But after introducing his unskilled orphaned friend to his parents, they treated him as their own. That's why since then, Dongchul strived to be better in archery until somehow he ended up being in the same team as Jaehwang.

However, when Jaehwang said that he's finished with archery, that made him uninterested as well. But through all his current thoughts, he got busy fighting some of his classmates.

"No." Jaehwang shook his head.

Jaehwang has work to do. He wanted to visit his parent's graveyard as well as take care of the rest of his family's things. It doesn't matter even if he used his mother's name since his uncle's evil plan robbed him of everything. But even so, he has to care for what's left with him and with Dongchul giving up on school, the future looks bleak for the both of them.

The moment Jaehwang calmed Dongchul down, an older student triggered his short patience with a single breath.

"Are you stupid!" The sunbae student hit him again and he screamed in pain.

"Looks like I've been too nice!" Dongchul grabbed him by the back of his hair as he tried to walk away. He then took his wrist, turned him around and punched him in the mouth.

The others who laughed while watching were forced to shut their lips in shock at what just happened but It wasn't long before they bared their teeth in anger and ganged up on Dongchul.

A big fight broke out...

But Jaehwang acted faster than them. He grabbed Dongchul and they started to run before the others could take out their arrows.

Swoosh Swoosh!

He throws 2 arrows within 1.5 seconds. They quickly flew through the hallway and made its mark into the wall, landing just 1 centimeter away from hitting right through the middle of the 'Relax and be Kind' banner written in fancy Chinese writing.

"Wow!"

The sunbae students fell on their rear ends. They looked where the arrow had landed before they looked towards Jae Hwang in fright, forgetting that they had just provoked a monster in archery.

But what's more surprising was how weak his shooting was compared to before. His current equipment could be blamed, but the shot wasn't even accurate.

"Dongchul."

"What..."

"Don't you regret it?"

"It was their fault, ask them..."

"Let's go." Jaehwang walked in front of the arrow he shot as tears began to well up in Dongchul's eyes. He then looked over towards Dongchul thereafter and threw the arrow over to the pleading students before they left the hallway.

***𝑙𝒾𝘣𝘳𝑒𝒶𝒹.𝑐𝘰𝓂

They walked out of the school with no delay and with no words to say to each other. They marched in the dreary winter weather with the cold wind blowing through their warm bodies.

"Geez...It's so cold." Dongchul said with his body covered in sweat to which Jaehwang replied with a light laugh. But that feeling soon disappeared when his demeanor started to look more serious.

"Are we really going to quit school?"

"Yeah. There's no reason to stay...especially when things are only getting worse.."

"..." Jaehwang just shook his head at Dongchul's answer. Dongchul was actually only going to that school because of Jaehwang's parents. After going to one of two archery events, he found that sports aren't for him. He was able to get into the school without much skills with the help of Jaehwang parents but now, it would be hard for him. His support from them was already gone so unless Jaehwang came back, he had no choice but to leave.

Jaehwang knew that and that's why he decided to join in when Dongchul decided to fight for him. Getting expelled or leaving... It doesn't mean anything to him anymore.

"What should we do..."

"What are you thinking?"

"I...Want to go to the mountains... There's nothing here left for me."

Dongchul looked at him with a reluctant look on face and asked,

"...That hell?..."

Jaehwang smiled. He should be calling their current position hell. The familiar whispers of the city relaxed them as the birds in the background chirped a comfortable rhythm. Nothing's more comfortable for him than something like relaxation, meditation... and Archery.

"Let's go to my parents grave. I have to go take care of everything..."

"Okay." Dongchul shook his head without a word and Jaehwang then clicked his tongue as he glared at him in the same way. He obviously didn't know what Dongchul was thinking of. He wants him to come with him but Dongchul has to take care of the younger orphaned kids. That created a bit of a conflict between them.

"So, you're sure you don't want to come?"

"I don't know.."

"You don't have to pay for the food," Jaehwang said. Dongchul was left unsure of what to say since he was a big eater.

"Okay. Well...I don't know," He replied. Jaehwang realized Dongchul's greatest burden so he decided to take that worry away from him. 𝑙𝘪𝒷𝘳𝑒𝘢𝑑.𝒸𝑜𝑚

"Then, what do you really want to do?"

Dongchul scratched the side of his face after he heard his question. He looked over towards the giant building in the distance. He then saw a picture on the giant multivision screen and said, "I'm going to do that..."

"Oh..." Jaehwang looked over in the same direction and knitted his brows.

-They just came out of the Daehyun Battle University dimension gate. In the past at 2018's first dimension gate, hundreds and thousands of peoples' casualties were generated. 60 years later after the first generation fusion, our country's best hunters kept everyone from being destroyed and the Daegu dimension gate's 7th expedition was successfully finished.

Bright fancy lights shone onto the giant baseball field-like multivision screen through the night match. There was a giant transparent mirror that reached 20 meters high. There were dozens of support lights and about 20 people standing there.

-Two more posts were being built with the expedition at that time and it's available to anyone within 20 kilometers in every direction. The natives are still...

"I volunteered for military work so I tried to apply to the Military Gags Dog Training program. The country will pay for all the Gags Eog procedures in the country. They said that they will give it to you for your 5 years of service."

"Dongchul." Jaehwang looked at Dongchul with a worried expression.

Gagrog, hunter... Things like that are said to not be for ordinary people. Of course in the past, it was one of the biggest jobs but, those who are naturally born with the Gag Seog talent were most likely to earn more money.

The examination for Gags Eog skills was free, obviously. Whenever the country saw that there was a lack of hunters, they would first find someone with the skills to fill the spot.

The country paid for one's Gag Seog procedure so they could check their skill rank. It was hard to reach the rank to be qualified...

For reference, Dongchul's rank was 3, and even though it's embarrassing to say, Jaehwang's closest rank was 5.

"You're going to do the procedure even if your skills remain the same after three years?. You have to change to make do with the work terms right?

"Rank 4 hunters even die here," Dongchul replied.

"And besides me, your younger siblings are going to worry about you..." Jaehwang showed Dongchul a face full of concern.

There were a lot of fancy and brightly shining spotlights in the place. It looked good, but how many Gagseogs died there? That's something that had to be thought about. Especially hunters that were in the 2nd rank and below, there was said to be an average of a 30 percent fail rate for them.

"Even if you're rank two, you'll just have to endure a lot for over five years and then they will give you one hundred million and a level El license. Doesn't it sound so easy?"

"Oh..."

Jaehwang knew that Dongchul was strong so he just shook his head for now. Even those with similar ranks needed an infinite variety of physical strength followed by true fighting skills. Even if Dongchul were in the same rank, he may not have a top rank fighting skill but, there was something else that Jaehwang was worried about.

"There's something I was trying to explain to the director..."

"Ah...Oh..." After hearing that, Dongchul then looked at him with a sad face and put his head down.

He remembered the times of them going to school every day, that was the school that the director took pride in working for. But now they quitted school and were considering doing dangerous things like volunteering for the Gags Hog Hunter Procedure.

"Darn...Maybe you can go during archery season." Dongchul clicked his tongue.

"Maybe." Jaehwang then looked away.

Everything changed 60 years ago after the fusion. The generation fusion... Some have called it the dimension mashup...

Some said that it was a sign of an alien invasion and even though it wasn't a sign of ruin, it was clearly not a natural thing. It was speculated that it involved a passing meteor colliding into the earth, It resulted in a cataclysmic impact that shook their earth along with two other dimensions.

"That's not it, I'm planning to go and at least reach the 4th rank..."

Jaehwang then took a deep breath. He's going to try to improve his skills through Gags Dog training and make it up to at least level four even though it sounds very unlikely. If he's good enough to get into third place then maybe he can get into second and maybe if he's lucky enough, he can get into first.

"Say that you just want to at least get 6th place."

"Haha..." Dongchul just laughed.

Chapter 5

Two historic worlds had shone brightly together. In the center of the first one, there appears to be a race of monsters. It looked like something in a fantasy novel. On the second one, there appears to be a wide variety of bizarre monsters around the globe. The humans dominated the worlds and meshed their 3 worlds together. And when that happened, the pre-existing humanity civilization development had begun once more.

They called it 'The Hunter Generation'.

The Gags Hog hunters.

Since ancient times, an integrated defense system was made to 'Save' special skills of the enlightened Gasses that appeared. They came through their dimension gate and were trusted to save humanity.

The first 10 years of the generation fusion were called 'the survival generation'. With that being said, survival was their top priority... Countless natural gasses had started to appear and no one knew where they had come from. They were pouring out of the two different dimension gates. They were busily saving the lives of other dimensions along with humanity. Their names were 'Eorawuzho', they were the true supporting heroes of the survival generation

And 10 years after the generation fusion, a new type of Gags Hog hunters started to appear one after another. They were called 'Rodeo' and they maintained their legendary status from the past. They helped the people during fights. People had their stuff and called them 'artifacts', but their kind soon died due to a fatal injury. Their weapons were given to others and those others had their strength. By their appearance, other dimension invasions were prevented.

The last kind to come after 10 years were called 'Beyeondeos', they were called the Gagseog force in Korea.

They didn't have any artifacts or a generation fusion integrated defense system. They bought technology made with pure strength as a gift. After the monsters died, they used the Manager's madu-technology and they protected the human Gags Dogs. But in return, the human's 'save' force was protected from them as well.

Although after all that, the Gagseog had become the lowest ranking hunters of them all. But since then, through the number of humans, their enemies were soon overpowered. In recent times, besides going through dimensions, the invasion generation has arrived.

They're called 'hunters'.

"Do you want to go and eat?"

"Sure."

No one knows where Gagseogs came from or exactly how Beyeondo lived. But Dongchul and Jaehwang would not stop trying to find out. However, as dangerous as it may be, one could earn money from the life of a Beyeondo. So he thought that he could respect his friend's decision and keep quiet about it.

He didn't pack much luggage with him. The most things that he had were his archery gear and his books but he had donated it all away since he thought that he already got it in his head. A few days after sadly quitting archery, Jaehwang said goodbye to Dongchul and then got on the bus.

"Wow, it's empty."

The bus continued to move with its quick and soundless driving. Jaehwang then looked out the window and got lost in thought.

He thought he would need a lot but he just bought his backpack and a few of the most important things. He brought traditional recovery protection, an arrow that's been passed down for 20 generations and all the other equipment he would need in one bag.

"Mommy look...That guy's face is weird."

"Don't say that, honey."

A little kid saw Jaehwang looking through the window, she pointed her finger towards him while telling her mom who later stopped her. He's not too conscious about the right side of his face which was distorted after the car accident. The damage had almost cost him his archery skills but he's lucky that at least, he didn't lose both of his eyes.

Jaehwang covered his face with his hair and closed his eyes. Just being reminded about his face was enough to make him feel depressed and angry.

Jaehwang later found the place he came to look for, Gyeongsangbuk-do in Cheongsong-gun. A small village located in the mountains. He got off the bus and started to walk. It should take about an hour to get there. Soon, after a few minutes of walking, he finally saw a glimpse of about 50 houses in the distance of the village district.

Jaehwang entered the village with nothing but his body and one huge bag.

"Nothing has changed."

The village still looked just the same as he remembered it from when he was little. Walking around felt as if time had stopped... This was the place where the other generation lived during a different time. If it wasn't for the only new building being the Village Hall, the village could easily be mistaken for a village from the 70s. As he walked further into the settlement, he saw a familiar face.

"Mr. Song, Hi Granddad..."

Jaehwang bowed and the old man standing ahead of him replied with a surprised look in delight. He walked towards him and Jaehwang then put down his bag to shake his hand.

"Oh my... Is it really you, Jaehwang?"

"Yes, it's me. How have you been, Granddad?"

"Good, things are the same... How long until you go back to school in Seoul... Are you on vacation?"

"Well, uh..."

After hearing his vague answer, his granddad looked at him and he took his hand along with a deep breath. He immediately understood what was going on.

"You're going to your parents' grave?"

"Not yet, I just got here." He looked and saw the big bag that he carried.

"... It could get very lonely living alone on the mountains..."

"..."

His dad used to always call the mountain villagers 'Mountain people'. He naturally shut himself out on the mountains, almost living like a monk. Maybe the reason for him living like that was to connect with his past ancestors. He would just go up and down the mountain to buy medicine and often socialize with others. He would also hunt down wild pigs and wild cat-like animals that ruined the crops. On those days he would call the village's strong men to help prepare for a village feast.

"Ah... I see. It's been a while since I've seen the township office, so I have to go find it and try to get a registration map. Then I have to talk to Mr. Kim's daughter." Mr. Song then wriggled his eyebrows.

He didn't have any idea of what was going on. He thought that maybe Jaehwang quickly spent all of his parent's insurance money and his uncle that disappeared came back.

"So what are you planning on?"

After hearing his question Mr. Song folded his arms and answered in a stern voice, "I heard that Mr. Kim's daughter said that before the owner comes, nothing would ever be done and they'll just suffer. If a relative or someone comes then should I beg? Couldn't we call the police officers at the station and get help? Where will you go... humhum! I heard that even if someone goes there, they'll get beaten with a club..."

The mountain people knew that there were lots of tragedies happening in their home. No one was sadder than them about what's happening to their families.

Luckily, the mountain people seemed to be good at coping with it. Jaehwang smiled. He had believed in and relied on so many people that betrayed him in the end. He doesn't want to believe in anyone right now but he knew he could trust these people.

He doesn't know the people that well but they were his father's friends.

"If the problem gets worse, could you do me a favor?" Mr. Song looked through his eyes. "The mountain people have suffered a lot these days and those wild pigs are making things really hard. They've been destroying the farmer's crops everyday..."

"The pigs have gotten worse?" Jaehwang replied.

"Sigh... I couldn't even talk about it. The yams and potatoes that were being provided in the upper villages for a year are all being ruined...It's been scary these days and trees don't even grow over on that side of the mountain. Those pigs are so cruel..."

"Do you think that it could be a monster?"

The mountain was in an isolated location but after the generation fusion, another dimension gate opened but no monsters were ever spotted. However, Jaehwang has no doubt that something could have been going on. If the monsters did maybe show up on the mountain then that would be really dangerous.

"I don't think so. They said that it wasn't a monster. Mr. Cho has seen it and said that it was only a giant wild pig..."

"Oh..."

After Mr. Song finished talking, Jaehwang looked over towards the upper side of the mountain with his worried eyes. His dad would always help the mountain people by hunting the pigs.

He wants to help by hunting them but he was not as proficient as he used to be. His father was a master and he was only providing him support when they were out in the mountains in search of wild pigs.

He wanted to try hunting the wild pigs to help them as well but all he had was a bow and arrow. In the beginning, before his father was a professional archer, he used all of the wrong archery equipment. Despite that, he would still go out even without bringing three hunting dogs with him.

'If it was not a spotted animal and it was not a black tiger...'

There was no one there to look after the dogs on the mountain. There's no way that Jaehwang could manage to take the acquaintance dogs that his father taught with him. The dogs that his father taught were not just simple hybrids, they're Jindo dogs and a full sized Tosa crossbreed on the family tree.

The body types of Jindo and Tosas are quite similar, but between the snout and dark ears, they could instantly be told apart. They also weighed 30 kilograms by birth and they had gained more every day. They would chase Jae Hwang and others. The wild pigs didn't stand a chance because they had been running around the mountain. Of course, those guys surely wouldn't be able to do much now if they were here, things had gotten dangerous and hunting was always a dangerous thing.

"Well, I'll be on my way."

"Okay."

Mr. Song took a deep breath as he sat down and watched him go further away into the distance. Today seems especially like one of his bad dreams.

Chapter 6

"It's so cold..."

Jaehwang carried a 40-kilogram bag on his back as he hiked up the mountains. As he reminisced about the time when he was young he remembered when he would go up the mountains with his family and they would spend lots of time together on the mountains in their cabin during their vacations and the holidays.

It would usually take about 3-4 hours to reach their cabin on the mountain. They would typically stay only for about one hour before going back down.

As he continued to hike up the mountain, it wasn't long before he found himself soaked in sweat. He was breathing heavily and eventually decided to take his backpack off. He then placed it on the ground and took a rest.

He soon got back on his feet a couple of minutes later and did some light stretching before getting back to hiking again.

"I guess I forgot how much I hated gym class when I was in school until now."

If someone heard that then they would pass out screaming but, it's true to Jaehwang. His mom and dad worked at the bottom of the mountain and they have done this every single day. They didn't carry much so it was so much faster. His father would never get tired, he definitely did not grow up to have that same energy

"Phew..."𝓵𝙞𝒃𝓻𝓮𝙖𝓭.𝙘𝓸𝓶

A mountain cabin soon appeared in the distance. It was a structure built out of trees and wood with fences all around it. There weren't any other houses nearby. There used to be a cabin that his father's parents lived in but now it was just his parent's house that was the only one left standing...

"It's a relief that no thieves came by," He said to himself as he examined the entrance door.

The lock combination to the front gate still worked just fine. Although the people that lived on this mountain vista that area from time to time, everything was still as it should be.

After dealing with the impact of losing his parents and all his injuries, he was ready to finally relax and focus on his training.

The thought that he may never get back to the way he was before ever again crossed his mind many times.

"Phew..."

The mountain was very tall, making him very exhausted after climbing, so he fixed his tangled hair as well as his messy clothes. He then took a white plastic bag out of his backpack and went to the backyard of the cabin. He followed along the broken wooden fence and saw his mom's vegetable garden. It reminded him of his past with his family as he slowly walked by it.

He greeted two small burial mounds that were made in a sunny spot on the ground in the backyard of the cabin. There was a bottle of soju and a pack of dried Pollack for his dad and rice cakes stacked on a plate for his mom, right next to her grave.

"Dad, mom... I'm here."

So far he had struggled to handle everything on his own. He didn't want to neglect them there, especially when there's nothing else around them but the mountains, snow and wild animals. He didn't want his uncle nowhere near the cabin after he took everything from them and disappeared.

"Mom... I'm sorry."

He gave up archery and refused to follow in her footsteps. She never pressured him about it but he couldn't help but to feel terrible. He knew that his mother loved archery just as much as he did and she never gave up and worked hard to achieve her dreams. He always received endless support and help from his mom but, now that he had quit archery and school, He felt like he had let her down.

He stared at his parents grave for a moment before he took out a pair of gloves from his plastic bag. There was someone who came by from time to time to tidy up every now and then but the weeds grew so fast in the mountains. He put the gloves on his hands and just when he was about to start cleaning, he noticed something.

"Huh?"

When he looked ahead, everything was intact but when he turned around, he saw the tracks of a wild animal that had made a mess digging around his father's grave. Jaehwang then used his hands to cope with his injured left eye to feel the tracks with his fingers.

"Wild pigs... Those stupid animals..."

It was impossible to avoid things like this from a wild animal in the middle of the mountains. Wild pigs are always around on that slope but Jaehwang can't help but get angry after seeing his father's unkempt grave.

He jumped back on his feet and took his arrows as he planned to hunt them right away but he took a deep breath and calmed himself down.

'Relax.'

He learned from his father... Well...

A group of people who specialized in hunting tigers was formed during the Joseon Dynasty. That group of talented hunters passed down their skills to the next generation until his father passed it onto him. Thinking of that helped him manage to blot out the anger in his heart.

His family.

At the same time, the tiger hunter group knew every root of martial arts. So with that special skill, they were ranked the highest in the military in the time of the Joseon Dynasty. The ancestors passed through the Japanese invasion of Korea and then they passed the last Korean war. Now they are settled here in a remote mountain village.

"Phew..."

He learned relaxation from his father's strict training when he was young. Jaehwang has been learning the basics of that little by little in archery. The Gagseogs didn't use things from others, they made their own.

He calmed himself down and repaired the grave with utmost care knowing that cleaning through the smallest of odors could keep the pigs away.

He opened the lock and went inside the cabin after he finished up. Jaehwang stepped inside the house and gathered his family's ancestral tablets. He placed them in the shrine before he started to clean the cabin. It already got dark in the mountains even though it was only early in the evening. He soon finished cleaning and went to a bathhouse in a different location.

Whirring...

He turned on the boiler and the bath began to fill itself with warm water. The boilers here were great but his parents would always buy an expensive boiler when they would come here. He remembered the time when his dad carried a huge expensive boiler on his back up the mountain. Thinking about that made him miss his father and with that, he felt sad once again.

"I'll quickly wash up."

He had to get back to cleaning the next day so Jaehwang took off his clothes and sunk himself into the warm water of the bath. He let out a sigh of relief as he felt all of his stress and fatigue of the day melting away.

His father would always say that it was not good to use a wet towel when you're tired. He mentioned that a person's body was always honest. For one's strength to improve, he/she should use a wet towel but soon that method would not work anymore even if it felt refreshing. So when one has to rest, he/she needs to make sure that it will be a good one.

Jaehwang got out of the boiler and dried himself with a towel. He had a tall slender body with detailed muscles. He didn't get many muscles through working out or medicine, he just went and let his archery sculpt his body for him.

He had a small tattoo on his chest. He didn't know exactly what it meant but its shape resembled that of an animal.

Jaehwang didn't even know where this tattoo came from. It just showed one day out of nowhere but he knew that he shared the same tattoo with his father who had the same symbol on his chest, which was only bigger.

Jaehwang woke up the next day at dawn and after a morning workout he did a little more cleaning. Morning workouts always start with some light jogging. The sun hasn't even come out yet but he saw others running on the course as well.

He would always only run half of the course with his father. They would spend time walking on the paths and practicing archery. 𝙡𝓲𝙗𝒓𝙚𝓪𝙙.𝒄𝒐𝙢

"Huu... Huu..."

He stopped to catch his breath after he reached his goal. He took a break at his favorite place to take a look at the sunrise on top of a giant rock. Two black rocks showed up from the direction of the Korean river. They weren't just any plain black rocks, they had a shiny and smooth surface with glittery silver specks just like the milky way.

The sun started to rise as breathed heavily in exhaustion trying to recover from his early morning workout. After tirelessly running, He did a simple and easy breathing technique that his dad taught to him when he was young. He could not do it correctly at that time when he was 9 so he just would just mimic his dad. It was another happy memory that he and his father shared.

After taking a break for some time, he opened his eyes and saw the sun rising right in front of him. Jaehwang used that as a cue to get up from his sitting spot and start running once again.

He finished his morning run and went back inside the cabin. He cleaned the shrine and his ancestor's ancestral tablets.

"Our ancestors have done great during all those years."

He did a deep bow towards the ancestral tablets on the shrine and closed the eyes of the tablets one by one. The tablets on the shrine were originally from Yanggang-do Province of North Korea. An independence movement happened during the Japanese colonial era in Manchuria and because of his ancestors, the leader's surprise attacks had decreased and a 325 definite war broke out. The ancestral tablets and the family's treasures were all packed, sent away and they weren't able to get some of them back.

After that, the tablets slowly closed their eyes until Jaehwang finally picked them up. They were skillfully hidden behind the building and Jaehwang had to dig them out of concrete.

Snap... Piing...

Jaehwang went through the dark hallway and walked down the basement stairs with care. He then turned on the lights.

Chapter 7

He walked into a 60-meter tall giant basement. Deep inside were dozens of towering black wooden boxes lined against the wall on the ground. The humidity level was perfect and the ventilation was decent. There were dozens of bows and arrows with black tree lacquer dripping on them.

They were weapons that his ancestors used to use.

"These will be perfect after just a little fixing up..."

Some of the most amazing weapons out of them all were hanging on the walls. They were the best ever made. All of them were old and had been used a lot. He opened one of the boxes to take a look at the things inside. He then turned his head towards a few small weapons across the room.

It was a place where his dad stored arrows that he had collected over the years. There were three big and three small archery strings stored on the top of the storage and on the left side there were inherited stones of various shapes and arrows lined up against the wall from one end to the other. On the right side there were weapons made with newer materials like the cover protection, compound protection, and other things similar to those hanging on the wall.

Rattle...

Jaehwang moved towards the right side of the room and admired the compound protection hanging on the wall. This was the present that his dad had left him. But it wasn't for hunting animals, everything there was for hunting monsters. The hunters used compound protection made from special materials to protect them.

The arrows were quite expensive and they weighed around 100 pounds. It was enough to protect one from an attack from a wild pig. But of course it wouldn't work as well with monsters coming from other dimensions.

Its usual weight was about 100 pounds but that special material can add an extra 200 pounds.

"Sigh..."

He adjusted a few things on the compound protection. He pulled a few strings and took a deep breath.

He rested there for a moment and then pulled the strings on the arrow a few hundred times but he just didn't feel the same sense of enjoyment like he used to.

He then decided to use the weapons on the left. He used the strength consuming compound protection. He went to the hunting equipment hanging on the wall to the right and got a hunting belt along with a few other things.

"Stupid wild pigs... I will hunt them down."

*** 𝙡𝓲𝙗𝙧𝓮𝒂𝒅.𝙘𝓸𝒎

Taktak...tak...

Jaehwang followed in his parent's hunting footsteps. He began the hunt as he tracked down the wild pigs. He put on a black baseball cap and dark camouflage patterned pants. He knew that the road was long but had made up his mind and he will keep moving forward no matter what.

He used to prepare so much more by taking so many things with him when he was just a beginner but now he packed nothing but his bow, arrows and the compound protection that he was wearing. He packed about one hundred arrows and all the essentials for them before he went out knowing that it was dangerous if he were to come in contact with a wild pig. He didn't weigh much and even if the wild pigs were smaller than usual he could still get hurt if he was careless or came in unprepared.

"The shelter area hasn't changed a bit."

Jaehwang stood between a tree and rocks as he took a look around. Wild pigs could be found everywhere in the mountains, it was hard to estimate their numbers in an area.

"If I were to guess, I would think that there's about more than 100... Or maybe less than 50..."

It may be more than that, or less, but he wasn't scared. If he was scared of something like a wild pig then he couldn't call himself a descendant of the best tiger hunters of the past.

"Everything will be fine."

He planned to hunt the pigs and chase them away from the area. The plan sounded simple in his mind but he knew that it was going to be very difficult in reality, he double checked everything. He needed to make sure that everything would go according to the plan for the benefit of the village, his parent's heritage and his own safety. He closed his eyes for a moment to build up his focus, then stood up to his feet and climbed up into a tree next to him.

Swoosh Shoes...

He climbed up the tree at the speed of light as if he was running on the air like a fast monkey. It was quite easy to grab and jump onto since the tree leaves are big and the branches are heavy. He soon found a spot high in the tree and looked down at the ground with his eyes only half open. All that he had to do now was to wait. Jaehwang then started to close his eyes as everything was quiet as he sat in the tree.

But then... Hiding out was going great until something happened... Giant wild pigs started to show up in the resting area about three meters away from the tree that he was resting in.

It got darker and bugs started to crawl around.

The cold wind blew across the mountain peak and through the trees. The leaves on the tree shivered along with his limbs as the branches had started to creak, making it hard for him to sleep. He was still feeling a little tired as he just woke up and was only half-awake but he was able to collect his focus as soon as he heard a noise coming from on the ground.

Tatak...Tak...

He first detected small but frivolous footsteps and after a few more seconds, a wild pig appeared. More and more instantly started to appear and the shelter area was instantly occupied with 20 to 30 of them with more of them still entering. There was a wild pig that was bigger than all of the others, it looked like their leader. It walked into the middle of the herd of pigs.

It appeared to weigh about 200 kilograms. It raised its head and looked all around the place. It then settled in the middle of the shelter area and began to rest. A giant male pig came along with a female following along beside it. There was also a baby pig that followed right behind them.

He watched the peaceful scenery of the wild pig family... but unfortunately, that beautiful scenery was soon ruined as his arrows began to rain down on them.

Swoosh...Swoosh...

Kwiik!

The babies and the once calm female pigs shook in fear and violently buried their heads into the ground. The arrows haven't hit any of them yet but the pigs were confused about what was going on. Their wild instincts caused them to stay still and bury their heads into the ground as some of the others ran around in panic. The flurry of arrows continued and one then hit the ground where the head of a giant female wild pig was buried.

Kwik!

The second shot hit a female pig and it screamed with a painful shriek and died. After witnessing that the other pigs ran away all in different directions trying to escape. Chaos had started to spread as the leader pig shouted a call and escaped signaling the others to do the same.

It was a 200-kilogram pig but it still had the special quality of a wild animal. It could run in zigzags while still maintaining its fast speed. But unfortunately, before it could even get ten meters away, it got shot in the head and fell to the ground making a loud thump.

It was very big but the long arrow hit its head making it struggle to move as it shrieked and fell. He watched it die and shot another arrow. It went deep into its eye.

Swoosh Swoosh! Kwiik!

The wild pig that stood in the center then died ushering others while running around in confusion. All of those who were still alive were finally out of the shelter area. The female pigs ran away with their babies running beside them.

Ttak...

He came out of the tree trying to make as little noise as possible. He stretched, looked around and then suddenly started to run out of nowhere.

Takk...Tak...

There weren't any lights on the mountain but that couldn't stop him. At first it seemed that the pigs were completely gone but they were still around following their usual path. They didn't intend to chase him but that was just the path that they were taking so there was nowhere else they could have gone. He looked back and saw a wild pig running right behind him as he ran away so he lifted his bow and shot at it. It shot 60 meters away...

Swoosh...Pakk!

Kwiik!

The arrow struck the wild pig causing it to scream as it sunk into the ground. He then instantly shot at another.𝑙𝒾𝒷𝘳𝑒𝑎𝒹.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"Bakbak..."

Mr. Song awakened at dawn to the sound of chickens from outside. He yawned as he stretched his arms before getting out of bed. He had gray hair and was only getting older. He couldn't get up every morning like he used to.

Ttak...Tak...

He heard a noise coming from the quietness of outside.

"Son."

"Yes, grandfather?..."

His son said in reply. About 20 years ago when his son first started helping him, he would bring his family from his hometown to visit. But, something happened, he suffered from a terrible injury in one of his legs.

Chapter 8

"I thought we were going to go together."

"No, dad. I'll come back soon so please get a little more rest."

"It's fine. I'll only be waiting for a little."

Mr. Song got up and put on his working clothes.

"Oh...It's not Jae Hwang."

"No, it's me. I'll do some planting..."

He thought he heard his son and Jaehwang's voices from out of the window so Mr. Song got so excited and came outside. Jaehwang then shows up in his baseball cap and walks towards Mr. Song.

"Hi, Granddad."

"Jae Hwang, what were you doing this early?"

Jaehwang politely greeted Me. Song who then noticed his clothes. He was wearing a black baseball cap and was covered in dirt, it looked like he'd been running all night. He looked at him in surprise as soon as he noticed the compound protection on his back as well as the traditional hunting belt on his waist.

"You were out all night?"

"Yes."

Mr. Song started to worry. Jaehwang's father was a very strong person and a skilled hunter at that so there was no need to be concerned but, Jaehwang was only 18 years old. Even hunters needed someone by their side to help them when they are out hunting wild animals. There's no other hunter his age in the village for him to take and that made him anxious.

"There are no phones to use in case of emergency, but always be careful."

"Yes, I'm always careful. I did find the pigs but because I went alone, it was a bit challenging."

"Oh...Is that so?"

Mr. Song's concerned look was soon overtaken by relief. Jaehwang and his father would hunt pigs together ever since he was young. He was confident at his skills but hunting alone was not a good idea, he couldn't even consider it. He was just relieved that at least he wasn't bleeding from anywhere.

"I'm going to the farm. Do you want to come with me, Jaehwang?"

"Um...Well..."

He scratched his head thinking that he couldn't just let his aging granddad work on the farm alone. Mr. Song's son then stopped him by shaking his head. He knows that Jaehwang was not just simply hunting pigs, he's doing this for the farm and now he needs some rest.

"I'll do it, I'll go get ready."𝘭𝒾𝑏𝑟𝑒𝒶𝒹.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Mr. Song looked pleased. He lost his parents at an early age and he seemed to hurt both on the outside and the inside. He recovered and then came up to this mountain alone despite appearing to be very sad and lonely.

But now, he could hunt again with a healthy body and he looks happy. Jaehwang scratched his head with a troubled look.

"But... Granddad..."

"Yes?"

"We're going to need some people..."

"Huh?"

They gathered the strong men living in the neighborhood for assistance. All the adults and children were able to go down the mountain for lunch

"A little more strength!"

"Ugh...It's so big..."

The giant pigs that were tied around the tree were being carried down the mountain with the help of the other strong volunteers. The village's old men, ladies, and young children then watched in awe for every animal that they would bring into their settlement.

"Oh, wow... How much does it weigh?"

"...This is really tiring.."

"It's really big. It has to be about 300 Kilograms."

"Look at this..."

They brought about 11 pigs down to their village. The last one proved to be quite difficult to bring down.

The female pig looked like it could easily weigh over 100 kilograms.

Mr. Song was talking with a police officer from the side.

"He did a good job."

"Of course. Sir... This is great but... We would like the hunting area to be made spotless."

Mr. Song laughed at the policeman in response.

"Someone in the neighborhood could get hurt. But maybe you could take some of the meat back to the police station... You could take some home to your family"

"Well... It has been a long time since I had something greasy. Ha-ha."

"Right. And you can come to my house and I'll prepare it. But, I have to talk to you about something..."

"Go on..."

In the city there are jobs that you won't believe but, in the middle of a country-like mountain there aren't many choices. There was one police station and one police corporal constable. There are not even any government officials on the mountain.

"What's that? There were so many wild pigs that you caught. We need someone like you living here."

"Thanks, sir. There are no slaughterhouses or BBQ places here to help."

"Haha, the police station gladly helps."

He was only 18 years old, how could he have caught all those pigs? He looks over towards Mr. Song to ask a question.

"Did he really catch them all by himself?"

The police officer said as he looked at the dead giant pigs. It seemed unbelievable. This is not something that an 18 year old can do. It's even incredibly hard for an adult to catch 1 wild pig and he caught 11 pigs.

But no he's seeing it right in front of his eyes..

There were arrows stuck in the head of the wild pig and the body was very clean. There was not a mark on his hunting gear and he was spotless, suggesting that it did not take a lot for him.

Aiming for the head is not the usual way of hunting for wild pigs. That would be the best place for a human but, the thigh and the head is where to aim for a wild animal. Especially because the pigs have their bulldozer-like head-butt so a person would have to be very careful. If a mistake is made then the shot could bounce off and the person can get hurt while the pig just gets angrier.

That's what experienced hunters would mainly do while also aiming for the lungs and heart... and the leg. That being relatively easy to aim for and a little dangerous. However, the pigs they were taking down the mountain are braindead.

"That kid is amazing." 𝙡𝓲𝒃𝓻𝓮𝙖𝒅.𝙘𝓸𝒎

"Ah... Yes, that kid..."

The policeman nodded his head. In this neighborhood, if the deputy didn't know then he's like an agent. He may not have seen it personally but he could see that Jaehwang has excellent skills.

The officer then came by their house.

"Don't mind it."

"It's fine. But, your son..."

"I've noticed that he went out hunting but he doesn't look hurt at all."

"Is he okay?"

The police officer said with a concerned look.

"He's a strong kid, he's okay."

"True."

"Hmm... Over here?"

"Right, that's it."

In the entrance of Mr. Song's house were two paintings hanging on the wall. Two teen girls with pale white skin stood in the entrance of the house and looked around inside. They were both pretty but their looks don't match the atmosphere of the country.

"Are you really going to sleep there?"

"Yes, after my granddad falls asleep. I'll go back up the mountains and do some more hunting after dark... Have you seen it?"

"Of course."

Said the girl that was standing before him as the other girl who stood behind her smiled and nodded while the other talked. Even though she had seen it. 11 adult pigs being carried down the mountain... The pigs were much bigger than them, it was nothing they have ever seen before.

Even though it was a time where a monster could come out of nowhere, they seemed like normal city girls that you'd seen on TV. Instead of seeing a monster come out, what they had just seen in front of their eyes was the most exciting thing they've ever seen.

"Was it hard? Weren't they so big?"

" I don't really know. They were big but... I haven't been here in awhile."

There was another place located at the bottom of the mountain, that's where Mr. Song's granddaughters came from. They were naturally fitting in well and they got to see something amazing for the first time. Instead of going back to hunt the pigs tonight, he'll just sleep at Mr. Song's house.

"Are you a hunter?"

"No, but he's only one year older than us, he can't be a type of Gas Eog"

He won't settle here for long, they didn't know much about him. They asked him if he was a hunter and looked as if they doubted the possibility. It was a commonly known fact that a type of hunter wouldn't be so young.

Of course it's not that there were never any young Gasses that existed.

Naturally born Gagseogs and Dabauzers didn't do the same things at the same age but they both would appear. However, Dabauzers are very rare. They were different from them and the Beyondoes, they were of blood descent and didn't have many skills.

The Dabauzers and Beyondoes' departing point in the beginning ruined their nobility among nobles.

That was not simple development. Beyoendeos barely started to gain one common skill when the Gases were at the save. But, Debauzers took the high rank for special skills and real skills 2-3 at a time.

The subject had changed and their interest was back on pig hunting once again.

They told him that he's the most special and interesting person that came into this boring place.

Chapter 9

"Ow..."

The policeman became worried as he noticed Jaehwang suffering from muscle pains. Carrying 100-pound compound protection and arrows was not an easy feat. The Gagseogs could carry 200 pounds with no effort but Jaehwang was not like them. Gripping onto things was especially difficult and his arm hasn't gotten completely better after a year of rest.

His original plan was to hand over those pigs and then head back up the mountain but Mr. Song won't let him.

"Oww." 𝑙𝘪𝒷𝘳𝑒𝘢𝑑.𝒸𝑜𝑚

He couldn't sleep because of his muscle pains and he then heard the sound of someone coming through the door of the room. Mr. Songs walked in so he hid under the blanket before he could see him.

"Oh?"

Mr. Song's granddaughters opened the door and they saw Jaehwang who had just come out of hiding. The girl stood there with her hand on the doorknob and they exchanged an awkward look. Silence filled the place and one of the girls was staring at Jaehwang's distorted face.

"..."

The burns on the right side of his face made it look hideous. Jaehwang just pretended that he didn't notice the girl staring at the deformed side of his face. It had been two years since the accident and he's used to this kind of reaction. But then, the girl took it too far.

"Gross."

"Hey!"

The other girl with her told the girl not to be rude. She quickly covered her mouth realizing what she just said but it was already too late. Jaehwang wiggled his eyebrows. He wanted to lock himself up in the mountain cabin. He doesn't like when people mention the scars on his face...

People ask about it a lot. Gagseogs would lose their arms and would easily still fit in but, why wouldn't they do anything like surgery people would ask... They would ask why they don't like surgery...

Jaehwang's not stupid but he doesn't know why they made that decision. He could clearly see the problem. He could get his face fixed but he doesn't really care. But if his remaining eye starts to go bad then he'll have no other choice but to consult with a doctor.

But how would the surgery go? It would of course be very expensive. Besides, his face won't just magically be 'restored' or 'good as new'. He would have to go through a very careful procedure and he would have to be kept asleep. That kind of treatment was even dangerous for a Gagseog. Even more so, dreaming would take a lot and he didn't have a lot in him.

Anyway, now that his feelings are hurt, got up and left the room. She could try to apologize for what she said but she may not. He walked away and heard his granddad yelling at the girl.

"Listen here! You shouldn't have said that!"

The pigs were all gotten rid off so Mr. Song went inside to see if Jaehwang was resting well and he overheard what they said. He's usually really nice to them but he's not happy about what they said to Jaehwang.

"Granddad..."

The girls tried to explain that it was an accident and it already made her feel terrible but Mr. Song wasn't buying it. They then looked over and saw Jaehwang opening the door.

Click...

He's all dressed in his hiking gear and packed with his equipment. He took his hiking boots off of the floor and put them on and said goodbye to Mr. Song.

"Granddad, I'll be going up mountains early today."

"Jae Hwang... Kids can be childish..."

He tried to stop him but Jaehwang just said goodbye and quickly left the house.

He came to a place he thought of as home to rest his heart but wasn't what he wanted it to be. He got hurt and angry. And he couldn't say anything mean to others just because he's unhappy.

After all, he was still young.

"Jae Hwang..."

He disappeared before he could say anything else. Mr. Song puts a bag into his jacket and puts it on. Jaehwang caught a lot of wild pigs. Now they were in a slaughterhouse and a BBQ place selling it for $5.20 dollar per pound. He's going to go tell Jae Hwang that running away is not a good idea and apologize.

"Sigh..."

A few days have passed and Jaehwang was in the mountains, soaked in sweat as he held onto the bowstring.

He felt like his strength was being drained away at every movement but he focused on his breathing and kept on pulling.

"Hue.. Hue.."

TtuTuk...

After pulling, he saw the arrow hit the ground and he carefully controlled it little by little. The arrow that fell to the ground is not a normal arrow.

The arrow was made of iron and the string was a wire. It weighed about 30 kilograms... His dad used to use it as a training tool. Jaehwang used to use it a lot in the past, it really gives you muscles.

"Still as heavy as it used to be...Hue... Time to go and clean..."

He went back to the place with the other training gear to rest in the bathhouse as he cleaned them off.

Jaehwang took good care of the mountain cabin. After he finished cleaning, he gave his regards to the ancestral shrine before he went to the garden to do a bit of practicing. He would always feel refreshed after doing a morning jog and following it up with training.

He wants to go hunting wild pigs the next day but his ankle is still not in a good condition after jogging. An ankle is an important part of morning hikes but that doesn't mean that he would just stop. He just decided to take it slow and avoid running as much as possible.

It was common knowledge for anyone who lived alone that one must take care of his own body. He stretched when he felt stiff and relaxed when he felt tired. But, there's no way that he could keep going like this for so long. He would just have to forget about what happened at Mr. Song's house. Of course it wouldn't be an easy decision to make but that's what would have to happen.

After 3 days of refreshing and resting, Jaehwang got back into the mountains to go hunting for wild pigs. The days before he spent his time on the side of the mountain where his parents would always go. He caught some pigs there and then he went to the opposite side of the mountain to catch more. Those were the wild animals who damaged his parent's grave so he couldn't help but get mad every time he saw one.

He planned to bring the pigs back to the village after he finished hunting and he planned to move into the mountains by next year. Luckily everything he needed to survive was already out here. If a time comes where he needs to go back, he would just need to remember the path back to his parent's grave.

"It's freezing."

It was especially cold on the upper mountain, he would stretch every hour to keep his body warm and cope with the cold. He suddenly remembered the story of a legend that descended from this mountain. His ancestors used to live here years ago and they told stories about how they would catch things like tigers and eat them.

They said that the thunder in the rainstorms would be so strong that it could split their houses. They had lots of fun stories from those times. He doesn't remember them saying anything about dealing with monsters like people do these days.

Tuktoyaktuk... Papapag.

He heard the sound of something walking.

'Perfect timing.'

He sensed that the wild pigs were close by. He took slow and quiet steps towards the old cabin so he could get his arrows and put on his compound protection. He was using the same arrow that his father used in the past because they were made especially for hunting wild animals.

Of course the wild animals they had in mind were not the wild pigs, they were for monsters. Hunting monsters is hard but shooting wild pigs in the head was all it took.

"Hu..."

Jaehwang gave a few light breaths and focused on where the sound was coming from.

He already pulled the string, ready for what could happen at any time. It took up to 60 percent of his strength to pull for just the right moment.

"Huh?"

Jaehwang got a bad feeling about his surroundings. Was it something that a hunter should be worried about? Or was it just a simple anxious feeling? It was in the middle of the night so it was hard to see what was there. It could just be a wild pig but he has a weird feeling that it may be something else. Something that he needed to be very careful of... Jaehwang started to feel worried. And just then, a giant wild pig appeared.

'It's a male.'

A huge wild pig showed up. It was much bigger than the ones he had hunted before. It may be the biggest wild pig in the mountain town... He knew that he wanted to take the challenge, however, Jaehwang didn't pull the string.

It was an unplanned situation. He had to think it out, this pig could be the worst enemy of the mountain village. Its mouth was foaming like crazy and it was galloping around for no reason. It didn't look like the others, it must be their leader.

Chapter 10

'It's here.'

He couldn't see it with his own eyes but he could sense it. It was dangerous...

This is the first time he worried about his life while hunting. He held his breath and watched the wild pig run around. His senses soon unluckily became blocked.

Swoosh Wook...

He felt something big coming his way. He couldn't see but he felt something gigantic about 3 meters away... The footsteps soon quieted down. There still was a little noise from the sound of leaves being stepped on. It's getting deeper into the fall season on the mountain so there will be a lot of noise when someone walks along the leaves .

His heart was beating fast and he could barely move due to the leaves on the ground. The slightest of movements could risk catching its attention. The only thing that he could do is control his breathing and pray that it wouldn't find him.

Totob!

Something big suddenly came out of nowhere and dashed by the tree where Jaehwang was hiding. It sunk its teeth in the pig making it scream.

Kwiik!

It then disappeared leaving the pig struggling and writhing in pain as it tried to run away.

'It's strong enough to lift a 300 kilogram pig...'

It raised the pig up into the air like it was nothing. A wild animal doesn't usually do something like that. Moving some of that size would surely end in a terrible result. And then... he started to hear a terrifying noise from deep within the mountains.

Hwahdeuk...

That couldn't be a wild pig. His teeth chatter as it sends out a chill down his spine.

Jaehwang hid at the bottom of the tree and felt the hair on his arms stand up. He just witnessed a 300-kilogram pig getting eaten in one swallow. He could then hear the sound of something coming closer and closer.

The darkness of the night impaired his vision and all he could get was a glimpse of its dark and stature fur as it walked on its hands and feet. It had a shape like a bear but there was none of those on this mountain since there was not enough prey for it to survive on. He got a closer look at it later and realized that it was not what he thought it was. It seemed to have a head like a snake and a crocodile combined.

'It's a monster.'

He had studied about monsters before. It must have gotten caught in the dimension gate. All sorts of tiers must have come through there. They must have gotten through the tear of the simple organization system.

'It looks like a third tier monster... The lowest tier.'

A third tier monster like this has never been on this mountain before. A group of level B hunters using the mana had tried to gather together and catch them before... They couldn't have escaped through the neighborhood dimension gate.

The dimension gates in Korea are being watched by dozens of cameras. No one ever found anything. Hundreds of hunters would come and go everyday; it should have been impossible to not have ever spotted a monster.

After taking a few bites, the monster placed the entire pig in its mouth like a snake swallowing a deer. It then went completely silent after it finished. Jaehwang whispered in his head in the silence.

'Gosh...' 𝓵𝒊𝓫𝓻𝓮𝓪𝒅.𝓬𝓸𝙢𝘭𝒾𝒷𝓇𝘦𝑎𝑑.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Jaehwang made a spot up in the tree because of how dangerous it is to stay on the ground...

If he knew that there would be a monster out there, he would have secured a spot hours ago or he wouldn't have even come out to hunt in the first place.

Tatakk...

The moment he first felt it close by, he couldn't even think straight. He was almost ready to just run away. And by looking at the result, that's what he actually decided on.

Swoosh Wook... Peopeok

He fell out of the tree and felt a shiver go down his spine as he looked back to where he was hiding. The giant monster was going to strike where he was sitting...

Hwarang Tang! Deudeuh Deuk!

"Keup..."

He held his mouth closed with his hand before he could make any noise and started running away leaving the monster In the distance. He tried to find the route he took while trying to take off the limit for the compound protection.

There was not a dent in the protection. Of course, even pulling the limit could only help with a 2nd tier monster. But his life is currently hanging by a thread and there was nothing else he could do.

The moment he instinctively lowered his head, the strong winds began to disappear.

Wild animals usually tend to make a noise but the monster didn't do anything like that.

He ran as far as he could until he was completely out of breath. The monster is big but it didn't have any trouble getting around. The bottom of the monster's foot was smooth and surrounded by fur so it didn't leave any footprints or make any noise which made it harder to track and detect.

He ran to a place crowded with trees. The only advantage that he had against the monster was that he's smaller so it was easier for him to hide. It was hard to see since it was so dark but he was still happy that it increased his chances of survival.

Kwagg!

The sound of a fallen giant needle-leaf tree echoed throughout the mountains. He looked back and saw half of the chewed up head of a wild pig rolling on top of the leaves. That surprised him, making him misstep his foot into a crack. He has one blind eye and a terrible sense of space perception. He could roll himself but now he was just met with bad luck.

The smell of blood got closer and he could feel the monster coming closer.

'So this is how I'll die.'

Now he can't decide, he's going by his hunter instincts. To trade places in this situation he would have to learn to not be an easy target.

And again the two wheels were rolling, Jaehwang pulled out his traditional arrow and loaded it once. He also put on the compound protection.

Audiodude Uk...

He removed the limit off of the protection and it then weighed about 200 pounds. The arrow string was still so heavy and hard to pull but he clenched his teeth and pulled with all his strength. His back and arm muscles felt as if they could burst.

He kept pulling as hard as he could but the compound protection let off point reached its limit. He doesn't even have any time to waste, the monster is getting closer by the second.

Pahang...

He aimed for the monster's eye with the arrow but it flew through the wind and unfortunately missed its target. It stuck to the side of its neck for a moment but then fell to the ground as the shot was not strong enough.

His attack did not help at all.

Peoeok!

"Keurig!"

The monster was getting close and he couldn't even scream for help. He strained his shoulder and fractured his rib due to his attempt to attack and he could no longer run. He then heard a ringing noise accompanied by a strong blast of wind that suddenly demolished all the leaves of three trees, leaving Jaehwang covered in them.

The sharp noise reached his ears and the leaves made him feel like he was a piece of wet paper while being stuck under them. The thought of just getting up and running away while screaming was constantly in the corner of his mind. But, he ignored it as there was nowhere to go and the best option he had was to hide where he currently was. If it weren't for the pile of leaves on the ground, he would have blacked out.

'I'm going to die.'

He started to feel hopeless, thinking he would die just like that. He still had to look after his parent's grave and clean the mountain cabin. He wanted to live to see Sooji again and find out what happened between them. He wants to keep doing archery.

But... That's not what he actually wanted...

He wanted to get revenge on everyone that betrayed him.

The feelings that he has been holding in... Those words...

The words he couldn't say before... the things he didn't say to keep a clean image. It was all a waste of time.

Death now seems ridiculous when he thinks about it.

Rustle... Rustle...

The giant monster walked quietly across the leaves as it came closer. It was now less than 10 meters away from him and there was nothing that Jaehwang could do but to close his eyes and clench his teeth.

Keureuk...

The monster stopped to look all around and then started walking again. Jaehwang was not out of the leaves but the monster had to be at least 5 meters away. It hasn't found him and just wandered around for some time before it turned around to leave and then come back. He's not sure how much time has passed by. The monster suddenly lifted its head and started to walk around again. Jaehwang then disappears from under the leaves like smoke just as he wished for.

Chapter 11

He dreamt it.

He dreamt of disappearing into thick smoke while walking somewhere uncertain. He passed the same big boulder multiple times when he suddenly saw a cliff. In front of him appeared a very big staircase made of logs. The staircase only went halfway down the cliff but there was a hut built at the end of it.

It looked just like the hunter's past shelter rest areas of his father. On one side there were tigers and on the other, there was a family.

Jaehwang walked down the staircase without even thinking. No one was calling him but he unintendedly followed to where the dream would lead him. The stairs felt like they'd gone on forever by the time he reached the end of them.

He then heard a voice when he arrived at the end.

"We are left here to do the work for our descendants."

Said a man with a high-pitched voice that looks to be in his 40s.𝘭𝘪𝘣𝑟𝘦𝘢𝒹.𝘤𝑜𝓂

"I know."

One replied with a hoarse voice.

"The last of the family's descendants. Now... We need to make an escape out of this tiresome place."

"Yeah but we can't get away from that monster. It's been hundreds of years but it's still so powerful."

"The world has changed. Soon we won't need to carry everything on our shoulders."

"That's not enough for the monster."

"Sanjo... if we keep going like this, then it'll all be over soon. Our fate is here, we just have to block the roads ahead of our descendants. It's not a bad thing! How long do we have to be controlled by this monster!"

The two guys talked to each other. He didn't understand what they were talking about but he listened to every word they said carefully.

'Trapped?... Does that mean they are my ancestors?'

His family... They were locked up in the middle of a remote village like this. They knew that they once had a great history thanks to the tales of his deceased father.

"It's great."

A man with a clear voice suddenly joined the conversation.

"Tell us the story. It's a good one."

"The one about the village and your kids..."

He eventually couldn't hear their voices anymore. He wanted to walk closer but he could no longer move. He asked himself how much time has already passed. He wanted the thick fog to surround him and change where he's standing.

"Ah..."

Jaehwang sat down and leaned back as he just watched their mouths move.

One of them looked like they'd lived a lonely life and one of them was wearing fancy clothes. One looked like a deceased mother in a horsehair-woven headband and a red hanbok. But the one that caught his attention the most was the one sitting on the side. His head, shoulders, and arms were covered with armor.

He stood there like his father. He could already see that he was an amazing tiger hunter during the Joseon Dynasty period.

"Ieaya."

"Yeah?"

He calls to the one wearing the fancy clothes. Jaehwang then unknowingly fell to his knees trying to get a bit closer to hear what they were saying.

His heart felt solemn as if he was being pulled.

"I want to talk with you but we have a lot of work to do and we can't waste anymore time. Let's finish this and try to take back our freedom. We could maybe do it sooner but our situation has become harder. But after we finish this, we will be forgiven."

She then disappeared as soon as he finished speaking without saying anything.

"Hey! We're almost free. Our family will be able to stand tall again!"

The amazing tiger hunter then disappeared along with the girl in fancy clothes.

"I'm sorry. The family is stuck in a debt that has been passed down for years and now we're stuck here trying to fix it. But now is the time to put a stop to it, it's time to bring back the family name."

"Ieaya, I have one more favor to ask of you. After you're done here, the star of your destiny will take you back to our hometown. We'll be left to finish up the debt, someone will show you the way."

Paat...

He disappeared after saying that and so does the mother in the Hanbok.

Jaehwang looked around and was surprised by what he saw. He thought that there were only three but there are actually hundreds of them here. They were all wearing formal attire and their ages... he didn't know but the group looked like they shared the same age.

"This is the last of our debt."

He looked at them and saw their eyes darken by sadness yet glimmering in hope. Another guy then showed up who didn't look as old as the others, his eyes were different from them. There he walked and stood beside Jae Hwang.

Not knowing when it would all end, they were filled with sadness but also love.

Jaehwang didn't have any thoughts going through his head as he just stared at them blankly.

As much as he would like to talk with his ancestors, he couldn't think of anything to say.

"Son."

"Dad..."

He knew that it was only a dream but tears instantly started to well up in Jaehwang's eyes. The tears began to fall as he wiped them over and over again. He didn't want to miss a single second of seeing his father.

"Dad?..."

"Appa (Father)..."

His dad liked it when he would always call him appa (father) even though he started to call him dad as he got older. He did have one more daughter and she called him that. Now that Jaehwang and his father had met again, he was very ashamed of what happened to the family and was scared of what could come next.

"Let's hug one more time, son."

His dad opened his arms wide and hugged Jae Hwang. He felt happy that he was able to feel his father's warmth once again. He then heard a voice of someone he wished for from behind.

"My son..."

A pure and caring voice echoed from behind him. Jaehwang turned around to see who it was. There stood a person with a height that only reached his shoulders. The moment he turned around, tears had begun to well up in his eyes again.

"Mom."

"Son, you just don't stop growing, do you? Haha."

She soon let go after they hugged but Jaehwang didn't want to move his arms away.

"No! No! Don't let go. Don't go! Please don't go! Just stay here, please..."

Jaehwang started to cry as their memories from before came rushing to his head.

He didn't care that it was just a dream. He had been swept into this tragedy and he knew that he had already suffered enough. There were so many things that he wanted to say... He never even got to say goodbye.

"I know, son... Your dad and I both know."

"No.. You don't know. You don't know anything... You don't know how much I've missed you both..."

"Don't worry, we know..."

Patpat

She lightly pats his back as he cries and talks.

"...I'm sorry. I have nothing to show you both... Nothing..."

His mother then pulled away and laughed.

"How do you not have anything to show us?"

"We're here with you and we're so happy."

"You're here with us and that's all that we could ever ask for."

"Mom... Dad..."

Everything was just how he wished it would be. He was happy that he finally got to see them again.

He hugged his father again and he felt that all of his stress and worries were melting away. He felt healed and cried again. He kept himself inside the cabin to protect himself from strangers but he decided to forget it all and change how he feels about himself even though he understood that it won't be easy.

"Son..."

"Yes, dad?..."

"Be strong. You'll get hurt but... You can do it, we believe in you."

"Your mom and I will be going now..."

Jaehwang didn't let go. He thought to himself that it would be okay even if he dies now, at least they could be together again... then they would be able to talk more.

"You have to be strong! We are always watching you! Everyone is cheering for you!"

"Us both and your ancestors will give you strength and If you still can't do it, that would be okay. But you and us all will have to pay for that later. You are next in line, be proud of the name you carry now, we have now come together to cheer you on... Okay?! We're watching."

"..Wait"

Before answering him, they both suddenly disappeared and reappeared along with the rest of their family down in the cabin area. They looked towards Jae Hwang with tears welling up in their eyes. One of them soon slowly reached out their hand and walked towards him. They surrounded him as they reached out to him. Jaehwang responded with a warm smile.

"Mom...Dad..."

He realized that now was the time to go. He didn't want to leave but he knew now that his parents would never be far away from him.

"You can do it, son."

"We love you."

Jaehwang let out a bright smile like a child as he waved and said his goodbyes. He told them that he will keep pushing forward and said everything he wished he could have told them before...

"I love you. I love you... I love you."

"We love you too, son. Forever."

Chapter 12

Hawaii...

A strong gust of wind blew across the shrine.

The strings attached to the ancestral tablets flickered with a silver light as it began to lift itself up into the air and flew towards Jae Hwang. A white cloud of dust then surrounded him and made him feel strong and energized.

Taktak... Papag...

The floor of the shrine was torn in half and all the furniture was pulled up into the air. Everything in its path was destroyed as it opened the way for the moon to show and reveal its light. Jaehwang remained unbothered as he continued to lie down on the floor with his eyes closed. He didn't know if what was happening was a good sign or not but he chose to just let it happen. He just smiled as he let time pass on its own.

And then, something happened.

A red light started bursting out of his chest. The cloud of dust grew even further as everything that remained floating in the air started to glow with the same color. It then started to move and take the shape of some animal.

Gereur...

The white dust as well as the red lights gathered into a single point and gave life to an enormous roaring beast.𝙡𝙞𝓫𝙧𝙚𝓪𝒅.𝒄𝒐𝓶

-Keuang!

It took the shape of a small tiger. It proceeded to run across the shrine which was covered by a glowing crimson light. It then started to slow down as its pulsating energy decreased to the point that the white dust inside of it began to leak.

Whirring...

The ancestral tablets emitted a surge of energy and bounded themselves together. He tried to gain focus to understand what was happening but the force was so intense that it took all of his strength to barely pull through. He continued to exert his strength until he saw a blue colored light explode out of the three ancestral tables in the air...

Kwakwang!

The three tablets that burst with blue light then exploded, hitting all of the other tablets that had a red light. All of the energy lights then turned red and everything started to shake...

-You again!

An angry voice resonated throughout the shrine. He disregarded the other tablets that remained in the air and looked towards the red light.

Papapang!

-Keureur!

The red light shook the entire shrine.

-These people! Wasn't it enough to just lock them away for 500 years?

The red tiger began to roar and the blue ancestral tablets started to shake faster as a clear voice started to talk.

-Blame all of your terrible heroes.

-Who are my heroes? I just had to follow my strengths... If I knew that these people were so hopeless then I would have personally asked them to die!

-You can't break out again. They're all gone because of you. You know that right?

-...

-They protected you and you relied on them.

After hearing that, the red lights grow brighter as if it was trying to display the voice's rage.

-You should be buried in despair.

-You deserve to be punished by the gods. But, we're in a dangerous situation right now. What should we do?

-What?

-The moment our ancestors' life sentence finishes, you'll be free again.

-Well... For one thousand years the commandments have been protected at all cost. Things were going great. You promised. You said you would protect the kid till the end.

-Our ancestors have been carrying our destiny on their shoulders for generations, I didn't know that they were the last ones. It must be hard so we have to protect them. But whoever it is, they can't blame us.

-I know. I will also keep my promise. 𝑙𝒾𝒷𝘳𝑒𝑎𝘥.𝒸ℴ𝓂

After the two of them finished talking, the red and blue light energies mixed together and faced Jae Hwang.

-You're all the world has left, stay here and help this kid. Until the day comes, you and that kid would have to choose between life or death.

-Huh? We have to choose?!

The red light suddenly began to shake.

-Everything has already been decided. Follow along. Here.

-These types of sneaky people... I like them!

The red light replied as if it was complaining. The blue light then went into Jaehwang's injured right eye. The red light later followed as the ancestral tablets that were emitting the blue lights began to lose its strength.

It gathered a lot of strength to subdue the other lights however, the blue light broke free and swooped through the air as if it still had something it had to do. It dashed straight over Jaehwang's body and remained in place.

-Now, through this light, I will give you strength and energy.

He helped him so he could help his ancestors. He begged him for his help, he begged Jae Hwang to save all of them.

-Please, help us!

There was then the sound of dozens of people screaming.

Patpatt... Patpatt... Pat Pat Patty...

A red light emitted out of his eyes as his body absorbed the white dust surrounding him. He continued to absorb everything until the tablets floating in the air lost its power and fell to the ground one by one.

A strange feeling started to spread through Jaehwang's entire body.

Edudel...

The bones inside his body became distorted and made a cracking sound. His face was then horrendously deformed and he felt more pain as time went on.

Kwahdeuk... Ude Uk

The power surged through Jaehwang's face and made his face muscles squirm. His hair and eyebrows fell out and flew together with the wind as all of the bones in his body were taken out and was later re-assembled.

Jaehwang's body dried out and his eyes started to crack. He was worried if he would die like this. His skin then turned white and was torn open like a shell. The pain had finally stopped and he was now born again.

Turning over a new leaf

His entire body gushed out a torrent of black energy which was then replaced by a bright sparkling light as his body took on its new form. All of his scars from the accident disappeared and were replaced by skin that was good as new. He looked like a prince before but now, he bore an honorable face belonging to a saint.

Everything was perfectly structured again and his hair grew until it reached his shoulders.

Swoo...

A few of the last ancestral tablets fell out of the air. Jaehwang's perfectly reborn body was then dropped on the floor. There were only two ancestral tablets left and they trembled anxiously until a voice came out of them.

"We have now given you everything."

"Haha... Great. Now save us..."

Pasasak...

"Save our legacy and undo everything!"

The three ancestral tablets then shattered and reduced to dust. The white energy from the shattered tablets then covered Jaehwang before they disappeared without a trace.

Paat...

The shrine thereafter exploded with white energy and poured every last drop of it into Jaehwangs body..

Whoosh...

The strong wind from the shrine eventually died down.

[Saving the world fusion defensive system 'Save' Gas Eog talents found.]

[Skill analyzing... 'Immortal talent']

[Recipient's system access starting... Complete]

[Saving the world fusion defensive system Gagrog willpower starting.]

Whii...

Thousands of strings appeared in the air over Jaehwang's body. One of them realized his biggest wish and placed itself onto him.

[Gagrog... leveling system transplant complete...]

[Promoting system transplant complete... Two common skills installed.]

[Consumer capacity digitization analytic complete... transplant complete...]

[descent inherits unique skills found...analyzing...three unique skills and 2 real skills found.]

[Tiger hunter-Unique Skill, Rank 1]

[Archery-Unique Skill, Rank 1]

[Inherited Bowmanship-Unique Skill, Rank 1]

[Energy- Real Skill, Rank 1]

[Mental strength-Real Skill, Rank 1]

Skill analyzing in progress...Skill meter complete!

Chapter 13

"Ah..."

Jaehwang was surprised as soon as he sat up and saw how messy the shrine looked. Everything was torn apart as if a typhoon raged through his home while he was asleep. He sighed as he gave his surroundings a blank stare until he noticed a cold feeling.

He looked down and noticed that he was buck naked. All of his clothes were ripped away while he was being reborn again but Jaehwang didn't even know that it happened in the first place.

Maybe someone else has been here? But it got even weirder when he realized that he somehow blacked out and forgot everything.

"My eye..."

He lost 30 percent of his eyesight when he injured his right eye in the accident. That accident had caused him to train much more so that he could get used to the imbalance in his vision. He could still shoot an arrow with his eyes closed but it was still hard. But then, he realized that his sight had gotten completely better. In fact, it was even better than before.

'How could it have gotten so much better?...'

He could see everything perfectly.

He had a difficult time adjusting to the sudden change in his eye but he eventually got used to it after focusing for a few seconds. He was so surprised over what happened with his eyes that he hasn't noticed the other change yet.

"What's going on? I must be going insane?"

Before the accident, his skills were about 1.2 but now he feels like they're over 3.0.

But the real surprise didn't come just yet. Jaehwang stood up and felt the strength and energy surging throughout his body. The numbness that he always felt in his right hand had now disappeared.

He looked at his right hand and saw that all of the scarring and marks had disappeared. All he could see was porcelain white skin, it looked as good as new.

"What the hell happened."

He began to wonder how he got there. He then started to remember the dream that he had.

'It's all so clear...'

That's it. He remembered that he went out hunting for wild pigs yesterday and almost died when he encountered a third tier monster. He barely escaped from that monster. He went back to the cabin after that and then into the shrine where he instantly fell asleep. And... That dream...

"Ah..."

He remembered. The hunting rest area was filled with smoke... he met his ancestors... And... His mom... His dad...

"It was only a dream..."

It was just a dream but it felt so real. He met his parents and saw his ancestors. They were having such a hard time.

"That couldn't have been real."

He thought that maybe he just lost his mind and none of that really happened. He then felt a sharp pain throughout his body.

It felt like something was broken. He heard a screaming sound that came out of nowhere. What could it be? Was it coming from him? What was it that his ancestors couldn't give up on? He wasn't sure about that but he knew that there was something that he needed to do. He knew that whatever happened to him, he won't be able to pay back all their kindness...

He then saw something green flickering over in the corner of the room.

He looked at it wondering what it could be...

"Jae Hwang, are you there?"

He heard the voice of Mr. Song (his granddad) coming from outside the shrine. He quickly got up to let him know that he was there, but then he instantly froze after hearing a girl's voice.

-They can't come in because you aren't wearing any clothes.

"Huh?"

He stopped moving, looked down and realized that he really was still not wearing any clothes. He then looked all around the room wondering where that voice came from and then heard the voice again.

-I wanted to talk to you. I want to know how you're feeling.

Jaehwang then looked through the crack of the door and saw Mr. Song standing with his granddaughters from before.

"Damn it!"

He got frustrated about seeing those two and he was currently confused on what was going on.

"Jae Hwang, are you there?"

Asked Mr. Song again. He would open the door immediately for him but Jaehwang couldn't open the door just yet.

The cabin was located deep within the mountains and the path to get there was dark and dangerous. Because Jaehwang hadn't returned from the cabin in a few days, Mr. Song started to get worried. So he brought the two girls with him to see what's going on.

It wasn't a good idea to bring young girls out in the middle of the mountains like this but, they insisted on coming with him so they could apologize. However, the moment they stepped foot onto the mountain trail they regretted coming along...

"Grandpa, when are we going to sit and take a rest?"

The fall weather was cold but they were all covered in sweat. Mr. Song even got tired and was relieved when they finally reached their destination.

"Uhh..."

Jaehwang froze in place. He could hear them clearly but he couldn't come out yet.

"What happened..."

He looked around in confusion and saw his reflection in a piece of broken glass.

He saw small writing on the side of his right eye.

[Jaehwang-Tiger Hunter] 𝒍𝒊𝒃𝓻𝒆𝓪𝙙.𝒄𝙤𝒎

He got a strange feeling as soon as he saw the writing. There was also some chord sticking out of him and his whole body felt weird.

-Huh... Is it magic? Everything is completely different... This has to be magic.

-Who are you?

He asked a voice he heard in his head.

-... If you don't know me then can you ask that question? But it's fine. Everything you liked and everything you hated, it all has become one and you have to say it. You have been descended from a legendary archer who protected the central districts.

The voice of a girl started to talk and he responded by tilting his head...

-You'll save everyone, right? You'll hunt the monsters?

He then heard the voice again.

-Where is that coming from...

He listened to the girl's clear voice which was changed into a more exciting tone.

The moment he tried to ask what she was talking about, the shrine door opened slightly.

"Are you there?"

Mr. Song's granddaughter peeked through the door. He was not wearing any clothes but luckily, she didn't notice him. She just looked inside the shrine and then closed the door after a second. It seemed like she wasn't able to notice anyone in there.

"Nothing here."

"Don't just walk in!"

He heard Mr Song's shout..

The girls shared the same age as Jaehwang, if they saw him without any clothes then he wouldn't be able to look at them. He then wondered how the voice in his head knew about what happened to his archery skills.𝘭𝑖𝒷𝓇𝘦𝘢𝒹.𝑐𝘰𝘮

-How do you know all that?

She answered back with a cold voice.

Her words were full of sadness. She called him the world's monster hunter but she didn't sound too honest. She then asked something else in a more serious tone..

-They're going to apologize. What are you going to say?

It was easy to think about it but saying it aloud makes it hard. Jaehwang didn't respond and then she answered back.

-You don't have to hide, just be yourself. But, I don't think you should go out there without any clothes.

The strange feeling inside of him then disappeared.

-I'm still a bit tired but I'm done hiding. First, I need to get some clothes.

'That's it.'

He opened the window in the shrine and sneaked out to the back of the cabin. The window was quite far from the ground but his body had become light so it was easy. Jaehwang jumped through the window and went through the main entrance and put on the remaining clothes in his bag.

-This path has been here for 500 years and these clothes have completely become dull.

The clothes were a little dull but they'll have to do it. He wanted to finish talking with the voice in his head but he first had to go find Me. Song. As he was leaving the room, he caught a glimpse of his reflection on a mirror. He stopped to look and froze at what he saw.

"My face..."

He touched his face wondering what happened to it as well as his hair.

"Oh my gosh."

-Your face looks good...

It was unbelievable. The scar that distorted his face was gone. But now his face looked different from what it was like before the accident. It was so structured.

"Who is this..."

He asked who the extremely handsome guy was looking back at him in the mirror. It had been 2 years since the accident. His old face hasn't completely disappeared but the face he saw looking back at him was very unfamiliar.

Jaehwang then grabbed a hat off of the hanger and pulled it low over his face.

Chapter 14

-Why are you hiding? 𝒍𝓲𝙗𝒓𝒆𝓪𝒅.𝙘𝒐𝓶

-Even though I look good now, maybe I don't like it.

He just gave a short answer.

It's been 2 years since the accident happened. He didn't care about what he looked like before because his fans were proud of him for who he was. But when the accident happened and his damaged, they looked at his face in disgust and his beloved fans avoided him like a bug.

Honestly, he didn't even feel like girls would like him now either…

Instead of being happy about his handsome face, he was more happy about what happened to his eye. He had to find out how this happened. but until then, he couldn't let anyone see his face. He opened the door and left the room and went to greet Mr. Song.

"Granddad, you're here."

He said after greeting him.

"Yes, I came to see you. Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. But, I can't come back down to the village. I'm busy with all the training"

"That's alright, we thought that you were still training."

Mr. Song then gave him a smile filled with relief. Jaehwang hid his face and hair using a hat so they wouldn't be able to notice the change. Mr. Song guessed that the reason he was wearing it was because of what happened a few days ago.

"Hello."

The two girls walked next to Mr. Song and bowed their heads.

"H-hello."

Jaehwang responded with a light bow so his hat could stay in place.

"I'm really sorry about what happened."

Said the girl who called him ugly during his stay over at Mr. Song's house. Mr. Song scolded them both and told them about the tragedy that happened to him and his family. She wanted him to understand that she was not a terrible person, she just made a mistake.

Jaehwang was a person who lost his family and half of his face. He's out at night hunting wild pigs for the people in the village. Nice people are the ones who usually get hurt…

"It's okay."

Jaehwang accepted her apology with a calm and composed voice. He was hurt at first, but now his face changed so there was no need to hold a grudge about it anymore. However, his calm answer made their current situation worse.

He tried to not sound angry and just be cool about it but it just made their entire conversation turn awkward. It did its job but it wasn't able to remove the remaining scars.

"Jae Hwang… Take this."

Mr. Song broke the awkward atmosphere by handing him a dirty paper bag.

"What's this?"

"Well… Even though you've already caught so many wild pigs, I bought you something from the town. I tried to tell you about it that day, but you ran here so I came to give it to you."

"Oh…Yeah."

He said that he came all the way up this dangerous mountain to give him that but Jaehwang didn't look too happy about it. Jaehwang actually planned not to go down the mountain for a long time and because of that, Mr. Song went on an inconvenient trip just to hand it to him. All of this happened because he refused to get hurt and now he only felt worse.

"Thank you."

"Of course, hahaha"

Jaehwang took the paper bag and bowed. Mr. Song then mirrored his movements and laughed with a breath of relief.

"Have you had lunch?"

"Oh…lunch."

There aren't any clocks when you're out in the middle of the mountains. He just assumed the time by Mr. Song mentioning lunch.

"I'm not ready yet but I will be there in just a little so we can all eat together, okay?"

"Oh.. Okay. See you then."

If they arrived here at noon then that meant that they went up the mountain early and that means they haven't eaten anything since this morning.

"Okay, I'll be in the next room."

"Okay."

Jaehwang went into the kitchen and the two girls followed along.

-Teen's clothing has become more and more revealing these days..

Said the voice of the spirit inside of him, making Jaehwang look back. Mr. Song's granddaughters seem prepared for the fall weather. They were wearing hiking pants and long sleeved tops. But after arriving here they've changed into a bit revealing t-shirts and skinny jeans. It was warm at the top so that made it wearable.

-Do they like to eat wild pigs?

-Shut up.

He told the spirit in his head to be quiet before he turned to the two girls.

"I can do it alone, it's okay. Go have some rest."

"No, please let us help."

"It's okay, I'll do it."

There was not much to work with.

He was not a good cook but he planned to cook the vegetables with garlic, soy sauce, and salt.

"Then just let us watch you at least."

Jaehwhang glanced towards the side and took a deep breath.

"Follow me."

They came into the kitchen and Jaehwang opened the bag of rice.

"Do I have enough?"

He didn't buy much since he lived alone but now he had to make a meal for three more. The thought of going down the mountain to buy food ran through his mind but there was no time. He needed to satisfy his guest at the moment so he washed the rice with water and placed it in the electric rice cooker.

[Jae Hwang-The cook]

He then noticed his reflection in the boiling water and saw the writing that suddenly started to show up on his right eye.

'How did that get there?'

In the shrine it said 'Tiger Hunter' but now it says 'Cook'. He somehow felt a change as he placed the rice in the water and saw it.

He didn't have any idea of what was going on but it felt weird. He sent the girls off and told them how he would do it and then he checked the rice water again and turned it up a bit higher. Now all that was left to do was to make the side dishes…

"Whoa…"

The two girls peeked through the door and watched him cook in awe. He was not an amazing cook. It was nothing special, the ingredients were few and common. What he did was pretty basic, he just cooked the pork with vegetables and added an egg.

But his movements were so concise and quick. He lightly washed the vegetables and placed them in the water. He then broke the egg and placed it into the ttukbaegi (soybean paste stew). He followed up by adding in various types of neatly cut vegetables with rhythmical movements like a professional chef.

There was some stopwatch in his head that let him know when it was time to switch to the next dish. He picked the vegetables out of the water and sprinkled some seasoning on them. He made three to four new side dishes. This was the first time he tried making one and they turned out to be perfect.

Jaehwang was as surprised as the girls who were watching him.

"Since when could I cook like this?"

The recipe didn't come out as he thought it would.

'What is this?'

He decided to make something flavorful and the ideas just rushed through his head. The seasonings even added the taste he was going for.

-Wow… You're surprisingly good at cooking.

The spirit inside him admired his skills… he then went to set the table and placed the food on it. The girls were not able to move on from watching his cooking skills. They followed him back into the kitchen after he finished setting the rice and the steamed eggs on the table .

"Wow… You did all of this?"

One of the girls said while they both looked at the set table in surprise. He was just 18 and looking after the cabin in the middle of the mountains. They couldn't believe that it was so clean and he was this talented.

"Wow…"

Mr. Song picked up a pair of chopsticks and proceeded to take a little bite off of the seasoned bracken and his eyes opened wide with shock.

The scent of the vegetables and its texture were perfect. The soy sauce salt, garlic and perilla oil were all blended together so well. The steamed eggs were soft like a sponge and the rice was flawlessly cooked.

His granddaughters came and they all joined the table. The three of them took a bowl of rice and blew off its steam. Mr. Song then tried a side dish.

"Isn't it good?"

"Wow! I didn't know you could cook like this. Haha."

"It's amazing. It was just like what my mom used to make."

"How did you get all the ingredients for this?"

He would ask for a thank you but their compliments were more than enough. He couldn't eat anything because he couldn't risk showing his face. He just sat there and kept a conversation going so that no one would notice and get suspicious.

After treating Mr. Song to a meal, he gave the two girls a glass of water and sat down. Usually he would just send them off sooner but there was a chance that they would get suspicious of him. So he just sent them off after they finished their meal… He then asked an important question to Mr. Song.

Mr. Song wriggles his eyebrows.

"A monster?"

"Yea, near a giant rock behind the village in the valley."

Mr. Song's complexion turned pale in fright. It was in the mountains but no one has ever seen a monster like this before. They have to warn the others about the monster so everyone could stay safe. But, that didn't sound like an optimal plan since that might cause everyone to unnecessarily panic.

A serious atmosphere had overtaken the table. It was the kind of scene you could watch every day on TV, but somehow, they didn't expect this dangerous feeling to come in touch with reality.

"It was a third tier monster. It looked…"

Chapter 15

Jaehwang continued his story and Mr. Song listened to him as he nodded his head. Jaehwang told him about everything he saw that night without mentioning that he also almost died. The situation was so stressful, Jaehwang didn't want to give him something to worry about.

"You have to report it to the police."

"Yea, I was going to do that but, it's not easy up on the mountain."

Mr. Song understood his reason and shook his head in agreement.

"I see. they really need to at least make phone lines for this place but the last mountain village general didn't want that."

"I would be so thankful if they could add them."

"Me too. Are you okay? It's lonely here…"

Mr. Song asked Jaehwang in a concerned voice.

"I'm okay. This is my ancestor's place. I will take care of it and protect it."

Mr. Song nodded his head and drank some water. After everyone had finished eating, Jaehwang sent them off and left the room to go back into the shrine.

He greeted the ancestral tablets and then looked over towards the corner and saw the green light again.

"It's so obvious."

Two of his skillful talents were at the 5th place (the lowest) and his athletic skills weren't that good just yet, but when he started to remember what he learned before and what he learned them. He looked at the green mark and a status window soon appeared in front of him.

Name: Jeon Jaehwang – Rank: F 10/0 Level 1/10000 exp

Physical strength: 2

Speed: 3

Stamina: 2

Sense: 5

Consciousness: 2

Installation: 43/50

Installation recovery rate: 4

Jinyeong

-Archery Sniper (Real)

Effects

Speed: 0.5

Sense: 1

?

-Silent Tracker(Real)

Effects

Stamina: 1

Installation recovery rate: 0.5

?

Skills in Possession

Unique Skill:

Tiger hunter-Rank 1, 0.2 percent

Archery-Rank 1, 0 percent

Inherited skill-Rank 1, 0 percent.

Real Skill

Energy-Rank 1, 1.43 percent

Determination-Rank 1 0.98 percent

Special Skill

–

Common Skill

Cooking- Rank 1, 0.21 percent

Fast Resurrection-Rank 1, 0 percent

"I'm…A gag seog."

This was something that he somehow expected before but he couldn't help but look at the status window with a puzzled expression.

-Wow… It's amazing. Only 500 years had passed by and magic like this happened…

The spirit inside of him spoke again.

-Do you know about the monster? 𝘭𝒾𝑏𝓇𝘦𝒶𝘥.𝘤𝘰𝑚

Of course that was something that everyone was completely aware of.

-I have to be careful to not attract any monsters.

He knew that he had to be wary of the monster. He needed to hear every detail and know every bit of information but he ignored that thought for now.

-If you don't like it then don't think about it.

-Huh?

The spirit said cutting off Jaehwang's thinking.

-I would be angry too if I heard a different person's voice in my head. I would immediately tell it to leave if I didn't like it…

-You…Never mind…

He started to get mad…Jaehwang then talked in a more serious and stern voice.

-If you can't leave then be quiet.

-Humph!

The spirit then stopped talking and Jaehwang went back to the status window projecting from the green light.

He had a lot to do every day and he never had a strange voice in his head interrupting him. A spirit in his head made him feel anxious. He was having trouble figuring out his thoughts and it got harder to pinpoint what he really thought.

Of course he didn't hear every single thing the spirit said. It could move into his heart so he could just have full control over his thoughts. That thought might be as good as it sounds but it wasn't an easy thing to do since the whole process would tire him out mentally.

He just hoped that maybe the spirit wouldn't behave like this all the time. He was starting to get annoyed because everytime he tried to think of something, the spirit would interrupt and confuse him.

"Quiet down, it doesn't matter."

He ignored the spirit in his head and proceeded to leave the room. It was when he realized that his strength had increased and he felt that he could now lift an extra hundred kilograms.

His physical strength originally had a rating of 2. Before he could only easily lift things that weighed 80 kilograms but now he could lift things weighing 160 kilograms with no effort. It was like his entire body had changed. He smiled, realizing that this would help him be able to constantly train.

Getting to the next level was important but he knew that he had to start from the basics and gain more synergy…

Reaching that goal couldn't be treated as a walk in the park. It would not only be about lifting things with his strength alone, it was also important that he could lift heavier things faster. He needed to lift things and walk at the same time. He decided that would be the best course of practice since his body's ability would rise higher and he would become strong all over.

But if that was too hard then he would definitely stop…

"Is there something wrong with the skill?"

When he was younger he would do it as if he was playing a mobile game. The skill came out nicely just as he wanted but the muscles he got were not helpful to his kills at that time. Every Gagseog had the same skills and Jaehwang had a hard time utilizing them.

They especially had a lot of common skills. Biyeondoes had a lot of skills as well, but real skills weren't even developed on the few of their kind.

Sharing the same skill names didn't mean they would also share the same effects. There were also a few cases that even though their names and effects were completely different, they both had a similar effect.𝙡𝓲𝙗𝒓𝙚𝓪𝙙.𝒄𝒐𝙢

Besides, some real skills were rare between Biyeondoes and Gags Dogs. It also wasn't that having a real skill would be useless for them, everyone that had a real skill were high ranked hunters.

Heroes in the past needed all the skills that they could get and they seemed to not know everything although they didn't even know about the few really unique skills that were left.

Jaehwang made a light movement to check the changes. His speed felt faster even though his feet didn't feel the same as before.

For the first time, he felt like aiming for the highest rank after being reminded that he was in Rank F, level 1. He had set a clear goal to reach the next rank and eventually reach level 10

"I'm…A debaser?"

He thought that he was a Gagseop before but now he is starting to rethink it. He was a noble hunter… He just went through dozens of modifications.

First off, he was happy. What else could he feel other than that?

He became stronger and now he knew that couldn't get hurt like before. He wrapped his hands into a fist and stared at it with a beaming smile. He then heard the voice from inside his head again.

-For hundreds of years, your ancestors sacrificed everything so you could be happy…

-What are you talking about?

-Just as I said. It looked like you've gotten stronger and it made you happy but, the reason you're strong was because of your ancestors' sacrifice.

The voice spoke with a cold tone and Jaehwang turned his back around in the shrine. A dark shadow then appeared from the ancestral tablets on the altar.

-I think we need to talk. Tell me, what are you talking about?….

The place was filled with silence and then the voice started to talk again.

-I'm in the middle of another spell so I could tell you the details of the story. But another one of those sneaky tricks were coming up so I wouldn't be able to tell you everything.

-No, just tell me.

-Fine. A long time ago I met someone and he cursed me. I was able to survive with half of my body doing fine. I thought that maybe the only way to break it was to let your ancestors lift it so I had to confront them. And now, you're standing at the very place where your ancestors and I fought that day.

-How did it happen?

-Well, your ancestors broke their promise.

-…And?

-When I woke up, your ancestors were trying to trap me in a box. I didn't know that they couldn't just lock me in there and imprison me. But I felt like there was something bigger than that since they all gathered together and tried to confine me for hundreds of years.

They used up all of their energy until I was destroyed.

For 500 years, dozens of your ancestors lived and died together… Your ancestors had been protecting you for generations…

-Stop…

Jaehwang warned the spirit to stop talking.

-They did all of it just for you!

He then got mad.

Kwang!

"…"

Jaehwang then made a fist with his two hands and hit the top of the shrine.

The spirit stopped talking and he felt the spirit going out of his head and into his heart. Jaehwang felt a cold feeling inside of him.

The spirit started to calm him down after a long time but she was still in Jaehwang's heart making it cold.

Both of them were connected spiritually and with just one word, his sadness became hers.

Swoosh…

A white light started to come out of Jaehwang's right eye and it started to take form in front of him. The shape took the form of a beautiful woman who was just as tall as Jaehwang. She had white hair that reached down to her waist and a porcelain white skin along with the mark of a tiger on her shoulder.

She was wearing a long-sleeved dress that reached her ankles but she didn't seem delicate. She looked like a well-trained warrior.

Jaehwang sensed something in front of him so he lifted his head and saw the girl standing there. She looked like she was maybe in her early twenties… He had never seen someone like her before. She then looked at him with a smile.

"Who are you?"

Jaehwang asked as he took a step back. The girl looked calm but Jaehwang's heart was already beating fast and his mind turned blank. She reminded him of Han Sooji, the girl that he used to date. Her appearance may have triggered his memories but that spirit's beauty couldn't be compared to hers.

She covered her mouth with her hand and laughed. Her voice sounded familiar.

"Are you a spirit?"

"Yes."

"Your face…?"

"You've seen it before."

Jaehwang unknowingly holds his breath.

"Are you a tiger hunter?"

She gave him a pitiful look and answered.

"I have the power over every form of nature, I'm not an angel. Do you know why I'm here? I'm here to help you and…."

"Ah…"

He understood what she was saying so he looked at her and then closed his eyes. It was not anything simple and pretty, it was more of an evil call. He was much more comfortable than he thought he would be. Of course, that was because it was just her and his spirit being connected. She soon finished talking and he asked,

"Could you go back in?"

"Hm.. If that's what you want…"

She transformed back into a cloud of white smoke before she went back through his right eye.

-Are you there?

-Yeah, and I could come out whenever you want.

-Okay.

Chapter 16

The spirit mentioned something about a unique skill and Jaehwang just responded by nodding his head. 𝒍𝒊𝙗𝓻𝒆𝓪𝙙.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Jaehwang got up from his chair and jumped back on his feet. The energy was another skill he trained for since he was young. He always wondered how to change it and turn it like what he saw earlier.

[Energy]

Cheuu…

He felt the energy that he couldn't feel before overflowing throughout his body. It felt like his skin had been ripped off and was replaced by a better one. They also poured out of his limbs and gave him a slight spin before it went back to his body.

'This is a lot of energy.'

Hunters would sometimes depend on this energy and would train them along with their physical abilities evenly. The hunters that had a lot of this energy could pass through rank B but they would usually stay at rank C.

It was common knowledge that the ones who learned to control this power would be able to progress much faster.

'I'll use my father's breathing method to help control and control the energy.'

He remembered that he didn't like his father before, the accident just served as a wake-up call and made him realize that he loved him as much as he loved his mother.

He never liked the traditions and practices that his father drilled into him as a kid but he decided to stay at the cabin for a little longer anyway. He remained undecided if he still liked them or not but he chose to remain here as the only successor left to protect their heritage.

But… He was also now living a new life all because of his ancestors' sacrifice.

Jaehwang tried to think of a way to resolve it in his head. This was something that couldn't just be easily fixed. He tried to think about the kindness from his ancestors' hearts and a way he could somehow pay them back.

He then recalled what happened in his dream and recollected the fragments of his ancestor's hopes and dreams. They said that they wanted to be set free. They all worked hard so their pain and suffering would end. That was all they wanted.

'Freedom…'

Jaehwang gave it some more thought. His descendants wanted to be free and they were all relying on Jaehwan to offer his helping hand.

'I have to be strong so I can set them free.'

Jaehwang then stood up from his seat.

-Something's different about you.

The spirit felt that something changed inside of him.

-No…Nothing happened. I'm still the same.

-I could feel a lot of energy coming from you.

'And I guess I don't actually hate my ancestors.'

The cold dawn wind blew throughout the mountain and reached every corner of his surroundings.

'Ah…'𝒍𝓲𝒃𝙧𝓮𝙖𝒅.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Jaehwang stopped walking and stared into the small window projecting in front of him.

The lowest skill that he had was [Tiger Hunter] and he could keep it for up to 30 seconds.

'10 seconds have been used…'

10 seconds was quite a lot in terms of combat. According to his calculations, 50 to 150 seconds should be his limit and escaping while he had more time would be great. But he also understood that there have been a few cases where he wouldn't have that luxury.

He went to the mountains and brought all of his tiger-hunting arrows with him.

He knew that his level was low, but he understood that he could get stronger. The duration of his skill increases along with his mental strength as he leveled up. He was level one and was currently sitting at the bottom of the rankings. He was slowly getting anxious about the monsters that he would face but his life and his ancestors' freedom depended on it. He almost died when he ran into that third tier monster and he didn't want something like that to happen again.

That was his first reason. The second reason was that he came here because he had a unique skill called tiger hunter which he wanted to try out for himself. As strong as it might be, a unique skill could also be one's downfall. He/she could get the skill with just one word but there would also be a chance that it would not be a good thing. Jaehwang's goal was not to shorten his battles, it was more about finding a fatal weak point and striking it as soon as possible.

And there was another reason that was similar to that one.

Jaehwang grabbed his bow and readied his arrow instructions. He placed the arrow on the string and a window showed up projecting the details about the arrow.

[Unique Arrow] [Arrow Barrage] [Guided Arrow] [Enhanced Arrow]

The information was there to make things easier.

He could even just touch the arrow and see all the information about it… He had to get used to using his skills and finding out how they worked since he only just got was relieved that he didn't need to practice casting them.

This would be the first time that he would be training with his new skills. He calmed his heart as he slowly readied the arrow instructions. He took a deep breath and the name of the skill showed up in his head.

'It's unique… arrow.'

Dududuk…

He pulled the arrow back on the red string and aimed. He shot it without making any mistakes and it was sent flying.

'Isn't this amazing?'

That's what someone would ask if they were there to witness it. He had no trouble with casting his skills but he still had to aim correctly. It would almost be impossible to see a target more than 200 meters away. It would be even more difficult to land a bullseye if he wouldn't take the time to aim. He had to use and coordinate with his eyes as well as his hands.

He also had to consider the wind that blew around him. If he took a shot at the wrong time there would be a chance that his arrow would get redirected somewhere else by the wind. He then smiled. satisfied that the arrow followed in the direction he shot it.

Pisisik…

And with that, the secret skill finished its duration as all of its time had been used up. He sighed as he placed everything in order once again. He then thought,

'Maybe I do need some practice.'

He knew how to shoot and he understood how the skill worked but he was not used to it just yet. He wanted to learn more about it and how it could be used in a few other ways.

He thought that it would be simple but he was still only a beginner, not an expert. And even though he had something that he could call his talent, he was having a hard time. He was not so versatile in terms of his skills so he had to learn how to properly use it…

The skill time limit was inevitable. He now had the most valuable unique skill that he could think of. But now he somehow needs to get rid of the limit so that he could have better practice.

-We have a long way to go. All we can do is practice.

-Good idea.

He ended his practice, ate his breakfast, changed his clothes and then put on his backpack. He reached for his hat and pulled it down over his face to get ready and go down to the mountain village. He then heard the voice of the spirit inside him.

-Oh you're finally going to a place where other humans live?

-Yes. I have to buy groceries and I have to go and put the money that my granddad gave me in the bank…

He never worried a lot about his groceries when he lived in the city. But now he had to calculate everything since he could only afford to go down every now and then. He had to figure out what he needed and buy only the necessities and not only food.

People usually say they would like to live on the mountain but they only say that because they have never experienced it. It would be impossible for some of them to leave all of their convenient things behind.

He went down the mountain and into his granddad's house. He saw that no one was home and proceeded to buy his groceries. And after that he went to the bus stop and took the village bus to get to the town.

-It doesn't seem so bad here, I can hear some great music.

The spirit kept mumbling.

-Keep it down

-Why!

He couldn't hear anything so he started to get mad and the mumbling soon stopped.

'I'm just tired.'

He felt tired about having a whole different person inside his head. Jaehwang was not the type to show his anger and always kept everything to himself. These past two years had not been the best, he could keep a conversation going but talking to a spirit in his head was the weirdest thing ever. He barely knew her. And although he found her to be cool and all, she could be annoying when she rambles on.

Whirring

The bus came to a stop. Jaehwang got on the bus and went on his way to the market. It was the biggest market in this small town and it was filled with lots of people. He bought rice, meat, and other things from the market adding up about $30.

He finished his shopping spree and then wondered why he couldn't just get his things delivered.

It was common knowledge that he could ask for delivery when he needed more than what he had planned. There was a chance that they couldn't deliver that far up in the mountain so he asked an employee at the shop to check.

The employee answered back in a rude tone.

"Yes we do offer that kind of service but do you think we would deliver that far up the mountain? No."

The employee was a muscular looking guy. Jaehwang got mad at his rude answer so he replied in the same way.

"But didn't it used to deliver that far?"

The employee then started to get angry and raised his voice.

"If you want to be annoying about it then fine! Go find the employee then and ask him. But we don't deliver there now."

The employee went back to work and Jaehwang just awkwardly scratched his head. Obviously that employee from then was no longer there and maybe just lives around the neighborhood now. They probably don't deliver that far anymore.

"It's no big deal."

Since there would be no deliveries, he thought that he would just have to keep taking the bus to the town. His energy improved but it could still reach its limit. He then heard the voice of the spirit again.

Chapter 17

-Hm… Did something happen?

-Yeah, they don't deliver stuff anymore so I can't take everything.

The spirit fell silent for a second before answering back.

-I'll negotiate with them.

-Huh?

Jaehwang tilted his head as he wondered what she meant. She followed it up by explaining a way to negotiate and resolve the problem.

-Can you help me? I want to buy all of this.

-What do you need?

-Okay, If it's not too much to ask for, I would just need help taking my stuff.

Jaehwang nodded his head on what she said.

-How can I take all of these?

-Give me a second.

After she went over on what she had to say they waited at the cart filled with the groceries. He then heard her voice again.

-Hand out your right hand.

Jaehwang opened his right hand and looked in surprise.

-What's this?

He asked as soon as he saw a deep black hole that had suddenly appeared in the middle of his palm.

-Okay, now… Touch the groceries with your hand.

He followed her instructions and touched everything in the cart with his right hand.

Syuruk

Everything had started to move and he was left speechless.

-What happened?

-Just a little magic. There's an endless amount of magic in the mountains that I could tap into. But here I have a limit on what I can do. It's not good to store your food in this place but we had to do it. This could take a while…

-Ah… I see.

And the magic started again and Jaehwang than said,

-…Wow this is going great.

She kept quiet as she took in all of the things from his cart with his hand.

"Huh…"

An employee saw Jaehwang sucking everything he bought into his hand. He got scared, he was just wearing old shabby clothes and a hat over his face. He was the one who came earlier to request for delivery and he didn't seem to be that strong.

'If he has that kind of ability then why is he asking for something like a delivery?'

The employee wondered why he didn't use that power in his own favor. He looked like a man who had a lot of pride and wanted to let everyone know that he was a hunter.

'Maybe it was on purpose…'

Soon after using that plan to ask for delivery service, it was not working out as he planned.

Of course, it was a dangerous plan but it was worth the risk. Now the employee would have to give that hunter some settling money when he leaves. It could only be a small amount of change but the employee knew that he had to do it or else, he would be eating breakfast in the hospital tomorrow.

Jaehwang started to absorb the groceries with his hands. He got the attention of other people in the market making them take a step back. No one could see his face so none could recognize him.

"S-sir…Excuse me?"

"Yes?"

A male employee asked as he scratched his head in confusion. He had beads of sweat on his face as he looked around at the other senior employees. He then walked to the customer and asked what was going on.

The male employee from earlier started to laugh. He laughed at the idea that he was now getting involved with him again asking if it was really that necessary. He was about to talk to him and Jaehwang then felt a strong force hitting at the back of his head.

Pang!

"Ow!"

He fell flat on his face.

"Sorry, sir. We would be doing some retraining so this kind of thing won't happen again."

He looked at the one who interrupted him and hit him in the head. His facial expression couldn't be recognized because of his hat but he glared at him without saying anything.

The employee didn't know what kind of mistake he made but he had experienced this kind of trouble with hunters before. He realized that it would be best to accept what would happen and get over it.

The hunter came and complained that the products that he bought were expired. He didn't know who to talk to so he went towards the female employee and she didn't have the answers he needed. Both parties were at fault since the hunter didn't check the expiration date ahead of time for the expired product.

The employee replied back in an angry tone and the hunter responded by picking up his items ones by one and throwing them towards her. That day, everyone watched an employee eat 2.5 liters of spoiled milk.

"You…Whatever, it's okay."

Jaehwang unconsciously waved his hand with a deep breath to calm himself down and relax. No matter what happens, he didn't want them to see him as a bad person.

"But, I have to buy some things."

"Really?"

Jaehwang said as he walked over towards the snack corner. 𝓁𝑖𝘣𝘳ℯ𝘢𝘥.𝒸ℴ𝑚

-What's this?

-Chocolate, snacks.

-…Like pancakes?

-Candy

-It's like sugar? What's this?

-Chocolate

-Hm… It's weird but it looks good. Buy it.

Jaehwang placed it in the cart.

-That one… and that one…

He then went over towards the food corner and as they passed by something that the spirit wanted he would just put it in the cart without a word.

-That too, that looks good. Put that in there too.

-You're going to eat that?

-Uh… Well, it only has a good package to make you buy it, right?

They then went over to the fruits and the bakery section.

-Look at that! That red thing! And that over there too…It looks good. I want it.

The spirit pointed out and begged for a colorful cream cake until Jaehwang placed it in the cart.

– The total amount is $52 dollars and then all I have left is 9 dollars.

He counted the cash in his wallet and then suddenly stopped. He looked at everything he bought and most of it was snacks like chocolate, candy, cake etc… He started to think about his parents again as he remembered that these were the ones that his mom and dad never allowed him to eat.

But then a market representative saw a glance of his face and signaled someone to go and assist him. A female employee rushed to his side and extended her open palm.

"Hand me your card, please."

"Huh? Why?…"

"Just hand it, please."

"Okay okay…"

She swiped his card through the cash register and gave him some cash.

"Why are you giving me this cash?"

"Our employee made a mistake and we're sorry for the poor service"

Jaehwang just looked at her and nodded his head. It was a result of an employee giving him poor service but he soon thought about refusing that compensation.

They then finished swiping his card and paid for his groceries. As he left the senior employee took a deep breath of relief and looked at the one who caused the problem.

"Finally…"

"Yeah… yeah"

Peoeok…

The senior employee hit the male employee on the head.

"The payment for those things are coming out of your paycheck. Understood?"

"Y-yes…"

"I hope that you learned your lesson about saying unnecessary things."

"The next time that hunter comes, tell me so I could leave."

"Yeah…and thanks."

"Jae Hwang!"

He arrived in the village and turned around after he heard someone calling his name. It was the head of the village, Mr. Kim, who ran towards him and caught up.

"Hello."

"Hi… were you going up the mountain?"

"Yeah."

Mr. Kim was one of the youngest village heads. He helped the village by taking care of its people. He did a really good job.

"Cool, how are you enjoying mountain life?"

"It's great."

He greeted Jae Hwang before giving him a business card.

"The day after tomorrow?"

"Yes, the day after tomorrow. We were trying to gather hunters to help catch that monster… It will be great. And you haven't even seen the face of the mountain general yet."

Jaehwang responded by nodding his head. It was a bit of an inconvenience but, people could die if that monster was left to run free.

"Okay, got it. I'll be there."

"Okay. Ah… and…"

Jaehwang waited for what Mr. Kim was about to say. He saw him run towards the city hall and came back a moment later with a black box. He handed it off to him with a smile.

"What's this?"

Jaehwang asked Mr. Kim as soon as he took the box in his hand.

"We are trying to bring cell phones into the mountain but we're in the middle of a remote area so it was pretty difficult. So we're taking out village fees to buy metropolitan phones."

A metropolitan phone on the mountain or a remote area somewhere would eventually lead to smartphones. It would be a necessity to hunters but it may not be worth it. A phone's price was double the amount of the payment that they would usually ask for.

"Why are you giving this to me?…"

"I just wanted someone to see it. But you don't have to take it."

"No, it's okay, I'll take it."

After a second thought, he returned the black box to Mr. Kim and declined his participation in the hunter-gathering.

"Oh…I see… You caught the wild pigs for us and… you know. Honestly, this mountain is very dangerous so…You know… You were the only help that this mountain has ever had. So please, help us with this, please?"

Jaehwang noticed that he kept saying 'You know' and it almost made him laugh. He also wondered why he was trying to give him this high priced phone. He knew in the back of his head that there were more important things that had to buy.

This wasn't only about needing to buy things for him. This mountain was special to Jaehwang and buying off a few phones would not change it. He decided to join the monster hunt and take the phone.

"Okay."

He made a promise with himself since he was young that if the people on the mountain needed help, he wanted them to call him and he would not reject their request. He gave him a nod and took his box.

"Thank you. II hope that it's not that big of a deal and that it would be too much of a burden to you…"

"Yeah."

Jaehwang took back the metropolitan phone and said goodbye.

"Okay then, see you in a few days."

"Okay."

Chapter 18

Jaehwang walked through the entrance of the cabin.

-Hand out your hand.

He lifted his hand towards the floor of the room just as the spirit said. He then soon started to take out the snacks that he bought from the market one by one. Jaehwang then realized that they had bought more things than he thought. He took out the remaining ones as the hole on his hand became smaller.

-.…Amazing. So convenient and unique.

-Why did you want all this stuff?

Jaehwang asked.

-To eat it, of course.

-Huh?

Jaehwang tilted his head in confusion. He had always thought that the spirit lived like a parasite in his body. He wondered if she would make him eat it or she would eat it herself. A few other questions had flooded to his mind as the white dust started to come out of his eye.

The dust gathered and soon turned into the shape of a person. Its height reached up to Jaehwang's chest and as its shape became more defined, it started to look like a 12-year-old. She bore a cute face but she also gave off a strange smell.

"I think this will do."𝑙𝒾𝒷𝘳𝑒𝑎𝒹.𝑐𝑜𝓂

She glanced over towards Jae Hwang and then turned her attention towards the room around her. She almost immediately started to eat the snacks that she asked for and it wasn't long before the candy wrappers had spread all over the place. Jaehwang could see the sparkles in her eyes as she looked at the candies while she stuffed her face with chocolate and candy.

"Amazing. Is this really what you people eat? It's great."

She gazed at the boxes with an innocent look before she took one and handed it to Jaehwang. He then extended his hand and silently took it.

"Oh… What's this one?"

She smelled the chocolate cookies as she picked up the box and used her fingers to pry it open. She slowly took one out and was mesmerized by the treat. She cleared her throat, opened her mouth and then proceeded to stuff every snack that she could get her hands on to her cheeks.

"The taste!…It's so sweet…"

She was as hyper as a child but Jaehwang found it cute. He couldn't even judge for being too excited since she has been trapped for a few thousands of years. He watched her for quite a bit and he couldn't help but feel a little bit interested.

"Clean up after you eat."

"I know."

She answered back, hinting that she didn't like the idea of cleaning up. She just focused on eating her snacks as if nothing had happened. 𝓵𝒊𝒃𝙧𝓮𝙖𝓭.𝙘𝒐𝙢

The entrance of the house softly opened and Jaehwang turned and could see the spirit eating snacks through the crack of the door.

The both of them can now think and do what they wanted without any interference. He thought that he'll now be able to put his new abilities into use. And all she wanted to do was eat those snacks.

"That girl."

He smiled.

A day had passed and today was the day for the hunter gathering in the village. Jaehwang made his way down the mountain at dawn but a giant rock appeared and blocked the path that he usually took.

"The phone…"

Syuuk

He said as he took his phone and held it in his right hand.

He turned on the phone, connected it to a map and typed in his current location with his finger. He had to be very specific when he typed it in.

-I'm not your porter!

Said the spirit in his head but Jaehwang just ignored it.

-Be quiet.

-Humph…

The spirit's complaints had stopped as soon as Jaehwang asked her to. He continued on trying to get help using his phone. The spirit finally had started to listen to him but then she stopped.

Afterwards, they went to the market and bought all kinds of snacks that she ate instantly. He wondered how she was able to do it. She devoured them all as if she was in another world. Despite that, they haven't been getting along that much. There were times that he would ask something but she barely listened and just asked him for favors.

"If you want to eat, then do it."

"Ugh…"

After that, she gave him her attention without a word. She tried to behave as if she was in charge and didn't help him ever since he woke up that morning. She just stayed inside of him and never did anything to help.

She knew that she had a lot to share with him. She could use a little of her magic and she still needed help from him… the only time that she got to do whatever she wanted was when he went to sleep.

She understood that she would have to settle in his body until she could get her full power back.

But she does care about Jaehwang's situation as well.

She couldn't let another spirit fall into him. She had to learn a lot since she barely knew anything about this world. Especially those sweet treats, she understood that she had to listen to him so she could get her hands on those sweet things.

When he realized that she was there to offer her help, he had started to ask her for assistance and she was very useful.

Even hunters didn't usually have lots of skills.

Hunters were always making the things that they would need. It would be expensive but if they had a little money then they could get everything that they needed.

The hunter's skill space was unexpectedly small. the length, width, and height were usually about 1 meter and even their skill rank space couldn't go over 3 meters. So compared to their limited skill slots, the spirit had unlimited power.

And so Jaehwang needed lots of her help. He didn't know much but when he needed to he could search for something and he could quickly find it with her help. She was very strong and that was why he was taking the time to train with her. So when the time comes for them to engage in real combat, she would know what to do.

-I need three broadhead covered arrows…

Syusyuk….

-This one…

-Quiet.

Jaehwang's eyes were filled with satisfaction as he looked at the three arrows in his hand. She still didn't want to listen but she had to help him get more money so he could buy her some more delicious food. That's why she followed his instructions and got the three arrows as he asked.

But it got to her when the things that he asked for were already in front of him and he would still call for help. Today was the day where he would meet up with the other hunters. She could already imagine having to do all the heavy lifting.

Jaehwang then arrived at the gathering. He bowed his head towards the older people and let the others know that he was there. He went to greet Mr. Song, who treated him like a grandson. He gave him a packed lunch.

The hunters took a bus and arrived in the village at noon. It was not like a usual bus and everyone was given gloves as they entered.

Whining

The bus was used in Europe but now that was just a thing of the past. The door opened silently and all of the passengers walked out.

"Wow… I didn't know there was a place like this in our country."

"Quickly, get off and don't look around too much, I have motion sickness."

This was the first time that they've seen a place like this. They arrived in a place with a house that looked like a cottage inside a folk village. Everyone got off of the bus and looked around.

"Supporting team hurry hurry, get moving. We have to get this done on a two-day schedule!"

"Yes, sir."

Said the commander in a loud voice when the passengers had already gotten off. They gave her a nod as they took their luggage from beside the bus. The commander presented the job of each person as they greeted the head of the village.

"I gave you all a call yesterday. You guys will be called 'the stardust supporting team'."

"That's the village head. Mr. Kim Chan, he will take care of things."

Jaehwang stood away from the village people and looked at the bus. Everyone had already gotten off the bus but there was so much to look at. The black triangle shaped drone on the side of the bus was especially something that kept them distracted.

The drone was mainly used in the middle of their formation. When a hunter explored and maintained their guard, the drone would keep a close check and monitor the team to make sure that everything will be okay.

"Anyone buy a battery?"

"Check these three blades again. Something seems to be wrong with them."

The supporting team stuck together and watched the black drones. There were four people that seemed to be getting off the bus sluggishly.

"Ugh… What is that smell?"

The first person to get off the bus was a woman who looked like she was in her early thirties. She was wearing quite smokey makeup and she had a small bird tattoo. She covered her nose and looked around after getting off the bus.

"Isn't that the smell of fertilizer? …It didn't smell like that at home. The mountain is higher and more dangerous than I thought."

Next, a guy that looked to be in his mid-forties walked off of the bus. He was wearing a belt with lots of tools attached to it. He looked very experienced yet he looked around him with a surprised face.

"Wow… It's really high."

A quiet young-looking handsome middle-aged man walked out and lifted his head as he took a deep breath. And lastly, a poor looking skinhead guy looked out of the bus and frowned at all the people around him.

"Ah…Some zoo monkeys."

He glared at everyone as if he was about to hunt them down. Everyone then noticed him glaring at them so they slowly moved away. They could still feel his stare at the back of their heads and sensed his intent to hunt them. But then, the man's strong presence disappeared.

"Park Seung Won… If you bother the civilians you'll be out this time."

"Yes, sir.."

The middle-aged guy got a warning and he just stroked the back of his head and bowed in agreement.

"He never listens…"

"Okay. No matter how hard you prospect, there are limits in the clan. Obey. It will be decided if you can go through the gate or not depending on how you do on your report."

"Yes, sir."

Chapter 19

Skinhead woke up from his seat and joined the other group of village people.

"Got it."

He seemed to have low self-esteem, he just shook his head as he walked with his head down barely making a sound.

The group of people walked into the village meeting hall and the hunters left. leaving the rest of the crowd left to whisper.

"Wow, the ranks of these hunters are really high"

Said by a village person about their visitors.

"Of course. Living that life takes a lot. Did you know that they didn't listen to anyone in the past and were just thrown away in the mountains?"

Jaehwang was listening to what that one person said as the others continued to whisper. The first lady who got off carried a bow on her back and had an arrow case around her waist. She was carrying a lot of things with her.

She had the same metallic quality of weapons and armor that soldiers use. It was clear to see that she had a great build of muscles behind her shield. The power suit that she had was pretty well-known. It recharges its power like other powered household things but the one that she had looked like it was customized.

He was starting to see some familiar faces. He saw Mr. Song along with his granddaughters and their friends. They all saw a handsome hunter through the window and their faces suddenly turned red as if they were falling for him.

"Jae Hwang."

The village head called Jaehwang from the inside.

"I found the witness."

"Yeah."

Jaehwang took a deep breath and walked inside the hall.

"Yeah, I couldn't hear anything at all."

"Maybe there was something like a horn on the back?" 𝑙𝘪𝒷𝓇𝑒𝑎𝑑.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"If there was a horn then it would have been noticeable."

"Maybe… They weren't that big… how much should I explain?"

"50 centimeters? Didn't it seem a little bigger than that?"

"Uhh…"

Jaehwang finished talking and the team questioned him with their arms folded.

"It had a head that looked like a snake and… the body of a giant wild pig. Leader… what if the monster hurts someone… Wasn't there a gate leading towards the neighborhood?"

"There wasn't one within 30 kilometers but there were two within 70 kilometers. The closest gate was towards Mujin district."

"Oh…So there's nothing near there?"

"Yeah. I don't know much but there was a wormhole that could have been built. The worst case scenario is if they opened this neighborhood's dimension gate but that could be a possibility. The wormhole here was already destroyed."

"But during the last hunter raid, was there a chance that something could have escaped here?"

"No. But I think that of all the possibilities can't be overlooked. Second, someone had seen it already so if there was a gate then it needs to be found as soon as possible."

"Let's go and get ready to check it out."

"Okay. The monster was most likely hiding somewhere and we can't ensure everyone's safety…"

"Let's hope for the best. I hope we get lucky."

"No, that monster better hope that he's lucky. But, we were not as big as the monster and even its head was huge. Maybe by the time we find it then it'll be up to the 4th tier."

"Maybe."

After hearing what he said, Jaehwang prayed for luck one more time. There were a lot of possible ways to block an attack from a 4th tier monster but to catch that monster, you would need an A ranked monster hunter in your raid team.

"…We may not make it back. How much money do you guys have?"

Skinhead reached out his hand with a frivolous tone and the guy next to him started to talk.

"It sounds quite dangerous, will we be okay? Even if we find it, will we be able to catch it?"

"We could prepare for everything and we will always be ready for a fight. You can all go now."

The middle-aged woman replied as he faced Jae Hwang and nodded his head. Jaehwang stood in his place and replied,

"Going up the mountain is hard, it might even be harder for some first-timers. Would it be okay if I help guide the way?"

Everyone in the meeting hall room looked at Jae Hwang as if he was speaking a language they didn't understand.

"Everyone else, leave."

Pong!

"Ow…"

She slapped the skinhead's head.

"Apologize…"

"I'm sorry."

Everyone fell silent after that commotion.

"Thanks for the offer but, there is always something dangerous during a raid. We will take the necessary precautions if someone gets hurt. Or else our clan could get penalty points from the governor and that wouldn't be good for anyone.

He answered with a stern voice, making Jaehwang step back with a quick nod. He wanted to leave as well but that was not a good time.

Whining…

There was no light and the gasses from the night sky surrounded everything that their eyes could reach.

"The driving system, Camera, heat sensor and the gas control system."

"Good. First, we'll get some sleep and then get to plan A to C and then we will sleep again. We should be getting close to the monster soon."

"Got it."

The two drones flew up the mountain and the clan's supporting team drone started to analyze their environment by real-time data.

"When we find it then the first half of our job will be finished. Good luck everyone."

"Yes."

"The present time is now 23:34, let's start the raid!"

Crunch… crunch…

The group of four people walked together along the dark mountain trail. The middle-aged woman took the lead and the handsome hunter walked right beside her. And the tattooed girl stood in the middle as the skinhead walked behind her.

"What if a ghost comes out?"

"Be quiet."

Skinhead squirmed, the girl with the tattoo then turned around and told him to keep it down.

"You guys don't feel it? Something's chilly…"

"And? Do you want to find it and ask it to be nice? How does something even seem chilly?…"

Deudeuh Deuk…

"Hey… Stop being so scared"

She made a few noises as a joke to scare the skinhead.

"Don't break the formation. Someone could see you.."

"Yes, leader."

Everyone behaved at the leader's small warning.

Taeteuk.. Teuk..

"Ouch."

The guy that walked behind the leader slipped and fell.

"Is this what that guy was saying when he said it was dangerous?"

"He was right about it being dangerous… be careful everyone and stick together."

"Yes, leader."

The supporting team then put on their headsets.

-We're two kilometers from the northeast neighborhood… We have everything we need to track down the monster.

-Which way?

-Towards the southwest…

-Great. The supporting team hunting has begun!

-Okay. Looks like we'll be there in about 5 minutes.

-Good. The fight is going great in our neighborhood. Where are you guys?

-I'll check.

She checked their location as the squad prepared for action. The leader held a long spear in her hands, the handsome guy had two short daggers, the skinhead wore a knuckle weapon and the tattooed girl reached for the switch to power her suit.

About 100 meters away, Jaehwang sat and rested on a big rock.

-When will we arrive at the monster?

-I don't know. But it looks like we're getting close.

-Really? I can't wait. Are there monsters from other dimensions?… Did someone call it? Why are there some in America too?"

-Because the first dimension gate opened in America.

They talked for a while and then Jaehwang's story about the monster came up. He realized that he didn't get to see much of it. All he could remember is that it tried to attack him and he almost died.

Now that he thought about it, he was already living in the same world as a monster. His dad used to run into monsters and even trained himself for it. That time it obviously wasn't a third tier monster but maybe if he knew what would happen that day then he would have gone into a hellish training just to prepare for it.

-Hmm… I can feel a different energy.

Jaehwang then woke up from being lost in thought and looked ahead. His right eye started to turn red as his retinas started to draw lines from out of it.

The lines were three different colors. The red color reached out in front of him in a circular shape. More red colors started to come but those were much bigger compared to the other ones. Two blue lines showed up to where the hunters were… The last light was white, it was spinning in a circle.

-How far do we have?

-About 250 to go.

-How much in meters?

-Gosh… that's about 900 meters.

-It'll be hard to find the monster

-Yeah.

-Later we'll take a break and eat tiramisu.

-Great!

Everyone was suddenly energized. Jaehwang smiled as he watched. The colors had disappeared, leaving one big red line behind.

Ever since he became a Gagseong, these things had been happening even at night. His eyes would glow and make his surroundings look as bright as midday. But besides that, he was able to help the people of the village with things like this.

-Going to an empty space would be great but that would also maybe not be a great idea.

Jaehwang then asked,

-Why?

-There's a small cliff behind us. It's covered with weeds but if you fall, it could be very dangerous.

Jaehwang started to move as soon as she stopped talking. He knew that he had to use his [Tiger Hunter] skill where or when no one was looking at him. He planned to drop himself from the trees once they had reached their destination which was 60 meters away from the battlefield.

-Everyone arm yourselves.

-Huh? Are we going to fight now?

-No… we're not fighting now. We're just getting ready…

-Okay.

They all did as the leader said. Jaehwang took out the big black protection shield in his right hand. It was something that his dad used when he fought the monsters. But today, Jaehwang would now use it as his own.

Chapter 20

[Rank Battle – Cover Suit Protection]-Normal level

Arrow Information:250 Pounds (Tuning +50 Pounds)

Best Range: 2500 Meters

Lowest Range: 400 Meters

Material: Alloy Brass

Special Ability: Sharpness(D Rank)

He took the arrow in his hand and turned on his save system to analyze his item. Despite its seemingly broad capabilities, save mode couldn't analyze all types of weapons.

It was made possible because of the affiliation skill that other hunters named 'the Haitian' possessed. This was something that hunters needed when they were out on a raid.

There were more skills that were ranked higher than the Haitian but the skill itself was not made for Gags Dogs, it was a past artifact.

Gun powered weapons weren't the ones that were usually used. In the beginning, they would almost always use those kinds when fighting monsters. But that time has passed and now the corpse of monsters could be used as materials to make a brand new set of equipment. It boasts its great effectiveness and the Ahietems were the first ones to use them.

Of course the other hunters like the 'Manas' had started to use their weapons as a defense system for the neutralization and the others followed along to use their weapons as well.

-My mom only gave me $800 dollars and that's all…

Hunter equipment was expensive. The hunter equipment Jaehwang had was the cover suit that his father bought and that was on a special sale. Jaehwang laughed thinking about how angry his mom was when she saw the receipt and got so mad at his father. Reminiscing those memories, he tightly grabs onto the cover suit handle.

"I can feel that we're almost there… the battlefront is just 300 meters away!"

"Already? In your battle positions everyone…"

"Yes, leader."

They followed her command and assembled into their positions. They were already close to the battlefront with the drone taking the lead. It shot through them and quickly flew above their heads as they got closer.

Swoosh…

It glided through the wind and along with that, a giant alligator head appeared…

Pakwag!

The leader of the group pulled back her spear and threw it up ahead.

"The raid starts now!"

The handsome hunter guy goes in aiming to attack from all over from the front as the tattooed girl aimed for the back leg.

"It has a big jaw."

Skinhead used both of his hands and started to generate a blue light.

PaKang!

"Kyaaa…"

He spun around and shot for the monster's head making it scream for the first time.

"Magic!"

"Eisu! Jaera! Whum!"

Jjeojeojeok!

Skinhead then shot another blue light towards the monster's front leg and it started to freeze.

"Great job! Keep going!"

The raid was going smoothly. He froze the leg and that helped distract it. They quickly went for the back of the leg while it was distracted and the handsome hunter stabbed it with his dagger. The monster then fell and they didn't miss the chance to follow up with another attack of arrows. They shot them into its chest and it eventually died with a scream.

Keehk!

-That was fun.

-Fun?

The team leader asked Jaehwang.

-It reminds me of when I used to hunt monsters way back in the past. It's a really long story.

-You used to do this?

-Yeah. Doing things like this and all that has been going on these days reminds me of those times. The world has lots of energy when you make a choice. Life wasn't like that before. The energy that was the most greedy thing, is a human.

-I see.

They continued to talk as the new raid was now finished. They realized how late it was after fighting the monster and the leader still had not put down her spear. The skillful rotation makes for a big disturbance and lots of movement control. She soon put the remaining three away. Jaehwang then saw something strange.

-Doesn't something seem strange?

-Does it?

-Over there, it looks like a light.

Everyone fell silent and started to look around to analyze their surroundings.

-It could be nothing. If something explodes then we would see it.

She analyzed Jaehwang's monster radar and checked to see if something was going on. There were 3 radiation activities 10 meters away… That was where two of their clan members were.

They thought about whether they should give them a warning. She was hesitant for a second because one of them was up ahead and the squad leader was there so there was a chance that maybe she already knew. but she couldn't take that risk. The leader then yelled loudly from up ahead.

"Something will explode soon. From now on, stay on the biggest path!"

"Yes, leader!"

The guy kept himself close to their leader so that he wouldn't fall while holding the cylinder filled with silver light. He was planning to throw it to a monster if one appeared. After throwing it then it will then change into a green liquid before exploding.

"You have a poison!"

"That's great."

All I had to do was just throw the cylinder and various liquids would come melting out. Now that he had used it, the neurotoxin came out and instantly left a scar. They called it a capsule, it was one of the things that hunters would need when hunting.

The explosion was bearable for everyone except the leader since everyone else was in a safe area. They ended their raid with a smooth finish but Jaehwang was concerned about the incident that just happened.

"Uh…"

Skinhead stepped back and suddenly felt that he was sinking into the ground. Jaehwang was worried seeing that he had stepped onto the sandcliff. But the bigger problem was that he was in the middle of casting another spell at the moment. That resulted in a misfire and no one was able to immediately come to his aid at the time.

Kwang! Jojok!

The leader looked over in surprise at the unexpected incident. They froze for a second as someone signaled them. They wanted to rescue their teammate but they all knew that they couldn't miss their chance to take down the monster and beat it.

"Damn it…!"

Said the middle-aged lady who attacked the monster immediately as the team were taken aback. Skinhead saved them a little before he rolled off the cliff but they then suddenly noticed that their leader had disappeared too. The leader's defense wasn't able to stop the monster. The handsome hunter guy rushed in to try and save her with his tiny dagger but it had its limits.

"Darn…"

Hwig! Pheok!

The bite went through her armor but it wasn't too serious. She eventually gave up on fighting back but she already made the monster mad. The tattooed girl then ran towards the direction of the monster.

"Haya!"

She dashed and jumped into the air. She loaded her bows with arrows and shot them ahead of her. The attack was delivered with an intent to kill but it had backfired due to the wind condition. A cloud of dust then flew into her eyes.

"Ah!"

The once relaxing situation of the raid has now changed into a disaster. They all knew that this was a raid. It was common for someone to die or get hurt, carelessness would not be tolerated.

Pyu Pyu Pyu!

As soon as she recovered, she jumped once again and started to shoot two arrows from mid-air. It made its mark but it looked as if it did nothing to the monster. The monster then responded by opening its mouth and…

Pheoeoeok!

"Keurig…"

The monster turned its head because of the strong shot that landed an arrow into its eye. The monster had struggled to take the arrow but then another two shots flew into his head. It fell down with a loud shrike but instead of dying, it started to flee.

Papapag…

It tried to get the arrow out with its hand but it couldn't.

Swoosh… Poeg!

Another arrow flew into its head. The first arrow was the only one that did any damage, the second and third arrow didn't stick into the monster and just fell to the ground. It then rushed into the person who held the bow and killed her in one hit. There was also someone there who had a late change of heart and disappeared like a ghost.

"Keurig… Keurig"

The monster attacked the second hunter and let out another angry roar.

Poug…

Another arrow was thrown and it reached the monster. It was finally starting to work. Well, at least they tried to. It passed through its side and they heard a noise not long afterwards.

"Keurig…"

They got a refreshing feeling as the attacks seem to have been affecting the monster as it howled in pain.

"You… Idiot… How dare you touch my armor."

After beating the monster, the guy was thrown to the ground.

"The hunter's special offer for its lowest interest rate is 1.5 percent monthly for 24 months… I still have 24 months left to put on my armor…Ugh!"

He yelled about the upcoming repair cost. Before the monster could try to attack, he then ran through the air, attacked the monster and tied it up.

"Stop destroying our village and coming through the gate! Leave and disappear!"

Peog!peog!peog!

He started punching the monster with his bare hands.

Peoeok!

He finished it off with a powerful soccer kick… The monster's head was already half dented and it had stopped breathing.

He then jumped onto the monster's stomach to be sure. After that he was certain that the monster was completely dead. He took a deep breath and made an announcement to everyone through the headset.

-The raid… It's over.

-Got it. You've worked hard.

He finished talking to the supporting team and collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. He then looked around with a face full of grief at the squad and looked at the arrows that affected the monster.

'I don't know them but I feel bad.'

"…"

He checked to see where the arrows that saved them came from and the arrow's owner hasn't disappeared just yet. He tilted his head and after hearing a familiar voice from behind him. He turned to see what it was.

"Are you okay?"

"Oh.. You scared me."

The voice from behind him startled him as he turned his head to the face of his savior and was even more surprised.

"Huh? Who are you?"

Jaehwang stood there with his hat deeply pulled over his face and his compound protection in his hand.

Chapter 21

Bing Bing Bing…

"One… two… go!"

Four men wearing a power suit placed the monster's corpse into a huge body bag.

"It's really big so be careful moving it! If you break that then it's coming out of your paychecks!"

"Yes, sir." 𝙡𝓲𝒃𝓻𝓮𝙖𝒅.𝙘𝓸𝒎

The supporting team replied to the team leader as they began to carefully carry the body bag down the mountain. The chief of the supporting squad then walked towards their leader with her brows dripping in sweat.

"Leader, you've worked hard…"

He was speechless as he looked at his messy and damaged armor. His armor was clean and shiny whenever he saw her but now it was covered in monster saliva and had two big bruises.

"Yes, we did it. I took the team and it was the first thing I bought back."

Skinhead waved his hand from behind the leader's head. He quickly greeted the leader as he started to lead the team. She remembered that the skinhead had yet to finish his job yesterday…

After a lot of time had passed…

After all the work had finished, the team leader called the skinhead, talked to the tattooed girl and walked over towards Jae Hwang.

"If it was more than a 3rd tier monster then the raid would have lasted longer and you would have needed more arrows as well as a power suit. This wasn't just an animal hunt, this is a real raid. A 3rd tier monster is comparable to 10 wild animals combined. You're going to need to handle the weight of the power suit, it could even last several months. Did your suit weigh 250 pounds?"

"I've done a bit of tuning so it's 300 pounds. That was why it was acting a bit strange…"

The leader got over scanning his equipment and with a glance, she noticed that the arrows aren't the same as what the tattooed girl had used. Those were the ones that saved their lives and even though it was not like her, she couldn't help but thank Jaehwang.

"I owe you one."

"It was nothing."

They then shook each other's hands.

Jaehwang disobeyed the leader's rules but that decision turned out to be a good thing. If it wasn't for Jaehwang, something terrible could have happened. Especially with him being in the StarDust National Clan who did not have a status that could be treated like nothing.

Having a National status gave them the capability to manage and safeguard an individual dimension gate. These days, the clans would assign a number of people in a mission and compared to personally accessing those gates, having a clan to back them up was much safer. But considering the pay as well as the casualties, doing a raid was still a big decision for someone to make.

"Have you always been a hunter?"

"No."

He turned his head back after Jaehwang's answer. He didn't know why… He hasn't seen everything but when the monster's attention was turned away, he knew that that was the best time to do something, like get away.

Jaehwang then answered him again.

"I…"

Jaehwang explained it to them and they all nodded their heads.

"So that's how it happened."

"Yea."

"After getting the Gag Seog skills, wouldn't many people give up on being hunters?"

"No. I've become a Gagseog but I'm still lacking in skills. I still have a lot of learning to do."

"Hm… So if I got the powers right now…"

"You would still be lacking."

She scratched her head and nodded at Jaehwang's answer. He said that the person with the special skills would be lacking but, others have said that it was enough. She was a little confused at her own thought.

"The story is complicated…"

The team leader then scratched her head.

"Sorry."

"No, there's nothing to be sorry about… You helped me in the situation there so, thanks."

The team leader shook her hand and Jaehwang smiled as a response.

Jaehwang lied about it.

He did instantly receive the Gag Seog skills, he wasn't lacking but he had given up on being a hunter. He couldn't let the company know that he had the 5th rank as a gag seog in the past. Everyone with hunter relations were the supervisors of all the World Hunter Secretariat.

The World Hunter Secretariat.

Sixty years ago the life of mankind was at risk during a fight with a monster. The hunters gathered together to help and guide humanity. As soon as the fight had started, the world was protected by hunters.

Some parts of the country had tried to seize control of the Gag Seog military soldiers in the past. They succeeded in some sectors but the Gag Eogs broke out and they were able to escape by a huge social chaos.

Soon after that, many other soldiers that were hunters had escaped as well, leaking the evidence of the country's medical experiment on the hunters themselves. That resulted in the massive unconditional boycotting of the hunter secretariat's World Hunter Consultation. Half of the country was saved from monsters as they were left free from their anger.

The world hunter secretariat was then granted a certificate. The information that they offered was limited but it was thoroughly protected. They were considered as weak rising stars illegally protecting their policies but it was still the thing that they protected the most.

"We'll be sending the test soon."

"I don't know it too well."

"Hm… Really?"

The team leader stroked her chin at Jaehwang's answer. Because of his help during the attack, she had to repay him but she didn't know exactly how. She wanted to just give him some money but now she was just thinking of helping him with the hunter test instead. He could use his talent to pass so he would eventually be recommended to be part of the StarDust clan.

Those who could join them would be given a 'Star Dust Clan' prominence as if they were joining a big company. They would be treated as rising stars and they would improve their talents to help them grow to reach their maximum limit. They would then be given consultation and support.

Of course that simple payback was not what she decided on just yet. Jaehwang had the skills for it, but his talent was another one that begged for consideration. People commonly confuse skills with talent but, there was a big difference between the two. Skills would not be enough alone as it needs to be accompanied by a talent for it to work.

She knew that Jaehwang kept his breathing calm and in order when he was dealing with that giant monster. But the only problem was that Jaehwang didn't seem to have anything that he wanted.

"This is it. I want to repay you but there's nothing I could do. I don't even have any money to get your clothes clean…"

The leader was worried for a second but the tattooed girl was the first to repay him. She handed Jaehwang her cover armor that was red like blood as well as her arrow strings.

"You saved me so I wanted to do something for you. I was able to get through it with this but I don't use it until I need to. It's much better than the one I have now, thanks for the help."

"Uh…"

Jaehwang accepted the cover protection while scratching his head in confusion. Refusing something like this at first would be the polite thing to do but Jaehwang unknowingly accepted it and the new set of arrows.

[Shooting star Series-Raid Edition Cover protection]- Excellent Rank

Best Range: 25000 Meters

Lowest Range: 700 Meters

Restraint: Mithril Alloy

Special Skills

Acceleration (C Rank)

Sharpness (B Rank)

"Ah…"

He would have given it back but it looked like a red cover shield from the Haitien. His dad once bought that cover suit for hunting but he sadly only used it one time. The difference between his other arrow and this one was simply that this was one step more amazing. He didn't want to miss his chance to get it at no cost.

He hesitated for a second and then he took it. The tattooed girl smiled and walked away. The team leader then cleared his throat and took a step towards him. His gift bore more weight compared to the tattooed girl's choice. He had a gold card in his arm and handed it to Jaehwang.

"I hope that you'll use this properly. If you need help on the hunter test then you can ask me."

"Got it."

Jaehwang looked at the card, shook his head and accepted it.

"Leader, we are going to be given a pay, right?"

The leader's face then slightly wriggled.

"What are you talking about?"

"We avoided many accidents so that would only be fair, wouldn't it?"

The tattooed girl then shook her head and looked over towards the leader. The leader then spoke after thinking for a second.

"I haven't thought about it but it's something that I thought would come up. The things that were reported in the clan were considered something secondary. What did the dimension admission strictly say? You could help even if you don't have a hunter's license but that would also mean that there would be no reward money. They would do a follow-up call for the clan and at the end of the year, the tax would be added up."

Jaehwang then shook his head after hearing that he would not be receiving any cash. It was not that he was materialistic, it was just that he didn't even need the money. He was about to let go of it but then, the handsome hunter shook his head as if he didn't agree.

"If it's like that then isn't there no need for proceeding steps? We saved the boss's life and that would surely stick to the clan's name but… You would pay for the expenses personally. You said the amount was…"

The team leader nervously laughed a bit and took a step back. He was married and had money but he pretended that he didn't have much.

"Uh, well…"

"What Jaehwang said was right. Call the account. Send it with no regrets."

"Ah… Thanks."

The atmosphere was intense.

"Well… I'll be going now. I'll take care of this idiot. He will probably fail the report horribly."

The team leader was still busy thinking and the skinhead was still in a bad condition. The tattooed girl and handsome hunter guy took him away and led him out of the room.

"I'll be going too. My house is close by here."

Jaehwang went on his way up the mountain. The team leader, who still looked sad, fixed his expression and nodded his head.

"Okay, see you next time, right?"

"Yeah."

"Of course."

The tattooed girl waved and said goodbye. The hunters' meeting was then over.

Chapter 22

"Did you see it too?"

"Yeah."

The team leader said to the handsome hunter guy without a look. He then just shook his head and gave her his affirmation.

"Hyunjoo, did you really miss everything? You don't know what happened?

The tattooed girl's face was then blank before she waved her head and answered.

"Yes. I wasn't able to see it… Even after fighting it, I completely missed three shots. Sorry."

"No… I'm more ashamed compared to you. I should be sorry."

The leader doesn't know if she's happy about her apology or not. She then just turned back around.

"No way… could it have been a villain?"

"No. There was never a villain. If there was then we would have never gotten any help in the beginning."

"Really? I don't think that was it, that wouldn't be understanding at all. Except for one thing… There possibly could have been something."

The tattooed girl started to think about what he had just said and replied.

"I'm like a Debauzer too. Maybe I could find out something but I'm not too sure."

"…"

They all shook their heads as if they understood.

"Haven't they come into our country this year and appeared twice?" 𝓵𝒊𝓫𝙧𝙚𝒂𝙙.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"Yeah. We missed it before but they won't get away. Do you guys understand?"

"Yes."

They all answered to their leader.

Debauzer… a natural Gas Eog… They referred to them as true Gags Dogs. A Gagseog wouldn't have its nobility without being able to develop on its own. They decided to give all their possessions to the clan as a form of help. The power of those possessions were really needed… And because of that, Jaehwang was excessively kind.

The nation's hunter skills were divided by category. They were divided between the highest and lowest, and the 5th and 6th place could still make it. There were no natural Gases and Debauzers and that was the reason why they really wanted to have Jae Hwang on the team…

Of course they just couldn't throw the others out like trash. They especially took pride in their national clan certificate membership. They didn't stand for being compared to any other sloppy clans. They had found a shiny gemstone by chance and now they're greedy about it.

"I'll let you guys know but I'm not sure… The information was protected. I'll have to talk to those incharge of the clan, alright? Let's make the best team relationship…"

"Maybe he blacked out?"

Said the handsome guy hunter while dragging the skinhead out the door.

"Yeah."

The same thing had happened to their leader but he got better faster than he did when she fell off the cliff.

"She gave him a card but will we ever see that person again?"

The tattooed girl tilted her head without answering. It had been a while and that was only their first meeting. In the end, she left it to fate since there was no one who knew everything.

-What was that about?

-What?

She asked in reply to the Jaehwang's out of the blue question.

-She said that she was a Debauzer. Do you think they understood what she meant? Don't they like to just follow along?"

Jaehwang then asked in a low voice.

"Even if they were just playing along, I don't have to be any clearer. They knew my intentions. So I think you should just keep it down. And… I'm still lacking in luck."

They would gain something if a Debauzer shone through them. It was understandable and it would be as logical as the world receiving something crucial and important.

However, it doesn't want to reach the lowest point.

-It's not the same anymore. I'm very weak now.

-You still seemed really calm, though.

-When?

-When you were fighting that monster. The arrow broke on the first attack.

It was cool. Even after that happened you were still shooting arrows…

-Well… It was something I trained for.

-Train?

She asked back when Jaehwang brought up the fact that he used to train. He had some crazy traditional training techniques… He first remembered one called 'Perfect Shot' but he didn't remember exactly what it was. He must have learned it when he was about 7 years old… His dad gave him an arrow as a toy and he called it 'Shooter'.

He was hesitant at first but the arrow that his father gave him couldn't hurt anyone. He used it safely and a little after that, he started to shoot as far as his father could.

Of course, it wasn't a sharp arrow. He was raised just like his father. It was an arrow with a point of a round splint and when he first received it from his father, the rules were simple. It was a rule that when he shoots, he would stand up straight and never close his eyes. The only thing that his father allowed him to do when he shoots was to take a step forward. He started playing like that until he was 13 and by then it wasn't playing anymore. He stood like a real archer.

He could shoot exactly 50 meters along with his father. The arrow that he used didn't have much power but it could still make someone tremble. Wearing a guard helmet was enough when training but there were stories as well where things went wrong.

Every time his father used an arrow, he would become an entirely different person.

All that Jaehwang was able to see was the cold eyes of a hunter.

'If the arrow doesn't fly, it's meaningless.'

'An arrow has only one life.'

'A hunter is not a fighter, a hunter is someone who hunts. A hunter's mind must grow.'

And after going through that training, nothing could surprise Jaehwang anymore.

"Found it."

She picked up Jaehwang's compound protection that had fallen on the ground.

"It's dented and dirty."

It was a wreck on one side and the wire was completely undone. It looked like the monster had stepped on it.

"Okay, let's get it."

The cold fall wind blew across the mountains and made them feel like they were walking on ice. Jaehwang continued on as if he didn't care and carefully inspected the arrow after he picked it up.

Their first goal was achieved. Although it was nothing compared to the arrow that the tattooed girl had given to him, he held it in his hand like it was made of gold because it was filled with his family's memories.

-Well, should we keep going and see what else is here?

-Hm… Okay.

The spirit answered back in an uninterested tone. Jaehwang went deeper into the mountains following along a yellow string. Years ago, monster hunters would catch monsters by following their tracks. The activity that was going in the middle of this place shows that there could possibly be a monster's nest somewhere and he wanted to find it.

He knew the mountains best. He continued to follow along the string and it suddenly began to feel as if it was leading into a sunken ground. But that place wasn't drawn high up, it was a boulder that became a steep cliff. The thick and overgrown trees made it hard to see anywhere.

When they were at that place, he heard the spirit's voice.

-Wait. This place… It's strange.

Jaehwang stopped in his tracks and started to look around as she spoke. It looked as if the ground disappeared along with the yellow string. There was a big hole that had been dug up in the place. It didn't seem that there was anything they could find there.

-There's strange energy coming from this place.

-Hm… I think we should find out what it is.

-Okay…

Jaehwang peeked inside the hole.

Whirring…

The wind blew through his face. It didn't seem like anything was inside but there was a strange smell among the warm air that lingered around. Gags Dogs were known to have a good level of vision but the hole was still too dark to see what was inside.

-It's too dark

-Your phone…

-Huh?

-Use it.

-Okay.

Swoodoo…

Jaehwang took out his phone and turned it on. It lit up everything inside the hole as if it was daytime.

-Oh… I didn't think of that.

He checked if the path was clear and went inside of the hole. At first he thought that it was just a rock but there was a lot of sand on the surface. He carefully went along and afterwards, he got surprised as he saw something in front of him.

It looked like a wavy transparent mirror but it didn't reflect the light coming from Jaehwang's phone.

-There's lots of energy in this place. What is this place?

Jaehwang froze at her question before he gave her a nod in his head. He realized that this place was what the others had called a wormhole. This was the perfect place for a monster to make its nest but it looked like the one that stayed here was already gone. It either left through another dimension gate or it went to a completely different place.

He figured that the monster they exterminated came from here. He knew that when something like this is discovered, the hunters would pass through the wormhole and block it. Even so, if the other hunters had already sealed it with the special concrete then it would automatically cover the other way and it would not be accessible.

Jaehwang slowly touched it with his hand.

Peok…

It sounded as if he dipped his hand into water. He took his hand out to check if it was alright before putting it in deeper. Jaehwang then nervously stopped breathing when he felt the warm energy coming from the other side of the wormhole through his hand.

"Hueue…"

He took a deep breath and pulled out his hand with an anxious look on his face.

-What happened?

-The energy suddenly got stronger…

Jaehwang began to think that going through the wormhole and hunting monsters would be a good way to level up. It was not a completely bad idea because the Debauzers did that at the beginning of the dimension mashup and their skills grew because of that.

He thought that it would be a good choice for him.

Chapter 23

-Do you think we could get stronger faster if we go to this place?

-Maybe. If we could catch a monster then we'll gain experience and that would help our levels increase quicker.

Jaehwang wasn't the only one who was thinking about it. Between some hunters and strong clans exclusive possessions, there was a dimension gate fee and tax for avoiding a wormhole that they've found. As dangerous as it was, they had to put up with it since there were a lot of benefits that came with it.

-Is it dangerous?

She asked. But even Jaehwang didn't know for sure what it was like.

-No… It's an Elosu type monster. They're a lower tier than Dakosu monsters.

-Elosu? Dakosu? What are those?

She asked in confusion. He thought he finished explaining the summary about the present day generation but he left out the most important thing. He completely forgot to mention that they could be living in an illusion.

-So three dimensions collided together?

-Correct.

-So between the three dimensions, the earth we're on now… And all the monsters that rule the ground were Dakosu monsters and the ones living at the start of history live in a place called Elosu? So the types that came from Elosu are called monsters and this wormhole was almost completely filled with them?

-Uh… That's about it. But, it's an Elosu so it would not be much of a challenging monster. You don't like Dakosus?

-Yeah. Luckily both of the dimension gates in our country have been fixed. Dakosu monsters tore a hole through the dimension gates and many of them started to appear. The country worked nonstop to fix it. The representative of that country was Australia but they're still facing the risk of getting overrun up to this day.

-I see.

-When you explain more about life on the three worlds and all the different species, don't they all have one thing in common?

-What is it?

-First, the three worlds all have a similar terrain. Don't they look completely the same? But the lowest continent's shape was almost the same. Also, the other three continents existed during the same time…. The last save system interfered with the dimensions of the three worlds, right?

-That's a really good guess. I haven't thought about the system myself.

-Yeah and that save looked like it saved humanity on our earth. But fighting with the remaining two continents made the humans weak.

After Jaehwang finished talking, she replied to him in a slightly confused tone.

-Isn't that like the three world's continents' giant dimension's trying to compensate? wasn't the save an extremely bad thing?

-Huh… Well…

Jaehwang shook his head. What she said wasn't wrong, she was completely right. While waiting for the save God to come, a new religion appeared. The conscious older ones were more aware. However, the right and wrong of the save system were never questioned here.

-First, that's a question for a philosopher and second, what's important for me right now is to level up and get stronger.

It was really important for hunters to level up. The more they leveled up the more their skills improved and with that, they would be able to learn even more new skills.

Skills weren't the only thing Gagseogs would gain when they leveled up. They could teach skills to others and they could keep gaining skills faster with the help of Rodeos artifacts. Although for them, magic or healing skills were almost impossible to learn.

Jaehwang caught a monster not too long ago so his point of view changed.

265/10000 exp

He caught it with the help of others but the numbers on his exp bar clearly rose up higher. He knew that this hunt might be harder than he thought since he was going in alone but, he also understood that he should not compare this to his previous monster hunting experience and prepare for anything that could happen.

-Okay, let's go. I'm ready to leave.

She said in a pompous tone but Jaehwang was suddenly buried in his thoughts. He felt like he was not ready to leave yet so shook his head.

-No…

-Why?

-It's really dangerous. It's the lowest… You had your skills all figured out and tested. It's something to prepare for.

Jaehwang just turned away. He knew that he could get stronger but on the other hand, it could go completely wrong. He understood that if he was going to do it, there was a big risk that things may not go as planned. And worst case scenario, he could even die.

The skills he had were very lacking. He thought about it and the weapon that he had was ranked with the lowest effects and stats. A challenge wouldn't be a bad thing but, he couldn't use his wellness as a bargaining chip to get stronger.

-You're a very cautious person.

-I just like to have everything planned out. Dying is surely possible if you go in without a plan… Let's go.

Jaehwang came out of the hole and took some tree branches from around the area to block it. He needed to make sure that the next person to come here wouldn't notice that it was there. He regretted not being able to go in there at the moment but he shook it off. He then heard the spirit speaking.

-Are we going to have to wait a long time until you get the skills?

-Yeah.

Jaehwang answered with a determined expression.

-How long should it take?

-The shortest possible time would be 2 months maybe? If it would take longer than that then I'd say it would take about a year.

-That sounds about right. The waiting time would be boring but after that, I would be able to come back and go into that wormhole to level up. Do you want to go to the city afterwards?

-What would happen if we left that wormhole here until then…

She said that instead of answering Jaehwang's question.

Jaehwang then smiled. They both shared the same feelings and he felt that she was interested and bored about it all at once as well.

'It's so tiring.'

He started to have an interest in how his world had changed these past few days. Now that his phone had piqued his interest, he thought that maybe a remote-controlled TV in the cabin would not be a bad idea.

-Hmm, looks like there will be lots of time for training. You need to pay homage to your family…

-It's no use… are you sure that it's okay to reduce my training time or do you have any other way around it?

Jaehwang then changed his smile to an unenthusiastic expression. She seemed reticent for a second before answering back.

-There is one. It's the prison of time and space, with it you could improve 100 times more by the hour.

Jaehwang was surprised by what she said. Living with monsters and knowing about all kinds of grotesque skills made it seem like he was crazy but he thought that it was impossible to think that magic like that could exist.

But he did remember seeing something like that happen before. An hour would speed up to 1.2 or even two times more. He remembered that the place itself would be slowed as well as the time slowed down.

-Do you need a lot of supplies?

Jaehwang asked after he thought about how simple he could improve if he could do magic like that.

She then unexpectedly answered.

-No, there's nothing in particular that you need. You just have to relax yourself while laying down and get ready for anything unexpected to happen.

Jaehwang thought about what she was saying. Something about a prison between time and space. H then he realized something else, he especially paid attention to the word 'prison'.

-Could you explain it more in depth?

-Okay. First, let's go back to the mountain cabin.

They soon arrived at the cabin and after Jaehwang cleaned and organized the shrine, they went in there to sit down. The shrine was his favorite place in the entire cabin. Not only because of the unforgettable experience he had there, it has been his favorite place since he was young. He didn't have any friends in the mountain village so he would just play hide and seek there alone. He didn't feel like people wanted to hang out with him so he always kept this place close in his heart.

-The main purpose of why the spell was created in the first place was to guide evil spirits. The spell would seal the spirit inside its own darkness and inflict excruciating pain to those who were locked up. The spellcasters had followed the same procedure for hundreds of years and everything was kept sealed inside.

-I'm not an evil spirit, right?

-Right. So you'll be fine through our synonyms. Have you ever heard of the stories of how the spell caster's body would get possessed during that kind of ritual in the past?

-Have anyone ever gotten trapped in you?

-No. Like I said, there's a trap between time and space made in me so nothing can get through.

Jaehwang started to feel slightly anxious about what she said.

-What kind of place is a trap between time in space?

-Up and down, left and right. A space where nothing can enter. It's a place where only time could be limitlessly increased. There's nothing to worry about.

-What about the precautions?

-If an extraordinary person starts from eight hours in real time it could be possible. However, four hours more and they would need to have really good self-control. There's a guarantee they could succeed but after twelve hours has passed, that super person will need a place to go to and relax.

She finished talking and Jaehwang was then able to understand. It was enough for him to know when she said that they could go insane after four more hours.

He once read some books about hunters that were doing some tests. There was a place with no light or sound. The test was to see how long they could hold out. The results of the ones doing the test were expected to be wrenched.

The longest time that the participants endured was only two weeks. After a week, they started to get hallucinations and for those who stood there longer than others even had to get psychotherapy.

Jaehwang then asked her a question in a doubtful tone.

-If that's four hours then it's 400 hours at most but trying to stay any longer would be a risk?

That would be approximately 16 days. He fully knew that that was a long time and repeating a ritual like that would only make things worse. Being alone in there for an hour could even drive a normal person insane. Jaehwang's mind was suddenly overflowed by thoughts and she then answered.

-Obviously, you won't simply just be put into a dark place like that. A few ascetic people once practiced with that kind of ritual. Nothing was locked up with the spell because the impact from the greatest one decreased and it was able to be controlled. For example, the weather around you could be bad but the space that surrounded the cabin would form a layer and control the wind to keep the disturbance at bay. Your tools won't be much of an issue since it could be forged through your mind here. Your body won't learn from experience alone but I think it would be effective after diving there one or two times. 𝙡𝙞𝒃𝓻𝒆𝓪𝒅.𝓬𝒐𝒎

-Isn't it great?

Jaehwang shook his head.

What she explained was actually a really nice place for practicing. However, he was still curious about something. He asked himself if there was anything in this prison of time and space. It was not that he could blindly believe what she said but, there was a promise. She made a promise with his ancestors.

'If you completed your lifespan, then you would die'

She then whispered.

-I want to achieve something in this life.

She said her wish was to die in peace after she cleared her mission. It was understandable that she wanted to be free. She did not say anything more but Jaehwang felt her pride getting stronger. He then asked another question regarding the ritual.

-Last question, Would it really be able to make me stronger?

Chapter 24

Jaehwang asked his final question. The spirit didn't need to do much to make him stronger because that was his only goal. His plan was to gain power as fast as possible and as she said, she could grant that wish.

-You have to become stronger.

-But how?

He shortly asked and she then answered.

-I can't explain it. That's another promise I've made. But if I could tell you one thing, the seal's restriction has been broken. The place where our descendants had lived wasn't easy to attract. We couldn't risk halting the duties that your ancestors had piled only for it to be neglected again.

Jaehwang took a deep breath and closed his eyes after he heard the spirit's vague answer. He knew in the back of his mind that his ancestors were the reason why she couldn't explain everything. It felt like a can of worms that he could never think about opening.𝓁𝒾𝘣𝑟𝑒𝘢𝘥.𝘤𝘰𝑚

-Okay. I'm ready.

-Got a few days…

Swoosh…

Jaehwang finished talking and the spirit faded into the same white energy as before and it exploded. It then gathered together to take the form of an adult woman. She appeared in front of him with a smile on her face and she placed her hand over his head.

"Has business started?"

"?"

At the end of the day, Jaehwang went into the center of the main room and sat down. It was a very solemn situation but on the other hand, there were all kinds of boxes stacked that destroyed the mood.

"Don't get distracted"

"Okay." 𝙡𝙞𝓫𝒓𝙚𝒂𝓭.𝓬𝒐𝓶

This would strongly suggest that he cheated his way to power, he struggled to recollect his focus but he did his best to meditate as the time moved on. He had hoped in his heart that nothing bad would happen because there was nothing that he could do except believe that he would do so much better with this help.

"When you want to finish then just say stop. But remember, after using this spell one time then you can't use it again for a year…"

"Got it."

Jaehwang answered and the spirit stood in front of him and again put her hand on his head. A white bow and arrow suddenly showed up in front of the two of them. Jaehwang then unintentionally closed his eyes with his heart pounding fast. He felt that he was at the peak of the active energy flowing through him.

The spirit was very beautiful but it wasn't originally a woman unless some kind of compromise happened. He didn't notice but Jae Hwang unpurposely called it 'she' and that was what it came to be.

"Done."

He opened his eyes as soon as he heard the voice of the spirit. He then saw that nothing had changed and he was still sitting in the same place as before. He turned his head around and towards the spirit where he noticed that something felt different. The stack of snacks that were piled up on the side of the room was gone.

"Here?"

"Yeah."

Jaehwang walked out of the door of the main room.

"Wow…"

He said while looking outside.

"There's a guard blocking the door but you can still get through."

After she said that, Jaehwang tried to open the door from the outside.

"Ah…"

His hand couldn't grip it. It felt like a torn picture was sticking to his hand. It was a picture full of life.

"Is this the prison of time and space?"

"Yes. Is there anything else you need?"

"No…This is good."

A place like this was really good for training. If this magic was only possible to cast once a year then it was probably worth it. He smiled thinking that the Prison of Time and Space was so much better than he imagined.

Swog…

A familiar arrow bag appeared in front of him. It was filled with his usual arrows from his archery room. It was an average standard arrow that had gotten fixed. It had to be no more than 40 pounds at the most. It was something that he couldn't touch now.

Tap…

The spirit unexpectedly showed up beside Jaehwang.

"How does this work?"

The spirit pointed her hand upwards and answered.

"When you think, something happens."

Jaehwang then got busy thinking. He made an arrow appear in his head. He looked a bit surprised with a hint of satisfaction. The spirit folded her arms and shook her head.

"You're adjusting fast."

"Thanks."

"Hmm.. what… Okay. If possible, even if I'm conscious, I could try to make food, clothes and a shelter appear? Then it'll be easy for me to endure this place for longer. Even when I break out of here later, it should be easy to adjust to reality again… And…"

The spirit waved her hand and interrupted him before he was able to finish what he was saying.

"…I'll be going now."

"Oh… Thanks."

"I've already given you lots of advice."

"Yes, a lot. Thank you very much"

He then responded by mirroring her actions with an annoyed expression. The spirit just laughed back and disappeared into thin air. Jaehwang then took the time to look around the space where he stood as he gave out a sigh. He knew that time was of essence and he couldn't let this opportunity go to waste. With that, he pulled the string of his bow and aimed his arrow.

"Amazing."

Jaehwang sat down a few minutes later and closed his eyes. The spirit then reappeared by his side.

"That is quite possible with a few simple talents."

The spirit had led him into the prison and helped him make him a bow. She eventually got worried and started thinking about his well being and that made her come back. She then picked up where they left off and explained to him that what he just did was not as easy as it looked. It was easy to say that he could just think of it and it would appear but she remembered how she failed the same task so many times. She stressed the fact that she had practiced magic for a very long time to achieve her current level of skill.

"You have to train your body to believe and reach the limit with concentration… And lastly, you have to mentally combine everything together… That's all I can say."

He kept his eyes shut as he thought about what the spirit had said. The spirit then went away to eat a snack.

"Should I start now?"

Ding…DDing…Dingding…

Click

-Hello

-Yes, hello?

-Jaehwan?

-Ah.. ah.. yes, it's me, granddad. Hello?

-Hi. Why haven't you come over when you were down the mountain?

-Ah, well… I've been feeling a bit tired so I just came back up.

-I see. I started to get worried when you didn't come that day.

-I'm sorry. I guess I wasn't thinking. Did the monster situation go better?

-Well… Yea. The hunter leader seemed to be very curious about you. But besides that, everything was great.

-That's good.

-Haha…Well. So when are you going to come down?

Jaehwang's voice sounded a bit hesitant while he answered his question.

-About that… I don't even know. It's just, I keep holding it off because…

-Huh? What do you mean?

Jaehwang's voice once again hesitated at Mr. Song's question.

-Never mind, It's nothing. If something serious happens then I'll come down.

-Ah. Okay. I see. Come down at least once.

-Okay.

He then hung up the phone.

"Even this is… So difficult…"

He hung up the phone and put it on the table that the spirit made with her magic. He then found himself lying on the floor with a blanket. A few hours had passed by and the day came to an end. In the prison of time and space, time moved faster than real time itself.

"I don't like it. I don't like it. I don't like it."

The spirit tried to wake Jae Hwang after 12 hours.

The more time that he spent inside the prison, the more he felt his consciousness begin to act strangely. But Jaehwang could not let that happen. The situation wasn't so bad at the moment she started to act differently. If something did happen then it could be bad for Jae Hwang. But his willpower had transcended the normal level of imagination. Losing his mind was not the worst thing that could happen and it was his soul that he needed to look after. He then turned around to look back.

"It doesn't seem that bad but…"

She went back inside of him to wake him up but his face was still unchanged. It was like nothing happened and he didn't fall into the prison of time and space in the first place. He started to see some illusions but just paid it no mind. He knew that something would eventually happen but he convinced himself that it won't be that bad. This was the first time that he consciously felt hungry but that feeling soon passed away and was forgotten about.

The place had a desire to possess humans that had been there for a long time. When someone tried to endure it, that was where it started and their consciousness would start to have an imbalance.

"Don't wake me up next time."

The spirit said to herself after trying to go back inside him. Jaehwang's eyes then immediately opened.

"What…"

Jaehwang then looked around the room with blank eyes and felt a pain in his stomach as he heard it growling. He just blankly stared at it but then the spirit appeared and pointed him outside.

"Let's hurry and go."

"Oh… Okay."

He looked down at his stomach and slowly nodded his head. He tiredly got up and left through the main entrance.

"Wasn't it hard?"

The spirit whispered to herself.

Chapter 25

The spirit and Jaehwang sat down face-to-face at the end of the day. He had yet to overcome the differences between reality and the Prison of Time and Space. All he did was look at the ceiling all day while laying down.

That was the reason why the spirit waited there quietly. He was consciously eating and sleeping during his stay there but there was a big difference in that than actually eating and sleeping.

"Was there any success?"

"Well… I almost understood everything about the skill that I have."

Jaehwang said as he opened the status window. Nothing was different at all. However, the status window changed and Jaehwang's Tiger Hunter skill got a boost.

[Tiger Hunter Skill Raking has increased.]

[Tiger Hunter Skill Raking has increased.]

…

[Tiger Hunter – Rank 4, 12 Percent]

[Tiger Hunting Skill has reached Rank 4. Followed by 'Silence Chaser' option increased. – Mana Recovery rate 0.5 increase]

The skill had instantly increased by a few stages. If a different hunter saw something like this then they would faint. One would have to enter the usual course of the hunter body training system as well as the magic academy just to become a Gagseog. Of course, every ability was learned along with the body and magic training but that was what it was solely about.

The skills that one possessed would be analyzed along with the other participant's skills during the process. Through individual training, they would be able to gradually learn about their skill points and in return they would be able to learn more.

He understood that realizing everything he had was not the solution that he needed. Even if he was incredibly skilled, only his acceptable experiences could be put together for him to get stronger. That was just common sense. However, since he was in a place like that, his other ideas that came into mind had crumbled down.

Jaehwang didn't exactly know the difference in the status window at first glance and just nodded his head. But after that, his energy levels were also boosted.

[Energy Skill Ranking increased.]

[Energy Skill Ranking increased.]

[Energy – Rank 3, 87 Percent]

Mana Recovery rate increased by 2.

Mana Energy increased by 20.

Even the energy ranking changed. His Mana Recovery had rapidly increased and the Mana Energy was improved by 70 percent at the same time. The Mana started to increase more and more faster than before.

"So you have gotten stronger."

The spirit said with a surprised look after seeing the results. The energy screen was removed, Jaehwang then shook his head and answered.

"Looks like it."

Jaehwang then got up from out of his seat. He was slightly still tired. He wasn't exactly tired but he still felt an imbalance within his body. He tottered out the door and got the red cover protection that he received from the tattooed girl.

"From now on, it's real."

Jaehwang then went outside. There was a morning glow outside the door but soon, the first snow started to fall.

"I actually knew this was something self-proclaiming. It's something really burdensome"

Jaehwang started by getting his arrow and positioning his feet. He began his training by moving up and down and left and right before he looked in all four directions as if he was looking for something to hunt.

[Energy]

[Energy Skill Rank Increase.]

…

[Energy Skill Rank 3, 56 Percent]

The energy began to flow throughout Jaehwang's entire body and he felt ready more than ever.

The energy core. The place where the energy goes up and supports everything.

SwooSh… Swoosh

At first, it looked like he wanted to take a step back but he used the same foot as a spring to make a surprise attack by moving forward. It was a small single move but he acted as if he was ready in a fight. He felt light, he felt as if he could swim through mid air and land on the ground again.

Papag!

He made a poor shot with his arrow and then he turned around. The arrow flew through the air and then came flying down with the wind blowing at the back of his hand.

"One arrow…"

Swo Swoosh…

He said as he took another arrow in his hand.

[Unique Arrow]

He felt the energy surge through him tingling in his two hands and at the same time. Then a red string for a target came out of the spirit. His target was also the giant tree standing about 500 meters away from him.

He took a deep breath and pointed the head of the arrow towards the sky. The unique arrow didn't simply just offer him a rapid increase in range, it also gave him the capability to point it exactly where he wanted it to go. An arrow would originally float through the air when it was shot and it would get a lot of influence from the wind. Jaehwang then followed the red line without any mistakes before he set his sights on the tree. 𝓵𝒊𝓫𝓻𝓮𝓪𝒅.𝓬𝓸𝙢

Pag!

The moment the refreshing arrow in the cover protection took its shot, it quickly flew far throughout the air without changing its point. It went to the red line without seemingly making one mistake…

He didn't hear the sound of it hitting the bullseye but he could see the arrow's tail on the other side that was jammed into the tree.

[Inherited Archery Skills Ranking Increase.]

"My improved archery skills are really doing great. Time for another one…"

Swo Swoosh…

He got another arrow from his hand and placed it on the string.

[Explosive Arrow]

The red energy started to flow out from the arrowhead.

Papag!

It was a little louder and it vibrated the air as it flew and hit the ground.

KwakwaKwa!

The projectile made a big explosion the moment it hit the ground. The cloud of dust eventually faded away revealing a hole with a small diameter of a meter.

[Inherited Archery Skills Ranking Increase.]

"Why does it keep dividing like this? Should I be worried? What if I…"

SwooSwoosh.

He took another arrow in his hand and slowly pulled back the string.

[Unique and Explosive arrow]

Jujujut… Pong!

The explosive arrow couldn't be compared with his previous one. It made a heavy sound when it launched.

KwaKwaKwa! Jujug…

Before the arrow launched off, the [Unique Arrow] was still stuck in the tree and because of that, things went completely wrong.

KwaKwaKwa! Kwang!

The arrow exploded in the middle of the giant tree, causing several layers of bark to fall off.

[Archery Skill Ranking Increases.]

[Archery Skills Rank 3, 5 Percent]

"I didn't know it was possible for a skill to overlap. It seems that something's still possible with the exploding arrow… Hmm…"

He said as he faced the spirit. He started to feel some pain in the palm of his hands. He then looked down and saw some bleeding scratch marks.

"Ugh… It's all great but it takes a lot of energy and I still can't endure that much pressure…"

He looked at his hand without saying anything. He didn't have any protective equipment and he was using the skill with his bare hands. He had been training ever since he was a kid and he thought that the dense callous that had accumulated in his hands would be okay but he still couldn't take it.

[Rapid Resurrection]

Jaehwang gathered his left and right hand into a fist and then, the common skill began to take effect…

Jiii…

A white light surrounded his right hand and after a second the bleeding wounds were gone.

"Wow."

Jaehwang looked at the back and front of his hand with a satisfied smile. In the Prison of time and space he thought that he couldn't practice two different skills. He could now cook and also instantly heal his damaged hands. He cooked for Mr. Song and he knew how it worked but in the Prison, he thought that he could only train consciously so he didn't consider testing his recovery skills.

The spirit nodded her head as she watched him.

"Looks like you have a recovery skill. You could use it up to three times if you die…"

"It's a really good skill."

"Really? But I could have given you the recovery skill, you know.

Jaehwang slightly glanced towards the spirit and gave it an annoyed look.

The spirit ruined the mood but the recovery skill was still great in his eyes. It was a common ranked skill but it was treated as a special ability.

Possessing a recovery resurrection skill was just like possessing a higher ranked skill. Although its rating was compared to common skill rankings, being able to instantly heal a wound was not all it could do. However, no one knew much about the skill as much as everyone knew about the other common skills. Hunters that had healing skills would sometimes work in hospitals and would receive hundreds in their annual salary within the year.

Instead of just a simple healing skill, Jaehwang's healing skill was a resurrection skill. With his resurrection skill, he could heal wounds and even erase its scars. The side effects of a normal healing skill would be complex scars but his skill could heal through everything as if nothing ever happened. That was the reason why the resurrection skill had a higher rank compared to the other recovery spells.

Moreover, it could heal anything quickly and live up to its name. It was a common skill but could do something amazing.

"I have to get ready to go into the wormhole."

"Okay. That sounds great."

Chapter 26

Two days later Jaehwang went back to his closet at noon since he forgot to bring some clothes with him before he went into the wormhole. Realizing that there were things that he might have forgotten, he went back understanding that he needed to be more careful and plan everything ahead. Going on a hunt alone was not simply just about packing dozens of camping equipment.

"Hmm..."

Jaehwang then got on the bus and watched a foreign vlog titled 'There's 100 days left in the world' on his phone.

The spirit then asked.

-What are you watching?

-A video about surviving in Alousu.

-Oh... The Alousu looks like a fun place.

Jaehwang and the spirit both watched the person in the video make a trap by tying around a tree branch.

-Fun? Hah... Does that really look like fun to you?

The day about the mash-up being a fun experience made sarcastically Jae Hwang laugh and shake his head.

It was an awful time. It was a tragedy that cost the lives of many every single day. So many things happened as he said before, some have thought that it was the last day for humanity...

It was not just hundreds or thousands, millions of people died during that time however, the current state of the Alousu was okay. The issues with monsters there have gotten fixed and the only trouble left was the ones made by the Dakosu. A lot of them were still crawling out of their dimension and would brutally destroy the humans that had come to fight them. They were not just simple predators.

The world was then overrun by them the moment hunters had stopped fighting. They didn't have the need to eat, starvation was not their problem. They all moved for the sake of slaughtering those who would come to stop them. Because of that, so many countries collapsed. A lot of things were given up on and the force of change had to be sought.

-Why are you laughing?

The spirit complained but Jaehwang ignored her and continued to pay attention to the video.

-Be quiet and just watch it.

-Fine...

The vlog's owner was a hunter named BJ with a specialty in investigation. He was a high-ranked hunter from England. He would travel around Alousu to vlog about his experiences and upload them online.

-This is a thirty-day Alousu lifestyle and today was another tiring day. Before we came to this place there were enough vaccinations on the earth but it was always used for careless people so there's none for us. Can you see it? A week ago we became isolated alone and got wounded in a raid... We still have to recover and pay the price. Our meat turned out not to be good for us. You can't tell by this video but, it's like we're having diarrhea every day.

-If you have run into a situation like this, then stems and plant roots would serve as a good alternative. The plant is called 'Alou Mercy' and in this neighborhood it is used to cure all diseases. Boiling the roots in water could surely be used as a good water purifier. Our earth almost works just the same but the background of this place's water regions are more diverse.

They looked like they were 50 generations away from the present. There was a thin man whose name was unknown warming water on a small burner. After a little while, the cold water boiled and the man's face scowled after he drank it. 𝓵𝙞𝓫𝒓𝙚𝓪𝓭.𝒄𝓸𝓶

-Ugh... It tastes awful.

He drank all of the boiled water and then he gathered giant leaves and hammered them down to make a bed.

-The hunters that came to the raid prepared the latest tent and gloves as required for today's camping. A special smell comes out of this big leaf and that scent would keep the monsters away. Before, my sensing skills were able to detect when something dangerous would be coming so there was no problem, but it's always good to add an extra layer of security. Haha... if possible, I hope this video's viewers are the ones acting dangerously instead.

"This is the final stop."

Jaehwang placed his phone in his pocket and got off the bus. He went by to the closest town in the village. He strolled along the end of the town hall until he reached a red brick post office after walking for about 15 minutes. He saw two people as he walked inside. The atmosphere was perfectly calm.

"How may I help you?"

Jaehwang was welcomed by a young employee who stood up from her seat and he greeted him as he pulled the hat over his face so she couldn't see.

"I would like to get a delivery."

"What's your name?"

"Jeon Jaehwang."

The female employee nodded her head at his answer and reached for an old folder. She then typed on the computer for a second and nodded her head again.

"All of your things arrived here yesterday during the afternoon. Do you want all those items today... Follow me?

"Okay."

Jaehwang followed the employee towards the back of the post office. There were a lot of deliveries that haven't gone to houses in the town since the original destination was set up in the mountains. There were a lot of packed items inside and there were the receipts of the items that had already been delivered on the outside.

"Do you have an ID?"

"Here you go."

He took his wallet out of his pocket and handed her the ID as she went to the other side to ask a question through the terminal. After a little while, she returned with a big box on a roller in front of him and asked him a question.

"Do you have a car?"

"No. I'll look at the items first and then take them with me."

"Oh. Okay."

The female employee shook her head and walked away. Jaehwang then looked at the items in the box on the roller one by one.

He needed something to use the internet with before he went back to Alousu and this town didn't have anything except for mail orders.

"We need a water purifying set... and a set of seasonings..."

-And chocolate?

"We need a wide range defense set and twenty shooting star Series D rank replacement arrow strings...That might be the most expensive thing."

-And Chocolate?!

"Alousu equipment type B, emergency food and 100 arrows to shoot for medium sized monsters..."

-And my chocolate!

He kept hearing her mention chocolate in his head. He finished checking the items and took a light breath.

-But I have no money.

The spirit then started to yell.

-Can't you look at that phone and find a way to get a lot of money?! You promised to buy chocolate too!

He then started to think about what the handsome hunter said that night. He had about 120 dollars, the details about the monster's calculated description were sent separately. Being a hunter meant that his occupational category would take so much out of his money. He wondered why there was such a burdensome share of cost in that situation but in any case, all of what was left was used in his online shopping.

-I used up all of the arrowheads and I needed to buy more.

-Buy it!

-It's just as I thought.

-You're breaking your promise!

-I didn't promise anything.

-Ugh!

The spirit continued to beg for chocolate. Jaehwang actually felt sorry about it but he didn't even get a chance to buy arrowheads. There were arrows in the house that could possibly be left in a good condition.

The problem was the cover suit's arrow strings. There was an eighty percent discount sale on the website so he bought the mid-ranked monster equipment and the older version of the arrowhead.

Of course Jaehwang mentioned that but it was rare for hunters to use old bows. Compared to fighting monsters with small firearms, using fighting weapons such as blades was a much better choice. But the problem was that the arrows he already had were limited and were continuously going low. The arrows that he got from the tattooed girl helped a lot with his expenses.

He scrolled through every hunter site there was but there were almost no results related to arrow sales.

-If you buy something delicious later then I'll be a little quieter.

-Hm... Something delicious?

-Yes.

-Okay.

The spirit dialed down and Jaehwang then took the items and left the post office.

-Where are you going?

-The bakery...

There was a bakery within a walking distance from the post office. It was a small town but there were lots of places one could go. The bakery in the neighborhood had only been around for a little over ten years. Jaehwang got to their destination within a few minutes and the spirit pointed her fingers towards everything.

-That one! And that! That one too! Ahh! There's too many! Should I just come out and choose?"

Jaehwang shook his head at the spirit's suggestion. He thought that was a bad idea. The spirit would never get tired of pointing at everything. He asked himself about how he could send her in there by herself but he later trashed the idea since it would be useless in his situation. He didn't want to risk having any rumors going around the neighborhood.

The spirit was not an idiot, he already knew that she couldn't be trusted to buy chocolate on her own. Jaehwang decided that it was not a good idea. She got a few snacks and others off of the display trays including bread and chocolate.

"That would be $7 dollars please."

Dding...

Said the store clerk as he bagged their items. The clerk gave a gentle greeting and asked for his card. Jaehwang gave him his card with his trembling hand, knowing that there were only about 60 cents left on it.

"Hah..."

He quickly took the paper bag and the clerk was yet to notice anything going on. He then started to stagger towards the exit.

-Quick run!

Jaehwang quickly ran out of the bakery and headed into the department store.

He brought a water purifier but he didn't have any water so he also went to buy bottled water. He then heard a familiar voice coming from somewhere.

"Oh! Really? Okay."

It was a very familiar voice. He looked over to see if it was who he thought it was... It was a tall man wearing a colorful parka coat and looked to be in their early thirties. There was a floral pattern on the inside of the coat and on the bottom he was wearing reddish brown suit pants... It was his uncle.

He was the one who ran away with Jaehwang's parent's insurance money and suddenly disappeared from his disabled and now orphaned niece who was in the hospital...

-What's going on?

The spirit asked as it felt a sudden change in his Jae Hwang didn't answer and just continued to stand there like a mannequin. He eventually left before his uncle could see him by walking in the opposite direction.

"I'm going to kill him..."

-Kill?

Asked the spirit after Jaehwang thought aloud that murder wouldn't be that much of a bad choice. It was a bit of a joke but at that moment his eyes were filled with anger.

-Yes. He's an idiot that wants to die.

Seriously.

-Oh...

Once he reached enough distance between him and his uncle, he started to slowly follow behind him. He wasn't worried about being noticed because his hat was still pulled down and covering his face. If he couldn't control his urge to murder him on the spot, he decided that he would just run and crush him somewhere else.

-Wait, let's talk for a minute.

Jaehwang then began to answer the spirit's question.

Chapter 27

His uncle's name was Kim DaeSeong, he was a 42 year old former hunter applicant who had a gambling problem. His sister had a bright future in archery and that was why when he was young, he was deprived of his parent's attention. All of their time was given to his sister and because of that, he grew up to be an unhappy and bitter person.

His dissatisfaction had reached its limit when his sister won her second Olympic gold medal. That urged him to take three million dollars from home to take a Gagseog procedure.

His Gagseog ratings were high and his skills continued to increase. He was able to reach the third rank but the dangers of the hunter's life scared him off and he escaped just to get an even more expensive Gagseog procedure. He stole five million dollars from his family and he threw it all away by gambling.

At that point, his family and relatives already saw him as a bad person. Only Jaehwang's grandmother felt sorry for him. A few years after that, his family tried to move past everything and live in peace after all those past tragedies.

"He's worse than a beast..."

He came to the hospital for his parent's insurance money. He obviously and legally got the insurance coverage from the hospital by committing insurance fraud. When Jaehwang found out about it, he hated him unconditionally. He lost his mind when he found out that his uncle secretly took everything away from him.

He couldn't imagine that something like that would ever happen. He was only a minor at that time so the insurance information had to be protected by the state and laws. However, many people had died after the generation mash-up and society was ruined and lost its control. With that, insurance related documents being stolen became one of the country's biggest problems.

Of course, the government tried to resolve the insurance documents issues but there were things that were a little more important to focus on. So the policy was delayed and Jaehwang faced that law's weak point.

He was also so injured that his body and mind were not the same and he couldn't even live a normal life because of the mental and physical impact.

After the insurance incident with his uncle, he tried to file a lawsuit for insurance fraud but the lawsuit company took too long and he had no chance to get the money back. One of the problems was that Jaehwang was also thought to be dead.

He then gave up on the lawsuit because his grandmother got on her knees and begged in front of him. She said that she wanted her son to be forgiven... She said that she wanted to pay back the money any way that she could...

But his mother's side of the family cut off all contact with him after that. Time passed and they avoided him, never paying him back as they promised. Jaehwang completely gave up on them as well but he obviously didn't forgive his uncle. Instead of wasting his time to find him, he had set his goal of making a full recovery and going back to school

He promised one thing and that was that he would never go looking for him purposely. That was what he promised to his grandmother. But, if there came a chance that they would meet face-to-face coincidentally, he wouldn't just let him go.

And today, he coincidentally found that idiot and so Jaehwang secretly followed him. They passed by an alleyway and he soon found himself in a shabby underground coffee shop. He followed him down the stairs and kept a far distance at a different table.

He watched his uncle order coffee and look at his phone. Two guys in black suits soon showed up to his uncle's table and greeted him before sitting down.

"How's it going?"

"There was no face. Sir... Everything's gone."

"Idiots... you went to Rome and did whatever else you wanted with that money, are you trying to make me mad?..."

Jaehwang's uncle, DaeSeong, carelessly talked to the guys in the black suit as he drank his coffee.

"But why are you gathering people to kill that kid?"

Said one of the guys in the black suit. His uncle then put down his coffee and continued to speak in the same tone.

"Idiots. You don't know what's in that house, okay? I'm not even a hunter and you need to get rid of my sister's husband..."

"..It's impossible that he could be a Gagseog... He's just an ordinary person..."

DaeSeong was now a level three F-ranked hunter. It didn't seem like that much but there was a big difference between a Gagseog and a normal human.

"Try harder! Are you not taking this seriously?"

"N-no, that's not it."

One of the guys in a black suit shook his head. Jaehwang's uncle then took out a cigarette and placed it in his mouth as he talked.

"Wouldn't it be nice if he just ate acid..."

"He could just drink it and that's all, right? He's not even twenty years old yet so when you get to him just do it, it should be easy. What's so hard to understand..."

"He's disabled! Just take him out, isn't it that easy? And then that niece, she's in a coma so that shouldn't be a problem. They're both hopeless..."

...

Jaehwang fought back the urge to go over them and punch him in the face. His fingernails were digging into the palm of his hands and he wanted to go and take care of him right then and there.

"I'm going to the bathroom for a second."

His uncle went to the bathroom and Jaehwang tried to follow along behind him but he then heard his uncle's henchman talking so he stayed behind to listen.

"Ha... That fool... Is he really acting like this? I talk a lot like that too but this is the first time I've had to deal with someone like him. How could he do something like this to his niece in the hospital and his sister in law's parents?"

"That jerk has been using his money for gambling and has millions in secret loans. He has to pay the money back to them so he's trying to get rid of them."

"So taking out the acid was just an excuse?"

"No, not that... I think he said that he came here because he's going back to a cottage that was built here. He said that he was in debt..."

The other guy in a black suit sitting across from him took a sip from his cold water and continued the conversation,

"Ugh... I hate him... If only I had Gags Eog skills... He would be..."𝓁𝒾𝘣𝑟𝑒𝘢𝘥.𝘤𝘰𝑚

"Done for. Three million. What even are the kids' names? I also heard that he went after his sister's family with a dump truck and that the insurance money he has was for the kids. He's an evil person. We need to be careful."

"He's coming..."

Jaehwang quietly eavesdropped on their entire conversation from his seat.

The moment he heard that their family was stuck in his uncle's failure, it felt as if his last string of hope was cut.

-It'll be okay.

The spirit said to Jaehwang as she was starting to get worried.

-Thanks.

-You're still not in a good condition.

-I know. I'll control myself.

Jaehwang tried to relax and not feel so worried but he couldn't do that since he had to fight his murderous urge. He wanted to just die away but he felt like there were a lot of things that he had to know. He also wanted to settle the old debt and ask them about that day. But now was not the right time or place.

Jaehwang had lost all contact with him before and was now back to his uncle. He followed him and found out what and where the motel he was currently staying in was. Straight after that, he went to the neighborhood market and bought two pairs of women's stockings. He then went to the hardware store and brought one pack of a four roll bundle of duct tape.

It then became night. Jaehwang got his mail order and put the stuff inside. Second tier monsters came out of the Dakosu's dimension gate and there was one on the loose. It was comparable to a small rhinoceros with its strong defensive skills. But its attacks were fairly simple and straightforward, It looked like it would be an easy monster to hunt.

His family was terrified by the wide range of defense devices. It was one of the highest ranked Gag Seog weapons there was. He carefully checked the weapon and then put on the protection and wore a black mask that covered his mouth and neck.

Writing...

Jaehwang went into the hotel used by Tiger hunters. The person at the desk was wearing headphones in his ears, he continued to play his game and passed Jae Hwang the room key. He got to the third floor and went into his hotel room. He looked out of the window to check the space where his uncle was staying.

-Has this person ever died before?

-No...

Jaehwang answered the spirit's question with a stern look...

-Oh...

The spirit could tell that Jaehwang seemed anxious. She had always seen Jaehwang as the devoted model student type. Being an 18-year-old kid, he already had amazing talents. His skills were great but he seemed to have had a hard time getting his feelings together. He won't always be happy but he could learn to control it a little.

He was exceptional at hunting but hunting people was not a good thing.

-What are you going to do?

-First I have to think of a plan to overpower him.

-So he can die.

-...

The spirit didn't answer and just looked at him with the thought of helping while Jaehwang thought of the debt that his uncle had created. 𝘭𝑖𝒷𝓇𝘦𝘢𝒹.𝑐𝘰𝘮

He walked slowly down the hallway. The thing he had to be most careful of was the CCTV and breaking things by accident. When he got to the door, Jaehwang took a deep breath and looked through the pass key terminal.

Tic...Dding

"Huh?"

Kim DaeSeong was drinking his beer and laughing as he watched an adult program on TV when someone suddenly opened the entrance door. He turned his head with a smile full of suspicion. He knew that he had the hotel key but it still suddenly came open. He eventually looked towards the door from his bed but he didn't see anything out there.

"What is going on..."

He struggled to get on his feet. The door then opened wider and something was suddenly wrapped around his neck.

"Keug.."

He couldn't breath but his hunter senses still mildly worked.

"Argh!"

He couldn't see what was going on but he still had confidence in his skills so he started to squirm and swung his arms.

Pope...

He broke free from the killer's clutches and he was able to see that the man who attacked him wore a mask and armor. He followed up as soon as he regained his footing but the masked man was not an easy target and avoided his punches without any effort.

"You... Who..."

He then picked up a sharp knife and stabbed him. DaeSeong fell on the floor and started to scream with tears in his eyes. He tried to cope with the pain but it was too much since the cut had reached the marrow of his bone. He then stopped squirming and moved further away on the bed. His clothes were all torn up because of the knife but that made things faster for the masked man than just fighting each other face to face.

He jumped over a crack in the bed and landed beside him. He grabbed DaeSung's arm and threw him on the floor.

Kwang...

DaeSeong howled in pain as soon as his shoulder cracked but his scream was muffled by the masked person's hand. He shook his head as he tried to free himself from his clutch with his other arm but the man later took it and broke it as well.

"Eou Up..."

He screeched at the room ceiling and then glared at his heavy crystal ashtray on his side. He then saw a blue flash of light and felt a strong force that rammed into his head.

PaJang!

The ashtray shattered its pieces and flew everywhere. DaeSeong lost his consciousness and Jaehwang then punched him in the face to double-check before he took a deep breath.

-Wow... How are you so good at this?

-Huh? Really?

-Where did you learn this?

-What are you talking about?

Jaehwang asked back, answering the spirit's question as he locked the entrance door. He then went back next to the bed where his uncle lost consciousness on the floor. He placed him in a chair and started to wrap his entire body until he used up all the duct tape he had bought. He then took the two stockings and tied them together to make a gag for his mouth.

Chapter 28

Kim DaeSeong woke up to sharp pains.

"Ah...Eoup..."

Blood was dripping from his head and his eyes were so swollen that it felt like it was scorched. He struggled to move and he was shocked to see his entire body was covered in duct tape.

"If you keep struggling like that the pain would only get worse and you'll die from excessive bleeding, DaeSeong."

"Europeo!"

His uncle tried to talk with his gagged mouth as he turned his head left and right, trying to see who spoke to him. Jaehwang then slightly removed the cover off of his uncle's mouth.

"Someone's in here! Someone's trying to kill me! Eouroup!"

He yelled, making Jaehwang shove the stocking back in his mouth.

"Really?"

Pong! Pong! Pong! Peopong! Pong!

He clenched his fist and started to hit him all over his body. Jaehwang avoided his face but he still dealt some serious damage. He inherited lots of archery and hunting skills from his father, so he could naturally fight and know the spots that would hurt his hostage the most.

20 minutes had passed, he then begged Jae Hwang to stop with his face covered with snot and tears.

"Do try to yell again. See what would happen."

DaeSeong gave him a nod with his eyes full of fear.

"Pua..."

He spit the stocking out of his mouth and took a deep breath before he looked up at Jaehwang who stood in front of him.

"Wh... Who are you?"

"..."

"Maybe I'm a different person and this is just an illusion?"

"Uh..."

Jaehwang sighed at DaeSung's question. His uncle tried to struggle once again and so Jaehwang punched him and thought if that was enough. He stopped and took a deep breath but now, he's doing it for another reason instead of just trying to calm himself down.

He was honestly a little scared. It seemed like his uncle didn't know his name and because of that, he was starting to feel weak. He was a relative and wasn't that much of a bad person. He remembered when he was young and didn't know anything, he would follow his uncle everywhere.

Although hurting him made him feel confused, he wasn't sure exactly how he felt. His uncle didn't recognize his voice at all. A few questions like how many times did he go to the hospital and why did he take their insurance money popped into his head. He couldn't understand any of it.

"So you can't fully recognize me."

No matter what he was or who he was, he was still a terrible person. Jaehwang then took the cover off of his mouth again and asked him a question.

"Do you know who I am?"

DaeSeong trembled as he looked around him.

"I...I really... I don't know... uh ... It can't be... Mr. Choi?"

"Bingo... But, doesn't my voice sound so different?"

"Huh?... Boss..." 𝒍𝓲𝓫𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅.𝙘𝙤𝒎

He started to make up some excuses so he covered his mouth again.

"Geououp!"

He slapped DaeSeong with the back of his right hand and that made him cry.

"Yes. It's Mr. Choi...I know now... I recognize you boss..."

"Okay. Now, don't you remember me a little? Do you know what you did wrong?"

"No... Before I... No! Yeah. You said to call when you say so but I didn't."

"Again?"

"Again... Again?"

The moment he tried to ask back, Jaehwang ran his fingers over his mouth.

"We all have a set of 10 fingers and toes so about 20 altogether. How do you feel about losing one and living with 19? And if you don't give me what I want to hear, you're gonna lose another 10 one by one. But do keep talking, I'm not gonna stop you since I like doing this after all..."

Jaehwang said with an eerie voice, DaeSeong then wet his pants and replied with a cry.

"No! Look. It's just that..."

His uncle already fainted once and he couldn't risk having him go through the same thing again. Jaehwang had clearly made his point to make things quick but he couldn't sense it... He was wearing a mask that only showed his eyes and his voice was a bit muffled. DaeSeong was already panicking as he was being tormented by pain and fear so there was nothing that he could do.

"I was supposed to call you once on the third but I didn't so I'm sorry. No, no... At that time I was borrowing money so I couldn't call. And last month I was talking rudely and... My nephew was cut out of school and moved to the mountains... I'm going to bury that jerk... For sure..."

DaeSeong began to say all of his thoughts aloud. Jaehwang looked at him with a cold look in his eyes as he continued to talk. His eyes clawed into his life's will power, making his sweat fall down as he continued to say his excuse.

-Woah...

The spirit discovered another side to Jaehwang. She thought twice about them being relatives since he was torturing him at the moment and it did not look that they had that connection. She felt disappointed that he could just say about cutting his fingers so naturally.

-Where did you learn that?

-What?

-A threat like that.

-It's a joke. You just say it as if you're serious...

The spirit tried to ask but Jaehwang was focused on glaring down at his uncle to make him talk since his eyes were wandering around the place and avoiding eye contact. There's still one more thing... He thought of the answer he wanted to hear to hypnotize him a bit more, and it was enough to make his teeth clench.

Guude...

He bit his lip until it started to bleed. He used that to remind himself to be firm because, at this point, he needed to act a little more determined.

"I get it. Your boss would need some of that money."

DaeSeong then froze as if he was as cold as ice.

"W-Well... Why..."

He put the cover over his mouth again and DaeSung's confused face changed into a fearful expression.

"Eup! Eup! Eup!"

"You're not dead yet. I'll keep one side clean. Isn't that nice?"

He was stained with blood but a light came out of Jaehwang's hand and his scar had healed.

"Hurry up and go, I'll clean up."

Peug...

"Eoup!"

He struggled to get loose...

He used all his strength to try and break free but he struggled breaching through the duct tape like a caterpillar in its shell. The duck tape was like reinforced plastic and it made things hard for him. He then calmed down after a few attempts and yelled loudly.

"I can't move, how am I supposed to get out of this?"

"Argh!"

DaeSeong felt worn out, seeing that many of his tries had failed.

"Isn't it fun?"

DaeSeong strongly turned his head at Jaehwang's question. Having an angel of death and standing in front of him was no fun at all. Nothing was scarier than a person who's about to drag him into death's doors. He was acting maliciously for a moment and he then was suddenly uninjured after everything that's been going on.

"I'm very curious about you."

-Are you okay?

-Yeah.

The spirit asked Jaehwang with a worried tone as she saw all the blood on his hand. Jaehwang placed his shaking hand on DaeSung's stomach, the skin then started to heal little by little from where his hand was placed.

And soon, the wound was completely healed.

"What a relief."

The wound made his uncle suffer like crazy. An accident like that for him was nothing but it was not the same for his uncle. He was bleeding in front of him and even though it was in control, he said it wasn't. Even if he lied about it, Jaehwang still just couldn't bear to watch him bleed.

He felt that the burden on his shoulders was suddenly relieved. After being worried about what he did, it was probably the first time he realized that maybe he didn't want to murder him. After all, he was his relative.

Jaehwang stood up straight and looked around the room.

He fixed his bleeding stomach but a little blood unexpectedly started to come out. He took a towel from off of the floor and put it over his uncle's stomach to try and patch it up. Jaehwang then went to the bed and lay on the old mattress.

To divide up everything that happened in there, he bought twenty 100 bundle packs that cost $50,000 dollars and eventually, it added up to about $100,000,000... He used the emergency escape cash his uncle kept and Jaehwang heedlessly looked at all the things he bought. He then saw a piece of paper on the table next to the bed with a phone number and a name on it.

'010-3002-XXXX Als Strategy topic, Department Head Kim EunYeong.

-What's that?

-That... I don't know yet. Later... If you get stronger from now on, then...

That was the number for the insurance company director that gave his parent's money to his uncle. DaeSeong didn't get the money from just any company. The Als group helped him to get it from his collateral family. There was no way for him to make up his mind for revenge because he didn't have any real reason. As a hunter that trusts his senses, he could confidently believe in his observation.

Jaehwang then placed both his hands on DaeSeong's head while he was still passed out

The spirit already knew what he was thinking.

-You know what we should do instead?

Jaehwang then nodded his head.

-No... I either start this or finish it.

Jaehwang gives strength and energy to DaeSeong by placing his hands on his head.

[Energy & Strength]

Jujujut...

White dust started to come out of both of Jaehwang's hands and went into DaeSeong's head.

His face had started to form beads of sweat... Jaehwang then took his hand and sat next to the sofa. The remaining of the floating energy dust went into his uncle's head.

"Cough..."

His body violently reacted against energy and floated as if he was having a seizure.

He didn't die but it looked concerning.

Jaehwang then checked if he was still breathing and took a deep breath before closing his eyes.

His business with his uncle continued on for a few more days later.

Song

Jaehwang wrote something on a piece of paper.

"Done, isn't it good?"

Jaehwang then drew a big circle and shook his head before tearing up the paper and throwing it in the trash.

-I'm completely ready.

-I didn't know you were so meticulous.

The spirit said in a surprised tone. She's been helping Jaehwang prepare to go into the wormhole for the past few days. He's been endlessly packing up everything that he would need. He had committed a crime and used up one hundred million dollars but he now had a lot of cash that he could use to buy all the things he could possibly need.

-Because we don't know what could happen.

-True. If I get bored I could die.

-You should go and watch TV.

-Then buy the paid broadcasting! [First love's father-in-law] and [My man's my man's man] Re-airings have been boring...

-Ugh...

Jaehwang continued to prepare for the trip down to the last details. Because of that, the spirit would be useless and wouldn't be able to do anything except probably give him a headache. With that in mind, he realized had to get a satellite antenna so that the spirit would be able to enjoy one of mankind's greatest and worst inventions.

For the first time, he couldn't distinguish the programs on TV every day. After a few one hundred years she could now enjoy the things of the new world that she's now living in. Because of that, the spirit would now be able to adjust to the present day lifestyle. The side effects had started to disappear but she began to take interest in TV little by little and soon it started to get worse.

Jaehwang did not have any plans for a tablet or a phone because of that...

Of course, the spirit would just use the tablet to watch dramas. She then asked for a computer to watch more series on but she ended up using it too much.

The remaining computer he had was used to get the video data from Als since he has to keep that as safe and secure as possible. He may need help from the internet to save them.

Chapter 29

At last, it was finally time to go. Jaehwang said goodbye to his ancestors in the shrine and fastened the lock on the gate outside. He couldn't contact Mr. Song from where he would go so they talked in the cabin before he left.

He then stood and looked into the wormhole on the ground before him.

-Are you ready?

Asked the spirit.

-First, we have to go in and check if it's safe and if we'll need anything else before going in. We have to see if it's a good place for training so we need to search through the terrain for any kind monsters in there.

-Not that, what about what I said?.

Jaehwang took a deep breath.

-We'll check two times.

-Good.

They were about to set foot into an unknown world and there was no time for any childish acts. He kept getting a feeling that they wouldn't see any monsters. Jaehwang then shook his head and went down into the wormhole.

Swoog...

Jaehwang checked the place by putting his leg first into the wormhole and he eventually got his head through. He was able to pass through but all that appeared was a very dark circle. He then puts on a pair of goggles and pressed its switch. These hunter googles were not just used to protect his eyes, it also granted him night vision as it projects a weak light as a precaution for the monsters around that might detect him.

The cave was not artificially made. However, five minutes in and he started to smell a strong scent. It was a smell coming from an excreta. He turned on his tiger hunter sense and continued on. Jaehwang looked around and saw that the place was full of wilted tree branches as well as sticks. After walking a few steps more, he found two baby monsters above him that looked like it died due to starvation.

-I didn't know that the wormhole would have monster nests.

-Do the babies grow up being taken care of by the female monster? Or the male?

-No, If they were to be taken care of by the male then wouldn't they starve to death and be neglected?

Like mammals, they were supposed to have a parent that would take care of them. The pair of monsters would usually break up after they've mated. The female would be left to look for her babies and the male would then resume its expedition.

The structure was overall kind of messy but, the big monsters that lived there were as big as the place itself. Jaehwang soon found and checked the exit, he took off his goggles and left after a moment.

Whii...

He took a blast from the strong wind. The winter season was right around the corner but this place was humid and felt like it was a sultry tropical rainforest.

-I've never noticed how amazing the world is... That side is kind of similar...

Those were the spirit's first thoughts about what she saw. She meant that the Alousu and the terrain of the earth were similar. Like their neighborhood located on the mountain ridge, its landscape bore the same shape. But even so, Jaehwang knew the village so well that he couldn't find one similar thing to look for.

The shape and the valley were similar. There were also a variety of big trees but he insisted that there were no similarities.

-It's a little similar but they're completely different.

Jaehwang said after taking a look around the place. It looks like a place where normal people could live. He could see the end of the horizon and there were giant trees everywhere. The trees were so big that they looked to go up to more than 100 meters tall.

They then heard something that sounded like a monster's cry within the distance.

They were quite far away but the sound kept getting bigger and bigger. When they saw what was making the noise they started to feel something unusual.

-It's hard to tell what it is.

Jaehwang took out his phone and looked at the map. The map for the Alousu and the mountain village were even similar and if that was wrong then the map that he had would be completely useless. They couldn't even see the savage beast that inherited the place... Jaehwang was deep in thought and then the spirit asked a question.

-Doesn't this seem like something I can help out with?

-How?

-The density of this place is deeper than the real world so I could do this.

A figure then started to form due to the white dust coming out of Jaehwang's eye. The form wasn't like last time, it had a big frame and a red string coming from it. It had wings spread out but it looked like it could only fly a short distance of about 3 meters.

-There's a lot going on here so I can't do much. But, it seems like I can endure it for some time. Should we patrol the neighborhood.?

-Could you scope out the area first? Just to make sure nothing's dangerous up ahead.

-Okay.

Jaehwang watched as she jumped and flew through the air. He then thought that his next instruction would be the most important task for the spirit.

Jaehwang walked outside of the cave. He didn't notice that many bugs but he remained cautious. He had prepared for this moment, he could not let it all go to waste. Even before he came here he got a vaccination and studied almost all about common life in the Alousu.

There was actually something that he wanted to do when he came here. He was on where his ancestors went when they were alive. He continued to relive the feelings of his past as the spirit was up in the trees and securing the area.

Jaehwang had become a superhuman and received a lot of skills from the spirit. That was why he was able to see clearly what it was when it came.

Pendu Drug...

Hueueueue...

The spirit rushed back to his side.

-Hide!

-Huh?

She dove to the ground and Jaehwang covered the spirit with himself at the moment where a giant black shadow passed by them. They only saw the back of the creature but it was enough to give them the creeps.

-In here!

-Okay!

They went towards a giant tree and Jaehwang's tiger hunter skills started to emerge.

-What are we going to do?!

-Sorry, I should have been more careful.

Kigeugeu...

They heard the sound of giant footsteps.

Luckily his tiger hunter senses still worked even though he was hiding, however, the time limit of maintaining it was not so long. He peeked out from their hiding place and he retracted it back at the moment where he saw it.

-Don't lead it over here.

-Sorry!

Even Jaehwang panicked because of what he saw.

It felt like the idea of staying here forever suddenly didn't seem so bad. It looked like a dangerous fifth tier monster who was two levels higher than the monsters they had seen so far. It had the typical shape of a bird but it was much bigger. It had a muscular body, strong legs, and teeth sharper than a shark's. The scariest thing about it was that it could fly and do a sudden nosedive into the ground without suffering from any damage.

Keurig... Keurig...

They looked around and saw it walking around the area.

-Hiding isn't a good idea.

-Why?

-It looks like it's not going to give up.

Jaehwang's senses were not wrong.

It looked like a child longing for its mother's embrace. It appeared smaller compared to what it was supposed to look but it still had wings almost as big as an airplane's.

It looked everywhere around the trees. It then found an earthworm hiding in the ground shortly thereafter and left the scene. What happened might seem like a good thing but the only problem with that was, Jaehwang was that earthworm.

The tiger hunter skill had met the end of its duration and for the first time, Jaehwang felt that he would really die in this current crisis.

-...This usually doesn't happen...

The spirit felt humiliated as she mumbled to herself when Jaehwang was taken away.

'I'm so useless.'

Jaehwang regretted going out of the cave. Other than letting the spirit scout the area, he just had to go out and check for himself. He was too careless... and now, his mind turned blank and he couldn't think of anything he could do to save himself.

-Isn't this something that I could have avoided?

-It's a shame but possibly.

Just as the spirit said, there was no way out of a situation like that. His tiger hunter sense is now gone and there seems to be a swarm of 7 giant monsters around the area. There was a small one but it looked like there would be a big one wherever he looked.

Geururug?

A baby monster then appeared in front of him, it felt quiet for a second. It was tilting its head left and right as if it wasn't calling for Jaehwang. It looked cute and even though he felt sorry, he knew full well that he was facing a fourth tier monster.

Kyag!

Kwahkwag!

He got himself rammed into an old tree before the monster could take him into its nest.

"Darn it!"

He was dropped so he jumped back on his feet and ran as fast as he could to a different tree. The only thing left to do was escape. Jaehwang was fast but the only problem was that the monster was even faster.

Keurig!

Ggurureug!

He expected that the bird in the sky would just hover to the ground but it suddenly took a dive and gave him goosebumps. At his third step, the monster had already heard him and was now moving towards him. He had no choice left so he used his fifth step to boost himself to run as fast as he could.

The trees were fairly big but they were smashed by the monster that ran after him. A bit of him was relieved since he managed to escape but the thought of his mother chasing him as well ran at the back of his mind. She was bigger by a few meters but luckily, the number of trees were pretty dense so it wasn't able to fly. If it was, then he would be finished.

Ggeururug!

The monster had followed him at the moment Jaehwang stepped on the ground.

"Heok!"

Thinking that the distance was short, Jaehwang stretched his limbs like a net and let its hard beak crash into him but right in the last second, he grabbed the monster's throat and went for its chest.

-That's dangerous!

Then Jaehwang looked before him and saw a red light in the shape of a small cat over the monster's eye.

Kyaya

Ggurug!

The monster instantly yelled and Jaehwang immediately escaped.

-Thanks!

-Run!

Ggururug! Totob!

It tried to strike him with its closed beak but he was able to avoid it with his special energy skill. It then got tangled in the spiderweb of trees and Jaehwang used that opportunity to head into a hiding place without a second thought.

"Heok Heok..."

Ggurug! Ggurug!

The monsters started to fight with each other and got tangled as well. It brought him enough time so Jaehwang took a deep breath and used his transcribed willpower to activate his [Tiger Hunter] skill.

[Skill Failed]

-Ugh!

-It's okay, calm down and try again next time.

-It's too late!

He could only focus for so long and yet he failed to activate his senses. That was like a game mechanic but it was also an important special skill. He already had a variety of skills that were great and similar to a common game.

For the skill to activate her would have to consume the energy at the right time and after doing that once, his attack would slowly rise. People would call that life's cooldown time but Jaehwang would estimate that his tiger hunter senses cooldown was about 20-25 seconds long. 𝒍𝓲𝙗𝒓𝒆𝓪𝒅.𝙘𝒐𝓶

However, a Gagseog's skills were completely different from any normal game. In a game, all he needed to do was assign a button for his skills and he would be able to use it but in reality, he would need to focus and concentrate.

Like his current situation, he had failed to concentrate because his life was on the line. After a few moments full of pressure, his skill had recovered from its cooldown and he was able to reactivate it successfully. He then looked 50 meters towards the giant tree and he could now see the top of tall buildings from where he was standing.

Chapter 30

Jaehwang went back to the tree after the baby monsters had recovered. He wished that he could just stay inside of it and hide away forever.

Luckily, Jae Hwang and the baby monster's goal was the same. He was relieved that it stopped chasing him but then a big shadow covered his surroundings.

Kwakwakwa!

The mother came over after she saw her children and placed Jae Hwang in a desperate situation. However, Jaehwang did not budge as he waited for the bird's next move. It hovered above him and he couldn't risk revealing his position. But then, the monster flew down on the ground and tried to catch him.

Peopeog...

Jaehwang slipped through a gap small enough for the monster's beak and big enough for him to pass through. He found a place to hide and was able to get out of its sights. He caught another monster's eye and fear crawled on his back once again.

-You're usually good at this.

-...I know, but things are a bit out of hand...

Even the spirit couldn't give an exact answer about what was happening above. The monster that covered them was a vicious giant snake. It was common to see that kind of snake in the mountains, especially during springtime. They both had the same shape and color but the snake that he saw was over two meters thick and was so long that he couldn't even find its tail. 𝓵𝙞𝒃𝓻𝓮𝙖𝓭.𝙘𝓸𝓶

Brugge...

He was relieved that the Alousu seemed to be safer compared to the Dakousu and he was content that he survived his current situation even though he belonged to the lowest rank.

-That's an unregistered monster.

Swiig!

The mother dropped something from midair and the baby monsters caught and swallowed it with their mouths. The monster then dove towards the head of the giant snake and let the surviving babies scatter.

Kwakwag!

A gigantic force rang from the sky and shook the ground as they began to fight.

Kwag! Kwang Kwang!

The bird seemed to have an advantage over the snake. The snake could only stay on the ground and the bird had more options when attacking since it could fly. It flew and attacked the snake's head with its talons. The weight of the wind coming from the mother's wings could rival a storm, however, the overwhelming difference in weight made it useless.

The bird's bites had left a few marks on its body and to further assert its dominance, the mother shrunk down and sprang from the ground. It picked up the snake and resumed its attacks midair.

Kwakwakwa!

Hhgregg!

The bird roared after it dropped the snake on the ground. It rushed down to finish off its enemy but the snake tried to defend itself by biting back. It was able to save its life and was left bleeding due to the damage that it sustained.

The monsters were fighting for their lives. That should buy Jaehwang enough time to get away but instead, he stood on his ground and watched the fight with a straight face.

Kukeug...

They continued to fight around the old tree and left it to look like a stalk of sorghum. He wasn't sure who would win as there were continuous turnovers but it didn't stay that way for long after the snake made its assault.

Durururu...

The bird picked up the snake by its head and the snake's neck scales flung open like a fan. The snake had started to scream and the mother continued to pull out its head. The monster took the form of a frilled lizard and it looked like it could throw something in its mouth. This was the same snake that tried to bite and grazed Jaehwang's forearm, injecting its venom into him.

-There's poison in you.

He started to get goosebumps. Out of all the species in the world, you only have one or two weapons to choose from if you want to take out snakes. Most of the snake-type monsters were fairly known for their poisons that would slowly spread into one's body before making its attack. It would be doable if a team had the right tools but an unknown and unregistered snake like that was something that they all should avoid as much as possible.

The snake bit the monster a few times and it fell into the ground. It didn't have to wait long for the poison to spread and that was how the fight came to an end. The snake glanced over to the monster that fell and then looked over towards the direction where the babies had escaped.

Swiig...

The snake moved to search for the babies scattered around the area. The snake was moving slowly but it picked up its pace when it saw Jaehwang.

It then passed by and disappeared without a sound. Jaehwang then fell to the ground where the monster was.

He couldn't tell if the bird had been injected and was killed by nerve or paralysis poisoning. He couldn't even imagine how many monsters could have been poisoned like this. But, now he knows that there was one.

-It feels like something went wrong. Doesn't it feel like Michelin Choi's eavesdropping expression?

-Who's Michelin Choi?

-A guy I met in a bar... He's an ace...

-Oh...

He actually did have confidence. It wasn't just simply arrogance in the prison of time and space. He also thought of a perfect plan to hunt the monsters. He asked himself why there was nothing to prey on in this place beside its monsters.

-First, let's leave.

-Okay, I approve.

He invested in quite a few valuable things just to prepare but his first experience turned out to be so intense. He decided to go back to their world to establish a new plan.

-It's here

-Yes...

Not much time had passed by before the snake came back. The snake went towards the monster that fell on the ground and swallowed it whole. It then went back to the tree without leaving anything behind, bringing back the forest's quiet atmosphere.

Jaehwang turned on his tiger hunter chart and carefully left the area. He figured that that was the best choice since his [Tiger Hunter] skill still needed a boost. He also had to figure out the different effects of the hiding system as well as his special ranked skills.

He made sure not to make any unnecessary noise as he went to find the wormhole. It felt as if it was a kilometer away but when he ran, it turned out to be just three hundred meters away. He got closer to the cave and took a breath of relief that he was able to make it while maintaining the duration of his skill. He then heard the spirit's voice.

-Double six...

-Huh?

He looked into the cave and then realized what the spirit meant.

Ggeururug?

There was a giant scary head sticking out of the cave. It looked left and right before going back into it. It looked a little cute at first glance but...

For the first time in a long while, Jaehwang and the spirit agreed on something.

-You're gonna die!

The spirited yelled but Jaehwang didn't agree with what she said.

-It's a third tier monster. How many monsters do you think are there?

He didn't know how many could have been in there. There could have been a ton of them there but he couldn't be sure. The worst thing could be if they all have gone in there.

-What are we going to do?

-I don't know... I guess we would find a different place to stay the night while we figure things out.

He was surprised and couldn't think straight but he did not want to disappoint her. His father had also used to say, 'Transcend fear through courage and find the chance to endure it... find the chance to break out the fear that shakes your body.'

-This place is similar to the normal world so if we went up a little then we should find a safe spot.

-I don't want to. I don't want to. I don't think it's safe.

Said the spirit.

-There's no way that there could be anything worse than this. Don't be so ridiculous.

-Fine. I hope you're right...

However, something worse than that began to happen.

Jaehwang found a neighborhood after a few hours.

"Found it!"

He found someone that had dark green armor covering his entire body. He yelled into his hands and gathered the people in the neighborhood. It turned out that all of them were dressed the same.

"Hm. I didn't know there was a place like this in the wormhole."

The one that spoke seemed to be their leader. He looked over towards the cave and shook his head before he spoke.

"Wormhole check complete... We've found what we were looking for. We will prepare more and come back to search for this place. There could maybe even be a different wormhole around."

"Hey!"

Said the guy in green armor. The others answered all at once as they scattered around. He took off his helmet after he walked away from the tunnel and revealed his complexion. He had short hair and looked to be in his early thirties. He then went over and asked the person crouching down in front of the cave a question.

"Leader, are we going to use the ants?"

The leader gave a nod and replied.

"Yes, carry out every menu order."

"Yes, sir!"

He responded by taking out an about 40-centimeter big black machine out of his backpack and placed it in front of his leader. It looked like tofu. He opened the lid and pressed the switch. Six feet stuck out of its mouth and the body came thereafter.

The guy also handed him a screen and a keypad from the backpack. He typed on the keypad a few times and the 6 legs had started to run. He controlled the machine and moved it front and back and left to right.

"There's an ant inspection progression of -08 ants. We have to insert them in."

"Get as many as you can. This will help us find the monsters since this is our first time finding a wormhole here."

"Got it."

He shook his head and took the machine before going into the cave. Later, the ants started to stick to the infrared camera rays that shone throughout the cave.

"wormhole check complete... The cave here was naturally formed. It has collected soil samples for an hour... And then wait for an hour... And it continues to progress."

The ants were slowly being controlled but it made steady progress as it continued to collect more samples.

The leader shouted.𝑙𝘪𝑏𝓇𝑒𝑎𝒹.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"Stop! Change it to a thermal burn camera!"

"Yes, sir!"

He quickly changed the machine's camera as ordered by the leader. He set up and watched the scale of the camera's heat temperature meter until it detected something. The only downside was that it had to restart before the switch could be made. Nevertheless, the camera could record at any angle but the thermal camera could find things that were even hiding.

"That..."

"It found a monster... There's not much information on it."

There was something quite big inside the cave. It had cracks everywhere and you could see the lack of attention just by looking at the walls. They discovered a monster and one of the guys then took off his helmet and showed his stern expression. He looked to be in his early fifties with his face full of scars.

Chapter 31

"Keep watching it."

"Yes, sir."

He asked him to watch the machine before he took the phone out of his pocket. He answered the call and heard someone else's voice.

-Call this number! You're the leader of the 312 special search party.

"I'm search party leader Park Hyeol."

-Yes. Mr. Park, finish up with the checking."

"Okay..."

-Stay where you guys are. Was it able to connect?

"Yes."

-Wait a minute.

He heard the boss' voice through the phone.

-Mr. Park, have you found the wormhole?

"Yes. About five minutes ago we succeeded in finding a tunnel-shaped wormhole and the ant is now currently investigating it.

-Really? Were there any monsters?

"It's still investigating but it has been estimated to be a third or fourth tier monster. The cave is very small so the analysis shouldn't take long.

"Hm..."

The leader gave a long thought after he heard what he said. The search party's original mission was to destroy everything they could find in the wormhole. They were supposed to dismantle the wormhole and continue their search but they took the time to measure the monster's level of difficulty since that too was important for the mission.

However, they have discovered a third or fourth tier monster.

They might need to avoid them if possible. If they couldn't continue their investigation because of that then the best choice would be to destroy it so he made the decision to help.

"The investigation is complete! The analysis said that there was an 89% chance that there was a monster!"

-What?

He talked to the boss on the phone as he looked at the screen in surprise. He looked back as if something amazing had happened but his expression was then overturned by fear when the screen added a few more details about the monster.

"It's a fifth tier monster!"

It was a monster that even a raid squad couldn't defeat. Only a group of high ranked hunters or a mid-ranked military group would be able to stand up to it.

He then heard the boss' voice again.

-When you find the wormhole in mountain village 0421, destroy it. Stop the search and the ant machine analysis.

-You won't be punished, aren't you guys scared of blowing up? 𝒍𝓲𝒃𝙧𝒆𝒂𝒅.𝓬𝙤𝒎

They talked about a way to block the wormhole. One talked about using special concrete over the entrance of the wormhole and the second suggested destroying it as the boss ordered.

-Isn't investigating the place taking too long? Just get on with destroying it!

"Yes, sir."

Mr. Park answered back. If they had found a fifth tier monster then there could possibly be a seventh tier monster in it as well and that would be enough of a reason to destroy the wormhole. Of course, now that they have an idea of what could be in there, they still didn't know exactly what to expect.

"Mr. Jeon! Stop the search and evacuate. I'll alert everyone. We have to proceed with the destruction!"

Jaehwang was concerned when he heard about it since he had to go back to the other side through the whole exit.

Two years later

Teutul... Teuteu Uk...𝘭𝑖𝑏𝘳ℯ𝑎𝑑.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"...Looks like it's spring. Is it raining too?"

The voice of a man came from the corner and echoed through the quietness of the mountain country.

"Could you lend me a little?"

The sound of a girl with a bright voice answered back.

"No, It looks like you could leave."

Papag...

Something had hit the ground and a man emerged from the black hole that it created.

They fell and rolled on the ground. He stood thereafter and looked around. He wasn't wearing anything but he had defined muscles.

"Darn it... I'm covered in dirt."

There was a girl standing next to him. Unlike the guy, the girl wasn't covered in dirt and she was wearing a white dress that showed off her porcelain colored legs.

"Next time that you'd drill through the cave, I'll make sure that it won't collapse."

"Okay. Good work."

Jaehwang then sighed as he fell on his back and lied down.

Dirt and leaves covered his naked body but he didn't care. He was finally able to see the familiar trees, grass, the scent and the clear sky that the sunshine drizzled from above.

"I'm back."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he started to think about what happened before. Two years ago there were three baby monsters hiding inside the cave. All the difficulties went away and after the three monsters were taken care of. They went back to the cave only to see that it was destroyed. He was not sure on who did it but instead of being angry, he felt at ease.

After the other party discovered the monster, they had tried to see if anything went into the mountain country. It was overlooked but the situation still had gotten worse. Nothing had come out of the dimension gap but the wormhole wasn't destroyed. It just let out a weak explosion that triggered the collapse of the rocks that surrounds it.

The spirit was able to find the location of the wormhole. The distance of the collapsed cave was 40 meters from the surface. One would consider it to be small but the gap was filled with layers of solid granite. It took them about two years to break through.

Of course, he didn't just spend two years of his life breaking rocks. He lived a very frail life in that place. He had no choice but to face death to start his life by leveling up.

The tier of that snake was not what he thought at all. He was lucky to find a place on the southern side of the hole where third and fourth tier monsters had thrived. He was able to start his training thanks to that.

But it didn't mean that they had a smooth ride from that point on. A squad would be formed just to be able to hunt for a monster and that was made for the sake of safety and efficiency. Jaehwang had nothing besides the spirit by his side.

His misfortunes had come one after another. His lineage was famous during their prime but hundreds of years went by and it was all gone. He was about to give up that time but with the spirit's support, he was able to push forward.

Jaehwang started with one monster. He couldn't use just one arrow, he had to use hundreds of them to finish it. He didn't prepare enough arrows so it became even harder.

That was the reason why Jaehwang's skills had reached their highest limit for a tiger hunter. Although combining two more skills was still a challenge for him, he had inherited his skills from all the masters and he was able to complete his raids.

And today, he's back to drill through the hardships of the real world. He looked around with tears in his eyes as he walked towards the cabin. His tiger hunting skill had reached a point where it was almost automatic and now, it kicked in but then after a few silent steps, it finally went away.

"Thank goodness, it's working well."

Click...

He unlocked the giant lock on the front gate of the cabin and all his sweet memories came back to him as soon as he went inside. He was back but it has been such a long time. It took him two years and he now became an adult while he lived in the Alousu.

"The TV's here! It wasn't here before!"

The spirit yelled about the TV being in the room as soon as they opened the door. Jaehwang just smiled as he greeted his ancestors before he went to the back of the cabin. He opened the power distribution board to switch on the fuse box before he walked back inside.

"Ah...We're finally back."

The spirit shouted in an excited voice. It was her only joy left in the cabin after that one night where a monster broke into the hideout and broke their tablet. It broke her heart because that was also something she enjoyed.

She had suffered from the TV drama withdrawal because of that, he thought about lending her his phone but she said that the screen was too small. Jaehwang had no choice but to suffer through her complaints every single day.

She had finally calmed down after they came back to the cabin. Everything was still intact when he checked everywhere including the basement. He then went into the biggest room in the middle of the cabin. He passed by the main room as he headed into the closet where a musty smell filled the air. He just pulled out a cover, turned on the TV and let the spirit use his arm as a pillow.

"Season three is so sad... It's hard to watch..."

He wasn't able to relax until he found himself sitting beside the spirit as they continued to watch.

"...Hey..."

"What is it?"

The spirit answered without turning away from the TV.

"I'm going to sleep for a little while."

"Okay."

The spirit would be his guard whenever he went to sleep in the Alousu. She saved his life countless times because and because of that, he's used to her saying that before she went to sleep. He lied down without a thought and then the last status window appeared.

Status Window:

Name: Jeon Jaehwang. Rank C, Level 10/8, 127,587/800,000exp.

Strength: 2

Speed: 8

Physical Strength: 7

Sense: 10

Conscious: 7

Newly learned skills: 2.5

Mana: 430/430

Mama Recovery Rate: 11

-Archery Skills (Real)

Effects

Speed: 2

Sense: 2

?

Silent Chasing (Real)

Effects

Physical Strength: 2

Mana Recovery Rate: 2

?

Skills in Possession:

Unique Skill

Tiger Hunter skill: Rank 10, 0%

Magic: Rank 5, 77%

Inherited Archery skills: Rank 5, 77%

Unique Arrow

Explosive Arrow

Guided Arrow

Enhanced Arrow

Real Skills:

Energy- Rank 8, 12%

Consciousness- Rank 5, 89%t

Special Skills:

–

Common Skills:

Cooking- Rank 6, 98%

Quick resurrection- Rank 9, 11%

It was a long and hard two years in the Alousu. Suddenly thinking about life on that side reminded him of a trotting horse lamp. Hiding, hiding, escaping, attacking and then hiding again. That's how he lived.

"Hwue..."

He took a deep breath and ignored his sharp senses before he closed his eyes to fall asleep. He was finally back home.

Chapter 32

-There are so many people here.

-Yeah.

The spirit bursted with admiration when the bus arrived at the Dongdaegu terminal. The polluted air had disappeared and was replaced by towering buildings that were pointed towards the blue sky.

But her admiration towards the people went away as soon as she got to look from the other side of the bus. She saw another bus that had an ice cream cake design on it. She just tried ice cream not too long ago and she already wanted to eat all of it from out of the store.

-You should definitely go take that test. The monster is dead but you don't know when you'll need something like that.

Said the spirit inside his heart.

-Okay then.

He sighed and turned on his new phone.

Getting through the hunter license application test online was the easiest way but the tests were harder. This was not an issue in the past when there was a great lack of hunters. One could apply if he/she had enough battle skills but now, they had to hit every metric just to get their license.

-It's not even easy for a hunter.

He checked the contents of the hunter's test on the internet with his phone one more time.

The test is about three chapters long. Chapter one included writing, chapter two included physical strength and chapter three included a face-to-face meeting.

Each page had a different subject, Hunter regulations, Raid common sense and common ethics. 300 or 250 points were needed to complete each subject.

The second paper was for physical strength, the magic system was documented to number five, two for physical strength and then there's a 'skills in possession category' that gets three people to demonstrate their skills and grade them.

And one of the last steps was where they would get five people to be judged in a character evaluation test. But, they put three unexpected things in front of them. Lastly, there would be a face-to-face meeting which would be very nerve wracking and difficult.

-You think that you're going to fail even with your high rank? You've become stronger.

Said the spirit.

-I have gotten stronger and I hope it's enough but...

What the spirit said wasn't wrong. He's a Gagseog and he just came out after spending two years in Alousu. He was able to level up and he got a lot stronger. He's a lot stronger compared to the Jaehwang who went hunting with the Stardust clan over two years ago.

The problem was that Jaehwang's writing skills were extremely weak.

He would freeze and stall during tests when he was in middle school. Traditionally, elite sports would be his focus but the Korean Sports Industry had a malady. With the relationship with the law, even if you're a talented sports student then there's a certain standard that you have to meet to get into a university. But realistically, the school level was still considered to be in an incomplete state.

A beneficiary representative of that consideration was Jaehwang. It was just one month until the test and even after the written test, Jaehwang had to go register into the hunter university in Daegu.

"Mr. Jeon Jaehwang... You have one month to apply for the written test. One month for dormitory... How about your meals? There's a contract for the cafeteria but separate food expenses can add up to $60 dollars so I'll issue you a meal ticket."

The female employee at the desk spoke to him in a formal voice.

"I'll let you know about the meals so you can decide."

"Okay. But... Do you have any personally owned vehicles?"

"Yes."

"And all that together adds up to $780 dollars. The lodging area is on the seventh floor... the lodging is owned separately..."

The female employee explained everything and Jaehwang looked around. He already saw what it was like on the internet, but some changes were visible and everything now looked high class and fancy. It was not big but it looked more decorative than a boarding school. The atmosphere felt like an apartment building, especially with shops on the ground floor.

"Ah... And the skill practice cannot be applied for so you won't need a separate fill in. But looking at test sections and systems, they looked small. How small would you like them to be?"

"I'll apply for the hybrid."

She looked a little surprised at Jaehwang's answer. He looked at him again before quickly turning her attention back to the papers.

"This is the first time in a while that someone has applied for the hybrid. What system would you like?"

"Healer."

She looked surprised again at his answer.

-Why is she acting like this?

-Because the hybrid hunter license magic system and physical strength system are originally a test that's taken together. Besides, everyone envies the abilities of a healer...

Hybrid magic and physical strength are both skills that were very impressive.

People would soon lose their interest in hunters anyway...

Healers were once considered a royalty in the world of hunters. That skill was not required to become a hunter but it helped a lot of people since long ago. They had belonged to a small margin of talented people thus, they would treat a healer with great value even before they would get their hunter's license.

For example, the Star Dust Clan would do their raids and they didn't even have a healer. That's how rare they were.

Most of the high ranked members of the clan would form a team so that they could go on missions and reduce the number of injuries or casualties. If there came a chance that one got hurt, they would immediately call for a healer.

"The writing is done. Is there anything else you need?"

"No thank you, this would do."

"Great. Can you wait here for a second? I'll go get your personal guide."

Jaehwang took off his backpack and noticed that the employee started to talk to him in a much nicer tone. She had a soulless look on her but now, she bore that nice and sincere expression.

-A healer is that big of a deal?

-Yeah. Other skills aren't as useful in battles. But a healer's skill has a guarantee.

-But soon you'll register with a bow and arrow! 𝓁𝑖𝒷𝑟𝘦𝒶𝑑.𝒸𝘰𝘮

-What bow and arrow? Bow and arrow... There's no reason for something like that.

He chatted with the spirit until a male employee showed up. He sat in the chair, the female employee followed and started to talk with Jaehwang.

"Let me introduce myself"

Jae Hwang soon realized his ulterior motive for helping him enter the school. With the help of another female employee, she bought the existing assignment to a better room. They placed them on the bed and Jaehwang was at a loss of words of how much there was.

"The guide is now finished. Do you want a document?"

"No thank you. I still..."

He did the application online in the cabin but he didn't know about the document application.

"The document application is for our university. If we could get your picture then that would help us with the documents. Be sure to show your entire face in the picture for your ID."

"Okay."

Jaehwang shook his head with the hat covering his hair and face.

He hesitated and then asked her a question.

"If you're not busy, can I take a picture today? But let's do it on the other side of the studio..."

"Okay."

He then went on his way to the studio with the female employee. She stood close to his side and Jaehwang then gave her a blank stare before asking her a question.

"I know this place well so I'll make sure that your photo will come out good, okay?"

"Oh.. Sure."

She said to him in an overly nice tone so he just smiled back and shook his head.

Dding...

They walked into the studio and met a guy sitting at a computer who got up from his seat and greeted Jae Hwang.

"Welcome. Oh? Soogmi, you've come too?"

"Yeah."

They seemed to have known each other well by their greeting.

"This hunter is completing his documents and he needs an ID."

"Ah, is that so? Right this way, I'll help you."

"Okay."

Jaehwang followed him into a costume room.

"Put on this jacket and let's take off that hat... hmm. Your hair is quite long. I'll take care of your hair as soon as possible and everything would be good to go. Or else your features won't stand out."

Jaehwang took off the hood of his jacket just as he suggested.

"This picture would be on your hunter license so I'll do my best to make it come out as great as possible. Let's take away the ornaments... You should be the only focus."

He offered Jaehwang some lotion and he then took off his hat and swept his hand through his hair. The guy then unknowingly stopped what he was doing and watched. Jaehwang looked into the mirror to fix his hair and noticed that the guy was staring at him.

"What?"

"N-nothing."

He was speechless as he looked at Jaehwang's face. Jaehwang put the lotion beside him and got ready for his photo. He looked at Jaehwang's shabby long sleeve shirt and the other clothes he was wearing and went into the other room to look for something.

"Try this on. And this too!"

"You're not going to just take the picture?"

Jaehwang didn't care for better clothes and refused but he insisted.

"Wait. Your style seems great but it needs some work. This would help you stand out in the photo. But that shouldn't be too hard since your parents already did such a good job."

"Uh. Yea."

Jaehwang just went along with the photographer's sudden drive of energy and put each of the clothing on. He then ended up in five layers of clothes and didn't look too happy about how his final look turned out. He came out of the dressing room and walked into the middle of the costume room to take the picture.

He walked back into the room and the female employee who sat there reading a magazine was left speechless. She took her phone out and started taking pictures of Jaehwang's face as if she lost her mind. Jaehwang then gave her an angry look.

"What is there to be afraid of?"

"Ugh!"

Jaehwang raised his voice a little higher. The female employee came back to her senses and immediately apologized.

"S-sorry. I don't know what has gotten into me...but... Can I... Have a picture?"

She was about to cry like she was already denied that permission. Jaehwang then smiled and laughed it off, allowing her to take a picture. She then checked the pictures one by one and thanked Jaehwang. She gave him a blank stare once again.

"Okay..."

"Thank you."

He was annoyed and couldn't believe what was happening. He refused to take any more pictures and the girl then thanked him and left.

The useless long photo process was then over so he placed back his normal clothes and pulled the hat over his face once again.

The female employee beside him then looked at him and spoke in a sad voice.

"Why are you wearing your hat like that..."

He didn't answer her and just walked out of the studio alone. He was then feeling extremely tired at the end of the day and went to his room to sleep. That night, he asked the spirit a question while he was lying down.

Chapter 33

-But why do you always take the hard road instead of the easy one?

-What do you mean?

-When that guy offered you help on the hunters test. You never contacted him. The clan seemed to be really good with that...

-Oh. That...

The spirit referred to that time when he met The Star Dust Clan. He made it very clear that Jaehwang could call him if he needed help with the test and obviously if he had called him, then he would be feeling less tense right now.

He could feel that Jaehwang was a debauzer. It's not that they couldn't take the test, it was just different and...

-I have to relax but that person got into it. Even if I'm sorry, I don't think I could get into the clan.

There were more reasons behind that but the biggest reason was, the clan was actually the organization that supported Jaehwang until his first year of high school. That sense of belonging made him feel prideful but they rejected him after the incident.

-I'll get my hunter license and work alone when I finish.

-Really? When you did the inspection that time, didn't you find it too hard for a hunter to hunt alone?

Jaehwang and the spirit shared the same view. When she had decided on something, then he could sense it too and he understands she was right most of the time.

-Right. But do I have the requirements? The most basic thing that I needed was to have a third rank hunter license so I guess it could be difficult... When you get a third rank hunter license then skills aren't an important thing.

-Really? Is a third rank monster that strong? Even stronger than you?

In those two years, she had watched him develop his skills as she tried her best to help him. That was the reason why she couldn't understand what he was saying.

-No, it's not just about knowing the tier of the monster that you hunt, it's more than that. Besides, even if I could give my skills to someone else, they would be useless.

This was the time where the world had a great interest in the prospects of archery. Jaehwang had planned to become a hunter after he had received his attention but that was the same reason he was hiding his face as much as possible.

-So how are you going to attend by yourself?

Jaehwang then answered her question.

-I'll need a specific reason but by being the only healer, it could be possible that I would be alone through everything. Even though healers aren't guaranteed to hunt monsters, there were a lot of places that they could fit in so I think they would not get easily accepted into this organization.

He didn't need a reason. He wanted to get the characteristics of a second place hunter but he had to get his hybrid license first.

-Hm. Okay. I understand.

He finished talking with the spirit and closed his eyes. His sleeping spot had changed so it was not easy for him to fall asleep. He thought about how he suddenly left school and went up to the mountains. He thought about how he had no real problems to solve at that time.

He remembered when he locked himself in the cabin and accepted the time when he almost died. But with the help of his ancestors, he was able to gain strength. He thought about how much he actually didn't know about the world. After spending two years in the Alousu, he felt that everything had changed so much and he couldn't fall asleep at all.

Jaehwang sighed as he looked at the textbooks stacked in front of him. It was the first hour of class and It had been a while since he had sat at a desk. He watched the teacher explain but the dagger he was holding made it hard to concentrate on half of what he was saying.

"You can't fail in the hunter test. The writing part with interaction consists of things you will need in real life. In the hunter general law starting from page 52 to page 83, you'll memorize everything. And that's about it! Any questions or concerns?..."

Someone said something and showed a paper inscribed with black writing. The problem was that Jaehwang was apart from everything. He just sat in patience since he didn't remember what he studied. During the teacher's class of Jaehwang's school year, test time was taken away and it was almost just a quiet sleeping hour. That was the time when he focused on archery but things were different now.

Besides, he's not living alone anymore.

-Why do those people keep looking at you? It's annoying...

-Keep it down a little.

He couldn't concentrate with the spirit talking in his head.

He knew the obvious reason why those people kept staring at him. It was because of the female employee from the day before... He had never experienced something like this before but he was beyond frustrated. He gave her permission to take a photo but she uploaded his picture onto her SNS account.

The bigger problem was that she and some of her friend's employees were competing for the attention of their newly registered student. The next day when he went to the university, everyone knew what his face looked like.

-Look at this.

He glanced at his right and saw three people looking at him.

-It looks like they don't like you.

All the girls were into Jae Hwang and there were three males that glared at him with envy.

-I know. But I wish that they could please stop...

-Yeah...

The spirit's voice became quiet as Jaehwang's class complained.

"Hey... When are we going to take the test?"

The instructor that stood at the teacher's podium sorted the textbooks before he answered.

"Today is just the first lecture but that's okay, you guys can still practice and relax.

It was fine but they didn't know what kind of questions would be on the test. There won't be more than ten questions but they may not be prepared for any of them. Evidently, the hunter writing test should be the top priority. Getting a good score on an essay like that was very important. Even if it was easy to adapt to, it would still be hard.

-The first group of the question seemed like they're going to write about the army hunter organization's established legal system...

A savior then randomly appeared out of nowhere.

-Do you know about this?

Jaehwang asked the spirit. He then heard someone talking.

-Did you read it?

-You have to read it.

She told him that he needed to read it but he didn't understand that he would have to memorize it all. 𝒍𝒊𝙗𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅.𝓬𝒐𝓶

-You have to read it and then remember it.

-...

After spending two years in the Alousu he had forgotten about how a lot of things worked in the real world.

-I have to remember everything?

-Yes. Everything related to the army hunter organization. To make it easier, in the ministry of defense, the hunter action committee was ranked low. The action committee then formed together and managed. Remember everything starting from the Korean hunter secretariat...

The spirit simply answered and explained everything so Jaehwang could start memorizing everything quickly. She then sullenly explained the answer to the first question.

-What about just cheating?

-Then I'll get a ten percent snack cost increase, ice cream, and other delicious food.

-... Next question please.

She had the answers but she wanted something out of it.

The next day the university's grades were posted on the bulletin board. The students went over to see how they did on the test from the day before and all of them couldn't hide their surprised reaction when they saw who was at the top.

"Three hundred is the maximum and this person got 280?"

"It says 'Jeon Jaehwang... I've never seen that name before..."

"That's a newly enrolled student..."

"He's really handsome! He has great hair and an amazing face and I heard that he enrolled to be a healer...

"You've seen his face before?"

"That's enough."

They talked about his face yesterday and today, it was about his score. There were two female students talking about him. All the female students were interested to know him and gave their attention to him. All the other guys were left green with jealousy.

"Hm...He's been tired since this morning."

"Something happened, seems like he's been receiving bad treatment..."

"Yeah, he's in a bad mood and he's smoking outside in the back of the university."

Those three guys have clearly been envious of Jaehwang since yesterday. They've been at the bulletin board babbling since this morning and they couldn't hear any other name being talked about except Jaehwang's

Those three guys were the best in terms of the physical strength system so they've experienced how it was to be popular but now, they felt like they had been forgotten and replaced.

"Huh? Hey, it's that guy."

One of the three guys spotted Jaehwang so he alerted his two other friends. It looked like he came from a morning workout with sweat dripping from his forehead since he wore workout clothing as he walked up the stairs.

His face was covered by his shiny hair and he was careful not to get too close to anyone. He was a typical outsider, he didn't say a word throughout the entire day. No one could tell if was just shy or arrogant.

"Hey..."

The guy standing in the front pointed his chin and the guy next to him replied with a nod. It looked as if they were communicating telepathically. He was a healer so he thought that he lacked physical strength but he's still strong.

They both slightly lowered their heads and waited for the right moment to cross Jaehwang's path as he walked down the stairs. The guy standing in the middle reached out his shoulder and bumped into him. They were trying to start a fight... However, Jaehwang simply avoided it and continued to walk as if nothing happened.

The guy who bumped him watched as he disappeared into the crowd of students.

"Ugh..."

His friend then walked up to him and they started a playful fight. He was also a guy that belonged in the physical strength system and just like every other system, they were divided by classes and levels.

"Hey!"

The guy yelled at the back of the stairs. Jaehwang turned his head towards him while he continued to walk up as if he did care.

"You clearly almost caused an accident and you don't even apologize?"

"Ah Sorry..."

Jaehwang said after raising his hand. The guy standing in the front then yelled in reply.

"Ha... Sorry? Is this guy stupid?"

He nitpicked at Jaehwang's lack of sincerity. He raised his voice and walked closer to him.

"Someone clearly got hurt but you can't even apologize properly? That's it?"

"..."

Jaehwang just looked at him and shut his mouth. He clearly didn't like it when he grabbed Jaehwang's collar and started to shout.

"Are you stupid? Aren't you gonna say anything?"

Tututuk...

He roared at him but he couldn't see his face. Jaehwang stayed still as if he couldn't move but then, he started to fight back. His worn-out workout clothes couldn't take the strength and threads had started to come loose.

The rip then became bigger.

"Ah.. This is my only workout outfit..."

Jaehwang's small sentence had a cold tone in it but they couldn't sense it. That was their mistake.

"Huh? Idiot... Follow me!"

He tried to grab him again but this time Jaehwang slightly moved his hand away. He began to walk down the stairs and took the lead.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?"

"Follow me. Hurry up. I'm busy."

Chapter 34

Jaehwang walked down the stairs and the three guys froze in their place before they followed him. They've taken the Gagseog procedure that had reborn them into God-like humans but they couldn't understand what just happened.

Ordinary people couldn't even imagine getting stronger through their system and even they couldn't get their skill at a cheap price. Their parents were hunters, after all, the procedure would not even be possible without money.

They went outside to resolve the fight that they started.

"Why isn't your friend here yet?"

"H-he's coming soon."

Jaehwang moved along the dirty walls at the back of the university. It was filled with cigarette butts and stained with dark smoke and this was the place where the two guys knelt before him.

He grabbed a stick off of a tree that was about 1.4 meters away from his right and faced it towards them.

"...What are you doing..."

"Does it bother you?"

"N-No..."

He continued to joke around and struck one bully on his shoulder. This was the place where they would usually come to smoke. It was also the place that they used to settle their fights but they didn't know that Jahwang had a plan for them.

Jaehwang just joked around and didn't mean to beat them up with a stick. He just picked it up to block when one of them threw the first punch. The other one then swung his harm from the opposite side and accidentally cracked his elbows when he dodged his attack,

The struggle with Jaehwang was useless and because of his Gag Seog abilities, all they could do was try. They weren't able to sense the hint that he could put up a fight with his clever movements from the halls alone.

One could feel a burning sensation in his elbow and arm as he walked by. Jaehwang kicked the other one to the ground and he fell howling in pain. They soon had recovered so they got on their knees and begged for forgiveness. Jaehwang then asked one of them a question.

"Why have you guys been acting like jerks since this morning?"

They hesitated but then one of them started to talk as Jaehwang gave them a blank stare. These were the three guys that the spirit warned him about yesterday.

"So you guys were just jealous?"

"Yes. We're sorry."

"..."

He listened to all the details of the story and sighed. It was a long time ago but he has experienced something like this before. It was back in middle school, he had to fight many guys of the same kind.

But the guys kneeling before him were adults and so was he.

Wasting time and energy doing this was embarrassing. The type of fighting he used was something like a stick mixed with martial arts. He didn't want to use the stick but he decided this was a good situation to use it. He was able to overpower them and he just used a stick instead of a straight-up beating. He just aimed for their joints and if he did use his strength, he might have left their elbows dislocated. He did not intend to hurt them anyway.

He had prepared as many as 20 bowstrings when he spent his two years in Alousu. It eventually ran out so he had to take a monster's tendon, wash it out with water, dry it in the sun and twist them with his hand so that he could use it as a bowstring. Those things were relatively fragile so he had to do it over and over again and since then, he had almost forgotten how to hold back in terms of fighting people.

He never knew the true worth of his energy skills until he leveled it up. Jaehwang was also lucky enough to learn the writing of divination.

However, the martial arts that he used should not be taken lightly. Although it helped him overpower those bullies, he felt guilty towards his ancestors.

"You seem to be older than me, you should say something."

"?"

Jaehwang started using honorifics and they looked at him with a confused expression.

"This may sound a little stupid but could we maybe just get past this and forget it?"

Deuk...deuk

"Eau Rouge!"

Jaehwang moved their elbow and shoulder joints back into place before he used his resurrection skill to heal their damaged ligaments. That was not just something that Gagseogs could naturally do. Their hurt arms were restored as if nothing happened and they realized how lucky they were that day.

"Got it? You'll stay quiet about it, right?"

"Yes, of course..."

They shook their heads in agreement as Jaehwang got up and left.

The two of them were able to realize his true talents. They shook hands with him in agreement and thanked him. He didn't enroll just to learn how to be a healer. He was a Gagseog before he was a healer and before he became a Gagseog, he was a real martial artist.

However, after settling everything, Jaehwang still left there with a torn workout outfit. He then took it to a friend who was more than willing to get it fixed.

"Hey! You're that cool guy from earlier! Look, it's that guy!"

The other guy that stood beside the one calling him had his arms crossed and wore an unpleasant look on his face. He then started to talk with an angry tone.

"Were you the one who hurt my brother?"

He untied his arms and made a fist with both of his hands before he walked towards Jae Hwang

"Our brother is a hunter you know and today is your unlucky day."

Jaehwang sighed and stood up to his feet. He wanted to just let it go but it looked like that hunter wouldn't give up without a fight. The hunters here seemed to solve their problems with stupidity. The law was far and the fist was close. It would be hard for them to clearly understand the law, these guys didn't care for anything as long as they would get their way.

"Did you buy some thread and needle?"

"I bought some."

The person that Jaehwang went to ask for help from seemed to know the person he fought with.

"That can't be, he never said it was an unofficial hunter."

Maybe he was starting to like Jaehwang a little more than before.

"Good luck on your test!"

"Thanks!"

Jaehwang had been nice to him ever since he came into this place. The female employee had helped him for a month and even gave him a red ginseng extract as she wished him good luck on the day of the test. He held the same item in his hand as he waited at the minibus stop to get to the university.

He got on the bus and saw a few people boarding it. They greeted him with a smile on their faces before they continued to bury their heads in their notebooks. There was a fight two days ago and he hasn't seen the three guys since then. It seemed like they've been avoiding Jaehwang after everything that happened.

Jaehwang sat in the very back of the bus. He looked out the window and thought back on his past month in the university. He couldn't think if he had made any friends. He couldn't fit into any of the groups and he was an outsider by choice since he felt awkward around the female students. Especially because all of the girls were always distracted and they kept staring at his face.

As he told those three idiots, he just wanted to be left alone and to quietly finish his term. His intentions were to be ignored but after a while, they started to listen and gave him some space and since then, he was able to be left alone.

-I want to go there.

-Oh, okay.

He was already occupied enough with the spirit in his head. He thought that maybe because of her, he was becoming less of an outsider.

The bus then came to a stop and everyone began to get off. Everyone got off in pairs and walked ahead. However, Jaehwang was the last to get off as he looked at the giant building ahead of him.

'Korean Hunter Secretariat Daegu District'

Each station in the city were giant buildings. This place was one of the most popular locations since it had the famous Daegu District dimension gate. However, that influence in this neighborhood had many other places like hunter related things, shopping centers, and the adult entertainment industry that crowded this place.

Jaehwang froze in his place as he looked at the giant Hunter Secretariat building before he walked in. After about ten minutes, he took the writing test for his hunter license and an old building appeared on a hung up signboard.

There was still time left for the test when he walked out of the building and there were still students gathering and chatting outside of the exam room. Jaehwang walked into the building and gave the supervisor his ID and files. Jaehwang then went out to sit after he got them checked.

He sat on a bench and took off his backpack. He looked for his exam summary notes and suddenly felt something strange. He looked beside him and saw the spirit's child-like face. She was eating chocolate balls one by one as she stared back at him.

Despite them being in a place with so many normal people, she was just sitting there naturally and eating chocolate.

"You haven't been caught?"

She just laughed a little and continued to eat the chocolate.

"You're leveling up with me to help gain a little of your strength back. It's not good for you to be in this place like this."

"So how am I supposed to come out to eat chocolate?" 𝘭𝘪𝘣𝑟𝘦𝘢𝒹.𝘤𝑜𝓂𝙡𝙞𝓫𝙧𝙚𝓪𝒅.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"..."

Jaehwang started to look annoyed and the spirit cleared her throat and handed him a piece of chocolate.

He realized that he might need the spirit's help on the test. He then opened up his summary notebook to review what he had practiced. The hunter test could just be a written test but the biggest problem was the Hunter test specializing in law.

The common questions were easy but most of the useful knowledge was memorized by a face-to-face study.

He read some of the contents in his notebook and what he studied came back to him. He walked into the entrance and later he found himself standing in the exam room's parking lot where he was spotted by a security guard. He then escorted someone into the exam hall.

"Wow... Who is that person?"

"Isn't that someone from the Blue Sky clan?"

He heard people talking outside.

They passed by Jaehwang as they went into the exam room. The guy walking in the front gave him an annoyed look.

"He looks strong."

"He does."

The spirit said in agreement to Jaehwang as she ate her chocolate. The person looked strong and his bodyguard had Mana weapons. His entire body looked muscular, he must be a part of the physical strength hunter class.

If one had him as a bodyguard then he/she would never have a problem. He seemed to be a part of the Blue Sky clan and he looked like he was the manager. He seemed to dislike the attention that he got from everyone.

"What are you looking at, loser?"

The spirit looked one more time and then went back to eating her chocolate. Jaehwang then smiled and answered him.

"Whatever."

Chapter 35

The test results were announced the next day. The university was then filled with mingled joy and sorrow.

"Ah... It fell again."

"It's okay. You could do better next month..."

The students had each other's backs. They were the type of friends who would skip class or have fun at night and of course, they were the type who would console the others who failed the test.

The ratio of succeeding students was 50% and the number of succeeding applicants was unable to be seen. The numbers of those who failed were greater than those who did. Their surroundings were filled with a lot of disappointed faces with a few smiling faces wandering around.

And Jae Hwang? Well, of course, he passed. He didn't memorize everything but he did great on the test with the help from the spirit. He didn't get help from the spirit on every subject, she just helped him with one subject and he did the remaining ones on his own. He didn't know everything too well except for those who were considered as common knowledge. He was not smart so he crammed everything into his head for the past month and mastered it.

"Congratulations to those of you who have passed. Tomorrow is the physical fitness test and skill practice so be sure to rest up."

The instructor came in and explained the upcoming schedule before leaving. Everyone then talked to each other and discussed how hard the test was.

However, Jaehwang did not spend his time there and instead, he went into his room to deal with the burden of his fight. The university's cost was originally lowered after the first month but when the director saw Jaehwang's progress, he started to give him freebies. He didn't care much so went to spend the night in a motel close to the Korean Hunter Secretariat of Daegu.

He didn't move just to try and avoid people, he needed to find a place where he could sleep. He needs himself to be in the best condition to pass the physical test and skill practice. He won't be able to get a good night's rest since the people who didn't pass were sure to party till dawn.

He woke up the next day at daybreak. Jaehwang did some light stretching and put on a custom-made vest that weighed up to two hundred kilograms. He ran until he was drenched with sweat, it was the kind of workout he was looking for.

He went back to the motel and dried himself off after running for ten kilometers. He then ate a big breakfast and changed into a newly washed training clothes after he took a shower. He felt refreshed and went back to the hunter secretariat branch office.

There were still people there that showed up before him even though he came early. They all wore training clothes that looked clean and new. A few of the guys had an ideal muscular build and they all stood at the path of the dawn wind, inviting the female students' subtle glare. 𝓁𝒾𝒷𝘳ℯ𝘢𝑑.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Jaehwang went over to sit on the bench. He wore a plain white colored training outfit and no one noticed him until the class began.

"That..."

Someone walked over towards him and spoke. He looked back and saw a tall person looking down at him. She was wearing a worn out training suit just like Jaehwang and she looked to be in her early thirties.

"You don't know me but, is it okay if I sit here?"

"Sure."

Jaehwang approved of her request and she sat down next to him and started to talk.

"I had to wreck my brain out so I could pass that writing test, I'm really worried about what would happen in the physical fitness test and the skill practice."

"Ah. Me too."

He didn't give her that much attention since he was bored but she continued to talk even though he only gave her his disinterested replies.

"Those who had a lot of money specialized their practice in the physical training center and they would also get healthier with the help of some professionals. Sigh... I just came here to learn basic martial arts, I do my workout in the local health center but I don't know if those people could come along. You seem worried too."

Maybe the clothes that Jaehwang wore made him look less fit than he actually was. He had no money to spare since the life of a hunter was already full of challenges and despite that, his limits were nonexistent.

"Yea."

Jaehwang wasn't someone who really cared about money so he wasn't concerned about what people thought.

A guy with a muscular figure stood in front of the other students as they continued to talk to each other. He was wearing professional training clothes. He was the guy who's in charge of the health center in the neighborhood and he mentioned that they were about to train through a systematic balance to get muscles.

"I'm so jealous."

"He is really cool."

Jaehwang said as he shook his head. He wasn't wrong, he did look really cool.

But Jaehwang wasn't really jealous of his muscles. Of course getting fit like that was not an easy task, it was just that it wasn't his goal. Their goals were so simple. The status window then appeared and he turned the switch to the lowest setting.

He reinforced the strength of his muscles in the status window. His pure strength, speed, and endurance were all still in training. Jaehwang's build was just right for his style of fighting and with that, his body build does not concern him. The shirt he was wearing was just a little loose since he was naturally skinny.

That was the reason why the person that sat beside him couldn't tell that he was quite strong. Jaehwang knew exactly the extent of his abilities and that's why he was confident that he was much stronger than others. His muscles were compact and dense despite his medium build. No one would be able to compete against him in an actual fight.

There was another thing that the spirit said about Jaehwang's abilities. While being a Gagseog, he was also distributed and remade by his ancestors. All of the strength from his ancestors that had piled up for the past few hundred years were given to him by the spirit. With that strength, Jaehwang was incomparable with anything or anyone else.

Jaehwang was deep into his thoughts and the person next to him continued to talk before she eventually left the bench. An hour passed by and the other applicants arrived in their cars. There were about fifty of them that showed up.

-Jaehwan, who is that looking at you?

The spirit asked after she noticed that one of the applicants looked at him. He could feel that someone was clearly staring at him as well.

It was an attractive man about 180 centimeters tall. He was wearing an expensive training outfit and looked to be in his early twenties. There were other people there with great muscles but his body looked like a beautifully defined drawing. The girls over his side kept looking as they talked to each other.

-He doesn't look evil, he just looks kind of annoyed. Maybe you did something to make him angry?

-Oh please...

What the spirit said was not just a joke, Jaehwang could already see that he was angry. He stared at him but he then averted his gaze when Jaehwang looked over.

-Do you know that person?

-Sali Song...

-Who's Sali Song?

"Darn..."

He was the current youngest in the Blue Sky clan. Every time he looked back at him he turned away. Jaehwang was trying to ignore it but he just couldn't. He wasn't sure about his intentions.

'He's a hybrid applicant just like me... He was also first on the writing test...'

The top score for the hunter license writing test wasn't announced to others as the principal orders but a score of 280 won him the second place so he was curious about who took the first spot. He was known as the university's number one and that's how all this started.

His pride was hurt for the first time. He knew that he was a top hunter in the clan and he was also there for a hybrid license so Jaehwang wanted to know more about him.

"You can never lose to someone like that."

Sage was the most important thing for the hunter license exam. The day was set for the physical fitness test and skill practice so it was great to see that everyone was ready as they wore their training outfits. They all understood what was going to happen thus, no one wore any shabby clothing.

"He's here today."

The fact that he was also there for his hybrid license increased the tension in his surroundings. Today was something he waited and trained for, there was a chance that he would stand above everyone else and get his certificate but he couldn't deny that the competition would be tough.

"The writing test may be finished but there's always more left to do."

Time had passed by and they finished the attendance check before they started the physical strength practice training. They all had received their numbers and Jaehwang was number 11.

"Gather around everyone ."

Jaehwang stuck the number on his chest and walked towards the crowd that gathered in front of the podium. The instructor stood in front of the podium and raised her voice. Her big stomach was outlined by her black training outfit. Everyone could find fault at her florid and indecent way of talking but they could all see that she was a hunter loyal to their country.

She was enthusiastic during her talk and the applicants before her just gave her back a blank stare. She then stepped down from the podium after her speech and issued the participants to start with a ten-kilometer run as the first part of the practice.

"Everyone in the physical strength system, please gather over here."

The physical strength and magic system participants would have a different experience during the test. Jaehwang who was going for his hybrid license was not so bad at the physical system as a Gagseog.

"You will be carrying a weight of up to one hundred kilograms. Unless you're putting on a different one, never take off your vest. If you do then you would be eliminated."

Jaehwang listened to her instructions as he closely examined the issued vest. The one that he usually uses had the same shape and weight except what he got was quite old. He tied the buckle around himself and fastened it as tight as possible. However, it would still dangle on his body every time he tried to move.

He watched as others put on their vests but the size seemed to fit them just fine except for the ones that were handed to the guys. It looked as if they intended this to happen for the first part of their test.

Chapter 36

Swoog...

He placed some pressure on the old weighted vest and after that, he finally had better control over its buckles. The clothes still didn't fit but they had completely stopped dangling around.

"Hmm..."

It was not a problem for him. Although what he wore was not his best choice, a ten-kilometer run while carrying a hundred kilograms would not be so hard.

"Did I make a mistake?"

He knew everything that he needed to know for the physical fitness test and practiced every day but he didn't know that the vest would be his problem.

He's the only one who had a hard time. He tried to complain but everyone had the same so he couldn't really do anything about it. He thought that if he had undergone the same training as them, he would have the same build and he wouldn't have this kind of problem.

"This isn't working."

He adjusted the buckle as tight as he could and started running. He was irritated, he clenched his mouth to the point that his gums would bleed if he didn't have teeth.

"This current sports field had a wheel of five hundred meters. That's twenty wheels. Be careful when you're running and get past any unavoidable scuffling. If you can't run then you'll be eliminated, we'll keep a close watch so we can decide who should or shouldn't pass. I hope that no one gets hurt so be careful."

He finished his speech and the others who looked more fit laughed as they glared at Jaehwang's skinny body. He wasn't clueless about what they were laughing about, in fact, he had a plan.

It was a simple test nonetheless and anyone could ask how such a feat was possible but this was much worse than what he heard in the past. Despite that, he wanted to beat them all.

-Why are these people treating you like this?

The spirit gave off an annoyed tone as she noticed their behavior.

-I don't know, I was also wondering why.

He asked himself was it because he wore shabby clothes? Was it because his body type was different from theirs? He didn't know the reason, but of course he didn't care and he didn't want to know.

Jaehwang just said that he didn't know the spirit's question. Was it because he was wearing shabby clothes? If not, then was it because he didn't have muscles like them? He didn't know the reason, but of course, he didn't care and didn't want to know. He just hoped that they would stop.

He didn't notice that he made a mistake. That was the reason they had something to laugh about. They had put pressure on him and he just ignored it, the situation was about to get worse but then he heard the instructor's voice.

"Ready! Set... Go!"

Tang!

Everyone started to fling themselves forward at the moment that the gun was shot. They all prepared for the test and they all ran with their full strength, what's different was that they also had a smile on their faces.

"Ouch!"

Someone tripped over after the surprising gunshot and of course, that person was Jaehwang.

"Darn it!"

He wanted to have a good start but he just fell in the ranks. He had a smaller build compared to others and with a training suit older than what they had, he would never be able to catch up.

"I can't lose!"

He jumped back and ran as fast as he could to take the lead once more. Nothing was able to block him as he raised his focus and avoided every other attempt that was made to sabotage him. The gap narrowed down as soon as he took the lead.

He kept his legs going with the thought of winning on his mind. He was supposed to support himself with his abilities but he wanted to take the lead even before using it.

Papa Pag!

He dashed and took the lead. He didn't care about following the way of the sage.

'Huh?... What is he doing?...'

Everyone saw that he failed to control his breathing. He was fast but his two arms weren't even moving. He kept his hands onto the weighted vest and his feet were marching towards the finish line.

He tried to slow himself down by adjusting his breathing but at the moment where he saw them laugh behind his back, he stopped focusing on his breathing and concentrated on working his legs.

'Not today!'

The laughs had made him move so much faster but there was still a long way to go. He knew that he did something unexpected and their smiles were nothing to be concerned about.

One lap...two laps...three laps... He's getting closer to the end of his ten-kilometer run and he was even surprised by his own speed as she started to slow down.

'Leave me alone!'

He clenched his teeth as he felt the others sneering at him. He controlled his speed and continued to finish his run. This whole contest was one of his illusions. Jaehwang stood at the second place in the hybrid license ranking so he wanted to get the first spot and maintain that lead. He didn't know how good things went but he did consider his speed.

An hour passed by before all applicants had reached the finish lines. The others that had rested on the ground looked unhappy and the instructor himself caught his breath as he tried to get their final scores.

There were no losers and everyone was said to have done a great job. But the others lying on the ground felt disappointed with their performance in the physical strength assignment. The other had taken a break but Jaehwang remained in his place. His heart was beating fast and he had to focus and control it.

"I see a lot sitting on the ground! You all could see your instructor taking a rest but that doesn't mean that you should as well. If everyone doesn't get up right now, they will all be eliminated!"

The instructor yelled and commanded them to stand. He looked like he was looking at monsters that he's going to hunt. Jaehwang shrugged and took off his vest before he started stretching.

He just smiled and didn't think of anything. He didn't want to anger those who failed the first assignment. He asked himself why hasn't it ended yet. It felt like there was going to be a test at the end of the day and if no one exerted some effort then they would get eliminated.

He didn't rest. He held onto his shaking legs and took a deep breath. He failed to control his breathing in the first half so he's more exhausted than he should be. It didn't look like it but he knew himself that he failed the first test. He couldn't help but clench his fist in exhaustion. Someone gave him an angry look at the back of his head but they then all turned around and just walked away.

He didn't like to be recognized and he only wanted to run faster than him. He studied the skill and that's why he was able to win, he asked himself how they could hate him.

'I had to.'

Winning was the only thing on his mind. He wasn't very persistent about it but he was recognized and he felt that it would only get worse. The others had noticed how faster he was compared to them. 𝒍𝒊𝒃𝒓𝙚𝙖𝙙.𝓬𝙤𝙢

'It had to be done.'

Tension filled the air around him. The instructor sat on a chair and she gave them all a mean smile.

She announced the second activity and it was a maze. It wasn't a usual one since the gimmick was they had to find a person inside. The walls were one meter high and the paths were narrow and straight. It was kind of easy. She said that ten people would come in at the same time for this activity. The first ten people to finish were the first batch to enter since they had the most rest and of course, Jaehwang won't be able to show his talents this time.

Because of the work that he displayed in the first part, he was the one they had to find inside the maze. They didn't even think of escaping when they came to fight him. Jaehwang was one step ahead so he left the maze and went out to enjoy the sun to relax as they ate a chocolate ball. He didn't have to worry about his elimination. With that, he skipped the third and fourth activity without a worry on his record until he reached the last activity.

The name of the activity was 'Avoid the trap' and the rules were simple. There's an area filled with special items and the applicants are ordered to take something as quickly as possible. It was impossible to get injured by the traps but he had to avoid them when he tried to get inside.

"Darn, am I getting weaker?"

The employee in charge of managing the last game's special items just came by and the head instructor spit on the floor as soon as he saw the instructions. It was different from the other games, the traps could now possibly attack the applicants and he needed them to go inside a particular space.

He warned them that they could get hurt since his career had to remain spotless. The head director wanted to just ignore what he said but he didn't want to cause harm to the Daegu station hunter system either.

A few hours passed and the head director warned the applicants before they went into the trap.

"I'm sorry. I have to make a living as well..."

He then operated the count panel and increased the level of difficulty. The level of difficulty for speed was 2.5 but he increased it to 3. Knowing that with every existing variable and their enlightened skills, it should have been no problem...

The level was then turned up to five, their highest standard. The applicant's abilities were at its lowest and all their luck ran out. The instructor just stood there hoping that no one would get hurt.

"Number 11 finished!"

It was something that no one could have guessed.

Someone who they thought would get eliminated was able to escape and finish first. He was fast, it was like he went in and walked straight all the way through.

"How is this possible?"

The instructor quickly checked the counter panel. The level of difficulty was clearly raised. It should have been almost impossible for the applicants but this managed to pass through. He could have never guessed this at the beginning and he even came out without any wounds at all. He didn't understand how it was possible.

He was flustered. He tried to check and see if he made a mistake in the setup but then another applicant came out through the exit and he got frustrated and felt as if he was tearing apart on the inside.

Chapter 37

The first trap had knives sticking out of the walls and there were delayed electric saw blades coming out of the floor. They had to lower their heads and jump at the same time or roll forward to avoid it.

It would be too dangerous if some were to screw up so they slowed down the knives and and the saw were covered by a thick layer of cloth. The greatest damage that they could get was just a scratch but the applicants got nervous when they ramped up the speed of the traps. There was a chance that the saw would get them every time they would lower their heads.

That became their fatal mistake. The contents of the physical strength test were widely spread so that's what they practiced for. They thought that it was something where they could just close their eyes and pass but the real thing was three times more than what they practiced.

"Argh!"

The instructor ran in and yelled as soon as they heard an awful scream.

"Stop the test! Stop the test! Healer! We need a healer!"

The electric saw carved into the participant's chest and spilled his blood everywhere. They called in a healer and one immediately ran into the scene.

The healer then looked at the wound in the applicant and knitted his brows. The electric knife stab in his chest was almost standard.

"Recovery!"

The healer placed his hands over the wound and started to use his recovery skill. He closed off the wound but the clutter of blood left on the floor worried the instructors and made the step back. They knew that if the healing took too long, it would have been too late.

"Should we call 911?"

"Ah. Yes."

They didn't hesitate calling 911.

"Where's the employee that bought the trap?!"

One of the instructors yelled. The employee in charge of the count panel on the second floor made his escape, everything turned to be a disaster.

"What are we going to do!?"

"The equipment... It looks like there was an error."

They used an excuse to defend themselves..

"Gosh... Let's just go with that!"

The constructor had a confused look on his face, an applicant almost died they would most likely be complaints. At worst they would just get discharged but if he really did die, even the instructors could be fired. Their status alone couldn't save them unless they were a part of a clan.

"You're fired! Go away!"

"...O-Okay..."

The employee suddenly lost his job. He screwed up and he tried to explain it to his supervisor but he still got the worst case scenario delivered to him.

"Keug! Keuouog!"

With the healer's help, the wound was closed but then the applicant started to cough up some blood.

"Wh...what's going on!"

"He's internally bleeding! Heal him from the inside!"

"Healing can't be done inside the body!"

The healer panicked and answered the instructor.

"The wound was closed. The problem is that the electric blade's cut was too deep. The healing skill worked but, it's now coming out of his mouth"

"This is a disaster..."

The supervisor got frustrated and looked around for another solution. The blood rushed out like water from a hose, it was too much to bear until one of the applicants came into the scene.

"Step aside."

"What is it!"

The healer shouted at the applicant that tried to push him aside.

"I am a healer, too."

The participant tried to reach him out but the leader blocked him with his hand.

"Normal healing skills won't work! After it's healed then the wound will just later come back again! You would have to be a specialist for it to work..."

He was right. There would be no risk if a specialist were to do it since they had a lot of surgical knowledge on top of that. This healer obviously didn't have that kind of knowledge.

"What is your name?"

Asked the supervisor.

"Jeon Jaehwang."

The supervisor's face had turned to stone at the moment he heard his voice. He saw in the documents that he was one of the only two hybrid license applicants that he had ever seen. He was also the applicant that got the highest grades in the activities for that day. It was a decision that involved a lot of risks but they didn't have a choice.

"Alright. I'll give you a chance."

Jaehwang gave him a nod before he stretched his arm. Everyone was nervous when Jaehwang's hand started to restore the wound on both sides.

"What's going on?!"

It proved quite difficult to heal. The wound was then again torn open and the supervisor tried to get his hands onto him. However, the healer understood what he was doing and stopped the supervisor in his tracks.

"Stop, please!"

"He's making it worse!"

"If I'm correct then I know exactly how he would fix it."

"What do you mean?"

"Watch closely." 𝒍𝒊𝙗𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅.𝓬𝒐𝓶

The supervisor covered his mouth and watched the process in confusion.

"Huh?"

The patient's chest was ripped open but he stopped coughing blood and looked more at ease. It looked unusual but when Jaehwang hovered his hands over the wound, it started to heal slowly.

It wasn't long before Jaehwang completely healed the wound like nothing happened.

"I didn't know you had a high ranked resurrection skill?"

The healer shook his head as he started to see why he was ahead of all other applicants. He made a mistake and Jaehwang came to fix it. The healer thought that maybe he had some kind of medical knowledge but he only healed it with his senses.

It had to be an illusion.

-But there's a lot of blood on the inside.

-There was nothing I could do.

The spirit inside of him helped.

"I've finished healing him but there's still a lot of blood on the inside. He'll have to get a medical procedure tomorrow."

"Ah... Thank you."

The instructor thanked him in a polite tone since the participant's life was saved and the instructor didn't have to lose his job. The authorities then came and brought him to the nearest hospital. It felt like a long hour had passed by but the ambulance came and left within just twenty minutes.

"Huh... The ambulance is gone?"

The head instructor went and asked the instructor as if an accident never even happened.

"Ah, yes sir, everything's been solved"

There were ten people who passed the hunter test but only five of those people would be selected. The hunter test was made to measure one's ability, they had taken some precaution but their current instructor was an ordinary person and didn't have much experience. All she had was the skills and the level of influence second to the supervisor.

"That's a relief. Now let's resume the test. The error could be fixed and everything should be fine..."

The head instructor said and the other instructor answered back.

"Sir."

"Huh? What more is there to say?"

He then answered his question.

"The healing was a success, I do believe that number eleven's skills proved his qualification"

It was a little early but they all saw his outstanding abilities and he fixed the situation based on the instructor's judgment. Gagseog would need to take a test before they could decide on something like this but he healed a critically injured person while everyone was panicking. No one could deny that he had good control of his skills. Jaehwang thought that the supervisor would have nothing against the instructor's opinion but he was different than he thought.

"I think that all future treatments should be done with just placing a finger on the wound to be qualified. Wouldn't that be a good idea?"

"Huh?"

He then answered back simply.

"You didn't hear what I said?"

"Uh... I heard it, I'm sorry"

He didn't understand what the supervisor meant so he just went along with it. He did not want to start an argument with the one who had a higher status than him so he made a wide choice by agreeing to him.

"Ooh... But, that guy's mana reserves was great, wasn't it?"

The fact that it was a high ranked skill meant that it consumes a lot of mana. The effects were outstanding and delicate, that's why everyone thought of it as a big deal. Especially for a wound like that, healing it would eat a lot of the caster's mana.

With that out of the way, Jaehwang sat down on a nearby bench to get his energy back and fill his [Mana Consumption] skill. Even though he had a greater reserve against everyone, his special skills still eat up a whole lot more compared to the common ones.

"I hope that the applicants will be taking the last test!"

He heard the supervisor yell from afar.

-Your recovery is at fifty percent.𝙡𝙞𝓫𝒓𝙚𝒂𝓭.𝓬𝒐𝓶

Jaehwang looked at the status window without a word. The recovered Mana was never anything besides one hundred percent. Of course, it was still higher like his skills compared to the others but with what just happened, he realized that there were a lot of things that he should consider. Thus, it was not high enough to calm him down especially because Jaehwang was a hybrid hunter applicant and he had to participate in the magic test as well.

-You ungrateful jerk! Do you not care that I helped you?!

The spirit yelled after she sensed that he was disappointed.

-That's enough... I don't want to start over.

Jaehwang got up and even though it was a little early, he got some of his energy back after he spent his time on the bench. His mana would recover naturally but its rate would be faster if he was even more relaxed.

-Are you scared?

-Not really...

He was feeling disappointed. He just couldn't talk at that moment, he didn't wish for it to happen but if he didn't spend his mana then the other applicant wouldn't be able to survive.

Chapter 38

The practical skill test had begun. Each skill that the Gagseog had would be judged by an instructor although they weren't sure how they would evaluate their abilities. Unlike the previous parts of the exam, this segment didn't draw a clear line from winning or losing but since they would assess three people at the same time, it wasn't completely ruled out.

As they said, this practical skills test was there simply to measure everyone's battle strength. It wasn't just to determine their battle proficiency, they would also measure their knowledge and how they would utilize their greatest skill to support others in the middle of a fight.

"The physicality system applicants would be the first to start. Please come forward when I call your name. The first field would have numbers three and five. The second would have numbers ten and twenty-four and the third field would be for eight and eleven!"

The instructor called their names through the mic and those who were called stepped forward. The instructor got confused when he saw Jaehwang took a step, he didn't want someone to end the game too fast and make it look like it was too easy even though the mana he spent would come back naturally.

Jaehwang was a little nervous when he walked into the third round field. The other person looked to be about two meters taller. He was one of the applicants in the physical strength system and his muscles were like armor by itself. Even his vitality was unusual, his eyes just looked through Jae Hwang with a calm demeanor.

"I will now explain the rules of this game. You will be fighting with each other. Although bladed weapons are banned, you may use your artifacts if you had one. We have taken the liberty to offer you a selection of weapons that you may use but if you wanted to use someone else's weapon then you would have to check with your assigned instructor in advance. Finally, refrain from reinforcing your cutting skills and if someone fights in a way that would risk the other combatant's life, they would be automatically eliminated."

The instructor went to the giant weapon shed and came out carrying a huge war hammer, a shield, and a typical arm armament. He wondered about what kind of skills his opponent had. Jaehwang knew about his own physical prowess but he would fight a high ranked applicant in the physical strength system.

Jaehwang took out his black fighting stick. His opponent's weapon was very similar to his; small, thin and looked like it could break with just one hit. Jaehwang took his weapon of choice and gave it to the instructor standing in the middle of the field. It looked like it was made from a tree branch but he was surprised to find that it was quite heavy.

"It's quite sturdy."

"Yeah"

"It's great."

The instructor shook his head and gave back the stick to Jaehwang. He won't forget that one small word.

"Your friend's would be using a shield and two tanker skills."

Jaehwang was a bit surprised that he hadn't thought of that. The instructor then smiled and followed,

"That's all I can tell you or else the game won't be fair."

Jaehwang gave him a slight nod. He couldn't imagine how the fight would go but he appreciated the instructor's thoughtfulness.

"Begin!"

The three sets of fighters began to fight. The first two fields were filled with violent clashing sounds of metal, however, the third field remained quiet.

Jaehwang slowly walked towards the giant covered with a shield. He was skinny and wore shabby clothing and the person that stood in front of him was towering and was packed with muscles. He wasn't that much stronger than him but he still felt that he needed to be careful.

Jaehwang stood on his ground and kept a light grip with both of his hands. It wasn't exactly a normal martial arts stick. There was usually something at the tip that he would use to hit the opponent with but he was just using his stick for the sole purpose of blocking.

'What a reckless gaze...'

He thought to himself nervously. He started to analyze his opponent's habits even before the fight had started but all he had found out was that his eyes behaved like an inorganic matter.

'Darn it...'

He didn't know Jaehwang's intention walking up to him but he started the fight with a huge assault.

"Hayaa!"

He roared and dashed in front of him. It wasn't just a simple run, there were layers of white energy protecting his body and it felt like nothing could break it. Jaehwang did not move to defend himself and instead, he ran towards him and started to spin his stick.

He took a big step and hit him in his armor. He was pushed back and felt like all of his strength had disappeared. He tried to pull his shield away but his momentum was broken when Jaehwang stabbed him in his elbow.

He panicked and used his other hand to smash his head with a war hammer. It was then stopped when Jaehwang smacked his wrist before wounding it up again to continue his attacks.

Papapag! Papag!

Jaehwang spun his stick at a rapid speed and continued to hit him with relentless strikes.

Whoosh!

All he could do was yell. He tried to endure it as much as he could since he couldn't really block his attacks anymore. He knew that he needed to fight back but he needed to be extremely careful of his enemy's movements. He had a plan and he couldn't waste it, he needed to set it up for a perfect moment for a counterattack so he started to shift his weight by changing the position of his foot.

But his plans were foiled. Jaehwang's attacks were light at first but it then got stronger so he placed himself back into defense to shield himself away from the pain as much as possible. The only problem he had was that he didn't know that there was a spirit guiding Jae Hwang with his actions.

He got fed up of getting hit over and over again so he tossed his shield away to try and fight back. Jahwang then took this as an opportunity to attack his open arms and head before he pushed through and continued to strike his sides and knees.

"St... Stop!"

The instructor shouted but Jaehwang just got faster.

Papapag! Papapag! Papapag!

He took a step back, he wound up and grabbed the bottom end of his stick so he could do a full powerful swing. It looked like a blow that could dent his skull but he stopped right before it hit.

He stopped his the time had passed by about thirty minutes. Their fight started late compared to the others but it ended much faster.

"Number eleven is the winner!"

The instructor waved his hand towards Jae Hwang.

"Whew..."

He took a deep breath and gave him a nod before he went back to his spot. The instructor wore a frightened look towards the aftermath of their fight. He felt worried at first even though he knew about both of their skills but he didn't know that this would turn out to be brutal and extreme.

The moment that he called the fight and made it stop, the others turned their heads in surprise.

"Whoa..."

It was a perfect victory. It was like a fighting scene in a movie and everyone was in awe. Jaehwang then just went back to his spot and sat with his stick resting on his knee before he closed his eyes. People then started to walk up to him and ask questions but it was clearly not the right time to approach him.

-Were you angry?

-What was that?𝑙𝒾𝒷𝘳𝑒𝑎𝘥.𝒸ℴ𝓂

-How did you learn how to fight like that?

-Do I not know you?

Jaehwang just smiled at the spirit's unenthusiastic questions. Some might have taken him to be gentle and forgiving in this world but he wasn't that type of a person.

-I just... I just did it as I wanted to.

Jaehwang answered with all honesty. The thing that he needed the most right now was not the energy that he spent. Stopping to avoid his movements took a lot more effort compared to continuing and pressing on with his attacks. The spirit then asked how he could sense him with the end of his stick.

-Was it refreshing?

-To an extent...yes

-I didn't know you could do that... So many people were so surprised. After doing something amazing like that, then you should give the arrow a try again...

-My energy would come back later. That's enough...

-Fine.

There were no other participants that made as much of an impact as he did. He used all of his strength to win. After a one hour lunch, the magic system applicant test then started.

"Number eleven." 𝑙𝒾𝒷𝘳𝑒𝑎𝒹.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Jaehwang kept his eyes shut as he walked over to the instructor. He then opened it up as soon as he heard his voice once more.

"Number eleven, since you're an aspiring healer and magic learner, your job would be to heal someone when they get hurt during the game."

Jaehwang replied with a nod.

"Got it."

"And..."

The instructor then looked as if he was about to say something else but he just shut his mouth and stopped talking all of a sudden. Jaehwang then gave him a doubtful look but the instructor just gave him a smile before saying,

"If anything goes wrong, please fix it right away."

"..."

He didn't know what he meant by that and the instructor didn't hear Jaehwang's answer before he walked away. Jaehwang just smiled and closed his eyes once again.

The instructor's head supervisor was expected to be observing from the second floor. He went up the stairs, opened the window and held onto its handle. He then heard the voice of the head supervisor from out of the open.

"What is it, supervisor?"

He said with a nervous note but the head supervisor actually seemed more nervous as he spoke.

"If it's not an inconvenience, can I talk to you later about something?"

"It is a big inconvenience, I'm very busy."

The instructor insisted. He didn't know what the head supervisor had to say, it could be something important but he felt that he was too busy for it. The head supervisor had a hard job at the Daegu Branch office so he had to say what he had to say. If he cant' solve this problem then he would live in regret for the rest of his life.

Chapter 39

"Supervisor, I know that you were worried about your job at that time and I hope that that doesn't happen again. You should see applicant eleven, I don't know why but he's too strong. His eyes looked like he had seen and experienced death. His grades are far from everyone else, he even came first among the physical strength test applicants."

"We had to lower the risks of accidents and that's why we're considering the lowest of options. We have our position to consider and we can't let ourselves be put in a terrible situation. If we start another game then even I would have nothing to say to my superiors."

His face turned blue in fright as he looked at the supervisor before raising his voice.

"Please check his evaluation score too, I'm sure you won't find any faults in his grades or scores. I don't care whoever you had to bribe, I wouldn't just let a talented person pass by due to my personal greed. I might even complain about this to the main bosses! Do you understand?"

He never had the guts to speak up during these past years but now, he kept his gaze at his supervisor as if he didn't care about what could happen. He expected that his supervisor would turn red and threaten him but he just tilted his head. It was normal for him to behave that way but instead of being angry, he was shaking as if he was nervous.

After a brief moment of silence, he turned his back and spoke with an eerie tone.

"Hm... I didn't know it was such a funny story."

The tension grew further as fear had started to mix with the air between them. The supervisor then understood the problem they were facing. He turned around and he spoke with a calm, serious voice.

"This is something that the boss might misunderstand..."

He heard him mention his boss and he returned his gaze as if he was looking at a pile of rotten meat. Both of them exchanged a look with cold eyes.

"It looks like I have nothing more to tell you."

"...Oh..."

He went back to his chair until someone pushed the door and walked inside his office.

The supervisor greeted the two rivals that entered but he saw the other one first. He was wearing a cool modernized hanbok and he had gray hair. His outfit was simple but he looked like a strong-minded person with energy overflowing through his body.

"Ahem..."

The moment that they got to look at his face, they couldn't believe who just stood in front of their eyes. They met a living legend, a hunter that belonged in the Republic of Korea that some might even consider a myth.

The boss.

His dense energy had overtaken the atmosphere around the office. There were hundreds of hunters a long time ago but even if you would combine all of their capabilities, they would still not come close to what he could do. There were seven kinds of them, all of them were admired as they were feared.

He was called a legend and a God. He later became the head supervisor of the Republic of Korea Hunter office and his name was Hwang JeongMin.

"How do we tell the boss..."

The supervisor's mind went blank. It wasn't long before he got it together, he realized that his reason for coming here was no longer important.

It felt like there was a launch button in front of him. He knew that that button would release a missile but then that normal missile was suddenly replaced by a nuclear bomb. The boss's presence alone was scarier than its destructive blast.

'What should I do...'

He wanted help to fix his current situation and the man that stood before him had the ability to do so. His gestures seemed that there might be a chance of replacement of low leveled employees in their company.

He held his breath before he spoke with his shaking voice.

"Follow me."

"Yes!... Okay."

He cheered up as soon as he heard him speak. The supervisor's thoughts had stopped after that one world, he knew that he had to behave and follow him.

"Let's go."

"Yes!"

"What should I say... Where should I start to avoid making a mistake?"

He bent down and looked at the tile pattern on the floor as he thought of something that his supervisor had mentioned. He was issued the position in the Daegu branch and he had been there for over twenty years. During that time, he improved his strength and got stronger.

He adequately begged, accommodated, trampled and bribe-offered to get to this point.

He remembered what happened on the second-floor observatory. This matter could no longer be ignored since the VIP's self-control was requested. He held that person accountable and dropped him. That accident had resulted in a drastic change.

The Korean Republic Hunter Secretariat's head senior and official boss had held onto many secrets. One had to be seen and achieve a high score to even be able to get a glimpse of it but the problem was they didn't know what they should achieve.

There were seven types of hunters that were forgotten and they thought that they could handle them with ease. It was supposed to be perfect but he acted as if they had no control over him. He racked his brain until one of his employees came. They arrived here about four hours earlier and they were also the ones who hurried towards the noise coming from the accident.

They tried their best and all of that went to waste. A bigger problem even appeared, the company was failing and they were desperate for help.

"Do I have any responsibilities here?"

"Uh...Ah, yes! Huh... The hunter training department needs the head supervisor. We would appreciate it if he paid this messy place a visit. Our head supervisor Hwang JeongMin."

"Hm... I didn't know you knew this place so well. Good... Take the lead."

"Me? Okay! Where should we start..."

"I want to see what's downstairs. Why haven't we done that?"

"No!"

There was no way that he could refuse his orders so he introduced him and commanded others without really thinking. The problem had then turned out worse.

"Uh... It's not done yet!"

He hesitated about getting off of his chair. He walked over to the side as if he had no interest in the gathering to begin with. Everything was pretty much hidden before they revealed something to him.

"I can do it. This... However this situation goes..."

He staggered to the window and opened it. The moment that his boss turned his back, he began to whisper.

"Quietly step back. From now on, track down all the people you've contacted."

"Jeongmyeong!"

He bowed and at the moment where he tried to get a glimpse of his boss, he suddenly disappeared like a mirage.

"I didn't know when the trash got cleaned up."

Those words felt cold as it brushed up his spine. With everything that he said, he figured out that the Yeongnam Station's Hunter association would get themselves into a huge storm. However the old guy just looked towards Jeongmyeong without the slightest care.

"Well then, should we go meet that fun guy?"

He sat on the corner of the stadium with a gloomy look on his face.

-Someone's coming towards you!

Jaehwang opened his eyes as soon as heard the spirit's whisper. He could already sense that that person was powerful since he had that sensation before but the only difference was that he felt like he's got some work to do.

Jaehwang and the old guy locked each other in their eyes. They hugged and that's when he figured out that he was strong. His strength couldn't be compared to the ones he had met before, his foot even had more strength compared to the combined power of everyone that he met.

-There aren't many people like him in this world today.

The spirit said in a serious voice and even she was surprised. She did her best at helping Jae Hwang for these past two years and she did improve her had reached her limit and got back to her original strength once again. It took quite some time but she knew that she was now stronger compared to before, but that confidence was then shattered by the presence of that old man.

It crossed through her mind. If this person turned out to be bad she wouldn't be too sure if she could protect Jae Hwang. Nevertheless, losing all of what she had recovered all this time would be worth it compared to the prize and the person that they would get rid off.

-Don't worry. 𝑙𝒾𝒷𝘳𝑒𝑎𝒹.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Jaehwang said to the spirit.

-I'll protect you.

-...

The spirit didn't say anything. The old man stood in place so he got up from his seat and bowed with respect. Jaehwang maintained his eye-contact until the old man spoke for the first time.

"What is your name?"

"My name is Jaehwang."

"What a great name."

If anyone saw this scene then they would think that it was just a typical talk between a grandpa and his young boy. The old man then left and brought him along to his companions that had already stopped the practical skills test.

They were showing off their magic skills in combat until the timer had stopped. They were left standing around, not knowing what they were supposed to do after that. The combatants just stared at each other but it wasn't long before they started chatting without the slightest care in the world.𝓁𝘪𝑏𝑟ℯ𝒶𝑑.𝑐ℴ𝘮

"I didn't know using a stick weapon would be so fun."

He then smiled.

Chapter 40

"Are you that fun guy?"Jaehwang let out a slight smile and answered him while the others had their mouths open in surprise.

"Who was that in front of him making him smile?"

"That old guy's name was pretty well known during the final of my middle school too."

The others had continued to murmur. The boss would usually say that it was only a petty trick and worthless but would just say that it was all common sense.

He got scars on both of his fists suggesting the number of monsters that he picked a fight with. There were times that he would fight until his hands bled and he hid that fact when he was at the peak of his career. Of course, his damages weren't the one to blame for his team's death but during those lawless times, he was an angel of death to the world's most harmful insects-like garbage.

A practice of martial arts like that would be considered fun and he asked Jaehwang about it.

"There is something I want to ask you."

"What is it?"

Jaehwang held his tongue since the situation didn't seem so good for him. He could feel the old man's immense energy. It was enough to make everyone around him kneel but he won't bow down. For that would sully his pride as their family's last descendant.

He was the representative of his ancestors and that's why he embraced it all. He would not show respect even if he was to die a painful death.

"Wow... What an amazing kid."

The energy surging out of him disappeared in an instant. He couldn't just believe that he had experienced death and their small interaction got him even more curious.

"It was really impressive seeing you use that stick as a weapon."

Jaehwang gave him a slight nod.

"I thought at first that you didn't even know how to use a fighting stick. It even broke in the middle of the fight but when I continued to watch, I realized that I was wrong about you." 𝙡𝙞𝙗𝒓𝙚𝓪𝙙.𝒄𝓸𝓶

He stopped talking and just looked at Jae Hwang. He got embarrassed by what he asked of him. He knew of all the martial arts in the world and he had the confidence to ask about it, however, it was different if someone at this level would be the one to ask him.

"What's the meaning of that emptiness you feel?"

The old man's curiosity was then finally sated.

"I don't think that I am obligated to answer you."

Jaehwang replied with a serious tone as he asked himself if he was referring to the clan's vision. It wasn't much of a big deal even if the old man was taught in a different way. Jaehwang thought that if he couldn't approach him, then he wouldn't be able to see the full extent of his energy.

He responded with a bothered expression as he scratched his head. He then rested both of his hands on his hips and took a deep breath before saying,

"Is there anything that you want?"

"I don't want anything."

GwanJae made a face once again.

There had to be something he could use to help to talk to him but he couldn't think of anything no matter how hard he tried.

His purpose was to persuade him but he didn't think that this would happen. The entire nation had spread out in recent years and the reason that he came here was to find geniuses.

Including a student was not something that he opposed. Things had started to heat up as the advanced invasion of the three elite military groups got fostered. The only problem was that for Jae Hwang, his recruitment tactics don't work.𝑙𝑖𝑏𝓇𝘦𝑎𝒹.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"Wow, I didn't know how worried you were."

Even though his behavior was a little impolite, to him, Jaehwang's behavior was masterful. When he was taught martial arts, he knew that there was a high probability of him meeting someone stronger than him. That was why the omniscient save system had recognized him.

However, Gwanjae transferred skill was the least ranked special skill. So with that, he had to learn all kinds of things so he could improve.

"What are you training for?"

Gwanjae had given up on his thoughts and just asked a straight question. He couldn't stand that his curiosity can't be settled.

"I'll keep that to myself."

Jaehwang raised his voice. He didn't speak so loud but it was the only sound in that space between them. He stood in front of him with a blank stare as he refused to accept Jaehwang's answer.

"Hmm..."

He wasn't worried before but he started to have second guesses with regards to the outcome of their talk. He wanted to know what he was trying to tell him but he was unable to make him talk.

'I'm going to go crazy!'

It was impossible since he would just push honor off of the table. He wanted to stop but his curiosity won over him.

"I'll offer you a suitable reward. Whatever you want."

Jaehwang's expression changed. He didn't sense anything. He looked at the reactions around him but he had never seen someone play through the activities as well as him. This was the best offer that he could give.

"It doesn't matter, rather you win or lose, you are guaranteed to get your hybrid license."

"Well... You could do that?"

"Yes."

"Haha..."

All he needed was for Jaehwang to accept the offer. It was the type of license that couldn't just be given to anyone, not even in their dreams. That's why he was offering it to someone who was clearly worthy of it.

Jaehwang's concern was that there was a chance that their plan or negotiation would be called off or interrupted. He wanted to at least check if his words were true for an old man that came out of nowhere. The head supervisor was already fired from his position and Jae Hwang hasn't heard about that yet.

"Is there any catch to this? This one's a real big opportunity"

"No, there's no catch and everything will go on smoothly."

"Hm... This is really..."

It was something that he wouldn't want to miss out on even though he was still skeptical about it. He didn't have anything that he desired or to be greedy about. He had given it careful thought, he would just deny any other offer but this was something that he couldn't refuse.

"Okay. I'll let you think about it."

His curiosity then stopped.

"Okay."

Jaehwang shook his head as he held his stick in his hands and after a moment, a hint of anger started to ooze out of Gwanjae's face.

"Do you really think that you can't show me the true innate state of the stick martial arts?"

"I can't."

Jae Hwang answered back and rather than being obsessed, he just seemed more bothered.

"Uh... If there is something very dangerous or serious about it then I'll let you know, okay?"

He placed his fist into his chest to calm himself down after he gave him a bow. He wasn't sick but seeing a skillful young man was enough to surprise him.

"You're invincible."

"It's only my energy..."

He shook his head in response to Jaehwang's answer. He could see from the second-floor observatory that his movements during the fight took great strength. It had to have taken all the effort in the world for one to maintain his pace in battle.

"The amount of strength... Your footwork was also outstanding. But do be careful, it could get violent out there."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Yes. You did a fine job..."

"Thank you for your consideration. Well then..."

Jaehwang did a light bow and that time, a hard clash rang on the ground.

Papag!

Jaehwang dashed towards him with a movement that would make a joke out of his earlier fight. He faced the old man and approached him like a beast out to hunt his prey. His feet weren't shaking and he moved through without a sound.

Gwanjae opened up his palm towards him, Jaehwang then shook it while a loud noise in the background had pierced through.

Gwangjae raised his arm like a viper's fang looking to sink its teeth onto something. Jaehwang then spun his stick and their energy started to fly all over the place.

He managed to block his first attack but Jaehwang was able to follow up and strike him on his arm before he aimed for his legs. He felt confident now that he was able to defend himself, however, Jaehwag took a few steps back and launched a surprise attack. After he had gained enough distance, he took a swing at his stomach and ruthlessly kicked him three times.

"You're even using a surprise attack?"

"Sorry."

Jaehwang bowed slightly.

"I'm not even married yet, don't get too cheeky."

A surprise attack could cause an injury to an old man like him but he was just fine.

Even though martial arts were something that one could master with enough practice, there was still a lot to know. Especially to get to their level.

'Ancient war strength martial arts.'

He explained more to GwanGHae to help him understand. They used their improved weapons to improve their technique in an actual fight.

He woke up after the generation mash up and he still had the same age when it started. He was the best martial artist their country has ever had when it happened and he found himself a reason to retire into the deep valleys and high mountains. He distanced himself away from everybody thus, he learned more over time.

He became a natural Gagseog due to his continuous and desperate fights against the monsters for dozens of years. His weapon was his fist and with that, a new style of martial arts appeared as he faced them with all that he had. He was then satisfied.

People had then started to show up and ruthlessly trampled them. They resisted only to be brought to their knees and taken down. Rather than fame, he created a bad name for himself so that he could let his obsession run wild as he pleased.

'I miss you. New ancient martial arts.'

He had always depended on someone else, he had learned new techniques over the course of these past years but he still missed the ancient style of martial arts that he could no longer do. It wasn't in their country, he only saw it being practiced in China. He thought that he could never see it again in Korea, he almost gave up until there came a place where he saw it.

'Use your mana to increase your fighting abilities.'

With his current skills, he wouldn't have that much profit in this business even if he was able to get his hybrid license. If there was one thing that he saw, it was that his energy didn't feel the weight of the real martial arts energy. The tension between them had increased as his lips started to dry out.

"There's one thing left. You have to be cautious."

Chapter 41

Jaehwang nodded in response to the guy's words. He pulled the stick closer to him and charged forward but when he did, he just fell onto the floor.

The destructive energy that was packed inside the stick was strong so GwanJae chose to avoid it as much as possible. Getting hit by it would still be dangerous despite his strength.

"Haha... I didn't know it was this powerful."

He was shocked. He didn't know that it had so much power and he even got more surprised when he tried to look at the mana that he poured into it. It was hard for him to achieve that level of control at some point in time but he was happy that it now became easier to test Jaehwang's martial arts.

Papapah! Pagpag!

He was the man that would usually be sent to fight off monsters and his level was no joke. The old guy swung his fists. He was trying as hard as he could but his speed was still not enough for him to even land a hit. He then used all the strength in his body and rushed at Jae Hwang with his fist.

Surely the seven types of Gags Dogs were taught with some cruel attacks. Jeahwang's stick collided with his fist and made a huge noise. The stick in his hand was perfect for blocking due to its firm elasticity but it got worn out after that hit.

"This was the martial art that I invented for fighting monsters. I defeated them all using simple strikes enhanced by mana consumption techniques."

Instead of making a follow up, GwanJae explained the technique that he just did to him. However, Jaehwang didn't answer and kept his focus on blocking.

"That..."

"It's... Amazing."

They caught the attention of everyone in the gymnasium. They stopped at what they were doing at the sight of this interesting fight. Some of them pondered why someone who applied for a healer had this much skill in terms of fighting. Everyone's excitement grew greater and greater as the hours went by. There were no signs of them stopping anytime soon.

'This may have been a mistake.'

Jaehwang couldn't think much through the battle and GwanJae started to think that his punching could now use some work.

'Voiding and defense focus on the martial arts.'

He continued to block his attacks. He couldn't get inside him but when his defense had started to crack, Jaehwang took the opportunity and aimed for the joints in his arm. He risked it even though there was no guarantee that his skill was greater than his.

'Ha... This is great...'

He wasn't sure of all the possibilities but after seeing his ancient martial arts, he realized that he had to fight him in a different way. He's running low on mana but he still thought that it would be enough. Mana was not the only weapon that a Gagseog possessed, they were given another system that they could use.

"Look back."

GwanJae felt disappointed that he couldn't conquer him with skills alone. He could actually feel the level of his unique skill but he still didn't know that it was just an illusion made by the spirit. She helped him for two years and they had become more familiar with each other. Even though GwanJae's strength could overpower him at any point of their battle, he kept his focus as if it were a straight line.

"It collapsed."

-I estimate a subsequent attack! Avoid it!

He kept an eye on his movements and Jaehwang dodged his fist. He waited for a perfect moment at GwanJae's opposite side and attacked him. He avoided his other incoming attacks with three small movements and that's where he finished it.

-Be careful. He's old... but his eyes still look suspicious.

-I know.

Jaehwang replied in spirit.

"This can't be."

His teeth were left chattering and he could see an image on the side corner of the game field. He wished that he could see himself from before, he didn't realize that he stood in front of a legend just as he hoped for.

"Why... Why! That guy has no essence."

He wasn't even sure how he got his attention. He was able to receive the best Gags Dog procedure, it would even cost around one hundred million to get the same type of treatment he did where they got to touch around his five type characteristics and skills. A normal hunter wouldn't be spending this kind of money to join a raid and level up, they would just buy some Rodeo artifacts and develop their magic skills through it instead.

The limitless skills were expensive. Even if the skill was very significant, a usual rodeo skill could be used with a Gagseog skill. That puts it to be a highly efficient technique with a price not everyone could afford. Getting one of those artifacts would sometimes mean that they would have to ask their family to pay for it first.

With that, they would have to prepare their heart to step up on that game field. He was an absurd old guy. Beasts had ravaged the land but he never stopped training. When others had started to struggle with their fight and ended up falling for alcohol addiction, he directed himself to keep going and reached a higher place.

"That is my place..."

Jealousy burned in Jaehwang's eyes as he felt inferior deep in his heart. Ever since he missed taking the top spot on both the writing and the physical strength test, he did his best to steadily rise up. That was the feeling that he didn't know until now, he felt like that beast that attacked him that night was reborn and he had to experience that same humiliating experience again. In the end, he could still sense something new.

"How could you do this?... How did you do this?..."

GwanJae felt a tingling feeling in his fist so he shook his hand and looked at his palm. He looked at the aftermath of what defended him from Jaehwang's attack. He then stared beyond the stick and went into his eyes.

"How often do you do this?"

Besides martial arts and monsters, he was now even more curious about him than he thought he would be. Still, A Gagrog's battle had its limits; however, an unexpected feeling of greed surged through his heart.

'This guy... I want to finish him.'

He could tell he was a Debauzer as soon as he saw him. He was never just an ordinary guy but others couldn't see it. Being a Debauzer wasn't just an all amazing thing since they were more in charge of performing rituals on ancestral tablets. Some might call it easy but countless ones were not even fit for it, that's why there was a bigger shortage of Debauzers compared to hunters in general. With the thought of being a hunter, a Debauzer would usually have low capabilities and even if they had good skills, they won't be able to achieve this kind of level.

But then a very tempting guy appeared. He didn't want to shoot the consumption in the dimension invasion, he was a guy that really wanted to improve. The only problem was that this guy seemed so nice that he looked like he would never truthfully follow along.

'Should I finish him? He seemed like someone who was unknown to others. Could we study martial arts together and chat? What could I give him? What could he teach me?'

Those were all the thoughts going through his head. He doesn't want anything else and his martial arts were already revealed when they started to fight.

"I'm going to go crazy."

He was then pushed into a new level of greed like a tsunami wave and in that moment he started to fight Jaehwang once again. GwanJae was confused by his own random attacks and was surprised when he found his arm naturally coiled around Jaehwang's stick.

'I'm stuck.'

It crowded his arm and limited his movements as it placed his joints in pain. There was a clear difference in some of their skills but it wasn't long before he got his focus back. He then shook his arm and resumed the fight.

Kwag!

He broke the stick into two.

Kwakwakwa!

He then slammed Jae Hwang into the wall.

Jaehwang coughed and muttered as he picked himself glanced over to his broken stick with a bitter face and looked at GwanGHae before he shook his head.

"Thank you for the lesson."

GwanJae then looked at him with a dispirited expression. He handed out his hand towards Jaehwang as a sign of respect but it was actually his perfect defeat. He just fought a kid and in the end, he couldn't gain that one thing that he wanted. That was all, but when someone would try to look into the details, he used the last of his mana and he considered that as his loss.

Well... There was one thing that he gained.

'That was really amazing... was that monster-like battle censer?... How did he learn something like that...'

He sighed. The fight went well, however, his mood wasn't entirely bad, it was just it was covered by a bigger sense of greed.

'I've got him now. He's all worn out...'

"What kind of applicant are you!"

"How can you fight like that and..."

"Who are you? Are you hiding your skills as a hunter?"

He finished his confrontation and everyone else in the room made a noise as if they just woke up from a sleeping spell. It was like being in the presence of a goblin.

He was either hallucinating or in a dream but that applicant tried to strike him down for about fifteen minutes. He hasn't had his look until now since he was too preoccupied with his stick martial arts.

He didn't think that he would see so many people with such capabilities. The prominent clans' application prospects were put aside. It appeared sacred and talked with them but that person just mocked their imaginative power.

They were about to approach him but they stopped when they felt a vibration around Jae Hwang.

Kwang Kwang Kwang!

GwanJae's weapon fell into the floor and made the whole building vibrate.

"I have a new suggestion for you."

"..."

Jaehwang looked at him with an unenthusiastic expression. He already gained his hybrid license as he didn't need to participate in any more activities with him. It was the most annoying meeting that he could lose. He got his license issued after one year in the national academy and by the last 15 months he was in service and joined a long term expedition. 𝑙𝑖𝘣𝓇𝑒𝒶𝘥.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"You'll be given a level four license."

Jaehwang was preparing to refuse his offer but he stepped back.

'Level four hunter license.'

If possible, the purpose of their fight was never specified, Jaehwang did a good job but now the situation turned out to be more intense. There was a big possibility that he would be given the level four license. All the hunters in the academy wanted a moment like that.

'It's unconditionally involved in the nation mobilization order.'

The expedient used those and avoided a lot of the hunter procedures. There were a lot of unexpected holes in the responsibility clause but, the responsibility clause didn't come into effect after a long stay in the dimension gate. They received national authorization in the clan and that did them a favor. They were always standing by the dimension gate with the files to avoid the responsibility clause.

The problem was that they didn't belong to the clan and the expedient they were using was difficult. Jaehwang acquiring his level two license was just enough for him if it meant that he could avoid mobilization and venture into a dimension gate alone.𝓵𝒊𝒃𝙧𝙚𝒂𝓭.𝓬𝙤𝙢

How could he tell that to someone?

'Avoiding the sacred responsibility is a cowardly thing to do.'

He thought that's how a hunter would respond. That was behavior he could only tolerate at home, the death rate of the nation mobilization was unexpectedly high. There were accidental occurrences of monster waves in the neighborhood so hunters were then gathered together to fight them off.

The byproduct during the monster hunter period consisted of a total of 90 percent of a hunter's possessions. The mobilization fixed up the system of compensation; however, their positions were still as terrible as ever.

Although its mortality rate was high, he couldn't stand that he would have to deny the sacred responsibility of a level four license. It was something that would usually take an experienced hunter ten years to achieve and he's just giving it to him. It was an opportunity that he could not refuse.

Chapter 42

"What do you think?."

"..."

Jaehwang looked at the old man and took a deep breath. He really wanted to make the deal but he still didn't have an answer. It wasn't a bad suggestion and maybe he could find what his real energy looked like over time.

Jaehwang stepped back from GwanGHae.

"A level four license takes a lot of experience and If I didn't have the right skills, then I wouldn't be able to do it."

"The right skills... What kind of skills do you think that is?"

"...Battle skills."

GwanJae gave him a nod. That was right. Some would just adjust to those conditions but some didn't have the abilities and confidence to reduce that gap. He was still wondering how Jaehwang would fight in a real situation.

"Right. Maybe a hunter's nature is to fight. What's your nature?"

"I'm just an applicant."

GwanJae laughed at his answer. He wondered if that was a joke and he just gave him a compliment just to be sure.

"I wondered who you were when I first saw you.

Everyone in the building understood what he meant except Jae Hwang. He talked about their match for about twenty minutes. He pondered for a moment if he brought that up to look down on him, he didn't really know why he did that in the first place. 𝓵𝙞𝒃𝓻𝓮𝙖𝓭.𝙘𝓸𝓶

"Who are you?"

"..."

"..."

"You don't know me?"

"No..."

Everyone in the facility had an unpleasant look on their faces. They were surprised that there was someone in Korea that didn't know GwanGHae.

"Are you a foreigner?"

"No..."

"How could you not have heard of me before? You haven't seen any of the six movies that I was in? You haven't seen me on TV? Nothing about me has come up in your textbooks?"

Jaehwang scratched his head in confusion. He only used his textbook as a pillow and he hasn't really watched that much TV or movies. The spirit might have seen him before but then again, there was no way he could have known since he spent all his time shooting arrows.

"Wait, so why do you think that you deserve a level four hunter license?"

GwanJae looked around with a tired look on his face. Everyone just shook their heads, they knew what Jaehwang meant and GwanJae kept his silence until he spoke once again.

"If you give me a few examples then I'll try to give an answer."

"Tell me."

"It would be wider in here next time so I hope that everything would turn out to be brand-new"

GwanJae then started to smile. He actually didn't even think of that, the people that he asked didn't really wish for these kinds of things.

"That's very good. Enclose everything!"

"Jeongmyeong!"

GwanJae's people walked behind him and all the doors of the activity center were all shut in.

"Okay... Is this how it's gonna go?"

Jaehwang's mind turned blank for a moment after GwanJae's question. It looked like everything and everyone had disappeared at that moment. He thought that he would die but besides that, he just smiled knowing that he would destroy anyone that would come near him.

"To them, what Mr. GwanJae meant was not directly mentioned but they did figure out what he was trying to say."

He heard Jaehwang calling him 'Mr. GwanJae' and he became happy deep inside. He wasn't actually planning to murder him. He only wanted to test Jaehwang's disposition...

"Really? Hm... Okay. Rumi."

"Yes!"

Someone standing behind him then shook their head and left.

"That's it for your license test. Everything related to this kid should be gone and another thing that you should know, my name is something that you shouldn't speak off."

"Jeongmyeong!"

The person named Rumi who stood behind him spoke through a small mic and everyone in the center fell down as if they were hit by a tidal wave. Everything went along as planned, the others were swept away like some curse had been poured out. The voice did reach Jaehwang, but it did not have any effect.

"Done?"

"Yes."

Everyone was left unable to move and Jaehwang just turned around and walked out of the activity room.

-Will you help me?

Jaehwang asked the spirit.

-No... You are your final fortress.

He could show his abilities as well as her existence and her genuine strength but he knew that he would have to keep it secret until the finale.

-I guess we could both agree. Goodluck

-I know.

She just had enough to share even though he didn't really get that much help from that spirit. Her strength and the energy of his ancestor's archery skills could boost his power up to 150%. They had to fight for so long and they had learned how to maximize his hand and eye coordination.

After walking at the end of the activity center, he looked over to Gwanjae and took out his cover protection.

"Hm..."

GwanJae got nervous when he saw Jaehwang get his arrows. The bow had an odd shape and he couldn't really think about what his plan was. The arrow felt modern and there was a monster's byproduct that looked loose as it fastens his red cover suit.

"Are you going to use that?"

"Yeah."

"It looks special."

GwanJae slowly got himself together as he looked at his arrow. He wondered why he was using an arrow instead of his special skill. He didn't know if the arrow would be stronger or could fly farther, he didn't even recognize what type or what brand that was.

"Hue..."

He became even more curious when Jaehwang pointed his hand towards him.

"I don't have any mana left to use so I figured that I could show you a little of my strength."

"Thank you..."

He wasn't sure of what GwanJae's plan was when he answered back, Jaehwang just kept his firm grip on the arrow as he continued to give him a curious look.

"I didn't know that you had such a special weapon."

"It's personally customized."

"Huh... Can you tell me about it later? I want to get one too."

"Sure."

They exchanged a few words before Jaehwang made a move to start their second match.

Pa! Pag!

He aimed the arrow at his face and GwanJae immediately moved his head to avoid it. GwanJae thought that he was safe but the two arrows that were right in front of him still landed on his head.

Papapag!

A third arrow then followed and at the second he closed his eyes. It felt like he was walking towards the direction of his arrows. He first thought that it was supposed to be an ability, but then he realized that it was solely Jaehwang's pure shooting skills.

"I didn't know you were this good!"

Papapag!

Everyone might think that it hit but GwanJae actually disposed of all the arrows with his hand. He immediately thought that he either had a special way of shooting or there was an automatic operation launch setting with his bow. The arrows that he intercepted were fast, he couldn't even see him aiming but the arrows were still going for his key locations.

"I have it too!"

He didn't think how dangerous his attacks could be and it wasn't long before he started his assault. GwanJae dashed towards him and deflected all the arrows that were coming his way, his mysterious movements made the arrows look like they were just bouncing off of him.

Jaehwang then ran to the side to increase the distance between them as he kept it coming. The problem was not the distance, the thing that troubled him the most was that GwanJae no longer looked nervous.

'So this is what it was. That footwork is amazing!'

GwanJae upped his gear one step higher and went even faster. It appeared as if there was electricity running all over his body but he didn't have that kind of power. He didn't want to make a ridiculous mistake inside that room so he just misdirected everything that Jaehwang threw at him.

The distance then became shorter. He shot him with the most fatal weapon that he had but like everyone else, he also had a different tool in hand.

Pag!

He pulled back the string and took a shot at his head. He had no mana left to improve its power so he had to draw the bow with his raw strength with such a small window. One or two of his bones broke at that moment, he would have died instantly without his determination and luck.

Swoosh...

Jeahwang spread his arms further until the bowstring had met its limit. He knew that his arrows would be weak if shot in a short distance but to others, it was strong enough to even be considered as a standard.

Pag!

He felt a sharp pain at the bottom of his chin coming from the silence arrow that he deflected with his hand. The distance was short enough for him to miss the shot. When he saw that he was able to block it, he jumped back and then again stretched his arm as he widened the distance between them.

Two arrows came flying through the air. It looked like he could hardly dodge them...

"Wow, you're so good at this."

Pag!

GwanJae stomped the floor to propel himself forward, shattering the tiles with a force comparable to a bomb. He swept the two arrows away with the back of his hand to close the gap between them.

"Is that it?"

Sweat dripped down from Jaehwhang's forehead when he saw GwanJae avoid his attack at point blank range.

"Can you borrow that thing that you have?"

He gathered both his hands into a fist in anger and quickly ran towards Jaehwang who shot another arrow as soon as he saw him move. It turned out to be a game of tag but after he thought about it, he realized that their actions turned out to be a little bit extreme which made it awkward.

He then stepped back to adjust his arms and give the string another pull.

Whii...

"Ha... ridiculous."

GwanJae got frustrated and shook his hands.

"This is impossible!"

He lifted his right hand and shot his energy towards Jae Hwang that pierced through the air between them. He was light headed because of GwanJae's attacks so he took another step back.

'It's a matter of life and death.'

Energy was his most important weapon.

GwanJae was hit in the face with a force so great that even the edges of his sleeves were in pain.

Using his key weapon, he was able to choose life over death.

Whiii! Pagpag!

The arrows continued to fly towards GwanGHae and even the hems of his clothes were hung in distress while Jaehwang's attacks continued to gain more speed.

Tok!

GwanJae glanced over at him, the cover suit was already tangled and were already restraining saw him lifting another arrow with his hand.

'He's about to make another shot?!'

Whiiii! Pag!

Chapter 43

He couldn't believe it. Jaehwang stepped back with the hem of his clothes still in shambles. He held onto the arrow stuck on his stomach. It didn't bother him that much, he didn't even make a noise but then he collapsed.

His mind went blank as he laid down on the floor. He didn't use any of his mana and but he used up all of his strength.

"Huh..."

He stared at Jae Hwang. The fight happened in such a small time but he used all of his energy and ended up taking deep breaths. He saw that Jaehwang still had the will to fight, his long red arrows fell and rolled across the floor but there was still one resting on his bow.

He had his most shocking day after a few years. He still also wanted to learn his amazing style since even though he was very young, he was the strongest he had ever seen in terms of martial arts. He wanted to teach and learn by his talent so that if he turned out to be evil, he would be the one to stop him.

He thought about him disappearing. Jeahwang's potential was scary no matter how many times he thought about it, so he shook his head and reapproached himself before he asked him a question.

"...Are you able to keep going?"

GwanJae's voice came out nice since his jealousy was now gone. Jaehwang then took a deep breath and answered.

"I used up all of my mana."

He has reached his limit. He remembered that he just healed someone earlier so there was a chance that his reserves would be running low by the time they started their fight.

"I see."

He shook his head and was dejected but he had seen the outcome that he wanted to see.

'I didn't know that he was an Archer. He's like that person...'

He started to think of someone he met a long time ago. He remembered that that person had an impressive skill in archery as well. It was so long since they had met but there was no way that he would forget about it.

That's because he was using Ancient Martial Arts Archery.

Gwanjae glued his eyes on Jae Hwang as he tried to move and that's when he noticed something familiar that widened his eyes. It made him think twice about the techniques that he used. He didn't notice that when he looked at his documents and that's when he decided that he would need to recheck it.

"Kid."

"Yeah?"

Jaehwang then sat down and answered back. There was an arrow on his stomach but he behaved as if it had already happened before. GwanJae thought that if he could push him to be a little bit stronger, then he would be able to put forth and utilize his skills to its utmost potential.

"By any chance... was your grandfather a really talented person?"

Jaehwang shook his head in surprise at the sight of GwanGi mentioning something about his missing grandfather. He was Jeon ByeonJae and about sixty years ago, he had saved many people and everyone knew his name.

"Yes..."

"Hm..."

GwanJae started to shake at the thought that maybe that was his grandson he never knew about. It happened sixty years ago and he couldn't remember a thing since his memory was cursed. He was confident that he would never forget anything else but he still had forgotten his name.

"Can you... tell me the name of your grandfather?"

Jaehwang gave him a sad smile and answered his question.

Jeon ByeongJae.

He was Jaehwang's grandfather and he was the one who taught him martial arts. His grandfather opened a dimension gate and destroyed the monsters. He saved a lot of people and left the mountain cabin only to be never seen again.

He couldn't return.

He didn't complete his martial arts training so all he could do was wait for a vacancy.

A few years had passed by and the human military troops had then started the assault against the monsters together with Gaseous but there was still no news about his grandfather. He was very young at that time and all that he learned himself was energy control and his focus.

He sought the vision of other styles to improve his own martial arts but all he learned was actually just superficial knowledge. That drove him to the point of despair.

"Are you afraid that he will return?"

"Yes. He... I went after him on my own but in the end, I could never find him." 𝑙𝒾𝒷𝘳𝑒𝑎𝒹.𝑐𝑜𝓂

It was a terrible memory even for Jaehwang and the edges of his ribbed eyes made it clear that it was even hard for him to even think about. GwanJae averted his gaze but his look still remained vague as if he wanted to take one last look behind him.

"He... he wasn't a Gagseog. But he was still able to save people's lives..."

GwanGHae fell quiet. He couldn't control his voice as it continued to shake just knowing that he might be his grandson. He wasn't a Gagseog but he possessed a great talent to the point that people would consider him as one.

He was just a normal person but he just couldn't stand around the sight of monsters' indiscriminate slaughter towards other people. That's why he saved everyone.

He saved a lot of lives with his arrows and like a reckless man of valor, he would rush in and risk his own even if it meant just saving one. GwanJae thought to himself that if it wasn't for him then he wouldn't be standing there.

He kept his routine of saving people until the day they were able to fight back and eventually, they were able to kick those monsters out and establish peace within the Republic of Korea.

His time with him was short and it was only one week at most. He did his best and fought the monsters for the sake of everyone around him but at some point, he disappeared.

So many of their colleagues were lost as they made sure to destroy the monsters down to their offspring. They told each other their names and became friends but he can't somehow shake off the feeling that they would never see each other again by the time they left.

Jaehwang took a ride on GwanJae's helicopter to Seoul. It was his first time to fly so he was a little nervous but in the end, he had a great time.

"I don't know if we would be able to find that person once we get back to the formation. However, I know that he could come back to us. The last person that stood in that place was always him."

"Was there no way to check his ranking?"

"We're not sure. There's no systemization in that group. It had become isolated and absorbed away little by little. They decided to leave that piece alone but they slept and woke up with a lot of dead people. Someone did take up the position but in the end, he still couldn't even manage to do anything.

"..."

He shook his head without a word, Jaehwang also mentioned something that he learned from school before he swayed his head once again. A lot of people died over the past years, half of their population had even disappeared.

"Monsters ate our people along with everything that they had, leaving them with barely anything left. They're the worst..."

Jaehwang was reminded of something that he had forgotten.

"Do you know what it had inside?"

He continued to talk as his memory came back.

"Didn't his name come up with a pitch-black wooden tag and a bucket?"

Jaehwang started to think. The important thing that they were looking for had appeared. He thought that maybe it should be that one he should be looking for all this time but something felt strange about it.

"About the arrows... Do you have anything left?"

GwanJae shook his head at Jaehwang's question.

"These special arrows were all over the place when he was around but now, there was nothing left. They did try looking around some of his hunting spots but they still found nothing, they recovered nothing."

"I see."

He was all out of energy and he felt that only half of him wanted to know more details about it.

"The name that was written on the black tag must not have been his name..."

"Yes. It must have been my grandfather's name."

He nodded as Jaehwang sunk himself in thought at his seat inside the helicopter. He almost forgot about it all but then when he remembered him, things had become a little more complicated. His grandfather wasn't into martial arts but sometimes, he just couldn't get enough of it. He also said something about his grandfather about everything that would happen.

"Before the family's property was set, he started acting strange... and my father..."

His father resents his grandfather. Although it didn't turn out to be that serious, his grandmother started to get sick when his grandfather disappeared. He was left alone as an orphan, he didn't possess any heirlooms and he even felt ashamed that he wasn't able to learn martial arts. That became the reason why he drowned himself in alcohol.

From generation to generation, there was a dull brass bucket with everything in it and after his grandfather disappeared there, so did all the heirlooms that it contained.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know that we would find it so late like this."

GwanJae said but Jaeheang couldn't hear him as he continued to keep his eyes shut.

Dudududu...

The helicopter was huge and it had a lot of space in its center and it soon landed on top of a field. They were greeted by 40 elderly men and women that lined up wearing modernized hanbok outfits. They looked to be the same age as GwanGHae and the one standing on the front gave them a bow.

"Welcome back, sir."

"Thank you. Was everything okay here?"

"Yes, everything was good. The same as always. Is that person standing next to you related to you?"

"It seems so."

"Understood, then I would be attending to him."

"Okay."

It wasn't like the welcome greeting that he expected. GwanJae started to walk and all of the lined employees followed behind him. They passed through a ton of giant doors until they reached their destination. Jaehwang found himself standing in front of a mansion and that's when he turned around and spoke.

"Wait here everyone."

"Yes, sir."

GwanJae lee Jeahwang into a silver elevator and they both went down to the lowest floor. They arrived, passed by another giant door and they were finally able to walk inside the room.

'Hero Exquisite.'

They went into a huge tunnel. The sign faced upwards and soul in an oblique helical form and there were noticeable traces of repairs here and there. They continued to walk on until they had found a certain glass covered display.

"Are all of these... momentos?"

"Yes."

The one meter tall glass case had some items inside. One would not even consider them to be amazing. Most of them had fingerprints, there was a wrinkled letter but besides that, all of the things there were items that one would use in their everyday life. There was a watch, an old model smartphone and a worn out gun.

They then walked into a terribly shaped exhibition hall and there they saw a name written on a small bulletin board.

Chapter 44

The glass case seemed to go on forever when Jaehwang started to wonder if all the people's mementos had been stored down here. That was when GwanJae noticed his curiosity.

"There are exactly 3251 points left. That's still not even as much as it was in the beginning. We had a ten-kilometer deep tunnel filled with items but it's still not enough to hold everything. Time has passed and there are still many that need to be found. There are still things out there that would remind us about the hero that we had but there was no one left to find it. I wanted to take a hold of those items but I had to stay here and protect this place."

GwanJae continued to talk as he continued to walk forward and sweep the dust off of the items one by one. Jaehwang followed his back and thought that mementos were a piece of humanity's tragedy caused by the generation mashup.

-I don't know, but I have a bad feeling about this. It feels like this place is full of dead people.

The spirit said in a calm voice.

There was a visible blood stain covered by a bandage and an empty cartridge. They passed through a big cross section where they saw two pieces of a broken sword and behind that lies an arrow.

"Do you know why they made this place like this?"

"Yes."

Jaehwang gave him a nod and answered. He knew that those mementos were here for people to see. They were displayed in this tunnel so that its visitors would have a way to remember their heroes.

They started from the lowest floor and made their way up in a spiral through the place. They kept their eyes in remembrance of all the heroes that fought for their safety until they reached their destination.

GwanJae stopped his turned around and looked at one of the glass cases, from there he took a handwritten black sign that was about 90 centimeters and was held up by a brass yellow stick.

Click...

GwanJae then stepped back but then, he walked forward and grabbed the sign which felt strange but familiar. It had the same shape as the ancestral tablet that he had inside the cabin.

"Show us Jeon Jaehwang's grandfather who is 79 years of age."

The sign showed his name on its front in Chinese and on its back, it showed the number 77. They looked at the sign to deduce what it could mean but Jaehwang then got bored.

He had something like this on the shrine in the cabin. In fact, it was the only thing that filled the place. Their family had a special tradition. It was instructed that the direct successor would then be taught with martial arts and their teacher would then be put on the shrine as an ancestral tablet when they die. His father often taught him his skills and with the tradition being fulfilled, the sign of his father was then stored and everything in the shrine turned out to be perfect.

'He would have really liked his father if he didn't struggle that much.'

He did resent his grandfather but on the inside, he actually misses him. He had always avoided talking about his grandfather and talked about his father instead since all the memory that he had was his grandfather crying, cursing as well as drowning himself in alcohol. The thought of meeting them again made him a bit happy, it felt like he would get his long cherished wish.

He had his eyes closed and he now felt more at ease. He then noticed and opened the box beside him.

'The set artifact successor finding has started.'

Jaehwang was surprised as soon as it started to burn. He dropped the box but then a gold light started to come out of it.

Swoosh..

"Huh?..."

The box grew hotter as there was a strange sound that came out of it. He kept his focus, the energy that flowed out of it faced him and started to move.

-Should I stop it?

The spirit asked as the energy continued to get stronger.

-It's fine.

Jaehwang answered back. He thought that it was better than seeing the generations of his family stepping down. He couldn't believe that the energy meant to cause him harm but he still decided to look past it. Then energy then stood in front of him for a moment until he started to absorb it until it completely disappeared.

'Set artifact inheritance complete.'

After that the gold colored Airtime options window showed up in front of him.

Set Artifact Ranking

Inheritance: Jeon Jaehwang

Restraintment: Brass

Arrow distance increased 30 percent

Arrow speed increased by 50 percent

Active Skill

Silent arrow

Set effects:?

Jaehwang looked over at GwanGHae who looked surprised for the same reason.

"It's been a long time since I've seen an artifact inheritance."

"This is an inheritance?"

"Yes, it is."

Jaehwang looked at the box as the golden glow slowly died down. Using the artifact's skill was to help fight other hunters but this was the first time that someone had become a true inheritant.

Rodes had almost disappeared in the past. They had overused the pure artifacts at their fights against the monsters and most of the things that they used ended up being old and dull. The desire of the artifact was then destroyed so the ones they used were different from their predecessors who would then later become the inheritance.

The limit of its quantity was astronomical, however that memento that he had had the most of the traditional powers one could get. Those artifacts were naturally given to the hunters but custom or mass produced equipment were not more popular compared to the ones made by Rodeos.

"No one showed up to help him, that's why you were able to get it"

GwanJae said as he shook his head. There were three ways to own artifacts. The first method was to protect the artifact from a different inheritance, the second method was to give up on it and the last method was to wait until the artifact inheritance died.

His grandfather had the same power before and others wanted it as well. Jaehwang did become its next successor for the items that lay dormant until now and he himself seemed to already had known that.

"These were my ancestors."

Even though the one he recovered between the two family heirlooms was enough, he still needs his arrows to utilize it.

"Your ancestors... Jeon ByeongJae... hmm... Finally, I know more about him."

GwanJae said with a carefree expression on his face. He was happy that the artifact finally found an heir of its power and he was glad that the memory of that hero continues to live in his memory.

'Do you think you could teach me that?'

'What are you talking about?'

'That amazing thing you did. How do you make it fly like that? It goes so far"

'Well, I could show you how.'

'Really?! I can't go home anyway and my blood pressure is dangerously high.'

"Is that it or, you really can't go home?"

'Ugh! My son is home alone! This kind of thing is going to ruin my hands!'

'Where's the good season? Why isn't anything sprouting here! I'll even have to gather arrows at the gym until there are none left. He needs help, he's having another seizure.'

'Let go, let go!' 𝒍𝒊𝙗𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅.𝓬𝒐𝓶

He seemed to have a good character.

"Hue..."

GwanJae lifted his head after being buried and his thoughts and spoke to Jae Hwang.

"Let's go. That person's grandson can't be neglected. Every Time I find an inherent of those items, I go on a drink, what do you say?"

"Sure."

They both then began to talk in silence and they continued to talk about the artifacts till left unfound.

Swoosh...

A vehicle that weighed thirty tons stopped and summoned a white cloud of dust behind it. It was designed by a colorful painting but it had scratches here and there.

The armed truck opened on the gloved side and a soldier came out. His face was soaked in sweat and covered in dust. He could barely keep his eyes open as he walked. He had lots of assembly items that were also painted.

"Park Junghwa! Weren't you told not to park over here?"

He kept his strong stern face as he brushed the dust out of his eyes before he answered back.

"The parking ramp was a little close. Besides, I just came back from a deadly mission...Give me a break..."

"What?! Come here!"

"Yes, sir. Everything went well, I received my badge of rank in one round."𝘭𝑖𝒷𝓇𝘦𝘢𝒹.𝑐𝘰𝘮

He glared at Jonghwi and didn't ask him any more questions. There wasn't usually anyone who could receive a badge of rank so quickly but he did and he led his own platoon and improved it. Before, he was their troop's strongest but when he got to lead, his group had made an improvement with their abilities.

That's why he won't hold back at saying what needs to be said despite him being nervous.

Joonghwi walked towards the door and went inside of the room. The cold air helped to cool him off.

"Loyalty..."

Joonghwi stood in front of the desk and gave a light bow. The girl on the other side of the desk lifted her head away from a book and smiled.

"You did a great job, Park Joonghwi. Did you run into the oak search party?"

"Yes. But luckily we discovered it on our side first."

She shook her head.

"Seems like everything went smoothly. Take a seat. Let's see... What was the result of the scouting? Did the visiting team cause any trouble?"

Joonghwi froze at her question. He then said no as he swayed his head.

"Someone interrupted so we weren't able to do as much as we wanted to."

"But you still did as much as you could, right?"

Joonghwi then took a deep breath and then answered.

"If possible, I don't want to recommend it. The oaks had just finished their breeding season these days so it was tough. The visiting team took care of what was left behind and they would just usually find some wrecked drones in the area. Although, I'm confident that we could go to a different country in the next military expedition."

"Clans?"

""Is there any good or bad news for them? Is there any news at all?..."

"Were there any villains?"

"It was calm and quiet."

"Really? That's a relief. Were there any traces of natives?"

Her facial expression became more serious after he asked about the natives.

"Do you have any information about the natives including Des Lacs?"

"No, he's still at the World Hunter Secretariat but even Des Lacs has a high rate of being captured by monsters like the oaks. They could still get captured even though they're natives."

Joonghwi then shook his head.

"And we still couldn't find the prisoners, we've looked everywhere. We found some people on the northeast side meadow and the swampy terrain."

"Hmm... Okay. I see. You can go now."

"Yes, ma'am. But, Sooreong?"

"What is it?"

She answered in return.

"Sooreong... there won't be any newcomers? Would you let me know in advance if there was someone being allocated to my side?"

Chapter 45

She wore an angry look and answered him.

"It's still a secret. I definitely don't think we would be allocating just yet, are you worried?"

"Well... let's go drink and then I'll teach you a little martial arts and this..."

He looked around and handed her a clear crystal as big as a fingernail which made her blush.

"Is there a ranked four person in the vicinity?"

"No, although we were planning to find some after the oak search."

The diamond that he handed to her had to be about 200 dollars. She still took it even though she hated it.

The Army's system shifted its focus on the hunters as its center after the generation mashup. The mess that they created over their years of desperate fighting seemed like fantasy and despite that, their laws were still in good condition.

"We will have to pocket this and discharge everything."

"Maybe on our next search we could go with a fourth tier and fight without documentation. Everything would be smooth."

Sooreong took a deep breath and started to type on the army purpose laptop on her desk.

"Um... there seem to be two number ones in the health system."

Joonghwi looked a bit confused at what she said.

"...Is it another reporter?"

"I'm not sure."

"The support system did not all entirely dry up!?"

She moved the computer mouse and answered.

"It is. There was a dealer with an enchanted... healer. But they were all in different allocations."

Joonghwi was pleased to hear her answer. The others were interesting; he started to pay more attention when he heard her mention a healer. Of course, it's common knowledge that a platoon of 15 people would have at least one healer but he knew that his group was worse compared to the others. He had one but their healer possesses a few fatal flaws.

"Sooreong... Can you do me a favor and put that healer on our side?"

She then answered back with an angry tone.

"No way! I can't do that. We have more than enough troops."

"We would have more help for our next mission. Think about it? You know that that position holds great importance in our platoon and you know that ours was not in its greatest condition after going through the missions. We need another one."

She was annoyed about what he said and if he was anyone else then she would have exploded and fired them right away. The only problem was that he was her close friend from school and she wanted to stay friends with him. He was also reliable and friendly on top of his great leadership skills.

"Wait here."

She had no way of turning him down so she just put up the healer's file.

"There were few young ones these days so some of their pictures were still left unpublished."

The image still had an unpublished mark but it wasn't a big deal. The other fields were filled so knowing about his other personal details didn't pose a problem. An epidemic had spread because of a villain so even photos needed approval before it could even be posted.

She then checked the profile and was surprised. 𝙡𝙞𝓫𝙧𝙚𝓪𝒅.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"A second level ranked hybrid?"

"Wow..."

Joonghwi looked confused. Qualifying to be healer sounds as hard but having a second level hybrid license made it sound even more unattainable. He had indifferent abilities and a uselessly high nose bridge that could make the other platoon members jealous, even Joonghwi felt the same.

"Sir!"

"Hey, protect the top and bottom!"

Soonreong said to Joonghwi as she pushed him away but it wasn't that strong to make him fall over. He then handed him a pouch that had what seemed to be small broken pieces of something.

"Sir! Spare me this one time, please. We could still keep the big accident as a secret."

Soonreong then took a deep breath. She didn't know that much about his situation but what she knew was that his current company commander caused him a lot of hardships. That was also the reason why they needed a more capable healer in these recent years.

"Okay, okay. Go ahead back, they're waiting for you."

Joonghwi's face then lit up.

"Thank you so much!"

Joonghwi then said goodbye and left the room.

A small camo patterned bus that had a 'Advanced base 716' written on it passed through the slow opening door.

"Here's the vehicle number for you to enter."

The person on the guard post checked the plate number on the military vehicle. He got on the bus, looked ahead and then turned away. The Seoul gate was the closest place where they were at the moment. This was an unavoidable place for a monster invasion.

Later the bus stopped on the parking ramp.

"Everyone! We can finally announce the Alousu takeover. It's going to be difficult and scary."

Everyone on the bus then cheered. The front door of the bus opened and their voices started to get louder.

"Okay, okay, quiet down everyone."

"...There's some kind of dust..."

"Ugh! How are we going to deal with this? My skin!"

Everyone wore a stiff new military costume. They had big headphones covering their ears since the other ones were pushed back because of the environment being sultry hot.

"Ugh... Why am I here..."

A guy that had his hair dyed with strange prismatic colors spit on the ground and looked around the place. The soldiers ignored him since they didn't want to cause any trouble but their subtle expressions showed how they really felt.

The bus then came to a stop and everyone got off. Their expressions were too easy for anyone to notice and all of them felt unfortunate that they had to spend 15 months in that place.

Then there was the last person to get off...

He walked out of the bus and his scampish look was changed into a bored expression. He was about 180 centimeters tall and he had a slim frame. His hood covered the upper half of his face and his only noticeable features were a scar on his cheek and a tiger drawing on his nose. His appearance was a bit unique so one would have thought that he would have some kind of attention drawn to him but...

The people looked at him for a different reason. His name tag was stuck on his chest and it had a small number written on it. There were two numbers and instead of it being written in black like everyone else, he had his in gold.

"Does that mean he's a second rank hybrid?"

A hunter that knew a little about his rank whispered to his friend, he then shook his head and replied.

"Right. He's a hybrid..."

That meant he had the magic system skill and physical strength system skills.

There were more than one or two hunters in this world who had the same rank so they weren't all that surprised. It's common for people to have more than one skill but possessing those two types of skills at the same time were considered rare.

"If he's a hybrid then he must be good right? So why is someone like him here?..."

"I don't know. He's just getting better and better at his hybrid skills so maybe that's why..."

"You think so? His flagship had clearly been pushed and he learned a new skill to get skills beyond his current level."

"I'm a little confused."

They talked as they got off of the bus and to the camp along with everyone else. The rearguard in the very back sluggishly followed along, they heard them talk so they went up to them.

"A healer?"

He jumped in and asked but the guy shook his head and the other one who was talking then looked around. He was about to tell something when,

"There's an emergency, follow me!"

The ones that led the group looked back and nodded their heads. There was a healer but they still didn't know their patient's condition. For them to behave like that meant that there was a chance that they weren't that terribly wounded. Requesting for a healer would have been the right thing to do but...

He brought a few things into the camp and rushed back as fast as he could. He saw Jaehwang and pushed in into the military bus after yelling,

"Go! Complete the capture and let's escape!"

"Guard us! Don't let them come after us!"

"I got it!"

Everyone in the military truck had an angry look on their faces as soon as he finished speaking. They nodded their heads and looked through the window to guard it.

"Fiji! Step on it! Ugh, I really want to show my driving skills today!"

"Assign me! Captain! You can't stop me today!"

He yelled, he then started the truck and took off.

The gap between the military bus and the small camp was almost 60 kilometers long. The suspension then blew up and the handle had snapped. The car started to speed up. The 30 ton massive military bus became covered in a foggy smoke and the speed kept going faster and faster.

They were placed in a difficult situation and one guy at the back yelled at someone.

"What's going on?!"

"Ah... I'm sorry... I must have introduced it late."

He then walked over towards him and handed out his hand.

"You've arranged your first introduction as platoon leader and first lieutenant."

He stared at the guy and handed out his hand. He didn't shake it but he responded with a shaky voice.

"I can do it, right?"

"Of course..."

Joonghwi took out his first lieutenant hologram license and after seeing that, he took a deep breath and took his hand.

"My name is Jeon Jaehwang and I am a second rank hybrid."

Joonghwi showed him a bright smile before he shook his arm with both of his hands.

"Wow, Park Joonghwi is the best!"

Everyone on the bus was staring. Jaehwang then asked him a question after they finished their introductions.

"How will this go? Evidently, I know that first we arrange a stand-by for everyday and then..."

Joonghwi scratched his head and answered back.

"Ah right... something like that but... something will happen in the middle of it..."

"..."

Jaehwang clearly wanted an explanation for what he was talking about so he asked him to sit down beside him.

"The driver is good at driving but the road he's following is dangerous and distracting. Let me explain now that you're sitting here."

Jaehwang glanced out the window as Joonghwi explained. The bus moved slowly but it gained more speed over time and sometimes, it's making a few sharp turns left and right. It was indeed distracting so Jaehwang pretended that he understood what he had been saying all this time.

"I see."

He didn't try to check if he was evil when they first met but something felt strange.

"Hmm... As you said, maybe I'll arrange our platoon. Won't we need a guard?"

"But why would they capture me?"

"Well, there's a lot of people watching you so you'll be fine. You will first use the documents to make the first platoon come, but that guy's special forces will try to extort you when we take you there like this. However, that won't be a bad thing for you. I'm not the type of person that likes to gossip but those people really are trash."

Jaehwang took a deep breath and gave him a quick nod.

"So there's no big problems?"

"Of course not. All of the documents had been taken care of"

He answered back.

-Is what he is saying really true?

-Doesn't it sound like he's lying.

He couldn't tell if he was lying or not but the spirit seemed to be right. He originally said that he would arrange platoon 1 but he seemed to be leaving something out. Besides, if the platoon leader had a problem then it would be his responsibility. He didn't say a word despite that, they were now heading into the military camp and Jaehwang didn't want to start any kind of arguments.

Chapter 46

He picked up the documents and yelled before bowing to the person next to him.

"Uh... That platoon leader is unbelievable."

"Let me see. Your conversation with the company's boss is over! Get back to work!"

"You... all of the reports were stopped!"

"What are you saying?! He would have to come for two days to be recruited into our special forces!"

He yelled and the guy that bowed forward took a deep breath before he answered back.

"Of course the special force had a management team in charge of the recruitments but this position had been given to someone that quit their mission and left. That was expected but there was no one left to go find him."

"Darn it..."

He grinded his teeth at his answer. He thought the same thing so he waited at that place for two weeks. He wanted to take him but there was no justification for those two weeks that he endured. He couldn't take the other recruited soldiers inside their units and everything that he thought seemed ridiculous. That was why he left.

"But did he take someone with him?

"Well..."

He said about the justification when he came back.

"I didn't know that there were any."

He thought of something that he requested before he took off for that place.

"He was surely taken that way."

"I have a question."

"What is it?"

"Even though he's a second level ranked hybrid, did they really ignore the process and now, we had to take them with him?"

His question was correct. Going into the mission service with a possibly undertrained combatant would be risky even for the safety of his other men. The hunter moved as he couldn't find any good reason to take him.

"Only you know about this."

He looked around and then spoke in a quiet voice.

"That guy over there... He's GwanJae's grandson."

"What?! His Grandson?"

He said with a surprised look.

"It's true. I heard he tried to cover it up but everyone already had an eye on him. If they can bring him onto our side then your and me could get closer to GwanGHae."

"I see..."

He didn't believe more of what he said even though he mentioned someone being GwanJae's grandson. He just shook his head and replied with a straight face. If the boss did as he wished then the seven types of hunters would have personal connections within the Republic of Korea.

"Interesting..."

When he thought about it, he got interested in it again and so he took out his phone. It was really strange, he then asked himself if he knew what that crazy platoon leader was doing.

They could see the Alousu through the window. Its shape was amazingly similar to earth but also it was completely different. The atmosphere on the land was humid.

-Looks like we're back.

-Yeah. The Alousu... It's really cool. Looks like those annoying monsters aren't here, thank goodness. 𝘭𝒾𝒷𝓇𝘦𝑎𝑑.𝒸ℴ𝓂

The spirit said in response. They had spent a long time with each other and sometimes Jaehwang would still speak to her with a less respectful tone. Jaehwang had always kept his calm demeanor and never let it bother him, he thought of her as family.

-The silence here feels good.

-Huh? You aren't sad? What if I died?...

-Of course...

She answered back with a very sincere tone. They had spent one year in the academy and what they talked about in classes wasn't as hard as they thought. Others couldn't complain that it was helpful but what affected him more were his shabby clothes compared to what the others wore. He styled it the way he wanted to and he seemed to be like the amazing soldier that he dreamt of. He was popular with the girls throughout the year and everyone knew that he's now a second level ranked hybrid.

Because of that he had to go without wearing his hood. Throughout the whole year...

-If GwanJae didn't do your grandfather a favor then he obviously won't come here with you.

-Right. Especially that crazy idiot...

Jaehwang slightly smiled at her response. He thought of a red headed girl that followed him around like a stalker throughout his stay within the academy. If she was a normal stalker then she would have just followed him around but, her background showed that she was a strange person that should be avoided. Jaehwang didn't know anything about her but he actually decided not to learn anything about it.

Jaehwang received the smallest amount of help from GranJa. Even though that wasn't all that he needed, he was still giving GwanJae a lot more help than what he received from him.

"Hey! Where are you going?!"

It was like her voice was still ringing in their ears.

The military bus then eventually stopped.

"We have arrived at sector 8!"

"Let's all go and take a rest."

The instructor yelled, Joonghwi took off his seatbelt to stand up and speak.

"Okay everyone, let's go rest."

He got off onto the arm of the truck, most of the platoon members hiding inside immediately spread out and made a nice line. They all gathered into a single place and the one that stood in the middle was Joongwhi. He looked over to Jae Hwang and said,

"Aren't you going to introduce yourself?"

"Ah, yes. My name is Jeon Jaehwang and I am from the national academy. I'm a healer who is studying for a second level hybrid license."

The dimension gate scheduled service from the hunters for 15 months. Everyone would get the rank of a sergeant during that time period and the military troops went into the conscription to sort it out. So with that, he couldn't get the rank that he wanted.

"Great. If there's a good explanation then they said to get the dealer affiliation. That's a very important thing to keep in mind and... Does anyone know Mr. Yang Haeji?"

"I do. The boss..."

He said and a lady that looked to be in her mid thirties with a bulky appearance shook her head.

"Good... okay... first, you've all been taught the home lifestyle, right?"

Joonghwi pressed a button on the remote control, a monitor came down from the roof and turned on.

"They've first been supporting us for the past 15 months before pestering us and this military bus is the first explanation. Its exact name is the KM-09A Full sized strategy vehicle. There isn't any small explanation, it was an 8 wheel drive and can move up to 100 kilometers on a highway. Its engine is loaded with batteries therefore it can take you wherever you need to go and you can drive it for a month with just one charge. It can also fly up to about 20,000 kilometers but it's not exactly reassuring. We'll be spending 15 months here so be sure to make yourselves at home."

"Yes, sir."

It was the car that the soldiers used the most in the dimension gate so they all received the basic information on the vehicle. It was a Korean car but the engine parts were actually from Germany. It succeeded in localization but its battery drove the engine to a far-off building.

"You'll be taught the platoon lifestyle. Between the time the bus hasn't arrived, the female army soldiers will stand on that side and the male soldiers will stand on the other side. There's a kitchen bus to a restaurant and also a meeting room. There's a bathroom and a washroom on the girls side. And on the boys side there's a bathroom with conditions... hm... just take it easy."

"Yes, sir."

"Later, everyone can go and rest wherever they please and use the bathroom however you need to... But don't make any eye contact with female members when you come out of the shower. And also everyone stays in their own rooms."

"Mr. Park Joonghwi!"

One of the female members shouted but Joonghwi just shook his hand.

"At any rate we'll get back to this. And I would say it again but I'm sorry if these rules are too much. But there's no way around it."

"If you have something to say then it's no use."

"Okay. I'll have to get to know everyone better later but I hope everyone will be good... But, why are you hiding your face? You were also wearing it when you went to get your document picture taken... Even if there's something wrong with your face..."

Joonghwi said to Jaehwang.

"Well, this is a bit of a problem so I can't take it off."

"Hm... Okay. but it is possible, please take it off when you're coming and going. We don't know what could happen here."

Jaehwang then shook his head. He guessed that the reason for his request was so the platoon members couldn't get divided. Jaehwang nervously rubbed the back of his neck and removed his hood.

"..."

Jaehwang revealed his face and everyone greeted him with a surprised look. He let out a refreshed reaction after he pushed back his hood and looked around. He then bowed and spoke.

"I'll do my best."

"..."

Everyone was silent. But the first person to finally say something was Joonghwi.

"Are you a celebrity?"

"Wow!"𝘭𝒾𝑏𝓇𝘦𝒶𝘥.𝘤𝘰𝑚

Everyone shouted after Joonghwi's question. Of course the female leaders were the ones who cheered the loudest.

"He's so beautiful!"

"Wow! It's like seeing that face healed my eyes."

The girls were speaking excitedly. The boys' faces were beyond handsome and they weren't really agitated but that was the first time they've ever seen someone that handsome before. Everyone was then greeting him.

"Here. money... starting today the boys side will have to protect the girls side from attacks."

"Hahaha."

The atmosphere wasn't bad at all. All these things weren't called for, the hunters were treated as they wished from the country. The actual job wouldn't require all of them but they didn't want to look like a terrible army. It looked like a place where they studied when they were in the academy.

It hasn't been long since they've been there. The newcomers' training was great and they were good at fighting monsters. But that didn't seem like the case in that place. They all worked hard together and their colleagues seemed to be quite conscious.

"You have to be careful. These days even for females to have an easy experience you'll need a guard."

The platoon members who were sitting glanced at Jae Hwang and then focused their attention on Jonghwi again.

"I guess it'll be hard to reach everyone in China. It's dangerous. This isn't anything that we could take lightly, we really have to plan everything."

The giggles then calmed down after he finished speaking.

"First, always listen to the raid leader for every battle"

"Sounds good?..."

Jaehwang shook his head. He heard it many times since they were at the academy. He wasn't sure how good his skills were for entering the platoon so he agreed to never disrespect the platoon leader. Of course his personal behavior was great even with the leader's absence but everything would be judged inside their group.

"The second thing is that in platoon one, there are three people that are Gaseous."

The three people then stood up from their seats.

"I can show you all of the political situations here, daughters, civil rights and family responsibility has gone last thing about here is the standard skin is pockmarked so we'll have to adjust to fit in. You all know this but, the army says that Gagseogs are just like the other hunters and can't receive reception. Also they have a case of excessive solicitude so all forms of discrimination would be prohibited."

"Yes, sir."

Joonghwi explained a lot but the others in the army received that kind of experience where they were treated as slaves. They still had good skills even though their talents had been dropping and even that was very much hard to maintain.

They didn't have any volunteers but they heard that those army of Gags Dog soldiers were gathered and thrown into a dangerous place. That was the reason why the Gaseous had to cope up with some sort of expendable circumstances.

When Jaehwang thought about army Gases he thought of his friend Dongchol. He went to become one and they haven't been in contact since then. He tried to go find him during the holidays but he was nowhere to be found...

"The last thing is that no one would give up until the platoon gives up. All the courses of action that we would take should keep the platoon safe. Also, while the course of action is being determined and the independent actions would also be approved."

Chapter 47

"Got it."

They had a great leader. His last few words were quite meaningful since they really had to ensure the platoon's survival and none could give up the mission except the arbitrary judge. They would have to spend 15 months in the Aloesu together and Jaehwang felt lucky that he got to meet such amazing people.

The platoon then introduced 10 new members to their team. There were three tankers, seven damage dealers and one healer. They went through every detail; the army troops, the four assigned hunters and the group of three Gases that Jaehwang belonged to. They were the hunters reserved there to provide their service.

"Our platoon is base 716 with everyone on our team we should do well..."

"...15 people isn't the limit, right?"

Joonghwi mentioned that the army of Gases would interfere with the political situation. However, he cleared his throat and spoke rather than to ignore it.

"I think that we are the best compared to other platoons even though we are individually different and everyone, please be kind to the newcomers and keep yourself awake during the night watch. Are you guys excited to start the raids?"

"When that happens, everyone will put on the repeater and come."

"Sounds good. Everyone can rest for today and I'll explain the details tomorrow."

"Yes, sir."

...

It was night and they could hear the loud crickets from outside. He was in an unfamiliar place that had an unfamiliar air and unfamiliar people. He couldn't sleep. He lied in his sleeping bag and then he heard the spirit speak.

-There's something I've been wondering about.

-What is it?

-Why did that guy refuse that offer?

-GwanGHae?

-He just suddenly appeared to you. If that was his choice then maybe he wanted something from you, why else would he show up all of a sudden?

-I know. Haven't his abilities decreased?

-Yeah. But why would he refuse the offer? He originally had a second level license in the national mobilization order. If that's what he wanted then he would get stronger faster and he should have been doing better because that would be placed under his authority. Does he hate getting help from others?

Jaehwang took a deep breath after the spirit had finished talking.

That was another thing that he was worried about. He was able to get really close to GwanJae during his year at the academy. He had a hard time seeing him despite him being big as a person but when they do get to meet, they would spend a lot of time together.

He would have become his student at the start and until the very end but Jaehwang refused all of it.

He only promised one thing at the beginning and that would be to restore his level four license. It was easy for GwanJae's abilities but that alone wasn't enough. He received his level four license so his attention was called by the mobilization order. It took him a year of studying before he was able to learn everything and because of that, he was able to take the offer to come here.

-He's very fond of you.

-Huh?

-His experience gradually increased to the point that he could no longer break out of his limits. It was obvious that he quickly got stronger, however with the world in pain, he wanted to finish this mission and go. He's strong and so is the person next to him. My goal is to be as strong as him but I think that it would eventually be unattainable for me.

-There aren't any right answers in the world but if you would go into the same path that he took, you would only end up going in circles. That's a lot of time that you would spend walking.

-He actually hates being restricted so that's why. So is that everything? Now go to sleep...

Jaehwang tried to end the conversation but the spirit continued to nag and it never stopped. 𝒍𝙞𝙗𝓻𝙚𝒂𝓭.𝒄𝙤𝙢

-Does he have any inherited ancestor abilities? Hm... What does he know? But it should be kept in mind. Your destiny is like a wheel but it won't roll that easy.

-I know. He's stronger. No one could pass him...

Jeahwang woke up at dawn the next day and followed the instructor named Choi Hyeon to learn their lifestyle step by step. Although he learned a lot from the academy, it was still difficult for him because all that he knew was still on paper.

"The military bus is the base, the leader has no blind spots and the place is equipped on a hill."

"Yes, sir."

Choi Hyun sook Jae Hwang and set out towards the torn down base. There was a box that contained something inside at the end of a long stick. It was a motion detector that protects them when they are out on a raid. It could detect motion within a 100 diameter radius.

"We'll finish the setup in three months and Jaehwang, I could see that you're very experienced and now you're learning pretty well. I see an individual base for every good person that I would see but for those that aren't doing that much, their benefits would be the same so I hope that everyone would do their best. The coverage for our detectors was wide and could be overlapped but if we had more than two enemies, then it could be a huge problem."

"Got it."

He explained everything so Jaehwang shook his head before he left.

He even spoke to him with honorifics so he thought that maybe if his instructor got over with this then he would have something to determine his skills. But even so, he would have to have an actual fight and this area seemed to be the perfect place for it.

-Let's get ready when the morning comes.

"Okay."

He could use the radio with the platoon's specialized channels and he could hear ChoiHeyon's answer through the headset that he wore. The only thing was that he was too nervous to even be honest with him.

"Uh... There's a dissemination..."

Jaehwang smiled in hopes that he wouldn't get angry. There was nothing normal during his stay at the academy. There was something everyone used dangerously and it could no longer be stopped. The army's chronic evil was even the same here.

"Did you get last night's snack?"

"Yes."

Rattle... Rattle...

They arrived at the base where the smell of rice filled the place. He washed up and walked inside to prepare himself a seat. He got a tray and filled it with rice. There was a big pan in the middle with other foods in them and he carried them in his hand one by one.

"Just some of each."

Jaehwang sat with some packs of food on his knees.

"Eat the survival soup with the side dishes. It's going to be the best thing for you from now on."

Someone said as they were eating.

"If the food is bad then say so."

Someone said as they used a giant metal ladle to scoop the JeongJaeMu soup.

"The taste is really great from the first taste."

He took Jaehwang's tray and put a spoonful of soup on it.

There were various kinds of ingredients he could see. It had a strong smell that made Jaehwang's face scowl, he had a hard time adjusting to its smell.

There wasn't any mistake when they prepared the food. It made him remember his time again in the academy but compared to what he had, its taste was much more terrible. He felt lucky that he was able to endure eating it.

"How was it?"

"It's okay."

The food wasn't so good but he just shook his head and looked as if he was enjoying it.

"We don't have anyone here with cooking skills."

"We should just find a restaurant to order from..."

Someone complained. Jahwang looked at the canned food and stopped talking. He remembered that he could cook and felt like that he could help them for the next 15 months but he refused at that thought. He didn't hate cooking but he didn't enjoy it either.

-...It would be great if you cooked.

-I don't want to.

The spirit spoke with a self-conceited tone.

"But what kind of skills does our second level ranked hybrid newcomer have? We all know that he's appointed as a damage dealer but we still don't know exactly what he does."

His voice sounded curious. He was a high ranked hunter affiliated with the army and Joonghwi was the strongest person next to him but he had a third level short ranged dealer license. Everyone looked at Jae Hwang after he said that. He didn't directly ask but it was obvious that he was very interested in what he could do.

"Archery."

"Ooh archery... that's fit for a healer."

Everyone seemed satisfied and just shook their heads. His voice sounded like he wanted to look down on him but then he seemed to not care. The platoon leader then responded.

"What about its properties? Does it include air transportation? If it's an aim association skill then that's amazing but... then the weapon system is in use and..."

He continued to eat his soup but he's clearly interested about his skills. Someone named HyunJoon then walked to Jaehwang and asked him a question.

"HyunJoon. Don't ask that type of question."

"Oh... sorry."

Someone said that while eating and HyunJoon apologized to Jaehwang before he left like nothing happened.. No one asked about his abilities and that sort of thing is the hunter common law. Of course he didn't want to tell him even though he would eventually find out but he wanted to show it to his teammates in a polite way.

"Okay everyone, eat up. Isn't it MinGyong's turn for the dishes today?"

"Yes."

Answered a platoon member with a shy voice. Her voice lacked confidence but she was very pretty.

"I can't hear you!"

Said one of the instructors.

"Yes..."

The instructor wanted to drag her confidence out of the surface but she spoke in a quiet voice once again. The instructor just sighed before he went away and the remainder of the time got quiet. Jaehwang then glanced over Min Kyung as he continued to get used to the taste of his soup.

Their allotted time for breakfast was then finished and they all started their platoon training.

Jaehwang got himself a 30mm machine gun from the top of the military bus as Joonghwi told him to. It had an effective range of 3000 meters and had a 60 wmp launch speed. The bullets were big so one shot was just enough and it could even take out a third tier monster. It would usually be used if they detected a movement from a fourth tier monster but for now, that was not the reason why they took it out.

"We've made a little progress so here's the platoon's mission briefing. You all know we only have two shots for the mission, right?"

"Yes. we know the total and the unlimited mission."

Their base was filled with strong troops so the platoon knew that their power would be enough for them to succeed. The gist of their mission was to patrol around the neighborhood that could possibly have monsters. They had a few gadgets in hand and with the help from the army system, they had the right mix in hand.

"Good. we'll be destroying the next of a second tier monster and hunt 100 more for our unlimited mission. I'll give more details as we go."

"What kind of monsters would they be?"

Jaehwang asked and Joonghwi pointed his finger towards the horizon.

"Like the ones from over there."

Jaehwang looked in the direction his hand was pointing. He pointed to where the military bus as well as the meadow in the distance where shadows of heads appeared and disappeared.

Chapter 48

"The Oak army..."

"Yes, you do have good eyes. We'll be hunting a gray wolf oak rider that bleeds black blood. They are about 10,000 strong and each one of them packs some power"

Joonghwi put on a pair of colored glasses and shook his head.

"Their civilization falls under our societal standards. Their influence was not that large but there were a few things related to them in the near east."

"Yes, sir."

Joonghwi soon then found their enemy and appeared to be more relaxed.

"We would usually find them during a raid but a raid like that could disturb the hills around us so we picked a place where we could just observe them with our bare eyes. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"This part of the Alousu has similar ethnicities and power although the Oaks doesn't seem to be unconditionally hostile towards us humans. Do any of you know all three of the Alousu species?"

Jaehwang then shook his head in response to Joonghwi's question since he knows quite a lot about its giant species. The most that he had seen were the ones that they were looking at the moment. With their great strength and high rates of reproduction, they were the most common here in Alousu. They were loyal to their pillage economy and even if they were sometimes uncivilized, they were able to dominate the continent through physical supremacy.

They had established a beautiful civilization in the past but they had lost it due to their continuous war with the other races. They were left to walk a broken path despite their place still looking fine. Some of the Lizardmen, their race, were then turned to slaves.

It was still possible to communicate with a relatively peaceful race of monsters through a native and a human. It was the most peaceful assault that they could think of since they weren't on the friendliest terms. However, the nation from all parts of the bible came in contact in an attempt to learn more about their world.

-Tell the platoon reader that there should be an Oak rider captured at the front in about seven kilometers and two o'clock of our current position. The guard had just been changed.

They guessed that a hostile group of Oak raiders would come but Joonghwi's voice remained perfectly calm.

"They are clever people. They were more intelligent than other monsters and they could put up a good fight against us. We need to recheck our range, start to it up when we're down to two kilometers before we chase them. We may have a machine gun but it doesn't mean that we should just waste our ammo. The noise alone is enough to put our position at risk from high ranked monsters."

Jaehwang nodded and looked at the machine gun sitting inside its case. All of the weapons that they prepared could attract the monsters lurking around them, especially that the noise that it produced could be clearly heard even a few kilometers away.

Click... Whiii...

Jaehwang brought in a 30mm machine gun after the one side of the ceiling of the military bus had been opened. There were people standing in that place but he was already thinking of everything he needed to know by Choi Hyun. There was also the shy girl that he spoke to this morning.

"Our platoon members are all at maximum levels but the reserved hunters are not. Even though they are hunters, they don't improve much so the reserved hunters will attack first. Sit here."

Jaehwang then put down the machine gun and sat down.

"It's a projectile that explodes in contact with air. It works with the bow affiliation skill and had its advantages compared to other weapons although it's affecting range is pretty short, it could only go about 1000 meters. Some people are not good with it and some haven't even tried using it, but if there comes a time, there would be one or two people here that would use it. Do you understand?"

"Yes but, Is that a good way to go?"

Jaehwang said as he looked at the weapon beside Joonghwi. The others who were there had the same thought except for Mingyeong who was overwhelmed by her shyness.

"Huh... When did you lose your mind?..."

Joonghwi said before he took a deep breath.

"What's the problem?"𝒍𝓲𝒃𝙧𝒆𝒂𝒅.𝓬𝙤𝒎

Joonghwi asked Jaehwang as he looked over towards the Oak raiders.

"You were supposed to serve as our platoon's main healer and you were discharged to start anew. You had two special ranked healer skills and were pulled into our clan, why are you doing this now?"

He paused for a moment and looked over at MinGyeong.

"Do you have battle panic disorder?"

"Huh? Battle panic disorder?"

Jaehwang asked back. He used to hunt monsters all the time so he couldn't imagine having a condition like that. Some hunters that were taught in the academy fell down for the same issue and some couldn't be even cured anymore. Hundreds of them were forced to drop and retire, it turned out to be worse compared to anger management issues.

"I see... I guess you don't know if you have a panic disorder. I couldn't tell when I first saw you but the more I think about that earlier battle, I'm starting to think that you had it in you. It's not that bad but your healing skills had failed so a few people still got injured."

"Do you want to go back and redo the basics? There are still a few places where we could get ourselves a better healer"

"He's right but I guess he could do it. A healer that can't heal won't be great for our team after all. Your parents must have been killed by monsters when you were little and that may have resulted in trauma, if not, then maybe revenge. It could always show up and it doesn't always happen during battles. We don't have much time on our hands to get a new healer so for the meantime, we'll try to take you with us. Would you be able to do something about it in time?

He said as he looked at Jaehwang's eyes.

"However, leveling up is really important for you. So you better hurry and improve the stability of our platoon."

Jaehwang gave them a nod as soon as Joonhwi stopped talking. Joongwhi was the conductor and didn't like the idea of enforcing the platoon's management policies but leveling him was his top priority. He could be seen as a little self-centered but if he was, then he wouldn't help MinGyeong that much.

Jaehwang kept an eye on him as he looked towards the Oak Riders. They were about 3 kilometers ahead, he tracked something obliquely triangle shaped and the guy leading them seemed quite experienced. Just as Joonghwi said, he hoped that a high-quality fight would cling onto his serious members.

Of course, he didn't have to wait that long.

"Now should I explain the goal here?"

"Any questions?"

"Does it matter if I take all of those?" 𝓵𝙞𝒃𝓻𝓮𝙖𝓭.𝙘𝓸𝓶

"Haha. It doesn't matter. But wouldn't you rather borrow them? It could be terrifying meeting them in the future."

Joonghwi answered, shook his head and laughed at Jaehwang's question. Jaehwang then gave him a nod and got up from his seat. He headed towards the right and put on his shooting gloves with a gentle gold colored cover suit. His hands turned red from his tight angry grip and the end of the gimlet was as sharp as a knife.

"I guess he's in good condition."

[Ed Mareukanen – Laser stoma] – Special Rank

Bow: 4000 Pounds

Maximum Range: 4000 Meters

Effective Range: 1500 Meters

Material quality: Master

Special Abilities:

Acceleration (Rank A)

Acceleration (Rank B)

Acceleration (Rank B)

Acceleration (Rank B)

He put down the arrow in his hand and looked at the cover suit that he was wearing. If it wasn't for GwanJae's help then that masterpiece of a cover suit would have never existed. Although it wasn't materially received, GwanJae used his personal connections in Finland to get an expert to produce it.

GwanJae was the person who introduced the Laser Mareukanen and got it custom-built through a friend. Jaehwang was also able to get a newly made bow because of him.

But of course, Jaehwang still had to cover all the expenses. The fact that he treated his ancestor's bow terribly caused him a tremendous amount of stress so he planned to do his best to take care of his new one. After surviving in the Alousu for two years he spent half of his time gathering energy as well as money and gave half of it to GwanGHae for the custom-made bow that costs 120 million dollars.

The cover suit was also specially made and was pretty expensive, having a price that almost reached up to 80 million dollars. There were other weapons offered in the Alousu but the prices were terrible after the mine development had begun. All that he had left from his wage was 40 million. He doubted that it would be enough to just enchant it with his skills, the arrows were not just a terrible work of craftsmanship, it was also made from a poor-quality material.

He then started to question the place where he was. After they had finished doing Jaehwang's requested arrows, the Alcohol poisoning commander started to work on a different project and disappeared. Jaehwang was then deluded to think that his arrow was made by heart, soul and lots of energy. It had the most average design but it had two handles attached to it due to the manufacturer's mistake.

There was a big accident. He wanted an enchanted bow to strengthen the effects of his skills so they directly produced its arrows through an enchanted scroll. That usually works but that caused an overlap of effects and ruined everything that they had done so far. He had terrible luck but what he had was the standard of light enchantments. It packed an amazing power.

When the manufacturer reached its peak, the option overlapped twice and because of that, the acceleration level changed four times.

"It's a special arrow."

Joonghwi then handed Jaehwang a special bow and he took it while he was still unaware of its power. There was a chance that he would have a hard time using those arrows, especially now that they were inside a military bus from a metropolitan city.

Jaehwang didn't want to stop. It was possible to work with its range but then it needs to be enchanced by the silent active skill to increase its speed for the long distance shot. Unfortunately, things had turned for worse as he started to take a deep breath.

-The first opening.

-Right. This should help.

-I see.

There was a limitless amount of energy surged through the bowstring as he pointed the arrow to his enemies.

Whoosh...

He overcame about 400 pounds of tension and used as much strength as he possibly could. His energy level was currently at 4.5, the blow turned out to be strong but he still had a hard time drawing it.

"What's that?"

Joonghwi tried to ask Jaehwang but he was too late.

'Unique exploding arrow'

Swoosh... Panggg!

Joonghwi covered his face as soon as Jaehwang let go of the string.

Swoosh!

They could hear the sound of the arrow flying through the wind. Joonghwi stopped talking the moment he saw it pierce through the wall of air. The arrow was slow. It obviously couldn't be compared to a bullet being that slow. However, he wondered if he could really call that as an arrow.

There was a sonic boom, he felt a pulse of energy when he released the arrow from his hand, it drew an arc-shaped trail over the sky and when it landed...

Kwang...

The bus was greeted by a huge disaster. The arrow itself didn't seem to explode but then an explosion happened in the middle of their group and collapsed the formation of the Oak Raiders. There were about two to ten people who weren't shocked in the slightest and the remaining ones were left in confusion.

Chapter 49

"The distance is long, it will take a lot of energy."

Jaehwang had estimated what he needed to spend as he pulled the string. He had done it so that his energy would be enough to cover the distance between them. He didn't say that it would be a silent arrow, it still had made a lot of noise but it was nothing that he should worry about.

Pang! Pang!

Woosh! Woosh!

He shot another arrow and it flew towards the remaining oak riders leaving nothing but a trail of smoke instead of exploding just like what happened before.

There were other people sitting within a distance of three kilometers. It was hard to cover that kind of distance and it was even hard to divide their formation but somehow, his shot went through.

"Wow..."

The only thing that Joongwhi could do was stare. He couldn't believe what he saw. In all his years of being a hunter, he had only met one other person that had the same skills as his. However, it was obvious that this newcomer had a lot of experience in his choice of weapon, it was something that he had never considered before.

Pang!

Woosh!

The arrow flew by with an intense power and made an explosion at the back of those raider's heads. A few remaining big gray wolves scurried away since they couldn't follow what was going on.

Whiii...

Click... Click...

Jahwang's enhanced his shots with his magic and made Joonghwi feel like as if the ground was shaking every time he draws his bow and releases his arrows.

"Uh... It's a bit shaky, isn't it?..."

He could hear its deafening sound and he could feel its impact pulsing from his feet up to his head. It was like he was being reminded how powerful Jaehwang was with every shot.

'Would we be able to shake them off and change their course even if we're shooting them from three kilometers away?'

-Yeah.

-Wait!

-I should stop for a bit

-I'll sort them all out first. I should stop. My hands are aching.

-Okay.

Jooghwi was still startled every time he took his shot even though he had already watched it a couple of times. He then had a puzzled expression when he saw the monsters putting away their cover suit. Choi and MinGyeong also looked in the same direction and their mouths were opened wide by surprise. .

"It's weird..."

"Yes, sir."

"Can we... give a little advice?"

Jaehwang shook his head at Joonghwi's question but even he was speechless on what just happened. Both of them then talked as the other platoon members went out to gather the remaining oak raiders.

"I've never seen anything like that, was that thing real?"

The monsters were then gathered in a line and Joonghwi then aimed for their heads. Second tier monsters, third tier monsters and every monster that were assembled there died on the spot via headshots. Some of them were able to endure the first shot but he followed it up by shooting their legs as soon as he noticed his mistakes. Some of the monsters had good defensive skills but none of them could move after getting hit by that lethal blow.

Teuk...Teuk...

He pulled an arrow out of the head of one of the wanted to be sure if the arrows had some secret behind it's immense power but soon enough, he noticed that it was just a small common arrow. It was light and there was nothing special about it, it looked like an item that he could easily find in the market.

"Let's try adding some weight to it."

"Okay."

The rear end of the armed bus had a trailer that was filled with monster hunting equipment. They couldn't just move it in a short notice since all of the necessities that were stored inside of it. The oaks were an expensive thing that they had to sell. After they had finished shooting them one by one, Joongwhi maintained his calm demeanor and walked with Jaehwang towards their lifeless bodies.

"We'll have to use our navigation system again."

Joonghwi then shared a few tips and tricks with Jae Hwang that left him with a surprised look even after he stopped talking.

"So you're a Debauzer that has a knack for shooting while you're still preparing your healing skills."

"Maybe... Do we need to put a limit on our shooting distance?"

Asked Mingyu. Jaehwang then remembered the maximum distance that he could cover. He knew himself that he could still shoot further than that but he couldn't risk damaging his hands while doing so. He wondered for a moment whether the distance should be lowered since long distance shots were sometimes useless and took a lot of work as well as energy to pull off.

:"Four kilometers." 𝘭𝑖𝘣𝑟𝘦𝒶𝘥.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"..."

"Are you crazy?!... Uh... sorry."

All of the other hunters gathered around him and he didn't want to disappoint any of them. He could sense that there were people there that could shoot up to a hundred kilometers. Covering four kilometers was difficult, he could shoot a certain static object within that distance and that would only make it reasonable. He could potentially hurt his hands by doing so but none could deny that it packed a lot of power.

"Are you sure we should do it here?..."

Asked Choi. If he could do the same thing, he would just get himself into their nation's clan and earn a bundle of money out of the jobs being offered all around the world. That thought made him laugh, he already had tons of money so he could easily turn that down. His plan was to make money on his own until he gets to join a clan of his choice.

He still couldn't manage his special abilities until then. He didn't think that he would be entering a dimension gate like that one he was in at the moment.

"I don't like what it's affiliated to."

Jaehwang said with a cold voice, making everyone around him confused until Joongwhi broke the awkward silence that he conjured.

"Watch this video, everyone..."

He went into the bus and got the monitor out before he pressed a button to turn it on. The oaks soon appeared on the screen accompanied by their surroundings that looked like it was just hit by a calamity.

"Was that an exploding arrow?..."

"Yes and it uses a lot of energy just to make it explode"

"Wow."

They couldn't help but react to Jaehwang's answer.

Everyone was surprised. It wasn't just a simple shooting skill. The first arrow left the oaks with a huge cloud of smoke. The explosion was made out of pure force, It didn't contain any flames and as just he said, he clearly had a powerful skill.

Just as he said...

"It's just like a gun."

He was confident that his skill was stronger compared to his skills yesterday and watching that video made him want to even get better. He thought Jae Hwang as a human cannon.

"Okay everyone, pay attention..."

Joonghwi then gathered everyone and cleared his throat before he spoke.

Because of what just happened, they had to stay low and discuss the result of what they just saw while getting everyone's opinion.

"?"

"Our goal is to get stronger... We need to level up immediately."

"..."

Everyone fell silent. They still couldn't believe what just happened, they wouldn't be there just for a few days but the other reserved hunters seemed like they were already forgotten. If they were in a different platoon then they would have just to adjust and adapt then that would have made more sense. There was just one thing that they were all wondering about, they were all asking about how strong could that human cannon get.

"It's scarier than I thought... a Debauzer..."

He seemed like a Gagseog but he himself didn't understand why he called himself that even though he seemed more of a Debauzer.

"Ah... Let's save all the admiration for later and let's modify our plan right now."

After that, he spoke with Jaehwang before he moved on to the other platoon leaders.

"With just one word, we would give our money to this one here."

Said by instructor Seongyun, the hunters that were affiliated with the army were just hired soldiers with circumstances. It was obvious that money was their goal.

"Listen closely, the reconnoitering scale can track 100 animals within its range."

"Wow... One hundred animals..."

Yang Haye who acted as the platoon's military discipline president got nervous. He was surprised to know that their platoon could shoot up to one hundred animals. He thought that escaping would be better than to use their 30 mm machine gun since it creates a lot of noise.

"So what do you think we should do in the future?"

Choi Hyun asked.

"Maybe we could leave our base and leave everything to Justin point."

"What?!"

Everyone was surprised at what Joonghwi said. Justin point was associated with the US and Korea ten years ago and that's where its name came from. The Korean army managed the base 716. The US and Korea ruled differently but they ruled together, it ended up as a place with a small tax rate and a big settling city filled with modern facilities.

"So we're going to base 716?..."

Seongyun asked in a worried tone. The affiliated platoon was originally honed at their own base. The base 716 could build up a huge army on their own and take charge of all the monster hunting missions. It was all left between a commander and his close friend.

"Wait. Of course we were affiliated to base 716 but someone could get hurt on the way."

He mentioned an anonymous person and Joonghwi started to laugh. Everyone else tilted their heads while they looked at him in agreement. No one knew why Joongwhi found it funny.

"How would we ever have the strength for it..."

"Would that stupid commander and his assistant allow it?"

"I thought about that too."

They both then looked at Jaehwang in a strange way.

-The affiliated platoon said that they want to go to Justin point?

"Yes."

-Hm... Okay. It won't be difficult. Believe and trust the others and by the way, how is it living together with everyone.?

"It's going good."

-Good to hear... Okay, see you tomorrow. Wait, Jaehwang?

"Yes, Grandfather?"

-When you start working, don't call me. Just continue on as usual.

-I'm sorry. It's just that you'll be busy..."

-And it'll be hard inside the gate so you'll need to focus okay?

"Okay, Grandfather."

Click...

Jaehwang hung up the phone and tears started to well up in his eyes. Joonghwi saw him and asked him a question out of curiosity.

"What's wrong?"

"We'll be moving till tomorrow."

"Come here..."

He then couldn't be anymore surprised.

"...Of course..."

"Wow... I didn't know it would be a few days but... everyday... will we not hear about the antimatter modification until the end?"

The others were confused and even though he didn't really answer anything about his phone call, they were still surprised. They doubted him at first but they didn't know that had strong personal connections as well. Some of them even wondered if he knew the president of Korea as well.

"He's GwanJae's grandson..."

"Ha... What are they gonna make us do?"

"I have no idea."

Joonghwi was actually the one who doubted it. He was the one who told Jaehwang about Justin point and where to find it. If one were to look in a certain direction of the earth then he/she would know that there were a type of ROK-US combined forces within the Gaema Heights. It was filled with weapons from the US army that served as bait in that neighborhood.

That base was wrongfully bought by base 716 but on the bright side, that place didn't have any monsters. The best thing about that was that those who came to hunt monsters won't be monitored. The leader as well as his assistant were in the middle of a war and none could stop it. They didn't have to worry about anything in Justin's point.

It was usually a ridiculous task. What he said was great but it felt like he was running away. An army anywhere in the world could move their platoon however they wanted and even though Joonghwi didn't want to submit to the military law, there was nothing that they could do.

However, a task like that could be simply said and done by anyone.

"We'll do this and call it 'Preferred topography'."

"We can do it right away. Joonghwi might run into something he hates there."

"Right. That'll be great."

The affiliated troops suddenly changed their tone but they weren't agitated about what he said. The platoon members believed in him and listened to what Joongwhi had to say.

Refusing that impractical mission was pretty daring. They prioritized and evaluated their safety like the other platoons so they didn't want to commit to the mission. He would have to completely move their platoon members and forget whatever it was that he hated when he got there.

"So now we have to make a traveling plan. We have to come up with something promising and level up. Then the plan will be complete. Let's do well. That is our goal from now on."

-Jaehwan...

-Huh?

-I can't help you...

-My grandfather said to use flexibility. Wouldn't it be ridiculous for me to not put any use to it?

Chapter 50

The bus came to a stop and the platoon members got off one by one. They all wore their army outfits accompanied by giant backpacks and protective shields. With their weapons ready in hand, they quickly went into formation.

"Has everyone already packed their hunter equipment?"

"Yes, sir. We have everything we need."

"Good. It might not be enough so there's a chance that we would have to settle everything with close-combat instead of retreating.. Keep that in mind."

"Yes, sir!"

He then went towards Jae Hwang after he finished talking with the other platoon members.

"I would do a quick briefing but I'll just tell you again. There's a small village across this low valley and the place would be crawling with animals. There could be up to 300 of them but by all means, we could only hunt 100 of them at most."

"How long would it take?"

"They said that it'll take thirty minutes."

"Okay. We'll ready our best weapons to protect our group once we start the attack. So don't worry, we'll be able to handle it."

"Got it."

Jaehwang looked ahead as Joonghwi continued with his explanation. The place was humid and sometimes he could see a cloud of steam floating around them as they moved towards the village.

"Let's go!"

They all followed Joonghwi's command and all of them disappeared one at a time into the dark woods ahead of them.

"Install two police car lines!"

"Installation complete!"

The platoon heard his voice and they all moved according to his instructions. They cut off a few tree branches with their bare hands and made a hidden trap by tieing a long wire to a nearby tree. They then installed explosive pipes underground as a finishing touch. The oaks were born with an intensive knowledge of a huntsman, thus, all of them could not lower their guard.

"Let's go."

"Yes, sir."

Joongwhi glanced over at Jae Hwang as they walked through a steep slope further down the path.

'He's really is a unique person'

Jaehwang kept his silence as they went on their way to cross the mountain through a rainforest. The humidity of their surroundings had made the ground slippery but they didn't have a hard time even though they had been carrying their gears on their backs.

It wasn't long before their journey had started to increase its difficulty, now that they would have to give more care into their steps especially in this kind of topography.

'But still, who is he?.'

He felt like he didn't know anything about his new platoon member. He called him to his side, he talked to him in all hopes of understanding him. He wanted to know him better, the only problem was that Jaehwang didn't seem to want that at all. He soon got lost in his thoughts and was caught looking at him.

"What is it?"

He didn't say anything and just answered with a hand signal.

'There's three up ahead waiting for an ambush'

Joonghwi lowered his body and gave a signal for the other platoon members. He knew that they would have yet to experience that so he looked again at Jae Hwang and gave another signal.

'Focus.'

Joonghwi acknowledged Jaehwang's signal as he kept his eyes on the three arrows on his hand.

'Guided Arrow...'

Swoosh Swoosh Swoosh!

The three arrows disappeared into the forest and soon after, they heard three beings scream.

"Done."

Joonghwi was left speechless. They continued to walk further into the forest with keen attention to their surroundings and they then discovered something.

"Huh..."

They had found three dead oak animals with arrows sticking out of their bodies. The surrounding trees were left in a terrible condition, it seems that they did their best to try and shake it off.

"Looks like they were able to sense them."

"Uh... How do we fix this?"

Seongyun asked Jaehwang as he looked at the corpses in front of them. Two of them were covered in a pile of leaves and one was completely on sight. The thing that took their concern was that they saw a thing coming out of the Oak's temple within the distance.

Seongyun then looked over to Jae Hwang as soon as she noticed that there were traces of arrows left on his hands.

"You could tell them where to go?"

"I don't have to go that far though, I could only just control the movements of my arrows."

They all stopped in the middle of the path until Joonghwi got out of his way and caught up with them.

"Let's hide them. Quickly, we don't have any time to waste!"

"Yes, sir."

All of them wished that they could have just packed them but they were already carrying so many things for their mission. They rolled a tree down a steep cliff, picked two towering trees to serve as a lookout point and built a fence around it. They saw one big house at the center of the village and they also saw some oak soldiers repairing their hunting equipment.

The young ones seemed to be gathered inside a room and the older ones were enjoying their time basking in the sun. The village would have looked to be very much at peace with their surroundings if it weren't for the pile of dull white human skeletons dumped in the middle of an empty field.

"We'll have to check the 300 of them one by one."

Said Seongyun.

"It looks like their numbers could even reach up to 500 without even counting the ones staying inside their houses. We would still be able to put up our defenses but there weren't that many when we came here last time."

"There's been lots of prey moving around recently so maybe there's a chance that their boundaries have become loose."

"Good. That makes it easier for us."

They looked at their seemingly peaceful and happy lives. They looked at themselves as invaders who were tasked to eliminate the oaks instead of trying to make peace or coexist with them. In the end, they couldn't really tell if they were trying to understand them or if they were trying to make a zoo out of them.

Their force had been there for 60 years. The generation mashup had caused death to a lot of humans but it cost the lives of many monsters as well. Some people were brainwashed and controlled and they took over without a shred of sympathy for those who they killed. Countless people were then condemned for the brainwashing and they were thrown out of society.

"It's time to shoot... Hold your fire when I give the signal and try to divide your shots. Be careful not to waste any ammo"

"Yes, sir."

Each of the platoon members took out their weapons. All they had was the noisy CAR816 assault rifle and a grenade launcher. A CAR817 model was supposed to be handed out as a suitable weapon compared to the CAR818 that they had but it was pushed back since a lot of troops were recruited. The series of firearms that came into their hands was long and a lot of variations of hand came out.

They all stepped back and sat next to the assigned attacker for the day which was Jaehwang.

"Let's get going. Stay on the lookout. The main entrance and the back door needs some guarding. Be prepared to shoot anything that comes close. We can do it, right?"

"Yes. but, how will we get there?"

Jaehwang asked.

They weren't exactly sure about what they would see when they arrived. He didn't learn much about the oaks in the academy except that sometimes, a fourth tier oak would casually appear. The leader had said that there was only one animal left and although it wasn't neutralized, they said that it was useless. A second tier oak would just be a walk in the park but a fourth tier one would prove to be much more difficult.

"Normally we would concentrate everything on our firepower and throw in a few smokescreens to retreat but I want to hear your suggestion."

Joonghwi said to Jaehwang.

"I'll handle it."

"Okay. we'll believe in you."

Joonghwi wasn't surprised at Jaehwang's answer. He wouldn't want to handle a fourth tier monster on his own and now, all he could do was to believe in him. It hasn't been long since they had met but he felt like he couldn't doubt his skills.

"Okay. the previous member was able to attack successfully."

"I see."

Jaehwang looked ahead.

-Use the weighted arrow.

-Okay.

He chose the black weighted arrow and felt its hidden destructive power even though it was damaged. He had thought about his current limit as he took his time to adjust his bow's string. He soon then finished his analysis with the help of the spirit so he took a deep breath and pulled the string.

Swoosh...

He pulled it with all of his strength and sent it flying at full speed.

Pong...

The stoma laser option overlapped four times as the heavy arrow approached the lookout tower at a terrible speed. Jeahwnag then followed and released another arrow without checking his targets.

Swoosh... Swoosh... Swoosh...

The arrows flew and hit its target even though it looked like it was about to crash into a house. Two had reached the watchtower and knocked down its guards. The troops at the main entrance got their gear but they were soon shot down one by one. It was almost a complete wipeout.

Everything was going just as Joonghwi planned and it was all thanks to Jaehwang as he continued to release his arrows one after another.

Swoosh... Swoosh... Swoosh...

The range was about 150 to 200 meters but its power was still strong. The arrows rained on the oaks and those who were hit fell onto the ground. It seemed like it was impossible to dodge and it was impossible to endure as he continued to launch his heavy arrows from his bowstring.

"Fire simultaneously!"

Tukkk! Tukkk! Tukkk!

Jaehwang started to shoot more until some of the surviving oaks started to notice his position. They had gathered the others who were still alive to launch their attack and that's when the other platoon members joined in.

They soon started to collapse as soon as their platoon members loaded their weapons and attacked. The place was soon covered in blood. There were many who tried to escape but they were shot down even before they got away.

More of them soon started to appear from the doors and trees with poorly-made shields on their hands. It wasn't much but it still protected them from the platoon's hands.

Swoosh!

Seongyun started to attack along with Jaehwang and arrows had then again rained all over the place.

"Keep shooting!"

Everyone reloaded their weapons and started shooting at the buildings.

KwangKwang! Kwang!

Chapter 51

Their shots didn't cause an explosion but their bullets had started to carry flames that burned anything in its wake. It hit the trees, the houses and some oaks were set ablaze when they were caught by the bullet. Those who were left were out of breath and those who were hit continued to burn even if they drowned themselves with water.

He has been shooting every oak that tried to go outside of their houses with the low-grade arrows that he got. Their escape has been cut off and they've been left there to wait for their demise. The village was turned into hell.

The earth and the sky began to shake due to their screams as the tall building in the middle of their village was shattered by the green flames that dragged some of its parts down the cliff.

"Watch out!"

Joongwho yelled as he saw the flame coming towards the cliff.

Pangg!

The cliff had started to collapse along with their makeshift base but luckily, the platoon members were already away. They took Joongwhi's warning and packed up, they felt lucky that the flames didn't catch up. The only problem that they have was that they could no longer siege the village at their current position.

"Is everyone okay?!"

"We're okay."

They couldn't risk their lives by taking on the green flames so they could just continue to suppress them with bullets. There was no way that they could take that so their attack was halted for a moment and the oaks took that opportunity to unite. Many of them rallied out of their houses and Joonghwi had started to show a dejected look on his face.

A number of them started to advance and the one that led them wore a heavy kind of jewelry together with light armor and a cape on its back. It also carried a skull and a small energy stick with its hands. It stepped forward with a frown and a green beam of light flowing out of its eyes.

"They have a sorcerer! This is going to be harder than I thought."

"Are we going to set up the exploding capsule?"

"No, That would take too much time."

Their sorcerers were not the ace up in their sleeves as scary things might seem, they had another plan. They were still weaker than a fourth tier monster but they had become more dangerous now that they had started to gather. All of them are known for their scary and aggressive characters so one could say that their greatest strength could only be brought up with numbers.

"Attack! Reload the bullets! Shoot!"

The platoon attacked them with a full swing but oaks had defended themselves with giant shields. A green aura surrounded them and blocked some of the incoming bullets, few ones were able to slip through and killed some of them but none of that mattered since more and more had begun to join their ranks.

"Darn it..."

Joonghwi just realized how strong their shields were. Even if they would have to retreat, they would have to come back since they had failed to destroy their nest and that would be much harder compared to what they just did. Their numbers were still rising up and the platoon started to notice that their bullets had slowed down.

Jaehwang then glanced at the oak sorcerer with his cold eyes as he reached for an arrow from behind. 𝓵𝒊𝒃𝙧𝙚𝒂𝓭.𝓬𝙤𝙢

-Spirit... Help me out here for a second, please...

-Okay.

He got two arrows and knocked them on the string before launching them.

With them moving down at a high speed, Jaehwang then got another arrow and aimed at the oak sorcerer. He took a deep breath and slowly pulled the bowstring.

Then he stopped. He held his position and released the arrow after a few moments.

'Weighted arrow'

Pang!

It launched off with a loud noise before Jaehwang took a few steps back. The weighted arrow was not something that he could use regularly. It was his most powerful skill and it takes a lot of strength to pull off.

Kwangg...

The arrow that Jaehwang shot rammed into their shield with a great impact. It should have knocked their defenses down but the oak sorcerer saw it from afar and made their shield stronger. The arrow did some damage but their shields were buffed to an extent that his attack didn't cause them further harm.

The oaks had shown a moment of weakness as a result of taking the weighted arrow head on and the platoon took that opportunity to aim at their heads. Jaehwang had made his calculations and watched as a rain of arrows fell from the sky.

Twenty arrows came flying down and the oaks raised their shields to protect themselves. Jaehwang found the opening and aimed another shot towards the sorcerer. The sorcerer managed to redirect the arrow to the soldier on his side but the impact was so great that he got thrown off to a nearby wall and the one that was hit was left with a huge hole on its stomach.

Kwangg!

The wall started to collapse.

The sorcerer clutched onto his bleeding chest. He glared at Jae Hwang with his cold eyes as he pointed his magical stick towards him. It looked like it was about to do something but the sorcerer collapsed after one last scream. The protection that covered him and the energy that strengthened their shields had started to disappear, their bullets could now push through once again.

"Now's the time! Attack!"

Tuteuk...

Flames had eaten up Jaehwang's surroundings and he was left feeling a little confused. He had an exhaustive heart of a hunter but he felt regret after the fight was over. He couldn't risk the lives of his team but what they did was a massacre. He spent his time alone in the Alousu and he had to kill countless monsters to survive. Having the blood of a monster on his hand was nothing new but he was still naive about death until now.

He did it to survive back then but it felt like he slaughtered them for nothing. Even though he had a longing hatred for monsters inside him, this would be the sight that he wouldn't get used to. He kept his silence until someone patted his shoulder.

"Good job, you're better than I thought."

It was Joongwhi. He came to talk to Jaehwang as the other platoon members packed the village's treasures.

"Isn't this kind of harsh?"

"..."

He stood there without saying a word.

"I don't understand. I don't know much about who we're working for. They're uncivilized compared to us but they were a little more humane. Even though I knew that they had tried to invade the earth after the mashup, I couldn't... Now that I've seen this, their peaceful way of life that we just wrecked, I just couldn't continue to hate them."

Joonghwi then squatted down in front of the dead oaks.

"Look at it. We had completely destroyed them and we could now take all the treasures that they have. This isn't a one-sided beatdown. Think of all the humans that they had killed. They would chew the arms and legs of every human that they could get their hands on and guess what would happen? They would scream on top of their lungs until they died."

Jaehwang turned his head towards the bones in the distance and he felt a shiver down his spine.

"The oaks had ruled this continent for three years with their might. Even though this place looked like hell, they all did their best to defend themselves against us. They didn't die like pigs. They fought back with all of their might even though they couldn't beat us. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

Jaehwang shook his head. Joonghwi had opened his eyes and he learned something new. The humans had done their best to protect themselves all this time. There was a time that thousands of oaks rallied to the human dimension gate and they were then forced to evacuate as the oaks stood their ground to protect themselves from their attacks as the humans made their escape.

They were their enemy and they were their prey.

Worse had happened in China. There was news that the oaks were being taken away from the southwest area and that work was still in progress up until today. They had a lot of hunters and guards so obviously, they couldn't put up a fight.

China was prideful about their territories that weren't like the others after they had destroyed a village of monsters. They had left their mark on the dimension gate by making a concrete mountain to keep trouble at bay. The Republic of Korea could do the same but the number of oaks had decreased and their problem was then soon fully solved.

They continued to drown themselves with thoughts until they saw an oak escaping out of the house while cradling armor in its hand.

"This is a battlefield..."

Tang! Tang!

The oak got shot in its head and chest before its lifeless body fell on the ground. Joongwhi shot it with an unchanged expression before he placed his pistol back in its holster.

"No... This is hell."

"Boss! We've finished."

They had finished looking through the treasures hiding in the burned down village. They couldn't stay there any longer so they packed everything up and prepared for their departure.

The outcome wasn't that bad. They salvaged the corpse and got the cape that the sorcerer wore and they soon found five canes inside of its house.

"Firstly, let us evacuate and we'll review the valuables that we had retrieved."

"Yes, sir."

They got on the military bus. The bus headed south towards the Justin point as everyone took a rest from their earlier fight. Jaehwang took a break from checking his stoma laser and looked towards the driver's seat. They were inside the border so everything seemed peaceful when he came. They all saw Jaehwang's abilities from the fight so ever since, they've all decided to talk to him politely as if he was a boss.

Joonghwi who was sleeping in the back of the bus slightly opened his and closed them again.

He was sure that there couldn't be a problem now that they would have someone to act as their leader but until then, they would have to keep going until they could not anymore. He was a great leader but the title of 'GwanJae's grandson' made the others take him more seriously. Things are going well for the platoon but he was sure that despite his current abilities, Jaehwang won't still be able to handle a fourth tier monster alone.

When it looked like it was the end for them, he shot a strong arrow that even had more power than a tank. The battle had ended with him taking out a fourth tier oak monster as well as two animals. It seemed like it was obvious that Jaehwang used an arrow specialized in long distance shooting and it looked like it had a guaranteed aim. It was just one monster but he still took care of it with an overwhelming power. He felt lucky that Jaehwang had followed his instructions and now that he had thought of it, he would have to give up the hunt if he wasn't there to help.

"Hey."

"Do you have a special car driving license?"

Asked Peji, who was driving.

"No."

Jaehwang shook his head. He wanted to learn but he didn't have the time."

"Well come over here. Even though you don't know how to drive, maybe you can read the navigation."

"Okay."

He then went towards the driver's seat of the car that looked like an airplane's control room and Peji pointed him to the passenger's seat.

"You can sit there."

Jaehwang sat down, put on his seatbelt and grabbed onto the handle.

"It moves fast and although there's bulletproof reinforcement glass, the driver still has to be careful because anything could happen during a fight. So, you're good with the handle, right?"

Chapter 52

Jaehwang looked at the dashboard in front of him while Peji explained everything. There were surprisingly a lot of buttons and Peji pressed one of the nameless ones and continued to explain.

"This button was used during battles but we don't need it now. First, the most important thing to learn would be navigation. Everyone should learn the basics, right?"

Peji said, pointing to a button to the right of the driver's seat.

"It updates you on where the monster had moved when you're tracking it. It's one of its most important features so keep that in mind okay?"

"Right. It's something very important for a hunter. Taking care of the navigation is very important or else everything could go wrong."

Peji continued to talk and Jaehwang just shook his head in agreement. The navigation tracks all of the movements in a battle, it's something that they utilize the most.

"It would be good to put in any kind of information in regards with the monsters outside. Even though you might know where it came from, double check everything just to be sure. And for this button, never press this one. It for the update system and by pressing it once it would never do anything else except that until it's done. And for this button..."

Deuk... Deuk... Deuk...

Peji went on until a button at the top of the dashboard flickered with a red light and made a beeping noise. He then pressed the button and they heard the voice of a woman coming out of the panel.

-...Support request... ZX5TRA193521... I repeat... Support request... ZX5TRA193521

"Side ZX... Let's see..."

"Looks like it was an attack."

Joonghwi said as he walked towards the driver's seat and turned on the navigation. He then pressed a few buttons and the red light was then replaced by a blue one.

"What's going on? I see the coordinate but... If it's a fifth tier monster then it'll be really dangerous."

It sent out the information about a support request for battle. It included the target details as well as its coordinates and when interpreted, it shows that they need assistance fighting a fifth tier monster. Another problem was that there was R in the center of the monster's number and they had no idea what it meant.

Joonghwi took a deep breath and folded his arms and asked Peji's question.

"Let's wait for 10 minutes. It will be difficult for the team. Someone could get terribly hurt."

"Okay."

Peji shook his head and focused on the panel.

10 minutes passed by and just as Joonghwi said, the answer for the support request appeared.

"Hm...It's still a battle. Okay, looks like we can trust it... It'll be a long road, let's work hard."

"Yes, sir."

The road to the Justin point was long and boring, the dreary environment of the Alousu didn't help as well. The bus had a hard time going down the steep slope and everyone felt like they had just spent thirty minutes moving around in circles.

A patrol mission was surprisingly boring. Things have been quite dull after the first day when they went to destroy the oaks but that wasn't just a normal oak patrol battle. Two-thirds of their troops would remain inside the military bus every day and there was nothing left for them to do. There were no places where they could wash up and there were no bathrooms inside the bus.

They would set up cots when they sleep and even though they weren't tired the next day as much as before, Jaehwang still wasn't sure if we would make it out of the Alousu in the end.

Of course, he had a reason for that but after spending so much time inside of the military bus with the other members, he wanted something new.

"Starting from here to here, we'll push ahead."

Jina said as she pointed her finger onto the destination that appeared on the tablet. Numerous zigzag lines had then started to appear on top of it.

"Peji, the route is set up well so we should avoid any contact with a monster. It should be fine because even the monsters try to avoid us. But in the meantime, until we get there, keep your eyes peeled since there could be a high ranked monster lurking somewhere."

"Okay."

"Any questions?"

Jina asked and the destination that showed on Jaehwang's tablet pointed towards the south which was covered by a black shadow.

"What about here?"

"Hmm... that's Daesurim. We should avoid that as much as we can. If we go any further that way then we could run into a swarm of fifth or seventh tier monsters... and on the west, there's an ocean and a dead end."

"I see."

Jaehwang shook his head and looked at the place covered with the black shadow. That was the place that Jaehwang lived during his two years of stay in the Alousu. It was a deep and endless sea of giant trees. That was the place where he used to hunt fifth tier monsters. The giant that saved him from that bird never left him alone until the day where he made his escape.

Someone then came and asked him a question.

"And by the way, do you have a girlfriend?"

Jina asked, nudging his shoulder. He then looked up and answered.

"Yes."

She looked at him with curiosity but after his answer, she hesitated and straightened out her back.

"Oh... Of course... that's great."

She looked a little sad but she soon fixed her expression.

"Where do you live? Seoul?"

"Yes."

Jaehwang just quickly answered all her questions but she continued to talk and asked him more questions.

"Jina, It's your turn."

He said after tapping Jina on her shoulder. She checked the time and walked up the ladder leading to the room with disappointment. Jaehwang soon started stretching and then Peji glanced over.

"You can relax. That's a newcomer."

"I can't."

Jaehwang didn't think that his influence had fallen but he knew that they would think differently if they knew more. Peji was in the veteran army of Gaseous so Jaehwang could relax around him but the presence of Jungkuk and Mingyu still makes him uncomfortable. The main reason was that he thought that they were just acting this way because they knew that he was GwanJae's grandson.

Joonghwi was a level four ranked hunter in the platoon and aside from that, he was also a Debauzer with mysterious abilities. Jaehwang didn't seem powerful at first but even though he proved himself, they weren't happy with it.

"You're our friend helping us on this mission. You're not like the others, it's okay to relax."

Junguk then glanced over towards Jaehwang who gave back a strange look. He didn't know him well but he still agreed to what he said.

"Wow, you're with the Gagseog army. Your name...?"

"Mau Dong Chul... I've been in the Gagrog army for three years so far. I have spent my time searching in the Seoul gate."

Jaehwang felt anxious so he asked him a question. It has been a long time since he had a talk with his friend. He tried to contact him many times when they went their separate ways. All that he mentioned was that he had the gagseog procedure and investigated a gate, more of their past seemed vague.

"Dongchon...Dong Chul..."

He kept repeating his name to make sure that he was his childhood friend.

"Do I know you?"

"I don't think so."

They had no time to waste. He decided to go alone with nothing but the help of GwanGHae and his friend Dongchol seemed to have strangely forgotten about their past.

"Take this, it's a communication network just in case anyone has a question."

"Thanks."

Jaehwang received the communication network from Jonguk and bowed. They didn't want anyone to die but just in case something happened they would need a way to alert the others. 𝙡𝙞𝙗𝒓𝙚𝓪𝙙.𝒄𝓸𝓶

They then heard a familiar voice from the dashboard.

-...Rescue request... ST5TRA239411... I repeat... Resque request... ST5TRA239411

"A rescue request."

Joonghwi said with a serious tone. The support request and the rescue request were wrong. It seems that they had made a mistake when they had called for support in their raid.

"Where's the observer? Was it a small-scale battle? Ugh, Let's take a look first, we can't act as if we haven't already come all this way. Everyone! Prepare for battle, it's a fifth tier monster. Jongkuk, Mingyu, and Hyungjoo, get that machine gun ready. It might end up to be settled by hand-to-hand combat but inspect each of your weapons. Jaehwang and Minyeong, prepare to gather the casualties!"

"Got it!"

Everyone listened to Joonghwi's orders and moved. Jaehwang and Mingyeong also got to work on their task. Dust had gathered on her fingers as she packed her weapons from inside her locker. Everyone was moving quickly but she was just there standing blankly. Jaehwang noticed that something was wrong.

"Are you okay?"

He placed his hand on her shoulder. She was startled but she got back her focus thereafter and went on to pack her things again.

"Uh, yeah... I'm fine."

She said she was okay but she looked extremely pale.

Jaehwang then turned over to let Joongwhi know.

"I don't think Mingyeong is feeling so well..."

Mingyeong then looked back at Jae Hwang and shouted.

"I-I can do it!"

Joonghwi then walked towards them to see what was wrong. He then took a close look at her face to see if there was any problem.

"You should stay here and rest."

"I can do it!"

"You need to stay! You can help with the dashboard."

She didn't want to disobey Joonghwi so she went towards the dashboard. Her face turned red, she scowled at him and yelled at Jae Hwang again.

"What's your problem! I'm fine... Ugh!"

"Okay relax everyone. We can't turn back, everyone needs to be in good health."

Everything then settled down and they were able to continue on with the preparations.

"We can do it, you guys. Let's take it slow."

Mingyeong shook her head in disappointment. He walked over to her and gave her a pat on her shoulder.

Chapter 53

KwangKwang!

Everyone in the big van screamed when it came into a crash as it spun and rolled around in circles.

"Leader! What do we do?!"

"What's going on?!"

"The left control had come off!"

"Everyone! Go to your left!"

He shouted. Everyone then instantly moved without any hesitation. Someone then tore off the iron plate on the right window and opened it.

"I can't breathe!"

"Aren't you a healer!"

"It doesn't mean that I would always be fine either!"

One person from the passenger's and the driver seat looked like they were about to faint. One of them covered a hole near him with his hand before he yelled over to the guy next to him.

"We're going to die!"

"Did we get attacked?!"

"We were traveling just fine!Why would someone attack us?!"

"What if we die?!"

"Hey! Quiet down!"

"You guys, stop fighting!"

The van had turned into total chaos as the time continued to pass by. The navigation said that it was a composite attack but it seemed bigger than that since they got propelled by the impact. Everything was just going so well, it was quite an experience for the 16 people that were inside the bus.

Attached to the big van was a trailer full of expensive monster corpses. Three of them were the animals that they had hunted earlier. The end of their raids had been announced so they were on the right side of the van partying and drinking to celebrate. That became a problem.

They shot their guns and riddled their bus' ceiling to salute their victory. They also shot the 20mm machine gun for fun and that caused a disturbance in the area that they traversed. Everyone inside thought that they should have been more thoughtful of the noise that they caused.

The attack really wasn't that bad compared to the worst-case scenario that had been imprinted on their minds. The monster wasn't severely hungry when it attacked the bus but they still had to be careful of getting hurt. Even though they were good at hunting, going out with a wound would still be hard to deal with. They had been through intense raids these past days so that's why they didn't think of anything else when they celebrated with their guns.

Euiik...

Their roof was then torn apart. They tried to regain control over to their left side but then they felt something had been broken.

"When are we going to get there?!"

"I don't know! Ugh... It must have been over an hour since then..."

It had only been about ten minutes since the signal had been sent but for them, it felt like an hour.

The attack still went on and they all felt like their bus would soon break up in half. It bit through every inch of its metal frame and now, its fangs managed to reach someone's leg.

"Argh!"

"Leader!"

"Oh no!"

The leader's leg was bitten. They tried to strike the monster with a sword but then the monster retracted its mouth and dragged him outside.

"Ahhh!"𝓵𝙞𝙗𝙧𝙚𝒂𝙙.𝓬𝒐𝒎

The leader screamed on top of his lungs as his blood splattered everywhere along with his limbs. One female platoon member saw it and she couldn't stop herself from vomiting. She started to scream, she and their leader had a fling going on.

"He's being eaten... Someone!"

One guy yelled but no one had the energy to do anything. It wasn't that they were happy about the leader being eaten, they just wished that they would attack the other trailer instead. Three people had already died out of group 10 since it happened. One had died due to friendly fire while they were driving and another guy had died as well. Two of their members had fainted and the remaining ones were left panicking.

The monster had finished chewing its food and walked forward. It was following a scent from somewhere but it had no idea about what it was supposed to find since it sadly missed the things inside the trailer. The monsters had traveled far and it came for nothing, it was very hungry and it needed something to eat.

Its hunger died because of the human meat that it had eaten and it remembered its babies waiting inside its nest. It then decided to bring something home to them. It tore off huge chunks of iron with its mouth and moved them away. They were quite heavy but it moved them slowly. It then made its entrance and thought happily about feeding them to its babies. It then flew away thereafter towards the direction of its offspring but then, it felt a great pain surging from its wings.

PangPang!

It unfortunately dropped its prey but it continued to fly.

It felt a flame passing by at the bottom of its foot and it was about to fall down but it spread and flapped its wings with a greater force to fly higher. The area was very low so it flew close to the ground but it aimed to fly higher and higher and focused on getting to its destination instead of dealing with the pain.

A new box of goods appeared in the same place but the damage that it suffered was too severe at the moment.

The monster continued to fly with all its strength. It then made a landing to its nest where its children were. Even though it had a difficult time going back, the monster wasn't worried. They were aiming at it while it was flying but the monster didn't suffer from any wounds.

It had never experienced anything like that before but it wasn't scared. It just thought that it could have been worse. It spat the person it ate out of its mouth and it was then suddenly shot in the head.

"A 400 meter shotgun attack!"

PongPongpong Pong!

They continued their attack from a distance. They aimed their sniper rifles towards the monster and caused incomparable damage compared to their machine gun.

The monster screamed and fell from midair. It tried to get itself back but the humans pressed on with their attacks.

Pong! PongPong!

It rotated in the air and tried to dodge but two bullets managed to make its mark. They went on with their assault but it maneuvered itself and made a clever escape.

"Cease artillery attack 1! Continue artillery attack 2! Don't let it get away! Start attacking on its right!"

Joonghwi commanded them to not lose the monster. It kept trying to get away even though it was starting to fall down the slope. They kept shooting but the monster eventually got itself back in the air once again.

"Aim!"

Joonghwi shouted and Jonguk adjusted the ground-to-air missile and aimed it at the monster. It was a very expensive weapon that they have yet to use but going against that monster was a situation that calls for its use.

Joonghwi watched the monster with a pair of binoculars. It flew with its feathered wings and was about to get out of their range.

"It escaped. Stop the attack!"

They then stopped their machine guns at Joonghwi's orders. It was unfortunate that they couldn't continue their hunt and it wasn't easy for them to see it get away. They would have succeeded if it was afraid but the monster turned its head in the opposite direction and escaped.

"Peji! Drive closer! We have to get the injured members!"

"Yes, sir!" 𝑙𝒾𝒷𝘳𝑒𝑎𝘥.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Peji quickly turned the handle and started to catch up.

"Everyone, let's go, aside from the machine gunner and Peji! Set up everything! Peji! Do a thorough check of the area!"

"Yes, sir!"

They reached their destination and the platoon members started to spread out in all four directions.

"Yuri! Jae Hwang! Go see if there were any survivors!"

Yuri followed his orders and put on her power suit before she went outside together with Jaehwang. Joonghwi who stood next to the machine gun looked over to Mingyeong and said,

"Mingyeong! Go with them!"

Mingeyong then dried a tear from her eye and nodded her head before following along behind Yuri.

Yuri saw a wrecked piece of iron and something seemed to be under it.

"Ahhh... It hurts..."

"Ss..save me,please..."

The wreckage looked horrible and they were about 300 meters away from where the accident had happened. Jaehwang and Mingyeong then rushed to the injured members and saw that they weren't dead and some of them had suffered from fractures.

"Ouch!"

"Healing light!"

Mingyeong placed the broken arm back into its socket and started using her healing powers. Jaehwang on the other hand, took a piece of cloth and wrapped it around another injured member's bleeding stomach before he started to heal him.

Yuri watched them from the outside and nodded her head. Jaehwang's healing abilities were good but Mingyeong's were much faster. She was a specialized healer, she's not only good for battles but her skills were always useful.

"Wait! We need more!"

Time passed and they were able to heal them one by one.

"It's working!"

The dreadful place started to shine with a colorful light as they helped everyone recover with her special skills. She healed each of them without any side effects.

She was doing so great that Jaehwang couldn't do anything but step back and be amazed. She seemed to have a battle panic disorder when they started the mission but now, it seemed like a foolish thing to think about.

Yuri, who was watching, then yelled.

"Stop! Retreat! Retreat!"

"?"

Jaehwang then stood up after she noticed her voice.

"Just leave them! Come out!"

Teuk Teuk Teuk Teuk!

They then heard the violent sound of a machine gun. An accident had happened.

Jaehwang ran out but he then noticed that Mingyeong didn't... she heard Yuri's warning but didn't act fast enough and was stuck inside the wreckage.

Chapter 54

KwangKwang!

Jaehwang got out of the wreckage and noticed that Mingyeon wasn't with him. He didn't see Yuri either, all he saw was the same monster hovering above along with all the gunshots that rang in the background.

Tote Tote Uk!

The two 30mm continued to spit fire but the bullets kept bouncing off of its skin. It was made clear that their guns wouldn't work so well on anything more than a fourth tier monster.

-...Jaehwang, Yuri and Mingyeong aren't answering! Try to see what's going on. I'll take care of it for the meantime.

-Got it.

Joongwhi's voice echoed through his headset before he jumped back into the wreckage once again. It turned into total chaos. She had finished healing them but their bodies were still sore that none of them could move on their own and flee. Yuri was hurt as well. She used herself as a shield to defend Mingyeon but her power suit wasn't enough to tank a blow as powerful as what they had just received.

"What happened..."

Jaehwang was shocked. He almost wasn't able to speak when he saw Mingyeon cradling yuri with a worried look on her face.

"Hang in there!"

Jaehwang said to Mingyeon. She was struggling to breathe and her eyes were filled with fear. She fished for a small sack in her pocket with her shaky hands and she covered her nose and mouth before she took a deep breath.

Her panic disorder kicked in. She managed to regulate her breathing but she still had that scared look on her teary eyes as her body continued to shake. She can't move properly.

"...I think I'm going to go crazy."

Everyone on the military bus had tried to locate where the monster was at the moment. Yuri wasn't herself because of the damage that she took from the wreckage that was supposed to crash to Mingyeon. There wasn't enough time to heal her and it would even take a lot more just to put her on the brighter side of things. On the other hand, Mingyeon was fine but she was still too frightened to move.

"...This is really not going well..."

He said and grabbed Mingyeon's.

"Hey! Let go!"

She yelled and pushed his hands away from her.

Both of them were angry and stressed. She wanted to just lose her mind but she had to hang in there to keep Jaehwang in control since she knew that that type of behavior would only make things worse. It was true that people would do stupid things in difficult situations to shock and reboot their minds but the human brain is much more complicated compared to that.

-What do we do?

-First, I need you need to relax.𝑙𝒾𝒷𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥.𝒸𝑜𝘮

It looked like they hadn't thought about that but the real problem was they didn't know how to.

-Help me.

Jaehwang asked the spirit. He knew that she had an endless amount of magic and there had to be a way that she could help them.

-There's nothing I can do. Just relax and think...

Jaehwang then took a deep breath. They had no ideas left.

"What are we going to do?"

Jaehwang then relaxed and buried himself in thought.

That's when she felt something. She felt a warm touch, Jaehwang smelled a sweet scent and both of them heard a sound. Minyeong kept her eyes shut and asked who it could be.

Click...

Jaehwang hugged her. He gave her a pat on the back and her body stopped shaking.

"Shhhh..."

Jaehwang whispered in her ear as he stroked her head just like what his mother did with him in the past. It completely calmed her down.

His training days with his father when he was young was beyond challenging so he would always end up running away from the cabin to hide behind a giant boulder and cry. His mother would then come and comfort him in the same way.

They pulled away and gazed into each other's eyes. Mingyeon's face was overrun by tears and embarrassment. They were so close that they could feel each other's breaths.

"It's okay."

"..."

Her face was beet red and her mind completely turned blank. Her panic disorder felt as if it disappeared as soon as she was enveloped by his arms. It felt strange but that wasn't a feeling that she didn't hate.

She noticed how sweet he smelled as she saw her face reflecting on the eyes of that handsome face of his. He was like an angel who had a bright halo over his head and that image of him was now permanently stuck in her head as a sight that she would never be able to forget.

"How are you feeling?"

Her face grew even hotter as she gave him a nod to answer his question. She had to break away from his arms and half of her felt like she didn't want to.

"Alright... do you think you can heal these people? I'll take care of that monster."

"S... Sure"

Mingyeon went back inside the bus wreckage, nothing had changed except for Yuri who was in a worse condition compared to when she last saw her. It was a sight that was supposed to shake her core but her panic disorder seemed to have calmed down. She started to heal her even though it somewhat felt harder than before.

Jaehwang then walked up to her and held her hand. She hid her burning face and focused on healing Yuri.

-Wow, what a player...

-What are you talking about?

-Nothing...

Jaehwang shrugged off his questions about what she just said and went outside of the wreckage to fight the monster. He carefully picked his arrow and held it in his hand. He knew that everything could go wrong if he used the wrong one in this kind of scenario.

'Tiger hunter'

A mark showed up on him and then he disappeared like a mirage. No one there could no longer see him. He didn't even remember anything about his family doing the same thing, he felt like a hollow that just occupied some space.

"Wow."

He walked outside with a confused look on his face.

Teuk Teuk Teuk Teuk Teuk!

The monster was flying leisurely in the sky. They were trying to shoot the monster with a machine gun and it wasn't doing as great as they had expected. One of the problems that the weapon had was that it was very loud and could attract any monsters from their surroundings. The monster then started to increase its speed.

The spirit then spoke to him.

-It looks dangerous.

-Yeah...

It wasn't like any of the monsters that they tried hunting before but for him, it was different. It went back to its normal speed after a while as it hovered above them so he raised his bow and prepared to shoot an arrow. He had to work with different varieties of arrows that he made from all kinds of things but one thing was common, they were able to make the best out of each one if the monster wasn't flying.

-That monster seems familiar, haven't we eaten that before?

Her voice was smug but she wasn't joking. They had to eat the monsters that they hunted in order to survive.

-Maybe we have eaten around thirty? I don't know...

-Well Isn't that too accurate?

The spirit laughed as Jaehwang tried to aim for its head.

-Hello? This is Jaehwang.

-Ah boss Jaehwang, how did everything go?

-Everything's fine. There was a big impact and Yuri suffered some serious damage. Mingyeon is healing her along with the others inside right now."

-Really? Well... that's a relief. I won't let that monster get away with this.

Joonghwi was happy that everything turned out to be fine with Jaehwang and the others. He made a terrible judgment. He was sure that the monster had escaped but it was trickier than he thought. It moved around them and attacked at the perfect moment.

It made sense that they would attack its weakest point to give it a bit of a harder time to defend itself. That was the reason why it was common sense that they would attack the babies first instead of the mother when they were out doing a raid on a monster's nest. Jaehwang then spoke in his headset again.

-Don't go easy on it.

-Me?

Joonghwi then tilted his head at Jaehwang's answer. He and his archery skills were amazing and he hasn't proven himself to be otherwise even once. He thought he would use his bow but his arrows won't be able to reach it.

'Is it possible?'

He would have to go through a lot of preparation just to hunt a fifth tier monster and after thinking about it for a while, Joonghwi started to get nervous.

-Alright. Are you ready?

He couldn't believe what he was just saying. It had only been a short time but he was giving Jae Hwang all of his trust. Everything sounded great.

"Wheu..."

Jaehwang took a deep breath and readied his arrow. He slowly pulled the string back a bit further to try to put up the strongest attack that he could ever muster.

It wasn't like a game where all you had to do was to press a button. It couldn't just be carelessly launched since at least this attack had the power to tear the monster into three pieces.

His head and his body had to be in a perfect position. He had already tried it a few times during his time in the Alousu and he remembered that back then, he didn't have enough energy.

-It overlapped three times before and failed so I would have to always look after you during the attack, but I don't have to worry about anything like that now.

The spirit's voice was sad yet proud. That was it. Now it wasn't just the two of them, he had other people with him.

-Now you have others you could rely on.

Jaehwang's skills arose as she said those words. 𝓁𝘪𝑏𝓇𝑒𝑎𝑑.𝑐𝘰𝑚

'Silent Arrow'

Swoosh...

He released the arrow and launched it with a golden light as it pierced through the wall of air. There was a lot of energy packed inside it but it felt like his ancestor's inheritance had been taken out and went along with it.

'Something's strange...'

Swoosh...

'The Movement arrow...'

'The Strong arrow...'

Papapang!

There was no sound when freed his hands from his bow strings but soon enough, the sound of the arrow crashing onto its target filled his ears. The impact was so great that a cloud of dust had appeared. Its massive size surprised Jaehwang at first but he still followed the path where his arrow had landed with the help of the spirit. For the first time, his hunt had started.

Chapter 55

The arrow made its way into the monster's eye and angered it. It was just having fun toying with them before going back to its babies but it now felt a bit threatened. After all, they tried their best to attack and nothing worked until now.

It was engulfed in flames before it scattered it with its wings. It flew around them with a great speed and it seemed unaffected by every attack that they could give. It nosedived and quietly attacked when it saw the chance.

The timing was almost perfect but then the monster's eye had a flash. It had become aware of the flames from before but this one appeared out of nowhere without a sound. It didn't see it coming.

It didn't exactly hit the monster, It didn't even deal that much damage and just caused it to stumble. It rotated its body before the arrow could reach its wing and it flew sideways to dodge their attacks as much as possible. But...

Just when it seemed to barely graze the monster's skin, the arrow made a sharp right-angled turn and hit the monster on its back.

The monster howled in pain and flew in a different direction. The flash was condensed and the energy that filled it felt stiff. It folded its wings and made its descent. It was then about to recover; however, the flash returned once again, forcing it to switch its movements in midair and eventually, it snapped its wings.

Kwang!

Joongwhi's mouth was stuck open in awe as he saw his arrow fall to the ground. His original plan was to let Jae Hwang to try and shoot it for a bit but the monster seemed to be already defeated.

It was falling to the ground with nothing but its broken wings. There was nothing to be afraid of, especially now that it couldn't fly.

"It still has some energy, let it bleed for a bit"

Joonghwi waited on the ground with his sword in hand. It was a sharp one meter long and thirty centimeter thick double-edged sword. He placed his gun back in its holster since it was just classified as a level four dealer. A deal was a scale used to measure a weapon's strength; the higher the deal, the stronger it was.

"How much is it worth?"

"When we caught it last year we received 40 million won. That stupid commander took most of it but... I don't know..."

Said Sungyeon. He was also a dealer just like Joonghwi but ranked three. He had his weapon ready about when the monster had made its landing. He was very powerful and he had a rough appearance.

"My sweet girl... Your daddy will buy you something delicious after this."

Jungkuk mumbled. He was a young father and he stood there prepared with his shield and spear in hand.

Kwang!

The monster hit the ground with the impact that created a swarm of dense dust everywhere. But in that very moment they saw the shadow of something flying on its two wings. It had to have bitten it when they were preparing.

"It's our most expensive slaughter yet! Let's go!"

"Okay! Boss!"

The first one to go was Joonghwi. He wasn't the most powerful but he was very experienced and was someone who had never backed down in a fight.

Joonghwi took his sword and stabbed it deep in its neck. After that, he stepped back and looked into his eyes.

Songyeon attacked the top of the monster's head.

'Speeding cover!'

The monster screamed in pain and Joonghwi followed through with another attack.

"Okay okay! That should be enough!" 𝓁𝘪𝑏𝓇𝑒𝑎𝑑.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Their attacks had worked and it seemed like the monster was about to fall. I couldn't recover from the damage that it just suffered. It was strong but after all of that, it looked like it was done for.

The platoon members then gathered around it. Just like Joonghwi, Seongyeon was so strong and standing up to it was just enough. When it squirmed and struggled to try and get up, they shot a few arrows into its wing and the monster was agitated once again. The platoon members had become aware of the situation and they all focused on their attack.

"Let's go!"

Seongyeon stabbed the monster in the neck one more last time to end the raid once and for all. It still struggled to survive even if one of its wings were broken. The platoon members continued to attack until each one of them were completely exhausted. All of them then collapsed into their seats where they took their rest.

Joonghwi was breathing heavily with sweat streaming down his face. Although he wasn't so powerful, the monster was no match for him. He did get tired and felt dizzy at the moment.

If it didn't fall to the ground with so much impact then it wouldn't have been possible to defeat it. It was a very powerful monster.

"Whew..."

Joonhwi looked at it with a tired gaze. They should have been happy that they had caught the monster but their happiness soon turned into worry as they thought of Mingyeon. If Yuri and Mingyeon hadn't joined the battle halfway through then it would have been much more difficult.

She was also suffering from panic disorder before and was in a terrible condition. Yuri was then moved to a different position and by the second half she was safe thanks to Hyunjun.

There was nothing more to be said about Jae Hwang. Every time that things would fluctuate and the monster would have a room to attack, he was always there to put it back in its place. It wasn't much but because of that, the monster was stopped in its tracks and the team was able to continue exerting 120 percent of their effort. Jaehwang couldn't cover the role of a dealer. However, his arrows gradually made a bigger impact on the raid.

Joongwhi then walked towards Mingyeon after she finished healing all of the other injured members.

"Mingyeon."

"Yes, leader?"

She smiled after seeing Seongyun's refreshing face and turned her head towards Joonghwi to answer his call.

"You're our platoon's main healer..."

"..."

Mingyeon had a strange look on her face after hearing what Joonghwi had said. She didn't know if she should feel offended or happy. The monster was dead but they weren't completely sure if they could go through the gate freely so the panic disorder wasn't completely gone.

She was the only healer in the platoon so she was completely useless in battles and no one could see how lonely she was. She felt like they were just treating her nicely because they had to. She thought that she was just a burden to the team and because of that, she was contemplating if she would go through the gate with them. She felt useless and she felt that she couldn't do anything to protect everyone around her. She was sorry.

But then all of those worries suddenly disappeared and he was the reason.

"...You've done a great job..."

Joonghwi said and Mingyeon suddenly started to cry.

"Okay, Let's get going, you guys."

"Yes, sir!"

Click... click...

Mingyeon then went to heal others who were mildly hurt. Joonghwi took a cigarette out of his pocket and ignited its tip with a lighter.

They were actually going to put Mingyeon out of their team after that mission. It was an unfortunate situation but there were fifteen people in the platoon and so they had to take out the healer position on the team. But it looked like Mingyeon had managed to overcome her panic disorder.

She had a long way to go but she would be a lot greater than what she was not if she manages to overcome that sickness.

"She's lucky..."

-Are you okay?

-Yeah. But we'll have to work hard everyday.

Jaehwang was tired but he still had the perfect control of his left hand. The impact was overlapped three times and because of that, there was nothing else he could do besides to shoot common arrows during the second half of the raid. He had been getting injured a lot lately. His wounds were restored with his resurrection skill but it would still leave him exhausted.

Four of the archery skills that he had inherited overlapped but luckily he noticed the impact and was able to proceed carefully before something terrible had happened. He had to use his unique skill no matter how difficult it was.

-Just use the exploding one like you used to. Why do you keep using the strong arrow?

-I can't do the same things over and over again. I had to experiment with it a little and with that, I'd be able to improve even more.

-Really? Improve what?

-Everything.

Jaehwang then opens the skill status window. His current rank of his sniper skill had increased and the effectiveness of his physical strength also increased as it had been indicated with a +1. It was small but out of 550 percent, his strength effectiveness seemed to have increased by about 450 percent.

It turned out that there were a lot of improvements.

But even though he improved a lot, Jaehwang still didn't have skills like a top ranked Jimyeong.

A Jimyeong was a member that could fit into every position in a platoon. His skills would improve even more in the future and he would continue to grow and in the end, his aim to be the strongest hunter there ever was.

-I want to quickly achieve a fourth overlap.

There was something called the 'save system' and it was a huge system that developed a tremendous amount of drugs and other addictive and toxic medicines. He was obviously anxious but there was nothing he could do about it. Everyday he would improve rapidly and the thought of getting strong was even more tempting, however, Jaehwang had to slow down a bit.

Developing himself too fast could end up being his poison but if he stops, something terrible could happen.

-Stop... If you think of failing a fourth overlap then you'll never want to stop.

-I know.

Jaehwang then started to smile. He was already never going to stop and he could level up more than he already was.

Mingyeon then approached him.

"Are you okay? You're sitting alone..."

"Ah, Yes, I'm fine..."

He then thought about the last time they saw each other...

"Thank you for your help."

"Oh.. It was nothing..."

"..."

Mingyeon's face then looked a little sad but then she smiled. She thanked Jaehwang again and left.

-You have such a big ego...

-What?

-The more clueless you are, the worse it is... .

"Hey! Let's get going before another monster comes through. Whew... When will all this be over."

"...But all of the money..."

He then turned around and saw Seongyeon smiling happily.

Chapter 56

Everyone besides the battle observers was rescued and everyone was dazed as they wondered why they were so late. Joonghwi and the others did show up late but after they had accepted the request, they immediately went to work.

They had saved them, even the few who fell into the water and prayed that everything would turn out okay. The monster had taken half of their trailer which limits the space that they could use. But even so, they had managed to load the monster inside their truck before they went on to prepare for their mission.

Those who survived went back to their bus and they resumed their trip towards Justin point. Six hours had passed and they made their way into its vicinity, everyone was relieved that their long dangerous trip would finally come to an end.

Their work before couldn't be compared to what they had done over to the advanced base 716. There were a few monster scales, Kobultu scales that appeared around their area. Those monsters thrived through the underground tunnels and they have high reproduction rates, thus, a public order was given to hunt them. It was the type of monster that could be hunted without risks, that's the reason why Justin point is the best place for beginners.

Moreover, on the north side of the base, there were rare monsters up to the fifth tier lined up for sale in case visitors showed up and if they would ever have any trouble, Korea and America could unite for a small period of time. As for what others say, It was like a hunter paradise that was currently occupied by numerous clans.

"It looks amazing."

"Doesn't the Kolbultu monster look cute."

They had progressed more and more each day. There were small Kobutlu's scurrying around the area and their hunters worked their hardest to kill it, they were admirable. 𝓁𝘪𝘣𝘳ℯ𝒶𝘥.𝘤𝑜𝓂

"Isn't this like a level up heaven?"

Their experience with the oaks had helped them a lot. Hunting a Kobultu would seem worth much less but if one were to compare the two, the Kobultu was much faster and possessed powerful bites and claws. They would go wild and attack anyone who tries to get close making the oaks seem docile and easy to defeat.

"Jae Hwang, are you not interested?"

"Yes."

"It's... interesting."

Jaehwang said as he continued to sharpen his knife with care without giving his attention to anything else. He felt like he didn't have a goal to be here and the dust was everywhere, almost getting in their eyes.

"...It could still be difficult to catch monsters here..."

He held up the monster's wing with a pole that was then filled with hot air and he used that to pluck its feathers to make an arrow shaft.

"Isn't it difficult even with two of the wing coverts?"

He plucked the feathers one by one before he turned his head towards its tail feathers which were the part that he needed the most. He disregarded the things that he didn't need and soon enough, they heard the sound of a monster dying from a distance.

"Wow... That sounds expensive..."

He looked sad for a second and then he went back to focus on gathering his feathers. A lot of them were scattered on the floor and one might be surprised that these cost a few hundred dollars per piece.

"Aren't those features usually about 500 dollars each?"

"Yeah."

Jeahwang finished up and gathered the feathers and the nails of the monster. These were high priced interior materials but its claws compared to the others that he got were very rare and expensive. Joonghwi did a great job of finishing it off when it landed but if it wasn't for Jaehwang, things could have gotten terribly wrong.

Mingyeon was also a Gagseog and she seemed to have received positive remarks about her job recently.

Clickclick...

He took a rest from making his arrows and the spirit then asked him a question.

-Are you going to make that arrow?

-Yes.

Jaehwang made lots of special arrows during his time in the Alousu. The tail feathers he currently had were a little thicker than the ones he had before and he had taken care of the monster's claws so he could use it for the arrowheads. He makes sure that the items that he makes were made of pure natural items to avoid failure if he ever tries to enchant it.

-Well just go to a workshop then, that'll make things easier.

-Right. But, as a member of the hunting army, they should know about the arrows I use.

-Gosh, you sound like an old man.

Jaehwang laughed. She had a point with her suggestion since the quality of the arrows made from the workshop would be better than he was currently working on. The materials that he had now were very expensive and he figured that it would be the best time to make use of his crafting skills. His father had taught him everything he knew about arrow making so he decided to make it everything on his own.

-I didn't know that it was this fun before you know...

It was a good way to kill time in his incredibly long bus ride and using the claws as its tip made it very strong. He didn't need to use up much of his energy and he could cut it into any shape that he wanted.

-Ha... Whatever you say. If I were to do what I wanted then... I would like to watch some drama soon...

-I know... I know...

He would usually lend her his tablet to let her watch some dramas but she can't materialize herself when other platoon members are around.

At first, he thought that it was a waste of time and he did try to convince her to think the same way. It never worked in the end but they had reached a compromise of two hours per day.

He took out his tablet and plugged in the earphones so the spirit could watch while crafts his arrows.

-Ah... No matter how much I watch it, it's always great.

-I know but I'll try to keep it down a little.

-Yeah, sure, whatever.

He didn't see anything with his head facing down so he squinted his eyes. The spirit was on his opposite side and then someone sitting close by noticed the monster's claws.

:Woah... I could be wrong but, you have a very unique hobby. Even guys usually find this disgusting..."

Hyejin sat beside him and looked at the nails on his hand. Now, Jaehwang could see the drama but it wasn't enough to keep him interested. Seeing every bit and piece of the show that the spirit watched annoyed him since the character's likes and dislikes were very much obvious.

"..."

Jaehwang never answered her and so she went over towards his seat to see the drama that distracted him. She was a woman first and a hunter second, she had liked such shows and she had really missed watching them. It turned out that it was the thing that she just needed.

Especially now that every female platoon member would blush when they look at him. To them, Jaehwang was much more interesting compared to the guys in those shows. Both of them then got distracted by the drama but they got their focus back when they heard Joonghwi speak.

"Aren't we going to eat?"

A female platoon member was surprised by the time after she checked her watch. Three hours had already passed.

"Who's turn is it today?"

"Uhh... Today's turn is..."

"Yours."

Yuri raised her hand. The girls were in charge of the cooking but that soon became an issue of gender discrimination so the guys ended up helping them to clean and prepare the platoon's meals. They had divided their work and achieved a new level of effectiveness.

Yuri was a reliable member but her cooking skills weren't the best. If her cooking wasn't so bad then maybe they would accept her offer to cook more often but that didn't seem to be possible.

"I'll cook today."

Everyone then looked over towards Jae Hwang in surprise.

"Oh... You could cook?"

"Not really."

Jaehwang said, shaking his head. He wasn't really quite sure.

"Then why?..."

"Because I want to eat, so I'll cook."

Joonghwi shook his head and approved of Jaehwang's request. They weren't excited to see his cooking abilities but he volunteered so they had to take the risk. They were hoping his skills were at least average.

"You can try it this time. Ask Yuri if you need anything..."

"Got it."

The military bus stopped and after installing the barricades, Yuri helped him to prepare. Yuri stayed by to help when he needed it. He asked her for vegetables and she told him they were in the fridge.

"Even if you fail... I want you to know that it's okay"

He reached for a pack of monster meat from out of the fridge and carefully examined it. It was a piece of the monster that had been cut off after the raid. He had no experience with cooking those kinds of meats. Yuri then went and asked him about it.

"What's that?"

"Monster meat."

Jaehwang then grabbed a long kitchen knife and sliced it. Some parts of it were tough and hard to eat but some parts were unbelievably chewy and soft.

"Wow... Monster meat is..."

Monster meat wasn't anything new to Yuri but one needs a license to even be able to prepare the meat of a high ranked monster. The meat could be toxic and unknowingly eating them could send someone to the hospital.

"Do you have a license?"

"No."

"..."

Yuri became nervous after she heard Jaehwang's answer. This was not the best place for someone to get food poisoning.

"The meat from this type of monster isn't toxic. I've inspected it to be sure."

She still felt a little anxious but she just shook her head and went along with it.

"...Okay."

Yuri's reaction wasn't anything new so he moved on and started to chop the ingredients. He instantly sliced up to ten kilograms worth of food and after a clean cut, blood came out all over the cutting board.

Yuri was amazed.

"What's the name of what you're cooking?"

"The monster steamed seasoner."

"Could you teach me? I have a lot to learn about cooking..."

Jaehwang then looked at her and agreed.

"I usually drain all the blood out of the meat before I cut it but we don't have a lot of time so I'm going to do it like this. I'll cut some gingers and garlic before I grind them to bits.

"Wow."

Yuri stuck by his side to offer some help and learn in return. She prepared the ginger and garlic while Jaehwang went to get something from the fridge.

Jaehwang then brought something that wasn't formally registered. It was shaped like a weed but it was a common food here in the Alousu. He figured that it would turn the dish into something amazing, it had a rather sweet aftertaste and expected it to be quite refreshing.

He didn't teach Yuri about this one yet since he thought that it would still be difficult.

Tatattatag... Clickclick...

He cut it up perfectly and placed it on the seasoned grill. Then he added water and sweet soy sauce after he added a Japanese apricot. They both then added the mix of ginger and garlic together.

Chapter 57

"Wow…"

Yuri was amazed at Jaehwang's cooking skills. He didn't need to use a measuring cup or spoon, he just put the garlic in and everything was perfect.

He moved like a professional chef who had been cooking all his life.

Taktak…tak…

He cut the onions and carrots and mixed them in with a few seasonings. His hand movements were fast yet delicate and precise.

"Can I try next time? Since we have a little time it can just simmer for a little. If we add more in then the taste and smell will be too much. Adding olives would be great though."

"Alright"

Yuri as she watched his smooth hand movements.

The monster meat was cooked to perfection like a beef sirloin. Yuri wasn't actually sure but, the skin of the monster meat seemed to be the most expensive part of it. It was already high priced but she didn't know if it was anything more like on a gourmet level.

It was very sensitive so you could only cook it for so long but Jaehwang still handled it very well.

He sprinkled some seasonings over the meat and placed it in an airtight container.

"It needs a bit of time for the seasonings to permeate so while it's doing that we should distribute the plates. ."

"Huh? Oh, okay."

Yuri was completely distracted by the sight of him cooking as if she was under a spell that didn't break until he spoke. She prepared a giant shot (a traditional Korean caldron made of cast iron). and placed it on the table. She then placed the meat on low fire and set the table.

-I'm anticipating this.

-Me too.

Few hours had passed and the platoon members had gathered one by one to share their meal.

"Wow…. this is…."

HyunJoon ate a piece of the monster meat and wore a doubtful look on his face as he savored it and it wasn't long before he burst into tears. It wasn't an over exaggerated joke, he was actually crying.

Even though his eyes were filled with tears, he continued to gulp down his meal as if it was liquid. This was his first time eating a monster meat this good.

"Why are you crying?… Is it really good? I think you're overreacting a little bit…"

He said as he looked over at HyunJoon. Seongyeon then took a big piece of meat and put it in his mouth and said…

"Wow…"

His eyes were filled with delight. He concentrated on its flavor and looked a bit confused when he noticed that it had an irresistible salty sweet taste. He then felt scared at the thought that they won't eat anything like it for a while but he ignored those thoughts and started to eat faster.

"Wow…wow…"

They all watched Seongyeon's reaction as he ate one piece after another. His eyes then grew bigger as he continued to devour his meal. Jaehwang made their food using ten kilograms of meat because they had a big steamer that he could use but he didn't expect the meat to run out that fast. The combat ratio and the meal plans were left untouched, they all knew that the monster meat tastes garbage so no one dared to touch it.

"Wow, this is…"

Joonghwi shook his head and looked at the steamer as well as his empty plate in front of him.

The last thing that was left to eat was rice and soup.

It had a really fatal taste. It was so delicious that anyone would eat it even if they knew it was poisonous since it just looks like normal seasoned meat at first glance. It looked like something that anyone would find in the market.

However, the moment they tasted it, it was like nothing they've ever tasted before. There was nothing that they could compare it to. It was something special. Everything about it was perfect.

"Do you have cooking skills?"

"Yes."

"Wow…"

Jaehwang answered as he continued to eat..

"What is it that you can't do?"

Jaehwang has been showing new talents every single day. That was the only one he had shown to them as of yet but they wouldn't be surprised if he had more in store. He was a very good cook. They've never known anyone with cooking talents like that, everyone thought that having him on their team was like a luxury.

"I've finished everything but I'm still hungry…"

He said after he took a deep breath. He was clearly full but he felt like he wanted more. The antinomic feeling confused him and not only that but, besides Jaehwang, everyone else was feeling the same way.

"Jaehwang, I need some advice."

Joonghwi wanted to ask the same thing. He wanted to know something. He didn't want to eat anything remotely terrible ever again. If he never knew anything like that then he could live without knowing but the moment its taste reached his taste buds, he never wanted to eat anything else. It was a really big deal.

Joonghwi looked at Jae Hwang with a serious expression that he never looked at him with before.

Joonghwi failed to assign the cooking position to Jaehwang, he tried to ask him in the best way possible but he still refused.

If he took full charge of the cooking position then his cooking skills would increase but he didn't care about any of that.

The cooking position was an unexpected thing to request. If he had become the cook then his training would be interrupted. The spirit said that she didn't want to eat so she never came out as well. It was barely even his turn to cook but Joonghwi was trying to convince him to. He failed to convince him and he was saddened because of it.

"I'm number one in nagging."

"I want to protect the things at home."

"Looks like your face will stay in good shape even after one hundred years."

"Very handsome, amazing abilities and a good cook. Your personality just needs a bit of work. Haha…"

He said, looking at Jae Hwang in admiration but he just sat there with a blank stare. After spending all that time with the platoon members they were finally able to enter Justin point.

"We're here!"

The military bus parked on the concrete structure and the platoon members looked around at the sight before them.

"Woah… it's amazing…"

"Boss, aren't you going to look?"

"Huh… Of course."

Even Joonghwi was amazed. Before the parking ramp of base 716 was just concrete but after all of the dust from the dirt floated away there was a board and it was still nicely made. There was only one military bus there but there were many people.

It looked to be about 20 meters high and two meters thick and started to double. Each factor of the antiaircraft weapons spread out like a net. It was something that they would use to protect themselves from monsters.

The interior on the inside at the back was entirely made up of electronic items and even though it was so big, stopping the military bus on the parking ramp was a hard task even though that was their only problem. Every military bus provided individual stop ramps. That used to be an unimaginable amenity.

It seemed like nothing but it was a big deal. It was considered a necessity for every hunter especially in a place like this.

Everyone was filled with excitement and then he remembered a conversation he had with the platoon members a few days earlier.

"Everyone remembers what we're here for, right?"

"Yes, to track the movements of our three members in Justin point." 𝙡𝓲𝙗𝙧𝓮𝒂𝒅.𝙘𝓸𝒎

"Yes!"

Peji, Jonguk, and Mingyu said cheering with their fists in the air.

He would ask them more but the raid dividend cost for most of them was written off. It wasn't just 300 million but there was a 6.5 percent interest rate. In the army, the equipment didn't come out with dissemination and they had to repair everything themselves to save money. Some nation's policy was a rate of 6.5 so they just dealt with it. However, they oppose a supporter and just use the opinion of the minority.

Nevertheless, the inside was rotten and the society carelessly treated the problem.

The Gagseog army troops had low levels in the beginning so they weren't able to catch a high tier monster and because of that, they only wandered on the grounds and after five years they couldn't even pay it all back. Although if they were killed during a raid then that amount would luckily be exempted.

Their goal was to get to Justin point and get expensive supplies from base 716 so they had no time to joke around. There were lots of expensive monsters in the area that they could catch and make money from.

But it wouldn't be just that easy.

"Okay… I'll say this one last time. We have to go and meet up with platoon one at base 716 and become Justin point's 8th platoon. Keep that affiliate change in mind and don't get confused… there's another request but our affiliate won't change. As I said about Justin point, it looks the same as our state. It's not like it used to be, there's a ton of strong hunters here. But remember to behave and be cautious…"

"Yes, sir!"

"Leader, our places are over there, right?"

Peji asked Joonghwi who was lost in thought. He answered and handed him a paper with something written on it. He checked it and shook his head.

"Ah… I see. Our seats are… 12-5… on that side."

They finished parking the military bus and got off. There were dozens of people wearing work suits ahead of the parking ramp. The platoon members then got off of the bus and Joonghwi then walked up to a guy in a suit who looked to be the representative.

"Park JangJoon, You're the boss?"

"Ah, yes. I am Park JangJoon."

"Hello. Your eight platoon member military bus will be taken care of by Ru & Su. the engineering equipment team 2 leader; Kim Guang Hao."

"Good luck."

"Yes, sir. Thank you."

Guang Hao was very polite to them. He was a keen hunter. They had another wanted hunter causing their hunters trouble so they fired him and reorganized the team. The new 8 members and the platoon leader's first impression was great and he seemed like a good person. Those kinds of people would usually be rude.

"Well, let's start organizing."

"Yes. but what should we do with the monster corpse?"

"First, we'll divide the monster in the bus and work out a business contract with Justin point to sort out the payment and then we'll contract the platoon leader. If anyone has any questions then they could just ask me."

"Got it."

" 's now begin our work."

They talked with the equipment team leader Guan Hao and began the military bus check.

"Let's see… first let's try a moving signal."

"Okay."

They were then taking their first steps into a new place. Everyone was nervous as they followed along behind Jonghwi.

Although, the moving signal check was finished. It was completely different from the moving signal in the Korean army. It just checked their hunter license and transfer documents and that was all. After that, it looked nothing like the army. They were being guided by beautiful female soldiers around the hotel-like building.

"Hey, this is like that place that was here before, it was a place that was used for poor refugees!"

They offered personal supplies and they were as big as a one-room apartment. Even those who lived there in the past had only lived there with no more than 2 other people but it was different than before, it was cleaner and the interior was much better.

Jaehwang was walking right behind Joonghwi who looked around the neat place.

"Okay, we've done a lot today, let's all take some time to enjoy ourselves."

"Yahoo!"

All of the platoon members then scattered away into different rooms. Joonghwi then took a deep breath and walked into his room. He didn't feel like taking a nap and so he neatly arranged the new blanket on his bed.

Back in the Korean army, a few people had to use cots until they became too old. They were all going to sleep and get ready for more work the next day but there was something wrong…

Chapter 58

He tidied up around the room and then heard a ring from a phone from out of his pocket.

-Hello?

-Hi, how are you? Are you having a good time?

There was a gloomy voice coming from the other side of the phone.

-Yes, Mr. Kim Surang. Everything's great.

Joonghwi said in an aloof voice.

-...I'm surprised, I didn't know it would be fun. How is Justin's point?

It was base 716's Kim Surang. He was the only one helping them in the base so he had to be polite with him. He was the one who found Jaehwang when he still had a few disadvantages.

-Hey! We've traveled safely.

-That's great. What do you think of that? Do you have any connections that I don't know about? In Justin's point...?

-Tell me.

He was very busy but he didn't want to talk about Jae Hwang with just anyone. He didn't have anything to brag about.

-Haha, I'm a little sad. I seem to not have any luck. That and there's so much work to do.

-Really? Like what?...

Joonghwi then tilted his head.

-The boss and the assistant are in the office. Wow... I approached them and the boss refused which was really weird. That idiot started to cry... he's so pathetic. Did you know about it?

-I didn't hear anything about it sadly.

-Really? I thought you were calling because you were directly called by the military court... but you have lots of connections anyway so I thought you would be okay... Because all those things at the base had been turned inside and out.

-Is the boss okay?

-He's a little sad, I wanted to call him but he moved far away. Luckily, he was easy to find so everything seems fine, for now.

Joonghwi then thought of Jaehwang's support. He then understood why something like that had happened. They almost bored themselves to death on the bus, those who didn't talk to each other talked and every time something would happen, something fishy would happen to the boss at the base as well.

The most common thing was the dissemination that was pocketed from the start and the clans going into the gate were regularly receiving bribes.

Joonghwi asked himself why would they let something like that happen even if they knew about Jahewang's relations with GwanGHae. He then finally understood why.

He felt shivers down his spine. They had installed a direct call speaker in the direction of the person in the far away summit.

Luckily he thought of not mentioning it to SuRang.

-Anyway, I'm doing well. Let's have a drink the next time we meet up in person.

-That sounds good, I'll look forward to that.

"Woah.. It's gigantic."

"Wow...there's so many people"

The members of platoon 8 went to the power supply area in Justin point to train.

"The number of exclusive and expensive hunter training equipment here was around 30 to 50 thousand. They have the equipment for the basic skills training ready for rent and of course, here in the Alousu, even the natural environment is fit for training."

"Wow..."

There was a female soldier sitting behind the counter politely explaining everything to them. The 50 thousand scale training equipment was something that they would never guess.

"Okay. Now that I've told you about each of them, let's take a look."

Joonghwi followed behind the platoon members and thought that maybe they could be set free from their mission in a few days.

"Jaehwang, do you want to come with me?.."

"Sure?"

While the other platoon members split up going to different places, Jaehwang and Joonghwi looked around together. There were a lot of people there so Jaehwang put on a red scarf to hide his mouth and nose before he put on his hood.

"Hey... You can be comfortable here."

The training center was very big and there were lots of hunters training and among them were female hunters that showed off their curvy figure as they sparred with each other. Joonghwi's gaze was almost the same as all the other male hunters there.

"What are you going to do?"

Jaehwang wasn't interested in any of that and only looked around at the equipment.

Jaehwang was most interested in the set of the personal training equipment center. It had a fee of 10,000 dollars per month but it had everything someone would need along with its offered private spaces. It was really expensive and there had to be something else that had been reserved.

He then opened the personal training pamphlet.

Swoosh... Pang...

"Yes! Another ten points!"

There was another hunter who was surrounded by cheers on the side of the training center. The place was quiet, making it draw the attention of others but they just continued to train and talk with each other.

"DaeHyeon." 𝒍𝙞𝙗𝓻𝙚𝒂𝓭.𝒄𝙤𝙢

Jaehwang checked the mark that was put on each of their shoulders. The Daehyeon clan were always at the top or second of the strongest clans in their country. The everlasting history and their high ranked hunters expanded them to foreign countries even though their expeditions were set on the places that bored them.

They were using long-distance arrows in the shooting range. They sat and watched them shoot it, the target was about 200 meters away and it was so fast that it looked as if it disappeared and reappeared on the target. They took a shot as if it was a monster who was trying to run away, three arrows hit the board at a high speed.

Swoosh...Pang...

Swoosh... Pang...

The arrows that were used in the government service were shot into the target. The target shook due to the speed and no targets were missed. After the arrows had been taken out, they checked the monitor and found out that it was shot by a female hunter. She was wearing a black full face helmet so her face couldn't be seen.

"Wow, her shooting skills look amazing."

He was a little surprised. Then a guy with a very noticeable tattoo walked next to her.

"You're interrupting me, Dugeol."

"Oh, I'm sorry... I just wanted to speak with you."

"Whew..."

She then turned her focus back to the monitor after that exchange.

"Do you want to try it, Jaehwang? Isn't this your specialty?"

Joonghwi asked Jaehwang. He just wanted to watch and see how good he was because he felt like his training time was being wasted anyway. He had already seen the basics of his strong skills and felt no need to prove himself. Jaehwang didn't answer his question.

"Huh?"

Joonghwi then looked at Jaehwang's face. His face was hidden pretty well but he could still see his eyes and it had a pretty cold look on them. He had the same cold look in his eyes but when they were out hunting monsters and now, he seemed a little angry.

"You wanna try it, don't you?"

"Uh... sure."

Jaehwang went over to the counter and got a cover suit used for training along with three arrows. He also got a military utility belt and prepared himself for practice shooting. He pulled back the string to check its tension and shot three arrows for a pre-practice run. He then pressed the training start button and began to shoot.

Swoosh...Tang...

Swoosh...Tang...

They weren't so fast but they all hit the target. He pulled it back and it looked natural as if the strings themselves were bending by his will. He kept on shooting.

Swoosh... Pang...

They all continued to hit their mark with great precision.

'You have a total score of 498/500″

It was almost a perfect score.

"Amazing..."

Joonghwi then started to clap. He had the abilities of a super human. Even though he was a hunter, he knew how to use all kinds of weapons and of course, his aiming skills were also on the same level. For someone like Joonghwi who had lots of experience, all he could see was just pure arrow shooting skills when he saw him. He knew that he operates on a different level.

The same tattooed guy named Dugeol then walked over to Jaehwang.

"Woah... Your arrow shooting skills are really good."

"..."

He was being friendly but Jaehwang ignored him and took his training equipment back to the counter.

"Ugh.. that idiot..."

Dugeol was a hunter of the Daehyeon clan and he clearly didn't have too much of a good attitude. He wore a jacket with the Daehyeon clan emblem and showed it off with great pride. As bad as he is, he really did think that the guy who ignored him was good at shooting arrows.

He always showed only good skill but he seemed to be a little rude.

"He's good at shooting arrows but... his attitude doesn't seem so good. That's unfortunate..."

He pinched at Jaehwang's service duty term. He didn't know that he was affiliated to another big clan. His eyes looked disappointed but he had a mocking smile on his face. He could actually hear everything Jaehwang was saying as he was close by. He then put up an unpleasant expression and approached Jonghwi.

"Hey!"

He shouted.. Joonghwi wasn't necessarily a high ranked hunter but he didn't care about that and he never intended to follow Jae Hwang all the time to just protect him. He had a judging expression on his face but he knew for a fact that he didn't need to protect him.

He was a level four ranked hunter, he wasn't sure if he could put up a fight with him. Dugeol was at rank two and even though he was ranked higher, he was confident that Jaehwang could still defend himself against him. He was a tall person to deal with but his height was similar to Jaehwang's. He was then about to become 21 years old and he grew up to 186 centimeters.

"Ha... I can see him now."

He couldn't hear what he was saying but he shook his head.

"You seem good at shooting arrows, wanna have a bet against us?"

Jaehwang looked at Jonghwi after he heard those words. He didn't look like he was going to avoid a fight and Joonghwi just slightly shook his head. Unfortunately betting money was prohibited. He then wondered what they could use for a bet.

It wasn't being recommended but there was a possibility that they might try it.

Joonghwi shook his head and so Jaehwang turned to Dugeol and shook his head. He then talked with a few people and then whispered something to the girl in the full face mask.

It was obvious that she didn't care and the more he continued to talk, the more interested she became.

"The showdown will be over there with our rising star."

He said and then took a 5 centimeter clear gem from out of his pocket.

"I have this. What are you going to bet?"

He gave him something he received from a fourth tier monster he hunted. It was an item worth about $2,000 dollars.

It wasn't easy to get so many other hunters didn't have it. He decided that he could enter it into the bet. He then took a step closer to Jaehwang and whispered something in his ear.

"You don't have any money? You idiot."

He was obviously trying to provoke him, however, Jaehwang was completely calm and raised his right hand and there appeared a magical-looking white gem. He wanted to give something bigger and better than what Dugeol betted but that was all he had.

"Something from the fifth tier..."

Dugeol was surprised about what Jaehwang held in his hand. A gem from a fifth tier would be an item worth three million dollars. He made a quick check over the price of the item and Jaehwang then threw it up and then placed it on the table.

"Aren't your bettings looking a little small?"

Chapter 59

"Uhh..."

An item worth three million against an item worth two thousand... the difference in the prices were about 2 million and 8 thousand. He tried to offend him but it didn't work, he was actually feeling lucky. He then stepped back and took a look at all of the people staring. He then took off his gloves and placed them on the table.

"These are worth three million, they're an excellent ranked item."

Jaehwang then slightly touched the gloves.

[Alokusa- Wibon series- leather gloves- Excellent rank]

Name: Black Wibon Leather

Defense Power:- After getting hit it falls by 20 percent

Attack Power:- Attacking with bare hands increases the power by 20 percent

Special skills

Physical Strength: + 1

Sense: + 1

It was a mass-produced product but it boasts its great defense.

"What's the maximum price?"

Jaehwang asked Dugeol.

"Up to three million. But any used item is also fine."

"It's kind of short, isn't it?"

Dugeol said, Jaehwang just shrugged his shoulders and looked back.

He was trying to provoke him but he kept feeling as if a huge weight was placed on him.

He was getting angry but he didn't let it show. He betted something with a high market value but it's something he used before.

"Just do it."

"...Okay..."

Jaehwang said kindly as he shook his nervousness away. People had been staring at him with their cold eyes but he still kept his focus.

The board was prepared. The expensive items were hanging on it and a manager from the training center was the judge. It was funny that they held another bet despite it being the rule but all they asked was that the contestants shouldn't cheat and hold any grudges after everything was over.

The bet was supposed to be settled with an archery contest but it had changed. Both of them now would have to showcase their speed.

"We'll do one practice round and then three rounds for the real game. If the same person wins the first two rounds then the game will be decided."

"Got it?"

Jaehang shook his head and then smiled as he pictured himself winning. Dugeol walked over to Sooji in the full face helmet and whispered something to her.

-Are they going to start again?

-It seems so... They look a little weak. They were beginners so they probably don't have much money.

The training center was then filled with people talking and whispering to each other. They were like seniors of this center, they were familiar with the place so that was supposed to be a clear disadvantage but Jaehwang wasn't bothered. He just started to stretch like nothing major was about to happen.

"The match will now begin. There are three matches but whoever wins the first two will be the winner. You each will receive a training cover suit and 50 arrows for the match. There is only one target and it's 200 meters away. Whoever shoots the fastest and knocks it down is the winner of the match. Understand?"

Jaehwang and Sooji then shook their heads.

"Let the match begin!"

The judge of the match yelled. Joonghwi was sitting on the other side and watched silently with a coffee in hand. He was excited and nervous to see how the match would go. Jaehwang had always seemed to be perfect with archery but even if he lost then it would be fine.

"Ready... Start!"

Swoosh... Pang!

Swoosh... Pang!

The match started and they immediately began shooting arrows at full speed. Their arrows were already prepared and they already had the strings pulled back as they waited for the match to begin. Both of them were almost shooting with the same amount of speed, but Jeahwang's arrow was a bit faster which made a bit of a difference. It was small but as time went by, Jaehwang was about 0.3 minutes faster than ever since they had begun. He knew that he had taken the lead, but he kept his focus to keep it. That one minute was not a problem and forty targets had been knocked down.

"If you keep going like this you'll lose!"

Dugeol yelled to the Daehyeon member inside the match. They saw the difference in their speeds as they approached the middle part of the match, their team was losing and it wouldn't be long before Jaehwang would take all of their items.

"Faster!"

He yelled. She struggled for a second but then she quickly fixed her stance before she got her groove back again. His yelling was not helping in any way.

By the end of the match, she made a big mistake and was then defeated.

"1-0"

As expected, Jaehwang was the winner of the first round and Sooji lost by a two-second difference. She looked embarrassed and Dugeol walked towards her. He said something but she just pretended that she just had a small injury.

"The second match will now begin. Ready... Start!"

The second match started. The speeds were almost the same just like the first round but it wasn't long before Jaehwang had taken the lead.

"Stupid, shoot faster!"

Dugeol yelled. Everyone in the training center who were enjoying the match wore a displeased face because of what he was doing but he didn't pay attention to those and just kept on shouting.

"I said shoot faster!"

The girl playing the match glared at him and then expanded her feet further and straightened up her posture. She then started to glow in blue light and began to shoot faster. It was so fast that they could barely see the arrow before it hit the target.

"Hm... She's using a skill."

Joonghwi mumbled while carefully watching the match. Of course using skills were prohibited during the match but she just used it anyway. He could see it clearly. If she used a skill during the match then Jaehwang would surely lose.

Swoosh... Pang!

Swoosh... Pang!

He wanted Jaehwang to go a little faster but because of her skill, she easily passed Jaehwang's score.

"1-1"

The second round was over. Jaehwang lost and now the score was a tie.

It was announced that she had won and Dugeol's face was filled with relief.

"Okay, now we just have to win the last match..."

Dugeol said and laughed in a mocking tone as he looked at their bets on the table. The arrows were being used by aces in archery but he could tell that she used a skill to shoot faster right away. She was a hunter that specialized in rapid fire shots.

"How does it feel like to lose?"

He said with a provoking tone and Jaehwang just responded by showing them his dull eyes.

-She was amazing. She must be a hunter...

-Do you know her?

-Yes. I know her a little.

Jaehwang glanced towards her. She seemed kind of tall. Her face was hidden with a full face helmet so he couldn't really tell if he recognized her. He recognized her a little because taught her rapid shooting for a little while before.

-Did she just use a skill to win?

The spirit asked.

-I don't know. Wouldn't that take a lot?

-But your money is in trouble. If you have a lot then you can buy a few things and buy me some snacks.

-It's okay. I don't know about that but eating all those snacks isn't healthy for you.

The spirit just ignored him and Jaehwang thought about the match. It has been a long time since he had met her and she seemed to have gotten a lot better. He could see that the arrows she used weren't arrows used for hunting but the situation did seem a bit suspicious as the spirit suggested.

A light had surrounded her by that time she started to shoot faster and faster.

-The strength and energy made her shoot faster. That was a similar thing that the yin-yang did during ancient times to gather all of their energy and radiate it in fights but that's just a bit more of a polished way of doing it. You could also just say something and the energy will start to instantly repel some power. It was a method that was used a lot a long time ago. At least it seemed like something like that...

The spirit explained and Jaehwang shook his head. He understood her theory. He had a bit of an idea of the situation but its mechanism seemed to be a whole lot more complicated than just being good at archery.

-I can tell you more.

-I can briefly explain the method.

The spirit explained the energy movements and showed him the simulation.

-It seems difficult.

-It is.

He seemed calm but managing speed that fast was quite troubling.

-All you need to do is sense it.

The spirit answered back with a laugh.

-Haha... I'm kind of hungry. Using skills takes a lot...

-I see.

"It's time for the last match."

It was 1-1 with only one match left. Both contestants were preparing for the last match.

Jaehwang was a little better with his basic abilities but if they used a skill again then he would lose. He didn't know how it would go but he wasn't worried at all.

"Start!"

Yelled the judge and she rotated twice while pulling her bowstring. Her pride wasn't spoiled the first time she used a skill during the match. Jaehwang glanced over at her before he started to increase his speed. Jaehwang then took three arrows with his hands and prepared to shoot it.

Papapag...

The spirit helped with the amazing speed and they reached the target one after another. Jaehwang was actually refraining from the spirit's help until then. He could always do much better with the spirit's help but if he did that all the time then he would never improve.

Everyone overlooked it. The girl in the full face helmet obviously seemed more experienced with the training center and today was Jaehwang's first time. He got the hang of it after the first two rounds but he still accepted some help from the spirit. His speed was unbelievable.

Swoosh Swoosh Swoosh!

He was then going almost 1.3 times faster than before. She couldn't catch up. It looked like they were flying randomly but somehow they would find themselves neatly placed on the targets.

She was very surprised by his speed. He was going much faster than her and it looked as if he was using a skill. She got a bit angry and the blue light then started to show up around her again. She let her competitive spirit win her over.

"Wow!"

Both of them were putting up a good fight and the crowd of people in the training center started to cheer. They instantly started to run short on arrows. They passed the second half of the match and her skill started to catch up with Jaehwang's speed.

A skill was harder to beat with just pure skull but then a blue light started to surround Jaehwang. It was less noticeable than hers but it was clearly the same thing. At that moment, Jahwang's hand speed started to accelerate.

Papapapapa!

The arrows made their way to their targets like shooting stars.

"Match over!"

"Woah! What was that?!"

Jaehwang's last arrow struck the target the moment the judge announced the match was finished. People then started to gather beside Jae Hwang. Everyone was impressed by his amazing last shot.

But what was more surprising than that was his opponent, Sooji. She was still not finished with shooting all of her arrows.

"...H-how..."

When Jaehwang launched his last arrow she couldn't pull her string. She was clearly familiar with the effect that he used. It worked the same way hers did when she used it.

Jaehwang exhaled, placing his arrow on the floor. He was so focused that he was basically holding his breath the whole time. He then walked over to the table.

"Good job."

Click... 𝙡𝙞𝓫𝙧𝙚𝓪𝒅.𝒄𝒐𝓶

He then took two of the betting items that were placed on the table and put on the gloves.

"You..."

There were many people around but he was going to make a fuss if he wanted to. The items were expensive but that wasn't what he was worried about. He was going to confront him.

"Wow... Great job... You've made some money."

Seongyeon said walking approaching Jae Hwang. The rest of the platoon members then joined them and gathered around Jae Hwang.

Chapter 60

They stood there face to then she started to laugh and broke the mood between them before she took off her helmet.

"Huh..."

Dugeol then stepped back. Her face was full of embarrassment and anger.

She threw off her helmet and walked towards Dugeol. She had dark hair and a white skin, she was a beautiful woman with a unique charm. Her overall features were gentle but her eyes looked like it could freeze anything.

"What...what..."

Pong... Pong

She opened her mouth to speak but instead, she hit him with her helmet. He fell down with a grunt and she just walked over him and said,

"This is your fault."

"If you're going to keep doing this then fine..."

Pong...

She then hit him again and he couldn't do anything but clench his chin.

"I'm not your assistant."

She let out a little laugh.

"Ah... I'm sorry. That person is getting married..."

Pong...

He laughed back with a mocking tone and she hit him again before he could even finish speaking. She was the leader so no one wanted to interfere.

"We won't interfere. Let's go."

Joonghwi then guided the platoon members elsewhere. They didn't need any more people getting involved, they've already reached their goal. All of the eyes and ears focusing on Jae Hwang actually weren't interrupting him. Things were going up and down and they were all talking about it. Jaehwang began to meddle in and although he wasn't in the mood, it wasn't a bad situation.

Although their army was affiliated, they were clearly a powerful team. They became affiliated with them because of the hire soldier system. Crashing into other Gaseous wasn't entirely rare and they needed all kinds of contests to settle their endless and useless disputes with each other.

Jaehwang was looking towards Sooji when Joonghwi walked next to him and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah... One minute."

He answered back and approached Sooji.

She turned her head just in time to see him. She was curious about Jaehwang's last shot. She had a similar skill so she was curious about it because she didn't think that she could imitate what he just did.

Jaehwang spoke first.

"It's been awhile."

He greeted her and she looked surprised. She felt as if she knew his voice. It sounded extremely familiar, it was a lot like the voice she had been longing for.

"Who are you?"

She asked and Jaehwang then pulled off his hood and answered.

"This is the first time we've met since the accident. Hasn't it been about four years now?"

"Huh?"

She looked up at Jaehwang's face and she could recognize his eyes.

"Hm..."

Sooji then opened her mouth but she couldn't say anything. She was just staring at his face. It changed a lot but then again, it didn't change at all. It was him. He was there standing right in front of her.

...It was him... Right there.

She felt her legs getting weak. Her mind was blank and she couldn't think of anything.

'My prince.'

Jaehwang was her first love. When she first saw him she knew he was the one. He had a charming face like celebrities on TV. She hasn't been able to love anyone else since they separated.

She felt as happy as she used to know that they have met again. Her heart was pounding. She couldn't do anything since that day. She couldn't forget him and in the end, she asked around and tried to look for him in middle school.

The moment they met again they knew they still felt the same way about each other... They then started walking side by side. She was extremely nervous and calm at the same time but she was happy.

Everything was great... It was the happiest moment in her life.

She was happy with Jaehwang and instantly when she thought of the moments, she then heard his voice.𝒍𝓲𝙗𝒓𝒆𝓪𝒅.𝙘𝒐𝓶

"I heard that you're engaged..."

"Oh..."

He said with a low quiet voice as he brought her back to the harsh reality from her fantasy. She hesitated but then, she gave him a nod.

"Oh...yes... it's true."

"I see. Congratulations. Well, I guess I'll see you around."

Jaehwang said and walked away.

She was about to hold out her hand towards Jaehwang but her superhuman endurance stopped her before she could do it. She had no reason to hold her hand anymore.

She stood there and watched Jaehwang walk away. She would never forget and she would always cherish their memories...

-You've met her before?

-Yeah.

-What? That wasn't even a cool introduction. You barely even said a word.

The spirit complained. They spent a lot of time together so now she understood his situation. He used to feel as if he was going to explode like a volcano but now he had no feelings like that left in him.

-Just, say hello casually. If she's here then you'll surely see her again.

-Don't be so bland...

She continued on and Jaehwang had no idea what she meant and just faintly smiled.

Booom...

The dark green camouflage military bus was being driven down the highway. It finally got off the highway but then got onto a rocky road.

-gwrqw345,221 Repair request... gwrqw345,221 Repair request...

"Pass pass... Ignore it."

Joonghwi nervously said after they turned to the navigation for the incoming structure request signal.

Peji shook his head at his command and turned down the volume of the navigation.

"That stupid beginner..."

The first patrol came and spread out into two groups. Everything seemed great when they first arrived. The repairs on the military bus went extremely well. The dents made by the oaks were fixed; they had placed a fresh layer of paint in it.

Everything seemed great and all the platoon members then got back on for their first mission.

They mastered the patrol course but they weren't able to receive the mission they wanted. The beginners completed their raid and were given a place to their patrol course and on the first day of their patrol, they received a repair request so they rushed to them in a camping car and were flustered at the fact that they couldn't repair it. So they had to ask the beginners for some help during the repairs.

Well... they couldn't just turn away the request. The problem was that it was a structured signal. The beginners went on their way instantly and ran into a place filled with around 50 monsters.

Joonghwi knew it wasn't a good idea to go that way. The beginner team was far ahead and they didn't even go through service for their 15 months of work. The most common number of monsters in the group was just five and that number probably surprised them.

"I miss the oaks."

"It's good that we're safe."

Joonghwi said and Peji then started to laugh uncontrollably. It wasn't nervous laughter, it was just that the oaks of base 716 were very wild. They were finally at peace.

Kwang Kwang Kwang!

They then heard an exploding noise...

"Huh..."

Something big hit the bottom of the military bus.

"Boss..."

"What?"

"Will the bus be okay?"

Peji said and gestured towards a certain direction. Joonghwi looked and took a deep breath.

"Mingyeon is here so everything will be okay, right?"

"Well yes but..."

Something happened and Peji was looking at the horrible scene in front of them. He then turned his head and found Songyeon resting on the floor with a mat. The mat was messy and he was clearly tired. He then started to squirm for a long period of time.

He woke up to a very painful sensation in his shoulder. He tried to endure the pain but it was no use.

He found and fixed his dislocated shoulder but it still felt the same.

"Ouch!

Mingyeon then quickly came to help him. Time steadily passed by. With no tension, the patrol was free. Seongyeon tried out the gloves Jaehwang won in the bet while talking with him. He was soon teaching him hand-to-hand combat with their bare hands. 𝓵𝒊𝓫𝓻𝓮𝓪𝒅.𝓬𝓸𝙢

Of course, Seongyeon wasn't too bad at it. He was very strong and had lots of knowledge about that. He was especially strong in wrestling and martial arts making it very easy for him but he surrendered within three minutes. Even Joonghwi couldn't believe it.

Jaehwang was given the long distance special list but he made use of a short distance wrestling martial arts to teach him. After about five minutes Seongyeon completely gave up.

Mingyeon healed his shoulder and Seongyeon then stood up. He wasn't as strong as a Gagseog so the difference in weight and his taller height meant nothing. It still did have a big impact but Jaehang has been training for a long time so he was clearly better than him even though he couldn't win in terms of strength.

You couldn't give orders in hand-to-hand combat.

The moment they were tangled he grabbed his arm and he tried to defend himself but he was already struggling. It was supposed to be a five-minute match but time passed by so quickly and it lasted a lot longer. It was his first time practicing martial arts so it was very unfamiliar to him.

He carefully stood up but Jaehwang then attacked him again.

"S-stop..."

Jaehwang then let go and passed him a towel after getting up. He then went to his personal storage on the bus and started to change.

"He's like a monster..."

He looked at him with a resentful facial expression and Seongyeon then walked next to Joonghwi and took a seat.

"Do you feel better now?"

"Yeah."

"So how's it going?"

"I'm tired."

He glanced back and then dusted off his shoulder.

"If you overdo your strength then even your martial arts could become a disadvantage. Isn't that what went wrong?

He was right. He didn't know much about it but he knew the basics and thought that strength was the most important thing. So he gave hand-to-hand combat a try but it wasn't any different than fighting a monster with his bare hands.

But even so, he was good and fought with his bare hands.

He still liked it even though it included martial arts. He would like to attack by running from a far distance and crashing into him but that would be hopeless considering Jaehwang's skills.

Chapter 61

"It won't be easy for us to get close."

Sengyeon said as he stood with his arms tied. He actually did want to get closer with Jaehwang but it didn't work out. They've known each other for over a month so far and besides Joonghwi, no one addresses him as a boss.

Jaehwang was very skillful and everyone also knew that he was GwanJae's grandson. The problem was that he was very doubtful and had terrible fighting strength among other things. He wanted to approach Jae Hwang first and ask him if they could be friends but he wasn't that type of person.

Joonghwi was already impressive as it was but even he was surprised by Jaehwang. He was his opposite, he was more of a tough man and that was the cause of his frustration.

"But... There's a bigger problem, the fighting power deviation is very severe. It's not coming into the right formation."

"Phew..."

Jaehwang and Joonghwi were worried now that they had realized that the gap between them and other platoon members was huge.

"This isn't good."

"Yeah."

They were dedicated to the patrol mission but they would surely have to practice their formation skills for any raids. By looking at it through a long-term perspective, it would help a lot if everyone advanced a little more, the problem was that Jaehwang wasn't close to the team at all.

For the past two days on the trip, they've only run into a third tier monster. They all got some rest and practiced their basic formation. Jaehwang's position was in the back, the only issue was that he was the first one to attack and after one attack, he would say goodbye making his teammates see him off with a strange look on their faces.

They understood that Jaehwang was the most dangerous one among them all since the monsters would just ignore the others and would just rush straight onto him. The team then realized that they couldn't always rely on Jae Hwang so they all caved in and established their formation.

Jaehwang was doing perfectly fine on his own. If Jaehwang had skills as good as a tanker then things would have gone better but their team had none and that made the platoon leader, Joonghwi, frustrated.

"We would have to find out the minimum limit..."

Joonghwi thought about the fight from before with the winged monster. One side of the monster's wing was like a wiping cloth skill, he didn't know much about those types of monsters but their wings could make illusions and although they were illusions, the monster's special skill was to fly with a speed comparable to an airplane. They were driven by their wings and that's why it was the strongest part of them.

Joonghwi went into a different room to hide his concern. He asked himself how much would it cost to hunt a monster like that and was it possible to hunt it wholly and intact.

Joonghwi and Seongyeon were both thinking and then Jaehwang appeared.

"I'm going up to the second floor."

"Okay. If a monster appears then tell us so we can hunt it..."

Jaehwang would sometimes go to the second floor and shoot monsters down on his own. Hunting wasn't that exciting but when things were boring him, he would do that to pass the time.

"Okay."

Jaehwang shook his head and went up the ladder towards the roof.

"Let's take turns."

"Oh, Hi Jaehwang. You've worked hard..."

She was sitting by the machine gun, distracted with her thoughts. She heard Jaehwang's voice which made her face turn red so she rushed back inside the bus.

-You're not lucky with women...

Jaehawng didn't respond. He would have to explain why Mingyeon was acting that way.

-Why isn't she chasing you? She should already be doing that at this point.

-That's enough...

He just really needed to clear his head. He didn't know that would happen but he tried to avoid it.

"Whew..."

He took a deep breath before he picked up an arrow. He opened the status window to see how much his archery skills had increased.

[Unknown skill] Common Skill

-?

-Risk of Injury Included

It was the skill Sooji used during the match. He checked how much he had improved since then now that he's able to shoot five arrows at once. The explanation of the skill in the status window wasn't so good. He thought that maybe if it was explained as if they were in a game then it would have been a lot less trouble when the spirit first came to him.

-Can you show me the energy analysis again?

-Sure, just a second.

The spirit then played back a video. The energy raised up and rotated throughout his body, arms and hands. It would eventually run into and repel each other, causing it to inject itself into his bow and arrow to improve its speed and power.

–You can use this kind of skill...

Jaehwang was holding the bow in his hand and his skill was raised the moment his arrow flew into the air.

Swoosh...

He shot five arrows at once at his first try.

The rule was simple, both hands had to maintain their position and after using the skill, there were side effects he had to deal with.

Pang...

A part of his arm had cracked and then it started to breathe.

-Oh, shoot! Go treat it! Quick!

-Alright, alright, you don't have to shout, you know.

The energy on his arm disappeared where it should have been and caused an injury. It was supposed to be there but something happened and strained it. He patched up his arm without a fuss and the spirit then said,

-Can you go and ask that girl something?

-What do you want me to say?

-She knows how to use that skill really well, right? And she looks in a different way now, maybe you could use that as a chance and...

-Yeah... I don't want to see her again. If our eyes meet just like last time, it would get awkward.

-What? When you guys met before everything was fine but now it's weird... don't you think she hates you? Hey, hey, tell me, do you think she's pretty?

The spirit asked and Jaehwang gave her a slight smile. He had thought the same thing but he didn't want to let her know.

If he had the chance to meet her again then he would want to ask her for help. He cursed himself at why they had to have such a worse goodbye but then, he felt like he didn't need to approach her again.

She seemed to be prettier than before. They had separated from each other in a terrible way but he didn't want it to remain that way.

He didn't feel worried before but after four years he's been feeling really anxious and worried. He kept his hopes up that maybe they can work things out if they met again.

-Hey, do you think she's pretty?

-You obviously have all the player knowledge.

The spirit scoffed.

-Hasn't she gotten prettier since the last time you saw her?

-What are you talking about... it's true but...

He with a confused voice and the spirit then laughed. She could clearly see it but she pretended as if she didn't know.

-But besides that, yours and her skills are on a completely different level now.

-Of course.

Jaehwang nodded. The problem wasn't that Jaehwang couldn't cope up with what happened, the problem was that he had all kinds of energies to use. He could even feel Sooji's gentle and cold energy which felt as if it was overflowing.

-There's nothing I need from her.

Jaehwang then closed the status window. He had a new archery skill and others but that wasn't exactly what he needed. Since he received help from the spirit, he was able to get the same speed as her skill provided her even though that skill had a fatal flaw.

'It can't use it while moving"

If the skill started to hurt, it had to be stopped since it's foundation comes from his lower back and he can't strain it no matter what. It didn't work well with Jaehwang. His archery skills were all-around and no matter the situation, he could use them but he had to stop his basic ideology and go against it.

He looked around and then asked the spirit a question.

-Do you know if there are any monsters around us?

-Why?

-I want to go hunting for a little...

-Hm... okay. I'm bored too but let's not take too long.

Red lights then started to gather around ahead of Jaehwang. At last, there was a shape that started to appear in the air.

Woosh...

The spirit soared lightly through the air.

-What should it be like?

-The concept will be very important...

-Yes.

They talked about it for a second and the spirit then flew into the sky and began to examine their surroundings.

-How many monsters should we go for?

-All of them...

He answered. It seemed like there weren't any but then dozens started to appear through the thick grass and trees. He could clearly see that one of them was a kolbutu. It looked at the military bus and its face immediately looked terrified.

They didn't know much about it but it was a type of monster that they occasionally slaughtered so that's maybe why it was afraid. It could tell that the place was clearly invaded by humans.

They were cruel and brutal invaders... and Jaehwang didn't feel any sympathy towards them.

Teuk... teuk... teuk teuk teuk...teuk teuk teuk...

Jaehwang started pulling the strings to let his arrows out. The spirit handed him his ammo one at a time and his speed increased little by little as he aimed for his personal best.

Pang...Pang Pang Pang...Pang Pang Pang...

Kwang!

Kwang!

The arrows flew everywhere but they all reached their targets. They could run but trying to hide was useless. He shared his eyesight with the spirit and that eliminated all of his blind spots. The monsters within the 200-meter radius of the bus were getting shot down. He turned it into a hell for monsters.

Kwangg! 𝓵𝙞𝒃𝓻𝓮𝙖𝓭.𝙘𝓸𝓶

An arrow hit another Kolbutu monster in its head which caused it to shout before it collapsed on the ground.

The red light from the spirit then disappeared. Jaehwang then put on his headset and spoke into it.

"Leader, I've hunted a few monsters. Come see."

Chapter 62

"Here's $46,500 dollars."

"Wow..."

Joonghwi calculated the value of the Kolbudy Jae Hwang had hunted and was amazed by its amount. The hunting ground was wide and their corpses were all over the place before a huge machine swallowed it up.

The machine calculated the price. It really wasn't a useful monster and even if it was then it would be difficult. At best, it was useless outside of the base's material. Justin point provides them for hunting monsters with nothing besides money. A male monster was worth a minimum of 10,000 and a female monster was worth a minimum of 5,000, and a baby monster was a minimum of 2,000. Luckily they were able to get 46,500.

Jaehwang easily caught all of them.

They didn't think a good price would come out of it but it turned out great. It was all sent to a bank and Joonghwi divided everything after depositing the money. He gave Jaehwang his share for hunting the monster but Jaehwang then fairly distributed it. He was supposed to get 20 percent but he thought that that was just too much.

"I bought you an arrow as a gift."

Jaewhang bought him a very expensive arrow. He gave it to him at that moment and Joonghwi gave him something that he got for his granddad, GwanGHae.

It was a great trade-off. The military bus then came to a stop and all of the platoon members had gathered into the area around the driver's seat.

Something was going on as there was a red light glowing on the radio.

-Here is the Justin point control tower... Platoon 8, please respond.

If they didn't make contact three times a day at a fixed time then they wouldn't be able to find the platoon at the control tower. They had to make sure because anything could happen. Joonghwi then answered the radio.

-This is Park Joon Hwi, leader of platoon 8.

-Right now we're 12 kilometers away from the north in the area of sector 12. There's some information that we've found on an unregistered hunter. To check for another hunter we have to request an attack without communication and then we'll send out a survival request. I'll share with you the best location and date of the attack. GQ258735... Have you checked the location?

-Checking... Do you have a piece of more detailed information?

The information that was sent to the control tower was fragmented so there was a chance that things could get dangerous.

-It can't be found. The report will be provided at the attack.

-Got it.

-The information isn't clear but there's a big possibility that the culprit would be there. However, if possible, pay close attention. Call over.

-Over.

They all stood there thinking about the information on the culprit as Joongwhi turned off the radio and stroked his chin.

"Darn monsters..."

The limited area in Justin point was huge and there were people scattered everywhere. Everyone was having troubles even though there weren't any monsters. But apparently, there was a big problem that happened to be a monster.

Besides the culprit, they had supernatural powers and were very dangerous. The situation with that one was different which made it easier to handle.

Most hunters were low-grade wanted criminals and many of them were committed to it. They would fight off the monsters to survive but in most common situations, the humans would die. There wasn't any real reason for their fight but none of them were ever sentenced to death except for those convicted of kidnapping.

Even though they couldn't do anything with the information they received, they could trade in the monster corpses through the black market and with the extra money, they could easily make a new fake identity. So the hunters would sometimes wear a mask and hunt people.

This was the second time they were ironically in a contract with the country. In the past when they took it seriously and fought back and they received all of the supporters. They had rights with the country and relation to other organizations of gasses in their attack. They actually saw the Bileons and knew that they were their enemies who just wanted to hunt in their own country.

And the last time was the third time, they escaped their religious ideology and the anarchy that had spread everywhere. Their religious ideology was simply said to have appeared during the latter second half of the generation mashup. The eschatology base was said to be flourished by that newly rising ideology.

It was then called 'SamJeon Religion' which was established through the world's dimension collision. The three worlds were completely combined and they believed that they lived in a paradise.

"The collision was unbelievable, it couldn't be rescued."

The source of that newly rising religion was the Republic of Korea.

The universe was their only hope.

The generation mashup created a tragedy for them and their beginnings were its driving force. On the outside, those unfortunate people had help but on the inside, they were being brainwashed to become their faithful servants.

That religion borrowed the bible and gave birth to a generation of giant churches. The head pastor was found in Seoul and his son considered himself as the leader of the Samjeon Church. They had become involved in so many situations, they did a few healing miracles until they managed to assault a school girl which led up to a devoted believer to exposing them.

That incident was supposed to break them but they ended up turning themselves into a cult. They built an entire empire and since then, their society was banished and so the Bileons started to cross over to the Alousu.

Before the generation mashup, North Korea collapsed with China and Japan having a good relationship. They weren't enemies but sadly, the Samjeon Church had been destroyed and Korea had ruined themselves.

Out of the three types of Bileons, they were the most vicious... The hunters that followed that religion were insane.

"Would you guys like to sit while I explain more about the Samjeon church?"

"Sure."

"Okay."

Jaehwang and Mingyu answered. They were working hard on their last location for the attack. Jaehwang and Mingyu were in the back of the bus listening to Joonghwi explain everything to them until they arrived since they didn't know anything about the Bileons and the SamJeon church.

"The Bileons are evil. Like how cruel people could be in medieval times. Someone who just steals hunter equipment and goes after monsters would be an angel compared to these guys."

"I see."

They caught hold of the hunters being influenced to join the church and they would get themselves punished if they didn't listen. It was hell, things were taken slowly until the final brutal execution. Those people were forced into joining them in an attempt to get out of that inhumane method of recruitment.

"Mingyu experienced it... and Jaehwang... have you experienced it?"

"I haven't."

Jaehwang shook his head to answer Joonghwi's question. He started to feel sick and anxious. He tried to get rid of his memories but he couldn't, he felt that his uncle was sitting somewhere out there.

"Um... Good. We're on our way to fight them. Can you do it?"

Jaehwang gave him a nod. He heard about this a few times in the academy. Every time they learned about the Bileons, he heard it constantly. It's been stuck in his ear as if they were trying to brainwash him. He just kept close to his choice as a hunter.

People are going to get killed, they are not just monsters, but actually people. It was unexpected but it had to be done.

"I learned about them in the academy. I wish I didn't choose the path of being a hunter if I knew there was going to be so much murder involved..."

"Is that so? I understand."

Joonghwi replied.

"You probably heard this from the academy but let me say this again. The Gases were given all of their equipment since they were just beginners that's why they didn't oppose it. They had this nation's protection until their work piled up. They're now trying to handle an unfair contract."

Joonghwi explained and Mingy and Jaehwang shook their heads.

Even though they were hunters with amazing talent they were very strong anytime except for the Leeds season. They had experience and had enough abilities and did great on raids no matter how dangerous they were. The beginner hunter's survival rate was high for those with lots of experience and they could get into a strong clan.

Sometimes they would be overconfident and misbehave during raids, however, that type of behavior was not encouraged because it would most likely cause a total failure. The beginner team had great luck but if they didn't have lots of experience then they could never succeed with that behavior.

The problem was with that kind of reason, the beginner hunters were in an unfair slave contract and they couldn't settle it themselves. It was a 15-month mission service background they've made, the mission service they made taught others how to murder people.

"When a lot of the beginners passed away, they couldn't handle hunting the monsters alone and that's when they met the Bileons." 𝙡𝙞𝓫𝒓𝙚𝒂𝓭.𝓬𝒐𝓶

Joonghwi said with a serious expression. His heart wasn't in the place to talk about it so he couldn't understand his murderous instincts. They were still people on that side that haven't experienced being killed yet. However, there were many people that had experienced it and he couldn't stop thinking about the bodies that they had piled up because of their faith.

Unfortunately, they were met with good luck after a murder. Whether they liked to do it or not, murdering people left a big impact on them. Validation was important but if they got hurt then it could become a big problem if they neglected the wound. Just one word about a killing could cause the littlest of anger.

"They were armed and couldn't promise anything. There is only one thing that I could tell you. Hesitate and your colleague would die."

There was another chance that things could pile up over time...

Joonghwi repeated himself for a second time as Jaehwang and Mingyu paid him close attention. He then took two pills out of his pocket and handed it to them.

"The power of drugs is nothing good but I need you to be at your best. It is temporary but it helps with pain and helps to prevent murder. Of course, it is toxic and I wouldn't allow any further use.

Jaehwang and Mingyu then placed the pill inside their pockets.

"I will say this again, don't hesitate. You guys would put each other's life on the line the moment you start a feud with each other. ."

Click...Swoosh...Click...Click.

The door of the military bus and the glass windows were completely blocked off.

"Even the bus would be considered prey as we move to pass through their gate. It's hard to earn supplies on the outside so there's a lot of stuff loaded on the inside, so keep a close watch."

They turned off the bus' camouflage and the platoon armed their weapons and got moving. They had the location for the last attack at the control tower and they couldn't take the bus down the deep valley. After about ten minutes of walking, a steep cliff appeared.

"It's a fourth tier valley habitat. It's an easy place to find monsters which makes it a popular hunting ground."

Chapter 63

Joonghwi walked ahead of the clan next to Jaehwang. He was the youngest in the clan but he was the most qualified person to take on the criminal investigation so they both took the lead even though it was unfair for the newcomers. It meant that their skill wasn't as good as his but at that moment, they were more concerned about their survival.

Jaehwang got off the bus after listening to Joonghwi's explanation and helped them out with the navigation.

There would be a battle so it was important that they would examine the topography of their surroundings first before heading in. It's a matter of life and death, that's why they checked every detail as they continued to walk.

"This looks like the place that the report said."

They saw something appear down the slope before they made their way into its surrounding forests.

"This is called 'the great giant's footprint' isn't it? Gosh... its foot must have gotten really dirty."

Joonghwi looked around the place using his binoculars. He couldn't see far due to the fog.

They found their way down to the valley with the information they received from the control tower with Joonghwi taking the lead.

"A contagious disease..."

Joonghwi was having a difficult time but he still continued to command them with the help of hand gestures.

They followed his hand gestures until they found a nest-like spot on the ground to sit on. They were finally able to take a break now that they had found the valley and luckily they were close. None of them could still forget the gravity of their situation.

They went on their way with utmost care until they couldn't see the place where they took their rest anymore.

"Ugh... this is my fault."

Joonghwi apologized to everyone. It wasn't easy but he admitted that he messed up their position.

"You didn't make a mistake, boss. The composition is a little all over the place here."

Peji said as he checked the navigation panel. The monster distribution clearly wasn't accurate and suddenly the valley then started to appear.

"No. I did make a mistake."

Peji analyzed it again. Jaehwang then started talking with the spirit and when Jaehwang got off the bus, he let the spirit appear to assume her form.

-Even though I haven't been a human for a while it's still the same.

-Yeah.

Jaehwang answered back. They avoided the eyes of the monsters as they walked through the valley and they found that the Bileons were planning an ambush through the traces that they had left for everyone to find.

-You could die.

-I know. Those guys are known for their cruelty.

Jaehwang said with a sympathetic tone. He couldn't bear to witness things through the spirit's eyes.

-Anyway, be careful. There are lots of them.

-Okay, good luck.

The spirit said and Jaehwang gave her a nod as he continued to follow Joonghwi's lead. The navigation helped them find their location through the safest course.

And they then finally reached the place, the traces of attacks had now become obvious.

"Those idiots...:"

Joonghwi looked through his Binoculars. The platoon members then looked at the site. Everyone was seeing what Joonghwi was seeing but Mingyu just sat there because she felt hungry. They didn't do anything because they couldn't blame her. Even they were feeling very nauseous.

"They should be punished."

Sengyeon said.

There were about 20 of them crowding around a giant burning tree. Some of them thought that they would torture them and burn them in the end, it was a terrible thought that everyone entertained.

"If you refuse to join the church then they'll cut off your limbs and they will skin you alive, after that, they'll tie you to the tree and set you on fire."

"Those idiots... They can't be human."

Hyejun clenched his fist.

"Peji, turn on the radio. Let's check things first. "

Joonghwi said.

Peji got the radio and Joonghwi checked back into Justin point. Jaehwang was in the woods without anyone else noticing. He wanted to be alone for a moment and after walking for about 100 meters a giant boulder showed up in his path.

He saw someone who was camouflaged, he was sitting there with his head faced down.

"Deaconess, the army troops have arrived. Yes... Yes... Their leader looks excellent. The location... Got it. Please stand by. It's SamJeon's honor..."

They finished speaking with someone on the radio and they checked in with the platoon. The camouflage was amazing and made them completely unnoticeable even if someone was right next to them.

"These people... I don't know if we're in their main room right now."

He could barely see their exact location. Jaehwang was the best thing they had to lead the platoon and he had known a lot about geography since the beginning. But having the best knowledge about geography drew in a lot of dangers to him. That was why examining the topography was important.

"Today, we're not gonna let them do what they want anymore. Let's do this together..."

He looked back at his platoon with a serious expression. The thought of them committing a slaughter haunted them about two hours ago but now, all of them are excited.

Originally, they would have to recruit believers and all of them would have to go through the same process but what's different was that they would assault all the women that they would try to recruit.

The Church was filled with insane people but no one cared.

All of the children that were born from the assault of those men would end up to be their workers.

"Ugh... It would be great if we get the pioneer pastor's information. Three platoons would be joining us in this operation"

There was a group meeting currently being held in the main temple along with that skilled pastor who had everyone's attention. His temple was filled with forty soldiers divided among the three types of hunters and in the temple's shrine, they had about 150 recruited believers combined.

They all felt a powerful force surging out of it.

...

Their hearts were beating fast and when they tried to focus on the surveillance, they heard the sound of someone stepping on some leaves. He got scared and quickly turned around, he then lost his camouflage causing a severe attack of pain.

"Ouch!"

He tried to scream for help but the pain was too much. Someone got a hold of his right arm, it broke it and viciously yanked it. He screamed and shouted but that didn't help. The attacker seemed to have no mercy.

The attacker did the same thing to his left arm before it crushed the joints in both of his legs.

It all happened within 10 seconds. The bones of his body were completely broken as the attacker then covered his mouth.

Jaehwang checked his pulse when he had fainted and with that, he picked his leg and dragged him back.

"Jae Hwang, where are you going- Oh..."

Yuri said before he saw what he had in his hand. She thought he was carrying a giant wild animal but then she saw that it was an actual person.

"What happened..."

"He was watching us."

Jaehwang said and all the platoon members stood up with a full alert. Joonghwi then walked to Jaehwang and spoke.

"Where did you find him?"

"About 100 meters outside hiding under a rock. He was talking on the radio with someone."

"What were they talking about?"

Jaehwang told him what he overheard and Joonghwi started to look worried. They had to make adjustments to their plan.

"Should we all go in?"

"We could just go in and attack but the SamJeon Church used to be apart of the Justin point base and most of them had a high ranked position"

HyeJun explained.

"Well, there is a possibility that we could do that."

Joonghwi was thinking about the Justin point control tower a little while ago. He requested for them to continue to stay and spy on them as they think of a more elaborate plan. Jaehwang also mentioned contacting their strong troops so they could come within 12 hours.

"I don't know about this. Leader..."

"Huh... Maybe you're right. Well, if we just leave like that then our troops would turn into a sacrifice. Uh... Jae Hwang... How do we find those guys?"

Joonghwi asked and Jaehwang answered,

"You have to have great eyesight to shoot an arrow well."

"Whew..."

Joonghwi sighed at his answer. Jaehwang had outstanding skills but he was still a newcomer, he did save the platoon life once but there was no room for praise right now. He knew that he had mastered his skills but he was anxious. There was a chance that he couldn't defeat the Bileons and there was a chance that he would get killed with the slightest mistakes.

"Good. sorry for asking this but, when the platoon goes back, check for any more watchers."

Jaehwang shook his head without a word. Joonghwi then continued on.

"Sengyun?"

"Yes, leader?..."

"Let's get closer to them first. "

"Got it."

Seongyeon gave him a nod before they started to move closer to the Bileons' home.

"Something's strange. The exit of the valley is dangerous but we have to keep our cover."

"Okay."

Joonghwi followed the directions and they quickly left their places. The further they went, the more dangerous it became.

The platoon members were careful to not leave any tracks behind. They reached their destination and the valley below the cliff was inhabited. If they got caught they could get dangerous. There was nothing that they could cover.

Jaehwang watched out for anyone spying on them. The group of Bileons was much bigger than their platoon and if they came after them in here then none of them would be able to escape. It would be very difficult to handle them if that happens, the valley was cramped and they could even be wiped out with just one attack.

A terrible smell of garbage filled the air but they kept moving and none of them complained. They had found a crack after a few hours of walking so Joonghwi gave the command and they all went inside it.

It was a long way down. They didn't know when they would reach the end but at least they didn't see any monsters. The inside of the crack seemed safe, none of them had any trouble so they were fine but Joongwhi still kept his watchful eye towards the end of their tunnel.

"I don't see anything yet."

Joonghwi didn't give any more important jobs to Jaehwang because he was a newcomer. He was very talented and out of everyone in the platoon, he was the best at finding any spies but that's that. He wanted to make sure that everyone is safe and he couldn't shrug off the idea that maybe it would be better if Jae Hwang took the lead instead.

"Please... Be safe... Let's turn around..."

"Did you see something?"

"Ow!"

They looked ahead to see what was bothering Jonghwi.

"We need a miracle."

They found a watcher spying on the platoon and Joonghwi pointed at it in fright. 𝒍𝓲𝙗𝒓𝒆𝓪𝒅.𝙘𝒐𝓶

"What is that?"

"Someone found us! They found our location!"

"How..."

Jaehwang said and all the platoon members looked at him with a grave sense of fear.

If they knew where they were then they could ambush them at any time. They all took a deep breath and relaxed, they all realized that if they had encountered someone they didn't know, then they could just take them out.

Chapter 64

"But how would we chase it?"

They all thought the same. They tried their best to avoid leaving any traces in the valley. They came all that way and found four watchers but they only caught two.

"Do you think they found us because we may have left traces behind?"

Jaehwang already knew what the answer was but the platoon seemed to have doubted that idea. They did their best not to leave any prints as they moved around the area. He started to feel guilty because his carelessness might have caused it.

"I... Give up..."

"I give up too..."

The platoon members looked confused. They seemed to be acting weirder than usual.

"Uhh..."

The platoon members on what Jaehwang had said. Their chase was easier than they thought, especially now that Jaehwang had taught them how to shoot an arrow.

"Sengyeon, Take these two and try to get some information out of them."

"Yes, sir."

Joonghwi said and Sengyeon gently took the injured person from jae hwang.

"Do your best to not make any noise..."

"Yes, sir."

Sengyeon then flashed a threatening smile and shook his head. Along with Joonghwi, he had the most experience on the job so they could understand each other without even saying a word.

If they were a different type of Bileons than the extremely religious ones, then everything would have been much better. They had witnessed some terrible scenes a while ago that flushed out all their mercy from their hearts.

Seongyeon knew some interrogation tricks and he brought Mingyu along with him to take the three watchers elsewhere. Once they had reached a pretty secluded area, something happened.

The platoon members went inside the crack to hide and prepare. It's hard to observe on the outside and finding a hiding spot was difficult now that they didn't have enough equipment.

It wasn't long before the skies turned dark and soon enough, Seongyeon and Mingyu returned. They left with three people but came back with none. No one asked about it, their sympathy was no more.

Seongyeon got the information they needed and shared it with them. He had information on the Bileon pastor, they also found where the base was and they found out that they were 150 people strong.

"There's spies on the inside..."

HyeJi added.

"Hm.. I see."

Joonghwi said hesitantly. He knew that the situation was bad. If they had learned that information any later, then they would have been in more danger. He realized that they haven't been safe there ever since they spoke through the radio.

"Leader... My apologies but, there's another problem. The military bus can't reach us here. If I use the radio then we'll have to get moving quickly."

Peji said. Joonghwi gave him a frustrated look. Things weren't easy. If they communicated back to Justin point, the bus's communication system transmission wouldn't be able to reach down the cliff.

"After that, we can leave easily."

"Got it." 𝑙𝒾𝒷𝘳𝑒𝑎𝘥.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"That and, when will the backup support show up after sending the propagation?"

"It should take up to two days."

It wasn't like the backup support could fly through the air around the world. There were a lot of airplane-like monsters and if they made any mistakes, a tragedy would occur.

"We'll catch some later tomorrow."

"But we can't guarantee the outcome."

"They have to know. If those criminals aren't stopped then maybe the supporting team can catch them."

"The problem is that we don't know who betrayed us."

"I see. That is something that all of us needs to know"

They all shared their opinions but there were no answers. Information was something that all of them needed and they didn't have enough of it. None of them dared to suggest an assault because all of them knew that the strength of their platoon was insignificant compared to them.

They then decided to take a break. They were Gagseogs but if they didn't sleep then they would get weak just like anyone else. They all got into sleeping bags while Jaehwang and Joonghwi took turns with the night watch.

"Jonghwi?"

"Yes?"

Joonghwi answered Jaehwang's call with a voice full of trust. He didn't doubt his abilities in the beginning but ever since they got there Jaehwang felt that he wasn't feeling the same as before. It wasn't just the platoon entirely, but just Jaehwang. He could escape out of that place even if he was alone.

"I want to take the night patrol alone."

Joonghwi hesitated to respond for a second. If it was someone else then he would immediately deny it but Jaehwang's abilities were just enough for them. He's actually what they needed during that night patrol.

He knew the place well so he decided to take the night shift and let the others rest. However, Joonghwi wasn't too sure about it.

"Are you sure that you'll be okay?"

Joonghwi asked.

"I'll be fine."

Jaehwang confidently answered.

"You don't think that you'd die if you go alone?"

Joonghwi said and Jaehwang was left surprised.

"What do you mean? Haven't you seen my skills? Of course, I'll be fine. What do you think could happen?..."

He asked back.

"What if they get angry?"

Joonghwi asked and Jaehwang then answered back,

"Well, there are lots of things to do in case that happens."

Jaehwang calmly answered and Joonghwi shook his head.

"Okay. They're everywhere here but it seems that you can handle it. Maybe they're just waiting for the right time to attack. Unless they don't attack straight away but... a night attack is a good way to go. But that probably won't happen anytime soon."

"Huh... I see.

"Mhm..."

Joonghwi said and he wasn't done talking yet.

"But there is a possibility. But if they saw a chance then they would take it. Do you want to see the plan?"

Joonghwi handed him the tablet before he started to explain things in greater detail even though their formation sounded like it was nonsense in the beginning. It then started to make sense, Jaehwang then shook his head.

"Wow, this is really great."

Joonghwi made an extravagant plan. He shook Jaehwang's compliment off and started to lead the platoon again.

"Okay... I'll explain any changes to the plan. Justin point's communication system is about three hours and thirty minutes ahead. Sengyeon, Jonguk and Mingyu will take HyunJoon and... You and I proceed with a night assault..."

"A night what?"

"That's right, a night assault."

Joonghwi then explained the plan to the clan and all of them gave him a nod once everything was done.

"What do you think, Jaehwang?"

Everyone then turned their attention to Jaehwang. They all wanted to see what he had to say. It was a difficult time and there was still a risk of them getting attacked.

"Seems easy enough."

Jaehwang shrugged. He then looked at it closer, he just said that it was easy but he can't stop his worries.

Joonghwi smiled before he turned to everyone and said,

"Let's do well and enjoy ourselves. I know that they will soon catch up to us and tonight we can't even dream of a counter attack. However, let's all just sleep comfortably, okay?"

Joonghwi said and everyone shook their heads. All of them were terrified of what could happen.

"Let's try that for once. This initiation will be all about that."

Joonghwi said and then Seongyeon replied,

"Let's just wipe them out... we can decide on where to do it."

The plan was used in a term that he didn't like.

"How do we do that?... Is now the right time?... Well... Peji and Jina can try the radio. And everyone else can rest for now!"

"Yes, sir..."

They were on their way down the cliff and there was a bright red lump of meat on the ground.

The piece of meat was cut down the middle and its organs were eaten out. It then spread its 3 meters long wings, the women in the valley were beautiful like something commonly seen in the world's mythology. They had wings and their legs portrayed those of a monster's.

The human men were captivated and tempted to help them bear their children. Thinking about it again made it seem like the situation was written in a novel.

Humans were the same during the first half of the year; it wasn't as exact as one would think. They weren't the same on the inside but they all had long hair flowing down their backs. Their mouths were covered in red blood from eating the meat they had consumed. They then picked up their two legs and flew up in the air.

Tatag...

There was then a big shadow that covered everything below. Their entire body was wrapped in black armor. They then aimed a gauntlet at its head and it busted like a watermelon.

Boom...

Its pieces flew everywhere. They were third tier monsters so they died in vain. A piece of its armor fell around and they walked around them. A few hours later, they had arrived at their destination where the corpses of monsters had piled up.

"Amazing."

One person whispered as they walked past the black shell. There was a guy wearing a coat that went down to his ankles. There was a golden light shining through his chest that made a small catholic-like symbol. He was a Billion pastor of the SamJeon Church. He had short slicked-back hair along with his dull eyes. He was someone that they should avoid.

He was stationed in the main temple to torture and question anyone who rejected their religion.

"The Cheongun soldiers are very strong."

He said as he admired his black armor. Sometimes there were shouts coming inside of that black armor but his eyes just glowed red inside his helmet.

"Now we can lead the church and Cheongun soldiers will soon crack Justin point's ridiculous situation... and the punishment..."

"We need details, sir!"

A voice shouted out of nowhere. He looked harmless, he then went and pointed to something before saying,

"Stop the filming..."

He pointed to the camera recording in front of him. The camera was turned off and they explained further into him. He then tired turned to the other person and said,

Chapter 65

"What is it?"

"Th...That..."

The guy standing in front of the pastor wanted to say something but he couldn't speak. He realized that they were standing at the crossroads of life and death, he was so scared that he couldn't pull his words out of his mouth.

"We saw three people around the giant's footprint."

He said and the pastor's eyes burned with anger. Today's event couldn't go wrong. He put in a lot of effort into this entire day and it couldn't fail. He had invested in his religious self and practiced his first Cheongun soldier power demonstration while he studied for a future test.

"Was it a criminal?"

"We had made our investigation and found out that it was the members of Platoon 8 wandering around the area."

"If they're here right now, then why don't you capture them in Gwansa?"

The pastor said and Gwansa lowered his head in shame.

"Uh...Yes, of course..."

The pastor was angry and overwhelmed but he calmed down as it wouldn't have helped with his situation.

"The watchers were two adults and one that is premature in terms of age. We have no more people to send out and... besides the cost of contacting the shrine, all of our troops are preparing in a rush for the hunt."

"Got it."

"Quick. Finding a face place for them to take a rest is our top priority"

"Yes, sir!"

He responded to the pastor's commands. He then looked back at the church's proud devoted followers. There were 150 people there that were under the command of the religion and that's what was scary.

"Give them the religion's honor and the opportunity to have a second chance."

"Yes, sir."

Replied his faithful servant who was always with him like a shadow.

"Hmm... Huh?"

He then heard the sound of women screaming in distress. All of them howled in pain as they were thrown into the flames as punishment for rejecting their faith.

"We need a great sacrifice and before we go into war, we'll need to perform a blood worship."

The pastor said and his servant shook his head.

"I'll prepare the sacrifices."

The moon then found itself across the dark sky. The color and shape of the moon in the Alousu was a little different from the one on earth. The overall appearance was similar but it looked a little bigger and it lit up with blue light along with its cold feeling.

"Why are you agitated?"

The spirit asked. He doesn't know anyone else but she knows him. Jaehwang was acting differently than usual, she could tell especially because she was living inside him. He had no self-control and he just seemed to be a bit off.

He didn't answer her question and stayed silent until he found his words.

-It seems like they're angry. I can't relax no matter how much time goes by.

-Are you talking about the attack?

-Yes.

Things seemed to be running off the right track. Jaehwang felt that something terrible was going to happen right in front of them. He felt that they would get their limbs cut off, they would get skinned and they would get tied to a tree which would be set on fire until they died.

Swoosh...

The spirit showed up for the first time in a long time. She turned into a young person and sat next to him. She looked like the most beautiful woman in the world.

"Jae Hwang..."

She softly placed her hand on his shoulder. She started to look sad as she gazed at him who sat there motionless.

"Everything will be okay..."

She couldn't tell him the ancestors secret because of her promise with them but his gate was starting to appear.

His ancestors were still receiving their punishment.

In the northern regions during the ancient times, they were originally a hope of success for the three families. They were a gift for the heavens and the earth. All of their magic was given to them from the heavens, but then they received a punishment that would last thousands of years. She carried out her promise to protect their hope of success so one day, they could be free.

During those thousands of years, the family went up in a nameless mountain and tried to hide away.

"You can do it..."

The spirit couldn't tell him about the secret history that she found herself tangled with. That was another promise she made to them. Her job was to protect him and that meant she had to sacrifice everything and help him realize his destiny.

"You will succeed."

Everything created in the world had to be within its equal standards. Sometimes a good man could look like a villain. The world is submerged with blood but all of the different views on the road ahead shone towards a bright future.

Another descent was inside of Jae Hwang, he had the strength of his ancestors as well as their energy. He needed to spark that blood relation during their attack. If they wanted to reach the sky, it had to be done through Jae Hwang and get revenge to balance the scale and make things right.

"You can't go back when you get older."

"They need you now."

"I know."

Jaehwang replied. Jaehwang decided to continue on... they weren't evil spirits but she was careful to talk about what kind of friendship she had with them. Even with just a slight interest in revenge, things could get very dark.

"They committed the worst crime so they should die to even out the score."

"Death would make things even?... Who said that?"

Jaehwang shrugged his shoulders at the spirit's question.

"Maybe that's not the right thing to say but should I care about that? They had done horrible things to them. Maybe I know that the path I'm walking is my ancestor's destiny."

Jaehwang closed his eyes and concentrated on the dark feeling deep down in his heart.𝑙𝒾𝒷𝘳𝑒𝑎𝒹.𝑐𝑜𝓂

He had an awful feeling but he wasn't bothered by it. He couldn't just push them away and he knew that he would just have to continue on.

"It's time."

"Let's get going."

Jaehwang checked his wrist and got up. It was the scheduled time to put Joonghwi's plan in motion.

-Let's combine our magic together... follow my lead.

-I'm always thankful for you but...

The spirit instantly jumped into the air before he could finish his sentence. He then could see the woods filled with darkness under his feet.

Swoosh

Three arrows appeared in Jaehwang's hand. The shape of the arrows that appeared in his hand was different than usual. They were quite long, sharp and it looked like they would never fall if they would get themselves stuck onto something.

They were great. There was a moment where he was shocked to see how much bleeding had caused. They were good arrows to use when hunting violent monsters. They were very heavy and sturdy. Their only weak point was that they had a terrible short range.

"It's time to hunt."

"Ugh... Why is he here..."

"Quiet."

"Turn off the light, I hate him."

"Keep it down, let's finish up."

"Let's wait like you said."

There were two guys walking side by side through the fallen leaves. They weren't too friendly with each other. Someone came along with Gwansa on his mission. They were trained in the past before becoming Bileons, they had spent a lot of time together but that wasn't enough to fix their relationship.

If they didn't have a command from the pastor then they wouldn't spend any time together.

"Just shut up."

"I think we're getting close..."

They didn't have any other security protection with them. They told the pastor about who they think it is even though they're not completely sure. They wouldn't get their reward from the pastor if one of them makes a mistake.

Tatagg...

His colleague must have forgotten the meaning of a stakeout as he kept talking. Now they were worried if they were about to die.

"Hey... Something's wrong..."

He said to his colleague who was hiding in the leaves who then just responded with an uncaring tone.

"Stupid, what are you talking about? Where is the medicine... This is ridiculous!"

He stood up and at that moment his detection skill warned them. His location had now been exposed to the enemy and if they didn't move, then they would certainly die.

Swoosh swoosh swoosh...Swoosh swoosh swoosh...

Pang Pang Pang... Pangpang...pang

A few arrows rushed in and made the guy scream.

The other guy who was hiding with him yelled and ran out of their hiding place. He checked to see what happened to his colleague and he then understood what happened. The enemy was much faster than his reflexes.

Swoosh swoosh swoosh... Pang pang pang...

Something then flew by hitting his shoulder and caused him to shriek in pain. 𝑙𝑖𝘣𝓇𝑒𝒶𝘥.𝑐ℴ𝑚

He was pinned to the tree by the weapon that shot him and he then looked at his injury to see what hit him.

"Th..this is insane..."

It was an arrow. It was bigger and stronger than a normal arrow... it was the thing that nailed him onto that tree.

"What's going on!"

He tried to take the arrow out with his hand but it wouldn't budge.

Swoosh swoosh swoosh... Pang pag pang...

He screamed and cried but soon enough, he could no longer move. Three more arrows came by and kept his other arm and both of his legs to the tree. He then started to bleed.

Chapter 66

Tatak...

Jaehwang jumped off of a tree branch and floated in midair.

'Tiger hunter'

Swoosh...

He disappeared into the darkness and then appeared on the branch again.

He could recognize the enemy faces through the spirit. He heard loud noises and saw one of them standing and that's how he found their hiding place. He quickly flew through the air as he pulled his bowstring.

He was able to see behind him and after pinning one of his arms to the tree, he launched three more arrows to keep his limbs in place. He saw his colleague as well so he turned around to shoot five more arrows to stop him from moving.

"Help us! Help us!"

They yelled on top of their lungs. The night got darker. Jaehwang then flew into the sky once more.

-Others will soon show up.

-Good.

Jaehwang replied to the spirit as his feet landed on the ground.

-They're going to come and see what happened.

The spirit warned. He landed on the ground and his 'Tiger Hunter' skill then went away. He wasn't clueless, he knew what could happen. But even so, he didn't plan on leaving just yet.

-They're coming soon, it's getting dangerous.

The spirit said but Jaehwang just smiled at the idea of it happening. They were in the woods in the middle of the night which was perfect for hunting wild dogs. He wasn't worried, this place was his hunting grounds after all.

-Thanks for your help.

The arrow was fast and sturdy.

"That's the enemy!"

"Stop hiding and show yourself! They have a detecting skill. Help them first and then catch the enemy. They're on the move!"

"They're on the move. 2 O' clock 400 meters! 350 meters!"

"Good! I'll catch them. 350 meters! 200 meters! I'll catch up soon."

They knew Jaehwang's location and they were quickly catching up to him. They knew they were coming but they just stood there without a hurry.

"Someone, Someone's shooting some arrows!"

Yelled the Billion while holding up his shield. He was shooting without a sound so they didn't know what the weapon was. They were confident that they could block it but the situation was harder than they thought. Protecting themselves from a gun was easier than protecting themselves from an arrow which is faster than a bullet.

Swoosh... Panggg!

It barely reached the tree and they took a deep breath in relief. All of their enemies already knew their location so they started shooting arrows at random straight ahead. The arrow shots didn't make any different noises compared to other weapons. It piercing through the dark with an incredible speed is what scared them.

Three more Bileons found themselves stuck on a tree. They weren't dead but they were screaming in terror. He had the powerful arrows of a Dealer, a Tanker, and a Healer.

The most powerful one was the Tanker arrow but it flew in a very strange way and didn't pin them to the tree so well.

-It's an emergency! We need help! Team 6! Bring team 6! We're being taken out!

-Sa..Save us, please!

The pastor's hands shook in fear from what he had heard on the radio before the feed was cut off. He could hear the echoes of their screams from where they were.

"A level 6 dealer... Haha... Ridiculous. A level six monster hunter? Here?"

He looked through his memory inventory for a special level 6 hunter.

He already gave up on finding the enemy on surveillance as his men got themselves eaten by their own fears.

"Open the action cam."

"This is another person who should suffer the church's punishment. He's only making things harder..."

He gathered both of his hands together and prayed for his punishment before he picked up his radio. He was already imagining the scenario of the Cheongun angels' powerful force. Even if they were in the Church, a level six hunter could still mean a great disaster.

"Prepare us, angels."

"What!"

Someone fell down. He then waited next to them and then bowed at two deaconesses before he left.

"A level six hunter... haha... But, we're still very strong."

He gritted his teeth and turned around, a hundred of experienced soldiers then lined up behind him.

"The situation is now unavoidable."

He was staring at 300 soldiers who were standing right in front of him. There were believers in the shrine so he joined a few of them making it an army which was 300 strong. All of them were devotees who were out to deliver punishment to a level six hunter at their midst.

"Cheongun army force... Guard the church... Let's stab that evil demon."

"For the church's honor...!"

"Let's get the life offering!"

"Please... save us..."

They struggled to breath and speak.

Jae Hwang lightly through the forest and away from those trees. He could run, but he couldn't hide. They just continued on deeper into the forest, however, they weren't really concerned about them coming after him. At this point, all of them wanted to get away from him.

He started to get further out of sight and the people stuck to the tree soon lost sight of him.

"Save us..." 𝓁𝘪𝘣𝘳ℯ𝒶𝘥.𝘤𝑜𝓂

"Please..."

The person who was nailed onto the tree yelled as he saw Jaehwang. His eyes had opened wide as he saw a ghost. He wanted to complete his mission and see to it that he would receive their church's punishment.

"...Save me..."

He begged with all of his might. He felt like he was dying little by little. It was later in the cold of the night where he had fallen into shock.

Jaehwang stopped himself and stared at him without a shred of emotion.

"If you beg then I'll save one out of all of you, but if you can't beat me in time then yeah, I guess you already know what would happen."

"Huh?..."

They didn't know what to say to Jaehwang's offering.

They just looked at him with tears in their eyes. They were begging for him to save them...One of them said they had a kid at home waiting... he said that he needed to be saved... he had never looked at them with a merciful heart before.

But then he thought that they could be lying, they were much more vicious, cruel and brutal than they looked. They enjoyed torturing and burning other people.

He wondered that maybe some of them weren't as bad as they seem. He thought that maybe all, some or at least one of them could have been forced to enter into the church. They weren't just criminals, some of them were forced to join after seeing their colleagues getting skinned alive. They had no choice.

"Me too... Me too... Only catch them. I want to come back. I want to... see my mom..."

He said still struggling in pain. Jaehwang then started moving once again.

Chapter 67

-Don't you think you'll regret this?

The spirit asked him.

-I think so.

He answered as he continued to walk.

-But there's a chance that they won't bother us anymore once they have lived through this.

He said it was his rule and he knew what he had to do. In the end, it was just fair, that is, only if they survive.

-Hm...They were talking about the rule in the past.

-One second... 𝑙𝒾𝒷𝘳𝑒𝑎𝒹.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"Die!"

Jaehwang shouted as he shot someone who didn't manage to hide. They had tried to run at the moment they saw the back of their heads but Jaehwang still managed to find them.

Swoosh! Pangg!

He heard the sound of the arrow cutting through their skin.

"Wh...what happened..."

His limbs were cut off and was sent flying until it hit the ground. The arrow swayed around the air but it was sharp as a knife as it stabbed itself into their arms and legs.

He found the strange arrow a little vague so he lowered his head.

It was the first time that something like that has happened and he felt a little disappointed. The arrow never acted that way during the times when he was hunting some monsters.

-What rule?

-Well... I like to hear their cries of pain.

-You're ridiculous... How many arrows do you have left?

-24,290 Normal arrows... 311 baby arrows... 2 Monster hunting arrows... 30 exploding arrows... 34 Teleboard arrows and 20 baby teleboard arrows...

A Teleboard arrow was the one that Jaehwang made from monster feathers. He couldn't think of a name for them so he named it from the monster he made it from.

-Use the exploding arrow from now on.

-Got it.

Blood was all over the ground, he could still hear their screams of agony but Jaehwang just walked away thinking that it was perfect punishment for the crime that they had committed.

"The surveillance... There are 43 people stationed at the power supply... It's still silent."

"That is our best location within our best brand, how could this be?"

"If it's fast then it will reach it in just 10 minutes."

Answered his faithful servant. The upcoming event gathered together up to 20 percent of the church's followers. Even though there was a level 6 hunter on the loose, they weren't going to let him ruin what they had planned for so long.

"Do you think that hunter would be scared of our troops?"

"Yes. I assume that he won't kill them because they are followers of the church and there are lots of them there."

The pastor shook his head at his answer. He was thinking the same thing. They were protected with their surveillance, he's confident that none of them would die.

"They are going against a superhuman but they are good at finding a person's weak point so it should be easy for them..."

He thought about all the high-ranked hunters he could command in his head.

"If they move in groups, the chances of them getting picked off would be decreased."

"That's right."

He could only think of five in the end.

"Whew..."

"They are all so stubborn. Now that they've taken care of the army troops and their substitutions, we can do nothing but think about the extermination. If we're lucky we can defeat level two and three hunters. We have the same chances if it's a level four but a level five or six would be difficult."

Their skills were terrible but they were training themselves as much as possible to defeat those who were stronger than them. They don't plan to be disappointed.

"And we also have the Cheongun angels on our side."

Everyone in the church gathered all their strength and used the Cheongun angel as their weapon. It was still a prototype so it was unstable but they had no other choice.

The Cheongun angels run on sacrificed humans and are always filled to its maximum power. It had superhuman strength and it had a skill that it could use to revive itself.

The top of the church was the heart of its power and protection. The soldiers'

the eternal lifeline was the Cheongun angel.

"That level six hunter is really powerful... If he attacks us, we must not make a mistake because if we do, then we will fail."

"Okay."

"...I see..."

HyeJin's shoulders started to tremble at the painful wails coming from all of his surroundings. The noise continued through the dark of the night, making the woods as eerie as usual.

They had set a schedule after they finished up their preparation. They broke up their forces and all of them felt the slaughter that Jaehwang was doing, all of them were very curious about what was happening.

Joonghwi explained everything to Jae Hwang in great detail. They had to avoid running into the enemy so he prepared the exploding arrows which he bought at Justin point and handed the rest of them over to Jaehwang.

He had bought a lot of random equipment even though he didn't know that there would be a situation where he would get to use them. He originally planned to buy just the arrows for Jaehwang which cost up to 8000 dollars.

He knew that Jaehwang wasn't used to the arrows yet but it gave him a peace of mind to hear the explosions and agonized screams of others in their area as if there was a funeral march.

"Are they okay?"

Mingyu asked as he looked at Jonghwi.

They knew that there were over 150 watchers around there somewhere. It was the information that they received a while ago. It was a possibility that the enemies had been reinforced so they couldn't rule them out.

Jaehwang's amazing skills had no limits. He was now there so he acted as if he couldn't take a step back.𝒍𝙞𝙗𝓻𝙚𝒂𝓭.𝒄𝙤𝙢

Joonghwi was lost in thought as fixed his radio.

Maybe the radio would work and they could warn Jae Hwang to evacuate. He knew that changing his things up and expanding his choices were a good thing but it was important that all of the military plans were planned perfectly.

Joonghwi believed in Jae Hwang. He believed that he followed his plan completely, he knew that he would do great. He chose it this way, his platoon followed Jaehwang's footsteps even though it was hard for him but he still continued to move forward.

"We'll wait."

Joonghwi said and everyone shook their heads. If Joonghwi believed in Jae Hwang then they had to too but none of them could shake off the worried look on their faces.

"He's cruel..."

"He needs to be punished."

"He's the devil..."

They found them tied to the tree and couldn't believe what they saw. There was blood all over the place and they were still screaming even though some of them could barely breathe.

"It's a strong arrow for monster hunting. It cut the trees!"

"I know."

They tried to pull the arrow out but it wouldn't budge. They had to cut the tree first before they could even save them, the problem was that they didn't bring anything sharp enough to do it.

Pang! Pang! Pang!

The tree was gigantic and cutting was impossible. They could try to use an ax but that would use up so much time that they would die before they would be able to take it down.

"...I-i'm scared."

One person said before he covered his mouth, everyone else there was thinking the same thing.

He took a small sack from them and disappeared.

"He's not scared of the Cheongun angel!"

Yelled the watcher.

"Let's pull out the arrows and get going!"

"Okay!"

They needed to pull out the arrows as fast as they could to save those injured people. Time passed by, their muscles were sore and their hands were covered in blood. They were starting to wonder if they would be able to get them out in time now that the pastor just stood there without a word.

"Ow!"

"It's working..."

The arrows finally started to budge after they started to pull them but it woke up those who fainted and caused them to scream in pain once again. They started to bleed and eventually, they passed out from shock.

They were still trying their hardest to pull the arrows out and save them. Jaehwang then got up thinking he heard something.

He had only used short-distance arrows with his attacks but now, the situation had called it and he had decided to switch over to a mid-distance arrow. His arrows would be heavier and sharper than before, he also thought that using an exploding arrow now would be perfect.

Swoosh... Kwang!

Swoosh! Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!

"It's an exploding arrow!"

"Ow! My leg!"

Swoosh! Kwang Kwang!

"I found him! He's using a heavy exploding arrow and he's about 100 meters in that direction!"

Swoosh! Kwang Kwang!

The heavy arrow shot through the air. He didn't know how many people he already shot. He just switched his arrows in between as he aimed for heads.

"I..I don't want to die!"

Yelled one guy hiding behind a tree.

"Stupid hunter..."

He was Chinese just like the majority of people that filled the Church.

A lot of their Korean colleagues died but he was relieved that he hasn't so far. He didn't care if anyone else died. He just wanted to keep himself safe.

But if he looked up into the sky at that moment he would probably see something suspicious...

Swoosh...

"Huh?"

There was the shadow of an arrow that suddenly passed by his head coming his way. He couldn't do anything but stare at it. The arrow then landed on his head with a loud explosion.

Kwang!

And another person was dead.

Chapter 68

"Found him!"

The watcher shouted as he pointed in his direction.

"He's 300 meters above the tree!"

"He's an immoral bastard!"

The guard looked where the watcher was pointing. He saw Jaehwang pulling the string as a flame formed at the top of his head and lit up the area around him.

"I see him!"

They could never escape him. They couldn't hide and they knew that he would chase them down until they die but every one of them had their hopes on him getting imprisoned.

"Good! He looks like an unbeliever of the church! Everyone, attack! Get the Cheongun angel!"

They were scared but got into action after the watcher's command.

Jaehwang continued to launch exploding arrows but the number of arrows was limited and the enemy troops had started to scatter. There were 300 hunters. The ones who were hurt were instantly getting treated. The remaining ones were filled with anger as they climbed up the tree to get closer to him.

Pang! Pang! Pang!

They put on their armor to avoid receiving further damages. With that, the SamJeon church followers rushed ahead.

-Do something! You could get hurt if they get to you!.

-I know.

Jaehwang answered as he looked up at the flames over his head. The flames were coming from all of the energy inside of him. It wrapped around him like a spider web but Jaehwang didn't mind it at all. He could feel its intense heat but it didn't matter, he shrugged the idea of him getting hurt.

'Tiger Hunter'

Swoosh...

He flew using his tiger hunter ability and the red flames disappeared. Tiger hunter wasn't a simple skill that hides him. If it was then it would just be treated as a unique skill.

He had to be completely focused. It was more powerful than any other skill, even some of the upper-ranked skills.

"Argh!"

The troops aiming for the fire stopped in their tracks as it had disappeared like a mirage. Now they could die by his shooting. The fight was not really much of a big challenge and he was able to understand the watcher's detecting skill.

Just as the saying goes 'like a dog that has been chasing a chicken watching the roof', It was the time to finally cook the chicken.

-The exploding arrows are running low. 𝘭𝒾𝒷𝓇𝘦𝑎𝑑.𝒸ℴ𝓂

-Huh... Oh, it looks like they are running low.

-There's a price tag... $8,000 per arrow. I got it when it was for 24,000.

Recently, he's been being careful about his spending. The spirit said the price and he felt a little anxious.

-Maybe they weren't worth it. Give me the exploding capsule.

-They'll become bald headed.

The distance was a little far but Jaehwang was like Superman. The exploding capsule was heavy but that was good, it would make a huge impact if it had reached their enemies. He didn't have a throwing skill but that was no problem. It would be fine even if he threw not that far.

Wooshhh...

He threw three of the exploding capsules. He didn't even think about waiting for them to explode and just took two more of them in his hand and threw them. He threw them randomly and as hard as he could.

Kwang kwang kwang! Kwang kwang!

Jaehwang quickly ran and the capsules started to explode.

Kwang kwang kang!

They wanted to finish baptizing the exploding arrow but they got caught with its impact. The explosion swept them all away and started a trail of flame that reached up into the air. The exploding capsule was something that had been only used by the military.

It was a good item to use for monster hunting and was remade into the exploding capsules as a better weapon. That capsule's effect grew as Jaehwang threw it.

"Save us!"

"Hot! Hot!"

"S-save us..."

The place was covered in fire. One of them protected himself with his protection skill and two others sank into the fire. They were kind of lucky by the exploding capsule's effect. They were screaming because of their severe burns but they were alive.

-You're all out of exploding capsules.

-I see.

His hand was empty. He threw all twenty of them.

Jaehwang escaped and looked back at the roaring flames reaching up into the sky. He could feel his energy rising. He could just sit back and relax and let it recharge but staying still like that works just as well.

-I don't like it.

Jaehwang said.

-It is a lot.

-Yeah.

He had dished out a lot of firepower but there were still a lot of enemies. They were yelling and screaming but they had a healer. About 60 of them died and some just got hurt. Jaehwang couldn't think of one variable in that place.

-It's dangerous!

The spirit tried to warn him but it was too late.

Kwang kwang kwang!

Jaehwang then yelled. He turned around, he saw a giant boulder that was then shattered into pieces and its fragments had hit him. Jaehwang, who was floating in the air, then fell into the tree.

Kwang kwang!

The flames stained his armor as he fell down.

Swoo..ting ting...

Two arrows had hit his armor but it bounced right off.

-It's stronger than I thought. The Teleboard arrow!

Whooshh... Pang pang!

Jae Hwang strongest flew through the air.

Ting!

The impact wasn't so big for him, it just left a bruise on his armor and besides that, everything was fine. He then landed on the ground.

'Tiger Hunter'

He then started running as he was surrounded by darkness. The enemies didn't get to see him.

They continued to scream due to their burns. He flew into the air to avoid the flames that doomed those who stood below.

-That sounds like a tiger, the thing that you're doing.

-Was that a joke?

Jaehwang said, in response to the noise made by his armor as he ran. The military grade armor worked out fine.

There were shards that would poke into him when he used it. Sharp shards that were almost 5 centimeters long. They were stabbing into his hand.

-You have to hunt tigers but there are so many wild dogs.

-Yeah. There's a lot of them.

-Don't you have to handle the wild dogs first?

Jaehwang just kept moving. He didn't know how strong the armor was but he kept going just to make sure he was safe.

He continued to walk and he then put the headset on his ears.

-Leader

-We were waiting, we thought you were dead.

-Sorry.

Jaehwang apologized to Joonghwi. He hadn't returned for a long time but Joonghwi let it go and continued on with the conversation.

-Is it time?

-Yes, it's time.

-Great, now find a good place to hide.

-Hah! They should hide from me.

-Haha, alright, alright.

He finished the conversation with Jaehwang and hung up the radio. He looked around. They were more camouflaged than ever. Joonghwi, Peji and HyeJin took weapons and shared an excited look.

"Okay... Shall we do our part?"

"Yes!"

"Okay, on the count of three, let's go."

"Yes, leader!"

The platoon members answered with a smile. They were ready to finally get into action. They were now ready to play with fire.

"Three... Two... One... Let's go!"

Kwang kwang kwang!

Giant flames shot up due to a big explosion at the giant footprint that ruptured some of their enemy's ears as the cliff started to collapse.

Everyone in the valley flew away back to their nests when they thought that it was over but they got to watch their nest get destroyed along with it from below. They could do nothing but scream.

"The giant footprint area will now be completely destroyed"

Joonghwi said as he prepared under the veil of his camouflage.

"First, don't enter the valley creatures' habitat ... You can step into their habitat, they are quite docile. Even if you hunt there, just don't bother them and you'll be fine. And the second thing to know is that they have a very good sense of smell so be careful... They're known to fly over the valley and scoop someone up by the head if they saw or sensed them. And what was the most important thing?"

"Never bother the valley creature queen. Never, ever, ever..."

HyeJin was then completely hidden in his camouflage.

"Got it? The moment you bother the queen... all the creatures of the valley will come after you. And they will rip you to shreds..."

Chapter 69

Kwang kwang!

Hundreds of valley creatures flew up in the air to get away from the collapsing cliff.

They flew together into the light of the blue moon that covers them.

"Coming here was their own mistake. Maybe if they'll never act like this again then they could come back. This kind of behavior is an instant penalty. But if they go to Justin point then that will be a complete mess... But you know what? If we die..."

"Argh!"

Some of the monsters were four times faster than what they had encountered before. The giant footprint was inhabited by the queen and its nest was not destroyed leaving a cloud of dust around it.

.

The queen gave a resentful gaze towards those insects before her.

There was light shining down on the giant footprint as if it was the middle of the day so she could see the criminals swarming below.

"Wh...What's that?"

"..It's crazy..."

"...It's... the queen..."

The church was chasing down the devil (Jae Hwang) and looked up to the sky that was filled with the valley creatures. They lowered their weapons as they saw the light from the high roaring fire. The monsters looked down on them from the air and they were scared to even think of running away.

"...It's a trap."

The Queen was angry.

They weren't entirely dumb even though they are not well known for their intelligence. They knew that they were hunters and the only rule that ensures their survival was to never bother the queen. It was a law that could be easily justified and understood but they didn't know that and attacked. Almost everyone knew that if you tried to mess with the creatures of the valley, they would fight back.

The queen then roared as it flew up into the sky and at that moment, thousands of valley creatures came down charging towards the ground.

"Save us!"

It turned into a hell. The valley creatures were flying through the flames aiming for the Bileons down below. This had happened because of Joonghwi's plan but they didn't care about that. Their queen was attacked and they needed to get their revenge.

"Go away! Get lost!"

One of the Bileons yelled.

"Ahhh!"

He was then torn into pieces by their claws. The rest of them gave up and tried to escape but the valley creatures were much faster than they were. 𝓵𝙞𝙗𝙧𝙚𝒂𝙙.𝓬𝒐𝒎

"Ahhh!"

A shadow had cast the ground as if it was a huge cloud and soon, there were many creatures rushing into the ground. It wasn't a normal act of them preying upon those who were weaker than them, they were just tearing them to pieces and when they died, their items would fall into the ground.

"There's so many."

The Queen was below the nest when it happened so it crawled out of its nest to safety. Joonghwi got up as well and looked at the disaster with a smile. Shiny objects would fall out of them when they get killed.𝙡𝙞𝒃𝓻𝒆𝓪𝒅.𝓬𝒐𝒎

"Now we can get some objects to bring back to the army troops..."

"Leader... Please..."

Peji pleaded as he shook in fear inside his camouflage. The feeling they had before of wanting to play with fire had already disappeared. He explained the plan and he mentioned about the mess that would happen with the valley creatures but they didn't think things would end up like this. Peji was shocked and felt a little disappointed at his platoon leader.

If they were unlucky, then the valley creatures would tear them apart the moment they saw them.

"I know. It's a lot..."

Joonghwi said as he kept his smile. He didn't want to risk their lives as well.

Jaehwang was hiding behind a giant boulder while he watched the valley creatures quietly digging through the leaves

-What are you doing?

-It's intense. I want to try hiding somewhere deeper...

He dug deep through the leaves making a hole big enough to fit him. The sky was filled with valley creatures and Bileons were being torn to shreds one by one. Blood flying all over the place to the point that he could sometimes see a double rainbow coming out.

There were so many valley creatures randomly flying and ripping them apart. Hiding was the wisest thing to do.

-You're a little mean.

-Yes. I'm sorry... I know.

Jaehwang was completely hidden beneath the leaves. He could see out of them and everything that was going on out there with the help of the spirit.

-Then why did you take the plan this far?... That Joonghwi is not a normal person.

-He's like a psycho.

Jaehwang didn't even think about how they would explain this disaster when they went back to Justin point. Joonghwi will have to be the one to explain it because he's the leader of the platoon and planned the mission. The giant footprint was quite a popular place for hunters. There were many things to catch and the by-product of a valley creature could be traded off for a high price.

But because of Joonghwi's plan and everything that's happening, the giant footprint area may never be the same. The monster's habitat had become safe and the queen's nest had been decorated. If this isn't what he really wanted then he shouldn't carry out this crazy plan.

-Everything's looking great.

-Yeah.

Things had started to calm down. All of the church members in the area had been destroyed but there was a man wearing a black armor that remained.

There were many creatures heading towards him but they couldn't claw through his armor. The mystery guy then grabbed the creatures that were trying to attack him and broke their wings as well as their neck.

There were monsters piled up like a mountain all around him. The queen then followed with a screech and she also encountered the same problem. When she realized that her claws weren't working she started to put more into it.

She got through his defense. The other valley creatures were taken down but he was still outnumbered and before they knew it, the man was high up in the sky.

The monsters had let him go and started to fall into the ground.

Kwang!

There was a loud noise along with that impact.

The queen screeched again and the valley creatures repeated the same process.

One time... Two times... Three times... Four times... Five times...

The mystery showed no reaction to any of it. Anyone would have died no matter how tough their armor was and even his armor was reduced in rags after two drops.

The queen dropped the man around the area and her nest was completely destroyed. The queen then flew around to make sure that the mystery man was dead but there was a terrible lapse in her judgment.

Pang...

He flew up into the air holding onto the queen's foot. He pretended to be dead and waited to get close.

The queen was startled and tried swaying her foot to get him off and the mystery guy screamed and moved to her wing.. The queen was flying all over the place trying to get him off but soon they both fell into the ground.

Pang pang pang!

The mystery man broke the queen's spine and decapitated her.

The moment they saw that the queen's head was taken off, all of the valley creatures screamed in terror and started to escape. They had another place to stay but their entire colony collapsed now that the queen had died.

-He's powerful.

-Yeah... He is powerful.

Jaehwang agreed to the spirit. He was really strong. Jaehwang wouldn't even be able to win in a situation like that. If he used a skill then the armor would have never broken and even if it did then there was no guarantee that the mystery man would have died. He didn't know how he did it and how he took the pain but he did a great job.

-Well, shall we go out hunting?

Jaehwang wasn't thinking of giving up. He wasn't a warrior champion and didn't do it often, all he did was hunt monsters. Hunters never tried to test their skills to fight against enemies. Hunters just practiced hunting, it was a matter of success and failure and if they failed, then they could then try again. He was digging into a bit of a sharp trap.

Swoosh... Swoosh...

Jaehwang made more space in the leaves he was hiding in.

-Hey... can you raise the limit?

-Okay. There will be a terribly bad strong smell of gunpowder.

Teuk Teuk.. Teuk Teuk Teuk...

Jaehwang used an explosive bomb from inside the military bus. Now there were only five of them left. He got a bomb and created a landmine. Aside from the safety of the landmine, Jaehwang had to be careful of using his tiger hunter energy there.

After traveling through the tunnel, he headed towards the city.

Tuk Tuk.. Teuk...

A falling pebble hit into a boulder making a loud noise as it rolled off and scared the mystery man.

Click... Click...

They heard a clicking noise followed by a growling sound from a big wild animal, the mystery man then walked towards it. The boulder stopped rolling and he picked up the pebble in his hand as he turned his head around. He didn't see anything and the moment he turned himself around, he heard a clicking noise beneath his feet.

Kwang kwang kwang kwang!

There was a series of explosions.

Chapter 70

Kwang kwang! Kwang kwang kwang! 𝓵𝓲𝓫𝙧𝓮𝙖𝙙.𝒄𝓸𝙢

Whoosh...

"Huh..."

There was a loud explosion and Jaehwang was thrown back, disabling his tiger hunter ability.

"..."

The plan was not going so well. It was his first time using it and he didn't expect it to explode that much.

Taktak... Tak...

Jaehwang then stood up and dusted himself off, he started to get tensed up with his current situation.

Click... Click...

There was the sound of something hitting metal three meters away from the bombed area. He was frightened at the idea of one of them being alive. He then prepared to defend himself in case something was there.

Click...

Most of his armor had been blown off besides the ones covering his right arm and chest. His left arm was burned and the rest of his body was not in a good condition. He tried to walk but he soon lost his strength and fell onto his knees. The thing that surprised Jaehwang was his face.

His helmet had blown off and revealed his young complexion. His hair had been burned off and his face had red burns but it looked familiar.

He got up and he tried to take a better look at his face and he then saw that it was his friend, DongChul.

"DongChul?"

Jae Hwang dull expression was brightened.

He didn't know what to say. He went training to be a Gagseog army trooper but he asked himself why he was with the Bileons. Jaehwang's mind turned blank.

"..."

Dong Chul then turned around and faced him, their eyes had met and there, he realized his mistake.

Dong Chul suddenly ran towards him at full speed to attack. Jaehwang was surprised so he stepped back and ran but Dong Chul caught up to him.

Kya!

He tried to punch him with all his strength but Jaehwang quickly dodged it. It was almost like a clever surprise attack but it was also too predictable that one might call it stupid. His attacks were just fine even though both of her arms were dislocated, it felt like he's fighting a fifth tier monster.

-Get away from him you idiot!

-I know!

Jaehwang replied to the spirit as he tried to get away with Dong Chul right behind him. All of his armor had fallen off so he was able to run much faster than before. He looked back and got even more anxious as seeing it as his tail.

Jaehwang had never run so fast before. He thought of hiding and using his tiger hunter skill but the time for that was already up.

Kwang kwang kwang!

DongChul then tried to punch him again and Jaehwang ducked his head to avoid it. He then got an arrow and stabbed the tip of it into DongChul's forearm.

He buried it deep into his skin as he aimed at where his joint was supposed to be. Dong Chul looked as if he didn't feel it at all and reached out his hand to try and grab Jaehwang's throat.

"His skin isn't cast iron. Well then, next!"

Jaehwang dodged his hand and gave him an uppercut. He thought that using attacks that violently shook the brain was a way to make someone instantly lose consciousness.

Kya!

DongChul then tried to elbow Jaehwang's head in response to his attack. He dodged it again but then DongChul quickly healed himself from his previous attacks.

"His recovery skills are amazing."

He understood all of Jaehwang's attacks. Jaehwang was hit by the attack. Until then he didn't have a hard time getting affected by those kinds of blows.

Jaehwang then tried to escape by running up the nearby tree. DongChul then followed him and punched everything as they went up.

Woosh...

Jaehwang then flew to a different tree without looking back.

-Is that your old friend?

-Yeah.

-He wasn't always like this, was he?

-No, something's wrong.

He was a Gagseog, he was attacked dozens of times but he didn't die and seemed completely fine. He could even heal himself. His skin was burned and stabbed but he healed everything.

He seemed indestructible but Jaehwang knew his weak spot.

He could escape to safety as he was healing himself but every time he healed himself his body's volume would get smaller. It must take a lot of energy and there was still that arrow that was stabbed into him.

-What's going to happen?

-I found his weakness.

He escaped up into the tree and prepared his Teleboard arrow.

"The exploding arrow!"

Pang!

He had two arrows to choose from but he just launched one after another.

Kwang kwang!

A large explosion knocked Dong Chul back at the nearby giant tree.

It looked like it did a lot of damage but he still had a lot of strength left. He made a loud screeching noise as he hit the tree. Jaehwang was anxious so he launched another one. He didn't want to do it but he had no other choice.

"Moving strong arrows!"

"Exploding strong arrows!"

"Moving strong arrows!"

"Moving exploding arrows!"

"Exploding strong arrows!"

Kwang kwang kwang! Kwang! Kwang! Kwang kwang!

He continuously launched arrows at DongChul. The first arrow flew right off of him but one by one, the attacks started to affect him more and more. He kept going until he was drained from his energy.

He launched another Teleboard arrow with his bleeding fingers. His blood was all over his bowstring and if he didn't use his healing skill, it would get only worse.

"Now stop."

His chest that was covered in armor was now riddled with injuries due to the arrows that Jaehwang gave him. DongChul was screeching in pain even though he tried his best to go easy on him. He was supposed to aim for his head but he didn't want to kill him.𝙡𝓲𝙗𝒓𝙚𝓪𝙙.𝒄𝒐𝙢

He was still conscious but he couldn't stand. He could use his healing skill but he was completely out of energy.

Jaehwang wanted to spare him but he would just continue to try and kill him. So he raised his bow once more and set his head in his sights. He couldn't pull back the string no matter how hard he tried, he was his only friend.

The spirit then spoke to him.

-Maybe there's a connection to find with you and your friend's energy.

-Huh?

Jaehwang responded with a confused tone as he lowered his bow.

-What do you mean?

-Your friend's strength started to fall but now it's become quite strong. It's just a guess but isn't your friend an expert at control...

-I don't know.

A red light then started to come out of DongChul. The light went up to the sky and then landed in the stacked corpse of the dead Bileons.

-That looks like something he's controlling.

-I see.

Jaehwang looked over and saw what was going on. There were no skills left that DongChul could use but he Jae Hwang just used all of his strength to overpower him. Jaehwang then got a Teleboard arrow and pulled the string.

"Moving arrow-..."

He prepared the best attack that he could do.

"Exploding-..."

Whiii... Whooshh... Swoosh...

The wind then gathered at the center of his arrow.

"Strong arrow!"

Jiijijig!

A stream of white light covered the arrow from the tip and made it vibrate. He gathered all of the energy that he could dish out and forced it inside.

"Die."

He then released it.

Pukang!

The arrow had left a giant sonic boom that sent him flying backward. He avoided the impact as much as he could and when he got up, he looked at the Teleoard arrow in the air.

Pang!

The pile of Bileon corpses exploded and two of them came running out.

"Pastor! Look out!"

It was hard for the pastor to follow along and he yelled as he saw the fast arrow. With his skills and experience, there was a half-and-half probability that he could have blocked off the attack.

But it was an attack from a level six hunter. He could take blows from other classes of hunters but taking a shot from a level five or six was a different story.

He took out a cross shaped sword and used his strongest skill. He gathered all the energy in his body and was able to block off the attack with a lethal technique. The arrow and his attack came in contact with each other and the arrow went flying in the opposite direction.

"Phew..."

He used all of his strength to block it off and instead of blocking it off completely, it flew off to someone else.

"Pastor...Look out..."

Pang!

The arrow's explosion was louder than his voice. He believed in his faithful servant and didn't look back and just ran. The back of the pastor's head was hit. However, if his faithful servant didn't warn him then he would have died. The Pastor had the strength of a fifth tier monster and he had a human life-saving skill to save one or two people... But he then lost consciousness as something that looked like a piece of scrap garbage came flying into him.

His faithful servant then looked and got angry seeing that what hit him was an arrow. He then started to quickly run towards the pastor. He then saw something small and shiny where the pastor was laying and went to pick it up.

-Aren't you going to escape...

Jaehwang looked around in anger. It wasn't what he expected. He didn't know that he had been drawing some energy from two other people that managed to hide themselves. He managed to pick off one but the other one was capable enough to escape.

-Huh... My head hurts.

Jaehwang then said with a hollow smile.

Chapter 71

-Don't you think you'll regret this?

The spirit asked him.

-I think so.

He answered as he continued to walk.

-But there's a chance that they won't bother us anymore once they have lived through this.

He said it was his rule and he knew what he had to do. In the end, it was just fair, that is, only if they survive.

-Hm...They were talking about the rule in the past.

-One second...

"Die!"

Jaehwang shouted as he shot someone who didn't manage to hide. They had tried to run at the moment they saw the back of their heads but Jaehwang still managed to find them.

Swoosh! Pangg!

He heard the sound of the arrow cutting through their skin.

"Wh...what happened..."

His limbs were cut off and was sent flying until it hit the ground. The arrow swayed around the air but it was sharp as a knife as it stabbed itself into their arms and legs.

He found the strange arrow a little vague so he lowered his head.

It was the first time that something like that has happened and he felt a little disappointed. The arrow never acted that way during the times when he was hunting some monsters.

-What rule?

-Well... I like to hear their cries of pain.

-You're ridiculous... How many arrows do you have left?

-24,290 Normal arrows... 311 baby arrows... 2 Monster hunting arrows... 30 exploding arrows... 34 Teleboard arrows and 20 baby teleboard arrows...

A Teleboard arrow was the one that Jaehwang made from monster feathers. He couldn't think of a name for them so he named it from the monster he made it from.

-Use the exploding arrow from now on.

-Got it.

Blood was all over the ground, he could still hear their screams of agony but Jaehwang just walked away thinking that it was perfect punishment for the crime that they had committed.

"The surveillance... There are 43 people stationed at the power supply... It's still silent."

"That is our best location within our best brand, how could this be?"

"If it's fast then it will reach it in just 10 minutes."

Answered his faithful servant. The upcoming event gathered together up to 20 percent of the church's followers. Even though there was a level 6 hunter on the loose, they weren't going to let him ruin what they had planned for so long.

"Do you think that hunter would be scared of our troops?"

"Yes. I assume that he won't kill them because they are followers of the church and there are lots of them there."

The pastor shook his head at his answer. He was thinking the same thing. They were protected with their surveillance, he's confident that none of them would die.

"They are going against a superhuman but they are good at finding a person's weak point so it should be easy for them..."

He thought about all the high-ranked hunters he could command in his head.

"If they move in groups, the chances of them getting picked off would be decreased."

"That's right."

He could only think of five in the end.

"Whew..."

"They are all so stubborn. Now that they've taken care of the army troops and their substitutions, we can do nothing but think about the extermination. If we're lucky we can defeat level two and three hunters. We have the same chances if it's a level four but a level five or six would be difficult."

Their skills were terrible but they were training themselves as much as possible to defeat those who were stronger than them. They don't plan to be disappointed.

"And we also have the Cheongun angels on our side."

Everyone in the church gathered all their strength and used the Cheongun angel as their weapon. It was still a prototype so it was unstable but they had no other choice.

The Cheongun angels run on sacrificed humans and are always filled to its maximum power. It had superhuman strength and it had a skill that it could use to revive itself.

The top of the church was the heart of its power and protection. The soldiers'

the eternal lifeline was the Cheongun angel.

"That level six hunter is really powerful... If he attacks us, we must not make a mistake because if we do, then we will fail." 𝑙𝒾𝒷𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"Okay."

"...I see..."

HyeJin's shoulders started to tremble at the painful wails coming from all of his surroundings. The noise continued through the dark of the night, making the woods as eerie as usual.

They had set a schedule after they finished up their preparation. They broke up their forces and all of them felt the slaughter that Jaehwang was doing, all of them were very curious about what was happening.

Joonghwi explained everything to Jae Hwang in great detail. They had to avoid running into the enemy so he prepared the exploding arrows which he bought at Justin point and handed the rest of them over to Jaehwang.

He had bought a lot of random equipment even though he didn't know that there would be a situation where he would get to use them. He originally planned to buy just the arrows for Jaehwang which cost up to 8000 dollars.

He knew that Jaehwang wasn't used to the arrows yet but it gave him a peace of mind to hear the explosions and agonized screams of others in their area as if there was a funeral march.

"Are they okay?"

Mingyu asked as he looked at Jonghwi.

They knew that there were over 150 watchers around there somewhere. It was the information that they received a while ago. It was a possibility that the enemies had been reinforced so they couldn't rule them out.

Jaehwang's amazing skills had no limits. He was now there so he acted as if he couldn't take a step back.

Joonghwi was lost in thought as fixed his radio.

Maybe the radio would work and they could warn Jae Hwang to evacuate. He knew that changing his things up and expanding his choices were a good thing but it was important that all of the military plans were planned perfectly.

Joonghwi believed in Jae Hwang. He believed that he followed his plan completely, he knew that he would do great. He chose it this way, his platoon followed Jaehwang's footsteps even though it was hard for him but he still continued to move forward.

"We'll wait."

Joonghwi said and everyone shook their heads. If Joonghwi believed in Jae Hwang then they had to too but none of them could shake off the worried look on their faces.

"He's cruel..."

"He needs to be punished."

"He's the devil..."

They found them tied to the tree and couldn't believe what they saw. There was blood all over the place and they were still screaming even though some of them could barely breathe.

"It's a strong arrow for monster hunting. It cut the trees!"

"I know."

They tried to pull the arrow out but it wouldn't budge. They had to cut the tree first before they could even save them, the problem was that they didn't bring anything sharp enough to do it.

Pang! Pang! Pang!

The tree was gigantic and cutting was impossible. They could try to use an ax but that would use up so much time that they would die before they would be able to take it down.

"...I-i'm scared."

One person said before he covered his mouth, everyone else there was thinking the same thing.

He took a small sack from them and disappeared.

"He's not scared of the Cheongun angel!"

Yelled the watcher.

"Let's pull out the arrows and get going!"

"Okay!"

They needed to pull out the arrows as fast as they could to save those injured people. Time passed by, their muscles were sore and their hands were covered in blood. They were starting to wonder if they would be able to get them out in time now that the pastor just stood there without a word.

"Ow!"

"It's working..."

The arrows finally started to budge after they started to pull them but it woke up those who fainted and caused them to scream in pain once again. They started to bleed and eventually, they passed out from shock.

They were still trying their hardest to pull the arrows out and save them. Jaehwang then got up thinking he heard something.

He had only used short-distance arrows with his attacks but now, the situation had called it and he had decided to switch over to a mid-distance arrow. His arrows would be heavier and sharper than before, he also thought that using an exploding arrow now would be perfect.

Swoosh... Kwang!

Swoosh! Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!

"It's an exploding arrow!"

"Ow! My leg!"

Swoosh! Kwang Kwang!

"I found him! He's using a heavy exploding arrow and he's about 100 meters in that direction!"

Swoosh! Kwang Kwang!

The heavy arrow shot through the air. He didn't know how many people he already shot. He just switched his arrows in between as he aimed for heads.

"I..I don't want to die!"

Yelled one guy hiding behind a tree.

"Stupid hunter..."

He was Chinese just like the majority of people that filled the Church.

A lot of their Korean colleagues died but he was relieved that he hasn't so far. He didn't care if anyone else died. He just wanted to keep himself safe.

But if he looked up into the sky at that moment he would probably see something suspicious...

Swoosh...

"Huh?"

There was the shadow of an arrow that suddenly passed by his head coming his way. He couldn't do anything but stare at it. The arrow then landed on his head with a loud explosion.

Kwang!

And another person was dead.

Chapter 72

"Found him!"

The watcher shouted as he pointed in his direction.

"He's 300 meters above the tree!"

"He's an immoral bastard!"

The guard looked where the watcher was pointing. He saw Jaehwang pulling the string as a flame formed at the top of his head and lit up the area around him.

"I see him!"

They could never escape him. They couldn't hide and they knew that he would chase them down until they die but every one of them had their hopes on him getting imprisoned.

"Good! He looks like an unbeliever of the church! Everyone, attack! Get the Cheongun angel!"

They were scared but got into action after the watcher's command.

Jaehwang continued to launch exploding arrows but the number of arrows was limited and the enemy troops had started to scatter. There were 300 hunters. The ones who were hurt were instantly getting treated. The remaining ones were filled with anger as they climbed up the tree to get closer to him.

Pang! Pang! Pang!

They put on their armor to avoid receiving further damages. With that, the SamJeon church followers rushed ahead.

-Do something! You could get hurt if they get to you!.

-I know.

Jaehwang answered as he looked up at the flames over his head. The flames were coming from all of the energy inside of him. It wrapped around him like a spider web but Jaehwang didn't mind it at all. He could feel its intense heat but it didn't matter, he shrugged the idea of him getting hurt.

'Tiger Hunter'

Swoosh...

He flew using his tiger hunter ability and the red flames disappeared. Tiger hunter wasn't a simple skill that hides him. If it was then it would just be treated as a unique skill.

He had to be completely focused. It was more powerful than any other skill, even some of the upper-ranked skills.

"Argh!"

The troops aiming for the fire stopped in their tracks as it had disappeared like a mirage. Now they could die by his shooting. The fight was not really much of a big challenge and he was able to understand the watcher's detecting skill.

Just as the saying goes 'like a dog that has been chasing a chicken watching the roof', It was the time to finally cook the chicken.

-The exploding arrows are running low.

-Huh... Oh, it looks like they are running low.

-There's a price tag... $8,000 per arrow. I got it when it was for 24,000.

Recently, he's been being careful about his spending. The spirit said the price and he felt a little anxious.

-Maybe they weren't worth it. Give me the exploding capsule.

-They'll become bald headed.

The distance was a little far but Jaehwang was like Superman. The exploding capsule was heavy but that was good, it would make a huge impact if it had reached their enemies. He didn't have a throwing skill but that was no problem. It would be fine even if he threw not that far. 𝒍𝙞𝙗𝓻𝙚𝒂𝓭.𝒄𝙤𝙢

Wooshhh...

He threw three of the exploding capsules. He didn't even think about waiting for them to explode and just took two more of them in his hand and threw them. He threw them randomly and as hard as he could.

Kwang kwang kwang! Kwang kwang!

Jaehwang quickly ran and the capsules started to explode.

Kwang kwang kang!

They wanted to finish baptizing the exploding arrow but they got caught by its impact. The explosion swept them all away and started a trail of flame that reached up into the air. The exploding capsule was something that had been only used by the military.

It was a good item to use for monster hunting and was remade into the exploding capsules as a better weapon. That capsule's effect grew as Jaehwang threw it.

"Save us!"

"Hot! Hot!"

"S-save us..."

The place was covered in fire. One of them protected himself with his protection skill and two others sank into the fire. They were kind of lucky by the exploding capsule's effect. They were screaming because of their severe burns but they were alive.

-You're all out of exploding capsules.

-I see.

His hand was empty. He threw all twenty of them.

Jaehwang escaped and looked back at the roaring flames reaching up into the sky. He could feel his energy rising. He could just sit back and relax and let it recharge but staying still like that works just as well.

-I don't like it.

Jaehwang said.

-It is a lot.

-Yeah.

He had dished out a lot of firepower but there were still a lot of enemies. They were yelling and screaming but they had a healer. About 60 of them died and some just got hurt. Jaehwang couldn't think of one variable in that place.

-It's dangerous!

The spirit tried to warn him but it was too late.

Kwang kwang kwang!

Jaehwang then yelled. He turned around, he saw a giant boulder that was then shattered into pieces and its fragments had hit him. Jaehwang, who was floating in the air, then fell into the tree.

Kwang kwang!

The flames stained his armor as he fell down.

Swoo..ting ting...

Two arrows had hit his armor but it bounced right off.

-It's stronger than I thought. The Teleboard arrow!

Whooshh... Pang pang!

Jae Hwang strongest flew through the air.

Ting!

The impact wasn't so big for him, it just left a bruise on his armor and besides that, everything was fine. He then landed on the ground.

'Tiger Hunter'

He then started running as he was surrounded by darkness. The enemies didn't get to see him.

They continued to scream due to their burns. He flew into the air to avoid the flames that doomed those who stood below.

-That sounds like a tiger, the thing that you're doing.

-Was that a joke?

Jaehwang said, in response to the noise made by his armor as he ran. The military grade armor worked out fine.

There were shards that would poke into him when he used it. Sharp shards that were almost 5 centimeters long. They were stabbing into his hand.

-You have to hunt tigers but there are so many wild dogs.

-Yeah. There's a lot of them.

-Don't you have to handle the wild dogs first?

Jaehwang just kept moving. He didn't know how strong the armor was but he kept going just to make sure he was safe.

He continued to walk and he then put the headset on his ears.

-Leader

-We were waiting, we thought you were dead.

-Sorry.

Jaehwang apologized to Joonghwi. He hadn't returned for a long time but Joonghwi let it go and continued on with the conversation.

-Is it time?

-Yes, it's time.

-Great, now find a good place to hide.

-Hah! They should hide from me.

-Haha, alright, alright.

He finished the conversation with Jaehwang and hung up the radio. He looked around. They were more camouflaged than ever. Joonghwi, Peji and HyeJin took weapons and shared an excited look.

"Okay... Shall we do our part?"

"Yes!"

"Okay, on the count of three, let's go."

"Yes, leader!"

The platoon members answered with a smile. They were ready to finally get into action. They were now ready to play with fire.

"Three... Two... One... Let's go!"

Kwang kwang kwang!

Giant flames shot up due to a big explosion at the giant footprint that ruptured some of their enemy's ears as the cliff started to collapse.

Everyone in the valley flew away back to their nests when they thought that it was over but they got to watch their nest get destroyed along with it from below. They could do nothing but scream.

"The giant footprint area will now be completely destroyed"

Joonghwi said as he prepared under the veil of his camouflage.

"First, don't enter the valley creatures' habitat ... You can step into their habitat, they are quite docile. Even if you hunt there, just don't bother them and you'll be fine. And the second thing to know is that they have a very good sense of smell so be careful... They're known to fly over the valley and scoop someone up by the head if they saw or sensed them. And what was the most important thing?"

"Never bother the valley creature queen. Never, ever, ever..."

HyeJin was then completely hidden in his camouflage.

"Got it? The moment you bother the queen... all the creatures of the valley will come after you. And they will rip you to shreds..."

Chapter 73

Kwang kwang!

Hundreds of valley creatures flew up in the air to get away from the collapsing cliff.

They flew together into the light of the blue moon that covers them.

"Coming here was their own mistake. Maybe if they'll never act like this again then they could come back. This kind of behavior is an instant penalty. But if they go to Justin point then that will be a complete mess... But you know what? If we die..."

"Argh!"

Some of the monsters were four times faster than what they had encountered before. The giant footprint was inhabited by the queen and its nest was not destroyed leaving a cloud of dust around it.

.

The queen gave a resentful gaze towards those insects before her.

There was light shining down on the giant footprint as if it was the middle of the day so she could see the criminals swarming below.

"Wh...What's that?"

"..It's crazy..."

"...It's... the queen..."

The church was chasing down the devil (Jae Hwang) and looked up to the sky that was filled with the valley creatures. They lowered their weapons as they saw the light from the high roaring fire. The monsters looked down on them from the air and they were scared to even think of running away.

"...It's a trap."

The Queen was angry.

They weren't entirely dumb even though they are not well known for their intelligence. They knew that they were hunters and the only rule that ensures their survival was to never bother the queen. It was a law that could be easily justified and understood but they didn't know that and attacked. Almost everyone knew that if you tried to mess with the creatures of the valley, they would fight back.

The queen then roared as it flew up into the sky and at that moment, thousands of valley creatures came down charging towards the ground.

"Save us!"

It turned into a hell. The valley creatures were flying through the flames aiming for the Bileons down below. This had happened because of Joonghwi's plan but they didn't care about that. Their queen was attacked and they needed to get their revenge.

"Go away! Get lost!"

One of the Bileons yelled.

"Ahhh!"

He was then torn into pieces by their claws. The rest of them gave up and tried to escape but the valley creatures were much faster than they were.

"Ahhh!"

A shadow had cast the ground as if it was a huge cloud and soon, there were many creatures rushing into the ground. It wasn't a normal act of them preying upon those who were weaker than them, they were just tearing them to pieces and when they died, their items would fall into the ground.

"There's so many."

The Queen was below the nest when it happened so it crawled out of its nest to safety. Joonghwi got up as well and looked at the disaster with a smile. Shiny objects would fall out of them when they get killed.

"Now we can get some objects to bring back to the army troops..."

"Leader... Please..."

Peji pleaded as he shook in fear inside his camouflage. The feeling they had before of wanting to play with fire had already disappeared. He explained the plan and he mentioned about the mess that would happen with the valley creatures but they didn't think things would end up like this. Peji was shocked and felt a little disappointed at his platoon leader.

If they were unlucky, then the valley creatures would tear them apart the moment they saw them.

"I know. It's a lot..."

Joonghwi said as he kept his smile. He didn't want to risk their lives as well.𝓁𝑖𝘣𝘳ℯ𝘢𝘥.𝒸ℴ𝑚

Jaehwang was hiding behind a giant boulder while he watched the valley creatures quietly digging through the leaves

-What are you doing?

-It's intense. I want to try hiding somewhere deeper...

He dug deep through the leaves making a hole big enough to fit him. The sky was filled with valley creatures and Bileons were being torn to shreds one by one. Blood flying all over the place to the point that he could sometimes see a double rainbow coming out.

There were so many valley creatures randomly flying and ripping them apart. Hiding was the wisest thing to do.

-You're a little mean.

-Yes. I'm sorry... I know.

Jaehwang was completely hidden beneath the leaves. He could see out of them and everything that was going on out there with the help of the spirit.

-Then why did you take the plan this far?... That Joonghwi is not a normal person.

-He's like a psycho.

Jaehwang didn't even think about how they would explain this disaster when they went back to Justin point. Joonghwi will have to be the one to explain it because he's the leader of the platoon and planned the mission. The giant footprint was quite a popular place for hunters. There were many things to catch and the by-product of a valley creature could be traded off for a high price.

But because of Joonghwi's plan and everything that's happening, the giant footprint area may never be the same. The monster's habitat had become safe and the queen's nest had been decorated. If this isn't what he really wanted then he shouldn't carry out this crazy plan.

-Everything's looking great.

-Yeah.

Things had started to calm down. All of the church members in the area had been destroyed but there was a man wearing a black armor that remained.

There were many creatures heading towards him but they couldn't claw through his armor. The mystery guy then grabbed the creatures that were trying to attack him and broke their wings as well as their neck.

There were monsters piled up like a mountain all around him. The queen then followed with a screech and she also encountered the same problem. When she realized that her claws weren't working she started to put more into it.

She got through his defense. The other valley creatures were taken down but he was still outnumbered and before they knew it, the man was high up in the sky.

The monsters had let him go and started to fall into the ground.

Kwang!

There was a loud noise along with that impact.

The queen screeched again and the valley creatures repeated the same process.

One time... Two times... Three times... Four times... Five times...

The mystery showed no reaction to any of it. Anyone would have died no matter how tough their armor was and even his armor was reduced in rags after two drops.

The queen dropped the man around the area and her nest was completely destroyed. The queen then flew around to make sure that the mystery man was dead but there was a terrible lapse in her judgment.

Pang...

He flew up into the air holding onto the queen's foot. He pretended to be dead and waited to get close.

The queen was startled and tried swaying her foot to get him off and the mystery guy screamed and moved to her wing.. The queen was flying all over the place trying to get him off but soon they both fell into the ground.

Pang pang pang!

The mystery man broke the queen's spine and decapitated her.

The moment they saw that the queen's head was taken off, all of the valley creatures screamed in terror and started to escape. They had another place to stay but their entire colony collapsed now that the queen had died.

-He's powerful.

-Yeah... He is powerful.

Jaehwang agreed to the spirit. He was really strong. Jaehwang wouldn't even be able to win in a situation like that. If he used a skill then the armor would have never broken and even if it did then there was no guarantee that the mystery man would have died. He didn't know how he did it and how he took the pain but he did a great job.

-Well, shall we go out hunting? 𝘭𝑖𝘣𝑟𝘦𝒶𝘥.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Jaehwang wasn't thinking of giving up. He wasn't a warrior champion and didn't do it often, all he did was hunt monsters. Hunters never tried to test their skills to fight against enemies. Hunters just practiced hunting, it was a matter of success and failure and if they failed, then they could then try again. He was digging into a bit of a sharp trap.

Swoosh... Swoosh...

Jaehwang made more space in the leaves he was hiding in.

-Hey... can you raise the limit?

-Okay. There will be a terribly bad strong smell of gunpowder.

Teuk Teuk.. Teuk Teuk Teuk...

Jaehwang used an explosive bomb from inside the military bus. Now there were only five of them left. He got a bomb and created a landmine. Aside from the safety of the landmine, Jaehwang had to be careful of using his tiger hunter energy there.

After traveling through the tunnel, he headed towards the city.

Tuk Tuk.. Teuk...

A falling pebble hit into a boulder making a loud noise as it rolled off and scared the mystery man.

Click... Click...

They heard a clicking noise followed by a growling sound from a big wild animal, the mystery man then walked towards it. The boulder stopped rolling and he picked up the pebble in his hand as he turned his head around. He didn't see anything and the moment he turned himself around, he heard a clicking noise beneath his feet.

Kwang kwang kwang kwang!

There was a series of explosions.

Chapter 74

Kwang kwang! Kwang kwang kwang!

Whoosh...

"Huh..."

There was a loud explosion and Jaehwang was thrown back, disabling his tiger hunter ability.

"..."

The plan was not going so well. It was his first time using it and he didn't expect it to explode that much.

Taktak... Tak...

Jaehwang then stood up and dusted himself off, he started to get tensed up with his current situation.

Click... Click...

There was the sound of something hitting metal three meters away from the bombed area. He was frightened at the idea of one of them being alive. He then prepared to defend himself in case something was there.

Click...

Most of his armor had been blown off besides the ones covering his right arm and chest. His left arm was burned and the rest of his body was not in a good condition. He tried to walk but he soon lost his strength and fell onto his knees. The thing that surprised Jaehwang was his face.

His helmet had blown off and revealed his young complexion. His hair had been burned off and his face had red burns but it looked familiar.

He got up and he tried to take a better look at his face and he then saw that it was his friend, DongChul.

"DongChul?"

Jae Hwang dull expression was brightened.

He didn't know what to say. He went training to be a Gagseog army trooper but he asked himself why he was with the Bileons. Jaehwang's mind turned blank.

"..."

Dong Chul then turned around and faced him, their eyes had met and there, he realized his mistake.

Dong Chul suddenly ran towards him at full speed to attack. Jaehwang was surprised so he stepped back and ran but Dong Chul caught up to him.

Kya!

He tried to punch him with all his strength but Jaehwang quickly dodged it. It was almost like a clever surprise attack but it was also too predictable that one might call it stupid. His attacks were just fine even though both of her arms were dislocated, it felt like he's fighting a fifth tier monster.

-Get away from him you idiot!

-I know!

Jaehwang replied to the spirit as he tried to get away with Dong Chul right behind him. All of his armor had fallen off so he was able to run much faster than before. He looked back and got even more anxious as seeing it as his tail.

Jaehwang had never run so fast before. He thought of hiding and using his tiger hunter skill but the time for that was already up.

Kwang kwang kwang!

DongChul then tried to punch him again and Jaehwang ducked his head to avoid it. He then got an arrow and stabbed the tip of it into DongChul's forearm.

He buried it deep into his skin as he aimed at where his joint was supposed to be. Dong Chul looked as if he didn't feel it at all and reached out his hand to try and grab Jaehwang's throat.

"His skin isn't cast iron. Well then, next!"

Jaehwang dodged his hand and gave him an uppercut. He thought that using attacks that violently shook the brain was a way to make someone instantly lose consciousness.

Kya!

DongChul then tried to elbow Jaehwang's head in response to his attack. He dodged it again but then DongChul quickly healed himself from his previous attacks.

"His recovery skills are amazing."

He understood all of Jaehwang's attacks. Jaehwang was hit by the attack. Until then he didn't have a hard time getting affected by those kinds of blows.

Jaehwang then tried to escape by running up the nearby tree. DongChul then followed him and punched everything as they went up.

Woosh...

Jaehwang then flew to a different tree without looking back.

-Is that your old friend?

-Yeah.

-He wasn't always like this, was he?

-No, something's wrong.

He was a Gagseog, he was attacked dozens of times but he didn't die and seemed completely fine. He could even heal himself. His skin was burned and stabbed but he healed everything.

He seemed indestructible but Jaehwang knew his weak spot.

He could escape to safety as he was healing himself but every time he healed himself his body's volume would get smaller. It must take a lot of energy and there was still that arrow that was stabbed into him.

-What's going to happen?

-I found his weakness.

He escaped up into the tree and prepared his Teleboard arrow.

"The exploding arrow!"

Pang!

He had two arrows to choose from but he just launched one after another.

Kwang kwang!

A large explosion knocked Dong Chul back at the nearby giant tree.

It looked like it did a lot of damage but he still had a lot of strength left. He made a loud screeching noise as he hit the tree. Jaehwang was anxious so he launched another one. He didn't want to do it but he had no other choice.

"Moving strong arrows!"

"Exploding strong arrows!"

"Moving strong arrows!"

"Moving exploding arrows!"

"Exploding strong arrows!"

Kwang kwang kwang! Kwang! Kwang! Kwang kwang!

He continuously launched arrows at DongChul. The first arrow flew right off of him but one by one, the attacks started to affect him more and more. He kept going until he was drained from his energy.

He launched another Teleboard arrow with his bleeding fingers. His blood was all over his bowstring and if he didn't use his healing skill, it would get only worse.

"Now stop."

His chest that was covered in armor was now riddled with injuries due to the arrows that Jaehwang gave him. DongChul was screeching in pain even though he tried his best to go easy on him. He was supposed to aim for his head but he didn't want to kill him.

He was still conscious but he couldn't stand. He could use his healing skill but he was completely out of energy.

Jaehwang wanted to spare him but he would just continue to try and kill him. So he raised his bow once more and set his head in his sights. He couldn't pull back the string no matter how hard he tried, he was his only friend.

The spirit then spoke to him.

-Maybe there's a connection to find with you and your friend's energy.

-Huh?

Jaehwang responded with a confused tone as he lowered his bow.

-What do you mean?

-Your friend's strength started to fall but now it's become quite strong. It's just a guess but isn't your friend an expert at control...

-I don't know.

A red light then started to come out of DongChul. The light went up to the sky and then landed in the stacked corpse of the dead Bileons.

-That looks like something he's controlling.

-I see.

Jaehwang looked over and saw what was going on. There were no skills left that DongChul could use but he Jae Hwang just used all of his strength to overpower him. Jaehwang then got a Teleboard arrow and pulled the string.

"Moving arrow-..."

He prepared the best attack that he could do.

"Exploding-..."

Whiii... Whooshh... Swoosh...

The wind then gathered at the center of his arrow. 𝑙𝒾𝘣𝘳𝑒𝒶𝒹.𝑐𝘰𝓂

"Strong arrow!"

Jiijijig!

A stream of white light covered the arrow from the tip and made it vibrate. He gathered all of the energy that he could dish out and forced it inside.

"Die."

He then released it.

Pukang!

The arrow had left a giant sonic boom that sent him flying backward. He avoided the impact as much as he could and when he got up, he looked at the Teleoard arrow in the air.

Pang!

The pile of Bileon corpses exploded and two of them came running out.

"Pastor! Look out!"

It was hard for the pastor to follow along and he yelled as he saw the fast arrow. With his skills and experience, there was a half-and-half probability that he could have blocked off the attack.

But it was an attack from a level six hunter. He could take blows from other classes of hunters but taking a shot from a level five or six was a different story.

He took out a cross shaped sword and used his strongest skill. He gathered all the energy in his body and was able to block off the attack with a lethal technique. The arrow and his attack came in contact with each other and the arrow went flying in the opposite direction.

"Phew..."

He used all of his strength to block it off and instead of blocking it off completely, it flew off to someone else.

"Pastor...Look out..."

Pang!

The arrow's explosion was louder than his voice. He believed in his faithful servant and didn't look back and just ran. The back of the pastor's head was hit. However, if his faithful servant didn't warn him then he would have died. The Pastor had the strength of a fifth tier monster and he had a human life-saving skill to save one or two people... But he then lost consciousness as something that looked like a piece of scrap garbage came flying into him.

His faithful servant then looked and got angry seeing that what hit him was an arrow. He then started to quickly run towards the pastor. He then saw something small and shiny where the pastor was laying and went to pick it up.

-Aren't you going to escape...

Jaehwang looked around in anger. It wasn't what he expected. He didn't know that he had been drawing some energy from two other people that managed to hide themselves. He managed to pick off one but the other one was capable enough to escape.

-Huh... My head hurts.

Jaehwang then said with a hollow smile.

Chapter 75

"Whew..."

He was exhausted. The impact of the situation on the church was huge. His troops were all completely gone because of one person. Joonghwi was the one who provoked the queen but now it wasn't just him who caused everything.

"Him... he's the enemy..."

He was buried in sadness. He rushed his steps and followed the level six hunters who were submerged in his own madness as he took the pastor by his limbs and carried him along.

"This is too much..."

He was exhausted but his energy soon came back thereafter. He stopped walking. He actually wasn't just trying to just avoid that level six hunter. He was now appearing and disappearing like a third tier wild swam pig. He wasn't scared of an attack from a third tier monster but a wild swamp pig proved to be quite dangerous. Even those who hunt wild pigs at the swamp with experience have to escape immediately after making a wrong move.

Luckily, there was an easy way to get away from them without leaving any tracks behind.

"Now's a little..."

Swoosh... Pong...

He rinsed his mouth when he took a drink from his water bottle, a strange sound then buzzed in his ear.

"Huh? What's that?..."

He was frightened. He placed his hands on his head and felt something sharp cutting his forehead. There was something there but he didn't know what it was. He then looked at it just to see a wild swamp pig.

"The hunt is over."

There was an arrow in his head and it made them collapse into the ground.

"Hmm... They should be careful. Maybe if they tried to escape then they could have gotten away..."

The spirit as she looked down at the dead animal. They had made three mistakes. The first one was that they moved around in circles, the ghost was watching and observing their surroundings the whole time. The only problem was that Jaehwang couldn't attack with his energy just yet. The second one was that they decided to just stop in their place.

Jaehwang's arrows could fly far but if they tried to run away in the first place, they would have a decent chance at surviving. His control at the moment was a little off so it would be hard for him to aim at moving targets. But the animals just stood in their places and in that moment, they won't know it until they die.

And the third reason was that they didn't know Jaehwang's persistence. Jaehwang had a hunting sense and was quite obsessed with nature. He had used it one time until the hunt was over and he would keep chasing his prey until he was satisfied. Even in his time in the Alousu, he would use his senses even though it was dangerous to make sure that he would be able to relax and sleep as soon as he's finished.

-It came fast.

-Yeah

Jaehwang answered to the spirit as both of them watched the animal die. He needed the spirit's powerful energy especially in that moment. He was using up too much energy at a time by shooting long distance shots. The spirit suddenly flew up into the air and landed close to the animal. She then saw something shiny and tilted her head before she walked up to it.

It was a silver tiara that had a small diamond in the middle but there was some strange energy coming out of it. The spirit looked at the tiara's energy for a moment and then smiled.

"It's so pretty."

The spirit and after a little while longer, she picked it up and flew into the air.

-What is that?

Jaehwang asked since he could also see it because of their shared sight..

-I can feel great energy from it... Maybe it will make me stronger faster.

"Brrr... Isn't it really cold here?"

SeonGyeon said with a frightened face.

"Whew..."

MinGyeon who seemed calm got her panic disorder back as she shivered in fear. There were torn pieces of flesh all over the place. There were dead bodies everywhere and there would be blood everytime they took a step.

"Keep it down."

Joonghwi whispered as he took the lead. Everyone then followed his command.

"I would usually think it wasn't those guys but..."

Joonghwi got a thought stuck in his head. There were dead bodies everywhere and after all that he experienced, he was able to judge the situation.

"They were stuck to the tree and then destroyed by the valley creatures."

Joonghwi complained and everyone still remained silent. If they were already stuck to the tree before then that means someone was there before them..

"How many had died?"𝑙𝒾𝒷𝘳𝑒𝑎𝘥.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Joonghwi who took charge of this mission liked everyone to keep quiet to ensure their success but he thought that they all screamed because of Jae Hwang. There wasn't supposed to be any chaos at that time, he was supposed to be just hunting. That was cruel. He was clearing those who were responsible for the first killings but he wasn't supposed to do anything else after that.

"Is he a psychopath?"

If he did kill them and remained perfectly sane, then that would be a problem. He asked himself if he would think of him as an enemy if they had run into him, they had good luck as only two of them had died so far.

He knew that if Jaehwang treated the Bileons as if they were animals to hunt, then he would have established an entire wipeout.

"Everyone, pack your equipment. If we're not lucky then this terrible sight could stay on our record forever."

Joonghwi said and everyone started to look very anxious. Everyone already knew that Jaehwang's skills were not normal, he was way ahead. The sight they were seeing right before their eyes was a great example of that. He could shoot up to four kilometers with one sack of arrows. You would have to run away as soon as possible to escape him. They were more scared of fighting with someone like that than fighting with the Church's Bileons.

Joonghwi was still clueless about what was going on there. He thought of Jaehwang's descent and remembered something about 'Carrying out a divine punishment' when he became a Gagseog. Jaehwang's passion was originally disgraced and his senses were possibly paralyzed. He asked what it could mean.

He was heartless.

"There."

Joonghwi sensed Jae Hwang and saw him sitting behind the giant tree. Joonghwi then walked up to Jaehwang and saw someone sitting next to him. He asked himself who it was. He had a big frame and was very tall. There was an injury in his chest but he wasn't dead.

"HyeJin?"

Joonghwi called HyeJin before he went closer to him.

"Yes?"

"Who is that?..."

"Huh?"

HyeJin then looked at Jaehwang's direction to see what he was talking about. One of HyeJin's skills was distinguishing an enemy. Joonghwi thought that maybe Jaehwang was keeping him hostage.

"He's fine."

"Good..."

Everyone was tensed up but they were finally able to let out a sigh of relief. Joonghwi walked to them first. Jaehwang then turned his head to see Joonghwi.

"Oh..."

Jaehwang seemed to notice what Joonghwi was there for so he shook his head. At first it was just a slight nod but then it became more assuring.

'Darn it...'

Joonghwi seemed to be surprised by Jaehwang's response before he took a look at his feet. It was the worst thing that he could have ever imagined. He had now started a slaughter. He could have had a panic attack and although they were still lucky, time was running out.

"Step back everyone..."

Joonghwi shouted and Jaehwang then put his hand on his shoulder.

"Leader.."

"No!"

Joonghwi then realized that so he blamed himself for the big mistake that he had made. He was prepared. He then moved his hand off his shoulder but before Joonghwi could do or say anything else, Jaehwang spoke.

"It was because of your nice skill."

"Huh"

He said and Joonghwi looked slightly confused.

"What are you talking about?"

"Your skill. You call it the imperturbable mind... You blocked the impact of it, right?"

"Uhh..."

Joonghwi's legs then started to feel a little weak. He knew about it. It was a special ranked skill.

Joonghwi then became relaxed after he saw HyeJin letting him know that it was complete through hand signals.

Jaehwang saw it so he put up a bitter smile. This kind of situation was already expected. The spirit warned him about it as well so they would be in big trouble if they lied. He then explained how the skill worked.

Jaehwang could possibly revise it with the help of the spirit.

"Well... I'm tired. Let's all take a rest. And, who is this?"

Joonghwi said while tapping Dongchul's feet. Jaehwang then smiled and replied.

"He's my friend. I haven't seen him in a long time.

The incident of what happened to the church had caused a huge sensation in the outside world.

The Samjeon nation was just like a puppet state with the number of Bileons causing terror to those around them. They had political influences and conspired laws that were made to cover compelling incidents.

With that, the conspired political circles of Korea tried to intentionally raise the incident so the 8th platoon could be claimed as they could try to heroize them.

Luckily, the platoon were affiliated to the U.S. Forces in Justin point and in America, they announced all of their wrong information to take care of their safety and human rights. The management associated with the Korean side ignored them.

So the platoon tried to use everything and the politicians as well as the media went to the location to get a better look at the incident.

A man and a lady were sitting in a secret room in a coffee shop in Seoul.

There was a guy with short hair who looked to be in his early 30s. He looked young but he had an anxious expression on his face and there was a lady sitting on the opposite side of him who looked like a career woman in her 40's who wore some heavy makeup.

The lady began to speak first.

"Mr. Kim SuHwi, we appreciate your decision."

The guy's face then seemed to light up. He started to look a little nervous seeing the lady's quite unsatisfied look on her face.

"Shall I first show you the report?"

"Uhh... I'm a soldier so I should be very thorough."

She laughed before she took a silver colored plastic card out of her pocket and placed it in the center of the table.

"Journalist Park Ahlam..."

It was a small deal but it would surely be recognized in the media's women's community.

He took the card and checked the information at and behind it. He then breathed out and handed it back to the lady. 𝑙𝘪𝑏𝓇ℯ𝑎𝒹.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"It's a deal."

"Thank you. Well, shall we begin the interview? And just so you know, everything I will tell you today will be about society's health and fitness..."

"Is that all?"

"Huh?"

"You were going to bring me here without knowing what you wanted to say?"

The guy said, gritting his teeth. He actually never met a journalist before so he thought that it was a waste of time. That was because he was an intelligent officer in Justin point and meeting a journalist like this meant that he would not be able to wear any uniform.

But he couldn't come out today. About two months ago at a nightclub he was having a great time and the next day a lady accused him of assault that ruined his life.

Luckily the woman's accusation was dropped and she just demanded $100,000 dollars so he decided to just bite the bullet and pay her the money. But just yesterday, the journalist mentioned that incident and requested to meet him. He wondered if she could threaten him if they didn't meet.

"So, why did you shamelessly commit that crime?"

Her eyes were the shape of a crescent moon and her eyebrows were furrowed.

"Listen here! Do you even know for sure if it was me who committed that crime while being drunk?! I woke up the next morning and... Ugh... Do you want to know how I found out about it all?"

The man asked her. He clearly gave her the money and kept quiet about the situation even though he wasn't sure if he's even guilty. He asked himself why did that journalist want to know about that incident?

Chapter 76

"Yes. I know about it too. And as you know, another journalist has the responsibility to get the information out to the public."

He made a fist and closed his eyes. He felt overwhelmed now that the situation was unfair to him. He was sorry and his mind was filled with regrets.

He saw the lady in the night club wearing their revealing uniforms and he couldn't control himself. He knew that he was the only one to blame and it was all his fault. He made a terrible mistake and it ruined his life. He had already paid a large fine but he was still ashamed.

"I promise that nothing like this will ever happen again."

"Good. Anyway, what we talked about today will be kept between you and I. but first, you have some information to give to me, right?"

She then held out her hand.

He took a look at it and shook his head.

"Are you stupid? There's no way I can make a copy of Justin point's data. That's impossible!"

She looked a little angry but she then let out a professional smile before she took out her phone.

"Well, I didn't think that there was no way I could hear it in person."

He signed and talked with a slow nervous tone.

"Right. I know what the 8th platoon was doing and I thought that it should be completely blocked."

He stopped talking to hear her answer. He was sure of it. The information of the 8th platoon should have been greatly censored. The hunters were their secret special troops. They were under top security but they didn't know if they were any other hunters like them.

Even if it didn't work out then, he still couldn't share anything about their mission.

The main reason was that because their circumstances were especially unprofitable. If she were to spread that information then the terror of the heroes who blocked off the Bileons would be revealed.

They would get discharged from that army if that happened. The Bileons would receive empathy and money while the hunters would be charged with murder. He shut his eyes as he thought of that. The military and the police's power was also something to worry about and if their branch were to be broadcasted on TV, then he wouldn't be able to protect them.

"The leader of the 8 member platoon is..."

"... Well, there's one thing that worries me the most. The valley creature queen was disturbed and over 300 Bileons had died."

"Yes."

"Were there any survivors? Were the platoon members responsible for the problem?"

"I don't know much about the valley creatures. But, I do know that there are 4200 of them. It looks like they attack in flocks together. We didn't even have to clean up their corpses. The platoon leader, Joonghwi, made a bold decision."

He took a sip of his americano latte and then continued to speak.

"Although the giant footprint hunting grounds had completely collapsed, the terror of the leading members of the government on the American side were greatly blocked. As you know, America almost had a seizure after they heard about that outcome. The Americans didn't start the problem but the leading leaders of the government on the Korean side couldn't even do anything about it. They could be an operating force that had as much power and authority as the American side."

"I see."

The lady said with a relieved expression. She got the information that she needed.

Korea would know now about the terror of the Bileons but she thinks that her chief editor would have a difficult time with this.

"But if you have all of this information, what's going to happen to them?"

He asked. There was one exclusive journalist but they usually created problems. Right now they could threaten them. But they weren't the only problem. Even their families could get killed.

"Got it? However, that's not only a weak point there is. When I give you this article then can't they become heroes to the people? The Bileons were running wild but they had been protecting Korea in their own way. It's hard to clarify but between them and the Gang Songs, they were a close second in helping the country. Anyways, I'm not sure if I should thank you for the information. Haha..."

'Idiot...'

He whispered in his head as he felt nauseated. He didn't know if he was having sociopathic tendencies or was he just thinking about it too much with all that anger. He asked himself how she could say that instead of thanking him.

The SamJeon Church was a puppet state in a minor way and they communicated with the natives too and got information from them.

Their relationship between the natives wasn't so great or so bad. They kept an eye on the information board but the religion was originally like a poison. When it started to get irritating, it would somehow become even more addicting. There was more he wanted to talk to her about and there was something that he wanted to know.

"Well, I should get going now. I hope we don't have to meet up about something like this anymore."

He ended the recording app on his phone and looked as if there was something he wanted to know. The lady shook her head as if she already knew. She wondered if she would get another threat or be killed.

"Thank you for your precious time."

They then shook hands and said goodbye to each to end their meeting like the professionals that they are. Now he could finally relax. They left the secret room and then they realized that the cafe was very quiet.

There wasn't one person in the cafe. But even though there weren't any customers there still had to be a waiter and barista there but the room was completely empty. He rushed towards the door but then, he heard a familiar voice.

"Where are you going?"

"Huh?..."

He heard the voice and turned around to see who it was.

"B...boss..."

"Hm... so you decided to take some time off to go on a date with some girl?"

"Uh.. well.. That..."

He couldn't speak and he didn't know what to say. He wished it was just a dream but everything that was happening at that moment was indeed a reality. It was the team leader of Justin point's team.

"What was going on here? Wasn't this a useless rebellious action? If you knew me..."

"Yes, I understand, sir."

He immediately gave up the rebellious act after that. The person in front of him then smiled. His boss had the type of smile that could turn a perfectly sane person into a psychopath. He was like an ordinary person but he had an unusual mind and he knew lots of information in Justin point.

"Stop! Don't let go of this! This is clearly an assault! Ugh! Save that person!"

He went into the secret room and there was a woman being dragged with both of her hands tied behind her back. He untied both of her hands and then walked out. The guys that stood there had their faces blue in fear. It was pale before but it had turned blue once the boss' eyes passed through.

He knew everything about that secret group and now as he was walking out, he saw that the guys were wearing modernized hanbok costumes that he knew didn't belong to them.

Or maybe... it was just a quick idea for a cover-up that they thought of.

"Uhh..."

His knees went weak and he sat down on his chair. He thought about not getting involved and not going through with it but it was too late and they had already gone too far. They couldn't be caught going against the law.

"Let go! I said let go! Do you know who I am? When my boss hears about this you all will never be safe. Do you hear me?! Please! Where's the phone! Let me call someone!"

The lady yelled over and over until the guy looked at her with a pitiful expression. They had no idea about all the hardships a journalist had to go through but a situation like this wasn't anything uncommon. They did wonder about her plan in this current situation.

"I'm curious who this boss of yours is."

Then another woman suddenly appeared out of nowhere. She was wearing a hanbok just like the guys and her face was blank. She was beautiful. The guys who had the lady tied up then looked at her and shook their heads. 𝓁𝒾𝘣𝑟𝑒𝘢𝘥.𝘤𝘰𝑚

She softly approached her and gently stroked her chin with her finger.

"How important is her boss?"

"W...Who is she?"

She then looked strange and not so sane. It felt as if things were going to get dangerous. Her eyes had an intense glare.

They were worried about their positions if they got in trouble for this.

Things got a little better with the presidential election but the group's leader was the same person for dozens of years even though the president never ruled the hunter system. They didn't know how the 8th platoon got compiled together but even that lady and the others knew that it was a strange thing.

"You! What are you doing!? You idiot! I can't stand this!"

She then looked at a guy on the floor who appeared to be laughing.

"Shut up."

The women in the hanbok said with a calm tone. One of the guys suddenly grabbed her head and bashed her onto the table.

Pang! Pang! Pang! Pang!

"Hey... stop that..."

Blood came out of her nose and covered the rest of her face. She had fainted so they tied her hands up again and sent a hand gesture signal to the other men.

"Take her away."

The thieves walked out of the cafe, their boss then looked to the remaining people and whispered,

"Jerks... don't speak to me about any of this..."

"S..Sorry, boss..."

He cried at his boss in fear. He didn't know anything, he just watched them cry.

He then let the other of his henchmen leave the cafe as he stayed to have a talk with her. The boss then took a deep breath and exhaled. They were at their worst block. He had a negotiation and came to a decision to recruit him and he guaranteed to only give him the best. She then turned and said,

"Thanks for the great management! And, I'm sorry."

He bent over her but the lady in front of him didn't flinch at all, she leered at him instead. He didn't reply but he couldn't have been standing any closer... One minute... Five... and soon an hour passed by. The lady didn't say anything and sweat soon started to form on the guy's head.

"Maybe..."

She finally started to speak.

"He was protecting his grandchild..."

"And from then on, you were jealous of her."

"...Remember that."

He never heard her say anything like that. Although what she said sounded nonsense to him at first but he then thought that maybe she had a point.

"I hope nothing like this will happen again."

"It won't!"

"Don't tell anyone what I said, got it?"

"Yes!"

Chapter 77

The Justin point basement was fully equipped with everything that the hunters would need for work. There was a small city within the base and there were places that spanned from little markets to a club, they also had a great exercise center. It was filled with a few places where the hunters could go to relieve stress.

There was always the smell of meat coming from the market and if one were to be a skilled and a wealthy hunter, he/she could get equipped with all the luxurious items that he/she wanted.

The things in there were very expensive, it wasn't supposed to be like that but the stores eventually followed that trend.

There was also a coffee shop that sold expensive desserts inside the shopping district. That's where Jaehwang and a beautiful woman went.

"Try something, the food here is great," she said.

"Sure, I'll try a little then..." Jaehwang replied.

He bought a new black hoodie to cover his face and he didn't even take it off

"I was just wandering around these past days and I found this place. It's the best. Everything here is so delicious." 𝘭𝒾𝑏𝑟𝑒𝒶𝒹.𝘤𝘰𝓂

She continued to talk but Jaehwang didn't reply much in return. He didn't talk that much and everyone in the cafe kept their eyes on their table just to see her beautiful complexion. Despite that, none of them dared to approach her.

Some might ask if he was nervous but no, he had no problem sitting with her in the cafe since they had to hangout for work every single day.

But even so, Jaehwang knew that he wouldn't be approaching her anyway if they didn't have to work together.

She didn't always get so much attention. She learned how to speak English and made connections with dentists and nurses to improve her teeth before she got her surgery for a sharper nose.

He wondered if the tiara that the spirit got belonged to hers and if she was responsible for the energy because of it. There was a chance that people couldn't approach her because of it but even so, she was a girl who had an overflowing dignity.

Their food was then brought to their table...

Jaehwang looked at the desserts that filled their table with a breath of relief.

"So, How long does something like that last?" Jaehwang asked with a smile.

"Huh? Wouldn't things be hard without much energy? Why do you ask? Are you uncomfortable?" She replied with a curious tone.

"Yes. Extremely." He then responded with a straight voice.

His neck and mouth could be seen as he lifted the hood to drink a glass of water. Wearing it was tiring him out but he didn't care. His grandfather, GwanJae, suggested that he should wear those to avoid some tiresome confrontations.

"Did you think about doing it in the future?" Jaehwang asked her once again.

"Should I show off a lot? I mean, It's pretty obvious that there's no way I could have enough energy for that." She replied.

He made a mistake. She looked strong but she was only as strong as a fourth tier monster. If he knew about the severe side effects of that item then he would have never approved of her using it. Jaehwang looked at her with loathsome eyes before he turned his attention to the tiara on top of her red hair.

Blood Mary's Tiara- Special Artifact

Inheritor: Jeon Jaehwang

Material: Platinum, Diamond

Rule

Purify

It was one of the last artifacts that belonged in the United Kingdom. The tiara draws lots of attention to itself and it has an overflowing power to boot. It looked like a hairpin and it could change its form. If the other hunters knew that then they would surely be after it.

Its domination skill was restricted. It was a skill that could take over someone. He asked himself in his head that maybe DongChul was controlled by something like that.

The tiara's name was 'Bloody Mary' and it was very famous and an item like it was used often. The spirit paid attention to its special power and identified that its second skill was purification.

It didn't seem like anything special but it was a really great option to have. If the person using the skill had some spare energy in them then it would accumulate the purest energy there is.

The tiara was said to accumulate energy and make it pure.

It was a little stronger than usual if that energy had piled up. The value for the tiara was priceless, but the special skill was very useful to the spirit in terms of her kit.

She had been helping Jae Hwang for a while now. She had always needed some spare energy to provide her help and even after three years, her job was still not done.

Someone would have to have more strength than the average person to build up and store pure energies because if one were to become impatient and absorb everything in one go, things could go bad and he/she could get corrupted.

Many mystical creatures roamed the earth before the dimension collision but now, they could now only be found in a few distant areas.

The pure energy was a new thing for her. She needed that tiara thinking that maybe she could even help Jaehwang more with it. She was his companion and his helper.

The only problem was that she got a taste of her own greed. She started to see some of its side effects after she tried to absorb it.

The tiara's and her energy got mixed together due to their differences and it began to eat her inside out. Everything inside of her got purified and that's when she realized that she had to do it all over again after a week. She just realized how to maintain that magic without making herself disappear.

They didn't limit themselves and even if there was, Jaehwang would step up and worn both of them. She knew that a skill could grow and would be ready with just one action. I wasn't anything like his arrows but every equipment that Jaehwang had ever used was limitless in one way or another.

They were possible to maintain but they can't be refunded. So because of that, Jaehwang has been using his 'Jonghwi card' these days.

'Everything seems more calm than usual today.' He thought to himself.

Jaehwang knew of the spirit's appetite and he gave up on trying to control it. Giving up was much more relaxing. He thought that maybe if they had their credit for taking care of the Bileons, they should be swimming with their reward money as of now. He felt that they should be given at least some trophies.

'We're pretty spotless.' He whispered in his head.

They defeated the Bileons without any support. The creatures of the valley had consisted of hundreds of third tier monsters but they got out of there alive. Jaehwang asked himself if there could be something that Joonghwi didn't mention to him. The other platoon members looked like they had packed millions and that's the same for him as well.

"That must have been what happened to DongChul." The spirit said as she ate her dessert which made him wonder what happened to his friend.

The platoon explained everything to them about Dongchul before their supporters came. He tried to hide on their bus but everyone knew that they couldn't take him with them forever.

Jaehwang couldn't help but request an SOS call. His grandfather, GwanJae, answered the call and said that he would help him. He got his answer when he took the phone and within a quarter of a day, he sent them off to GwanGHae right away.

But of course that wasn't anything free of charge.

He helped him look after Dongchul, he healed him and basically helped him with everything so Jaehwang promised to pay back GwanJae's favor later. Jaehwang actually didn't want to get GwanJae's help and he tried not to but he was left with no choice. Even though he and GwanJae had a good relationship, GwanJae was still a harsh cold-blooded ruler.

The hunter was controlled by someone dozens of years ago. That person wasn't the type of guy who just laughed, stroked his beard and shook his head when he heard Jaehwang ask for a favor. GwanJae had a clear plan for him.

He was scared thinking that maybe he didn't have the skills for it. He was his grandson but he still considered him as their family's savior. Both of them had maintained a steady distance between their relationship even though it seems impossible under their circumstance.

"Everything will be okay. One hundred animals are growing inside of that old hole but I'm sure that they could be sincere once they get to know you." The spirit then reassured him.

"That's a scary thought. He's someone who believes that what I'm doing is right... Does it seem that I can make him proud? This may sound a little funny but I'm someone who can never be trusted." Jaehwang replied.

"Even I can't trust you?" The spirit gave him a soft smile and Jaehwang just laughed back as he shook his head.

"Of course, you can trust me." He knew that the spirit could trust him. He knew that if he were to take a darker path, she would still come with him.

"Great." The spirit tilted her head and gave him a bright smile. It felt like everything around him had been enlightened with her angelic face. She was so beautiful that it made Jaehwang's heart pound even though she could get cranky when she had to help him with something. She could still be an idiot sometimes.

"Don't you dare add any restrictions..." Jaehwang watched her keep her smile along with her aura that belonged to a queen. The tiara that she wore just made everything better.

"And you?" The spirit then replied.

"Aren't I in love?" He said as someone pretty as the spirit walked in. On the other hand, the spirit didn't turn her head as if she knew that she's coming. She always knew that he was feeling and even if they tried to hide it, their relationship was impossible to hide. She would occasionally look at him and say 'wow, how is the tent so big today' as a joke whenever they would wake up in the morning.

"I..." Jaehwang was about to speak but he paused after he sensed that someone was moving towards them.

"Hello?" A lady walked up to the table where Jae Hwang and the spirit was. She looked at Jae Hwang and slightly raised her hand. It was an old time friend of his, she was wearing a long waistcoat over her battle suit top and black skinny jeans that showed off her slim legs. She also had long black hair that reached down to her waist. She greeted him but he just looked at her and tilted his head.

"Uh. Hi." Jaehwang then replied. It was Sooji, his ex-girlfriend.

"Strange. I didn't think you ever came to places like this..." Sooji raised one of her eyebrows and smiled.

"What do you mean?..." Jaehwang shrugged. He wouldn't have come here if the spirit didn't beg him to. It wasn't a place he would normally go and he was already bored of being there. He would rather spend his time training.

"And who is this...?" Sooji asked as she glanced at the spirit. Jaehwang hesitated for a bit as he didn't know how to introduce her but the spirit had disappeared before she even could see her.

"My soul's companion"

She then just looked over at him without a word. All of the other guys that were glancing at her and seemed breathless as she walked away.

"Your soul's... companion?" She asked. She then looked in his eyes and both of them remained silent.

"So, you're saying this is... Your soul's companion..." Her voice sounded a bit confused.

"Uh... Sooji?" Jaehwang said as he stared at her. His gaze felt like an electric shock but she couldn't just look away. It was extremely addicting but in the end, she felt uncomfortable. He had never looked at others in that way before.

"We're in the middle of a conversation right now so maybe we can talk next time we meet?"

"Oh... sure. Sorry... for interrupting..." Sooji gave her a quick reply before she left the cafe. It got complicated. She didn't intend to meet him like that. She went to the cafe to buy a drink but there were a ton of guys waiting to hit on her. She then noticed Jaehwang taking off his hood and that's when she decided to walk over to their table.

Her mind had turned blank and by the time she came back to her senses, she was already at their table. Jaehwang's smile then disappeared due to an awkward situation that appeared in an instant but it soon came back. Nothing else could ever make him smile as much as he did when they were together but now, she felt like there was a different reason behind it.

There was actually a lot she wanted to say to him.

It was as if she traveled back in time. He still had a gaze that shined as bright as a gem. It was what she recognized about him and she was surprised and happy to see that he had recovered from that accident and became a hunter.

She asked herself if it was destiny or just a mere coincidence.

Four years ago Jaehwang would always go on summer and winter vacations to train in the countryside. But in the meantime, a lot of things were happening in Sooji's life. She became a hunter and a war broke out. Her skills were soon recognized by top clans and they started to contact her. So many of them sent amazing gifts to her and that inspired her parents to start a sports gear company.

Chapter 78

It was her parents who helped her find her place at the top of all clans in Korea. The DaeHyeon clan. They fought against others for the title of the strongest and the one who took control of its parent company was her parents. It was hard for her to reject their demands.

Her recruitment into the clan caused a lot of confusion because her parents helped her get accepted.

The problem was that to get into the clan, she had to stop attending school. That was when Sooji disobeyed her parents for the first time ever since she was born. Her life at school with Jaehwang was more important to her.

Tragedy then struck both of them. They returned to Seoul while Jaehwang and his parents got into a car accident. All of them were shocked when they heard that the guy she loved the most got hurt and was comatosed.

She tried to rush to his side when she heard the news but her parents had stopped her and they pressured her to make a choice. Her life was starting to be bright and great again but then things had started to change. If she chose Jae Hwang, her parents would cut off all their contacts and disown her.

It was a hard decision to make, she took on the clan training and did his best to forget about him. It worked to some degree. She would have a sense of accomplishment everytime her skills had grown and that gave her the strength to erase Jaehwang from her mind. And the leader of the clan, SongJae, helped her the most.

He was the DaeHyeon clan's first son and he was the youngest in the group. Even though he wasn't so strong as a hunter, he was expected to be a level five hunter. He was handsome, he wasn't as famous as one would think but he was popular among them. He became interested in her and she became interested in him. That's the time when she forgot about Jaehwang completely.

She soon got engaged to SongJae but then she found out a terrible truth.. All of that was just the DaeHyeon group's and her parents' evil scheme. The DaeHyeon group planned it from the beginning because she had a Debauzer descent. They knew that she was one of them so they realized that it would be a great opportunity for her to marry someone of her own kind. The chances of their child being born was high.

They wanted a direct line of Debauzers, they wanted to get their hands on a pure blooded child to keep their long project alive. Her parents said that to her, they didn't intend to keep it a secret.

However, she had regained her hopes in her heart once she found out that Jaehwang was a Debauzer a few days ago. The Daehyeon group was very greedy but her parents were much more than that.

She could give him a chance now that she knew that they shared the same descent. She thought that maybe if they knew that he was a Deauzer then they would reconsider as well. The Daehyeon group had lots of money but they had to keep it that way.

They knew that those with blood related to Debauzers were very strong and of course, two were much more stronger than one.

Her parents promised that she could meet him in the past but they had never fulfilled that promise up to this day.

'I'm going crazy.'

She already had a woman with him. Her love could no longer be accepted if he already had someone that she loved but with one look, she knew that she was not what she originally thought she was. She was beautiful and she had an overflowing energy compared to a level five hunter.

She soon noticed that her strength was just around level four and she had just been over-absorbing energy dangerously. That energy could burst out of her, something bad could happen but it looked like she didn't know that herself.

Jaehwang still also felt the same way but he didn't want to shamelessly show his interest like an idiot.

It was because he lost his entire family, he struggled desperately in the hospital and he wanted to give up on himself. He couldn't say anything to her and just let her walk away.

He was lost. He didn't want to have someone just to lose them once again. He couldn't understand what that feeling was.

However, she didn't notice it. After she left Jae Hwang and school, her parents and the Daehyeon group wanted to know what happened to him. His parents and everyone he loved had disappeared and no one was there for him. Jaehwang then decided not to trust anyone and no one also tried to trust him either.

"Thank you. Let me process your bill." The lady at the counter said as Jaehwang handed her Joonghwi's check card. The employee then tilted her head and asked him a question.

"You're not going to pay for that too?" She followed.

He looked back and saw the spirit holding a big tray of dessert.

"That will be $130 dollars."

Their prices there were ridiculously high. The spirit walked up to him and handed him a plastic bag full of their leftovers. Jaehwang squinted his eyes and she responded by putting on her cute face before she said,

"I want to pack this too..."

"Sigh..." The spirit already packed her snacks and there was nothing he could do. He just decided to allow and pay for it all. The employee then saw his card and her face suddenly turned red like a carrot. Even she was charmed by the cuteness of the spirits before they walked out of the cafe.

Jaehwang didn't look so satisfied but the spirit that followed him showed a bright smile. She had a slim, tall and healthy body. Her beautiful face would always draw attention wherever they went.

Everyone's eyes continued to follow them as they got onto an elevator.

They returned to Jaehwang's room and the spirit jumped into his bed and placed her feet on his desk as soon as he opened the door.

"It could get messy here. Your crumbs will fall everywhere, let's just eat at the table." Jaehwang said with a caring tone but the spirit paid him no mind and just picked up the remote to turn on the TV. She wanted to relax so he kept his eyes on the screen as she began to eat her snacks.

"Because of this I..." Her head was hurting and she couldn't let him know about that. She consumed all of that fourth tier energy but it caused her more harm than good.

The spirit asked herself how she would be able to focus on helping him if her mind were out all the time. She then shrugged off that idea and continued to watch while eating a giant creme donut.

"I'm disappointed." The potted pine tree was ruthlessly cut down and the old man was very angry about it.

"We're sorry." Said a lady in a shamanist costume as she bowed her head in sorrow.

"Done. When you return, all the work will be finished."

"Thanks." Said the old man as he looked at the pot next to him where the tree used to be. All of the hardships that he had suffered through were engraved on his face but his body was bulky like that of a young person.

"Rumi, I haven't noticed that you've been by my side for about ten years now."

"Yeah." She was 28 years old although she looked like she was only in her early twenties. She started when she was 18 and since then, she's been like GwanJae's shadow but even so, she would still get nervous every time she would hear his voice.

"But even though it has been ten years, you still prefer to stay and help me. Have I underestimated your abilities?"

She fell to her knees at the moment he said that. She's been loyal by his side for the past ten years and she didn't really know what kind of ruler he was.

"..." She closed her eyes. She knew that she couldn't lean on him forever but her mind had turned blank."

"You've done a good job helping me for the past ten years. So I will make sure that that guy will not disappoint you..." GwanJae nodded his head before he sat down to relax.

"Okay, now let's talk a little. How is that guy doing these days? He's had a little experience in studying but he suddenly shattered the SamJeon Church. Now his name is pretty well-known around town. Isn't it a little too much?"

"We should go to Justin point and take some action. All of their father's names were heard and they stepped back," Rumi replied.

"He said that he already made use of something and the work was uncared for by the country?" He asked.

She fell silent for a second and replied, "The news was written up, the media erased it all and left behind no tracks. It's just... Jae Hwang is a little familiar with the Daehyeon clan now."

"The Daehyeon clan?Hm... He met them? There's no way. How long has that been going on?" He wondered how long their interactions had been going and asked. He didn't really have a problem with it, he was just curious.

"I'm not sure," She replied.

They both then thought of Jaehwang's and Sooji's relationship and everything started to make sense. He was actually skeptical about Jae Hwang before but now he had more reasons to doubt him. What he found was very surprising and he then started to smirk. "I didn't know that the Daehyeon group had so many fun tricks."

"At first glance it looks as if they're moving aside but their movements seem like they're jumping ahead," Rumi said.

"Hm... It doesn't seem anything they were hesitant about. Don't they leave women behind? They're evil..."

"I will erase them." Rumi followed as she read GwanJae's expression. She smirked at the thought of erasing them. It was a clan that they were partnered with but she said that without any hesitation.

"No, first leave them be." Gwanjae gave her a slight nod.

"Leave them be...?"

"It would be nice to get rid of them but first we have to wait and see."

"However, we can send threats to Jaehwang. Jaehwang was another one of them that I was getting a bad feeling about," Rumi said with an anxious tone. GwanJae didn't know much about Jae Hwang and what to think of him but he knew her well. He would be heartbroken if he heard that his grandson would get terribly hurt but GwanJae just smiled and said what she had said.

"Sending him threats... Why am I worried about that? He would only get a little hurt and his team members wont get badly injured either. And as for the other guys... Your abilities are still lacking."

"?" She gave him a nod as he removed all the doubt in her head.

She hesitated for a second and said, "There has to be something more special for Jaehwang."

"Something special?"

"Yes. we have to find the lady he's been talking to and we should see what's inside his room."

"Huh?" He seemed a little confused and surprised at the same time.

"The stone Buddha, the iron wall and the stone heart, is that the person you're talking about?"

"Uh... Yes." Gwanjae showed her a concerned expression.𝘭𝑖𝒷𝓇𝘦𝘢𝒹.𝑐𝘰𝘮

Rumi then seemed nervous and followed, "What's his position?"

"Well... He's undocumented so we can't check his position but, Jaehwang's connection with me caused those in Justin point to request us to check hers."

"Sounds fun... How did that happen?" Rumi replied.

"She was really beautiful and..."

"Beautiful? Even they're finally starting to be curious about her. Haha, good. That's a good sign." She interrupted him before he could even finish talking.

"However, that still doesn't help much. Jaehwang may be after them..."

"It doesn't matter. That will only make it harder for them and easier for us."

"That's right." Gwanjae had never intended to invade Jaehwang's privacy but now he needed to know about the people that he knew. He didn't really care about if that lady used him or if they really had a date.

The lady he had in mind was the one right in front of him. Her amazing skills even though she was just 18, she was the most outstanding and strongest out of all his followers. She immediately absorbed everything she was taught like a sponge and after ten years, she was almost like a granddaughter to him.

"I actually wish you were related to him."

"I..." She was speechless for the first time.

He wished she was actually family. She was tempted to make a few lame excuses to change the subject but as he said, Jaehwang was like an iron wall but he was more like an impregnable fortress. Of course she had deep scars to the heart from past failures but she couldn't blame her for that. That was because she didn't have a keyplayer.

She would rather aim for Jaehwang's life and she felt like she would be able to relax once that was finished.

"No. You're just another fool on that side and what I meant was that I want you to always handle the work." Rumi's face turned red. "Oh, and, how is that guy?"

"What guy?..." She replied.

"That guy which Jaehwang sent to us to watch over."

Rumi remembered that she had received the latest report about him. "He is unconscious but, if it's convenient to you then I can try finding something. It's just..."

"It's just...?" Gwanjae followed with a curious tone.

"There are still lots of different procedures in his body that we are still trying to figure out. It turned out to be a very complicated situation. Another thing is that, they found out that his behavior was caused by a nanobot in his brain which was made from a foreign substance. The examination said that it could be a form of a brainwashing drug."

GwanJae's face was turned to stone. "The SamJeon Church leaders are having fun these days, huh? We should try to fix it."

"Subdue it?" Rumi asked. The country of the SamJeon Church has not been exposed and that was hard to do. She already made calculations in her head about how much it would take to accomplish that goal.

"No... Soon I'll need to see blood on my hands. We could have a social meeting but that would be filled by a lot of strong guys. We need to be treated as the last survivors on this earth, right? I heard about how they made those amazing items at the SamJeon church and each organization spread the secret. Other people talked about their cruelty but the media swept that aside." GwanJae had the abilities to possibly subdue it but he would have to avoid as much damage as he can.

"Those guys developed quite a lot of ways for this. If I could reach a connection with them then things would be much easier."

GwanJae tried to solve things. SamJeon church had ways to subdue it and all of it was exterminated. The situation would only grow bigger for GwanGHae and it would be hard to eliminate them from the picture.

"However, if that happens, we would need a lot of information from groups of all sorts of walks in life in Justin Point before we could check the actual facts. The person that would be in charge of going after Jaehwang could also be defeated." Rumi gave her advice. She thought that maybe she could take charge of handling Jaehwang instead.

"Is it that simple?" GwanJae said with a smile.

Chapter 79

Whoosh...

Jaehwang was careful to not let himself fall onto his head. He had never been defeated until now. A few similar situations had happened to him and he was able to push through but all of his attempts to avoid its attacks had failed.

"Ugh!"

The spirit changed into a snake along with a cheerful voice and it wrapped itself around his chest at the moment he tried to fight. It was a match that kept anyone at the edge of their seats but it started to look like Jaehwang was losing.

Pong!

She punched him, threw him into the air and flung him into the ground.

"I guess you're not too good with a bare hand-to-hand fight?" She whispered. "What a fraud."

Jaehwang stood up and tried to get a hold of himself. He has been living with her for three days and if it was possible, he didn't want to leave his room anymore. She was like a hot potato in Justin point. Baseless rumors had been spreading around them and the other guys would try to hit on her when he's not around.

The thing that annoyed him the most was the issue with the members of the 8th platoon. They thought he used a Joonghwi check card for a date and they have been mocking him about it. He cooped up in his room and he still can't imagine what they might have thought about him.

"Done," He said.

A quarter of the day had gone by and now Jaehwang was extremely tired from his session of hand-to-hand fights. Jaehwang and the snake were finally finished and with that, the spirit then loosened her grip.

"Phew..." Jaehwang let out a breath of relief.

"Completely done?" The spirit asked.

"Yes."

The spirit jumped out of her seat and waved her arms. Jaehwang then saw his wallet appearing in her hands.

"Hah..." Jaehwang said as he opened it up and gave her some cash as payment for helping him out. He thought about them living normally where he could get his rest.

Both of them had planned things to be this way now that they're living together. He could polish up his combat skills while helping her consume more energy. That's how they decided to spend their days.

The spirit went back inside of him and that's the time when he was finally able to leave his room to return the card that he borrowed. He wished that he could just do internet payments but he couldn't do anything but bank transactions in this world. That's why he stopped by a local bank to transfer the money from Joonghwi's account to his.

He then proceeded to his room and knocked at his door to hand it over. Joonghwi soon opened the door with a dissatisfied expression.

"Thank you." Jaehwang gave him his card.

"Did you have fun?" He replied.

"Yes." There were rumors going around but Jaehwang felt that there was no need to address anything like that. He kept his replies short and it appears that Joonghwi didn't like it. 𝒍𝓲𝒃𝙧𝒆𝒂𝒅.𝓬𝙤𝒎

"Well... There were some jealous guys around... That pretty girl... Why don't you introduce her to us?"

"She left." Jaehwang replied.

"Interesting. You just sent her off? That doesn't sound so good. But, okay. I hope she had a good stay. Come in." Joongwhi said as he ushered him through his door.

"Sure." He walked in and sat on a sofa in front of a table.

Joonghwi got him a cup of coffee along with a piece of paper.

"What's this?" Jaehwang asked.

"A Personal reward..." Joonghwi said as Jaehwang tilted his head to pick it up. It said that everyone had received a personal reward but they didn't understand it because no one ever had one.

"I just received a high-ranked greeting here in Justin point recently. It makes me feel like we're not being protected properly. To be specific..."

"Yes?"

"It's pretty simple. You have been pointed out as a person of merit and are said to receive an honorable military discharge." At that moment, Jaehwang felt as if he had stopped breathing.

"I thought that they either couldn't protect us or just left us out." Joonghwi slightly lowered his head. "It's weird but, I think that this is a good thing for you."

Jaehwang said nothing as a reply. He just started his tasks and now he's told that he's getting an honorable discharge after just one month. That wasn't a bad thing. Anyone would be happy to receive news like that. He's told that he's a hunter but he likes to do and be whatever he pleases.

"I already finished talking with the others," Joonghwi followed. "Is there something you would like to say to them, too?"

Jaehwang looked a little sad and disappointed as he thought about the other members of the 8th platoon.

"It came yesterday. You were busy hanging out with that girl so we didn't call... And don't be so disappointed or sad. I've persuaded half of them. To be honest, no one will ever be able to cover your position in the platoon. I don't think they'll ever be working with anyone with a skill like yours. This is a good thing but it'll be bad for the platoon in the long run. Well, things now are actually getting a bit out of hand"

"I see." Jaehwang shook his head. He understood everything and he didn't want to drag everyone with him.

"Good." Joonghwi placed the paper in his pocket with a bitter smile. He knew that his position didn't fit him well but he thought that it would be long before he could find someone as capable as him.

He did more than just help, he saved the platoon members' lives and they all eventually became friends. He knew that they could improve without him and there would come a time when they would get to do things without them worrying.

"Want to continue to help us until the day you get discharged?" He said.

"Of course." Jaehwang agreed and left through the door. Joonghwi was left staring at the cup of coffee he prepared for him.

"I want us to stay together but..."

To him, his entire life meant his responsibility towards the platoon. Everything he did was for the team but at this point, he started to question everything. Soon, everything in their lives would have to change.

There were two men sitting in a dark place.

"The Trinity honor..."

"I don't think it's a good thing, I regret meeting it."

"Yes. The church and the leader's anger looked like it could even pierce the skies..."

"I see. However, please take a little more precautions with the task in the church this time."

"What do you mean by that?" He spoke with an excited tone.

"This time the task includes that person related to GwanGHae."

"Someone related to him... Then his position must be so embarrassing."

"Yes. So this time it should be easy. There's no way I would point you out but if you don't do this right then you'll be in trouble."

"Got it. I will make the church leader and the church proud." He smiled.

"Thank you."

"But, everything has already started so it'll be difficult. Please keep everything prepared according to the schedule even if GwanJae is here."

"Yes, sir. I've been in the church for a long time and I don't think what I've prepared will be enough."

"Yes. Things could've gotten as planned but something happened at the Giant Footprint and we have sustained quite a bit of damage. The date is still currently being estimated but there will be a march. We still have our limits but remember, we are still in control."

"I will"

"And now even our devoted followers have to prepare." He shook his head from the opposite side of the table.

"I know. But until that time, let's just keep everything a secret."

"Good."

"Bye."

"See you soon."

"Sure... See you soon."

They exchanged goodbyes. They all had gathered the day before his discharge to say their farewells. It wasn't anything big but they all went out at night to hang out and talk for one last time. Although their time together had been short, Jaehwang left a big impact on them.

They've realized a lot of things that Jaehwang taught them. The spirit was there too so they all finally got to meet her.

His skills were more lacking than anyone else's and his low expectations for himself had to be adjusted. Everything Joonghwi taught to him sounded like the lessons he learned from the academy but he took it all to his heart knowing that it was the knowledge that he would live by. They were his teachers just like his instructors at the academy.

"What are we going to do without you!"

"It'll be okay, Mingyeon." Jaehwang replied with a bittersweet tone.

The saddest person was, of course, Mingyeon. Jaehwang was the reason why she was able to overcome her panic disorder. He helped her become a hero to those she saved. They spent their night talking to the spirit to feed their curiosity about Jaehwang's feelings towards her but they still didn't sense anything in the end.

It went like that and the farewell party ended with them finishing their drinks and after Mingyeon had finished crying. He felt sorry for them but he knew that he still had to leave. Jaehwang packed his bags the next day and left his room filled with their memories. They all still went with him to say their final goodbyes until he went through the gate and got onto the military bus.

The closest place through the Justin point gate was the gate of the world's Pyongyang outskirts lying on a low mountain. Pyongyang was filled with a lot of monster corpses from Justin point and there was a city just two leaps through its underground resources.

Jaehwang then got off the bus once it had reached the bus stop. The first thing he saw was the management office gate. He could also see so many people through the window at the material resources counter. It almost looked like a small airport.

He was told that they usually looked like that these days. All the people gathered there had supplies and naturally formed a business park until a town was formed. It was dangerous because of the monsters and the outskirts extension was blocked off but they had managed to pull through after a few improvements on its structures.

He walked inside and saw three security devices and a long cord formed behind him. It was a formal procedure. All the people from the other world had to go through a search to see if they were carrying some illegal items. Plants from the Alousu were prohibited and would be reported because they were considered as a rare mineral.

However, they had a string that they would use to search the hunters passing through. It was impossible to hide anything and nothing could be smuggled out of this place.

"You don't have any illegal goods, do you?" The guard asked with a doubtful tone.

"No I don't." Jaehwang then walked into the search device. It was a common question that required an obvious answer.

-One more third tier energy type.

-He can have it since he's got through the gate.

The spirit was full of energy and every twelve hours she would demand more third tier energy. It had the lowest level compared to everything else which makes its price very affordable. If it wasn't for those valley creatures, he would have a lot in him too.

-If you go, how will you leave?

-First, I'll go see my grandfather and say goodbye to him. And I have to see Dongchul.

He replied as he handed his ID at the gate. The check had ended, he was about to say goodbye to Alousu but then...

Whoosh! Whoosh!

A red warning light went off at the gate entrance.

Chapter 80

"It's a rank four monster wave warning!" One of the guards shouted.

The employees of the service office rushed out of their rooms to look at the warning broadcast.

"Four... Rank four? That's bad news!"

"Quickly, get moving! If it's rank four then we have to be prepared!" One of them yelled.

"The people that are using the gate can guard it! The hunters inside can protect everything in there! For those who were outside, prepare our vehicles!"

"And don't push and shove while trying to get around!"

They got everything in order and even after what they had said, people still flocked into the gate to save themselves. Jaehwang left a little earlier and he went around to ask the nearby guard if they got the situation under control.

They then gave him a bit of information so he could understand the situation a bit more. Jaehwang then asked, "How are you going to do that?"

He replied back as he looked at Jaehwang's clothes which were drenched with sweat. "An unconfirmed Oak Army had appeared 40 kilometers northeast from the Justin point branch."

"Oaks? What about the scout platoons?"

"Until then I still need to..."

-The estimated number is 5,000! It's 5,000! We'll be changing its previous rank to five.

A voice rang through the headset and the man that talked to Jaehwang turned pale.

"It's rank five... Darn it!"

He started to panic and Jaehwang was taken aback since a fifth rank monster could cause a national disaster. He realized that there was no time to waste so he took out his smartphone and called Joonghwi.

He turned on the phone. It rang a few times as he continued to walk faster.

-What is it?

-Are you checking in?

It didn't take long for him to answer. Although he was discharged from the military alone, he wanted to check and see if they were alive before he left.

He followed the Alousu immigrant training evacuation manual and Jaehwang walked out of the entrance gate. He prepared to quickly move through the entrance and he saw all the hunters gathering on one side of the office. He thought that maybe they were all under the nation mobilization order.

Their faces looked tense and irritated. The officer checked all of their hunter licenses and their IDs. He then gave them their card termination date and registered them as participants.

-Rank two Hybrid hunters Jeon Jaehwang... You are not a summoned candidate.

He got Jaehwang's license card termination date and looked at him with a surprised face. He was a level two hybrid hunter but he wasn't a summoned candidate. It was something that he didn't understand.

"There's a reason for that but I just need to ride the bus to get somewhere."

"Ah... I understand." He gave him a nod. He knew that Justin point needed every hunter that they could give.𝓵𝙞𝓫𝒓𝙚𝓪𝓭.𝒄𝓸𝓶

It wasn't long before they made their way towards Justin point along with the other hunters that got on. One of the service men then talked to him.

-There's about 5,000 Oaks marching 35 kilometers away from the branch base.

They eventually got to the fortress and they were divided to play a role in their overall strategy. Ten minutes had passed and they were only now five kilometers away from their base. Jaehwang immediately got off and ran out of the parking lot.

The platoon members were inspecting their equipment. Joonghwi saw Jaehwang and he opened his mouth in surprise. They just said their farewells a while ago but now he's back with them once more.

"What's going on?"

"Jaehwang,You're back again."

"I heard the news of the wave and came as soon as I could. But, why didn't you answer your phone?" Jaehwang asked and Joonghwi and the platoon members broke out with a laugh.

"They went through the border and every servicepersons' cord came undone. These guys..."

"I see." Jaehwang replied. "What's going on?"

Jaewhang asked and Joonghwi's face got stiff. "It's not good. The contrast is undone and the troops appeared out of nowhere. They appeared from the northeast side but they shouldn't be there. There's estimated to be 5,000 of them but it looks like there were much more than that. They are everywhere, big and small, they're rallying together."

Jaehwang's face had turned cold. "It's surprising. Haha... But we'll take care of it. I've dealt with situations much more serious than this in the past. The mobilization order had been done so I came back again so let's get going. They would work as an independent platoon and if there's no one to serve as a middleman then we would be at a disadvantage. Our luck is not that bad but even if we went out early everyday, I doubt that we would see anything like this.

Joonghwi felt sorry that Jaehwang still helped them even after he was exempted and even though it was his choice to come back. He was smiling but Jaehwang could still feel his anxiety.

"Do you really think that everything would be okay?" One of the platoon members asked.

"Yes. So, let's get moving. Let's leave and install the walls." Joonghwi said and everyone got to work.

Jaehwang could tell that the platoon members were nervous. It was a risky task but they had to do something. He didn't mention how many sacrifices would come along the way.

"How will we do the platoon arrangements? Will we send a message from above?" One of them inquired.

"It seems like we'll grab a mercury strand first. We'll listen and the oaks won't see the siege lumber that we're gonna use. It'll be hard to find big trees in this neighborhood but there's a big machine gun in the military bus that we could rely on. The base outside the military bus is surrounded and so a shield would be formed. That should be enough of a distance where everyone could fight off the oaks without having too many casualties."

"Got it" They all gave him a nod.

Justin point was surrounded with a barrier, they were told where the weapons were located and went on with the plan. There was an earthen anti aircraft gun in each strategic point of the defense. There were a lot of excellent 30mm Gatling machine guns but if they fired all at once, it could result in a crossfire. The platoon then decided to make do with what they had on the bus to make their gun more powerful compared to the others.

They went through their stocked supplies. They had a lot even though their support had been at its lowest for the past ten years. They were just doing fine even if there were hunters everywhere and when they had assembled, there were over 5,000 of them.

The platoon soon left off of the parking ramp. They tried to relax but they could barely even think straight. Even if fighting that monster didn't help them level up, they had to hunt every last one of them. They still had a long way towards the base's shield and if they began their attack, they would have to take something as a souvenir even if there would be no treasure left to be found.

Jaehwang headed towards the store. He was short on consumable supplements and needed to get more. If he was in the servicepersons' position then he could go to an exclusive dissemination store but he had to go to a civilian store since he was out of time.

"The situation is really bad. Everyone needs to evacuate if possible!" He heard a dry voice that stopped him in his tracks.

"Yes. We need a minimum of twenty flags. The information actually said that 20 wasn't enough but if there was more than that then the Oak leader would have to command them. There's a lot of them... It's been the best turnout in ten years. If it becomes long-term then..."

He came close enough where he could see his face. He was wearing a hat and he looked to be in his early 40s along with his shabby shield. There was the voice of a woman coming out of the phone he was talking on. There was a big action cam on his right shoulder and he had another camera in his right hand.

"Okay. I don't bother being in Justin point but it's just that you're so far away. Come through the gate. Okay. Okay... Does it sound like I'm speaking nonsense? I'm super stressed out here too. Has the patrol platoon been arranged? The oak leader gave the okay and the oak fighter is also there but there's a barrier."

Jaehwang then walked up to the guy on the phone. "What are you talking about?"

"Huh? Uh.. I don't know what you're talking about!" The guy replied.

He saw Jaehwang's clothes and then Jaehwang asked him another question saying, "The walls are being built right now?"

He was avoiding eye contact when Jaehwang asked him. He then said goodbye to the lady on the phone, he hung up and said, "Why are you asking me this?"

He glared at Jae Hwang. He wasn't saying anything ridiculous, he had no reason to explain anything to him but the urgency of the situation made him reconsider.

Jaehwang just stared at him without saying anything else. He could feel his heart beating and he couldn't avoid Jaehwang's stare. He soon started to quiver. He was like a predator being exposed to have the heart of a herbivore. "I...I'll tell you. Th... This is a little..."

Jaehwang continued to keep his eyes on him. His heart continued to pound and he spoke once again. "What do you want to know?"

"What kind of skills can you expect from the Oaks?" Jaehwang asked, he thought about it for a little while and then answered.

"Uhh. Well, this is difficult so they know to associate it with the hunters... But I've been a BJ in Justin point for over ten years but I heard that this oak situation was unusual."

"Unusual?"

"There's 20 flags. Don't you know what that means? A flag is a strength multiplier and the Oak's basic strength starts with 500.

Jaehwang did some quick calculations and answered, "So they could be ten thousand strong?"

"Yes. But I don't know exactly...Ah, I got it." Jaehwang gave him a confused look so he followed, "Just as you said, there could be 10,000. The problem is that now the patrol platoon can't be contacted to help with the attack. They won't know that it's surely a wide range of troops. Like the drones that can't float on earth and the radio we depend on here for hunter information."

"I see." Jaehwang tightly gathered his hand into a fist thinking that there could be more of them. It was a simple double difference. Their machine guns won't be enough to take them and he wasn't done talking yet. 𝓵𝒊𝒃𝙧𝙚𝒂𝓭.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"Besides, the biggest problem is the Oaks on the northeast side. As you know, there weren't any oaks on that side. So what's going on? They went there to form an expedition on the Drakus' land and made it their new land. But the worst thing is..."

Draku... One of the three tribes that ruled the Alousu. Although the three tribes are said to be weak, they are one of the ancient tribes still living today and they are said to be a mysterious kind. Their closure exchange with humans never happened. Maybe if everything worked out before then...

"10,000 Oaks and Drakus is something that's never happened before." Jaehwang finished his sentence.

"Yes. and we're lucky to have that many come to Justin point... Maybe if we worked together and rushed towards the gate then Justin point wouldn't be isolated. It had a large shield but isolation is its greatest weakness."

He finished talking and Jaehwang realized that his palms were sweating. Listening to him talk made it felt as if it was a war.

"Thank you for the helpful information." Jaehwang got the fourth tier energy from the shop and ran out.

"Wait!" He suddenly got what he needed and rushed out. He tried to tell him something before he left but Jaehwang just continued to run.

There were a few stores that appeared down the alleyways and he went into one of them. The door clicked as he walked in and he grabbed his phone. He heard a loud voice of someone that saw him and he hung it up immediately.

"Oh... Today's deal..." The employee was about to speak but she was interrupted.

"I need all the arrows you have, please." Jaehwang placed his money on the counter. The store employee looked at the money and shook her head.

"We don't have those kinds of products, they were banned."

"This..." Jaehwang then started to look a little mad. There were about 2,000 arrow heads left but just as he expected, that wasn't enough. Jaehwang then sunk deep into his thoughts and the store employee tilted her head.

"How much do you need? Maybe we can work something out. Since you're a hunter we can give you a discount so you can get everything you need... Of course with a quantitative restriction but..."

"I need a lot more, sorry not just a little but a whole lot more."

Chapter 81

-Hm... It's disappointing but the administration report tied up everything, it's nothing new. And the officer and... huh? I see... Well isn't he the guy who won the archery match with the DaeHyeon clan? Didn't he get a new record of 498 points within the shortest time?!" He shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. He saw Jaehwang's face and screamed in surprise.

-Right...

-Maybe before this... he seemed to have started the match with Sooji in the training center.

-Hm. It is because you hunters have been fighting over arrows for some time now. It hasn't even been a few days and they've started to bring everything back but... anyways I have a video of that match. It's really amazing, you should really watch it.

-Good.

The man replied before he hung up on the call.

Jaehwang went on a different route deliberately to get to where he wanted to go. The Justin point shopping district was the best place to get weapons but if it was bundled up then it would be better for him to find another place. He went to a shop which was one of the three places that sold the best arrows.

"You're going to use these to hunt the Oaks?" The store owner asked him.

"Of course, " He replied.

They must have thought Jaehwang was panic buying but of course, he could understand that. He had checked all the information that he had on the Oaks' invasion as he went everywhere to look for arrows.

"Hm, you don't look like someone who uses arrows... How do I put this?"

"Yes?" Jaehwang replied to the store employee after he got buried in his thoughts and as if he was about to tell him a secret, he leaned in closer to Jaehwang's face and whispered,

"There's not much in stock but we have some arrows."

Jaehwang's face lit up. Obviously he was still wearing his hood so he couldn't see his face but the store employee could see that he was interested.

"How much?"

"I don't really know the exact amount. I make arrows as a hobby so those are handmade... Do you want to buy them? Don't keep me waiting..."

"Sure." Jaehwang shook his head.

He went to the door of the store to prepare the equipment and sent a hand gesture to Jae Hwang.

"Over here..."

"Here it is."

Jaehwang then handed him money from out of his pocket. The market price was about 2,000,000, that sounded too much of a price for an arrow but he needed every good arrow that he could get.

The store employee handed him something out of his pocket and said, "Even though there's nothing in stock, I can sell you these. You can have them at a discounted price. This should be enough."

"Thanks, these are great arrows by the way." Jaehwang gave him the rest of his money and they made their exchange. The store employee's custom made arrows were incomparable to others that were sold normally.

All of the arrows weren't the same but its overall quality was great. He gave him a few hundred, some of them were in poor condition but he would just have to avoid using those for as long as he could.

They didn't fly at first so Jaehwang used the arrows that were in better condition. He would have to choose the arrows good enough to overcome the 400 pound tension.

He appreciated the store employee's effort as a lot of the arrows were in great shape. He also gave him 50 high-quality arrow strings that he could use.

"I didn't think I would get these for such a good price." They were like a prized work of craftsmanship. He shoved all of the arrows in his pocket but some stuck out since it didn't fit.

The employee then scratched his head and said, "I'm happy to see that you liked them. If you become famous, please don't forget about me and my store. Haha. And if you like you can come back for more. I have never seen anyone who would use arrows like that."

They prepared the arrows and made sure everything was ready.

"To be honest, I make my money off of these. It's good to know that some people still enjoy them." Jaehwang then shook his head.

He understood what he meant, he was a craftsman before he became a merchant. He gave him the proper compensation for the products and prepared to leave.

"I will come back again."

"Great, have a good day."

He left the store and walked quickly to get himself back to his platoon. Although Jaehwang wasn't their member anymore, he wasn't planning to let them do this on their own. Someone then yelled, it looked like the voice was trying to tell him something.

"Hey! Your hood!" He looked back and saw that it was that BJ from the last store.

"Huh?"

"It's urgent. The Oaks seemed to have stopped their march a little while ago."

"They stopped their march?" Jaehwang replied with a confused tone.

"Yes. It doesn't mean we can sit back and relax but, It's important for you to know that they've stopped. And there was something else I needed to tell you..."

"What is it?"

"I was a war BJ and this war seems very intense, right? The hunters could go and fight but it could be really dangerous. But, do you want me to help you? I can make you an SNS star. You can earn a lot of money." Jaehwang stood stared at him without a word so he followed, "It'll be easy."

Jaehwang then walked past him. He wasn't interested in becoming an SNS star.

"I see... We can half the profits, 5:5. Wait... 6:4!" Jaehwang ignored him and just kept walking. "That's not all. I left something out... I've been a BJ here for the past ten years so I know a lot more..."

Jaehwang paused, he looked at him and said, "What's the other information?"

"Stop! Stop! This way!"

He walked towards him, he finally got his attention and there, he told them a few bits of information that he knew.

"I was actually considering if I should tell you this but here we are. First, it seems that they've grabbed the mercury strand in Justin point but there was no response. So I personally checked to see the Oak troops and I was told that they knew a way to handle them but they are still having a hard time..." He said and Jaehwang was then lost in thought. He then walked away to get back to the platoon but he kept thinking about what the BJ said. Besides, there's a battle going on so he couldn't ignore the information that he got. 𝓁𝑖𝑏𝑟𝘦𝒶𝘥.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"What's happening?" Jaehwang asked. He then grinned and handed him some money.

"What can I do to stop the attack?" Jaehwang said and he shrugged his shoulders.

"As far as I know it'll be a close match, it'll be interesting to watch. And I could tell you how..."

"I'm not interested in being an SNS star."

"Wow, how boring. Do you have any idea how fun it is to be an SNS star? You'll have lots of female fans..."

"I'm. Not. Interested."

"Fine... How about we split it 6:4?"

Jaehwang then shook his head as he raised his hand for a handshake.

"I'm BJ Dal Jeon.

"My name is Jeon Jaehwang."

They then shook hands and he asked Jaehwang a question. "Why do you hate SNS? And do you have a nickname of some sort?"

"I don't know but I'll do it. I have to eat too."They both then walked together.

Jaehwang was then trying to think of a nickname in his head but couldn't think of anything. The spirit then asked,

-Why do you need a nickname?

-I need to think of one for one of those broadcasts.

-Hm... So you need a name for other people to know you by?

-Yes.

-So a name, not your actual name but it makes people think of you when they hear it?

-Yep.

-I see.

Jaehwang thought about it for some time now.

"How about just using 'The archer'?"

He couldn't think of anything else and just said the most simple name, DalJeon looked a little unimpressed. "The archer? You need something that packs a lot of impact that the viewers would like. Hm... Ah! How about 'Deadly'? You're good at shooting arrows and hunting, it goes perfect with your image."

"Can't it be something more normal?"

"This isn't a giveaway. This will get you followers and fans!"

"Okay, okay."

It was a bit of an embarrassing name but Jaehwang agreed to it. Thinking that a better name would cross his mind soon. The most important thing right now was that he had options.

"Okay, Deadly! It would be a pleasure doing business with you!"

Jaehwang was starting to regret his choice. He couldn't imagine how much the name 'Deadly' would always stick to him.

"Phew... I need to lose weight."

Jaehwang and DalJeon arrived at their destination filled with giant concrete towers after a long trip.

"What's this place?"

"Gu Raider Station. It's been closed for ten years but this was just the perfect place around the neighborhood so they plan on reopening it. It's sturdy and its location is close to the north side... The distance is a little bothersome but..."

He was explaining as Jaehwang looked around. It was quite sturdy just as he mentioned. It was a little windy and he could see the barrier about 400 meters away. He looked up at the tall tower and slowly made his way at the top of it.

Whiii...

He reached the top thereafter, he stood there and looked below at Justin point. He still couldn't see the Oaks but he could feel the installation of their walls at the bottom of his feet. He could also hear the sound of the 30mm machine gun.

-Jaehwan?

The spirit then walked up to him.

-Huh?

-'Deadly' is a funny nickname.

-I know.

Jaehwang replied.

Chapter 82

-I regained the spells I lost when I received the energy from the tiara.

The spirit said in his head.

-Huh? Spell?

-Yes. It's an ancestral tablet but it's magic... It's overflowing just a bit but it seems that I'll be able to use it.

-Right now?

-It's difficult now, isn't it? If I use it right now then I'll get exhausted and lose strength... Is that what you want?

-Right. So, should I prepare on my own?

-Yes. Exactly. However, what I am telling you now... It's pretty simple. You could get a 100 percent increase in power using fifth tier energy.

-Can I get that much?

He didn't know its exact limit but he guessed that it was about 40 percent. But of course, the spirit knew much more about that.

-And if there's not an additional 20 percent increase at 6th tier then there would be a 1 percent increase at seventh tier.

-I thought you didn't find anything.

-Right... However, I'm working hard on getting stronger. Anyway, what are you doing? Wanna practice fighting?

-Thanks.

Jaehwang then shook his head at the spirit's question. Her suggestion wasn't a bad idea.

-Thanks because...? Well, you have to get stronger. You need to get through the third tier. Why don't you just use the energy as you please?

The spirit asked.

-I can try. Just keep trying to get to the fifth tier. I'm just at the third tier so I'll use what we have.

-What a petty thought... I failed to reach the fourth tier so I don't know if I could get to the fifth.

-Dismissed

The spirit would originally use her skills as much as she liked but she decided to use her energy to help Jaehwang instead. It will take a few steps and will be a bit of a hassle but she believes that it would all be worth it.

"Okay, We're ready for filming..."

DalJeon said after he adjusted the angle of the main camera on the wall. He then went and put a USB headset in his ear and turned it on.

-Click... The EC32 location wasn't checked in the attack... Click click... Heavy power suit clearance complete... Click... Quickly! Fast! Movement! Click... Facing the gate of rapid attack and a giant attack. Click...

"Hm...The faster ones seem to have already escaped. The mobilization order refusal penalty has become dim. And... Ugh, it's so loud."

There were a lot of radios flying into the net and the noise was out of control. His hand movements then blocked the net.

-The patrol platoon is complete... Click... There's a silent attack from a monster around the northwest side. The masses can sense it! There's a scale of three! There's an invader in their habitat. They've all lost consciousness! 𝙡𝓲𝙗𝒓𝙚𝓪𝙙.𝒄𝒐𝙢

"Hm, a monster..."

He took a piece of paper out of his pocket and he used his pencil to write something down.

"They've already started to attack... All of them are great hunters but it's a big problem if we can't get in contact with them."

Taking down the monster would be a challenge but after hunting it, the quality of its meat would still be very expensive. It seems to have weighed about three tons and a quick attack would be dangerous. If you have a good trick to capture it then things would get easier. There was a business in America that specialized in handling the meat of monster corpses but it was unfortunately destroyed after a vicious attack.

There's a simple way to catch the monsters. They could try just one attack from a quick heavily armed military bus and they would have a good chance of succeeding, however, the monsters would also have a chance of escaping their attack. That's why they would have to recruit as many hunters as possible to help.

"Of course, it looks like we're seeing it face-to-face."

After recording the cruel scene of the string control, it was then time for editing. After that, they uploaded the video to YouTube and reviewed the video on his laptop.

'He's such a pain.'

He thought to himself with a smirk as he stared at Jae Hwang.. To him, he looked very young and youthful.

DalJeon then reached out his hand for a simple reason. He didn't know that he was a beginner hunter. He looked nothing like a beginner but he could tell that he was skillful and he would gain so much profit by publicizing his skills on the internet.

He was able to defeat the Oaks even though they had powerful weapons that were just as good as those that humans had and their senses were even better. He found it hard to believe that they could just be entirely defeated by an arrow.

The real reason that he chose Jaehwang was that the place that DalJeon was in at that moment was restricted to civilians and going through it could permanently block him out of Justin point. So to avoid that, he just used Jaehwang's hunter license and got through the entrance so they could get themselves a good filming spot.

They officially settled the percentage of the profits that they were going to share even before they signed their contract. They were going to divide it by six but they decided on something else.

He knew a lot of information on even the rarest of monsters and those were the most valuable tools of his trade. His income was already steady but this was his chance to get much more compared to that. He had an idea like this before but things happened and the information was completely changed.

"The video turned out great." He looked at the camera with a smile thinking that they were lucky to find such a good spot.

Deuk... Deuk... Deuk... Deuk...

The sound of a soft drum began to fill their surroundings. At first it was unnoticeable but soon it was all that they could hear. They could hear the sound of engines starting five minutes earlier. The troops then heard the drums from the other side of the wall and ten minutes later, they could hear it everywhere.

The drums made the ground vibrate. It shook them a little but it was enough to make the army troops nervous. The Oak soldiers then started to appear from the horizon.

"Huh?..." One of them said as he looked through the binoculars with his mouth wide open.

A few seconds had passed and he felt like he longer needed it. They looked like a swarm of ants oozing out of the horizon. They were walking towards Justin point and they seemed to be moving very slowly but It only seemed that way because they were far away.

It looked as if a huge wave was coming towards them. They turned their backs on Justin point's geography commercial rear cliff and focused on the front. However, the Oak soldiers were everywhere. It was too late to turn back and that's why when they saw the monsters, it felt like they were also coming towards them.

-One, two, three groups have shut down the entrance... Everyone is in their battle stations.

-I have alerted the 8th platoon.

Joonghwi ended the radio conversation as he kept an eye out the window with his binoculars.

"This is the first time I've seen an Oak army like this..." He said.

"Really? This is your first time?" One of the platoon members replied.

Joonghwi had the most experience out of all the clan members. Some of them thought that this couldn't be his first time seeing something like that.

"Hmm, the military discipline is harsh. Defeating the Oaks will be difficult... They look very strong and have sturdy helmets. They look pretty much unbeatable but could they just look that way?" Joonghwi said and the platoon members' faces looked a little anxious. They were armed to the teeth but so were the Oaks.

The Oaks was a very powerful type of an intelligent monster which was skilled at commanding armies in battles.

They had to plan everything in detail to prepare for the fight. When the Oaks were hungry, they would freely roam around to find people to prey on. But that wasn't the only reason...

They wanted to rule the land. There were firm structured armed soldiers. In some situations, the Oaks have lost fights against other soldiers and with that, the patrol troops were one of the few that could completely destroy the Oak villages. But, the Oaks can still put up a good fight when they unite under the same banner.

"Woah... It's so many of them." He said as he watched them cover the ground in the distance.

"Stupid idiots.. What are they thinking?"

Justin point wouldn't fall that easy but they still had to be cautious of the damages that the attack could cause.

Joonghwi observed them through his binoculars. He felt anxious, he took a deep breath and then whispered, "...This isn't good..."

He continued to watch them. They all had giant shields that had humans tied in front of it. They were those who were captured and taken hostage, the clothes that they wore were torn up and they were all covered in blood.

Boom...

They then heard a loud noise. It came from their center and made the Oaks stop on their tracks. They were right in front of the five-kilometer tall wall. They were armed but both sides knew that shooting each other at that point would be wasteful. They had more but both of them were aware of the weapons that they could use.

"Today would be difficult," Joonghwi said. The Oaks have shown a great improvement since their last fight with their kind. "They're strong..."

The Oaks wore a black heavy steel armor together with their helmets. They seemed to have lots of private funds by the looks of what they have. They then looked around as if they were inspecting the place and then, they all stood still in a line. After a little while, they started to walk and march forward.

"They look very prepared..." Joonghwi said, looking at their armor, thinking that they were as strong as a sixth tier monster.

They were strong; they had great armor, high-quality armed weapons, and big shields. They continued to get closer and closer. One of them then turned around to the other Oaks and shouted. They didn't have much more distance left to cover but after that, their response to was more of a bestial shriek.

The Oaks then started the attack.

"What are they doing?" Jaehwang asked DalJeon.

"I'm not sure. Are they underestimating me? I'm much older than them..." He replied.

Of course, they didn't expect any respect from the Oaks. He then looked through a pair of binoculars.

"They have big shields..." DalJeon said. He was trying to estimate in his head how many of them were there but they were so many that he couldn't even tell.. The ground up ahead was covered with Oak soldiers. It looked like a battle scene taken out of a movie.

They started to place their shields in front of them as they covered half of the distance left between them and the wall. The number of guns they had looked to be about 6,000. That was an estimate from just one quick glance but it was much easier to see as they got closer.

All of the weapons in Justin point were set up and ready. It was an explosive and a dangerous situation but the Oaks were getting close so they had to do something and hope for the best on their end. The only problem was that the explosives wouldn't go far because of the people that were tied to their shields.

A few of them were struggling trying to escape. They started to get even closer making their screams louder..

"Save us!"

"I don't want to die!"

Said the humans that were cruelly tied to their shields. The oaks kept a straight face and continued moving forward. They were then about three kilometers away and so the Justin point soldiers finally started making commands. They had no intentions to save the hostages.

-It's time to fire!

The leader said through the radio.

Pang! Pang! Pang!

Pang! Pang! Pang!

Someone was controlling the 30mm machine gun on top of the military bus. The top of the Justin point barrier was covered in smoke from all of the weapons that were being fired since the attack had started. The Oaks just continued to press on as they raised their shields.

Teuk Teuk Teuk... Teuk Teuk... Teuk Teuk Teuk

Pang... Pang

They couldn't even hear their voices through all that gunfire. The 30mm machine gun was definitely getting a direct hit. Some of them thought that the oaks had predicted this situation but even so, they wanted to find a way to rescue them.

Chapter 83

Ping... Ping... Ping...

Their shots were blocked by the Oak's giant shields who suffered a few dents for each and every explosion that they would throw.

The Oaks helped each other off to block their attacks as much as they could but it wasn't long before their defense began to shatter. The humans had started to break through so they had no choice but to return the favor..

"They don't seem to be too affected," DalJeon said as he watched them from afar.

The 30mm machine gun was very big and strong. A direct hit from it could completely destroy dozens of them at once, however, the Oaks had layers and layers of iron over their armor that reduced most of its impact.

It shocked Jaehwang too. They weren't even strong enough to give him a challenge during the last time they fought.

"The Oaks are using magic... It's very strong. This is going to be difficult..."DalJeon as he watched them cast some spells. He then saw a different one; It had horns sticking out of its head and it carried a giant stick on its back which it raised to the sky before the other oaks marched forward. "It's the Oak leader..."

"The Oak leader?" Jaehwang replied with a confused tone.

"An Oak leader possesses some high ranked magical skills which are very rare. It has a limitless range of magical abilities which makes it very powerful," DalJeon explained.

The oaks seemed prepared and it was like they had someone on their side coaching them. But it wasn't like the soldiers of Justin point weren't ready as well.

Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!𝒍𝓲𝓫𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅.𝙘𝙤𝒎

They continued to press on with their 30mm machine gun. Flames were everywhere and the Oak's shields blew up in blue light as they tried to block them.

The Oaks started to have a hard time blocking and they were forced to take a step back. The machine gun ran on energy so the high-angle weapon affected the monsters more. It was enough to break through their shields to attack them directly. The range of their machine gun could possibly reach all of them but that would be dangerous on their side as well. Using it at full power would bring them a risk equal to the advantage it could bring.

Whoosh...

They wanted to decrease their output so they kept their shots low to avoid hitting the drones hovering in the air and despite that, the swarm of Oak soldiers within the distance were getting gunned down. They were aware of the drones above them but they could do so little with their short ranged arrows.

They kept focusing on the drones even though their arrows would always come back down. The drones in the sky then dropped a couple of black capsules which opened before it hit the ground.

Pong! Pong!

They weren't explosives, they just harmlessly exploded as they fell from the air which covered the Oaks in a cloud of dense gray smoke.

The Oaks dropped their weapons and held onto their throats. White foam started to leak out from their mouths and that white foam then turned into blood. The capsule that launched from the drones was a chemical weapon.

The white smoke continued to cover the area where the Oaks were but none of them were ready to give up. They were trained on how to handle a situation like this.

"Darn it... Of course, humans have effective weapons in this fight..."

Breathing it in made them bleed and feel dizzy, a lot of them tried to cover their mouths and noses with their arms but it was no use.

One of the giant strong Oaks then fell to the ground.

"It's getting really difficult but they shouldn't get too happy yet." A rough ominous voice then echoed through all that gunfire.

"Why?" Another one replied.

"This isn't a victory worth celebrating for them... and we'll just get angrier." The Oak leader said and the other shook its head. The fight was far from over, they were all still in pain but they cleared their throats and got ahold of themselves. 𝙡𝓲𝒃𝓻𝓮𝙖𝒅.𝙘𝓸𝒎

"Foolish humans, that's good news for us. They are our prey. Prepare all of the Oaks. It's time to fight."

"Yes, sir."

He turned and looked around the other Okas who wore heavy but sturdy armor. The leader wore a big crown on his head and a fancy attire that sets him out from the rest.

One of the other Oaks approached the leader, sat next to it and said, "Leader, it is time."

"Yes. It's time." He replied.

The ones on his right who shared the same fancy attire gave him a polite greeting before they raised their sticks high in the air. They let out a shout as a signal for their attack and they then started to glow with a green light.

Deuk deuk deuk deuk deuk!

The Oaks that were in charge of the war drums resumed their beats, making the whole situation more tense as it should be.

The green light gradually covered the Oaks and the color of their eyes started to change. They marched forward, hitting the ends of their weapons to the beat of the drum along with their bestial screams. A blue light then began to show up all around them.

"They're... They are rushing in even though we're going to capture them."

DalJeon gave a strange look to those remaining Oaks. They were monsters but they seemed to be feeling nauseated. They started to fall down to the ground but they aren't dead and they are still clearly breathing.

But he knew that they wouldn't stay down for long, the Oaks were much stronger than they were. They couldn't relax, they had to focus and keep their guard up at all times.

"What's going on?" He then saw something unusual through the binoculars.

The blue light that surrounded them looked like a raindrop falling into a giant lake. It was massive but they weren't surprised at what they saw. The Oaks shrieked by the beat of the drum and their muscles would grow more defined.

"Th-..there!"

It was something that they could recognize after staying in Justin point for ten Oaks were using magic. It was incredible and what worried them the most was that it was their first time seeing magic this strong.

The Oaks then shrieked again. It was complete chaos.

"We need more power!"

Deu Deu Deu Deu

The Oaks then started raging towards Justin point.

Whoosh...

But those in Justin point didn't just sit by, the readied their weapons and prepared to fire.

Kwang kwang kwang!

The Oaks continued on forward ready to take on whatever the soldiers could give. They were instantly piled on the entire mountain. Justin point then weren't the only ones attacking.

Whoosh...

Justin point then launched dozens of missiles. The missile was launched as one but it broke into pieces mid flight and gave birth to other smaller projectiles aimed towards the Oaks on the ground.

Whoosh...

They started to land one by one and it caused a fire that made the battlefield look like a complete hell.

Hundreds of Oaks were getting burned but that was all. It handled a lot of them but more Oaks just came out and replaced them making their wave even stronger than before. They still had that green glow in their eyes.

The Oaks started to get even closer to the Justin point barrier. Three kilometers soon turned into two. They tried to focus their firepower but there were just so many of them.

"If it continues on like this then our defenses will collapse." They looked at the wave of Oaks charging towards the Justin point barrier and DalJeon, who was holding the camera, suddenly just sat down. He then looked at Jae Hwang and said, "Why are they doing this?!"

-That?

-Yeah.

-What are you doing?

-Resonating my energy...

-Resonating?

There was a lot going on at the moment but Jaehwang was too busy and had no time to worry about it. A little while ago they were dealing with the aftermath of the Oaks magic. Jaehwang wasn't doing anything to help with it.

He had a problem with the flow of his energy. He didn't know about the others but his energy affected him much more than they would affect a usual hunter. After the green energy grew like a flower, it spread throughout their army before it then gathered into a circle before spreading around once more, it went on until it formed a green giant circle. Although the Oaks were behind that power, no one could deny that it was beautiful.

Jaehwang was then able to figure out exactly what was going on.

[Success in understanding the attack after witnessing the high level of energy flow...]

[Understanding is complete...]

[With the realization of the energy resonation, your own energy has increased by ten ranks.]

[Energy- 1 Rank, 0 percent]

-Overall energy + 500

-Resurrection energy + 20

-Consciousness: + 2

Pang!

Jaehwang's mind suddenly turned blank.

He witnessed its resonation and the energy inside him started to fluctuate the moment he lifted it. With its power, he began to realize hundreds and millions of facts and information about the energies around him.

He took the next step and finished preparing. He then started to transmit it into his real self. The world's memories that were buried into the ground were then found in perfect condition as they gathered in front of Jaehwang. A new energy was then stored into him and he finally took his first breath since then.

Whoosh...

Jaehwang's true feelings flew into him through the air. The winds eventually stopped and Jaehwang's eyes burst open, he realized what had happened the moment he got up, all of that made him complete.

Chapter 84

-Congratulations.

-Thanks.

Jaehwang replied to the spirit with a puzzled expression before he opened the status window.

Status window:

Name: Jeon Jaehwang, Rank C, Level 10/9, 645,787/8000,000 exp

Strength: 5.5 (+ 1)

Speed: 8

Stamina: 7

Sense: 10

Consciousness: 9

Energy: 830/830

Resurrection energy rate: 11

-Archery skills

Effects

Strength: 1

Speed: 2

Sense: 2

?

-Silent chase

Effects

Stamina: 2

Resurrection energy rate: 20

?

(New) -Precaution skill𝙡𝙞𝒃𝓻𝒆𝓪𝒅.𝓬𝒐𝒎

Effects:

Skill attack strength +10 percent

Skill energy consumption -20 percent

Skills in possession

Unique Skills

Tiger hunter- Rank 11, 58 percent

Archery skills- Rank 7, 31 percent

Unique arrow

Exploding arrow

Guided arrow

Strong arrow

Real skills:

Concentration – Rank 1, 0 percent

Special skills

Common skill

Cooking- Rank 6, 98 percent

Quick resurrection – Rank 9, 11 percent

The first thing he noticed was how much his energy went up. It went up from 400 to 830 and his resurrection energy increased by 11. His energy increased three times more than last time.

It also meant that his resurrection energy would now take up to just ten minutes to refill. He could manage his skill just fine and nothing much would happen if he didn't pay too much attention to it. All he knew was that with just one use, his experience would increase.

"That's really something." She said in reference to Jaehwang's inherited skills.

[New meter found.]

-Precaution sense (Unique skill)

Effects:

Skill attack rate + 10 percent

Energy consumption skill – 20 percent

Jaehwang then closed his eyes and tried to relax. He felt something strange from the energy since then. Somehow he felt weaker but it also made him feel free.

Jaehwang looked towards the direction of the barrier and saw the wave of Oaks.

The machine gun was still shooting, he then looked at his fellow soldiers and his face turned blank. He couldn't let any of them die.

-Spirit?

-Yes?

-We're going to do something great. Get ready.

-Like what? Wait... you're going to use the arrow you've had set aside all this time, aren't you?

-Exactly.

Jaehwang replied to the spirit's question. From then on, Jaehwang decided to think bigger as his skills were already so great.

-Sounds like a plan. I'll get ready. And also, if you're going to use it now, I won't be of much use for other things while we're preparing. Is that Okay?

-Okay. But can't you do more now that you have that tiara?

-Well, I guess you're right. I've been getting a lot of energy every day because of it.

Jaehwang had something planned that he had never used before. He never considered it because of its cost. If he used it just one time then the spirit would fall into a deep sleep forever. But that wasn't all, her strength, all of her magic and herself, would disappear. But now the time has come for him to put it to use.

He couldn't let the members of the 8th platoon die.

[Incantation]

Jujuju...

Jaehwang surrounded himself with the Red energy that came from his soul, it then went back and completely disappeared.

[Unknown energy increased all strength management by + 1.]

[Unknown energy increased energy by + 1000.]

[Unknown energy increased Resurrection energy rate by 30 percent.]

"Ouch..." Jaehwang said.

He felt a sudden increase in energy. The incarnation took control of both his body and the spirit's. Through that, they were both able to share their strength and energy, the last time they did it was when they fought to survive in the Alousu.

If it wasn't for the both of them working together then things wouldn't have turned out the same. They were much stronger working together than alone.

He then picked up his bow and arrow with a hopeful expression.

-Ready? I'm going to need your help.

-Got it.

The spirit passed him a few strings and he then turned to the platoon members which were in the direction of the Oaks. The spirit was prepared to help so every time he would shoot an arrow, another would magically show up in place of it. He continued to adjust the string while the spirit kept him updated on their condition.

He set its position and focused.

Tuek...

He shot one arrow. It went through the head of the Oak he aimed for and then landed in the foot of the one behind it. Because of all that energy, the flying arrow looked as if it was a laser flying into its foot. The red laser-like trail appeared wherever he aimed.

"Great," Jaehwang said with a smile as he started to increase his attack speed. It wasn't long before he reached the speed of light.

Pang pang pang pang!

The sound of him pulling string as he launched the arrow made a subtle snapping sound although it wasn't breaking. His right arm then started to move even faster.

Kwang kwang kwang! Pang pang pang!

He consumed his energy as much as he dished out his different arrows. The Oaks were flying all over the place due to explosions from some of it.

His skills were also increasing,

140

210

98

He could see that things were going well at that time. He was gaining a lot of experience as well.

"The gun is overheating!"

"It needs to cool down! Quickly! Turn the speed down a little!"

"On it!"

"Ugh, darn these Oaks!"

Lots of Oaks were dying but there were still a whole lot more to deal with. The machine guns had already been put to a halt. It was fine but if it continued to shoot like that for any longer, it would be left in terrible condition. They needed to let it rest so they had to use something else.

"Peji! Do we have any other guns?" Joonghwi yelled.

"I think so!" Peji replied.

"Here's one!" One of the platoon members shouted back.

The Oaks were still coming closer and they were running low on firepower. They were running out of had to get explosives and perception censers.

Joonghwi then started to worry because of the machine gun situation but he quickly got a hold of himself and went to a different military bus next to them. The Oaks had gained some speed because they had to decrease their firepower.

"This is getting impossible!"

They underestimated the Oaks. They could have wiped them out if they stood in a single place but the problem was this wasn't like the ones they had hunted before. They all focused their firepower at their center but it seemed to just make them stronger.

"The range is 980 meters! We could pierce through their armor!"

He shouted, telling them the range of the laser.

One kilometer... It seemed like an amazing range but it seemed too good to be true. That was like the top speed for a third tier hunter. It was slow compared to the Oaks' top speed but if they continued to move as they are, they would be much faster. He wouldn't be surprised if he heard the news to retreat because if they wouldn't, he's sure that they would get overrun by a wave of Oaks.

"500 meters! If we let them get closer then we'll lose everything and Justin point will be destroyed. So, focus on your responsibilities! Peji! Tell the control tower to change course after 500 meters!" Joonghwi shouted.

"Yes, sir..."

Peji replied in a hesitant tone. Changing courses could lead to terrible assumptions causing prompt decisions, accidents and possibly, a felony. Therefore, he didn't think that it was a good idea. He wanted to listen to Joonghwi's orders but he also didn't want to see the platoon members die.

"Hyejin! Update us every 50 meters!"

"Got it! 850 meters! 800 meters! 750 meters!" Hyejin continued to keep them updated.

They almost reached their destination. They tried to resist the urge to push the Oaks away but it was no use. Their colleagues were running them over and blood was everywhere. Just when all the platoon members were all thinking about retreating they heard Hyejin updates.

"600 meters!... Huh? 600 meters? 600 meters! What's going on with this thing? It's stopping."

Hyejin said, confused and wondering if she made a mistake in the range measurements.

"What is it?"

There weren't any other attacks that had been issued on Justin point but the Oaks had stopped as if they had met a seawall. Joonghwi looked through the binoculars to see what was going on. The Oaks limbs and heads were flying through the air due to green sparkle in their eyes was frightening... However, there was a shower of arrows falling onto them. They fell onto their heads causing the Oaks to collapse and die.

"Arrows?!"

Hyejin said in a surprised voice as she looked over to Jonghwi. It looked like rain but it was all arrows. There were hundreds of arrows flying through the sky.

"Who could it be!"

The machine gun was still shooting at low power but it wasn't making much a difference when the arrows started to come in. Joonghwi then put on the binoculars to see where the arrows were coming from. He found the source and it was their old co-leader, Jaehwang.

"Those stupid monsters..."

"What is he doing!"

DalJeon yelled in surprise as he watched him launch his arrows. Joonghwi was amazed as well, he thought that they prepared so much for that long distance attack.

"Idiots." He mumbled to himself without noticing.

But that's how he actually felt. He just quickly played it off even though someone could have heard him. He seemed like a daring beginner hunter.

"Huh?"

They all watched in awe. He started off shooting slowly and was soon shooting at the speed of light. It was something that they've never seen before.

"Wow..."

They were speechless. He had created a hell of falling arrows just for the Oaks.

Chapter 85

"Unbelievable!"

He said in awe. This wasn't planned for their video. Everything was being filmed on his action cam but it was still unbelievable even though he was seeing it with his own eyes. There's no way that he was a beginner.

Tingting...

Jaehwang quickly connected the string and pulled it to begin shooting arrows once again. He changed the string in a total of ten seconds, he didn't even check to make sure it was fastened perfectly.

-You're doing so much.

-That's good.

The lines were especially hot. There was a special line that the spirit gave him. At the end of the string was a giant shield protecting him from the Oaks that were coming towards them. Jaehwang continued to shoot arrows, aiming at them with a sharp gaze.

He was then passed another arrow.

"Strong Guided Arrow!"

Pang!

The arrow exploded, making a loud noise around where Jaehwang and DalJeon were. The Oaks then held up their shields to try to protect themselves.

There was an Oak with a shield that was sturdier and bigger than the others. They were stronger compared to the Oaks but that line could be crossed easily if the Oaks had weapons. Their shields were also doing a really good job protecting them from their attacks.

The Oaks then shouted as they continued to approach their destination. Their legs were terribly injured and the shields were failing but they used their healing skills to move on.

After hearing their shrieks, they could sense their threatening movements. They were quickly heading towards them like lightning.

"Fire!"

The Oaks smirked and raised their shields over their entire body. They were effortlessly blocking the attacks and all of the high ranked monsters remained unharmed.

They were very confident in themselves.

A bolt of lightning then fell down and struck them three times with its glowing line stemming from the skies.

Pang!

The arrows were about to reach them so they hid in their shields but it was no use. It was all exploding arrows.

+140

+8900...

-That was great. If you continue to do well then your rank will go up.

He continued to shoot with determination glowing from his eyes. He was usually as good as a level 2 or 3 hunter but he saw that he had leveled up in the status window and he was now stronger than he was used to be.

They boasted their high defense but they knew that they still had to be careful because they recognized that there were skilled hunters on the side of humans as well.

Jaehwang was currently at level 9, rank C. Just one more level and his rank would go up. Leveling up was one of the most important things for a hunter. The higher the level, the better the performance.

-Really? Well, then shall I make that my goal and reach it?

The spirit felt more motivated and handed him more arrows. Jaehwang seemed very determined so she knew exactly what kind of arrows to pass him.

-Pass more effective arrows.

-I was thinking... Nevermind...

There were hundreds of Oaks coming towards them and if they didn't use a more effective arrow then it would have been difficult to catch them. Since there were so many of them, leveling up wouldn't be difficult at all.

Teuk teuk...

He adjusted the string for a second time, he checked his hand and then said, "Quick resurrection"

His injured hand was then healed. He had gloves worth 3 million dollars but it wasn't long before it was torn to pieces. The repair charges would have been much more than its original price.

Click...

He took off the gloves and threw them on the ground. He then put on another pair and prepared himself to shoot once more. Just like the last time, he started off slow.

-Retreat! They've planted a bomb. The timer is set to one minute!

"Damn it, when will they come out! Everyone, get on the bus!" Jonnghwi shouted.

"Yes, sir." They all replied and rushed inside. He put in the key and started the engine just as the time passed.

Whoosh...

The bus quickly took off just in time.

"Great."

The area blew up with a few pieces of metal flying all over.

"Let's go!" Joonghwi looked ahead and saw that there were still dozens of arrows attacking the Oaks.

"Thanks." He said with a smile knowing who was shooting the arrows. Even if it wasn't Jae Hwang, they couldn't have escaped easily without their help.

"Joonghwi, look out!" One of the platoon members shouted.

"I got it!"

Kwang kwang kwang!

Joonghwi stopped the bus 100 meters away from the barrier as a series of explosions started. They could see Oaks flying up into the air due to the explosion but after reaching the ground, they rejoined with the others.

They drove towards the barrier once again.

The wave of Oaks then started running towards the wall. Some of them were about to reach it but a few explosions pushed them back. The human soldiers were still in the process of making the trap for when the Oaks came close.

Kwang Kwang!

The second explosion erupted. That explosion was much more fatal to the Oaks close to the wall than the last one. They watched the Oaks fly into the air and back onto the ground from the military bus.

"Argh!" Joonghwi groaned as he kept his eyes on the road.

The Oaks that survived were left in a very critical condition. Even the high ranked Oaks couldn't save themselves.

The engine of the military bus started to overheat. The explosion had damaged the bus making it very hard to manage and maneuver.

The soldiers in Justin point started launching missiles. The wall blocking them then disappeared and they began to slaughter the Oaks using their firepower without a shred of hesitation.

"Whew..."

Jaehwang stopped the attacks after the second explosion. He took a breath as he stared at them. His energy quickly came back as exhaustion was no longer his problem since his increase in energy according to what he saw in the status window.

All of his strength increased by + 1, making everything easier than before. It had been a long time since he had shot arrows but it was the first time he had shot arrows like that.

-Can you check the amount of arrows we have left?

-There are 8,291 common arrows left... 23 Teleboard arrows, 41 baby Teleboard arrows... 3,200 arrows with an uncertain type and 48 arrow strings.

We already used about 3000?

-It seems so. Let's take it easy from now on, okay? We have to save some since we'll need them in the future.

-Okay. Let's just use the uncertain types and baby Teleboard arrows.

-Got it. First I'll go and see what's going on.

-Thanks.

She went to see if the platoon members escaped and Jaehwang sat down for a rest. The spirit got the arrows and went to check to see what was going on.

DalJeon then carefully walked up to Jaehwang. At first, he thought that he was just a beginner but after seeing what he just did he realized that he was wrong. "Excuse me..."

"Yes?" Jaehwang replied.

"I'm sorry," DalJeon said as he fell onto his knees. He underestimated him. He was powerful. "I really thought that we'd have to retreat."

He was a little confused until he realized the truth. He checked his second level hybrid license but that could have been fake. Being in level two meant he had no reason to refuse the mobilization order. If he was a beginner hunter then he wouldn't have been able to do all of that. The penalty for refusing the mobilization order was severe so beginner hunters couldn't refuse it.

Of course, Jaehwang did really care about anything like that and what people thought. DalJeon was very surprised to see his true skills as he didn't know that he was a very high ranked hunter. He was as powerful as the country's strongest weapons.

He was thinking of asking 'are you an idiot?' but after seeing him face those Oaks, he couldn't get a word out.

"I..." DalJeon nervously reached out his hand to Jaehwang who was kneeling down.

He was feeling extremely nervous that he couldn't even talk. He didn't like how the filming came out on camera. He cursed himself why did he have to film so poorly, why did he just stand there in surprise? Nothing was going right for him at this moment.

"I don't know what's wrong but, it's okay," Jaehwang said.

"This may sound like only an excuse but, I didn't know you were such a good hunter. I'm really sorry."

"Haha..." Jaehwang patted DalJeon on the shoulder.

He got scared after seeing the military soldiers and froze in his place but he shook a bit every time Jaehwang touched him.

Jaehwang has gotten a little more used to not wearing his hood but he still feels more comfortable wearing it. So then he looked at him and said, "Really, it's okay."

"Ah..." Daljeon then lifted his head and saw Jaehwang take off his hood.

It was the first time he had seen him without it. He was speechless. He gave him a blank stare and a bitter smile as he stood up.

He became hesitant in taking off his hood because of reactions like that. Although his face looked similar to his current one, it definitely had an upgrade since he was born again leading to those reactions that annoyed him the most.

Chapter 86

He sat next to DalJeon for a moment to rest and he stood up once again.

-Should we take it easy?

-We can try.

The spirit then smiled and handed him another arrow.

"Lightly..." Jaehwang started to shoot without the help of the spirit.

Although Jaehwang was very strong on his own, he had no other skills besides being a Gagseog. There were times that he would be unable to do his best just because he couldn't control his skill properly.

-Is everything going great?

-There's nothing new so calculating should be easy.

The arrows landed effortlessly as Jaehwang's attacks got faster and faster.

Swoosh... Pong!

A big arrow flew towards him but it hit the wall instead. It was quite strong, he could have gotten injured but it slipped right through him. He then turned his head towards it and stared at it in surprise.

-Isn't it amazing how that arrow flew over here? 𝙡𝙞𝓫𝙧𝙚𝓪𝒅.𝒄𝒐𝓶

He said to the spirit.

-Thank goodness you dodged it, you could have died...

She sighed.

-Yeah...

He replied. He almost got injured but that was all, it wasn't all too serious. Nothing could scare him anymore after all that training he received from his father.

-Who launched it?

-Maybe someone like me.

They then looked over to the suspect and saw a long string coming from out of him. There were hundreds of Oaks lined up about one kilometer away from them. It was an Oak wearing a full-faced leather helmet and he aimed his arrow towards the people at Justin point. He shot a few towards Jaehwang's direction and pulled the string once again.

-Since he sent us a present, we should repay him.

-Hey, be nice...

-He seems quite strong, let's raise the limit.

-Got it.

Pang!

"Unique arrow!" Jae Hwang launched an arrow in his direction.

Pong!

He screeched as the arrow went into his eyes. The monster then collapsed onto the ground with his helmet overflowing with blood.

+2300

-Hm...

Jaehwang was a little surprised. He killed his target and the experience that he got made it look like as if he took down a fourth tier monster.

-He must have thought that because he had a special skill then he could easily protect himself.

The spirit scoffed.

-Haha... It could have been a wild ginseng.

-Ah, thanks for reminding me about food, we should probably step down a eat.

Maybe he had just a handful of experience because of the attack but he was doing a great job. The arrow he was using used a lot of energy and was faster than usual. However, if he learned to control his strength from now then everything would go fine.𝘭𝑖𝒷𝓇𝘦𝘢𝒹.𝑐𝘰𝘮

"Argh!"

"Careful!"

"Shielders! Protect the archers!" The Oak leader shouted as their strongest archer collapsed and screamed in pain.

Teuk!

The Oaks followed his orders and begin to shield their archer.

"We can't sacrifice any more soldiers." One of them shouted.

They tried to gather the oaks who had a knack for archery specifically for this battle but it didn't go as well as they expected it to be. There were just a few of them and they weren't even as skilled as the humans that they wanted to beat.

Swoosh... Pong...

"Argh!"

"No!"

Another arrow flew through the air and hit their archer. The shields were useless. It didn't look so powerful but they were still incredibly anxious. Though the arrows took out most of them. It looked like it was passing through their shields and going directly at them.

"Focus on attacking!"

Teuk teuk teuk!

They tried even harder to protect themselves and others as they couldn't risk any more sacrifices. They then followed the leader's orders and focused on attacking.

"Argh... That stupid human archer..." He mumbled to himself as he watched the human on the rooftop. He made that empty building look like a watchtower.

"That stupid human! Kill him." One of the Oaks said as he watched Jaehwang shoot his arrows.

The severe human invasion had gone on for 20 years. The Oaks had been suffering from their arrows since then. They had to find a safe place to survive and live quietly.

Because of the human's wide range of powerful weapons, they were unable to fight back and so the Oaks began to revalue archery on their side as well. They thought that they won't have an edge in battle if they didn't develop that skill just humans.

Although they didn't have any devoted young talented archers, they began to train many of them and they all gathered together to join their campaign.

The Oaks soon continued to practice it and they soon established an entire unit of archers. It was all worth it. The cavalry and the infantry troops were their most capable soldiers and the presence of their archers made them stronger.

They got the archery arrows and bows that humans had used and practiced. All of their hard work had seemed to be paying off during that battle but...

"Get ready for the attack!:

Deudeudeuk!

They saw Jaehwang launch an arrow.

"Look out!" One of his loyal soldiers jumped in front of him to block the shot and luckily, the arrows passed right by him.

'Wow... That was fast!'

The arrows looked slow at first glance, they practiced a lot so they could avoid them and that's how they survived so far. Although it was easy for some of them, they could still make a mistake.

Swooshh! Pong!

One of the Oaks bravely took the shot that opened a huge hole in his stomach.

"Ah!" He screamed in pain.

Did he scream because he had managed to save his king? No, he screamed because he felt the metal digging right through him.

Teuk teuk teuk.. Pong pong pong!

One of the monsters who covered himself in leather got shot down. Blood was splattered all over the ground.

"This is a little intense..." One of the monsters said as he witnessed how their battle turned out. It turned out to be worse than what they expected.

"Uh..." The one who was shouting 'fire!' before was left speechless. He could barely hold his breath when he looked down at his soldier who got shot down. Blood was all over him but he did his best to stay alive.

"I..." He was having trouble speaking with an arrow sticking out of him.

"Argh..." One of the soldiers kneeled beside him once he noticed that he was struggling to make even the faintest sound.

"Leader!" One of them shouted as he noticed his presence.

"Sir!" The dying soldier yelled and the last thing that he saw was another arrow flying towards him.

+6,754

-Oh... Of course, those big strong ones must have lots of experience.

-Yeah.

The spirit replied to Jaehwang as he continued to make his arrows rain.

The Oaks archers looked strong because they packed a lot of muscles. He then asked the spirit for unique, exploding and strong arrows. He wasn't just aiming for their leader, he was aiming for their strongest shoulders. He was looking for the monster that could potentially deal a lot of damage.

-You can do it!

The spirit shouted.

-Thanks!

'M-monster...'

DalJeon said as he stared at Jaehwang. He had launched many arrows at the speed of light but what surprised him more was his light movements. He lightly and easily avoided the shots coming from the enemy as he continuously returned the favor for their attacks.

Pong pong pong pong pong!

He was shooting arrows like a canon. It was a loud sound that the entire neighborhood could hear.

DalJeon saw an arrow coming towards Jaehwang and shouted, "Look out!"

"Huh?"

Pong...

"Ahgh..." The impact left a small crack on the helmet of his cover suit. He could have gotten shot in the head if it weren't for that.

"Be careful."

"Got it," Jaehwang replied.

Jaehwang was keeping him safe. He was still scared but DalJeon stood up and said, "A-amazing..."

He had a mix of dirt and water on the palms. The place where Jaehwang's arrows had landed looked like hell. The Oaks had a safe location to hide but Jaehwang's exploding arrows reached them.

"I didn't know that there were people like him here in Justin point," He mumbled. It was still flooded with Oaks but the beauty of Justin point was not gone. If they keep up their efforts then it would be sure that they would win.

"Huh?" A cloud of dust soon started to appear at the end of the horizon. There can't see much since it was too big. Jaehwang then asked, "What's going on?"

They saw the military bus. Actually, there were twenty military buses driving at full speed and they ran all over the Oaks blocking their path. If they had received news of the attack later than that, they wouldn't have found the way. DalJeon was then surprised but not because of that.

"Why are they coming this way?" Jaehwang asked.

They were supposed to be on their way through a safe gate to escape but it looked like they decided to return to Justin point in the middle of the fight. DalJeon had no idea on what was going on. If the gate was blocked then they could have told them through the radio.

"Could the gate have already been closed?" DalJeon asked himself. That was so fast. Although the gates had been closed, it had a great defense that could rival Justin point. It had been protected for so many years but reality broke more than their expectations. "Those idiots, they should have just went to hide."

The Oaks were still crawling around the place but the gate wasn't a simple position that they could just abandon. It was dangerous but they couldn't just run and hide.

DalJeon then realized their reason and regretted calling them 'idiots'.

But he wasn't the only one with regrets, everyone in Justin point fighting against them then realized they had made a big mistake.

Chapter 87

[Experience point renewed.]

Name: Jeon Jaehwang Rank C 10/9 Level 800,000/800,850exp [Level Up]

-Did I just ranked up?

-Good work.

Jaehwang looked at his progress with relief. He finally took another step towards his goal. The time it takes for a hunter to level up could maybe leave a hunter in a defenseless state but, it has already been updated and they could now use it to level up freely.

-Thanks.

-You finally got to rank B huh?

-Yeah...

Now that he had leveled up, he increased from rank C to rank B.

This level up was different from usual. It now meant that he would have to gain much more experience to level up. He had a hard time finding things to fill his experience but he was only able to do so thanks to his time with the military and the platoon. His progress wouldn't be that slow if he were to be compared with other hunters.

-Looks like you've gotten so much stronger.

-I don't know.

From rank F to rank C, the spirit would tell him how strong he had gotten every time he leveled up.

-Okay, now I can fight GwanJae and win.

His match against Gwanjae was the first thing he could think of after leveling up. Jaehwang probably didn't think about it but, he shouldn't doubt GwanJae's conscious state.

GwanJae... He was the only ruler for the past 60 years. He would estimate that he was already fully leveled up. The usual types of hunters you could run into was level 5 or 6 but GwanJae was clearly much stronger than them.

He was leveled up completely. He had lots of experience hunting monsters, his attacks were strong and he was highly skilled overall. However, the hunters' level couldn't be exposed by their outside appearance, if so, then they would be risking their lives due to of all the danger it would cause.

Although they would openly talk with others about their levels. They would also fight against each other to test and boast about their strength but unfortunately, many hunters had died because of that and so they eventually stopped telling each other their ranks.

That also caused the standard of information sharing to be established through each countries. The system was also established so hunters could use more objects with their battle skills than just relying purely on their levels.

Now on with the story, Jaehwang took a deep breath and heard the voice of the spirit.

-You have gotten very strong.

-Huh? What do you mean?

-Maybe it's because you defeated that Oak leader.

A string then started to form from his eye. It was quite long and there was a red string at the end of it. He saw a fancy red throne made of skeletons with a skull on top inside of it.𝓵𝓲𝙗𝓻𝓮𝓪𝙙.𝒄𝓸𝒎

-As expected, the usual.

The Oak sitting in the chair wasn't so big and strong. It was wearing black leather armor that was torn causing it to reveal his torso. His right arm was especially covered black...

-It's the Oak King... do you think you can hunt him?

-I don't know, maybe..? It looks like it won't be easy. He's really far away so I can't really judge his abilities but he seems to be very strong.

He said to the spirit nervously. Trying to hunt the king would definitely be very dangerous, he had to be very cautious.

-How much healing energy do you have left?

-I'm almost running out.

-Really? Well then, this time, just shoot everything with one shot.

Jaehwang took a deep breath and began loading his arrows. He was about to go against the Oak King and he was preparing for his most powerful attack yet. If possible he wanted to study the final step of his archery training but that was still a little out of his range. He only completed three steps so far.

"Silence..."

[Silent hunter skill activated.]

He broke through the speed of sound which seemed to be unreachable to him before. He could now hear the sound of the arrow flying ripping through the air with the help of his silent hunter skill.

"The unique arrow and the exploding arrow..."

Swoosh... Pang pang pang...

A whirlwind of energy started to generate inside of Jaehwang. The whirlwind of energy came out of him and bundled into the arrow that he launched.

With these skills and the spirit's, all of their condensed strength turned and started flashing as it shone with a red light.

"Strong arrow!"

Swoosh...

It was soundless but it made a gigantic sonic boom as it flew by with a gust of wind.

-That was everything... Now we'll just wait and see...

The spirit said with an exhausted tone, she had given it her all just like what he asked for.

"Phew..."

He couldn't relax yet. He could still feel the impact inside of him from all of the shots he had made. Launching everything at once took a lot more than he had thought. He kneeled to his knees due to the pain as he couldn't bear to stand on his feet anymore.

And then, he saw an arrow flying towards his eyes.

"Huh?"

The king sat on his throne as he stared at Justin point. The arrows that Jaehwang had launched were flying at him at full speed.

"Go!"

The other strong Oaks rushed to his side to protect him from the attack. They were holding giant battle axes and were prepared to risk their lives to protect him but, the king then said something unexpected.

"Move."

Pang!Teuk! Pang pang pang!

The oaks immediately moved out of the way. They saw the arrows coming closer and closer so they took out their weapons just in case.

"This will be fun."

The arrow flew over his head but his facial expression was unchanged.

He caught the flying arrows with his hand that was covered in leather armor and he absorbed all the energy that was put in it.

Pang! Jiijiiji...

"This is a bit trickier than I thought." He sat still in his place and looked at the arrow that he had just caught. "It's small..."

The arrow was extremely small. It wasn't as big as arrows usually were but it was clearly very strong.

"This human might even give me a challenge." He said and the Oaks around him raised their weapons ready to protect him at all costs.

The king didn't seem to be angry at all. He was a little disappointed but he knew that it could guarantee their victory if they destroyed the person who shot that arrow.

"We have to prepare..."

Kwang kwang kwang!

"Looks like it has begun."

The arrows flew down with sharp and glowing red tips.

"Ugh! This... What is this!" The shot shook the floor and caused DalJeon to fall over.

He could see that Justin point was now filled with smoke and flames, it was like he could sense all the danger that it gives.

"What about over there?" DalJeon shouted as the flames grew higher.

There was an explosion on the other side of Justin point.

They saw six generators over in the same area. There were a few generators in the basement where some of their energies were stored but those spares were now engulfed in flames.

The fire was being put out by highly skilled firefighters but it soon grew bigger. All of the weapons being operated in Justin point were stopped and unfortunately, that wasn't the only problem.

-Hey! What is this guy doing?!

- The Samjeon church followers are here! This is an emergency!

-Those Bileons!

There was nowhere left to run, the church of Bileons were starting to get brutally attacked. Something unbelievable then happened.

"W-what are we going to do?..."

Justin point was suffering. Although many hunters went and left frequently, Justin point had supercomputers and had many guards to examine the CCTV.

An unlucky thought came to DalJeon's mind. He then lifted his head and looked at the sight of all the Oaks before them. While looking in that direction, he saw 20 military buses coming their way. They were mowing everything in their path and they had no signs of slowing down. They were driving in a neat line but they had quite a distance away from each other.

The others fixed the emergency generators and restored the base's firepower in just a span of five minutes while the military buses continued to move.

"It's dangerous here..." DalJeon ran to the side to take cover.

He had a hunch on what was going to happen but he felt like he could have been wrong. He started running faster but then, he saw Jaehwang.

"Over there!"

Jaehwang was standing on one knee, he kept his focus but he didn't see anything until he heard him shouting, "Quick, look out!"

Daljeon ran over to Jaehwang and pulled him out of the way. That wasn't the first time he had to save him.

The ground was shaking.

Jaehwang had gotten attacked. It was like his skin was in flames. He felt extremely weak.

"Ahhh!" DalJeon screamed when he saw a fragment of the arrow stuck in his arm.

He wanted to die at that moment. He had no motivation left in him and he was starting to tear up. Justin point turned out to be a disaster. Another explosion shook the ground and this time, it felt close. He thought that the would die and the only way for him to feel relieved was by sticking with Jaehwang.

He started to calm down. He felt protected knowing that he was a very skilled hunter.

Pang pang pang...

"Argh!" Jaehwang screamed in pain as he stepped back.

-Take him somewhere safe and be careful!

DalJeon heard spirit talk as he looked down at Jaehwang. Jaehwang was in a much more severe condition than he was. He was surrounded by a cloud of black smoke and his consciousness seemed to be unstable at the moment. His head was slightly moving around as if he was about to faint.

-Let's go!

DalJeon said to Jaehwang as they crawled down the stairs in an attempt to avoid being seen and attacked. DalJeon and Jaehwang were almost down all of the stairs when another huge explosion erupted over them.

Kwang kwang kwang!

There were Oaks flying everywhere due to the explosion.

"Is this the last area to search out?"

"Let's check the military zone too!"

"We have to find it! We'll search the entire place!" 𝘭𝑖𝑏𝘳ℯ𝑎𝑑.𝒸ℴ𝘮

They split and went to different directions following the sounds of sharp screams. With sharp knives in both hands, the Oaks continued to walk ahead and stabbed everyone that they meet.

Fortunately, the people who were stabbed weren't dead and were just injured. Someone who was just watching then got up from their seat and disappeared.

All they could do was watch as the Oaks tore their place to pieces.

Tuek teuk...

They then heard footsteps coming their way. They looked to see what it was and they saw the Oaks. There were hundreds and thousands of them. They heard their screams coming from everywhere. There were lots of hunters in Justin point but they couldn't be compared to the amount of the Oaks in front of them. They rampaged everything in their path as they marched together.

"Welcome..." A man holding a knife entered the scene together with a woman who had many strings of light coming out of her body.

She tended the injured along with the pile of dead oaks around her. The other oaks saw that sight as well as they slowly passed by.

"Nothing will be able to get through to this place," She said with a smile.

Chapter 88

Jaehwang got up from his bed and he still felt half asleep. He wasn't hurt or anything but his entire body felt weak.

He then looked around with a surprised expression. He found himself in a room inside of Gwanjae's mansion.

He looked out the window and saw a white flurry of snow flying through the air. The blaze of the sun didn't look so dull like the one he had in the Alousu.

"Looks like I'm back."

He then remembered about what happened with the Oaks at Justin point and how he returned back to earth.

"It was because of that explosion."

He remembered being covered by a giant explosion during his fight it the oaks. It was insanely strong and it had affected everything. The spirit shouted something during all of that chaos but Jaehwang forgot what it was.

Now, he had woken up in this place and it was also strangely quiet.

-Spirit?

Usually, when he wakes up, the spirit would have said something by then but it was completely quiet. He started to get worried.

"Spirit! Where are you?!" Jaehwang yelled. The spirit had been by his side for the past few years and he couldn't imagine being without her. They had a lot of fights but as they spent more time together, she became a part of Jaehwang's life. It felt like he would miss a part of himself if she were to be gone.

-Ah... Keep it down. I was just sleeping.

The spirit replied with a tired tone.

"Phew..." Jaehwang sighed. For a moment he thought that she had disappeared.

-What do you need me for?

-Just worry about it later... I'm too tired to talk right now.

-Okay.

Jaehwang then kept quiet.

-How's the energy refill?

-Already done, I can use most of my energy now.

-Great.

-Go back to sleep, you could die if you don't get enough rest.

The spirit said. Jaehwang was still recovering from the panic he was feeling before. Looks like he couldn't ask her about what happened at the end of their fight with the oak army. Maybe they succeeded and he was in the mansion for no reason.

It didn't seem like they were having much success with the fight. Jaehwang was deep in thought and the door to the room suddenly opened.

"Rumi."

The person who opened the door was Rumi, one of Gwanjae's loyal servants. She was wearing spotless white clothes and her makeup was very light but flawless, her hair was also neatly tied up into a ponytail.

She already knew what he was thinking so she nodded her head before asking, "Are you feeling okay, are you hurt?"

"I'm okay."

"That's a relief. You were in a very bad condition when they found you, Gwanjae was very upset and angry about it too so we brought you here to rest."

"I see. I'm sorry... " Jaehwang gave her a polite bow. 𝒍𝒊𝙗𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅.𝓬𝒐𝓶

Jaehwang apologized for the inconvenience since he knew that Gwanjae wasn't easy to cooperate with when he's angry. Even if he was fine now, he wouldn't simply feel better.

"It was only a mission." Jaehwang looked over towards the window of the room with a bitter smile.

"What should we do...There's still a lot left to do."

Rumi shook her head and agreed with him. She then walked into the room towards the table and Jaehwang followed along. They talked for some time. She mentioned that Jaehwang had been there resting for a total of three days.

"Seems like things were crazy," Jaehwang said.

"Yeah. Samjeon church members and the Oaks were really destroying Justin point and the dimension gate was shutting down.

"Samjeon church..."

The light was then shed onto the whole story. Jaehwang passed out because of an explosion caused by the church followers. He wasn't sure what kind of explosives could have been used but it caused the military buses to crash.

Jewhwang wasn't sure how but they seemed to have successfully aimed for the base of Justin point before the explosion. The base was very well made but it has been around for too long and sustained so much damage during the attack. They were able to succeed with a plan full of hatred. It would take a lot to repair Justin point and get it back to the way it used to be.

He then suddenly thought about what happened at the giant footprint. Joonghwi also talked about them having a spy who worked for the enemy.

"Do you know if anyone survived? Or who escaped? Especially from soldiers." Jaehwang asked.

"There could be some but they are nowhere to be found at the moment."

Jaehwang was speechless. It was a disappearance and not a sacrifice. It must have been difficult for all those soldiers.

"I see." He was then buried in his thoughts.

"But, with the soldier's sacrifices, the secrets of that hunter base were kept safe." Rumi replied.

"The hunters didn't sacrifice that many."

"I see. So they operated the emergency escape on their own, right?"

"Ah, DalJeon was also there during the fight," Jaehwang said and Rumi nodded her head in reply.

"Ah, so he's the one who brought you to safety. He's in great condition. He was fully healed and he could tell us exactly what happened."

"He... helped me?"

"Yes. When he saw that you were in a terrible condition he helped you evacuate the scene."

He was Jaehwang's savior. If it wasn't for him then he could have died.

"Do you know how I could contact him?"

"You could talk to him tomorrow," Rumi answered.

"Thanks." Jaehwang became buried in his thoughts once again as he thought about how it all happened.

The Oaks could possibly have dominated Justin point.

But that wasn't a simple problem. The real problem was that they would have to take the chance to suggest a new Korean hunter system raid paradigm and change everything completely about the worldwide monster guidelines.

Humans and all other species would have to come together. They would also have to collect the information of the Samjeon Church Bileons all over again from the beginning.

There was something Rumi said that caught Jaehwang's attention the most. "And... Your friend woke up a few days ago."

"Ah..." Jaehwang's eyes then opened in surprise hearing that his friend had woken up.

"He's in a much better condition than he was when you first bought him here. It's just that..."

"Just what?"

"I don't know why but, he still hasn't spoken a word."

"I understand. I have to see him right now. Ah... my grandfather..."

"Gwanjae is currently in a conference related to this situation."

"Okay."

He wanted to see his grandfather first but he was busy so he decided to visit Dongchul first which was okay for him as well. Jaehwang and Rumi then arrived in Dongchul's hospitalization treatment center inside the mansion. They opened the door and there was a guy sitting and staring out of the window. He turned his head to the door as soon as it opened, he was surprised at what he saw.

He still had his visible muscles but he was so pale as if he hadn't seen the sun in days, his face also looked unkempt as it was full of facial hair.

"W-who are you?"

"I don't think he has speech-impairment." Jaehwang carefully and slowly walked to Dongchul. Rumi then nodded her head and left, leaving just the two of them in the room. Dongchul didn't remember him at all. He just stared and him with a confused look.

"Are you the one who helped me?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"It's a bit of a long story, it's not important right now."

"Oh, okay."

"How are you feeling?"

"..." Dongchul just lowered his head without a word.

"Do you remember everything that happened?"

He then slightly moved his head. At that moment, Jaehwang suddenly moved.

Pang

Jaehwang punched Dongchul in his face. Dongchul then rolled off of the bed and onto the floor.

"Are you out of your mind, what was that!?" Dongchul shouted.

"You don't have a speech impairment. Even your reaction now was just normal." Jaehwang then attacked him again with a body slam.

Dongchul was unable to dodge or fight back so he just stood there in pain. Any normal person in that position would most likely be handicapped.

"My injuries are reacting normally too..." Jaehwang mumbled.

"Cut it out!" Dongchul coughed and shouted, "I said stop it."

Jaehwang then stopped and dusted off his hands after he stood up. Sometimes the typhoon will rage through and create chaos.

"Ha...Idiot." Dongchul mumbled to himself with an angry look on his face and he got up and sat on his bed.

"My mind and body his all healed an instant. Why did you do that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Whatever, you idiot," Dongchul replied with a smile on his face. Rumi came back into the room to check and see what all the noise was.

"Everything's fine," Jaehwang said and Rumi left again. Jaehwang then sat in a chair next to the bed and said, "Tell me everything. From the beginning to the end..."

Jaehwang demanded. Dongchul was silent for a little but he soon started to speak.

"Are you strong?"

"?"

Dongchul asked out of the blue. He had already proven his strength for so many times. He stared at Jaehwang as if he knew something but he just scratched his head in confusion.

Things between them clearly weren't like it used to be, Jaehwang didn't even hesitate to attack him. He didn't even seem bothered by it. That was the side of Jaehwang that he didn't show to others.

"I need to think about it for a little."

"I won't interrupt, think about it and then tell me everything," Jaehwang said as he kept him in his eyes. He wanted to know how he became a part of the church. He couldn't have ever been able to kill him.

"I know, I know. I... I don't know. However, I can tell you the details from when I trained and became a Gagseog." Dongchul then started to talk.

He said that he received a high rank after his training and transformation. He became one of the best hunters. The only problem that he had was the skills he received which were [Superhuman strength-Special skill] and [Recovery skill-Real skill].

They were really good and powerful passive skills as expected from their high rank but he was having side effects because of it.

However, Dongchul was hiding that fact. The reason was simple, It was because he originally went into the army without knowing anything in advance. Therefore, the conspicuousness was not revealed. After that, he was able to smoothly enter into the army missions. His ordinary life was then swept away.

The problem was his temper. Getting a hold of him was like trying to catch a mouse. In the beginning, it was a bit much but the skill's impact was unexpected strong. He would joke around with his skills. He didn't mention anything about having a platoon. He did mention that he would join in on tormenting others for information.

Things were difficult for a while and he said that he didn't intentionally join in on tormenting others. He also said that hunting down a monster was more difficult and dangerous than he had expected.

Many people died in that place everyday and in that place, he was able to use the skills that he had received.

But he still had a hard time with the fact that his coworkers were always dying. He couldn't deny the fact that he was getting stronger and stronger in that place. He learned how to control the skills he had and after one year, he became an expert and earned number one rank. He was even nominated for a higher position.

"You were apart of the Daehyeon group?"

"Yes. Someone in the Daehyeon group scouted me and offered me a chance."

"Were you possibly affiliated with the army?"

"Yes and at the same time, I also received a task and I got support from other members."

He mentioned that he was put in charge of a mission. The missile on the South side was from a group that he was a part of.

"And... because there was a really good chance that no one would never know about what went on there, they didn't tell a lot of people about it. However, A group of special investigators apart of the Daehyeon group soon found out about it.

"..." Dongchul took a sip of water in a dented metal cup.

Chapter 89

Jaehwang was quite surprised.

If he was apart of the Daehyeon group then that means that he was in that place. The place where he met Sooji once again. What made him even more surprised was the vicious acts that the Daehyeon group were responsible for. The company was shunned a couple of million times by society but, was that it?

Equipment expenses were a lot to handle. Through the ammunition industry, the monster part of the company had gained an international level of fame and it fell into becoming a multinational business.

"Is there anything else you want to know."

"At the same time, the expenses for the mine is being inserted but it looks like they secretly contacted the followers of the Samjeon church during their computations. Even though it was foolish, that has been reported to our superior officers."

"Was that really the Daehyeon group?"

The least he could do was tell him the truth. "It's all true. I was recruited along with dozens of other hunters. But... Now that's all over..."

"Dozens of people?"

"Yes. Others were trained by the church. Isn't that how it works?"

"What do you mean?"

"People were studying the new Gagseog procedure. The standard method is now much stronger than it used to be..."

Things had started to change all around the world for hunters taking the standard procedure. The only thing that you would need to take it was money but if there was a chance that you're born with it then things would be so much simpler.

The side effects have been removed but the probability of the surgery to be successful still sits at 50 percent. There was a 20 percent chance of death and the remaining 30 percent was to live in between the lines of a human and a monster.

The procedure was dangerous and it needed to be managed carefully. The Daehyeon group are secretly studying on how to raise that probability.

"Is there someone that knows this?"

"You're the first person to learn about this"

"Darn it..." Jaehwang said as he stood up from his seat. If what he said was true, then theres a chance that it could be stopped.

Dongchul then said, "But, there's something more important than that."𝘭𝑖𝘣𝑟𝘦𝒶𝘥.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"What?" He couldn't think of anything that could be more important than that... Could Korea be joining hands with the Bileons?

Dongchul hesitated for a moment. This was actually the reason he wasn't speaking in the first place. He was also at first, surprised when he woke up here.

First, he was controlled by the Samjeon church, then, he was suddenly in Gwanjae's mansion and now, he's talking to his old friend Jaehwang.

It felt like a strange fate along with the fact that he was completely healed. He also wondered how his friend had any connection with Gwanjae.

After everything that he's said, Jaehwang couldn't believe how much his friend had changed. Everything was silent as Jaehwang waited for Dongchul to speak. It seemed hard for him to speak but then, he did.

"Jaehwang, don't be surprised about what I'm going to say. I'm not supposed to tell you this but... The Daehyeon group took part in your parent's death."

"What?" Jaehwang was barely able to get the words out of his mouth. He should be mad but he just stood in his place. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. "What are you talking about?"

"The Daehyeon group took part in the accident that caused your parent's accident..."

"What do you mean?"

"They committed that crime?" He didn't want to believe it but no matter how he thought about it... it made sense. However, there was a little denial within that realization. He just couldn't believe it. Did Sooji know that too? Was she a part of the accident? Could she be a part of his parent's death?

He had to be joking but it didn't sound like a joke at all.

"How do you know that?" Jaehwang continued to ask.

"I shared with a room with a guy who knew about it. He used to help the group with their evil acts but the day before it occurred, I had to confess everything and I told them all I knew about you. After that, they told me that they were the reason for your family's fate... they were testing my trust."

Jaehwang stood there with a blank expression, his calm demeanor was wearing thin. He then grabbed Dongchuls collar and asked, "Is this all true?"

Anger filled the hospital room.

Titikk...

A glass picture frame hanging on the wall then fell into the floor. It was shattered to pieces. A blue trail of light then started to come out of his eyes. It didn't look like things were about to go well for Dongchul.

However, Dongchul wasn't frightened or angry about what was happening. He knew something like this would happen. It was why he hesitated to say anything in the first place. He also knew that his friend wasn't a murderer.

People had that illusion about him.

He knew that he was actually a reasonable and a nice person. However, he didn't know this Jaehwang. That was a side of him that he had never seen before.

Tak...

He then let go of his collar and growled, "You better be telling the truth."

He wanted it all to be just a nightmare. Dongchul then stood up from his bed and walked towards Jaehwang. He was still a little taller than him.

"I can fix it," He said, showing off his muscles that were very visible. He was, in fact, feeling much stronger and energized after his recovery.

He felt so much better than before. He originally got stronger through his time of training to become a hunter. He's now in a condition to fight off wild animals and monsters.

"I'm telling the truth. I don't how you feel right now but I can understand it a little. That's why I hesitated to tell you at first, but I know that I had to tell you. I went through a lot of pain there and I could never forgive those people."

"Just as you said, I won't trigger your hunting sense." He was shorter than Dongchul but the anger running through him was like a wild beast. Jaehwang was currently still trying to process everything as he still found it unbelievable. He wanted to kill them all.

Death... a horrible death... he was thinking of the cruelest death as possible. He had it all planned in his head. But about his friend Dongchul...

"Sooji was also connected to it. How did you know that?"

"..S-sooji?" If Sooji was directly apart of it then he would definitely be adding her on his hit list. Everything was silent and they just stood in front of each other.

-Why is it suddenly quiet like this?

The spirit startled Jaehwang.

-After hearing everything I... I think you should save your anger for later.

The spirit said and Jaehwang held his anger inside of him until it disappeared. It was as if it got swallowed up by a vacuum.

-Anger... bloodlust... they're not bad feelings but you should store it all away for now. Think slowly. Anger and killing intentions are not what you need right now.

-...I know. Thanks.

Jaehwang took a deep breath and calmed down. The spirit was right. Anger and murder would only make him just as bad as them. The spirit noticed that the situation was making him cold-hearted but it wasn't because of Dongchul, it was because of the attention of others.

"Why don't you stop eavesdropping and just come in?" Jaehwang said and Dongchul looked confused. The door to the room then opened and it was Rumi.

"I wasn't eavesdropping."

"It doesn't matter. Does my grandfather know about this too?" Jaehwang wanted to keep everything between just him and Dongchul but that wouldn't have helped them in any way.

"Yes, he knows everything, actually, you can contact him now if you want."

"Thanks. I'll talk to him when he returns."

Rumi then left the room and it was once again just him and Dongchul just standing there.

"Let's go," Jaehwang said.

"Where?" Dongchul replied.

"I need to warm up a little before Gwanjae comes. I don't know how much I can trust you but I won't get rid of you." Dongchul then smiled. Jaehwang seemed to be just as he remembered him. After his recovery, he still couldn't do a lot of warming up but he was feeling strong enough to do a little sparring match.

"Okay, let's go and arrange the ranks again." Jaehwang led the way as Dongchul followed along behind him.

After one hour...

"Wheu..."

"You're still not done arranging the ranks?" Dongchul said as he lied on the ground completely out of breath. "Ugh... This idiot."

Dongchul said as he grabbed onto Jaehwang's legs to try to stop him but, Jaehwang just ignored him and continued on.

Pong

Dongchul then got off of the ground and stood in front of Jaehwang as if he was protecting him.

The arrow he shot flew unbelievably fast... However, Jaehwang just smiled and disappeared into thin air.

"Hey! Isn't that enough..." Dongchul yelled as Jaehwang disappeared. "Aren't you going to play fair?"

Kwang!

Jaehwang came out of nowhere and kicked him in the face and then, he launched an arrow.

Swoosh... pong!

It wasn't the sparring match he expected.

"Ahh!"

He wasn't fast enough to dodge the arrow and it already lodged itself on his back. Jaehwang got his feet back on the ground and then, he disappeared once again.

"What's going on!?"

"Are you using a hiding skill? I thought we weren't going to fight each other?" 𝙡𝙞𝙗𝒓𝙚𝓪𝙙.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"Isn't it a little unfair to be fighting this way?!"

He didn't think that the fight would be like this.

"How am I supposed to fight back!"

Jaehwang kept using a hiding skill along with his sneak attacks. It was possible for Dongchul to fight back but he couldn't guess where he would appear next. He didn't have any skill similar or anything that would help.

"Stop being such a coward!" Just then, it felt as if he could feel his hunter senses.

Teuk...

He then pulled an arrow out of his waist and screamed as he lied on the ground. "You should be thanking me for the archery training equipment."

Chapter 90

Jaehwang appeared from a distance where he aimed an arrow at Dongchul, and at the moment he appeared, Dongchul started to run away.

"This again!?"

Swoosh

"Darn it!" Dongchul shouted as Jaehwang slowly and carefully focused on his aim.

Pong...

"Argh!" Dongchul shouted the arrow went into his leg. "Are you trying to kill me!?"

He took a step back and raised his hand towards Jaehwang. If he took it then he could stop his stealth skill. He also thought about just breaking his arms and legs. But that wouldn't be easy. He had to think of the perfect plan.

There was another arrow sticking out of Dongchul's forearm, he pulled it out and threw it onto the floor. He felt weak and tired but he didn't just stand there for long. He then grabbed the arrow from out of his leg and got something to block off the shots.

Dongchul smirked.

Jaehwang then realized that he needed to change his method of attacking as Dongchul had found an advantage.

"Looks like you've learned a lot from Gwanjae." Dongchul said.

Jaehwang then threw Dongchul high into the air and dropped him. Since his arm was a little weak it might have broke that after that attack. "I don't know how injured you are right now but if you're weak then you shouldn't get on a hunter's bad side."

Dongchul then stood up while holding his arm in pain and he used his skill to quickly heal himself. It took him a lot of effort considering the condition that he was in. All of the marks that were left from the arrows that got to him had disappeared.

Although all of that was gone, he could still feel a lack in strength. He didn't feel ready to fight Jaehwang.

"I lose." Dongchul calmly gave up and Jaehwang shook his head..

"Are you okay?" Jaehwang replied with a concerned tone.

"What, are you really worried considering the way you were shooting those arrows?"

"If I wasn't worried then I would have shot an arrow into your head."

"Ha, your so shameless."

Jaehwang didn't even seem tired at all. Although he could turn cold sometimes, he was still a very caring friend.

"Anyway! Thanks a lot for letting me live..." Dongchul said with a slight sense of sarcasm as he reached out his hand for help to get up.

"No, thank you for being so good at surviving..." Jaehwang took his hand and helped him up. They then looked at each other and they exchanged a warm smile.

Pong!

Kwang!

An arrow flew right past them and hit into the wall. Jaehwang then had a nervous look on his face as he had forgotten about the sneak attack that he planned.

"So you weren't gonna tell me about that?"

"I would have but I completely forgot about it..."

Dongchul just looked at Jaehwang for a moment and then, he started laughing.

Jaehwang then smiled in relief. He then thought of the Daehyeon group and that smile instantly disappeared but he then thought about the fact that his friend was now back to normal. That made him feel better.

He then realized what he needed to do in that moment. Just as the spirit said, he needed a level-headed and cold reasoning.

"Dongchul."

"Huh?"

"Help me out for a second."

"Okay."

He noticed that he had leveled up... They both began to walk away side by side. Jaehwang then opened the status window and reviewed his progress.

[Level Up]

Skill Point: 0.25

The Level 10 Procedure has begun.

[Rank Level Up]

Jaehwang found himself covered in a white light. He had increased up to rank B.

-Ability had increased by 1 percent.

-Rank increase bonus.

Ring.

-Analyzing skills.

There were a lot of writings below the translucent status window and a new one showed up, causing three more status windows to appear.

It showed the [Rank Increase Bonus]. There were three choices that could be chosen out of all three.

1. Strength Point +3

2. Skill Upgrade +1

3. Skill Ability Increase 1

Jaehwang chose the second option without any hesitation since he chose the first one before. He and the spirit had to focus on upgrading his physical strength when they were trapped in the Alousu. He was able to survive because of that and now, he needed to upgrade his skills.

Jaehwang remembered that he had to shoot the Oaks with all of his strength. He thought that that kind of strength shouldn't be held back against those monsters in the future.

[Skill Upgrade]

-Skill Upgrade available. The level of increase would be decided randomly and along with it comes a decrease in your workmanship.

Jaehwang tapped the skill upgrade and was surprised to see how much his archery skill was said to have increased.

[Unique skill upgrade?]

[Warning, After the choice has been made, cancellation cannot be requested.]

[Yes/No] Jaehwang tapped the yes option with no second thoughts.

[Unique archery skill examination in progress.]

[Two skills with similar ranks have been found.]

The two skills then got analyzed.

Archery skills- Rank 7, 31 Percent – Rank 5, 98 percent

Unique arrow

Exploding arrow

Guided Arrow

Strong arrow

[Skill level – Rank 5 decreased by 98 percent.]

Strong arrow strength has increased.

The increase was then written on the status window.

"Phew.."

The level up completed and all of the white light that was surrounded him disappeared.

"You're done?" Dongchul asked. Dongchul could easily tell if he had leveled up or not.

"Yea. But wait... There's a test now." Jaehwang took a deep breath and got an arrow. There was no thorough explanation about the skill so he had to test it and see what it was like.

Swooshhh...

He could feel the strength of the arrow with both of his hands.

Shortly after he took the shot, a ray of red energy came out of the arrow. Jaehwang watched as the arrow went flying through the air.

Jaehwang knew exactly what kind of energy it was. He remembered seeing it when he was fighting with Gwanjae.

[Upgrade success.]

"W-what is this?"

"...It's called 'OS' in the english-speaking world."

"OS?" Dongchul said at Jaehwang's answer.

OS...It was a popular name known for its destructive capabilities. It was something very powerful that lots of high ranked hunters use.

"I see."

Although it looked very simple when Jaehwang used it, it was not easy to maintain. 𝑙𝒾𝒷𝘳𝑒𝑎𝘥.𝒸ℴ𝓂

The status window then started to close. It wasn't as energized as the strong arrow he used before but, it needed a lot of energy to maintain. That could affect its use but he still needed to test its power.

"Heads up..."

"What is it?"

"This!"

Pong!

Jaehwang faced a wall and he quickly ducked at the moment he launched an arrow. It had double the force of the previous strong arrow. The new strong arrow had a destructive force on another level compared to what he had before.

Kwangg! Pang!

The arrow made a loud noise as it tore down the wall. If it wasn't a very easy skill to get the hang of then it wouldn't have been able to leave at least a crack. The powerful arrow made a one diameter hole into the wall.

It was an impressive sight. It looked like a giant monster took a bite out of the wall.

But what was even scarier than that was what was beyond it. There was another building beyond the wall that they could see through the hole. They could even see furniture inside.

"Woah..." They were both shocked at the damage that it dealt. They looked through the metal wall of the training center as they walked closer towards the hole.

"What is this?"𝓁𝘪𝑏𝑟ℯ𝒶𝑑.𝑐ℴ𝘮

"I have no idea."

"...Skill." Jaehwang said with a confused tone and the status window then popped up to show its information. It told him that his abilities and consciousness has increased.

Energy +20

Healing skill +1

Dongchul then asked, "Your had skills increased?"

"Yeah"

"Ugh, I'm so jealous... " He already knew Jaehwang was an expert in archery but he can't help to have that feeling.

Jaehwang tilted his head and placed his hand at the back of his head. "Dongchul, hold up your hands."

"Huh? Why?"

Dozens of people then barged through the door and swarmed into the training room. They were all holding weapons in their hands and one of them shouted, "Put your hands up!"

They saw them pointing their weapons towards the both of them so Dongchul quickly put his hands up and said, "O-okay."

"Did you hurt any one, Deojun?"

"Mom! No, I didn't... Mom!"

"Who is your mom!?"

There was a cup of water on a table and on the other side of it was a beautiful lady. The water was spilled on the table and her face but her expression stayed the same. She took out a small towel inside her purse and used it to clean herself up.

"I am not Deojun's mom."

The channel on the TV was then changed from the drama that was being broadcasted.

"So, this is your hobby?"

"No..." Dongchul said turning the tv back to some drama.

They were taken to explain the damage that was done to the training center wall and then, they went back to their room. Gwanjae may have already returned but they needed some time to rest so they turned on the tv and the news was on until they changed the channel to where a drama was playing.

"I can't do this."

Chapter 91

Jaehwang was irritated by the drama so he walked towards the TV to get the remote.

"I know, this is boring for you isn't it?" The spirit said.

"Not that." At first, Jaehwang couldn't think of a way to explain the spirit to him but then he got an idea and asked the spirit,

-What about that surprising thing?

-Of course! Deojun is not that lady's son! But then, who really is his mother? ...No way, could it be the housekeeper? If not then could it be the company's chairman second wife?

The spirit said not knowing about what Jaehwang meant. The moment she saw the drama on the TV, the spirit suddenly came out to watch it. Jaehwang started to feel at ease at it seemed like they were all about to die and the show would be over.

-Does this drama air on Wednesdays and Thursdays?

-I guess...? don't know.

Jaehwang replied in a bored tone.

-I have to know so I can find it again...

The spirit said and Jaehwang then asked,

-Is there something wrong with the spirit tablets?

-Yes. They broke into a million pieces.

-How did that happen?

Jaehwang asked again. He didn't understand why the spirit brought that up, he almost gotten swept away in that explosion.

-Hmm... You said that I saved you but I didn't protect you when you needed help. There was no way that I could save them all you know.

-I guess so... Sorry.

She replied on a sorry note. How everything went wasn't exactly the problem but if she eventually got hurt due to a miscalculation, then she could be in a lot of danger. Even though the Oaks were strong, they didn't think they could do so much damage to Justin Point. Obviously, the Samjeon church's Bileons should be blamed but they should not be that careless.

-It's okay. If I ever died then that would mean you broke our pact. Hahahaha.

The spirit said.

Jaehwang then started to look even more confused than before. He thought about what he would do without her help. He didn't know what he would do without her.

-But it's fine, there's nothing to worry about.

-What do you mean?

-Well, don't I have a strange fate too? Here, take this.

An object then suddenly appeared in Jaehwang's hand. It's the tiara that the spirit had found.

Bloody mary's Tiara- Ancient Artifact

Successor: Jeon Jaehwang

Material: Platinum, Diamonds

Special Skill:

Control

Purification

When Dongchul faked his loss of intelligence, the spirit used that artifact and it helped them to distinguish the truth.

-Why are you giving me this?

-Because I don't need it anymore.

The spirit had accumulated a lot of energy and power, she no longer needs it. She gave it to Jaehwang because she figured that he might still need some extra help sometimes.

-What does it do?

Jaehwang asked and the spirit began to explain.

-It will give you lots of strength and it'll help to keep us both alive. It also understands the fundamentals of magic.

-Fundamentals?

-Yes. The fundamentals... Don't ask much since it'll still be difficult for you to understand. But, I can tell you a little about the purification fundamentals and its improvements. I could now maintain my limit because of that~ Use it as you please but it's okay if you don't need it.

-Hm... Huh?

Jaehwang was sold at its use. He didn't care for its worth but it cost him a lot just to buy a piece of equipment that could help him maintain his energy. He was relieved to have it as he had already spent so much on that so far. He couldn't imagine having such a rare artifact as that one.

Jaehwang smiled. He couldn't be angry at the fact of the spirit helping him. It was great that she didn't need it anymore.

-So I... can I... does it work great?

-Well, you might feel a little bit sleepy when you're absorbing energy.

The spirit answered casually. He had to worry about his strength but he had that covered.

-Hm... Okay. That's a relief. But, how good is it with healing? Would it improve what I had before?

-That's something I wanted to know too but that's not it. Its efficiency is a bit of a problem.

If I had to explain it, it fuels up the skills that you use and it could improve your average-rate energy and make it greater. However, I don't know the standard healing rate for it yet.

-I see.

-The tiara is all yours now. It would look cute on you too...

-No thanks.𝘭𝑖𝘣𝑟𝘦𝒶𝘥.𝘤𝑜𝘮

-Why? You would look so good wearing it.

Jaehwang then looked over to Dongchul.

"What?" Dongcul gave him a confused look.

"Why do you look so nervous?"

"Don't worry about me, just worry about yourself" Dongchul replied. "What do you mean?"

Jaehwang then smiled and answered, "Be careful of your fate."

Dongchul felt chills.

Fate? Could he find it at the bottom of the cliff? Jaehwang's expression made it look like he would really push him off.

"Hey, what are you talking about?"

"It won't be fun if I tell you now. You'll find out," Jaehwang replied.

"Aren't you being a bit creepy?"

"Don't worry. No way, are you going to tear off my limbs?"

"Of course not. Why would I do that?"

Jaehwang and Dongchul continued to talk until Rumi walked in.

"Jaehwang Gwanjae is here."

"Okay." Jaehwang followed Rumi out of the room and said to Dongchul, "Don't you ever mention to him that you're my friend." 𝑙𝘪𝒷𝘳𝑒𝘢𝑑.𝒸𝑜𝑚

"Ah..." Dongchul then stopped. Jaehwang then looked back and said,

"I'll be back."

"Okay," Dongchul said after realizing that they were off to face a legendary hunter.

Dongchul led the way as Rumi and Jaehwang walked along behind him. The building that they were walking in pierced the sky with its height along with the 50-meter tall and 10-meter thick wall that surrounds it.

It wasn't a part of Gwanjae's mansion but he seemed to have been spending a lot of time there recently. When Gwanjae made that place, he considered it to be a huge safe. It had a maximum capacity of 1,000 people and he made sure that it would have everything that they would need to survive aside from all the protection it could give. It also had a basement within the building, giving it even more space after they passed through the entrance.

Jaehwang then lifted his head and saw a red flag.

[Back Story]

50 years ago, humans had run to survive the wave of monsters holding those flags in their hands.

Rumi already had an idea about what Jaehwang and Gwanjae would talk about. Gwanjae was having a meeting at the top of the building so they had assumed that a few people had gathered there. She just guided Jaehwang to the room where Gwanjae was in.

Jaehwang then opened the door and walked inside. Rumi didn't go with him. He saw four people waiting for him and there was a guy that had a lot of muscles sitting in a chair.

Gwanjae gave him a light smile. He had a long beard and looked a little older. It had been a long time since they last met. His butler, on the other hand, just stood right next to him with a blank expression.

His butler's name was Nagil Hwan, he was always there for Gwanjae when he needed help. He was always faithful butler and he could be cruel towards others if necessary.

The other four guys in the room were wearing black suits. One of the guys was a powerful businessman who just came back after a successful mission. There was another businessman sitting on the chair towards his left but Jaehwang still felt that Gwanjae was the strongest of them all.

"It's been a while," Gwanjae said.

"Yeah..." Jaehwang replied as he lowered his head.

Jaehwang never called him grandfather before. Everyone gathered around and always talked together, however, Gwanjae was a little different.

"Why aren't you calling me grandfather?" Gwanjae said with a smile.

"Hi.. Grandfather," Jaehwang replied with an awkward tone.

"Perfect, haha..." Gwanjae widened his smile.

Jaehwang felt relieved. He tried to sense his energy and he found out that it still was an energy stronger than his own.

"Haha, look at this."

Gwanjae wasn't angry at Jaehwang's rebelliousness and he seemed to be proud of him instead. He had the same look when they first met.

"It was unbelievable but, you've finally made it." Gwanjae already knew that he went to the training center. He had always encouraged him because he knew that he was very skilled.

Gwanjae was in the middle of the people he had gathered. He could sense their respect to his grandfather and Jaehwang wondered if they're going to ask him about what he did at the training room.

"Take a seat." Gwanjae said.

"Yes." Jaehwang sat in a chair next to Gwanjae. It was quiet at first but at that moment, Gwanjae's understanding expression have disappeared.

Chapter 92

One of the four guys who they called 'Mr. Hwang', asked Gwanjae, "Is it okay if I ask you grandson something?"

"Haha, sure."

Mr. Hwang then looked at Jaehwang. "Jaehwang, I'm very curious about you."

"Ask whatever you please," Jaehwang said, he shook his head and began to talk.

"I have received the report. I'm curious about the incident that had happened earlier today. Even though you changed your style, were you able to do what you aimed for?

Jaehwang and Gwanjae then exchanged looks.

"Yes."

Jaehwang answered without a hint of hesitation. Everyone in the room was surprised since his answer changed everything that they previously thought of him.

"Well then Jaehwang, I have come to a decision," Mr. Hwang said and Gwanjae started to smile.

"Yes," Jaehwang replied.

Gwanjae followed, "Haha, This is pretty funny. This is great. Very, very solid. Aren't you nervous?"

Gwanjae said to the guy next to him that had no arms. The guy then shook his head and said, "Yes, sir, but still, we have to invest a little more on our next generation"

He had encountered these issues before. Gwanjae heard his words, he was able to follow his thoughts to secure their business and allow it to flourish better than before. A company had suffered when their leader had died and they can't allow that to happen. The leader was famous for his artistic training along with his brand and healing was said to be his specialty.

"Okay. I guess we won't be having much fun for the anniversary celebration this time." Gwanjae shrugged

They had planned to celebrate the opening of their company like these past years. It was a festival but it didn't involve anything like eating, having fun and drinking. It was the kind of celebration where everyone would challenge each other for a fight. The fights weren't life-threatening but the winner would get an award aside from all the praises he/she could get. It was also the kind of fight where five healers are needed simultaneously to keep everyone alive.

[Getting strong and winning, that was the festival's main goal.] 𝓵𝓲𝓫𝙧𝓮𝙖𝙙.𝒄𝓸𝙢

They would even hold an opening ceremony.

The fights in the festival had a meaning behind it. It would be the perfect place to show off their strength and battle skills to prove their rank to others. Especially with Gwanjae growing old, there would come a time where he won't be able to guide the young hunters anymore.

There was something that Mr. Hwang said to Jaehwang a moment ago.

"To achieve unconditional strength, you must first reveal your own..." Jaehwang understood what he meant. The roster was filled with high ranked hunters and it made it even more challenging.

"How you are feeling? Don't chicken out on me..."

Gwanjae asked and the guy sitting on his far-right smirked. "I'm the money guy and that's the best that I could do. Besides, Jaehwang will be a part of your group, he seems ready."

"Sounds good. I don't like to have meetings for things like this but some good news came up."

Jaehwang was holding a flyer of the festival in his hand. It seemed that his aim didn't matter. His plan was to achieve the power he needed to indulge himself in his own interests and desires. If that wasn't a shameful act then the strong having fun with their power wouldn't be a problem.

"Well then, shall we proceed with the meeting? Butler." GwanJae said.

"Yes, sir."

"How are things going?"

The atmosphere had gotten more intense. He felt warm at first but now, it felt like the room was frozen solid.

"So? Should we go ahead and run an inspection first?"

"No. We had already made an investment with the Daehyeon group to complete our first two steps. We also had a few people inside to contact with to complete the steps three to four. Everything should turn out fine."

They discussed and pointed out a few disadvantages of their plan as one of the guys took a deep breath. They couldn't disregard the possibility that things wouldn't go as planned.

"I wish that wasn't it but maybe that's true. If our contacts rat us out, I'll lose everything I have."

Gwanjae's money and power had spread throughout the world like a spider web over the years and now, he's known throughout Korea as a successful businessman.

"No, we don't have to worry about anything like that. When the machine is a little squeaky, the machine or its manager would just need to be changed. If that happens, all we need to do is to figure out whos in charge."

"Thank you, Gwanjae." One of them replied.

"And try not to relax too much. We have to personally decide on that part with my butler. We also have to trust the butler and follow our decision without any hesitation. Keep all of this a secret, don't even dare to tell your families."

"We'll keep that in mind." They all agreed. They couldn't mention their plans to anyone close to them like their families but that didn't mean that they weren't at risk.

"We still haven't made contact with the Daehyeon clan as well as the Samjeon Church. I'm starting to have my doubts with this plan."

A hologram then appeared on the nearby table. The hologram played a CCTV video and it showed them dozens of people being escorted by hunters in army uniforms.

"It's a film of the Justin Point ROK-US CFC Logistics support command lieutenant. Justin Point secretly attacked the Daehyeon clan and they came through the gate."

"Hm, how did they escape." One of them asked.

"They didn't. They couldn't find a way to escape out of the gate. Their families even tried to keep their whereabouts a secret to hide the incident."

"Great."

"The Justin Point mining industry management is something that we need to avoid. They react quickly in order to avoid any damages because the situations within the dominant structures were much worse than we had expected."

"We could show it but something smells fishy."

"I see. Actually, Jaehwang's friend gave us a piece of a pretty solid information"

Click... Click

A list then showed up on the screen.

"We're currently investigating what he had said. What we have here is a list of the most talented hunters that the Daehyeon group supported in this country for these past three years. Out of 578 of them, 443 are already dead. It always points to a missing person's whereabouts." Mr. Hwang said and the strength in Jaehwang's first automatically disappeared.

Gwanjae looked at the hologram and shook his head saying, "First, looks like we're going to have to find out what the Daehyeon members are up to. So now... Jaehwang..."

"Yes, grandfather?"

"Did happen to see the person who's directly involved while you were in that place? I want to hear what you think their plan is."

He then told them what happened. He finished telling their entire story and Gwanjae then took a deep breath. "We surely have underestimated the Samjeon church. We could join forces with the Oaks..."

"It's clear that they've teamed up with the Daehyeon group for this mission," One of them replied.

"You're right. It seems that we don't know anything about that group at all but everything starts at some point. The Daehyeon group needs to be punished for what they've done"

"But anyone who messes with the Daehyeon group isn't just let off..."

"They know everything about us. They could stop us at our leisure if we're not really careful." One of the guys added.

"They have lots of money and power. It'll be hard to go up against them but we just have to plan everything just right. We should also consider the country's flexible economy as a problem."

"True, That's something we can't ignore."

"...and the Daehyeon's group influence on Korea can't be ignored as well. Besides, they've been in this for a long time now, they have experience and we can't rule that out."

"The sun is unlikely to shine on those who fall far. If we turn their supporters against them then they wouldn't have it easy." Everything was quiet until one of the businessmen nodded his head.

Gwanjae then followed and said, "The people today have no sense of pride. What about those guys in the masks? We have to come up with something else."

Everyone fell into silence.

"Jaehwang."

"Yes?"

"What do you think?" Gwanjae asked and he then took a moment to think. "Do you think that it would get worse if we avoid it?"

"I want to check and examine this problem with my own eyes." He simply replied.

"Hm, is this because of your parents?" Jaehwang nodded his head. Jaehwang wanted to investigate it himself and he wanted to kill everyone whos involved. After hearing everyone else's opinions, he decided that there was no better choice.

"Yes."

Gwanjae closed his eyes after hearing his answer. He then opened his eyes and turned to his right. "Butler..."

"Whatever you say, maybe you're on the right path but how can we expect this to go with well with your help?" Gwanjae asked and Mr. Hwang looked over at Jaehwang in surprise.

Mr. Hwang took a moment to think and then replied, "If I were to get directly involved then... We won't have to invest anything into the Daehyeon group."

"Really?" One of them said.

"Yes. We could sneak into their base and get a hold of all the information they have and make a hit list of those who would get in our way or, we could just plan a surprise attack at their base."

Gwanjae then turned to Jaehwang and said, "What do you think?"

"Sounds good, " Jaehwang said. The remaining two businessmen were surprised. They just paid attention to the conversation and didn't share much input.

Mr. Hwang was a high-ranked level 7 hunter so no one doubted his skills at plotting assassinations. Jaehwang would be of use to them but when it comes into that, they had to acknowledge Gwanjae's words. With the help of Jaehwang and the advice of Gwanjae, they would be unstoppable.

"I have a request," Jaehwang said.

"What is it?" Gwanjae replied.

"You should help my friend Dongchul by training him."

Gwanjae then smiled and shook his head in agreement. "Alright, I'll get on that."

He felt a little displeased but Gwanjae was not the type of person to fall deep into retirement especially in a situation like this.

"Let's not get our hopes up so much. Things could change... let's try our best to keep everyone alive for now." Jaehwang continued to speak.

"Sure, is your friend strong-minded though?"

Dongchul was having a bit of a hard time during their regular training.

"I threatened him a bit and then attacked him a few times earlier but he's fine."

"Wow, your friend surely wants to live. Okay, what did you want from him?" Gwanjae asked.

"Should I ask for more?"

"Phew.."

"Hm..."

He may have come off as arrogant but Gwanjae nodded his head and turned to his butler. "Butler."

"Yes?"

"Alert everyone."

"Huh? Right now?..."

"Yes, it would be great to start now. We have to keep everything in order..."

"Got it."

"Jaehwang."

"Yes, grandfather?"

"Be sure to keep this plan a secret for now. We'll talk more about everything soon."

That wasn't going to be an easy task but he knew that he could manage so he smiled and said, "Okay."

"Everything starts today," Gwanjae said with a voice filled with determination. "...and send your friend to me so I could train him. I have to see what needs to be improved."

Chapter 93

Jaehwang looked through the weapons and picked out the ones he planned to take with him one by one. He also wore a layer of protection under his clothes.

He put armor on his shoulders, a hood over his head and he tied a belt with weapons around his waist. He finished up his preparation and he's now ready for his mission.

[Set 'Shadow hell' complete.]

[Set effects]

[Hiding effects increased by 20 percent.]

[Hiding affiliation declined by 30 percent.]

"Everything seems to be okay." He said as he checked the information of his weapons. He adjusted his hood and put on his coat. He wore a coat so no one would notice or get suspicious about the weapons that he was carrying especially in this winter season.

Jaehwang made sure that all of his weapons were perfectly hidden under his coat before walked out the door. He then saw four people in a wall of monitors as he left.

"You're here." A guy gave a polite greeting to Jaehwang.

"Hi," Jaehwang replied. Jaehwang then looked behind and saw other people gathering around the area.

"There are rumors going around in Korea, are you okay?" One of them said to Jaehwang with a concerned tone.

He heard something about that before but he had no time to entertain that thought since he was only concerned about the mission that was about to begin.

"We've finished checking the surveillance." One of them said.

"A lot of the CCTV were protected by their security, so we had a hard time checking it."

"There were five people on patrol but we have confirmed their numbers. Their troops in total would be around 60, that sounds like a lot but it was actually not as high as we expected."

"We would take action in 20 minutes, we'll be getting more information until then..." She continued to talk and explain everything thoroughly.

"Understood." She handed Jaehwang a folder and he started to read through it. It was a list of all the people that would be joining him.

"Everything looks great. They all have hiding skills and it looks like they're really skilled."

Having a hiding skill would make it much easier for them to get a hold of the information without a hitch. They would use a formation commonly used during a monster raid to get what they needed without being seen.

They still had to be careful of their enemies as they were still at risk of being assassinated. They also needed to be careful of the secret camera that could spot them even if they used their hiding skills. But looking at their plan, there should be nothing to worry about.

Jaehwang wasn't even worried at all.

"What do we do next after they succeed?" He asked. The man then waited for a second and then added onto that question.

"The goal is to find the computer containing the top-secret information that we need and then, we'll connect it to a computer of our own. That sounds easy but we'll fail if we run into some fake data and make a complete fool of ourselves. The top of the red LED light would change to blue and that's our cue. We won't have much time though, we only have about five minutes at most."

"Got it." Jaehwang nodded and she then followed.

"We also have a plan just in case we fail. We have an immense amount of faith in each other and we believe that they'll do good but if this doesn't work out, then they'll be major problems."

"Would you care at all even if some of us won't come home?" One of them asked.

"It wouldn't matter. How could I even focus on anything like that since there's something important that needs to be done. The connection between hunters and criminals have brought shame to the entire hunter community. We need to put an end to it" Jaehwang replied.

"I see." She replied and stared at Jaehwang with her worried eyes. She couldn't imagine how hard it must have been for him. Everyone around him was trustworthy but he still felt like he had to do things on his own.

They could have found out some information through the ancient tablets but no one believed in it. The information that they could get would still be doubted and them doing it anyway despite its risks made it worse.

"Gwanjae is back at it again after 50 years..." She said her thoughts to Jaewhang.

Jaehwang closed his eyes for a second since he could only focus on their plan. There was no time to waste. He quickly ran everything through his head and then decided that it was time go.

They went into the office and sat down to review their plan once more. He soon started to feel more relaxed. She ran everything to him so they could be completely sure not to make any mistakes.

She then started to explain a few things.

"If there's no way to escape while you're in there, then press the red button and someone will come to rescue you and the team."

"Got it." Jaehwang then got up from his seat and said, "I'll be right back."

"Okay."

Jaehwang then left out of the door.

-I'm hungry, I need some snacks that I could eat.

-I'll buy you some after this, don't worry. 𝓁𝘪𝑏𝓇𝑒𝑎𝑑.𝑐𝘰𝑚

-I want it now, I even gave you that tiara.

-Didn't you say that it was mine now?

-Fine.

The spirit whined as Jaehwang walked along. He could see his destination in the nearby distance. There was a large space of concrete that looked like a cliff and laying around. It looked like a pile of weapons made a mess of that place.

He then saw a piece of glass that looked like a diamond as it sparkled in the sun. He walked closer and a sign appeared. It looked like something that came from the Daehyeon clan, but there was no name written on it.

The restricted are just lies 100 meters away from him. Jaehwang leaned against a tree as he looked around.

-How are we going to get in.

-The others will handle it...

-How?

-Just wait and see.

Jaehwang replied to the spirit. It was time for the next step of their plan and a giant tank then appeared. Everything looked like it would proceed smoothly but an arrow came flying out of nowhere.

Tuek!

The arrow stopped the car as it went for its headlights. The driver went out of the car to check it out as Jaehwang placed the magic tiara on top of his head.

-Oh my gosh! How is it? Doesn't it look great.

-Shut up.

Jaehwang said and the guy stopped moving as soon as he saw him. Jaehwang then instantly understood how to use his skills with the tiara that the spirit had given him. He didn't even need to test them out... "Get back in the car."

"O-okay." The guy followed Jaehwang's orders. Jaehwang then walked to the side of the car where the driver's seat was and spoke to him.

"Looks like there's no one else in this car. Go, drive... I'll have a job to do."

"...Okay." The guy replied before he drove off.

[Tiger Hunter]

Jaehwang's hunter senses grew. He was one of the people on the list given to him by Daejun. He wasn't an important person but he was the best person that could take him inside.

"Stop!"

The car immediately stopped and he saw a woman.

"Is there something wrong?" Jeahwang asked.

"Yes. A lot has been happening since yesterday haha," The driver replied.

"Yeah. Be Careful out here today. It's really dangerous out here, especially right now."

"Hm. Thank you for the heads up. Our inspection team are out right now so I'm sure that they'll take care of it"

"Really? What do you mean?"

They both took turns to share their information. The person said that he was in his twenties and working as the head in the Daehyeon group cafeteria. Jaehwang felt comfortable enough to ride the car with him but he still took the backseat and looked past its windows. He then saw two search devices ahead but those didn't contain any relevant data.

Taktak...

"Hm, what's that noise?"

"Huh? I don't hear anything."

"That's strange, sounds like I heard something..."

"Must have been nothing." Jaehwang was secretly planting search devices as they moved on.

"Hm..." The guy then looked around and noticed the search devices.

"It's nothing... I guess?" The guy then used his detection skills and tilted his head as he noticed that something was going on. He had a high ranked detection skill. He's been going around the area for the past five years, he would know if something was off.

However, he just figured it was nothing and ignored it.

"With a rank like yours, your hiding skills may be a little faint... Right?" The guy asked and Jaehwang just looked at him for a moment before he turned back to his seat. Jaehwang was unaware that he had a detection skill. That's when he knew that there was a problem. His detection skill was able to sense him. Jaehwang then saw that were a surveillance camera in the car facing him.

-This is clearly not going well.

-It'll be fine, just stay calm.

Jaehwang tried to stay calm so he wouldn't get any more suspicious. He thought of what to do if this situation happened before he came here, but he was less prepared for it that he thought.

-Be careful.

-I'm trying.

Maybe if Jaehwang could check the CCTV in the car he could find out more information.

"Is it here?"

Jaehwang asked as he saw something appearing in the distance. They then reached Jaehwang's destination so he got out of the car and said goodbye to the person that drove him. He then saw the ventilation and went inside to continue on with the plan.

"Hm, are there any lasers here?

The spirit asked.

Click

Numerous red lines then appeared in front of Jaehwang.

-What's going on?

-Try to examine our surroundings.

-Someone must have set up these lasers. I knew something like this would happen.

-Yeah...𝒍𝙞𝙗𝓻𝙚𝒂𝓭.𝒄𝙤𝙢

They then saw a rat run by.

It wasn't going to be easy getting through the ventilation but Jaehwang turned on his tiger hunter skill and went through it. As he continued to go on, he soon saw five doors ahead of him.

Whoosh

One of the doors then automatically opened, he saw a guy on the suit standing in the middle of the room. He invited Jaehwang to come in and the door closed behind him.

-Can we rest?

-I guess so.

All of his weapons were jumbled up and out of order, but now, they could finally relax without a problem. He then made sure the coast was clear and then connected one of the weapons to one of the computers.

He was holding the weapon in his hand and after he connected it, a red light came on. There was supposed to be a hidden blue light under the desk that he had to wait on to let him know that he's done.

"Ah, this is tough. Do we have any kind of examples around here?"

"Don't you do this kind of stuff everyday?"

"This is a new project, I'm pretty nervous."

"Ugh, I wish he would just hurry up..."

"Let's just wait."

Jaehwang tilted his head as he heard the words of the guys guarding the doors outside. He was calm but something felt strange now that he had heard them talk.

A blue light then came on as he continued to eavesdrop on their conversation and it looked like everything went well. Jaehwang wrapped things up and signalled his group to head towards the exit.

-Did it go well?

-Yeah, but I'll check again just to be sure.

They kept walking until they saw a glass door that had 'B1' written on it. They went through it without a thought but then, Jaehwang saw something so he stopped. The other guys moved on but Jaehwang froze in place.

-What the hell.

The spirit said with an angry tone. Jaehwang was feeling the same way.

They saw a set of countless glass tubes and it had human limbs inside of them. What could they have been doing with those?

"...W-what.. the.. Heck. How can someone do this?" So many thoughts had ran through his head. He was both angry and confused.

-This is so... Wow.

The spirit said in shock.

Chapter 94

Teukteuk...

They walked through the entrance and Jaehwang couldn't believe the terrible sight that he saw.

-Are these monsters?

-No... these are people."

They saw a person, it looked like a male and it had its stomach cut open as it lied down on the operating table. The dozens of tentacles that stuck out of him caught their attention but they still continued to walk along. They also saw a woman wrapped in a plastic-like material inside a glass tube.

It was a sad reality that looked like a scene from a horror movie.

All of the glass tubes were in a certain order. It didn't look like anything more impressive, it looked more of a creepy graveyard. They also saw the implemented experiment breakdown in front of it.

[25yr male, Level one hunter, Electric skill- third tier energy level – parallel connection/fail, transplant/fail, blank injection test/fail]

[26yr Male level 2 hunter, beginner recovery skill, Dakuso surgery/fail, Result from Injection/Death]

[22yr Female level 1 hunter, Resurrection Skill, hiding skill, Super strength- 5th tier energy direct transplant/fail, Spine extraction in progress]

Jaehwang was disgusted knowing that they had been experimented on. With anger racing through him, he headed for the next door. Luckily there was nothing to be worried about in the next room. Instead, there was something different other than humans in the glass tubes.

-What's going on? 𝑙𝒾𝒷𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥.𝒸𝑜𝘮

-Families of Drakus and Oaks... They're being imprisoned here... There are lots of them in the Alousu.

They didn't hear much about these types of monsters on the news so they had a hard time recognizing what they were. Even Jaehwang had only seen pictures of the Drakus before he saw them in this place and in the Alousu.

-This is cruel.

-...

He didn't know what to say so he kept his pace. It was the first time where he had seen so many Drakus. He then saw a mysterious sign.

They were tall and strong from a human's point of view. They had two horns on their head that naturally contained magic.

-The human supports are still on making tragedies like these...

-...

No word has left his mouth and he still didn't know what to say. He could see the misery on their faces. The Drakus that occupied the glass tubes were dying and in pain. He couldn't begin to think of how many of them had to go through those cruel experiences.

They had big ears, long claws, a tail along with their huge frame. They all looked terribly hurt and tortured.

Jaehwang felt sad seeing them like that, so he closed his eyes and moved forward.

Two people who worked in the lab then came through the door. The one walking in front was a gray-haired middle-aged man. He walked strongly into the room and put on a pair of gloves. Walking along behind him was a guy holding a glass tube and it seemed to contain a human heart.

-Did they just take it out of someone? There was still blood dripping off of it.

The spirit asked.

"We need to collect a sample. Check in with the organization."

"On it."

"They've been enduring these tests every single day..."

"Would they rather die than just live while being experimented on? How much do we have to inject?"

"50cc for the first 5 minutes and we need to have 4 spaces between each one."

"Okay. I wonder if they would be able to endure this. I guess it would be nice to find out"

"We already have lots of new data. If we secure our samples just a little more, then we would be able to complete it soon."

"We need to experiment more."

"Things have been a bit messy these days, right? The supply and demand being cut off and all..."

"Ugh, this stuffy place is ridiculous..." The older one said and Jaehwang then realized what kind of person they were dealing with.

"What!" Jaehwang yelled and he instantly covered his mouth with his hand He covered his mouth with his left hand and he used his right hand to attack the experimenter.

Pong pong pong!

"Argh!" The experimenter yelled as he was shot in his joints. Maybe that was the same as what the monsters in the lab were experiencing.

Pang!

The middle-aged man fell and Jaehwang then turned around where he saw two others making their escape. Jaehwang then flew into the air.

He shot an arrow into the experimenter's neck which caused him to collapse on the floor. The syringe that he held in his hand fell and rolled across the room. The man died on the spot but it didn' matter to him, he just looked over to the syringe.

"You are not human." Jaehwang jumped onto the floor and walked up to the middle-aged experimenter. He had a terrified look on his face as he looked at the other experimenter and saw that he was dead.

Tak! Tak!

Jaehwang grabbed the experimenter by the collar and he started to slap him continuously.

"...S-spare me."

Jaehwang stopped and raised his body in the air.

"W-who are you?"

"..."

"Answer my question." The experimenter tried to struggle but it didn't work. "You're insane! Who are you?... Ahhhh!"

Swooshhh...

The man yelled as Jaehwang took him back to the ground. He was terrified and he had a hard time holding on.

"Ahhh!"

He tried to fight back but he knew that he didn't stand a chance. He was just a normal human and Jaehwang was a high ranked monster hunter.

Swooshhh...

He kept his tight grip and then, his eyes started to water.

"Are you going to behave?" Jaehwang asked as he held him close by his collar. "I won't hurt you if you would answer all of my questions, got it?"

"O-okay."

"Where did you get your test subjects?" He had already seen enough of what was going on there so he didn't need to know any more about that. He didn't seem too mad as he didn't have much to ask and he was sure he would get his answers.

"There's a department around here that we go to and it's called 'B2' and it's a storage where we get what we need..." The experimenter obediently replied.

"Good." Jaehwang walked around the lab to get a closer look at their equipment.

He then activated his tiger hunter senses again. There were many CCTV cameras in the lab but he didn't notice if there's any in the hallway.

-Spirit...

-Huh?

-Do you think I'm just like them when I slaughtered those Oaks? Am I a bad person?

-No..?

The spirit replied but there was no confidence behind her answer.

-You're very polite towards your enemies at least.

-Polite?

-Yes. You could have just killed him, couldn't you? Isn't that like, being polite?𝓁𝘪𝑏𝑟ℯ𝒶𝑑.𝑐ℴ𝘮

The spirit said and Jaehwang smiled. Of course, she could always find the good side of everything.

-If those are manners, then maybe I should keep that up.

They soon made it to the B2 door and Jaehwang put the entrance card through the sensor.

"Huh? What?" He saw a lot of security guards among the CCTV monitors and there were three guards near its entrance.

"Did it break?" One guy said as he walked to towards the glass door and looked at the monitor. They couldn't see anything but that wasn't anything unusual. He tilted his head and the moment he turned around, he saw something that surprised him.

The others had been shot in the neck and just then, an arrow flew past him.

Pong

He then turned his head and saw Jaehwang.

The guards from room B3 then rushed into the room.

Jaehwang could hear the doors opening from every direction but he wasn't worried at the moment since there was a long hallway where he could run to. The good thing about the hallway was that there was a hole through the wall that he could look through.

He then heard a heavy low-pitched voice from the end of the hallway. He saw a black shadow of someone sitting at a big desk.

"Didn't I say not to open it until it's fixed, hm?" He said before he pressed the button on his desk.

Swiii

A cloud of thick dust then started to spread everywhere and it even stuck to Jaehwang who used his hiding skill.

"Come out of hiding, thief. If so, then I won't press the alert button." He said and Jaehwang realized that he knew he was there. He then cancelled his hiding skill.

"Wow, it's been a while. I thought you were a guest," He said as he stood up from his chair.

"What a great show you put on here." He was really tall. There seem to be a lot of people in the hallway. When he stood up, none of the dust was around him.

"Who are you?" The man asked.

"A visitor, right?" Jaehwang answered as he looked around.

"Ah, a visitor. Hahaha! A visitor... right. A great visitor. Haha... I should ring the alarm but I was bored. I could give you one chance though, I could just let you escape but that would be too boring."

Kwang kwang kwang.

It felt like there was a giant walking down the hall. "From what I see, you're a rookie. Haha... It's already too late for you."

He only covered half of the hallway but Jaehwang could already see his face. He wore the Daehyeon group uniform and he was wearing gloves that had a piece of metal in its knuckles. He had a huge special mark on his face. The mark started from his chin and ended on his neck, but there were also subtle tracks of it around the area of his eyes.

"Do you have any idea of who I am?"

"Is that something I have to know?" Jaehwang replied in a low voice. He had no idea what was about to happen.

"Fine! Maybe I was just unlucky! Should we get to know each other? Hahaha."

He came closer and his beast-like appearance cast a shadow over Jaehwang.

And after five minutes...

"Ugh..." A lot of saliva came out of his mouth.

He looked like a giant beast. Actually, it looked more cruel and intense than that. Both of his legs and arms had disappeared. It looked like they were cut off.

He coughed a mouthful of blood that splattered across the wall. Jaehwang watched with a worried expression, he was confused as he gingerly walked closer towards him.

"..."

"What?" Jaehwang said.

"P-please... Spare me." The guy said with tears falling down his face.

"Ha...?" Jaehwang brought up an unpleasant look on his face as he scratched his head. He wasn't sure what was going on or what was about to happen but he wasn't going to beg for his life.

"Aren't you acting a little rude?"

Pong...

"Cough..."

Chapter 95

Jaehwang tried to tiptoe his way out of it.

"Ugh..."

He did attack him but of course, he wouldn't die easily.

Pong pong pong!

He attacked him a few more times.

"Why are you so angry? I don't have the time to die."

He focused on attacking him but his reaction was far from what he thought. He didn't even yell, he just stayed silent. Jaehwang felt like he didn't need to worry but he was running out of time.

"Don't you know that I have the ability to heal myself?" He was getting bruises but he just slowly healed them all right after they appeared. It didn't seem like he would die from the attacks but he had to keep trying.

Jaehwang then found the guy's hunter's license after it fell out of a pocket of his uniform jacket. "Rank 5 in strength. So that's why these attacks aren't working."

Usually, someone with a strength skill was difficult to fight with. Jaehwang started to worry and spirit asked him,

-What are you going to do?

-I'll have to lure him in with some kind of bait but he's in rank 5 so that won't be easy.

Jaehwang thought about what could be behind the B3 door. All he could see was just a normal metal door and he couldn't get a glimpse of anything inside.

The spirit then replied in an unimpressed tone.

-Okay but that's going to be difficult, he's very strong and skilled. He could shatter though.

-Shatter?

-It can happen if he reaches his maximum capacity. He could explode and destroy everything...

-How was I supposed to know about that?

Jaehwang replied. He would explode if he attacks him and if he didn't, he would die. Could he somehow attack him from the inside? He wondered if he could gather all of his energy into its center until the spirited tiredly explained it to him in great detail.

-Ugh... He doesn't know basic magic so you should try using what you're best at.

-What I'm best at?

-Yes. You have a strong arrow, right? Wouldn't that work better than magic? It would be better than attacking with your bare hands too.

-You're right, maybe that would work... Thanks

-What's kind of skills does he seem to have?

-I can't really tell.

He wasn't fighting back so Jaehwang didn't know exactly what he was capable of.

"Stop right there! I know what you're planning! You thought you figured it out, huh? Go ahead, try it! You're digging your own grave!"

-Huh?

The spirit said in his head. He acted as if he knew what they were talking about.

When Jaehwang uses an arrow, all of his energy would flow into his hands. He chose a powerful arrow and although he was still a little unskilled with it, he focused on aiming to make the best shot that he could.

Woosh

The energy was then gathered in his hand with a bright red glow.

"What's going on?" The guy said as it was his first time seeing something like that. Right at that moment, Jaehwang suddenly received an alert.

[New skill created.]

Special Skill

Special energy release – Rank 0, 0.01 percent

-It's a destructive energy special skill.

"Ah..."

He gained a new skill.

Jaehwang looked at the glowing energy on his palms. It caused a harsh tingly feeling in his hands but, it also felt relaxing as if his hands were submerged in warm water.

-You'll get used to it.

-That's a lot of energy...

Its growth was slow and steady but its effects were expected to be huge.

-It's your first time so you'll have to use it a few times before you get the hang of it.

The spirit said. Jaehwang then did the best he could and aimed at the guy's stomach.

Pong...

It exploded as the arrow launched towards the guy at the speed of light. He had started to bleed so he backed up a bit to see if he would heal himself but he didn't, it looked like his attack had worked.

"Done."

Woosh

The guy then collapsed to the floor and it left a huge splatter of blood on impact.

-Be careful.

The spirit was able to absorb the energy from the guy after he was attacked and she laughed as Jaehwang put the magic tiara on his head. He planned to do a little remodeling on the tiara so it could suit him better.

[Activating control skill]

He used the control skill and caused him pain. He followed the basic instructions that the spirit told him to worsen the damage that he did. Jaehwang then asked him about everything that was going on in that place.

"Where is the alarm installed?"

"In the desk, I have a consultation to attend to... please"

"When is it?"

"In one hour..." The guy continued to talk.

"Can I go to the bathroom?"

"I need to make a request to my employee."

"How many employees do you have in there?" Jaehwang asked.

"One... just one. He answered.

"Give me the details..."

"She's a rank 4 hunter... She has a healing skill and she can put up a good fight against trespassers." He said. The guy then started to sweat excessively as the pain grew greater.

Jaehwang knew that he was in a terrible condition so he sat him in a chair and healed him a little. He then asked him in a cold voice after he finished tidying things up. "It's time to go to the bathroom. Call your employee."

"Okay." The guy then pressed the button at his desk and spoke.

-I have to go to the bathroom for a second, come and watch over my office."

-Yes, sir. I'll be right there.

He called his employee and they then heard his footsteps coming down the hallway. It wasn't long before a female employee walked into the room. It was hard to tell how old she was. She was wearing thick makeup and bold lipstick along with her expensive looking black pants and suit. She took an earphone out of her ear and went over to the desk.

"You've requested for me to come... Hm?"

She looked down on the table and noticed something strange going on. A giant shadow covered her up, she noticed his boss' injured arms and legs so she backed up but it was too late since Jaehwang had already begun his attack.

Kwang Kwang!

He showed up from behind her and slammed her head unto the table. She then collapsed and fell onto the floor with blood running down her forehead.

-This skill is more useful than I thought it would be.

He thought of the fight that the had with Dongchul and how he used the same skill over and over again.

-Oh my gosh, why did you do that? You should've taken it easier- Hey! There's a tablet, pass it to me!

-Huh? This?

Jaehwang then picked up a tablet that the female employee dropped. 𝓁𝘪𝒷𝘳ℯ𝘢𝑑.𝒸𝘰𝑚

-Quick... give it to me.

She nabbed the tablet from his hand and she opened it up to see the latest drama. It wasn't long before she got bored and frustrated.

-Come on, don't make that face.

Looks like the drama was getting troublesome.

...Pong

"Argh!"

Someone yelled painfully right before passing out. He tied the female employee's hands with a chord and he taped the girl's mouth shut. It was now time to kill the main boss.

-Wow, you're really treating both the men and women equally.

-Is that a compliment?

-Do you think it's a compliment?

Click

Door 3B made a clicking noise as he opened it up using the female employee's card pass. Jaehwang activated his tiger hunter skills and walked through the door. With his new special skill, he was able to sense where all the surveillance cameras and that enabled him not to get caught.

The place was dark and he needed to turn on the lights but the surveillance cameras would be able to sense that. He was, unfortunately, running out of time. He did his best to avoid all the cameras and look through the place thoroughly in the dark.

He could hear one of the female employees from the other room shouting for help.

Tang! Tang!

"Save me... Save me!"

"Ugh, I'm ready to get out of here."

The room felt like a prison since it filled with metal doors instead of windows. He kept hearing the sound of employees crying for help. He soon started to sense a strange smell.

After walking through the door, Jaehwang opened up one of the dividers and looked through everything inside.

"P-please save me..."

The room was dark but he had no problem since he had the spirit with him. The employees were all secured in the other rooms so he won't have to worry about anyone coming after him.

Jaehwang then went down the hallway to another room. He put the key through the metal door and opened it.

"W-who are you?... Get out!"

He tied the person that approached him and turned him into a caterpillar. He wondered for a second what would happen to those employees after they make their escape.

"Let's start searching," Jaehwang mumbled.

"N-no..." Said a guy who was tied up as he saw Jaehwang walk into the room.

He didn't notice him when he walked in so he took out his knife to free him from his binds.

"Ahhh!" He looked surprised now that he's been freed. He checked his arms and legs to make sure he wasn't harmed. He then looked at Jaehwang before he fell into his hands and knees. "T-thank you. I don't know who you are but... Thank you.."

"My name is Jaehwang. Are you okay?"

"Ah, I'll be fine, I just need some rest and a little healing." The guy replied nervously. It looked like he had a few bruises because of what they did to him.

"That's a relief. I'm running out of time, I'll go save everyone else here."

"Okay."

Jaehwang then left and quickly went to save others. "You can thank me later, I really need to get out of here."

The one that he saved helped the others escape. There weren't many of them in that place. It was a total of 11 people. Seven guys and for girls, all of them looked frightened.

One of the guys then asked Jaehwang, "You came here alone to rescue us?"

"Yes, I was able to get through alone."

"I see.." The guy seemed anxious about Jaehwang's answer. He had trouble believing that he was able to sneak in alone and save them.

Jaehwang was able to sneak past the guards and the surveillance but taking them all at once would be difficult. He used another guard pass to get them all out of there. He wanted to give the information to someone else so they could look after it but it looks like none of them would be able to protect it. They walked down the hallway and they were able to make it through.

The building was about to close so they had to hurry or else, they would be stuck there and get themselves recaptured.

Jaehwang went back to the room where he slammed a female employee's head against a desk. He looked at the table with a worried expression. Their biggest problem was to escape and their only way was to go through the elevator.

One of the people he saved then quietly raised their hand.

Chapter 96

-One.

-Nothing's changed.

-Two.

-There's no more.

They talked through the radio and everyone had gathered to listen. The leader stood up with his arms tied along with an angry look on his face.

"Everyone's worried."

"You couldn't have searched a little more?"

"We couldn't. Things had started to get dangerous after just one hour. We had to hurry and escape."

He didn't seem so happy with their answer but he had no choice but to accept it. At least they were able to contact them immediately after they made it out of the building. Everyone was worried that they would get caught.

"What's going on now?"

It took a lot to get the information they needed. If they didn't have the hiding skill and the other special skills then they wouldn't be able to make it out there.

He helped him and the others prepare for things like this for two years. They eventually got more experience on their own until they were able to handle the missions without any help from him.

He realized that he doubted him too late. He thought he needed to learn more but it turned out that he was already prepared enough. They just had to believe in him...

Someone then talked through the phone

"Congratulations, you guys did it!"

"Wow!"

The phone was close to his ear. He checked the number and pressed the speakerphone button so that everyone could hear it.

-Do you like to head out and eat for today? What do you guys want?

The lady on the phone said.

-Anything's fine.

He replied.

-Jaehwang, we'll come to pick you guys up from the south side of the Daehyeon clan experiment building. We'll be there in 10 minutes, what should we look for?

-Okay, I have 11 people with me and they're wearing some casual clothing. We'll need a car big enough for all of us and then we can move on to the next part of the plan.

-Okay, we'll install a phone for communication and be there as soon as possible.

The women talked calm and flat as if she was reading a book. The leader became worried for a bit but she did install the phone program at the car. The codes were a bit messy but it still worked.

"Looks like this mission has become more dynamic," the leader said.

The mission was very dangerous but it wasn't Jaehwang's fault. He was luckily skilled enough to make it this far. The real problem was that time was running out.

He checked Jaehwang's message again and instantly sprung into action. "A monster experimenting place... Gosh, how am I supposed to know where that is? Kihyeon! Everyone, gather around. I need you to find this place in 5 minutes!"

"I'm on it." One of them said.

They had no idea how Jaehwang was able to rescue them but they had no choice but to believe in him. They then saw a woman crossing the road in their direction. She was walking with a limp but she looked quite dangerous. She passed by the car and then ran.

"There!"

Kwang!

Was it was they suspected? A big SUV then suddenly stopped and so did the woman.

She tried to avoid the SUV and a truck then came and crashed into the SUV. The accident had created chaos.

"Was that supposed to happen?..."

People started to gather around the incident and the Daehyeon clan's guards rushed towards the scene. Everyone was confused and distracted, it was the perfect moment that they had been waiting for. Jaehwang then started to move as he noticed the urgency with their leader's voice.

"You have three minutes!"

"Got it," He replied.

"Take my hand."

"Okay." Jaehwang pulled up the last of the 11 people.

"I will leave first and see what happens. I'll go find the rescue car and come back here to pick everyone up. Got it?"

"Understood."

"Thank you again so much for saving us." They looked at Jaehwang with tears in their eyes. He felt a little awkward but he understood what they were feeling.

"Be careful."

"Yes, I'll be going now." Their hearts were racing as they were so nervous. Despite that, they had hope within them. They lost their hope when they were trapped in that building but they were able to get it back because of him.

Jaehwang looked back at them and smiled, seeing their strength had him motivated.

None of them knew their way around the area but with the help of one of the special skill that one of the people he rescued had, they were able to find their way out of room B3 and into the elevator and find some type of transportation without getting caught.

After that they rushed as fast as they could. Jaehwang gave them some different clothes to wear so they wouldn't be too noticeable. They then showed up in a place that Jaehwang didn't have in mind.

There were no corners in the elevator making every smooth to prevent escaping but Jaehwang had an idea to use an arrow to help.

However, there could have possibly been CCTV cameras underneath the elevator which caused a problem for their escape. But fortunately, one of them had an electromagnetic skill and could disrupt the camera and make their escape easier.

"We have reached the ground. When we get outside then-"

Beep! Beep!

They were finding their way out of the building and suddenly heard a loud siren.

Click... Click... Click

The passageways became blocked and they could hear the footsteps of people coming. There was a flickering red light going on everywhere along with the siren.

"This can't be good."

They must have left from traces behind causing them to find them but after one hour, no one came. It seems they've gotten lucky.

"W-what are we going to do?!"

They all gathered around Jaehwang. The light had been flickering for a while and although no one was coming they were still trapped and just the thought of them getting caught was frightening.

"I've thought of something, step back."

They all then stepped back as it seemed that Jaehwang had an idea. It probably would have been much more difficult to break through if that happened before they got on the elevator. It was a lot easier as they were already on the last floor. All they had to do was break out of those walls...

"This will be easy."

Breaking through things with his arrows was his specialty.

"Everyone, sep back a little more."

"Okay."

They responded to Jaehwang's command and stepped back as far as possible.

Jaehwang then made sure everyone was at far distance and then looked at the wall. He pulled back the string with all his strength and launched the arrow to the wall at full speed.

Crash...

The others watched in amazement as tip of the arrow was covered in light as it flew towards the wall. Everyone then ducked their heads to keep safe from the big explosion.

The wall didn't breakdown but it was close to shattering.

"Time for another one..."

Woosh...

Pong!

That time he used his new special strong arrow. It made a big effect on helping to break the wall.

Kwang kwang kwang! Kwang kwang kwang!

It made a loud noise hitting the wall and covered them all in dense dust.

Everyone started cough. The dust then disappeared after a few minutes and although the wall wasn't completely broken down yet but, it seemed to be clearly very close to.

After the dust cleared away they saw that there was a one meter deep hole in the wall. That was it? The wall seemed to be studier than they thought... Behind them seemed to be a small hole in that wall too.

"Should we move a bit?"

"Huh? Oh, sure!"

Jaehwang answered and they then instantly moved to the other side.

Jaehwang looked around at the four walls feeling a little nervous as they seemed to be more dense than he expected.

"I have to be very careful."

He still wasn't used to using his new stronger arrow but he added it with a moving arrow and gave it another shot.

He focused for a moment and slowly pulled the string back before launching them at full speed.

Kwang kwang kwang!

The wall was shattered even more and they could see the rescue truck waiting for them outside. The rescued people were able to fit through the hole and escape.

They were all finally relieved as they got onto the rescue truck. Jaehwang then passed a weapon to the mission leader who was driving the rescue truck.

"You've worked hard. But aren't you going to get in too?"

"No, I'll finish up here and you guys can go ahead."

"Okay... Be careful!"

He said in reply to Jaehwang's answer. He hesitated to leave him there at first but he knew that Jaehwang knew what he was doing so he left onto the rescue truck.

"Hurry!"

Jaehwang turned around and prepared to launch another arrow. It got stronger and more effective the more he used it.

-Five! I'll help!

The spirit made a white line appear to help break the walls.

"Maybe staying here was a bad idea!"

Jaehwang replaced his arrow string and focused.

Others were unaware but everyone on in the basement was most likely dead.

"I know how to break the wall!"

"Take this!"

Said a voice from the other side of the wall that they heard through the hole.

Pang!

It started to break even more as the magic of his new strong arrow consisted of magic and energy stronger than any arrow he had used before. The arrow disappeared through the hole after hitting into it and the second arrow that launched right after it caused the wall to break even more.

Kwang Kwang!

"It's working!"

The wall shattered even more.

-Done.

-Great.

After all of that he was finally finished and it still seemed like no one else was around in the building. He used his tiger hunter skills to hide himself and went to find the pick up truck.

Woosh! Woosh!

"It's the wrong car! Hide! The entrance has closed!"

The floor alarm went off and they could hear the guards coming. A giant door then opened on its own and they went through it and saw that it was filled with the Daehyeon clan's weapon so they started gathering them.

"I'll help."

He was about to shoot an arrow but he made a mistake and his arm got weak.

Kwang Kwang! Kwang kwang kwang!

The arrow hit into the opening door causing it to stop. Spikes then showed up to replace them and prevent escaping.

Was that it? They did notice something moving outside the door as if it was the shadow of some of the Daehyeon clan's shoulders.

-Are you okay?

-I'm fine. I just got a little worried at first.

He felt better about the situation knowing that the people he rescued had already escaped and were on their way to safety. However, he was worried that a fire would start because of all the explosions and burn the area to the ground before they could get far away enough.

-What are you going to do?

-I'm going to destroy everything. Especially that laboratory...

Jaehwang replied in a serious tone. The people in the building could escape by evacuating outside but that was also going to get a dangerous place to be. He was ready to burn the place down and watch his enemies suffer.

Chapter 97

-Check the damage of the situation!

-Looks like two research workers have died! Two security guards are dead and one is in critical condition. One hunter died and another one have disappeared.

-Darn it. What are we going to do.

Some of the most important people on their team had died during the chaos from the day before.

-I'm sorry. The team are now in the process of tracking down those who escaped. We'll be sure to catch them.

Jaehwang's arrow had melted away already but they didn't know about that there.

-Don't let not one of them get away!

-Yes, sir!

-Hurry, get moving!

-Okay.

-And tell all of the equipment team security to gather here tomorrow.

-Ah.. Yes, sir!

Kwang!

"Darn it!"

The chief shouted in frustration after slamming the communication receiver onto the table. It was time to go into the laboratory and test something new.𝘭𝑖𝘣𝑟𝘦𝒶𝘥.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Those who they experiment on is a big secret but rather than using them, things would be a whole easier if they just experimented on their enemies.

But things weren't going as planned today.

Intruders destroyed everything.

Until now the Daehyeon clan had been doing a good job at keep intruders out of the building.

However, that was unfortunately not the case this time.

They didn't know who or what type of clan it could have been but they had to be skilled enough to rescue those people and escape before getting caught.

They were even able to get into the laboratory and escape without being spotted on any surveillance cameras. However, there were traces of them caught on the server outside. 𝘭𝒾𝒷𝓇𝘦𝑎𝑑.𝒸ℴ𝓂

The culprit seemed strong and sneaky. It was someone different from their past enemies. Unless the intruder was a spider, the surveillance camera should have caught him. It looked like they were dealing with someone more skilled than they thought.

They needed to find out who it was, their lives depended on it.

After a long time if waiting and searching there was no report of the enemy. After ten more minutes they were starting to get even more worried.

"No, this can't be."

He picked up the phone with shaking hands. It was the only phone connected to the outside.

A moment later there was someone speaking on the other end of the phone connection.

-Hello.

-This is your brother, Lee Soojang speaking.

-Ah... Dongchan, it's been awhile since we've spoken to each other.

Answered an old guy in a calm tone.

-How are things?

-Fine. But, what have you been doing since this morning? I've been studying everyday so I haven't had any time to call...

-Oh... Well, I haven't been doing anything necessarily new lately...

He then began to tell Soojan what he had been doing recently. He was fine with telling him about everything because he knew that he would keep it a secret. However, if something went wrong then he wouldn't be safe either.

-Wow, that sounds really difficult.

-Yes. I'm really sorry, brother.

-Don't worry, it's fine. Do you have any idea who could have caused all this?

-No, this is all that have been reported to me by SongJae. He's the clan master.

-Hm. It could maybe be SongJae. But if that's the case then you're in danger.

-Yes but I don't think it's him. SongJae's my cover and helps me a lot. The problem is the head chief.

-Really? So SongJae's not the problem? He is a very stubborn person.

-I know. He can be a bit crazy sometimes... I need to be alone right now. Thanks for your help.

He then stood up from his seat.

They took pride in their experiments and studies but they needed to get to the bottom of this to get pass the crisis they were going through.

-Okay, okay. I know you're in a very serious situation right now. I'll help.

-You can do this. There's no one like you.

-Thanks. I'll need you to listen very carefully to whatever I say.

-Okay.

-First, I'll need you to focus on all of the incineration in the laboratory from now on.

-The incineration?

SooJang replied in surprise. It was a very hard task that took a lot of time and effort.

Dongchan made his structions very clear while talking in a stern tone.

He told him everything in great detail.

But he could understand why he was being so serious. His brother was going through a very hard time at the moment.

-Wow... Understood. Everything will be fine, this is no problem, okay? Our laboratory group can track the enemy.

-Ah... I see.

-Good. And who is it, Bu Soojang?

-Bu Soojang had a holiday every other day so he's not working today.

-Really? Well that's a relief. Do you trust him?

-Bu Soojang? I guess so. He's a very smart guy... There's no one on the team like him.

-I see. Maybe he can take the fall and cover for us.

Lee Soojang knew exactly what he meant when he mentioned letting him cover for them.

-Thanks, brother.

-No problem. Now let's get moving, fast.

-Yes.

Their phone call ended and Soojang hung up the phone and took a deep breath after sitting down back into his chair.

He thought about what his brother had said as he was a little confused. The emergency siren in the building then went off and he made quickly made his decision.

Beep Beep Beep... Enemy detected. Beep Beep Beep

"Ugh... what am I going to do..."

Their attack still wasn't ready yet.

Lee Soojang then took a walkie talkie radio out of his packet and matched its frequency.

He shouted in pain as it was quite painful.

-2,3,4 Guards, go into battle! Keep them away!

-Hurry! Go as fast as you can! We can't lose. Be sure to prepare by putting on armor.

-Destroy them!

-It's too much! The guards are there but the other are stronger! Retreat! Retreat!

-There's been a breakthrough in area 2! A breakthrough in area 3! They're going very fast! There's lots of enemies!

-There's nothing we can do! There's a level 6 hunter with them!

-How are we going to block them!

-Retreat!

-There's nothing we can do!

-Backup will be there in three minutes!

The laboratory chief's face was blank. He showed no signs of anger, shock or fear. During the two minutes of waiting he quickly typed in a number on the phone.

-Chief, I got the call.

-How is everything going in the lab?

-Not so good. How long will be have to control it?

-Is there anyone around to protect everything?

-No, it's just you.

-Alright. But listen, awhile ago there was an important project we were working on experiments for but it didn't go well and failed.

-Ah, I understand.

-You're going to have to completely give up and that. Stop everything now and come to my office! In five minutes the laboratory closing protocol should be in session.

-C-closing protocol? What!?

-Hurry, get it done!

-Yes, sir.

Their phone call ended and he kneeled down under the wooden table he was sitting at starting pressing the secret buttons in the correct order.

Beep

The desk opened up and under a small protective glass was a red button.

It was a button they've never had to press before. He was extremely nervous. He opened the draw that had the key to the glass opening of the button and put it into the keyhole.

-Wheu... So this is how it ends..."

The laboratory chief then took a deep breath.

Jiii! Jjjiii! Jjjjiii!

Pong pong pong!

Jaehwang then came out of hiding and walked towards him with his hood covering his face.

"Die!"

They then heard the sound of multiple gun fires.

"This is it!"

They continued to hear gunshots coming from in the hallway. Everything was falling over and being destroyed all around them.

-You're really good at this.

-Yea.

Jaehwang seemed to be in the lead during the fight as he used his hiding skill with a sneak attack. He kind of felt bad because they weren't as skilled as he was to fight back just as good but that didn't matter as his life was more important than a fair fight.

-I'm hungry.

-There's nothing here to eat, do you have anything?

Asked the spirit.

-How about chocolate? I have some of that.

Jaehwang replied.

There was some chocolate left over from the night before that she hadn't finished. Although they didn't have much time to take a rest or anything during a fight or mission. Especially because that could cause them to leave behind tracks even more. They had to always be careful.

Although after all the fighting he had been doing he was also feeling a little weak and hungry since that morning.

Jaehwang thought about the expensive chocolate they bought when they visited a bakery.

-Those snacks are always so expensive.

-If you don't like it then say so.

-That's not it...

Jaehwang replied. He started to look around the room.

"The Breaker will be here soon. As soon as he shows up then everyone can leave!"

"Yes, sir."

-What Breaker?

-I don't know either. I guess we'll find out soon.

-Hm...I guess so. Let's eat...

Jaehwang ate two pieces of chocolate and then looked behind him and saw a guy with a small forklift coming their way. Behind the forklift was a big black board with a name on it.

"The Breaker is here!:

"Great. Hurry, move over here"

The conductor was leading the way and the Breaker stopped on a giant black padding on the ground.

"Prepare the breaker!"

"I'll start the countdown. 10,9,8,7..."

"Get ready to retreat! Friend! Watch over our breaker well so we can retreat!"

"Yes, sir."

The countdown finished and the breaker that they called started to glow in a blue light and it then started to float.

"It's working! The destructive exploding will begin in 10 seconds!"

"Let's get out of here, everyone!"

The conductor yelled and everyone began to escape. The breaker was about to self destruct and destroy everything. But, that was the plan. It was a big risk but they had to do it.

Jjjiiii...

The breaker leaked in white liquid and thick smoke started to come from out of it.

"The breaker will explode in three second! 3! 2! 1!"

The breaker then started to glow in a red light. The entire place was lit up.

Boomm!

Pong pong! Pong pong pong!

It started glowing and then made a gigantic explosion.

Pong pong pong!

Everything was being affected by the explosion.

Anything that the light of the breaker reached was being destroyed. Nothing was safe.

"Ahhh!"

The trail of light couldn't be avoided and anyone in it's way would get affected by it.

Jjjjiiiii...

The light spread across the place until there was nothing left.

Whiii...

It was insanely bright. After the light finally disappeared there was liquid from the breaker everywhere.

"Phew..."

The breaker had finally finished and the Daehyeon group were ready to start anew. The special liquid in the breaker covered up to 30 meters of ground and was still slowly spreading even though it was finished. A big explosion like that took up a lot of its gas and energy.

"Phew... Everyone stay on alert! There's still a lot of heat coming from it!"

"Yes, sir."

Everyone was walking away but one of them then tiredly wiped the sweat off of their forehead and took a look back.

"Huh?"

Chapter 98

"What are we going to do?!" The boss said as he fell in deep panic. He can't believe that someone managed to steal their breaker.

"It caused a breakdown!" He shouted. A loud siren went off and they also heard a strange sound coming from the lab.

Jjjiiii...Jjjijiji...Kwang...Kwang...

It sounded like something sharp and heavy was hitting the ground. It was accompanied by a weak red light shining down the hallway.

"Unbelievable..." He said that out loud and he quickly covered his mouth. He was so shocked as he had never seen anything like that. He wondered if he was having a nightmare at the moment.

He walked by the giant glass tube and stared at it. He didn't mind the background noise behind those experiments and he wondered how scared could they have been.

He quickly turned his head and looked at all of his workers preparing as the alarm went on. He wanted to tell them that they should escape immediately but he didn't have the strength to open his mouth at the moment. He just watched them as time passed by.

'If I stay quiet then I could live on.'

After that, he went to his employees and he sent them a signal.

However, there was a problem. When he was about to give it to his men, he saw something strong with his vision.

"Huh? What's that..." He said but he wasn't able to say anything else. His jaws were completely frozen.

Swoosh... Swoosh...

Both of his arms and legs suddenly felt weak as soon as he got shot in his neck and started to bleed.

"Ahh!" He managed to let out a shout.

"Huh? What's going on!?" One of the other employees yelled and everyone else then looked over to see what was happening. Everyone then screamed in fear as they went to their chambers to load themselves with their weapons.

Despite their efforts, what they needed the most was a good plan to escape.

"Hurry!" The boss yelled and then another employee was shot.

"Everyone! Let's get out of here!"

-Why did you do this? Now, they're running around like a bunch of beetles.

-Because it's fun to watch them run around like a bunch of beetles.

-Are you a child? Only a kid would enjoy something like this.

-Well, you're the one watching dramas all the time...

Jaehwang replied to the spirit's mocking before he walked down the hallway. They could see all the chaos everywhere as everyone ran around and screamed in terror. Both of them felt that there was someone strong hidden in that bunch but Jaehwang just brushed it off. Something must have been going on in the laboratory.

There weren't any practitioners left but they saw a bystander. He wondered if someone like them could come back to life but that idea didn't make any sense.

-Wow!

Jaehwang then started to run as soon as he saw a partition coming down. He passed by three partitions as he ran and ended up in an empty spot, but that didn't make him stop. He upped his speed until he saw an opened vent.

He even encountered the same obstacles as he pushed through. It got a little tougher to now he got that far but he still went on.

The height and its width were just about one meter but that didn't slow him down. He seemed to be running randomly but he had a clear destination in mind. It wasn't difficult as it wasn't much different from anything that he's done before.

-We're almost there.

What he had in mind was the secret underground basement of the laboratory, and although that was the worst place to go, it had an exit that he could take.

-Go down and then go right, there are two people there! One of them is kinda strong!

-Okay.

Jaehwan then went through an opening and activated his [Tiger Hunter] Skill.

"Ouch!"

He jumped out and landed on someone who was running as well.

"W-what?... Who?"

"Because of the shutdown protocol, the ventilation system seemed to be out of order!" Jaehwang said as a cover-up.

"Ugh, nevermind!" Jaehwang said and he continued to run. He then went into a room and looked inside for a few documents.

"Spare me! Take them instead please!" An employee shouted in fear.

"Sure." He got a case of documents filled with rare information, that's what he was looking for. He got up to his feet and left the man alone.

"Boss! Hurry, we have to go faster!"

"Alright," The boss replied with a calm demeanor. They went onto the elevator to get to the bottom floor. His legs suddenly felt weak as it became a little bit harder for them to breathe.

"Huh?" The employee saw someone standing by at the elevator. He didn't seem hurt to anything, he was just standing there.

"What are you doing?" A guy said to him in a low voice. The one standing there seems to be pretty young. The sound of his voice seemed to be belong with someone who's in his early twenties...

"You... Where are you running off to? Why are you going to the top floor?" The boss shouted.

The guy standing by the elevator was Jaehwang who then replied saying, "Me? This is my job."

"Haaaa? Hahahahahaha!" The boss gave him a laugh as a reply as he saw him holding a set of documents in one of his hands. They didn't know what he was planning but they were soon about to find out.

Teukteuk...

"Huh?" They took a few steps closer towards Jaehwang and they felt something slippery.

"W-what's this!" He felt an intense pain in both of his eyes. It got harder to breathe until he was completely swamped by it.

Pong!

He couldn't see anything coming. He just felt a giant explosive blow at the back of his head that crashed him on a nearby wall. He then rubbed his eyes in an attempt to see what was going on.

Pong... Pong...

Two arrows flew into his heart and he aimed to kill that employee for a reason. The boss then stepped back as he screamed in terror. Everything happened so fast, he had no idea what just happened.

All that he saw was the intruder's hands dripping in blood as he stood in front of him.

"Ahhh!"

He thought that he would be calm about the the though of dying since he had lived a full life but his employee's death changed his mind.

"S-spare me please!"

"Why should I spare you?"

"B-because..." He was too scared to speak as he knew that his reason won't be that good. He didn't want to say anything to make the situation worse. If it that was possible, that is. "I... I am a man of great wisdom! If I die then this organization will be-"

He couldn't finish his sentence. He could already tell that his answer wasn't doing any good.

"Really? Well then, can you tell me what's going on here?"

"I can't. I can't tell you!" He instinctively said before realizing it. "W-well, I know a lot of Daehyeon group secrets!"

"For example...?"

"Well... Uh... We..."

Jaehwang wanted to know about the relationship between the Daehyeon group and the Samjeon church, but he knew that he wouldn't get any answers that easily. If he could get something out of this situation then it would be easier to take them down.

Jaehwang then smirked and said, "Is your organization a parasite to the people of the Samjeon church? If not then what kind of connection do you have with the events that recently happened in Justin point with the Oaks?"

"Well I... I don't know..." The boss lowered his chin and continued. "I'm a man with very limited outlooks and thoughts... I don't have a reason good enough for you to spare me."

Jaehwang then took a few steps closer to the boss who then stepped back and shouted, "That situation has something to do with Japan!"

"Japan?" Jaehwang asked.

"Yes! The Japanese empire worked together with the Chinese and they made the Oaks stronger so they could attack Justin point."

"What about the Samjeon church?"

"The Samjeon church leader and his followers played a very important role in the entire situation and with the Daehyeon group... I-I... I have evidence!" The leader said as he shut his eyes. He couldn't take back the secrets he just revealed.

"Hm... Then tell me. What makes you such an important person?" Jaehwang asked and the leader then shouted,

"When this secret laboratory is destroyed and when they make a new one, I will be resigning from the leader position and my brother would become the vice chairman of the Daehyeon group!"

"Good. I guess I'll spare you." Jaehwang said and the leader sank to the ground in relief. Jaehwang then turned around and walked into the elevator. He gave him a last look and said, "Aren't you gonna get in or what?"

"Oh... That elevator leads to the main floor..." This elevator had always served as his safe place but he didn't feel comfortable with him in it. "Well... I-Okay..."

"Let me operate it at least," the leader said as he swiped his ID and typed in the secret number after he got inside. The laboratory closing protocol was still going on and everyone was still rushing around.

Ding~𝓁𝒾𝒷𝘳ℯ𝘢𝑑.𝑐ℴ𝓂

He pressed the button to the first floor and took a deep breath. "I won't kill you and that means... Bye..."

"?"

Pong!

Jaehwang kicked the leader out as soon as the elevator door opened. He was thrown out but he just lifted his head and looked back to him in shock.

"Ahhhh!" He was confused as he asked himself if he was trying to kill him. Luckily, Jaehwang just walked away without a word.

It was pitch-black and Jaehwang then felt something sharp on the ground.

"Ouch..."

Chapter 99

Jaehwang had returned to their HQ and he had more than enough materials to spare. There was plenty for him and the leader who helped him complete their mission.

There were able to hack through their systems but Jaehwang have been caught on the security cameras while he was there taking their documents.

That was a huge advantage for the Daehyun group but, they didn't have to think about that at the moment. Gwanjae would be able to solve it himself.

Mr. Hwang then said, "It's good that we have ourselves on standby if not, things could have gotten terribly wrong."

That information was obvious.

-That evil old man, he probably tried to sabotage you!

-Maybe.

He replied to the spirit, thinking that his reasoning was just enough. He was already lucky enough to even make it out alive without much trouble.

"Granddad, where are they?" Jaehwang asked. He looked a little tired even though he just took a break earlier.

"They're fine but it's just a bit complicated. It's also because I'm currently training your friend as well."

Jaehwang shook his head and replied, "I understand. I'll get back to training as well..."

"You just finished a mission and now you're immediately going back to training?" Gwanjae asked.

"There's something that I realized on this mission. I need to take some time to think."

"Hm. I see."

They gave each other a nod before Jaehwang left the room. He had packed some medicine just in case but he never had the opportunity to use it. He wasn't even tired or stressed after his mission.

What was currently right in front of him was perfect. He looked a little tired at the moment and there was a tiny unnoticeable wound on the leg of his armor. He took a deep breath and murmured, "I thought that was what I really wanted."

If Gwanjae wasn't keeping a close eye on him then maybe he could have done more. He could have completed the assassination like he almost did. They didn't always see eye to eye as Gwanjae was in his 50s and Jaehwang was just in his early twenties. It would be obvious that they would have different opinions sometimes.

Jaehwang went to the training center in the basement of the mansion. It was different than where he would usually practice so took he took his time to adjust before he started training.

-Perfect.

The spirit was also able to finally relax.

-What do you think? Isn't it great for training?

The room was now much more suitable after he rearranged it. All of his training was surely paying off as he had caught up for 11 monsters so far.

-Do you need to rest to refill your energy?

-Not really...

Jaehwang replied. If the spirit had used some of the material he brought with him then her magic could be stronger.

-Well, what are you going to do now?

-First I'll practice my shooting before I work on my level.

-Good. But how much stronger do you think you can get? You've already gotten very strong.

The spirit asked.

-Well, right now it would be useless to think so but I'm sure you'll get stronger too. No need to be impatient.

-I guess so.

The spirit was also waiting to get stronger but she still had a long way to go. They couldn't waste their time rushing and stressing about it.

Jaehwang had been experiencing all kinds of side effects after his level up. The spirit's magic improved but there was still more than she was capable of.

There was also a reason that Jaehwang was continuously aiming to get stronger. 𝘭𝘪𝘣𝑟𝘦𝘢𝒹.𝘤𝑜𝓂

-We may not have enough materials to continue on as we want. We have to really think this through.

-Do you think that something might go wrong?

-Maybe.

-Hm... I guess. We'll just have to be careful then.

The spirit said as they just stood in the middle of the practice room. They weren't sure how much time had already passed by. He just felt dizzy when he suddenly found himself glowing with energy from head to toe.

-It's your inherited archery skills.

Jiijjiijiii...

The energy light lit up the training room and then disappeared. And after that, the Jaehwang's skill status window appeared.

[New skill found.]

[New skill... 'Inherited skill."]

-Inherited skill (Unique skill)

Appointed to: Jeon Jaehwang

Effects

Skill's energy: 0 percent

Jaehwang looked at the status with a confused look. He then asked,

-What's this?

-It's a skill that allows you to gather magic from other standard energies. It was used a long time ago by evil hunters who stole the energy of others.

-So... now... could I do that too?

-Not exactly. That skill is basically nothing but just an imitation of the real one. You might need a little help with it first. With that skill, people will admire you or fear you every time they hear your name.

-Admire? Fear?

-Yes. Your strength would increase whenever they think of you.

-Hm... I think I understand.

Jaehwang nodded. He didn't completely understand it but he trusted what the spirit had just said.

-Okay then, shall we continue our practice?

-Wait, before that...

-What is it?

-Are you going to test out the magic you got a while ago?

-Has it been a year already? Okay, I guess I'll try it out. Time has gone by so fast.

-Great. I'll get ready.

-Should I use it now? Your magic had already reached its limit.

-At that time when you explained something about my arrows, there was something that I realized. I think I know what I need to practice today.

-Okay. How long do you think it'll take to master?

-I don't know.

Jaehwang replied. He wanted to finish up first and then see how things go.

-I would tell you if I could but I can't... But I can promise you something. No matter how long it takes, it won't be more than 7 days. If it's any more than that then you would be in danger.

She actually didn't think that Jaehwang would be able to last up to seven days but after everything that they've been through she soon realized that he could. Jaehwang had the fortitude of a monster.

-Phew... Well then, I'll get ready. You don't think I could go in like this, do you? I have to practice as much as possible too.

-Okay.

Jaehwang replied. The spirit then went back inside of him.

-I have a few things that I have to master. This is going to be very surprising.

Ten days have passed.

"Ah..."Jaehwang got out of bed and stood up while stretching. The atmosphere felt lonely. He felt tired as soon as he just woke up. He reached over to the table for a bottle of water as his mouth felt very dry. "Cough... Cough..."

He felt a hand patting his back as he coughed.

"You idiot! Didn't I say seven days?!"

"Huh... There was nothing I could do..."

"So you're going to endure it for ten years? You're unbelievable. You have to be careful... You're crazy! What were you thinking?!"

"There's nothing to worry about, what are you saying... I'm... fine" He could even barely talk with all that coughing.

"Is the country aware of this?"

"Of course." Jaehwang looked over and saw a lady standing on the other side of the room.

She looked to be in her early twenties. She had a pretty innocent appearance with her pale white skin, a slim figure, and a long beautiful dark hair that reached down to her waist.

"How is the practice going?" He asked.

"Well first... Are you sure you don't see any difference?"

"What do you mean?"

"Hm." The spirit then walked towards Jaehwang.

"Do you know how much work and pain it took to create this body?"

"Oh, good job. It's pretty."

"What! Pretty? That's all?"

"Uhh.." Jaehwang replied nervously. She was very beautiful. She looked like a lady from a movie.

"Forget it." The spirit said.

Jaehwang then went and changed out of his training clothes and left the room.

-Where are you going?

-To eat.

Even though he didn't pack any food with him there was something there to eat every day.

The status window then appeared and explained his new skills along with his other skills as well. He went up just one rank but he was not closer to the 7th rank.

Status window

Name: Jeon Jaehwang Rank B, 10/1 level, 23,500/1,000,000 exp

Strength: 7

Speed: 8+4

Stamina:8

Sense: 10+2

Consciousness: 12.25

Energy: 1,030/1,030

Resurrection Energy: 14

Archery skills (Real skill)

Effects

Strength: 1

Speed: 2

Sense: 2

Strength 1.5

Unique Skill:

Tiger hunter skill — Rank 13, 28 percent

Archery skills — Rank 12, 11 percent

Unique arrow — arrow

Exploding arrow — arrow

Guided arrow — arrow

Strong arrow — arrow

Common skill

Cooking skill — Rank 7, 11 Percent

Quick resurrection skill — Rank 9, 92 Percent

-Now I think I could fight against Gwanjae and win.

-Really, you've improved that much?

-I think so.

Jaehwang replied.

She knew that Gwanjae was very strong. Even years ago when Gwanjae was younger, he was considered as one of the most powerful hunters around. No one could compare themselves to him.

Chapter 100

No one was there when he arrived at the diner. He then looked at the time and realized that the lunch break was over. Jaehwang sat down at a table and ordered a serving of chicken porridge. It was the first time that he had eaten a real meal in a while after all this time.

Ding!

Someone then came in through the door of the diner.

"Where is that idiot!" He turned his head and saw Jaehwang. He still shouted as he left. "Ugh! That dumbass!"

Jaehwang then looked ahead to see what was going on and saw Dongchul. He looked very tired, lost and confused. He then seemed to notice Jaehwang looking at him.

"Oh, hi again. It's been awhile."

Jaehwang said and Dongchul then replied. "Huh? "Hello?" you're going to get it!"

He charged at him. He ran through the door of the restaurant and all the way towards where Jaehwang was sitting.

"Don't try to take back what you said!" Dongchul's fist was then surrounded by a black ball of energy. Jaehwang jut remained in his seat and paid him no attention, he had already sensed what was happening and he's ready to block it if necessary.

Click...

He trained in the same training room he was currently training in so he knew all of his moves. Dongchul then slammed his fist onto the table and he used his free hand to send Jaehwang flying into another table.

"What the heck are you doing? I'm just trying to eat..." Jaehwang said as he picked himself up. He was still holding his spoon in his right hand.

"What am I doing? What have you been telling Gwanjae?! If that's what you think of me then this is how I'll be!"

"Are you talking about the training?"

"The training? Is that what you call training?! I'll show you the training and we'll see how you like it!"

Dongchul shouted and Jaehwang just smirked. "I guess I'll just have to teach you a lesson."

"Huh?"

"Since you think you can teach me a lesson then maybe I can teach you something too."

"Whatever " Dongchul shouted back to Jaehwang. He thought that if he could survive Gwanjae's training then he could easily handle Jaehwang.

"Shut up and take a seat. I haven't eaten in ten days so I need to eat right now." Jaehwang said.

"So you don't want to fight? Have you gotten stronger?" Dongchul asked but Jaehwang said nothing in reply and just ate his food. Dongchul then went and sat next to him. He had a big frame making the chairs look miniature compared to him. "Are you done training?"

"Yeah..."

"What the hell happened to you these past days?"

"I had no time to eat."

"You should have come back to visit me more often."

"I didn't want to disrupt your training with Gwanjae." Jaehwang replied as he ate.

Dongchul smiled and murmured, "I see..."

Jaehwang then finished his food and went back to the counter. "Could I have another serving?"

"Sure, wait right here." Jaehwang handed the female employee the bowl. The place was pretty empty so getting another serving was no problem for her. He thanked the employee and returned back to his seat with the bowl full of food.

Dongchul then asked him, "It seems that you've gotten stronger."

He asked after thinking about how he dodged his attack while Jaehwang continued to eat.

"Can you teach me?"

"..."

"Don't be surprised. Gwanjae's training is terrible and I'll do whatever it takes to avoid it." Dongchul said. Jaehwang nodded his head in reply. Gwanjae's way of training actually suited Dongchul quite well. It was the best way for him to become a master.

He kept eating to avoid his questions but he continued to ask.

"What kind of skill did you gain?"

"Uh, well..."

"Congratulations."

"Thanks."

Dongchul just sat in his chair as he seemed to have calmed down even if there was no reason for him to be angry in the first place. He chose Gwanjae's training for him and he had a good reason for it.

He could have surprised him if he had trained a bit more. Jaehwang knew that and that's the reason why he asked his grandfather to train him.

Jaehwang continued to eat and he was soon satisfied. After starving himself for a few days, it took some time for the food to actually fill him.

Tak...

Jaehwang quickly put his spoon down onto the table.

"What's wrong?..." Dongchul asked.

"I have to go to the bathroom." He then quickly walked out of the diner.

"Phew... Great."

"It's only a small achievement."

"But, it's good enough." Gwanjae went to Jaehwang in his office and checked in about the situation.

"Everything was great but your speed didn't match up. Even though you trained for an entire ten days, I checked the improvement of your strength and now you seem to be much better at managing it..." Gwanjae's words weren't simply just a compliment. He was actually very curious. If Jaehwang was him he would be interested too.

"Should I teach you?"

Gwanjae then smiled at Jaehwangs question. There was no way he would learn something from his lessons, but he was going to give him a chance anyway.

Click

The office door then opened and Mr. Hwang walked in. His expression was a little dull.

"Father," He said to Gwanjae.

"Hm?"

"There's a very important meeting going on right now that needs your attention." Mr. Hwang said with a serious expression. Gwanjae then stood up from his chair and asked,

"What's going on?"

"It's a very important situation," Mr. Hwang hinted as if Gwanjae would already know what he's talking about.

"Did you already release the information? Have you checked it already?"

"There are guards on standby." Mr. Hwang replied. Gwanjae then looked back at Jaehwang and said,

"Come with us."

Jaehwang nodded his head and followed Gwanjae and Mr. Hwang out of the office. They walked into the meeting room and they were welcomed by four people sitting on their chairs.

"Shall we begin?" One of them asked.

"Yes," Gwanjae said as he took a seat.

"Jaehwang, the data you've brought back is currently being examined so while that is happening, we'll keep an eye out for the other matters that may need our attention."

"And also..."

"Yes, all of it is being examined as we speak. We have received some great attention from the stock market and from our investors. The company that we had established in these past five years is now exploding in success."

"But, what are those guys in the Daehyeon group planning?" Jaehwang asked.

"They're secretly gathering some materials to increase their stocks. Our team has already arranged an event in one month so we could have more options."𝑙𝘪𝒷𝓇𝑒𝑎𝑑.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Is there an expected amount to receive from the stock market in our country?" One of them asked.

"The expected amount is around 34 million." Mr. Hwang replied.

"Hm..."

"Is there anyone of us close enough to use their connections to the Daehyeon group?"

"Maybe the investment company's vice chairman..."

Everything was then quiet for a moment.

"We'll have to speak with him. Everything's going great so far. Keep doing what you're doing." Gwanjae sat back in his chair and placed his hands on the armrest.

"So, we have to get close to the president of the team, Lee Hyeongyu... Does anyone have any ideas?"

"That will be quite difficult."

"Ugh, Hyeongyu... I hate that guy!" Gwanjae shouted.

Lee Hyeongyu somehow easily became the president. He lacked a lot of things but he still won over the people. However, after he became in charge, he didn't do the things he had promised and he had gained a terrible reputation.

"If we can get on the good side of their president, we would be able to give the Daehyon group a good beating."

"Right, then we can get some inside information and come up with a plan to attack them."

"By the way, is Japan still involved on their side?"

"Possibly. Japan received a lot of funds after their victory. They also sent undercover soldiers to steal some gears from the training center in Justin Point."

"The country is safe for now due to the aftermath of the attack on their secret laboratory, but some are still in hiding." Mr. Hwang said.

"I thought that that one room was destroyed."

Gwanjae made a mistake. If he had considered what happened in Justin Point then he could have avoided this kind of disaster. They had a lot to take care of.

"Wait!"

"Yes, Gwanjae?"

"Do you have a plan?"

He stopped to think for a moment and then replied, "First we'll have to plan our timing very carefully. The fastest way would be to find some supporters, however, we can't settle with Justin Point in their current state. We'll have to only accept the best we can receive."

"Is there a support term we can get?"

"From what I've calculated, we should be able to get a two-month term. But remember, the situation turned into this due to the country's support and the mistake in the situation. It'll be hard to avoid any damage on our side."