Chapter 48 – Raid Hell (3)
TL: Boko
Editor: Frost
The reinforcements would arrive before the wave began. Then, the exhausted Hunters could assume the rear while the new Hunters blocked the wave. Sung Joon believed he’d done his job.
“I understand… Good luck.”
The Investigator said no more. After Sung Joon had nodded his head, he ran towards the closest warp gate, which was north.
It was a critical situation, as they had lost contact with the S-rank Hunter Na Joon Yeol and his team. Thus, there was a chance that the SS-rank raid boss was at the northern warp gate.
“The Red Axe’s Tribal Chief should be at about the SS-rank level. I believe he’s the raid boss.
Rishubalt was of the idea that Rash was the raid boss.
Sung Joon rushed over to the warp gate like a speeding car and sensed several mana reactions.
“Stealth.”
He used his item’s stealth function in order to hide himself completely. He also used the technique from his past life that allowed him to remove any traces of his presence.
“I’ll come back after I’ve scouted.”
Rishubalt knew what Sung Joon intended for him and preemptively went out to scout. Sung Joon continued to move toward the warp gate. Then, Rishubalt returned after five minutes had passed. Sung Joon sent a small amount of mana to him so that he would notice.
“As I thought, Na Joon Yeol and Baek Ha Yeon have collapsed in front of the warp gate. Rash was in front of them as well. The next wave hasn’t begun yet but there are more minions than I expected.”
If he destroyed the warp gate, all of the monsters that used the particular warp gate would be unsummoned. Therefore, the minions would always be nearby, guarding it.
This time was no exception. Sung Joon had expected it but Rishubalt was concerned by the number of minions.
Since Sung Joon was stealthed, he couldn’t respond, but it didn’t really bother him either. After all, all he needed to do was kill them.
‘I’m killing them all.’
At some point, Sung Joon had gotten close enough to the warp gate to see it with the naked eye. Sung Joon looked around coldly.
He could see Rash as well. There was a human skull tied to his waist. He was wielding two red axes, one in each hand, befitting his tribe’s name.
Aside from Joon Yeol and Ha Yeon, all the other Hunters had died, and the two were tied up as prisoners. They looked like a wreck.
The two Hunters were bloody. The Red Axe Tribe probably intended to publicly execute them to lower the Hunters’ morale.
“There’s someone here.”
Sung Joon had combined stealth with a high level technique that reduced all traces of his presence. Regardless of that, Rash knew that someone was there.
He wasn’t sensing Sung Joon's presence or killing intent. It was an instinctual fear that came from being hunted.
Rash felt intensely anxious. He acted as though everything was fine in front of his subordinates but it wasn’t easy.
‘I don’t know who it is… but they’re powerful.’
This was the first time he felt ‘fear’ since he encountered Roukel at the Ridonia Great Plains.
Likewise, his subordinates were also gripped with an intense fear. If they were normal soldiers instead of Orcs with aggressive tendencies, they would have run away already.
Rash surveyed his surroundings with a sharp gaze. However, since Sung Joon was using his high level techniques in tandem with stealth, he found it impossible to find Sung Joon’s exact location.
‘Damn it!’ Rash cursed inwardly. However, he figured out a way to force his opponents to reveal themselves.
He gave the ‘signal’ to the Orc High Priest who was by his side. What he intended was quite simple.
‘Fire offensive spells in all directions.’
He would force Sung Joon out of stealth by firing large-scale spells in every direction.
The Orc High Priest just nodded its head. And relayed Rash’s message to the other Orc Mages through magic.
When Sung Joon confirmed that the Orc Mages were gathering their mana, he immediately used his high-speed movement.
His stealth was released, but since his attack was so sudden, the Red Axe Tribe couldn’t respond immediately.
“Ugh!”
Sung Joon threw his dagger, which burrowed into the Orc High Priest’s neck. His surprise attack was perfect; he didn’t give it any time to react.
“Attack!”
The six nearby Orc Blademasters drew their swords, and simultaneously rushed toward Sung Joon.
A normal person wouldn’t be able to keep track of their movements. Normally, it would appear as if they were moving too fast. However, to Sung Joon, it appeared as if they were moving so slowly that they might as well not be moving at all.
Sung Joon scanned them quickly. Eventually, he swung his sword swiftly.
“Ugh!”
“AH!”
The Orc Blademasters were unable to do anything before the overwhelming difference in strength. They were cut down by Sung Joon’s sword and fell to the floor. Streams of blood flowed from their bodies.
However, their sacrifice bought the Orc High Priest enough time to almost complete its spell.
“Petrify.”
Sung Joon made the first move. The red petrifying ray struck the High Priest’s chest.
The Orc High Priest turned to stone before the Orc Blademasters’ bodies could even hit the floor.
“Damn it!” Rash cursed. Two High Priests and six Blademasters were killed instantaneously. The Orcs’ strategy was much like the Empire’s. Rash intended on using a human-wave strategy to exhaust his opponent before sending in his elites: the High Priests, Blademasters, and the Warlords. But as of now, he had already lost most of his elite combatants.
“Attack!” an Orc Blademaster urgently ordered. He was able to survive as he had been further away.
“Get the hostages!”
Two of the Orc Warlords rushed over to the tied up Joon Yeol and Ha Yeon, and several Orcs gathered to stop Sung Joon.
“Tempest Sword.”
The Orcs were swept up in a storm of sword winds. They let out cries of agony as blood spurted into the air.
Then their blood fell like rain. All that remained around Sung Joon were Orc corpses.
With one technique, he had killed around one hundred Orcs. He managed to kill three Orc Warlords as well.
“There are two Orc Warlords moving towards Na Joon Yeol and Baek Ha Yeon. I believe they’re going to be taken hostage,” Rishubalt reported. Sung Joon just gathered his mana.
“Blink.”
He vanished and then reappeared in front of the wood pillar that Joon Yeol and Ha Yeon were tied to. The two Orc Warlords hurriedly drew their weapons.
They aimed their aura clad spears at Sung Joon. One of the Orc Warlords opened its mouth and gathered its mana to use its War Cry.
“Ugh!”
However, before it could use its War Cry, Sung Joon threw his dagger with a cold expression. The dagger made its way into the Warlord’s neck.
Even if it had managed to use its War Cry, Sung Joon could nullify its effects immediately with his vast mana capacity. However, it was always better to stop an annoying technique from being used.
“D-Damn it!” The sole remaining Orc Warlord cursed, and thrust its spear at Sung Joon. It was as fast as a bullet. But…
“You’re slow.”
It felt much too slow for Sung Joon. He twisted his head to the side to avoid the strike, then cut the spear's shaft.
Although the shaft was made of steel, it couldn’t withstand Sung Joon’s aura. The Orc Warlord gave up on its spear and grabbed a handaxe instead.
It attempted to counterattack. But at that moment, Sung Joon stared at it and released his killing intent.
“Ugh!”
Even though it was an Orc Warlord of the Red Axe Tribe, it was impossible for it endure Sung Joon’s killing intent.
Not only did its legs shake, but it urinated as well. Seeing that, Sung Joon smirked.
“You’re even pissing yourself? Must be embarrassing for the Red Axe Tribe.”
He ridiculed the Orc Warlord and simultaneously swung his sword, cutting off its head. It bled like a fountain and its severed head rolled on the floor.
“Don’t look down on the Red Axe Tribe…!”
He heard something behind him. Sung Joon swung his sword as he turned his body. His swift attack caused Rash to give up on his attack and retreat back.
“Return.”
Sung Joon threw his returned dagger at the ropes around Joon Yeol’s arm. Mysteriously, the dagger had only severed the ropes, nothing more.
“Heal!” He extended his left hand at Joon Yeol and yelled. As an SS-rank Healer, Sung Joon’s Heal could instantly heal an injury grievous enough to cause an S-rank Hunter to black out. At the same time, he let out a forceful wave of mana as well.
“Ugh!”
The soft impact awoke Joon Yeol.
“Shield!”
He cast a defensive spell as soon as he awoke because he was an experienced S-rank Hunter.
Right on time too, as a handaxe had embedded itself into his blue magic shield. The handaxe was enveloped in aura, but because Joon Yeol’s magic shield was so durable, the axe cracked, but it didn’t break entirely.
“I woke up because of you. Thank you,” Joon Yeol said, thanking Sung Joon. He sharply scanned his surroundings in order to get a feel for the situation. With a sad expression, he spoke.
“It seems like everyone else died…”
“Mr. Na Joon Yeol, you were about to die too,” Sung Joon said. He must’ve lived thinking he was better than others, so this must’ve been a humbling experience for him.
Joon Yeol nodded his head. It wasn’t an unpleasant expression, but his face was downcast. He was feeling an intense guilt for being unable to protect all of them.
“I understand the situation now,” Joon Yeol said, and gathered his mana. He manifested dozens of fire spears in the air. It was a multi-cast befitting an S-rank Mage Hunter.
“Human, you dare!?”
Rash swung his red axe whilst utilizing his high-speed movement. An Orc Warlord followed suit. Despite them being surrounded on all sides, Sung Joon and Joon Yeol remained calm.
“I’ll throw them off.”
As soon as Sung Joon nodded his head, Joon Yeol shot his prepared fire spears. Eleven of the Orc Warlords were swept up in the flames and let out agonized cries. The ensuing Wind Cutters caused the Orcs to spurt blood as they were cut into pieces. However, as he continued to cast his spells, three Orc Blademasters and eight Orc Warlords rushed over to him.
There was no time to wake up Baek Ha Yeon. The situation was much too strenuous.
“I’m counting on you to take care of the boss.”
Joon Yeol didn’t stop multi-casting. He looked at Sung Joon and calmly asked him to take care of the boss. Sung Joon just rushed over to Rash.
“Illusionary Sword.”
Sung Joon spoke the activation words and unleashed his lethal finisher.
“This is Roukel’s technique! It was you!”
Rash’s eyes gleamed. He ‘transformed’ the aura around his red axe and dispersed it. He dispersed the sharp pieces of aura, as though it were a barrage of daggers, and nullified the Illusionary Sword.
“Haha!” Rash laughed elatedly. He let out a battle cry and swung his handaxe in order to split Sung Joon’s head. His handaxe ripped through the air and clashed against Sung Joon’s sword.
Kwang!
“Ugh!”
He succeeded in defending against its strike, but the force behind Rash’s handaxe was tremendous. A giant crater formed underneath him. Sung Joon’s right wrist was broken.
However, he didn’t let that get to him. While Rash prepared his follow-up strike, Sung Joon gathered his mana and spoke.
“Heal.”
His injury was healed. Rash wasn’t even aware of this, as he continuously swung his handaxe at him. They weren’t just normal swings either.
“It’s a Cut.”
‘Cut’ was a high-rank technique that could cut through dimensions. However, Sung Joon still smiled.
Then, the moment his eyes gleamed…
“Dimension Slash.”
Dimension Slash* was a more advanced technique than ‘Cut.’ It was personally created by Roukel himself. Aside from Roukel, only a handful of knights in the Knight Brigade were taught this finishing move!
*T/N: Changed the name of the technique he learned in 141 to Dimension Slash, as all the literal translations I could think of didn't accurately represent the technique. The Korean word literally just means sword (or a really high quality sword). I translated it based on context. It cuts dimensions, hence Dimension Slash.
And Sung Joon had used that very technique, ‘Dimension Slash’, which cut through everything and anything.
//
Chapter 48 – Raid Hell (4)
TL: Boko
Editor: Frost
It wasn’t a complete ‘Dimension Slash’, as his synchronization rate wasn’t high enough. Despite that, it was enough to overpower Rash’s ‘Cut’.
‘T-This is dangerous…!’
His instincts warned him too late. Rash urgently turned his body, but he couldn’t avoid Sung Joon’s strike completely. Sung Joon’s ‘Dimension Slash’ cut through both Rash’s aura clad handaxe and his left arm as well. For an instant, the dimension was distorted and the area his arm was severed spurted blood like a fountain.
“Ugh!” Rash cried out. He quickly used his high-speed movement to retreat. As soon as he widened the distance, he saw Sung Joon’s posture.
‘That’s Roukel’s battle posture…’
Although Rash had only seen that posture once in the Ridonia Great Plains, he remembered it quite clearly.
How could he forget the one who annihilated the Red Axe Tribe back then?
‘To think that the rumors were true. Roukel had a disciple…’
When he had first heard those rumors, Rash shook his head in disbelief, but right now, he had no choice but believe those claims.
The otherworlder’s, a.k.a Sung Joon’s posture was nigh perfect, so much so that he would believe it if someone told him he were Roukel himself. If he looked closely, then he would see that Sung Joon was lacking in some areas, but even so, he didn’t see any way he could win.
“He may have lost his left arm, but he’s assumed a perfect defensive posture,” Rishubalt said, assessing Rash’s defensive position.
“If there are no openings, then we just have to make one,” Sung Joon replied in a very small voice, and gathered mana into his eyes.
“Petrify.”
As soon as he uttered the activation words, a red ray shot out towards Rash. Rash turned his body to the side and evaded the beam, but left an opening that Sung Joon could exploit in the process. Sung Joon’s eyes lit up.
“Blink.”
Blink consumed much more mana than high-speed movement, but was much faster. Rash saw Sung Joon already swinging his sword right in front of him.
“Ugh!”
Despite Rash’s left arm being severed, he was able to block Sung Joon’s sword due to his abundant combat experience. However, that was all.
“Illusionary Sword.”
Rash couldn’t stop the ensuing Illusionary Sword. The aura clad illusionary blades gruesomely ripped Rash’s body apart. He spurted red blood and weakly fell to the ground.
“Absorb.”
“Your synchronization rate rose by 2% and is now at 59%. A portion of Gale Sword’s restriction has been lifted, and can now be applied in a different way.”
His synchronization rate had risen by 2%. It was obvious that he’d be smiling.
“I don’t think you even need to explain it to me,” Sung Joon said. Fortunately, he recollected the way in which he could apply the Gale Sword.
‘Shall I try it right away?’
He’d taken care of the raid boss, Rash, but there were monsters along the path leading to the warp gate.
Because Joon Yeol fought while protecting Ha Yeon, he couldn’t cast a proper offensive spell.
“Gale Sword!”
Sung Joon spoke the activation words and forcefully swung his sword. The whirlwind that had encircled his blade was released, and swept away the monsters in front of him.
The path that the whirlwind had traveled was soaked in red blood. With just one attack, the path to the warp gate was clear.
He didn’t even need to use ‘Blink’. ‘High-speed movement’ was enough. Sung Joon instantly closed the distance with the warp gate where one Orc Blademaster and two Orc Warlords were protecting the ‘crystal’.
“S-Stop him!”
As soon as the Orc Blademaster activated its aura and yelled, the Orc Warlords brandished their glaives and approached. Sung Joon just swung his sword.
Their auras clashed, splattering shards of mana. Because the aura around the glaives was weak, the moment his sword and their glaives touched, the glaives’ aura futilely broke apart. As soon as that happened, Sung Joon cut the glaives into two and cut off the Orc Warlord’s head.
“Ugh!”
The Warlord’s neck spewed blood like a fountain. After Sung Joon had taken care of the other Orc Warlord, he threw himself at the Orc Blademaster.
The Orc Blademaster shot an aura slash at Sung Joon. While an aura slash possessed incredible killing power, it was comparatively very slow, and Sung Joon just brushed past the Orc Blademaster.
“A human… Ugh!”
There was a dagger burrowed within the Orc Blademaster’s chest. Sung Joon had stabbed the Orc Blademaster while passing by him.
Sung Joon had hit the Orc Blademaster’s heart directly. The Orc Blademaster weakly fell and Sung Joon destroyed the crystal that was maintaining the warp gate.
As soon as warp gate was destroyed, the monsters that Joon Yeol had been fighting against were unsummoned.
After he had confirmed that there weren’t any more mana reactions around, Joon Yeol sighed in relief. The monsters had disappeared, so they had time to relax now.
Once Sung Joon came over, Joon Yeol woke Ha Yeon up.
“Ugh…”
He had healed her wounds, but Ha Yeon let out a cry of pain, perhaps because that was her last memory before she blacked out, and woke up. Joon Yeol looked at her and explained the situation to her.
“Ah… I see.”
Ha Yeon also felt guilty that all of her troops were killed and lowered her head. However, she soon shook her head and got a hold of herself.
“Thank you. If it wasn’t for you, Mr. Kang Sung Joon…”
The rest of Ha Yeon’s words were unclear. It was scary to even think what would’ve happened to her if Sung Joon hadn’t come when he did.
“I was just lucky.”
The reason he’d gotten here when he did was honestly because he was lucky. Sung Joon turned his gaze to the north. Seoul was burning.
“This is bad. Thirteen warp gates have opened in South Korea. The raid has occurred in thirteen administrative districts,” Joon Yeol explained.
“What about the other countries?”
“I’m not sure about the other countries. Since my number one priority is South Korea.”
It was a response befitting the patriotic Joon Yeol. Sung Joon nodded his head and spoke.
“First, let's move the defense line.”
“I understand.”
“That sounds like our best option.”
Joon Yeol and Ha Yeon agreed with him. The three ran back to the defense line with Ha Yeon’s Haste buff active. Because they ran at max speed, they were able to arrive quite quickly.
The forces that Sung Joon had led were in the rear now, and their reinforcements had taken their place in the front.
“Hunter Kang Sung Joon!”
The Investigator was waiting for Sung Joon. As soon as he discovered Sung Joon, he rushed over to him.
“We’ve confirmed that the Songpa District’s warp gate has been destroyed.”
“What about the Gangdong District?” Sung Joon asked, and the Investigator turned his attention to his tablet PC’s screen in order to ascertain the state of the Gangdong District.
“It’s the same over there as well. The standing forces and the reinforcing troops joined forces to destroy the warp gate. Now, this area is secure,” the Investigator replied. Fortunately, they had destroyed the warp gates before the battlefield could spread any further.
“Was the warp gate in Gangdong District taken care of by an S-rank Hunter?”
Multiple warp gates had opened in a wide area. Though the Songpa District’s warp gate was the largest, the other warp gates were protected by at least an S-rank raid boss.
If an S-rank Hunter wasn’t there to assist, then it would’ve been difficult to destroy the warp gate.
“The S-rank Combat Hunter, Yoo Kang Chul defeated the raid boss and destroyed the warp gate.”
Sung Joon nodded his head. He didn’t remember his rank, but he’d heard of Yoo Kang Chul’s name before. If he remembered correctly, Yoo Kang Chul used a hammer, according to what he read on Hunter.com.
“I’m obviously the MVP, right?”
“T-That’s…”
Sung Joon asked as though the answer was obvious, but the Investigator couldn’t respond easily. The Investigator hesitated, looked anxiously at Sung Joon, and said.
“We believe the Rank 1 S-rank Hunter, Choi Han Seok will be the MVP of this raid.”
“Rank 1 Choi Han Seok?”
It was somewhat shocking, so Sung Joon’s voice rose a little bit. The Investigator avoided direct eye contact with Sung Joon.
“While you were stopping the waves, Choi Han Seok destroyed three warp gates by himself.”
It was a fitting accomplishment, as Choi Han Seok was considered “South Korea’s Strongest” before Sung Joon had become an SS-rank Hunter.
Sung Joon had no choice but to acknowledge it. Even so, he had no plans of surrendering the title of MVP to him.
If he became the MVP, then he would receive an additional payment of 30% following the raid. There had never been a raid of this size ever before, so if Sung Joon’s promised payment was increased by another 30%, then he would receive a hefty fortune.
‘The more money you have, the better,’ Sung Joon thought. Especially because creating a new drug for his father and Zelo’s research cost a fortune.
“Which of the remaining warp gates is the largest?”
“The Yongsan District. As the raid boss is a Hatchling, Choi Han Seok can’t do anything about it either.”
Not only was a Hatchling considered a high tier S-rank monster, but it was also buffed because of its large size. Therefore, it wasn’t possible for Choi Han Seok, who had spent all his mana destroying three warp gates already, to defeat it.
“Please call a helicopter over.”
“I’m sorry…?”
The Investigator didn’t check on right away. Because of that, Sung Joon had to waste time ‘explaining’ it to him.
“I’ll take care of the Hatchling. So please send over a helicopter.”
One of his options was to run as fast as he could, but it would consume his stamina and in a lot of ways, a helicopter was a much more convenient way of travel.
“I understand. I’ll request for a helicopter immediately.”
The other S-rank Hunters were depleted of mana, as they destroyed the other warp gates.
But since Sung Joon offered to defeat the Hatchling, which was normally quite difficult to take on, the Bureau couldn’t help but feel overjoyed.
The Investigator immediately requested for a helicopter to come over. It didn’t take long before a formation of helicopters arrived.
A single transport helicopter was guarded by six attack helicopters.
As soon as Sung Joon got onto the helicopter, Joon Yeol rushed over to him.
“Mr. Kang Sung Joon! I’ll go with you!”
“You probably don’t have enough mana. And there’s a chance that warp gates will open in other areas, so please stay here and rest,” Sung Joon said, and turned his attention to the cockpit.
“Please depart.”
And the formation of helicopters departed. Their destination, the Yongsan District’s warp gate. It didn’t take long for them to arrive.
While the attack helicopters drew the attention of the monsters by firing their missiles and shooting their machine guns, the transport helicopter descended to the ground.
As soon as it got to a safe enough altitude, Sung Joon forcefully leapt off and infused his ring, ‘Roel’, with mana.
“Transform.”
The ring transformed into a sword. Due to the attack helicopters, the Living Armors had come rushing over, and aimed their weapons at Sung Joon.
“It’s the mark of the Dragonkin. Though I’m not sure which clan it belongs to,” Rishubalt, who had noticed the crest atop the Living Armors’ breastplates, explained. Because there were so few dragons, many of the clans used Living Armors as their main force.
It wasn’t difficult to take on the Living Armors. They might be difficult to attack, but they were still nothing more than B-rank monsters. They were no match for Sung Joon.
The twenty-one Living Armors didn’t even last ten seconds. Sung Joon broke through the continuously swarming Living Armors and ultimately, arrived in front of the Hatchling.
“Welcome, Otherworlder.”
A Dragonkin Magic Knight blocked Sung Joon. He could see someone fighting the Hatchling across its shoulder. Considering their skill in using offensive spells, they must be an S-rank Hunter.
“It seems to be Choi Han Seok,” Rishubalt said. Sung Joon’s eyes lit up. If he lost the Hatchling, then he would lose his place as MVP as well. Sung Joon grit his teeth. However, his eyes lit up with a calm expression.
“Move…”
“What did you say?”
“You’re in my way.”
//
Chapter 48 – Raid Hell (5)
TL: Boko
Editor: Frost
Sung Joon swung his sword. By the time the Dragonkin Magic Knight got a hold of itself, both its arm had been severed. Before its severed arms even touched the floor, Sung Joon withdrew his sword and prepared a follow up strike.
“W-Wait a sec…”
It hastily attempted to speak something in its language, but there was no mercy shown on Sung Joon’s face.
He cut off the Dragonkin Magic Knight’s head with a swift swing of his blade. It couldn’t even utter a scream.
By the time its head fell onto the floor, Sung Joon was already approaching the Hatchling.
“Ugh!”
At the same time, Han Seok, who had failed in the magical battle between him and the Hatchling, flew backwards and crashed into a thick wall.
“U-Ugh… Is it really too much for me…?”
Han Seok yelled out in pain. He didn’t have much mana left and thought he’d overdid it.
When he was struck by the shockwave, he had used magic to slow himself down, but despite that, most of his bones were crushed.
“Are you hurt?”
Han Seok turned his head towards the direction of the voice. Sung Joon was there.
“Self…Defense…Kang Sung Joon?”
“You know me?”
“There’s no way I wouldn’t know about South Korea’s first and only SS-rank Hunter…”
Because of the ensuing pain, Han Seok continued to speak with difficulty. Sung Joon was famous in South Korea. Han Seok turned his attention to the Hatchling and said.
“Can you help me? I’ll repay my debt, no matter what,” Han Seok said. He thought Sung Joon wouldn’t help him. Because of the circumstances behind the title of ‘Self-Defense’, Sung Joon’s image wasn’t great amongst Hunters.
“You promise to pay me back?”
“I don’t say things twice.”
“I don’t have much mana left either, so I’ll help you after I take care of the Hatchling.”
Telling him that he didn’t have much mana left was an excuse to keep Han Seok from interfering. If Sung Joon healed Han Seok, then he would obviously join in immediately. Fortunately, Han Seok accepted his excuse and nodded his head.
“I can keep myself safe, so don’t worry about me,” Han Seok said in a voice overflowing with confidence. Because his bones had been crushed, he couldn’t move properly, but he could still cast spells.
“I’ll go after I take care of the surrounding monsters.”
5 Dragonkin Magic Knights approached. As soon as Sung Joon was finished speaking, he immediately used his high-speed movement to close the distance. The 5 Dragonkin Magic Knight’s heads were severed. And Sung Joon turned his attention towards the Hatchling.
The Hatchling was watching Sung Joon. The ends of its talon drew a magic circle in the air. It was definitely arcane magic.
“Shit!”
Sung Joon concentrated magic into his eyes in order to stop it and said.
“Petrify!”
The red ray shot out towards the Hatchling. The Hatchling didn’t stop casting the arcane magic and instead cast a defensive spell as well.
The completed magic shield blocked the ray.
“It’s double-casting!” Rishubalt said. The Hatchling was a lot more skilled than he’d expected, so he couldn’t afford to be careless. Eventually, it completed its arcane magic.
“It completed its spell! It’s a Dimension Cutter!” Rishubalt warned, and Sung Joon was forced to give up on his ‘Blink’. ‘Dimension Cutter’ was an arcane magic that cut through dimensions.
A storm of mana raged within the the cut dimension. Because of the dimensional interference, it was impossible to use the short-range dimensional leap spell, Blink to avoid it.
The invisible magic blades aimed for Sung Joon. Sung Joon managed to avoid the magic that would even cut dimensions apart.
However, as soon as the dimension was cut, a black abyss appeared. Within that abyss, a storm of mana raged, holding all manner of curses within.
“My lord!” Rishubalt yelled. Sung Joon infused mana into his necklace, the ‘Dragon’s Protection’ and said.
“Shield.”
The red jewel embedded within the necklace absorbed his mana and emitted a red light. A barrier of mana surrounded Sung Joon and protected him.
Although Dimension Cutter possessed the power of arcane magic, the ensuing mana storm was a high-rank magic. Therefore, the Dragon Protection’s ‘Shield’ was capable of blocking it.
“The Hatchling is casting another offensive spell,” Rishubalt said. When it had finished casting its arcane magic, it had already begun casting its next spell. As soon as it finished drawing a magic circle in the air with its talon, flames poured from the sky and lava surged from the ground.
It was the high-rank magic, ‘Inferno’.
‘He’s not trying to hurt me with it. He’s trying to divert my attention.’
Sung Joon calmly assessed the situation. There was no way it didn’t see Sung Joon block the mana storm with his Shield.
Since it realized that high-rank magic wasn’t effective, there was no way it was using Inferno to hurt him.
Thus, Inferno’s flames and lava were meant to draw his attention. During that time, the Hatchling flew into the sky, gazed at Sung Joon and cold air spilled from its mouth.
“My lord! It’s using Breath!” Rishubalt warned. Sung Joon was wary of the deep concentration of mana within its mouth.
‘It’s the ice element…!’
The ‘Dragon’s Protection’ had the Flame Resistance ability, but unfortunately, he could feel cold air from the Hatchling’s mouth.
‘The dimension’s too unstable for me to use Blink and I can’t use high-speed movement because of the Inferno.’
He had no choice but to rely on ‘Dragon’s Protection’. If he was a normal Hunter, that’s what he would have thought. However, Sung Joon was no “normal Hunter”.
‘The best defense is a good offense!’
He forcefully leapt towards the hatchling. An SS-rank Hunter’s leap would allow them to immediately close the distance.
“He’ll die like that…”
Han Seok, who was watching from afar, clicked his tongue. Because he was an S-rank Mage Hunter, he could barely track Sung Joon’s movements with magic.
It wasn’t possible to turn midair. Therefore, it was only common sense to lead a flying monster to the ground.
However, Sung Joon rejected that notion and went in a straight line towards the Hatchling. Ultimately, he became the target of its breath.
“Ugh!”
He quickly turned his body, but because he didn’t have wings, there was a limit to what he could do to evade attacks midair. He lost his left fingers from the ice breath.
It didn’t end with frozen fingers. The cold air was spreading. His forearm was frozen solid, but Sung Joon didn’t panic.
“I knew this would happen!”
He cut off his own left arm without any hesitation. He felt awful pain, but he grit his teeth and bared the pain. He’d felt worse in his past life.
As soon as he cut off his own arm, the cold air stopped spreading. It seemed like he would be overwhelmed by the pain, but Sung Joon kept his cool. He quickly sheathed his sword and brought his right hand to the wounded area.
“Heal!”
An S-rank Healer Hunter’s Heal could regenerate severed limbs. The speed at which an SS-rank Healer could regenerate a severed arm was extremely fast. His arm was instantly restored. The pain was gone as well.
He swung his left arm softly and after he ensured it was fine, he grabbed his sword with his right arm.
And the moment he’d gotten close enough, Sung Joon gathered his mana.
“Illusionary Sword!”
He didn’t have enough mana to use ‘Dimension Slash’. If he couldn’t inflict a serious injury, then the situation would become disadvantageous for him.
He had replenished some of his mana through ‘Absorption’, but he had already used a ton of mana and stamina.
Shriek!
The Hatchling urgently cast a defensive spell, but it couldn’t block all thirty-one illusionary blades. It screamed and spewed red blood.
Its left wing was grievously injured, so its body twisted. It couldn’t fly properly anymore.
Sung Joon went atop the Hatchling’s back, drew his dagger, and stabbed into its back. Its skin was tough and had magic resistance as well, but it was pointless before his ‘aura’.
Shriek!
The Hatchling cried out in pain and twisted its body around. However, because its wings were damaged, it quickly descended to the ground.
Kwang!
The Hatchling’s body hit the ground. Before it did, it seemed like it had used deceleration magic, but it couldn’t negate the force of the collision completely. Sung Joon jumped to the side and avoided it before the Hatchling impacted the ground.
“My lord!”
“I know!”
Rishubalt warned him of the danger. Sung Joon felt the mana reaction and quickly swung his sword. The five fire spears that came at him vanished from the swing of his sword.
“Petrify!”
Sung Joon counterattacked with a petrifying curse ray, and the red ray cut through the air.
The Hatchling had been so injured that its entire body was bloodied. Therefore, it couldn’t respond to the petrifying ray properly.
It attempted to dodge, but the red ray struck the Hatchling’s right wing.
Shriek!
The Hatchling summoned blades of wind and cut off its right wing. The petrified area fell to the ground, making a sharp sound and broke apart. Sung Joon gazed at the Hatchling and raised his blade.
“You don’t have enough mana to use a technique.”
“How much longer will my aura last?” Sung Joon asked. Rishubalt checked the residual quantity of his mana and his mana recovery rate, and figured out how much longer he could maintain his aura.
“With the Knight Brigade’s ‘Ring’ and ‘Necklace’, you have about thirty seconds left.”
“That’s plenty of time.”
Although he couldn’t use any techniques anymore and only had a limited duration of aura, Sung Joon remained calm.
He used high-speed movement, closed the distance instantly, and swung his sword.
Shriek!
Because the Hatchling fought Han Seok first, it was exhausted. It couldn’t cast a defensive spell and just roared with hostility, but that was all.
Even if it roared, with its bloody body, it came out as something like a pained cry. It wasn’t threatening at all.
Sung Joon got real close to the Hatchling, which was shaking in fear. He swung his sword and slashed deep into its neck. His sword held no mercy.
It spurted blood like a fountain. Sung Joon’s face was red with blood as well. He continued to strike its chest, and as soon as his sword struck its heart, it shook for the last time and weakly fell.
“What an impressive finish. It took fourteen seconds,” Rishubalt said in awe. Sung Joon thought it would take twenty seconds, but he had finished things up earlier than expected and smiled.
“Absorb.”
He absorbed the stamina and mana from the Hatchling; he had replenished quite a bit.
Sung Joon moved towards the warp gate. A few Dragonkin Magic Knights stopped him, but they were no match for him. He killed them all and destroyed the crystal that maintained the warp gate.
“The monsters are being unsummoned.”
The warp gate was destroyed. With this, all of the monsters were unsummoned.
Thus, the chances of him being the MVP had increased. He changed ‘Roel’ back into its ring form and when he was about to leave…
“D-Don’t forget about me!”
He heard Han Seok’s voice from close by.
‘It’s a pain, but I guess there’s no helping it.’
Sung Joon approached the collapsed Han Seok, extended his left arm, and spoke.
“Heal.”
“Ugh…!”
With just one heal, his injuries were completely healed. Han Seok let out a brief cry and stood up. He then checked the state of his body.
“So this is an SS-rank Hunter’s Heal, huh…? It’s amazing.”
He was truly awed.
“I’ll definitely repay you no matter what.”
“No matter what it is?”
“It doesn’t matter what it is… So long as it’s within my power.”
Sung Joon smiled coldly at Han Seok’s response.
//