Chapter 583. Eventually (4)

Blink, blink.

In the time it took for the hunter with a criminal record to determinedly spit out such nonsense, Esther blinked.

'That's a lie right from the start.'

The story Kang Changho told had no logical flaws. Currently, the world was in a state of chaos with unknown new species of monsters scattered about. Furthermore, those massive clumps of wings in the sky could potentially drive humanity to the brink of [Extinction]. Honestly, for a lazy hunter, it was normal to worry about one's home at a moment like this.

'And if he performs well in this disaster, people will criticize him less later even if he goes back to being idle.'

It was understandable why he had returned to Korea. However, regardless of how much he stood to gain by showing his face, hadn't a specific task been assigned to that physical reinforcement psychic?

"Haseong-ssi!"

"Yes?"

"I have something to ask. I was wondering exactly how far that island where the boss entity is to be captured is from us."

"Are you referring to the distance between the artificial land and the city?"

Thump!

The black-haired man stopped in his tracks and immediately replied.

"I don't know the exact details, but it would probably take about an hour by plane."

"Aha."

"That's because the land was created at coordinates suitable for Hunter Kim to reach quickly, while still maintaining enough distance to not affect the city."

"Good."

"But excuse me, why do you ask that all of a sudden?"

Seo Esther raised her voice.

"If that's the case, it makes no sense for that 3rd S-rank to be right here in front of our eyes."

As if intending to use the [Book of Annihilation] as a blunt weapon if necessary, the sorceress firmly gripped the magic tool that looked like a thick tome.

"His arrival speed is strange. It seems like he never even went to his assigned location from the very beginning."

"Or perhaps he used a [Teleportation] artifact..."

Talking it through, the picture was overall unsettling.

"Just when I thought he'd finally reformed."

Esther revealed her inner anxiety without reservation.

"Could that psychic have betrayed Giryeo-ssi at this critical moment and come here just to ensure his own safety?"

The specific island that Hunter Kim Giryeo took charge of was a danger zone that had been warned about beforehand. But logically speaking, if one just stayed glued to the artificial land merely assisting someone else, it would be difficult for that Awakened's achievements to spread to the public.

'Kang Changho is a man capable of exactly that.'

Soon, serious worry began to bloom. If a specific individual had truly abandoned their duty and fled, Korea had to scout for new personnel even now. At this rate, it looked as if Kim Giryeo, who was out in the danger zone, might fall into peril due to a lack of manpower.

'With that kind of personality, it's no wonder our Giryeo-ssi used him as a subordinate without any guilt!'

However, as she considered moving to help her colleague...

Clatter, clatter.

Flap!

The monster tied the S-ranks' feet down. Currently, the spherical beast occupying the sky had all the wings on its left side cracked. Yet, despite being so injured, it still maintained perfect balance.

*'It seems it's actually floating using something like a mana crystal inside its body.'*

Esther furrowed her brow for a while, unsure how to send personnel to the island, when suddenly a fellow professional cut in.

"Still, it is alright, Hunter Seo."

"Pardon?"

"You don't have to worry so much about Hunter Kang Changho moving."

The Awakened known as the National Hero continued his explanation.

"The one who stepped forward first to hunt the boss was none other than 'Hunter Kim Giryeo' himself."

*Swish.*

As the specific name was mentioned, [Dragon's Eye] focused on Jeong Haseong.

"Hunter Seo, have you ever seen that person make an empty boast in your life?"

"Uh... no."

"Right?"

The story that followed was enough to draw the attention of even the physical reinforcement user who was some distance away.

"Of course, Hunter Kim Giryeo hid the fact that he was S-rank in the past, but it's been revealed that he had no choice because of instructions from the former Association Chairman Go."

"Mmhm."

"He is someone who hasn't told a single lie, at least since revealing his true rank."

"Mmm."

"He always keeps his word. How can a person be so sincere!"

For the record, the man in his 20s, Mr. Kim, who was the subject of the conversation, was not an S-rank when he was announced as a domestic S-rank. The reincarnated Archmage had pulled off various scams with mana that was at most at the level of a sea louse. Earthlings often pointed fingers at Kang Changho for having a criminal record, but in truth, if taken to a legal court, the person with the more colorful record was someone else entirely.

"Therefore, I trust Hunter Kim Giryeo and will cooperate with that Awakened, at least on the surface."

However, the hunter representing South Korea did not know that truth. Since Kim Giryeo had the public image of having turned a former thug of a hunter into his lackey, the Korean No. 1 hunter mistakenly believed that Kim Giryeo was incomparably superior in terms of skill, intellect, and character.

"Hunter Kim isn't so weak that he'd be troubled just because one Kang Changho is missing."

"..."

"Ah, right. Perhaps he even calculated that Kang Changho would move recklessly like that."

"..."

"Therefore, he might have allowed the manpower to come here, worrying that I, who am so lacking while protecting Seoul, might be in trouble. Honestly, that man is really something."

Just how perfectly had a certain alien bluffed back when he was F-rank? And how often had the National Hero been exposed to gaslighting for him to reach the point of personally defending the scammer who had deceived him?

"..."

From the perspective of one who knew the whole truth, a gaze of pity naturally flowed out. However, there was no time to indulge in trivial sentiments.

[Yeah. Actually, what you said is right.]

Kang Changho regained his composure and spoke.

[Just as you guessed, regardless of how I act, that great Hunter 'nim' is going to resolve the boss monster one way or another.]

Shameless declarations popped out of the radio one after another.

[So let's just join forces and hurry up and subjugate these small fries. Yeah?]

To think he would lie so blatantly. Seo Esther's eyes went dim. However, even if she noticed the ex-convict was bluffing, there was almost nothing she could actually do.

‘For now, I have no choice but to deal with that monster in the sky as quickly as possible.’

Since they hadn't hunted the beast right in front of them yet, the representative of the Korean Magic Tower slowly closed her eyelids as if in resignation.

[Ah, and also.]

But only a few seconds had passed... After waiting a moment, one more surprising statement burst out.

[Don't send any more personnel to the location where the Dungeon Break was just reported.]

“What did you say?”

When Jeong Haseong spoke up, the explanation popped out of the radio as if it had been waiting.

[A good Awakened has already been deployed.]

Even if the number of Awakened in the world was on the rise, the country still had very few strong psychics.

‘Among the A-rank hunters, no one else has moved separately yet.’

Flap, flap.

In the time it took for the conversation to pass, the monster in the sky had already recovered its energy and was glaring at the hunters again. Its hideous gaze soon pierced down toward the ground.

[ ??? ]

Lick, lick.

An inanimate object with a sand-colored body. It clung to someone's shoulder and made a sound. But strangely, the people nearby didn't cast a glance at this bizarre object.

Lick.

That was because the earthen doll produced with alien technology had completed its invisibility perfectly. The long, magic robot was wound tightly around a specific place, just like the [Unintended Malignancy] that had appeared once before.

‘Is it impossible to communicate separately with this snake this time? I even tried talking to it secretly, but it hasn't given me a single word back since earlier...’

The tiny dragon created by the Alphaurian was currently being transported while clinging to the arm of a civil servant.

Tap, tap, tap.

The place the civil servant was headed for was a commercial street that had already been closed off. Seonwoo Yeon, a B-rank psychic, had received a report that a Dungeon Break had occurred. Therefore, she had run faster than anyone else for the safety of the scene.

[Reporting information on the dungeon where the break occurred.]

However, contrary to her hope that it wouldn't be a big deal, the dungeon that burst this time was actually quite troublesome.

[Rank B. High saturation. The main creatures appearing, excluding the boss, are Lava Dragons.]

Of all things, the enemy was the annoying kind.

‘Oh no.’

Seonwoo Yeon’s expression hardened as soon as she heard the name of the subjugation target.

'Lava Dragons? This is bad.'

To explain in more detail, the Lava Dragons that had appeared were lizards about 100cm long. There were plenty of similar-looking creatures in Earth’s ecosystem. The problem, however, was that the magic lizards hiding in the dungeon had black claws like sickles. And they used those claws to cling tightly to walls or the ground.

'In front of those monsters, no matter how much wind I blow, it’ll be meaningless.'

The monsters weren’t even just strong against wind pressure. They had hard shells comparable to golems, so it looked like too much for a B-rank atmospheric attribute Awakened to take down.

'Did I come here for nothing?'

Well, of course, it wouldn’t be impossible to subjugate them if she used a method of cutting by putting strong force into every gust of wind... but it would be much simpler to kill them with hypothermia by pouring cold water over them...

'The shelter could be attacked at any moment, so it’s too awkward to turn back now.'

Her hesitation lasted only a moment. Although the attribute was not suitable at all, she did not back out from the incident because she had a responsible personality. In a disaster scene, there was no clear distinction between your work and mine. Seonwoo Yeon steeled her heart and led the way.

Crackle, crack.

Snap!

When she went to the location indicated by the radio, numerous Lava Dragons had already burst out.

'Is it a relief that they’re monsters with slow movement speeds?'

The Association headquarters had certainly issued instructions, but new psychics had not yet reached the street. It seemed the new monster that appeared in the north had tied up the rest of the civil servants.

'Listening closely, I feel like I can suddenly hear the sound of a helicopter propeller.'

There was no other way now. Seonwoo Yeon looked at the red lizard magical beasts clinging to the asphalt. And she rolled up her sleeves to protect the nearby civilians who would be focused on evacuating...

[o人o]

In fact, the small-scale battle that took place on the street ended very safely. Because it had been quiet for a few minutes, one might have momentarily forgotten, but there was always one more Squamata magic golem present here.

[Shall I kill those guys? Master?]

Thus, the hunt itself concluded very peacefully. Although unintended, when a situation arose where Seonwoo Yeon might be injured by a Lava Dragon while active on the scene, the snake-shaped golem woke up from its hibernation.

'Gasp.'

Flash!

The ‘True Dragon’ that opened its eyes fired a bright light from its mouth, sweeping away the monsters. Furthermore, the golem’s activity resulted in helping the non-Awakened Earthlings.

“Gasp!”

“Ah, as expected, the Association sent more staff!”

“Thank goodness…”

Voices of families burst out from one side of the street. For the record, the spherical S-rank winged monster that appeared in this city was tentatively named the ‘Original Species.’ Moreover, these Original Species, which looked like angels from ancient books, did not have a precise location for their appearance. Citizens could inevitably only begin evacuating after the incident broke out, and a slow-moving family mixed in the crowd almost fell into danger before being rescued just now.

“Official-nim. Thank you!”

Seonwoo Yeon took down the last Lava Dragon and instead bowed politely in return.

“Not at all. This is something I should naturally do.”

But in the middle of this heartwarming atmosphere, a new problem was suddenly presented.

“But what is that behind you?”

“Pardon?”

“Is there such a thing as a pet monster?”

Pet monster. Why did such an unfamiliar term pop up here?

‘*Don’t tell me they saw the golem Hunter Kim Giryeo attached to me? But that’s in an [Invisible] state, so there’s no way it would be caught—*’

Seonwoo Yeon turned her head. There, she eventually locked eyes with something that had a gaze as clear as water-soaked beads.

[*o ? o*]

In fact, the snake golem had already deactivated its invisibility magic, citing the reason of wanting to save mana. Therefore, its form was easily visible even to the eyes of a B-rank psychic.

“I… I don’t really know what that is.”

Seonwoo Yeon struggled to look away from the object on the ground.

[*o _ o*]

At this, the golem made its mouth into a straight line and remained silent for a while, and even though it was a minor reaction, the target’s disappointment could be felt.

‘*I thought it was a non-living robot, so why does it express emotions so naturally?*’

But as expected, the previous action was the right choice. After all, it would be a bit much to lie and say she was a [Monster Tamer] in front of citizens.

*Slide.*

The snake-shaped golem left the scene on its own. The situation was quickly concluded.

“Kyaak!”

“Whoa, it’s incredibly fast.”

“Official-nim. Is it alright to let the monster go like that?”

“Uh… that… that’s probably an artifact, not a monster… anyway, please rest assured. Everyone, please finish evacuating.”

By now, most of the capital’s citizens would have escaped the influence of the S-rank Original Species. Then the only remaining task was to take down the magical beast hanging like a dark cloud.

‘*Hmm.*’