Chapter 260: Somehow, a Driven Hunt (3)
A faint tremor rippled through the ground.
A documentary I had once seen on TV suddenly came to mind—herds of buffalo darkening the golden African plains as they charged forward. Even through the screen, I had felt the weight of their stampede.
But now, the monsters approaching us were several times more massive.
A slight tension spread down my spine.
The sun had fully risen, making the artificial wave cliffs glisten like diamonds. Sunlight dangled and scattered between the spirits dancing in the sky.
“Mister, your look really suits you right now. You’re pretty.”
Yerim teased with a grin.
“The color is exactly the same as Sesung Guild Leader’s birthday present. Is this your taste—”
“It is not.”
I preferred simple, neutral colors.
I gazed down at the translucent body of the whale beneath my feet.
“It’s something that bastard Seong Hyunjae made. I guess he gets bored being alone.”
“Really? He’s got serious skills. Maybe I should ask him to teach me. I bet dressing up dolls would be adorable.”
Han Yuhyun would probably jump in and start making things too. Was this how knitting was going to become a hobby among S-rank Hunters?
Well, it was definitely better than breaking things and fighting.
They all had good dexterity, so I wouldn’t be surprised. In fact, I had a feeling Chief Song Taewon would be incredibly meticulous about it. Monster Mounts were sheep, too. He hadn’t taken them yet, but still, they were sheep.
The thought of all of them sitting around knitting made me feel oddly happy.
So peaceful.
RUMBLE—
Another tremor shook the ground.
I pulled out my gun from my inventory.
Two shots left of Here It Is (SS).
“Wow, that’s huge.”
Yerim gasped in admiration.
A particularly massive monster stood out among the horde in the distance.
A black-furred beast with four curved horns and long, protruding fangs—its saber-like teeth made it resemble an extinct smilodon. A mane of pure white stretched from its forehead down to its shoulders, billowing like a giant flag.
I aimed my gun at it and the surrounding monsters.
After firing both rounds, a moment later, bombs rained down from the snowy sky.
BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions erupted in flashes of light, and monstrous roars rang out so loudly they stung my ears.
Some monsters managed to dodge, but since they were packed together so tightly, many were caught in the blasts and immobilized. However, SS-rank and higher monsters remained largely unscathed, and their massive bodies had shielded the smaller ones from significant damage.
This wasn’t over yet.
I pulled out Wide-Range Bait (SS) next.
“This will lure in all the surrounding monsters. Are you really sure about this?”
“Of course I am!”
Yerim answered confidently.
She pulled out a soft, round orb and crushed it in her hand. A jelly-like liquid oozed out before vanishing completely into the air.
— Grrrrr.
— Kyaaaah!
The monsters, which had been scattering from the explosions, suddenly turned back toward us all at once.
Watching them, I called down to Noah beneath the whale.
“Noah, start now!”
“Yes!”
A surge of mana spread outward from Noah’s position.
Even with my mana perception suppression item, I could feel it tingling against my skin.
His support skills expanded to Yerim, Yuhyun, Moon Hyunah, and Sigma, followed by a barrier of mana.
Myu, who could continuously draw mana from the mana hall, was an invaluable source of support. I had slightly modified my sigil beforehand to receive mana directly from Noah’s skills. It wasn’t fully converted to Medsang’s system, just linked enough to benefit from his support.
Yerim, on the other hand, didn’t need any modifications—the spirits were already supplying her with mana from Drosia’s underwater mana hall.
The Terrifying Chick Class Teacher skill was already in effect.
Han Yuhyun and Sigma stood on opposite sides of the wave cliffs. From their vantage points, they could clearly see the approaching horde.
THUD!
The leading monster charged, slamming its single horn into the ice wall.
But the massive ice barrier barely had a scratch.
This was seawater, frozen solid—an entire section of the ocean turned into a wall. It had been tempered overnight by Yerim’s skill, the power of countless spirits, and the bitter cold winds of the northern sea.
Even an SSS-rank monster wouldn’t be able to break through it in a single blow.
And so, the monsters had no choice but to funnel into the path between the cliffs.
— Kiiiii!
CRACK—
With the sound of flapping wings, flying monsters shot up above the cliffs.
Feathered creatures, web-winged beasts, and even insect-like monsters with thin, undulating membranes filled the sky.
As the airborne swarm darkened the heavens—
BOOOOOM!
Lightning struck.
Between the crackling arcs, something sparkled and giggled.
— It tickles!
— So tingly!
Water spirits.
Specifically, those attuned to electricity had gathered above the cliffs.
Riding their bodies, Sigma’s power spread like a net across the sky.
While the lightning’s strength normally weakened as it dispersed, with the spirits’ help, it remained concentrated, engulfing the flying monsters.
Amidst the laughter, another bolt of lightning crashed down.
Blackened, smoldering remains rained from the sky.
The heavens flashed blindingly—
FWOOOSH!
Flames erupted.
Deep, dark blue fire surged outward, sending waves of heat through the earth as the ground began to rupture.
It was none other than the buried bombs.
They weren’t remote-controlled or loaded with special effects—just raw, brute force. I had used up the last of my points to buy a ton of these primitive bombs, which only detonated upon contact with fire.
Han Yuhyun’s flames spread across the buried explosives, and an endless chain of explosions erupted.
Frozen soil mixed with snow shot into the air, resembling hundreds of geysers erupting at once. Lightning streaked across the sky, and flames roared on the ground.
As the S-rank and lower monsters were swept away, Han Yuhyun leaped forward.
Dancing across the air with Blue Willow Leaves, he glided through the battlefield.
The monsters bared their teeth and lashed out with claws and tails imbued with attack skills. But his flame-clad body slipped through every strike like flowing water, effortlessly dodging even the SS-rank monsters’ attacks.
— Kyarr!
A massive shadow surged toward him.
The SSS-rank monster leaped, its menacing gaze glowing ominously. A dense aura of mana surged over its black fur, each strand casting a deep shadow.
Then, its entire body dissolved into darkness.
At the same time, Han Yuhyun unsheathed his sword, spreading his flames outward.
The dark blue fire expanded, but in one area, the flames warped inward, as if something was distorting space itself. Reacting faster than sight, Han Yuhyun adjusted his stance, bracing himself before slashing powerfully in that direction.
CLANG!
Suddenly, as if teleporting, razor-sharp claws collided with his sword.
Despite the difference in strength, the impact sent Han Yuhyun hurtling backward. However, he had anticipated this and spun midair before landing lightly atop a willow leaf.
The monster, which had momentarily dissolved into shadows, reformed into its original form, growling at him. Then, it shifted its focus toward Sigma.
Sigma had just finished dealing with most of the flying monsters when he met the creature’s icy white eyes.
‘Don’t just charge in recklessly. That thing is SSS-rank. Little Moon, fall back. Come here.’
Sigma looked displeased but followed the plan, turning away.
The black beast gave chase, stepping into the narrow path between the cliffs. Behind it, Han Yuhyun raised a wall of fire.
KWA-KA-KAK!
The flames split the battlefield in two, turning the ground red-hot.
The advancing monsters hesitated briefly, but because the fire had spread over such a wide area, its raw power wasn’t enough to fully block them.
Just as the SS-rank monsters prepared to push forward again—
“Get out of the way, Young Master!”
From high above, Moon Hyunah shouted.
Standing on the back of a shark, she launched herself into the air.
Mana surged at the tip of her spear, the winds around her slicing apart—until they became an absolute vacuum.
Nothing stood in the way as her momentum built, accelerating endlessly.
Like a streak of light, she plummeted straight into the molten ground.
BOOM!!
The earth shook violently.
No, it wasn’t just shaking—it was practically an earthquake.
The heat-infused fault line split apart with a deafening crack.
Where her Great Spear struck, a massive crater formed—over ten meters deep.
Every monster within that zone, regardless of whether they were S-rank or SS-rank, was obliterated, leaving no trace behind.
Dust-covered, Moon Hyunah ruffled her hair and stood up.
“From here on, there’s a toll.”
She grinned.
But she wasn’t without consequences—her limbs had gone temporarily numb from the impact.
Han Yuhyun stepped forward.
He lightly crossed the shattered ground using Blue Willow Leaves, looking down at the horde of monsters that had momentarily lost their nerve.
Beside him, Iryn transformed into an imugi, baring his fangs.
Even though nearly half of the thousand-strong monster horde remained, these two could handle them.
Thanks to the bait effect, none of the monsters tried to flee.
— Let’s burn them all!
With Iryn’s shout, flames erupted.
Now, no stray monsters would escape to interfere with Yerim.
“Mister, let’s get ready too.”
Yerim’s eyes gleamed as she turned to me.
Feeling slightly pressured by her intense gaze, I pulled out a cookie and ate it.
My body instantly shrank.
“So. Freaking. Cute!!”
Yerim grabbed me and lifted me high into the air.
Ugh, she’s huge, but she’s still just a kid—urk, stop bouncing around, I’m getting dizzy.
“Yerim, ah. There’s a time limit, so—”
“Yes! I’ll be careful, so just stay put.”
She unzipped her waist pouch and tucked me inside, grinning with satisfaction.
She was giving me the same look she had when dressing up her favorite dolls.
Without delay, I shared the Double Points skill with her.
— Kyarr!
The black beast slammed into the ice wall in pursuit of Sigma.
For the first time, the frozen cliff, which had remained unshaken, cracked with a thunderous noise.
Chunks of shattered ice tumbled down, crashing onto the ground below.
Its body briefly dissolved again before reappearing right in front of Sigma.
But even with the rank difference, Sigma’s Combat Prediction allowed him to evade with eerie precision.
BOOM!
The monster rammed into the ice wall again, trying to break through.
The entire glacier quaked violently, but though the cracks deepened, it did not collapse.
Annoyed, the monster tensed, preparing to leap over the cliff—
At that moment, Sigma suddenly jumped down.
SHHK.
A chain shot out, and he slid down it, descending into the canyon.
The monster lunged after him like a cat chasing a mouse.
And right as they both reached the center of the frozen valley—
Yerim raised one hand.
At the same time, Noah created a small warp hole near Sigma.
With narrowed golden eyes, Sigma glared up at the furious monster.
“Goodbye.”
With that brief farewell, Sigma vanished through the round portal.
And in that instant—
GUGUGUNG—
The split waves began to move.
The spirits that had been silently waiting within the waters all combined their strength, tilting the massive cliffs inward.
Of course, the monster wasn’t going to sit still and take it. Its body dissolved into shadows, trying to escape upward over the cliffs—
SHWAAA—
But a white whale had already risen above the ice, spreading a massive water barrier.
Yerim stood atop it.
At her command, the water sealed the gaps in the cliffs and froze solid.
The remaining monsters caught between the walls—including the SSS-rank beast—were now completely trapped.
— Kyaaaah!
The black beast roared and swelled in size.
Its mane and fur, now shining with a metallic gleam, hardened like steel.
CRACK—!
As it collided with the ice walls, fractures spread rapidly.
Countless sparkling shards burst into the air.
They had managed to restrain it for a moment, but it wouldn’t last long.
The more pressure applied, the more the ice walls shattered.
Watching this unfold, Yerim began channeling her mana.
She remained completely still, fully focused, as her magic spread outward in intricate patterns.
The moisture in the air trembled.
The spirits reacted.
Even the sea beyond responded.
The frozen ocean split apart with a deafening crack, and water surged upward toward the land.
It wasn’t just a wave—it was an entire mountain of water.
“Noah, take Sigma and get to the other side with Yuhyun and Hyunah!”
Noah nodded and teleported away with Sigma.
The very next moment, the water crashed down.
It was like an entire mountain made of the sea itself.
Even knowing that Yerim was SS-rank, I was still stunned that she could command this much water.
Then, I noticed them.
The spirits weaving in and out of the rising tide.
‘So it’s their power combined…’
The ocean mountain loomed closer, blotting out the sky.
All I could see was water—endless, overwhelming water.
Even with S-rank Fear Resistance, I couldn’t suppress the sheer awe that tingled through my body.
— Grrrk, kyarr!
Sensing the impending disaster, the monster went berserk.
The ice wall shattered even faster, but the incredible thickness of the barrier—combined with the constantly replenishing water and ice—kept it from breaking completely.
It was a never-ending battle.
The SSS-rank monster was destroying the wall faster than it could be rebuilt, but escaping before the wave struck was impossible.
And then—
KUROOOOOM!
With a sound like an avalanche, the sea crashed down.
A portion of the ocean engulfed the ice cliffs, the ground beneath them, and everything in its path, dragging it all back to the depths.
It was as if a giant had reached out and scooped up an enormous chunk of the battlefield.
A deep trench was left behind, quickly filling with seawater.
— It can’t move now~
— Don’t get too close, it’s still dangerous!
— How far down should we drag it?
— It’s still scary! It’s huge and powerful!
— Let’s take it all the way to the bottom! The deepest part!
The frozen prison was being pulled into the ocean.
“You can still breathe, so don’t worry, Mister.”
Yerim dove in after it.
The monster thrashed desperately.
On land, it had been as large as a small mountain.
But here, in the deep sea, it suddenly seemed much smaller.
As it was dragged downward, it almost looked… pitiful.
The spirits circled around.
From the deep abyss, a massive black whale and a bioluminescent green crab emerged.
Both were far larger than the SSS-rank monster.
A sea serpent slithered beside them, its long body writhing.
“…Are spirits like that considered L-rank?”
“No, even the strongest ones here are still weaker than that monster.”
Yerim shook her head.
“They have immense power, but they can’t fully control it. Think of a great river or the ocean itself—it’s not dangerous on its own, right?”
Well, flooding rivers and tsunamis were deadly, but an A-rank Hunter could survive them.
“But through me, that changes.”
The massive black whale swam up to Yerim’s side.
The sea serpent brushed its head against her feet.
“The original Delta couldn’t command them like this. But I guess I can.”
Her black hair, streaked with blue, floated gently in the water.
Was it because she had experienced the Mermaid Queen’s skill?
Yerim smiled.
“I can’t fully control the strongest spirits yet, but they say I’ll get better. Mister, how strong do you think I can become?”
She looked up at me with a bright smile.
For a moment, I was reminded of Park Yerim before my regression.
A promising talent who had remained stuck at A-rank.
Now, spirits danced around her.
“As strong as you want. As much as you desire.”
“Then there’s no limit!”
Laughing aloud, Yerim turned back to the struggling monster.
Her mana pulsed.
The water shifted.
The beast stiffened, unable to move.
It tried to dissolve into shadows, but the water blocked it.
It activated all kinds of attack skills, but they amounted to nothing—just ripples in the sea.
The giant crab extended a claw, gripping the monster as it tried to surface.
Jellyfish drifted closer, their tendrils reaching out.
Before long, the light in the monster’s eyes faded.
“Once something is dragged into the ocean, that’s the end.
That’s why monsters that don’t belong here never want to be pulled under.”
As Yerim collected the points, a small tropical fish swam up to her ear and whispered.
— The monsters scattered throughout the surrounding sea are converging here.
“The bait effect is working great!”
“What about the people outside? Will they be okay?”
“I’ll tell the spirits to warn them if anything gets dangerous. But I doubt there’ll be a problem. Thanks to Noah-oppa, they won’t run out of mana. Han Yuhyun and Hyunah-unni are probably having the time of their lives racking up points.”
As Yerim spoke, sharp whirlpools formed on either side of her.
The two swirling torrents of water spun like drills before shooting outward—
— Kyarr!
They pierced through an approaching monster.
Its body was instantly punctured, leaving gaping holes as it died on the spot.
Behind it, countless other creatures swarmed in.
“Mister, at least shoot your gun or something!”
“Yeah, I’ll do my best.”
The water churned once more.
Spirits instinctively gathered around Yerim’s hands, transforming into weapons.
There really was nothing to worry about down here.
–TL Notes–
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