Chapter 110

The First Deal (2)

The Australian dungeon was a vast field-type dungeon.

According to the initial exploration team, the monsters lived in the canyon in the dungeon center, and only dungeon creatures that didn’t impose any threats lived in the plains. They were species that maintained their ecosystems by becoming prey to monsters.

If the hunters that counted around 50 of them traveled by flight skill, it would save time, but if they did so, an astronomical amount of Mana Potions would evaporate, and there’s the danger of potion shock, so they moved by walking all day on the first day.

“Let’s take a break here.”

Regardless of the hunters’ body clocks, camping and bedtime were set according to the middle dimension’s time zone where the dungeon belonged.

They set up their combat tents and went to bed or exchanged information with hunters from all over the world. As usual, Hibiki planned to train alone quietly.

“Miss Amano Hibiki? Can we talk for a moment?”

That was the plan until an uninvited guest came to her from the darkness.

“… What is it?”

Having kept her contact with others to a minimum before coming to Korea, she still wasn’t comfortable talking to strangers. That meant she wasn’t welcoming around anyone except Seo Jin-Wook and Nate.

The name of the approaching hunter was Fujiwara Naomi.

“It’s nice to be close with the same Japanese people, right?”

She sat on the outdoor chair without her permission.

Hibiki’s mental assessment of her was reduced by one notch.

“Although we familiarized ourselves through the briefing beforehand, group video calls aren’t the atmosphere for private conversations.”

Naomi was the only hunter whom Japan dispatched.

She made some meaningless small talk then asked about Hibiki’s life when she was in Japan.

It naturally only made Hibiki, who didn’t even want to think about those days, show the adverse effect of shutting her mouth tight.

“…”

Naomi’s eyes became filled with embarrassment.

However, she still seemed determined to move on to the main point.

“This, please take it.”

When Naomi manipulated the terminal, her contact number was entered on Hibiki’s screen.

She whispered.

“In fact, the real reason I was dispatched to this dungeon was to meet you, Ms. Hibiki.”

When Hibiki acquired A-Rank, followed by S-Rank in Korea, the Japanese government attempted

The threat-filled recommendation to return to her country and work had continued tirelessly.

When they didn’t have a family to hold as a hostage, they even mobilized a distant relative whom she had never met and an old colleague with whom she was only acquaintances, but honestly, it only made her snort.

With such attempts thoroughly blocked and nullified, the government had to mobilize a different method.

“I have no thoughts about it.”

She refused firmly.

“How long are you planning to be active in Korea? Pardon me, but the term of the contract is…”

“I have no reason to answer you.”

“Think about it.”

Naomi didn’t give up persuading her.

“To miss Amano, who achieved the S-Rank in her first year, there’s a promised exceptional treatment.”

Hibiki, who roughly knew of the profits of Japan’s S-Rank Awakened, didn’t necessarily mention that her salary and performance bonus she signed with Seo Jin-Wook had already exceeded Naomi’s offer by ten times.

“Moreover, Korea is much more dangerous than Japan. You know that more people are registered in Japan, but there are more Gates in Korea, right? The burden of roaming around many dungeons with limited hunters eventually comes back as life-threatening risks. Also, think about what’s on the border of that country. Can you trust the U.N. army? You don’t know when the monsters will flock from the old North Korean land.”

While she thought she was annoying and bothersome…

Hibiki countered in a quiet and calm voice to drive her out.

“First of all, isn’t the ratio of Awakened similar in both countries in terms of population?”

“…!”

“The reason why the number of Gates in Korea has increased these days exponentially is that the Celestial Dragon is working hard to find them. Also, those dungeons are strictly monitored. Don’t you think it’s much safer this way than leaving the Gates undiscovered and allowing it to collapse beyond observation?”

Hibiki added a few more words using a monotonous voice.

“Hunter activities are dangerous because there’s a lot of Gates? The ‘very unstable’ Gates have disappeared in Korea because of the incident you already know. It means that there’s no reason to overdo exploring, being chased by the minute.”

She then ended her rebuttal with a story about how the U.N. forces stationed at the old North Korean land would be supplied with the world’s first mass-produced artifacts designed by the Celestial Dragon.

Naomi’s expression hardened when she refuted every point she dished out.

“… You really must have been in Korea for a long time. From the way you talk, you sound more like a Korean than a Japanese.”

“I’m just telling you what I’ve figured out.”

Naomi replied in a somewhat exasperated voice.

“Think carefully about it. Do you think you can live in Korea forever? Someday you’ll miss your hometown.”

“Yeah, right,” Hibiki thought.

Naomi continued to talk persistently.

“Ms. Amano, I wasn’t going to tell you this, but…”

“Then don’t.”

“… The high-ranking government officials are angry at the fact that miss Amano Hibiki belongs to the Celestial Dragon Guild.”

“So what?”

There was a part Naomi didn’t speak of.

The incident about the [Aurora of Stability] covering the Korean territory worsened the public opinion about Japan’s governing body, which offended the government.

The people’s torches were directed at the government and the Awakened beings, asking why Japan couldn’t do what Korea could.

In that situation, a Japanese S-Rank hunter worked in Celestial Dragon, so they somehow wanted to get her back.

“Ms. Amano, let me give you some serious advice as an Awakened. If you think you don’t have to watch out for anyone just because we’re in a world that can’t function without hunters, then you’re mistaken. You can’t just do whatever you want. It is still the State system that moves the world, and the reputation of the people at the top should be considered. A country can do more things than you can ever imagine. Even if you can enter the dungeon and shoot flames out of your hands, you are only an individual. Don’t forget that you can’t win against the organization of a nation.”

At that point, it had become a threat.

‘Then… What kind of weakness does a woman have that she’s trying so desperately to cling on to me?’

With such a question in mind, Hibiki replied without expression.

“It was nice to meet you.”

“…!”

Naomi clenched her teeth and got up from her seat.

When Hibiki thought that she would turn her back on her–

“What’s wrong with your attitude? Why aren’t you listening to others? Are you a single-minded person who believes that only your ideas are right?”

Hibiki looked straight into her eyes and spoke.

“I judge what’s right or wrong. I might leave this guild someday. But it won’t happen because of the ’emotion’ or ‘reputation’ of a high person. It’s my choice, and I’m going to move based on my own will.”

Naomi, who was unable to speak for a while, asked one last question, which she was clearly instructed to do.

“What do you think the Japanese government can offer to change your will of choice?”

A person came into Hibiki’s mind and disappeared.

Fiddling with the [Renace’s Ring] on her finger, she spoke like it was a final warning.

“Something you people can’t ever provide.”

“… You’re more stuck up than I thought.”

Naomi shook her head and left.

*

“I can see it!”

The next day, after waking up early in the morning and crossing the dungeon, the expedition team reached a huge canyon.

The monsters that needed to be wiped out in the dungeon were the Ogres.

Their habitats showed signs of civilization. As they must have started to use fire, there were traces of bonfires everywhere, they had carved wood to make a bulwark, and hut-like things were built by peeling off the skin of the dungeon creatures.

The expedition team magically examined the enemy’s base from a distance, keeping away from the guards’ sight.

They hadn’t noticed us yet.

“Long-range, forward!”

Eight Awakened, including Hibiki, stood at the front.

Due to the lack of other predators and the nature of the species that were vulnerable to moisture, they lived outdoors in a hut instead of digging caves.

It was the perfect condition to bombard them remotely.

“Prepare to attack!”

Each hunter prepared unique long-distance skills and magic spells, respectively.

“Attack!”

They followed the orders of Greg Myers, the captain of the expedition team.

[Energy Storm!]

[Arrows of Annihilation!]

[Ring of Fire!]

[Lightning Arc!]

The Ogres were helpless against the bombardment from outside their sight and range.

Flash, black arrows, fire, and rainbow-shaped lightning covering the sky struck the habitat, drawing a smooth trajectory of death!

I could see it in my eyes as I had been observing separately. A fierce attack out of nowhere from the sky tore and burned the ground.

Many of the Ogres that were caught up in the mess died instantly.

But there were more that survived.

“Kaaaargh!”

Shouts full of pain and anger rang through our ears from where they were.

“They’re rushing in!”

Rumble!

I could hear the earth vibrating.

“That’s a quick response.”

Instead of panicking because of the sudden attack, the Ogres figured out the attack’s direction and rushed in groups.

A daunting battle cry and chilling murderous intent flooded over the clouds of smoke.

Greg continued to command the team.

“Long-range! Fall back, close-range! Forward–”

Even before Myers could finish…

“Screech!”

A piercing cry tore through our ears.

But the direction where it came from was a little different.

“Wizard, confirm the source of that scream!”

“On it!”

The wizard’s expression hardened as he looked in the direction of the sound with light in his eyes.

“Damn it. It’s a Wyvern!”

“What?”

Black dots flew one after another from the peaks rising beyond the canyon.

That was another kind of monster that the scout team couldn’t identify.

Suddenly, the form of those that covered the sky black became larger. The direction was clear. They were also after the expedition team.

“Two or more species of monsters formed a regiment with each other?”

It was the Ogres that was attacked, but the Wyverns decided to retaliate as well.

It was a phenomenon that they had never experienced before.

“Damn it!”

The countermeasure tactics were different if they were only fighting land-based monsters and if they flocked from both the ground and the sky.

The long-ranged types, which were going to switch positions with the close-ranged and reorganize themselves, returned in a hurry.

Most of them chugged down potion bottles’ contents since they emptied their Mana capacity due to the previous attack.

But one of them wasn’t the same.

Woong!

While other wizards were busy charging their Mana capacities and reciting spells, Hibiki had already completed a spell.

A golden magic circle came up before her.

“What’s that?”

A wizard, who took his mouth off the potion bottle, muttered without him realizing it.

A magic circle that the people of that era witnessed for the first time.

In fact, I had never seen it in my previous life either.

Hibiki activated the skill.

[Gravitokinesis (Rank: SSS)!]

It was a newly created spell with SSS-Rank enchant mastery.

She gave ‘gravity transformation’ properties to a much wider range than my gravitational magic.

The spell that managed the gravity within the control area in a wider and more sophisticated way struck the flock of Wyverns that flew in.

“… Screech!”

The wizards’ jaws dropped.

“Oh, my days!”

As hundreds of Wyvern flocked in the area, Hibiki didn’t exert strong gravity to crush the guts of all of them.

There was a much easier and simpler way.

“Cr-crack!”

It was a distance away, but I could hear it.

The sound of something hard and tough being bent and broken satisfyingly.

And then…

“Screech!”

The Wyverns, which had been rushing in fiercely, fell down one by one to the ground.

They became a meteor shower of staggering trajectories. Each of the falling monsters’ wings was slightly twisted.

Hibiki’s magic crushed only the delicate parts of their wings.

“That’s ridiculous!”

The faces of the veteran wizards who identified the reason behind the phenomenon turned pale.

There was also a burst of exclamation between the close-ranged ones.

“Oh, look at that! How could they fall like that?”

Hibiki didn’t leave the falling trajectory of the Wyverns to natural gravity either.

Weeing!

[Gravitokinesis] was still activated.

As if she was controlling a bunch of R.C. planes, the direction of the drop changed with Hibiki’s guidance. The Wyverns, whose wing bones were broken, could not resist her will.

What’s in front of them was the Ogre unit rushing in from the ground!

The ending of the Force Majeure Air Show created by magic was a bloody ground collision.

Boom! Boom!

Boo-boo-boom!

Thunderous noises struck everyone’s ears. The wildly falling Wyverns beat the earth like a percussion instrument.

Screams and shrieks soon followed.

Screech!

Squeal!

Blood, flesh, scales, limbs, and innards splashed all over the Ogre unit’s vicinity, which was bombarded by head-on collisions like Kamikaze fighters.

After causing such chaos, Hibiki simultaneously unleashed spells she had already memorized.

[Inferno (Rank: SSS)!]

[Greater Force Wave (Rank: SSS)!]

[Prismatic Rain (Rank: SSS)!)

Without warning, terrifying heat rose under the feet of the Ogres. A lot of them lost their lives just because of the intense temperature alone.

Boosh!

Finally, the soaring hellfire and the storm-like shock waves danced together, burning, crushing, and destroying the monsters like balloons.

color flashes fell like rain and penetrated through them.

It was like watching hell be released to the world.

“…”

It was a scene so overwhelming the expedition team couldn’t even properly breathe as they watched the tragedy unfold in front of their eyes.

“… What did I just see?”

A wizard shouted as if he couldn’t understand at all.

“How could she– No, even if we disregard the fact that there is almost no delay. How can she do that consequently without drinking a Mana potion? They said she’s an S-Rank!”

It’s a natural reaction because they didn’t know the identity of the ring she’s wearing.

[Renace’s Ring (Rank: SS)]

Item description: A ring that reduces the user’s Mana consumption by 30%.

※ Even if the user wears items with the same function, the effect does not overlap, and only the item with the greatest effect is activated.

Furthermore, none of the SSS-Class spells that were unleashed just then were the original versions of what was obtained from the card.

There were skills that I had never seen before, but I used my previous life’s knowledge to think about it and complete the modification.

Those were spells that maximized efficiency and destructive power.

Only after devastating the battlefield with three SSS-Class spells did she step back and drink a potion.

“Squeaaaal!”

But the battle wasn’t over yet.

Many monsters came again behind the battlefield where the Wyverns and Ogres had been intertwined and scattered.

The second wave was coming.

That time, the spells prepared by the rest of the wizards except Hibiki were unleashed a beat later, but…

“They just kee[ coming!”

Unlike when Hibiki fought them, many survived the attacks and rushed in.

“I swear it’s always like this in dungeons that press down with quantity!”

Greg Myers instructed the team one after another. Perhaps he had gathered his shaken spirit.

“Close-ranged!”

Hunters came forward with various weapons such as swords, axes, and lance.

I was among them.

The opposing frontlines, which were surging like waves, were about to collide with each other.

Swoosh!

The wind blew.

“…?”

As if he had found the right timing, Nate created a long procession in front of him.

The black figures appeared in the space where there was originally nothing.

“Rargh…”

Zombified monsters created a new front line.

“It was possible to summon that many?!!”

They knew about Nate’s unique skills, but the hunters, who first encountered its power, looked at it as if they were frightened.

Nate, who summoned hundreds of zombies at once, clapped his hands.

“Kill them all.”

“Raaaaaaaaaaaargh!

Leaving the hunters behind them, the zombies ran in unison and clashed against the monsters!

“Kaaaargh!”

“Rargh…!”

Nate’s subordinates no longer fought with only their fingernails and teeth as before. Each of them, who emerged from the shadows, had a mass-produced artifact in their hands; Weapons supplied separately through the joint venture.

“Kwaaaa!”

Zombies clung to them with battle cry-like screams.

Shhhhhh!

Crush!

The swords they held were enough to cut the muscles and disconnect the bones of Ogres. Even when they swung violently and sliced, they struck them with their elbows whenever an Ogre charged from behind, causing sharp bones to pierce through their skull.

While the close-ranged hunters hesitated while looking at the hell on the ground, the Wyverns’ second wave was already making its way towards us.

The thing that blocked them was…

“… Dragon!”

The undead dragon, which revealed its magnificent body, spewed fire from the sky. The torrent of flames across the air enveloped the flock of Wyverns. In the place where the flames passed, they collapsed like a group of torched fruit flies.

In the meantime, Hibiki, who had finished charging Mana, stood on the front again. While she was chanting another spell…

“Shall I get started?”

We-ing!

The blade of the devil’s sword vibrated.

Boo-boo-boom!

Purple sword energy that released from my sword swept through the monster horde.