Chapter 44: There Was A Reason For The Annihilation

Chapter 44: There Was A Reason For The Annihilation

"Gasp!"

Kang Mu-hyuk felt a suffocating sensation. His heart rate quickened, and his body trembled violently.

It was a precursor symptom of mana addiction.

"Guild Leader Kang, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" Pyo Beom-hee exclaimed in shock, propping up the staggering Kang Mu-hyuk.

Kang Mu-hyuk braced his legs. He couldn't afford to collapse. He might not be a Hunter, but as the Guild Leader, he needed to be sturdy. If his team members found out about his illness, it would only cast further doubt on his leadership, which was already under question.

Fortunately, no Hunter noticed Kang Mu-hyuk's anomaly as they were all engrossed in the battle against the goblins.

'That black thing... Is it mana?'

Sometimes, instinct could be more accurate than reason. Much like the intuition of an experienced Hunter, Kang Mu-hyuk's keen senses perceived the ominous aura rising towards the sky.

He noticed that this unseen entity was a different kind of mana, something not even an A-rank Hunter could see. It occurred to him that he might be seeing this due to symptoms brought on by his illness.

Struggling to breathe, Kang Mu-hyuk took a metal case out of his chest pocket. As his fingers were trembling, the case slipped from his hand, but Pyo Beom-hee caught it.

"The, in... injection..."

Watching the barely coherent Kang Mu-hyuk, Pyo Beom-hee didn't ask what was in the case and opened it.

Inside were neatly arranged syringes.

Being a Hunter, she was familiar with various emergency equipment and recognized the objects as laser injectors.

"Your butt?"

No, no.

Gathering all his strength, Kang Mu-hyuk shook his head.

"What a shame."

Pyo Beom-hee promptly took out a syringe and injected the substance into Kang Mu-hyuk's arm.

A moment later, Kang Mu-hyuk's pale complexion returned to normal. He surveyed his surroundings. Thanks to the quick treatment, it seemed no one had noticed.

Looking at him with sympathetic eyes, Pyo Beom-hee spoke, "Is this an aftereffect from when you were hurt by Ma Taesik?"

"How did you know about the Ma Taesik incident?"

"Just because I come from Titan doesn't mean I don't know a thing or two... Quit changing the subject!"

"I have a slight chronic illness. It's nothing serious. It's not fatal. As long as I take my injections and medicine, I'm fine."

It was an explanation that was half true, half false.

With a skeptical gaze, Pyo Beom-hee asked again, "Really?"

"Do you think I would be here doing this if I had a terminal illness?"

"We're hunting monsters. As Guild Leader Kang, it would be insane not to."

Left speechless by her irrefutable argument, Kang Mu-hyuk attempted to change the subject but something else came to mind.

"There's something else I want to ask."

"What is it?"

"Can we break through that goblin troop ahead?"

"Breakthrough? It depends on the goal. The conditions? Annihilation? Or securing a route?"

"Your task is to escort me to Sanjeong Lake as quickly as possible."

Pyo Beom-hee looked towards the front where the battle was raging at full force. With a slight bounce, she leaped nearly three meters into the air. After briefly assessing the situation from above, she landed lightly and continued, "It might be possible. But it would be better to annihilate them before moving on. If we move, it leaves our rear vulnerable."

"If we put all our energy into Team Leader Pyo, it might be possible, but it will take time. Additionally, speeding up the pace of our strategy might lead to casualties. We lack the strength to change the strategy midway."

Most guild strategy and tactics teams would often refer to raids as 'paper war.'

It was a term for wars fought with plans previously crafted on paper. The success or failure of a raid was usually determined during the planning stage. Because the training and equipment were set according to it, changing the plan in the middle of the raid was difficult.

Of course, a raid had many variables, and improvisation was important, but one had to stick to the main line of the strategy to avoid problems. Successful outcomes were only possible when unplanned actions were backed by sound reasons and capabilities.

If it failed, the Hunter had to bear the full brunt of the consequences, so they couldn't just change it haphazardly.

Kang Mu-hyuk decided that a tactical change would be toxic to the Iron Will guild in its current state.

"Hunting isn't as easy as it sounds. If you insist, Guild Leader Kang, we might be able to break through. Why do you ask?"

"I think we have a new variable."

"Variable?"

"I have a communication channel that only I use. It connected briefly, then got cut off. I think something happened to the Guild Master."

Kang Mu-hyuk maintained his expression and lied.

'There's no time to explain. And I don't have the confidence to make you understand.'

How could he explain the ominous black mana that only he could see?

Just talking about mana addiction would take an eternity, and he didn't understand the phenomenon himself. He didn't have the ability to explain something he didn't know.

Pyo Beom-hee was suspicious but decided to follow Kang Mu-hyuk's words. She was well aware of his abilities, and his instincts had always been extraordinary, so she trusted him.

A black aura erupted and clung to her arm. She quickly kicked the abdomen of the Matriarch, withdrawing her body. The black mist that attempted to entangle her lost its grip and swayed erratically.

Once she distanced herself from the Matriarch, the black aura was no longer visible. However, a lingering presence still orbited her vicinity.

Ju Se-ah couldn't tear her gaze away from the now lifeless Matriarch. The hostages did not cheer. The goblins neither turned their faces away nor charged forward, they merely stared incessantly at the dead Matriarch.

"Ugh...."

"Huuh..."

At the hostages' groans, Ju Se-ah snapped back to her senses. Saliva dribbled from their mouths, their eyes lost focus.

They appeared utterly disoriented. It wasn't only the humans; the goblins displayed the same symptoms.

Ju Se-ah soon realized her condition was no different from the others.

Thanks to her high magic resistance fiercely counteracting, she had narrowly avoided losing consciousness. However, her body was completely immobilized.

She had no idea how much time had passed. Whether for a brief moment or a long period, she remained in a trance. Any person, even an exceptional Hunter, would succumb to fear when they lose control over their body.

But Ju Se-ah didn't yield. She gritted her teeth and endured, attempting to break free from this confinement.

The Indomitable Witch.

Strong monsters, powerful villains, no matter how desperate the situation, her unyielding spirit upheld her.

'Move. I have to move.'

The black aura continuously flowing from the Matriarch's body showed signs of ceasing. She didn't know what had transpired.

But instinctively, she felt an impending misfortune lurking behind it.

Move... move... move.

"Move!"

Brave Heart

With a shout that made her vomit blood, her heart surged with heat. Finally, she managed to take a step forward, breaking free from the intangible restraint.

"Huff! Pant, pant...."

In the brief moment of catching her breath.

Clatter!

Ju Se-ah heard the sound of some beast's hooves.

Close.

It was very close.

"Drzuphlem shikadoo."

A delicate voice tickled her ears.

"Caw!"

Ju Se-ah vomited blood and slumped down.

Struggling, she turned her head towards where the voice had come from.

The Matriarch had collapsed unexpectedly. Her insides were empty, leaving only a husk. She could not even become a hunk of meat, her flesh merely rolled about the floor in a pulpy mass.

In her wake, a black aura swirled and formed a shape. However, for some reason, Ju Se-ah couldn't see it.

All she could see in her eyes were some symbols or patterns. Two overlapping circles, large and small, with an unidentified string of characters inserted between them.

A sinister pattern symbolizing a uterus. It seemed like some kind of mark, but its meaning was completely unfathomable.

'An unknown? I've never heard of such a monster.'

A monster that wouldn't even allow its form to be seen. Could it even be called a monster in the first place?

The monster, revealing itself only through a symbol, spoke.

"Drzuphlem shikadoo. So vopt piddychel aepick."

Ju Se-ah chewed her tongue and yelled back at the unfamiliar language.

"What, what...are you saying? Kuhuck!"

As she managed to barely support her stumbling body, a familiar voice echoed from behind her.

"Foolish human. Do not stand before me."

"Kang... Kang Mu... hyuk."

"I wonder why I can hear it."

Kang Mu-hyuk stood nonchalantly next to Ju Se-ah.

"There was a reason why the Brazilian guild was annihilated."

At his words, Ju Se-ah nodded her head.

Kang Mu-hyuk spoke towards the entity that was visible but couldn't be seen.

"Are you... The one who invited me?"