Chapter 56

*Clang!*

Fierce sparks flew.

A relentless battle raged between the sword, seeking to pierce, and the steel scales, striving to defend.

Kang Yuseong had utterly shattered one of Hicrat’s scales, but that alone wasn’t enough to inflict a fatal blow on the monster.

Kang Yuseong relentlessly charged, thrusting his sword into Hicrat.

His sword, imbued with fire-elemental attack power, possessed immense destructive force.

Adding the aura of Chakra, Carapace Melt, it was only a matter of time before the steel scales would shatter.

*Crunch!*

*Thwack!*

Another scale splintered, scattering in all directions.

*Boom!*

Simultaneously, the Hunters launched their attack from below.

The coordinated assault of Hunters wielding blunt weapons and bladed tools, striking in perfect sync, was nothing short of artistry.

Hicrat couldn’t help but take damage.

“Kiiiaah!”

The monster roared in extreme fury as it took damage.

Its tail swept wildly, and it bared its fangs, attempting to swallow the Hunters, but failed repeatedly.

*Whoosh!*

*Crash-boom!*

Each time the monster lunged its head forward, a fireball launched by Kang Yuseong exploded, and its tail whips often went awry as the Hunters skillfully dodged them.

*Crack-crack-crack!*

Kang Yuseong seized an opening, burying his sword between the monster’s scales. Hot blood gushed out, drenching him, but Kang Yuseong paid it no mind.

While hunts often ended swiftly, many required persistent engagement and careful strategy like this, so he felt no impatience.

“Kiiiaaak!”

Bleeding from multiple wounds and deeply injured, Hicrat thrashed about like a mad beast.

Gradually, its movements became sluggish.

Noticing this, Kang Yuseong radioed in.

“Burst!”

As the ‘Burst’ command, signaling a final decisive attack, was given, the Hunters charged forward with burning determination.

*Boom!*

Blunt weapons crushed the monster’s scales, and Hunters wielding bladed tools exploited the openings.

Though they couldn’t achieve the same results as Kang Yuseong, it was enough to inflict considerable pain on Hicrat.

“Haaah!”

Kang Yuseong poured all his strength into his sword and lunged at Hicrat.

He intended to strike a critical blow into the large wounds covering its body.

“Kiiiaah!”

Hicrat opened its maw wide, issuing a threat.

But by now, it posed little threat to Kang Yuseong.

The monster was on the verge of collapsing from his sword.

*Swoosh!*

Kang Yuseong’s sword plunged into the monster.

*Crack-crack-crack!*

The mangled, shattered scale fragments twisted and broke apart as they were caught by his sword.

*Whoosh!*

Hicrat writhed violently from the scorching heat that had made his sword glow.

Piercing through the mangled, severed muscle layers and burrowing deeper would now allow him to destroy the monster’s internal organs.

“Haaap!”

Kang Yuseong added Chakra Force.

*Crumble-crumble!*

Inside, his sword began to rotate. His intention was to widen the wound further, turning it into an irreparable, fatal injury.

‘This is the end!’

Once this sword plunged in and tore apart the internal organs, the battle would be over.

Blood splattered, and flesh ripped and flew.

It was then.

“Captain!”

A sudden radio call came through.

*Swoosh-swish!*

*Crash!*

At the same instant, a tremendous impact struck Kang Yuseong.

“Ugh!”

*Whoosh-ahh!*

*Thud-bang!*

Kang Yuseong plummeted from mid-air.

“Cough!”

The immense impact left Kang Yuseong unable to even steady himself, as he struggled to look forward.

“Kiiiaaak!”

Before him, a colossal bird flapped its wings, hovering in the air.

Upon seeing it, Kang Yuseong gritted his teeth.

‘Mad Bird Driven!’

This was the worst possible situation.

To think it would appear here!

This was the incursion of monsters occasionally seen in A-rank Dungeons. The conditions for an incursion remained unknown even after a long time.

The Mad Bird Driven was a raptor that preyed on venomous snakes.

As its appearance in a place with giant venomous snakes like Hicrat indicated, its size was also immense.

Moreover, its temperament was extremely ferocious and cruel; Hunters had been massacred by it countless times.

“Kiiiaaah!”

Adding insult to injury, Hicrat became wildly agitated upon the Mad Bird Driven’s appearance.

It had recognized its natural predator.

“Kiiiaak!”

Driven did not back down.

Its beak was incredibly sharp and long, perfectly suited for pecking at Hicrat’s body.

Furthermore, its talons, as hard as steel, could easily tear through the Hunters’ armor.

It was not an easy situation.

*Whoosh!*

Suddenly, Driven flapped its wings and soared into the sky.

Kang Yuseong’s eyes widened. And he shouted loudly.

“Everyone, get back!”

At the urgent radio command, the Hunters ran wildly in all directions.

At the same time, a tremendous energy wave surged down from the sky.

*Boom-boom-boom-boom!*

*Rumble-rumble!*

Everything on the ground was swept away by the energy wave the monster unleashed while spinning in the air.

This was the power of a Great Monster.

“Kiiiaaah!”

*Swish-swish-swish-swish-swish!*

But Hicrat did not give in, spewing countless spines into the air.

The spines, enough to blacken the sky, reached Driven, high in the air, but Driven swiftly evaded them all with agile maneuvers.

‘Damn it!’

Kang Yuseong gritted his teeth.

Those spines…

Now they would fall to the ground with incredible acceleration.

*Whoosh!*

He dashed forward.

The Hunters stared at the battle between the two monsters with bewildered expressions.

It was then that the black rain covering the sky began to pour down, visible to their eyes.

Some Hunters dived for cover, but most were directly exposed to the lethal radius of the spines.

*Swoosh-swoosh-swish!*

The spines tore sharply through the air as they rained down.

*Whoooosh-*

Suddenly, a strange sound emanated from Kang Yuseong’s entire body.

*Boom-boom-boom-boom!*

At the same moment, all the spines poured down onto the ground.

*Thud-thud!*

They fell with such tremendous force that the ground shook, unable to withstand the impact, and dust billowed up.

“…”

The Hunters, who had hastily covered their heads with their arms and crouched down, slowly raised their heads.

There was nothing.

‘…!’

Not a single spine was embedded in the surrounding area.

They involuntarily looked forward.

A man.

They saw the back of a man standing tall, with both arms spread wide.

It was as if he had taken all the pouring rain upon himself…

“Captain!”

The Hunters exclaimed in surprise, jumping to their feet.

“Cough! Ugh!”

At that moment, Kang Yuseong staggered backward.

Not only that, but he also vomited dark, clotted blood.

“C-Captain! W-What is this!”

Baek Myeong-han’s face twisted in alarm at Kang Yuseong’s condition.

His entire body was a mess, as if he had been beaten with a heavy iron club.

Blood flowed, and dark bruises were visible beneath his torn armor.

The spines had fallen right in front of him.

The Hunters were aghast.

Had he blocked all of that?!

How could a human, made of flesh and blood, have blocked that?!

Then, Kang Yuseong spoke in a faint voice.

“P-Potion.”

Indeed, Kang Yuseong’s face was turning a deathly pale.

Remembering that the venom of the venomous snake Hicrat drained the vitality of living creatures, Baek Myeong-han frantically rummaged through his pouch and pulled out a Stamina Potion.

“Here it is!”

But Kang Yuseong didn’t even have the strength left to take it.

“Oh no!”

Baek Myeong-han hastily uncorked the potion and poured it directly into Kang Yuseong’s mouth.

*Gulp-gulp-*

“Kuhak!”

Kang Yuseong drank it and gasped for breath.

“Hah, hah!”

Life gradually returned to his eyes, which had been fading.

Then he gritted his teeth, and with trembling hands, pulled something else from the leather pouch at his waist.

*Gulp-*

A Stamina Potion and another mysterious potion.

*Whoosh!*

As Kang Yuseong consumed the two potions, color gradually returned to his face.

“Ugh…”

Kang Yuseong bit his lip tightly and stood up.

They had almost been wiped out.

“Captain, are you alright?”

The Hunters looked at him with concern.

“Kiiiaak!”

“Kiiiaah!”

The two monsters were still fighting like mad.

Kang Yuseong nodded, watching them.

“I’m fine now.”

He clenched his fist.

He had been careless.

“Step back for a moment. All of you.”

*Click-*

And he pulled out another potion.

It was a potion none of the other Hunters had ever seen.

Chakra Awakening Potion.

*Gulp-*

Kang Yuseong drank it.

*Whoosh!*

A massive Chakra Force enveloped his body, erupting as if about to explode.

If he hadn’t thought quickly in that desperate moment, they would have all been annihilated.

A single mistake.

They had been driven into such a situation by the painful error of not accounting for the variable of an incursion.

The moment all the Hunters were about to be impaled by the spines, he activated Thieving Eye and managed to steal one of Hicrat’s abilities.

Iron Armor.

The tough, steel-like scales that covered Hicrat’s entire body.

He had stolen that ability.

However, there was no guarantee that it could block the spines that had soared high into the air and were now falling at terrifying speed.

But he had no more time.

Activating the Iron Armor ability, he stood in front of the Hunters, and the result was what they saw now.

‘Phew, that was close.’

It was a good thing Hicrat’s Iron Armor ability was so exceptional; otherwise, Kang Yuseong might have been completely impaled by those spines.

‘Now, I’ll return the favor.’

He had unleashed all his Chakra Force with the Chakra Awakening Potion.

A fierce blaze erupted from his sword.

“Standby for combat. All subsequent situations are entrusted to Team Leader Baek Myeong-han. Absolutely do not interfere in this battle.”

This battle was already beyond the level where Hunters could participate.

“Back!”

Baek Myeong-han listened to his command and pulled the Hunters and Porters back.

Thankfully, the casualties among the Hunters and Porters were very few.

Aside from one severely injured Porter and a few Hunters with minor injuries, there was hardly any damage.

The Porters quickly administered first aid to the severely injured Porter, and the remaining Hunters guarded the surroundings.

*Whoosh!*

Kang Yuseong left them behind and charged forward.

A bird and a snake.

The two colossal monsters were fighting like mad.

Kang Yuseong analyzed the battle.

Currently, the dominant one was undoubtedly the Mad Bird Driven.

It could fly and had full stamina.

Moreover, it was Hicrat’s natural predator to begin with.

If he left it alone, he would have to fight an even more difficult battle.

*Fwoosh!*

A massive fireball erupted in his hand.

This battle was a difficult one, requiring him to take down both monsters simultaneously.

Therefore, he couldn’t let one of them die easily.

*Bang!*

He hurled the fireball directly at Driven, hovering high in the sky.

*Swoosh-swish!*

*Boom!*

“Kiiiaak!”

The fireball accurately struck and exploded on Driven’s wing, which had only been focused on Hicrat’s movements on the ground.

*Fwoosh!*

The power of its Burning Pain ignited an unquenchable flame on Driven’s wing.

“Kiiiaak! Kiiak!”

Driven flapped its wings, thrashing wildly to extinguish the fire, but eventually, it plunged to the ground.

*Crash!*

The ground vibrated violently, and thick dust billowed up.

Kang Yuseong watched it, a cold smirk on his face.

“Now it’s a bit more equal.”

“Kiii…”

From within the dust, Driven emerged, its expression one of extreme fury.

Its right wing was charred black from the flames.

It likely wouldn’t be able to use its wings properly now.

“Kiiiaah!”

A standoff ensued: Hicrat glared at Driven, and Driven glared at Kang Yuseong.

The smile on Kang Yuseong’s lips turned colder.

“Let’s begin.”

*Bang!*

And he charged forward.

*Whoooosh-*

The sword in his hand began to hum wildly.