The Haetae subjugation operation had begun.

The participants numbered four from the Universe Guild, including Edmond, and three from the Korean side—Jung-woo, Kwon-seung, and Hae-seo.

A total force of seven was deployed to the field, supplemented by a support team of thirty A-Rank hunters.

With only twenty kilometers remaining to their operational zone in Hamhung, Jung-woo initiated the final briefing.

“We’ll establish the support team’s positions first. No territorial movement has been observed from the Haetae, so we’ll set the distance at three kilometers from the entity’s current location. Once equipment setup is complete…”

Because the entity possessed a high domain density, the support team had to remain close.

While this offered the advantage of a faster response time, it hardly provided any room for optimism.

The analyzed capabilities of the Haetae were genuinely grotesque.

“Entry team, stand by until the first domain breach. Support team, please begin your response according to instructions. If we fail in the first phase, the subjugation is aborted.”

The difficulty of entry was different this time.

Unlike previous operations where the entry team drew the target’s attention and the support team’s firepower escalated the offensive, this time the support team had to breach the domain first before the entry team could advance.

Such was the nature of the Haetae’s domain.

[Alpha Team, entering at point.]

[Bravo Team, entering.]

[Charlie Team has entered.]

The support team secured their positions and set up their equipment.

Jung-woo, too, had finished moving to a vantage point 1.5 kilometers from the Haetae, close enough to visually identify it.

In the distance stood a blue-scaled reptile with the head of a theropod and the sleek body lines of a cheetah. Coupled with a translucent vein of blood rippling over its body, it exuded an incredibly mystical aura.

It would not have been strange to fall under its spell without realizing it.

Of course, they had no intention of fighting it in this state.

【[All-Ages Filter] is activating!】

Jjijijik!

As always, the Haetae, possessing a sliver of resistance, momentarily stirred.

Noise erupted across the Haetae’s body.

Sensing the anomaly, the Haetae twisted its body as if thrashing in defiance and rose from its spot.

Kugugu, the ground roughly one hundred meters around the Haetae began to overturn.

However, that thrashing lasted only a fleeting moment.

It was the very moment the creature was about to let out a roar.

Ppyobyobyobyong!

Kuaaa!

The Haetae transformed into a stubby plush doll.

Jung-woo spoke at that exact moment.

“Initiating Phase 1 domain breach.”

Pong—!

Pong—!

The fins of the Shark Avatars jutted out from the ground.

Chwaaaak—!

They cleaved through the earth like water currents and charged toward the Haetae’s domain.

While observing the Haetae earlier, the primary concern had been the internal environmental shifts dictated by the domain’s density.

The anomalous behavior of high-rank magical beasts was a harbinger of surreal phenomena, making it imperative to identify what they were dealing with first.

Thus, drones and Shark Avatars were deployed to test it.

The experiment yielded a definitive conclusion.

[Domain effect manifestation confirmed!]

Kkwadeuk!

The Shark Avatars that entered the domain began biting each other.

Despite being only about a kilometer away from the Haetae, they started destroying themselves before even reaching it.

Confusion.

It was not merely a disruption of cognition; even non-living drones were affected, meaning the very concept of cognition was being destabilized from within.

Edmond spoke.

[This is why reality manipulation types are such a pain.]

Reality manipulation type.

The magical beast had evolved to form an absolute domain within a one-kilometer radius of water mist, ensuring that nothing could harm it.

But did that mean the creature was flawless?

No.

If it were truly that flawless, it would have already expanded beyond North Korea and coveted the entire Korean Peninsula.

It would have first tried to destroy the Three-legged Crow, the master of the most fertile and resource-rich land.

There had to be a reason it hadn’t.

Expanding the logic, ecosystems maintain a balance.

There are natural predators and elemental matchups.

That was where Jung-woo found his answer.

“Sea Otter. Let’s begin.”

Ppok!

The Sea Otter slammed the Three-legged Crow’s magic stone against the ground.

Then,

Hwarureuk—!

Black flames surged.

Specifically, over the bodies of the Shark Avatars preparing for the second charge.

Chwaaaak—!

They shot out toward the domain.

Edmond was practically giddy with excitement.

Watching the hunt unfold made it inevitable.

Words slipped from his mouth as if he were singing.

“See that? That guy is at least as amazing as me, I’m telling you.”

It was Samuel from the Universe Guild who replied.

“He certainly resembles you. Master, in the way you hunt.”

“It might look that way on the surface, but we’re polar opposites. I value communion.”

“And he doesn’t?”

“Completely the opposite. He’s dissecting its habits to torture it. It’s incredibly psychopathic.”

It was a nasty analogy, but nothing else fit quite as perfectly.

Because Jung-woo’s hunting was exactly that cruel.

The unfolding scene was spectacular.

When the Shark Avatars wreathed in black flames entered the water mist domain, the situation differed from the first wave.

The water mist failed to pierce the black flames and bounced off, beginning to spark.

As the distance closed, the jaws of the Shark Avatars bit into the Haetae.

Naturally, since each avatar possessed a lower individual value, it did not deal significant damage, but there was one crucial point to observe.

“The ones wreathed in black flames.”

Nyuaaaa!!!

Fire caught on the Haetae’s body.

To explain how this was possible, it was necessary to revisit one absolute law of nature.

“Magical phenomena begin to obey physical rules the moment they manifest. Fire and mist. If both are phenomena receiving magical enhancements, it’s only natural they develop resistance to each other. If the water mist is a medium for cognitive alteration, you just need to make sure there’s no opening for it to exploit.”

It was a countermeasure against the confusion.

However, Jung-woo did not stop at using the black flames merely for that purpose.

“From here on, we need to consider the magical beast’s sensibilities.”

“What do you mean?”

“Think from the Haetae’s perspective. It hasn’t even seen what happened in Pyongyang. How do you think it sees black flames suddenly piercing its domain?”

“…!?”

“Right. To that thing, black flames are the symbol of the Three-legged Crow. What the Haetae perceives right now is an invasion by the Three-legged Crow. …No, wait.”

Edmond denied his own hypothesis.

The previous assumption was a judgment only an underdeveloped intellect at the A-Rank Champion level would make.

He needed to go a step further.

“The emergence of a new predator that devoured the Three-legged Crow and absorbed its abilities. He definitely orchestrated that. That’s why he sent avatars without black flames in the first wave, giving it a hint that they were distinctly different entities from the Three-legged Crow.”

“…Hah.”

“The unknown is terror. Even a mere insect knows that fear, so what about an intellectual entity? Did you know? Sometimes, imagination becomes a curse. The Haetae will think: I’m in deep trouble. The one strong enough to defeat the Three-legged Crow has absorbed its power and come to my territory.”

Ecosystems require scenarios.

Because they provide the narrative for behavioral principles.

So let’s deduce the answer.

“An enemy immune to the confusion domain. In that case, wouldn’t it be better to invest the resources spent on the domain elsewhere? Isn’t this domain now a hindrance to its survival in the current situation?”

“Are you trying to make it dismiss its domain voluntarily?”

“Yes, but the Haetae still lacks the evidence. So our Teddy Bear… no, our C Otter hunter is about to provide that evidence.”

Jung-woo’s voice came through the radio.

[Support team, commence firing.]

At that moment, bullets began pouring down like a rainstorm.

Tadadadadang!

The most common special rounds among hunter equipment were environment-altering munitions.

The ones currently in use induced desertification.

They used magical waves to lower the environmental humidity to extreme levels.

“Now the resource cost of maintaining the domain has increased. Its body has gotten heavier. Shall we push one more button?”

Jung-woo spoke again.

[Switch rounds.]

[Loaded!]

[Fire.]

Taaaaang—!

This round was heavy.

Instead of targeting the Haetae, they struck the ground, revealing themselves to be antenna pillars about seventy centimeters tall.

As they deployed, sound waves tore through the air in long streaks.

Kiiiing—!

Calling Protocol.

It was the frequency of a cry that summoned magical beasts.

Edmond, channeling the Haetae, spoke in a comical tone.

“Oh my, this is going to be a dogfight! These riffraff are trying to turn this fight into a melee! I need to think of a way!”

Kugugugugu—!

Nearby magical beasts began to stir.

“Why? Why did this unknown enemy summon the magical beasts? The Haetae doesn’t know. But it has to think. Because it needs to live. Because the enemy is strong. So it will reach a conclusion.”

With a snap, Edmond pointed at the Shark Avatars wreathed in black flames.

“Ah, this unknown enemy is trying to overlay the magical beasts with black flames like those sharks and attack me! It might have domination abilities! From now on, the resources required to maintain the domain will only grow, and that will become poison to me!”

Thus, the comical impersonation ended.

Edmond felt a shiver run down his spine.

It was truly a concept only a psychopath could conceive.

He unearthed the very foundation of his prey’s habits, wove the most despair-inducing scenario from them, and then tortured the creature, binding it hand and foot until it withered and died.

What a ruthless and horrific method of hunting.

And simultaneously, what a magnificent method of hunting.

“This is nature. It’s the most humane way to hunt in nature.”

That was why Edmond liked Jung-woo.

Because his hunting method embodied a cruelty that so venerated nature, Edmond could not help but love his hunt.

The situation rapidly changed.

The Haetae’s water mist began to dissipate.

After screaming with an emotion close to hatred, the Haetae absorbed all the water mist and suddenly sent its mana into a frenzy.

Kkigigigigik—!

The mana compressed to its limits generated a massive roar.

It was enough to make one mistake it for the sky itself crying out.

Amidst that majestic landscape, Jung-woo murmured nonchalantly.

[Phase 1 breach complete. Entry team, sortie.]

It was dreadfully calm.

It felt like he was performing a mundane daily routine, so much so that one might feel they were at a slaughterhouse butchering an already dead corpse.

The members of the Universe Guild released their mana.

On the Korean side, Kwon-seung fell back with the Shark Avatars to handle the approaching magical beasts summoned by the Calling Protocol, and Hae-seo forged a weapon into her grasp.

Edmond stretched his body in a cheerful mood.

“Let’s go, then. It’s our turn now.”

It was a feast laid out before them.

To put it another way, he felt the thrill of a pack hunt.

With drones broadcasting the entire scene from above, calling it a spectacular show would not be an overstatement.

A long breath escaped Edmond’s lips.

It was the moment euphoria surged to the crown of his head and crystallized into power.

The interface materialized before his eyes.

【[Aptitude: Dimension Lord (Ex)] exercises the Master’s rights.】

【[Skill: Dimension Resonance (Ex)] is activating.】

【[1st Dimensional Realm: Aman] incarnates its power.】

【Aura envelops the body.】

Mana condensed and transformed into a sword of light.

Edmond grasped it and charged forward.

The Haetae withdrew its domain.

The barrier preventing them from reaching it had vanished, but the true hunt was only just beginning.

In ecology, predators were species that evolved offensive measures, not evasive ones.

Based on that theory, the Haetae was a creature infinitely close to a true predator.

In other words, the confusion domain was merely an extremely localized trait that added to the creature’s majesty.

As always, the crucial elements were analysis and deduction.

Prior to the hunt, Jung-woo had continuously pondered what the essential offensive capability of a predator possessing such confusion abilities would be.

He had mapped out potential variations of mutations that could manifest and prepared specific countermeasures for each.

It was the presentation of solutions, and it was also the area Jung-woo agonized over the most to maximize his hunting probability.

Thus, a conclusion was drawn.

The trait of confusion, the water mist, and the bestial physical form.

And finally, its mana condensation ability.

When all the clues were combined, there was one offensive measure expected to form.

“Berserk trait confirmed. The target is entering a frenzy.”

How would the creature have originally utilized that ability?

How would it have been used when the confusion that formed the domain was still insignificant?

The answer to that question was sensory disruption inflicted upon itself.

It was a form of evolution that erased pain and erased physical limits, burning through itself to kill the enemy.

Kugugugu!

The Haetae’s body swelled grotesquely.

Despite having the body of a plush doll, the bulging of its muscles was defined through its plush fur.

The speculation had hit the mark.

‘Success rate 99.9%.’

The most ideal picture had emerged.

It was the highest probability, having erased the 0.1% of arrogance.

The enemy was confirming the answer with its output, but considering who his ally was today, only pity emerged.

[Let’s get a taste!!!]

Kwaaaaang—!

Edmond clashed with the Haetae.

The aftermath shook the entire expanse of land that had once been its domain.

The current strongest of humanity.

That was the hunting tool grasped in Jung-woo’s hands today.