Crunch!

“Aghh!”

A B-rank lycanthrope.

The wolf-headed giant collapsed. Its skull was completely crushed, its form unrecognizable.

As if enraged by the death of its kin, another lycan lunged at Jeong Seongyeong.

“Tch. Annoying.”

She swung her axe upward with a lazy, irritated motion. Even though the blade didn’t touch it directly, the lycan split in half vertically.

“Ptui!”

She spat out the cigarette, nothing but the filter left. She pulled out a fresh one, put it between her lips, and scanned her surroundings.

The sixty or so monsters that had swarmed them were nearly all cleared.

Crackle!

“Haah.”

On the other side.

Sim Seungseop yawned widely as he unleashed a bolt of lightning. A spear of electric current shot from his fingertips, piercing straight through a Gados.

The giant lizard monster burned to a crisp, blackened.

That was the last one.

Jeong Seongyeong scowled.

“What kind of bullshit is this at the crack of dawn? Fucking annoying.”

“Still, at least these guys woke me up all the way.”

Song Hangil replied with an easy, warm smile.

Jeong Seongyeong looked as if she couldn’t even be bothered to answer. She radiated karma in all directions, shaking the filth off her body.

“It’s not operation time yet, right? I’m sleeping.”

“No, Ms. Seongyeong. We’re moving.”

When Squad Leader Bu Yeonggeon spoke in his dry, flat tone, Jeong Seongyeong let her irritation show without any filter.

“No, why?”

“Monsters showed up. How can we sleep here now?”

“They were just trash anyway. Doesn’t look like more are gonna pop out.”

“We’ll move. Porters, get your gear together.”

“…Ugh, that killjoy. Tch!”

Bu Yeonggeon brushed off her complaint without a second thought—he was used to this. Jeong Seongyeong just muttered a curse under her breath and let it go.

The three porters, including Go Byeonggap, scrambled to break down the campsite.

Two of them folded the tents and gear, stowing them into backpacks with methodical care, while the third handled cleanup with practiced efficiency.

“Hmm…”

Bu Yeonggeon stared at the map, lost in thought. His eyes held less enthusiasm than you’d find in a bottle of medicine.

He walked over to the porters.

“How much food is left?”

“Two meals’ worth, sir.”

Go Byeonggap, who handled the rations and supplies, answered instantly.

“When was the resupply scheduled?”

“Today at 1700 hours. Contact point is Point 16.”

This time, Kim Daeyeop, the radioman, replied. Something didn’t sit right with Bu Yeonggeon—he frowned slightly, then swept his gaze over the monster carcasses.

“Ah, these things—where were they hiding before they popped out? Could there be more? …Tch. What if we just push through and clear Point 19 now? We’ve got to do it eventually anyway.”

He muttered to himself.

Bu Yeonggeon watched the porters hustle and spoke again.

“What do you think? Should we head to Point 19 now, complete the mission, then drop down to Point 16? That seems better, right?”

‘Why the hell are you asking us?’

Go Byeonggap found it absurd. The other porters gave similarly lukewarm reactions.

Then again, it wasn’t a big deal anymore.

Squad Leader Bu Yeonggeon barely communicated with his own raid-team members. When he needed to share a thought, he only talked to the porters.

Three weeks into the operation, and it was always like this.

“Hmph. Yeah, that’s the way to go. What’s the point of sitting around? Might as well work. Mr. Daeyeop, radio HQ and ask if there are any lingering monsters at Point 18.”

“Yes, sir.”

And as always, he made the decision alone, then spun on his heel and walked off.

“…”

Porter Jeong Hoyun was folding a tent in sync with Go Byeonggap. He stared blankly at Bu Yeonggeon’s retreating back, then turned to Byeonggap.

“Weren’t we supposed to wait here and then head down for supplies? I thought we weren’t moving today.”

“You tell me. I thought so too.”

“Even if we go to Point 19 now, we won’t get it all cleared.”

“Guess he’s got his reasons, huh.”

“Ugh. I was hoping we’d finally get a break.”

Jeong Hoyun let out a quiet sigh.

Breaking down the campsite was quick work. After three weeks of teamwork, they moved like a well-oiled machine.

Go Byeonggap took a breath and checked the digital watch on his wrist. It was barely 5:35 in the morning.

“We’re moving out. Heading straight to Reclamation Point 19.”

“Huh? Look here, Squad Leader. Isn’t this area still not fully cleared?”

“We’ll finish it on the way.”

“Oh, is that so? Well, suppose that’s fine, then.”

Han Changhun, the healer and supporter of the raid team, nodded quickly in agreement.

The rest of the squad didn’t even bother to raise an objection.

‘What kind of mess of a team is this, seriously.’

Squad C—the one Go Byeonggap had been annexed into.

The raid team of Squad C was a bunch of extreme individualists. They had easygoing temperaments, only maintaining a purely businesslike relationship with one another.

If this happened, they’d go along; if that happened, they’d go along too.

In a way, they even came across as apathetic.

Still, their skills were undeniable—top-tier pros—so there had never been a single hitch so far.

“Mr. Daeyeop. Have you gotten in touch with headquarters?”

“Ah, yes. They said an object that appears to be a monster colony has been observed at waypoint 18-5. They’ll relay the specific coordinates as soon as they come in.”

“Is that so? Then let’s head to waypoint 18-5 first.”

“Let me have a smoke before we go.”

“Go ahead.”

“Byeonggap.”

Jeong Seongyeong called out to Go Byeonggap. She brought her index and middle fingers to her lips, signaling for a smoke.

Go Byeonggap nodded and walked over to her.

The two of them stepped a little apart from the group.

As expected, the moment Bu Yeonggeon was out of sight, Jeong Seongyeong fixed him with a glare and let loose.

“Agh, that lanky bastard. Grinding my gears first thing in the morning.”

“…What now?”

“He completely ignores people.”

Go Byeonggap and Jeong Seongyeong were the only two smokers in Squad C. That had naturally brought them together.

That was where the problem started. Every time she came out to smoke with Byeonggap, she dumped every grievance she had.

Listening was fine for a day or two. But three weeks in, it was wearing a hole in his ear.

“Then tell him not to ignore you.”

“Ha! Like he’d say, ‘Yes, understood.’ Just look at him—he’s built like he wouldn’t listen to a word anyone says. And I don’t feel like starting a fight at work for nothing.”

‘So what do you want me to do?’

Her personality was as sharp as the bob cut that traced her jawline. At thirty-one, she was the oldest in the squad—and in the running for who acted their age the least.

“Tch! And no matter how shitty things get, you don’t just mouth off to someone’s face. He’s supposed to be the squad leader, for crying out loud.”

“So backbiting’s fine?”

“Oh my, would you look at this kid? This isn’t backbiting. I’m just stating facts.”

“Christ…”

Go Byeonggap just shook his head inwardly. Times like these made him miss the goblins of Asvillam. Those gentle little things never badmouthed anyone.

“Still, I’m glad you’re here. You’ve got some luck, and you actually speak the same language. Plus you smoke.”

He didn’t bother to say that it wasn’t about speaking the same language—it was that she had no one else to dump her complaints on.

No matter how close they’d gotten, she was still an S-rank hunter. He needed to keep the line clearly drawn.

Go Byeonggap tapped the ash off his nearly burnt-out cigarette, then stubbed it out.

“Let’s move.”

“Why? Light another one first.”

“Noona, that pack’s really going to kill you someday. You were chain-smoking during the fight—must’ve burned through half a dozen.”

“Hey. If I was gonna die from smoking, I’d be dead already. I’ve been at it since I was eighteen.”

“…Real proud of that, are you? I’ll head on ahead.”

“Ah, wait up!”

Jeong Seongyeong followed, her face sour with displeasure.

They rejoined the group and set off at a brisk pace.

* * *

Not every S-rank hunter is born a slaughter-machine. They, too, once stood as rookies, trembling before monsters rated far below them.

But it never took them long to realize their own strength. And once they’d racked up about three years of experience, the act of killing ceased to weigh on them at all.

‘Goddamn impressive.’

In that regard, Squad C was the definition of professional.

They were butchers born to slaughter monsters, and nothing more. Not a single gesture they made was wasted.

Even the flick of a finger was part of a sequence that ended in a monster’s death.

“Gguk!”

“Kyaaak!”

High-tier monsters that could kill a hundred civilians without breaking a sweat. The S-rank hunters tore through predators like that just to pass the time.

The gap between high-tier and top-tier was the difference between a lake and an ocean.

The monsters didn’t even get a chance to resist.

All Go Byeonggap had to do was stand at a distance and watch monsters’ heads fly.

‘Easy money. Easy.’

When he’d first heard he’d be teamed up with S-ranks, he’d been gripped by worry. He’d thought all kinds of dangers would be breathing down his neck.

But looking at the results, that was just needless anxiety.

All Go Byeonggap did was carry the gear, take care of the raid team’s meals, prepare their sleeping spots, and pull guard duty.

He didn’t even have to bother collecting the magic stones. The cleanup crew following behind took care of that.

‘I can’t believe I’m getting two billion won for this.’

He was so underworked the thought actually crossed his mind—though he had zero intention of turning down the money.

“We’ll move to Point 19 after breakfast. Please prepare the meal.”

“Yes, sir.”

Byeonggap and the two other porters busied themselves with the meal prep. That was a fancy way of saying they just reheated some instant combat rations.

In under five minutes, the food was ready. The hunters silently approached and shoveled down the tasteless battle rations.

‘Eat without a single complaint.’

Byeonggap felt many of his preconceptions crumbling over the course of this expedition.

S-rank hunters—the ones he’d always thought of as mysterious, untouchable beings. He was learning that they were just people like him.

Look at them eating that bland mountain-vegetable bibimbap without a single complaint. Truly professionals.

“Oh, Eunji? You’re up? Huh? No, I’m just eating. What do you mean, hurt? I’m not hurt. Yeah, yeah. I miss you too.”

Sim Seungseop, the long-range dealer who wielded lightning.

When he wasn’t in a fight, he always had his smuggled phone glued to his hand. The woman on the other end of the line changed almost every time — that was a fact he’d only realized recently.

Sim Seungseop would chatter nonstop while on the phone, but he never exchanged a single word of casual talk with his squadmates.

“Mr. Byeonggap. That ssamjang¹ you were eating — you finish it all?”

“Yes. Yesterday was the last of it.”

“Ah, tch. Can’t even choke down a meal without that spicy paste. How can food have no damn flavor like this.”

Han Changhun. A man with a hearty Gyeongsang-do dialect. Along with Song Hangil, he handled the regional broadcast duty for Squad C.

“Changhun hyungnim². I didn’t use the ssamjang, but if you don’t mind this instead, would you like some?”

“Ah! You sure that’s alright? Ah, I feel so bad, how can I—”

“It’s fine. I’m on a low-sodium diet anyway.”

“Aigo, well thank you kindly.”

Song Hangil was easygoing, with no sharp edges to him. The kind of person who could get along with anyone.

“Byeonggap. Let’s go knock back a smoke.”

“I’m not done eating yet.”

“Why’re you so slow? Eat faster.”

“I only just started eating.”

“…Then I’ll be outside smoking. Come right out.”

Jeong Seongyeong. The chain-smoking hag.

Every time supplies came in, that insane woman ordered sixty packs of imported cigarettes. When she opened her mouth, the stench of tobacco smoke flooded out.

Look at them individually and they were about as harmonious as a bag of stray cats—each one doing their own thing. But the moment combat started, they moved like a single organism.

A damned strange thing to witness.

After the meager breakfast ended, Squad C moved into Operation Point 19.

Ahead of them lay roughly a thousand hectares that had to be searched inch by inch, every hidden monster found and killed.

“We’ll sweep through to Point 19-2 within thirteen hours and then head back for resupply.”

Squad leader Bu Yeonggeon said it flat. No one answered. And no one gave a damn about that fact.

Squad C carried out the mission in silence, clearing each sub-sector at a terrifying pace.

Where the group passed, only monster carcasses remained—a fitting testament to the moniker that followed them, bringing death in their wake.

Team C, having safely subdued the area up to 19-2, retraced their steps to resupply.

By the time they reached the rendezvous point at Section 16, the other teams had already arrived.