Chapter 13

Whoosh—

Kang Yuseong gathered all his Chakra Force and dashed forward.

With the King Alligator appearing, there was no point in holding back his strength.

This was a critical moment; letting it escape could lead to their annihilation.

“Squad 1 and 2 to the right, Squad 3 and 5 to the left! Squad 4, behind me!”

He immediately sent out the command via radio.

The Hunters were already paralyzed.

The King Alligator, a creature they had never seen before, was the cause.

At this moment, only precise command could turn the tide.

And Kang Yuseong was the one person who could issue the most perfect battle commands.

“Snap out of it!”

At his words, the Hunters could be seen scrambling, as if waking from a dream.

“Kuaaaak!”

Suddenly, a Sand Alligator savagely opened its maw and lunged at Kang Yuseong.

Though not as large as the King Alligator, a Sand Alligator was still a monster reaching five meters in length.

Their jaw strength was powerful enough to crush steel plates, and most armors couldn’t withstand it.

In front of the brutal and fierce Sand Alligator, Kang Yuseong lowered his body and dove to the ground.

Crunch!

In an instant, the Sand Alligator grazed the spot where he had been.

The sound of its sharp teeth clashing sent shivers down one’s spine.

Thud—

Kang Yuseong slid past it, then sprang to his feet and turned around.

He immediately leaped up and brought his sword down.

Chakra, Swordsman’s Mindset activated, causing all his sword-related stats to surge instantaneously.

Crack!

A faint, hazy film enveloped the longsword he held, digging into the Sand Alligator’s tough shell.

“Kuwooork!”

The Sand Alligator instantly turned, opened its maw, and lunged to bite Kang Yuseong.

It moved with a speed like lightning, utterly disproportionate to its size.

Bang!

Kang Yuseong pushed off the ground, retreating.

Its attacks were simple, but if caught, they were fatal.

Snap!

It bit at the empty air again.

But in that instant, Kang Yuseong was already soaring into the air, staring directly into the creature’s blood-red eyes.

“Haaah!”

Ziiing—

Chakra, Critical Strike!

His Chakra Force gathered along the blade, and a faint glow appeared at the tip of the sword.

Kang Yuseong extended his sword without hesitation.

Crack!

The blade split the Sand Alligator’s hard carapace cleanly and plunged inward.

Thud!

He felt the blade get caught in the creature’s tough muscle layer inside.

But Kang Yuseong didn’t panic.

After all, Chakra, Critical Strike was cultivated precisely for moments like this.

“Here’s a present.”

Paaang—

“Kuwooork!”

Suddenly, an explosion erupted beneath its carapace.

The Chakra Force had detonated around the blade, which had penetrated deep into its muscle layer.

Shwaaat!

Kang Yuseong seized the moment the creature’s wound gaped open and pulled his sword back out.

The Sand Alligator, struck by an unexpected powerful blow, writhed in pain.

But from behind, another Sand Alligator charged at Kang Yuseong.

Just as Kang Yuseong spotted it and slightly twisted his body.

“Uryaaaat!”

Someone brushed past him and brought a sword down onto the Sand Alligator.

Crunch!

Slash! Snap!

After striking the Sand Alligator’s back with a powerful blow, he forcefully pulled the sword.

The powerful attack left the Sand Alligator’s back tattered.

Kang Yuseong gave a faint smile.

A serrated blade.

This was the power of a serrated blade.

‘Reliable.’

Though still a bit clumsy, he possessed considerable strength.

While the Sand Alligator was writhing, Kang Yuseong plunged his sword straight into its back from the air.

Chakra, Meteor Stab!

A streak of silver light flashed in the air, then was absorbed directly into the Sand Alligator’s body.

Meteor Stab was similar to Critical Strike, but while Critical Strike focused on explosive power, Meteor Stab emphasized penetration.

He felt the creature’s skin tear and its muscle layers rip apart at his fingertips.

“Kuwooork!”

In an instant, two Sand Alligators lay fatally wounded and writhing on the ground.

“Squad 5, finish them!”

Normally, Kang Yuseong would have finished them, but he had no time for that now.

He swiftly pulled his sword from the Sand Alligator’s body and transmitted the command.

He had already seen Squads 5 and 3 arrive nearby.

The Hunters in Squads 5 and 3 obeyed Kang Yuseong’s words without question.

They began attacking the fatally wounded Sand Alligators that Kang Yuseong and Han Do-seong had injured, while Kang Yuseong looked at the two members of Squad 4 and spoke.

“We’re going over there.”

Jwa Myeong-hoon’s jaw dropped in a look of surprise.

Kang Yuseong was pointing at the giant alligator visible ahead.

“N-no, not that thing…”

At that moment, Han Do-seong chuckled beside him and spoke.

“Let’s go!”

Kang Yuseong smiled back at him.

‘I like him.’

‘He’s got guts and good strength.’

“Let’s move!”

Kang Yuseong dashed forward first.

The method to draw out the King Alligator was very simple.

That egg, much larger than a regular Sand Alligator’s.

It probably appeared to protect that egg.

Which meant…

Kang Yuseong rummaged through his waist pouch and pulled out a small knife.

And then he threw it straight at the egg.

“W-what are you doing?!”

Jwa Myeong-hoon cried out, his face pale.

Crack!

He threw it so hard that the knife not only shattered the eggshell but also embedded itself deep inside.

Thick fluid oozed out, soaking the desert sand.

“I-if you break that, what are we supposed to do…?”

All color had drained from Jwa Myeong-hoon’s face.

But Han Do-seong shook his head with an expression of admiration.

“Mr. Kang Yuseong, I like your style.”

Kang Yuseong shrugged and smiled faintly.

“Alright, let’s run! We just became its targets!”

“What?!”

“Hey, man! Don’t chicken out, just run! Heh heh, this is fun, isn’t it?”

Han Do-seong grabbed Jwa Myeong-hoon’s hand and started running.

“Kuwoooraaargh!”

The King Alligator, seeing its egg broken, let out a maddened roar.

There were three eggs in total.

Considering that King Alligators didn’t lay many eggs, Kang Yuseong had just caused a major incident.

“We’re going that way!”

Kang Yuseong set his direction and ran forward.

It was the opposite direction from the other squads of Hunters.

He had reset the situation so they could safely deal with the Sand Alligators.

Kukwakwakwaka!

But the King Alligator’s pursuit speed was incredibly fast.

Even if the three of them ran for their lives, it seemed they’d be caught within a few of its steps.

“Uwaaaaaah!”

Jwa Myeong-hoon began running like mad, tears welling in his eyes.

In contrast, Han Do-seong ran with a dry smile on his lips, as if finding the situation genuinely amusing.

He was a man of considerable guts.

Kang Yuseong, while checking on his companions, instantly read the surrounding terrain.

‘There!’

A place that could turn the tide of the situation!

Kang Yuseong climbed the tall sand dune with all his might.

“Kuaaaah!”

With the King Alligator hot on their heels, Jwa Myeong-hoon had no choice but to run for his life.

Behind Jwa Myeong-hoon, the King Alligator was charging with its maw wide open, its eyes blazing with fury.

Just one step.

That perilous gap existed between the two of them.

Kang Yuseong, who was already on top of the sand dune, grabbed Jwa Myeong-hoon as he ran past him, shouted loudly, and threw his body forward.

“Get down!”

At the same time, Kang Yuseong threw himself flat onto the ground.

Crash!

The three of them tumbled onto the sandy ground at the base of the dune.

And a massive shadow swept over their heads.

“Kuwoooraaargh!”

The King Alligator, unable to control its momentum, soared over their heads and plummeted down.

Thud!

It crashed into the sandy ground, shaking the surroundings violently.

Kang Yuseong’s eyes gleamed for a moment.

An opening.

The opening that couldn’t be easily created in a head-on confrontation was now here.

Whoosh—

Kang Yuseong didn’t miss the chance and immediately dashed forward.

Sliing—

The longsword in his hand hummed softly.

“Haaah!”

And he drew up his Chakra Force.

Chakra, Critical Strike!

Ziiing—

A faint, hazy film covered the blade he held.

Pagagagak!

As he dug into the leg area of the struggling King Alligator and slashed with his sword, crimson sparks flew in all directions.

Its carapace was as hard as steel, so the longsword’s blade couldn’t properly embed itself.

Thud!

But the moment the Chakra Force exploded, pieces of carapace scattered in all directions.

A tiny opening.

As a nail-sized gap appeared in the carapace, Kang Yuseong spun his body and thrust his longsword deep into it.

Thwack!

Chakra, Meteor Stab!

Meteor Stab, boasting considerable penetrating power, ripped into the creature’s wound, tearing its skin and rupturing blood vessels.

Shwaaat!

Puh-haak!

When he pulled out his sword, hot blood gushed forth.

Compared to the King Alligator’s massive size, the phrase ‘a drop in the bucket’ perfectly described the situation, but Kang Yuseong, a seasoned Hunter, knew.

That while a single fatal blow was good, this kind of sustained attack also inflicted immense damage.

And the spot he aimed for was where the King Alligator’s leg tendons were located.

He didn’t have enough Chakra Force to sever them in one go yet, but he intended to focus his assault there.

“Kuwoooraaargh!”

The King Alligator, seemingly enraged to the extreme, opened its maw and let out a frantic roar.

“Ugh!”

Jwa Myeong-hoon covered his ears, and Han Do-seong also grimaced and staggered.

Kang Yuseong wasn’t unaffected by the roar either, but he quickly regained his composure.

The real hunt began now.

He gripped his longsword tightly with both hands and raised it.

A profoundly familiar sensation filled his hands.

“We’re starting the group hunt now. Target its leg area. Strike, then evade.”

When facing a giant enemy, the most efficient method was to target its legs to reduce its mobility.

Kang Yuseong directed them to do just that.

“Okay, copy that!”

Han Do-seong looked at Kang Yuseong and gave him a thumbs-up.

But Jwa Myeong-hoon still stood rooted to the spot, his face looking like he’d bitten into something sour.

Han Do-seong glanced at him, then let out a scoff and said,

“Don’t worry. That guy’s a total lunatic. You can just leave him be.”

Kang Yuseong nodded.

“Then let’s begin.”

He took a step forward.

Clang—

A chilling cold filled his eyes as he gripped his longsword.

When he entered the hunt, he became a beast.

Without blood, without tears, without fear.

“Haaah!”

The only emotion he held on the battlefield was…

Whoosh!

…pure madness.