Chapter 14

“Kwoooargh!”

A fierce roar echoed through the air.

The deafening sound, powerful enough to shatter eardrums, shook the surroundings, but Kang Yuseong plunged deeper into the King Alligator’s defenses without a second thought.

Crunch!

As he dove in, he angled his sword and sliced past the creature’s leg once more.

Clang! Clang!

Sparks flew as countless scratches appeared on its carapace.

With Chakra, Critical Strike, the Chakra Force that had penetrated its carapace exploded, spraying flesh and blood.

Kang Yuseong, however, retrieved his longsword with a grim expression and retreated slightly.

‘Still not enough!’

If it had been an ordinary Sand Alligator, this single strike would have already been fatal.

But the King Alligator’s defenses were far beyond the level of its lesser kin.

Even so, Kang Yuseong had no intention of backing down from the fight.

This kind of battle was his favorite.

While annihilating foes with overwhelming power was satisfying, overcoming a colossal enemy with limited strength offered him a thrill akin to a drug.

Attacking by any means necessary to bring down the enemy.

That was Kang Yuseong’s way of fighting.

Boom!

At that moment, the King Alligator thrashed wildly and lunged at Kang Yuseong.

The colossal creature, as tall as a two-story building, extended its front claw towards Kang Yuseong with unbelievable speed for its size.

Its four sharp, formidable claws seemed to tear through the air.

Swish-

Instantly, Kang Yuseong pushed off the ground and retreated.

Crash! Bang! Boom!

The creature’s claws swept through the spot where he had just been.

But Kang Yuseong didn’t stay put just because he had dodged.

He swiftly charged forward.

The creature’s next attack was already playing out in his mind.

After slamming its front paw down, it would immediately swing its tail.

A combo attack with an enormous tail sweep that left no room to dodge sideways or backward.

Ultimately, the only option was to block, but the force behind the tail was far greater than a dump truck colliding at full speed.

Even a Hunter who had opened the path of Chakra and transcended human limits couldn’t survive such an attack unscathed.

However, Kang Yuseong had already seen through the creature’s attack, so he charged forward once more.

Whoosh!

Slam! Crash!

In an instant, the creature’s massive tail shot high into the air, then slammed down.

“Gasp!”

Jwa Myeong-hoon turned pale, and Han Do-seong quickly dove to the side.

Crash! Bang!

Thump! Thump!

The creature’s tail brutally swept through the spot where Kang Yuseong had been.

Fortunately, both men had been some distance from Kang Yuseong, allowing them to evade the attack.

“M-Mr. Kang Yuseong!”

They had been so focused on the King Alligator that they hadn’t seen Kang Yuseong already diving into its embrace.

Jwa Myeong-hoon, certain that Kang Yuseong had been utterly crushed by the attack, frantically searched for him, but he was nowhere to be seen.

“There!”

At that moment, Han Do-seong pointed forward.

Where he pointed, Kang Yuseong was already charging at the King Alligator’s front, longsword in hand.

“Wha— When did he get there?!”

It was an utterly unbelievable sight.

The King Alligator’s previous combo attack had been so fast and powerful that it should have been impossible to evade.

Yet, when had that man gotten there?

They were even more astonished by what happened next.

Screech!

Kang Yuseong raised his longsword high into the air and sliced straight into another of the King Alligator’s legs.

A hazy glow emanated from his longsword, then exploded inside the King Alligator’s leg.

Boom!

At that instant, Kang Yuseong unleashed another attack.

Before the explosion had even finished, his longsword plunged into the already wounded area.

Splurt!

Blood gushed from the King Alligator’s leg in an instant.

Thump-thump-

After successfully landing two attacks, Kang Yuseong quickly retreated.

When facing a creature like this, overconfidence was forbidden.

To get carried away and launch a frenzied assault just because an attack landed was pure suicide.

“What the… “

Jwa Myeong-hoon shook his head, while Han Do-seong, with an expression of genuine admiration, muttered.

“That man… who is he?”

Han Do-seong was a man obsessed with swords.

He chose to use a serrated blade because he believed it was a weapon capable of executing the most extreme techniques a sword could offer, and he had poured immense effort into mastering it.

Naturally, this led him to encounter numerous Hunters’ fighting styles, broadening his perspective on assessing a Hunter’s skill.

But now, the man named Kang Yuseong before him defied all imagination.

How could a Hunter of *this* level display such movements?

No, he could confidently assert that even top-tier Hunters hadn’t shown such movements.

Even Lee Jeong-hwan, hailed as the greatest Hunter, wasn’t on this level.

Frankly, it was a completely different league.

That was Han Do-seong’s honest feeling.

“That man…”

Jwa Myeong-hoon spoke softly.

Han Do-seong looked at him.

Jwa Myeong-hoon bit his lip and continued.

“He’s SS-rank.”

Han Do-seong’s face twisted in shock.

Even he, whose emotional expressions were highly restrained, couldn’t suppress his astonishment.

“What? SS-rank? What’s his level?”

“I saw earlier, Level 1. But how can he move like that…?”

Han Do-seong let out a hollow laugh, utterly dumbfounded.

“Insane… This is absolutely ridiculous…”

SS-rank.

A rank judged by three of South Korea’s most renowned top Hunters, who had come together to decide it.

There could be no disagreement about it.

Because it was a rank earned solely through pure skill, where neither money nor connections held any sway.

Han Do-seong gripped his serrated blade tightly for a moment, then slowly, a fierce fighting spirit ignited in his eyes.

“Damn it, this isn’t the time to stand around. Let’s go too!”

“Huh? Oh, alright.”

Jwa Myeong-hoon also grabbed his greatsword.

In truth, he was also a Hunter of considerable skill.

It was just that his timidity often prevented him from showcasing it.

“Hey, you! Show what you’ve got too! Don’t embarrass yourself!”

Han Do-seong clapped him on the shoulder.

Jwa Myeong-hoon licked his lips, then nodded.

“Fuck it, alright! You only live once!”

“Let’s go!”

Clang!

They charged back towards Kang Yuseong, who was still locked in a fierce battle.

Their brief stupefaction at the King Alligator’s terrifying attacks faded as Kang Yuseong’s fight reignited their spirits.

As the two joined, the battle grew even more intense.

“Kwooaaargh!”

The King Alligator thrashed in a furious rage, spitting bolts of lightning from its eyes, while Kang Yuseong calmly and steadily accumulated damage on the creature.

“Haaaat!”

Beside him, Jwa Myeong-hoon charged forward with his greatsword and plunged it directly into the creature’s leg.

Boom!

As the heavy greatsword, imbued with Chakra Force, exploded upon impact, a violent boom resonated.

Crack!

At that moment, the King Alligator’s carapace made a crunching sound as it buckled.

“Die!”

Jwa Myeong-hoon, seeing his attack connect, yelled wildly and swung his greatsword left and right.

Chakra, Madman’s Dance!

It was a burst of Chakra that, once he began to swing his greatsword, he couldn’t stop midway.

Each strike doubled in destructive power, with the final blow dealing immense damage.

Boom-

“Kwoooaaargh!”

Just like now.

As Jwa Myeong-hoon’s greatsword struck, the King Alligator, unlike before, lifted its leg and let out a frantic shriek.

Thud-thud-

Fragments of its shattered carapace fell away.

“Ha! You bastard, you’re dead!”

Jwa Myeong-hoon began to get excited as his attack succeeded.

It was then.

“Hey, watch out!”

“Kwoooargh!”

Snap!

Splurt!

The King Alligator suddenly opened its maw wide and lunged at Jwa Myeong-hoon.

At that moment, someone moved and plunged a longsword directly into the creature’s eyeball.

“Kweeeaargh!”

The King Alligator, which had been about to swallow Jwa Myeong-hoon with its gaping maw, recoiled as if flung backward, its body rearing up with the longsword impaled in its eye.

“Are you alright?”

It was Kang Yuseong.

He had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, saving Jwa Myeong-hoon.

But Han Do-seong frowned as he looked at him.

‘Something’s different!’

Kang Yuseong earlier had been impressive, but he hadn’t exuded a powerful aura.

His movements were fluid and swift, but outwardly, he had seemed almost like an ordinary person.

But now…

‘What is this man?!’

Han Do-seong’s expression hardened.

A force far stronger than before was emanating from him.

Kang Yuseong gave him a slight smile.

Startle-

At that moment, Han Do-seong trembled as if his thoughts had been read.

And his gaze…

Even Han Do-seong, known as a tenacious fighter, instinctively recoiled for a moment; that gaze, though gentle, was utterly overwhelming.

‘Just what?!’

Han Do-seong’s eyes trembled.

Kang Yuseong, whether aware of Han Do-seong’s astonished gaze or not, turned his head back.

He saw the King Alligator, writhing in pain with the longsword impaled in its eye.

Chakra, Lightning Wedge.

It was a new Chakra skill, one he hadn’t possessed before.

And that wasn’t all.

A power far greater than before surged through his entire body.

Thud-

He tossed an empty water bottle onto the ground.

It was the bottle that had contained water infused with Chakra Force.

Thanks to the two of them buying him time earlier, he had been able to drink it.

Having instantly gained 700 Chakra Points, he unlocked Chakra, Lightning Wedge, and raised Chakra, Primordial Calm by 1 level.

With Chakra, Primordial Calm, which boosted all physical abilities, increasing by 1 level, he became even faster and possessed even greater strength.

He didn’t hesitate.

The King Alligator was showing an opening now.

If there’s an opening, exploit it.

Shing-

The longsword he had brought as a spare was drawn.

“Taa-haat!”

He charged straight ahead, dashing towards the leg where he had steadily accumulated damage from earlier.

That spot where the carapace was utterly shattered, and blood seeped out!

Ziiing-

New Chakra Force surged into his sword.

Swoosh!

And he sliced upward directly.

Chakra, Lightning Wedge!

It appeared to be a single stab, but it was actually three powerful thrusts.

The first thrust completely shattered its carapace, the second utterly ripped through its skin and muscle layers, and the third plunged even deeper, severing its tendons.

Snap!

“Kweeeaargh!”

He had severed it.

The creature’s hind leg was completely incapacitated.

From now on, the difficulty would plummet.

Without a supporting leg, the power of its tail whips would be greatly weakened, and its previously swift bites and slams would also be diminished.

– Team 1, support!

– Team 2 has arrived!

– Team 5, moving to the right!

At that moment, Hunters who had dealt with the Sand Alligators began arriving one after another.

In front of them, Kang Yuseong gave a faint smile.

King Alligator.

It would die right here.

Flash-

And that beginning would be Kang Yuseong, his sword.

Swish!

He plunged into the thrashing King Alligator and began to hack and slash it relentlessly.

Chakra Force exploded wildly from his longsword, shattering the King Alligator’s carapace and tearing its skin.

Muscles dissolved, and blood vessels burst.

“Haaaat!”

Flash-

Chakra, Meteor Stab!

His sword, having shattered the abdominal carapace, pierced the King Alligator’s internal organs.

“Waaah!”

And the Hunters, too, surrounded the massive prey, engaging in a bloody slaughter.

Thud!

Thus, the terrifying King Alligator could no longer endure and collapsed.

“Hah, hah!”

The Hunters, each covered in blood, gazed at the fallen beast.

An excitement that felt like their chests would burst filled them.

Their hands, gripping their weapons, trembled from the insane surge of adrenaline, and their hearts pounded as if they would explode.

“Hmph!”

And then, involuntarily, laughter erupted.

“Hmph, heh heh! Wahahaha!”

They laughed.

Just as ancient warriors, having brought down their prey, would laugh with exhilaration, gazing up at the sky.

Such a hunt had truly been a long time coming.

Under the scorching sun, they forgot their thirst, clenching their fists, shouting, laughing, and cheering.

At the center of it all was Kang Yuseong.

The one who had ultimately made this impossible battle possible.

An intensity even greater than the desert’s scorching heat spread among them.