Chapter 77

But the fight was far from easy.

When the Desert Sulfur Ray saw the Hunters charging at it, it swept its tail across the sand.

A deafening rumble!

The attack was so powerful that it stirred up a blinding sandstorm.

“Everyone, focus!”

Baek Myeong-han’s radio call cut through the sandstorm and reached the Hunters.

The Hunters gritted their teeth and sprinted across the sand.

Boom!

The tail instantly tore up the sand beneath it, then shot into the air.

Its tail, densely covered in spines, was menacing enough to send a chill down anyone’s spine.

Thudding!

After its tail passed, clumps of sand rained down from the sky.

“Ugh!”

The Hunters’ vision was obscured, and some coughed from the dust the sand had kicked up.

Yet, even as they struggled, they continuously scanned their surroundings.

They knew this was the most dangerous moment.

Whoosh!

Sure enough, a whistling sound pierced through the murky sand dust.

“Dodge!”

The Hunters barely had time to brace themselves before they immediately rolled away.

Crushing impacts!

The spines that had flown through the murky dust cloud pierced deep into the sand.

“Any casualties?”

“None!”

“All clear here too!”

Due to the thick dust, they couldn’t clearly track the Ray’s movements.

“Spread out and proceed with the operation. Greatswords, cleave both its wings!”

“Understood!”

At Baek Myeong-han’s command, three Hunters wielding greatswords dashed out to the sides.

“Backup the attack unit!”

“Yes!”

The other Hunters spread out, forming a protective perimeter around them. But the Desert Sulfur Ray wasn’t about to stand by and watch.

It flapped its broad wings and charged at the Hunters.

A deafening rumble!

A horn, formed from countless grains of sand hardened like stone, jutted out from its pointed forehead, plowing through the sand with a fierce momentum as it bore down on the Hunters.

“A-a-a-a-h!”

At that moment, the Hunters who had run to the sides raised their greatswords high and brought them down.

Boom!

“Ugh!”

However, one Hunter’s downward swing bounced off with a resilience like a taut rubber membrane, and the same happened to another Hunter.

At that instant, the last Hunter’s greatsword descended with a mighty clang from above.

Crack!

Thump!

The greatsword, swung with all his might, sliced into the Ray’s wing, but the immense force of the counter-attack sent the Hunter flying backward.

Crash!

The Hunter, who had dropped his greatsword, gritted his teeth and struggled to his feet.

Just moments before, his eyes had been completely shut from extreme fatigue, but now they were wide open, glaring at the Ray.

More precisely, his gaze was fixed on the Ray’s wing.

Flap—

Seeing blood dripping from the wing, the Hunter clenched his fist and let out a ferocious roar.

“Ugh-yaaaah!”

“The greatsword has wounded the target. Reset target, everyone focus!”

Baek Myeong-han skillfully began to direct the Hunters. The other Hunters, too, ignited with fiery resolve in their eyes, as if their fatigue had never existed, and watched the Ray intently.

“I’ll go rescue the Captain!”

“No, lure the Ray away! Trying to save the Captain now is suicide!”

Someone on the radio expressed their intention to rescue Kang Yuseong, but Baek Myeong-han flatly refused.

“We take it down! That’s the only way the Captain lives! Everyone, focus more!”

“Yes!”

A strange wave of energy spread among the Hunters.

Their previous exhaustion had long since vanished.

An unknown power surged within them, and they felt a sensation of unprecedented strength concentrating in their grasp.

‘This time, I’ll cut it!’

The Hunters with greatswords adjusted their grip.

Seeing how elastic its skin was, it clearly meant that blunt weapons wouldn’t be effective.

Even the greatswords, with their razor-sharp blades, hadn’t been able to cut through its hide earlier.

Moreover, to strike its bones, they would have to aim for its spine or tail, which were virtually impossible to attack.

It would mean risking their lives to even try.

‘That horn…’

But Baek Myeong-han and the Hunters wielding war hammers were focused on the horn protruding from the Ray’s forehead.

Whatever it was, that was the easiest part of its body to attack with a blunt weapon.

However, the Ray’s horn was quite high, and rushing towards it meant risking being caught by its tail at any moment.

Despite its massive body, the creature’s wing movements were almost artistic.

It continuously flapped its wing fins, pressuring the Hunters.

Its speed and agility were still difficult for the Hunters to match.

But they had already landed one blow with a greatsword.

‘I’ll sink it in twice, thrice!’

The Hunters gripping their greatswords gritted their teeth and glared at the Ray.

They slowly retreated, luring the Ray away from Kang Yuseong.

“Now!”

As soon as Baek Myeong-han’s command fell, three people charged forward once more.

“A-a-a-a-h!”

“Ugh-yah!”

One ran towards the right wing fin, and two ran towards the left wing fin.

Their intention was to target the injured left side more fiercely.

Seeing them charge, the Ray rose again.

And with its massive body, it attempted a body slam towards the Hunters.

“Ugh!”

The Hunters, who had been charging with their greatswords, quickly threw themselves aside to avoid its ferocious momentum.

Crash!

An enormous tremor instantly shook the spot where they had been, and a cloud of dust billowed up.

“Gah!”

The Hunters who had narrowly avoided the body slam by leaping were tossed high into the air.

The sight of three men, each weighing close to 100 kilograms, suspended in mid-air was quite unusual.

But they weren’t just ordinary Hunters.

They were seasoned veterans who had faced all manner of trials.

The moment they were airborne, they immediately twisted their bodies to regain balance, then tightly gripped their greatswords and descended.

“Hoo-yaah!”

Their landing point was directly on the Desert Sulfur Ray’s wing root. Fortunately, even after being thrown back, they were falling towards that spot.

The Desert Sulfur Ray showed a slight opening after its body slam.

“Die!”

Crunch!

First, blood spurted from the right side.

Indeed, the Ray’s body slam had given the Hunter an opportunity to plunge his greatsword with his full weight.

Judging by the Ray’s violent thrashing, it seemed to have taken significant damage from this attack.

“K-e-e-e-e-k!”

And after a slight delay, the Ray thrashed its body violently once more.

This time, blood was seen spurting from its left wing root.

The previously torn area was ripped further, flapping loosely from the impact.

“A-a-a-a-h!”

The Hunters who had plunged their greatswords into the Ray’s wing root gripped the handles with both hands and charged forward.

Riiip!

Like fabric tearing, a long gash appeared on the Desert Sulfur Ray’s wing fin.

Whoosh!

“Look out!”

At that moment, Baek Myeong-han’s radio burst forth. As the men who were tearing the Ray’s wing fin with their greatswords looked back, they saw the Desert Sulfur Ray’s tail shoot high into the air, then swing down towards them.

It seemed to have no bones, its arc was so immense that a direct hit from that tail would surely be instant death.

But the men couldn’t dodge. Their greatswords were firmly embedded in the creature’s wing fin, making it impossible to pull them out.

Clang!

Just as terror began to flood the Hunters’ eyes, the Ray’s tail suddenly bounced back into the air.

“…!”

Not only the Hunters tearing at the Ray with their greatswords, but all the other Hunters wore surprised expressions.

Tat-tat!

Someone who had deflected the tail with fierce momentum was seen landing on the sand.

“C-Captain!”

It was Kang Yuseong.

He wore a slight smile as he blocked the tail whip.

“Captain, are you alright?!”

The Hunters of the attack unit called out to him with concern, but Kang Yuseong merely offered a single smile.

“You all did well without me. Well, I expected nothing less.”

As he spoke, he looked at Baek Myeong-han.

Baek Myeong-han also looked at him and chuckled.

In truth, the two had already conspired beforehand.

If Kang Yuseong were to be foolishly struck by an attack, that would be the signal for Baek Myeong-han to take over command.

At the time, Baek Myeong-han hadn’t understood Kang Yuseong’s intentions, but now he could roughly guess.

The Hunters, pushed to their absolute limits, were now burning with a more intense will to fight than ever before.

Perhaps Kang Yuseong had wanted to teach them that.

To transcend their limits and discover a new self.

Baek Myeong-han, too, felt this very clearly.

The week of suffering vanished in an instant, and as that exhilarating moment of a new realm unfolding arrived, he felt as if he had grown a level.

“Attack unit, full power attack!”

Kang Yuseong’s radio, having regained command, rang out powerfully.

“Whoa-oh-oh!”

“Graaah!”

At his command, the Hunters charged at the Ray like madmen.

* * * * *

“Haa, haa!”

“Huff, huff!”

The Hunters were breathing heavily.

A truly fierce battle was finally coming to an end. The Ray, which had pushed them to their absolute limits, was now sprawled on the hot sand, a truly gruesome sight.

Both its wing fins were shredded to ribbons, and its tail was utterly crushed, hanging in tatters. The horn on its forehead was shattered, a gruesome sight, and its skull was likewise completely broken, oozing white bodily fluids.

The Desert Sulfur Ray, notorious for its ferocity, had been captured.

And by Hunters pushed to their extreme limits after a grueling week of hunting.

Kang Yuseong quietly smiled as he looked at the Hunters.

They didn’t know it, but at this very moment, they had proven themselves.

That they could sufficiently survive the Second Shock.

Among them, none were individuals Kang Yuseong knew would leave their names in the future, but that made the outcome even more valuable.

Because ordinary people had come together and splendidly proven their worth.

And with this, the hunt was over.

Because once they had tasted “awakening,” further hunting held no meaning.

Kang Yuseong looked at the visibly exhausted Hunters and spoke softly.

“Everyone, you’ve worked hard. With this, the survival hunting concludes. The disassembly team will dismantle the monsters, and the rest of you, please remain vigilant until we exit the dungeon. Once again, thank you for your hard work.”

“Huh? We’re going back even though the dungeon isn’t cleared yet?”

Kang Yuseong nodded.

“You no longer have anything to do in this dungeon. From now on, your job is to go back and rest thoroughly.”

“Oh, wow, the Captain finally seems like a human being!”

“Tell me about it! I thought I’d die from how annoying he was for a whole week!”

“Yeah, yeah! Hahahaha!”

The Hunters burst into laughter and began preparing to withdraw.

All that remained was the subjugation of the Earth Dragon.

And…

‘D-666 Dungeon.’

The D-666 Dungeon would open soon.

What Kang Yuseong desired was within it.

The Necromancer.

To truly grasp the profound secrets of the Ghost Summoning Skill, the D-666 Dungeon was absolutely essential.