Chapter 172

“What skills does it use?”

“…I don’t know all of them, but two have been identified. It uses a hidden item called Devil’s Hand, which summons Black Hands, and a skill called Pain.”

“What kind of skill is Pain?”

Then Taehyeok Sa explained with a very troubled expression.

“A skill that increases stats the more it’s attacked.”

At those words, the Hunters began to stir. A skill that increased stats as much as it was attacked? Nothing was as troublesome as that Entity. In the case of such a monster, the best way was to inflict enough damage to prevent recovery and defeat it in one blow, but the current opponent was EX-Rank. It was a monster that even SS-Rank hunters couldn’t deal with.

“And the most important thing is…”

Taehyeok Sa opened his mouth with difficulty.

“The fact that the boss monster inside the dome is one of our hunters who has mutated.”

“Excuse me?”

People instantly froze. Taehyeok Sa and Yeonhan Kim began to slowly explain the story they had told Gihyeon Park’s group, and the Hunters were astonished to hear it.

“A human can turn into a monster?”

“Well, they said it has nothing to do with us…”

“So, why are we talking about this?”

Yeonhan Kim spoke with a cautious voice.

“Before defeating the boss monster, we need to discuss how to rescue Hunter Cho-i Hyeon…”

Then a hunter from Canada raised his hand.

“We also lost three comrades on the way here. But you want to rescue a hunter who has already mutated into a monster? Is there a way?”

“We’ve thought of a way to stop it temporarily…”

“No, I mean, have you thought of a way to turn them back into a human, not just stop them?”

“…That.”

“Trying to rescue someone who’s already as good as dead seems like a waste of time.”

No one could refute those words. Then Nara Shim stepped forward and shouted.

“He sent us away and told us to come save him!”

Tears welled up in her eyes.

“That means he still has his sanity! There must be a way!”

Nara Shim’s voice was desperate, but it didn’t sway the other Hunters. Most of the Hunters gathered there shook their heads.

“I’m going to try everything I can.”

Then Taeyang Kang stepped forward. When one of the only two SS-Rankers did so, the Hunters exchanged glances, sizing each other up. Nara Shim looked at Taeyang Kang with a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

“First, let’s plan the strategy.”

Taehyeok Sa looked around at the Hunters. Then the hunter representatives from each country gathered around Taehyeok Sa. They all had grim expressions. The shock that even an EX-Rank monster, the Entity, was a mutated human, did not easily subside. Moreover, it had overly difficult skills. They knew it would not be an easy path.

“First, are there any buffers among the current personnel?”

“Yes.”

“How many in total?”

“We have one on our side.”

“Us too.”

“Here as well.”

At that, Taehyeok Sa glanced at Nara Shim.

“Then there are four buffers in total. We need to use them to weaken the boss monster, meaning Hunter Cho-i Hyeon, as much as possible before attacking.”

“So we need to apply debuffs as quickly as possible.”

“Yes, as soon as we enter, we have to unleash debuffs first. And is there anyone with skills that restrict movement? I think if Taeyang Kang freezes his legs, his movement will slow down, but if it’s the King, I want to use various means to slow him down as much as possible.”

“One of the buffers I mentioned earlier has a slow debuff.”

“Any more?”

When he asked, the remaining Hunters shook their heads. It seemed that was all. Taehyeok Sa clicked his tongue. He wished it were possible to hobble him in two or three ways. Then Jihan Kim spoke.

“Hunter Zhixuan might be able to do it.”

“He has something else to take care of.”

“What is it?”

“Devil’s Hand. He has to stop that item the boss monster uses.”

“Okay. I’ll pass it on.”

“And while he’s restrained, the boss monster shouldn’t feel pain. Otherwise, his stats will increase, making the debuffs useless.”

“That’s really tricky…”

At that moment, Taehyeok Sa looked at Gihyeon Park, who had been listening silently with his arms crossed.

“Especially you, you’ll need to unleash maximum power later, so you’re out of the initial attack team.”

“I know.”

“The pain of burning will only increase the boss monster’s stats.”

“Damn it, I know from experience!”

Gihyeon Park uncrossed his arms and raised his voice. He seemed upset, and Taehyeok Sa knew it well. But with no intention of comforting him, he continued bluntly.

“You’re in the last attack team. Maximize your output when the boss monster is sufficiently weakened.”

“You mean you’re going to burn Cho-i Hyeon to death.”

“…I mean to incapacitate her. We don’t even know if she’ll die from that attack.”

“You’re saying she might die.”

“Why are you being so emotional?”

“What are you talking about, you psychopath? Your actions are more incomprehensible right now. Didn’t you have some affection for Cho-i Hyeon?”

“…The Entity and this are different stories. And again, this is after maximum incapacitation. I’m not saying we’ll finish her off with the last attack team. It’s even uncertain if we can.”

“Damn it, I get it. I get it.”

Gihyeon Park said that, then turned sharply and went back to his party. Jihan Kim sighed and looked at Taehyeok Sa.

“You know he’s not someone who would mess things up, right?”

“I know full well.”

“So, what are you planning to do after the last attack team finishes their assault?”

“Taeyang Kang.”

“Huh.”

At that moment, Taeyang Kang, who was listening to Taehyeok Sa nearby, answered.

“At maximum output, can you freeze the boss monster?”

“I’ll have to make it possible.”

“…Alright.”

In this way, the debuff team and the movement restriction team were sequentially formed, and soon the first, second, and third attack teams were also assembled. Nara Shim was, of course, assigned to the debuff team. She looked at the three teammates in her group with a troubled expression. They were Hunters from the USA, the UK, and Canada respectively. They also looked very nervous. This was probably because they were the team starting the operation. Nara Shim stepped forward and said,

“If the debuff stacks four times, it will weaken her a lot.”

“We can only hope so.”

Their voices were quite somber, and Nara Shim, lacking the energy to cheer them up, simply fell silent. In the gloomy atmosphere, Taehyeok Sa shouted loudly, signaling the end of the meeting.

“Tanks go in first, followed by the debuffers. Once the debuff is confirmed, the debuff team immediately withdraws.”

“Yes!”

“Understood.”

“…Then. Let’s go.”

Taehyeok Sa said with a solemn air. Someone swallowed nervously, and everyone lined up. The passage was not wide enough, so they had to enter in two rows. With tanks at the very front, buffers second, dealers behind them, and healers last, they began to advance. The entrance to the dome was dark. Everyone was careful even to breathe, so only the footsteps of the Hunters echoed in the passage. As the bright area gradually approached, people began to feel nervous. A presence was felt. A massive presence that only a hunter could perceive. A giant wall that didn’t seem defeatable, even if not physically present, was felt on their skin and in their senses. But they did not stop. Eventually, when they emerged into the bright area, they could see the Entity. The Entity was crouched on the floor in the center of the dome. Its upper body was Cho-i Hyeon, the face of the famous hunter, and its lower body was the torso of a Mantis, a bizarre sight. They clenched their teeth. The Red Mantis’s legs protruded above its shoulders and pelvis, and its exposed skin was covered in blue veins. The Entity, already sensing their presence, slowly unfolded its crouched body. Though only twice the size of a human man, as the Entity slowly straightened, the Hunters felt an inexplicable pressure. Something that felt larger than any giant. Click, click. Someone, terrified, chattered their teeth. And so, the moment the Entity opened its pale, inverted eyes, Taehyeok Sa shouted,

“Buffers!”

“Yes!”

The four buffers standing directly behind the tanks cast debuffs. The first to go in was Nara Shim.

[Casting debuff, Attack Power Decrease!] [Target’s Attack Power decreases by 10%!]

And continuously, the debuffs from the other buffers also went in one after another.

[Casting debuff. Defense Decrease!] [Target’s Defense decreases by 8%!] [Casting debuff, Health Decrease!] [Target’s Health decreases by 14%!] [Casting debuff, Agility Decrease!] [Target’s Agility decreases by 12%!]

Four debuffs went in consecutively, and Nara Shim and the other buffers, instead of retreating immediately, began to cast buffs on the tanks.

[Casting Defense Increase!]

The buffers cast buffs on the tanks at the very front,

[Defense increases by 10%!] [Defense increases by 12%!] [Defense increases by 14%!] [Defense increases by 9%!]

The tanks each grabbed their weapons and stepped to the very front. Next, it was the turn of one USA buffer and Taeyang Kang.

[Casting Debuff, Slow!] [Movement is restricted! Cannot move more than 10 meters per second!]

Then Taeyang Kang’s Ice instantly targeted the Mantis’s legs. The cold energy emitted from the spear wrapped around its legs, and soon they began to freeze white. Even then, the boss monster, Cho-i Hyeon, did not move. Was it because the debuffs were continuously applied and its legs were bound?