Chapter 276 – Epilogue (9)

The Top 3 saw it.

A colossal shadow.

*Kuuuuung—!*

With a single step, buildings crumbled and the ground split apart.

“Ha, shit…”

Han So-yul swore, muttering under her breath.

“What is that thing!”

“What do you think? We’re fucked.”

A giant beast reminiscent of a mammoth had appeared. But unlike any mammoth they knew, it was so dark it seemed to drip with obsidian shadows, and its snake-like tentacles, each writhing as if alive, glinted with eyes.

It was beyond fear; it was a grandeur that felt like disaster itself made manifest.

*Swoosh!*

A long tentacle-snake shot out, smashed through the window of a house, and entered. Soon, a person ensnared by the snake was dragged out.

Another survivor, alive by some miracle.

The man, even while bitten by the snake, struggled and screamed for help.

Just then, a human-like hand sprouted from the tentacle.

*Crack, crunch!*

The tentacle-snake began its meal.

Nearby tentacles joined in, tearing at the captured prey as if plundering it.

Blood and entrails rained down from the sky.

They began to fall to the ground like a grotesque rain. And the frozen children met the eyes of the colossal monster. Behemoth.

“Run!”

*We’ll die.*

“The grandma and the kid!”

*We’ll die.*

“Carry them!”

Hong Jae-yeong hoisted the grandmother onto his back, and Han So-yul held the child in her arms.

If they were pro hunters.

For the sake of survival, the right choice was to abandon any potential hindrances. But the three of them couldn’t do it.

It was partly due to their lack of experience, and partly because their hearts were still too soft.

*Thump! Thump!*

“Dammit, why is it so fast for its size?”

No one answered Hong Jae-yeong’s complaint. There was no time for that.

A sudden thought occurred to him.

He could run for a long time carrying another person without getting tired.

Thanks to all the grueling training under Coach Hyunbin, his stamina had improved remarkably.

‘Ha, I’m suddenly grateful.’

He had suffered immensely, but an absurd sense of gratitude washed over him.

*Sshhhk!*

A tentacle-snake flew toward them.

Han So-yul, still holding the child, unleashed her psychokinesis.

The approaching tentacle-snake faltered. She tried to crush its head and tear it apart, but it was too hard.

*Tah!*

In the end, all Han So-yul managed to do was deflect the tentacle.

*Swoosh, swooosh!*

Dozens of tentacle-snakes rained down as if taking flight.

The sight of the tentacles flying like arrows, their maws wide open, was horrifying to behold.

Dance of Flames.

Hwang Jae-hoon, the only one with free hands, traced a pattern in the air to activate his skill.

A crimson web of fire formed before him and began to intercept the tentacles.

*Kwaang, kwaaaang!*

Long tails of fire embroidered the air, burning and charring the tentacles.

The tentacles shrieked strangely from the terrible heat and explosions. But not a single one died. They were merely singed.

‘Compared to Uncle, my mana is severely lacking.’

Hwang Jae-hoon gritted his teeth.

With his mana so low, he couldn’t expect the same firepower. Moreover, the giant monster’s durability was so high that it was difficult to even inflict damage.

The momentarily halted tentacles charged again. Hwang Jae-hoon once more cast Dance of Flames.

Ignoring the rush of mana draining from him, the void it left behind, he filled the air with fiery arrows and launched them.

*Kwaa, kwaaang!*

Explosions that seemed to burn the sky erupted several times. But it only delayed the attack; it did nothing to solve the fundamental problem.

A tentacle broke through the firewall and reached them in an instant.

Han So-yul instinctively used her psychokinesis.

Once again, the tentacle paused. The tentacle-snake quivered, struggling to move forward.

‘Ha, shit.’

Han So-yul cursed.

Because they were attached to the body of that colossal monster, each one was incredibly heavy and massive.

She felt a sharp sting in her nose.

*Drip, drip-drip.*

The child in her arms saw Han So-yul’s nose begin to bleed and her eyes welled up with tears.

The helplessness of being able to do nothing.

*Thump, thump-thump!*

“Run…”

Han So-yul’s lips trembled as she spoke.

The immense pressure made it hard to even talk.

Another tentacle flew at them.

Han So-yul stopped it with her psychokinesis.

“Uh… just… I’ll handle it, so…!”

Han So-yul said, her lips trembling.

She could hold them, if only for a moment, not for long. In that time, she had to let the others escape.

This crisis was her fault, all because of her meddling.

“What bullshit.”

Hong Jae-yeong set the grandmother down.

Hwang Jae-hoon cracked his knuckles and spoke.

“You can take the grandmother, right?”

“*Sob, hic*… Yes…!”

The child, his face a mess of tears, nodded.

“Good, you’re a good boy.”

With a stoic voice, Hwang Jae-hoon lightly drew a pattern in the air and then clenched a sphere of fire in his hand.

Hong Jae-yeong also activated his Knight skill and settled into his stance.

“You don’t… fucking listen…”

Neither of them was cold-hearted enough to run away and sacrifice their friend.

Even if they were usually at each other’s throats.

A few tentacles, blocked by Han So-yul’s control, opened their maws and lunged.

Hong Jae-yeong, standing in front of Han So-yul, blocked one of their heads with his shield.

*Kwak!*

Hong Jae-yeong almost screamed and fell backward.

An unbelievable impact seemed to numb his arm. But he endured it with sheer grit.

At the very least, he didn’t want to show a weak side in front of Han So-yul.

*Swoosh, swooosh!*

Hwang Jae-hoon unleashed orbs of flame at the attacking tentacles.

Han So-yul bit her lip hard.

Her strength was fading. Now, not just her lips, but her jaw and arms began to tremble.

She saw Hong Jae-yeong’s shoulder get torn open as he took a hit.

Hwang Jae-hoon pushed past his limits, expending his mana to create a Dance of Flames.

Their absolute limit was approaching.

The tentacles, sensing their prey was exhausted, writhed and taunted them.

The three, now too tired to even run, watched as the colossal shadow stood before them.

“Dammit…”

The monster of overwhelming majesty finally stood before them.

Even with all three of them combined, they had only managed to last a few minutes.

The tentacle-snakes lunged at the three of them all at once.

“Get down!”

It was an unfamiliar voice.

Instinctively, the three of them dropped to the ground, obeying the command of someone they didn’t even know.

*Pshk, thwack!*

The sound of slaughter filled the air. Then, a strange cry echoed from all around. In front of the three, a tanned, blond man appeared.

The current No. 1 ranked hunter in Korea.

Kim Tae-yang, leaving afterimages in his wake, began to butcher the tentacles.

At the sight of their unexpected savior, the three collapsed weakly.

“Wow, shit. What the hell is…”

Hong Jae-yeong found himself staring blankly at Kim Tae-yang.

Moving like a gale, Kim Tae-yang instantly carved a circle around them, slicing through everything in his path.

The heads and flesh of the tentacle-snakes fell, spewing bloody foam.

Amidst it all, only the afterimage of Kim Tae-yang remained.

“Th-thank you. Hunter Kim Tae-yang…!”

“You’ll answer for entering the operation zone without permission later…”

Kim Tae-yang, his cheek and clothes stained with the enemy’s blood, glared at the three and continued.

“For now, run.”

“What…?”

Hunter Kim Tae-yang was here; it was over. He had, in fact, just sliced through all the tentacles in an instant.

But Kim Tae-yang’s expression was grim.

From the severed ends of the tentacles, blood bubbled and gurgled before suddenly solidifying. It then morphed into the shape of a human face.

“Ugh…!”

Han So-yul covered her mouth at the utterly repulsive sight.

“Kekeke.”

“Kuhuhu.”

The countless tentacles, now bearing human faces, began to laugh at their prey.

“We-we’ll help you!”

“You’ll just get in the way. All of you, get lost.”

Kim Tae-yang wasn’t wrong. The incredible power he had just displayed was on another level entirely.

“Go!”

Kim Tae-yang shouted once more.

The tentacles began to charge. Gripping two kukris, Kim Tae-yang infused them with a copious amount of mana.

At Kim Tae-yang’s sharp cry, the hesitant kids finally started to move.

They seemed to be quite skilled, but against a boss monster, they would only die meaningless deaths.

Entering an operation zone without authorization was a serious crime.

They had acted foolishly, but he wanted to praise their actions in trying to save survivors.

Kim Tae-yang dodged the first tentacle that lunged at him and simultaneously swung his kukri horizontally.

*Slice!*

With a clean cut, blood splattered into the air.

Without stopping, Kim Tae-yang dodged the next attack and swung his kukri again.

*Splat!*

Before the severed piece of flesh could even hit the ground, he cut the next tentacle, then dodged and cut again.

*Swiiish!*

He dodged and cut, and cut again, as tentacles assailed him from all directions.

The tentacles, realizing their prey was no small fry, paused for a moment.

The battle was on a completely different level, and Kim Tae-yang’s shoulder and knee were cut, blood trickling down.

*Vwoom—!*

But his wounds healed quickly, thanks to the overwhelming passive regeneration ability Kim Tae-yang possessed.

“Kuhuhu.”

“Huhuhu.”

Behemoth, too, was regenerating the severed ends of its tentacles.

“Damn you. What kind of sick hobby is this?”

Heads grew back. And next to the tentacles, human arms began to sprout.

They started laughing again.

“We’ve met before, haven’t we, you horned bastard?”

Kim Tae-yang flashed a crazed smile, completely out of place for the situation.

“This time, I’ll be the one to take your head instead of Hyunbin.”

On Behemoth’s high forehead, a horned fiend, visible only from the waist up, looked down at Kim Tae-yang.

Agares.

The Demon King who had self-destructed had descended here.

***

The monsters, which had seemed like they would charge endlessly, ultimately failed to leave the town.

People watching from a distance cheered and marveled at the sight.

After the Demon World subjugation, the hunter system had become even more organized.

Joint operations between the military and hunters were now common. A regular integrated training system had also been established.

As a result, battles were fought more efficiently, and casualties were minimized.

“I heard Team Leader Kim In-ho of Hanul was in command today.”

“They say he has command and formation skills, so even the same orders get a buff when In-ho gives them.”

Watching the cleanly wrapped-up battle, specialized hunter reporters were preparing for interviews.

“Huh?”

Just then, a waiting reporter saw what looked like a giant mountain rising up.

“What is that?”

A colossal mountain was roaring.

“All remaining monsters cleared!”

“Boss identified. Entity name Behemoth is materializing!”

At the joint command post, they too watched as the final wave, the boss, materialized.

“Dammit. We might have to call in a strike.”

The operations chief clicked his tongue as he looked at the massive boss monster.

They wanted to avoid a magic bombardment if possible, as it would mean redrawing the town map, but it wasn’t more important than human lives.

Trying to take on a monster of that size with a normal raid would result in heavy casualties.

“A bombardment is not an option.”

Team Leader Kim In-ho opposed the operations chief’s words and continued.

“There are students inside right now.”

“Dammit. Those kids.”

The operations chief clicked his tongue again as if just remembering.

Academy students were inside. They couldn’t knowingly launch a bombardment with them there.

South Korea was a country that cared a great deal about human rights and public sentiment.

“Kim Tae-yang has gone in. We should get a transmission from him soon.”

“To think our country’s strongest hunter has to move because of those students.”

The operations chief clicked his tongue once more. Then, he let out a wry chuckle.

“They certainly are the Deliveryman’s disciples.”

“It might be a hassle from your perspective, Chief.”

“It is a hassle. But they’d also come to save my family if they were in danger, wouldn’t they?”

At the operations chief’s words, Kim In-ho replied with a faint smile.

“Of course.”

If a life can be saved, save it.

That was the value he had learned from Hyunbin.

Even if that method was inefficient, it served as a shackle to prevent them from becoming monsters themselves.

“Understood. We’ll wait as long as we can, but if it crosses the red line, we’ll have to follow protocol.”

“I’m aware.”

As the two reached an agreement, a transmission from Kim Tae-yang came in.

— In-ho.

“What about the kids?”

— I got them out for now. Along with two survivors.

It seemed the academy students had actually managed to save survivors.

It was good news, in a way. It would at least allow for some leniency.

But Kim In-ho sensed something ominous in Kim Tae-yang’s tone.

— I need to get revenge for Hyunbin.

Kim In-ho froze at Kim Tae-yang’s words. It didn’t take him long to understand what he meant.

The Archdemon Agares, who had launched a suicide attack.

He had used his own life as a medium to cause that final explosion.

*Kwaaaaaaaaaa—!*

A tremendous explosion and a deafening roar shook the very earth.

An explosion of incredible heat, and a mushroom cloud rose ominously into the sky.

“Get out of there, now! That’s not a grade you can handle alone!”

There was no reply from Kim Tae-yang.

Kim In-ho looked toward the battlefield.

All the civilians, soldiers, and hunters were staring at a scene that resembled hell itself.

A pitch-black laser beam burned the sky and sliced through buildings.

The area was filled with the sound of explosions, and black flames shot up.

It was a bad feeling.

A boss monster had appeared, one of a higher grade than any Hyunbin had ever defeated.

“I’ll prepare a hunter team. Please maintain a defensive line and wait in case of any remaining monster appearances!”

“Are you saying you’re going in now? Into that?”

A scene from hell was unfolding in an instant. Watching it, the operations chief swallowed hard.

“I have to go. My comrade is in there.”

Kim In-ho replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Sensing the grave atmosphere, people were overcome with anxiety.

It reminded them of the Demon King’s invasion from before. The panic that had ensued then.

That incident had left a trauma on everyone.

“What do I do…”

The class president’s tears streamed down her face as she thought about her classmates, from whom she had heard nothing, being in that dangerous place.

Her grandmother, her little brother, and her friends who had said they would help.

It all felt like it was her fault, and the guilt grew heavier.

“Today is a supplementary class.”

A large, firm hand rested on the class president’s head.

“T-teacher…”

At the familiar voice, she looked up and saw Coach Hyunbin was there.