abcnovels
Chapter 77
Chapter 77
Episode 77. Monster Field (3)
“Ha… hahaha.”
As soon as Park Young-joon received the papers, he laughed pretentiously. He had given up wealth and fame and jumped into the Field, determined to protect more people.
He met all sorts of people and living hell. But it was the first time he felt this way.
“What the hell is this?”
Jeong Si-woo.
His first impression was quite unusual. He calmly destroyed 8 Rifts in a week with the 3rd class hunter he brought along as his teammate when even the Association’s backup team was only expected to destroy one or two.
The defense line, which had been pushed back repeatedly, had recovered and was now stable. And the disgustingly endless number of monsters had decreased noticeably.
The other hunters also gave him favorable reviews. They said that he was a hero and that the Association had finally come to its senses and sent an outstanding hunter.
It was quite surprising to see his teammates change their attitude when they were normally very cynical towards outsiders. It was somewhat funny to see their discontented faces change like a princess looking at her Prince Charming.
“Looks like you would have regretted it if you had disqualified him.”
“No, I wouldn’t have even if I did.”
“Aw, don’t lie.”
As a result, Park Young-joon’s charisma had decreased. The more Jeong Si-woo accomplished amazing things, the more he became a stubborn hardhead that almost kicked out a hero.
“…Okay, I would have regretted it. Are you happy now?”
Fortunately, Park Young-joon was the type of person who didn’t pay much attention to what others said about him. He smiled as if he couldn’t help it and shrugged.
A week ago, the situation was at its worst. But right now, there was no reason for Park Young-joon to be cranky and stubborn.
“Then why don’t you go and apologize for what you said last time? You were kind of mean.”
“Well… I will if I get a chance.”
The woman grinned. Park Young-joon was a cold and stern person to others, but he was just an ordinary person to her. He sometimes made mistakes but admitted them over time.
Although this place was named the Monster Field and called a living hell, it was just another place where people lived.
* * *
“We’re going to push the defense line over there today. It’s important to widen our territory so that we can control the Rifts if more of them appear.”
“Yes, yes.”
“So, I think we should station team one over here and start installing the radar here. If there’s an undiscovered Rift, monsters can dig a tunnel from there and penetrate our building floor in a surprise attack.”
At the Monster Fields’ entrance, in front of the glass door, I explained the plans I had prepared in advance. Some hunters did not know some of the latest registered terms due to their older age, but they all understood the big picture because hunting was their life.
“Even the smallest mistake could be dangerous, so I’ll go to the center.”
“No, no. We can go there.”
“No, I’ll go.”
After I saved the hunters in danger and destroyed Rifts on the first day, the famously territorial Field hunters were very willing.
I had intentionally made the situation more dramatic to avoid being pushed over, and the result was pretty good. If you wanted to lead hunters, you couldn’t look weak.
“You can enter soon. Are you ready?”
I could hear the now-familiar voice of the staff in charge, and the hunters nodded and checked their equipment once more with their hands.
“Yes.”
What I accomplished over the past week was more than enough to promote me to a 1st class hunter. Most top hunters couldn’t have done what I did, and the fact that a talented young hunter like me volunteered for the Monster Fields had also raised my profile.
Unless Kim Min-jae had really gone mad, he would have no choice but to make me a 1st class hunter.
Today was the day I completed my accomplishments. The plan was to stabilize and recover the defense line fully and control the monster population by destroying the strange Rifts that were abnormally increasing the concentration of mana.
If things went smoothly, there would be no more problems with the Monster Fields. And there would be no reason for me to stay here.
“Okay, opening the door soon!”
“Oh, Mr. Seung-hyun, your shield is positioned wrong.”
“What?”
“Hold on. I’ll fix it for you.….”
Normally, the hunters would have ignored Kim Seung-hyun because he was a 3rd class hunter. But after he showed them how strong he was on the first day, the Field hunters were friendly towards him.
And when Park Young-joon heard that Kim Seung-hyun had blocked the Green-Skinned Kentaurus from charging, he had to acknowledge his talent.
The two of us managed not to become stumbling blocks. We earned their respect and blended in.
And the fact that we earned respect on the Field would help us in the hunting industry one way or the other.
Creaaaak.
The door to the Field opened. As the heat reached my skin, I could hear the monsters howl from afar. The hunters leaped in one by one and started to get into the pre-arranged formation.
“Kyaaaaaa-.”
Maybe it smelled flesh or heard the door open, but a winged monster swooped in from the sky.
Most winged monsters were basically bird brains. They commonly rushed in towards any life form, no matter how strong or weak it was.
Boom!
“These pests go nuts every time we enter; every single time!”
The first hunter to enter jerked his shield up and smacked the monster’s head. The monster fell to the ground and died after squirming for a bit. The smell of blood filled the air.
“Oh, here we go again. Mr. Jeong Si-woo, you should hurry up and go. They’ll come swarming soon once they smell the blood…. And you should arrive at the Rift before they do. Otherwise, it will take too long. If you get surrounded, it’ll be dangerous.”
“Okay, then I’ll leave this to you.”
I nodded slightly and leaped forward. This time, I was going alone without Seung-hyun Hyeong. There was only one dangerous Rift to destroy.
Taking other people along would just bother me from destroying it swiftly and precisely. Going alone felt the most comfortable.
[‘Outstanding Weapons Mastery’ has been activated.]
Five clusters of light swirled around me. The lights could transform into all sorts of weapons, and in my hands, they smashed monsters apart. They also moved about by themselves and effectively crushed the monsters’ vital parts. They were like my teammates.
The monsters were ground to pieces like paper put in a shredder. Lower level monsters, such as Goblins or Orcs, turned around and ran away at the terrifying sight. But Weapons Mastery wasn’t the only skill I had.
[‘Outstanding Magic’ has been activated.]
“Kraawk!
A chain wrapped around a fleeing Goblin’s neck. Simultaneously, the far-off Goblin was dragged towards me as if a magnet was pulling it in.
“Krrr… Krraaawr.”
As soon as the squirming Goblin entered the Mirage’s range, it became a lump of meat. Blood splattered, and even more monsters rushed in at the smell.
Of course, there were no monster species in this Field with scales that were hard enough to withstand a storm of Orichalcum. As soon as the monsters neared me, they died with their heads burst apart and flesh torn to bits.
It was a one-sided slaughter. Amid the blood splatter and screams, I calmly stared at the location of the Rift and moved forward.
‘That way.’
It looked slightly different from usual Rifts. Rifts usually looked like someone ripped the sky with a knife, but this Rift looked like someone had just made a small hole with a needle.
The monsters were struggling with all their might to escape the Rift by trampling and pushing at each other with their heads to the entrance. This was happening because the entrance was very small. It was also because there were a lot more monsters in it than other Rifts.
I snapped my finger once and pointed toward the entrance of the Rift. My mana surged, and a yellow flash of light stretched out violently, crushing the head of a monster that was scrambling to escape.
“Kkuek?”
The other monsters inside opened their eyes wide at the sudden attack. I slammed Mirages into their eyeballs and cut their heads in half to make room.
And then I went inside the Rift.
[Name: The World of Black Things]
[Danger Level: 2]
“Ugh.”
As soon as I entered the Rift, I could smell a horrible stench. The terrible smell even made my head hurt for a moment.
Thwack!
I kicked a dead monster lying on the floor. Sticky blood splashed from the ground.
[Name: Light Shadow]
[A creature made of dark matter. The larger its population, the stronger it becomes.]
‘A shadow-type species?’
It was a ‘Spirit’ species, a monster classified as an undead type. But it was a monster that wasn’t supposed to appear yet. Why was it already here?
Originally, the shadow species did not appear until three years later. And with its arrival, those guys called paladins and priests also showed up.
“Well… I guess discovering them quickly and wiping them out isn’t bad.”
[‘Elemental Master’ has been activated.]
[‘Mana of Infinite Knowledge’ has been activated.]
The mana rippling inside me turned into a brilliant gold. I needed to fill it with Divine and Light properties. Undead-type monsters were affected a lot by properties, and most of my skills could ignore them and gain the upper hand.
Which meant that they were no match for me.
Whip!
And just as I was about to release the clump of light, something wrapped around my wrist.
“Krrrr?”
[Name: Dark Shadow]
[A creature made of dark matter. The larger its population, the stronger it becomes.]
[*Absorbs the mana of the target it is in contact with.]
“Ugh, now this?”
And the clump of light that was glowing in my hand started to dim. The monster was greedily sucking away my mana. The Dark Shadow grew bigger.
“Kkiyyyaaaa!”
[Name: Shadow Priest]
[A faithful priest of the Dark Church that produces dark matter. It absorbs the life force of other living things and turns it into dark matter to create shadows.]
[*Undead species]
[Name: Shadow Knight]
[A creature made of dark matter. It can ignore 80 percent of damage except for Light and Divine attacks.]
[*Undead species]
“Sick and tired of these bastards.”
My surroundings were dark because of the swarm of black monsters. I controlled the Mirage to cut off the tentacle sucking away my mana, and clicked my tongue at the countless monsters around me.
I had no good memory of the Shadow species, especially the Undead.
I get mad when I see those bastards.
Feeling my head throbbing, I muttered annoyingly.
“Link.”
* * *
“So, none of the villains that were involved in my husband’s death are left in this world?”
“Yes, we wiped out all the villain groups that were involved… And I personally tore apart the villains that insulted him even once.”
“Good. That should be enough. Enough….”
A woman who had aged a lot over the last two years, the Flame Queen, sighed and leaned back in her chair. Now she had avenged her husband. She threw the people who drove that good man to death into hell with her two hands.
“Sigh….”
But instead of feeling relieved, she felt empty. The Flame Queen opened her eyes slightly as she pressed her temple with her finger. It felt like she had lost her goal in life.
She had achieved her lifelong goal when she had become old and sick. But once she did, it felt like she had no more reason to live.
Tap.
She could see the picture of her husband on the table. She was now tired of seeing his bright smile and missing him. Now… now she wanted to follow him.
And that moment.
Bang!
“Huh… Huff huff.”
The door opened with a bang, and a man covered in blood appeared.
“Godmother, things have gone wrong. The situation….”
“…What? What do you mean?”
The Flame Queen’s face stiffened.
“One guy from the villain group survived. Just one. But…but all of our guys were killed by him.”
“One guy?”
The Flame Queen leaped up from the chair she was leaning against. That was impossible. Her organization was stronger than most guilds. How could a single unknown villain wipe them out?
“Where is he now?”
The Flame Queen couldn’t believe it. At the same time, she felt a surge of anger. Apart from her husband, they were her family. Upon hearing that the people who were like her family had been killed, she couldn’t maintain her calm.
“I said, where is that son of a bitch!”
Her shout was filled with mana, and sticky blood flowed from the man’s ears. Looking at the demon-like face of the Flame Queen, he shook as he answered.
“He went…he went to the Monster Fields. He’s probably thinking of escaping abroad through the Field.….”