Chapter 93
I looked around and found myself in a rough jungle. I activated detection and quickly used stealth as I sensed something nearby.
“Kkiu-uuut!”
As the executioner vanished from sight, the terrified fairy perked up, spreading her wings and looking joyful as if nothing had happened.
I had no choice but to jump through a dimensional rift to escape from that creature. If I hadn’t, I would have been 100% dead. There was always the fear of landing in the wrong place—or not crossing the boundary at all.
‘…Thank goodness.’
From what I know, the only place in Neverland with a jungle is Area 2. I landed correctly. So, this must be Area 2 Monstopia. But there’s just one problem.
‘This doesn’t seem like the entrance.’
If it were the entrance, the raid party would have already cleaned it up and set up a base camp. It’s definitely Area 2, but…?
‘…?’
I tilted my head at the smell of water and then finally understood the situation.
‘…It seems to be Area 2.’
Area 2 refers to the area beyond the river that traverses the massive jungle. Normally, I should have landed at the entrance of Area 1…
‘Did the dimensional rift split?’
Since the executioner’s final strike split the rift, I wondered if something went wrong, but honestly, it was a stroke of luck.
‘…If I had fallen at the entrance, that would have been troublesome.’
No matter how stealthy I was, I couldn’t expect to escape the eyes of the rear guard after landing in their base camp. I considered the worst-case scenario, but it was definitely fortunate that I landed in Area 2 without any clashes.
‘Even though my presence is known.’
Hunters in the dungeon don’t give a hoot about a monster’s situation. There’s no guarantee I could have a chat with them. For now, keeping a safe distance and observing the raid party seems wise, as I don’t know when they’ll be wiped out for some reason.
‘To do that.’
Since I sensed a monster in Area 2, it appears they haven’t escaped Area 1 yet. I dashed toward the river, following the smell.
***
“…Hoo.”
Baek Gun-tae took a deep breath, inhaling long and hard. While it wasn’t complete, he had managed to clean up most of Area 1. Although most of the raid party suffered serious injuries, surprisingly there were few fatalities apart from the rookies.
‘That Kang Tae-ho.’
The title “Sword Prince” wasn’t won through gambling. He earned it by defeating every swordsman “living” and not counting his brother, using just one absurdly oversized sword. His skills had only improved and sharpened over time.
‘Looks like his fussing wasn’t for nothing.’
If he’d gotten even stronger than he already was, he might truly rival the Seven Heroes now. —But even that wouldn’t be enough.
‘…Yes. It was the right decision to switch to containment.’
This thought felt odd, but Baek Gun-tae was relieved that Hong Yu-ri wasn’t injured. Even with more people in their ranks at this late stage, trudging into Area 3 could have led to a wipeout.
‘That place is truly horrific.’
Recalling memories from long ago, Baek Gun-tae shuddered. A place where one wrong step could mean death. Pain that penetrated the psyche, not just the body. Thanks to Hong Yu-ri’s injury, they gained an excuse to change their objective.
‘If we can just handle up to Area 2…’
While there are conditions to move from one area to the next, there are none for going the other way. Simply put, while a ceremony had to be performed to move from Area 1 to Area 2, returning from Area 2 to Area 1 was free. If desired, one could cross the dimensional rift at any time.
‘And the frenzy.’
The frenzy referred to the phenomenon where all monsters in Neverland go on a rampage. Monsters imbued with frenzy would blindly chase intruders and raiding parties.
‘…I’ve been hit hard before.’
Baek Gun-tae was there. He hadn’t held command like now, just trying to gather as much information as possible, but once frenzy happened, most of the raid party ended up dead, which changed the backbone of the Neverland raid.
‘We must eliminate all monsters.’
Had it at least been on a fixed cycle, it might have been different, but since the opening and closing of Neverland is random, it’s tough to predict. Naturally, the approach shifted to eliminating all monsters instead.
They hadn’t cleared Area 1 yet. Baek Gun-tae looked at Euna, who was dripping in sweat yet perseveringly enduring, nodding at her.
“What? Are you interested?”
Just then, Kang Tae-ho, who had approached unnoticed, chimed in.
“Oi, isn’t that a bit excessive for someone your age? Hasn’t she only graduated school for a year or two?”
“You crazy bastard?!”
Baek Gun-tae’s fury spiked as Kang Tae-ho caught his swinging fist with a chuckle. Making someone a criminal out of the blue? There was nearly a three-generation gap between them.
“…Anyway, what the hell is that kid?”
“What about it?”
“It’s not magic. But she’s definitely using magic power.”
Mages often use magic power like a weapon in emergencies. While their ignorant flailing shows no technique or skill, Euna was different. It was like she had one foot in magic and the other in magic power.
It was the first time in Baek Gun-tae’s long Hunter life he’d seen such a method. While it was true that magic power was nearly omnipotent, it doesn’t mean it actually is.
No, more accurately, it can’t be omnipotent unless the user is omnipotent. Yet the way Euna handles magic power is the closest anyone has gotten to omnipotence that Baek Gun-tae had seen.
“I don’t know. Yu-ri seems to be teaching her, but I’m not that interested.”
“What? Not interested?”
“Why? You wanna contact her or something?”
At the teasing question, Baek Gun-tae shook his head.
“…Well, there’s a bit of curiosity, but… tsk.”
If he did that, he’d be risking throwing away a precious talent out of foolish greed. As for magic power, excluding the Square, there wouldn’t be anyone surpassing her.
Shaking his head, Baek Gun-tae shouted loudly.
“How long are you going to lounge around?! Regroup!”
At the end of their brief rest, the raid party began to head back to the rear guard’s base camp. —They couldn’t continue the raid in a fatigued state. Although it would delay them somewhat, Baek Gun-tae, who had experienced Neverland enough to be bored by it, prioritized safety.
***
[Inferno Hound]
[Length 1.64m] [Height 82.2cm] [Weight 78kg]
[Strength 243] [Agility 328] [Stamina 298] [Magic Power 299]
[Skills]
[Excellent Sense of Smell(D)] [Dash(E)] [Weak Regeneration(F)]
—By the time I reached the river, these creatures were gathered around me.
‘I’m in stealth mode, but.’
Just like how I had done before, it seemed they too had tracked me by scent. Their mouths were blazing with green flames, apparently having burnt away their fur, and they lacked eyes. Each one of these creatures was definitely a monster far surpassing the beasts of Jirisan.
Staring at such beasts, I couldn’t help but swallow hard. …I was salivating.
‘There’s such a sweet deal like this…?!’
It was hard to believe. Right here in Neverland. Not even in Area 1 but in Area 2 there were only these kinds of monsters? Despite being in a pack, they looked purely like food.
Thinking they were scared and hesitating, one came charging at me. Its steel-like jaws tried to chew me up, but instead, it became flustered and struggled.
‘…This is surprisingly easy.’
[Hardening(D) Level 9 has reached max proficiency. Hardening(D) Level 9 → Hardening(D) Level 10]
[Hardening(D) Level 10 has reached max level. Hardening(D) Level 10 → Excellent Hardening(C)]
The bite, the claws scraping, nothing stuck. Not with hardening and mitigation in play. The green flames searing inside rose up, but soon black flames surged up and consumed the hellfire.
“―――!”
The shocked creatures flared up and collapsed, and I shot thorns at the ones trying to flee. The magic-infused thorns pierced them. While the ones hit in vital areas died, it seemed impossible to kill them all.
‘However…’
I didn’t feel like chasing them down. Stopping the raid party’s annihilation and heading to Area 1 was a higher priority. Even so.
‘…Since I caught them, throwing them away would be a waste.’
[You have consumed an Inferno Hound. Experience and satiety have increased.]
After gobbling them up, I earned around 100,000 experience. I was so close to leveling up. Just when I was about to head back to Area 1 across the river, suddenly the Inferno Hounds that had fled came back, showing their teeth.
“……?”
Wondering why the prey had crawled back, I soon broke into a snicker. They returned triumphantly, leading their two-headed leader.
The leader—a two-headed hound came charging, exuding confidence. Most of its stats were close to 400. That wouldn’t seem weird in Monstopia, but.
“……”
With a flick of my wrist, the shadow underneath me swiftly pierced its heart. Surprisingly, it charged at me anyway.
“―――!”
It got close enough that I could kick it down. I placed my foot on the downed creature.
[You have consumed an Inferno Two-headed Hound. Experience and satiety have increased.]
—They tried to run away again, but this time not a single one escaped.
‘The name ‘Hound’ is an insult.’
[EXP 524397 / 530232]
Thus, the wolf began swimming toward Area 1.
***
“…Keuhk!”
Despite being scorched all over and feeling like my insides were on fire, Woo Taek remained alive. At the last moment, he used all the magic power he had for defense. His head throbbed horribly. Just as he was about to press the emergency call button on his phone, he realized that with his current state, the phone wouldn’t work and let out a bitter laugh.
He felt like he couldn’t move at all. He could withstand a lot usually, but now it was impossible. It felt miraculous just to be alive.
Straining to turn his head, he saw the entire containment squad engulfed in black flames… They couldn’t even mount a proper resistance. No, they didn’t have the chance.
Dark clouds that had gathered somewhere started floating up, and a massive bolt of lightning struck down. The moment lightning struck with thunder, the entirety of Yongin city went dark, and when he opened his eyes again, this was what he saw.
‘Rescue will…’
They come soon. Everyone had evacuated due to Neverland, but with this kind of ruckus, rescue would arrive swiftly. In a situation where he could barely move a finger, Woo Taek spat out more blood.
“……!”
Before lightning struck, he’d sensed three presences approaching. Just three, but…….
…If they crossed the boundary, perhaps those three might mean the entire raid party would have to be prepared for annihilation.
‘I hope they’re safe…’
That was the last thought he had before falling unconscious again.
