"Ah... h-hel... help..."
Eun Ji-Min tried to squeeze out a voice that wouldn't come and stumbled backward. No, she tried to stumble. But her legs wouldn't move, as though heavy iron weights were chained to her ankles. All she could do was cry. The man surveyed the area. Since the woman couldn't move, he figured he might as well finish her off right here. Fortunately, no one was around. A dead-end alley like this wouldn't have surveillance cameras.
'This is why I like this neighborhood.'
The man wore a lecherous smirk as he thrust the knife toward Eun Ji-Min's abdomen. But at that moment, a hand shot out of the darkness and grabbed the blade.
"Huh?"
He looked up to see a guy standing there. A powerfully built man in a hoodie pulled low, showing only his jawline.
'Is he wearing... some kind of gloves?'
Not a single drop of blood flowed from the hand gripping the blade.
"Who the hell are you?"
The serial killer flexed his arm a few times, and when the knife wouldn't budge an inch, he let go of the handle and spun around. Then he quickly fled the scene.
"What a weirdo..."
The serial killer looked back several times. That strange guy was scanning the surroundings and still following him.
'What the hell is that guy...?'
The serial killer changed direction and lured his pursuer toward the elevated lot where he had been about to drag the woman. If the guy's hands were protected by something, he'd just have to aim elsewhere. As they reached the destination, the serial killer gradually slowed his pace, and the gap between him and the strange guy, who was maintaining his speed, steadily closed. When the distance between them was about one step—
"You've got some nerve, pushing your luck like this."
The serial killer whipped around and plunged an ice pick he had been concealing inside his jacket into the man's chest.
"Do I look easy to you?"
Thud! The hand stabbing into his chest trembled violently.
'...What is this? How is he so hard?'
A stab-resistant vest? Or was he padding something underneath? The serial killer asked.
"What are you? What the hell are you wearing under there?"
Had he been able to sense even a trace of mana, he never would have asked such a foolish question—but even after two attacks, the notion of "Hunter" never crossed his mind as he looked at his unyielding opponent. A low voice drifted from beneath the hoodie.
"I've got a question of my own, though."
It was Jin-Woo's voice. Jin-Woo tossed the kitchen knife he had confiscated from the serial killer earlier onto the ground.
"Why do you do things like this?" "Why? You gonna give me a sermon or something?" "I'm just curious if there's some reason."
The serial killer snorted. He'd thought this guy who jumped out of nowhere to save the woman, and then had the audacity to keep following him, was putting on some kind of justice act.
'He's just a psycho.'
Maybe he was the same type of guy as himself. The serial killer figured that if he played along nicely, things might end well—and so he obliged.
"Reasons? Well, if I had to find one... it's fun?" "Fun?" "Something about it—when I see someone weaker than me, I just really want to mess with them."
...The serial killer couldn't finish his sentence.
"AAAAAGH! AAAH!"
He collapsed to the ground, clutching his left ankle where the ligament had been severed. He looked up to see a kitchen knife already in Jin-Woo's hand.
'When did he pick it up from the floor...?'
Just then, Jin-Woo's figure blurred and vanished again.
"AAAARGH!"
This time, it was the right ankle. The serial killer rolled across the ground. Jin-Woo searched the pockets of the murderer—who couldn't move with both ankle ligaments torn—and pulled out a phone and a wallet.
"You—you what are you, you bastard?!"
Ignoring the screaming murderer, Jin-Woo calmly dialed 119 to call an ambulance. Then he checked the ID pulled from the wallet. He placed the phone and wallet into the trembling hands of the killer and continued speaking.
"Turn yourself in before midnight tomorrow." "What?" "If you want to live."
He had said everything he needed to say. Before getting up, Jin-Woo planted a shadow soldier into the serial killer's shadow. He gave the soldier similar orders.
'I don't know how patient a High Orc shadow is, but...'
Waiting might not be its forte, but the follow-up orders were right in a High Orc's wheelhouse.
"I want you to stay alive."
As long as he was breathing, he'd have plenty of time to reflect on his crimes.
"What... what the hell are you, really?"
Jin-Woo left the serial killer trembling in pain and fear, and slowly walked away from the empty lot. The siren of an ambulance could be heard from the distance. After moving far enough away and confirming no one was around, Jin-Woo pulled off his hoodie.
"Whew."
The soldier who had spotted the serial killer had sent a signal, so he'd arrived in time. Shadow Exchange. The more he used it, the more convenient a skill it became.
'No wonder it's a top-tier rune stone.'
Having realized the full power of Shadow Exchange multiple times recently, Jin-Woo wore a satisfied smile. If his skill level went up and the cooldown shortened further, there was no telling how much more useful it would become—he couldn't even guess right now. As he was heading home—
'Hm?'
He happened to look up, and the moon had already risen to the very top of his head.
'Come to think of it... is it tomorrow already?'
The Japan-Korea joint team's raid. It was right around the corner. Even though he wasn't on the joint team, his own heart was pounding—so how must the raid members be feeling? Jin-Woo pictured a few of the raid members he knew and silently wished them a successful raid.
***
In the dead of night, Goto stood in the Japanese Hunter Association's training hall. Two Hunters stood in front of him, one behind—all S-rank Hunters of his caliber, encircling him. Goto took a deep breath and opened his eyes.
"Taaah!"
The Hunters who had been waiting for an opening simultaneously charged at him. However—BOOM! It was all three Hunters who went down.
"You've worked hard!" "As expected of Goto-san!" "No contest at all."
The three Hunters lying on the training hall's wooden floor dusted themselves off and stood up. Goto had held back his strength. In acknowledgment of their effort, he bowed to them without a word.
'My condition is fine, just as I thought.'
If he had to give a verdict, it was the best it could be. Just the thought of devouring Korea was enough to send his condition soaring. But then... Goto stared at the now-empty training hall after the three Hunters had left, and his thoughts drifted back to that day. Sung Jin-Woo. What was he, really?
'...'
The more he recalled that memory, the more bitter it tasted. Goto soon shook his head.
'Well, it doesn't matter.'
Sung Jin-Woo wasn't participating in this raid anyway, and the Association Chairman's plan would proceed without a hitch. If Korea lost its S-rank Hunters in this affair, initiative would inevitably shift to Japan. The public back in Korea, who were currently clamoring for fair compensation, would have long since turned their grumbling into cheers by then. And when that time came...
'What could Sung Jin-Woo do alone?'
Whether Sung Jin-Woo was truly a powerful Hunter or simply a figment of his own imagination, the fact that he wasn't joining tomorrow's raid was excellent news for Japan. Nothing stood in his way. The decisive battle was tomorrow. Bathed in moonlight within the silent training hall, Goto smiled quietly.
***
"Thank you very much for your cooperation!"
The broadcast station director bowed to what appeared to be an ordinary cameraman. It was an unthinkable sight. But the man before the director was no ordinary cameraman. He was an active Hunter holding an A-rank Hunter's license.
"The life of our broadcast station hinges on this raid."
They had burned through half the station's entire budget to secure the broadcasting rights. Competing networks had swarmed in en masse. But there had been a reason behind such a bold decision. S-rank Gates had opened only a handful of times across the entire world. Even when a Gate did appear, bringing recording equipment inside and capturing footage was impossible. In other words, this would be the first and last chance for the general public to witness an S-rank raid—unless another S-rank Gate opened somewhere else. Moreover, this broadcast would be a live feed, not a recording. There was about a ten-minute delay, sure, but still. What kind of ratings would it pull? Seventy percent? Eighty percent? Factoring in the revenue from selling footage to foreign networks, the investment of half their budget was well worth it.
'As long as the raid doesn't fail!'
No viewers would want to watch footage of top-tier Hunters getting devoured by magical beasts. And even if they did, such footage could never be aired. The director had staked everything on the success of this fourth subjugation operation. Bowing several times to the cameraman who would capture such footage was nothing. If it helped, he would have prostrated himself.
"Don't worry too much, Director."
The cameraman reassured the visibly anxious director. Before becoming a Hunter, he had made his living behind a camera. After accepting this job, he had studied diligently as well. He had absolutely zero desire—less than a speck—of ruining a broadcast the entire nation would be watching through any mistake of his own. The payout was equally massive.
'They said they'd give me a share of the broadcast revenue.'
He was already earning good money as an A-rank Hunter, but the amount on offer was enough to excite even him. If he pulled this off properly, he could walk away with enormous wealth and fame on par with the S-rank Hunters participating in the operation. He might even become the most famous A-rank Hunter in all of Korea. A pleasant fantasy brought a smile to the cameraman's face.
"By the way, I'm surprised Chairman Ko Gun-Hee actually approved the filming. He's not the type to agree to something like this just for money."
The director nodded.
"They said all the money we're paying goes to the participating Hunters." "Then why...?"
Why had the Chairman allowed filming? The director shared his speculation cautiously.
"In my opinion... I think it's to comfort the public."
The Korean Hunter's Association had already tasted defeat at the hands of the ants three times. The repeated failures had cost the Association its credibility, and the people had fallen into a sense of helplessness—believing the ants could never be beaten. Now, at last, a chance for reversal had presented itself.
'You can see how people feel just by looking at the internet these days.'
The Chairman wanted to take things one step further. Capture the moment of victory on camera and broadcast it to the nation. There was a desperate resolve embedded in that wish—no more failures. The cameraman nodded along to the director's explanation. He glanced at the watch on his wrist, then stood up with a resolute expression.
"It's almost time. I should get going."
The director bowed deeply once more to the cameraman.
"Please do your best, Hunter!"
***
Whirrrrrrrrrrr! The helicopter carrying the Hunters lifted off.
"..." "..."
Even Baek Yoon-Ho, who was always wearing a broad grin; and Choi Jong-In, who exuded confidence in everything; and Min Byung-Gu, with his sunny disposition—all wore solemn expressions in this moment. The cameraman checked his equipment one last time. It was a head-mounted setup that required nothing more than wearing it, so it didn't impede his movement in the slightest.
'If the camera made things uncomfortable, I wouldn't have come.'
The helicopter was heading toward what might be the most dangerous place in all of South Korea—or perhaps the entire world. The cameraman swallowed hard at the thought of their destination. No matter how hard he tried to stay calm, a creeping tension refused to dissipate. The S-rank Hunters felt the same. To ease the tension, Baek Yoon-Ho struck up a conversation with a close younger colleague.
"Byung-Gu, I didn't expect to see you here."
Min Byung-Gu flashed a grin.
"Without my healing, I figured you'd be the first to go down among us, hyung. You're the type to charge at any magical beast the second you see one." "Now, why do you always have to put it that way? I don't just charge at beasts."
The other Hunters chuckled at their exchange. Min Byung-Gu—the only Healer in South Korea ranked S-rank. Upon hearing that he, who had retired, would be participating in this raid, every member of the team had welcomed the news. Having a Healer versus not having one made a world of difference. It meant they could fight without worrying about injuries. As the tension loosened from Baek Yoon-Ho and Min Byung-Gu's banter, Cha Hae-In, seated beside Baek Yoon-Ho, spoke quietly.
"Mr. Baek, have you by any chance met with Sung Jin-Woo recently?" "Sung Jin-Woo?" "Yes."
Baek Yoon-Ho shook his head.
"No. But why do you ask?" "Ah... never mind. I think I may have been mistaken."
Just then, Ma Dong-Woo burst into his characteristic hearty laugh.
"Heh heh, it's finally beginning."
Every Hunter's gaze followed where he was pointing. Through the helicopter's window glass, the black wasteland that had already become the domain of magical beasts was slowly coming into view.