Gotoh ended the transmission. His expression was dark.
'Did we miss something?'
He had considered every possible scenario that could arise in order to successfully obtain what he wanted. But. The complete annihilation of a five-man team composed of the elite Hunters was something far beyond the scope of his expectations.
'Wait a minute...'
A memory surfaced unbidden. Four months ago, something strange had happened once before. The mana of the Queen Ant, which they had been monitoring around the clock via satellite, had suddenly dropped sharply. To less than half its usual level! The research team had reported this as the result of the Queen Ant approaching the end of its lifespan, issuing optimistic forecast after optimistic forecast—until the Queen Ant slowly began to recover its mana.
'It took exactly one month, didn't it?'
Before long, the Queen had regained her original mana. The officials who had brought up the matter of her lifespan had no choice but to fall completely silent in the face of results that far exceeded their predictions.
"Mr. Gotoh."
A team member's voice snapped Gotoh out of his thoughts.
"Hm."
Gotoh, who had been kneeling on one knee examining the corpses of Team 3's Hunters, slowly rose to his feet. Now was not the time for idle thoughts.
'I went too far inland...'
Ssssss. Hundreds of ants that had swarmed in from behind were tilting their heads up one by one, as though licking their lips.
***
Meanwhile. The Korean team had entered the boss room, commonly known as the "Queen's Bedroom." Fifteen minutes to get here.
'If it takes about the same time to get back...'
There were still thirty minutes left. Assuming they could shave time off the return trip since they had already traveled this path once, the time margin was fairly generous.
'Good.'
Ma Dong-Woo, checking his wristwatch, nodded. Things were going smoothly. What mattered now was how they would finish this. Baek Yoon-Ho had used the "Beast's Eye" to get an exact count of the enemies beyond the darkness.
"The Queen is at the very back. Eight guards in front of her."
The Queen's guards were incomparably stronger than ordinary ants. Trying to handle both the Queen and the guards alone would be overwhelming. From this point on, they needed someone to fill the sub-tanker role. Ma Dong-Woo turned to his side.
"Hunter Cha." "Yes." "Can you handle the guards while I keep the Queen in check?" "Leave it to me."
Cha Hae-In answered briefly. She had served as the main tank whenever the Hunters conducted raids. A sub-tanker role was a walk in the park. Ma Dong-Woo surveyed the team members. Every person here was a specialist in hunting magical beasts. Detailed explanations would be a waste of time.
"Let's go."
The moment Ma Dong-Woo turned to face the ants, Choi Jong-In conjured an enormous sphere of light and sent it to the ceiling of the boss room. The entire boss room lit up.
"Guh."
The cameraman let out a quiet gasp at the sheer size of the light sphere. He leaned into the small mic beside his lips and whispered urgently.
"I've participated in many raids as an A-rank Hunter myself, but I've never seen light magic on this scale. Truly worthy of Korea's greatest magic-type Hunter."
His voice spread to viewers across the nation through the mic. He had just been told that the broadcast he was filming had surpassed an 80 percent viewership rating. Driven by ambition, he tried to move forward to capture better footage, but Min Byung-Gu, standing behind him, grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back.
"Guh!"
The powerful grip twisted the cameraman around without resistance. The pain in his shoulder made his mouth hang wide open.
'How does a Healer have this kind of strength...'
Before he even had time to be surprised, the cameraman found himself face to face with Min Byung-Gu, whose expression was nothing like the joking demeanor he had shown inside the helicopter.
"This is where the boss of an S-rank Dungeon is. Nobody here is responsible for your life."
At the fury in Min Byung-Gu's voice, the cameraman could not form a proper reply and just kept nodding.
"If you understand, stand behind me. This is where the real thing begins."
The presence of an S-rank Hunter. Even a Healer, the weakest class in terms of combat power, radiated an aura that dwarfed an A-rank Hunter. That was the gap between S-rank and A-rank. In a place where these monstrous beings joined forces to fight, what could he possibly do? For the first time since becoming a Hunter, the cameraman felt a sense of helplessness and hurriedly stepped behind Min Byung-Gu. Sure enough.
"Here they come."
A massive ant spotted the Hunters and slowly crawled toward them on its six legs.
"That's the Queen..."
Baek Yoon-Ho swallowed hard. The faces of the other Hunters were taut with tension as well. The overwhelming majesty of the Queen! They were the first Hunters to lay eyes on the Queen, having breached the defensive wall of the ant army—numbering in the hundreds, the thousands.
'Today, I'm ending the wretched lives of these ants.'
Baek Yoon-Ho's heart trembled at the thought of toppling that colossal body. To do that, first—his gaze, which had been fixed on the Queen, drifted downward.
'Those eight...'
Eight ants marching ahead of the Queen, one step in front of her. Eliminating the guards came first.
"Hrah!"
As if reading the minds of the team, Ma Dong-Woo, the team's main tanker, charged to the front line. Thick veins stood out on his neck.
"Come at me, ants!"
A thunderous war cry! The guards, who had lost their eyesight but gained heightened sensitivity to sound, bared their teeth and claws and rushed at Ma Dong-Woo. Ma Dong-Woo turned back.
"Hunter Cha, now!"
Cha Hae-In, who had been running while keeping her distance from Ma Dong-Woo, drew the longsword from her hip. Gripping it with both hands, she drove it into the ground with all her might. Skill: "Provocation Pulse." Thunk! A circular mana shockwave rippled outward from the blade embedded in the floor. The guards, who had been targeting Ma Dong-Woo, changed direction in unison as if possessed by something, charging at Cha Hae-In.
'Yes!'
Watching the guards rush past him toward Cha Hae-In, Ma Dong-Woo clenched his fist in silent triumph. Cha Hae-In had successfully taken the guards' aggro. Now it was his turn. Ma Dong-Woo positioned his massive body in front of the Queen, who was advancing toward Cha Hae-In.
"You're facing me."
Annoyed by the enemy blocking her path, the Queen let out a roar. Kiiiieeek—a terrifying roar that would have crushed any ordinary tanker with its overwhelming pressure and driven them to cover their ears. But for Ma Dong-Woo, Korea's foremost tanker, it was nothing more than a cheap trick.
"Hah—!"
Skill: "Provocation Challenge." Unlike Cha Hae-In, who had cast a wide-area provocation, Ma Dong-Woo used a one-on-one provocation skill directed at the Queen. The Queen, who had been roaring, locked her gaze onto Ma Dong-Woo. The provocation succeeded.
'Perfect!'
His goal was to endure the boss's attacks until his teammates in the back finished off the guards and returned. That was the thing he was most confident in the entire world. Ma Dong-Woo raised his massive shield up to just below his chin, his eyes burning with resolve. As he always did, he prayed silently.
'Grant me the strength to protect myself and my comrades.'
BWA-KA-KA-KANG! With a deafening explosion erupting from behind, the Queen Ant raid—on which so many lives hung—began.
***
"Old man, they say the Hunters are coming out today. You're not going to watch?" "I'm not interested." "Don't say that... The TV said they might actually take her down for real this time. Let's watch together." "Ah, that's all they ever say. I'm not interested."
The grandfather turned away with a flip of his body and turned the pages of his newspaper. From behind his hunched back, a tongue-clicking sound soon followed.
"Tsk tsk tsk. These days even the newspapers are all about Hunters. Nothing worth reading."
The grandmother listened to her husband's grumbling and carefully closed the bedroom door.
"Sigh..."
Until just two years ago, her husband had been the one who took the most interest in the news from Jeju Island and cheered on the Hunters. He had lost his only son to the Jeju ants. The devastating despair—that feeling of his insides collapsing—had soon transformed into intense fury aimed at the magical beasts. Each time an extermination operation was underway, her husband had donated large sums to the Hunter's Association to encourage the Hunters. On the day of each operation, he was so nervous he could barely sleep. But the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. When the Third Extermination Operation—even with every available force mobilized—ended in catastrophic casualties and utter failure, her husband spent several days staring blankly, unable to regain his composure. After that, he never spoke of Hunters again. He had stopped harboring expectations or hope.
"Sigh..."
The grandmother sighed once more, then sat down in the living room and turned on the remote. The moment the TV came on, the host covering the raid broadcast burst out with an emotional commentary.
—Right now, the proud Hunters of our great Republic of Korea have taken the first step of the Queen Ant raid!
The Hunters' battle was about to begin. The grandmother clasped both hands together in front of her chest and watched the TV with an anxious heart. When a Hunter was injured, she averted her eyes in distress; when a Hunter's attack landed, she clapped joyfully.
"Oh dear! Oh dear!" —Ah, ah! Finally! The first magical beast has fallen!
That was the start. The ant monsters, which had seemed so terrifying, toppled one by one under the Hunters' fierce assault. Each time, the shouts and cheers of the people made the entire apartment building tremble.
"Oh dear, oh dear!" —Four! Only four left! They've already taken out half!
At those words, tears suddenly welled up in the grandmother's eyes. First, because she was grateful and thankful to the Hunters who were risking their lives to protect people for the first time. Second, because she remembered the face of her son, who had been overjoyed at landing a job at a major corporation in Jeju Island.
—Only two guards remaining! Take out two more guards and they can strike the Queen! The raid is almost a success!
That was when it happened. Bang! The bedroom door flew open and the grandfather, his face red, came rushing out.
"Old man..."
Without even acknowledging her call, the grandfather stared silently at the TV screen with reddened eyes. His tightly clenched fists trembled. The host, too, held his breath and watched the situation unfold.
—The powerful guard ants have all been eliminated! The only ant remaining is the Queen! Take down the Queen and the ants can be exterminated! The Hunters are attacking without giving an opening!
When the TV showed five Hunters charging forward in unison from behind Ma Dong-Woo, who had been holding his own against the Queen Ant, the grandfather unwittingly shed thick tears and thrust both fists into the air.
"Uwaaah—!"
***
The broadcasting station. The station director let out a delighted scream at the flood of cheering calls pouring in from across the nation.
"Director! We've just passed an 85 percent viewership rating!"
"Excellent!"
The director clenched both fists tight. An 85 percent viewership rating. This was a record that would not be broken even if the Republic of Korea reached the World Cup finals. And when factoring in the revenue flowing in from overseas and the revenue yet to come...
'Jackpot.'
He collapsed into his chair and rubbed both hands over his face. The other staff members in the control room, seeing the director's barely contained elation, let out sighs of relief. On the broadcast feed, the Korean team Hunters continued to pummel the Queen Ant mercilessly.
—The United States, China, Russia, France! The Republic of Korea is about to be added to the list of nations that have cleared an S-rank Gate!
The director pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his glistening forehead.
'Good, good!'
The Queen was on the verge of death, and all that remained was for the Hunters to finish off the Queen and escape the ant colony safely. But then. KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII—
"What the—!"
Startled, the director spun around. The PD quickly lowered the volume. The director walked over with a tilted head.
"Na PD, what was that sound just now?" "Ah, this is... original footage coming in from Jeju Island. It sounds like it came from the Queen Ant." "The Queen?"
There was currently a slight time gap between the broadcast screen and the original footage. Because anything could happen during a raid, they could not stream it in real time. The director, watching the footage, smiled warmly and gave his instructions.
"A monstrous screech ringing out over the scene of this historic victory is a bit much. Can we edit this part or lower the sound?" "Yes."
Na PD nodded, and the director, in a gesture of encouragement, placed his hand on the PD's right shoulder. That was when. An employee came running over with a stiff expression.
"Director! PD!"
The director turned his head. In his experience, when an employee wore that kind of expression in a situation like this, the report was never good news. Before even hearing it, a vague sense of dread brushed past him. Praying with all his might that this time his intuition was wrong, the director asked the employee carefully.
"...What happened?"
But foreboding feelings always came true. The employee spoke in a bewildered voice.
"Right now, the Japanese Hunters are all evacuating from Jeju Island!" "What?!"
***
Ma Dong-Woo rallied his teammates.
"A little more! Just push a little harder!"
True to his words that they just needed to push a little harder, the Queen Ant was on the verge of collapsing. Hundreds of arrows fired by Im Tae-Gyu were embedded in the Queen's head, dense as a hedgehog. Pyuung—! Crack! Yet another arrow flew and struck the Queen between the eyes. The Queen let out a pained screech and shook her head. Kiiiieeek! Having quickly recovered, the Queen sprayed acidic venom throughout the entire room. Ssssss— The attack was so widespread that Hunters who could not dodge in time felt their skin beginning to char and blacken, but Min Byung-Gu's healing skill promptly cured them. Kieek! Furious that the venom attack had failed, the Queen clamped her jagged, enormous fangs onto Ma Dong-Woo, who stood at the front. Chomp! But Ma Dong-Woo, whose entire body was fortified by the "Greater Fortification" skill, was able to withstand the Queen's fearsome attack. One fang was blocked by his shield, the other by his left hand. While Ma Dong-Woo bought time, a massive fireball erupted from the Queen's side. BWA-KA-KA-KANG! It was Choi Jong-In's magic. Kieek! Seizing the moment the Queen staggered and could not hold her ground, Baek Yoon-Ho, who had transformed into a beast-type magical beast, lunged upward and tore one of the Queen's fangs out with his bare hands. Crack! Baek Yoon-Ho landed lightly on the ground, exhaled roughly, and was certain.
'The Queen is finished.'
Years of experience had taught him this. It was the moment they could finally silence the leader of the beasts that had stained this land black with the blood of countless victims. Just a little more. As the thought crossed his mind, overwhelming emotion surged up from deep within his chest. But just then. All of a sudden, the Queen raised her head rigidly toward the sky. And. KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII— A deafening, bone-piercing screech echoed throughout the entire ant colony. Baek Yoon-Ho's pupils trembled.
'What is that? A roar? A death cry?'
No, it felt different from those. That high-pitched cry sounded like a desperate call to someone far away.
'She's calling someone?'
The instant that thought reached his mind, for some reason, his blood ran cold.
"I have to stop it!"
Just before Baek Yoon-Ho could act, Cha Hae-In leaped gracefully and swung the sword gripped in both hands downward with tremendous force. Slash! The Queen's head hit the floor before Cha Hae-In had even landed. Thud! The cameraman, who had been holding his breath watching the S-rank Hunters fight, raised both hands high with tears brimming in his eyes. It was the moment the curtain was finally falling on a horrific battle that had lasted four years.
"Hah, hah."
Breathing heavily, Ma Dong-Woo gave his teammates a thumbs up. Cha Hae-In let out a sigh of relief. Choi Jong-In adjusted his glasses and cracked a grin. Im Tae-Gyu clenched both fists tight. Everyone expressed the thrill of victory in their own way. Among them, only Baek Yoon-Ho was shuddering at an inexplicable sense of dread that had settled in a corner of his chest.
"Hyung, we just became the seventh team in the world to clear an S-rank Gate, and that's the face you're making...?" "Wait."
That was when. Ma Dong-Woo's expression, who had been in contact with the control center, turned grim. There was no time for this. Ma Dong-Woo urgently shouted at the teammates who were resting nearby.
"The Japanese Hunters are retreating, and a horde of ants is heading this way right now. We need to get out!" "Huh?" "There's still plenty of time left, isn't there?" "Two S-rank Hunters couldn't hold out for even thirty minutes?"
Ma Dong-Woo spoke to his bewildered teammates in a somber voice.
"I don't have the details either... The Association says they're looking into the situation, but the Japanese side has unilaterally cut off communication." "Those bastards..."
Choi Jong-In spat out a curse. Even if the Hunters here had been Japanese rather than Korean, would they have given up holding out so easily and retreated? But anger was a luxury that only the living could afford. Ma Dong-Woo suppressed his emotions as much as he could to prevent the team from faltering, and urged the escape with a composed face.
"Move! Now!"
The entire Korean team sprinted toward the entrance of the Queen's Bedroom. But then. Baek Yoon-Ho was the first to stop in his tracks.
"Ah..." "Hyung?"
Min Byung-Gu, who had been running behind, also stopped, and like a chain reaction, everyone froze. Baek Yoon-Ho stood silent, his gaze locked on a single point, and began to tremble.
"I-It can't be..."
Impossible. No—it should not be possible. Staring at the approaching shadow, he suddenly recalled the single human-shaped egg he had seen in the spawning grounds.
'Is this... the power of a single magical beast...?'
Baek Yoon-Ho's face turned pale. The puzzled Hunters soon sensed the anomaly and took a step back from the entrance.
"What is it?" "Have the ants already come back?"
While the Hunters were in disarray, from the far side of the darkness-shrouded ant colony, a single winged ant was slowly walking toward the Hunters.
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