Cha Hae-In noticed a strong sense of wrongness the moment she saw the ant that had entered.
*'No aura...?'*
It was so difficult to read its presence that unless she kept her eyes on it constantly, pinpointing its location was nearly impossible. The only two beings she'd ever encountered like that—a Hunter or a magical beast combined—were exactly two. One was the ant before her now, and the other was...
*'Sung Jin-Woo.'*
She recalled how Sung Jin-Woo had bared the fangs he'd hidden in front of Japan's strongest Hunter just days ago. What if he were standing before her now as an enemy? A chill. Her breath caught in her throat, and goosebumps crawled up her spine.
*'...'*
Just imagining it was enough to make Cha Hae-In's face stiffen into a mask. For the exhausted Korean team Hunters still recovering from the fight against the Queen, the appearance of an ant of unknown standing was anything but good news.
"That one..." "Doesn't something feel off about it?" "It's giving me the creeps."
Though not to the degree of Baek Yoon-Ho or Cha Hae-In, the other Hunters had also sensed the strangeness. Gulps. A single magical beast had approached, yet the air around them was changing.
*'What do I do?'*
Ma Dong-Woo deliberated. When facing an unexpected situation, a leader had to make decisions swiftly. Especially in moments like this, when time was not on their side.
*'If a magical beast showed up, we should just kill it, but...'*
Then why did such a gnawing sense of unease fill him? While he was wrestling with that thought, the ant had drawn within arm's reach. Its movements were eerily silent.
*'There's no time to keep hesitating.'*
Just as Ma Dong-Woo had forced past his instincts' warnings and finally reached a rational decision—the ant vanished.
"Where?"
Ma Dong-Woo's eyes went wide as he looked around. The other Hunters were in no different a state.
"Behind..."
A cameraman who had been scanning in every direction spotted the ant at the last moment and shouted.
"It's behind us!"
The Hunters wheeled around in alarm. The ant had slipped past them at a speed they couldn't even register and now stood before the dead Queen's corpse.
*'It passed right by us?' 'How...?'*
The other Korean team Hunters were beginning to feel for themselves what Baek Yoon-Ho had seen earlier through "Beast's Eyes." Thud, thud, thud. Heartbeats quickened. Breaths grew ragged.
*'...This is no ordinary one.'*
Cold sweat beaded on Ma Dong-Woo's forehead. The ant paid the Hunters no attention at all, gazing only at the lifeless Queen. Then it raised its head, and—Kieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! A nightmarish roar that rattled the entire ant colony tore from its throat without end. Thump! The cameraman's legs gave out first. Thump! Thump! Behind him, one by one, the Hunters buckled under the overwhelming pressure and collapsed to their knees. Ma Dong-Woo himself dropped a hand to the ground, his face a picture of disbelief.
*'I... I'm buckling at nothing more than a roar...?'*
By the time the ant's roar finally ended—as if it would never stop—the only one still standing was Cha Hae-In. Even she could barely hold on, both legs trembling. A counterattack was out of the question. Only then did the ant finally show interest in the Hunters. With unmistakable hostility.
*'...!'*
Cha Hae-In's eyes widened. The ant's face, now turned toward the Hunters, was twisted into a grotesque grimace. As though it was furious over the Queen's death. Cha Hae-In calmly placed her hand on the sword's hilt. But the ant moved faster than she could draw the blade at her hip. Fwip! In the blink of an eye the ant had vanished and reappeared right in front of her. Cha Hae-In's pupils trembled. Before she could even think to defend—THWACK!
"Ah!"
Struck on the side of her head, Cha Hae-In was launched sideways, slammed into the wall, and dropped to the floor. Thud! In a single blow she lost consciousness. Her comrades were horrified. Their strongest member had been taken down in one hit. But there was no time to be shocked. They had confirmed the enemy's strength. Hunters knew from experience all too well that the longer they hesitated, the lower their chances of survival. Ma Dong-Woo, the tank, stepped forward first.
"Hup—!"
Ma Dong-Woo wrapped his arms around the ant from behind and squeezed. With enough force to uproot a centuries-old tree, he constricted the ant's torso. Thick veins bulged along his neck and forearms. But—
"Gaaah—!"
The ant exerted force, and Ma Dong-Woo's arms went limp, falling uselessly away. He dropped to both knees.
"No!"
Baek Yoon-Ho lunged forward. If he didn't divert its attention, Ma Dong-Woo—who had lost both arms and now had no means of defense—would lose his life instantly. Baek Yoon-Ho gritted his teeth. White fur bristled from his body and his fingernails grew long and sharp; he charged in like a beast. Fwip! The ant vanished again.
*'Where...?'*
Even with "Beast's Eyes" again, Baek Yoon-Ho couldn't track its movement. The scream came from behind.
"Aaargh—!"
It was Choi Jong-In, who had been in the middle of casting. Sliced diagonally across his upper body by the ant's claw, Choi Jong-In groaned and crumpled. From about five steps away, Im Tae-Gyu—who had been suppressing his presence and waiting for an opening—fired a mana-laden arrow at the ant.
*'At this distance, I'll never miss!'*
It was a shot brimming with confidence. Whoosh! But—gulp. Im Tae-Gyu's pupils shook with an earthquake of shock.
*'What!'*
The ant snatched the incoming arrow out of the air and lightly crushed it. Crack! Im Tae-Gyu scrambled to nock the next arrow, but by the time he loaded it and raised his bow, the ant was already standing right in front of him.
"...Damn it."
Pow! A direct hit to the face sent Im Tae-Gyu flying. Even Baek Yoon-Ho, who had rushed in when the ant's back was turned, was seized by the back of the head in the instant it spun around and slammed into the ground. Thud! Baek Yoon-Ho's body shuddered. And just as the ant tried to smash him into the earth a second time, Ma Dong-Woo charged in and rammed the ant with his shoulder. Bam! The ant rolled across the floor and got back up. Ma Dong-Woo—whose arms had clearly been torn off moments ago—was lunging at it again with a fully restored body. The ant knocked Ma Dong-Woo down again, and took down other Hunters as well. But the injured Hunters recovered in moments and threw themselves back into the fight. Only then did the ant begin to recognize the existence of a healer. It scoured the surroundings, searching for the healer. But Min Byung-Gu was calm. His only self-protection skill, "Concealment," allowed him to hide his presence perfectly, like stealth—though with the drawback of not being able to move. Still, that was more than enough for a healer. All he had to do was stand in one spot and keep sending out heals. As healing magic flew at the ant from an invisible source time and again, the ant changed tactics. It seized the legs of Ma Dong-Woo—who looked the toughest among the Hunters—and lifted him upside down.
*'What is it trying to do?'*
Min Byung-Gu was startled. The ant began to slowly crush Ma Dong-Woo. Each time it did, Min Byung-Gu continued firing off heals. He had no choice. The moment he stopped, Ma Dong-Woo's life would end. Sweat poured down Min Byung-Gu's face as he kept up the healing magic. The ant, searching for the source of the continuous stream of healing mana, whipped its head toward Min Byung-Gu's location.
*'No way?'*
His heart lurched, but in the blink of an eye the ant was gone.
*'What the—?'*
Where had it gone this time?
"Byung-Gu!"
Baek Yoon-Ho shouted. Then—thunk!
"Guh!"
Blood sprayed from Min Byung-Gu's mouth. A searing, burn-like pain shot through him; looking down, a massive hole had been punched through his abdomen. Sticking out of the hole was the ant's black arm. Min Byung-Gu raised his head, and his eyes met Baek Yoon-Ho's. Min Byung-Gu spoke.
"Hyung... run." "Byung-Gu!"
Baek Yoon-Ho tried to get up, but his injured leg wouldn't bear weight. Crack! The ant tore into Min Byung-Gu's head. Crack! Crack!
"Aaaaaah—!"
Baek Yoon-Ho stumbled forward. The ant released the headless Min Byung-Gu and seized the charging Baek Yoon-Ho's throat with one hand. Baek Yoon-Ho struggled with all his might, but breaking free from the ant's iron grip was impossible. The ant opened its mouth.
"Hyung... run... Hyung... run." "...?"
Baek Yoon-Ho's eyes shot open in shock. The ant was perfectly mimicking Min Byung-Gu's way of speaking. Apart from its voice splitting and cracking in a grotesque way, it was identical to Min Byung-Gu.
"Run... Hyung."
After repeating the same words for a while, the ant locked eyes with Baek Yoon-Ho.
"You... are weak."
Familiar words came from the ant's mouth. Slurred, but unmistakably Korean.
"What...?"
Baek Yoon-Ho's eyes widened.
"Our... Queen has fallen... Killing your foot soldiers... won't settle the account... Who is your King?" "...King?"
The ant tightened its grip on Baek Yoon-Ho's neck.
"Guh." "Your King... where is he?"
Baek Yoon-Ho thought. With Cha Hae-In—the Korean team's strongest member—unconscious, he needed someone who could buy even a little time. Baek Yoon-Ho thought of Goto, the strongest Hunter on the Japanese team—the team currently abandoning the Korean team and retreating.
"O... Outside." "Outside..."
The ant raised its head. It seemed to be searching for something, then spoke in a satisfied voice.
"...There... strong one."
Then, as if Baek Yoon-Ho wasn't even worth dealing with, it dropped him and vanished at terrifying speed. Cough, cough. Baek Yoon-Ho, sprawled on the floor, gasped for a long while before looking around. This was no time for that. He had to get out of here before the ant returned. But—sssssssss. While they had been locked in a fierce battle with the powerful ant, the ant legion had already returned to the nest and was slowly flooding into the bedroom.
***
"Hm."
Goto sheathed his sword. Ant corpses were piled into mountains around him. At a rough count—over a hundred. A moment that laid bare the true strength of Japan's strongest.
"Looks like that's mostly cleared out." "Yes."
The Hunters on his team nodded at the reliable sight of Goto. As long as they were near him, it seemed impossible to die.
"The report from HQ is that we just need to evacuate."
The Hunter who had received the communication reported. Goto nodded and turned toward the coast.
"Let's—"
Goto didn't finish his sentence. Fwip! An ant had appeared out of nowhere and was standing right before his eyes.
*'...'*
Goto assessed the enemy's skill at a glance.
*'This is no ordinary ant.' "Goto-san!"*
Goto held back his comrades who had moved to help.
"I'll handle this one."
Against an enemy this strong, his companions would only get in the way. He was better off alone. Trusting in Goto's abilities, his team members obediently withdrew as ordered. Goto drew his sword with a grave expression.
"An ant... with a rather sharp aura."
The ant, seemingly aware of its own power, stood perfectly still. Well—if it so much as twitched, it would be sliced into hundreds of pieces by this blade. The ant spoke.
"Are you... the King?" "King?"
Goto's eyes went wide. The ant could talk. But it was well known that intelligent magical beasts had their own language. If that was the case, an ant mimicking a human's tongue was not entirely impossible. Goto let out a smirk.
*'The King, huh...'*
If Chairman Matsumoto built a hunters' empire, he was the only one fit to sit on the throne.
"That's right. I'm the King."
Hehe. The moment it got the answer it wanted, the ant unleashed its mana. Whoosh! A portion of the aura seeping from it—and Goto, who had judged its full power based on a mere glimpse of the tip of the iceberg, felt his pupils tremble.
*'What on earth is this...?'*
A chill ran through him and goosebumps rose. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He had experienced this sensation once before.
*'...Sung Jin-Woo?'*
Shk. The ant moved, and in the same instant Goto's head fell to the ground.
***
"Aaaargh!"
The Korean team was surrounded by ants. Ma Dong-Woo, Im Tae-Gyu, Choi Jong-In—even the cameraman fought against the surging horde. But the tide of ants was endless. Hah, hah, hah. Every other sound had vanished; all that filled his ears was his own ragged breathing.
*'So this is where it ends.'*
Baek Yoon-Ho wiped the blood trickling down from beneath his brow with the back of his hand. With their only healer gone, there was no way to contend with this number of enemies. It was futile resistance. The only reason he couldn't bring himself to give up easily was that two precious people had already lost their lives in this place. He refused to lie down in the same spot where they had been buried.
"Graaah—!"
He smashed another ant head. But far more ants surged toward him. Kieeek! Kieek! Baek Yoon-Ho threw off the ants with everything he had and stood with his back against the wall. At least this way he wouldn't be surrounded on all sides.
"Hah, hah."
He raised his head and looked for the other Hunters. He couldn't see any of them—the comrades who had been fighting alongside him just moments ago were hidden behind the mass of ants. Surely not—he wanted to believe otherwise, but... As he bit down hard on his lower lip, a presence suddenly appeared behind him. He spun around, fist raised, and froze. Standing behind him wasn't an ant.
*'What is this?'*
A soldier clad in black armor. It was the first time he'd seen one in person, but Park Hee-Jin—who had entered the Red Gate—had told him about "this" more times than he could count.
*'This is definitely...?'*
Baek Yoon-Ho cried out in shock.
"Why is this here?!"
Then a familiar voice came from the soldier.
-Exchange.
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