NOVEL NEXT Chapter 141
Chapter 141: A Satisfying Hunt
“See? No problems at all!”
Han Ji-ho shrugged as he spoke.
As they ventured further inside, the monsters only grew stronger.
However, they posed no real threat.
And naturally, that would continue to be the case.
He believed there wouldn’t be any formidable foes here, aside from the boss monster at the Gate.
The rest of the guild members shared the same sentiment.
This confidence was a natural outcome of their extensive experience successfully raiding numerous A-Class Gates.
As the top raid team of the best guild in the country, such confidence was expected.
‘Feeling good.’
A pleasant smile crept onto Su-jin’s lips.
This raid was nothing out of the ordinary until she spotted him.
Her pathetic ex-boyfriend, the one she had kicked to the curb, was standing right there.
He had been touted as a hero by the media, but he still seemed to be quite useless today.
She had told herself not to contact him for fear he might become a nuisance.
But now that they had crossed paths, she wasn’t one to simply let him go without a crowd-pleasing display.
Her desire to squash him rose within her.
Alright, she’d start by showcasing the overwhelming power of her guild.
Even as a porter, it seemed she had joined a pretty competent guild, but now he would see how massive the disparity was.
While those fools struggled in the forest, she would already have taken down the boss monster and be relaxing.
Sure, they would emerge exhausted and drenched in sweat, eyes bulging in disbelief.
Losing on such a grand scale would be the cherry on top.
“Alright, let’s keep it up…”
Just then, Nam Woo-sik was rallying the guild members.
A rustling sound came from the opposite side of the forest, and something shot out at high speed.
Before anyone could react, the creature collided with one of the Hunters walking nearby.
“Ah?!”
The Hunter cried out in shock as he was pinned to the ground.
“A Manticore?!”
A nearby Hunter shouted in surprise as he confirmed the identity of the unknown enemy.
It was no wonder; they had been facing mostly manageable monsters until now, and suddenly, a Manticore appeared.
The Manticore was a high-tier monster with a dangerous risk rating.
It had a physique almost comparable to that of an Ogre, and it was agile too.
Its long, sharp teeth could pierce through metal, and its hide was as tough and durable as armor.
This was no monster to take lightly, even for high-rank Hunters.
“Help, now!”
Nam Woo-sik yelled urgently.
If they gave the Manticore even a moment’s time, the pinned Hunter would suffer a fatal injury.
The Manticore’s weapons—its lion-like fangs and scorpion tail—were all lethal.
Every member of the Sun Guild was an experienced Hunter, and they were already rushing to save the attacked Hunter before Nam Woo-sik even raised his voice.
Although the Manticore was a threatening monster, there was only one.
They could take it down quickly with a concentrated assault.
But that conclusion was far too premature.
“Graah!”
A roar echoed through the air.
Alongside it, yet another Manticore leaped into view.
“Another one?!”
Nam Woo-sik’s face contorted in dismay.
He turned to face the newly emerged Manticore, ready to leap into action.
With his skills, he could easily handle a Manticore by himself.
But at that moment…
“Grahh!”
A Manticore’s roar echoed from behind.
Yet another one had appeared.
“Form up quickly!” Nam Woo-sik shouted, drawing his sword.
◈ ◈ ◈
Thud!
“Raaaah!”
Nam Woo-sik’s sword pierced the heart of the last remaining Manticore.
Red blood burst forth, splattering all over him as the creature fell lifeless.
They had somehow managed to defeat the sudden onslaught of five Mancitores.
But the status of the guild members was far from unscathed.
“Ugh… Ji-ho, hurry up!”
A Hunter, gripping his mangled arm, called for the healer Ji-ho.
“Wait a minute; let’s take care of this first!”
Ji-ho wiped the sweat from his brow with his left hand and began to heal the Hunter who had sustained a deep abdominal wound.
Thanks to the healing magic of an A-Class Healer, the wound was rapidly starting to close.
“Use potions for minor injuries.”
Nam Woo-sik said, observing with a grim expression.
They only had A-Class and B-Class Healers on hand, but that didn’t mean they had infinite magic power.
If they squandered their healing for trivial wounds, they might end up being unable to heal when it truly mattered.
“Why did so many Manticores suddenly show up?”
The A-Class Tanker beside Nam Woo-sik said with a serious expression.
“Who knows?”
Nam Woo-sik’s expression mirrored confusion.
The sudden increase in monster strength was baffling.
“It seems the boss is getting closer, I guess.”
Su-jin said nonchalantly.
As an A-Class Wizard, she had suffered no injuries thanks to the Tanker’s protection.
Perhaps that’s why she remained calm and collected.
“I suppose that’s possible.”
Nam Woo-sik nodded.
It was unfortunate that injuries had occurred due to unexpected circumstances, but they could heal up and regroup before continuing onward.
They had fought through many tough situations thus far.
This was not a big deal.
As long as they proceeded with a bit more caution, they shouldn’t encounter any further issues.
“But if they had manticores come out over there…”
The A-Class Tanker trailed off.
Yet, nobody in the group needed clarification on what it implied.
If so many Manticores had attacked over there, they likely had managed to defeat them but with significant damage.
“We’ve got no stake in that. Didn’t I propose to split up first?”
Nam Woo-sik said with a neutral expression.
If major damage did occur, they would be called out on their suggestion to split up.
But with no cameras or outside witnesses present, they could easily shift the narrative to say the other party made the first claim.
That was the gist of what he meant.
“Right.”
Su-jin appeared cheerful.
The vision of Si-hyun’s group struggling against the sudden onslaught of formidable monsters played out vividly in her mind.
“Let’s take a proper break and then get moving again.”
Nam Woo-sik instructed.
◈ ◈ ◈
The red eyes of the Manticore, spotting its prey, glinted with excitement.
A human woman.
She was the ultimate prey, both easy to hunt and possessing tender, delectable flesh.
Drool dripped from its sharp teeth.
“Graah!”
With a satisfying roar, the Manticore lunged at the human woman in the blink of an eye.
The Manticore pressed down on the woman with its claws, fantasizing about savoring her delicious meat piece by piece.
However…
“Ugh?!”
Out of nowhere, a colossal boulder plummeted down from the sky, striking the Manticore directly.
Boom!
With an ear-splitting thunder, the enormous stone crushed the Manticore into a pulp.
Clap, clap, clap!
“Sister, nice shot!”
Baek Dong-il shouted with applause.
He appeared to be dressed casually, having stored away his weapons and armor, as if he were just visiting a tourist spot.
Anyone looking at him might get confused and think they were at a tourist attraction rather than inside a Gate.
Lin Xue furrowed her brows.
“No, I’m definitely younger than you… Why do you keep calling me sister?”
“Haha, anyone stronger than me is a sister, right?”
Baek Dong-il said with a friendly grin.
While one shouldn’t spit on a smiling face, the piercing glare from an annoyed woman landed squarely on him.
Yet, as if unaware of the stares, Dong-il continued to smile.
“You really lack awareness.”
Mujik shook his head reproachfully.
“Hyung, what do you mean by that? Are you saying I lack awareness?”
Baek Dong-il exclaimed, unable to believe his ears.
Mujik clicked his tongue, giving a glance toward Lin Xue before addressing her.
“Sis-in-law, great shot!”
“….”
Mujik, who usually got angry but rarely smiled, was sporting an awkward grin as he said this.
The guild members stared blankly, wholly dumbfounded.
Baek Dong-il, amidst their confusion, thought, ‘Well, that was to be expected.’
The awkward smile felt rather unsettling, and it didn’t seem like there was much difference from what he had just said.
But…
‘Huh?’
Lin Xue’s previously furrowed expression began to brighten.
A subtle smile crept onto her lips.
The other guild members noticed and exchanged glances.
Then, eager voices began to spill out.
“Sis-in-law, you really had a great vibe this time!”
“It was amazing, sis-in-law.”
“Nice shot, really nice shot, sis-in-law!”
Si-hyun looked on in amazement at the spectacle.
‘…Wow, our inmates really know how to socialize. Impressive.’
That said, this atmosphere was truly…
They had clearly entered an Abnormal Gate, but it felt just like visiting a resort.
At first, some guild members had been on high alert, weapons in hand.
But now, they had tossed their gear aside, strolling leisurely through the Gate.
Upon closer inspection, the area where Si-hyun and the guild members were standing had a wide, rectangular Transparent Shield surrounding them.
It looked thin and fragile, but those who had experienced it knew just how durable it really was.
Earlier, when leopard-like monsters attacked in droves, not a single one had managed to breach it.
No matter how hard they crashed against it, they would be sent bouncing back with a loud thud.
In essence, as long as they remained inside, they were safe.
So even when dangerous monsters like the Manticore appeared, they calmly leaned back and chatted away.
This was hard to adapt to.
This was too far removed from their reality.
“Let’s take a break and grab a bite. We’ve worked enough to deserve it.”
Lin Xue suggested, plopping down in a shady spot.
During raids, when they got tired, they usually munched on chocolates that were high in calories and washed them down with water or drinks.
That’s what Si-hyun thought.
But suddenly…
“Fetch that here, the Goro we caught earlier.”
Goro?
That was the name of a monster that resembled a wild boar.
Why on earth… could it be?
Now that she mentioned it, she had indeed weirdly decapitated Goro with blasts of wind earlier.
And she had specifically told them to gather that distinct trophy unlike the remains of other monsters.
Back then, he assumed it was for some purpose he was unaware of.
But surely, she couldn’t mean to eat it, right?
No way… She’s already starting a fire?!
Despite the lack of twigs, flames were roaring brightly from the ground.
“Here you go.”
This time, quick-witted Mujik brought the remains of Goro and placed them in front of Lin Xue.
On top of that, he even produced a sharp dagger that could be used to cut the meat.
“You seem to be liking what you see.”
She smiled and grasped the dagger, beginning to prepare Goro for cooking.
Swish, swish.
The dagger moved with such speed, it was nearly impossible to see the motions.
Her skill was astonishingly proficient.
It is as if she had done this countless times before.
“Can we… really eat that?”
Cheol-hyung asked hesitantly.
Seemingly more delicate than one would have thought.
“We can. It’s quite delicious. Haven’t you ever tried it? Oh wait, that’s right. You’re not S-rank.”
Lin Xue recalled Cheol-hyung was only an A-rank Hunter.
She turned her attention to Si-hyun.
“Goro is tasty, right?”
“Uh, yeah… it’s good.”
Si-hyun replied with an ambiguous smile.
Having said that, it wouldn’t do to refuse, and today seemed like a day for tasting monster meat.
Then, after a little while…
Sizzle.
The sound of meat cooking wafted through the air, sending delightful aromas wafting everywhere.
The scrumptious smell stimulated the guild members’ appetites, causing them to swallow hard.
“Okay, it’s ready. You go first.”
Lin Xue handed Si-hyun a piece of meat skewered on a twig.
The meat was perfectly golden brown.
“…Thanks.”
Si-hyun accepted the Goro meat, forcing a smile.
It did look delicious.
But he couldn’t shake off the primal disgust and aversion at the thought of eating monster flesh.
‘Oh whatever.’
Si-hyun closed his eyes tightly and took a bite.
‘Huh?’
But it was delicious.
The meat was tender, and the savory flavor mingled with the seasoning melted in his mouth.
Without realizing it, Si-hyun gave a thumbs up towards Lin Xue.
She beamed, matching his thumbs up.
“Please pass some to me, too!”
“Sis-in-law, I want some first!”
Seeing Si-hyun savoring his food, the guild members swarmed like hungry chicks begging for a bite.
‘…This is a great raid.’
Si-hyun thought while watching the scene unfold.
If the raids continued like this, they could dine twice a day.
This was the definition of well-being, making money effortlessly.
Munch, munch.
Ah, delicious.
…Meanwhile, they were leisurely enjoying a happy life that was entirely different from the other guild.