I was Kicked Out of the Hunter’s Guild

Hunting the Abyss is never easy.

Although each creature differs in appearance and abilities, they all share one frightening trait: an incredibly sensitive perception.

These beings can sense human life, detect the scent of blood—whether from enemies or allies—and react instinctively to even the slightest stimulus.

And once triggered, they charge at their targets without hesitation, like wild oxen, completely forgetting the fear of death.

Because of this, recklessly attacking the Abyss simply because a few appeared nearby was considered extremely dangerous.

If a hunting party lacked sufficient power, they could easily be wiped out by the endless onslaught of these creatures.

The Abyss’s heightened sensitivity and aggressive nature served as a terrifying advantage,
allowing them to rapidly gather troops and launch relentless offensives.

For this reason, it was a strict rule among hunters and their lieutenants to always remain vigilant while hunting the Abyss—to engage them with minimal provocation.

A single misstep—stimulating the Abyss too much—could trigger a merciless tidal wave of berserk warriors, endlessly swarming and sweeping away everything in their path.

But.

While the Abyss’s sharp instincts and explosive aggression were undoubtedly their greatest strengths—

sometimes…

They also became a fatal weakness.

A weakness that could drag them straight into hell.

Just like this moment that I see before my eyes.

***

“Dr-r-r-r-r-r-r-r!”

Loud footsteps shook the earth.

And with that—countless Abyss began pouring out of the forest, surging like a river of black tar.

“Aaah!!”

“Kueeaek!!”

“Kyaaa!!”

With twisted, beastly cries, the Abyss swarmed like ants.

Their numbers seemed to be in the hundreds, if not more, and their momentum was overwhelming—powerful enough to topple a mountain.

In such a situation, with creatures charging from all directions, it would be natural for any human to feel instinctive fear.

But at this moment—

Not a trace of fear appeared on the faces of the thirty hunters standing as their targets.

Instead, deep smiles began to spread across their lips.

Smiles filled with anticipation and excitement—

—about what was about to happen next.

“Everyone, prepare to fire!”

At Iare’s command, the hunters raised their guns, each aiming at their designated positions.

But the weapons they held were no ordinary firearms.

The bullets loaded inside—

“Launch!”

–Pak! Pakak! Pakak!–

Gunfire erupted, the sound distinct from that of normal bullets.

Unlike standard rounds, these projectiles were visible the moment they left the muzzle. As they struck the ground, they ignited into vibrant, colorful flames—

—like fireworks bursting into bloom.

And then—

–BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!–

In the next instant, the bullets detonated all at once, erupting like explosives.

The tiny rounds transformed into blazing infernos, each explosion covering a radius of several meters.

With a single devastating strike, the Abyss leading the charge up the hillside was reduced to nothing but ash.

Even from behind the safety line, the hunters could feel the lingering heat—
warm, intense, and deadly.

As a result of the devastating assault, the hunters clearly realized the power they wielded.

Without hesitation, they reloaded their weapons—preparing for another round of this splendid fireworks of death.

Incendiary bombs.

Weapons of mass destruction capable of turning an entire area into a sea of fire with a single shot.

Under normal circumstances, such weapons were almost impossible to use due to the risk of friendly fire.

But now—

With the hunters holding an overwhelming advantage from the high ground, they could fire repeatedly without any concern.

Especially when the enemies before them were monsters—creatures that warranted no remorse. In this situation, no further justification was needed.

“Ready to shoot!”

At Iare’s second command, the hunters raised their guns once more.

At this moment, the scene unfolding before them could be divided into three categories:

Abyss turned to ash in a sea of fire.

Abyss writhing in agony as their bodies melted away.

And countless Abyss, driven into a frenzy, charging forward relentlessly, indifferent to the deaths of their kin.

Toward these damned beings, the hunters prepared once again—to deliver hell.

And then—

“Launch!”

–Pak! Pakak! Pakak!–

At Iare’s command, the fireworks from hell erupted once more.

Though a considerable amount of valley water flowed nearby, the Abyss, engulfed in flames, instinctively rolled toward it in a desperate attempt to extinguish the fire.

Unfortunately for them, this only led to the worst possible outcome.

The incendiary materials used—highly reactive metals such as aluminum and magnesium—had a critical property:

Instead of extinguishing, the flames burned hotter and stronger when submerged in water.

“Keew!!”

“Chureouk!!”

The Abyss, unaware of the incendiary materials’ properties, threw themselves into the water—only to melt away in an even more miserable state.

Watching the scene unfold, Kwonsoon, visibly excited, loaded another incendiary round.

“This! This is what a real battle should feel like! Hot and intense! Way better than wandering around the woods for days doing stupid things!”

“Exactement! (Exactly my thoughts), Joggs!”

Glass, like Kwonsoon, screamed with joy.

Normally, Glass was languid—like a cat dozing under the warm spring sunshine.

But now—

Her expression, wild with excitement, resembled a bobcat rather than a housecat.

Each time she fired an incendiary round at Are’s command, her exhilaration grew.

And it wasn’t just Glass.

All the hunters here shared the same feeling.

Even Iare—who wasn’t firing directly so she could oversee the operation—found herself caught up in the same mood.

At that moment—

– “Hunters of Unit 3! Shift your aim to the three o’clock direction!” –

Jinhyun’s command came suddenly.

Although the hunters of Group 3 didn’t understand the exact reason, they followed the order without hesitation, turning their attention in the specified direction.

And then—

– “Concentrate fire on the low point, 50 meters ahead!” –

“… Open fire!”

Even without fully understanding why, they obeyed, launching incendiary rounds at the designated location.

The shells exploded among the clustered Abyss, transforming the area into a blazing sea of fire.

Up to that point, the hunters had no idea why they had been ordered to adjust their line of attack.

They simply acted on the clear, authoritative command that echoed in their ears.

Why they had to shift their focus ever so slightly remained a mystery.

But then—

“Kweee!!!!”

“Uh?”

“Is that…?”

The next moment, something emerged into view.

As soon as the hunters of Team 3 recognized what it was, a mix of bewilderment and relief washed over them.

An advanced Abyss, Lycan.

A creature resembling a bipedal wolf, classified as a variant of the Abyss Wolf. Its combat power rivaled that of the standard Abyss Wolf, but it was faster, stronger, and far more dangerous.

What made it truly terrifying, however, was its leaping ability—powerful enough to scale the rocky hill in a single bound.

Given the B-class nature of this mission, such a creature wasn’t supposed to appear.

Either there had been a critical information error, or it had wandered in from elsewhere.

But none of that mattered now.

Because the moment it entered the designated kill zone, the incendiary rounds struck it directly.

The Lycan, notorious for its strength and speed, let out a miserable scream as it was engulfed in flames.

Despite its higher rank, which allowed it to endure a few seconds longer than the lower-tier Abyss, it ultimately collapsed—reduced to ash like the rest.

Had Jinhyun’s command come even a moment later…

Had they missed the chance to intercept it…

No one could say what kind of devastation might have followed.

While Iare, wielding her Trapezo, stood ready to engage at close range, there was still a real possibility that the Lycan could have caused significant damage to the team.

Realizing how narrowly they had avoided disaster, the hunters breathed a collective sigh of relief.

They had escaped a crisis they hadn’t even known was coming.

And at that moment, the hunters once again felt a deep, genuine admiration for Jinhyun’s extraordinary capabilities.