"Urgh... I can't believe the last conversation I had with my father was whether or not he ate dinner..." The sole A-rank hunter looked down, avoiding looking at the gigantic ant monster trying to attack him from above. "I should have talked with him more." He tightly closed his eyes, but then he heard a piercing sound.
A sword had sliced through the ants as he looked up.
...
"Because of one ant... all of the S-rank hunters are getting killed? Just what the hell is this turn of events...?" the director grabbed his head in anguish.
Several monitors in the room displayed the view of the dungeon and the S-rank hunters from the camera the A-rank hunter had with him.
"Chief! Due to the flood of calls from viewers, our communications network is about to die!"
"So what?! Are you telling me you want me to continue broadcasting our hunters getting ripped apart live on TV?!" he sighed, "It's over... we're done for."
"Chief! Some anonymous figure appeared at the scene just now!"
"Huh...? WHat do you mean by that...?!" The director immediately looked at the monitor.
"T-take a look at this, sir..."
"Oh... my god. I can't believe this." the director gasped. "Hurry and get the broadcast running again!"
"Huh?! But if we start the broadcast right now, then the coverage we'd be getting will all be live! If an emergency situation were to occur, we won't be able to deal with it!"
"We already stopped our broadcast once, so things can't get any worse than this. Nothing will stop us now! Turn the broadcast back on, no matter what!"
...
There were Igris, Iron,Tusk and other shadow monsters. Standing in front of the shadow army's hulking soldiers was Jin-Woo.
[Skill]
Shadow Exchange, Level 1
Class-specific skill
No mana cost
You are able to switch places with your shadow soldier. After using this skill, there is a 3-hour cooldown before you are able to use it again. The cooldown is dependent on the level of his skill.
You are able to use this skill again in 2 hours, 59 minutes, and 47 seconds.
"Iron."
"ROAAAR!"
[Iron's skill, 'Taunt' has been used.]
"Good job." Jin-Woo praised the soldier.
The ants charged at Jin-Woo with greater intensity. They surrounded him, their deadly stingers ready to strike and their razor-sharp mandibles snapping.
[Item]
Item: The Demon King's Dagger
Obtain rank: S
Type: Dagger
Attack: +220
This dagger was obtained from the Demon King, Baran. By equipping both 'The Demon King's Dagger', a set effect will be applied.
Set effect: 'Two For One':
Each dagger attack will have the same STR of the holder's stats applied to it.
Jin-Woo moved like a shadow, slashing through the ants with each swing of his dagger. The ants screeched in agony as they fell one by one in front of him. Tusk, the mage orc, positioned himself in front of the other hunters, as if to protect them, as the combat against the ants raged on.
"W-what just happened? Who is fighting right now?" Dongwook asked in confusion.
Yoon-Ho observed Jin-Woo effortlessly fighting the ants. "Master Ma... There's no need for us to worry anymore. Everything will be fine now," he replied calmly.
Igris used his sword to sever the heads of the ants. The other shadow creatures were also going after the other ants.
Jin-Woo looked at the situation before him. "Shall we hurry things up?"
"Arise."
From the dead ant's body, a shadow emerged.
'What is this? Just what the hell is happening right now?' The A-rank hunter asked in horror. 'D-did those ants just get revived?'
The shadows eventually began to resemble the corpse ants.
"Hey, are you there? Hurry and broadcast the situation right now! Hurry! The entire country is watching right now!" the director yelled from his earpiece.
"U-uh... uh... even I'm not sure what is happening right now..." he replied. "I'm not sure why, but the ants are killing each other!"
"Everyone, please gather over here." Jin-Woo walked up to the other hurt hunters.
He searched among all of the hunters but was unable to locate the person he was hoping to see. He felt his heart pounding.
"Where is Seung-Eun?"
The shadow he had before linked to Seung-Eun abruptly came back to him which was the reason he came here.
The hunters became uneasy as Jin-Woo stared at them with cold, penetrating eyes. He released a terrible amount of pressure from his bloodlust.
Dongwook quickly tried to appease him and explained, "Hunter Han said he was waiting for someone and didn't want to leave with us."
"I don't know what he was waiting for. The strange ant did not attack him, so he wasn't the slightest bit injured." Yoon-Ho added, sweat dripping down his brow.
Jin-Woo felt his anxiety eased slightly. 'Who could he possibly be waiting for?'
Only the Japanese and Korean hunters participated in the raid, and several of the Japanese hunters were already dead.
'Or... did he know I was going to come?' He felt his speculation was right.
"I'll explain everything later. But for now, please drink this."
After pulling a potion from his inventory, Jin-Woo held Tae-Gyu in his arms. All of the hunters were given the potions.
"All my wounds are healed." Yoon-Ho looked down at his body.
Dongwook also handed Hae-In the potion to drink, but when she did, he discovered that she was still unresponsive. "Why is it that hunter Cha still has not regained consciousness?" he asked.
Hae-In was still unconscious after The Ant King hit her.
"She's still in a critical state right now. I can't treat her with my current skills." Jin-Woo replied. "It seems this place has been cleared. Before more ants come rushing in, you guys need to hurry and leave immediately."
"Will do!"
The atmosphere suddenly shifted, sending shivers down the hunters' spine. A bone-chilling pressure descended on them, encompassing the battlefield in a sense of terror. The air itself became heavy with an oppressive presence.
"The king does not exist outside." The Ant King spoke. "He was no king. Is there a king? Is there someone who can be a king?"
"If that bastard came back..." Yoon-Ho trailed off. 'Does that mean even Goto Ryuji was killed by him?'
"A-ah shit." Dongwook cursed under his breath.
Jin-Woo left the other hunters calmly. "Master Ma. I'll leave Hunter Cha in your care."
"Hunter Sung!"
'I should have known, ever since the signals of my shadow were disconnected from Goto Ryuji, that he was probably killed.' Jin-Woo silently thought.
"Are you the king of humans?" The Ant King asked.
"Wow, a bug is talking to me." Jin-Woo smiled mockingly in front of the ant.
"Human, you have a dangerous aura." The ant made a hideous screeching sound.
Jin-Woo felt amused. "Now you seem more like a bug."
...
5 minutes earlier.
Two hunters stood close together, looking at the phone screen, which showed that the broadcast of the situation at the entrance on Jeju Island had been paused. One of them was Song Chi-Yul, Jin-Woo's old friend and also a kumdo teacher. The other was Lee Joohee, the B-rank healer that accompanied Jin-Woo and Seung-Eun in their early dungeon raids.
"What's going to happen to the hunters?"
"What was that just now?"
"How can they end the broadcast like this?"
"Hyung-nim! What's happening right now?"
The news broadcast abruptly switched on, capturing the attention of viewers across the nation.
"Ah, we will relay what has just been confirmed." the reporter's voice quivered with a mixture of sorrow and disbelief.
Through the transmissions, they learned that Min Byung-Gu had died. And the safety of the remaining hunters in the ant tunnel could not be confirmed.
The reporter's tone shifted, carrying a note of excitement and anticipation. "Ah! An unidentified hunter just appeared! We will now continue to relay the broadcast!"
"Huh?! Wait?!" Few of the hunters looked surprised by the familiar figure.
...
"Ant, you have quite a dangerous aura."
"Are you the king?"
"That's right. I am the king."
"Keekeek."
Beep.
"This was where we lost touch with him."
The man on the other side gritted the tobacco until it broke off.
'An ant that's able to talk like a human! And furthermore, Goto-san was taken out by the monster...
"Yes, associate president?"
"Where the fuck is that monster?" Matsumoto Shigeo, the associate president of the Japanese hunting committee, sat on the chair while watching the broadcast of the Jeju Island raid.
"It just reappeared at the queen's lair!"
"The Korean team is still alive, then?"
"Yes, it would seem that way."
"Also, a new entity with insane magic strength that rivals the ants has appeared just now."
"Fuck...! The broadcast...! Turn on the broadcast that is being aired in Korea right now!"
"Yes, sir!"
...
"Mom, what are you up to?" Jin-Ah poked her head out from behind the living room door.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Was I bothering your studies? The TV wasn't working for some reason." Her mother replied, patting the TV.
"Where did Oppa go?"
"He stepped outside. He said he had something to do. Jin-Ah, How does this TV work?"
"Wait! Hold on a sec, mom!" The door was shut quickly, leaving the woman alone in the living room.
"......? The kids are pretty loud today." She crossed her arms and sighed.
Jin-Ah stared at the screen of her phone with wide eyes and her mouth agape. "......!!"
...
On the other side, in the Korean Hunter Association building.
"Isn't that person, Sung Jin-Woo?!" The association's chairman eagerly yelled, crushing the armchair in his .
"Chairman, please calm yourself!"
...
The first to attack was The Ant King, which flung its arm in Jin-Woo's direction. The intensity of the ant's punch caused a blast of wind to rush past him. The ground shook beneath him, as waves of wind and dust flew everywhere.
"The strength of their magic is insane...!" Jong-In yelled as he tried to block the wind rushing towards them.
"We looked down on the ant too much. But it just took a direct hit!" Yoon-Ho said.
"Weak, you are not king either." The Ant King murmured in dismay, believing that one strike was all it took to defeat the human.
The eyes of everyone watching suddenly widen.
The dust around them settled. Jin-Woo was still standing still and hadn't budged from where he had been. He spat out the blood in his mouth.
[Skill 'Dominator Touch' has been activated.]
As Jin-Woo pulled back his hand, a blue aura erupted from his fist. The ant shook and dropped to his knees, appearing to be dragged down by Jin-Woo's hand. Jin-Woo punched the ant in the head with his other hand, causing it to fly and strike the cave wall.
The fight once more perplexed the other hunters.
"Master Baek, master Choi... Are you absolutely certain that hunter Sung is a mage type?" Dongwook asked in surprise.
A mage hunter would typically engage in close-quarters battle, but Jin-woo was engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the Ant King.
"Even I have a hard time believing that as well." Yoon-Ho replied grimly.
The ant leaped at Jin-Woo while screeching angrily.
'It's pretty sturdy. Is it because of its exoskeleton?'
"It's getting in the way." Jin-Woo mumbled.
The ant hurled its outstretched arms down on Jin-Woo. Jin-Woo used his own arm to deflect the blow. The collision caused cracks in the ground. The ant punched Jin-Woo in the skull, while Jin-Woo punched it in the abdomen.
They kept throwing fists at each other.
'The pressure in here is overwhelming... Even an A-rank like me can barely withstand it.' While filming the battle, the cameraman was trembling, 'The strength of their magic alone is making me lose consciousness.'
'I'm... losing in a battle of strength?' The Ant King peered at the cracks in its exoskeleton from below. 'What is this...?'
'What is the true identity of this human?
...
"Hehehe, so cool! Did you see that Lanze?" Seung-Eun watched the scene in front of him with sparkling eyes. He put the pop-corns in his fingers into his mouth.
"... Yes."
Lanze turned to face Jin-Woo as he battled the ant. He then turned to face the person seated next to him.
They were beside the other high-rank hunters and shielded from view by a barrier, making it impossible for anyone to see them.
"It's a once-in-a lifetime event! To witness such a brilliant, wonderful, stunning battle! In the previous life, I was so excited reading the manhwa and didn't get to finish it!" Seung-Eun persisted in babbling nonsense that Lanze was unable to fully comprehend.
It was the first time Lanze saw him this excited.
'But where did the popcorn come from?'
"That ant..."
"Hm?"
"Will it die and become his shadow monster as well?"
Seung-Eun responded while choking on popcorn. "I'm not sure."
His sire always knew a lot of things, and this was the first time that he couldn't answer in certainty.
"Pardon...?"
"I couldn't read the end of the manhwa last time, so I'm not sure if he killed The Ant King or not. Regardless, I am confident in Hyung's ability to defeat it." Seung-Eun smiled slightly. "By the way... Today is the day your contract ends! Aren't you happy?"
Lanze's heart began to sink.
"What?"