Chapter 70

Ten minutes before Suho arrived.

Countless drones flew over the city where disaster had struck.

—Mutants have suddenly appeared and are attacking civilians!

The shocking live news swept across the nation.

—Police hunters from the Hunters Association are currently working to bring the situation swiftly under control...!

However hopeful the reporters tried to sound, the footage told a different story.

Everywhere, civilians fled screaming. Mutants pursued them at incredible speeds and tore into their throats.

And then...

“Graaah!”

Even the sight of the victims’ wounds rapidly rotting as they transformed into new Mutants was caught on camera.

—Despite the Association hunters’ desperate efforts, the number of Mutants is increasing rapidly!

It was, in short, a zombie outbreak in the heart of the city.

—The Hunters Association says it is dispatching additional forces to the scene, but advises that it will take some time for them to arrive!

Ultimately, time was the problem.

Of all places, the disaster had struck the heart of Seoul, where tens of thousands of civilians lived. If that entire population turned into Mutants, South Korea would truly face an apocalypse.

Various guilds were sending reinforcements even now, but their numbers were woefully inadequate. Hunters were always busy, and unless they happened to be nearby, reaching the scene would take considerable time.

That was when something changed.

—Ah! It’s the Reaper Guild!

The drone cameras caught Reaper Guild members suddenly appearing and showering the Mutants with mana arrows.

—Guildmaster Lim Taegyu of the Reaper Guild has arrived at the scene with his guild members!

Every drone began zooming in on Lim Taegyu. Taking the lead and directing his guild members, he actively supported the embattled Association hunters.

—Meanwhile, the Hunters Association has identified the villain Lee Minsung, formerly the Reaper Guild’s vice president, as the root cause of this incident...!

At the same time, articles began springing up online emphasizing that Lee Minsung alone was responsible, not the Reaper Guild.

Countless comments began appearing beneath them.

—Seriously, does that make any sense?

—They’re all in on it.

—They milked it together, and now they’re cutting the VP loose?

—Looks like the dumped VP did this in a fit of rage.

—Is our country seriously going to collapse at this rate?

—Glad I live outside Seoul.

Public opinion had long since turned against the Reaper Guild. Its reputation had already been bad, and this incident had firmly branded it.

Yet even the trolls heaping abuse on the guild had to acknowledge one thing: the S-rank hunter Lim Taegyu.

The footage captured the incredible spectacle of his countless mana arrows picking off Mutants moment by moment.

—Holy crap.

—Lim Taegyu really is something.

—That’s an S-rank for you.

—With skills like that, why not just go solo? Why start a guild and get all this hate?

—FYI: Being a good player and being a good coach are different things.

—FYI: Lim Taegyu’s weapon is the Reaper’s Bow, and its price tag is...

But that was when the secretary standing behind Lim Taegyu made a strange move.

—Huh?

—Hey, wait!

—Behind you! Behind you!

—Look behind you!

The viewers watching through the drones noticed something was wrong before Lim Taegyu, who was focused on the battle.

But he had no way of seeing their comments. In the end, he left his back exposed to Secretary Oh.

—Holy shit! What was that?

—Betrayal?

—Is he working for Lee Minsung?

—Wait, why’s he going down so easily?

—Are S-rank hunters really that weak?

—No way.

—Was the blade poisoned or something?

The viewers watching the news were stunned.

Even an S-rank hunter was not invincible. However immense their offensive and defensive power, they were still human: injuries hurt, and fatal wounds killed.

But without knowing the details, the viewers could scarcely believe that an S-rank hunter had fallen to his knees from a mere stab with a dagger.

“Urgh!”

Ambushed by someone he trusted, Lim Taegyu immediately pulled the dagger from his back. But the emotional shock was greater than the physical pain.

“Secretary Oh, why would you...?”

Meeting his gaze, Secretary Oh merely looked uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry, sir. But I have a great mission entrusted to me by the queen.”

“Th-the queen? Urgh!”

Lim Taegyu’s head suddenly spun, and his legs buckled.

Poison. And not ordinary poison, either, but a lethal toxin.

Secretary Oh bowed politely to him.

“Please don’t waste your strength. Accept it. The poison I used is the queen’s royal jelly.”

‘Royal... jelly?’

Those words brought memories flashing through Lim Taegyu’s mind.

[“Your birthday is coming up, isn’t it, sir? I brought you a present.”]

[“Oh! A present? What is it?”]

[“Some premium liquor I had a hard time getting through a contact. Would you care to try it?”]

[“I’m always up for a drink! What’s it called? Royal Jelly?”]

[“It’s good for your health.”]

Secretary Oh had given him that premium liquor called Royal Jelly at every opportunity.

Why was the name of that strangely sweet-smelling liquor coming to mind at a moment like this?

A sharp pain shot through him.

“...!”

An agonizing headache gripped Lim Taegyu. At the same time, a powerful message rang through his mind.

—Be loyal to the queen!

“Aaargh!”

Lim Taegyu cast aside even the Reaper’s Bow and rolled on the ground, clutching his head in both hands.

GRIND!

But royal jelly had failed to control even Lee Minsung. There was no way it could work on a hunter of an even higher caliber.

“Get... out of my head!”

BOOM!

An immense aura raged from Lim Taegyu’s entire body as he roared. Secretary Oh hastily fled from that fearsome force.

But Lim Taegyu had no attention to spare for him. He was fighting the malign influence trying to devour his mind.

“Sir!”

A Reaper Guild healer belatedly noticed his condition, rushed over, and urgently cast Heal.

But the poison consuming his body was no ordinary toxin. Conventional skills could not neutralize it.

“Sir! Heal isn’t working! I think you’ll have to force the poison out with your own mana!”

“Mana...”

He was already doing that. Lim Taegyu was concentrating all his mana on fighting the royal jelly’s energy. It felt as though his mind would be contaminated if his concentration broke for even a moment.

“Urgh! Forget about me and help the others! And catch Secretary Oh! I think he’s working for Lee Minsung!”

“Yes, sir!”

After issuing his orders, Lim Taegyu slumped down, leaning back and gasping for breath.

Fighting was out of the question. Suppressing the poison with mana left him unable to use any skills. The moment he did, his mind would be overpowered.

‘I have to burn it away with mana.’

But even that was no easy task. The ambush had merely been the trigger. All the premium Royal Jelly liquor Secretary Oh had given him over time had accumulated inside his body.

Just then...

BOOM!

Suho and Baek Miho arrived at the scene.

‘... Baek Miho?’

Even as he fought the poison, Lim Taegyu recognized her immediately. The Baekho Guild’s vice president had come to help!

But...

‘Who’s she carrying on her back?’

Who could warrant being carried here by none other than Baek Miho? Lim Taegyu would surely know anyone that important.

Yet he had never seen the young man she lowered from her back before.

After briefly surveying the situation, the young man looked up. A gleam entered his eyes as he spotted the suspicious hive that had been steadily swelling near the upper floors of a nearby apartment building.

“Let’s fly straight up.”

The words suddenly slipped from his mouth.

Unable to use his skills, Lim Taegyu had all his senses focused on his surroundings. Hearing that, he was puzzled.

‘Fly?’

Then it happened.

WHOOOOSH!

Black shadows rose from beneath the young man’s feet and wrapped around him and Baek Miho.

“... Eek!”

It was so sudden that even Baek Miho was startled.

But watching from a distance, Lim Taegyu’s eyes widened until they nearly popped out of his head.

Two pairs of wings, rippling with black vapor, had sprouted from their backs!

‘Wh-what is that?!’

* * *

The instant Suho saw the Contaminated Ghouls, he grasped the situation.

Lee Minsung intended to kill civilians and expand his own army. Ultimately, that meant more and more people dying and becoming “sacrifices,” exactly as Arsha intended.

In the end, this entire catastrophe amounted to a sacrificial rite for Querehsha, Queen of Insects and Monarch of Plagues.

‘There’s no time.’

At this rate, it was only a matter of time before the rite was completed just as Arsha wanted. A swift, decisive strike was the answer.

‘I’ll leave this to the hunters and take down the leader.’

He had absolutely no intention of climbing every flight of stairs in that towering apartment building. Nor did he plan to scale its walls.

‘I’ll have to fly.’

As it happened, he had shadow soldiers with wings.

“Two of you, come out.”

[Krrrk!]

At his command, the shadows beneath his feet stirred. Then an idea suddenly came to him.

‘They’re shadows anyway, aren’t they?’

Shadows could exist anywhere. Not just beneath his feet, but between his fingers and even between individual strands of hair.

Beru alone was proof of that. He would hide in the tiny shadows all over Suho’s body and pop out of them. He could even poke out only his face while keeping his body inside a shadow.

Which meant...

‘The others should be able to do it too.’

Suho gave an order to the Shadow Lancers hidden in his shadow.

“Climb up our backs and bring out just your wings.”

[Krrrk!]

They obeyed immediately.

WHOOOOSH!

A Shadow Lancer made of black shadow climbed up Suho’s body and extended two pairs of wings from his back. The result was a strange configuration, with black shadow covering his shoulders and back.

[Kieek?]

Beru regarded Suho with an odd expression, then smiled.

[What an intriguing strategy. Wearing a half-summoned soldier, no less. The younger generation certainly has fresh ideas—]

“Okay, boomer.”

[KIEEEEK?!]

That single remark sent Beru into a shriek.

[The King of Beasts, the Monarch of Fangs, asks whether you are imitating Spirit Possession.]

“Why all the commentary? Just watch.”

Suho chuckled and took flight. Suddenly carried into the air beside him, Baek Miho could only stare in horror.

‘Good lord. I thought he was a C-rank summoner?’

What kind of skill was this?!

Wing summoning?

Wait, there was a skill that could even give wings to your companions?

No, more importantly!

“If you had a skill like this, why did you make me carry you?!”

Baek Miho glared at Suho, looking deeply aggrieved.

He replied shamelessly, “When they get tired, it drains my mana. Anyway, let’s head straight up to the hive.”

Just then, someone shouted urgently.

“W-wait! Take me too!”

Recognizing the speaker, Baek Miho cried out in surprise.

“Guildmaster Lim Taegyu?!”

“That’s him?”

The Reaper Guild was one of South Korea’s leading guilds. Suho was well acquainted with its guildmaster’s name.

The man did not look well, but an S-rank hunter would certainly be useful.

“One of you, attach yourself to him too.”

[Krrrk!]

WHOOOOSH!

At his words, a black shadow flew over and clung to Lim Taegyu’s body.

“Follow us if you want to come.”

With that, Suho resumed his ascent.

“What in the world...?”

An odd sensation washed over Lim Taegyu as something enveloped his body. Still, he willingly accepted the shadow.

‘I could probably reject it by pushing it away with mana.’

He felt a momentary aversion but suppressed it. In any case, he could not spare any mana while suppressing the royal jelly.

WHOOOOOSH!

The shadow wings sprouting from Lim Taegyu’s back began to beat. He shot vertically upward at incredible speed, following Suho and Baek Miho.

Their target: the hive.

FWEEEEESH!

But as they drew closer, an immense rain of arrows suddenly poured from within the hive. Every arrow was made of aura.

“Gasp...!”

Baek Miho and Lim Taegyu were startled.

On the ground, things might have been different. But suspended in midair by a force beyond their control, they had no way to dodge that many arrows.

They were about to become helpless targets!

Baek Miho shouted urgently.

“Guildmaster Lim! Hunter Sung Suho! Get behind me!”

If evasion was impossible, their best option was for one person to act as a shield. Of the three, she was the close-combat fighter, making her the most effective choice.

[Oh? What an admirable little fox.]

“...!”

Beru had come up beside her and patted her head approvingly.

[But do not worry.]

With a faint smile, he looked at Suho’s back. Suho had already moved in front of them.

[Our Young Monarch will handle it.]

Suho’s eyes flashed.

“Don’t retreat! Keep flying!”

[Krrrk!]

The Shadow Lancers attached to their backs beat their wings harder.

At that instant...

[Using ‘Skill: Storm Slash’.]