Ch. 233 - I'll Leave It to You Then.

Against the Clock: The Team Leader’s Pursuit of Glory

Thomas and Jang Deuk-goo stood on the rooftop of the hotel, their luggage beside them.

"This may be an awkward time for introductions, but my name is Steven Butler. I run a Hunter agency in New York."

"An agency?"

Hunter agents never gained traction in Korea due to strong opposition from guilds. However, in North America, they were commonplace, functioning like that of to sports agents. Hunter agencies signed contracts with guilds to represent their hunters' interests, offering training programs, and legal services.

In addition, they took charge of tasks like maximising profits by signing various sponsorship deals and also managing media relations and image-building to maximize a hunter's value.

Of course, larger guilds' hunters were off-limits. Unlike athletes, hunters wielded real power. While they weren't reckless with violence, their influence on national security meant the government closely monitored them.

This made it impossible to approach hunters purely from a profit-driven perspective. Most agents focused on discovering promising new awakeners or freelance hunters, helping them establish careers in small and mid-sized guilds. The ultimate goal was to secure a contract with a mid-tier or larger guild. If a "jackpot transfer" occurred, agents could earn substantial bonuses from the bonus clause, making great profits.

Even within the large guilds, as long as agent involvement and contracts didn't interfere with hunting activities, they tolerated hunter agents to some extent. It was only natural for Steven's eyes to sparkle as he looked at Jang Deuk-goo. He was genuinely impressed by how effortlessly he had dealt with the flesh-eating wasp. Seizing the moment, Steven tried to showcase his professionalism. Though disappointed that he didn't have a business card, he improvised an introduction to make an impression.

"Um your name is...?"

"Jang Deuk-goo."

"You don't seem to be an American citizen. Your name sounds East Asian... Chinese? Korean?"

"Korean."

"Oh? You're Korean. Have you ever considered expanding into North America, coming to the US...?"

"He's just an ordinary person, yet he's surprisingly calm."

Thomas, who had just arrived and was holding the emergency exit door open, smirked.

"There's an old saying in baseball, isn't there? 'You'd bring in a left-handed fireballer even if he has to be brought from hell.' The Hunter world has a similar one: 'A skilled weapon-user is worth trading even for a Red Gate.' That's probably why he's so interested. I belong to a fairly large guild, but I've never seen anyone cut down monsters as cleanly as you, Mr. Jang---without even using mana."

It had been decades since the first Gates appeared. Though humanity had endured years of war and chaos, no major threats had emerged in recent times. As a result, hunters' survival rates increased, leading to an era of rank inflation.

Naturally, this meant more high-ranking frauds--- and more hunters who couldn't control their own in dangerous high-level Gates where fundamentals mattered. So, there were plenty of statistical indicators to separate true elites from the pretenders. However, scouts and agents ranked one ability above all else: a hunter's unique trait. The second most important factor? Weapon proficiency.

In a world filled with devastating skills capable of levelling buildings, carving mountains, and redirecting rivers, some might underestimate the value of weapons. But the more powerful one's weapon, the more crucial it became to master its use. This was because fully pushing a weapon to its limits required true mastery. In that aspect, Jang Deuk-goo's "Weapon Master" trait was a rare talent.

"That's right. I've been a Hunter agent for 17 years. I can tell just by looking at you---you're far more talented than what your rank suggests. You can precisely target vital points without even taking a stance. That kind of skill isn't something experience alone can compensate for. Even without that, New York's guilds are actively looking for weapon experts these days. I can match your salary expectations for you. How about it? Have you given it any thought...?"

Jang Deuk-goo shook his head in admiration at Steven's attempt to do business even in this situation.

"I already have an affiliation. And now isn't the time for this conversation. So, what's the plan?"

Jang Deuk-goo changed the subject and asked Thomas.

"Have you ever heard of low-frequency noise?"

"No."

"It usually comes up in cases of noise complaints between apartment floors. A Korean mage invented it a long time ago."

"You must've had quite a lot of noise problems."

"I wouldn't know much about that. But this low-frequency noise technique was used to lure monsters before. It was even deployed when flesh-eating wasps appeared in Singapore. It's an old method, but a proven one, so it should work."

Thomas briefly explained the operation using low-frequency noise. The plan was straightforward: They would lure the wasps by shaking the building's glass windows and walls, causing vibrations that would resonate and spread the noise in all directions. This would lure the wasps out of the building. Once the wasps were in the open, they'd use magic to focus the noise toward the hotel rooftop, drawing the wasps and then they'd launch a wide-area attack.

"Humans can generally hear sounds in the 20 to 18,000 Hz range. But flesh-eating wasps can pick up on much lower frequencies. It might cause slight discomfort to humans, but it won't cause any major harm to the body."

"You know a lot about these wasps."

"In theory, yes. Since my body isn't in the best condition, I focus on hunting as efficiently as possible. That's why I've memorized every tactical report published in monster guides and related sites."

Jang Deuk-goo thought that Thomas was of the same type as Kang Mu-hyeok--- a hunter who was unable to fight freely due to physical limitations. To battle monsters with limited resources, efficiency was key. To maximize efficiency, accurate knowledge of monsters was essential. Naturally, this meant focusing on areas most hunters ignored.

"Mr. Steven. Please hide inside that vent. We brought you up here because we didn't have time to escort you to safety, but we can't protect you any longer."

Steven followed Thomas's instructions without question. As a Hunter agent, he knew that when it came to monsters, following a Hunter's orders was the only way to survive.

"Then do I just need to guard you?"

"Yes. I don't have the right skill set for this situation. I need a combination of abilities, but with my current condition, my area-of-effect magic will have a delay. I'll be completely defenseless during that time, so I need you to cover me for that time."

"Got it. Don't worry."

"Let's get started then."

***

"Ahhh!"

A woman hiding under the hotel bed screamed. Her body trembled as she cautiously lifted the mattress and peeked out. Her pants were soaked, and her pale face was devoid of colour.

'Jeff... I... Mom is...'

The first thing that came to mind was her son, the one she had left at home. She had raised him alone after losing his father to a monster attack. She had left him with her mother for a short business trip---only to face her own death in such a meaningless way. But more than her own fate, she feared for her son, who would be left alone in the world.

The moment the giant wasp's mandibles were about to snap her skull---

Wheeee!

The monster suddenly jerked upright with a strange noise. Its wings fluttered chaotically. The wasp went out the window without even touching the woman. As the wasp flew out shattering the remaining half of the broken window that had been smashed when it stormed into the room, other wasps followed closely behind.

The woman stared blankly out the window. The same phenomenon was occurring in the nearby buildings. The sight of hundreds, even thousands, of monsters filling the human territory was utterly terrifying. Terror washed over her. The woman couldn't take it anymore and fainted.

***

Johanna had taken a sabbatical year against her guild's wishes, choosing the United States as the first stop of her dream world tour. After arriving in LA via the East Coast, she had been casually shopping for long-term travel clothes at a mall near her accommodations when suddenly---

"Che cazzo!"

Johanna cursed in Italian as she drove her fist into the head of a flesh-eating wasp. Even with its skull crushed, the wasp's tail twitched. Its rapier-like stinger lunged toward her side. Without hesitation, Johanna grabbed the stinger and snapped it clean off. Then, she stabbed it into the wasp's own chest.

The monster's fluttering wings stopped moving altogether. Johanna kicked the lifeless body away and retreated, pressing her back against the mall wall. A dozen more wasps lined up in front of her.

"Just my luck. I just got here, and this happens?"

She recalled the moment when the party leader had desperately grabbed her by the trouser leg, pleading with her to stay because they were short on manpower. When she firmly refused, he cursed at her instead.

'I hope a Gate bursts open on your vacation!'

The curse had manifested unfortunately.

"Damn that party leader... Did he learn some new skills? It turned out exactly like he said."

She was irritated but the party leader wasn't the problem right now. The wasps swarming the shopping mall were far more dangerous than the ones directly in front of her.

'There's a drone(male bee) and guards. They're completely different from the small fry here. If I mess with them, I'm dead...'

If she had proper equipment, she might stand a chance. But who brings full gear on vacation? At best, she had an armoured coat and basic weapons which wasn't enough to take on a drone.

On top of that, her equipment was safely stored in the hotel. Right now, survival was her main priority. At that moment, the wasps suddenly flew up, their heads all turning in unison toward the entrance. Johanna tensed at their strange behaviour.

Then, a peculiar ringing sound filled her ears---a noise so grating and unpleasant that it made her frown in irritation. She instinctively covered her ears. The next second, the wasps rushed outside, followed closely by the drone and his escorts. In an instant, every wasp inside the shopping mall was gone. Only then did Johanna realize---the sound was luring them away.

"Luring all these monsters?"

They had to be crazy. That was the only word for it. Or...

'A high-ranking mage.'

If not, this had to be a large-scale guild operation. Johanna moved forward, wanting to see exactly how they could pull off dealing with so many bees.

"Let's see how the Yankees hunt, shall we?"

***

Thomas climbed onto the steel structure on the hotel roof. The sky was growing dark, and the tower lanterns were flashing lights. Perched on the steel frame, he surveyed the surroundings. He spotted flesh-eating wasps bee and there now and then scattered between the buildings.

'The rest must still be inside.'

His reading of the flow of mana detected over a thousand wasps. Many people had already died, but there were still a few survivors. Searching each building one by one wasn't an option.

'But there are way too many. The fact that no other guilds had appeared yet means that everyone is preoccupied---the city's probably under attack all over the place.'

Even during the spring outbreak, response efforts had failed to be perfect. That incident had taken place in a town on the outskirts of LA, where simultaneous monster attacks had wiped out entire neighbourhoods in the innermost area. The fact that no Hunters had appeared in this area this close to the city centre suggested an even larger catastrophe unfolding elsewhere which made them unable to deploy there.

"I have to make this work."

Thomas muttered with determination. His pupils glowed gold. He stretched out his arms, palms pressing against the air. Mana-infused wind spread in all directions. Defying the laws of physics, small waves of energy rippled outward, striking the buildings in concentric circles as Thomas wanted.

The mana knocked against windows without shattering them, then rebounded off the walls, sending tremors through the iron railings. Abandoned cars trembled on the streets. Sound waves travelled through the asphalt, rising through manholes, resonating through the buildings made of concrete and glass.

No visible changes occurred, but the flesh-eating wasps' sensitive receptors detected the sounds of an attack. Their wings twitched. They took flight. They smashed through building windows, seeking the enemy. Thomas guided the sound toward the hotel rooftop. A clear path formed, and the wasps followed.

A dizzying hum reverberated from all directions. Thomas wavered. Blood dripped from his nose. Acid burned up his throat. He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to swallow the heat rising in his chest.

'Just a little more... Just a little more...'

Not all the nearby wasps had gathered yet. His body could only handle one area-of-effect spell at the time. If he cast it too soon, he would barely eliminate half of them.

Bzzzzzzz!

A wasp attacked Thomas as he sat precariously on the tower, completely defenceless. But he didn't even move, because he had faith.

Thump!

Just before the sharp stinger could pierce his heart, a blade shot up from below, cleaving the wasp's head in half. Then, it cut off its wings, causing it to plummet to the ground, ripped to shreds.

Comments