Chapter 279: Tamra and Gurkha (2)
Ratatatata!
Pukeok!
“Kieeek!”
The first Volax finally succumbed under the onslaught of bullets fired by the Gurkhas. Han-Yeol used Demon Eyes to examine the creature, confirming its demise despite some residual mana within its body.
‘Whew~ That's quite impressive,’ Han-Yeol whistled in thought.
The UB-001 might be a decent rifle, but ultimately, it was just a firearm. It would have been impossible for the Gurkhas, ordinary people, to defeat a mana-protected monster with regular guns. However, their ingenuity in splitting into three groups and maintaining a continuous barrage of fire at the Volaxes allowed them to vanquish the lowest-ranking monsters.
Of course, it would have been easier if they had an RPG-7 with them.
"Two more targets neutralized!"
"Alright! Keep up the fire!"
Out of the initial thirty, only eleven Volaxes remained. Fifteen of the creatures lay lifeless on the ground, while four had fallen to the Gurkhas' bullets.
Then, the captain of the first group signaled with their hand and shouted, "Focus fire!"
The Gurkhas pulled their triggers, emptying their magazines as they unleashed a torrent of bullets at the monsters.
Ratatata!
“Kieeeeek!”
The Gurkha raid party showcased a tactical masterclass that thoroughly impressed Han-Yeol.
‘Wow... They managed to eliminate all thirty without needing my assistance?’ Han-Yeol shook his head in disbelief as he witnessed the incredible results achieved by the right weapon in skillful hands.
“Ceasefire!”
“All units, ceasefire!”
Seuk…
Each captain issued the order to cease fire, and only then did the Gurkhas lower their guns. The anxiety they had experienced was evident in the sweat and marks on their faces, a result of gripping the rifle butt too tightly.
“Phew… We’re alive…”
“It’s a relief we made it…”
They appeared to be more relieved than joyful after their victory.
They had trained relentlessly for this moment, but their training had been limited to humans; they had never faced real monsters before. No amount of preparation could have fully readied them for this new challenge. Their only motivation was the hope of awakening as Hunters, but they quickly realized that it wouldn't be that easy.
"Monsters are no laughing matter..."
"I agree. We fired so many rounds at them, but we barely pulled through..."
"I think we should have brought a three-hundred-round machine gun instead of a thirty-round rifle if we knew it'd be like this..."
"You're right. Maybe if each group had two machine guns instead of all thirty of us with rifles, it would've been much easier to handle these monsters."
"I think so too."
Two of the groups took a break while the third, the most rested, began extracting mana stones from the fallen Volaxes. Han-Yeol didn't need to instruct them on how to do it, as they had practiced extracting mana stones from animals many times. While they worked, the resting groups didn't idle or chat; they discussed their observations from the battle with the Volaxes and explored ways to hunt more efficiently.
‘Wow? These guys are quite the battle freaks too,’ Han-Yeol thought as he was quite impressed by the Gurkhas’ dedication.
This elite group approached their profession with great seriousness, as it was one of the few paths available to them to escape poverty. The competition to become a Gurkha was intense, requiring both physical and mental fortitude.
The Gurkhas represented the cream of the crop among Nepalese, so it was natural that a few geniuses would emerge among them.
Han-Yeol could already envision a bright future for the Gurkhas; once they awakened as Hunters, they would undoubtedly become the elite of the elite.
Puuuk! Sukeok!
The group not resting diligently worked on slicing through the monster corpses with their Kukri knives, a symbol of the Gurkhas.
Han-Yeol was well-acquainted with this dagger, thinking, ‘That's the dagger that played a significant role during World War II and made the Gurkhas famous.’
Numerous countries had recognized the Gurkhas' bravery and had hired them for various purposes just before the dimensional gates appeared. Unfortunately, the demand for their services significantly diminished after the dimensional gates emerged.
"We've finished extracting the mana stones, Han-Yeol, Hunter-nim," one of them reported.
"Hmm? Ah, good job. Each of you can keep one mana stone as a backup," Han-Yeol replied nonchalantly.
“Hah!”
The Volaxes and their mana stones were essentially worthless to Han-Yeol. Some might say that many small things could add up to something significant, but Han-Yeol had already accumulated substantial wealth, rendering these mana stones inconsequential to his net worth.
Moreover, it would seem quite comical for someone like him to covet these mana stones.
‘It's not as if I'm Weed or something,’ Han-Yeol suddenly recalled the protagonist of a fantasy novel he had enjoyed reading.
In any case, that matter was concluded as the Gurkha raid party prepared to resume their hunt.
***
Ratatata!
“Kieeeek…!”
“Ceasefire!”
The scale of the hunt increased by ten to twenty times once Han-Yeol got involved.
Not wanting to waste time, he summoned Mavors and Balrog to attract as many Volaxes as possible toward the Gurkha raid party.
Pshhht!
The Gurkhas had been firing almost non-stop, causing their gun barrels to become piping hot, with smoke rising from the tips.
“Ack! That’s hot!” one of the Gurkhas touched the gun barrel out of curiosity and ended up screaming.
“Haha!”
Yoo-Bi had done her best to insulate the gun barrel, but it appeared it wasn't sufficient for the Gurkhas.
‘They look like a swarm of Zerglings,’ Han-Yeol thought as he gazed at the sea of blue blood and the Volaxes lying lifeless on the ground.
[Hmph! That was no fun!] Balrog scoffed and complained.
‘Hahaha… I apologize for this, Balrog-nim.’
It was true that he felt apologetic for summoning Balrog for something like this.
[You're aware that I like to fight, but did you really think I'd enjoy fighting against these weak opponents?]
‘No, definitely not, Balrog-nim.’
[Ha!]
Han-Yeol's Invoke had already reached a high level, naturally strengthening the demons' affinity toward him. Initially, the demons had only fulfilled their contractual obligations, but now, they willingly assisted him without expecting anything in return.
The same was true for Balrog, as Han-Yeol could sense that they had grown much closer. The intermediate demon agreeing to participate in this mundane battle was proof of that.
Normally, Balrog would have declined to engage with monsters like Volaxes since they were too weak for him.
[Make sure you get me the best booze available for this.]
‘I most certainly will, Balrog-nim.’
One of the secrets Han-Yeol kept was his ability to easily control Balrog, thanks to the demon's fondness for human-made alcohol.
“Kieeeek!”
Shwoosh!
On the other hand, Mavros diligently flew around, even though the battle was quite dull. Just being on the battlefield with Han-Yeol was more than enough to make him happy.
“Good job, Mavros.”
“Kiek!”
Han-Yeol patted Mavros’ head while complimenting him.
‘Hmm?’
Boom!
It was then that he suddenly disappeared with a sonic boom.
“Kiek?!” Mavros was shocked as well.
Others might have believed that Han-Yeol had vanished from sight, but Mavors, being a formidable monster pet, could discern that Han-Yeol had propelled himself off the ground and streaked toward the west at lightning speed.
Mavors's astonishment arose from Han-Yeol moving significantly faster than he had ever witnessed before.
Pukeok!
“Kwaaaah!”
“Kiek?”
Mavros tilted his head in confusion upon hearing a scream from the direction where Han-Yeol had disappeared. He spotted Han-Yeol subduing a person in a rather suspicious outfit.
"Kreuk!"
Mavros felt angered by the intrusion upon his precious alone time with his owner. As their group had expanded, these moments alone with Han-Yeol had become increasingly cherished, making him even more irritated.
"Kiek!”
Chwak!
Mavros spread his wings and flew toward Han-Yeol, who had completely subdued and removed the person's mask.
"Who are you?" Han-Yeol demanded, glaring at the person with bright red eyes.
Woooong...!
He made sure to channel his mana, putting pressure on the individual.
“Keuk…!”
The man attempted to resist as much as he could, but there was no way he could prevail against Han-Yeol, as the overwhelming mana would be fatal if he persisted.
"I'll ask again, but this is your last chance. Who are you?"
Murder among Hunters was strictly prohibited by the law, but that didn't mean everyone adhered to it. After all, even ordinary people committed such acts and managed to evade punishment, provided there was insufficient evidence to support the accusations.
The law was constructed to safeguard everyone until guilt was proven.
In other words, if Han-Yeol killed this man and eliminated all traces, no one would know if he died or went missing.
“K… Keuk…! M… My name is… Choi Tae-Ik… I’m with the Tamra… raid party’s… covert surveillance team…”
Crack!
“Kwaaaah!”
After Han-Yeol exerted some force in his grip, the man, named Choi Tae-Ik, let out a scream. Being a B Rank Hunter, there was no way he could withstand Han-Yeol's monstrous strength.
However, that wasn't Han-Yeol's primary concern at the moment.
“The Tamra raid party?”
“Ku… Kuheok! Y-Yes! Aaargh!”
“Did Kim Tae-San give the order?”
Crack!
“Kuheok…!”
Choi Tae-Ik felt a surge of anger when Han-Yeol mentioned his boss so casually, but he couldn't voice his thoughts after Han-Yeol slightly twisted his arm.
Han-Yeol paid little attention to Choi Tae-Ik's thoughts. In fact, he even laughed at the B Rank Hunter. "Pfft! I was planning to teach that bastard Kim Tae-San a lesson sooner or later, but it seems he wants to meet his end sooner than expected."
This was precisely the case. Han-Yeol hadn't forgotten that Kim Tae-San had attempted to kill him during the assembly.
‘Repay a favor ten times but exact vengeance by a thousand times!’
These were the principles by which Han-Yeol, the world's laziest person, lived. After all, what's life without getting even with others, right?
"Go and tell Kim Tae-San to prepare himself, because I'm coming for him one day," Han-Yeol declared with a smirk.
"K-Keuk...!" Choi Tae-Ik tried to resist as much as he could, but he soon lost consciousness, his tongue hanging out as Han-Yeol applied a bit more pressure.
Of course, Han-Yeol had no intention of killing him.
‘Kim Tae-San probably won't bat an eye if a small fry like this one dies… But what if he goes back and reports what I've said? I wonder how he'll feel then.’
“Kekeke!”
Han-Yeol let out a villainous laugh, resembling a character from a movie. Even someone like him had a dark side, after all.
"Kiek?" Mavors tilted his head, seemingly questioning why Han-Yeol wasn't killing the Hunter.
"Nah, it's fine. Let's just leave him suspended from a tree," Han-Yeol replied.
"Kiek!"
Mavors smiled brightly, as if agreeing with him, and grabbed the B Rank Hunter, hanging him from a tree.
Of course, he ensured it was done securely, so the Hunter wouldn't fall. He didn't want to be an unruly pet who didn't properly follow his owner's command, especially if the B Rank Hunter ended up becoming Volaxes' food.
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