Chapter 22: Titans, Climbers of Tartarus, Part 1

Gyeonggi Province.

Numerous Hunters were searching a ruined area not far from Pangyo, where the Hunter Association Headquarters was located.

“Seriously, is this right?”

Ko Chan, the head of Korea’s third-ranked Guild, Bulji, grumbled.

“Am I supposed to be doing search and rescue?”

His bare, muscular chest, reminiscent of a barbarian, rippled with frustration.

He wiped the sweat from his bald head and swung his axe in the air.

“D*mn it, is that rare monster even real? Are those witnesses just trying to get the reward money?”
“Calm down, Ko Chan.”

A man in a black priest’s robe, standing beside him, looked at Ko Chan with half-lidded eyes.

“The concept of rank doesn’t apply to honorable duties.”
“Here we go again.”

Ko Chan swung his axe and shouted,

“Honorable duty? Do you call this an honorable duty?”

Kim Yo-Sep, the First Apostle of Saint, Korea’s second-ranked Guild, remained unfazed.

He flipped through the pages of the scripture he held in his large hand.

“Finding and eliminating a rare monster is essential for the world’s salvation.”
“Tell your Guild Leader to come and do this! Everyone else is chasing money, and you’re the only idiot doing this, you moron!”
“Do not insult the Guild Leader.”

Kim Yo-Sep glared at Ko Chan.

“That is the path to choosing hell for your afterlife.”

A golden aura enveloped Kim Yo-Sep.

Zing.

Kim Yo-Sep’s artifact, in the form of scripture, glowed in his hand.

If he declared a “holy war,” this entire area would be devastated.

“D*mn it.”

Ko Chan turned away from the increasingly agitated Kim Yo-Sep.

“Alright, alright! My Guild Leader will chew me out if I fight you!”

The Ranger Guild, strengthening its ties with the Hunter Association, was becoming an untouchable mega-guild.

The second and third-ranked guilds bickering amongst themselves would only lead to their mutual destruction, like dogs fighting over scraps.

“Those two are always at it.”
“Honestly, they’re only ranked second and third because they’re always fighting. They don’t even get along.”
“Sigh, the Ranger Guild isn’t even here, and we’re stuck doing this.”

Hunters from other Guilds, also mobilized for the search, grumbled.

Under pressure from the Hunter Association, they were searching for a rare monster sighted in Gyeonggi Province. It had attacked the Hunter Association Director.

“Why did that monster have to attack the Director?”
“But the Director survived, so it can’t be that dangerous, right?”
“Dude, haven’t you heard? A witness said the monster used the Director as a punching bag and just left.”
“Seriously? Seo Da-In was beaten that badly?”

Although Seo Da-In, who usually abhorred monsters, had suggested a more cautious approach, the Vice President of the Hunter Association, upon learning of the attack, immediately ordered a search and issued a notice to all Guilds.

Many Guilds had previously ignored the Association’s calls, but this time, they dispatched Hunters, at least for appearances.

The Vice President was rarely seen, even more so than President Kwon Joo-Hwan.

Unlike Kwon, who focused on politics, the Vice President valued “justice” and “cooperation.”

He was practically Seo Da-In’s mentor, and since he usually focused on his own training, he rarely issued directives to the Association.

But even he wouldn’t overlook this incident.

Knowing his tendency to crack down on uncooperative Guilds, they had no choice but to comply.

“Huh?”

The searching Hunters felt a tremor and turned their heads.

“W-What is that?”

Rumble!

The ground beneath them began to collapse.

“Uh oh!”
“Sh*t, it’s an earthquake!”
“Run!”

The Hunters ran, trying to avoid the cracking earth.

Crackle!

But the ground, already riddled with fissures, rapidly shifted, rising and collapsing.

“Uwaaaaaaaah!”
“Help!”

Low-ranking Hunters, mobilized for the search, fell into the newly formed chasm.

Kim Yo-Sep, seeing this, held his scripture in one hand and extended the other, chanting,

“Needlework.”

A giant, glowing cross, spanning dozens of meters, appeared in the air.

Golden ropes with hooks shot out from the cross, stitching the crumbling earth together.

KWWAAAAAK!

The ropes pulled taut, halting the collapse, albeit precariously, and preventing the Hunters from falling further.

Rumble.

The immediate danger had passed, but the ground continued to groan like a beast.

Dust billowed from the cracked earth, threatening further collapse if the golden ropes snapped.

“What the hell is this?”

Ko Chan, regaining his balance and assessing the situation, scowled.

“Is a new dungeon forming?”

Most dungeons had appeared when monsters first emerged, but new ones occasionally formed even now.

And these new dungeons were often more dangerous than the previous ones.

“Why does this have to happen when I’m here…?”
“Ko Chan.”

Kim Yo-Sep said quietly,

“Look over there.”
“What? What am I supposed to…?”

Ko Chan turned his head and froze.

Rumble.

Far beyond the reach of Kim Yo-Sep’s power.
The earth had collapsed, creating a massive sinkhole that resembled a gateway to hell.

But the real surprise wasn’t the sinkhole.

A monstrous, gigantic hand was emerging from the sinkhole’s entrance.

“What is that?”

As Ko Chan gasped, the ground began to tremble violently again.

The hand moved, as if pulling something up from within the sinkhole.

[⚠ A ‘Harbinger of Doom, Titan,’ ascending from Tartarus, has appeared.]

A red alert message appeared before the Hunters.

“Harbinger of… what?”

The Hunters stared blankly.

ROOOOOOOOOAR.

A colossal figure, seemingly carved from a mountain, emerged from the sinkhole.

The giant, called Titan, opened its mouth and roared.

WHOOSH!

The roar alone created a shockwave.

The shockwave washed over the Hunters.

“Ugh!”

The Hunters stumbled.

“!”

Kim Yo-Sep, also losing his balance, momentarily lost his focus.

The golden ropes loosened, and the chasm widened.

“Uwaaaaaaaah!”
“Gah!”

Several Hunters fell into the chasm.

Kim Yo-Sep, his eyebrows raised in alarm, quickly regained control of the golden ropes.

“Ko Chan.”

He called out, and Ko Chan, looking dazed, turned his head.

“What are you doing? Do your job.”
“Huh?”

Ko Chan, snapping out of his daze, took out his phone.

“Sh*t!”

He cursed and dialed the emergency number.

---

“What is this?”

Jo Sung-Il, having finished his meal after hunting some goblins from a nearby colony, frowned at the sudden alert message.

“Harbinger of Doom?”

He didn’t know what it was, but the phrase seemed familiar.

“This is…”

It had appeared in the system window before.

Something that would appear if he caused too much commotion.

“What happened?”

He wondered if he had been too loud, and confusion about the Harbinger of Doom filled his mind.

“Hectos, what’s wrong?”

The World Tree tilted her head, seeing his sudden serious expression.

“…World Tree, have you ever heard of a Harbinger of Doom?”
“Harbinger of Doom?”

The World Tree searched her memories, then shook her head.

“No, I don’t know.”
“Is that so.”
“But I know someone who might.”
“Someone who might know?”
“Yes.”

He was thinking he should ask this person, whoever it was, when,

KABOOM!

A tremendous roar pierced his ears.

“….!”

Jo Sung-Il turned towards the source of the sound.

It was difficult to see anything through the spore smoke.

“World Tree, I’ll be right back.”

As Jo Sung-Il hurriedly stepped outside the smoke,

Beep! Beep!

The World Tree, left alone, looked at a message that popped up on the cell phone.

[Giant monster of unknown rank sighted in Sangbeoncheon-ri, Gyeonggi-gwangju. Citizens in the area, please evacuate immediately.]