Chapter 36 : Fanatic Hunt (5)

Vernard Neigrim was a promising High Priest at the altar.

The very fact that he had far surpassed the limits of a priest at his age was proof of this.

Thus, he had lived believing that he had a destiny to change the world.

‘I must become the beacon of the world.’

Kidnapping and gruesomely experimenting on the daughter of a mere noble family was a sacrifice that had to be considered natural for the revelation to come.

However.

“What is this…!”

Behind his resentfully muttered voice, a cacophony of sounds echoed.

The components of the cacophony were the priests’ screams of fear and pain.

“S-Save me..!”

-Chwaaaak..!

Above the dust-covered front lines, blood-red chains soared, seeking their prey.

The priests’ frail mana was no match for the Jinjo’s power, steeped in malice.

“This, this shouldn’t be happening!!”

Blood vessels stood out in High Priest Vernard Neigrim’s eyes.

He and his order were messengers of God, upholding the world’s righteous will.

“Here, in a place like this….!”

“High Priest! Maintaining the front line is impossible…! Jinjo’s power is too..!”

“If you retreat here, you die! Offer your lives!”

“Kkeuaaaaaak!”

And before them, the severed head of a priest rolled over.

-Tuk.

The eyes of the head that stopped at his feet were still contorted in fear.

“….”

“You’re doing well. Just keep it up.”

Thanks to the High Priest’s intimidation, they weren’t even running away.

The hunters were truly having a delicious experience point party.

Even amidst that, the most important thing was, of course, Eira’s fun game of tag.

Cheering up the Object and clearing the trial.

What a great relationship.

“You b*stard…!”

Do Yoon, carrying Eira on his back, and the High Priest’s eyes met.

‘The leader of those b*stards, I have to catch him.’

Vernard Neigrim made his decision.

-Pajik.

Crimson lightning flickered and shot straight towards Do Yoon.

“Is this the main event finally?”

Breaking through the waves of priests, he had finally reached the front of the High Priest.

The number of lives lost to his curved sword easily exceeded dozens.

-Huduruk!

Flicking off the blood dripping from his sword, he faced the enormous mana rushing towards him.

-Hwaaak…!

Just before the High Priest’s attack reached Do Yoon–

Do Yoon leaped back significantly and calmly assessed the situation.

First, his physical condition.
‘Perfect.’

Perhaps thanks to Eira’s help, it hadn’t taken much effort to break through this far.

“Fight fair and square!”

“And you sent the priests first from behind?”

“You rat-like b*stard!”

“Don’t copy that.”

Correcting Eira, who was mimicking the curses the High Priest had uttered, Do Yoon looked ahead.

-Kkeudeuk!

Putting strength into his legs, he dashed forward.

‘I have to keep moving.’

The moment he stopped, magic would fly at him again.

As expected of someone at the pinnacle of the priests, the power of his magic was dangerous.

“Oppa-ya.”

“Yeah.”

Nodding to Eira, who was calling him, aiming for ‘something’, Do Yoon adjusted his movements accordingly.

-Kwaaang!

Glancing at the magic that flew past, narrowly grazing his chest, he swung his curved sword.

More precisely, at the moment its power reached its peak, he put strength into it and threw it.

“….What?!”

Suddenly throwing a weapon.

It was a crazy act that couldn’t be done unless one wanted to die.

However.

Connected to the chains Eira shot out, it instantly changed its trajectory towards the High Priest.

The chains attached to the sword hilt targeted the prey like living snakes.

“Such a pathetic trick!”

“Heehee.”

If you can’t create distance, respond with the same distance.

The High Priest narrowly avoided the swung curved sword.

For someone specialized in long-range interception from behind, his physical abilities weren’t bad.

‘Unnecessarily nimble.’

Feeling regret, Do Yoon pulled Eira’s chains.

Feeling the pleasant sensation of the handle settling in his palm, Do Yoon couldn’t help but admire Eira’s ability.

“This is good?”

“Good?”

This was the first time he had used it properly, but perhaps because it was a result achieved with mana imbued with will.

It was able to perfectly target the objective, just as Do Yoon had expected.

“Well done.”

With the strange pleasure of having learned a new attack method, Do Yoon stroked Eira’s head.

After confirming Eira’s bashful smile, he turned his eyes to the battle that was not yet over.

“How dare you, how dare you…!”

Vernard Neigrim could be seen, breathing heavily.

Do Yoon had a hunch.

A person’s mana is not infinite.

In other words, it meant that even that shameless High Priest had a limit.

“Are you tired?”

“Shut up!”

“If you’re tired, tell me. I’ll go easy on you.”

Feeling utmost humiliation at Do Yoon’s words, the High Priest swung his mana even more violently.

“Uh, sorry.”

Do Yoon immediately, facing the disaster-like form pouring towards him, uttered playfully and instantly increased the distance.

‘This is tantrum level.’

Like Wine-jwa brandishing a knife to erase the talk of their embarrassing past.

The cornered High Priest haphazardly spewed out his mana.

As he was watching the storm of mana, he felt a presence beside him.

“Do Yoon.”

“Is it all over?”

He turned his head to look at the skinny hunter.

At the same time, roughly assessing the situation elsewhere, it seemed they had managed to clear out the priests without much trouble.

“Three hunters died.”

“Doing what?”

“They were surrounded while recklessly advancing for achievements, and next.”

Hunters blinded by rewards and experience points walked into their own deaths.

They could have been saved if he risked it, but they were in different positions.

“Ah, okay.”

Remembering the three hunters who had crossed a river of no return, Do Yoon decided to focus on the battle again.

He felt a pang of pity, but thinking beyond a certain point would be detrimental.

The ones he needed to take care of were not the hunters here.

South Korea.

His colleagues were in the place where he was born and raised, and he stood here now, receiving their expectations.

• Just in case I’m saying this, don’t really get attached to hunters from other worlds ㅇㅇ;

• Those b*stards will stab you in the back even in a boss room if the profit margin is right.

Hadn’t the gallery emphasized it several times?

‘Aim for the clear.’

Therefore, Do Yoon decided to do his best.

-Pajik!

“Where are you!!!”

Hearing the frenzied High Priest’s shout, Do Yoon took care of Eira.

“I’m going again.”

“Okay!”

With a spirited reply, he ran towards the b*stard to finish it.

“You can’t pass…!”

A few priests who hadn’t been dealt with yet lunged, but a black shadow attacked them even faster.

-Kwaaang!!

The one who had instantly dealt with the enemy with a giant axe looked back at Do Yoon with dark eyes.

Lakia Vels.

Her consistently gloomy demeanor was gone, and she, exuding the aura of a warrior, assisted Do Yoon.

“Go.”

“Thanks.”

Do Yoon answered her help honestly and decided to aim for the High Priest’s life again.

One.

The High Priest, noticing Do Yoon’s presence, glared at him.

Two.

As his eyes widened and he deployed his mana, Do Yoon also gathered more strength and increased his speed.

Three.

The High Priest’s mana and Do Yoon’s body clashed violently.

‘I’ll end it here.’

In his flickering vision, the deaths of others flashed through Do Yoon’s mind.

The priests had met a fitting end.

He had no room for guilt over that.

What about the other hunters?

Those who had come this far to do their best in their respective worlds had become cold corpses, their intentions now different.

If he had moved a little more sincerely, more diligently, could he have at least spared them their deaths?

‘Fcking bstard.’

He loathed the guilt that stealthily raised its head.

Just how far was he trying to embrace them with such complacent thoughts?

With such a desire to be a good person, he couldn’t survive here right now.

This was a place where the weak were trampled.

The Theme Stage was a place that took innocent children and turned them into horrific monsters–

It was a crazy, messed-up place.

‘Don’t think about anything else.’

He knew the answer.

With a sensation as if his whole body was burning, Do Yoon gritted his teeth and moved forward.

Dangerous.

More so than Eira behind him, he, a mere novice hunter, was probably in a more dangerous state.

He barely managed to twist his body and escape the point of impact.

Distance, three steps.

Due to the sudden release of mana, the High Priest was flustered and tried to increase the distance again.

“You can’t go.”

What caught his ankle were the blood-red chains they themselves had implanted in Eira.

“Th-This is…!”

With the High Priest’s bewildered eyes as the last, Do Yoon gathered his final strength and moved forward.

Gripping his hand as if to crush it, he swung towards the High Priest’s now empty opening.

An arm flew into the air and fell unceremoniously to the ground.

He delivered several more blows to the High Priest, who was writhing in pain.

Side, thigh, collarbone.

Do Yoon, circling around from under his armpit, twisted the direction of the hilt–

And plunged the curved sword straight into his chest.

-Puuk!!

[Acidic Digestive Fluid]

From the twisted, embedded blade, the horrifically melting pain once again burned the High Priest’s mind.

He collapsed and thrashed about without even a chance to scream.

“…Ha.”

Supporting his body, which felt like it would collapse from exhaustion at any moment, Do Yoon watched the High Priest’s final moments.

Eira, who had finally come down from Do Yoon’s back, also looked down at the High Priest dying, foaming at the mouth with blood.

“Hey.”

She spoke, waiting for an answer that would never come.

The reversed height of their vision.

Once, Eira had looked up at him from the center of the altar with eyes begging for mercy.

Naturally, what came back was pain so intense she would have preferred death.

“Does it hurt?”

To the innocently asked question, no words came back.

That alone gave Eira deep satisfaction.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

I hope you hurt a lot.

Laughter wouldn’t come, and sorrow flowed down her pale cheeks, but.

Eira forced herself, forced herself to laugh at her nemesis.