Part 1 Chapter 4 (5)

Hero Side, Gangnam.

– Monster detected 600m ahead. It’s Hellhounds.

“B-rank monsters? How many?”

– A little over 20. Estimated 24 creatures. All B-rank. No higher-rank species.

Wusa bit her lip. The Hellhounds occupying the mountain path right in the middle of their planned route were troublesome monsters to push through easily.

– Can’t we force our way through?

Sin Jingwang asked Wusa first. He, too, was well aware of the danger of a B-rank monster horde.

“It’ll take about 30 minutes to catch them safely without getting hurt. If you send Seolhwa Princess, it’ll be resolved in 1 minute.”

– No. S-ranks are deployed from City Hall. Damn it. Of all places, monsters had to nest there.

Sin Jingwang quickly reorganized the route with his command staff. It was a route that detoured a bit further east.

– Team B, move along this route.

Wusa grasped the updated movement path. A route that went further east and then headed north towards the Arts Center. Even if it took a little longer, it was better than directly confronting the monsters.

“What a shame. They looked perfect for making boshintang.”

Pungbaek smacked his lips and swung his staff. Wusa felt dizzy from the energetic old man’s aggressiveness.

“You’re probably the only one who talks about making boshintang out of Hellhounds, old man.”

“Isn’t it good? You know that if you just remove the toxins, they taste better than regular dogs and pigs, don’t you? Isn’t that right, everyone?!”

“Indeed! Kuhahaha!”

“I thought I’d get a rejuvenating meal after a long time, but it’s a shame.”

At Pungbaek’s words, the other heroes agreed and chuckled heartily. Wusa’s head throbbed from the atmosphere of Team B, whose average age easily exceeded forty.

‘This isn’t some package tour.’

If trot music played from someone’s smartwatch, they all looked ready to have a slow dance. Wusa forced herself to compose her thoughts and contacted headquarters.

“…Team B, moving along the designated path.”

* * *

Azure Syndicate, Main Base.

– The Eastern team is making a detour. Shall we begin?

“Yes. Hellhounds….”

I gave orders to the Hellhounds through the Mini Phoenix deployed with Gangnam Team 1.

“Run towards Gangnam. Execute.”

Kyaaaang!!

The Hellhounds began running northeast. Leaping over bushes and jumping off cliffs, they ran like mad.

“One-third will remain in residential areas and attack buildings. If there are any Villains, it’s fine to capture and kill them.”

“What did you say?”

Gaeul’s voice trembled. I continued giving orders in a cold voice.

“The rest will continue straight to Gangnam. If there are any Villains fleeing nearby, kill them all.”

“Wait a minute! No matter what, killing people-“

“Villains aren’t people. They’re trash. Who knows? What kind of mischief those bad pieces of trash will cause again.”

Villains who escaped Seoul could touch the heroines out of my sight. So, the seeds of danger must be eliminated.

“…Still, not to the point of killing them.”

Gaeul clenched her fists and glared at me. Jihwa was at a loss, watching my and Gaeul’s reactions.

“Aren’t you a Villain? What will you do if someone tries to kill you?!”

“I’d have to die. If they can defeat me.”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“Whether it’s Seolhwa Princess, Gwanggeom, or Hwawon Lee Seunghyung, who likes you… if they defeat me by force, I’d have to die. But I will never lose.”

I smiled sincerely.

“Because I don’t want to die.”

* * *

“Unusual activity in the Hellhound horde! They’re rapidly moving north!”

At the operator’s report, Sin Jingwang examined the map.

“Why are those guys who were just sitting there…?!”

“I-I don’t know! The direction is northeast, towards Gangnam!”

Sin Jingwang slammed his command staff down. If B-rank monsters started rampaging in Gangnam, the property damage would be immense. Even if Seoul was retaken, if it was a destroyed Seoul, their achievements would significantly decrease.

‘My buildings!’

And most importantly, the real estate Sin Jingwang had abandoned when he escaped Seoul. Most of his lost assets were tied up in buildings in Gangnam.

“Stop them! Tell Team B to stop them immediately!”

“Yes, yes!”

The operator in charge of Team B quickly connected the signal and relayed the order.

At that moment, an urgent emergency alarm spread through headquarters. Sin Jingwang snapped in annoyance.

“What now!!”

– This is Unsa! Hellhounds attacked from underground! There are too many of them!

At the scene Unsa sent, Hellhounds were surrounding the intersection and attacking the heroes under the bridge.

“Ah, this is called burrowing.”

– Why are you acting so smug about just popping out after hiding?

“Tch.”

* * *

11:40 AM, Siheung Interchange.

A horde of Hellhounds burst out from all directions.

The expression ‘sprang up from the ground’ was more accurate. The moment the heroes went under the interchange road, the roads near the intersection all overturned, and Hellhounds leapt out.

“Circle formation!”

At Unsa’s quick command, the melee-type heroes formed a circle. The ranged-type heroes hurriedly ran into the circle.

“Kwaaak!”

One hero, who had let his guard down at the rear, was grabbed by the scruff of his neck by a Hellhound. The C-rank man, caught by the Hellhound’s surprise attack, collapsed.

“Kuk!”

Tempest Lady quickly stirred up wind. A gale of mana moved through the heroes in formation and assaulted the Hellhound.

Kikik.

Tempest Lady and the Hellhound’s gazes met. The Hellhound, which had bitten into the equipment on the back of the hero’s neck, seemed to be smiling somehow.

‘No one noticed?’

Siheung Interchange. The heroes went straight towards the intersection that appeared on the route designated by the commander. And as if they had been waiting for the moment the heroes went under the bridge, monsters sprang up from the ground.

‘But I didn’t notice the presence of monsters at all?’

Kyaaak!

Two Hellhounds from either side blocked their path and spewed flames from their mouths. The hastily fired mana gale missed due to the Hellhound’s flamethrower, only scraping the innocent road.

“No! Giseong-ah!”

One hero unconsciously closed his eyes at the impending disaster. Now, C-rank hero Lee Giseong would be torn apart and eaten by the Hellhound-

Krrr.

“…!!”

The Hellhound, holding Giseong in its mouth, ran sideways. The Hellhound, circling around the heroes in formation under the bridge, fled towards Guro in the north, carrying the unconscious Giseong.

“?!”

It wasn’t fleeing. It was trying to hide its prey in its nest. Unsa thrust his spear forward. The spear tip pierced the neck of a Hellhound charging with claws raised.

Kkuruk, kkuruk.

The cloud that emerged from the spear tip gnawed and tore at the Hellhound’s neck. The Hellhound, in pain, set its own neck on fire and retreated significantly.

“…!!”

Unsa retrieved his spear and quickly surveyed his surroundings. Everyone had adopted a defensive posture upon seeing Giseong kidnapped, but the Hellhounds cunningly cornered the heroes, determined to tear them apart somehow.

“Uwaaak!”

One hero fired an arrow as if losing his mind. An iron arrow imbued with mana grazed the hero’s face, aiming for the Hellhound’s eye.

Kwajik!

The Hellhound turned its head slightly and caught it with its mouth. The heroes were dumbfounded by the trick, as if it were snatching a frisbee.

“Th-this!”

The archer hero aimed his bow again. The Hellhound broke the arrow shaft and slipped its body sideways.

“Hey! Where are you aiming!”

Friendly fire. The back of a melee hero’s head came into view in the line of fire of the archer hero, who had moved to follow the monster.

The Hellhound horde moved their bodies to get in the way of heroes outside the circle formation, making them vulnerable to ranged attacks.

Unsa instinctively knew.

‘There’s a higher-rank individual commanding them.’

The Hellhounds charged again.

“Haat!”

A billowing cloud that rose from the spear tip enveloped the outside of the circle formation. Unsa, whose mana had drained in clumps, took a deep breath and shouted.

“There’s a leader! These are monsters under command!”

“If Hellhounds have a leader, it’s Cerberus! Why is it here?!”

Jeok Song stabbed his sword into the forehead of a Hellhound caught in the cloud. The Hellhound, convulsing and bleeding blue blood, was completely devoured by the cloud.

“This won’t do.”

The Hellhounds kept a large distance outside the circle formation, wary of the cloud and not rushing in carelessly. Just the number visible to the naked eye was almost forty or more.

Unsa tapped his watch.

“This is Unsa! Hellhounds attacked from underground!”

Video feeds from the watches worn by the heroes were transmitted to headquarters. The mana-depleted billowing cloud scattered like smoke.

Kyaaaang!!

At the same time, Hellhounds charged from all directions. Unsa bit his lip and shouted.

“There are too many of them! It will take time to subdue them all!”

– What? Hellhounds there too, suddenly?

Sin Jingwang’s voice, heard through the watch, had clear signs of panic.

Kkaegaeng!

Unsa struck the head of the charging Hellhound with his spear shaft. Mana bullets poured down on the Hellhound’s body, rolling on the ground, killing it.

“Was Team B also attacked?”

– The Hellhound horde is currently moving rapidly towards Gangnam! Team B has gone to eliminate them!

At the operator’s words, Unsa clicked his tongue.

“Commander! The enemy monsters are not just a simple pack of beasts! There is a mastermind giving orders to the Hellhounds!”

– What are you talking about!

Kyaaak!!

The roar of the Hellhound baring its fangs flowed through the watch to headquarters. Unsa quickly flicked his spear tip up and unfurled a cloud.

The Gluttonous Cloud snatched the Hellhound’s scruff.

Kwaduk, kwaduduk!

“Haa, Hellhounds are not monsters that move in packs like this! They don’t hide underground either. There is definitely a higher-rank species controlling them somewhere!”

Hellhounds are known for their small numbers even in places like Europe. For such monsters to be hiding underground in the middle of Seoul, launching a surprise attack, and then running in an organized manner towards Gangnam means they are moving under someone’s command.

Unsa recalled the most likely scenario.

Cerberus, an A-rank monster and a higher-rank species of Hellhound, the three-headed dog of hell.

“That fucking dog is in Seoul?!”

Jeok Song slashed the Hellhound’s neck with his sword. He had never heard of an A-rank monster, let alone Cerberus, being in Seoul.

“It seems to have hidden in Seoul since the dimensional gate appeared! Damn it, water attribute! Are there no heroes among the mage types who can use water attribute magic?!”

Unsa scanned the team, but no one could answer.

“There’s no way there’s anyone else here besides you, you water-attribute untouchable!”

Jeok Song held up his sword to block the Hellhound’s claws. The Pine Tree Unit member next to him swung his axe, but the Hellhound, whose attack was blocked, immediately leaped far back and dodged the axe.

“Kuk!”

Unsa drew up the mana within his body. The Gluttonous Cloud, absorbing moisture and drooling, bit and tore at the Hellhound.

Kyaaaak!!

The Hellhound died in more pain than ever before.

“Ugh!”

Unsa staggered with dizziness.

“Team Leader!”

Tempest Lady rushed over and supported Unsa. It was a temporary symptom of exhaustion as his mana drained all at once.

“I’m fine! More importantly!”

The Hellhounds created a large distance. While the heroes in the circle formation were defending better than expected, moreover, they seemed to be particularly wary of Unsa, glancing at him.

“Headquarters!”

Unsa tapped his watch. Unsa tapped several areas on the map displayed on the screen and shouted towards headquarters.

“Requesting a mana scan at these locations! We need to capture the A-rank higher-rank species that’s commanding them!”

Various points connected from Siheung Interchange. Among them was the Guro Digital Complex.

* * *

“As expected, a dual attribute of wind and water. He’s truly a natural at countering fire attribute with water attribute.”

Unsa Park Raon.

One of the protagonist’s initial three companions and a possessor of both wind and water attributes. In the original story, he suffers a major injury and joins the protagonist’s party for rehabilitation training starting from D-rank, but now, without injuries, he seems to be flying around vigorously as a member of the Three Sages.

His A-rank senses precisely pinpointed the hidden location of the Hellhounds. Once caught by the scan, burrowing lost its meaning.

– Isn’t that dangerous?

Beacon looked at the points Unsa marked and began to worry.

“If things continue like this, yes. Since they’ll all be discovered anyway, just release them all. Let them come to the final destination.”

– I will give the order.

At Beacon’s command, the subordinates scattered in various places released the reins of the Hellhounds. The monsters ran towards their destination without even caring about the members of the Azure Syndicate.

– Is that alright? What if the heroes take a different route….

“No problem. No matter what they do, the place with the strongest mana reaction will come up as Guro.”

In the area scanned by the mana scan, there is only one location where the most mana will be detected.

The place where the Azure Syndicate’s trap is located.

“Deokbae-ssi, it’s about time to wake up. Are you sleeping?”

– I wasn’t sleeping.