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Why had they carried out such actions? Did they truly want to kill him?

No matter what answer he might receive, he felt he would be unable to comprehend it with his common sense.

So instead of asking questions, he chose to mirror what was done to him.

Even though he struck with all his might, a sound akin to a watermelon bursting echoed from the head of Ahn Do-yoon as it collided with the baseball bat.

After witnessing him collapse like a marionette with its string cut, Kang Jin-hyuk turned his back without a second glance.

He didn’t care whether he lived or died from that moment onward.

“What a crazy bastard.”

They had ambushed him without any reason, which made it hard to understand their motives even if he considered it from their perspective.

What crime had he committed that made them charge at him like sworn enemies?

He couldn’t comprehend the grudge they held; if anything, it was Kang Jin-hyuk who was the victim here.

The disadvantages and punishments Ahn Do-yoon suffered were entirely consequences of his own actions.

There was absolutely no reason for Kang Jin-hyuk to be held responsible for that.

“He’s taken a solid hit, so he shouldn’t charge in recklessly anymore.”

Even beasts learn when they’re hit.

Having been brought down in such a pathetic manner, it should be embarrassing enough for him to not attempt another assault.

Kang Jin-hyuk sought out stronger monsters to shake off the uncomfortable feeling lingering around him.

Then he spotted a ‘Minotaur’ wielding a double-bladed axe, about the size of a person, and charged ahead.

The Titan’s hunters observed this scene, yet not one of them stepped forward.

Even after a comrade had been knocked out and rendered unconscious, no one sought to hold Kang Jin-hyuk accountable for it.

With Ahn Do-yoon’s reputation having hit rock bottom,

it was evident to anyone witnessing the earlier situation that it was all Ahn Do-yoon’s own fault.

Kang Jin-hyuk had merely responded appropriately to the human who charged at him.

“Should I send him to the cleric?”

“Yeah, we should. He might be a piece of trash, but he’s still an A-rank hunter belonging to our guild.”

If left like this, he might be stomped on and turned into a chunk of meat.

Even if he disliked the person, it was impossible to just let an ally die.

A man among the Titan’s hunters, the largest in stature, approached Ahn Do-yoon and helped him up.

“I’ll carry him back and report to the guild master.”

“What are you going to say?”

“I’ll say he got himself beaten up while showing off, of course. I can’t exactly tell the guild master he got knocked out by a hunter whose name I don’t even know.”

The Titan hunters all nodded in agreement with that statement.

In such a manner of glossing over the situation, both Ahn Do-yoon and the guild would benefit.

“Sigh… It’s hard to believe that guy was once the vice-guild master…”

Upon hearing this frank criticism, the Titan hunters expressed silent agreement.

In their eyes, Ahn Do-yoon was spiraling down into black history.

It was a conclusion he could only blame on himself—a fitting end he brought upon himself.

* * *

The Minotaur rampaging against the hunters instinctively sensed a threat and looked around.

It could sense that two strong individuals were advancing toward it.

Shaking off its fear, the Minotaur shouted loudly to confront them.

“Ummmmm!”

With its reliable allies roaring, the smaller monsters like goblins found courage and rallied to join.

Meanwhile, the hunters became enveloped in a sudden wave of fear, their movements slowing without them realizing it.

The Minotaur, witnessing the change in atmosphere, felt satisfied.

In this heightened state, it was confident it could defeat any challengers.

However, victory in battle couldn’t solely rely on spirit.

Especially not against clearly superior opponents.

“Ummmmm!”

The Minotaur wielded its axe towards the faster of the two strong figures targeting it.

With a heavy ‘thud’ sound, heavy strikes had never failed to split its enemies in two until now.

It never even considered the possibility of its axe breaking in return.

When that unimaginable scene unfolded before it, the Minotaur found itself lost and unsure of how to react.

“Yeah, I wanted to see your ugly faces.”

Seo Sang-ho had just shattered the Minotaur’s axe with his bare hands and was now enjoying its flustered state.

In its attempt to charge fearlessly at the hunters, the monster had met an actual opponent.

Watching the Minotaur’s confidence crumble in that instant was always a thrilling sight.

“If you’re not planning on finishing it, get out of the way.”

“What?”

While Seo Sang-ho was still eliciting a response of surprise, Kang Jin-hyuk’s bat struck the Minotaur squarely on the temple.

The Minotaur was struck in a vital spot and collapsed to the ground, eyes rolling back.

Immediately, Kang Jin-hyuk took a moment to check the score from the counter stacked against the Minotaur.

“Huh? The points are still the same?”

Feeling that something was off, he examined the Minotaur and found it was merely knocked out, still breathing.

Realizing this, he clicked his tongue lightly in disappointment.

“It looks like the Minotaur isn’t going down in one hit after all.”

Even if his stats had been raised by a passive skill, it reached a limit due to its base level being insufficient.

However, the sense of inadequacy was relative to his own standards.

From Seo Sang-ho’s perspective, Kang Jin-hyuk had already surpassed normal boundaries.

‘A C-rank hunter catching a Minotaur this recently?’

Even if Seo Sang-ho had blocked the Minotaur’s attack, it would have been impossible for a C-rank hunter to knock it out in a single hit.

Plus, Kang Jin-hyuk had been re-classified as a cleric.

The profession didn’t possess any combat-related skills.

Seeing all this, it was clear that Kang Jin-hyuk exhibited several anomalies beyond normal expectations.

Seo Sang-ho found this distinction irrefutably fascinating.

He could finally grasp why Zhuge Liang had longed for such talented individuals.

‘Indeed, my instincts were right.’

Seo Sang-ho held back the immediate impulse to ask him to join the guild.

Based on Kang Jin-hyuk’s reactions so far, it was evident that he would feel burdened and would back off.

“You seem like a mercenary.”

Upon hearing Seo Sang-ho’s question, Kang Jin-hyuk nodded in response.

“They’re paying according to how many kills I make. Can I take the final blow now?”

“Do as you wish.”

Upon hearing the agreement, Kang Jin-hyuk swung his bat rapidly against the fallen Minotaur’s head.

It didn’t matter how sturdy the skull was; even it couldn’t withstand a barrage of strikes imbued with aura.

Eventually, after a series of seven hits, the Minotaur’s head oozed blood as it finally breathed its last.

Realizing his level was rising rapidly, Kang Jin-hyuk confirmed the Minotaur had indeed died.

“I should reach level 150 soon.”

Achieving level 150 marked a turning point for a B-rank hunter and allowed for a second job change.

Depending on what sort of activities one engaged in as a hunter, second-class jobs were randomly assigned, giving reason for Kang Jin-hyuk to highly anticipate his next class change.

Joining in on such a large scale hunting event might just be the opportunity he was looking for.

“Well then, I’ll leave this in your hands.”

Kang Jin-hyuk decided there was no time to dawdle and prepared to depart immediately.

The monster carcasses would be naturally gathered and divided based on contributions by Titan later.

‘As long as I have the points counted, I won’t get stabbed in the back.’

While he was still wary, he opted not to think too deeply on his suspicions.

Overthinking would invite unnecessary movements leading to vulnerabilities—this was something he had learned from Lucia over the last week.

“Situation’s almost under control, so you shouldn’t be rushing, right?”

As Seo Sang-ho pointed out, the monster onslaught had begun to dwindle as Kang Jin-hyuk rampaged.

This situation was possible largely due to the many mercenaries present besides him.

While the profits for Titan might decrease as a result, the damage caused was significantly reduced.

Seo Sang-ho was very pleased with this outcome.

On the other hand, Kang Jin-hyuk felt differently.

“If it’s close to ending, I should still catch a few more.”

Even if the battle was drawing near a close, he still felt unsatisfied.

Having exhausted potions for vitality during the day and wanting to finish up with his second awakening, he decided he wanted to push forward.

“Then I’ll stick with you on your next move.”

“Excuse me?”

Kang Jin-hyuk openly scrunched his face, indicating his unwillingness toward Seo Sang-ho’s suggestion.

Setting aside the burden he might feel, there was no way he could face off against an S-rank hunter and a monster in competition.

Seo Sang-ho was well aware of Kang Jin-hyuk’s sentiments.

“Don’t worry, I’ll only step in when danger arises.”

“If that’s the case, why are you following me?”

“It sounds interesting.”

Seo Sang-ho’s response was utterly ridiculous.

Many claimed that the thrill of watching flames and witnessing fierce battles were the most enjoyable.

Yet he, right before the carnage, was openly admitting to coming just for enjoyment.

“I periodically receive updates about where strong monsters spawn. If you accompany me, you’ll have no need to waste time wandering around.”

Seo Sang-ho attempted to convey his usefulness while reaching for the earphones in his ears as a call came through.

Upon connecting the call, an urgent voice flared up from the other side.

“Really? What happened?”

“The sky?”

At that unexpected response, Seo Sang-ho looked up, raising his gaze.

As Kang Jin-hyuk followed suit, he saw dark, ominous clouds filling the sky.

While the surroundings were clear, only the area where a fight broke out was engulfed in dark clouds, making for a bizarre sight.

“What’s the big deal about that?”

“How many of them? What size are we looking at?”

Just as the guild member finished reporting, a blinding flash emanated from the center of the dark clouds.

By the time Seo Sang-ho comprehended what he saw, it had already transformed into a streak of lightning descending upon the battlefield.

“Waaaah!”

Hunters caught off guard cried out in screams as they fell one after another.

The lightning did not discriminate; it struck everything within its landing point indiscriminately—be it a monster or a hunter.

Seo Sang-ho, witnessing this catastrophe, momentarily fell silent.

It was already absurd for something to be pouring down lightning.

Hearing of a monster seven or eight times larger than an airplane hovering in the sky was the first he had ever experienced—an utterly despairing revelation.

Even without lightning, such a colossal creature could devastate the area just by its weight alone.

“Why are you only reporting this now?”

“Damn it… What’s the government saying?”

“What do they expect to do against it with just helicopters?”

To monsters, conventional weaponry was utterly ineffective.

The only means of counterattack rested solely on hunters. Thus, they’d have no choice but to take to the skies themselves to confront the monster hidden in those clouds.

However, that was clearly an insurmountable task.

Any closer, and a single lightning strike would turn the helicopters into mere roasted metal.

“Why is that madman only starting to move now?”

Hearing Seo Sang-ho’s complaints, Kang Jin-hyuk ventured a hypothesis.

“Judging by the lightning strikes, I think it doesn’t identify friend or foe. It’s probably waiting for the monsters to dwindle before making its move.”

“… Do you think monsters can come up with such strategies?”

“Anything’s possible.”

In this unusual circumstance, it was plausible to suggest that even an intelligent monster could surface.

“Right now, we can only ask hunters with long-range skills to hunt it down.”

“… Hah.”

Placing his palm against his forehead, Seo Sang-ho took a deep breath to regain composure and issued commands to his guild members.

“Immediately summon all hunters classified as magicians!”