Chapter 194: Final Clear Preparations (2)

The ground was solid, thanks to the Hunters who wielded the power of nature. Kim Ki-Rok stared at the Humanoid with its arm and leg torn off. He focused on its neck, which shook violently for a moment, then swung his mace again.

With a swoosh and a clunk, Kim Ki-Rok's mace struck the monster's head, severing it cleanly. He sighed as the headless Humanoid staggered forward, still twitching.

Dropping his shield and mace, he reached into his subspace pocket, gripped a giant hammer with both hands, and brought it down to smash the advancing corpse once more. A loud explosion rang out as parts of the now-flattened machine scattered from the impact. Only when it was reduced to scrap did it remain still.

"The only ones left are the ones with tricky core locations, right?" a Korean Hunter asked, approaching after finishing his own fight.

Kim Ki-Rok sighed again. "I would assume so. Their goal is to buy time until their allies can escape."

While some Hunters focused on securing the mines and its ore veins, many Korean Hunters, including Kim Ki-Rok, stayed with the main force.

The first wave ambushed the Hunters as they arrived via teleporter. The second turned back to block their pursuers. The third advanced to reclaim the mines and ore veins, consisting mostly of Animaloids with superior physical abilities, unlike the Humanoid types in the earlier waves.

Hunters moved through the aftermath, gathering monster corpses into subspace pockets or loading them onto transport vehicles parked outside the Gate. S-Class Hunters stood watch nearby, clearly exhausted but still alert as they guarded the last city. Kim Ki-Rok scanned the scene, then turned to store the defeated monster's body in his own subspace pocket.

"What do you think the capture team is doing?" the other Hunter asked.

Kim Ki-Rok gave him a quick glance before answering, "They should be fine. Even if the Animaloids are extremely strong, they're pretty far away."

The command center had told them they would occupy the mines and ore veins within fifteen minutes. Five minutes after that report, the mechanical monsters began to retreat, scattering in all directions.

If all the machines from the last city had moved to the mines, things might have gone differently. Unfortunately, some monsters stayed behind, sacrificing themselves to block the S-Class Hunters and the new arrivals who teleported in, all to protect the precious ore veins.

There were not just one, but six mines to reclaim. The First must have realized it was impossible to reclaim them all with their current forces, so it split them into two teams and moved again.

"Well, we've bought enough time, so there shouldn't be a problem. But we need to move as soon as we get a request for support, so let's wrap it up quickly," Kim Ki-Rok said.

"Right."

***

Given the situation, no one chatted while they waited. Hunters and regular soldiers spent the time checking their weapons as ordered by the commander.

"Exact location unknown! But it's predicted to arrive within thirty minutes! Finish the check and wait for further orders!" A Hunter concisely relayed the command center's report to everyone, while commanders hurried the soldiers through their checks.

Holding a communication orb in each hand, a Hunter infused mana into the one in his left. "Please report."

—No problems here.

—We're infusing mana to activate the magic circle.

—This is Team 5. We're short on arrows.

—This is Team 6. We're slightly short on shells.

—This is Team 9. We have five minutes left to set up the trap.

He nodded as the reports came in, eyes scanning the area. The South Korean Hunters and regular soldiers had previously secured this mine that was now under his team's jurisdiction.

After listening to the reports from those waiting for the enemy, he addressed the orb again. "Get the missing supplies from the nearest team. If you're still short, send someone to Team One. Team Nine, the enemies are expected in thirty minutes. Focus on finishing perfectly, not quickly."

—Yes, understood.

—Understood.

He nodded at their responses and sat down on the floor.

"Ugh, holy shit, this is annoying."

To connect communication orbs that weren't originally linked, he had to inject mana to activate the magic circle, then touch it to change the frequency. Not only was the whole process a hassle, it required a delicate understanding of communication magic.

To support the operation, the Hunters Association had quickly purchased and rented a large number of communication orbs, delivering them as soon as the clear team made the request. Each orb came with a name tag for easy identification, eliminating any confusion. He picked up the one linked to the clear team inside the mine.

"This is the mine exterior defense team. We've received word that the enemy will arrive in half an hour."

There was a short pause before the reply.

—We expect to finish dealing with the monsters in five... no, ten minutes. Considering travel time, we'll join you in fifteen minutes at the earliest, twenty at the latest. Ah, and we'll adjust the orb's frequency to match the exterior defense team.

"Understood. Please be careful."

—Roger.

As Guildmaster Ji Seok-Hyun's voice faded, the orb's light dimmed. Without hesitation, the Hunter set it aside and reached for the one linked to the exterior defense team.

He paused for a moment, staring ahead, deep in thought. But there wasn't time to linger. He reached out, touched the second orb, and channeled mana into it, opening a link to the command center for updates and instructions.

At the sound of a faint noise, he lifted his head, eyes sharpening with mana as he focused forward. Mechanical monsters were surging across the terrain. The Animaloids charged ahead, the Worm-types tunneled relentlessly beneath, and the Humanoids loomed above, riding larger units like a twisted cavalry.

He rolled up his sleeve and glanced at the timer on his smartwatch. Twenty-five minutes remained, just as the control center predicted.

The Hunter in charge of external defense glanced at the Korean clear team, who had arrived ten minutes ago and were resting, awaiting orders. When he made eye contact with Team Leader Ji Seok-Hyun and saw him nod, he took a breath and infused mana into the orbs in his left hand.

"They were estimated to arrive in thirty minutes," he began. "However, I was able to detect the enemies by using mana to reinforce my vision. So, the margin of error is three minutes. Each team, carry out the operation according to your leader's command. Please contact me immediately if you need Hunter support."

He had received a message that the mechanical monster army dispatched from the last city had split into two groups.

That Hunter wondered if these weren't the monsters from the last city. Perhaps they were mechanical units scattered across the continent, now converging to reclaim the mine.

He leaped into the air, conjured an ice shield beneath his feet, landed on it, and jumped again. Repeating the process, he climbed higher with each step until he reached a good vantage point. Activating his mana-enhanced vision, he scanned the incoming monsters.

The machine leading the pack and the Worm-type units were pristine, their bodies undamaged and polished. But those further back looked different.

He injected mana into the orbs in his right hand. "I see traces of battle on the Animaloid in the rear, and on some of the Humanoid ones as well. It seems the monsters scattered across the continent have joined those from the last city."

—Confirmed.

A response came from the left orb.

—Confirmed. We will dispatch reinforcements from the main force. A battle has already started at another mine. Because the terrain there is flat, the Korean clear team will be a bit lower in priority than the other clear team. We'll dispatch the Korean clear team from the main force, then send the foreign Hunters.

The South Korean clear team's mine was surrounded by mountains, terrain that offered a natural defensive advantage. On the other hand, the plains were far more vulnerable, even with thorough preparation.

"Understood," he replied.

The enemy numbers were high, but there were S-Class Hunters among the Koreans coming to help. In the worst case, Kim Ki-Rok could use Guardian, despite its heavy restrictions and repercussions.

***

The mechanical monsters from the last city, those who escaped the battlefield with the help of their allies' sacrifice, and those scattered across the continent, all converged. Their goal was to reclaim two regions: the underground mines near the barren mountains held by the Korean clear team, and another mine in the plains held by the Japanese clear team.

The command center responded quickly, requesting support from the remaining Korean and Japanese clear teams at the base. Since the attacked areas were under their jurisdiction, the remaining teams moved out immediately, with no time to rest.

The same went for the teleporters, who had been sprawled out, exhausted from continuous use. They didn't want to move, but after hearing that this was the last time, they drank potions, ate the food Kim Ki-Rok provided, and got back to work.

Inside the command center's container barracks, Lieutenant General Akabe tapped the armrest of his chair, awaiting reports from both clear teams. For him, defeat was not an option.

They were outnumbered, but their side was prepared. The Hunters carried Pastera weapons, regular soldiers provided support, and a defensive camp had been quickly established with siege weapons, made possible by their subspace pockets.

When one of the communication orbs began to vibrate, Akabe rose and approached it. A Hunter trailing behind reached out and infused it with mana.

—This is the Korean clear team. Target neutralized. I repeat, target neutralized.

Akabe clenched his fist. "Good job. Please stand by for about three days in case anything arises."

—Understood.

The report from the Korean clear team came in.

Now, only the Japanese clear team remained.

Lieutenant General Akabe stood waiting for the light on the communication orbs. Five minutes later, when it appeared, he clenched his fist once again.