Chapter 239: Poison Duke Aspera (1)

Cooperation was a foreign concept among the monsters of Hell. If one encountered a creature that wasn't of its kind or was overwhelmingly strong, a fight would break out. If one or the other was much weaker, it would simply be slaughtered. One way or another, blood was always shed.

Yet, even monsters from Hell sometimes displayed behaviors that looked like cooperation. This rare phenomenon only occurred when an overwhelmingly powerful entity issued a command.

"Things would have gone terribly for us if they'd formed an advanced civilization," Yoo Seh-Eun commented.

Kim Ki-Rok let out a laugh. "That's right. If Hell had developed a civilization like Earth's, or even one on par with the Yuashiel Dimension, Earth wouldn't have stood a chance."

"I told you to stop talking about our doom."

Avoiding her glare, Kim Ki-Rok turned his attention to the Hunters standing guard around them. The subjugation force was here to defeat Aspera—the Poison Duke of the North, the master of the black-water swamp, ruler of Hell's northern reaches.

"As I said before, Hell's monsters only cooperate when something stronger commands them. That's why the monsters in the swamp won't attack us individually. Instead, while wary of each other, they'll work together to attack us."

"So that's why there are three hundred of us," a foreign Hunter murmured quietly.

"Exactly. We have three hundred Hunters because we're fighting not only Aspera but also all the monsters inhabiting this swamp," Kim Ki-Rok replied.

Three hundred Hunters might have seemed excessive for a single target, but Kim Ki-Rok's explanation clarified their true objective. The subjugation force wasn't just after Aspera; they were here for the "swamp" he ruled.

"I'll explain as we move." Kim Ki-Rok quickly turned and strode toward the black-water swamp. "Miss Ji-Ah."

Her artifacts boosted her Magic and Willpower, and further amplified her skills. Unlike the typical mages trained at the Tower of Wizards' Korea branch, she had already mastered ice magic, reinforced under the guidance of an elf mage.

"Understood," she replied. "Ice Field."

Lee Ji-Ah, known as the Icy Fourth among The Five Siblings of Mapogu, raised her staff. The sharp crackle of forming icicles echoed as she conjured her spell. Usually supporting her allies or launching devastating attacks, Lee Ji-Ah now transformed the murky swamp into a field of ice.

Monsters burst from the swamp, landing atop the frozen surface, eyes fixed on her. The Hunters sprang into action, holding formation and watching the emerging swamp monsters. Four of them quickly moved to fortify Lee Ji-Ah's defenses.

"Forty Hunters will engage Aspera, the Poison Duke of the North. We'll split into two groups, alternating our advance," Kim Ki-Rok instructed. "The remaining two hundred sixty will focus on containing the swamp monsters."

Kim Ki-Rok reached into his subspace pocket and drew the dwarven-made spear named Trident. Channeling mana into the weapon, he swung it down, drawing the monsters' attention to himself.

"Mr. Seh-Hyuk."

"Shout of the Vanguard!"

Kang Seh-Hyuk moved forward, shield raised, activating his skill to draw aggro from the monsters.

"Mr. Chris, Ms. Shamita."

At Kim Ki-Rok's signal, the French Hunter Chris and the Indian Hunter Shamita advanced, using their own aggro skills to pull the monsters' focus.

"Even so, not all the monsters will be lured by me, Seh-Hyuk, Chris, or Shamita. Some will still target Ms. Lee Ji-Ah first."

Swamp monsters lunged at Kim Ki-Rok, drawn by the Trident's aggro skill and the others' provocations. As Kim Ki-Rok instructed, several broke off, charging for Lee Ji-Ah.

***

When the Hunters first arrived, they hadn't known exactly where their Gate connected to Hell. Three months later, the Gate clear team finally pinpointed their location after encountering the Duke of the North.

"Appraisal."

Awakened could take advantage of Earth's support system to analyze objects imbued with mana and Gates, though not living monsters.

[Iron Duke of the East, Stein (SS)]

Description: The scale of Stein, the Iron Duke who ruled the eastern region of Hell

Since Appraisal didn't work on living monsters, the Hunter who examined the giant scale immediately pressed his radio.

"I've discovered a sleeping black dragon and surveyed the area. The dragon seems to awaken instantly if any wolf monster approaches, so I judged its detection ability as extremely high. I abandoned a close approach and searched the vicinity. There, I found a black scale. Using Appraisal, I confirmed the scale belongs to the black dragon."

—Please provide its confirmed title and name.

"Its title is Iron Duke, and its name is Stein."

—And its abilities?

"When a wolf entered its territory, the Iron Duke Stein opened his eyes. The wolf immediately fled in terror, so I couldn't observe further. However..."

The Hunter signaled to a nearby colleague. Once a dome-shaped shield covered him, he struck the scale on the ground. It rang like a bell from the impact.

"The scale is harder than steel," he continued.

—How hard, exactly?

"I can't say for certain, since I'm not an artisan."

—How does it compare to Pastera?

"It feels harder than Pastera."

—Can it store or absorb mana...? Never mind. I'll withdraw that request, considering its exceptional detection ability.

The Hunters were minimizing their mana use to avoid detection, and even their shields prioritized soundproofing over defense.

—About the Iron Duke of the East, Stein. Are there monsters nearby?

The Hunters had spotted one during their search. "Yes, we saw one."

—Any corpses?

"No."

—Unfortunate. Describe the monster's appearance.

"It looked like a dinosaur."

There was a pause.

—Excuse me?

"A dinosaur."

—To clarify, was it a small dragon, like a drake or wyvern?

"No, it was a wingless dragon. 'Dinosaur' was the first word that came to mind, not drake or wyvern."

—With the Iron Duke of the East confirmed, we can place our Gate entrance in Hell's northeast. A teleportation Hunter was sent to the team searching westward. After correcting their course to the southwest, they found the Ice Duke of the West within an hour, confirming our theory.

Kim Ki-Rok twisted his wrist, holding Trident upright. With a harsh crunch, he drove the spear through a swamp monster's head, chest, and abdomen. He signaled for support, and as Hunters scattered to engage the charging monsters, he retrieved Trident and pressed the radio.

"You must have checked the central area as well."

—Yes, that's correct.

"Were there any Hunters who disobeyed orders?" Kim Ki-Rok asked.

—None. According to the Hunters who searched the central area, the Hell King was not found. However, at one point they felt an overwhelming fear of death, forcing them to keep their distance and survey the area from afar. As a result, they confirmed that nothing else lived on the land where that sense of death was strongest.

There, they had found the Hell King.

"Understood. And the situation with the Four Dukes' subjugati—" Kim Ki-Rok cut himself off and stepped back.

A swamp monster had broken through the Hunters' defensive line, its claws slashing the air where he'd stood. Kim Ki-Rok narrowly dodged, releasing Trident and drawing a dagger from his belt pouch. He stabbed the monster through the heart and base of the skull.

The beast, already wounded and exhausted from fighting past the line, couldn't evade and died instantly. After Kim Ki-Rok dispatched it with practiced ease, he nodded in thanks to the Hunters covering him and resumed the radio conversation.

"How are the subjugation efforts for the Eastern and Western Dukes progressing?"

—Due to insufficient information, we'll assemble teams to target them after the Poison Duke of the North is eliminated.

So far, only the names, titles, and appearances of the Eastern and Western Dukes had been confirmed. Thus, a unit commander of the Gate clear, Kang Man-Ki, decided to wait until Aspera's defeat. Then, using Discernment and teleportation, they'd quickly gather intel and assemble strike teams.

"Understood. I'll report back with Aspera's corpse after subjugation."

—Contact us after. We'll send a teleportation specialist and a scroll.

"Understood." Kim Ki-Rok ended the call and reclaimed Trident.

An American SS-Class Hunter had once led the Gate clear unit, but his excessive caution had doomed the operation. The clearing strategy had been similar: expand territory.

However, after discovering the Hell King—or rather, after entering its domain—the American commander grew too cautious. High-level Hunters were withheld from the Four Dukes' teams, reserved instead for a potential Hell King assault. As a result, the S-Class Hunters who went up against the Four Dukes took devastating losses.

It was a predictable outcome. SS-Class Hunters remained behind to defend the main base, leaving only S-Classes to face the Dukes. Even though the teams received buffs from various skills, food, and magic, they couldn't withstand the Dukes' attacks head-on.

Things had been no easier during the attempt led by Chinese Hunters,

Kim Ki-Rok recalled.

That time, a Chinese SS-Class Hunter had commanded the Gate clear. Unlike the American, he was too bold and greedy.

Though they had begun to expand the territory, when the Dukes and Hell King were found, the Chinese commander abruptly changed course. He assigned all non-Chinese Hunters to the Dukes, reserving the Hell King for Hunters from China and neighboring countries.

Ultimately, this tactic failed. Although the Dukes were defeated, the Hell King survived, and there wasn't another opportunity to defeat it. Once the failed strike ended, the Hell King left its territory and began hunting Hunters relentlessly.

After countless regressions, Kim Ki-Rok narrowed the list of suitable commanders to five. Among them were Association President Kang Man-Ki of Korea, an SS-Class Hunter from France, the current American Association President, a retired former Russian Association President, and Lieutenant General Akabe of Japan, renown for his strategic and tactical prowess despite being a civilian.

While dispatching monsters with Trident, Kim Ki-Rok alternated to a dagger for close encounters, cutting down Hellspawn as he advanced. Eventually, he halted, facing a massive sleeping creature, its tail flicking idly across the blackened ground.

"We've found Aspera, Poison Lord of the North," Kim Ki-Rok announced. "We'll rest for five minutes, then begin the subjugation."