Chapter 99. I Could Not Just Leave Behind

“Why are you here!”

Yeon Hong-Ah yelled in shock as she saw the man standing before her. The others also stared at him in disbelief.

Just moments ago, all the monsters in the dungeon had swarmed this location, making it impossible to continue without reinforcements. In such a desperate situation, Yeon Hong-Ah decided to send the external team out to deliver a message. She had several reasons for it, but the biggest one was because the external team was the weakest among them, made up of B-rank Hunters.

Sending them on this mission was her way of ensuring their escape. She had given them the task specifically so they could flee the battlefield. Yet, here he was. The very man she had placed in charge of the group had returned. A terrible thought crossed her mind.

No way... Had they been wiped out on the way out?

Just as she began to turn pale, thinking of the worst possible outcome, the man spoke calmly.

“I made sure every last one of the other Hunters got out safely. I saw them off myself.”

Yeon Hong-Ah let out a small sigh of relief. At least, what she feared didn’t happen. But then, a new question arose.

“Then... why did you come back?”

He’d basically made it to the entrance. So why would he return, and alone, for that matter?

As if guessing her thoughts, the man pulled out his weapon. It was a sleek spear, crackling with blue lightning.

Holding it up, he replied, “I couldn’t just leave behind all the experience points.”

The other Hunters, including Park Sung-Won, stared at him like he was out of his mind.

However, Yeon Hong-Ah’s expression was different. She looked serious, her mind racing.

No way...

She didn’t believe him. No matter how important experience points were, they could not be worth risking one’s life over. To say that he had re-entered a dungeon, during a crisis no less, just for experience points couldn’t possibly be the truth.

Is he worried about us?

Her gaze wavered slightly at the thought. When they first entered the dungeon, this man had been visibly tense. And yet, in the face of danger, here he was, taking action. Therefore, she was impressed.

There were so many people who talked big, only to be the first to run away when danger struck. Such individuals had put her in dangerous situations during dungeon raids countless times. However, Kim Do-Joon was different.

Despite his nervousness, when the moment came, he had stepped up, acting with responsibility. He wasn’t someone she came across often.

In truth, all that “nervousness” Yeon Hong-Ah had noticed earlier was just her imagination.

“They're coming.” Oblivious to her misunderstanding, Kim Do-Joon spoke again.

A swarm of A-rank flying monsters, Sky Beaks, was fast approaching.

Yeon Hong-Ah glanced at the monsters, then at Kim Do-Joon. A soft smile crossed her lips as she spoke.

“Alright, thank you, but be careful.”

Her tone had unconsciously softened.

***

Crackle!

The spear Kim Do-Joon threw sliced through the sky. The first Sky Beak flying toward him was instantly charred black and plummeted to the ground.

[You have defeated a monster. You have gained Experience Points (EXP).]

Seeing the notification of gained experience points, Kim Do-Joon nodded to himself. Coming back had definitely been the right choice.

I was a bit disappointed when I heard it was a solo hunt.

Even though there were other reasons for him being here, he still placed high importance on gaining experience points and increasing his Compatibility. Therefore, when he first heard that the party they were joining was Yeon Hong-Ah’s exclusive solo hunting party, he had felt somewhat dejected.

But now, things had taken a turn. Instead of being sidelined, he was gaining a mountain of experience points.

I guess I should thank that mage.

He remembered the female mage, who had been shedding tears as she left the dungeon. Kim Do-Joon had returned partly to minimize the damage as a supporting force. However, the reason he mentioned to Yeon Hong-Ah, the experience points, was also true.

Monsters were rushing at him endlessly. This was as dangerous as it got in a dungeon. But look at it this way, it was a Hunter’s dream come true—a perfect hunting ground where he didn’t even have to move, just stand his ground and keep fighting.

Swoosh—!

Kim Do-Joon continued throwing his spear. Each throw sent the weapon streaking through the air like a bolt of lightning, striking down monsters before returning to him. With each throw, at least one Sky Beak would fall to the ground.

Wow...

How come someone like him was on the external team?

Even the guild members of Rune Mage, who were generally ranked higher than the B-rank Hunters in the external team, couldn’t hide their surprise at Kim Do-Joon’s prowess. Besides Yeon Hong-Ah, no one else was confident they could take down as many Sky Beaks as he was.

More than half of them couldn’t even touch the monsters due to their ability to fly. Even Yeon Hong-Ah was impressed, but she didn’t say anything. She hadn’t expected much from Kim Do-Joon, and yet, his skills were far beyond what she had imagined.

Is this all I can do?

However, Kim Do-Joon didn’t seem particularly satisfied. While the other Hunters were awestruck by his performance, Kim Do-Joon knew something they didn’t. His spear wasn’t working as effectively as it could.

When I fought the orcs, the lightning sparked a lot more...

But now, the lightning seemed to dissipate into the air far too often. He knew the reason. His mana attribute didn’t match the Lightning attribute of the spear.

As a result, while he could easily enhance the spear’s physical form with his mana, he couldn’t boost its ability to transform into lightning.

This was why the Sky Beaks, the A-rank monsters with excellent aerial mobility, were avoiding the full impact of his attacks.

Well, it’s still good enough for now.

His weapon was still taking down the monsters, so he wouldn’t say that it was weak. Nevertheless, the hunting efficiency wasn’t as high as he’d hoped. At this rate, he began to doubt his decision to return.

Crackle!

A scream pierced the air.

"

Keeyaaah!

"

Kim Do-Joon continued to throw his spear like a machine, his mind racing as he strategized.

How could I make my hunting more efficient in this situation?

After a moment of thought, a realization struck him.

Right, they're flying.

The Sky Beaks were tricky to deal with because they were airborne. It was also the reason why his Lightning Spear was not as effective as he had hoped. But then, a new idea formed in his mind—maybe their ability to fly was also their weakness.

It’s worth a try.

Kim Do-Joon stopped attacking and instead focused on the monsters above him. The steady barrage of lightning bolts came to a sudden halt, confusing the other Hunters. They glanced at him, some worried that he’d gotten injured.

But, all they saw was Kim Do-Joon, standing still, his eyes locked on the Sky Beaks in the sky. Just as the others began to wonder what was going on, Kim Do-Joon leapt into the air.

Baaaam—!

Using his Sky Thunder as a foothold, he surged upward, and in one swift motion, he landed on the back of a Sky Beak. The creature screeched and bucked wildly, trying to shake him off, but Kim Do-Joon clenched his thighs tightly, holding himself steady.

“What... what is he doing?” one of the Hunters shouted in shock, unable to believe what he was seeing.

Kim Do-Joon’s next action served as his answer.

Thorn of Searshader.

Black shadows began to spread outward from him. Thorn-like tendrils expanded in a circle, stretching farther and farther as Kim Do-Joon poured more of his mana into the spell. The Sky Beaks caught in the thorns’ reach began to falter.

Keeeek?

Kyaaaah!

Their bodies stiffened as if they had been frozen mid-flight, unable to flap their wings. It was as if someone had pressed the pause button on a video.

Then they began to fall.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

The Sky Beaks fell like stones, crashing onto the island below, where Yeon Hong-Ah and the other Hunters stood. Their massive bodies slammed into the ground, leaving deep craters and sending plumes of dust into the air.

“M-magic?”

“Wait, didn’t he say he was an Enhancement-class Hunter?”

The Hunters, who had been watching in a daze, couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

Thwack!

In the midst of the fallen Sky Beaks, blood spurted into the air like a fountain as a severed head went flying. At the center of the chaos stood Kim Do-Joon, gripping his long spear tightly, the lifeless body of a Sky Beak at his feet.

“What are you all doing? Aren’t you going to finish them off?” he said with a calm voice.

His words snapped the Hunters out of their trance. For a moment, they hesitated, glancing at one another in confusion. But then, with a collective roar, the Hunters rushed forward, raising their weapons to decapitate the fallen Sky Beaks.

“

Ugh

, let’s do it!”

“Cut them down!”

***

The entire dynamic of the battle shifted dramatically thanks to a single man, Kim Do-Joon. What was once a defensive formation protecting Yeon Hong-Ah had transformed, with Hunters now clustering around Kim Do-Joon. Every time he unleashed his thorn attack and caused a group of Sky Beaks to plummet from the sky, the rest would rush in to deliver the final blow.

Without their ability to fly, the Sky Beaks became nothing more than easy prey. Disoriented from the fall, the creatures could barely move, leaving them defenseless. Now, they were no longer hunting, but simply cleaning up.

Kim Do-Joon, slicing through another Sky Beak's neck, reflected on this shift.

Having this many people around is convenient.

He had been operating solo or with small teams recently, so having a large group made a noticeable difference. Had he been on his own, this hunt would have taken much longer.

Moreover, the experience points gained were excellent.

[You have defeated a monster. You have gained Experience Points (EXP).]

[You have defeated a monster. You have gained Experience Points (EXP).]

[You have defeated a monster. You have gained Experience Points (EXP).]

...

Even though he wasn’t finishing off every Sky Beak, the experience points still flowed steadily into him. He smirked inwardly. Normally, experience points from shared kills would be divided, but thanks to his unique hunting style, half of the total experience points still went to him.

Even if it was only half, the sheer number of monsters being taken down made the total experience points more than worth it. The sentiment was shared by the others.

Holy crap.

This is a goldmine.

We get to take down flying monsters this easily?

The other Hunters were equally thrilled. Usually, Hunters would form a party for dungeons to optimize their roles. One person would draw the enemy’s attention, another would exploit weaknesses, and someone else would offer support from the back. This division of labor was what created optimal hunting efficiency.

However, this was something else entirely. One person was incapacitating dozens of monsters, while the rest of the group simply swooped in to deliver the killing blow. It was a hunting method none of them had ever experienced, and it was incredibly efficient and easy.

“We’ve cleared them all!” one of the Hunters shouted after finishing off another group of fallen Sky Beaks.

Kim Do-Joon scanned the skies again, searching for the next cluster of enemies to unleash his thorns on. As he looked around, his gaze drifted to Yeon Hong-Ah, who fought alone.

Would she be alright on her own?

With her guards now fighting alongside him, she was left to handle the monsters on her own. On the surface, it seemed like a dangerous situation.

However, in reality, it was the opposite. Now that she was alone, her firepower was on a completely different level. The shockwaves from her magical explosions were enough to ransack the ground around her. She was also effortlessly defending herself.

Just as expected.

The strength of an S-rank Hunter was far beyond what she had previously shown. Her restrained performance earlier was likely due to the presence of her allies. After all, as a Mage-class hunter, Yeon Hong-Ah needed space to unleash her full potential. She couldn’t have fought freely with Support-class Hunters like Shin Yoo-Sung or Enhancement-class Hunters like Oh Tae-Jin around her.

Satisfied that she was holding her own, Kim Do-Joon was about to turn his attention back to the sky, when their eyes met. At first, her eyes widening as she took in the sight of the many Sky Beak corpses scattered around him. Then, unexpectedly, she smiled warmly and gave him a thumbs-up, as if to say, “Good job.”

What a nice person.

But of course, Kim Do-Joon had no idea what that was supposed to mean. He just stared at her, perplexed.

What’s with her all of a sudden?

That was all he could think. As their strange exchange of glances ended, something else caught his attention.

Hmm?

Kim Do-Joon squinted, focusing on a distant point. Yeon Hong-Ah, noticing his shift in focus, followed his gaze. In the direction they both were looking, an ominous and unfamiliar mana was beginning to swell. It felt different—unnatural, and increasingly intense.