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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: US Monster Extermination Request (5)
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Whoosh—
A desolate, windswept plain.
At the edge of a village, where old concrete buildings stood scattered, a single Sapiens stood guard.
Yawn—
Wielding weapons in each of its four hands, the creature blinked its large eyes, letting out a bored yawn.
"Krrrk…?"
Suddenly, it sensed an unusual awkwardness in the air, different from the norm, and tilted its head to the side.
Whoosshhhhhh—
As it lifted its head at the sharp whistling sound in its ears,
"...!?"
A blazing fireball was plummeting down from the distant sky!
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
"Kyaaaah—!!!!!"
Witnessing the scene, the Sapiens on guard duty opened its mouth wide and let out a loud shriek, striking the brass bowl in front of it.
It was a signal of emergency.
However, it was too late.
The fireball had already passed the guard and was falling directly into the center of the settlement.
KABOOOM—!!!
A powerful explosion erupted.
The ground was cratered as if a massive artillery shell had dropped.
The beginning was Kang Do-hee.
"K-keek…!?"
"Kaaaeek—!"
"Kee-eek—!"
Caught off guard by Kang Do-hee's airstrike, which fell without any warning, the Sapiens scattered in confusion.
Slishhhhh—
But before they could even take a step, a chilling cutting sound echoed.
A streak of deep ultramarine sword energy traversed the settlement.
"…!?"
The Sapiens that had turned to flee, the buildings they inhabited, pillars, houses, stones, trees.
A single black line ran through everything in the vicinity.
Creeeeak— Thud!!
With a slight delay, everything along that black line was cleanly severed, splitting into two like logs.
Cleaved in two with a single stroke.
At the entrance of the settlement, Jin Yu-ha, her eyes lowered, plunged her sword into the neck of the guard Sapiens.
Thwack!
"Gurgle—"
As the surviving Sapiens stared in horror at the surreal sight,
CLANG—!!!
This time, a metallic clang reverberated from the very center of the settlement.
There, Lee Yu-ri stood, holding up a golden shining shield, a confident expression on her face.
Aegis.
Named after the ancient Greek myth, the shield, true to its name, had the face of a snake-headed woman embedded in its center.
The range of her provocation was incomparably wider than before.
Not only did it draw attention, but it also possessed a shocking ability to disrupt the magic of any monsters who witnessed it!
Thump.
Thump.
Overwhelmed by her skill, the Sapiens couldn't overcome their dizziness and completely fell to their knees.
While they remained paralyzed.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud—!
Rain began to fall from the sky.
The silver rain bypassed the Utopia Party, accurately hitting only the heads of the Sapiens.
It was So Yi-pa's arrows.
The pupils of the Sapiens, who had lost half their forces helplessly in an instant, trembled as if an earthquake had struck.
If this wasn't hell, then what was?
Though they couldn't speak, their expressions conveyed as much.
* * *
The chief analyst of the American Hunter Headquarters.
Richard Parkers had dozens of holographic windows floating before him, his expression tense.
This Sapiens extermination operation in Montana was a turning point for the United States.
Sapiens.
Monsters resembling gorillas with four arms. As their appearance suggested, they possessed monstrous strength, capable of tearing apart low-level hunters in an instant.
And they lived in groups, even learning to use human weapons, demonstrating intelligence.
It would have been better if they had been dealt with while still inside the dungeon.
But the Dungeon Burst had already occurred,
and the Sapiens that poured out of the dungeon had utilized human civilization to establish a foothold on American soil.
For the United States, once the world's strongest nation, it was a humiliation.
That's why this operation was crucial.
Through this operation, America could correct its failure to prevent the Dungeon Burst and regain its prestige.
It was also an opportunity to prove that America's mercenary strategy was an effective approach.
The astronomical sum spent on hiring these hunters for this operation alone was staggering!
'If we fail this operation, America will be the laughingstock of the world. A country that spent a fortune, begged for help from other nations, and still failed. Damn it!'
Richard's hands trembled.
'There's no way I'll let such a disgraceful stain tarnish us.'
So, this time, he had put considerable effort into recruiting hunters.
But to think that the very first step would go so awry.
And all because of an academy cadet party, which he had casually summoned to foster good relations with Director Lina!
He never in his wildest dreams imagined that Ling Xiao, the Chinese hunter, would pick a fight with such a nascent party.
Unlike Utopia, who was merely famous, Ling Xiao was a truly recognized powerhouse.
It had happened in the brief moment they were regrouping, so there was no time to properly manage the situation.
Because of this, a strange sense of wariness had spread among the other participating hunters.
The initial plan of everyone working together to assault the settlement had also gone up in smoke,
forcing them to choose the alternative of individual attacks.
"Haa…"
Richard sighed, as if troubled, and scanned the screens.
Naturally, his gaze fell upon the Utopia Party.
After causing such a ruckus from the start, there was no way he could view them favorably.
"…Huh."
As he watched Utopia's screen, with a 'let's see what happens' attitude, another sigh escaped his lips.
This time, it wasn't a sigh of annoyance or pity, but one of astonishment.
"What in the world… is going on?"
His eyes widened.
Utopia was a new party, composed solely of cadets, unlike the established, formidable hunters.
The reason this party was brought into this operation was:
Half for the desire to maintain good relations with Velvet Academy,
And half for the expectation that they would serve as a catalyst to attract public attention.
This wasn't just a casual remark; it was an assessment derived from objective analysis of Utopia's strength.
"...Didn't their individual combat power appear decent, but they didn't really shine in group combat?"
But what had happened?
The Utopia Party had changed so much it was as if they had become an entirely different group.
—Kaaaeek!
—Kee-eek!?
—Kiiik!?
Like a pack of wolves invading a flock of sheep, the Sapiens were scrambling to escape.
Then, a woman with blue hair caught his eye.
'...That woman. Is she a newly joined party member?'
She wasn't in the data yet, so she must have joined recently.
She was probably the reason for the astonishing mobility the Utopia party members were now demonstrating.
That black shadow.
It had completely restructured Utopia's entire formation!
Wings had sprouted on Kang Do-hee and Jin Yu-ha's feet.
As a result, their already overwhelming breakthrough power was further amplified.
And with the support and healer operating in mid-air, it was naturally much safer.
And there was one more person who caught his attention.
"That tank… Yes, Lee Yu-ri. What happened to her, too?"
Surely, her provocation was a powerful card, but wasn't she otherwise an ordinary individual with nothing particularly special about her?
The change in her shield played a part, but it felt more like her entire combat style had changed.
She, who always functioned as a central axis between the rear guard and the damage dealers,
Now positioned herself directly among the damage dealers, actively defending against monster attacks.
Because of this, the entire party moved as if they were a single entity.
Overwhelming firepower.
Enemies were instantly cut down.
Pulled in.
Pushed back.
And slaughtered.
Then, Richard belatedly realized he had been staring blankly at Utopia's video for too long,
and shifted his gaze to the videos of the other hunters.
"Good heavens."
He shook his head, letting out a laugh mixed with exasperation.
"There's just no comparison…"
There truly was no comparison.
Even though other parties were using conventional methods, leveraging the unique advantage of magic-users to sweep away large numbers of monsters,
They couldn't even come close to matching Utopia's clear speed.
Instead, most of them were engaged in chaotic battles against the Sapiens' fierce resistance.
Frankly,
The difference was so vast that he wondered if this operation might succeed with Utopia alone.
"In that case, it might be better to just prioritize Utopia…"
No, it was something that had to be done.
If they secured Utopia, not only would this operation succeed, but considering future implications, it would be a highly profitable venture.
However, a sigh welled up inside him. The face of the woman who had negotiated without an inch of compromise while traveling in the helicopter came to mind.
"…So, I have to negotiate with that Cheonhwa again."
Then, in an instant, Richard's eyes gleamed.
"Ah, perhaps…? Could I use that woman as leverage in the negotiation? They certainly didn't seem to be on good terms just recently."
His gaze shifted to the Chinese team's video.
On the screen, Ling Xiao was gritting her teeth, swinging her spear and taking down Sapiens.