Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 385 – Age of Confusion (1)

The ground beneath them transformed into a swampy quagmire, saturating the surroundings with extreme dampness and humidity.

What if an area-of-effect electric magic were cast right here?

Despite their desperate attempts to break free from the swamp, the Centaurs found their four legs, which had allowed them to win countless skirmishes through superior speed, firmly stuck in the ground and unyielding.

Instinctively aware of their inability to evade the impending magic attack, the Centaurs screamed in unison the moment the spell struck.

Being high-tier monsters, they possessed substantial magic resistance, enough to withstand ordinary electric magic with their bare bodies. However, their high mobility had made them the target of numerous unsuccessful trap attempts by humans in the past.

This time, their opponent was thoroughly prepared. The electric magic unleashed wasn't from a Hunter’s skill; rather, it originated from a large magic circle drawn on the ground, with dozens of Hunters infusing their mana into it.

Hidden in a nearby forest, away from the Centaurs' view, the Hunters remained unnoticed. Coupled with the swampy environment, the magic created proved powerful enough to overcome even the Centaurs' high magic resistance.

Three hundred Centaurs succumbed to the magic attack, charred and killed. The remaining two hundred fared no better, vomiting blood, with only about fifty still able to put up a fight. Still, their survival didn't mean they emerged unscathed.

Despite their bows being burnt, the Centaurs, displaying the warrior spirit within, clutched their spears tightly.

Observing the scene, the woman who had earlier dispatched a Minotaur with ease tilted her head in confusion and nonchalantly remarked, “Huh? You still want to fight?”

Her slight boredom betrayed her realization that the Centaurs were no longer a significant threat. Although unable to comprehend human language, the Centaurs sensed her condescending attitude, fueling their warrior's blood and igniting a fierce determination to resist defeat.

The remaining fifty Centaurs raised their spears, their determination clear as they prepared for a last stand, seeking a death worthy of glory.

“Sure, I’ll send you to hell if you want it so badly.”

She gripped her greatsword with both hands and advanced toward the Centaurs.

Surprisingly, her feet did not sink into the mushy ground; she walked normally, as if it were solid. The secret behind this was one of the skills she had awakened.

However, a problem suddenly arose.

“W-What’s going on?!”

The screams of her subordinates rang from the forest.

She instantly turned to the Centaurs, but even they looked perplexed at the current situation.

She was extremely confused by the current situation. Then, her subordinates ran out from the forest one by one. 

“Ah!”

She quickly prioritized, deciding that helping her subordinates was of utmost importance rather than dealing with the remaining Centaurs.

She kicked off the ground and ran to support one of her subordinates who was about to collapse. She then asked, “Are you alright?”

“What happened?”

“M-Monster!”

“A monster?”

Why would a Hunter be so scared of a monster in this day and age?

“B-Black monster!”

“What are you talking about?”

It was the same for her other subordinates who later emerged from the forest. They failed to describe what they saw, and the only thing they could say was ‘monster’ repeatedly. They trembled in fear until they slowly lost their sanity, and along with their fading sanity was the color of their skin turning darker and darker.

***

9:30 AM

All TV shows were abruptly canceled and replaced by urgent news, shocking the entire country and plunging it into absolute chaos. Anyone could tell from the news anchor’s voice alone that the situation was indeed dire.

[We have received news that the second raid party of the Purple Roses, the nation’s fifth-largest guild, the SK Lamiers, has gone missing in the DMZ.]

[Reporter Choi Hye-Yeon is on the ground with us right now.]

[What can you tell us about the situation, Reporter Choi?]

The scene on the TV changed, showing numerous soldiers, police, and Hunters deployed by the Hunters’ Association. They had the area cordoned off with yellow tape, searching for any clues. The area shown on TV was chaotic, and it was evident that something significant had occurred.

[I am reporting live from the scene.]

Reporter Choi Hye-Yeon, known for her beauty on the internet, appeared on the screen. Her flawless skin and voluptuous body had garnered her many fans. Despite often posting selfies or pictures in a bikini on her Instagram account with over five hundred thousand followers, today, her appearance was different. While still wearing makeup, it was less elaborate, indicating she didn't have time to prepare and was deployed in a rush.

[How are things over there?]

[I am currently at the site where the Purple Rose raid party was last in contact with their headquarters. As you can see, the ground is littered with the blood and flesh of monsters, and here you can see equipment supposedly used by the Purple Rose raid party members. Based on the investigator’s preliminary study of the site, they believe this was a very organized ambush, judging by the little to no traces of any struggles. It is highly unlikely for a raid party of the Purple Rose's caliber to lose to a simple ambush.]

The screen split into two, with the newsroom anchor on the left and Reporter Choi Hye-Yeon on the right.

[A very organized ambush? Are you perhaps talking about monsters carrying out such an ambush?]

[Yes, that is correct. The investigators are focusing on the possibility of a group of organized monsters carrying out these attacks, but the chief investigator believes it will be unlikely for them to find anything here.]

[Why so?]

It was rare for news anchors to show any changes in emotions, as most things were scripted in advance. However, this major breaking news left them without the luxury of time to prepare scripts. The news anchor himself looked visibly surprised by the information he was hearing from the reporter on the ground.

[The Purple Rose raid party was deployed to the DMZ to combat the Minotaurs and Centaurs wreaking havoc in North Korea and moving south. They laid traps to annihilate these problematic monsters. According to the Hunters’ Association, there were no dimensional rifts in the DMZ. The fact that a raid party like Purple Rose was eliminated without a single survivor has raised numerous questions among the investigators.]

[Have they eliminated all possibilities? Maybe the monsters were already in the DMZ?]

[A group of monsters capable of easily overpowering the Purple Rose raid party should have had their mana picked up by the radars, so that is highly unlikely.]

[I see... Then is there a possibility they were ambushed by other Hunters? For example, what if this was the doing of Black Hunters?]

The news anchor mentioned one of the taboo words–Black Hunter.

A long time had passed since South Korea abolished the social caste system, but some Hunters still believed they were superior to ordinary people. This mindset gave rise to a handful of Hunters who committed heinous crimes against ordinary people, and they were called Black Hunters by society.

Rumors circulated that these Black Hunters gathered in less frequented hunting grounds, but their existence remained unconfirmed.

[Hmm...]

Reporter Choi Hye-Yeon nervously swallowed the hard lump stuck in her throat. The question was sensitive in today’s society.

[That is an angle the investigators are looking at, but the chief investigator strongly believes this was the doing of monsters and not other Hunters.]

[How is he so certain?]

[Firstly, the Black Hunters are objects of fear due to their infamy, but they are nothing more than Hunters who are either criminals or psychopaths. The Purple Rose raid party members are some of the most elite Hunters in the country, and their leader, Cha Hee-Jung, is an S Rank Hunter almost at the same level as a Master Rank Hunter. It is not possible for a bunch of Black Hunters to defeat the Purple Rose raid party when Cha Hee-Jung alone would be more than a handful for them.]

[I understand.]

The news continued, leaving the people in South Korea even more restless.

It was quite normal for Hunters or raid parties to go missing in the line of duty, and the occurrence of that happening to a promising raid party like the Purple Rose raid party was indeed a shame. At the end of the day, this was an endless cycle, as Hunters would die, and those who newly awakened as Hunters would take their place.

However, this incident was not a simple case of a raid party going missing, and the location where they disappeared was the main problem. Yes, raid parties and Hunters going missing were not a big deal, but every instance of them dying or disappearing happened within the hunting grounds.

Most ordinary people could not care less about what happened in the hunting grounds, as most of them had no business entering one anyway.

That was not the case this time. The DMZ was a restricted area under heavy surveillance, but it was not a hunting ground. In fact, there were villages and cities just a few kilometers south of it. But a top-tier raid party in the country went missing in a place that was not a hunting ground? This fact alone was more than enough to strike fear into the hearts of every citizen living in the country.

[I-It should be the doing of some monsters, right?]

[O-Or maybe it’s a new group of Black Hunters?]

[Ah... I live in Paju, and I’m scared to go out now... Not that I feel any safer indoors...]

[D-Do we have to move south now?!]

[What about our livelihoods?!]

These major events usually led to fear in the general public, and the media loved these fear-mongering stories. Thus, the government would often issue a media blackout for stories like this to avoid any chaos or confusion. It was not that they cared about the general public or anything like that; rather, dissent among the populace would slowly turn into anti-government sentiments that would force people to the streets to protest.

Unfortunately, the South Korean government lost all its powers and influence after losing big time to Han-Yeol, and it could no longer exert the same pressure on the news outlets. This gave freedom to the press to report whatever they wanted, which was exactly what was happening here. Of course, this came at the price of the general public growing anxious, but that was not the media’s problem as long as they got the ratings they wanted.

It was while fear and anxiety were sweeping across the entire country that something ironic happened. The people were not looking to the government for protection or answers. Instead, everyone was looking at the exact same person as their source of hope, and this person was none other than Lee Han-Yeol.