Against the Clock: The Team Leader’s Pursuit of Glory

The hostages, taken captive, hadn't been able to discern Ju Se-ah's movement which was as swift as a breeze. This was true even for the Hunter who was captured with them.

The goblins, too, had lost sight of her.

However, that didn't mean everyone failed to notice Ju Se-ah.

Only the shining eyes of the Hobgoblins betrayed her presence.

They were a rare breed of goblin, born with magic coursing through their veins. Though they were essentially albinos, genetic mutants, it was clear that they were monsters far beyond the norm of goblins.

Three Hobgoblins cast spells in alignment with Ju Se-ah's anticipated path. Giant rocky hands erupted from the ground, reaching out to ensnare Ju Se-ah.

Ju Se-ah didn't falter, however, charging straight into the abruptly formed barrier.

The Hobgoblin, with a satisfied smile thinking the human was overconfident, was left speechless by the following scene.

The rock hand shattered like a cracker in front of the human. The Hobgoblins tried to hastily conjure a stone spear to skewer her, but their attacks were futile.

"Mage Killer."

This title distinguished her among the world's best tanks.

It was earth attribute magic that exerted physical force. Even that couldn't withstand Ju Se-ah, who boasted an unparalleled defense.

With a horrifying screech, Ju Se-ah crushed an incoming stone spear with her fist while rapidly closing the distance. In an instant, she crushed the Hobgoblin's head, not even giving it the chance to scream.

The remaining two Hobgoblins on either side tried to cast spells in desperation, reaching out with their hands. But she grabbed their wrists, twisting them painfully, and slammed them together like cymbals.

Their heads burst, noses shattered, and the Hobgoblins slumped over, defeated. As she tossed their bodies onto the ground, arrows from the goblin snipers whistled through the air toward her.

"Iron Body."

Ju Se-ah fortified her body with mana to block the arrows. Crossing her arms in an X shape, she protected her face, a vulnerable area.

Although a basic skill, it became an invincible barrier when combined with Ju Se-ah's attributes.

Every time an arrow struck her body, it made a hollow, metallic noise, similar to striking an empty iron can. Through the gap between her arms, she spotted the hostages.

Thankfully, her attack hadn't prompted the matriarch to kill the hostages. Instead, she moved them further back, as if to keep them from being taken.

'Good. If this continues, they won't harm the hostages until they're completely cornered. As expected of goblins, they're smart enough not to kill the hostages recklessly.'

Ju Se-ah scanned the path leading to the goblin matriarch. Four large goblins with feathered bands wrapped around their heads were lined up, guarding her, it seemed.

'A tribe with four goblin chieftains. And they're not even the final boss, but the mid-boss. Why haven't I discovered these brutes before?'

Four goblin chieftains signified an advanced tribe, a large tribe where four tribes had come together. A Warhead, the tribal leader, would emerge from such a tribe.

However, instead of a Warhead, the goblins of North Pocheon had evolved into a tribe with a matriarch. How could such a large tribe not venture down to South Pocheon?

It was strange. North Pocheon was a narrow area, a place where quantitative growth was limited. They had compensated with qualitative growth, but these underdeveloped monsters were species that instinctively prioritized reproduction. Even with the presence of a Matriarch, patiently waiting for the right time was far from the violent nature of these monsters.

Moreover, the problem was not so simple as to why they did not expand their power to South Pocheon. It was even more strange that they did not catch the eye of freelance Hunters who frequented North Pocheon.

'Is this also due to the Matriarch's influence?'

Ju Se-ah thought that the Matriarch might be a more vicious monster than she had assumed, and decided to give it her all.

She dashed into the midst of the four goblin chieftains. Among the bodies that were too large to be considered goblins, Ju Se-ah appeared frail and delicate.

The axes and spears in the chieftains' hands struck her. Ju Se-ah accepted them with her bare body as if there was no need to dodge. Unlike other goblins, her body shook from side to side when hit by their powerful strength.

Through the torn guild jacket a dark armor revealed itself.

Custom armor tailored perfectly to her physique. It seemed to be made of leather and did not make a loud noise even after being struck with a weapon. It was as tough as average metal armor, difficult to scratch.

As soon as Ju Se-ah put strength into her whole body, the armor tightened as if it were a muscle.

Clang! Bang! Ding!

The change in the sound of impact startled the chieftains.

Ju Se-ah seized the opportunity to twist the arm of the chieftain with the axe, snatching the weapon.

Then she threw the axe straight toward the Matriarch.

Thud!

"Damn!"

The axe aimed for the head lodged in the shoulder. A chieftain had clung to her ankle and stretched out, causing her aim to go astray.

Everything happened in a split second, and the Matriarch realized too late that she had been attacked. She let out a scream that seemed to tear across the air.

That scream was the start signal for the goblins to rush towards Ju Se-ah without distinguishing between front and back.

She reached out mechanically to the goblins clinging to her like a swarm of ants.

One by one, diligently eliminating the monsters.

The piled-up bodies of the goblins decreased her maneuvering space. The layered goblins began to bury her like a sandstorm. Even as pillars of blood gushed out, the goblins kept crawling up.

However--

《She can't be stopped.》

The Matriarch thought that the sacrificial attacks of the goblins were useless. Even if she marshaled all the monsters she commanded, it would only buy time, the result would not change significantly.

And there was nowhere to run. This was the world of those humans. Once out of the gate, she could not survive without becoming even stronger.

As the Matriarch groaned in pain, she managed to maintain her fading consciousness and looked at the hostages. She did not think that threatening her with them would make her opponent obediently listen.

《There's only one way.》

The Matriarch decided to use her last resort. She looked over the hostages and then stabbed a dagger into the chest of one of the Hunters she had picked.

Caught off guard by the unexpected attack, the Hunter couldn't dodge and screamed out in agony.

《Sacrifice.》

The Matriarch held the dead Hunter above her head, collecting his dripping blood.

"Uh...."

"Jungoo!"

Screams, wails, cries, and groans of the crowd fuelled the excitement of the ritual.

Drops of blood, trickling from the top of the Matriarch's head, streaked her face, flowing over her neck and chest, soaking her entire body.

《Impure. Evil. Innocent. Faces that differ. Things that never meet.》

The Matriarch recited the incantation. It sounded more like the growling of a beast than a language, yet it undeniably carried magical power.

Boom!

At that moment, the hill where the goblins were piled up crumbled with a shockwave.

Ju Se-ah, who had just emerged from rummaging through the goblin grave, witnessed the Matriarch performing the ritual.

A monster drenched in human blood.

A familiar sight, yet one she could never become accustomed to.

Images from the past flashed through his mind. Her mother. Her friends. Her elderly neighbor. Death still felt unfamiliar.

A spark ignited in Ju Se-ah's eyes.

"You goblin bastard!"

Ju Se-ah emerged, dragging the goblin chieftain by its arms and legs. The chieftain was already dead, but he clung to it with a determination to protect the Matriarch.

She charged, ripping off the chieftain's arm.

《Something nameless.》

Ju Se-ah, who had quickly arrived in front of the Matriarch, threw a punch aimed at her heart. Her fist pierced through her chest, protruding from her back.

The Matriarch mumbled as if exhaling her last breath.

《Reveal. Your existence.》

A black aura swirled and erupted from the pierced heart of the goblin Matriarch.

Suddenly, the goblins began to glow frenziedly.

Goblins, who had been languid as if they had all the time in the world, suddenly let out a monstrous roar and attacked the Hunters.

'Something must have happened to the Matriarch.'

The immediate thought was of Ju Se-ah's heroics.

Kang Mu-hyuk suspected that she had placed the Matriarch in danger.

Otherwise, those creatures, who should be biding their time until the goblin force returned from outside, wouldn't be rushing to their deaths like this.

"Retreat, Guild Leader."

Cho Chung-hyun, the Strategy and Tactics team leader, stepped forward. He was in charge of the attack order.

Kang Mu-hyuk moved to the rear. Pyo Beom-hee also withdrew following him.

"Tanks from each party, move forward!"

At Cho Chung-hyun's call, Hunters clad in heavy armor stepped forward with their shields. According to the prearranged signal, long-range dealers who were pulling their bows secured their positions on the right hill. Some goblins aiming for these 'long-dealers' climbed the hill, and in response, the melee dealers armed with light armor took the lead with the auxiliary tanks.

The Iron Will members were on edge. They had experienced joint operations of several parties several times, but it was their first time with a large-scale attack force of 100 Hunters.

Moreover, this wasn't a raid to hunt a large boss monster, but a war raid where large forces clashed.

Even the large guilds called Tier-ed guilds rarely experienced such war raids. Except for the age of Great Wars, the number of cases itself could be counted on one hand, so it was hard to find experienced individuals, except for some old-generation Hunters.

In the midst of the fierce struggle for position between the Hunters and monsters, a weighty voice came through Kang Mu-hyuk's right earpiece.

"Guild Leader, just as predicted, the goblin riders are coming."

He wore earpieces in both ears, each tuned to a different channel. The left was for immediate communication with the attack team, while the right was connected to a lone Hunter tasked with guarding their rear.

Raising a hand to his right ear, Kang Mu-hyuk replied, "Team Leader Yeom, can you hold them off?"

The voice belonged to Yeom Soo-hyung, a former member of the Titan Guild who had been scouted for the role of the support team.

He was one of the two cards Kang Mu-hyuk had prepared, other than Pyo Beom-hee.

"Isn't that why you brought me? This is a bit different from what was promised."

"I apologize. We didn't bring you here to fight."

"We're not in a position to argue, so I'll let it slide this time. But I'd rather not have to step into the hunt in the future."

"I'll make a note of that."

"I'll definitely hold them off. You take care of the situation in front."

Pyo Beom-hee, who had been listening to the communication with Yeom Soo-hyung, tapped the sword sheath at her waist and spoke up, "What's up? An ambush? Is it my turn to step in now?"

"No, you can leave the rear to those behind."

"Then, why did you leave me here under the guise of an escort?"

"Team Leader Pyo, you're not suited for defense. In Titan, you were a primary attack tool. Outside the Gates where defense was important, you were virtually useless. Even your tactical evaluation hit rock bottom outside the Gates."

"If insults were counted as a Hunter ability, Guild Leader, you'd be S-rank by now."

"It's not your role to defend, Team Leader Pyo."

"Then why me? Why go to all this trouble?"

"Just in case. As insurance in the unlikely event that our operation fails."

"What insurance is needed to hunt goblins? Guild Leader Kang, you worry too much. It's a flaw. It's good to be thorough, but if I lived like you, I'd have a nervous breakdown."

Pyo Beom-hee shook her head and joked, but Kang Mu-hyuk did not relax his vigilance. Seeing his worried expression, Pyo Beom-hee erased her smile and asked, "Are you worried about the Goblin Matriarch?"

"Yes."

"Don't worry. We have Ju Se-ah, the Indomitable Witch, and the Walking Calamity. Even to the monsters, she's a witch and a calamity. Besides, isn't the Matriarch a magic type? And Ju Se-ah is known for smearing herself with all kinds of resistance attributes. She's a Mage Killer. The Matriarch will be a walk in the park for her."

"In theory, yes. Ju Se-ah is the perfect counter against magic types... But there's something that's been bothering me."

"What's bothering you?"

"The Goblin Matriarch who first appeared in the Amazon. The result was undoubtedly the annihilation of an A-ranked guild, but there were many inexplicable aspects to the process."

"Could it be that the goblins were just a superior tribe?"

"That was my conclusion, and Guild Master Ju Se-ah who reviewed the data agreed."

"And?"

"What's bothering me is that the Brazilian guild was clearly winning in the early and mid-stages of the raid. The latter half is poorly documented due to the annihilation of the attack team."

With only limited information, Kang Mu-hyuk had planned this operation. He filled the gaps with his experience and imagination. Of course, it was possible due to the cheat key named Ju Se-ah. But what might lie in the remaining, unseen latter part?

Something unseen, as though shrouded in mist, was disturbing Kang Mu-hyuk's senses.

"It's just a goblin anyway. Although it's a Gate that kills humans, a goblin would never be able to take down an S-rank... Wait, what are you looking at?"

Pyo Beom-hee felt something odd about Kang Mu-hyuk, who had stopped mid-conversation and was looking elsewhere.

She turned her head in the direction Kang Mu-hyuk was gazing at.

A clear sky greeted them, a stark contrast to the bleak place where the war against monsters was unfolding.

"What's the matter? You startled me. There's nothing there."

Pyo Beom-hee felt Kang Mu-hyuk's strange gaze on her.

"Nothing? You don't see that?"

"My eyesight is -2.5 in both eyes. What on earth are you asking me to look at?"

Kang Mu-hyuk turned his eyes away from Pyo Beom-hee and looked back at the distant sky.

It was clearly in the direction where the Sanjeong Lake was.

'You can't see that?'

In his sight, sinister black energy was fiercely surging upward into the sky.

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