CH 170 Power over the dead

If you haven't noticed yet then let me inform you the Harem chapter is out and I already uploaded the pics so go there and give some likes.

***

Today's anime meme is here. [ ]

....

The fact that he and his fellow warriors now wouldn't be able to ascend to the warrior's heaven after their death and instead become the puppets of the enemy was the worst possible nightmare for these High Orcs.

For sure, the impact of him showing off the Shadow Extraction skill was quite huge.

Jin scanned the complexion of the Shaman next.

'Hoh.'

Jin's expression brightened.

Finally, there were signs of true fear in his eyes.

While shaking like a leaf, the Shaman recalled the existence that could revive the dead into 'shadows'. There could not possibly be two people possessing the exact same power. So, that human had to be 'him'.

'If that person is him, then….. Then, why are we here….?!'

However, the moment the Shaman thought about 'itself' and 'we', the inside of its brain blanked out, and the relevant memories contained within were wiped out in an instant. The only emotion remaining there was true fear, the primal fear, a fear that is passed through the genetics in hopes of survival of future generations.

Knowing well what had just happened, Jin formed a satisfied expression.

'That's right. Stay exactly like that.'

His plan of seeing the Shaman shudder in true fear until the end was a resounding success. He turned his head while smiling like that and then spotted a certain familiar female standing by the entrance of the boss room.

Jin tilted his head.

'Finally, she is here.'

She seemed a bit too 'distant' to be totally familiar to him, however.

That was why he needed a bit of a moment to recall what her name was.

And she was none other than the rank S Hunter currently affiliated with the Hunters Guild, Cha Hae-In, the second love of his life.

'But, why did she take so long to tell me she was strolling around?'

As Gold and Akame did all in the blink of an eye.

Jin might have been somewhat surprised by how long it took to come here, but then Cha Hae-In's own shock was far greater than his. Her wide-open eyes stared at Jin and his Shadow Soldiers.

'Summons??'

The first thing Cha Hae-In thought of was summoning when she saw the Shadow Soldiers. However, there were simply too many of them to say that this was the result of summoning magic.

Then her eyes next drifted towards the remains of High Orc corpses that were still pinned on the long spears; their blood had been dried and most of it was covered by shadow soldiers so she couldn't see the crimson ground filled with chunks of meat, muscle tissue, and flesh.

The thing was, the mage-type Hunters specializing in summoning magic could only control one or two at a push. If one could control two, then the treatment one received improved greatly, and she hadn't yet heard of anyone capable of controlling three or more summon creatures.

However….

Just how many of them were here?!

'This makes no sense!'

Then there are stone spears she won't. It wasn't something that directly came out of horror movies, but she had seen worse as in the start of all this many dungeon breaks happened and monsters didn't think more than meat.

So she wasn't much distracted by it plus the spell itself was a pretty normal thing and most A-rank magic casters would learn of course they can't cast more than two.

Especially not this many, not this precise, not this accurate, not this detailed, not this strong, not this long. Still after all this, it wasn't anything when you consider what scene was unfolding in front of her.

One man summoned over 300 in one go. And, he didn't even need a lot of time to summon them, either. No, he only needed a moment to summon dozens and dozens in one go.

'I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it with my own two eyes.'

She might be one of the top-ten ranked Hunters in South Korea, but another Hunter's ability had managed to leave her totally speechless now.

However….

'This isn't the time for me to stand around like this.'

Her gaze immediately shifted past the Shadow Soldiers and locked onto the raid team. Their complexions were not good at all. Some of them were squatting on the ground as if they no longer had any energy left.

It didn't matter what the identity of the man named Sung Jin-Woo was; her priority lay with lending him aid by taking care of these High Orc Shaman right away.

The results of her thought process might be simple, but she was incredibly quick to put them into action. Cha Hae-In tightened her grip on the 'weapon' in her hands and took a step towards the High Orc Shaman

However, it happened then.

Her eyes met Jin-Woo's. And his eyes were telling her in no uncertain terms.

….That it was not necessary; that she shouldn't interfere.

That she should just observe from the sidelines.

Cha Hae-In couldn't understand why.

'But, how come….?'

She could easily tell that Sung Jin-Woo was capable of controlling countless summons. However, there was just the powerful High Orc Shaman looking, the boss possessing greater power, too.

Because he had to summon that many creatures, and he had to maintain them constantly too, his magic energy reserve should be running empty by now. Yet….

'What is he trying to do on his own?'

She was puzzled, sure, but in the end, Cha Hae-In lowered her weapon. It wasn't because the so-called weapon just so happened to be a pickaxe she borrowed from the mining team. No, she became curious with what the Hunter named Sung Jin-Woo would do against the Orc Shaman.

Expectations.

Her cool-headed reasoning and her expectation had a fight in her mind, and the latter achieved a resounding victory. For some reason, her heart began palpitating faster now.

As the feeling she had came back.

Jin inwardly breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Cha Hae-In's response. Seriously, the real thing was about to begin, so it wouldn't do for some interference to suddenly pop out, now would it?

Heck, he even had to let the poor Sohn Ki-Hoon go through that crap until the very last moment humanly possible, just for a chance to monopolize all the monsters in here.

'Well, he's the kind of a guy who'd try to fight alongside if he has some energy left still.'

That was why he only acted the moment Sohn Ki-Hoon let go of his sword. Even though he had to suppress his urge to rush forward and chop the neck of that d*mn man for him to sleep.

It was all for this moment.

'As expected of a quick-witted woman.

Now just watch and learn from yours truly.'

I quickly shook my head to get rid of my narcissistic thoughts, correcting myself as I looked in front of me.

Anyway, it is a relief that Cha Hae-In turned out to be a smart girl. She backed off without him needing to raise his voice, after all. Jin turned his attention back to his front while a deep smile formed on his face.

***

Woo Jin-Cheol was running breathlessly.

"Pant, pant, pant…."

He ran so hard that he now tasted sweetness in his mouth.

He bent over and tried to catch his breaths before raising his torso up – only to spot a woman with a short hairstyle standing near the entrance of the boss room. He immediately recognized who she was.

'Cha Hae-in….'

Where would you find a female Hunter possessing an aura like hers? Of course, there was the other female, her aura was very different from her as the coldness around felt like it was ready to freeze him if he tried to get just one step closer to her.

'….However, why is she standing still like that?'

Woo Jin-Cheol found it strange that she didn't try to participate in the battle and simply stood by, so he quickly walked up next to her.

"What is this?"

As the bewildered onlooker gazed into the boss room, his eyes widened in sheer astonishment at the sight before him. It wasn't just an army; it was a living, breathing menagerie of the fantastical and the deadly.

In the forefront stood soldiers clad in sleek, jet-black armor, their silhouettes fierce and imposing. Each of them bore the unmistakable mark of battle-hardened warriors, a stark contrast to the grotesque and lifeless bodies of the High Orcs impaled upon stone spears like morbid trophies.

But what truly boggled his mind were the otherworldly beings that stood alongside these armored soldiers. Creatures he could hardly fathom, let alone put a name to.

There, towering above the rest, were enormous, smoldering black bears that exhaled plumes of dark smoke with every breath. Their eyes glowed with an eerie, malevolent light, and the power emanating from their hulking forms was palpable.

Beside them were High Orcs adorned in a bewildering array of black-colored armors, each set more intricate and menacing than the last. From spiky exoskeletons to flowing, ebony robes, it was a symphony of darkness and menace.

But it didn't stop there. The boss room resembled a nightmarish zoo of abominations. Jinwoo's army boasted a host of otherworldly creatures, their forms defying the laws of nature.

A colossal half-spider, half-woman creature moved gracefully, its slender legs skittering across the floor. Nearby, a gigantic spider weaved intricate webs, poised to ensnare any unfortunate foe. A double snake lady, with her hypnotic eyes and sinuous body, swayed menacingly.

Further along, a half-bird, half-man creature wielded a multicore bow, its feathers bristling with primal energy. A Black Ice Monster stood sentinel beside a fearsome bull, likely a minotaur, its great horns gleaming menacingly.

The diversity of the group was astounding. Huge wolves, tigers, and lions stalked proudly, interspersed with imposing werewolves. Massive mammoths, tusks like ivory towers, loomed over the rest.

The light was darkened by immense bats, their wingspans casting a shadow that devoured the room. And there were creatures of ancient forests, humanoid apes with a myriad of shapes and sizes, each with a weapon that defied description. And there was the huge three-headed dog who looked like it had crawled out of hell itself.

What's more, the human-shaped soldiers within this entourage were no less peculiar. Clad in unique armors that ranged from spiked, Gothic masterpieces to flowing robes imbued with eldritch power, they carried weapons of all kinds. Some wielded daggers that seemed to shimmer with concealed poison, while others nocked arrows on strings that hummed with arcane energy.

Wings of ethereal black light sprouted from the backs of one, while another had a huge disk-like weapon behind his back and claws that glowed with unnatural vitality. One even held a microphone, hinting at an ability beyond the scope of ordinary warriors. Rings adorned their fingers, each with a power and purpose shrouded in mystery.

And amidst this eclectic assembly, he spotted something entirely out of place—a firearm unlike any he had ever encountered in his dealings with the black market. Its sleek design and intricate engravings spoke of craftsmanship from another world.

The room was a living tableau of diversity, a testament to Jinwoo's ability to tame the wildest of beasts and the fiercest of warriors. It was a sight that transcended understanding, a nightmarish fusion of beauty and brutality, ready to unleash chaos upon the world.

This was an army that defied convention, a symphony of chaos and power standing united, exuding a sense of dread and inevitability, a force of nature ready to paint the world in blood.

"Been a while, Chief Woo Jin-Cheol." "Ah, hearing the voice he gulped down the silva in his mouth and turned to look at the owner of the voice.

"Yes, miss. It's been a while… but, what are they? They don't seem to be simple monsters…."

"They are summons that man called out."

Cha Hae-In greeted Woo Jin-Cheol first before pointing at Jin in the distance.

Woo Jin-Cheol quickly took his sunglasses off and stared at Jin, now standing in the middle of the battlefield. While his heads in pocket with very chill expressions as if he didn't care as it was just a game for him.

'No matter how I see it, doesn't he look like a top-ranked melee-type Hunter?'

However, he could even use summoning magic, too?

And, sure enough…

When Jin lips moved a little, dozens more summons rose up from the ground.

"Oh, my god!"

Woo Jin-Cheol's jaw fell to the floor.

Just how many summons could that man control?!

'This… this is the true ability of Hunter Sung Jin-Woo….'

He couldn't close his slack jaw at all.

Could the Association President Goh Gun-Hui have recognized the skill set of Hunter Sung Jin-Woo already? If so, then his sky-high interest in Hunter Sung Jin-Woo made plenty of sense.

Cha Hae-In couldn't rip her eyes away from Jin-Woo for a long time, but she belatedly did manage that and asked Woo Jin-Cheol.

"By the way, why are you here, Chief Woo? Was the call made to the Monitoring Division already?"

When Cha Hae-In asked him that question, Woo Jin-Cheol somehow managed to regain control over his emotions and replied.

"No, that's not it. We were in the neighborhood, just passing by. But, it was a coincidence that we discovered the Gate's abnormal condition, and we came here to help facilitate the evacuation of the raid team, but well…."

Woo Jin-Cheol stopped talking there and stared at Jin-Woo again.

"However, it looks like that won't be necessary."

This would be his first time witnessing Hunter Sung Jin-Woo's true skill. And that just so happened to be the spectacle of him clearing a rank A dungeon with his own power.

It didn't look like other people's help was necessary.

"Yes. I think standing still is the right call to make here."

Cha Hae-In too agreed with that assessment.

That man's battle didn't leave any gaps for a rank S like her to butt in at all.

"Do you know who that man is?"

Cha Hae-In asked.

Woo Jin-Cheol was clearly admiring Sung Jin-Woo's skills, and obviously catching a glimpse of weapons wielded by Jin army trying to deducted where they can come from catching a glimpse of monsters who were patiently waiting for their master's orders.

Not worried about his identity, at least not outwardly. Also, he was an agent of the Association which did block Jin-Woo's information from leaking out, too.

'So maybe, Woo Jin-Cheol might know who that man is.'

Her expectation was on the money.

"Yes, a little bit."

"That man… just who is he?"

Woo Jin-Cheol put his sunglasses back on and replied.

"I can't reveal that information."

The Shaman was furious.

When it first opened its eyes in this place, only one order was filling up its mind.

– Hunt down humans!

However, what was the meaning of this pathetic display?

...

Stones??