Chapter 42: Chapter 42

“To actually rescue the hostages…”

Han Young-seok frowned as he spotted the women escaping outside the barrier.

When he received word through Lucia that Kang Jin-hyuk was attempting to extract the hostages, he had his doubts.

It seemed impossible for a mere C-rank hunter like him to achieve such results against Tyrant’s hunters.

However, just because he didn’t believe it didn’t mean the reality could be changed.

Kang Jin-hyuk delivered results as he said, leaving the remaining burden on Titan.

Feeling like a mere supporting role, Han Young-seok was left with an unsatisfactory feeling.

“I’m not pleased with this.”

Although it wasn’t the flow he desired, as the one orchestrating this operation, he couldn’t just stand by and watch.

Raising his chin slightly as a signal, Baek Jin-wook shouted in a booming voice on his behalf.

“Prepare for battle!”

Titan’s hunters quickly lined up with powerful shouts echoing around them.

Jeong Dae-yun, who had been retreating with the hostages, rushed towards Han Young-seok upon seeing this scene.

Titan’s hunters noticed Tyrant’s emblem on him and barred his way.

“Stop!”

“Who are you?!”

“Please get out of the way! I have urgent matters to discuss with your leader!”

Hearing Jeong Dae-yun’s pleas, Han Young-seok approached him with a puzzled expression.

“A Tyrant hunter wanting to speak with me?”

“I came to notify you of a crucial point!”

“A crucial point?”

“They possess Alraune’s elixir! If they take it, they will be more than twice as strong!”

Han Young-seok’s face drained of color at the mention of Alraune’s elixir.

“Alraune’s elixir?!”

He shouted aloud, his face going pale.

“Magicians, unleash your skills now!”

“What? But we’re still out of range…”

“Enough with the excuses, just do as ordered!”

With Han Young-seok’s firm orders, the backline hunters no longer had any choice but to unleash their skills.

“Fireball!”

“Lightning Chain!”

“Ice Spear!”

Endless fireballs, lightning, and ice spears poured down toward the Tyrant hunters who were still advancing.

Despite witnessing the unfolding spectacle, Han Young-seok’s expression remained grim.

“Could the reason behind the human trafficking be to cultivate Alraune…?”

Having encountered various confidential matters as one of Titan’s officials, he had some knowledge about Alraune.

If the Tyrant hunters truly possessed Alraune’s elixir, it felt unlikely they could withstand with just thirty hunters.

“Cursing that bastard Seo Sang-ho overseas…”

“Damn it! To keep me in the dark about such critical information!”

As the rain of magic continued, the thick dust began to clear gradually.

What became visible was the Tyrant hunters successfully defending against all the hits with their protective skills.

They didn’t miss the chance and closed in on the bewildered Titan hunters.

“Did you really think such attacks would work on us?!”

Stepping forward was Ha Jin-hwan, attacking with a sword drawn in hand against the defenders of Titan.

The Titan hunter hurriedly cast a defensive skill, but it was futile against Ha Jin-hwan’s enhanced strike.

The defensive skill shattered beneath the blade, and the sword tore through the Hunter’s chest.

“Graaah!”

Blood erupted from the open wound like a fountain.

Seeing their comrade fall, the Titan hunters surged with anger toward Ha Jin-hwan.

Despite knowing it was reckless to break formation, they couldn’t contain their urge for revenge.

Ha Jin-hwan looked down at them with a sneer in his eyes.

He spun around, wielding his sword to block a flurry of attacks from all sides simultaneously.

The storm of strikes sent the Titan hunters flying like paper dolls.

“Uuugggh!”

In just thirty seconds, the chaos displayed Ha Jin-hwan’s overwhelming might.

Feeling Alraune’s elixir’s prowess firsthand, Han Young-seok trembled as if he were a leaf in the wind.

“Is that the power of Alraune’s elixir?!”

It was nothing out of fear but out of admiration and greed that glimmered in his eyes.

With such power on their side, it would only be a matter of time before Titan could ascend to new heights.

With a resolve to secure Alraune for himself, Han Young-seok steeled his heart to win this battle at all costs.

“Baek Jin-wook! Show no mercy! Eliminate them all!”

“Understood!”

Baek Jin-wook brandished his iconic massive axe, charging forward almost in defiance.

“Get out of the way! All of you back off!”

At Baek Jin-wook’s furious order, the nearby Tyrant hunters scrambled to create distance.

Being too close meant they would only hinder him rather than help.

Ha Jin-hwan grinned as he sensed the bloodlust radiating from Baek Jin-wook.

“A berserker, huh? Quite the rare class to see in action.”

“This is your last chance!”

The moment Baek Jin-wook activated his skills, his eyes turned bloodshot.

His muscles bulged as if pumped to the max, roaring like a beast while swinging his axe with all his might.

“Raooooh!!!”

Ha Jin-hwan lifted his sword intending to block the axe’s path.

However, when their weapons collided, a cacophony of clashing metal erupted, causing deafening sound waves.

As they struggled at the connection, it became clear that Ha Jin-hwan was the first to buckle under the pressure.

“Strength is indeed your strong point; I can see that.”

The berserkers’ powers grow as they lose their rationality—this was a characteristic that Han Young-seok had learned of.

If Ha Jin-hwan’s abilities paled in comparison to the surge given by Alraune’s elixir, the increasing madness in Baek Jin-wook would likely result in an overwhelming edge.

“Go on! Come at me!”

Han Young-seok sensed Baek Jin-wook’s overwhelming strength growing as he swung the axe with uncontrollable rage.

The Titan hunters were closing in, aiming at the most threatening magicians first.

“Don’t let them kill the magicians!”

“Stop!”

If the magicians fell, then it would only lead to a catastrophic defeat for Titan’s forces.

As the urgency escalated in Han Young-seok’s mind, he began to strategize.

Without hesitation, he made a bold choice.

“Binding!”

Invisible ropes emerged, ensnaring the Tyrant hunters and immobilizing them.

Despite the years away from direct combat, Han Young-seok proved his capabilities by binding ten hunters simultaneously.

“Grrr!”

“Damn! What is this?!”

The Tyrant hunters found themselves in a dire situation as their bindings meant they would be severely exposed to the magicians’ attacks.

They would be at the mercy of Titan’s magicians if they didn’t act swiftly and break free.

“Did you really just break out of that?”

While Han Young-seok looked on in shock, the fastest-moving among the Tyrant hunters darted toward him with a dagger drawn.

Realizing the binding skill he was casting was still active, he dropped it and activated a protective shield.

“Shield!”

Upon impact with the dagger, the shield fractured considerably.

“Shield!”

With a newly formed crack forming on his shield, Han Young-seok scrambled to fix it, too occupied to recast his binding skill.

“Damn it! At this rate…”

He could vividly imagine himself being brutally defeated by just eleven remaining members.

That aspiration was something he could never allow to become reality.

For Titan’s honor and the secret of Alraune hidden away by Tyrant, he had to turn the tables somehow.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lucia watched from a distance on a tree, observing the fight below.

Had she intervened, she could have altered the tide of battle, but her mind was resolute in doing nothing.

“I feel like it’s taking a bit longer than expected. I hope this is alright.”

As she popped a lollipop into her mouth from her pocket, she recalled Kang Jin-hyuk requesting time to deal with Alraune.

Until she received a signal, her role would just be that of an observer.

“Hopefully, he isn’t recklessly jumping into danger…”

Her gaze was more concerned about Kang Jin-hyuk, remaining in the building than the Titan hunters collapsing before her eyes.

Though he had proclaimed confidence in his strength, engaging in such dangerous matters could bring disastrous outcomes.

“Hmmm.”

As time dragged on, Lucia began to feel an unsettling anxiety growing.

Alraune had to be an easy-to-handle monster, yet the continued silence implied they hadn’t made contact yet.

“This can’t go south… it would mean serious trouble…”

If something happened to Kang Jin-hyuk, she would be unable to return to the dungeon.

Only Kang Jin-hyuk possessed the ability to open the doorway to the dungeon.

“I guess I should just jump in to help.”

As Lucia readied to descend from the tree, a dissonant scream erupted from the structure nearby.

“Shhhhhiiiiiit!”

The wretched shriek, akin to nails scraped against a chalkboard, held her feet in place.

She resumed her position atop the tree, a faint smile gracing her lips.

“Looks like we’re stagnant now.”

Her initial sense of relief transformed upon witnessing the Tyrant hunters visibly distressed by the screams.

They couldn’t comprehend the ruckus emanating from the building, but the vague hints became clear to them.

“I guess I have work to do now.”

Lucia aimed several arrows at Ha Jin-hwan, charging toward the building and released them one after another.

Three arrows sped towards him simultaneously, blocking his path as if set in a fence.

Caught off guard, he faltered, allowing space for Baek Jin-wook’s axe to take a swing at him.

“Hurry up!”

Ha Jin-hwan yelled, helpless to prevent any incoming threats.

“Someone guard the flower! Now!”

Transforming his frustration into fury, Baek Jin-wook turned to the other hunters.

“Do not retreat! We have to continue!”

Realizing they were tangled in a furious confrontation, the Tyrant hunters fumbled with their battle plans.

Amidst their turmoil, it was only the calm resolve of Han Young-seok that kept them grounded.

“Get them away from the building! Don’t let them get inside!”

With every part of the conflict ensued, the two guilds clashed head-on, orders yelled in chaos.

The Tyrant hunters sought to evade the building while Titan remained focused strictly on defense, refusing to yield.

With Alraune’s screams discharging one after another, the hunters in the formation were losing their grip on their sanity.

The recent valor that once flowed in their hearts slowly began to dim.

Every promptings and marks of chaos only widened their internal strife constantly in rising tensions.

In just five minutes, the balance of power that decidedly favored Tyrant before had begun to sway toward Titan.