Jessica looked at the Abyss Guildmaster.
The man didn’t offer a single word in response.
The reason he hadn’t given a firm answer about giving up the subjugation rights was simple: he was blinded by a disgusting desire to leave the fighting to others while hogging the rewards for himself.
“If Arizona disappears from the face of the Earth, all the interests you hold will vanish with it. Are you really okay with that?”
“…I’ll give them up.”
“Took you long enough to say it, you moron.”
Jessica brushed past the Abyss Guildmaster and walked straight ahead.
While the Abyss Guild had been messing around, the tree monster had grown even larger. What had once been the size of a neighborhood had now transformed into something as massive as a skyscraper.
“What on earth is it eating to grow that fast?”
“Dealing with that Boss Monster is one thing, but…”
Colonel Lord trailed off as he looked at the Hunters who had been parasitized.
“The problem is also what we should do about them.”
“Let’s kill them.”
“They might still be alive.”
“Do you really think we can handle that thing while worrying about every single one of them?”
The parasitic monsters had moved beyond humans and were now beginning to infest pets and even insects. If there was even a shred of life left in a creature, the parasites would latch onto it and take over.
The parasitic monsters were breeding at an incredible speed. If they didn’t reduce their numbers here, the population of these parasites would soon explode at an astronomical rate.
“Besides, Hunters die all the time. You know that, don’t you?”
It was the truth. Hunters died every day. They died while raiding Dungeons, while roaming through Labyrinths, and sometimes they just died from sudden illnesses. Everyone took on the job of a Hunter knowing those risks.
“I’ll leave the parasitic monsters to you.”
“I’ll try burning them first. If I can save anyone, I will.”
Given the nature of her abilities, Jessica was better at dealing with large crowds.
While Colonel Lord rushed forward to block the tree’s movements, Jessica gathered flames at the tip of her stave and unleashed them toward the parasitic monsters.
For now, she targeted the non-humans. She burned every single one of the creatures that had parasitized insects and animals. Unlike their black shells, they caught fire easily and burned quickly.
Screeeech!
The parasitic monsters let out strange, ghastly shrieks as they died. Jessica watched them closely and discovered an important fact.
‘They drop off right before they die.’
When they reached a near-death state, the parasitic monsters would detach themselves to find a new host. If she timed it right, she could save the parasitized Hunters.
“Red Witch Guild members, from now on, we engage the parasitized Hunters!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“First, sear them with fire until they’re on the verge of death. The moment the parasitic monster burns away, pour a Potion down their throats to save them!”
“A normal Potion might not be enough to bring them back.”
“Use the ones we brought from the Golden Tower.”
“What? But those were meant for the next Labyrinth raid…”
“We can just get more when the time comes. No matter what, a person’s life comes first.”
At Jessica’s words, her subordinates nodded with moved expressions.
“Understood. Team One on fire support, Team Two on rescue, Team Three on standby. Move out!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Watching her guild members move with precision, Jessica headed toward where Colonel Lord was fighting. As she moved, she drank a Potion that boosted her Mana recovery.
Thump!
Boom!
Colonel Lord continued to strike the tree trunk, stripping away its bark and preventing it from growing further. Jessica used her rapidly recovering Mana to support him.
She cast Barriers to protect him from the black thorns and unleashed a barrage of fire Magic at the exposed trunk.
Fwooosh!
The tree shuddered once more, shedding even more branches than before.
“Fire Blast!”
The Mana flowing from Jessica’s stave created a flaming tornado that wrapped around the tree.
Roar!
The intense heat and the powerful rotation incinerated all the branches that were trying to spread out in every direction. An exhausted Colonel Lord stepped back slightly to create some distance. Jessica walked up beside him.
“At this rate, we’re just dragging things out.”
“I need time to think, but this thing isn’t giving me a second to breathe.”
If left alone, it grew at an incredible speed. When it stopped growing, it produced parasitic monsters to attack. The real problem was just how far it would grow. What kind of power would it possess once it reached maturity? Would they even be able to catch it then?
There was far too little information about this monster, yet they had no time to gather any. Moreover, they couldn’t simply kill it with raw firepower. It was truly a hopeless situation.
Still, they couldn’t give up. Jessica and Colonel Lord looked at the tree monster with grim expressions.
“In the end, we might have to abandon Arizona.”
Jessica sighed at Colonel Lord’s words. “I wonder if that guy could catch it.”
“That guy? Ah, are you talking about the Dokkaebi?”
“Yeah, him. If he’s strong enough to beat the Cheonma, wouldn’t he be able to handle a monster like this easily? Why don’t we just ask him for help?”
Colonel Lord immediately pulled out his radio. He reported the current situation to the operation headquarters and requested support from the Dokkaebi.
— Isn’t it a bit too early to give up? For now, we’ll assemble all the Guilds in the United States. Try to clear it with them.
— We must be the ones to claim the reward this time.
When the expected answer came through, he let out a sigh. Jessica asked him pointedly, “What did they say?”
“They said we have to claim the reward ourselves, so they’re gathering Guilds from all over the country.”
“I don’t think this thing is something that can be handled by people of that level. Maybe they’ll change their minds once Arizona is wiped off the map?”
“It would take too long. Requesting help, getting approval, then requesting Korea… by the time that’s done, the United States might have vanished from the map.”
“Good grief. I’ll just contact him myself.”
Jessica pulled out her cellphone with her left hand and called the Dokkaebi. The call didn’t even ring before cutting off. Not knowing if his battery was dead or if he had simply turned it off, she sent a text message. She told him to hurry over and help the moment he saw it.
After that, she gave her stave a large twirl and gripped it tightly.
“Let’s have one massive showdown before we decide.”
“Fine by me.”
Colonel Lord checked the evacuation report from his subordinates.
— We’ve completed the evacuation up to 400 meters from the tree. Any further than that will take more time.
“Hurry as much as possible. And deploy the Domain Expansion once more.”
— Understood.
Having recovered, Colonel Lord took a deep breath and looked up at the tree monster. A sense of competitiveness rose within him. He wanted to defeat that thing.
At the same time, the image of the Dokkaebi overlapped with his vision. Overwhelming power. He was envious of that strength, but his desire to reach that peak on his own was even stronger.
‘Let’s do this.’
There was an Enlightenment he had gained while entering the SS-rank Red Dungeon.
He hadn’t been able to use the technique easily because he couldn’t predict how far its aftereffects would spread or how powerful it would be.
But since they had evacuated people to a safe distance and deployed a Domain Expansion, it should be fine.
Whirrrr!
A purple Aurora spread out, covering the area around the tree in a massive dome.
“Get ready. I’m out of Mana.”
The fire storm Jessica had created began to die down.
“Good work. Take a rest for a moment.”
Colonel Lord walked forward and clenched his fists. The Duel with the Dokkaebi. The Cheonma’s Swordsmanship. The experience in the SS-rank Red Dungeon. He continued to visualize those moments in his mind, pondering the path to reach a higher Transcendence.
Thus, he stepped into a new realm of power.
He dashed forward, approaching the tree and taking a stance. He concentrated all of his focus into his right fist. It was the Destruction Whirlwind Fist, a technique imbued with extreme rotational force.
The rotation of wind that started from his legs surged through his body and into his fist. Even the Mana moving inside him began to rotate.
Two distinct rotations were contained within his fist, and Colonel Lord, barely enduring the strain on his body, thrust his arm forward.
“Hrraaaaaagh!”
With a fierce shout, he unleashed the newly realized technique. He struck the tree with the Destruction Whirlwind Fist.
K-booooooom!
The two rotations within his fist resonated with each other, producing immense destructive power. The bark covering the tree trunk was instantly pulverized into powder.
Crack!
Creeeeeak!
Cracks formed on the tree as it failed to absorb the impact. Spiral patterns were carved into the trunk as it split apart. With half of its trunk blasted away, the tree could no longer maintain its balance and began to slowly topple over.
However, at that moment, the bark that had fallen to the ground turned into black thorns and supported the trunk.
“…I don’t think so.”
Colonel Lord swung his fists, smashing all the black thorns. In the meantime, the tree monster tried to recover rapidly. Jessica swung her stave, pouring every last drop of her remaining Mana into it.
“You’re not recovering on my watch!”
Fireballs surged into the cracks, igniting a massive blaze.
Screeeech!
The tree monster shrieked and writhed in pain, eventually splitting in half. Its massive upper body crashed to the ground.
Thooom!
Watching the tree monster being completely severed, Colonel Lord let out a sigh of relief.
“It’s over.”
“…Wait a minute.”
Jessica frowned.
“Why hasn’t the completion message appeared? There’s no reward either.”
“Does that mean it’s still alive? All units, concentrate your fire on the trunk!”
Colonel Lord gave the command to the waiting Hunter forces. Immediately, overwhelming firepower was unleashed. Yet, despite the barrage, the completion message did not appear.
Rumble!
Suddenly, the ground shook violently, and the buildings that had remained intact all collapsed. The Earth itself was moving.
To be precise, the tree trunk that had been growing deep underground burst through the surface.
Like an octopus with multiple limbs, numerous roots writhed beneath the severed trunk.
Crash!
Slam!
The roots swept through the surroundings like whips, destroying everything in their path.
“Ugh! Evade!”
“Aaaaagh!”
Hunters were struck down by the sudden onslaught.
“…Dammit, so that was the main body.”
“How are we supposed to catch that thing now?”
Both of them were now out of Stamina and Mana. Even with firepower equivalent to that of a major Guild, they hadn’t been able to kill it.
It was questionable whether they could win even if reinforcements arrived from other Guilds.
Just as a towering root was about to descend upon the two of them —
Slash!
The root was sliced clean through. It fell to the ground, kicking up a thick cloud of dust.
“It’s him.”
“It really is him.”
Colonel Lord and Jessica looked at the figure emerging from the dust. Wearing a Dokkaebi Mask and a modified Korean hanbok.
The most powerful Hunter among the Twelve Constellations and the strongest Hunter in the entire world.
The Dokkaebi.
A smile played on his lips beneath the mask as he looked at Colonel Lord and Jessica.
“You’ve done well to hold out this far against that thing. I’ll take it from here, so take a rest.”
The Dokkaebi pulled two Potions from his robe and handed them over. Jessica drank hers immediately.
She knew the effects of his Potions, so she didn’t hesitate for a second. The moment she drank it, vitality surged through her entire body.
Even though she had experienced it before, it was still a special Potion. As her strength returned, her mind began to clear.
“What happened? I don’t think the US has officially asked you for help yet.”
“That’s why I brought them with me.”
The Dokkaebi pointed to a group of people inside a protective barrier — the standing committee members of the Hunter Association. Their faces were pale with terror.
“So. Should I just head back?”
At the Dokkaebi’s words, the committee members looked toward the American Association President, who gave a silent nod. Then, with a look of relief, the President spoke to the Dokkaebi.
“…Please. Dispose of that monster.”