The skills of the Flame Emperor were famous for being powerful and emitting intense heat.
They took the most aggressive attribute, fire, and made it even hotter and more destructive.
Because of this, the Heavenly Net Flame Hand was much stronger than other skills of the same rank, and it had evolved further after the light spirit was added to it.
The white flames flickering at the tip of the sword were chilling just to look at.
Judging by the Score earned from defeating them, the Hotark Warriors were not easy enemies.
The Lee Tae-sung of the past would not have been able to defeat them so easily.
‘It’s interesting that the light attribute is so aggressive, and it synergizes perfectly with the Flame Emperor’s skills.’
Perhaps it was because they were things that dark spirits loathed.
Lee Tae-sung took the initiative and used his Lightfoot Technique to approach a giant, lion-like monster.
The creature was eight meters tall and was running wild, drawing the attention of all the Hunters.
“Urgh. Damn it. It’s too strong.”
“Be careful. One hit and you’re retired.”
The Chinese Hunters here were not Ranker-level.
Since the Rankers had all left on Missions to obtain Dimensional Barrier Fragments immediately after foreign support arrived, lower-level Hunters were holding the line.
Although Korean Rankers had arrived as support a short while ago, they had not yet stepped to the front lines.
They were merely gauging the situation while dealing with the Hotark Warriors.
To Hunters who were not Ranker-level, a giant monster standing eight meters tall was overwhelming.
Its movements were so large that they managed to dodge somehow, but one mistake would mean the end.
They launched counterattacks whenever possible, but its basic defense was so high that their attacks barely worked.
For them, the best they could do was keep it pinned here so it wouldn’t head toward the city.
*Whoosh!*
“Huh!?”
At that moment, white flames were fired along with a heat that made the skin sting.
Lee Tae-sung used his footwork to approach the lion monster and thrust his sword against the creature’s descending leg.
The watching Hunters expected Lee Tae-sung to be crushed like a fly, but his eyes did not waver.
‘I will win.’
The giant monster was certainly strong, but the light blade blooming from his sword was even stronger.
*Slash!*
“Roar!”
Lee Tae-sung’s sword sliced through the creature’s forepaw and continued all the way up to its shoulder.
With one foreleg instantly severed, the beast stumbled back.
“W-What!?”
“Is that a Korean Ranker!?”
The Chinese Hunters were stunned to see Lee Tae-sung sever the foreleg of such a powerful beast.
However, shock was one thing, and action was another; they did not miss the opportunity.
Though not Rankers, they were veteran Hunters.
They each began to use their skills to contribute.
The Korean Hunters also did not miss this chance and moved closer.
Originally, they had planned to play it safe, but seeing their junior, Lee Tae-sung, performing so well fired them up.
They also wanted to look good in front of him.
‘These people!’
Of course, sparks flew from Lee Tae-sung’s eyes as he moved again, light blade in hand.
He obviously knew what they were thinking.
They weren’t trying to steal the kill; they were trying to help defeat it together.
However, since Lee Tae-sung had enjoyed monopolizing almost every Mission as a solo player, he wasn’t entirely pleased with the situation despite knowing their intentions.
He couldn’t exactly complain, so he simply moved even harder.
*Fwoosh!*
The white flames flickering on the blade grew even larger.
Gritting his teeth at the sensation of his mana being squeezed out, Lee Tae-sung kicked off the ground again.
Even while being attacked by other Hunters, the giant lion monster remained wary of Lee Tae-sung.
It tried its best to avoid him as he approached, but there wasn’t enough space due to the other Hunters’ skills blocking the way.
*Whoosh!*
With the sound of air being torn apart, the white light blade aimed for the creature.
This time, it wasn’t the leg, but the neck.
The head was severed cleanly.
**[You have defeated Tararion]**
**[You have earned 22,800 SC]**
Notifications appeared before Lee Tae-sung’s eyes as he landed on the ground.
His eyebrows twitched.
It was the highest Score he had ever received from a single monster hunt.
A high Score meant the enemy was powerful, which implied it was a formidable foe, yet it hadn’t been that difficult.
‘I’ve figured out how to use Ashaka.’
Ranged attacks were good, but the real power came from mixing it with the Flame Emperor’s skills like this.
Cheers erupted from all directions.
They looked at Lee Tae-sung, the greatest contributor, with eyes of admiration, but he did not get excited.
With cool, sunken eyes, he charged toward the other monsters.
*Slash!*
*Boom!*
Flames erupted from his sword and hands, and fire bloomed with every step he took, overwhelming the enemies.
The biggest one was dead, but there were still many enemies left.
Defeating them all would yield a significant amount of Score!
Seeing this, the Hunters were struck with awe.
‘Right. The battle isn’t over yet. He’s showing us through actions, not words, that now isn’t the time to celebrate!’
‘I must introduce myself once this is over. He must be a famous Hunter in Korea!’
The Chinese Hunters usually considered themselves the best and rarely acknowledged others, but Lee Tae-sung’s attitude became an example for them.
“Who are we going to leave our country’s business to!?”
“It’s not over yet, so focus!”
The Chinese and Korean Hunters snapped out of it and began to clear out the monsters emerging from the Gate.
Although Tararion had fallen, the Hotark Warriors it led remained, along with quite a few other minions.
Meanwhile, monsters continued to pour out of the Gate.
Lee Tae-sung moved to rake in as much Score as possible, and the Hunters, moved by his dedication, worked just as hard.
As they continued, the concentration of monsters in the desert gradually thinned, and eventually, the flickering Gate became transparent.
“It worked!”
“The Gate is disappearing!”
It was the signal that the Gate was being destroyed because the reconstruction of the barrier was successful.
—
The Chinese Ranker, Hu Ming, was working hard to block monsters in the Ranking Mission.
“Damn it. This is crazy.”
Now that the Dimensional Barrier had collapsed, monsters could enter reality if they passed through the Gate.
Although there were Hunters guarding the Gate in reality, they wouldn’t be able to stop all of them, so they had to be filtered here first.
However, in the heat of the frantic battle, a mistake was made.
“To think Tararion got through to reality…”
A monster resembling a giant lion.
Even among Ranker-level Hunters, those in the lower tiers would find it difficult to face one-on-one.
Because of the overwhelming number of monsters, that beast had managed to pass through the Gate.
Guangzhou Gate must be in chaos by now.
‘I heard Rankers from Korea came to support… but I don’t know how it will turn out.’
No matter how much of a Ranker they were, would they really fight with their lives on the line in another country?
It would be difficult to defeat Tararion by just playing it safe.
‘Please, hurry…!’
Hu Ming hoped his fellow Hunters would bring the Dimensional Barrier Fragments to reconstruct the barrier as soon as possible.
Only then could he go to provide support.
And as if heaven had heard his wish, the reconstruction of the barrier was completed.
“It worked!”
“The barrier is restored! Now we just need to defeat the ones inside!”
The Rankers cheered.
Since the barrier was complete, the job was done once they finished off the remaining monsters inside.
“I’m heading out first! I’ll leave this to you!”
Hu Ming shouted to his colleagues and quickly left the Mission area to return to reality.
*Vroom!*
He then rode a desert bike toward the Gate in the center of the desert.
News had already spread among officials that the strongest monster had emerged from the center.
Hu Ming hoped the other Hunters could hold Tararion back until he arrived.
If the beast had already reached the city, it would be the end.
*Vroooom!*
He finally arrived at the center of the desert.
‘Huh…!?’
Hu Ming’s eyes widened.
He saw Tararion bleeding from a severed leg.
Then, the sight of a certain Hunter charging in and decapitating the beast with a glowing sword burned into his eyes.
—
‘Whew. That was intense.’
Lee Tae-sung sat down on the sand and exhaled.
The combination of Ashaka and the Heavenly Net Flame Hand displayed ridiculous power, but it consumed a lot of mana.
He hadn’t felt a lack of mana recently, but everything changed after contracting with Ashaka.
Mana drained away like water gushing from a leaky faucet.
Ashaka asked, fluttering down onto his shoulder.
Since no one but the contractor, Lee Tae-sung, could see her, she looked relaxed.
Lee Tae-sung tickled her fox-like chin with his index finger.
“Of course. You were a huge help.”
Mana consumption was one thing, but there was no denying she was incredibly helpful.
Not only was she powerful on her own, but her synergy with his existing skills was excellent.
Both his ranged attack ability, which had been a weakness, and his melee attack ability, which was his strength, had been buffed.
It seemed there had been other contractors before Lee Tae-sung, but none had used her that way.
That was natural; a spirit magician would simply summon the spirit and leave most of the combat to it.
That was the most efficient way and the path to maximizing power.
However, on Earth, all of the spirit’s power had to use Lee Tae-sung’s mana, so he ended up developing this method.
“I’ll see you next time. I’m exhausted, so I think I have to send you back now.”
Lee Tae-sung said, waving his hand.
His mana was almost gone.
Maintaining Ashaka was becoming a burden.
If he kept it up any longer, he would surely fall into a state of Mana Exhaustion.
Ashaka tapped Lee Tae-sung’s shoulder with her tail.
“Over there?”
Ashaka was looking toward the west.
“…A mid-tier spirit?”