The Hunter Association Situation Room.
The real-time battlefield status was displayed on a large screen.
“Red Orc leader suppression complete! We are now mopping up the remaining common entities!”
“Currently 240 Red Orcs suppressed! Less than ten remaining!”
“What’s the casualty status?”
“Eighteen minor injuries, three serious injuries. No fatalities!”
“That’s a relief.”
A look of relief washed over Yun Tae-seong’s face.
“The large-scale supply drop from the Rocket Store was the deciding factor.”
“The front line almost buckled when the boss appeared, but the timely deployment of supplies and buffs completely turned the tide.”
“A logistical operation of this scale is on par with a regular military operation.”
“The remaining Red Orcs will be suppressed soon. Complete elimination is possible within 10 minutes.”
The staff members also looked like they were finally beginning to relax. However, Yun Tae-seong immediately shifted his gaze to another screen.
“Don’t let your guard down yet. It’s not over.”
“Team Leader! An anomaly has just been detected in the Horn Wolf pack!”
“What?”
Yun Tae-seong zoomed in on the screen. The Horn Wolves, which had been positioned on the high ground near the rift, began to move.
“They barely moved until now, right?”
“Yes, but suddenly…”
On the screen, the Horn Wolves formed a circular formation around the rift. Then, they began to howl in unison.
*Awoooo!*
A bone-chilling cry echoed through the speakers.
“What on earth are they doing? Get the drone closer.”
“Understood.”
A drone approached the Horn Wolf pack. However, as soon as one Horn Wolf spotted the drone, it leaped up like lightning and attacked.
The screen went black.
“Drone one is immobilized! Should we attempt to approach with another drone?”
Yun Tae-seong grit his teeth.
“No. More importantly, did you check the data on the Horn Wolves?”
“We’re looking for it, but there are almost no domestic cases.”
“Find overseas cases then! Hurry!”
“Understood!”
The tension in the situation room rose once again. Right then, the door to the situation room burst open.
*Bang!*
An Association employee ran in panting, followed by a foreigner.
“Who is this? Don’t you know outsiders are prohibited during operations?”
“I’m sorry! This is an emergency!”
“I heard that Horn Wolves have appeared.”
The foreigner spoke in an urgent voice. His Korean was laced with a Portuguese accent.
“I have something I must tell you right now. There’s no time!”
Yun Tae-seong looked at him. He was a man who looked to be in his mid-40s with brown skin, sharp eyes, and hands that were currently trembling.
“Who are you?”
“I am Fernando Silva, an operational analyst from the Brazilian Hunter Association.”
He quickly pulled out his identification.
“I am visiting for information exchange and cooperation with the Korean Association.”
“He entered the country last week through the international association exchange program. He is currently observing our association’s operation systems and response frameworks.”
“The Brazilian Association…”
Only then did Yun Tae-seong remember a report submitted by the international cooperation team a few days ago regarding the visit schedule of South American association officials.
“The situation is dire. Please show me the Horn Wolf footage. Right now.”
The desperation in his voice was palpable. Yun Tae-seong instinctively felt that this wasn’t mere curiosity.
“Show him.”
The footage of the Horn Wolves appeared on the screen. It showed the wolves forming a circular formation near the rift and howling in unison. The moment Fernando saw the screen, the color drained from his face.
“This is the worst-case scenario.”
“What do you mean, the worst?”
“This is identical to what I experienced in the Brazilian Amazon 3 years ago.”
Fernando pointed at the screen, his fingertips trembling.
“It’s a sign that the Horn Wolves are finishing their cocooning process… or rather, it’s already ending.”
“What exactly is cocooning?”
Every eye in the situation room was fixed on Fernando. It became so quiet that even the sound of breathing could be heard.
“I need to provide some background. I heard that Horn Wolf appearances are rare in Korea.”
Fernando said as he pulled a tablet from his bag.
“That’s correct. There have only been about five cases, and all involved small numbers.”
“Horn Wolves are monsters that primarily appear in South America.”
Yun Tae-seong nodded. It was common knowledge that different monsters appeared more frequently in different countries. Because the probability of an appearance was never zero, information exchange between countries was active. Fernando’s visit was part of that cooperation.
Fernando began his story as he operated the tablet, his voice trembling slightly.
“3 years ago, a dungeon appeared deep in the Brazilian Amazon jungle. Initially, it was classified as a common C-rank dungeon.”
A photo of a lush jungle appeared on the screen.
“However, the discovery was too late, and a Dungeon Break occurred. A pack of Horn Wolves emerged from the rift. The initial estimated count was about 300.”
“That’s more than we have here.”
“Yes. We immediately formed a subjugation force. It was a unit of 100 people, including forty B-rank hunters. We prepared a large force because of the Amazon jungle terrain.”
Fernando flipped to the next photo. It showed hunters checking their equipment.
“But we noticed something strange. The Horn Wolves didn’t move from the dungeon entrance at all. They didn’t even attack; they just…”
“They were guarding it, just like now?”
“Exactly.”
Fernando nodded.
“The expedition thought it was for the best. There were no paths in the jungle, so it took time to arrive. During that time, the Horn Wolves continued to guard that spot like sentries. And then, about 3 days later…”
He paused for a moment and wiped his face with his hand.
“Their numbers exceeded 450.”
“…What?”
The situation room fell into an uproar.
“Their scale increased by 1.5 times in just 3 days?”
“How is that possible?”
The staff asked with expressions of disbelief.
“The Horn Wolf is a monster that undergoes a special growth process. When certain conditions are met, part of the pack enters a cocoon state, much like a butterfly’s pupa. However, this process…”
A photo of a cocooned Horn Wolf appeared. It was wrapped in something like a translucent crystal.
“It usually takes 3 to 4 days. They need a safe environment for a long period.”
“3 to 4 days?” Yun Tae-seong muttered.
“Yes. That’s why it’s rare to see. It’s difficult to secure a safe environment in the wild for that long.”
“Is that information relevant to what’s happening now?” one employee asked, unable to contain his impatience.
Fernando brought up the next set of data.
“Wait a moment. Just a bit more. There are three conditions for cocooning: a sufficient amount of food, a safe environment, and a large pack size.”
“A sufficient amount of food…”
Yun Tae-seong’s gaze drifted to the corpses of the Red Orcs on the screen.
“Red Orcs. And these are individuals averaging 2 meters in size. That’s more than enough. The safe environment is the interior of the rift.”
“What does a ‘large pack size’ mean?”
“Are you familiar with swarming?”
“Are you talking about bees?”
“Yes. Like bees, when a Horn Wolf pack grows too large, some individuals break away to form a new pack.”
Yun Tae-seong’s face hardened.
“Then the reason the Horn Wolves haven’t moved until now is…”
“Yes. A new pack needs a new leader. They are waiting for the birth of new queen candidates through cocooning.”
Fernando spoke with conviction.
“But the current situation is even more serious.”
“Even more serious?”
“The collective howling of the Horn Wolves isn’t an act of guarding the cocoons. That is a ritual to welcome the hatching.”
The situation room froze. The sound of someone dropping a cup echoed.
“Then, don’t tell me…”
“Yes. The cocooning is already over.”
Fernando pointed at the rift on the screen.
“It likely progressed for a considerable amount of time inside the rift. This is the signal that the new queen candidates are about to emerge. The time we have left is…”
He checked his watch.
“In Brazil, they hatched just 30 minutes after that ritual began. A Horn Wolf that hatches from a cocoon becomes a completely different entity.”
Fernando brought up another photo. What appeared on the screen was a monster. It was twice the size of a common Horn Wolf, with a physique that looked to be at least 3 meters tall. It had three horns instead of one, and lightning sparks were crackling across its entire body.
“That’s a Horn Wolf?”
“Yes. But to distinguish it from the common Horn Wolf, we named it the Thunder Horn Wolf.”
Fernando played the next video. When the Thunder Horn Wolf howled, lightning struck from the sky, setting the trees on fire.
“It uses lightning magic on par with a high-level C-rank hunter. Some individuals have even shown power equivalent to a low-level B-rank.”
“How many Thunder Horn Wolves do you think will emerge now?”
“There are 150 Horn Wolves. Statistically, if 10-15% of them successfully cocooned…”
“Fifteen to twenty. If those things scatter across all of Seoul…”
The situation room was paralyzed with dread. Several employees looked at each other with pale faces.
“We must stop them before they scatter in all directions. In Brazil, they emerged just 30 minutes after the ritual began. And they scattered before we could even do anything.”
“15 minutes have already passed!”
“15 minutes… Send an emergency notification to the field commander!” Yun Tae-seong ordered. “Tell them they must finish the Red Orc suppression immediately and proceed with the Horn Wolf subjugation!”
“Understood!”
“But Team Leader! There are 150 Horn Wolves. And now there are Thunder Horn Wolves too. The hunters are already exhausted from fighting the Red Orcs!”
“I know!” Yun Tae-seong grit his teeth. “But we have no choice. If the hatched Thunder Horn Wolves start moving, the damage will be far greater.”
***
*Ding!*
A message notification from Yun Tae-seong rang. I stroked Mago while opening the hologram screen.
**[This is an emergency. A serious problem regarding the Horn Wolves has occurred.]**
‘What exactly is the problem?’
**[We have received advice from an international operational analyst visiting the Association. And…]**
My brow furrowed as I listened to the explanation that followed.
‘If they scatter, there will be massive casualties.’
**[That is correct.]**
‘Understood. I’ll see what I can do.’
I pulled up the hologram screen to check the battlefield status. The Red Orcs were in the final stages of suppression. However, 150 perfectly healthy Horn Wolves remained. Furthermore, they were positioned on high ground, making them difficult to approach.
“Guardian… what should we do? If that many scatter, it won’t be easy to track them down.”
“Hmm. Supply support alone isn’t enough.”
But it wasn’t like I had no options. I had spent a significant amount of coins on supplies for this operation, but the experience points for the Rocket Store had been steadily accumulating in return. And just now…
**[The Rocket Store has leveled up! (Level 5↑)]**
It had just reached Level 5.
**[New feature unlocked!]**
**[Tactical Support System – Otherworld Race Specialized Skills Activated]**
I checked the new menu that appeared on the hologram.
**[Otherworld Race Tactical Support]**
An ability to trigger tactical effects by manifesting the unique traits of otherworld races that have interacted through the Rocket Store.
Cost: Differential coin/mana consumption based on affinity with each race.
Effects:
1) Trigger tactical skills based on otherworld race traits.
2) Manifest race-specific specialized abilities.
3) Skill intensity is determined by affinity with the respective race.
‘Using the traits of otherworld races as skills?’
I checked the skills one by one. The tactical support each race could provide was neatly organized. And in the current situation where the Horn Wolves were perched on high ground, the most suitable one was…
“Arachne.”
I opened the Arachne category.
**[Arachne Suppression Net]**
– Effect: Deploys a wide-range, high-strength spiderweb net in a designated area.
– Trait: Tensile strength stronger than steel, flexible capture power.
– Optimal Use: Capturing large-scale monsters, blocking movement paths, suppressing high ground.
– Cost: 10,000 coins + 1,000 mana (additional consumption based on range).
‘This is it.’
With this, I could buy more than enough time for the hunters to arrive before the Horn Wolves scattered in all directions.
Thank you translator-nim