Chapter 62: Blood Phantom—3

While Kim Hyeon-jun's Special Mission Unit Team 2 was loading the villains into transport vehicles, Team 1, led by Second Lieutenant Park A-yeong, was engaged in combat.

"Kill them!"

"Don't be scared! Kill at least one of them!"

A far greater number of villains than Team 2 had faced were rushing toward Team 1.

The villains continued fighting, indifferent even as their comrades fell, as if they were on some kind of stimulant.

The bloodshot eyes and ferociously snarling faces made them look more like wild animals than people.

"From now on, capture is secondary! Prioritize elimination! Everyone, respond aggressively!"

Second Lieutenant Park A-yeong, who was in the midst of the fight, made the judgment without hesitation.

It was clear that if they continued the battle as planned, they would be the ones pushed back.

"Yes, ma'am!"

At the lieutenant's words, the soldiers became even more aggressive.

They began driving their blades deep into the villains' bodies.

She was no different.

Wearing golden gauntlets that shone brightly, she broke through the front lines without hesitation.

With each swing of the gauntlets, coated in blue mana, a villain exploded and died.

The tide of battle reversed in an instant.

The number of villains, which had been greater than the soldiers, rapidly decreased.

It was inevitable.

Second Lieutenant Park A-yeong, who was on the verge of reaching level seven, had taken to the front lines herself, and she had even brought her cherished personal weapon.

On the other hand, the average level of the villains was only around level four.

Second Lieutenant Park A-yeong shook the blood off her gauntlets and swept her gaze over the soldiers.

No soldier had suffered major injuries, but it was still too early to relax.

"We move quickly."

The first reason was that they couldn't pinpoint the exact location of the hunters imprisoned here.

The second reason was the lack of data on the villain Gwang Pil-gyu, who was essentially the leader of Blood Phantom.

Team 1, led by Second Lieutenant Park A-yeong, forced open each closed room one by one.

Since the abandoned building was a former lodging facility, there were many rooms, making the search time-consuming.

Ideally, they should have checked for any potential threats before opening the doors, but there was no time for that.

They didn't know what the villains were doing to the kidnapped hunters.

"Help! We're in here!"

It wasn't until they had finished searching the first and second floors that they finally heard voices calling for help.

The voices were so weak they could barely be heard even when focusing.

Of course, Second Lieutenant Park A-yeong didn't miss the distress signal.

Following the source of the sound, she found it.

Unlike the doors they had forced open so far, this one had bars installed.

"Please, be at ease. I am Second Lieutenant Park A-yeong of the Special Mission Unit. We'll get you out of here."

"P-please, get us out quickly! We're really going to die like this!"

"I... I have no strength left in my body... sob..."

The hunters visible beyond the bars looked haggard.

They looked as if they were suffering from severe malnutrition.

Their entire bodies were emaciated.

They were sobbing, begging to be let out, showing just how much they had suffered.

'...What on earth did they do this for?'

Even Second Lieutenant Park A-yeong, who usually maintained her composure in most situations, couldn't help but frown.

"We'll get you out right away. Please step back."

She reassured the imprisoned hunters and channeled mana into her gauntlets.

Then, she grabbed the bars with both hands and pulled them apart with all her strength.

Instead of breaking them—since they weren't made of ordinary material—she chose to bend them.

A swift rescue was the priority.

"Th-thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Sob... Thank you for saving us."

The hunters crawled out through the bars, lacking even the strength to walk.

Their number easily exceeded ten.

"Those bastards... What on earth did they do here?"

"It's okay now. Please calm down. We'll help you."

The Special Mission Unit soldiers grimaced but quickly began supporting the hunters.

Their conditions were so poor that they practically had to carry each one on their backs.

Seeing this, Second Lieutenant Park A-yeong seemed to ponder for a moment before taking out her radio to contact Team 2.

"This is Second Lieutenant Park A-yeong. We need support."

  *

In response to Second Lieutenant Park A-yeong's request for support, a squad of soldiers moved toward Team 1.

Thanks to the situation being wrapped up more smoothly than expected.

They were currently running to the location, and Kim Hyeon-jun was among them.

Sergeant Son Geun-woo had expressed concern, telling him not to overdo it, but Kim Hyeon-jun replied that he was fine and decided to join Team 1.

'If this were before the regression, I might have missed what comes next.'

It was to catch the villain that Second Lieutenant Park A-yeong had missed before the regression.

'But isn't that guy tired?'

'Is he really the one who just fought a level six villain? How is he so energetic?'

'...I was flustered by the miasma that guy was emitting earlier, but that guy wasn't scared at all.'

Meanwhile.

The soldiers moving with Kim Hyeon-jun, though not showing it outwardly, were inwardly astonished.

Taking down a villain with a miasma attribute in solo combat.

That was no easy feat, even for a Special Mission Unit sergeant.

But Kim Hyeon-jun had not only done it calmly, he was now voluntarily stepping forward to provide support to Team 1.

A quick glance at his face showed no signs of fatigue at all.

Just what kind of stamina did he have?

They couldn't help but wonder why someone like Kim Hyeon-jun was in the regular army.

"Aren't those the hunters who were imprisoned?"

"Their condition is so severe..."

Upon arriving at the support location, the scene that greeted them was Team 1 soldiers carrying the imprisoned hunters on their backs, one by one.

"Here's a recovery potion. Drink it slowly."

"It's all over now. We'll escort you safely to the hospital."

The soldiers from Team 2 who had come to support reassured them while feeding them the recovery potions they had brought.

Kim Hyeon-jun also naturally took out a potion, but at that moment, a Team 1 sergeant spoke to him.

"Mister. The platoon leader said you should join our team."

"Understood."

Listening to the following explanation, he learned that Second Lieutenant Park A-yeong was currently pursuing a high-ranking villain.

She had requested support from Team 2 to completely uproot Blood Phantom.

Kim Hyeon-jun told the soldiers to take good care of the injured and then joined Team 1.

He had already been in one fight, but he could handle this much.

'I've come this far; I can't let the villain get away.'

He intended to cleanly uproot them, leaving not a single one behind.

  *

Meanwhile.

Second Lieutenant Park A-yeong was pursuing the villain alone.

She didn't know what the high-ranking villain was up to, but she had to move quickly.

Her instincts from the battles she had fought so far were telling her.

She had a feeling that if she didn't finish this quickly, something would happen.

Reaching the first, second, and third floors wasn't particularly difficult.

There were only a few mediocre villains.

'If you calculate the number of villains Team 2 handled and the number our team handled, it roughly adds up.'

It seemed they had deployed most of their forces on the first floor.

As she was forcing open the rooms on the third floor one by one, a voice suddenly came from behind.

"So it's you? The damn bitch leading the military forces."

A deep, mocking voice.

Turning her gaze, she saw a man with a ponytail smirking.

"Gwang Pil-gyu..."

Second Lieutenant Park A-yeong glared at Gwang Pil-gyu.

A villain, a level six hunter.

She had come face to face with the hunter who could be considered the leader of Blood Phantom.

"Surrender now..."

Second Lieutenant Park A-yeong, who was about to follow protocol and advise surrender, swallowed her words.

Having just seen the state of the imprisoned hunters, this villain had no right to live.

"You have no value in living. Just die here."

Instead of a reply, she clenched the fist wearing her gauntlet.

And then,

Whoosh!

She kicked off the ground and shot forward in an instant.

"What's the hurry?"

Gwang Pil-gyu waved his hand.

Then,

Thud!

A massive figure that suddenly appeared flung her far away.

"Guh!"

An impact that felt like it would break her arm.

Quickly regaining her posture, what came into view was a summon that seemed to be made of blood.

A figure reminiscent of a medieval knight.

The summon held a massive two-handed sword, and despite its large size, its movements were agile.

'...What is that?'

Second Lieutenant Park A-yeong couldn't help but be bewildered.

A summon made from human blood?

She had never heard or seen anything like it.

Thud!

She tried to approach Gwang Pil-gyu again, but it was futile.

A heavy impact pushed her back once more.

"I don't have time for this right now."

Gwang Pil-gyu said he'd deal with her properly next time they met, then completely turned his back.

He was looking down on Second Lieutenant Park A-yeong that much.

Thud! Thud!

In the meantime, Second Lieutenant Park A-yeong charged several times, but she couldn't even get close because of the summon.

That summon seemed to be at least at the level of a level seven hunter.

'What should I do?'

It seemed to have strong resistance to physical attacks... this was a disaster.

Her main skills and the effects of her equipped gauntlet mostly amplified physical attacks.

Was she supposed to just watch this villain escape right before her eyes?

As an officer of the Special Mission Unit, that was absolutely unacceptable.

Just as she was about to get up and try to clash with it somehow,

"Sergeant Kim Hyeon-jun, reporting! I'm joining the fight!"

Kim Hyeon-jun, who had somehow made it to the third floor, was leaping toward the villain.

"Sergeant Kim Hyeon-jun! That guy is beyond your level!"

Her concern was justified.

Kim Hyeon-jun was pushed back by the sword swung by the summon.

He was even sent flying backward, tumbling.

That was natural.

If even an officer couldn't handle that power, there was no way a soldier could.

But what happened next made her doubt her eyes.

"...He certainly is a strong one."

Because Kim Hyeon-jun got up from his spot as if nothing had happened and prepared to charge again.

Far from having his fighting spirit broken, it almost seemed to be burning even brighter.

Just as Second Lieutenant Park A-yeong was about to say something, Kim Hyeon-jun moved his lips first.

'I have an idea.'

Hearing the words that followed, Second Lieutenant Park A-yeong was inwardly surprised but nodded.

Kim Hyeon-jun's mana carried a special ability that weakened monsters, and that mana had worked on that summon.

And the effect grew stronger over time.

If what he said was true, it was worth a try.

'I don't know how effective it will be, but we have to do something now.'

Just watch the villain escape right before their eyes?

As a Special Mission Unit officer, she could never allow that.

"Another one joined in the meantime? You're getting in the way. Should I just kill you both?"

Gwang Pil-gyu, who had been trying to escape the abandoned building, frowned and looked back.

Another Hunter Army soldier had joined.

Because those two kept poking at the summon, his escape schedule was being delayed.

The summon's adjustment wasn't complete, so he couldn't control it precisely.

'Tch. I didn't expect the Hunter Army to arrive this quickly. I've been pushing myself a bit too much lately.'

If he'd had just three more hours, the summon's adjustment would have been complete.

Why had they been pushed back so quickly?

"This won't do. I should just deal with you two here and go."

Currently, the summon reflexively entered combat posture whenever an attack came.

It was better to cleanly deal with these two here and then leave.

"Kill them."

At Gwang Pil-gyu's command, the summon fully entered the battle.

The summon approached with a squelching sound.

Kim Hyeon-jun channeled mana into his body, preparing for combat, when

Ding!

A hologram appeared before his eyes.

[Urgent Mission]