The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 481

Park Ki-tae was a guide. He wasn’t a fighter by training, but many battles had taught him a lot.

He believed that a Hunter’s rank was absolute.

For twenty years, people had worked hard to create these Hunter ranks, from S to F. It seemed simple, but it was based on the world’s best knowledge. There were no exceptions.

Hunters who were ready to go up a rank showed skills better than their current level. But those stuck at their rank in the system clearly had weaknesses holding them back.

Hundreds of battles had taught him this. There was a reason for being F-rank, and a reason for being E-rank.

So, from the start, Park Ki-tae didn’t think they could beat the ant tunnel. He was sure one fight would show these two newcomers they were out of their depth.

He only planned to do his best within the bounds of guaranteed safety. But he was surprised by what he saw Kang Min-ho do against the ants.

‘……Is that E-rank?’

This made no sense. It went against everything he knew.

Soldier ants were D-rank monsters. If Kang Min-ho could beat them, he shouldn’t be E-rank. But Kang Min-ho was defeating not just one, but dozens of soldier ants and worker ants.

That meant he was D-rank or higher. Not just barely D-rank, but almost C-rank level.

It was shocking. If he was that strong in Incheon, people should have known. But Park Ki-tae was seeing Kang Min-ho for the first time.

Crack!

He crushed an ant’s head. It was a perfect win.

Kang Min-ho seemed to be saying something, but Park Ki-tae couldn’t hear him right now.

‘It became clear with just one battle. I don’t know why Kang Min-ho is staying in E-rank, but he is stronger than I expected. Especially his Dash and Strike moves. Everyone knows those skills, but Kang Min-ho used them with such power, Park Ki-tae wondered if they were even the same skills. Kang Min-ho used them in a special way.’

Park Ki-tae didn’t know that Kang Min-ho had only been training for one month.

Kang Min-ho had the skills of an E-rank, but he had completely changed with just one teaching from Roman Dimitri.

People said that Dimitri’s teachings were very special, but Roman Dimitri was like Dimitri himself.

He was a powerful force that broke the system of ranks. People might not know him now, but soon Roman Dimitri would change everything everyone thought they knew.

Park Ki-tae calmed down. The battle was over. He should have run away by now, but after seeing Kang Min-ho’s skills, he changed his mind.

‘First, these people are not average. If they can really beat the ant tunnel… this is a great chance to earn 300 million won.’

But still, Kang Min-ho alone couldn’t handle all the ants. Park Ki-tae was also watching Roman Dimitri.

Roman Dimitri and Kang Min-ho were clearly superior and subordinate. Seeing someone as skilled as Kang Min-ho following Roman Dimitri, there must be something special about him.

He believed this was a good chance. Park Ki-tae decided to stay, unlike his first plan.

Park Ki-tae said, “From now on, you have to choose. The further we go, the more ants there will be. The ant tunnel is narrow and winding, so there’s no way to run. That fight was just the beginning. If you don’t think you can handle the ants that will rush in like waves, now is the only time to leave safely.”

He was giving them sincere advice.

But Roman Dimitri and Kang Min-ho didn’t want to back down. They chose to keep going. The battle kept happening as Park Ki-tae had warned.

Chyaak!

Chyaaak!

The ants rushed in, showing their sharp teeth to the people who had entered their home. Like before, Kang Min-ho stepped forward while Roman Dimitri and Park Ki-tae watched.

He felt confident now. At first, he wasn’t sure if he could handle the soldier ants and worker ants alone. But after seeing his skills, he fearlessly killed the enemies.

Thud!

Crack!

Blood splattered. He cut down everything in his way.

Kang Min-ho’s strength wasn’t much different from a month ago. But the power from the Asura’s Heart Technique showed amazing results.

It was a new world. The more he fought, the more excited he became.

He suddenly wanted to take the promotion test as soon as he got back.

‘When I took the promotion test, the examiner said that people who become hunters at my age don’t have much of a future. Unless they get a great opportunity, they will live a normal life and die to a monster. So, it’s better to give up being a hunter.’

He was right. If he hadn’t met Roman Dimitri, he would still be E-rank and would die like the examiner said.

So, he wanted to prove himself. He wanted to show the examiner how he could fight against dozens of ants.

Of course, that was for later. He knew he could only think about the future if he solved the problems he had now.

‘Roman Dimitri said he would help if I couldn’t handle it. So, I don’t need to be afraid.’

He gritted his teeth. Beyond the darkness, the ants kept rushing in.

It felt risky, but he wasn’t afraid.

Chyaak!

Chyaaak!

Another group of ants appeared. Kang Min-ho rushed towards them.

The situation was going well. Now that they were deep inside, Park Ki-tae felt uneasy.

‘There are fewer ants than I thought. If the queen ants have been making ants for the past month, there should be more ants than I’ve ever seen. But so far, it’s not much different from normal. It’s even worse than an ant tunnel with one queen ant.’

It was strange. People avoided ant tunnels. These tunnels, filled with ants, were never easy to enter.

Then, he heard, “I have found the queen ant’s nest.”

Park Ki-tae announced, his voice a little shaky despite himself. “About a hundred meters ahead.”

His search magic had revealed a vast chamber. He knew ant tunnels always had a central nest, a place where the queen laid eggs endlessly. That was their goal from the start. Killing ants was pointless if you didn’t deal with the queen. It was like mowing grass without pulling out the roots.

He tried to push down the knot of worry in his stomach. *Queen ant nest. High ground. We can do this.*

He moved forward, Kang Min-ho and Roman Dimitri following. The tunnel opened suddenly, and they stepped into a space that stole their breath.

“….This…” Kang Min-ho breathed, eyes wide.

“Wow,” was all Roman Dimitri said, but even his usual calm seemed to crack a little.

Eggs. Everywhere. Piled high like hills of pale, glistening pearls. Thousands upon thousands of them lined the walls, the floor, the ceiling. The air was thick and humid, with a faint, sickly sweet smell. Park Ki-tae knew ant eggs hatched fast, in less than a day. Staying here was madness.

But the bad feeling in his gut was back, stronger than ever. “Something’s terribly wrong,” he muttered, his voice low. “A queen ant can only lay maybe a hundred eggs a day. But look at this! There are thousands, maybe tens of thousands! It’s impossible. Unless…” He stopped, his throat suddenly tight.

*Unless there’s more than one queen.* The thought hung heavy in the air. *Dozens of queens?*

It didn’t make sense. Incheon Mayor Kim Jun-hyuk had delayed the subjugation with just two queen ants. A dozen was unheard of.

Park Ki-tae had never heard of such a thing. Ant tunnels were common hunting grounds around the world, so there were standards even in a chaotic world.

Then, he heard glug glug.

The ant eggs were shaking. One egg, bigger than the others, started to crack. Something popped out.

Crack!

It was a forefoot. The ant made a hole and showed its face.

Park Ki-tae’s eyes widened. It was a queen ant.

Queen ants were a mystery. It was rare for queen ants to hatch among the many ants. It shouldn’t be happening here, where two queen ants already lived.

But that wasn’t the only problem. While Park Ki-tae stared, other ants broke through their eggs and showed their faces.

Chyaak!

“……T, this is ridiculous.”

His eyes shook. It was another queen ant. Not just three or four, but more queen ants appeared from the hatching eggs.

He got goosebumps. There was only one way to explain this.

‘Could it be a premonition phenomenon?’

A great disaster. Before the world turns into hell, there are warnings that tell of the disaster. It was a warning to prepare for the disaster and another hell.

Premonition phenomena broke all the rules. Dozens of queen ants in one ant tunnel could only be explained by this.

That meant a small disaster was happening where people couldn’t see it. If the ant tunnel subjugation was delayed, Incheon would be attacked by ants soon.

Suddenly, screams came from all sides.

Tap tap tap.

Chyaak!

Chyaaak!

It was the sound of thousands of ants rushing in. Park Ki-tae turned pale.

“W, we have to run away! If this is a premonition phenomenon, we can’t handle it alone.”

He quickly looked through his bag. He took out a teleport scroll and held it. But Roman Dimitri was calm, even with Park Ki-tae’s urgent voice.

“Whether to handle it or not is a matter for me to judge.”

“Damn it.”

He cursed. They were crazy. Even if they were skilled, they couldn’t stop a premonition phenomenon with just two people.

A premonition phenomenon was a problem for the whole city to handle. Even a top B-rank hunter couldn’t survive the ant attack that was coming.

His mouth was dry. His body shook. He wanted to stay loyal, but he couldn’t because death was right in front of him.

Didn’t Roman Dimitri say he wouldn’t ask for responsibility?

“……I’m sorry. Really, I’m sorry.”

He closed his eyes. Tear!

He tore the scroll. Park Ki-tae didn’t open his eyes until the teleport was over.

Flash!

Thud!

The teleport took him to Incheon. Park Ki-tae got up and made sure he was safe.

‘It can’t be helped that the two are dying. But the premonition phenomenon is another matter.’

The two would die. There was no hope of lasting even ten minutes against thousands of ants. Park Ki-tae knew the two were as good as dead.

The problem was the premonition phenomenon. The disaster would get worse because of the queen ants. For the safety of Incheon, he had to beat the ant tunnel, even if it meant risking his life.

“I have to let them know this.”

He hurried to the Incheon government.