The Wise Cleaning Life Of A Returning Genius Hunter [EN]: Chapter 80

079

After hours of driving on unpaved roads in a van on the verge of breaking down, two operation teams arrived at the site.

Huin’s face turned grim as he got out of the vehicle.

“Fucking hell…….”

The situation on the ground was worse than expected.

The village was already in utter chaos.

Houses and roads were completely destroyed, and the surrounding area was filled with citizens who hadn’t evacuated. Some desperately searched for lost children, while others, having lost their parents, cried in the middle of the road.

However, there was no sign of the monster anywhere.

‘What a pain in the ass…….’

Huin frowned deeply.

Doole Bug Scorpion.

A monster that resembled a scorpion.

According to the information gathered, it was a creature that hid underground, waiting for an opportunity to hunt.

Given that it could appear anytime, anywhere, it would take quite a while to subdue it, even with both operation teams deployed for combat.

In the meantime, the citizens who hadn’t evacuated would be exposed to danger.

Huin quickly assessed the situation and raised his voice.

“Team 2, guide the citizens to a safe place first! We’re short on personnel, so ask the citizens for help too!”

“Yes!”

“Team 1, find the monster with me.”

The two operation teams moved to their respective positions in an orderly manner.

Huin also hurriedly took out his detector.

It was a piece of junk that was more than 20 years old, but it was the only equipment they had to detect ether waves [a type of energy signature] and locate monsters.

Toot-toot-toot―.

The detector soon picked up a signal about 300m north.

“Good. It’s not close to the rescue area. Let’s move north while…….”

Goo-goo-goo-goo―.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake violently.

“W-what is it?”

“Could it be the monster?!”

Voices filled with panic.

However, Huin shook his head.

“That can’t be. The detector clearly…….”

Just as he shifted his gaze back to the detector screen.

Kwang―!!

A giant scorpion burst from the ground.

“……Nothing’s working properly.”

The monster appeared in an unexpected way.

Of course, there was no time to be flustered.

“Monster appearance! Monster appearance!”

“Quickly take positions! Melee fighters, don’t clump together, spread out as much as possible!!”

Team Leader Nguyen quickly took command.

“Attack! Pour all your skills in!”

[Unique Skill: Destroyer]

[Unique Skill: Finger Pistol]

Bang―.

Kwagwagwang―!

The two operation teams launched a full-scale attack, but the damage was minimal due to the monster’s hard carapace [a protective covering like a shell].

“Team Leader! We don’t have enough firepower!”

“It’s going to be difficult with our manpower!”

“Shut up and keep attacking! Melee positions, keep your distance so it can’t approach!”

Team Leader Nguyen shouted.

The good news was that the monster that came out onto the ground didn’t move much.

Even if their forces were insufficient, they couldn’t fail to catch a monster that was just standing there.

That’s what they thought.

Kugugugu―.

“I, it’s going back underground!”

“Keep attacking so it can’t go in! We don’t know when it’ll come out again!!”

All sorts of skills began to rain down on the monster as it hurriedly tried to hide itself. But the firepower was still lacking.

The monster eventually disappeared.

“…….”

“…….”

A heavy silence settled.

Everyone stayed in their positions, constantly scanning their surroundings.

They couldn’t let their guard down, as they didn’t know when or where it would reappear.

Team Leader Nguyen carefully opened his mouth towards Huin.

“Team Leader, this is impossible. Let’s retreat and join up with other forces before…….”

“We can’t retreat. Who knows what else might happen in the meantime.”

“Then, are you saying we should all die here?! We need to survive first so we can keep subduing it!”

Huin gritted his teeth.

Team Leader Nguyen’s judgment was accurate.

But it wasn’t that Huin didn’t know that, that he refused to retreat.

In this situation where the lives of citizens were at stake, retreating would prove that they were truly powerless.

More than anything, what about the other villages if they retreated here?

“……We’ll do what we can.”

“We could be annihilated.”

“Then there’s nothing we can do.”

Nguyen didn’t respond any further.

In any case, Huin had the final say, so he had to follow his orders, whether he liked it or not.

Goo-goo-goo-goo―

The ground began to vibrate again.

“It’s coming. Everyone, prepare.”

Nguyen opened his mouth with a cracking voice.

Everyone got back into battle stance.

Their expressions all seemed to be prepared for something.

Everyone was on edge, but the monster didn’t show itself easily.

Instead.

Sss-sss-sss―.

Suddenly, the ground collapsed, creating a large hole.

“W-what is it?”

“It seems to be digging sand from the inside.”

“Just in case, don’t go near the hole…….”

The sand the operation team was standing on began to be sucked into the hole in a large circle.

It was as if a whirlpool was forming on the ground.

“T, this is bullshit… everyone get out of here quickly!”

Huin realized something was wrong and quickly shouted.

The operation team also tried to escape in a hurry, but it was already too late.

Swish-ah-ah-ah―!

“Uh, uh…?”

“T, Team Leader…!”

“Aaaaaaack!!”

The whirlpool rotated violently, as if it would suck everything in.

“S, save me…!”

“Uuuuuup…!!”

“…….”

The voices of those who fell into the sand pit gradually faded. Before long, they all completely disappeared into the sand.

Huin was completely frozen in panic.

It happened so quickly.

There was nothing he could do.

Who could possibly face such a monster?

Just as rational judgment was fading from his mind, that’s when it happened.

[Unique Skill: High Panic Berserker]

[Unique Skill: Thousand Hands Guanyin] [A Buddhist deity known for compassion and multiple arms]

Bang―!!!

A black shadow flew in from somewhere and struck the hole directly.

Kieeeeeee―!

A bizarre scream echoed from underground.

With it, the whirlpool also stopped rotating.

Thanks to that, the people buried in the sand reappeared above ground.

Huin raised his head with a bewildered expression.

He wondered what on earth had happened.

Because the two women who should have been tied up at the base were in front of his eyes.

“Y-you guys, how…….”

Huin trailed off without realizing it.

‘W-what is it? Are they the same people…?’

He felt an immense pressure from the gazes of the women looking at him. They exuded a completely different atmosphere from their previous relaxed appearance.

If anything, an atmosphere closer to monsters than humans.

“Tsk. I knew this would happen.”

Just then, a familiar voice rang out in a low tone.

Huin unconsciously turned around.

“What the hell are you doing? Are you all trying to die?”

Kim Junwoo was walking towards him with a look of utter annoyance.

***

More than anything, I was annoyed.

I couldn’t believe there was such a moron who would carry out such a stupid operation…….

“Why didn’t you retreat? Did you want to play the hero?”

In an emergency, retreat unconditionally.

It’s the most basic rule of subjugation.

If you throw your life away when you could have escaped, you’re not a hero, just an idiot.

“You should have known that you couldn’t subdue it under these conditions. Or were you planning to kill everyone here?”

Huin clicked his tongue and continued.

“Well, what would guys who’ve been getting full support from a good country know?”

“So you were just going to charge in thinking you were going to die?”

I sighed deeply and shook my head.

“I don’t know if this is ignorance or naivety…….”

“W-what?”

“Dungeon raiders can’t die. Whether it’s the operation team, the control team, or even the cleaning team. Isn’t that basic? With so few subjugation personnel as it is, what are you going to do with the remaining dungeons if you guys go to the afterlife?”

“Do you think I don’t know that? We’re doing this because we don’t have the ability…!”

“You’re fighting to the death because you don’t have the ability? Cut the crap. The ones who really don’t have the ability are your superiors who made it so you can’t subdue even a green-grade monster without being prepared to die.”

“…….”

Huin’s mouth froze open.

He looked shocked.

I just said it as it is, I don’t know why he’s so surprised.

“Don’t be mistaken. It’s not that you don’t have the ability. It’s that you don’t have a capable leader. Look at the situation now. This is what happens when you blindly issue subjugation orders without considering the situation or conditions of the operation team at all.”

“…….”

Huin remained silent.

Now I think I know why he didn’t even listen to my offer to help.

It’s not that he didn’t believe me.

These guys were just losing confidence while despairing at reality.

Goo-goo-goo-goo―.

It was then.

The ground shook again and the sand began to swirl.

I quickly assessed the personnel.

‘8 melee and 11 ranged… I saw earlier that the mages’ skills were decent enough…….’

That should be enough.

“I-it’s coming again! Everyone, get out of the way…!”

“No. Don’t avoid it, attack. If you attack the ground, the monster will pop out.”

“What?”

“I said, pour all your skills into the ground. Don’t make me say it twice.”

There was no time to argue, so I spoke firmly.

If we miss this opportunity, no one will be able to do anything about it.

“Just this once, please do as I say.”

“……Shit.”

“I don’t know anymore, damn it.”

It was already too late to avoid it.

The hunters simultaneously poured their skills into the ground, half in doubt.

Bang―!

The monster couldn’t withstand the skills flowing into the ground and revealed itself outside.

“Uh, uh…?”

“Now, attack.”

The hunters’ skills were now aimed at the monster.

Kim Minju, Han Yoobin, and I watched their attacks from behind.

I wanted to take this opportunity to assess their strength.

Well, it’s obvious without even looking.

‘Tsk, their firepower is weak after all.’

The highest-ranking one seems to be barely B-rank, and the rest are all C and D-rank.

“They’ve been subjugating monsters with such power until now.”

“Are you sure you don’t need help?”

Kim Minju asked worriedly, but I shook my head firmly.

“What’s the point? They have to do it themselves.”

The scorpion-type monster has very high basic defense thanks to its hard carapace.

But on the other hand, the attack itself is not very threatening. To compensate for this, it hides in the ground to attack, but even that is blocked, it becomes vulnerable to all attacks like this.

Even if equipment and personnel are lacking, it is a monster that can be caught sufficiently.

Kieeeeeee―

The monster, whose body was completely exposed, screamed as it took the attacks head-on.

It sensed danger and tried to burrow back into the ground, but it was in vain. Thanks to pouring skills into the ground, the sand was solidified like stone.

“Everyone, focus. It knows it has nowhere to run, so it will charge indiscriminately.”

“Ranged positions, spread out a little more. Don’t get caught up in it unnecessarily. After all, the melee people have to do the main attack. Think of it as supporting.”

“You, sword class! You can hit the body all you want, but you won’t even make a scratch! Aim for the head, the head!”

“We’re almost there. Mages, keep pouring skills so it can’t hide in the ground. Priests, use debuff skills to bind the monster’s movements as much as possible.”

“Good. Just keep doing that.”

After that, I made detailed adjustments and attacked the monster while keeping a sufficient distance.

As time passed, the hunters’ movements gradually improved as they saw results.

After a few minutes.

“Hee, hee…….”

“Keuh, keueh…….”

Thud―

Amidst the rough breathing, the monster fell with a heavy sound.

Soon, cheers erupted from here and there.

They were hugging each other and shouting… it was quite a commotion.

I don’t really understand why they’re making such a fuss after catching just one green-grade monster…….

Well, what can I do if they’re happy.

“So.”

I opened my mouth towards Huin, who was among them.

“Are you more willing to listen to me now?”

“…….”

Instead of answering, he looked at me with a stiff expression.