Chapter 40
The Day of the Jeju Island Raid
Two large helicopters soared across the ocean, carrying elite Hunters toward Jeju Island. Each aircraft held members of the international raid team, eyes set on reclaiming the forsaken island.
Across Asia’s coastlines, preparations were in full swing. Battleships were stationed on multiple fronts, each vessel loaded with hundreds of Hunters ready to deploy.
From the coast of China…
To the coast of Taiwan…
To the coast of Japan…
And finally, surrounding Jeju Island itself, the full force had arrived.
A Kang Gamchan-class destroyer and twelve frigates were positioned to the north of the island, while the Korean Guilds assembled along the southern coast, prepared to launch their assault.
---
Goto Ryuji walked slowly through the desolate ruins of Jeju City. The buildings stood like hollowed-out husks, shattered glass and twisted metal strewn across the streets. The silence was absolute.
"So this used to be Jeju City, huh?" he muttered. “It’s a complete ghost town now.”
Beside him, Mari Ishida gestured toward a grisly scene just ahead.
"Sir. Over there."
Several grey-carapaced ant corpses lay scattered across the road, brutally butchered. Their bodies were torn apart, some bearing jagged wounds that looked more animalistic than combat-based.
Goto crouched beside one of them, inspecting the damage closely.
‘These wounds... They weren't made by weapons. Were they cannibalized by other ants?’
He stood slowly, frowning.
“Looks like there’s a predator out here,” he muttered, then activated his earpiece. “This is A-Alpha speaking. Requesting roll call. Over.”
---
Kanae Tawata vaulted over a crumbling wall, landing lightly in the street beyond.
“B-Bravo. Over,” she replied curtly.
Behind her, Kumamoto followed hesitantly, his eyes darting nervously in every direction.
Kanae rolled her eyes. “Pull yourself together.”
“But all those corpses we saw...” Kumamoto muttered. “What could’ve done that?”
She didn’t answer.
---
“C-Charlie. Over,” Fushijima reported, adjusting his glasses as he scanned the desolate terrain.
Behind him, Hoshino Minoru trudged along with a casual slouch.
“Why did I have to be stuck with you?” Hoshino grumbled.
Fushijima shrugged. “That’s my line. I was hoping for someone more serious.”
“Tch. And I was hoping for someone less boring,” Hoshino shot back. “I bet you’ll even make this raid boring somehow.”
---
“D-Delta. Over,” Ippei Izawa said softly into his communicator.
He stood still beneath a tree, hidden among its long shadows.
Beside him was Kei, equally silent, his gas mask concealing any sign of emotion.
The wind stirred the trees above them, rustling leaves and coats alike.
Still, not a sound came from the two Hunters.
---
Goto nodded as the last of the reports came in through his earpiece. He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them, glowing with white light.
“Everyone,” he commanded, voice calm but resolute. “Release the floodgates.”
Whooom!
A shockwave of raw mana exploded into the sky.
Mari Ishida was the first to respond, her body erupting in a storm of pink energy. Her aura blazed upward, forming a column that pulsed with power.
A split second later, Goto’s own energy surged forth, pale white and searingly bright. His aura collided with Mari’s, blending into a massive spiral of pure white haze that twisted violently above the city ruins.
From afar, it looked like a glowing tornado reaching into the clouds.
Moments later, three more tornadoes lit up the island, each one emanating from another pair of elite Japanese Hunters.
Four radiant pillars now surrounded Jeju Island.
From the battleships stationed nearby, the sight was awe-inspiring.
“Whoa! Look at the intensity of those mana waves!” Baek Yoonho shouted, his face pressed against the helicopter window as he watched in astonishment.
Beside him, Choi Jong-In narrowed his eyes. “The Japanese Guilds have started their operation.”
---
The ground shook.
A deep, guttural rumble echoed across the island.
Then... fwoosh!
A massive cloud of crimson smoke burst from the giant mound at the center of Jeju Island. It was followed by another. Then another. And another.
Four in total.
But this wasn’t smoke.
If one looked closely, the red clouds were actually thousands of red ants, each one double the size of a human, pouring out of their subterranean nest like a living tide.
With an instinctive fury, they surged toward the four pillars of light, the threats to their Queen.
As the ant horde cleared out of the nest to defend their domain, a new path opened.
The Korean Hunters, waiting on the helicopter above the island, saw their opportunity.
The entrance to the colony was now open.
The raid had begun.
---
Out at sea, the Destroyer No.2 Kaga circled the island, escorted by over a dozen frigates. The calm before the storm lingered on deck, interrupted only by the brisk voice of a senior officer.
“We will now commence the operation as well,” said Reiji Sugimoto, Vice Guild Master of the Draw Sword Guild.
He turned toward a row of operators seated before glowing control panels.
“Activate the jamming signals.”
“Yes, sir. Activating now.”
In orbit above Earth, a massive satellite rotated to life. It locked onto a target, and discharged several blue pulses toward the surface.
Each flare homed in on Jeju Island, releasing concentrated waves of interference as they descended.
Back on the bridge, Sugimoto smirked.
“Now the ants won’t be able to hear the Queen’s call for help.”
---
C-Charlie Team
"The way I see it, it's probably faster to kill all these guys ourselves instead of waiting for the South Korean team to take down the Queen," Hoshino said, resting his sword casually on his shoulder.
"Sure," Fushijima replied offhandedly, driving his blade into the skull of a nearby ant.
Hoshino grunted. "Are you even listening to me?"
"We have a job to do," Fushijima said, turning his gaze skyward. A fresh wave of ants was descending from above, wings buzzing like distant thunder.
Without another word, both swordsmen released their auras in full force, brilliant energy flaring around them like battle cloaks. The monstrous insects immediately locked onto them, drawn like moths to flame.
They charged forward, swords gleaming in the dim light, ready to cut down the tide.
---
D-Delta Team
Kei stood atop a slope, his eyes following the smoke rising from the distant mound.
“Fireworks going off at the tunnels,” he said, his tone unreadable beneath the cold steel of his mask.
Beside him, Ippei Izawa glanced in the same direction. “Choi Jong-In, was it? Must be him.”
“My ice, his fire.” Kei’s eyes narrowed, a faint smirk curling beneath the mask. “I wonder what would happen if we faced off.”
"It’d be cold," Ippei said simply. Then added after a pause, “And hot.”
---
B-Bravo Team
Name: Kanae Tawata
Level: 15
Job Class: None^
HP: 3000 / 3000
MP: 3450 / 3450
Attributes:
• STR: 135
• AGI: 220
• VIT: 115
• DEX: 115
• INT: 165
• PER: 115
Physical Damage Resistance: 10%
Equipment:
– Draw Sword Uniform Helmet
– Draw Sword Uniform Armour
– Draw Sword Uniform Gauntlets
– Twin Black Swords (+300 ATK)
– Radiant Ring
Skills:
– Yokai Blade Art: Akuma no Mai (Dance of the Demon)
– Yokai Ascendant: Kumo no Akari
– Attack Boost (S)
– Disguise
– Lightning Shroud
Kanae cut through several ants with a sweeping motion, her twin blades tearing through chitin and bone in a crimson blur. Insects fell around her in pieces, their acidic blood hissing against the dirt.
She turned toward her partner, who was recoiling from a fallen ant with a pale expression.
"Are you serious right now?" she snapped. "Now’s not the time to be squeamish. If you don’t want to die, get your shit together."
Kumamoto swallowed hard. The grotesque shapes and erratic movements of the ants had him completely on edge. "Y-Yeah. Got it," he stammered.
Kanae sighed, checking her surroundings. “There should be more of them heading our way…”
Suddenly, her expression shifted.
‘What is that presence?’ she thought, her eyes snapping toward the ant hill. Something immense was coming. Something dangerous.
Without hesitation, she pressed a finger to her earpiece and broke into a sprint.
“This is B-Bravo. There's a strong enemy headed directly toward C-Charlie. I repeat, an incredibly powerful enemy is moving toward C-Charlie. Over.”
---
Fushijima flipped over an approaching ant monster, his blade flashing mid-air. The creature barely had time to screech before it was cleaved in half. As he landed, its corpse exploded in a spray of green ichor, but not a single drop touched him.
Above, Hoshino danced through the sky, using the flying ants as makeshift footholds. Each one he stepped on died a moment later, cut down in rapid succession as he tore through their ranks with brutal efficiency.
He crash-landed moments later, using the skull of a grounded ant as a landing pad. He winced.
“Still can’t get used to these things using military tactics,” he muttered, brushing bits of carapace off his coat. “Battle formations, coordinated strikes... all that shit.”
“One of them managed to nick me under the arm.” He raised his left arm, revealing a thin stream of blood leaking from beneath his armpit. “That’s gonna sting tomorrow.”
Fushijima gave him a quick glance, then calmly sheathed his sword. “You should use this chance to apply one of your ointments. At least the one that stops bleeding.”
Hoshino groaned. “You mean the one that stings like hell? Ugh. I wish Akari was still here. She was always the one patching us up... Why’d she have to leave the guild and join that stupid Maple Tree?”
Fushijima shook his head. “Don’t be a baby about it. She made her choice, same as Kenzo.”
He adjusted his glasses and looked toward the sky, his expression thoughtful. “Actually, once this raid's over, I’m thinking about joining Maple Tree myself. My contract ended last week. Don’t think I’ll be renewing it.”
Hoshino’s jaw dropped. “Seriously? You too? Why is everyone so gung-ho about Maple Tree all of a sudden? Is it because Kaede’s Kanae’s sister?”
“No, it isn’t. Don’t be an idiot.” Fushijima’s tone was flat, as always. “You’ve seen the rankings, right? Normally, it's hard to gauge an S-Rank hunter’s power since our mana can't be quantified. That’s why they rank us by achievements using the point-based system. It’s why Goto's held the number one spot for five years, no one’s been able to top his record.”
He paused, then added, “Kaede cleared a red-gate S-Rank dungeon. Which basically makes it an SS-Rank. And according to Akari and Kenzo, she did it solo.”
Hoshino bristled. “There’s no way that was actually an S-Rank dungeon. Had to be a fluke. You know mana readings get distorted once a gate turns red. I find it pretty suspicious that the rank changed from A to S the moment she entered.”
Fushijima sat down on a nearby tree stump, letting his aura pulse gently while waiting for the next wave of ants.
“You might have a point, not about the fluke, but the questionable circumstances. The Federal Bureau of Hunters hasn’t officially recognized the dungeon as S-Rank. At least not yet. Until that decision is made internationally, Outside of Japan, Goto will still rank higher than Kaede.”
“As it should be,” Hoshino nodded firmly. “Goto-san’s worked harder than anyone to get where he is. He takes on the toughest dungeons, fights the strongest monsters. That’s why I respect him."
“Hard work, huh.” Fushijima stood as his gaze locked onto a new wave of ants pouring in from the far ridge. He drew his sword in a smooth motion. “Have you noticed anything..., different about the Guild Master lately?”
Hoshino pulled out his own blade, brows furrowing. “What do you mean?”
Fushijima’s glasses caught the sunlight as he adjusted them slightly. “For the past year or so, he’s had this look in his eyes. Like he’s obsessed. Like there’s only one thing he cares about, and everything else, people, rules, even fellow hunters, us, just doesn’t matter anymore.”
“Yeah. Protecting the country,” Hoshino said without hesitation.
Fushijima let out a sigh. “That’s not what I meant.”
A soft beep echoed in their ears.
—This is B-Bravo. There’s a strong enemy headed directly toward C-Charlie. Over. I repeat: an incredibly powerful enemy is en route to C-Charlie. Over.
Fushijima’s eyes narrowed sharply. “Did you catch that?”
“Yeah,” Hoshino nodded. “But we’ve only been dealing with regular ant monsters this whole time. What makes this one different?” He paused. “You don’t think... the queen’s coming, do you?”
Fushijima didn’t respond right away. His gaze had grown intense, focused. His grip tightened around his sword’s hilt, knuckles paling. A faint glow shimmered in his irises, his aura beginning to leak out instinctively.
“Hey, Hoshino,” he said quietly. “Go. Join Team Delta. You’re faster than me. Get moving.”
Hoshino turned sharply. “What? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
Fushijima’s hand trembled slightly, though his posture remained firm. He inhaled deeply, trying to steady his pulse. Something wrong, was approaching.
“Hurry,” he said again. “Something…”
He turned toward the shifting wind near the wave of ants, eyes locked ahead.
“…is coming.”
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