In the Name of God - Chapter 76.2
Ignoring him, I fired my gun at a monster charging straight toward Kwon Jeong-han. The flying squirrel beast, still in its stealth state, was struck by my bullet and fell from a tree branch; using that as his cue, Kwon Jeong-han dashed forward like an arrow.
Kwon Jeong-han’s speed, agility, and combat sense were truly breathtaking.
Confirming that the dark green blood splattered from the monster hit by the bullet had frozen in mid-air, Kwon Jeong-han quickly slashed through that spot. The blood from the deeply gashed monster splattered onto another one, and Kwon Jeong-han slashed that spot in turn, deliberately swinging his daggers to spread the blood widely.
In that manner, Kwon Jeong-han sliced through five stealthed monsters in an instant and wiped the blood off his face. Compared to the amount the monsters had been spraying, it was barely a smudge, but he wore a look of utter disgust.
There seemed to be a limit to pinpointing the monsters’ locations just by splattering blood.
Based on Echo’s scan data, I activated Hawkeye to its limit and quickly caught the monsters’ positions.
“Top right, 5 meters! The point where the two branches overlap!”
Bang!
“Two approaching simultaneously from the left and right! I’ll handle the one coming from above!”
Bang, bang—!
While supporting Kwon Jeong-han, I couldn’t ignore the teammates fighting behind us.
“The person with the shield, half a step to the left! Close-range dealers, attack that spot the moment impact hits the shield!”
“I told you, I’m clearly the Team Leader…!”
“The two magic-type Awakeners, please use one wide-range skill each right now! The monsters caught in it will have their stealth broken at once, so the long-range dealers in the rear finish them off before they can cling on again!”
“Wait a moment, Mr. Seong Do-yoon!”
“Three approaching from the right! Team Leader, in 2 seconds, give a wide horizontal slash at that spot!”
“Uh, uh, so…! Dammit!”
Even the Team Leader, who had been trying to argue over every little thing, eventually swung his sword according to my instructions. Perhaps a 2nd-tier was indeed a 2nd-tier; though it looked like a simple sword swing, flames erupted along the trajectory of his blade. Three monsters that were hit screamed as they revealed themselves.
I felt sorry for the Team Leader, but for now, it was better for me to take command like this.
What the Team Leader had mastered were tactics for when about fifteen monsters attempted an ambush in a conventional way.
He seemed to have never considered a scenario where 80 to 90 monsters would surround and ambush us with such perfect coordination. Furthermore, he was the type whose mind ground to a halt the more flustered he became, failing to even think of utilizing me—someone with the ability to detect the monsters.
Given the situation, it was unavoidable if I wanted to move everyone to safety.
Furthermore…
‘These things aren’t just regular monsters.’
I narrowed my eyes as I watched the monsters, which had fallen from fatal wounds, stand back up as if perfectly fine.
These monsters didn’t just have black hides.
Like the “shadow-tainted” monsters I had encountered before, they were also shrouded in a dark energy.
‘Again.’
The dark energy was wrapped around each monster so intricately and minutely that it was impossible to recognize without Hawkeye. That was why, just like the previous monsters, they stood back up as if nothing happened even after being shot, slashed, or fatally wounded, using their stealth once more.
If that was the case, to completely suppress them, I had to destroy the central axis of dark energy, but that was by no means easy.
‘It’s difficult even to find the central axis because of the stealth.’
The monsters’ stealth seemed to break automatically only when they were attacked.
To find the central axis, one would have to face the monsters without giving them a gap to re-stealth, but the teammates were adopting an excessively passive attack method because of the invisible horde.
Moreover, they seemed to have realized that the monsters they attacked were getting back up without issue.
“What’s going on? The briefing said these things don’t have regenerative abilities!”
“No matter how much we attack, they just get right back up! Does this make sense?! Team Leader, say something!”
“I—I don’t know either! There’s no way they should regenerate…! This is the first time I’ve seen them swarm in such large numbers, too!”
The teammates were gradually falling into a panic even as they repeatedly blocked and attacked the monsters. The Team Leader only added to their anxiety by wandering about in confusion, repeating that he didn’t know and that this was a first.
In the midst of that, Kwon Jeong-han silently opened the path, repeatedly slashing through invisible monsters according to his own senses and my instructions.
Watching the half-severed neck of a fallen monster reattach itself in an instant, Kwon Jeong-han stepped back and whispered to me.
“You can make those things stay down for good, can’t you?”
Instead of nodding, I fired a shot into the shoulder of a regenerating monster. The fallen monster was moving slowly while regenerating its neck, and since the central axis happened to be in a position visible at a glance, the bullet lodged itself accurately without missing.
The minute energy shrouding the monster vanished, and its original, glossy black hide was revealed. That monster moved no more.
Having confirmed my answer with his own eyes, Kwon Jeong-han’s eyes—unlike the other teammates’—showed not a single shred of fear.
“Just give the orders. What do you need me to do?”
Kwon Jeong-han was willing to trust me and move with my hands and feet.
Hearing his words, which reminded me of Lee Sunho, I felt strangely reassured.
***
“Mr. Lee Sunho?”
Unlike Team 3, which was in chaos, the Team Leader of Team 4, who was moving peacefully, looked back at Lee Sunho, who was standing at the very rear. He was standing still, staring intently at a certain spot.
“Is something the matter?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Lee Sunho withdrew his gaze with a smile, but an unidentifiable bleakness was flowing through his pupils.
“It’s just that there’s something a bit bothersome.”
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