When I Returned to Farming, National-level Big Juniors Flock - Chapter 25



Only Krnovel

25. Want to see some skills?

A withdrawal order was issued to the Bureau Hunters.

When Oh Hyeon-seong heard the news, he calmed down the people inside the shelter.

Only then did the agitated people regain their composure, and the Yu siblings also breathed a sigh of relief.

“What? So it was a misfire after all?”

“It’s not your fault, it’s because of my spirit. Rather, you did your job properly.”

“Ugh. I was already so exhausted I could die. I did something in vain.”

Joo Ji-hye fell down on the bed.

It’s understandable that she would feel exhausted after going through hellish, high-intensity training.

“But since you can already walk around normally, I guess you’ve gained some stamina.”

“…Isn’t that right?”

“What isn’t it?”

“No, it’s not. Ugh…”

Joo Ji-hye, who had become lost in thought, groaned and rolled over.

Even if I praise you, you say it’s a rejection.

Anyway, you will probably adjust the training intensity on your own.

However, the evacuation order, which seemed like it would end so quickly, continued for some reason.

Since it was something that might not end simply in terms of procedure, he waited patiently, but when he found himself in the shelter for much longer than he had expected, questions began to arise.

‘Why haven’t they completely withdrawn yet?’

The management office was withdrawing with several vehicles leaving.

Many of the staff and hunters in front of the shelter had also left.

However, the few remaining people had been standing in front of the communication equipment since a while ago.

Oh Hyun-seong felt something was strange and approached them.

“I heard the situation was over, what’s going on?”

“Oh, we’re currently checking in on a team that was patrolling the outskirts and haven’t been able to contact them. As soon as we can confirm that, the evacuation order will be lifted. Please bear with us until then for your safety.”

The staff answered kindly.

There seemed to be some sort of problem, but the feeling was that it wasn’t a major issue related to the gate or the monsters.

However, Oh Hyeon-seong felt uneasy after turning around after hearing the explanation.

‘… Something feels uneasy.’

I don’t feel good.

There is no need to worry, as the gate has not been discovered and the identity of the detected wavelength is known.

But his intuition, developed over a long life as a hunter, felt uneasy.

It may be a coincidence, but accidents always happen at times like this.

‘Come to think of it… I haven’t seen Kwon Kyung-min’s family since a while ago.’

Kwon Kyung-min and his wife are still missing from the shelter.

I’ve heard he’s been taking care of the other residents, but even taking that into account, it’s been too long for him to come yet.

‘no way…’

Oh Hyun-seong suddenly remembered the erosion that had occurred on the siblings’ farm some time ago.

In general, the appearance of monsters and the partial erosion phenomenon are not related at all.

It was simply a process of turbid air accumulating in the ground for a long time erupting, so it has nothing to do with the immediate appearance of monsters.

But there was just one more possibility.

It was such a small possibility that it was reasonable to rule it out because the probability was so low, but when several current circumstances overlapped, I felt like I knew the true nature of this anxiety.

“Joo Ji-hye, get your gear.”

Oh Hyun-seong jumped up from his seat, hoping that the thought that just occurred to him was just a bad premonition.

Joo Ji-hye, who moved reflexively at his words, asked as she left the shelter with the case on her back.

“Hey, what’s going on all of a sudden?”

“I can’t see my friend, I have to find him.”

“It doesn’t matter since there’s no gate anyway. And it doesn’t seem like anyone will be there.”

Oh Hyun-seong and Joo Ji-hye crossed the empty village.

Most of the hunters have withdrawn and the residents have evacuated, so it is as quiet as a mouse.

“Aren’t you out of town?”

“That’s not it. And I’ve had a bad feeling since earlier.”

“What a feeling, you should open a fortune teller…”

Kwaaaaang!

At that moment, a loud explosion erupted from a distance.

A flash of lightning bursts from the mountain surrounding the village.

“Yeah, that’s true.”

“…shit!”

Oh Hyun-seong and Joo Ji-hye, who had been absent-minded for a moment, started running at the same time.

***

“Hurry up! We have to get out of here quickly!”

Three hunters running through the mountains.

They all looked like a mess, covered in blood and tangled as they descended the slope.

Among them, Seo Jae-ho was carrying Kwon Gyeong-min, a civilian, on his shoulders.

“Fuck, I should have just gotten out of there!”

One of the hunters exploded with anger.

The tracking team that originally discovered the eroded footprints immediately got out and tried to report the situation.

It was a reasonable judgment, as the communication equipment was down due to a sudden jamming and they could not contact each other, and the level of erosion made it difficult for them to attack on their own.

But their plans quickly went awry.

We see a scene where a group of monsters reminiscent of black dogs are kidnapping several civilians.

They successfully attacked a horde of monsters and rescued the villagers, but were quickly tracked down.

Monsters pouring in from all directions.

In the end, all the residents that had been rescued were taken away, except for one, and even the other search party that had come to assist was chased away by the men.

“Move your legs instead of talking! They’re coming from the left!”

Seo Jae-ho shouted and stretched out his arm.

Then a large explosion occurred where his arm was pointed.

A powerful explosion that shook the earth engulfed the monsters.

But black dogs burst out through the smoke, their strange mouths wide open.

“shit…!”

Monsters with strong magical resistance.

It wasn’t easy to kill them because the damage was reduced.

I drew my weapon and fought back, but I was cornered by a group of monsters that were charging at me fiercely.

“I, I can’t stand this any longer!”

“Idiot! Watch your side…!”

Woof!

At that moment, the monster that had been exploiting the hunter’s weakness suddenly stopped moving.

The force that stopped it was a powerful telekinesis.

The guy who was shaking in the air died with a creaking sound.

Urgh! Urgh! Urgh!

The appearance of Joo Ji-hye through the bushes.

Every time she reached out and grabbed something, the corpses fell with a crunching sound.

The number of monsters decreased rapidly.

“This…isn’t it the main wisdom of Aegis?”

The hunters were startled.

A big-time private hunter suddenly appears, without any support from the management office.

Meanwhile, Oh Hyeon-seong appeared.

“Oh, Hunter!”

“Are people okay there?”

“Oh, yes! It’s not life-threatening.”

Seo Jae-ho put down Kwon Kyung-min, who he was carrying.

Oh Hyeon-seong hurriedly approached him and checked his condition.

He looked like he had a cut on his thigh.

It wasn’t a life-threatening wound, but judging from the soaking wet bandage, it seemed like there was quite a bit of bleeding.

“Kwon Kyung-min! Are you okay?”

“Tongue, Hyunseong…”

Kwon Kyung-min, who saw him, grabbed his arm with a trembling voice.

“We can’t go back like this. One of us… one of us was taken away by those guys.”

“Sister-in-law will still be okay. First, go to the hall and receive treatment. If there are ordinary people, it will only cause trouble.”

“Please, please. If I don’t have one, I…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll bring you back no matter what.”

Kwon Kyung-min lowered his head.

For some reason, even when I was out of my mind, I felt relieved when I heard his words and was able to close my eyes.

Meanwhile, Joo Ji-hye ended the fight by crushing the last monster’s cervical vertebrae.

“Are there any other casualties?”

“Oh, yes, all three residents and the two groups of hunters who came to support were dragged away. Their boss is there too.”

“It’s a lurking monster, right?”

“Yes, that seems to be the case. It seems like the guy who was hiding started to become active after seeing us stirring things up.”

The types of gates and monsters were really diverse.

If you try to attack all the gates like a normal gate, annihilation is inevitable, and to avoid that, the hunters have to devise countermeasures according to their type.

But among them, the most notorious ones are definitely the ‘lurking’ monsters.

The biggest characteristic of lurking monsters is that they avoid combat with hunters.

After the gate is first created, it hides among other monsters and sneaks out without the hunters knowing.

While the hunters thought the gate had been completely destroyed, the creature moved to another area and made a nest.

At first, they are so weak that they cannot even be detected, but they adapt to the Earth’s environment and rapidly grow in strength within the nest.

It has caused enormous damage to humanity due to the strength of the type itself, without giving them time to prepare.

“Judging by the traces of erosion, it’s at least an S-rank boss monster. Judging by the level of its subordinate monsters, it’s definitely not an A-rank.”

“Understood. Please transport the patient and then return to the administration office.”

“Oh, Hunter…?”

“We’ll take care of him.”

Seo Jae-ho was silent for a moment at his words.

If it were normal, I would have tried to stop it somehow.

Because it was no different from an act of suicide.

But now he was just nodding.

“…I wish you good luck.”

Seo Jae-ho withdrew with his team members.

“Hey, wait a minute! You’re saying this is an S-rank boss entity? Are you really saying we should go in alone?”

Joo Ji-hye, who had come closer, said with her eyes wide open.

The lurking monster has already set up a nest inside the cave, completely encroaching upon it.

At this point, it was considered that adaptation was practically complete, and if that was the case, then the environment inside the cave was no different from an S-rank gate.

“The S-Rank Gate is usually cleared by teams of Hunters ranked 10 or higher… but since we have no idea how powerful we are, it’s absolutely impossible for the two of us to do so.”

“There’s nothing we can do. If we wait for support, all the people who were taken away will die.”

Monsters instinctively destroy humans.

The fact that these guys who can’t communicate and only act on impulse didn’t kill humans means that there must be some intention behind it.

If it’s a case where a person is kidnapped to their nest by a subordinate of a lurking monster, the reason becomes even more obvious.

It is used as food for the boss.

For them, human flesh was a special food that helped them adapt to the environment here more quickly.

“And you have to try it to find out.”

“Is this really okay? S-rank gate subjugation without even meeting the minimum number of people… The company absolutely forbids such things.”

“It’s because the world has become a better place these days. Back in our time, we had to start with S-rank and everything.”

“Wow, is there a way to say ‘my time’ here?”

“Then you guys are the first generation.”

Oh Hyun-seong walked ahead with a smile.

Even though Joo Ji-hye is saying such things, she is following along obediently.

The appearance of not hesitating even though it is a matter of one’s life.

They followed the trail that Seo Jae-ho had told them about and discovered a cave cleverly hidden between the terrain.

“…The air is incredibly strong. It’s like this even though we didn’t even enter the gate.”

“It’ll get worse once you go inside. Wake up.”

Oh Hyeon-seong entered the nest first.

I wondered if this was really true, but she followed suit.

The holes they dug were so deep that they could not have been formed naturally.

The suffocating concentration of turbid air was impressive.

‘Since something like this was nearby… partial erosion was bound to occur at Seungsu’s farm as well.’

In the thick darkness.

Countless sounds could be felt around them as they advanced.

I could feel the movement of monsters swarming in from the passages in front and behind, wondering how many they had increased inside the nest.

“They’re all coming in droves, what should I do?”

Joo Ji-hye asked urgently, looking around.

If you fight all these enemies, you will end up consuming a lot of magic power, and if you do that, you may not be able to use your full power when fighting the boss.

It wasn’t an enemy that could be easily swept away with an attack that only increased the range.

“Stay still for now. Don’t give up already.”

Oh Hyun-seong stepped forward in front of her.

A situation where monsters suddenly appeared out of the darkness and bared their teeth, rushing in from all directions.

A pure white aura began to flow around him.

“I guess it’s not rusty because I haven’t seen it for a while?”

The water spirit, Albert, suddenly appears behind him.

The guy with a faint smile nodded.

“Then let’s do it.”

Woof woof woof!

The monsters are right in front of us.

The guy in front ran with his mouth wide open, aiming for Oh Hyeon-seong’s nape, but he didn’t even move.

A storm of frost suddenly erupted.

Hey hey hey!

The merciless cold air engulfs everything.

A pure white cold air swept through the monsters, and the entire space was engulfed in cold air.

Silence that came in an instant without even a scream.

“Wh…what…”

Joo Ji-hye stopped and took a step back.

The floor, the ceiling, the walls, and even the monsters.

All around is frozen remains.

The only thing that was intact was the circular area above the ground where the two had been standing.

“This is… a spirit…?”

She stared blankly at Oh Hyeon-seong.

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