Forsaken Hunter-Chapter 24: Hammerfall

The sky was painted in dull greys. Clouds hung heavy, as if mourning the place Beno once called his second home.

He stood before the broken silhouette of the five-story building, its skeleton half-consumed by the Gate incident. Walls peeled, windows shattered, metal twisted like dried veins. Time hadn't been kind to this place. Neither had the monsters.

Beno didn't say a word.

He just stared.

At the bent gate.

At the sign that barely clung to the rusted frame.

"Yura Corp Logistics" — his first job in Veno City.

Now, it was nothing but a charred husk.

Each step he took toward it echoed in his mind like memories scraping open old wounds. The scent of iron dust. The eeriness of familiarity.

So much had changed—he had changed.

But the place still mocked him.

They made their way to the structure beside it—an old, half-collapsed building near the restaurant ruins. Vines clawed at the lower walls. Broken glass crackled under their boots.

But—

Charles paused. His eyes narrowed.

"The third floor... it's clean."

The others looked up.

He was right.

The windows weren't broken. The walls weren't decayed.

It looked... maintained.

Sam adjusted his goggles.

"No dust. No rubble. That's not natural."

Beno took a slow breath.

"Someone's living there."

Sam turned, reaching into his bag.

"Let's confirm. I've got something for this."

He knelt beside his van and pulled out a small, matte-black device the size of a fist. It unfolded with mechanical grace—tiny rotor arms clicking into place. Lights flickered to life. A whirr filled the air.

Charles watched in quiet awe.

"Your toys are getting fancier, Sam."

Sam smirked.

"I make magic with scrap metal and spite."

The drone rose into the air, hovering silently like a phantom. Its lens scanned the building, floating higher and higher until it reached the third floor. They watched its feed on a tablet—shadows flickered inside the window. Curtains swayed unnaturally. Something was off.

Then—

SHNK!

A glint. A flash.

THWACK.

The screen went black.

BANG!

The drone exploded mid-air, bits of rotor blades spiraling down like metal feathers.

Sam's jaw clenched.

"They just cut my drone in half."

Beno's heartbeat quickened.

"They knew we were watching..."

Charles stepped forward, cracking his neck.

"Well, they've saved us the trouble of knocking."

Suddenly—

Voices above.

Boots thudded on cracked concrete.

A shadow loomed over the edge of the rooftop.

Six figures.

Armed. Grinning.

Like wolves circling a wounded animal.

One of them stepped forward.

Massive. Shirtless. Muscles thick like stone. A grotesque hammer rested on his shoulder. His face was twisted—like cruelty had carved it.

Hammer Guy (grinning):

"Boss told us to kill you. Honestly, I thought this'd be boring. But seeing you up close..."

He spat off the edge.

"You're not even real Hunters, are you?"

Beno stepped forward, jaw tense.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Hammer Guy laughed, cruel and deep.

"I mean, come on. Look at you. Some E and D-rank rats thinking they can play hero? Trying to poke your nose into things bigger than you? That's suicide, kid."

Beno clenched his fists.

"So it was you. The kidnappings. The experiments. The children..."

Hammer Guy smirked.

"Not exactly. We're not the scientists. We're just the cleanup crew. Kill the nosy ones. Tie up the loose ends."

Luna's voice cut in, sharp and ice-cold.

"You're monsters."

Hammer Guy's eyes lit up at her. His tone turned sickening.

"And you, sweetheart... You've got fire. I like that. How about this—come with me, be my personal pet, and I'll give you a life of luxury and endless pleasure."

He licked his lips.

"Deal?"

Luna's face twisted in disgust.

She tilted her head slightly.

Then—

Luna (dryly):

"Have you seen your own face?

You look like someone deep-fried a bulldog and taught it to speak."

Silence.

Even Sam snorted. Charles burst into laughter. Beno cracked a grin.

Sam (whispering):

"She cooked him."

Hammer Guy's face turned red with rage.

"You little—!"

Luna drew her blade, smile gone.

"Try it. I dare you."

Without warning, the massive man holding the hammer stepped off the rooftop.

Beno's eyes widened.

His body tensed instinctively as he saw the hammer man plummet through the air like a living missile.

But—

He vanished.

Just like that. Midair. Gone.

A second later—

CRASH!!

The sickening crunch of metal and concrete erupted behind the building.

Beno spun around—just in time to see Charles—

—slammed into a wall.

His body hung limp, half-buried in shattered bricks, like a ragdoll pinned to a canvas. Blood streamed down his forehead. His limbs twitched uncontrollably, as if still trying to register what had just happened.

"CHARLES!!"

Luna gasped and rushed toward him, horror overtaking her face.

Charles coughed—red mist sprayed from his lips.

His eyes flickered with terror—not from pain, but from recognition.

Charles (weakly):

"T-They're... C-rank... High C-rank at least..."

His voice trembled.

"Sam—contact the Noak Guild. We can't win this...!"

Sam didn't hesitate. He bolted toward the van parked a few meters away, his hand already reaching for