Chapter 224. Thornbush Forest (2)

Why are you so surprised?

Crash!

The monster struck by the thrown shield let out a dying scream. Giryeo fixed his gaze on the black fragments falling from its corpse.

"Hyung-nim! Are you okay?!"

For now, he can understand why Yoonseung is grabbing his hand and checking it repeatedly. On the surface, my palm is completely clean, without a single scratch. However, the protruding thorns from that flying tree had some sort of magic etched into them.

"It's similar to a Screaming Stake. This is [Pain Infliction]."

The giant trees positioned throughout the area. And from them, the weapons of the small, flying creatures born from those trees were none other than biological pain stimuli. When the enemy entered a certain range, the thorns engraved with [Pain Infliction] would rapidly extend, forcibly making contact with the target.

"It's fine."

"What do you mean, you're okay?! That thing hurts like hell if you get hit! Ugh... Hyung-nim protected a worthless guy like me, and now you...?"

But what the alien was curious about was the bodily fluid dripping from Yoonseung. He wasn't even the one who was attacked, yet he was flailing around like a wounded deer, tears welling up as he caused a ruckus.

He had thought about it before—how overly sensitive Earthlings were to the injuries of their kind. Some recoiled in disgust at the sight of torn flesh, while benevolent ones like Ahn Yoonseung reacted with deep sympathy and sorrow. He couldn't relate.

"Hmm."

Besides, Giryeo had a natural resistance to this type of attack, so any sensation that tried to rise up was automatically ignored.

"I'm really fine. So just leave the potion alone."

"Hyung-nim...!"

"You can't waste painkillers in a situation like this. Are you an A-rank Hunter or not? Are you planning to chew on willow bark when the medicine runs out later?"

Swish, swish.

Giryeo gestured for Yoonseung to put away the recovery potion he was trying to hand over. Then, he scanned the surroundings once more. He hadn't realized it before understanding the monster's sorcery, but now that he assumed those creatures were using [Pain Infliction] that could bypass Yoonseung's defenses, the overall picture was starting to take shape.

"Yoonseung-ah."

"Y, yes?"

"But by any chance, are these trees' attacks... affecting all the hunters who came here?"

As expected, an explanation came from the defensive-type hunter standing nearby.

"Yes, yes! It doesn't matter whether they're A-rank or B-rank—everyone is affected. Even if it just touches their clothes, they're completely helpless!"

"As expected."

"This time, it's completely different from the [Flower Garden Baron]. At least with that, if you bring in some hunters with mind control skills, it can be somewhat countered, right?"

"Because they both use the same type of mental attacks."

"But those thorny trees weren't affected at all."

So that's why the Break hasn't been handled yet. No wonder the faces seemed unfamiliar—apparently, the gate hidden underground was a new type of dungeon that had never appeared before. At the same time, those plant-based monsters were using a spell that inflicted pain indiscriminately, regardless of rank...

"No, what is this? So are you saying everyone was too scared of the pain to go inside that dome?"

When the S-rank hunter asked, Ahn Yoonseung responded with a timid expression.

"Yes. Actually, we tried to force our way in earlier... but one of the hunters ended up in a hedgehog-like state, nearly dying from shock, so everyone withdrew..."

It's a new type of monster that's causing various problems, slightly different from the hallucination-inducing mechanisms of the Screaming Stakes.

Avoiding pain is an instinct shared by all creatures. So, when a monster that extracts pain from mere contact is discovered, intelligent beings typically try to resolve the situation while minimizing contact, which drastically reduces the monitor's efficiency in 'feeding.' As a result, the intelligent entities that visited Alphaut gradually reduced their use of Giryeo's [Pain Infliction].

"A foolish Oisinche is still lingering around."

Since Earth was still in the early stages of occupation, it seemed that rather old-fashioned methods were prevalent. Of course, that wasn't his concern. Whether it was the thorny tree dome or whatever, he was only planning to get his cooked tonkatsu and head straight home.

"I don't know, you guys—if you don't like it, bring Hasseong over and have him burn it down. Well, from the looks of it, that guy seems to be stuck in some other dungeon right now anyway."

Giryeo hyung, what should we really do about this? Everyone's trying to get rid of that huge dome, but..."

"_ _"

"The speed at which the hunters cut down the stems and the speed at which they regenerate are exactly the same. Seriously, with that kind of recovery ability, how is that thing only B-rank...?"

Swish.

At last, he began to focus. Giryeo ignored anything Yoonseung said beside him and focused solely on his objective. What he had needed to know was the number of monster entities in front of a certain apartment.

Right now, the entrance of a nearby apartment was blocked by monsters that had escaped from the dungeon break, trapping the residents inside. So, all he had to do was take care of those few creatures, get his food from the delivery driver, and his tasks for the day would be complete.

"Uhm?"

...or so he had thought just a moment ago.

"Wait, this is."

At that moment, Kim Giryeo, who had been expanding his senses to search for the number of creatures, suddenly raised an eyebrow. Yoonseung, who had been silently resting his forehead on his hand, was puzzled by the sudden change in expression. However, the blonde hunter didn't say anything more and silently continued with his actions. He pulled out his cherished Hydra from his item box, drawing it from its sheath as he steadied his breathing.

"Whoo..."

Drones, helicopters, and other modern technologies would have a hard time observing it due to the densely packed, black thorny tree dome.

The unfortunate employees trapped inside Sunhwan Bank, along with a superpowered bank robber who would be with them inside.

A robber. A piece of trash who tried to extort money by threatening people... with force.

"Huh."

The sudden change in the attitude of an S-rank Hunter—this could actually be summed up in a single word.

"Giryeo Hyung?"

Kim Giryeo had just discovered through his scan that there was a deceased Awakened inside that thorny forest dome.

"—This."

Right after, Giryeo adjusted his grip on [Hydra] and shouted.

"Right. Anyway, it's really a big problem when innocent citizens are caught in a dangerous situation. Fine, it can't be helped. All hunters, retreat. I'll enter the dome right now."

"Yes!"

Giryeo made such a bold declaration and began heading toward the heart of the crisis.

"Yoonseung-ah, don't follow me. There are survivors in the △△ apartment ahead. Go help them instead!"

Eliminating witnesses for the perfect crime. A schedule flipped like the back of a hand, all for personal gain.

It was truly an action devoid of any conscience, but as long as it didn't show on the outside, maybe that was enough?

"O, oh, yes!"

To think he would choose to head straight into the field without a moment's hesitation—even after (not actually) experiencing the pain of the thorny vines. And on top of that, that astounding intel-gathering ability, already a step ahead in grasping the surrounding rescue situation!

"Understood!"

As expected of Giryeo Hyung-nim! With eyes now shining with roughly 20% more admiration, Ahn Yoonseung promptly followed the orders he had been given.

***

<Five Minutes Later, Inside the Thornbush Dome>

Whoosh.

From somewhere, the sharp sound of wind echoed. It was the sound of the plant's pointed organs rapidly growing and extending into a single point.

Crack!Swish!Whoosh!

Come to think of it, this must be why the folks outside couldn't do anything—the inside was in such a state...

"Ah."

I stopped in my tracks and simply rolled my eyes around to scan the surroundings.

"Isn't this a bit much?"

Upon detecting an intruder, the enemies shoot spikes from all directions—north, south, east, and west. Just as An Yoonseung had mentioned, inside the black dome, a forest of monsters had claimed the land. Of course, thanks to the collection of epic-tier items and pain-related body modifications, I was able to disregard all the damage. The issue, however, was the pushing force of the spikes. I didn't fall, but I was essentially pinned down here, like an insect specimen stuck with needles.

"Damn it."

But it wasn't something to worry about too much. Thankfully, I had a reliable tool to counter these thorny trees. I twisted my right wrist, brushing the tip of [Hydra] against the surrounding thorns.

!!

Then, the once-lively stalks couldn't last even a few seconds before they collapsed.

That's right. The Hydra. This epic-grade weapon's poison was effective even against plant-based creatures.

"Who told them to block the way?"

Moreover, the hunting method using Hydra came with another advantage. The thorny vines growing here were all exceptionally regenerative, meaning that even if their stems were cut, they would return to their original state in no time. The standard strategy to halt this regeneration was to locate and rupture the squishy organs randomly hidden within their bodies.

By using poison like this, that troublesome process could be conveniently skipped. The deadly toxin would spread through the vascular system, and the core would wither away on its own.

"That's it!"

Alright, now that the obstacles are cleared—shall we head over to that bank?

"Please, let them be safe..."

Rustle! Slice, crunch!

I quickly reduced the thorny tree creatures around me while recalling some sort of prayer. The dense, undeveloped forest scene soon began to clear, and by hunting a bit more generously in preparation for any unforeseen circumstances, the lost cityscape gradually started to emerge.

"Please, let our corpses be intact and not too badly damaged!" 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

That was the moment.

Boom!

After taking down the tree that had rooted itself in the middle of the road, a bright blue glowing building sign suddenly came into view.

[Sunhwan Bank, Shinseudong Branch]

The low-rise building where the bank employees were trapped. And as expected, when I focus my senses, I can feel a familiar yet foreign trace of magical energy coming from within.

"Unlike a living wizard, the flow of magical energy in the body has stopped."

In other words, a sorcerer's corpse. Unconsciously, the corners of my mouth lifted. I'd been thinking about it for a while now, but this was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"What a stroke of luck!"

Since the outside is in chaos, with people busy handling the collapsed buildings, the humans will likely be too preoccupied with taking care of their surviving kin to worry about the deaths inside the dome for the time being.

"That robber's body is mine now!"

Of course, I had already come up with a foolproof way to hide the corpse. Good. Then the only left to do now is...

***

"Kyaaak!"

"Aaack."

"Junwoo-ssi! Under the desk! Get down. Hurry!"

Boom!

On the tiles that had been scrubbed so clean that they reflected light from the early morning, a mass weighing 76kg crashed down with a dull thud. But just moments ago, it hadn't been a lifeless object. It had unmistakably been alive—in fact, it had been so full of vitality that the room had reverberated with its loud shout of "Bring the money, you b*stards!"

A hunter who was forced into retirement due to a serious ankle injury sustained while working.

He lost all his savings on an expensive potion he couldn't afford to cure the aftereffects of his injury. In desperation, he resorted to planning a bank robbery to cover his living and entertainment expenses. However, as can be seen, the ice crime didn't succeed. A miserable end, much like the fate of someone tortured to death, with a corpse staring with eyes swollen from burst blood vessels.

"E, euph...?"

"P, please be quiet! Don't make a sound. 'That thing' will hear us."

Drip.

Blood spilled from the man and seeped between the tiles. When the emergency alarm was first pressed, the bank employees thought the two-man robbery team would be stopped by the arriving police. But their crime was thwarted by something far more unexpected. Of all things, there had been a hidden gate beneath this very bank—and it just had to burst open at this exact moment.

Kaaagh!

It was just bad luck.

The retired hunter who had ridden the security guard sold and threatened to necrotize him completely unless money was handed over—he ended up being ambushed by a tree monster that had appeared in the bank. After a desperate struggle, he died moments ago from massive blood loss. His younger partner in crime, a man in his twenties named Choi, managed to escape the bank thanks to a quick decision, abandoning his companion in the process.

But he was immediately arrested after running straight into the police who had just arrived on the scene. And after that—the three creatures began multiplying at a frightening pace, quickly forming the black dome that now trapped them all.

"Heuk, ugh..."

[ Sunhwan Bank ]

A shadow passed across the small transparent window of Sunhwan Bank, decorated with a playful emoticon. Even in the morning, the enormous creature twisted its massive body without real—birthing smaller, winged spawn with every shudder.

"Heuk."

And that wasn't all. Inside the bank, another of the same kind of monster had completely destroyed the customer seats area and taken over the main floor as its domain. As a result, the bank employees couldn't move to the upper floors recklessly. That tree seemed to enjoy a twisted game of hide-and-seek, targeting and killing any human body that made a large movement in its presence.

Dmmt.

The bank employees crouched tightly under their desks to avoid provoking the monster. However, despite holding the air breath like this, disaster eventually befell them.

Whooodh...

The sound of something thin spinning rapidly. The male bank teller sitting next to the coin sorter began to breathe heavily the moment he recognized its form.

"A m, monster! It's a monster!"

The small tree that had attacked Ahn Yoonseung had now entered through the broken entrance. It was over. If that thing starts to rip through this place, those who aren't even awakened will die from their internal organs being punctured before they can even suffer.

"Ah... ah... Mother, Father..."

But then, was it because their brains, driven mad by sheer terror, were now even conjuring up hallucinations? Suddenly, a familiar kind of noise began to ring in the bankers' ears.

Tak, tak, tak.

The sound of leather shoes, as if a neatly dressed office worker had just come to handle some bank business.