A massive horde of Killing Bunnies suddenly materialized in the heart of the city, heralded by an abrupt surge phenomenon.
-!!!!?!?!
Uttering a colossal shriek that echoed as both a triumphant cheer and a terrified scream, these merciless hunters embarked on their hunt.
Their chosen prey: humans, soft and delicate, yet possessing a uniquely alluring flavor.
Like a relentless tide, the Killing Bunnies surged forth, relentlessly hunting down the terrified, fleeing pedestrians.
They stabbed with their weapons.
They tore off chunks with a single bite.
At times, they toyed with their victims as if they were mere playthings.
Though the ravaged humans shrieked in terror, their cries were effortlessly swallowed by the majestic roar of the advancing rabbit legion.
Soon, however, a deafening clamor erupted, effortlessly eclipsing even the thunderous advance of the rabbit legion.
-Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!!!!
Ten silver guns, suspended in mid-air, unleashed a torrent of bullets.
These silver firearms, drifting through the air like drones, systematically annihilated their designated targets.
The overwhelming barrage and thunderous reports emanating from them brought the rabbit legion’s relentless advance to a screeching halt.
Such an astonishing feat was accomplished by the mere appearance of a single woman.
“…”
Choi Seon-hee, a top-tier A-rank Hunter, fixed her icy gaze upon the rabbit horde.
The woman who had shared laughter with her neighbor mere moments ago was nowhere to be seen.
Only a merciless Hunter, relentlessly slaughtering monsters, remained.
The cunning rabbits instantly grasped the truth.
The human before them was an entity immeasurably more powerful than any single one of their kind.
If they were to charge in blindly, utter annihilation would be their inescapable fate.
A profound shift occurred within the rabbit horde, which had been mindlessly surging forward.
The rabbits began to scatter chaotically, desperately fleeing from Choi Seon-hee.
Naturally, Choi Seon-hee was not one to merely stand by and observe.
-Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!!!
The relentless hail of bullets she unleashed upon the retreating horde vividly demonstrated why Choi Seon-hee was once hailed as an S-rank candidate.
In terms of sheer firepower, her might was comparable even to the Blade Empress, Korea’s strongest Hunter.
Thanks to Choi Seon-hee’s formidable prowess, the surge phenomenon appeared to be drawing to a swift conclusion.
That is, if an unforeseen anomaly had not intervened.
“……!?”
Choi Seon-hee, who had been relentlessly riddling the rabbits with bullets, felt a shiver course through her entire body.
She felt it.
That incredibly dense, distinct, and utterly repulsive aura.
It was the unmistakable presence of the suited vampire Choi Seon-hee had been relentlessly tracking in recent days.
When she had first detected that aura, she had only felt the minor annoyance of having to hunt a disgusting, bothersome mosquito.
Choi Seon-hee had, after all, ended the lives of countless vampires throughout her career.
To her, vampires held no significance beyond that of simple prey.
However, after her direct confrontation with the suited vampire last night, Choi Seon-hee’s perception had drastically shifted.
That creature was unlike any other ordinary vampire.
Bullets had clearly pierced its flesh, yet it hadn’t uttered a single groan, much less a scream.
As if it had instantly assessed Choi Seon-hee’s capabilities, it opted for escape without offering even a hint of resistance.
And, remarkably, it had managed to evade Choi Seon-hee with unnerving ease.
No matter how many bullets she unleashed, the creature dodged each one with uncanny movements, as if it could foresee their trajectories.
The blood-forged sword it wielded casually deflected bullets with ghostly precision, as if it possessed eyes in the back of its head.
Finally, it toyed with her using some inscrutable technique before vanishing without a trace.
Choi Seon-hee had undoubtedly been the one to launch the assault and give chase.
Yet, from start to finish, she couldn’t shake the unsettling sensation of having been nothing more than a pawn, dancing in the palm of the suited vampire’s hand.
It was the first vampire to ever inflict such a profound sense of helplessness upon her.
And such a creature…
‘…In the same building as Yoo Sihyeon?’
Its presence was almost palpably vivid.
It was so distinctly felt, it was as if the creature were deliberately provoking her.
A silent threat, promising to feast on the blood of her sole neighbor if she didn’t rush to his aid.
Choi Seon-hee’s mind went utterly blank.
She had to return to him immediately…
-Thwack!
At that precise moment, a Killing Bunny, charging with the formidable leg strength characteristic of its kind, delivered a powerful kick to the distracted Choi Seon-hee.
“…Ugh!”
Rolling onto the asphalt with a pained groan, she gritted her teeth and fixed her gaze forward.
The rabbit was already lunging at her once more.
‘A boss…? No, not quite boss-level.’
It wasn’t a true boss, yet it was undeniably larger and more formidable than any typical specimen.
Now that she considered it, despite having gunned down countless Killing Bunnies, she hadn’t encountered a single boss.
‘Could it be… multiple bosses?’
Such instances occasionally occur.
Gates where no single boss exists, but rather several mid-boss level monsters fill the void.
It seemed this particular creature was one of those multiple bosses.
-!!??!?!?
One of the multiple bosses lunged at Choi Seon-hee.
Simultaneously, several other rabbits from the surrounding horde surged towards her.
“…I’m busy.”
-Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!!!
Firing bullets from a newly summoned silver gun, she muttered.
She was annoyed, and she was afraid.
What if that suited vampire laid a hand on Yoo Sihyeon?
What if he met the same end as her younger sister?
If that creature dared to touch Yoo Sihyeon, even with a single finger…
“…”
She would make it regret ever being alive.
Just as the vampire had done to her.
****
-Slash!
The head of a rabbit, which had been lunging its maw at an unnamed Hunter, was cleanly severed.
There was nothing to be surprised about.
I was the one who did it.
“…Huh?”
The Hunter let out a dumbfounded sound, as if unable to believe the sight unfolding before their eyes.
Just before my Environmental Assimilation was fully released, I swiftly struck the Hunter’s nape with the edge of my hand.
Thus, the Hunter collapsed into unconsciousness, without even comprehending what had transpired.
My original plan had been to hide in a good ambush spot and unleash a massive attack once they ascended, inflicting significant damage.
However, unable to ignore the desperate screams echoing from the floor below, I decided to move myself.
‘Fortunately, I wasn’t too late.’
Though heavily injured, as a Hunter, they should be able to recover with proper treatment.
I turned slowly, my gaze lingering on the unconscious Hunter.
Now, the problem lies with these creatures…
‘There certainly are a lot of them.’
Amidst the countless eyes staring down at me, I scratched my cheek with a bitter smile.
Had I ignored that Hunter’s screams, I surely could have dealt with these rabbits more easily and safely.
But I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
‘I need to harden my heart… but it’s not easy.’
The saying that one’s nature never changes perfectly applies in this situation.
Well, what can I do?
I’ll just have to make up for it with my body.
A silence, thick with tension, settled between me and the rabbits.
As that intangible atmosphere swelled, reaching its peak…
-!!!!!!!
The battle resumed.
-Whoosh!
I deftly stepped aside, narrowly evading a massive club swung at my head.
-Slash!
-!!!!?!
As I sliced through the creature’s flailing arm, my expression tightened slightly.
‘They’re definitely faster and tougher than the monsters I’ve faced before, probably because they emerged from a collapsed high-B-rank Gate.’
Each of these creatures is a B-rank monster.
With my physical abilities only at the level of a C-rank Hunter, I cannot easily contend with them.
Yet, these creatures are surging at me from all directions, intent on my demise.
-Slash!
Still, the battle remained fiercely balanced.
This was only possible because I wasn’t just an ordinary C-rank Hunter, but a First Retainer of a True Ancestor.
-Whoosh!
Utilizing my exceptional magical sensitivity, I deciphered their movements and evaded their attacks.
-Slash!
In a fleeting moment of vulnerability, I plunged a fatal strike.
-Whoosh!
Evading.
-Whoosh!
Evading once more.
-Slash!
And cutting them down.
-Pew-pew-pew-pew!
Small blades crafted from the blood pooled on the floor burrowed into their bodies.
Employing the Extreme Sword, I carved through them with all sorts of ingenious trajectories, steadily reducing their numbers.
The battle was confined to a narrow space, limiting the number of enemies I had to face at once, which made continuing the fight much more manageable.
-Tick!
Occasionally, their long-handled weapons would leave a shallow scratch on my face, but my vampire’s regenerative abilities instantly healed them.
As time passed, their numbers rapidly dwindled, and small hills of corpses began to form around me.
To defeat even one being of a higher caliber is an extraordinary feat, yet I was pushing beyond that.
The First Retainer’s unique magical sensitivity.
My battle experience.
And the fraudulent effectiveness of the Extreme Sword combined to create such a miracle.
At my C-rank level, I was not retreating against dozens of B-rank monsters; instead, I was carrying out a one-sided massacre.
“…”
Taking a breath, I swung my blood sword once more towards a rabbit’s neck.
And as I recall, an unusually large rabbit stupidly caught my sword, blocking it.
-Thud!
Then, it clenched its other hand into a fist and powerfully struck my abdomen.
Thrown back by a strength I hadn’t experienced since returning to Earth, I slammed into the wall.
“…Hah.”
Savoring the excruciating pain, I checked my condition.
My ribs were broken.
My elbow seemed half-crushed.
‘…Damn, that’s fast.’
Swallowing the blood that surged back into my throat, I gazed at the giant rabbit.
Now that I truly observed it, its magical presence alone indicated it was a different species entirely from the ordinary ones.
A boss? Or one of the multiple bosses?
Frankly, it didn’t matter much either way.
The problem was that it completely overpowered me.
While I could somehow handle the other creatures, this one was exceedingly difficult for me in my current state.
‘If it were a one-on-one, I could somehow manage.’
Regrettably, it was not alone.
Around it, countless other rabbits continued to radiate killing intent towards me.
This was a bit dangerous.
Gritting my teeth slightly, I pondered.
Should I continue fighting?
Or should I flee for now?
Or perhaps… something else entirely?
As the rabbits advanced step by step, I desperately racked my brain without making any hasty movements.
Eventually, I found the answer.
“…”
While they approached, I closed my eyes and poured all my concentration into reading the surrounding mana.
Closing my eyes before the enemy.
If someone saw me, they might ask if I wanted to commit suicide, but I had no intention of dying before returning home.
The First Retainer’s exceptional magical sensitivity precisely pinpointed every magical entity in the environment.
Ultimately, I found them.
‘…Six.’
That was the number of magic stones in my vicinity.
I’d sliced through so many, yet only six was a bit too few.
But it was fine.
It was enough for now.
“……!”
The corpses of the rabbits, already lifeless and sprawled on the floor.
I gazed at those corpses, then used the blood within them to form small blades, splitting the bodies open.
From within, I extracted the alluring jade-green magic stones, wrapped them in blood, and drew them all into my hand.
As the six magic stones settled into my grip, a thrilling sensation coursed through me, and the stones were absorbed into my body.
-Whoosh!
At that instant, the large rabbit’s greatsword came crashing down towards my defenseless head.
[ The grade of your Bond has improved from C to B. ]
