▶ Chapter 10. The Hunter Who Doesn't Hunt (3)
[Notification: You have entered the Mantis Nest (Grade 7, Sudden) Gate.]
[Mission: Eliminate every monster inside the Gate.
Time Limit: Within 14 days of the Gate's appearance
Reward: Determined according to contribution.]
[People inside the Gate are recognized as members of the same party, so attack skills will not harm them.]
[You will be exposed to the monsters in 10 seconds.
Time Remaining: 10 seconds, 9 seconds, 8 seconds...]
[Mission Progress: Monsters 0/70, Boss 0/1
Time Remaining: 6 days, 23 hours, 50 minutes, 3 seconds...]
I immediately unleashed my skill at full power.
≪Search≫
I clearly grasped not only the structure of the Gate, but also the number and locations of every monster inside.
And the number and locations of the people as well.
[Notification: The World Rank No. 1 perk, ‘Search - Map Link Skill,’ has taken effect.]
The special skill I'd received when the rankings changed activated.
All the information I'd discovered through Search appeared at one side of my vision like a game map.
The terrain was displayed in an easy-to-understand way, while monsters appeared in red and people in blue, making everything visible at a glance.
Exact numbers appeared as well.
[Survivors: 22
Deceased: 5]
‘It’s way too big, but at least it’s a forest.’
From the survivors' perspective, that meant there were plenty of places to hide.
But there was no way ordinary people could keep running from seventy Grade 7 monsters for long.
Ten minutes at most.
Before that happened, I had to save all twenty-two survivors scattered throughout this huge forest.
≪Barrier≫
≪Flight≫
I wrapped my entire body in a barrier and began to fly.
Not through the sky.
Through the forest.
I deliberately didn't avoid the densely packed trees.
The massive trees I crashed straight into snapped apart and began falling.
Naturally—
BANG! THUD!
Thunderous noises echoed loudly in every direction.
‘The mantis monsters inside the Gate will hear that.’
If they did, they would stop chasing the survivors and come after the sound instead.
It was a method I'd used countless times in my previous life to save even one more person.
‘In this situation, this is better than using a tanker's aggro skill.’
Most of the time, it worked.
‘Please let it work this time too!’
As I desperately wished for that, I spotted a mantis monster.
It was just about to slash apart a woman who was clutching a child in her arms.
≪Destruction≫
The mantis monster died instantly.
[You have defeated a monster and gained 180 EXP (+90 Bonus EXP).
Byproducts and a Mana Stone have appeared.]
[Your pet's ‘Auto Looting’ skill has been activated. The byproducts and Mana Stone have automatically been stored in your Inventory.]
‘Should I take Twelve-Year-Old out? No.’
It didn't have any attack or defense skills.
Against Grade 7 monsters, even a grazing blow would kill it.
It was safer to leave it in the Inventory.
“H-Huh?”
The woman and child I'd just saved looked bewildered when the mantis monster suddenly vanished.
Of course they did.
They couldn't see me because I was using ≪Stealth≫.
I slipped my right hand into my Inventory and pressed one of the buttons on a remote control.
Immediately afterward, I channeled a small amount of mana into the thin gold ring on my left ring finger.
[The Hidden Powerhouse Item has taken effect.]
It was something I'd received as a reward after dealing with the Grade 9 Break.
According to the description that had appeared the moment I first held it—
[(1) This is an exclusive item belonging to the Hunter ‘NoHunter.’ Others cannot use its built-in functions.
(2) When worn on the left ring finger, its size automatically adjusts to the thickness of the finger.
(3) To others, it appears to be an ordinary ring. No one except pets can see through the Hidden Powerhouse effect.
(4) Press the desired version on the remote control, then inject a small amount of mana to activate the selected mode.]
The child shouted toward me.
“Bunny!”
That's right.
The button I'd just pressed on the remote was ‘Child Protection Mode.’
According to its description—
[You will appear as a cute animal mascot from an amusement park so that children will not be frightened.
The type of animal is randomly selected each time.]
It only changed how I looked from the outside. It was basically an illusion layered over my body, so it didn't interfere with my movement.
Strangely enough, though, if someone touched me, I would actually feel like the silhouette of the illusion.
“Bunny!”
The child shouted again.
Their voice was fairly loud, but it didn't leak outside.
I'd already placed a barrier around the child and their mother.
“We don't have much time, so I'll keep this short.”
The voice coming out wasn't mine either.
It was the voice of the announcement system from Seoul Subway Line 1.
Another effect of the Hidden Powerhouse Item.
“As long as you stay inside this barrier, you'll be safe from attacks for thirty minutes. I'll complete the mission before then, so don't worry.”
I immediately turned around and started moving quickly toward another blue dot.
