"Why are these wretched creatures attacking us now of all times?!"
Of course, Taehwan's fury was understandable. Demons usually struck under the cover of night—but this time, they had launched a full-scale assault on all units at once.
"Don't panic!" I shouted, shoving away a thin demon. "We're dealing with an entire horde moving together. But the strong ones haven't shown up yet!"
"What the hell are you talking about?!" Dolphin snapped while reloading. "There's a ton of them! That's worse than a couple of strong ones!"
"Prodigy is right," Taehwan said calmly, his voice like steel as he fortified his body with blood. "You've seen it yourselves — it's just a mob of weaklings and a few rank-2s. That means we still have a chance..."
He charged at three four-legged demons and swatted them aside with a wide sweep of his Kenketsu.
"We have to kill them all!"
At that moment, something felt off—there hadn't been a single sniper shot in over a minute. Strange… Harin hadn't stopped shooting until now.
And where the hell was Glaz?
From the top floor of a nearby building, the muzzle of Glaz's sniper rifle jutted out from a window. He hadn't fired a single round since the battle began.
Inside, Salez was curled up on the floor, trembling uncontrollably. The look in his desperate eyes spoke of shame and regret.
"I couldn't shoot... Why... Why am I so scared?"
He nearly vomited as the image of the demon he'd tried to aim at returned to his mind.
Across the rooftops of a neighboring apartment block, Harin sat frozen in place, her body rigid with fear.
She stared at a lone demon standing atop Glaz's building.
"Why is he just standing there, staring at us...? Shouldn't he be attacking?"
Her trembling hands refused to grip the sniper rifle, paralyzed by dread.
The demon had no skin—only raw, exposed muscle. He stood tall on two legs, his powerful arms hidden beneath a long cloak.
After scanning our entire squad with calculating eyes, he suddenly dropped from the rooftop and crashed through Glaz's window.
The enemy grabbed our comrade by the neck—and that was when Harin sprang into action. Her fear vanished in an instant.
She rushed to her weapon, aimed swiftly, and fired.
The bullet tore through the wall near the demon's head, barely missing him.
Realizing he'd almost been killed, the demon hurled Salez aside and disappeared from sight.
As the sniper shot echoed, a weak demon snuck through the fence and toppled the tower where Dolphin stood. He fell—and they pounced on him.
Two demons leapt at him the moment he hit the ground. He couldn't react. His knife was in his pocket, but he wouldn't get to it in time...
Their claws were seconds away from slashing his throat.
Without hesitation, Taehwan barreled into them like a train, saving the soldier's life.
Dolphin was speechless. He'd thought he was dead.
"A hunter... saved me?"
Driving his blade-arm into one demon's gut, Taehwan roared:
"Don't just stand there if you want to live! Change positions! Be unpredictable! What matters is that we come out of this without losses!"
His words struck both Snake and Dolphin like lightning. They reloaded and fell into formation, covering Taehwan's back.
I, standing nearby, assumed my stance. In that instant, everything around me went silent.
Before me stood a rank-2 demon—a humanoid beast with arms like a gorilla's and a torso like a rhino's.
No matter what others said, right now, my powers barely qualified me for B-rank. This enemy could kill me with ease.
But from his expression, I could tell he accepted my challenge. I never imagined I'd face a demon in hand-to-hand combat.
I hardened my fists with blood—and then my gloves. To keep from dying from a single kick, I also reinforced the skin on my torso.
Alright, demon. Let's begin. You'll be the first one I test everything I've learned this past week on!
I lunged at him with a straight punch. The demon dodged with a step back—just what I wanted. His flanks were exposed!
My second hand flew in with a hook—right to his face.
My feet moved instinctively, stepping back and launching a side kick to his arm. I remembered how Trainer Nam used this combo to crush me repeatedly.
But this time, my opponent was no human. He could handle my attacks—and countered immediately.
One of his massive arms swung wide—I blocked with my forearms. But then his leg struck mine—nearly knocking me off balance.
Thank god I reinforced my legs at the last second. If I hadn't, my bones would've snapped...!
His claws sharpened as he launched a ferocious strike—I narrowly dodged. But then he spun and kicked me in the ribs.
I flew back, smashing into a fence—but managed to grab hold before collapsing. Pain like I'd never felt before burned through me. My ribs were nearly broken. Breathing hurt.
Raising my head, I saw the demon leaping toward me, claws drawn.
If he hit me now, I'd be torn to shreds!
A spark lit up in my mind. Something buried deep in my neurons—a memory.
I remembered a fragment from a sparring session with Master Nam.
"When your enemy is far stronger, brute force won't win the fight."
"But why, coach? Should I just run?"
"No, boy. You see how he rushes you. You're outmatched in power—you can't just throw fists. Use technique."
Technique? What technique did he use that day?
"It doesn't matter how much stronger they are. With the right technique, you can drop anyone."
Grappling...!
My muscles screamed in protest, but I moved anyway. I remembered how Nam had once slammed me with a single throw. I'd thought my spine was broken.
I barely dodged the incoming strike. The air exploded from the force.
I'm not dying here. Not today.
I ducked under his arm, felt his breath—hot like a furnace.
He was fast, but not precise. My instincts blazed to life.
I closed the gap, wrapped my arms around his waist, locked my body to his—and with a powerful heave, threw him to the ground.
A deafening crack. Time stood still.
I was on top. Breathing ragged. Heart pounding.
I caught his neck in a chokehold between my arm and shoulder. He thrashed like a wounded beast—but I had nowhere else to be.
One clean motion—and I snapped his spine.
Crunch.
He stopped moving.
I could only hear my own breath. This was the first enemy I had ever killed with my own hands. My hands were now forever stained in blood—blood that would never wash away.
My enemy was down. He wouldn't stop me from surviving anymore.