"[Skill: Chain of the Cage!]" Liese shouted the moment she saw the Spider Grand General advancing.
Chains of light erupted from the ground, binding the monster's legs and torso. The creature shrieked, spitting webs in retaliation.
Regen was ready. He sent a crescent wave of frost into the air, freezing the webs solid before Caliburn shattered them into glittering shards.
"Step aside. I have no use for slaughterhouse cattle." Regen said coldly.
Rosaline clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Fine... if you're so sure you can win, then I'll leave this mess to you. Let's go, Liese."
She grabbed Liese's hand and turned to walk away, but a blue flash of energy sliced toward them.
"Hermit!" Liese cried out, hurriedly casting a bubble shield. The crescent blade struck the barrier and exploded into crystalline frost.
"You may leave but The Light stays here." Regen declared, eyes fixed on Liese as she grew pale from exhaustion.
"If you want to win, that's between you and the Association," Rosaline said, bracing her friend as she slumped to the ground. "They shouldn't have sent just you down here knowing how dangerous it is. Unless... the Association has another objective. Or maybe you do, right?"
Regen's face didn't change. "Are you telling The Light to defy orders?"
"She can't fight anymore. I'm taking her to the entrance to rest. We'll call for reinforcements and protect our support units for the next wave. After all..." Rosaline's voice dripped with mockery. "...we're just 'useless supporters' who have no combat skills, aren't we?"
And I can't even cast shields or heal like Liese does. In your eyes, I'm just a worthless support... Ha! And I have no desire to become a psychopath like you, either.
But despite her thoughts... Rosaline was still one of the top three supporters in the Hunter Association.
"Hermit..." Liese whispered weakly. "If you don't help... it's not just Regen. Everyone here will die."
Rosaline let out a long, weary sigh. "...I know, I know."
Liese's expression visibly relaxed. At the same time, the tension that had built up from the earlier confrontation began to dissipate. Everyone knew that if one of the top support Hunters stepped in to help, their hopes of making it out alive would surge.
From beneath her black mask, dark blue eyes stared at Regen. "Aside from using Caliburn, do you have any other plans? If so, tell me now—before those chains break."
CLANG!
Before the words could even leave her mouth, the chains of light snapped. The Spider Grand General regained its movement.
"Brace yourselves!" The unit stood their ground, invigorated by the fact that a legendary support like Hermit was finally on their side.
The Spider Grand General ripped the chains from its mandibles, letting out a bone-chilling screech that struck terror into the hearts of everyone present.
The soundwave's force slammed into the Hunters, halting their assault!
[Sub-Domain Skill Activated: Fear Nullification]
A blue window offered a flash of hope, but the nightmare wasn't over. The Spider Grand General spat a barrage of webs, forcing the Hunters to slash through the silk to protect their supporters.
"Miss Liese! Hermit!"
"Endurance! Shield!" Liese chanted, ignoring her own agonizing injuries.
"[Buff Skill: Sharpness]" Rosaline added. This buff temporarily granted bladed weapons a razor-sharp edge.
"Hyaa!" The Hunters sliced through the webs as if they were cutting silk ribbons. Even the sticky, corrosive threads proved useless when they struck Lise's protective shield. Emboldened, the Hunters surged forward to attack.
They didn't realize it was a trap!
"GET BACK!" Hermit screamed, but it was too late.
The Spider Grand General spewed acid-drenched webs, turning the silk a sickly green and bubbling with corrosive froth.
"AAAGH!" Several Hunters were dissolved alive. Those who managed to retreat thanks to Hermit's warning were safe from death, but the acid had eaten through Liese's shield, leaving them with severe burns.
Only about a dozen survivors remained.
"[Skill: Purification!]" Liese cast the spell repeatedly until she could barely stand, kept upright only by Rosaline's support. "Heal!"
The green acid dissipated upon contact with white feathers and glowing particles, turning into a rainbow mist that drifted from the cave ceiling. White light bathed the wounds, knitting flesh and skin back together.
Despair returned to the eyes of the survivors. Still, those with long-range capabilities kept firing. "Don't let them reach the surface!"
Rosaline stared at Caliburn, which was now shrouded in a dense, violent blue aura that radiated a chilling frost. "How much 'chaos' do you need to take down it?"
["...If you want a one-shot kill, you have to make it feel absolute terror."] Caliburn replied.
"You mean..." Rosaline began.
["That Big Giant High!"] Caliburn shouted.
At that moment, everything clicked. Rosaline looked at the Agus Soldiers who were too afraid to cross the domain boundary. "You mean if I make that thing terrified too, your power will increase?"
["I guarantee... one hit is all it takes,"] Caliburn said confidently. ["If a second hit is needed, there won't be enough left of it to scavenge."]
Rosaline looked at her friend, who was as pale as a sheet, and held up a finger toward Regen. "I'll cooperate with you just this once. Don't expect a second time."
Regen exhaled. "You have a plan, don't you, Hermit?"
"Just run in and strike with Caliburn. I have a time limit on this domain," Rosaline said. "And I'm a supporter. A supporter is someone who survives while saving everyone else."
Regen being silent.
Rosaline continued "You know what kind of person I am, don't you, The Frozen Howl? Don't forget who made it possible for you to finish that mission three years ago... I won't let this thing reach the surface."
Regen went still as she uttered his 'real' title. Without a word, he turned and charged toward the Spider Grand General, his black greatsword in hand.
"Rosaline?" Liese whispered, unable to see a path to victory.
"Am I really going to use it like this?" Rosaline muttered with a hint of regret. She opened her palm, and a heart-shaped crystal floated above it. "I hope my calculations are right."
"Are you leveling up a skill?" Lise asked.
"I have to... even though I wanted to save this for something else," Rosaline said softly. "The skill I'm upgrading is... In Horror!"
[Skill 'In Horror' upgraded from Level 15 to Level 20][Congratulations! 'In Horror' has evolved into 'Fearful Presence']
"Fearful Presence!" Rosaline activated it instantly, targeting the Spider Grand General.
This time, the manifestation above the monster wasn't a dark spirit with red eyes. Instead, it was Rosaline's own dark blue eyes, turning a deep, bloody crimson beneath her mask.
A wave of murderous intent surged toward the giant spider, striking its mind like a thousand invisible blades.
A Big De-von froze. It felt as if its limbs, head, and torso were being sliced into a thousand pieces every second.
"Des…pair..." Rosaline whispered, as fresh red blood began to stream from her eyes, dripping onto the floor.
Following her command, the full weight of the agony collapsed onto the Spider Grand General. The feeling of dying over and over shattered its mind. It let out a final, hopeless wail.
Regen didn't know what had happened, but he kept charging. The blue aura on his blade turned a deep navy, growing massive and solid. The air around him froze, frosting his skin.
["Contractor, call my name!"] Caliburn roared.
"Star of Chaos! Soul of Caliburn! Grant me your power!" Regen screamed, swinging the massive black blade as he reached the beast.
"[Attack Skill: Ice Bern!]"
SHINK!
The monster was cleaved in two instantly. A storm of razor-sharp ice followed, grinding the Spider Grand General's remains into dust.
The freezing power of Caliburn neutralized the acid in a heartbeat, turning it into harmless crystals. Regen swung his blade once more, wiping out the remaining spider soldiers with the lingering energy.
"We're alive..." a female Hunter gasped in shock. "We survived."
"Hey! Regen! What the hell was that?!" One of the sub-unit leaders stomped toward him, but he stopped, trembling, as he felt the overwhelming killing intent radiating from Regen.
"Shut up about everything you saw today if you don't want trouble with the Hunter Association," Regen said coldly.
He turned his back on the carnage and began to walk away.
"Wait," Rosaline called out sternly as he passed her.
Regen stopped but didn't look back.
"Aren't you going to thank the 'support' who helped you win?"
"It's your job anyway," Regen replied heartlessly, continuing his stride.
Rosaline bit her lip, but she couldn't hold it in any longer. She screamed at his back, "Do you see it now?! Victory isn't about how much you sacrifice! It's about how you win without relying on sacrifice! Regen Humour!"
The tall man kept walking, resting Caliburn on his shoulder with utter indifference.
Rosaline clenched her fists until her nails drew blood. He felt nothing—no remorse for what happened three years ago.
Back then, they were a team of twelve. It was supposed to be a routine mission, but they encountered a mutated De-von. Ten people died that day, some by the De-von, and some... by Regen's own hand. Only she and he returned.
Six months later, she discovered the Association had sanctioned the tragedy to test Caliburn's power.
"Hermit," Lise called softly.
"Let's go. Get everyone out first," Rosaline said, looking at the battered survivors. At least this time, she had saved someone. At least... this once.
She was still fuming, but her phone suddenly rang. When she saw the caller ID, she sighed. It was one of the kids.
[Sis! Big Sis! Are you okay?!] The voice was frantic.
Rosaline didn't know whether to be touched or alarmed.
The mission just ended. There hasn't even been a report yet. How do these kids know so fast? Wasn't this a secret mission?
Whatever. I should go say hello. After all, I am their teacher.