-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: SS급 비명헌터-24화
-----------------------------------------------------------------
```html
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Black Shadow Cluster
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Wak!"
"Oops, careful!"
The gate was perched a bit high up, so the moment we stepped into the dungeon, my body plunged downward. Thanks to that, my nose slammed right into Ji-ho unnie's back.
Damn, almost got a nosebleed right from the start.
Unnie fidgeted as she glanced back at me, but she was biting her lip hard to hold back her laughter.
"If you're gonna laugh that bad, just laugh already..."
"H-how could I, pfft, do that?!"
While unnie choked down her laughs, I rubbed my nose with one hand and lifted my head. An endless sloping path stretched out before us, lined with roadside trees. About ten meters ahead, I spotted a man's back and one adorable little puppy beside him.
Looks like those two are Hachi and his owner.
"For now, let's prioritize protecting those two."
We quickened our pace to surround them and matched their stride. They hadn't noticed us at all and were plodding forward, eyes fixed ahead. Tilting my head down a bit, I caught sight of Hachi beaming up at his owner with a bright smile.
I hadn't summoned Nokdu yet out of concern for the danger, but I'd call him in depending on how things played out.
"Ah, Chae Hyun-min Hunter, head toward the center! I've got defensive skills, so stay back..."
Ji-ho unnie swiftly organized our formation. Healing specialist Chae Hyun-min Hunter took the center, explosive attackers like me and Cha Do-yun flanked the sides, versatile defense-and-attack Ji-ho unnie covered the rear, and shield-specialist Lee Sang-wook Hunter led the front.
The most textbook formation there is.
Formations usually fell apart once you started swinging wildly at monsters, but I'd heard the difference between nailing the initial setup and not was huge. You reliably clear any monster that enters your zone, but if it slips into another hunter's territory, you trust them to handle it and hold the line. That was the standard way to clear high-rank dungeons.
Shiiiik.
No sooner had the thought crossed my mind than black shadows in the shape of birds dove straight at Hachi and his owner. A massive wooden shield intercepted them, and like a storm battering a windowpane, the shadows scattered with a flurry before boomeranging right back.
I raised Ego high and unleashed a sound wave. The shadows abruptly slowed, wobbling wildly up and down.
Puk.
Cha Do-yun Hunter's wind arrows sliced through the air, multiplying to match their numbers before piercing every heart at once. The shadows vanished in wisps of black smoke, leaving only crimson byproducts behind.
That wooden longbow must be Cha Do-yun Hunter's weapon.
It was called Morning Glory, and sure enough, trumpet vine stems and flowers dangled all over it. Nearly as tall as Cha Do-yun Hunter himself, but it didn't seem too heavy—he handled it effortlessly.
"Ji-ui, what was that skill earlier? It shot out like a white wave!"
"Oh, just making use of my unique skill. Induces dizziness with sound waves."
"Your weapon's shape is pretty unique too... A megaphone that shoots sound like a gun."
Ji-ho unnie's mouth never stopped for a single moment.
"You said you're twenty-one, right Ji-ui? Wow, I awakened at twenty-three... Oh, right! And~"
Unnie launched into her awakening story, her unique skill, and even how she raised a cat in her studio apartment. Maybe it was those slightly upturned eyes, but I could almost picture her with a super chatty feline companion.
Ku-gu-gung.
"Something's under the ground. Everyone, be careful!"
Even after Chae Hyun-min Hunter's warning, the rumbling continued, the vibrations growing stronger as if something was about to burst forth any second.
By the time my legs had been shaking for a good while, my body suddenly shot upward.
"What the—?!"
A massive black shadow had caught me and was stretching toward the sky, the sounds from the ground fading farther and farther away. I tried to leap off, but the wind pinned my body down—I couldn't budge.
"Agh, seriously!"
Taang!!
I slammed Ego right against the shadow and pulled the trigger, halting its movement dead.
Jjanggrang.
"Keut!"
The shadow shattered into pieces, and my body plummeted at breakneck speed. Wind roared in my eardrums, my whole body tingling with numbness.
Wuuung.
I vibrated the air again to slow my fall just a touch, but even so, I'd shatter every bone in my body on impact.
I didn't want to waste Chae Hyun-min Hunter's mana on something like this.
Then, out of nowhere, a massive jet of water swallowed me whole.
Chwaaak.
Bubbles from the high-speed plunge tickled my face before someone grabbed my nape and yanked me downward.
"Big one!"
"Puha! Cough, cough!"
"A-are you okay?!"
"Ugh... yeah, I'm fine..."
I figured I'd be drenched head to toe, but thankfully, I was unscathed.
"This your skill, unnie?"
"Yep! Unique skill Water Dragon! Lets me control water however I want~"
A dragon's head formed from water in unnie's hand. As she excitedly explained her skill, I hopped in place to shake the water from my ears. Even amid the chaos, Hachi and his owner kept pressing forward.
"Lower your guard again, and you'll get caught like before. No more amateur mistakes."
"Y-yes, sir."
How the hell am I supposed to get friendly with that guy?
I mumbled a vague reply to Cha Do-yun Hunter as we delved deeper. The shadows circling us steadily multiplied, gathering into a massive ring from which black tendril-like tentacles dangled downward.
A bit like jellyfish...
"Eww, that's gross."
Forget I said jellyfish.
Just looking at it made me want to apologize to actual jellyfish. The instinctive revulsion made me blurt it out, and the other hunters nodded in agreement. Hachi and his owner froze in place, staring unblinkingly at the black jellyfish like someone had hit pause.
Shik.
The tentacles lunged at Hachi and his owner all at once. Lee Sang-wook Hunter raised a sturdier-looking wooden shield than before.
Uji-kkeun!
Eh?
I thought it'd bounce them off, but the tentacle pierced straight through the shield, snaking inward to coil around Hachi's neck.
No!
Cheolkeok.
Before it could drag Hachi away, I aimed Ego. My voice bullet severed the tentacle in one shot. Hachi landed back in place, but the severed stump wriggled, preparing to regenerate.
"It's regenerating! Careful!"
Lee Sang-wook Hunter's words hit my ears just as my eyes met Cha Do-yun Hunter's. He glanced at Hachi by my side, then jerked his chin toward the other side.
OK, I get the message.
Kwang!!
The regenerated tentacle split in two, targeting Hachi and the owner simultaneously. Right on cue, I scooped up Hachi and dodged sideways while Cha Do-yun Hunter grabbed the owner and did the same.
Tang, tang!
I slammed a bullet into each rushing tentacle and detonated them, then held the trigger for a wide-area sound wave. The tentacles slowed, but they didn't stop their assault.
Feels like they'll just keep multiplying no matter how much I cut them.
Tucking the rigid Hachi under my arm, I inspected the black jellyfish with my power.
It had a core?
Sure enough, just as the special note described, a red gem-like thing glowed at the center of the black sphere.
Invisible to the naked eye before, but now I just had to focus fire there.
The problem is...
Shik.
These tentacles gave zero breathing room. I detonated the one barreling straight at me and blocked the one aiming for Hachi with a shield.
"Eut!"
"Pass this way~!"
Then a black tentacle coiled around Cha Do-yun Hunter's ankle and hoisted him up. Even then, he managed to blow his healing skill Sky Breeze to mend the owner's minor scratches. Ji-ho unnie received the owner via her Water Dragon before unleashing a torrent of draconic water at the tentacles.
That side looks more pressed.
Cha Do-yun Hunter's weapon was a bow, which required both hands—tricky in his position.
If I could just reliably smash the core...
"Ji-ho unnie!"
"Huh?"
"Draw their attention for like five seconds!"
She tilted her head at my request but swam over with her Water Dragon, took Hachi from me, and put some distance between us.
Shiiiik—
The moment unnie took both Hachi and the owner, every tentacle froze before hurtling toward her en masse.
Cheolkeok.
One, two.
Taang!!
The pristine white bullet left my hand, vibrating the air as it pierced the dead center of the black ring.
"Ah, I see the red one!"
Kki-gi-gik.
S-rank monsters were no joke.
It had pierced the skin guarding the core, but hadn't shattered it outright. I pulled Ego's trigger again to drive in the wedge.
Jjanggrang!
This time, it pulverized the red core perfectly. With the sound of shattering glass, the tentacles and black sphere vanished without a trace. The core shards sparkled like shooting stars before melting into dark red blood that trickled down and soaked the dirt path.
"Eww, goosebumps all over my arms."
Ji-ho unnie practically dumped the owner and Hachi on the ground before stretching.
"SS-ranks really are something else! First time seeing an S-rank monster get bisected like that since I grew hair!"
"Huh? Oh, uh... haha."
"Right! Even S-ranks sometimes take forever on regular mobs!"
"Not DF ranking one for nothing."
Everyone except Cha Do-yun Hunter chimed in about my skill, gawking back and forth between the monster's remains and me in open awe. Their sparkling eyes embarrassed me so much I busied myself polishing Ego on my sleeve.
"Shin Ji-ui Hunter."
"Yes?"
"How did you know that tentacle monster had a core?"
The question was ice-cold and razor-sharp, freezing the warm atmosphere in an instant. Cha Do-yun Hunter readjusted his grip on Morning Glory and stared down at me.
Yeah, that's the expected reaction.
Dungeon strategies were closely guarded secrets among hunters, so "saw it online" wouldn't fly, and blaming the briefing wouldn't work either—too many hadn't heard it.
Say it from Se-bin? Nah, didn't want to throw my bestie under the bus to wriggle out.
I shrugged at Cha Do-yun Hunter, playing it as cool as possible. The more nonchalant I acted, the deeper his frown carved and the thinner his lips pressed.
"What, it just looked like it, y'know? Amateur wild instinct?"
"..."
I put extra emphasis on "amateur," and his face twisted ever so subtly.
Ah, this exhausting personality that has to speak up even when I'm supposed to befriend him.
"Hey, why's the vibe like this! Anyway, those creepy tentacles are gone—problem solved, right? Let's go, let's go!"
Ji-ho unnie heartily laughed as she slapped both mine and Cha Do-yun Hunter's backs.
Honestly, I couldn't help feeling a little satisfied.
```
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Read 342 more chapters ahead on NovelDex!
https://noveldex.io/series/ss-rank-scream-hunter
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━