Chapter 214 - Chapter 214 (1/2)
Jin-Woo's smartphone began ringing off the hook as soon as he entered the reception range.
'From the Hunter's Association?'
His expression hardened when he confirmed who the caller was. Could something bad have happened while he was away for a bit?
He quickly answered the call.
- "H-Hunter-nim?!"
"Yes, it's me, Seong Jin-Woo."
He sensed that something was definitely wrong after hearing the urgency in the Association employee's voice. Feeling suspicious, he quickly asked.
"What happened?"
- "That, that, the thing is, no, hang on, the Association President will explain it to you. Let me patch you through to him right away."
A problem serious enough to make the leader of the Association personally step up?
Jin-Woo realised that the matter at hand couldn't be a simple one and wordlessly waited for the reply. The distinct connecting signal tone soon ended, and as if he had been desperately waiting for the call, Woo Jin-Cheol hurriedly answered the phone, his anxious voice leaking out from the speaker.
- "Seong Hunter-nim!! Why couldn't we get a hold of you?"
"I was outside the reception range until a moment ago."
Perhaps because of being contaminated by the frequent dungeon breaks, it was almost impossible to contact outside when within that vast ocean of trees.
However, he thought it was more than sufficient enough to leave behind his Shadow Soldiers with those whom he wanted to protect. That's what he believed.
'Could the super-massive Gate have opened up while I was in the forest?'
But, there should have been at least two more days left still?
All manners of hypotheses bubbled up in Jin-Woo's mind and just before he could urge Woo Jin-Cheol to spit out the truth, the latter told him the greatly simplified version of the current crisis.
- "A monster has appeared in the middle of Seoul and is going on a rampage!"
Tumble.
Jin-Woo had been feeling energised after enjoying a rare break from the action. But now, he felt as if his heart had fallen to the pit of his stomach.
"How big is the size of the monster horde??"
- "No, there's no horde. It's just one creature."
'Just one?'
Currently, all Korean Hunters had gathered in Seoul.
They were summoned to the city in order to fight against the potential dungeon break from the super-massive Gate, so they should be on their toes, getting ready to move at a moment's notice.
On top of that, the Association was even supplying weapons to those Hunters lacking in proper equipment, too.
'But then, they are getting destroyed by a monster that suddenly appeared out of nowhere?'
As Jin-Woo fell ever deeper into confusion, Woo Jin-Cheol hurriedly continued on with his explanation.
- "A Guild that tried to fight the creature was annihilated in an instant. It looks like the monster is no ordinary creature at all."
"What about its current location?"
- "We believe it's currently near Seoul Grand Hotel."
Could this be chalked up to being mere coincidence?
The moment Woo Jin-Cheol mentioned the name of the ultra-luxurious hotel where Thomas Andre was staying, Jin-Woo felt this sense of creeping unease tickle him in his throat.
Sure enough….
The Association President's voice speaking the American's name was filled to the brim with anxiety.
- "I received a call not too long ago that Thomas Andre Hunter-nim was getting ready to fight the monster."
But, that couldn't be.
Just in case, Jin-Woo had left a Shadow Soldier behind with Thomas Andre. The order issued to the soldier was to 'send a signal right away if something strange is sensed in the immediate vicinity'.
But then, the target for protection started fighting alone against a monster capable of wiping out a Guild and yet, there was no signal?
'….Hang on.'
Only now did Jin-Woo realise something was off.
The signals coming from the Shadow Soldiers spread throughout Seoul were extremely weak. As if something was interfering with the transmission.
'What is going on?'
An enemy possessing incredible power, a Special Authority-rank Hunter fighting it, and finally, signals being blocked off.
Could it be?
One distinct possibility popped up in Jin-Woo's head. He asked in a hurry to confirm.
"Association President! Did that monster possess a shadow?"
- "Excuse me?"
"Please, confirm if that monster has a shadow!"
Woo Jin-Cheol's voice seemingly got cut out for a moment, then – before continuing on with greater urgency.
- "How can this be…. You're right, Seong Hunter-nim! I just confirmed with the photos, and the monster does not have a shadow!"
'Oh, my god.'
Jin-Woo recalled that the Ice Elf attacking Goh Gun-Hui also didn't possess a shadow and loudly cried out.
"You must never let Thomas Andre fight that monster!"
There was a good chance that the monster had been aiming for Thomas Andre all along.
- "Excuse me? But, they have already...."
Time was of the essence right now.
Jin-Woo realised that he had no need to listen to any further explanation and tried to activate 'Shadow Exchange' with the Shadow Soldier attached to Thomas Andre.
Tti-ring.
Accompanied by a rather ominous-sounding alert noise, a clear holographic message suddenly popped up in his view.
[The designated Shadow Soldier cannot be located.]
Jin-Woo tried several times more, but it was the same story.
Tti-ring, tti-ring....
[The designated Shadow Soldier cannot be located.]
[The designated Shadow Soldier cannot be located.]
'How could this be!'
Jin-Woo began freaking out, his expression gradually hardening like stone.
'My soldier... has disappeared?'
The Shadow Soldier he needed to use as his coordinates for the skill 'Shadow Exchange' had disappeared without a trace, somehow.
He couldn't detect any trace of that particular solder at all.
And he could now definitely sense that the connection he shared with the soldier attached to Thomas Andre had been severed, just like when he sent some of the soldiers back to the void.
The cancellation of the Shadow Soldier independent of his will??
A confused-sounding voice leaked out of Jin-Woo's mouth next.
"What the hell has happened here?"
***
Lennart Niermann heard the weighty voice coming from behind him.
"Get out of the way."
The German had experienced a similar sort of situation before, but the emotion he felt right now was quite different compared to back then.
"Thomas Andre!"
The giant of a man large enough to block out the sun, that's Thomas Andre. Lennart Niermann's expression brightened the moment he discovered the American standing behind him.
Thomas Andre wordlessly walked past Lennart and slowly went up ahead.
Even those screaming people running away from the scene recognised the Special Authority-rank Hunter and his hulking physique, and their steps all gradually came to a stop.
"He, he's that American Hunter....."
"T-Thomas Andre??"
"It's the Goliath! THE Goliath!!"
Even the first rate Hunter Lennart Niermann felt his heart pound excitedly when seeing Thomas Andre's broad back as he walked forward. So, how would the regular people feel, when they were desperately fleeing in terror from the monster's dense killing intent?
"Ah, ah!"
"Oh, dear lord! Thank you!"
Some people even began plopping down on the ground from the sense of relief robbing their built-up tension, knowing that one of the world's best Hunters had come to save them.
Meanwhile, Thomas Andre angrily shouted at the other Hunters nearby who were all frozen stiff from the powerful pressure emitted by the unknown monster.