Chapter 8

Chapter 8
## Chapter 8: Hollow Strength

Approximately five minutes slipped by. By the time the dust settled, every creature that had been lingering around the warmth of the blaze had been slaughtered.

“Phew. Those things weren’t much of a challenge.”

Kim Min-je exhaled as he spoke, showing no signs of fatigue. Gyodongdo had only remained uncleared because it was a low-priority zone, not because the local inhabitants were particularly formidable.

“Aren’t we going to inspect the remains?”

I didn’t have high hopes for loot. These primitive, nude, bat-headed humanoids weren’t the type to carry anything of significant value.

Responding to my question, Kim Min-je produced a device resembling a handgun. He pointed the nozzle at the dirt and clicked a trigger. With a soft hiss, a tiny electronic marker sank into the soil.

“I’ve deployed a microchip. Once the area is secured, the salvage crew I’m under contract with will arrive to harvest the materials.”

“Salvage crew?”

It’s impractical for Hunters to haul around monster parts while they are in the middle of a mission. The sheer mass and weight would be a hindrance. Instead, they plant these tracking chips and continue their hunt.

After the Gyodongdo operation concludes, the salvagers sweep through the coordinates marked by the chips, gathering anything with market value and calculating the worth.

Following the appraisal, they sell the goods and take a percentage based on the agreed contract, transferring the remaining profit to the Hunter who tagged the kill.

If there’s a specific item in their haul you wish to keep, you can simply pay their processing fee to reclaim it.

“Are those guys actually reliable?”

“Well, you can’t exactly carry a backpack full of monster guts while you’re fighting, right? Finding a reputable salvage firm is key. It’s worth giving them a larger cut if it means you can trust their honesty.”

I understood the logic.

“Understood. Let’s keep moving.”

As we progressed, we encountered similar groups of monsters three more times. Kim Min-je maintained the point position, while Han Sang-ah and I alternated roles to clear the path.

“Something feels off about this.”

“What’s bothering you? Speak up.”

I prompted Kim Min-je immediately. Although this was our first joint excursion, he had professional experience. His intuition was worth noting.

“It’s not the monsters or the terrain of Gyodongdo; they’re exactly what I expected. It’s just… they’re falling way too easily.”

“That’s because you’ve likely been working with teams that just swing their weapons blindly.”

Without calculating the peak physical limits of every member and issuing precise directives, a hunt is just a messy street scrap.

Eventually, we arrived at the trail leading toward Hwaga Temple.

“…”

Scattered across the path were fragments of metal gear bearing the insignia of the “Eumpnae-ri Stele Group.” Looking further up, I saw smashed stone monuments and several corpses.

These were the remains of a different Hunter party that had reached Gyodongdo by sea. Five dead. It seemed another squad heading for the objective had been decimated by a single entity.

The culprit was a behemoth nearly two meters tall, rippling with abnormal musculature. Like the others, it possessed a bat-like visage, but this one wore crude armor and gripped a massive club fashioned from jagged stone, alongside a heavy shield.

The bat-creature shifted its focus toward us.

“Kek.”

Its gaze dropped to the crimson staining the blades held by me and Han Sang-ah. It let out a guttural croak and slammed its stone weapon into the earth, sending a dull vibration through the ground.

It had been hunting for us.

Considering we had slaughtered nearly fifty of its kind on the way here, it wasn’t surprising.

“Both of you, retreat as far as possible.”

“Yoo Chan-seok, wait—”

“Hunter Yoo Chan-seok, listen. That thing shouldn’t be on Gyodongdo. We should flank it to buy time, then fall back and call for backup.”

“Do what Yeomul says.”

It was clear this beast had wiped out an entire team single-handedly. If it decided to target us, those two wouldn’t be able to run fast enough.

I couldn’t handle this threat while playing bodyguard. Looking at the mangled bodies on the floor was proof enough of the danger.

Against an opponent of this caliber, Kim Min-je and Han Sang-ah would be nothing but liabilities. My tone was sharp and clinical, causing them to recoil slightly.

It sounded harsh, but it was necessary.

I had given them the warning to move. If they stayed and perished, that was on them.

“Heek, heek.”

With a mocking cackle, the beast hoisted its stone club. Its claws dug into the dirt as its massive frame lunged toward me.

I pivoted to the side, and the club pulverized the ground where I had stood. The sheer kinetic energy made my skin crawl.

I lunged with my spear, but the creature swatted the shaft away with a massive fist.

In an instant, my years of accumulated combat wisdom analyzed the threat before me.

I backed off a few paces, adjusted my grip, and took a steadying breath to find my center.

So, this is how it’s going to be.

“I won’t make this quick. I’m going to take my time with you.”

I’d heard that elite sub-breeds offered better rewards, anyway. A ghost-like black ember flickered at the point of my spear.

Kim Min-je felt a lump in his throat as he watched Yoo Chan-seok engage the monster. A single clip from that club looked like it could turn a man into paste.

“Shouldn’t we intervene?”

To Kim Min-je, Yoo Chan-seok looked like he was dancing on the edge of a blade. However, Han Sang-ah was seeing a different fight entirely.

“He’s been trading blows for a while, but he hasn’t taken a single hit.”

He was dancing around the strikes, parrying and weaving with surgical precision. He wasn’t losing ground—he was controlled. Han Sang-ah couldn’t wrap her head around it.

“It’s frightening…”

The words slipped out before she could stop them. She paused, questioning her own assessment, before adding:

“His talent is absolutely terrifying.”

By all rights, Yoo Chan-seok should have been crushed. That was the natural order. She couldn’t comprehend how this stalemate was even happening.

Was this man truly a novice like her?

He was delivering light, precise stabs while evading, keeping the tip of his spear in contact with the beast for as long as possible.

Every time the spear touched the monster, those black flames ignited. Much like the fight itself, his power defied logic. What exactly was he using?

The monster shared that confusion.

Driven by the primal urges to consume, survive, mate, and dominate, this creature had risen above its peers. It had earned their subservience and even developed a glimmer of intellect.

“Uwaaaah!”

*I am the stronger one. I am the faster one. I am the hunter, and this is the prey.*

“…”

It swung the heavy club with relentless fury, yet the weapon never found its mark.

Even worse were the human’s eyes. The prey was staring at the predator as if it were looking at a steak. The monster felt a surge of predatory resentment.

It had endured several strikes already. Initially, it had been cautious of the dark fire licking the human’s weapon.

But those tiny black sparks that jumped onto its skin seemed harmless. They were spreading, yes, but there was no heat, no agony, and no visible wounds.

The flames just hovered there, flickering weakly against its hide.

“Hweeeek… kehehek…”

“Hoo, hngh.”

The monster’s body suddenly felt like lead. Something was fundamentally wrong.

The human, looking exhausted and breathless, suddenly smirked and wiped a trail of saliva from his chin.

“At last.”

The beast couldn’t fathom the meaning of that grin. It prepared for one final strike.

The moment it tried to move, the arm gripping the stone club fell limp against its side.

“Kyak?!”

Baffled, it looked down at its limb. It appeared healthy. The muscles were still massive and swollen, a testament to its power.

Yet, it lacked the strength to lift the weapon it had previously swung like a toy.

—

The victory was mine. I drew a deep breath and looked at the creature with contempt.

“You know what they call muscles like those? Oh, that’s right. Balloon muscles.”

During every opening in our duel, I had been seeding it with Paradox Flame. The fuel for those flames wasn’t flesh—it was the monster’s physical power.

I hadn’t destroyed the muscle tissue itself; they remained as large as ever. But the raw force they were supposed to generate? Paradox Flame had systematically vaporized it.

The beast could barely twitch its fingers now. It gripped the fallen club with both hands, straining to lift it, but the weapon might as well have been part of the earth.

Furthermore…

Its physical energy had been burning for quite some time. Because Paradox Flame had been steadily consuming mana to stay lit, the mana density in the immediate air had spiked significantly.

At this concentration, I could replicate the feat I performed with the ampule one more time.

“Hoo…”

A surge of mana, greater than my usual intake, flooded into my system.

With this influx, the mana that usually drifted through my meridians like a lazy stream transformed into a rushing torrent.

The accelerated flow scoured my internal pathways with intense pressure, forcing the meridians to expand and toughen. I could hear the faint, internal pops and cracks of my body evolving.

“Time to end this.”

Normally, moving while reinforcing one’s meridians is nearly impossible. But would a world-class climber struggle on a neighborhood hill?

I could handle this much while in motion. I leveled my spear at its skull and thrust forward.

The monster’s life ended, and the static-like crackling within my body faded away.

As we resumed our trek toward the final goal, Gyodongsa Temple, I turned to Kim Min-je.

“Hunter Kim Min-je.”

“Ah, uh… yes?”

He sounded shaken, responding with extreme hesitation. He looked at me as if I were a different kind of monster.

“Is it standard for a creature like that to inhabit Gyodongdo?”

He shook his head immediately.

“Absolutely not. Not unless this is an Erosion Zone containing a verified Grade 3 Erosion Core.”

The deduction was simple.

“It seems Gyodongdo is hosting a Grade 3 Erosion Core.”

Han Sang-ah chimed in, her expression darkening with worry.

“If that’s the case, then the Alpha Erosion Core on this island…”

Her logic was sound. Kim Min-je, however, still looked bewildered.

“Gyodongdo might be a low priority, but its proximity to Seoul means they usually purge it regularly, even if they leave the Alpha Erosion Core alone for a while.”

I recalled Lee Se-eun mentioning something similar. Kim Min-je’s grimace didn’t fade.

“If the Alpha Erosion Core on Gyodongdo has evolved to a Grade 3… very few of the Hunters who landed here today are going to make it off this island alive.”

The Incheon authorities had recruited Hunters based on the assumption that the Alpha was unranked. Naturally, almost none of them were equipped to survive a high-tier threat.

“Why are you both staring at me?”

Kim Min-je and Han Sang-ah had both instinctively fixed their eyes on me before quickly looking away in embarrassment.