A high stone wall encircled a desolate, parched land. Though the thick, sturdy stones still stood, sections had crumbled and the gates were long gone. Inside, monsters lurked and prowled.

‘Within this area, no skills or items may be used.’

And they said the monsters would not leave that zone.

[Eliminate all monsters within the walls!

Bonus points awarded based on time remaining.]

None of them looked exceptionally powerful—at most mid-A rank. Prohibited use applied only to skills and items, not to raw stats, so picking them off one by one wasn’t difficult. I couldn’t call on a fireball, but I could still draw my sword and swing.

Still, that would take forever. There was no way I could dispatch every single one by hand in any reasonable time.

I sheathed the spyglass and moved forward. The ban covered items—anything imbued with mana. In other words, manufactured goods were unaffected.

“Hello there, everyone. I’m a squishy F-rank.”

A bear-like monster peeked its head over the wall. I waved; it bared its teeth and growled. It didn’t dare come fully into view—perhaps its orders were to stay inside the walls.

“I’ve also become especially delicious.”

Because only skill “use” was forbidden, passives like Resistance still worked. In other words, I still smelled like an inviting meal. A boar the size of a boulder slunk through the open gate; a green lizard crept down the battlements. I even heard the flap-flap of bird wings.

Yet none of them made an aggressive move—distance was on my side. If I lobbed a bomb with all my strength, it wouldn’t even reach the wall. That wouldn’t do.

I pulled out a grenade launcher. It’s a firearm, but it fires bombs instead of bullets. Not especially lethal to mid-rank monsters, but far more powerful than a bullet—and it would certainly draw their attention.

“All right, my dear monsters.”

I aimed the launcher at the gate. The creatures, feeling no mana tremor, must have wondered what I planned. I pulled the trigger. A hefty bomb arced through the air.

Boom—!

Grrr—!

The explosion bloomed just before the gate, dirt and smoke roaring upward. The second bomb flew inside the walls. Another blast, another chorus of excited roars. That was enough for bombs; next—

Pffft—!

Skree—!

Gag—!

This time clouds of white smoke billowed through the walls. Tear gas canisters filled with a harsh chemical. Most monsters have keen noses, so this was perfect for taunting them. The bombs had no real lethality anyway.

Rrraa—!

A wolf-like beast shook its head violently and bolted over the wall. The stench wasn’t unbearable, but they didn’t need to endure it. At once, the others fled the fortress. I fired another tear gas round into their midst, then swiftly mounted my bike.

“Hey, over here!”

With a roar, I revved the engine.

Click.

I flipped the switch. Colored bulbs and lights wrapped around the bike lit up in unison. Then—

[Jingle Bells! Jingle Bells!]

A cheerful carol blasted in chorus. Well, it being the season, these were the only tunes I’d preloaded.

“Merry Christmas—belated!”

Vroom—! The bike shot forward in a glittering display. The tear-gassed monsters, enraged and dazzled by the lights, gave chase.

Kyaaak—!

Kiiiiiik—!

Already irritated, the flashing lights and deafening music grated on them. Dusk was falling, making the display all the more vivid. I cranked the headlights full blast.

Beep.

From the basket Enhae had rigged to the back of the bike, small bombs flew out. Each time one detonated under a monster’s foot:

Boom! Pffft!

Sparks and flame leaped. Roars of excitement echoed. Even so, they wouldn’t follow me beyond the zone. Fine by me.

Ahead, a sheer cliff face loomed. The distance to the monsters was just right. I accelerated, aiming for the cliff.

“Enhae!”

Peep!

Enhae swung back toward me. Before I could collide with the rock, I kicked off the bike’s seat and leapt upward. At that moment—

Whoosh—!

A rope shot precisely toward me. Spinning in midair, it wrapped around me. I grabbed it as it tightened, and, like reeling in a big catch, the line curved upward, hauling me aloft.

Thud!

The bike slammed into the cliff and exploded in a burst of the remaining bombs. A shame—there were more left. I soared high into the darkening sky, watching the monsters gather below the cliff’s base. Blinking, I saw my two allies waiting just outside the no-use zone, their positions revealed by my Teacher skill.

Rumble—

It was an immense volume of water. A colossal water giant crouched, poised to attack. I sent the signal. The water released.

Kraaah!

Grrrrr!

Below, oblivious monsters growled and bared their fangs at me. My figure began descending. At the same moment—

Splash!

The earth thundered as a wall of water crashed down. That was no skill—just ordinary water channeled from outside the zone, but in overwhelming quantity.

Squeee—!

Eek!

It swept along the cliff’s length, tearing everything away. Even the truck-sized brutes were driven off. But then—

“Ugh!”

Suddenly something grabbed me mid-fall. I heard flapping wings.

Creeee—.

A flying monster: its talon-tipped foot clamped tight around me. No wonder other flyers had been circling—it perceived me as prey. The rope began to fray against its claws.

Crack!

A dagger flew up from below, piercing the monster’s head in a single blow. The corpse dropped, and the two arms of my rescuer caught me safely.

“You okay?”

It was Yuhyun, waiting atop the cliff. The rope he’d thrown had saved me.

“Of course. Perfectly fine.”

I focused on the water’s flow—and on my two waiting allies just outside the forbidden zone. Riet, already in dragon form, waded in the shallows, fangs bared; Noah hovered in mid-air, venom dripping. The expanded range of my Teacher skill made coordination easy.

“You two handle the monsters washed downstream,” I said.

Yuhyun nodded and set me down. Then he drew his bow. Though most item effects were banned, his bow’s durability remained. He bent the sturdy limb, and with a sharp twang, the arrow split the air.

Thunk!

It struck a large bird’s neck squarely. The shaft shattered its spine; the creature died instantly, dropping in a plume of feathers. Then two more, three more—one after another, the sky emptied of monsters.

Kyaaak—!

Krnnk—!

The screams of beasts driven beyond the boundary echoed through my Teacher skill. Thud! A monster beneath Riet was crushed, while Noah darted after fleeing creatures, snaring them in an instant.

Plop.

The last flying monster landed on sodden ground—and at that moment the message window appeared.

[All monsters have been eliminated.

The skill- and item-ban zone has disappeared!

Please return to the fortress.]

“They want us back to the castle.”

“I’ll drive. You’ve done enough.”

“Wasn’t that tough, really.”

Yuhyun led me down from the cliff. Yerim, Noah, and Riet—having seen the message—were already heading back. We mounted a vehicle and set off.

“Willow Leaf isn’t strictly a movement skill, so it’s a bit lacking. Peace usually covers it,” I mused. It’s handy in combat, but for simple travel—especially long distances—Noah’s wings or Yerim’s teleportation plus flight are more efficient.

“...I want to understand my pre-regression skills in more detail,” Yuhyun said quietly.

“If you pick the pre-regression reward, I’d expect the bonus skill to be similar.”

“Yeah, probably. But I’m not sure which skills came from achievement rewards before.”

I tried to recall. Like most S-Rank Hunters, Yuhyun hid his full capabilities. Even before the S-Rank rankings, he seldom participated actively, so little was known. Unlike the current Yuhyun, he didn’t seem to enjoy fighting other Hunters.

As if he’d repressed everything so much he’d all but burned himself out.

“Yuhyun.”

He looked at me. We were driving, but there wasn’t much to hit here.

“If you choose the pre-regression reward, it’ll help you now. But I believe you can regain everything again.”

Though changed, he’s still the same person. His core skills would surely grow stronger again.

“So there’s no need to abandon what you’ve built.”

My regression and everything since then belongs to this version of Yuhyun. He looked ahead again. After a moment’s silence, he spoke.

“But right now, I’m weak.”

“Why would you be weak? It’s because the opponent is a Transcendent. It’s like kids’ play until powerful pros jump in!”

Those Transcendents kept interfering; that had shaken him. I’d told him he was the best, but his expression remained dark. Perhaps he still felt guilty for almost letting Chat­terbox capture me. He hadn’t been able to do anything then.

“Ajusshi!”

We pulled up at the gate. Yerim soared over and laughed.

“How was it?”

“Incredible. You did great, Yerim!”

“I wanted to see it myself! And you’re safe...was anything wrong? Yuhyun looked off. You don’t seem hurt, though.”

Yuhyun judged my condition by my attitude—accurate, but still.

“I’m fine. Just discussing rewards.”

“Still haven’t decided? Just take it. It’s yours.”

Yerim said, a bit cheekily. The gem on her necklace sparkled.

“It feels safe, Yujin-ssi,” Noah said, flying up from inside to join us. Riet waved from the battlements.

As we entered, the Mermaid Queen appeared. Myeong-woo should be here by now—and the King of Predation was nowhere in sight. I eyed her warily.

“Well done, Honey. Your chain is nearly complete, but you were faster.”

“...Certainly.”

She’d had no way to lure monsters outside the zone—so she must have slain them all directly.

“Soon much stronger monsters will appear here. The Source is redirecting its attacks on Honey’s world toward this location.”

Thus, the risk level of the dungeons in our world would rise more slowly, the Queen said. It wouldn’t be easy to repel them all, but now we could use skills again, and everyone was strong. ...She wouldn’t summon a Rampaging Larchitas or something, would she?

“And Suseong will join the sub-team.”

“Huh?”

As the Queen spoke, Yuhyun, Yerim, Noah, and Riet vanished. Wait a moment—

“Sub-team? All of us? Do we get practice time?”

They’re all veteran Hunters, but few had ever fought together as a group! Besides a brief cooperation at the Chat­terbox party, hardly anyone had coordinated. And I couldn’t possibly cast Teacher skill on so many at once...

“I intend to give Honey a bonus for extra points. So instead of the King of Predation, I came myself.”

A bonus was welcome, but my unease was stronger. The Queen continued:

“Here, applying Honey’s keywords will be far easier.”

“...Pardon?”

“For those awakened under Honey’s banner, a single keyword use—no targeting—will apply to all. But there will be no emotion effect.”

So one shout of “I love you” would apply the keyword to everyone, without granting them a parental bond. In this situation, it was clearly a beneficial bonus. Yet...

‘...Fifty people.’

Registering the entire sub-team meant how many? Each step in this bet felt like walking onto another trap.

“Of course the choice is Honey’s alone. But to win the °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° contest—and to keep more people safe—you’d best apply the keyword.”

“...Quite blatant, aren’t you? First you said I could gather fifty at my leisure.”

“I would never harm those loyal to Honey. I promise you that.”

With words I couldn’t trust, the Mermaid Queen disappeared. A heavy sigh escaped me.