CH : 206 Born too late Died too Early

She was genuinely interested in becoming even stronger. Doing it twice a day doesn't sound too difficult, does it?

Cha Hae-In pondered the question Observing the man's back, who seemingly performed a miraculous feat with a slight flush on her face.

Subsequently, Jin stood up and pivoted. At that moment, it seemed as though everything had reached its conclusion—the shadows soldiers returned, holding strong Ant Soldiers. Drake leads, the newly became Veteran Elite Knight Grade members, With him holding the Ant King's leg on his shoulder dragging him along. The other four Shadows kept a watchful eye on the Ant King.

When they entered the tunnel, they didn't even look at the dead bodies of Ant monsters, as if it was a routine occurrence.

The Shadow soldiers gradually merged, forming a circle. The most powerful shadow stood at the forefront, with the weaker ones behind. The Long-range and Ariel units have shifted forward and are now positioned with the shadow soldiers.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

The Ant monsters were thrown into the center one by one, even those barely clinging to life were flung into the circle of shadow soldiers. Ultimately, even the Ant King met a violent fate and was cast into the area where the Ant Soldiers lay.

Jin proceeded swiftly, parting the ranks of shadow soldiers as he advanced.

As the black soldiers carried out their actions, the spectators in front of their TVs and mobile devices watched with intense curiosity, unaware of what was unfolding.

Even Esdeath was just as clueless as everyone else, watching Jin's actions with curiosity.

Since those jet-black monsters followed Jin's instructions, everyone pretty much figured out they were his summons.

The sight of Jin controlling over a thousand summons not only shattered conventional understanding but also short-circuited the brains of onlookers, as such a feat was not only unheard of but also beyond imagination. However, some high-ranking hunters recognized that these pitch-black creatures were no ordinary summons. Each entity displayed a unique combination of combat tactics, fighting styles, and distinct weaponry and armor, indicating a level of sophistication and individuality unprecedented in the world of summoners.

Certain individuals believed that each pitch black creature could be categorized within the existing hunter class system.

However, many individuals disregard these factors and concentrate on pitch black monsters.. Unfortunately, because of the shadowy figures forming a circle, their view of the centre was obstructed.

After discovering Jin approaching it, the look of sheer terror filled up on the face of the ant king, so much so that the creature looked almost pitiful to the shadow soldiers.

"Kii, kiieeehck!!"

In the end, the ant king began crawling on the ground to get away from him. That arrogant, dignified appearance it displayed back when it proceeded to toy around with the Korean Hunters – it was now long, long gone.

"Now you look like a proper insect."

Jin approached rapidly and acknowledged the terrified Ant King with a nod. In the following moment, his hands moved with incredible speed, hurling the corpses of the monsters he had collected during his journey to reach level 150.

Within seconds, lifeless monster bodies began accumulating on a small hill, which was growing rapidly.

Within a few moments, the pile of monster corpses had become so massive that it was impossible to miss. Even from the farthest corners of the Tunnel, hunters had a clear view of it. The remarkable scene was immediately captured by an impartial camera, broadcasting the extraordinary event to a global audience. The spectators were simultaneously impressed and disturbed by the growing heap of monster cadavers.

A bunch of top-tier hunters got seriously freaked out when they saw those wired monsters that seemed like they stepped out of an HP Lovecraft story.

In fact there were hundreds of monster corpses who's faces they were unable to see, unable to feel the aura on them incomparably bizarre. But without exception, the aura of blood on each creature was extremely heavy even though they were just corpses.

Just by blood aura, their battle power was clear as day.

When Jin finished throwing monster corpses in the middle from his inventory, the corpse mound swiftly escalated into a towering mountain that spilled out beyond the shattered roof of the ant monster tunnel.

Spectators now grasped the tactical foresight behind Jin's earlier command to the Pitch Black Orc to demolish the roof, as the towering pile of monster corpses.

A hundreds or so terrifying blood aura came out, endless mana might be swept, terrifying mana breaths is even more vast that the mana of nearly all the Hunters combined on this Island and its momentum is even more than the sky pouring!

"How is it possible,"

"This this this are all S-rank monster, "

"Where exactly you even got these"

"None of these monsters are at the lower ranks"

"And there are even monsters recorded in legends!"

"Could you really kill them"

The crowd of hunters on the island froze in place when they saw such a huge pile of dead monsters who could shake heaven and earth.

Even facing a hundred or so fifteen-meters dead behemoths.

Their legs turned into water under that wave after wave of massive mana might, foolishly looking at all this in front of them,filled with disorientation, incredulity and dullness.

It only felt like they and the others were dreaming, even the level of magical might on the Ant King was nothing more than that.

Despair! Endless Despair!

Dead!

There's no chance of survival if they would have faced those monstrosities.

This was what was in the hearts of most people watching this either live or in front.

The crowd of Ant monsters hadn't reacted to the corpse mountain that was created in front of them and trying to violently flee behind them having long since lost any will to fight.

Jin and his army was no different than a God in their eyes. How could he have such a huge army of imperial beasts if he wasn't a god?

After the fall and Ant King's abandoned them and tried to flee, the hearts of Ant monsters long since despair.

Only driven by instinct, they all tried to flee in all directions, a scattered sand, wanting to win that last thread of life, to create a miracle.

Regarding the feeling of the crowd, Jin didn't even look at them as Shadow Soldiers surrounding them would yeet them back into the centre.

But this won't stop Ants from trying to escape. Only driven by instinct of survival they didn't give up and try and try again and again.

Ants persistently attempt to escape, driven by their survival instincts.

Jin stepped towards the front, coming straight to the Ant King, with Igris and Akame following closely behind, dissecting any Ant monster who dared to approach their lord in their frenzy state.

Jin's hand gripped the neck of Ant King.

"No, no, leave me alone, leave me alone!"

How god-like he was just now, and how lousy he is now.

The Ant King's face was filled with panic and fear, but even with his power how could he break free from Jin's shackles?

{Despair Aura II}

Jin's skill kicked in, and suddenly a black wave surged forward, enveloping the entire circle.. All the Ant monsters who lost their minds in The frenzied crowd froze, their eyes fixed on Jin. Fear rippled through their bodies, and their legs turned to jelly, Their bodies were covered in perspiration. Profound fear and panic consumed their inner beings. Intense fear and panic gripped their very souls.

The Ant King, who was right next to Jin, got hit hard by the skill. It felt like his soul wanted to jump out of his body and run, run as far as possible from this man, and for a moment, his heart stopped and his lungs took a break from breathing. He experienced intense fear and panic throughout his entire being.

Jin looked into the eyes of Ant King and spoke.

"It's time for you to grow up. Devour it all—Now."

Jin said as he threw the Ant King into the mountain that was the huge pile monster of corpses.

And soon as Jin words came out of his mouth a frenzy took over Ant monsters bodies as with the activestion of the skill {Despair Aura II} and deep fear they already had towards Jin overwrote their very will, additionally it over took the voices in their heads that was telling them to kill humans.

Jin's order struck like a sudden lightning bolt.

Their brain was like a broken record, playing that one word on repeat.

Eat…

Overcome by a deep, fear-induced panic, they frantically gobbled down the monster corpses real quick. Even the Ant King, caught in the same relentless frenzy, violently tore into any corpse within his grasp.

Jin, having deliberately hurled him atop the small hill of monster corpses, chose his placement with precision - right where he had stacked the remains of Boss-rank monsters. Thus, even in his frenzied state, the Ant King devoured only the most elite, the top 0.1% of monster corpses.

The Ant King's consumption of boss monster corpses was evident from the noticeable changes in and around his body.

Every bite filled the Ant King with burgeoning power, rapidly accelerating his mana to soaring heights. As his strength surged, all the wounds across his body closed, his carapace knitted together anew, and his once-broken hand regained flawless functionality.

Gradually, the old carapace began to peel away, revealing beneath it the emergence of dark, imposing dragon scales that armored his body with a fearsome new resilience.

As the Ant King feasted upon the remains of the Boss-rank monsters, a profound transformation took hold. Each bite, imbued with the essence of formidable foes, surged through him, supercharging his mana and catalysing a formidable evolution.

His wounds miraculously healed; even his shattered carapace reformed, now seamlessly functioning as if never broken. With every morsel, his body not only regenerated but also began to metamorphose—dark, draconic scales emerged, overlaying the once merely insectoid carapace with a fortified, impenetrable armor reminiscent of Ancient Dragon Human of Poison and Curses.

His once humanoid and insect-like form expanded, muscles bulking under the new scales, each segment of his body thickening and strengthening. His arms, already deadly with their murderous claws, lengthened and honed into weapons sharper than any forged blade. The transformation was not just physical but also bestowed upon him a slew of new skills, as even though there is only a small chance of gaining skills of his victims but due huge numbers of corpses he got plenty of skills, each devoured Boss imparting its own unique skills, enhancing his predatory prowess.

The Ant King's wings, previously modest and utilitarian, now unfurled into majestic, expansive drakes' wings, each flap stirring powerful gusts. His head, crowned with long antennae, saw them morph into regal, sharp horns, signaling his rise through the echelons of magical beasts. His eyes, once simple and functional, now glowed a fearsome red, with large irises and dragon-like vertical pupils that pierced the darkness with malevolent intelligence.

No longer just a creature of the underground, the Ant King had ascended the food chain, evolving into a supreme predator whose very presence signified a new apex of power and terror—a true draconic sovereign of both sky and earth.

The other ant monsters swiftly followed their king, their connection allowing them to tap into the skill 'Gluttony' alongside him. However, their share of the skill's benefits paled in comparison to the Ant King's, receiving only a fraction of the power and none of the acquired skills or knowledge from their consumption. Yet, even without these added advantages, the sheer quantity and quality of the monster's corpses they devoured was overwhelming enough that even a fraction became much and made 1 + 1 more than 2.

They managed to surpass multiple levels and became even more powerful than the Ant Queen's Elite Guards. They left the Elite Guards in the dust.

Within a short fifteen-minute span, approximately one-third of a small hill's worth of monster corpses vanished into the stomachs of the Ant Monsters. Unsurprisingly, the Ant King consumed the largest share.. And brought back the most impressive results.

They finally stopped because they couldn't eat any more, even if Jin pushed them by using {Despair Aura IV} and told them to keep going. They just couldn't eat anymore.

Upon observing the situation, Jin realized that further growth was no longer possible for them at this moment.

With a surge of power, Jin activated a formidable combination of speed skills: {Sprint}, {Acceleration}, {Flash Step}, and {Void Step}. In an instant, twin sets of gleaming black daggers materialized in his hands—the pair, he acquired from the Ancient Dragon Human of Poison and Curses. With a deep breath, Jin tightened his grip and vanished into motion, moving at such blinding speed that his whereabouts became a mystery to all who witnessed his sudden acceleration.

With purposeful strides, Jin surged forward, his focus honed on the Ant King's vulnerable back. With a decisive motion, he unleashed his skill, once known as 'Critical Hit Targeting'—– no by now it was, 'Critical Chain'.

Ah, understood. Here's a revised version:

Combining his new daggers with the skill 'Critical Chain', Jin unleashed their deadly potential to exploit vital points with devastating precision. The daggers, having a skill that they inflict extra damage upon striking vital points, became formidable tools in his hands. With his already impressive speed further heightened by multiple speed skills, every strike became a lethal assault, aimed at exploiting the Ant King's vulnerabilities with ruthless efficiency.

The blades effortlessly cut through Ant King's newly evolved draconic form, as if it were mere paper. And before the Ant King even realized he was already dead he didn't even have time to admire his new stronger evolved form before he died.

His new form must have set its alarm for the wrong era—it's born too late and died too early!

Jin didn't halt his attack; instead, he maintained his momentum and proceeded to decapitate the other advanced Ant Monsters.

That brought up the familiar lines of the long awaited message window.

Ding!

[You have killed your enemy.]

[Level up!]

'Finally!'

Jin clenched his fist. But his celebrations lasted only for a short while.

The defeat of the ant king was met with jubilation by the other hunters, who were prepared to celebrate.

Jin conducted a brief search to verify that there were few ant-like monsters attempting to flee.

Jin squinted his eyes at the corpse of the newly evolved Ant King and the Ant monsters, the puffs of black smoke rising up from the corpses of the corpses of all the Ant monsters…

He then turned towards the cameraman.

"Can you switch off the camera for a minute or two?"

"Excuse me? The camera?"

"Yes."

The cameraman looked at Jin with a flustered expression. But, Jin's face was solemn, serious, and unmoving.

"But, why the camera, all of a sudden…?"

Jin remained silent at the flustered cameraman's question.

"…."

The cameraman couldn't come to a decision here. Hunter Sung Jin-Woo was indeed his saviour. He'd gladly heed that man's request, especially when he also saved the lives of others here, too.

'However, to ask me to switch the camera off….'

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that every South Korean citizen must be watching this broadcast, right now. As a broadcaster, he found it hard to press the 'off' button on his camera under the current situation.

When he began hesitating like that, Jin chose to not waste any more time, as he couldn't wait to claim and see his rewards from the quest and spoke up.

"If you don't, I'll just break it."

Hearing Jin's icy tone of voice, the cameraman flinched grandly. If Hunter Sung Jin-Woo decided to break the camera, then would the combined efforts of the Hunters present here even be enough to stop him?

The 'why' no longer mattered as he was left with no choice in the matter anymore.

"I-I understand. Hold on."

The cameraman removed the head-mounted camera and switched the device off. After confirming the 'power' light of the camera was gone, Jin cast another glance at the hunters, who observed the situation with curious eyes.

'I didn't want to scare the cameraman, but….'

It couldn't be helped that he had finished this as soon as possible.

While taking a deep breath and controlling his breathing, Jin quickly scanned his vicinity. He then took a couple of deep breaths and closed his eyes.

'What is he trying to do now?'

The attention of the Hunters were all gathered on him now. Soon, he opened his eyes. Finding the location of what he was searching for, Jin suddenly turned around and headed deeper into the ant tunnel.

His steps were brisk, but he never broke into a full-blown sprint due to his speed Others dazedly stared at his back, before quickly recovering their wits to run after him.

Finally, Jin came to a stop. He then began removing the pile of ant corpses from around her.

"Heok!!"

Discovering something rather unexpected, the cameraman was the first one to gasp out in surprise.

"Mm…."

Other Hunters also let a stunned gasp leak out from their mouths. Because, the cold, headless body of Min Byung-Gu was there. It was a gruesome sight to behold, where there was literally nothing above his neck area.

Only then did they venture to guess why Hunter Sung Jin-Woo demanded for the camera to be cut off. No one out there would want to witness that horrible scene, after all.

"Keuk."

The closest person to Min Byung-Gu out of everyone present here, Baek Yun-Ho, squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head away. But then…

'Wait a minute…'

He suddenly thought of something.

'How did Hunter Sung Jin-Woo find where Byung-Gu was among all these dead monsters?'

The answer arrived soon enough in his mind.

Without the aid of a special skill, such a thing wouldn't have been possible. The magic energy emission coming from humans and monsters were minutely different, but Jin-Woo was able to differentiate between the two and managed to locate Min Byung-Gu's corpse before the emission from him completely dissipated.

If true, then that could only be described as an astonishing sensory perception. Such a task would be impossible even for Baek Yun-Ho's 'Eyes of the Beast', which was supposed to be a specialised trait meant for that kind of job.

After his thoughts reached up to this point, Baek Yun-Ho shifted his head back in the direction of Jin-Woo. Even at the risk of the final appearance of Byung-Gu being deeply etched in his nightmares, Baek Yun-Ho wanted to witness with his own two eyes just what would happen next.

'Hunter Sung Jin-Woo…. Just what are you trying to do?'

Cold sweat drops formed on his forehead as he alternated his gaze between Jin-Woo, Min Byung-Gu, and Cha Hae-In.

In the meantime, Jin-Woo took a closer look at the status of Min Byung-Gu. The black smoke was rising up from the corpse. Meaning, it was possible to perform the 'Shadow Extraction' on it.

And, sure enough….

Ding.

[It is possible to perform Shadow Extraction on the selected target.]

The familiar mechanical beep and the System's message informed him in such a 'friendly' way that if he wanted to do it was, well, doable.

Of course, Jin was cognisant of the fact that Hunter Min Byung-Gu could be turned into a Shadow Soldier the moment he heard of the latter meeting an unfortunate fate.

Only that he didn't feel like doing it.

To turn a blameless guy into an undead and use him as a soldier…. Even if the corpse belonged to a rank S Hunter, he'd still reject the idea outright especially knowing he was just a healer. That was not something a human being should do.

Hence, he opted to remove the body, ensuring that any potential influence from his summon would be eradicated.

'….This is the best way.'