Chapter 1 - The Bait

"Watch out, it's heading in your direction!"

The silence of the woods is broken only by the sound of frequent, heavy gunfire. When the bullet strikes the target, it has the sensation of impacting something as difficult to penetrate as steel.

"I have already begun firing!"

A stifled wail can be heard coming from the direction of the area as the crew maintains the current rate of fire, and the smoke quickly envelops everything in its path. The crew could only speculate as to where the target was located because they could not see it.

"Grenade launcher is up!"

An enormous explosion, the sound of which rang in your ears for a very long time, was followed by a burst of flames that rushed out of the forest, which caused all of the smoke to dissipate.

The individual wearing a red bandanna, who appeared to be the leader of this group, was the one who said, "Stop firing. I said stop firing."

As the ash and dust begin to settle, a horrifying vision begins to take shape: a hideous monster with razor-sharp fangs and scales covering its upper body is left lying on the ground. It appeared that the explosion had caused the creature to suffer severe burns.

"This..." "What on the earth do you even call this thing?"

The crew members quickly reach for the water bottles that are strapped around their waists and begin to drink from them. It was a very tiring experience to spend the whole day looking for monsters.

"What the hell do I know? Do you have any idea how many different kinds of monsters can be found in the area where we are hunting? "

"Okay!"

Everyone huddles back together and restocks their supplies. According to the leader, who was wearing a red bandanna, the target appears here frequently and without any prior warning.

"Just now, we were making quite a racket. There is no way for us to predict when it will come after us."

As soon as the man finishes his sentence, the ground starts to shake, and the sound of leaves rustling can be heard throughout the still forest. Since this is the most significant obstacle that they must overcome daily, the crews start to feel anxious about it.

"Damn, right after I finished talking about it, Hey Caesar!" the leader exclaimed urgently.

"I am ready," Caesar said.

Caesar notices that his crewmates are beginning to congregate around him. They offer him some words of encouragement and offer to assist him with carrying his luggage.

"Let's not waste time!" One of the men who was walking around with his belt bag said

"Judging by the sound, it must be very close."

"Yes, I understand," Caesar said.

Caesar responded when asked about the monster attraction spray by saying, "I am working on it right now."

" Do you recall the path? Don't make a mistake. "

"Don't Worry!"

As the leader patted Caesar on the back, he said to him, "I will be seeing you alive, so be careful."

Caesar flashes a grin as he extends his arm and upper torso to get himself ready for the next life-or-death situation, which he inexplicably manages to draw to himself.

Caesar sighed and said, "I've had plenty of practice with this, but I just can't seem to get used to it."

It gives the impression that it is firmly stamping the ground with each stride that it takes, which causes the nearby trees and vegetation to shake. In Caesar's vision, he saw a beast that had the body of a turtle but two large horns on its head and a pointy horn on its snout.

"It Has Arrived!"

At the same time, Caesar was filled with apprehension and anticipation at the same time as he scrutinized the monstrous creature's every move. He stared the beast dead in the eyes.

The monster, having become aware of Caesar's presence, turned its enormous head in his direction and stared menacingly at him while remaining silent.

"It smells my scent. Now "

Caesar's mission in this hunt was to entice the monster to the location where the hunters were hiding and then ambush it there. Therefore, Caesar must go to any lengths necessary to protect himself from dying during this hunt.

***

The sound of panting was heard as Caesar kept running through this vast wilderness even though he was becoming more and more exhausted with each step.

In front of Caesar was a sizable ditch that was encircled on all sides by towering trees and tree limbs that had started to rot. When Caesar turned around, he saw that the monster was only about 10 meters away from him and was very close to catching him. Caesar performs a spectacular aerial acrobatic maneuver, propelling himself to the other side of the chasm even though his landing almost causes him to go over the edge.

The sound of something enormous slamming into a rock and destroying it immediately after the impact. The monster that followed Caesar had trouble adjusting as it leaped over the ditch due to the massive bulk and structure it possessed.

"I certainly hope that it did some damage." Caesar was ecstatic, but the monster appeared to be in pristine condition, as there was not even a single scratch on it.

"Damn!" Caesar casts a disappointed look in its direction.

As Caesar continues to run, his endurance is quickly depleted. Caesar was overjoyed when he came across an open area surrounded by trees, and he put forth every ounce of effort he had left to get there.

Caesar was nearing the ambush site when he tripped over a large tree root and landed awkwardly on his back.

"Ughh!" Caesar was on the ground, writhing in pain, when suddenly a monster emerged from the bushes, horn extended, ready to kill Caesar with a single blow.

Caesar looked at the monster that was charging at him and said, "So today is the day I die."

Caesar was speaking as the monster approached him. The monster was struck by a bullet fired from a sniper rifle, which created a loud bang as the projectile struck the monster in one of its vulnerable areas. The impact causes the monster to recoil five meters away and then fall to the ground with the same force as it did initially.

"Damn! You could have fired that earlier. "Caesar shouted.

Indeed, he was correct. Despite being hit with an anti-rifle bullet, the monster hardly even slowed down.

"This damn monster" Caesar racked his brain as he struggled to push himself off the ground and get to his feet. Caesar thought with dissatisfaction, but it was still to be expected because this monster was grade C and not the average one at that.

"I am grateful to you for your work. We will handle everything from this point forward."

A group of men clad in monster-grade armor began to encircle the monster that had only moments ago regained consciousness. This time around, the group of men was the official hunters, as opposed to the crews who were responsible for hunting back then.

"Hmph! The fact that the bait is still alive is nothing short of a miracle. It looks like this guy's good fortune will follow him wherever he goes. " A man dressed in armor with green engravings all over it said.

The man who seem to be the leader of this awakened group was wearing a tight suit of armor with a full beard and a shaved head. He addressed James, saying, "It's hard to find a bait like him these days—stop bullying him and get ready already."

"Excuse me, but I was just kidding around a little bit, boss." James remarked before taking up a defensive stance in a hurry.

"Everyone!" The bald man issued a command, "Get ready for battle!" and everyone obeyed.

[Activation of the Tank Skill, Demonic Taunting Gaze]

The bald man's shield began to glow red, and a force field of red was created. This caused the monster to rush toward the bald man, which triggered the skill's intended effect.

[Activation of the Magician's Skill, Greater Multi Fireball]

A significant number of flames began to emerge from the hand of a young woman who was somewhere in her twenties. After amassing a sufficient number of flames, she hurls them at the vulnerable area of the monster.

As soon as the fireball struck the monster, a massive amount of fire began to form in the monster's location, creating a tower of flames that engulfed the monster.

The man with the golden blonde hair chuckled and said, "Nice, clean hit."

The monster was still fine after being hit by the fireball skill, but there was a large wound on its right shoulder where blood was still flowing after it had been injured. Even though the monster was struck by the skill used by the magician, it continued to rush toward the man with the bald man.

The enormous head and body of the monster were halted in their tracks by the huge shield held by the man with the bald head. The user of this kind of skill needs to have sufficient muscle and skill for it to be successful, and the bald man was able to pull it off, albeit with some difficulty.

The bald man moaned, "Ugh!" in frustration. Even though the monster's force is continually pushing him backward, the bald man continues to maintain his position, and regardless of what the monster does, the bald man will not be moved from his position.

"I have the aggro; everyone, except James, attacks the target!" The bald man spoke with a stiff tone.

"Hahaha, this time it's my turn!" The man with brown wavy hair raised his voice dramatically.

[Activation of the Lancer Skill, Quicksilver Triple Lunge]

The man with the brown wavy hair raises his spear and drives it firmly into the side of the monster, which is the location of its vulnerable spot.

The monster let out a piercing howl as the wound that had been caused by the previous magician was now exposed. The monster's sides and shoulders are constantly dripping with a crimson liquid that has a slimy consistency. The monster intends to kill the member of the crew that was responsible for its injury, so it lashes out its enormous tail in their direction.

"Haha, this one is rather fun!!" In his place stood a man with golden-blonde hair who was holding a large shield and withstanding the impact of the tails. The man with the brown wavy hair had already vanished from view.

Caesar was astonished as he watched their hunt because the group he was with was non-awaken, but this group was awakened and they were incredible. Their ability to work together was astonishing, and every single person contributed to the overall effort of the hunt and not a single person was left out.

The leader with the bald head, turned around and called out to James, "Are you all setup?"

Caesar was startled by an odd sound coming from behind him, and as he turned, James appeared before him. James had been standing in a combat stance from the beginning of the encounter, and it appeared that he was charging his enormous sword.

"Haha! While I was waiting, I honestly believed that I would expire of old age!" James exclaimed with an animated tone of voice.

Just as James was finishing his sentence, he leaped into the air while holding his enormous sword in the back and yelled, "HYAAAA!" James swung his enormous sword at the wound on the monster that was slowly healing.

[Activation of Swordman's Special Skill, Lightning Slash]

When the sword struck the monster, there was a loud sound and a strong vibration that accompanied the impact. As a result of the momentum of the swing, the sword not only cuts the monster in half but also buries itself quite deeply into the ground.

"That... sturdy monster."

That monster was completely fine after the Anti-Monster rifle in one shot!!! '

Caesar pondered in awe and wondered when the time would come for him to attain the same level of power as them. This demonstrates that in this world, strength is the only thing that commands respect; nothing else comes close.

James grinned at the monster as he swung his sword to the side to remove the blood that was dripping all over it and then continued to stare at the monster with a smug expression.

At long last, our work here is done. '

Caesar sighed as he lay down on the ground, showing his exhaustion. Caesar gave himself a massage, focusing on his sore shoulders and legs.

"Wow..., it hurt all over the place..." he exclaimed.