Soul Devourer

'Don't tell me... don't tell me this is Soul Devourer!' Park Hyeonwhoo thought, his heart beginning to beat rapidly. Fear gripped him as he recalled the legends.

Lee Seung felt equally nervous. Yung's clothes were all that remained. Although it seemed unbelievable, it was as if his entire body had turned into smoke and vanished into the monster. His hands trembled at the thought of what had just happened.

That wasn't all. It also seemed that after the monster 'absorbed his soul,' it increased in strength, making the atmosphere more eerie and instilling fear in everyone. The oppressive air felt thicker, each breath a struggle.

"Everyone, run! Run if you value your life!" Park Hyeonwhoo shouted in an anxious, cautioning tone. His voice quivered, betraying his desperation.

Everyone was shocked by his command. How bad was the situation for their leader to decide to flee? Jiwoo's eyes widened in disbelief. Was their strongest fighter really telling them to run?

"Didn't you hear what I said? Run away!" Park repeated, sprinting toward the exit. The urgency in his voice snapped them into action.

"Let's move quickly!"

"Come on, get to the exit, Jiwoo!" Lee Seung urged, grabbing Jiwoo's arm and pulling her along. His grip was firm, but his eyes were filled with terror.

Suddenly, as the team raced toward the small exit, the monster widened its palm in their direction. A dark mist mysteriously cobwebbed the path and vanished after a few seconds, leaving an ominous chill in the air.

"The exit is gone!" Lee Seung shouted, pointing at the transformed path. His voice cracked with panic.

After the mist cleared, the path they had taken into the boss chamber was blocked by the same dark stone that made up the walls, now merged seamlessly. The realization hit them like a sledgehammer.

Simply put, the chamber had no entrance anymore. All that surrounded the anxious hunters were dark walls. The oppressive silence amplified their dread.

Jiwoo fretted, "How are we going to get out now?! We are trapped inside!" Her voice was loud and trembling, filled with the fear of ending up like Yung. She only wanted to survive, knowing she must stay alive for her boyfriend's sake—besides, she was all he had.

Lee Seung looked at Park Hyeonwhoo desperately. The man was staring anxiously at the floor, panting lightly. It was clear he didn't have the courage to face the monster either. But why? Wasn't he strong?

'Please come up with a plan, Mister Park! We'll all die at this rate!' Lee Seung thought, his mind racing with fear and frustration.

In that moment, Park's voice emerged, low and strained, "I can't believe we are unfortunate enough to meet the legendary evil spirit, Soul Devourer. It escaped from a relic several millenniums ago, and history has it that it took down a city on its own..." His voice trailed off, filled with a mixture of awe and terror.

A gentle step approached them, but they didn't notice it, too absorbed in their fear. The air grew colder, and an unnatural silence settled.

"As a matter of fact, its power is above S-rank monsters. So we don't stand a chance against it!" The man spoke with every hint of fear. His face had grown tense in that brief moment, and sweat oozed from it.

'Stronger than the strongest beasts?! We're doomed!' Seung thought, his face becoming pale. The reality of their predicament sank in.

DAHH!

Park's eyes widened once he turned around. The nightmarish figure was dashing rapidly toward him, despite its size, while raising a punch high in the air. Time seemed to slow down as the monster closed in.

"Everyone, get down..." He tried to warn the others, but before he could complete his statement, the punch hit his chest brutally, and he crashed into the wall. The impact was bone-crushing.

"Argh!!!" The man gasped as he found himself back on the floor. Multiple vibrations soared through his head, and his heart ached in an inexplicable manner. He tried to get up but couldn't, due to the pain. His vision blurred, and he tasted blood.

He couldn't believe the creature had been carefully watching them when they were distracted and performing a sneaky attack on him. Park Hyeonwhoo sighed lightly, then chuckled weakly, "You're always one step ahead, aren't you?"

Meanwhile, the team members had heeded Park's earlier warning, and now, they were right behind the monster. The tension was palpable, each second dragging on interminably.

Seongjin and Minho stood directly behind it at about three meters, while Lee Seung and Jiwoo were standing by a distant wall. The two men exchanged a determined glance.

As soon as the Soul Devourer turned around, Seongjin's and Minho's blades began to swirl with an orange arcane energy. Their faces bore an unsettling thirst for revenge. They looked very serious about inviting the creature for a fight. The air around them seemed to crackle with energy.

Swoosh...

The creature dashed towards them. With a sense of cooperation, Minho moved to its right side while Seongjin went to the other. Their movements were synchronized, a dance of deadly precision.

Observing this, Park Hyeonwhoo chuckled weakly, "I see where this is going." His voice was faint, but a glimmer of hope shone in his eyes.

Spontaneously, the two men raised their orange-swirling daggers high in the air, energy crackling at the tips of their weapons as they converged above the monstrous creature.

Just then, four transparent walls swirling with arcane energy fenced the creature. This magical formation, originally devised by the four Hunters, was their trump card in dangerous operations.

"Yung is gone, and Park can barely stand. The rest of us must push our limits to keep the monster at bay," Seongjin said, his voice strained with determination.

The monster pounded against the transparent walls.

"Boom, boom!!!"

Minho coughed up blood, pushing himself beyond his limits to resist the force of the monster.

"Minho! Are you alright?" Seongjin asked, his brows furrowing with concern.

Minho replied weakly, "Does it really matter? As long as I can save everyone from this place, I'm ready to sacrifice myself."

Seongjin nodded grimly, understanding Minho's resolve. They called themselves Hunters, yet had lost a teammate due to cowardice.

He gritted his teeth and channeled more arcane energy. "Be my guest, Soul Devourer!"

Lee Seung hesitated nearby. "Shouldn't I be helping them?" he wondered. "This is what got Yung killed. No one was truly ready to work as a team. All we wanted was our share of the profit or treasure."

He walked a little away from Jiwoo. She glanced at him nervously, as if she had known what he was going to do.

An array of lightning crackled on Lee Seung's palm, and the Shadow Blade appeared. His eyes gleamed with azure light, and his stance balanced.

'I already know that this monster doesn't have what I was looking for. So, instead of slacking off, I must ensure that I stay alive. For my sister.'

When Park saw him walking closer to the formation, he thought the guy was crazy after all. How could a person like him think of facing such a formidable creature?

"Back off, young man! Don't you see how dangerous the situation is?! Back off!" Park Hyeonwhoo warned Lee Seung.

However, Lee Seung continued to close the distance between himself and the formation.

'I am not a washed-up fighter, old man.'

Minho was shocked to see him.

"What... what are you doing here?" He asked, almost yelling, as he suffered extreme pain. He feared he would black out once his energy was exhausted while containing the monster.

"You guys are only imprisoning the beast, but it'll continue to attack when your energies deteriorate," Lee Seung said, standing behind Seongjin. "Let's fight together, big bros. We can-"

Seongjin cut in, angrily, "The problem is that you're not strong enough. If you enter the formation, the monster will overpower you, which may affect our magic too. So stop being a distraction and back OFF!"

Just then, Jiwoo remembered that Park Hyeonwhoo was injured. She had been distracted throughout the operation, neglecting her role. Quickly, she rushed over to him and knelt down to his eye level.

"Please close your eyes, Mr. Park. I'm going to heal you."

Park Hyeonwhoo nodded and complied.

Jiwoo pressed her palms together, closing her eyes as well. A violet light shone in the gap between her palms. She turned her hands towards Park Hyeonwhoo, and the violet energy enveloped him from head to toe.

Seung sighed loudly. "I'm sure Yung wouldn't want us to end up like him. Please, let me help."

***

[In Seoul]

At a rooftop terrace, a squad of men in high-quality gear marched into a chopper. Some were equipped with firearms, others with blades. Once everyone was inside, the pilot stepped out and informed, "Sir, the creature has been located in Gangnam, near Ivory Tower. It's a rank S."

Before the pilot stood a man with a stoic expression and a cold-looking lady.

"Uhm, S-rank," Kim Seijin mumbled, adjusting his spectacles. "Eunji, do you know why A-rank Hunters are referred to as first class?"

"Not at all, Director Kim," Eunji replied swiftly.

"It's because S rankers can't be compared with other Hunters. Their powers are unmatched, and their presence paralyzes onlookers with inferiority. Therefore, they are called 'Legendary Lords,'" Seijin elucidated. "As these metahumans are exceedingly powerful, so are the equivalent rank of monsters. That's why this covert mission is very important, and we should be ready to sacrifice our lives if need be. Understood?"

"Very well, Director," Eunji and the pilot said, bowing their heads.

[Back in the dungeon]

The formation was briefly opened to allow Lee Seung inside. They had no choice but to heed his request as he was too adamant.

Snarl!!

The beast delivered a punch toward Seung, but he sidestepped the assault and leapt onto its broad shoulder. The monster's chest was shrouded in darkness as it towered close to the ceiling, with the only illumination coming from the lightning of Seung's Shadow Blade. The air was thick with a foul stench, and the oppressive silence was broken only by the monster's guttural snarls.

Without hesitation, he activated Dread Strike and struck its serpent-like head. But to his astonishment, the screen didn't pop up as it was supposed to. Seung's brows furrowed. It was unusual for the 'AI' not to react. He recalled his fight with the D-rank criminal—where the 10% damage was displayed immediately after using the skill.

What was happening?