Dark Fantasy Genius Demon Hunter

Second-Tier Monsters

Gaon quickly made his way into the depths of the contaminated zone, cutting through it like a knife.

In the contaminated zone, it was common to slow down one’s movement while maintaining a defensive perimeter to prepare for any sudden threats that might arise.

However, Gaon didn’t slow his pace.

Instead, he increased his speed and cut through the contaminated zone, heading deeper inside.

The gazes of the people gathered in small groups scanned Gaon briefly before they moved on.

Gaon paid them no mind and continued deeper into the area.

They no longer tried to start trouble with him.

While they had stopped to ensure their safety, Gaon had always gone in alone and managed to return victorious from his hunts, as he always did.

To them, Gaon was no longer a foolish moth rushing toward death, attracted by the glamorous title of “monster hunter.”

The border where second-tier monsters might appear.

The number of people watching Gaon sharply decreased.

It was rare to find anyone willing to risk hunting monsters.

As a result, there were quite a few monsters that could easily be hunted with just a little effort in this area.

Moving along the border.

That was Gaon’s secret to achieving better results in a shorter time than other monster hunters.

But this time, Gaon didn’t move along the border. Instead, he passed through it and headed toward the territory of the second-tier monsters.

An unfamiliar place.

His steps naturally slowed down.

His senses sharpened, and his gaze moved continuously, quickly taking in his surroundings.

He awakened his body’s senses to be ready to react at any moment and drew his dagger.

Once he pinpointed the enemy’s location, he shifted his crouched body, narrowing the distance.

However, there was nothing in the direction Gaon was headed, even though he had detected a monster.

Only the usual environment of the contaminated zone greeted him.

Even so, Gaon didn’t hesitate to strike with his dagger.

Despite slashing at the empty air, he distinctly felt the sensation of cutting through fabric.

‘As expected, it’s a camouflaged lizard.’

The camouflaged lizard.

A second-tier monster.

It blends into the contaminated zone’s environment with its dark, mottled coloration, then waits for its prey before shooting its venomous tail stinger.

Its venom is so potent that a single sting can lead to death within minutes.

Information about the creature passed through Gaon’s mind.

“Gaaah!”

A single scream echoed.

That was the end of it.

While the camouflaged lizard had the skill to hide its body, it lacked the ability to survive after its body was pierced.

“What? Is this really a second-tier monster?”

Gaon muttered with a hint of disappointment, but the truth was, the camouflaged lizard was one of the most dreaded monsters for hunters.

Its movements were incredibly swift, and a single strike could take a person’s life.

Additionally, its camouflaging ability was so effective that it was difficult to spot with the naked eye.

It was common to only locate its position after two or three hunters had been attacked.

It was certainly not a monster to underestimate, like Gaon had.

While Gaon was pondering this, his sharpened senses caught a sharp sound.

Cling! Cling!

“Mm?”

Gaon briefly stopped his steps and listened intently.

Then, the faint sounds that had been drowned out by the sharp noise began to grow clearer.

“What… what is this?!”
“Why is a tentacle spider here?! Everyone, run!”

Urgent voices echoed first,

“Aaaah!”

A scream full of terror followed.

“Save me!”
“No, don’t!”

The distant voices gradually became clearer.

The desperate, panicked cries,

“Save me!”

“Please, no…!”

The voices were getting closer.

Gaon tightened the tension in his body, which had loosened slightly.

The tentacle spider, even as a second-tier monster, was not to be underestimated compared to the camouflaged lizard.

“They said it’s one of the top predators among the second-tier monsters,” Gaon recalled the words of the broker, Ren, who had told him about certain monster characteristics.

‘Not all monsters are the same… but when it comes to the tentacle spider, it’s better to run and not look back if you encounter it.’

However, unlike Ren’s advice, Gaon stood still and began checking his equipment.

‘It never acts alone. It moves in groups of at least five.’

“Already… too late.”

Gaon bit his lip tightly and surveyed his surroundings.

Amid the screams of the monster hunters being hunted, Gaon could faintly hear a rustling sound—something scraping through the distorted undergrowth.

He had already been spotted.

‘If I do end up fighting, I must be careful not to get surrounded,’ Gaon thought, recalling Ren’s timely advice.

Gaon bent his knees slightly, raised his heels, and curled his body into a crouch, preparing to explode in any direction.

‘This way!’

Gaon released the stored energy in his body explosively.

His previously unimpressive thighs swelled with newly gained muscle.

‘I see it!’

As his vision shifted, Gaon saw the tentacle spider, hidden in the underbrush.

It was not small by any means.

It was simply lower to the ground.

The moment it realized it had been spotted, it reacted swiftly.

Ssshhh—

Several of its writhing tentacles shot out from its back.

Gaon sidestepped and dodged the attack.

Then, he quickly jumped again, clearing the area.

Thud! Splat!

Unlike the first tentacle shot that went straight, the second tentacle, which came in at an angle, exploded the fleshy floor of the contaminated zone.

‘The ground…’

Gaon frowned at the scattering flesh.

Despite its delicate appearance, the monster’s power was beyond what he had expected.

Moreover, the speed at which the tentacle attacks came was far faster than the shark-tooth wolves’ attacks—so fast, in fact, it was nearly impossible to compare.

A single hit would likely result in a barrage of follow-up attacks.

Additionally, the tentacles’ flexibility allowed it to strike from a distance while maintaining its offensive.

‘At least… five.’

The fact that the tentacle spider lived in a group made Gaon feel increasingly urgent.

‘It’s moving quickly.’

With his decision made, Gaon began to close in on the tentacle spider.

Ssshh— Ssshh— Sheek—

The interval between the tentacle strikes was quick, but there was still a gap, and Gaon adjusted his breathing to close the distance little by little.

“Kieeeek!”

The tentacle spider let out a shrill, unpleasant screech.

As the distance grew smaller, the tentacle spider finally withdrew one of its legs from the ground.

It was trying to create space between them.

But Gaon wasn’t the type to let that slide.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Gaon stomped his foot hard into the ground.

Just as the monster was retracting its tentacles to move, Gaon didn’t hesitate to rush forward.

“Kii—k!”

In the blink of an eye, the gap between them narrowed.

The startled tentacle spider shot out its tentacles again.

Gaon, who had been dodging the tentacles with agility, hoped to avoid this attack the same way.

But Gaon betrayed its expectations.

“Ha!”

He swung his arm and deflected the incoming tentacle, letting it slide past him.

‘Tch!’

However, it wasn’t enough to dissipate the full force contained in the tentacles.

The impact shook Gaon, but he gritted his teeth and pressed forward.

He was determined to give up some flesh in exchange for the bone.

It was a calculated move, of course.

“If you can’t control the recoil, the impact zone is going to get shaky—it’s basic common sense!”

Gaon brought down his dagger.

Compared to the tough exoskeleton on the legs, which needed to be driven into the ground to control recoil, the body—especially the area around the head—wasn’t as thick.

Perhaps that was why…

Thud!

The dagger shattered the tentacle spider’s head with little resistance.

Its crushed brain spilled out.

Trembling.

The tentacle spider ceased its attack and collapsed.

It slumped, its tentacles hanging limp.

It was dead.

But there was no time to relax.

He could take a breath after getting out of here.

Still, it wasn’t easy to turn his body around immediately.

“Of course, if you were a monster hunter skilled enough to easily hunt a tentacle spider, you’d be thrilled to encounter them. Why? Because the tentacle bundles they leave behind are worth a lot of money. A lot.”

He recalled Ren’s words.

The hesitation didn’t last long.

Gaon immediately struck the monster’s back a few more times to break its shell.

Then, he reached inside and began to sift through its insides.

“I found it.”

The root where the tentacles began.

Gaon hooked his fingers around it.

Crunch.

He applied force, but all he heard was a tough sound; it wasn’t the sensation he was hoping for.

“Hah!”

He applied more strength and yanked.

Crack!

Finally, the bundle of tentacles came free, following Gaon’s grip.

But before he could even celebrate, he had to roll to the side immediately.

Thud! Smash!

The fleshy floor was torn apart, and pieces scattered.

“Dammit.”

Gaon frowned.

Maybe it would have been better not to listen to Ren’s last bit of advice.

He thought this to himself.

He knew.

Although he was blaming Ren, the situation he was in now was due to his own greed for the tentacle bundle.

Two monsters ahead and two behind.

A trap had already been set.

Ssshh— Ssshh— Sheek—

Tentacles flew from all four directions.

The difficulty had qualitatively changed compared to when he was dealing with just one.

‘This is tough.’

There wasn’t even a moment to breathe.

When facing just one, Gaon had managed to conserve his stamina, but now he could feel his energy draining.

But that was a secondary problem.

The real issue was the combined attack flowing like water from the monsters.

When Gaon dodged tentacles coming from the front, others flew in from the sides, narrowing his escape angles.

He tried to move backward, but that wasn’t easy either.

Tentacles were coming from behind, making retreating just as difficult.

It was as if the four of them were a single entity, with their firing angles and attack intervals so synchronized that there was no gap to exploit.

Moreover, these weren’t simple attacks just meant to occupy space; there were subtle, sneaky strikes aimed at difficult-to-defend areas mixed in between.

For example, attacks targeting the legs, which could be fatal for mobility, or the whip-like strikes that they had never shown before.

Thud!

“Ugh.”

Gaon hastily raised his arm.

Crack!

The sound of the collision traveling up his arm was anything but normal.

It was definitely broken.

“Screech.”

“Creeeak.”

He couldn’t tell what they were communicating, but their attacks became more intense.

“Damn it.”

Gaon desperately fought to steady his swaying body.

He tried to dodge as many of the incoming attacks as possible, but avoiding every strike that came through the gaps he left was impossible from the start.

Eventually, he had to sacrifice his left shoulder to a spear-like tentacle.

Fortunately, just before it hit, Gaon managed to use the bundle of tentacles he had collected earlier to block it, sparing him from being pierced through the shoulder.

However…

Crack!

A chilling tearing sound echoed, and—

“Cough.”

Gaon had to endure the heavy impact directly.

Thud.

Using the recoil from falling to the ground, Gaon sprang back up.

Thud!

A tentacle flew into the spot where he had just gotten up, tearing into the flesh-covered ground, sending a chill down Gaon’s spine.

‘Can’t hold out. I’ll definitely get pierced.’

Gaon shook his head inwardly.

It wasn’t a decision made out of fear, but rather an objective assessment.

He knew it.

Even though he blamed Ren for his current situation, it was his own greed for the tentacle bundle that had led to this.

Two in front, two behind.

The trap was already in place.

Swish— Sssshhh— Sheek—

Tentacles flew from all four directions.

The difficulty had qualitatively increased compared to dealing with just one.

‘This is tough.’

There wasn’t even a chance to breathe.

When he was only facing one, he could still conserve his energy, but now he could feel his stamina draining.

But that was a secondary problem.

The main issue was the coordinated attack flowing like water.

If he dodged a tentacle coming from the front, others would fly in from the sides, narrowing his escape angles.

Trying to retreat backward didn’t help either.

Tentacles from behind came in the same way.

It felt as though the four of them were a single entity, with their firing angles and attack intervals so perfectly synchronized there was no opening.

Moreover, these weren’t simple attacks that just occupied space; there were subtle, pinpoint strikes aimed at the most difficult areas to defend.

Gaon made his decision. He focused on the monster in his path.

As he heightened his concentration, gaps began to appear.

Despite launching a combined assault, the fact that there were four of them inevitably created some openings.

A thought flashed through his mind.

‘Could it work?’

He wasn’t sure, but the uncertainty was quickly replaced with resolve.

‘No. I have to make it work.’

Because if he didn’t, he wouldn’t survive.

With his eyes wide open, Gaon poured all his mental energy into the task.

Whoosh—

He took in the sight of the incoming tentacle, letting it fill his field of vision.

In an instant, he twisted his body to dodge the tentacle, and then—

Snatch!

He grabbed the incoming tentacle.

Ugh.

The burning heat that surged into his palm felt as if a fire had been ignited, blinding him momentarily.

Despite this, Gaon showed no intention of letting go of the tentacle.

Instead, he lightly kicked off the ground, lifting his legs.

His body flew through the air, following the tentacle as it was being reeled in.

“Kreek?!”

The startled screech of the tentacle spider echoed.

But—

‘Not yet.’

Gaon couldn’t afford to relax just yet, as the attempt hadn’t fully succeeded.

Tentacles were still flying toward him in rapid succession.

To make matters worse, Gaon was heading toward the spider, while more tentacles were coming at him, crossing in midair.

They were much faster than the previous ones.

If he didn’t stay focused, his body would be riddled with holes in no time.

Second wave.

Gaon barely managed to dodge the incoming tentacles by ducking, his hair wildly swaying in the air.

Some strands might have even been pulled out from the pressure.

Third wave.

Tentacles targeted the arm Gaon was using to hold onto the first one.

It was an unavoidable attack.

Gaon extended his other arm and swatted the tentacle away.

Clang!

The dagger he used to block the tentacle snapped in two.

The impact surged through his palm, leaving his hand in pain.

He dropped the broken dagger, leaving only the handle behind.

Blood stained his palm, but that wasn’t the problem.

The real issue was the aftermath of the block.

His body was thrown off balance.

Fourth wave.

His body wobbled.

His vision spun.

It wasn’t just a slight wobble—it felt like his body was flipping over and his vision was a dizzying mix of up, down, left, and right as he dodged the tentacles.

Worst of all, the tentacles kept disappearing from his line of sight and reappearing, making it impossible to track them.

“…!!”

His worst fears became reality.

A tentacle suddenly appeared right in front of him, at an unavoidable range.

Thud!

The sound of flesh being pierced echoed, and before Gaon could fully register it, he heard a sickening crack! and crunch as his clavicle was shattered and the tentacle stabbed through his scapula.

The pain was overwhelming, but Gaon clenched his teeth and endured.

Letting go of his focus now would mean allowing himself to die.

He gripped the tentacle in his hand tightly and yanked it.

His speed toward the spider increased.

“Kik, kik.”

The spider hastily tried to retract its legs, but it was too late.

‘Should’ve done this much earlier!’

In what felt like an eternity, Gaon finally reached his target and—

Crack!

With a sharp elbow, he crushed the spider’s head.

A wave of catharsis surged through Gaon’s body as the tension finally broke.

He had triumphed.