Dark Fantasy Genius Demon Hunter

Aver

It wasn’t that difficult to keep Jaal in check.

I’m not saying he acted like a sycophant.

Since Gaon had already observed Jaal’s personality, he acted in a way that prevented any possible complaints before they arose.

As a result, Jaal had no choice but to twitch his lips.

Even if he wanted to find something to criticize, he would have to deal with Reina’s cold glare if he dared to say anything to Gaon, who was handling his tasks perfectly.

‘Having a brake on things is oddly convenient.’

Gaon glanced at Reina, who was subtly present but clearly making her presence known.

“Your skills are quite clean. It’s no wonder that Ren recommended you.”

At that moment, Gaon turned his head as Aver spoke to him.

“It’s about the monsters. We should have encountered one by now, but we haven’t seen any so far on the way here.”

“Well, guiding you into the Shadow Dwarf’s territory is my job,” Gaon replied.

Aver smiled at Gaon’s words.

“You have quite a strong sense of professionalism.”

“Thank you.”

“No flattery, I’m truly surprised. The fact that we haven’t encountered any monsters so far is amazing. Following the boundaries of territories and mapping the paths… anyone could say that, but it’s not easy to make it work, is it?”

Gaon slightly nodded in acknowledgment as a gesture of politeness.

Aver didn’t stop talking and continued to lead the conversation, mostly chatting with Jaal, and Gaon wasn’t addressed as often.

But whenever Aver did speak to Gaon, he responded politely but briefly, like now.

“I’ve noticed, Gaon, you’re a person of few words, much like Reina.”

Gaon didn’t respond but gave a faint smile that seemed barely there.

“So far, I’ve managed to avoid it, but I can’t say for sure we’ll continue to do so.”

The reason Gaon had avoided monsters so far was because of his careful mapping.

And the fact that he couldn’t be sure of continuing to avoid them meant something had changed.

It meant they were about to enter unfamiliar territory.

Though Gaon had been hunting 3rd-grade monsters like the Thunder Mole regularly, there was a clear reason why he had left this place uncharted.

This was a place that was disadvantageous to Gaon.

The Shadow Dwarf.

A monster that hides in shadows and enjoys ambushing.

Naturally, it favored dark spaces.

A forest so dense that no light could penetrate.

Or rather, a place that had once been a forest, but had been corrupted by monsters and was no longer a forest in name.

That place was an ideal habitat for Shadow Dwarfs.

For Gaon, who only had physical strength to rely on, fighting a creature like the Shadow Dwarf that didn’t respond to physical force was incredibly difficult.

‘Well, there are ways, just not easy ones.’

There were items that could imbue weapons with elemental power, like the call leaves Gaon had prepared for the Thunder Mole.

‘But it’s not worth the cost.’

Unlike consumable resistance items that helped mitigate damage, items with elemental power would require more consumption to use.

‘And it’s not like monsters are all Shadow Dwarfs.’

“Is that so? There’s nothing to be done. It’s fine though, you’ve done quite well so far.”

Gaon said this in reference to Aver, knowing that once they stepped into unknown areas, anything could happen.

Aver shrugged nonchalantly.

Gaon shook his head.

“The mission will proceed as planned.”

“Hmm? Well, if that’s the case.”

Aver gave a casual reply, narrowing his eyes, not seeming to take much meaning from Gaon’s words.

However, Jaal seemed to have a different opinion from Aver.

“Tch, if you’re lacking in skill, just say so. Don’t go trying to save face with some ridiculous pride.”

Seeing him not hold back with a sarcastic remark like that.

“Jaal.”

Reina, who had been walking quietly, called out to Jaal, who immediately responded with an overreacted, neurotic response.

“Ah, damn it! Can’t I even speak? Reina, do you want me to be mute?”

“……”

“Seeing you not answer, it seems that’s exactly what you wanted! If you think you’ve got the wrong idea about me, you’re way off!”

Jaal raised his voice, his neck veins bulging, swinging his arms as if to vent the anger he had been holding in for the past few days.

It was clear that this action was a result of his pent-up frustration, but it triggered an unfortunate consequence.

It provoked the monsters lurking nearby.

“They’re coming!”

Thud-thud-thud.

Gaon felt the vibrations of the ground and immediately lowered his stance.

Reina silently turned toward the direction the monsters were coming from.

The moment Gaon shouted, Reina pivoted toward the threat, almost simultaneously.

Glance.

Reina’s gaze briefly shifted to Gaon, then returned.

Aver’s gaze was directed at Jaal.

It was blatant.

Although no words were spoken, the reproach in his eyes was evident.

Jaal frowned.

“Ugh, whatever.”

His tone was defiant.

But his energy seemed drained.

However, it was clear that he had no intention of acknowledging his mistake or apologizing.

Meanwhile, the monster revealed itself.

It was a Firetail Fox.

“Eeoo—!”

A sharp cry echoed through the air.

As the Firetail Fox charged, it swung its tail with a swift motion.

A small spark at the tip of its tail quickly grew larger.

Whoosh!

In the blink of an eye, a fireball, the size of a human head, flew toward Gaon.

Gaon swiftly moved his body to dodge the fireball.

Boom!

With a small explosion, burning flesh and a sizzling sound filled the air, filling Gaon’s nostrils with the stench of charred meat.

Because Gaon had rushed to draw the monster’s attention, preventing the attack from reaching the clients, no one else was caught in the blast radius.

‘I’ve managed to draw its attention here, now let’s finish this.’

“Eeoo─! Eeoo──!”

The Firetail Fox’s tail swayed left and right.

Crackling, crackling.

Sparks flew up as flames blazed, but Gaon skillfully avoided them.

Boom! Boom!

The ground continued to erupt under the impact.

As the ground cracked open, the gap between Gaon and the Firetail Fox closed.

“Eeoo───!”

The Firetail Fox stopped, letting out a long, sorrowful cry. Sparks erupted from its tail fur, spreading through the air.

Whoosh!

The embers quickly turned into fireballs, filling Gaon’s entire field of vision as if launching an all-encompassing aerial bombardment.

When the fireballs were shot one by one, there was room to dodge, but this time, avoiding them was not an easy task.

But Gaon remained calm.

He had faced this monster before, so the pattern was familiar to him.

Without pausing, he continued running while holding up his shield.

‘Hah!’

He held his breath.

This was to prevent the heat from burning his airways while breathing.

Boom!

A fireball collided with the shield.

The tips of his hair singed.

The smell of grilled squid wafted through the air, but the Firetail Fox’s attack only had that much effect on Gaon.

He swung the shield upwards, redirecting the flames over his head.

While he successfully redirected the fire, it didn’t come without cost.

Sizzle.

The lingering heat from the embers seeped through his armor, burning his skin.

It was no small damage.

But Gaon ignored it.

‘This is fine.’

Just as Gaon’s body had grown stronger, so had his recovery capabilities.

It was far different from when small wounds would take days to heal.

After some time, he would have fully recovered from the burns.

Without hesitation, Gaon drew his sword and slashed it downward onto the Firetail Fox.

Swish!

The razor-sharp blade, combined with Gaon’s strength, easily cleaved through the Fox’s tail.

“Eeoo! Eeoo!”

The Firetail Fox cried out in alarm.

It repeatedly swung its tail, but no sparks erupted.

Its tail, severed and now lying on the ground, could no longer flicker with fire.

It tried to lift its front paw in defiance, but it was futile. Gaon knew that when it lost its tail, this was how it would react.

With a swift and proficient response, Gaon took the Firetail Fox’s life.

“Hah.”

Aver, who had witnessed the series of battles unfold quickly, let out a breathless, half-amused laugh.

It was impossible not to be impressed by the clean and efficient hunting skills displayed, without any unnecessary actions.

‘I thought the speed at which the monster-hunting requests were being resolved meant Gaon’s skills weren’t totally lacking… but…’

Jaal, who glanced over, clearly seemed surprised as well.

Aver also observed Reina’s reaction.

‘As expected.’

Reina’s always stoic tone and expression made it hard to tell what she was thinking.

In the meantime, Gaon confirmed the kill with another swift thrust of his sword.

“I’ll keep this.”

Gaon lifted the Firetail Fox’s severed tail slightly and spoke.

Since there was a duty to divide the proceeds from the request.

Aver shook his head.

“Gaon caught it on his own, right? Just take it.”

“Is that alright?”

“Yes.”

Aver nodded and then turned to ask the rest of the group.

Jaal grumbled, “Why are you asking again when you’ve already given permission?” and Reina silently nodded.

Aver turned back to Gaon with a smile.

“They’re saying it’s fine.”

“Then I won’t hesitate.”

Gaon nodded lightly and placed the tail in his bag.

The group resumed their journey.

The atmosphere among the group had shifted slightly.

This was the first time the group had seen Gaon’s true abilities in action.

Although none in the group would have had trouble with the Firetail Fox, Gaon’s method of hunting it was nothing short of immaculate.

For Gaon, the fact that Jaal’s constant irritation had lessened was already a satisfying result.

‘…This is something I didn’t quite expect though.’

“In fact, when preparing for this request, I heard many stories about monster hunters, but from the very beginning, there was something that stood out about Gaon.”

“Really?”

Gaon answered Aver’s words, trying to hide his awkward expression.

“Of course. The norm is to hunt in teams, right? But I heard about a monster hunter who works alone, and when I heard that, I just knew it had to be him.”

Aver continued with growing enthusiasm.

“Hunting monsters in contaminated zones alone means he’s taking on the tasks that would normally require a team all by himself. Just hearing that told me Gaon was a skilled hunter.”

“My skills are still lacking.”

“Oh! I heard that too. Ren said the same thing. He said Gaon wasn’t always this successful. It’s only been less than a year since he started hunting 1st-grade monsters, right?”

Gaon didn’t know how to respond and silently listened to Aver’s words.

“But now you’re hunting 3rd-grade monsters. And doing it so overwhelmingly! If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed in Gaon’s progress either, just like everyone else.”

“Hmm.”

Gaon cleared his throat, feeling a bit burdened by Aver’s words, but it seemed like Aver didn’t pick up on it.

Gaon unconsciously stepped back, unable to ignore the sharp glint in Aver’s narrowed eyes, like a crescent moon cutting through the darkness.