A Side Character's Mission ↠ Solo Leveling

Chapter 44: The Queen's Last Roar

“We’re being sent to check up on Team Charlie since they fell out of contact… what the hell are they up to, anyway?” 

“Hey, slow down,” two of the Japanese hunters leapt in the air. “We're about here, I guess.” 

They landed on the ground, surrounded by many ant carcasses. It was clear that a fierce battle had taken place here, with signs of combat everywhere. 

The hunter with a mask exclaimed with a tinge of irritation, "Where the hell did they disappear to?" He shoved his hands deep into his pockets, looking around in confusion.

The hunter with a black cape crouched down to inspect the carcass. “I don't think they’d have any trouble with the ants.”

As he surveyed the area, his sharp eyes caught sight of a pair of shattered glasses stained with blood - Fujimiya's glasses. Hastily rising to his feet, he set his gaze ahead and saw a lifeless, decapitated body sprawled across the earth, drenched in a pool of crimson blood.

“It can’t be… no… impossible,” he said, terrified.

“Urk!” the other hunter beside him threw away his mask and crouched down, vomiting. “Uweeeek!” 

“Kei, what’s wrong?!”

“The hell is this stink…?! I've never smelled anything like it before!” The man's face was glistening with sweat, and he could smell a strong odor emanating from the forest ahead of them.

“AAARRGGH!”

Kei let out a deafening scream and unleashed his power uncontrollably, causing icicles to form that were larger than trees, spanning for miles through the forest. 

However, something on the other side swiftly cut down the icicles with ease, and had reached the man, killing him and staining the once green grass with a deep shade of red.

…

“We’ve wasted too much time,” Dong-Ook said. “The ants inside the cave were all slaughtered by the hunters from Korea.”

“No, I think we’ve done rather well finishing this number of ants in less than five minutes,” Yoon-Ho replied. “Byung-Gu literally gave us wings,” he said, looking at Cha Hae-In. “Even in that short amount of time, she killed twice the number I did.”

They had spent 15 minutes and it would be faster on their back, so they had around 30 minutes to find and kill the queen. 

‘The real important part is how we end this…’ Dong-Ook thought to himself.

His gaze shifted to the other hunter, a blonde-haired individual. His outfit remained pristine, devoid of any dirt or stains, while his armor gleamed untouched, as if he had never set foot on the battlefield. Only the sword he wielded in his hand bore the traces of battle, its blade stained with the purple blood of the ants he had swiftly dispatched with precise strikes. "You alright? You've been rather silent ever since we entered this cave."

Seung-Eun blinked his eyes, snapping out of his thoughts.

Jong-In's voice broke the silence as he spoke. "He's no ordinary newly awakened S-rank hunter."

The others' curiosity was piqued, and they reacted with surprise. "Huh?!"

Their gaze shifted towards Jong-In, expecting him to provide further details. However, he remained tight-lipped, refusing to elaborate. 

Seung-Eun, on the other hand, didn't deny the comment and took it upon himself to explain. "I actually worked as an S-rank hunter in Japan for a few years before I came here."