Chapter 245: Episode 245

His primary weapon was a longsword, his method of subduing victims a chain with alloy rings, and his motive for attacking the carriage was to plunder Freeze, a potent narcotic. The only other detail was his proclivity for human flesh—a true madman.

“Judging by his swordsmanship, he’s no amateur,” Kadum observed. “Most killers hack their victims to pieces, but this one slit the abdomen with precision.”

“The Black Army must have been shown a similar scene,” Taehyun deduced. “That means our target has attacked at least two merchant carriages. They didn’t show you this just to have you follow a trail. No matter how quickly you track him, a proper hunt is impossible without information. This is a test of investigation first, pursuit second.”

[Filimona Merchant Guild Token acquired.]

A wooden plaque lay near the spilled Freeze. Its magical markings identified it as a token of the Filimona Merchant Guild. Kadum picked it up, turning it over in his hand.

“So this is what the torn pocket was for. It must have fallen during the struggle inside.”

“Why would he be collecting their tokens?” Taehyun mused. “The answer seems simple, doesn’t it?”

“Some of the guild members were partially stripped,” Kadum realized. “He was planning to disguise himself as one of them to continue his attacks. That must have been what the fight inside the carriage was about.”

“Good. Your opponent is the hawk hunter, Kaide. Can you take down the prey first?”

Kaide was a top-tier A-rank hunter who worked in tandem with a tamed hawk, granting him an unparalleled field of vision. Rumor had it he had recently taken down the ferocious ogres of Mount Pallas; he was not an opponent to be underestimated. But Kadum was no stranger to a difficult hunt. He had, after all, made his name as a slave hunter.

“I hate to admit it,” Kadum growled, a predatory gleam in his eyes, “but when it comes to hunting humans, no one is better than me.”

His hunter’s instincts flared, and a palpable killing intent began to rise from him.

—

[Top-tier A-rank Hunter Kadum has cast Shadow Step.]

[For a certain period, footsteps and presence will disappear.]

The hunt had begun. Having found the trail of spilled Freeze, he knew that following it deep into the forest would lead him straight to his quarry.

’The only question now is how to hunt him,’ Taehyun thought. ’Can he be subdued in a single blow, or will this be a multi-day ordeal of pressure and pursuit? I wonder what kind of battlefield they’ve designed.’

In truth, it didn’t matter. Whether the prey was a sadistic murderer or a cannibalistic madman, he was still human. The outcome was already decided. Taehyun leaned back in his chair, watching the screen with a relaxed air.

Across from him, Vesta’s patience was wearing thin. “You seem quite at ease,” he sneered. “Is that hunter of yours really so formidable?”

“Among hunters, he has no equal,” Taehyun replied calmly. “All I have to do now is sit back and watch.”

“We’ll see how long that confidence lasts. Kaide is a hunter acknowledged even by the beastmen of the East. Once he’s on a trail, his prey never escapes. You’ll regret this later.”

“Oh, really? My hunter is acknowledged by the elves. Why don’t we see which one is better? They’re both acclaimed by their respective races. How about a little wager?”

Vesta’s expression hardened. As Taehyun subtly prodded his pride, the sneer vanished. Beastmen and elves. A contest between two hunters, each a champion of their people. As a raid commander, Vesta couldn’t back down.

“I don’t know what you have in mind, but I’m listening. However, if you’re going to ask about the Tarantula faction, I refuse.”

“I’m not interested in that anymore,” Taehyun said dismissively. “If I win this match, I get one piece of information from Kaide. If you win, you can have Kadum annihilated.”

“What in the world are you thinking?” Vesta hissed. “Are you toying with me?”

“Toying with you?” Taehyun’s voice was cold. “I’m trying to stop a raid. My life is on the line, too. This isn’t a game. It’s confidence.”

The Rule Maker was a fearsome ability, but it wasn’t infallible. It had to have a penalty, just like Mind Field, and in a contest of pure skill, Balak held the advantage.

’You have no idea that Balak is S-rank,’ Taehyun thought. ’You don’t know about Evolution or Remake. And you certainly don’t know about the S-rank soldiers I have participating in this battle.’

A bet is made only when one is certain of the outcome. Vesta, operating under the assumption that Balak was merely A-rank, was sure of his victory. For Taehyun, however, this was nothing more than a field test for his newly evolved forces.

“Fine,” Vesta spat. “I accept. With your words, a new bet has been added to the Rule Maker. I look forward to seeing the despair on your face when you lose.”

“Aha. So that’s the second penalty,” Taehyun noted aloud. “You can incorporate rules or methods I suggest, as long as the Rule Maker deems them appropriate. Am I wrong?”

“You are correct,” Vesta admitted, his voice tight. “The second penalty allows for the addition of a new rule if the one you propose is deemed valid.”

With the second penalty revealed, the wager was officially set.

[Kadum has discovered the target.]

[Kaide has discovered the target.]

The prey, hiding out in a remote mountain cabin, had been located. Vesta immediately opened a channel to his hunter, but Taehyun remained silent, simply watching the events unfold.

’Let’s see how this plays out.’

—

The hawk, capable of sharing its vision, returned to its master. The target was in a cabin near a forest lake, clearly using it as a base of operations for his raids on merchant carriages.

’I have all the information I need,’ Kaide thought. ’But is that other hunter not going to move?’

The two hunters had already crossed paths. There was no reason for a confrontation unless one of them interfered.

“Interference is allowed in this battle,” Vesta’s voice came through. “However, if you eliminate the prey first, that won’t be an issue. Finish him in one blow.”

“That was my intention,” Kaide replied. “A hunter acknowledged by mere elves is nothing compared to one acknowledged by beastmen. I will show him the difference in our skills.”

If Kadum wouldn’t act, he would simply take the prey himself.

[Nature Assimilation has been cast.]

[The caster’s form assimilates with the forest.]

Kaide’s form seemed to melt into the surrounding woods. His footsteps became silent, his presence indistinguishable from that of a wild animal.

[Former Hunter Barus]

The target, a murderer named Barus, was chopping firewood, completely oblivious to the two hunters stalking him. Kaide approached without a sound.

[Apply Poison has been cast.]

[The poison of a Barbed Serpent is applied to the scimitar’s edge.]

A single scratch from the Barbed Serpent’s venom could induce paralysis for hours. His preparations were complete. Kaide crept up from behind, raising his scimitar for the killing blow.

In that instant, Barus’s eyes flashed with cunning.

[You have been caught in an Electric Wire.]

[You will be in a state of electric shock for a certain period.]

A searing current ripped through his body, locking his muscles. The trap was a nearly invisible wire.

“Kikikik!” Barus cackled. “Did you think I wouldn’t notice you sneaking up on me? Another fool walks right into my web. Today, I’ll feast on you.”

“Kugh!” Kaide grunted in pain.

Barus hefted his axe. Kaide bit down on a small pill hidden under his tongue, and the paralyzing shock subsided.

[Emergency Escape Pill has been consumed.]

[You are freed from all status abnormalities.]

It was his second skill, Emergency Escape Pill Creation, a contingency he always kept ready for such situations. Realizing his massive blunder, Kaide vanished back into the trees.

—

On Battlefield Day 2, Barus was a skilled adversary, the area around his cabin a minefield of traps. Worse, Kaide’s failed attack had alerted their prey to the hunters’ presence. As a former hunter himself, Barus knew their ways.

’Hunters never abandon their quarry,’ Barus thought, a grim smile on his face. ’And since I’m the objective, they have no choice but to keep coming.’

He had spent the day observing Barus from the cover of the forest. The man spent half his time inside the cabin, occasionally venturing out to the lake for water or into the woods to hunt for food.

’Rustle. Rustle.’

Even now, Barus was stalking a deer.

“Kadum still hasn’t moved,” Vesta urged Kaide. “You can’t miss this chance.”

“I know,” Kaide responded. “His focus is on the deer; he’ll be vulnerable to a surprise attack. And a trap must be countered with a trap.”

Even a former hunter’s senses dulled when focused on the hunt.

[Hunting Trap has been activated.]

[The being caught in the trap is bound.]

Finally, his prey stumbled into the trap he’d set along its path. Kaide burst from his hiding place, scimitar flashing.

’Kiiing! Kiiing!’

But it wasn’t Barus caught in the trap. It was the deer.

’Damn it! He used my own trap against me! He deliberately lured the deer this way!’

He hadn’t even used his hawk, wanting to remain completely undetectable, but the caution had backfired spectacularly. It was his own mistake for attacking based on sound alone. A chain whipped toward him from the left, and Kaide parried, stumbling back.

“Kikikik!’ You’re quite skilled,” Barus mocked. “But it won’t change the fact that you’re going to die here.”

“Tch.’ Fine! Let’s have a proper fight!”

Though his ambush had failed, Kaide was confident in his close-combat skills. He held his scimitar ready, feinting an attack. Barus merely snorted and swung the chain like a whip.

’Crack!’

The force of the blow shattered a nearby tree. Kaide ducked, a groan escaping his lips.

’Swish! Swish!’

The chain lashed out again and again. He couldn’t get a read on its range, making it impossible to close the distance.

’He’s fast, too. In that case…’

If a direct assault was out, he’d have to use the terrain. Kaide scrambled up a tree, trying to create a diversion.

“Kikikik!’ Get down here!” Barus roared.

“Over here!” Kaide yelled from the treetop.

“Aha! There you are!” Barus spun around, turning his back.

But it was a feint. Kaide was already dropping from the branches, closing in rapidly from the right.

“Victory!” Vesta exclaimed.

“That’s right!” Kaide agreed.

The poisoned scimitar plunged toward Barus’s spine. The first battle would belong to the Black Army.

But Kaide and Vesta had overlooked one crucial detail.

’Clang!’

The chain wasn’t Barus’s only weapon. Kaide stared in disbelief as his scimitar was blocked by a longsword.

“You use a longsword, too?!”

“You tracked me from the carriage, didn’t you? A bit reckless, aren’t you? I’m no ordinary beast,” Barus sneered. “Kikikik.”

“Damn it!”

The longsword and chain pressed in, a whirlwind of steel. Kaide fell back, taking stock of the fresh wounds covering his body. Against two weapons, close-quarters combat was suicide. The chain’s reach and the longsword’s wide arc made it impossible for his scimitar to find an opening.

“Fall back!” Vesta commanded. “You can’t die here!”

“Understood!”

And once again, Kaide fled.

—

On Battlefield Day 5, Kaide, now familiar with Barus’s patterns, launched daily ambushes. He tried everything—traps, poison, stealth attacks, direct combat—but made no progress. His failure stemmed from two critical errors.

“First,” Taehyun’s voice echoed in Kadum’s mind, “he treated Barus like any other beast or monster he’s hunted.”

“Second, he only focused on the Freeze at the crime scene before giving chase.”

No matter how many ferocious beasts Kaide had slain, hunting Barus was impossible without proper intelligence.

“Humans are different from beasts,” Kadum murmured to himself. “They think faster, judge quicker. Their ability to react and adapt is on another level. Especially a former hunter.”

Barus would be aware of his presence by now, not just Kaide’s. The fact that he hadn’t shown himself must be unsettling for their prey. Even while fighting Kaide, Barus would occasionally glance around, searching for the second, unseen threat.

“He won’t show it, but he’s growing anxious,” Taehyun continued. “He can’t sleep properly. He’s constantly scanning his surroundings, even while hunting. Just by revealing your presence, you’re applying psychological pressure. Am I right?”

“Because humans think, they feel fear,” Kadum affirmed. “That madman is no exception.”

Kadum had hunted all manner of prey, from elves to humans. Armed with the intelligence from the carriage, failure was not an option.

[Magic Tracking has been cast.]

[The source of the magic connected to the wires has been discovered.]

The invisible web of magic around the cabin was revealed. Kadum rose from the undergrowth, his hunt about to begin.

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