TSOT#1 Chapter 16

Yeon-joo swiftly raised an ice barrier to protect her team. Beside her, Chan-hee reinforced the barrier with his control ability, making it even sturdier.

 

Jae-rim pulled out a taser gun and attacked the monster emerging from the ground.

 

Joo-ah briefly turned her head, scanning her surroundings.

 

It wasn’t just one monster. The same type of creatures were erupting all over the venue where other Hunters were stationed.

 

Outside, the alarms sounded belatedly, and disaster alerts buzzed on their phones.

 

Joo-ah, expressionless, observed the monsters invading the banquet hall.

 

Their level was A-rank.

 

There were many of them, but the one in front of her was familiar. She had encountered it before in the tower.

 

Her gaze dropped to her wrist, focusing on the emergency call watch.

 

[…Hunter Deployment in Progress…]

 

While chaos erupted around her, none of the teams at the banquet had yet received orders to leave. Joo-ah turned her attention to the windows of the building.

 

The monsters flooding the banquet hall were from the sixth tower—the one with the tallest floors in South Korea.

 

Back when she was active as Eun-young, she had faced them before.

 

If that was the case… perhaps the elite team had been deployed this time.

 

Ordinary Hunter teams had clearly defined roles.

 

Tanks and melee damage dealers at the front,

 

Ranged damage dealers handling attacks from a distance,

 

Healers and buffers supporting from the rear.

 

In such teams, the strongest Hunter became the leader, directing the team.

 

However, in the upper-tier teams Joo-ah now belonged to, the concept of a leader disappeared. Everyone fought on equal footing since their skills were proven, eliminating the need for hierarchy.

 

Thus, high-ranking Hunters were typically grouped into smaller teams. If teamwork faltered, it could become a weakness.

 

A-rank Hunters and above were adept at using their abilities for both offense and defense, allowing them to operate independently if needed.

 

Joo-ah’s team was known as Team B, one of the upper-tier groups.

 

Back when she was Eun-young, she had belonged to Z-Team, one of South Korea’s two elite units. The other was X-Team.

 

If a gate opened in the lower levels of the sixth tower, the monsters were likely lower-ranked. However, in the upper floors, the monsters’ levels increased.

 

In other words, there was a chance the elite units were already on the move.

 

“Seo Joo-ah, stay here and don’t move,” Yeon-joo said, standing guard in front of Joo-ah.

 

A sturdy ice barrier ensured no monsters could emerge near Joo-ah’s position. Yeon-joo’s intent was clear—Joo-ah, with her weak abilities, should stay in a safe place.

 

With that, Yeon-joo moved to engage the monsters. Thanks to Jae-rim and Chan-hee’s efforts, the monsters attacking their table were already eliminated.

 

However, the problem was that there wasn’t just one monster. Similar creatures were attacking Hunters across the banquet hall, and lower-tier teams were overwhelmed.

 

The monsters resembled crustaceans that belonged in the sea. Their hard, shell-like backs were complemented by massive, conical, drill-like claws that spun rapidly as they attacked.

 

Joo-ah, watching the battle unfold beyond the glass barrier, lowered her gaze. Below her position, she spotted the outline of another monster.

 

Without Yeon-joo’s ice barrier, it would have posed a direct threat to her.

 

“Help… Help me!”

 

A desperate male voice echoed nearby.

 

Joo-ah turned to see a low-tier Hunter cowering in fear. His team members had already been mercilessly attacked and lay sprawled on the ground. In front of him stood a towering monster.

 

All around the banquet hall, similar scenes of peril unfolded as Hunters struggled to fend off the high-ranking monsters.

 

Meanwhile, the event staff swiftly evacuated the premises while the Hunters fought the creatures.

 

Joo-ah shifted her gaze to her own team. For them, A-rank monsters weren’t particularly challenging.

 

Though the sheer number of enemies was troublesome, the impact on their stamina and mana was negligible.

 

“Argh!”

 

The man, cornered by the monster, screamed and shut his eyes tightly. The creature’s massive, drill-like claw descended toward him.

 

Crack!

 

A faint shield materialized around him, buying him precious seconds before the monster’s attack broke through.

 

Taking advantage of the moment, the man dodged and struck back, launching a lightning-enhanced attack at the monster’s head.

 

While his abilities were weak, and the temporary boost was minor, the lightning proved devastating due to the monster’s water affinity.

 

A direct hit rendered the creature incapacitated.

 

Observing from afar, Joo-ah examined the man’s system window:

 

Attack: 486 (+38)

Defense: 392 (+35)

 

His attack and defense had temporarily spiked, likely due to Joo-ah’s reinforcement magic.

 

She had cast the magic to test its range and effectiveness—and was satisfied with the result. Despite the distance, her spell had connected seamlessly, and the man’s enhanced stats performed admirably.

 

“Who’s that E-rank even supporting?” Chan-hee scoffed, his gaze fixed on Joo-ah.

 

“Instead of helping her own team, the E-rank is throwing buffs at some random group. Do you like them better or something?”

 

Joo-ah furrowed her brow, meeting his gaze. “I helped them because they seemed to need it more,” she replied.

 

Chan-hee snorted, unimpressed. Gripping an approaching monster’s head, he slammed it against the wall with brute force.

 

Crash!

 

The impact left the wall in ruins, and the monster was defeated without Chan-hee even using any abilities.

 

“Sure, go ahead and keep helping other teams,” he remarked, hands casually in his pockets. “Just don’t come crying to us when you’re in trouble.”

 

Joo-ah scowled and opened her inventory, pulling out a Low-tier Mana Potion she had purchased using magic stones earned from her second awakening.

 

Mana: 193 / 193 (+30)

 

Seeing this, Chan-hee let out a mocking laugh. “Smart. Well, do whatever you want, then.”

 

Joo-ah shot back, “It was one assist, and you’re picking a fight over it? What’s your problem? Are you short on stamina? Is that why you’re so cranky?”

 

She glanced at Chan-hee’s system window, noting his health had barely dropped by 17 points, with nearly untouched mana reserves.

 

“Didn’t they teach you at the academy that protecting your own team is the priority when monsters attack?” he quipped.

 

“I know, but our team doesn’t seem to need my help,” she retorted.

 

Their bickering was interrupted by Yeon-joo, who froze a nearby monster into an ice sculpture.

 

“Stop arguing and focus on dealing with the endless wave of monsters.”

 

Jae-rim, wielding a high-tier longsword, cut through another creature. The area around them was already littered with defeated monsters, yet they continued to emerge relentlessly.

 

Despite their concerns, the chaos appeared confined to the banquet hall, with the area outside remaining eerily calm.

 

“Maybe we’re stuck fighting these until the dispatched team kills the boss,” Chan-hee mused aloud.

 

Yeon-joo grimaced. “Are you saying we’ll be here all day unless they finish the job? What if they fail?”

 

She suggested they leave and handle the boss themselves, but Jae-rim’s calm voice stopped her.

 

“I doubt it’ll take that long,” he said.

 

Yeon-joo frowned. “What makes you say that? A boss at this rank won’t go down easily.”

 

Jae-rim responded, “Even if we go, we’ll be too late. The elite unit must already be on it.”

 

Yeon-joo gave him a questioning look, and he elaborated.

 

“The gate likely opened on the upper floors of the sixth tower.”