Sung Jinwoo's magic perception was no less sharp than Cha Hae-in's.
Sensing a surge of powerful magic that vanished almost as soon as it appeared, he knew his intervention wasn't needed.
Still, to avoid being left completely out of the action, he sped up his movements.
After clearing roughly sixty percent of the flying monsters, he swiftly descended underground, leaving his Shadow Army to continue the battle in the skies.
Just before landing, he split off his main ground forces to reinforce the other hunters first.
What else could he do? He was genuinely starving.
Gobbling up every monster in the sky wouldn't be enough to sate him; even adding those on the ground might only net him a couple of levels at best.
Cha Hae-in knew Sung Jinwoo grew stronger with every battle, but she wasn't aware his special constitution required him to slay monsters.
So, the moment he assessed the situation underground, he made a beeline for the Monarch of Plagues.
"Mind if I take this one?"
Blocking a sharp, spiked limb that shot from behind the Monarch, Sung Jinwoo made his request.
"I suppose that's fine…"
Cha Hae-in felt a bit puzzled.
While she'd initially held some bias against him, their sparring sessions and time together had shown her he wasn't the type to chase glory or loot.
Yet, whether it was the insect horde earlier or the Monarch of Plagues now, Sung Jinwoo seemed… unusually eager.
"Thanks."
Sung Jinwoo knew his behavior didn't match her impression of him, but he didn't mind.
Making a mental note of this 'experience-point favor,' he charged forward, meeting the Monarch's furious rage head-on.
The Monarch of Plagues was truly incensed.
If it were Castorice, who far surpassed her, or even Cha Hae-in, who was a cut above, discussing who would finish her off, she might have felt a touch of tragic despair.
But… who the hell are you?
The Monarch could tell the man before her possessed formidable magic power, but even that terrifying strength was slightly inferior to her own. And yet, here he was, picking a fight.
Wait… something's off?
"The Monarch of Shadows?!"
Although the area was saturated with the underworld's aura of death emanating from Castorice, even death auras differed between individuals.
It might be hard to tell from a distance, but with Sung Jinwoo standing right there, the distinction was immediately apparent.
"Ashborn! Have you betrayed us?!"
Sung Jinwoo couldn't be bothered to acknowledge her accusation. He had zero interest in getting acquainted with the Monarch of Shadows's old acquaintances.
Given he'd likely been used as a sacrifice for the Monarch's rebirth, he naturally held no goodwill toward any Monarch.
Without the aid and coordination of the Monarch of Plagues, Beru was no different from a cockroach in human eyes to Cha Hae-in—something to be casually swatted.
After first severing Beru's limbs with two sword strikes, Cha Hae-in finished it with a final, vertical slash downward.
The second to finish their opponent was the team from Japan.
With Beru's death, the Ant Queen let out a series of anguished howls, her movements becoming severely distorted.
Seizing the opportunity, Goto Ryuji dismembered her limbs, turning her into an immobile target.
That left… only Sung Jinwoo, still locked in fierce combat.
The enemy was stronger than him—but only from a magic power perspective.
In truth, Sung Jinwoo didn't consider his own magic power particularly impressive. His battles had always relied on his physical stats, the attributes he primarily focused on enhancing.
After all, magic was of limited use to him. Aside from employing the Ruler's Authority and his weapon skills, it was only needed for the initial summoning of his army.
His army now had an established framework. They were no longer private soldiers whose 'pay' (magic) was shouldered entirely by him; they fed on the underworld's magic instead.
In other words, Sung Jinwoo only needed to cover the cost of summoning the army.
The magic required for their combat and resurrection was entirely supplied by the infinite reserves of the underworld.
As for the Ruler's Authority and weapon skills, their consumption was manageable, easily replenished with mana potions.
Under these circumstances, he naturally paid little attention to the magic power attribute.
Judging Sung Jinwoo's current combat strength solely by his magic power would be a grave mistake.
Watching Sung Jinwoo grow more exhilarated with each exchange, Castorice shifted her focus.
She gathered the others. "Once Hunter Sung's fight concludes, our mission this time will be considered a complete success."
"Yes, thank you for everything, Hunter Castorice."
Goto Ryuji glanced at the nearby battle, a shiver running down his spine.
He even began to think their so-called plan had been meaningless. If they had just sent Castorice, Cha Hae-in, and Sung Jinwoo, they could have bulldozed through everything without any intricate strategy.
'Is this the true power of a National-Level Hunter? Have I been a frog at the bottom of a well all along?'
The thought was enough to shatter his confidence.
He had always believed the only difference between himself and a National-Level Hunter was that he hadn't cleared an S-Rank Gate.
Yet, the performance of these three seemed to mock him, 'You are indeed a cut above S-Rank, but in the end, you're still just S-Rank.'
He wasn't the only one. The other Japanese hunters shared similar thoughts.
The Goto Ryuji-sama they believed invincible… perhaps wasn't as unbeatable as they had imagined.
Shimizu Akari let out a sigh. "Castorice-chan and Hae-in-chan's strength… it's completely beyond my comprehension. National-Level… Can humans truly be this powerful?"
Cha Hae-in wasn't sure how to respond.
After all, she didn't know the strength of other National-Level Hunters, and just a few days ago, she had been weaker than Goto himself.
"National-Level is not solely a symbol of absolute power," Castorice explained with a gentle smile.
"However, all National-Level Hunters share one common ability—an ability that Goto-sama has not yet mastered."
"A common ability?"
This piqued not only Shimizu Akari's curiosity but also had Goto and the other hunters perking up their ears.
"Among the current National-Level Hunters, excluding the healing-type hunter, all four possess the ability to exert force on an object without physically touching it," Castorice elaborated.
This was, in fact, the Ruler's Authority, one of the abilities granted by the Fragment of Brilliant Light.
These four were all beings possessed by a Fragment of Brilliant Light, hence they shared this power.
The Monarch of Shadows, having fallen from a Fragment of Brilliant Light to a Fragment of Darkness, also possessed this ability, and Sung Jinwoo wielded it with masterful skill.
The others naturally realized this too, their gazes turning toward the battling Sung Jinwoo with shock.
"He… is also a National-Level Hunter?" Goto's voice was hoarse.
He immediately recognized his question was foolish. Being able to engage in a fight he couldn't even intervene in was proof enough.
And yet…
Goto's eyes settled on Castorice.
Even Sung Jinwoo, and Cha Hae-in who had suppressed that female-looking magical beast even more brutally, subtly regarded this purple-haired girl as their center.
Moreover… just a few days prior, that Dancer didn't possess her current overwhelming strength.
Could it be… that there truly existed an ability in this world that could make hunters stronger?
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.