Infinite Evolution Hunter - Chapter 50

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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50
I requested the Awakener Management Bureau to assign me the subjugation of an entire city. Given my considerable contributions thus far, they approved the somewhat audacious request without difficulty. As my abilities grew and my accomplishments accumulated, such requests became possible, and everything became far more convenient.
I rode toward my destination in a large vehicle designed for hunting. The bus-like vehicle had two thick steel plates attached in a triangular formation to its front, allowing it to push through most obstacles. Its ten tires were made of special materials that wouldn’t puncture. Thanks to various hunting-useful functions and equipment that could serve as a Base Camp, the vehicle was extraordinarily heavy. The fuel efficiency was abysmal, but I had plenty of mana stones, so it didn’t matter.
The mana stone engine in this vehicle was different from the one used in submarines. Since it only used a portion of the total energy the mana stone possessed, its efficiency was poor. However, compared to other fuels, it was extremely lightweight and excellent at producing output, which is why it was commonly used in large vehicles and high-end cars.
“The road is completely overgrown with vegetation.”
Yang Sang-heon scanned left and right as he drove.
North Korean Territory had already been devastated, teeming with wild animals and monsters. The roads were in terrible condition, and half the buildings had collapsed.
“The people were pushed back by monsters and fled.”
Over the past ten years, the Korean Government and the Awakener Management Bureau had gradually restored the region, and now approximately half of Hwanghae Province had been recovered. The goal of this subjugation was to restore the area from the current border line to Pyongyang. That corresponded to ten percent of North Korean Territory’s total area. Considering we’d only cleared ten percent of the entire area so far, it was quite an ambitious plan.
“Yang Sang-heon, slow down. There are goblins at ten o’clock.”
With my superior eyesight, I spotted the goblin horde first and tapped Yang Sang-heon’s shoulder.
“I’ll handle them.”
Bae Na-young stepped onto the circular platform in the center of the vehicle, and as the ceiling opened, she rose upward.
She extended her wand toward the goblin horde rushing forward like a pack of dogs and cast Corruption.
Bae Na-young’s eyes glowed as the aura spreading from her wand engulfed the goblin horde.
The charging goblins clawed at their faces and bodies in agony.
Yang Sang-heon and I were accustomed to this, but the five brothers riding with us froze completely at the overwhelming display.
After approximately a hundred goblins collapsed to the ground, Bae Na-young lowered her wand and threw a marker requesting the collection of mana stones and byproducts.
“Let’s go.”
Bae Na-young descended and linked her arm with mine. The five brothers, who had been chattering until moments before, fell completely silent.
We arrived at the Designated City and parked the vehicle in an open area.
“This region has been authorized exclusively for us by the Awakener Management Bureau. I’ve deliberately arranged an easier location for you, so don’t worry. Now, let’s equip ourselves. Begin.”
I handed the five brothers beginner Hunter equipment manufactured by Rigen.
Except for the youngest, Noh Chang-hee, I gave everyone a one-handed sword and shield. For Noh Chang-hee, I provided a rifle capable of firing special bullets infused with mana.
“Huh? Brother, your suit changed?”
Yang Sang-heon noticed my suit had changed.
“Yeah. My previous one was completely destroyed fighting Helen.”
The damage was too severe for repair. I’d thought it would last longer, but it didn’t even last half a year.
“This one is made from ordinary fairy wings. It’s just for covering my body.”
“You should wear armor like this too, brother.”
Yang Sang-heon tapped his own armor as he spoke.
“It doesn’t mean much for me.”
It was a problem I needed to think about more carefully. In my previous life, I’d never directly fought an S-rank Hunter, so I’d thought merely strengthening my body would suffice. But in reality, they were far more powerful than I’d anticipated.
Because I possessed an A-rank hardened body, I’d managed to survive Helen’s attacks, but I couldn’t completely block her crude assaults. If I wrapped myself in a life force aura, I could defend, but with my current technique’s completion level and total life force, the waste would be too severe.
“Everyone, pay attention.”
I drew the five brothers’ attention away from examining their equipment.
“This region contains a Giant Ant lair. They’re weaker than goblins and not humanoid, so you shouldn’t feel much resistance about killing them. However, their numbers are so vast that they shouldn’t be underestimated. Watch out for their sharp legs and mouths, as well as the acidic liquid they spray. Now, let’s depart.”
Giant Ants were approximately one meter in length, and if one stayed alert, even ordinary people could defeat them without much difficulty. However, their numbers were so enormous that carelessness could result in being devoured without a trace. They were the perfect opponents for the novice five brothers.
“What? We’re leaving right now?”
Yu President asked.
“Let’s go right now. What are you doing here? You won’t die if you come with me. Na-young and Sang-heon are hunting separately.”
“See you later, oppa.”
“Boss, take it easy on us. Easy.”
Bae Na-young infused mana into her cloak and soared away using levitation magic, while Yang Sang-heon rode off on the motorcycle he’d stashed under the vehicle.
Finally, I led the five brothers to search for Giant Ants. I’d brought both a motorcycle and a four-seater ATV, but since that wouldn’t provide proper training, we marched on foot instead.
“Huff… huff…”
Weighed down by equipment and backpacks, Yu President and Noh Jin-woo—the relatively larger of the group—were breathing hard.
“Tsk tsk… with stamina like that.”
Still, I had no intention of letting them rest.
“Move faster or I’ll kick you.”
I followed behind them, barking threats.
After I actually kicked them a few times, they trudged forward despite sweating profusely.
“Don’t you see ahead? Monsters are coming.”
When I spoke to those distracted by watching the ground, all five heads snapped up simultaneously.
Ten Giant Ants were descending from the hill.
“Go. Attack.”
The four warriors raised their shields and stepped forward.
Yu President blocked the ant’s leg with his shield while bringing his sword down on its head. It wasn’t that durable—it shattered in one blow, spraying pale green fluid across him.
The other three warriors dispatched their ants without difficulty.
“There’s a gap on the side! Don’t just watch one—see the whole formation!”
“Yes!”
“Chang-hee! Why aren’t you shooting? Are you waiting until all your brothers are dead?”
“Ah… no, sir!”
Noh Chang-hee fired at the ants, but he closed his eyes right before pulling the trigger. Since he wouldn’t watch through to the end, he couldn’t even activate his skill, and the mana-infused bullets either fell around the ants or missed their vital points. His potential was the highest, but this cowardice made it meaningless.
Somehow, we managed to dispatch all ten ants.
Number Two Nam Si-hwan and Versatile Eight Jung Min-woo were scratched by the ants’ front legs.
“Here, use the potions from the bag to heal.”
“Are we allowed to use these?”
Yu President, aware of the potions’ expensive price, asked.
“Of course. Did you think I’d have you keep fighting while injured? Regroup quickly. We don’t know when more ants will appear.”
As the five brothers hurriedly reorganized, more ants appeared.
“From now on, the four frontline warriors drop your swords and hold only shields.”
“What? Why?”
Min-woo asked.
“Training. Chang-hee, if you don’t shoot, your brothers will keep getting hit by ants over there.”
“What? I can’t do this! Boss, please give me one more chance!”
Noh Chang-hee grabbed my pant leg.
“If you don’t shoot soon, your brothers all die?”
I shook my leg and brushed Chang-hee off.
“Chang-hee! Don’t worry about us!”
Yu President shouted. The four of them held their shields against the ants with grim determination, but from my perspective, they were merely playing with creatures of comparable strength.
Still, they fought with desperation in their own way. They pushed back the ants with their shields and struck downward, but the insects’ sharp legs left scratches across their bodies, drawing blood.
Noh Chang-hee glanced back and forth between me and his brothers surrounded by the swarm.
“Ugh…argh!”
Bang!
He fired. I couldn’t risk hitting his brothers at close range, so I had no choice but to curve the bullet—which meant I had to watch it all the way through.
The mana bullet flew past Yu President’s left side, curved smoothly beyond him, and struck the ant’s head dead center.
“Oh!”
The bullet pierced through the ant’s skull and struck Si-hwan’s thigh.
“Gah!”
“Brother! Ugh!”
Seeing the blood, Noh Chang-hee retched, and the four surrounded hunters fell into panic.
“There’s still a long way to go.”
I sighed, but I had to endure it—investing now would pay dividends later.
I gathered life force aura in my fingertips and fired, eliminating the ants.
Shooting life force through my fingers was a technique I’d acquired after learning aura manipulation from Paul. Currently, I could only compress it to the size of a ping-pong ball, barely enough to hunt low-rank monsters. I needed to practice compressing it further to increase power and range. Besides, there was no point wasting time while the five brothers trained—I might as well train myself in the meantime.
“Regroup. They sent out a signal before dying, so more will keep coming.”
Giant Ants emit a strong pheromone signal before death. Once the nest receives that signal, they continuously send reinforcements, making it dangerous to linger at a hunting site. But we stayed put to continue hunting.
I watched the five brothers pull out potions and regroup, then sat on a rock to wait.
When the next swarm arrived, their numbers had increased to twenty.
“The four frontliners are permitted to use their own skills in combat. Think about and feel how your skills manifest from your body. And focus.”
Yu President cast Gigantification. The armor was designed with this in mind and stretched flexibly. However, the actual defensive plates remained unchanged, so the proportion of protected area decreased. Standing three meters tall now, he struck down at the ants with proportionally enhanced strength.
The problem was that Gigantification didn’t suit fighting small ants. All it did was expand the surface area he could be attacked on. Sure enough, he was getting scratched and bitten all over.
Nam Si-hwan screamed to startle the ants, but creatures without ears couldn’t be harmed by sound. Instead, he succeeded only in breaking the concentration of his fighting brothers.
Jin-woo summoned a dog familiar, but it was smaller than the ants and was devoured in a single bite.
Min-woo shaped his hands into a hammer and struck at the ants. He was the most effective of the four.
The five brothers struggled for hours. When things got dangerous, I shot aura from my fingertips to protect them from critical situations.
And finally, Noh Chang-hee began to fulfill his role properly.
Noh Chang-hee retched several times, watching the ant corpses spray body fluids and seeing his comrades’ blood. His face turned pale from it, making him less useful, but seeing his brothers suffer in pain, he gritted his teeth and picked up his gun.
Mental fortitude varies from person to person, so I was prepared to give up if Noh Chang-hee couldn’t overcome this, but fortunately he did.
Once Noh Chang-hee played his part properly, the ants were no longer a match. I just had to hold them back from reaching him for a moment, and he’d take care of them all from a distance.
“Yu President and Noh Chang-hee hunt separately now. If there are too many, you can retreat, but don’t come back until you’ve caught five hundred.”
Noh Chang-hee could handle it alone, but when his mana ran out, he’d need someone to protect him. For that, Yu President would need to fully utilize his abilities. Five hundred was probably pushing it, but I set the bar high anyway.
“Hunter Lee Ji-seok, please look after my younger brothers.”
Yu President bowed and left with Noh Chang-hee.
“The rest of you, prepare. They’ll come here again.”
With five of them, they were already covered in blood. With only three, the situation grew worse.
I repeated the cycle: when they were near death or I judged combat impossible, I’d finish the ants myself, let them regroup, then send them back out.
I deliberately chose easier ants, yet they still struggled. The road ahead was longer than I’d anticipated.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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