The Late Game Healer Is Way Too Strong – Chapter 213

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟏𝟑: 𝐇𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 3

A gauntlet that feels like it could cut flesh just by grazing it struck the White Tiger’s face and abdomen several times.

━Creurrung!

Its sharp teeth and heavy front paws struck incessantly.

Choi Dae-soo dodged each time by a hair’s breadth, or he would deflect the attacks by materializing a shield and then immediately step into the monster’s embrace to swing his fists.

His fists alone, reinforced by magic power, boasted tremendous strength, but once he equipped the artifact gauntlets, their destructive power became unspeakably potent.

One punch shattered the White Tiger’s jaw, another crushed its shoulder.

Its body was made of magic power, so it would eventually recover, but that didn’t mean it was free from pain.

The summoned beast was in a state of complete dismay, as its attacks seemed to have no effect, and the opponent’s fists continued to sap away at its magic power.

“It would have been better if we weren’t in the city center.”

Choi Dae-soo regretted that his movements felt sluggish and awkward.

It was like driving a sports car that could go 450 kilometers per hour on a road with a speed limit of 60 kilometers.

Of course, he had evacuated the people, so it didn’t matter if some buildings collapsed, but that didn’t mean he could go around destroying them as he pleased.

‘𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. . . 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴.’

Choi Dae-soo was a man who prioritized the interests of the nation.

However, rather than being a patriot, he was a man of ambition who saw his own greed as being in line with the interests of the nation, and he was willing to use any means necessary to achieve that end.

“The 30 seconds I promised are almost up. Let’s wrap this up, shall we?”

A surge of energy emanated from Choi Dae-soo’s body.

It was a heavy, forceful aura, as if to demonstrate what it meant to control space.

The White Tiger, being a magical construct, was the first to notice the change.

It instinctively sensed that it could not withstand the energy emanating from its opponent, and it soared high into the sky.

“Hoo hoo hoo, a cute trick.”

Choi Dae-soo let out a twisted laugh as he watched the White Tiger flee into the distance.

Then, he removed the gauntlets and manifested another artifact.

The Black Eye, a portable surface-to-air missile developed for Choi Dae-soo, the world’s number one ranker, by the ‘Lockheed Martin.’

Unlike ordinary surface-to-air missiles that track targets using infrared or ultraviolet light, it was a hunter-exclusive item that used an internal algorithm to detect magic power.

Choi Dae-soo placed the Black Eye on his shoulder and used the antenna to capture the target’s movements.

The White Tiger’s form came into view within firing range.

“I can only fire one shot a day, but it can’t be helped.”

It was an artifact that consumed a vast amount of magic power, and it took 24 hours to cool down after manifesting a missile within the Black Eye itself.

But its power was guaranteed.

Choi Dae-soo poured his magic power into the artifact.

Three or four times more magic power than other items drained away in an instant.

Whi━━━ring!

A fierce whirring sound could be heard, like a large engine revving up.

The algorithmically manifested missile shot out flames and soared into the sky like a bolt of lightning.

ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ!!!

There was a tremendous explosion in the distance where the White Tiger had been a mere dot.

Choi Dae-soo knew that it had been shot down, and he deactivated the artifact.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

“What’s that piece of rag?”

Choi Dae-soo asked, looking at the ‘rag’ at Siwoo’s feet.

“What else? It’s Diakan or something.”

“He’s pretty tough to still be alive.”

“It’s not that he’s not dead, it’s that I didn’t kill him.”

The bloodied Diakan muttered incoherently, drooling.

“Has he gone mad?”

“I asked him a few questions and he became like that. I asked him gently.”

“Heh heh. It would have been luckier for him to die by my hand. Now he’s neither alive nor dead. Is there any other information?”

Choi Dae-soo lit a new cigarette.

The cigarette he had been smoking earlier had been torn to shreds by the White Tiger’s front paws during their fight.

Siwoo shook his head at the question.

“No special information. The only thing I heard was that there was someone else leading this operationㅡa guy named Penelshul.”

“I’ve never heard of that name. So, is this Diakan guy Penelshul’s subordinate?”

“No, they’re both at the same level, but Diakan made a mistake and was punished and removed from the operation. So, he’s helping Penelshul.”

As he listened to Siwoo’s explanation, Choi Dae-soo took a deep drag of his cigarette, trying to calm the emotions that had been boiling inside him.

To him, the organization known as 〈Pandemonium〉 was more than just an enemy.

They had dared to commit acts of terrorism in his own country, the Republic of Korea, and put innocent citizens at risk.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘯 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴.’

Just as Choi Dae-soo lived for his cause, they too lived for their cause.

The only difference was that their cause was for the Demon King, while Choi Dae-soo’s cause was for himself.

“Were you able to figure out the operation that Diakan was carrying out?”

“More or less. He was the one who ordered all the S-rank Gates. He was also the one who ordered the capture of HSIU. Of course, I’ll need to read his memories to get the details.”

“Hmph. I feel like blowing his head off right here.”

Choi Dae-soo gritted his teeth, thinking about the social costs and the sacrifices of the Hunters due to the recent Gate incidents.

Hundreds of hunters must have died because of those fanatic Demon King worshippers.

“Let’s take care of the remaining Guardians first and then talk again.”

“Let’s do that. Which way are you going?”

“Well, I’ll go this way, and you go that way.”

Siwoo pointed in a direction with his finger.

It seemed like a random gesture, but it was actually pinpointing two places with high concentrations of magic power.

“Got it. Let’s meet up after we’re done.”

“Sounds good.”

Siwoo grabbed Diakan by the scruff of the neck and kicked his legs out from under him.

‘𝘏𝘦’𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.’

Choi Dae-soo watched him for a moment, then took to the air himself to deal with the remaining Guardians.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

“Hey, did those two get into a fight? The atmosphere is so bad.”

Chu Ha-min turned his head and asked the others.

As usual, Lee Ye-ji kept her mouth shut with a cold expression, while Hwang Jeong-gu frowned and replied.

“It’s not like that.”

“It’s not like that? It’s not like that, my foot. Hunter Hwang’s face says it all.”

“Oh, well. . .”

Hwang Jeong-gu waved his hand dismissively, as if he didn’t want to talk about it.

“I don’t know if you fought or not, but let’s not let emotions get in the way of the operation. You’re all top-rank Hunters, so you won’t make any mistakes due to personal feelings.”

“I understand, Hunter Chu.”

“Sure.”

Lee Ye-ji nodded in agreement after Hwang Jeong-gu.

She didn’t even turn her head towards Hwang Jeong-gu, and neither did he towards her.

“By the way, is there any way to fight that construct? If Hunter Lee Ye-ji takes command, Hunter Hwang and I will follow.”

“Well, it looks like it’s too big to destroy the core.”

“That’s true. Hunter Hwang is more of a long-range supporter, and I’m somewhere between a tanker and a melee dealer.”

Chu Ha-min scratched his head and replied.

He was good at fighting humanoid monsters or multiple monsters, but he wasn’t very good at fighting large monsters like that.

“Then, would you attack the area near the core? I’ll send my puppets in after that to reach the core and detonate them.”

“Hmm. That seems to be the most realistic way. What do you think, Hunter Hwang?”

“. . .Sounds good.”

“Okay.”

Chu Ha-min poked his head out to get a better look at the current position of the Vermilion Bird.

‘𝘈𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺.’

He tried to take in the whole situation at a glance, considering the distance to the monster and the surrounding terrain.

“We’ll draw its attention, so send your puppets in a second after that.”

Chu Ha-min opened his dantian and drew upon his magic power.

[Asura: Vajra Fury]

A magic circle appeared, and a crimson armor made of magic power enveloped his body, forming a solid shape.

“I’ll go first, Hunter Hwang.”

The Vermilion Bird was perched on top of a car, preening its feathers with its beak.

Chu Ha-min kicked off the ground and shot towards it like an arrow.

A streak of red light flashed, and the Vermilion Bird quickly took to the air.

However, Chu Ha-min’s movement was faster.

Kwang!!

His clenched fist slammed into the Vermilion Bird’s torso with a tremendous sound.

━Kwaaak!!

The Vermilion Bird shrieked, its face contorting in surprise at the unexpectedly powerful blow.

It was just a cry, but it was so infused with magic power that it caused pain in his ears.

“Damn you, you damn bird!”

Hwang Jeong-gu, who had followed close behind, drew six knives from his pocket and hurled them at the creature.

The knives, which slithered like snakes, avoided obstacles and stabbed into the Vermilion Bird’s body here and there.

Seeing that their teamwork was working well, Chu Ha-min was about to punch it again when,

Fwoosh!

A huge flame erupted around the Vermilion Bird, burning Hwang Jeong-gu’s knives to a crisp.

“Damn it, how much did those cost!”

Hwang Jeong-gu used his psychokinesis to throw the fragments of the broken vehicles around him at the Vermilion Bird instead of the melted knives.

He couldn’t let the creature take the initiative in the attack.

He had to keep its attention and force it to defend itself, so that it would forget about Lee Ye-ji and focus all its magic power on defense.

Watching Hwang Jeong-gu relentlessly attack the creature with his psychokinesis, Chu Ha-min began to search for the spot where the flames were weakest.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘵.’

He poured more magic power into his armor and charged towards it.

The blazing flames clung to his body, but only for a moment.

As soon as Chu Ha-min faced the Vermilion Bird beyond the wall of fire, he thrust his fist into it with all his might.

Paaak!!

The flames subsided under the enormous air pressure, revealing the Vermilion Bird’s body, half-collapsed.

Thud.

Chu Ha-min’s body instantly stiffened.

The Vermilion Bird’s furious gaze and powerful aura pressed down on him, making it hard to breathe.

The Vermilion Bird’s huge claws pierced Chu Ha-min’s stomach and sent him flying far away.

Hwang Jeong-gu roared and charged towards the Vermilion Bird.

Raging fury clouded his reason.

But before his attack could reach it, the Vermilion Bird’s tail lashed out like a whip, sending Hwang Jeong-gu crashing to the ground.

He had thought he was doing well against it.

In just 1 second, two hunters had been taken out.

Lee Ye-ji bit her lip.

But even so, now that its body was half-collapsed, it might be their last chance.

She manipulated the puppets that she had manifested in advance.

The puppets rushed in like bullets and attached themselves to the Vermilion Bird’s body.

[Puppeteer: Liberation]

ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡKuu-ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡung!!

A tremendous explosion erupted, as if it would destroy the entire area, as magic power clashed with magic power.

Chu Ha-min staggered to his feet, his mind still reeling.

The excruciating pain from his pierced stomach was enough to make him lose consciousness, but the outcome of the mission was more important.

But then.

The Vermilion Bird’s body, which he had thought would be dead, was being restored.

“Damn it. . . Did it not reach the core. . .”

Chu Ha-min spat out blood and continued speaking, as if he were about to collapse.

It was a complete miscalculation.

If there was no one to draw its attention until the reinforcements arrived, the Vermilion Bird would wreak havoc by rampaging around.

Not only that, but if there was someone behind the scenes controlling the Vermilion Bird, they might order it to attack the shelter where the civilians had been evacuated.

The flames blazing from the Vermilion Bird’s body boiled and melted the ground around it in an instant.

Chu Ha-min looked for Hwang Jeong-gu and Lee Ye-ji.

He needed to reassess the situation and come up with a plan.

But then, Chu Ha-min’s eyes caught sight of someone he had never expected to see.

“Wh. . . What are you doing here?”

“Hoo. You mean I’m not welcome here?”

Choi Dae-soo asked him back, a long spear slung over his shoulder.

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