I Stole the Number One Ranker’s Soul 165

Episode 166

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Sergeant Tom Smith, an A-class combat hunter belonging to the U.S. Federal Hunter Management Bureau.

He was never one to be ignored no matter where he went, and he lived with great pride in his own power, but after awakening, he had never felt as helpless as he did today.

Upon receiving a sudden dispatch order in the early morning, I arrived at the operation site and saw a hell I had never seen before.

Although I had some understanding of the situation through the system messages I checked and the brief operation outline I received before departure, actually seeing it with my own eyes upon arrival was on a completely different level.

“How the fuck are we supposed to stop this!”

Sent straight to the operation site without any time for briefing, the only order he received was to stop the monsters that had been unleashed from the dungeon and were attacking private homes.

This is nonsense.

How do we stop this?

What Tom felt in front of a swarm of monsters that seemed to be hundreds of times larger than his allies was a feeling of pure despair.

If it had been a normal strategy, the guys who would have looked like prey looked like devils jumping out of the gates of hell.

Overwhelming numerical disadvantage.

And the gap was getting wider.

This was because monsters were literally pouring out endlessly from the dungeon in front of me.

While I was distracted by the enemy in front of me, an eerie energy suddenly came from above my head.

As Tom hurriedly escaped the spot, a huge monster that looked twice his size slammed into the spot.

If I hadn’t dodged, at least my head or upper body would have been blown away.

Tom, who narrowly escaped death, suddenly had fear in his eyes.

The monster seemed to have read that and laughed in a creepy way.

“Kyaaaak kikikick! “Kikit!”

This is my first time on a battlefield like this.

This was my first time fighting like this.

Since the dungeon strategy was established to some extent, hunters have rarely felt ‘danger’ while conquering the dungeon.

Rather than risking his life to fight against an unknown monster, his life was closer to that of a fisherman who went on an ocean fishing boat, caught fish, and returned.

I thought that such peace would last forever.

I heard a rumor that there was a hunter who claimed that ‘monsters will be liberated from the dungeon’, but the stable life that took over my whole body blocked my eyes and ears.

It felt like a distant story, like scientists’ claims that we must protect the environment because the Earth will become polluted and soon uninhabitable.

I thought it was nonsense.

Even if it wasn’t nonsense, why would they have to take the loss by closing the dungeon?

Wouldn’t it be okay to close it after we’ve seen enough benefits?

There are no immediate danger signs, so are you willing to take a loss by believing a single claim from a lunatic?

That’s crazy.

I should have believed that fucking nonsense.

“Damn it…”

After defeating one monster with difficulty, I raised my head and saw a group of monsters flying through the siege.

Those scattered in all directions would definitely attack the house, but there was no power to stop them.

No, there was no siege in the first place. .

“When will support come? At least give me an order to retreat!”

The hunter who came and fought before Tom screamed. Was his name Bill? I

understood his feelings, but Tom gritted his teeth and protested.

“Are you crazy? If we retreat, everyone here will die!”

“It’s better than us all dying! Damn it, I can’t fight much longer in this condition. I’m leaving.”

With those words, Bill took out the scroll and tore

it up. Tom cursed.

Similar things were happening all over the battlefield.

Thanks to Bill’s departure, the monster attacks on Tom doubled. I’m going to

die. I’m going to die if this continues. .

Should I break away too?

Just when that temptation arose, a flash of water flew from behind and pierced the chest of the monster in front of Tom.

“Sergeant Tom, please hold on just a little longer!”

“James!”

Hunter, who seemed to have just arrived and was quite energetic compared to Tom, came out to support him.

There were as many new hunters being replenished on the battlefield as the hunters leaving. It was fortunate.

“Even if we can supplement the staff, this is not possible. Have you heard anything about additional support?”

“I heard that they will be applying as military personnel.”

As if to prove that statement, troops armed with tanks and heavy weapons appeared throughout the battlefield.

I came right here using the moving scroll.

Then, a fighter jet was seen flying overhead accompanied by a whistling sound.

Tom’s face darkened again after a moment of hope for additional support.

No matter how armed he is, he is not a hunter but an ordinary person.

Their reflexes could not keep up with the speed of the nimble monster.

In an instant, soldiers were fatally wounded and left the battlefield one after another.

The good news was that the tank was doing its job.

It seemed like we could have some expectations for fighter jets as well.

But Tom’s face hardened again at what followed.

“uh? Wait, why are they leaving? James: Why are the tanks leaving?”

Tanks that had been helpful in the battle at best suddenly began to disappear one by one.

When Tom pressed in embarrassment, James responded with a bitter expression.

“It’s not just here that there’s an uproar. “It seems like they were sent to a place with higher priority because they were tested and their combat capabilities were proven.”

what? Priority? “Is there anywhere more urgent than here?”

“There are dungeons near New York and Washington….”

“What a piece of shit!”

Tom now understood how the situation was going.

He had vaguely guessed it from the system messages, but this wasn’t the only place where monsters roamed.

The situation here was a bit better because the houses were far away.

Like in New York, Washington, and California. It was scary to think that the same situation was happening in a place with high population density. It

wasn’t that I couldn’t understand the decision of the higher-ups, but understanding it with my head and feeling the anger in my heart were two different issues. ”

But there’s no need to get rid of everything, right? ?”

“haha.”

James just smiled dryly and busily used his skills.

A melee was going on, so even aiming the skill was difficult.

James gathered his magic power and fired a shot at the monster that was descending vertically, aiming for Tom’s head.

It was a pretty strong skill, but the guy was fine, just faltering for a moment.

The grade seemed to be quite high.

“There was a village over there. “I guess I’ll assume that all the people over there are dead.”

Tom muttered gloomily.

I saw monsters flying in groups.

“But it seems like fighter jets are still sortieing. Isn’t that a good thing?”

James made an effort to express a positive opinion.

Tom agreed, but he didn’t know when those fighter jets would be sent to the big city.

The reason why fighter jets, unlike tanks, continued to support this place was because there was an Air Force flight range nearby.

“Damn, should I be thankful for that? James du!”

While my attention was focused on the guy descending from above, another guy attacked James.

I tried to urgently assist, but the monster was much faster.

Fresh blood spurted from James’ back.

James’ complexion suddenly worsened and he took out a scroll with trembling hands.

“I’m sorry Sergeant Tom. “I will leave first.”

Tom looked at the empty spot where James had disappeared as if he had erased it, and again let out a double curse.

The sound of the subsequent bombing of fighter planes was deafening.

Thanks to that bombing, the war situation was not getting worse, but it was only a matter of time.

The word ‘give up’ began to appear in Tom’s mind.

And at that moment, I felt incredibly, incredibly scared.

Something big and scary was coming this way.

An intimidating feeling that makes your skin tingle. An overwhelming presence that makes you ignore even the enemy in front of you.

It seemed as if my entire body’s survival instinct was screaming that I would die if I didn’t get out of here right away.

Boss monster?

No, the dungeon is right in front of you, so why would the boss monster come out from there?

No, could it be that a boss monster from another dungeon is coming here?

Tom continued the fight, distracting himself just enough to not die, and turned his gaze in a direction that felt intimidating.

However, there was nothing to see other than the dark night sky and flying monsters.

This fearful feeling is getting stronger.

I don’t know what it is, but I’m sure it’s coming this way!

Damn, is it going to jump right now?

The good thing about this not being a dungeon was that I could escape at any time as long as I had the scroll.

As time passed, other hunters also felt the intimidation and began to glance in that direction.

Is it an invisible boss monster?

Where the fuck are you?

Where are you?

I need to at least find out his identity and report it.

“person?”

I heard someone with bright eyes muttering.

After a while, confident shouts broke out from all over the place.

“It’s a person! person!”

“Why are you flying there alone?”

“Who is that? Is it an ally? Why are you alone and dangerous?”

Tom also spotted it in flight a beat later, but it was hard to agree that it was a human.

Because he could see the long wings moving busily, as if they were attached to insects.

These aropods that were attacking them were also a combination of birds and humans. There were often ones with the same appearance.

Like that one, that one might also be a type of Chrysanthemum.

“I don’t know what it is, but I have this feeling. It’s so scary.”

A nearby hunter muttered in a nervous voice.

Is it friend or foe?

Someone said it was a person, but I couldn’t be sure.

If it was an enemy, it was right to run away from here right now.

While everyone was glancing around, a light appeared from the position where he was most likely to be. They exploded in succession.

One at a time.

The aim was accurate.

When he started attacking the monsters, the nervous hunters decided that they were allies and focused on the battle again.

It seemed like a strong hunter had been dispatched from the center.

That strong Thanks to the Hunter, pores began to appear in this battlefield little by little.

Perhaps thanks to his appearance, the momentum of the monsters was dampened.

However, for a moment, an ominous energy began to be felt at the dungeon gate.

And that feeling was definitely spot on.

“Kie. “Eh!”

A boss monster appeared inside the dungeon.

A huge phoenix that seemed to be 30 meters tall raised its head and cried sharply.

With the appearance of Beast King Piegis, he was afflicted with ‘Status Abnormality: Intimidation’.

Stretching his frozen body, Tom fell into despair.

Now, even if there is no order, I have no choice but to retreat. Remaining here means inviting death.

Although all the civilians in this area will die.

“Someone, someone, give me just one scroll! Please! I was in such a hurry that I didn’t get it before I could. Please, someone, give me one scroll.” “Just one scroll! I’ll pay you double!”

The urgent cries of clueless hunters were heard here and there.

Scrolls were not an essential item for conquering dungeons.

Many hunters who only conquered dungeons did not use them at all.

Seeing them crying like that, it seemed that scrolls could not be obtained even in the hunter market.

Of course . In this unprecedented situation, private governments and large guilds were buying movement scrolls like crazy, so it would be strange if they didn’t run out.

Tom also had two, but they were items that he didn’t know whether or not he would be able to get them in the future. I felt awkward handing it over willingly.

At that moment, an unidentified hunter flying in the distance flew quickly, emitting a strong light.

In an instant, the distance narrowed significantly. He was now flying almost directly above Tom’s head.

Due to the appearance of Nioh Sonmoa, you will be affected by ‘Status Abnormality: Intimidation’.