The gigantic kingfisher suddenly let out a roar.
It wasn't sharp or furious like the monsters they had fought before.
It was broken.
The sound tore through the forest and rolled across the lake, deep and warped, like something crying out because its own body couldn't bear itself anymore.
The air trembled with it. Water rippled violently at the bird's feet, and several hunters instinctively covered their ears as the noise scraped against their nerves.
The bird's chest heaved, its wings twitching awkwardly, joints bending in ways they clearly weren't meant to.
Feathers shook loose and drifted down like torn banners.
"That's… pain," someone muttered. "It's not roaring at us."
Seung-hoo tilted his head, watching the creature like it was a strange animal in a documentary.
"…Yikes," he said lightly. "That's gotta hurt."
Despite the sound, despite the pressure rolling off the monster, Seung-hoo rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck like he was warming up before a casual spar.
He glanced at the bird again and smirked.
"Looks like the bird from Tomb Raider King," he said out loud.
Several hunters stared at him in disbelief.
"And honestly," he added, squinting, "China would cook that bird… literally."
He laughed at his own joke.
No one else did.
Seo-yeon pinched the bridge of her nose. "This is not the time."
Byung-chul just stared, mouth half open, somewhere between panic and resignation. "Why are you like this…"...
The kingfisher's roar faded into a strained, rattling breath. Its massive body shifted, talons digging deeper into the mud as if simply standing was painful.
Then—
In the middle of Seung-hoo's laughter—
He vanished.
Not like before.
Not as a blur no one could track.
This time, everyone saw it.
The air behind the bird distorted for a split second, like heat over asphalt, and Seung-hoo was suddenly there—standing on the shallow water behind the monster, boots barely touching the surface as mana crackled beneath his feet.
Lightning danced along the blade in his hand, bright arcs snapping and hissing, reflecting across the lake.
Gasps erupted from the hunters.
"Behind it—!"
"When did he—?"
"That speed—! That's what he did to the tree monsters".
Seung-hoo didn't waste time talking.
He twisted his body and swung.
The lightning sword cut through the air with a sharp crack, electricity flaring as it slammed into the bird's back with enough force to split stone.
Or at least—it should have.
The blade connected.
There was a flash of light.
And then—
Nothing.
No blood.
No split flesh.
No scream.
The sword didn't bite.
It didn't even leave a mark.
The lightning dispersed harmlessly across the bird's feathers, skittering away like sparks hitting wet metal. The blade slid off its hide as if it had struck reinforced steel.
Seung-hoo's smile faded, just a fraction.
"…Huh."
The bird didn't react right away.
For a heartbeat, it simply stood there.
Then its head turned.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
One massive eye rolled back to look at Seung-hoo.
Up close, the eye wasn't wild or enraged.
It was calm.
Almost… amused.
The corner of its beak twitched, opening just enough to release a low, rumbling sound—not a roar, not a cry.
Something disturbingly close to a laugh.
A chill ran through the hunters watching from the shore.
"It… ignored that?"
"That was an S-rank attack…"
"No damage at all…?
Seung-hoo landed lightly on the water's surface and took a step back, staring up at the monster. He clicked his tongue softly.
"…Okay," he muttered. "So it's one of those."
Behind him, Seo-yeon's grip tightened around her dagger, eyes wide. "Seung-hoo… that thing just tanked your hit."
The bird's wings shifted again, water cascading down like rain. Its body leaned slightly toward him, shadow looming large, pressure crushing down on the lake and forest alike.
For the first time since it appeared, the atmosphere truly changed.
The joking tone was gone.
Even Seung-hoo stopped smiling—though his expression wasn't fear, but that of... Curiosity.
The gigantic bird slowly shifted its massive head away from Seung-hoo and turned its gaze toward the rest of the hunters.
Its single, enormous eye locked onto Seo-yeon, Byung-chul, and the shield-type tanks standing in front of them.
For a brief moment, nothing happened.
Then the air changed.
A strange pressure spread outward from the bird's gaze, heavy and suffocating, like invisible hands pressing down on everyone's chest. Seo-yeon felt it first—her legs suddenly refused to move. She tried to step back, but her body wouldn't listen.
"Seung—" she tried to shout.
Her voice never came out.
Byung-chul turned his head sharply. "What's going on—?"
Before he could finish the sentence, his entire body stiffened.
In an instant, Seo-yeon, Byung-chul, and the tanks were frozen in place.
Not falling.
Not screaming.
Not even blinking.
They turned into stone statues.
Their expressions were trapped in the middle of fear and confusion—Seo-yeon's eyes wide, Byung-chul's mouth half-open, the tanks frozen mid-guard with shields raised.
The forest went silent.
A hunter nearby stumbled backward. "T-They… they're not moving…"
Another ran up and grabbed Seo-yeon's arm. "Hey! Move! This isn't funny—!"
His hand struck something cold and solid.
"…Stone," he whispered. "They turned into stone."
Panic spread through the group.
"What kind of skill is that?!"
"Is this still A-rank?!"
"We can't fight something like that!"
The bird let out a low sound from its chest—not a roar of pain, but something closer to a warped laugh. Its wings spread slightly, casting a massive shadow over the frozen hunters.
Seung-hoo saw everything.
The moment Seo-yeon froze, his expression changed.
"Seo-yeon!"
He sprinted forward, boots kicking up mud and leaves. He reached her and grabbed her shoulder, shaking it lightly.
"…Move. Come on. Don't joke like this."
Nothing happened.
His fingers pressed against stone.
Cold.
Hard.
Unmoving.
Seung-hoo clenched his jaw.
The bird began to step forward, its talons sinking into the muddy ground as it prepared to turn its attention back to the rest of the hunters.
Seung-hoo looked up at it, then down at his lightning sword.
"…It ignored this."
His mind replayed the moment he struck the bird earlier—no wound, no reaction, not even a scratch.
Magic didn't work.
Lightning didn't work.
His eyes widened slightly.
"Then that means…" he murmured, "…it can only be hurt by something without magic."
Pure physical damage.
He turned sharply.
"Hey!" he shouted.
An assassin-type hunter flinched. "Y-Yes?!"
Before the man could react, Seung-hoo was already in front of him. He grabbed the dagger straight from the hunter's hand.
"H-Hey, that's my—!"
Seung-hoo didn't answer.
He stepped forward, planting his feet firmly into the ground. His muscles tightened as he focused, not channeling mana, not activating any skill—just raw strength and speed.
The bird turned its head slightly, noticing the movement.
Too late.
Seung-hoo hurled the dagger.
The blade cut through the air like a streak of silver.
The wind howled from the force of the throw.
Hunters barely had time to blink.
The dagger struck the bird's body with a sharp impact.
The creature shrieked, its cry tearing through the forest. It reared back, wings flapping violently and sending waves across the lake. Feathers scattered into the air as it staggered.
Seung-hoo stared in disbelief.
"…It worked..With a normal dagger?!"
Seung-hoo lowered his throwing arm slowly, breathing steady but tense.
"So you really can bleed," he muttered.
Behind him, Seo-yeon and Byung-chul remained frozen in stone, silent witnesses to the chaos.
The bird thrashed violently in the lake, its enormous wings slamming against the surface and sending walls of water crashing outward. Waves rolled toward the shore, soaking the hunters' boots and knocking a few of them off balance. Feathers the size of shields drifted through the air like falling leaves, heavy and wet.
Its massive eye burned with rage now—no trace of confusion or mockery left in it.
Only fury.
Then—
A sharp metallic sound rang out.
Clank.
The dagger that had pierced its body suddenly shot backward, as if pushed out by an invisible force. It spun through the air and struck the muddy ground near Seung-hoo's feet, skidding across the rocks before finally stopping.
Seung-hoo's eyes widened.
"…What?"
For a split second, relief flickered across his face.
"At least the wound is still there," he thought.
But when he looked back up at the bird, his breath caught in his throat.
The gash in the creature's body began to move.
Not slowly.
Not stitched together.
It healed.
Right in front of him.
The torn flesh pulled inward as if time itself were reversing. The dark blood that had seeped out evaporated into thin mist. Scales and feathers reshaped themselves perfectly, leaving no scar, no crack, no sign that the dagger had ever touched it.
In less than a second, the bird's body was flawless again.
The barren forest went silent.
"…It healed," someone whispered.
"No way…"
"That was a direct hit…"
"Then what was the point of that throw?!"
Seung-hoo clenched his fist.
"So it regenerates too," he muttered.
The bird lifted its head slowly, water dripping from its beak. Its wings spread wide, shaking off the lake in a violent spray. Each movement made the ground tremble, as if the forest itself were afraid.
It looked straight at Seung-hoo.
Not at the other hunters.
Not at the statues of Seo-yeon and Byung-chul.
At him.
Its gaze felt heavy, like something ancient had finally noticed a nuisance.
The bird opened its beak slightly, and a deep, distorted cry echoed through the Rift. Trees bent under the pressure of the sound. Leaves fell in waves. Several hunters covered their ears, staggering back.
Seung-hoo took a slow step forward.
"…So physical weapons work," he said quietly, "but not enough."
He glanced down at the dagger on the ground, then at his lightning sword in his hand, then back at the monster.
Behind him, the hunters stood frozen—not by stone this time, but by fear. Some were shaking. Some were whispering prayers. Others stared at Seo-yeon's stone figure, helpless and terrified.
"Does it heal forever…?" one hunter murmured.
"Then how are we supposed to kill that thing…?"
"We can't even touch it…"
The bird's wings flexed again, and the lake behind it exploded into motion as it prepared to move.
Seung-hoo's expression hardened.
"…This thing isn't just strong," he thought. "It deformed to survive."
The wind picked up around them, carrying the smell of wet feathers and cold mana. The shadow of the bird stretched across the ground, covering Seung-hoo and the others like a dark curtain
Seung-hoo of course knew that this wasn't a fight that could be ended with one strike.