Chapter 22: The Sanctuary of Massacre

When Se-hyeon resumed the hunt, he didn’t immediately change his pattern. Most of the Orc groups consisted of only three to five individuals, making it unnecessary to use high-tier spells like Sanctuary Declaration or Dark Chains.

‘I need to find a group of at least ten to really test these out,’ he thought.

Both new spells were area-of-effect (AoE) abilities that scaled in efficiency with the number of enemies. He wanted a proper test subject. Just then, a notification rang out.

[An Elite Monster has been summoned nearby. The Elite Orc is rallying surrounding Orcs.]

“Oh? An Elite?”

System notifications for Elite spawns only trigger if the hunter is within a certain radius. This meant the Elite was close.

“Gasp! An E-elite?” Park Sang-soo turned pale. “Hunter Jang! Shouldn’t we retreat? Regular Orcs are one thing, but a D-rank Elite is a different beast! It’ll summon a horde!”

In a D-rank dungeon, an Elite could quickly turn a standard skirmish into a lethal monster wave. But to Se-hyeon, this wasn’t a crisis—it was the perfect opportunity.

“No. It just spawned, so the crowd won’t be too thick yet. Let’s find it and finish it quickly.”

“What? You want to go toward it? It’s a D-rank Elite. Are you sure you can handle that?”

Se-hyeon smiled confidently. “I can.”

The brevity of his answer carried a weight that quelled Park Sang-soo’s immediate fear. Park nodded. “Fine. We’ll trust you, Hunter Jang.”

The porters, however, were still trembling. Park Sang-soo quickly took command.

“Listen up! Has Hunter Jang ever let us down? If he says he can do it, he can. The key is finding it before too many Orcs gather. Spread out and scout the location. If you see a large group, retreat immediately!”

“U-us?”

“The Elite is pulling Orcs toward it like a vacuum. That means the surrounding paths are actually safer right now. Go!”

The porters, veterans of surviving the harshest conditions, grumbled but moved fast. They knew that in a dungeon, speed was the difference between a payday and a funeral.

“You didn’t have to push them,” Se-hyeon noted. “They’re only F-ranks. If they get caught…”

Park Sang-soo smirked. “Porters are always at risk, Hunter Jang. These guys are veterans who have survived by knowing exactly when to run. They’re earning free EXP; they should at least do the legwork. I’m heading out too. Stay here and watch your app—move as soon as a location is pinged.”

“Understood. I’ll make it worth your while after this.”

Ten minutes passed.

Buzz!

Se-hyeon’s phone vibrated. A ping appeared on the map—it was Jae-kwang’s direction. Se-hyeon activated Wind Boots and blurred toward the coordinates.

When he arrived, Jae-kwang was hiding behind a rock, pointing toward a clearing.

“There. At least fifty Orcs already, and more are coming every second. It’ll hit a hundred in no time.”

Se-hyeon looked at the gathering. The Elite Orc stood tall in the center, a towering brute radiating a menacing aura. Around seventy Orcs were now present.

‘Perfect. Seventy targets. Just enough for a proper test.’

With his mana pool over 70,000 and a 70% reduction in consumption, he could practically spam his spells indefinitely.

Soon, Park Sang-soo and the others arrived, panting.

“Should we start?” Park asked, looking at the growing horde.

“Yes,” Se-hyeon stood up. “By the way, I’m going to use some skills I’ve been keeping in reserve. I’d appreciate it if you kept the details of this fight quiet until I say otherwise.”

He wanted to hide the fact that he had already reached Phase 2 growth within a week of awakening—it was too irregular, even for him.

“A secret weapon? Understood! We’ll keep our mouths shut. Right, boys?”

“To the grave!” the porters promised.

Se-hyeon didn’t wait. He dashed forward.

The Elite Orc was reveling in its growing army, preparing to purge the human invaders, when a lone human blurred into the center of its encampment.

“Krrrk?”

The Orcs roared in excitement at the easy prey, but Se-hyeon was faster.

“Sanctuary Declaration!”

A brilliant, pulsing light exploded from his feet, covering the entire clearing.

[A Sanctuary has been established.] [Allies: Atk/Def +55%, Spd +33%, Recovery x2.2] [Enemies: Atk/Def -33%, Spd -22%]

The Orcs stumbled, their limbs suddenly heavy, their strength drained by the holy light. Before they could react, Se-hyeon followed up.

“Dark Chains!”

Clang! Rattle!

Ominous, black chains erupted from the shadows beneath the Orcs. Thirty chains snaked through the air, instantly binding the Elite Orc and twenty-nine of its closest guards.

“Kuaaaaagh!” The Elite Orc thrashed, but the chains began to glow, hissing as they drained its life force.

“Now for the rest. Shadow Orb!”

With his upgraded stats, Se-hyeon manifested 30 Shadow Orbs simultaneously. Because the Orcs were tightly packed, he didn’t even need to aim.

“Fire!”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of violent explosions rocked the clearing. The Orcs who weren’t chained were sent flying, their bodies shredded by the dark energy.

“Gwaeeeek!”

In a single volley, over twenty Orcs were vaporized.

Se-hyeon moved like a ghost within his Sanctuary. He dashed to the edge to avoid being surrounded, then zipped back in. The Orcs were too slow; hampered by the Sanctuary’s debuff, they looked like they were moving through molasses.

“Again. Shadow Orb!”

Another thirty orbs materialized.

CRACK-BOOM!

The remaining mobile Orcs were wiped out. In just two volleys of sixty orbs, the forty Orcs that weren’t chained were gone.

Se-hyeon turned his gaze toward the Elite Orc and its guards, still struggling in the Dark Chains. They were already weakened, their HP steadily trickling into Se-hyeon’s reserves.

“Time to finish this.”