Chapter 36: The Single-Handed Suppression

The moment the Elite Werewolf Warlord’s command echo spread across the grid, the lesser Werewolf Warriors scattered down the radial alleys. The professional hunters holding the primary intersection instantly froze, their faces pale with panic.

They could maintain a stable hold on this centralized vector through sheer, static mass—but the outer, minor chokepoints were already operating past their structural safety limits. If a tidal wave of redirected monsters slammed into those isolated teams, those tiny defensive dams would disintegrate in a heartbeat.

“Shit! The volume of entities ceding the main front and breaking into the flanking corridors is spiking exponentially! At this deployment density, even with the Savior’s gold rain active, those outlying parties are going to be absolutely pulverized!”

The sudden reduction in the immediate kinetic load bearing down on the primary intersection shields offered zero strategic comfort.

Right now, the secondary lines were barely retaining their operational baseline thanks to the high-frequency tick of Se-hyeon’s Divine Light of Salvation. But if the raw numerical volume of the wolves pressing those sectors breached a critical mathematical threshold, the systemic output of a passive healing field would no longer suffice. If the sheer velocity of the damage incoming from a dense pack eclipses the regeneration velocity provided by the divine particles, the line dies anyway.

This was especially true for the lone one-to-two-party cells acting as improvised walls in the narrow streets.

‘If I want to break their pathing, I need to execute the command unit immediately,’ Se-hyeon calculated, his eyes tracking the silver-furred giant standing near the mouth of the portal. ‘But that brute is maintaining a passive position, refusing to advance into the engagement grid. Is he out of my optimal tracking boundary? Do I need to cross the neutral zone myself?’

To resolve the tactical crisis, the death of the Elite unit was the singular priority variable.

The immediate obstacle was geographic spacing. Although Dark Orb was classified as a long-range strategic projectile, it was still subject to a hard operational range limit. The Elite Werewolf Warlord had specifically deployed itself well outside his active spell casting boundary.

Having reached a processing decision, Se-hyeon raised his voice. “Strike-Commander Hwang Tae-ho!”

He called out to the Zeus Guild veteran, who was the only combatant he had established a direct communication link with.

“Sir?!” Hwang Tae-ho sprinted over to Se-hyeon’s position instantly.

“I am adjusting my objective parameters to execute the Elite unit immediately. If we leave that commander alive, the decentralized side-sectors will fracture under the redirected horde volume. A passive area-of-effect recovery field has a strict saturation threshold.”

Hwang Tae-ho’s jaw tightened; he was a seasoned raid leader, and he understood the macro-math perfectly.

“I agree with the operational necessity, Master Mage. But that Warlord is deliberately holding a defensive position deep within the monster spawn line. It’s sitting completely outside the effective range profiles of our standard rear-line damage-dealers. We cannot advance our heavy vanguard shields forward without collapsing the entire intersection bulkhead. While our long-range Rangers could theoretically attempt a Sniper Shot, the activation window is far too long and the mana load is catastrophic.”

A Ranger’s Sniper Shot boasted immense range metrics and high singular damage profiles, but the structural drawbacks were severe: an extended, uninterrupted casting animation and a massive consumption of internal mana reserves.

Even though Se-hyeon’s Divine Light of Salvation had tripled their core regeneration rates, the raw cost of a Ranger’s ultimate skill meant they couldn’t cycle the projectile fast enough to burn down an Elite health pool. More importantly, even if a Ranger achieved a perfect critical strike, the absolute damage calculation of a standard physical class was miles below the devastating void payload of Se-hyeon’s Dark Orb.

“The range constraint is irrelevant,” Se-hyeon stated smoothly. “I will simply cross the threshold and close the distance myself.”

Hwang Tae-ho’s eyes widened in sheer, unmitigated shock. “What?! You want to execute a solo forward advance into an uncontained spawn horde?!”

“If the target refuses to enter my casting boundary, I will alter my geographic coordinates until it does. During my transit phase, I will be unable to provide continuous defensive fire support to your vanguard shields. However, I will maintain the channel on Divine Light of Salvation, so your absolute health pools will remain stable. Your men can hold the intersection without me.”

While it was true that Se-hyeon’s Dark Orbs had been doing 80% of the heavy clearing work, the sheer recovery and mana amplification metrics of the gold rain meant the tanks were essentially immortal against standard low-tier trash units.

“But… how do you intend to survive the deep transit phase?!” Hwang Tae-ho stammered.

Se-hyeon’s lips twisted into a cold, clinical smile. “The execution is simple. I will walk through them and erase the target.”

If the range didn’t match, you moved until it did. To his pragmatic mind, it was a elementary spatial calculation.

“Wait! That’s absolute madness, you can’t just—”

“Relay the structural adjustments to your frontline vanguards. I am deploying now.”

Before the Zeus Guild commander could register the words, Se-hyeon’s frame blurred.

SWOOOOOOOOOOSH!

Activating the full output of his Wind Boots, Se-hyeon transformed into a high-velocity streak of white-gold light, rocketing directly past the heavy steel shields and launching himself into the sea of incoming monsters. Hwang Tae-ho could only stare at the empty air in absolute, paralyzed silence before snapping himself back to attention and screaming commands to his unit.

Having been deployed at the safe, rear node of the human formation, Se-hyeon transitioned into an aggressive blitz, his active Dark Orbs hovering in a perfect orbital ring around his torso as he tore deep into the center of the Werewolf Warrior horde.

SHIK! SHIK! SHIK! BOOM! CRASH! BLAST! EXPLOSION!

Maintaining absolute control over 14 active Dark Orbs, he systematically dissolved every single beast that stepped into his forward movement vector.

He didn’t slow down for a single heartbeat. The moment a cluster of heavy, two-meter-tall wolves attempted to close their jaws around him, a precise array of black void spheres would erupt in their faces, reducing them to scorched ash and leaving a perfect, empty corridor for Se-hyeon to slide through effortlessly.

BOOM! THUD! CRASH!

To the rear-line hunters watching from the intersection, the scene was an absolute psychological trauma. A Mage class—the most structurally fragile, immobile ranged archetype in the global database—was currently navigating the densest center of a C-rank Break wave like a high-agility Assassin class, weaving through claws and axes with fluid, terrifying grace.

Even a high-tier Rogue or Assassin specializing in maximum Agility metrics could not maintain that level of directional speed while cleanly executing hundreds of heavy targets simultaneously. Yet here was a robe-wearing caster doing it without breaking his stride.

“Fifty meters remaining,” Se-hyeon estimated, his eyes locked onto the towering frame of the silver-furred Warlord.

He continued to detonate the blockades in front of him, exploiting the split-second gaps created by his own explosions to press deeper into the enemy lines. Within three heartbeats—

‘Optimal coordinate achieved. The target is locked within my active casting boundary.’

The Elite Werewolf Warlord was finally within the lethal range of his Dark Orb matrix. However, he couldn’t simply dump his entire offensive payload into the boss unit immediately. The surrounding density of standard Werewolf Warriors remained immense, and hundreds of beasts were actively pivoting to swarm his isolated location.

‘I’ll allocate exactly five spheres to maintain a clean defensive parameter around my immediate coordinates. The remaining nine will be utilized for the execution.’

Splitting his cognitive focus with the flawless multitasking efficiency granted by his Stage 3 Mastery, he deployed 5 Dark Orbs into a tight, defensive orbit around his body. Any werewolf that crossed a three-meter radius around his boots was instantly clipped by a rotating void bomb and turned into a statistics report. With his safety matrix secure, he directed the remaining 9 spheres toward the Warlord.

SWIIIIIIIIIIISH!

Nine streaks of concentrated black void energy ripped through the atmosphere, targeted directly at the Elite unit’s vital nodes.

BOOM! CRASH! ROAR!

The Warlord, completely blindsided by a high-tier magical assault originating from deep within its own lines, let out a staggered, agonizing grunt as its heavy silver armor was vaporized by the impact.

“KUOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

With a thunderous, rage-induced roar, the Elite unit’s eyes locked onto the source of the injury. It spotted Se-hyeon calmly drifting through the sea of its subordinates, his hand extended like an executioner.

CRACK!

The Warlord slammed its massive hind legs into the asphalt, shattering the concrete as it launched its massive, three-meter frame directly at Se-hyeon with terrifying kinetic velocity.

“Perfect. If you choose to close the distance yourself, it saves me the transit stamina,” Se-hyeon muttered.

If the Elite had chosen to fall back or utilize its subordinates as meat shields, it would have dragged out the engagement clock. A direct, linear charge was the cleanest possible scenario.

“GRAWRRRRR!”

The Warlord unleashed a secondary commanding roar mid-air, causing the surrounding standard Werewolf Warriors to scatter backward. It was a classic alpha-boss mechanic; the master unit deemed the human a personal threat and cleared its immediate workspace to execute him without interference.

“A formal duel? An independent Elite entity attempting to match status with me? You’re operating well outside your weight class, beast.”

The opening nine-orb volley had already stripped away nearly 50% of the Warlord’s absolute health bar.

“DIE!”

The Warlord closed the distance in a microsecond, its massive, mana-infused iron claws ripping through the air in a downward execution arc.

SWOOOOOSH!

But a linear, predictable strike held zero threat against Se-hyeon’s augmented reflexes. Tilting his frame smoothly to the left, he allowed the iron claws to slice through the empty air inches from his face. Before the Warlord could reset its balance, Se-hyeon’s eyes glinted with a cold light, and he released his remaining spell capacity.

“You’ve run your course. Fade.”

BOOM! CRASH! ROAR! EXPLOSION!

With no secondary trash units pressing his perimeter, he re-allocated all 14 active Dark Orbs into a singular, concentrated point-blank bombardment against the Warlord’s chest cavity.

The resulting void cataclysm was absolute. The Elite Werewolf Warlord—a creature capable of slaughtering entire professional raid teams—didn’t even manage to complete its secondary attack animation. It was systematically disassembled by the continuous explosions, its massive body collapsing onto the ruined street as a limp, lifeless husk.

A thoroughly unceremonious death for a gate commander.

“Ah, the drop items. Let’s harvest these and clear the hot zone immediately.”

Recognizing the glowing loot matrices manifesting over the corpse, Se-hyeon scooped up the materials with a swift motion and immediately reversed his vector, using his Wind Boots to slide back toward the human lines.

While staying deep within the pack to act as a chaotic distraction was a viable strategy, maintaining that level of high-frequency evasion was mentally draining. Returning to the established shield wall and focusing on macro-line defense was a significantly more efficient distribution of his energy.

The moment the Elite Warlord’s vital signature vanished from the regional grid, the remaining Werewolf Warriors fell into a state of absolute strategic chaos.

Because their behavioral pathing and swarm coordination were directly tied to the Elite unit’s core node, the sudden elimination of their commander left them completely disoriented. They began running in random patterns, snapping at the air in confusion. While a massive volume of monsters still drifted toward the intersection, the organized, crushing pressure bearing down on the human line vanished instantly.

More importantly, the support mapper confirmed that the volume of beasts attempting to exploit the side alleys had dropped by nearly 80%.

“My god… is that even mathematically possible? Is he a living reincarnation of Lu Bu?!” “This is insane… what the hell did we just witness?!” “I thought mages were supposed to be the back-line glass cannons?! Have I been reading the wrong database manuals my entire career?! How does a caster move like that?!”

Watching a lone independent mage dive headfirst into a swarm of over a thousand C-rank monsters, execute the master unit within thirty seconds, and slide back to the lines without a single scratch on his robes left the professional hunters completely paralyzed with awe.

Hwang Tae-ho stepped forward, his eyes wide as he processed Se-hyeon’s return. “Y-You… your combat capacity is truly terrifying, sir!”

“It was a standard execution. More importantly, look at your tracker—the flanking dispersion metrics have stabilized. Your teams should have no issue holding the perimeter until the heavy armor arrives, correct?”

Hwang Tae-ho quickly checked his holographic map, nodding vigorously. “Yes, sir! The 3D telemetry shows that while a few outlying nodes are experiencing minor skirmishes, the absolute numerical load has dropped significantly. With your golden rain continuing to restore their vitals, those minor teams will regain total area control within minutes.”

Though some wolves had already reached the side streets prior to the Warlord’s death, causing temporary spikes in stress, the continuous, high-frequency tick of Divine Light of Salvation ensured that not a single human node broke.

“Excellent. Then let’s focus on cleaning up the residual mass. Dark Orb.”

Extending his hand once more, Se-hyeon manifested a fresh array of black projectiles, resuming his methodical bombardment of the remaining monsters.

SWIF! BOOM! CRASH! THUD!

With Se-hyeon’s offensive output back in the loop, the kinetic load on the vanguard shields dropped to absolute zero. Hwang Tae-ho could only click his tongue in sheer amazement as he watched the black spheres dance.

‘Incredible. Who the hell is this man? With this tier of absolute magical output and dual-attribute mastery, he has to be an unlisted S-rank Titan. But none of the active S-rank mages in our national database match his biometric profile. Is he a completely new Irregular?’

The Zeus Guild commander had firmly categorized Se-hyeon as a hidden S-rank powerhouse. To his seasoned mind, classifying this level of combat output as anything lower was a statistical insult. The single anomaly was that his face didn’t match any of the nation’s public icons.

‘The moment this containment operation concludes, I need to have our corporate intelligence division run a full deep-dive scan on his registry file,’ Tae-ho resolved. He then glanced over his shoulder toward his rear support line.

“Are you securing the visual data?!” he muttered in a low, sharp tone.

A Zeus Guild junior combatant holding a high-definition recording matrix nodded frantically. “Yes, sir! I’ve secured every single frame of his combat loop from the opening engagement. But… Commander, we aren’t the only ones running lenses right now.”

Tae-ho scanned the line and realized that several freelance hunters, while continuing to fire their respective skills at the remaining wolves, had activated their active tactical body-cams, keeping their lenses locked firmly on Se-hyeon’s silhouette.

“That’s unavoidable in a public crisis zone. Regardless, that man is an unregistered S-rank asset. Our guild must be the first to deliver a comprehensive briefing to the board the second we return to headquarters. Keep your lens stable—but don’t just stand there like a statue! Maintain your active DPS rotation; don’t let him think we’re slacking on our baseline duties.”

Securing the data on a potential new Titan was a massive corporate priority, but maintaining their professional dignity as the nation’s number one guild was equally vital.

“Understood, sir! Deploying Flame Arrow now!”

Through the body-cams and tactical lenses of dozens of professional hunters, every single detail of Se-hyeon’s absolute performance was being preserved in high-fidelity digital files.

Meanwhile, several kilometers away from the red zone.

A line of heavy, armored tactical vehicles belonging to the Twilight Guild was tearing through the cleared transit corridors at maximum velocity.

“What is our current ETA to the epicenter?!”

Hearing the sharp inquiry from Twilight’s Guildmaster, Lee So-hyun, a senior logistics officer quickly checked his console. “We are approximately twenty minutes away from the target coordinate plane, ma’am!”

Lee So-hyun’s brow furrowed into a deep, anxious scowl. “Twenty minutes? Still that far? What is the status of the Association’s makeshift bulkhead? Is it still holding? Based on our standard statistical break models, a C-rank wave should have completely obliterated those freelance parties by now. God… I just hope the civilian casualty metrics haven’t gone vertical.”

Before she could finish her assessment, an auxiliary communications officer let out a sharp gasp, his eyes wide as he stared at an incoming high-priority encrypted feed.

“G-Guildmaster! We just received a direct tactical update from our boots on the ground near the perimeter wall! They are reporting that… all defensive lines are currently 100% stable. Civilian casualties have been locked at a historic low. Furthermore… the Elite gate commander was officially confirmed KIA less than two minutes after breaching the portal.”

The entire command vehicle fell into a dead, stunned silence.

Lee So-hyun stared at the officer as if he had just lost his mind. “Repeat that telemetry. The secondary freelance nodes are still intact? A C-rank dungeon contains an estimated population of over two thousand high-tier beasts. If that volume poured into an urban grid, a handful of random independent parties shouldn’t have been able to hold a single block. And what do you mean the Elite unit was executed immediately upon entry?!”

“S-Sir, according to the live feed, an independent hunter holding an unverified registry rank joined the front line. The report describes his output as completely absurd. The Elite unit was apparently solo-executed by him within seconds, and the minor side-street defense nodes are maintaining perfect structural stability due to a massive, regional area-of-effect healing miracle he is currently channeling across the entire district.”

Lee So-hyun’s mind struggled to process the conflicting data variables. An S-rank powerhouse? If the hunter had solo-blitzed and executed a C-rank Elite unit within seconds, he was fundamentally a high-output Burst Damage-Dealer. But how could a pure Burst DPS class simultaneously manifest a wide-range, high-frequency divine healing field that stabilized an entire city district? It violated basic class architecture.

As she sat in mute astonishment, the communications officer frantically tapped his display.

“Ma’am! Our frontline scout just forwarded a direct raw video file of the engagement zone! It contains the footage of the Elite execution phase—I’m patching it onto the central command screen now!”

The local Twilight scout had indeed managed to capture a clear visual of Se-hyeon’s positioning.

“Play it immediately,” So-hyun commanded, her eyes locking onto the central monitor.

The video file loaded, and an entirely surreal, impossible landscape filled the screen. A single male hunter stood in the center of a ruined intersection, a massive, brilliant pillar of absolute holy energy erupting from his physical frame and piercing straight into the heavens. Centered on his coordinates, a vast, shimmering canopy of golden light stretched across the sky for as far as the lens could track, shedding a heavy, luminous rain of divine particles onto the earth below.

“…” “…”

Inside the moving command vehicle, every single elite hunter held their breath, completely stripped of speech by the sheer, majestic scale of the phenomenon.

Lee So-hyun was the first to break the absolute silence, her voice trembling slightly. “What… what am I looking at? You’re telling me that regional golden canopy is a standard healing skill?”

“I… I believe so, Guildmaster,” the officer stammered, his fingers shaking on the console. “But the spatial parameters are completely off the charts. Just judging by the structural landmarks caught in the frame, that golden barrier is covering a radius of at least one kilometer. In the entire global database… we have never seen or heard of a recovery spell capable of commanding that much geometric space.”

Even the world’s consensus number one S-rank Support class—Catherine Bayrota of the United States—did not possess an area-of-effect healing miracle that could cover an entire city district simultaneously.

“The visual footprint… it’s profoundly sacred,” Lee So-hyun murmured, her eyes tracking the golden particles. “Has our nation finally birthed its very first S-rank Divine Support asset? But wait… if his primary build is a high-tier Priest archetype, how does that correlate with the report that he solo-executed the Elite Warlord within seconds? There isn’t a single support skill in existence that contains that level of lethal DPS output.”

To any observer looking at the video, the independent hunter was the absolute definition of a supreme, god-tier Support class.

Yet, the raw data insisted he had ripped through a thousand monsters to tear the boss apart with his own hands. How could a single human framework contain both the ultimate shield of salvation and the ultimate sword of destruction?

Their confusion, however, did not last long as the video reached the next sequence.

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