Chapter 71 - Chapter 69: Episode 68 - Ambush
Three days had passed since the 2nd Expedition Team arrived.
The expedition team planned to hunker down at the outpost until the new recruits had grown accustomed to the Demon World's environment.
Furthermore, after a meeting between the expedition leader, the staff, and the executives to map out their future, a decision was reached.
They decided to prioritize conquering the territory of the Succubus Lord who had previously captured Yu-rin, based on her recommendation.
Yu-rin argued that because the land was rich in resources and she was already familiar with its geography and internal structure, it would be far more advantageous to seize and hold it than to target an unknown territory.
She also highlighted the strategic benefit of the Gate she had used to escape; it could serve as a vital link to Earth for reinforcements and supplies.
When she pointed out that while she knew of that specific Gate, there was no guarantee other territories even possessed one, Maria—the expedition leader—threw her full support behind the plan.
Establishing a connection to Earth was a matter of life and death.
A secure supply line and a viable retreat route in the event of an ambush were worth the effort of conquering the territory alone.
As an added bonus, having Yu-rin there to act as a guide made the prospect of conquest much more feasible.
After further deliberation, the meeting concluded with the decision to spend one more week at their forest outpost, allowing the 2nd Expedition Team time to acclimate before they set out.
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The Black Minotaur Lord grabbed his weapon and armor the moment his scouts delivered their report.
He immediately mobilized almost all his available troops, leaving only a skeleton crew to maintain security in his domain.
It was a necessary measure to ensure his forces could at least match the enemy's numbers.
He intended to lead his army to confront the group—presumed to be mercenaries—and attempt to negotiate.
The Minotaur Lord knew that enemies only grew truly nervous when faced with a force of similar size.
If two armies of comparable strength clashed, the casualties would be devastating for both sides.
If he offered terms, there was a good chance they would listen.
After briefly weighing his future options, he began marching his troops toward the forest where the intruders were hiding.
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Everything here was alien; from the grass to the trees, nothing resembled the world she knew.
Three days had passed since Min-ah arrived in the Demon World.
These were the realities she had been grappling with.
It was finally sinking in that this wasn't just another country—it was an entirely different world.
The thought of Yu-rin and Seon-ah being dragged here and suffering made her heart ache.
Seon-ah was likely still enduring all manner of humiliation in this place.
Disturbed by these thoughts, she stepped out for a walk.
Under a sky roiling with dark waves, the forest air bit with a bitter chill.
Min-ah reflected on the day's events as the cold wind whipped around her.
She thought back to the meeting, to Yu-rin's plea to conquer the territory for her and Seon-ah, and how readily the expedition leader had agreed.
She wanted to reach Seon-ah as quickly as possible.
That single word from Maria had ignited a spark of hope in her chest.
From that moment on, hope began to bloom.
Though a pang of guilt pricked at her conscience—knowing that so many troops might die because of her desperation—she couldn't let go of this last chance.
Even if it meant everyone else had to be sacrificed.
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Just as Min-ah was lost in her thoughts, the Minotaur's army pushed into the forest.
The expedition's sentries shouted warnings, alerting the entire team to the incoming threat.
Maria quickly gathered the combat units and began to assess the enemy.
Humanoid shapes.
Monsters equipped with uniform gear.
Though the darkness made it difficult to see, they appeared to be Orcs.
The dense brush made it impossible to gauge their exact numbers, but they were clearly a significant threat.
Maria immediately deployed the combat teams to the front, moving the support and staff members to the rear to keep them out of harm's way.
She watched the situation unfold.
Since the enemy wasn't attacking immediately, she needed to confirm their intentions and why they had come armed.
Then, a massive black Minotaur stepped forward, wielding a large double-edged axe.
Over a dozen Ogre soldiers, acting as his personal guard, surrounded him.
The Ogres' gear was clearly superior to the Orcs', marking them as elite soldiers.
They were clad head-to-toe in armor forged from rare ores occasionally found beyond the Gates.
Maria had heard stories about this black Minotaur.
He was likely the Lord who ruled this territory—the very one Yu-rin had mentioned.
The way the elite soldiers guarded him confirmed his status as a high-ranking figure.
The monster, presumably the Lord of the land, spoke first.
"How did humans cross over to the Demon World?"
He sounded genuinely surprised to see them.
Come to think of it, they were likely the first humans to ever invade the Demon World.
His surprise was only natural.
"We have no reason to answer you."
There was no need to reveal their origins.
Once they had crossed paths, a fight was inevitable.
Maria knew that these monsters viewed humans as an inferior species; there was no way they would just let them walk away.
"I had intended to negotiate, but if I end this emergency with a simple talk, the Council will grill me for it..."
The Black Minotaur Lord sounded as if he had no choice.
It seemed a fight couldn't be avoided.
"These foolish humans who invaded the Demon World are our opponents! Advance, everyone! Capture those suspected of being staff or non-combatants! I will interrogate them myself!"
With that roar, the enemies let out a bloodthirsty cheer, drew their weapons, and charged.
In the dead of night, with no moonlight to guide them, the forest turned into a chaotic battlefield in an instant.
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The battlefield situation was a strange mix of disadvantage and advantage.
Every time the Black Minotaur clashed with the expedition's smaller combat squads, they were smashed by his axe in seconds.
However, aside from the Lord and his Ogre elites, the bulk of the army consisted of standard Orc soldiers.
Whenever the A-rank hunters engaged the Orcs, the monsters were cut down in an instant.
The Lord led the elites, but in terms of overall troop quality, the expedition's hunters were clearly superior.
The monster Lord realized that at this rate, his forces would be depleted too quickly.
His soldiers were holding the line for now, but if they suffered too many losses, they risked being surrounded.
Deciding he had to take out the enemy leader, the Lord charged into the center of the fray.
The Orc troops followed him to ensure their rear remained protected.
Maria, an S-class hunter, also moved to intercept the Lord.
Seeing her combat teams being decimated by his axe, she knew she had to step in and deal with him personally.
Though their situations differed, both leaders had reached the same conclusion.
Hoping to end the fight quickly, Maria raised her heavy blunt weapon and swung it down at the Lord.
The impact vibrated through the ground like an earthquake.
With that single blow, the six Ogre elites acting as his shield were turned into a bloody mess and slumped to the ground.
The remaining four Ogres moved to the front.
They clearly intended to act as meat shields to protect their master.
However, the Lord ordered them to fall back and assist the Orcs.
It was a move born of confidence, not resignation.
The Minotaur Lord was a battle-hardened veteran who had served as a knight for the royal family, earning the respect of both the royals and the Council.
He had lost count of how many heads he'd split with his axe and how many cities he'd razed beyond the Gates.
He was a veteran of veterans, having suppressed countless traitorous armies in the name of the crown.
His strength, far beyond that of a standard Minotaur, was honed by a lifetime of war.
When he first saw the human leader, he was surprised by her raw power—it exceeded his own.
But her technique was simple.
He had faced opponents with superior strength many times before.
He had even fought giants among the traitorous factions.
If he couldn't handle that, he never would have risen to his current position.
As Maria raised her weapon to strike again, the Lord held his axe diagonally and tilted his upper body.
He deflected her blow to the side.
His hand holding the axe trembled, but Maria was now wide open.
Maria was shocked; she hadn't expected a monster to possess such high-level technique.
The Lord didn't miss his chance; he rotated his body and aimed his axe at Maria's neck.
Maria tried to lift her weapon to block, but her balance was already gone from her deflected attack.
In the end, she chose to dodge, rolling across the ground.
The Lord didn't let up.
He swung his axe from a horizontal to a vertical arc, refusing to give her a chance to recover.
The foundation of combat is breaking the enemy's posture and seizing the opening.
No matter how strong you are, if you can't land a hit, it's useless.
He had overcome her superior strength with pure skill.
Maria realized this Minotaur Lord was no ordinary opponent.
He chained fatal attacks one after another, leaving her no room to counter.
The exchange continued, but eventually, Maria lost her patience and gambled on a mutual kill.
Her breathing was labored, her muscles screaming under the pressure of the Demon World's air, and her body refused to recover.
If this continued, her body would fail her, and she would be cleaved in two by his axe.
Thinking that if she were to die anyway, she wouldn't go down alone, she launched a desperate, unavoidable attack.
Even as his axe swung for her neck, Maria drove her blunt weapon toward the Lord's lower body.
Flustered, the Lord lifted his leg to block.
In the end, Maria lost her head, and the Lord's leg was reduced to a mangled mess of flesh. Their duel had reached its bloody conclusion.
The Lord looked down at his leg, now completely gone, and felt the throbbing agony.
He realized he would never fight again.
He had won, but the price was a devastating, permanent injury.
He had intended to finish off the remaining humans after killing their leader, but his injury was too severe.
He knew the poor quality of his remaining troops.
He judged that the Orcs wouldn't be able to handle the invaders.
Convinced he could avoid the Council's wrath by claiming he had fought valiantly against the invaders, the Lord ordered his troops to retreat.
Min-ah was a top-tier A-rank hunter.
Through Sensory Enhancement, a physical ability, she could control her body with near-perfect precision.
She could manipulate her five senses and even tap into a "Sixth Sense" to perceive hidden threats.
But against the four Ogre elites, it was useless.
They were A-rank monsters, each her equal, and with four of them attacking at once, she could barely dodge.
As the fight dragged on, the Demon World's atmosphere pressed down on her, heavier than ever.
The monsters were unaffected, but for a human, the environment was a death sentence.
The air drained her stamina, and she feared that if she ran out, she would be split in half by an Ogre's blade.
If she died before finding her son...
It would be the same as leaving him to suffer forever.
Min-ah fought on, blocking and deflecting, desperate to stay alive.
She couldn't give up; her mind was consumed by the need to save Seon-ah.
But her stamina was bottoming out, her lungs burned, and her muscles were screaming. She had reached her limit.
Her longing for Seon-ah only grew stronger.
If not for this cursed air, she could have held her own, but the environment was betraying her.
And then, just as death seemed inevitable...
Suddenly, Min-ah's body felt light.
It wasn't the feeling of dying.
Vitality surged through her.
She felt as though she had finally adapted to the Demon World's air.
It was one of those rare occurrences, a phenomenon almost unheard of among ability users.
Min-ah had undergone a Re-awakening.