The atmosphere inside the still-smoking volcanic crater suddenly tightened, enveloped by a silence that constricted the throat. The night air filled with the scent of ozone and burnt flesh seemed to freeze as the five elite hunters stared at the scene before them.
For the five hunters in luxurious armor who had just arrived, what they saw was not merely a surprise, but a blasphemy that shattered their entire common sense and hard work.
For three consecutive weeks, this elite hunting group from the Imperial Capital had been tracking the Rank 8 Thunder-Belt Tiger. They had sacrificed half of their best team members, burned hundreds of high-level magic scrolls whose value equaled an entire residential district, and endured extraordinary exhaustion and fear. All of it for a single purpose: to bring home the carcass and Mana Core of the jungle sovereign.
