Requiem Of A Failed Hero

"Heikkk!!"

The entire group froze at the sight of the imposing figure before them.

"Shit! Everyone stay together! Remember your training–"

Swooooosssh

As Tae Joon-Ho was delivering a motivational speech, the Yeti's head soared into the sky and Raith descended onto the snow, accompanied by a heavy splattering of blue blood.

The blood sprayed like a fountain all around as the Yeti sank to its knees and perished.

Raith spun his sword and plunged it into the Yeti behind him, preventing the body from collapsing onto the snow.

The black sword wriggled for a moment and then stopped, and Raith withdrew it and turned to the group, who were now stunned by his amazing feat.

"What are you doing? We came here to supervise," Hunter Joon-Ho immediately confronted him, masking his surprise.

"You - You came here to supervise. I - I came here to hunt. I'm a hunter, not a supervisor," Raith replied to Tae Joon-Ho and walked away, with his assistant quickly following.

'How? How was he able to take down a Rank A monster so effortlessly...' Hunter Joon-Ho squinted his eyes, '...I don't think the Yeti was that powerful to begin with.'

He turned to the group and addressed them, "Everyone, don't be afraid. Stay close to me and remember what you've been taught. You are all powerful hunters with a bright future ahead. I know this is your first gate, but trust me, everything will be fine," he reassured them.

One of the group members raised a shaking hand and stuttered, "S-s-sir."

"Speak," Hunter Joon-Ho gave permission.

The boy asked with a trembling voice, "C-c-can w-w-we follow that man?"

Was he afraid of the yeti or intimidated by the person he was talking to? Was the cold too much or was the situation too overwhelming?

Hunter Joon-Ho looked to the front, but Raith's figure had already disappeared into the vast white plain.

"Do you think you can catch up to him?" he asked, turning his head back to the boy.

The boy bowed his head apologetically.

He knew the hunter wasn't going to take his suggestion with gladness, but seeing Raith's skill, he wasn't the only one who thought they would be safe with him even though they had only known Tae Joon-Ho's face until now and were used to his toughness, they knew he was skilled. After all, he was a rank A hunter but with that one display of Raith, they felt they would be safer with him. But that wasn't an option right now.

...

Chunho's expression and worn out from exclamations as he saw Raith over and over again lay to the ground, bodies of yeti with little to no effort while treading his path to their main lair– at least that was what Chunho thought as he followed Raith closely.

...

The team was in capable hands. Hyon-U led the charge with his imposing shield and Fullmetal body, serving as the team's tank. Joon-Ho provided crucial support as their supervisor, bolstering the front line. Together, they held their ground and expertly repelled the first wave of the yeti's attack.

The four skilled damage dealers wasted no time in plunging their weapons deep into the yeti's flesh, exploiting the brief window of vulnerability created by the tank's blockade.

The team also had three archers and two mages providing backup from the rear, along with two healers.

Of the two healers, one was an A-rank with the unique ability to temporarily buff her teammates, granting them enhanced stamina for a limited time.

This skill was taxing and took a toll on her, but it was precisely why she was ranked among the top three in the team.

They moved in a tight formation, the damage dealer methodically taking out the yetis as they appeared, often in pairs, while the tank absorbed the brunt of the attacks.

As they ventured deeper into the frigid terrain, something shifted.

Hunter Joon-Ho quickly sensed the change.

"Get ready," he warned.

With those words, the team's anxiety spiked as they wondered what could possibly be wrong.

For the past thirty minutes, everything had gone smoothly as they hunted the yetis... so what was happening now?

Just when they were wondering, a new yeti arrived before them, landing abruptly out of nowhere. It was different from the others they had encountered before.

Larger in size and it possessed a formidable physique.

All the yetis they fought thus far were thin and ape-like, but this was an exceptional specimen: muscular, toned, and with long, powerful arms. Unlike its hunched counterparts, this yeti stood upright, its fiery gaze fixed on the team.

The first one they saw was a massive beast, easily twice the size of any of them. It bared its teeth and let out a roar that shook the ground beneath their feet as it dashed at them.

Hyon-U dashed forward with his massive shield ahead of him, blocking the massive claws of the yeti but the shield took good damage that left the claw marks of the yeti engraved on it.

While Hyon-U was still recovering from the shock of the attack, the four damage dealers swiftly scattered from behind him, converging their attacks on the yeti in a lightning-fast manner.

With their blades charged and enhanced with their magic power, the damage dealt to the yeti was greatly increased.

The yeti stumbled back in excruciating pain, blood oozing down its chest as the marks of their blades lingered on.

This assault would have been enough to bring down any ordinary yeti. However, this particular yeti let out a menacing growl and charged back at them with all its might. Its massive fist slammed onto the tank with such force that it could have brought down a building.

Hyon-U blocked the fist, but the shockwave tingled aggressively around his limbs and spines, his leg shook but he held on tight.

Arrows were immediately embedded into the yeti by the archers, causing it to falter backward again. Sensing some space between it and Hyon-U, the mages discharged their spells and made fireballs rain down upon the monster.

The smoke from the fire gradually cleared, but the monster remained standing. It panted heavily, glaring intensely at them. Two more like it suddenly began landed behind it. God knows where they flew from.

"Shit... we're screwed."