I surrender!
I surrender to you! So please spare my life!
That voice... Are you...?
I-I'm so sorry! You win!
So please, don't kill me!
You attack us and then beg for your life?
And after the rest of your people are already dead.
A knight's duty is to protect their lord,
so as long as I live, I'm sure they'd be happy.
They'd be happy?
Whatever.
Here's my chance!
What do you think you're doing?
Spare my life, and you can have anything you want! Please!
This demon...
In that case, do you know where the entry permit for the next floor is?
M-My family is actually holding onto it.
Since you didn't kill me, I offer it gladly!
I also know where all the rest for the upper floors are,
so if you can guarantee my family's and my safety, I'll show you the way!
So your family's been hiding it, huh?
No wonder I couldn't seem to find it, no matter how many I killed.
That leaves one last question.
Can I really trust you?
O-Of course.
I-I'd never lie to you.
Fine, then. If you hand over the permit, I won't hurt you.
Th-Thank you so much.
I'm curious.
What exactly are you?
I am the eldest daughter of the Radiru family, Esil.
Not exactly what I meant.
I was hoping to get more information about the system
like what I learned from Barca, but...
Do you demons hear a voice in your head that never stops telling you to kill humans?
No, but I do hear a different order.
What is it?
"Protect the place you're in."
When did it start?
When we first got here.
When they first got here...?
Where were you before that?
The demon realm. But then one day, we found ourselves here.
And what were you doing in the demon realm?
War.
We were preparing for war.
War?
With whom?
An enemy so strong that we had to unite all of demonkind to face it.
It looked like war with them was on the horizon when—
The permitted amount of information has been exceeded, so this conversation is terminated.
The permitted...
I guess I'm not getting anything else.
This is the damage assessment and combat log
of the winged ant appearance on the nearby island within Japan's borders.
There were 294 civilian casualties, and 108 hunters deployed to contain the threat.
Of the latter, four E-Ranks, one C-Rank, and one B-Rank have been KIA.
All this from a single ant...
An A-Rank hunter who arrived later landed a critical blow, completing the extermination.
Then one of these winged ants is on par with an A-Rank.
That matches the conclusions drawn from the Surveillance Team's necropsy.
The attack was 120 kilometers from Jeju Island.
If the ants gain any further mastery over flight, they could reach the mainland.
Contact Japan to request a joint operation ASAP.
Let other neighboring countries know to raise the threat level, as well.
Yes, sir.
The time has finally come. We've not a moment to spare.
I was hoping to handle this before any more lives were lost, but...
On my authority as chairman of the Hunter's Association, I hereby initiate...
the fourth raid operation on Jeju Island!
I'm sorry.
I don't know why I suddenly passed out like that.
No, it's fine.
Do you feel all right now?
Yes, I'm okay.
I appreciate your concern...
Just thought I'd ask.
More importantly, are we close to our destination?
Oh, right! The Radiru family castle.
That's where the permit can be found.
What in the blazes have you brought home?!
Esil!
C-Can't you see them?!
The hordes of soldiers dwelling within his shadow!
Huh. I'm impressed he noticed.
If you've deceived my daughter in some attempt to seize our castle,
I won't let you leave alive!
F-Father! Please wait!
She and I have a deal.
I won't hurt anybody as long as I get the permit I need to proceed.
I had heard that Vulcan and Metus had been slain...
I suppose it stands to reason we'd stand no chance against someone capable of that.
This is it, all right.
I believe your business here is complete.
Now, begone at once!
One other thing.
I need to borrow the girl.
Y-You—
No, hang on. I just want her to show me the way.
She said she knows where the permits I need to move from floor to floor are.
And you'll guarantee her safety?
I will.
Very well. I understand.
That being the case, I'm counting on you, Esil.
Right!
Guildmaster.
And that wraps up the 89th floor.
Igris and Tank have both ranked up from the levels they gained.
They're comparable to an S-Rank and A-Rank now.
That rounds out my forces nicely.
So much for the gifts I brought from home for trade...
You can always just take them back home.
I'm afraid not.
The 90th floor and above are under the stewardship of elite nobles.
They're incomparably stronger than anything up to this point.
Which is why it'd be wiser to secure the permits through negotiation—
If I were weaker than you guys, would you have agreed to make a deal with me?
That's just how it goes.
You demon nobles are always jockeying for positions in the hierarchy, right?
I'm about to put the Radisu family on the top of the ladder.
It's Radiru, actually...
Um, Sir Jinwoo, why did you choose to spare my family?
Because I like you.
E-Excuse me?!
Between her and Jinho...
I think I might work well with people who have a screw loose.
You can head back now.
The enemies up ahead are gonna be stronger, right?
I made a promise with your father.
Just tell me where to find the permits, and I'll take it from there.
Am I really so... useless?
It's not that. I just thought it'd be dangerous.
You've done great. I appreciate it.
I'm going to accompany you to the end.
I want to see with my own eyes what you'll accomplish, Sir Jinwoo!
Okay.
Let's get going, then.
Right.
Esil was right. The difficulty level hit a genuine spike with the 90th floor.
Each encampment of magic beasts, in both strength and numbers,
is quite literally on a different level.
But I'm continuing apace, clearing the floors one step at a time.
I need to collect the ingredients for the Elixir of Life, no matter what.
You and I have been summoned for the fourth Jeju Island raid, Hunter Cha.
Yes, sir.
President Baek from the White Tiger Guild has also been called upon,
along with every other S-Rank hunter in the country.
Then Hunter Sung, too...
In addition,
this will officially be a joint operation between us and our close neighbor.
You mean Japan?
Exactly.
Considering the winged ants' ability to fly, they're at risk, as well.
It's the right call to make.
I honestly don't care, as long as we can kill them all.
Is there a date set?
Still under consideration.
But I doubt we'll be waiting long.
And in order to decide upon a plan of action,
hunters from their largest guild will be joining us today.
So this is the top floor.
No one seems to be around, though...
So this is the Demon Monarch...
Baran.
What incredible aura.
Can I really beat him?
His sheer bloodlust is wearing me down...
Even Esil is feeling it.
Well, I'm in for real trouble if he gets airborne.
A wyvern? I guess he commands more than just demons.
There's no shortage of them.
Wh-What do we do?!
Sir Jinwoo!
I know!
Get out here!
Incredible! I had no idea he could fight like that.
But... that's the Demon Monarch, Baran.
He is the ruler here,
and Sir Jinwoo is a simple invader— a target for elimination.
Who... should I side with?
That's no ordinary lightning.
It has a wide area of effect and inflicts stun.
Even if my soldiers can be brought back,
taking much more of this will deplete my mana fast.
So before that happens...
I'll clip those wings!
He saw through my Stealth?!
A homing attack?!
Not good! It's gaining on me!
Tusk! Igris!
You're finally grounded.
That's a relief. Looking up was tiring me out.
It's nice to meet you. My name is Hanekawa, and I'm with the Drawn Sword Guild.
This is Goto Ryuji, our guild master.
I'll be acting as his interpreter.
The Drawn Sword Guild...
As the largest guild in Japan, with eleven S-Ranks,
they're also said to be the second biggest in all of Asia.
And leading them is Guildmaster Goto Ryuji.
His aura does not betray his reputation.
First, we'd like to thank you for inviting us to the joint operation
and the mixed forces strike team.
No, we should be thanking you for accepting our invitation.
We are most grateful.
As the documents you've received say,
the investigation into the winged ants has revealed a fair bit of information.
Two points within will be critical to this operation.
One is their lifespan.
The ants grow at an accelerated rate after hatching but only live for about a year.
In other words, if we can kill the ant queen,
the remaining numbers will die off in about a year.
The other is regarding their behavior.
From the previous three raids, we know that the ants are drawn to stronger enemies—
those with greater magic power.
We're going to plan the operation around that and use it against them.
We'd been aware of the ants' tendencies.
But this is quite the elaborate breakdown.
Regarding the plan...
Of the Drawn Sword Guild's eleven S-Ranks, ten will be participating, including myself.
Ten of the full eleven?
We'll draw the ants out.
We'd like your team to take out the ant queen while that happens.
That would involve you fighting thousands of ants...
If we only need to cause a distraction, it should be fine.
AI simulations have shown that this plan has the best chance of succeeding.
Ten S-Rank hunters is certainly more than we would be able to field.
In that case...
Very well. We'll head into tactical planning under that broader strategy.
I don't even have time to restore my mana with potions.
Fatal Strike was blocked?!
There goes the last of my mana.
Damn it! My dagger!
He's so strong!
Are you kidding me?!
I can't dodge—
This is it!
It's time to put all my investment in strength
and Ruler's Hand to use!
You're done!
Sir Jinwoo?
Sir Jinwoo!
Esil... Head home and tell your dad...
From now on, the Radisu family runs things around here.
Sir Jinwoo...
It's Radiru, not Radisu.