Mammuthus’s area-of-effect skill. The beast unleashed an immense freezing storm from its trunk, engulfing the superhumans who hadn’t been prepared to evade.

“Kugh…!”

The superhumans caught in the freezing storm began to be encased in ice. The terrifying aspect of Mammuthus’s wide-range attack wasn’t just its damage—it completely froze the body. Anyone hit by it would be rendered nearly immobile.

More than half of the raid team had been struck by this attack.

“Damn it.”

Seo Haneul muttered under his breath. At a glance, those hit by the skill seemed to have been put out of commission.

‘I underestimated it too much.’

That ominous premonition he had felt when he first saw the beast—such feelings were always right.

Bwoooo—

Having finished its freezing storm attack, Mammuthus let out a triumphant roar. It was as if it was celebrating its masterpiece.

No wonder the beast was pleased. Nearly half of the pesky flies that had been buzzing around it were now frozen solid before its eyes.

‘This is insane.’

Watching the scene, Heo Sungshik swallowed hard. Out of the sixty members in the raid, more than half had been incapacitated. It was hard to believe that a mere six-star monster could use an area-of-effect skill of this scale.

‘The Giant Ground Hornets I fought before seem like a joke compared to this.’

Though they were both six-star beasts, the difference in power was blatant.

That’s how powerful it was—Mammuthus wasn’t just an ordinary six-star monster.

‘At this level, it’s practically an irregular.’

Irregulars—creatures that occasionally appeared, defying all conventional classifications. This Mammuthus seemed to be one of those irregulars. It was a being far beyond the bounds of a six-star classification.

‘Defense and endurance both exceed six-star-plus level. And it even has an area-of-effect skill.’

Heo Sungshik narrowed his eyes as he observed Mammuthus roaring. Without him, would this raid even have a chance of success? That doubt gnawed at him.

‘At least the five-star superhumans are still standing.’

Those who had been caught by Mammuthus’s area-of-effect skill were mostly four-star-plus superhumans. Clustered together in the rear, they had no way to evade it.

‘It’s about time I step in.’

As he assessed the battlefield, Heo Sungshik began to consider whether it was time to act. If Mammuthus was left rampaging any longer, casualties would be inevitable. The formation was already crumbling after just one skill.

“Looks like I have no choice but to move.”

“Keep the aggro on us! Don’t let it get to the frozen ones!”

The five-star superhumans facing Mammuthus were desperately trying to keep its attention. Fortunately, most of them had successfully evaded the wide-range skill and were still able to fight. The main forces of the raid team were intact.

“How much longer?!”

“We need a little more time!”

But to stop Mammuthus from reaching the four-star-plus superhumans, Seo Haneul and the other five-star superhumans were overexerting themselves to maintain its aggro. If they failed, the incapacitated four-star-plus superhumans would be wiped out.

That was why the support-class superhumans were hurriedly dispelling the frozen status.

“Damn it, I can’t hold on much longer.”

One of the five-star superhumans from the Baekdu Clan, who had been skillfully dodging Mammuthus’s attacks while maintaining aggro, gritted his teeth. He was known within the guild as “Lightning” for his agility, making him a prime candidate for evasive tanking.

But even he was struggling to withstand the cold that Mammuthus constantly emitted from its body.

Just as his movements were slowing from the accumulating frost damage, Mammuthus suddenly swung its long trunk.

Bwoooo—

Thud—!

“Kugh—!”

Struck head-on, he was sent flying like a ragdoll.

“Seokho—!”

The Baekdu Clan members were visibly shaken, clearly not expecting Seokho to be taken out so quickly. He hadn’t even lasted five minutes.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

He tumbled across the ground multiple times before crashing far away. It looked as if he had been hit by a one-ton truck.

Twitch—

“Kugh….”

Luckily, he was still alive, though his groans indicated he was in bad shape. If left untreated, the outcome wouldn’t be good.

“No! Wait—”

One of the Baekdu Clan’s support-class superhumans, who had been focused on dispelling the frozen status, suddenly dashed toward the fallen Seokho.

“Hey! If you leave them now….”

Another supporter, who had been working alongside her, tried to stop her in alarm. But she was already gone, running toward Seokho.

“How am I supposed to handle this alone….”

He trailed off in frustration.

Bwoooo—

Because Mammuthus’s enormous shadow had fallen over him.

“Ah….”

Frozen in place, he stared up at Mammuthus. It was understandable—he was a support-class superhuman. There was no way he could stand against a monster like this.

“Damn it! Everyone, turn Mammuthus’s attention away!”

Everything had happened in the blink of an eye.

Seo Haneul barked the order, but it was already too late.

‘I have to stop it… somehow.’

He bit his lip and rushed forward, but his sword would never reach in time.

Bwoooo—

Mammuthus let out a bellow as it loomed over the frozen superhumans and the supporter. The sound was almost gleeful, as if it were toying with its prey.

“No, stop!”

Bwooooo—!(Die!)

Just as it raised its trunk to strike—

In that instant, Heo Sungshik moved.

In a flash, he appeared at Mammuthus’s flank. Before the beast could even register his presence, Heo Sungshik swung his hand.

“Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts, Fourth Form. Dragon-Slaying Strike—Pyronic Dragon Piercer.”

What should have been five blades of energy twisted and merged into a single concentrated point. The energy took the form of a dragon, its body wreathed in flames.

The fiery dragon shot forward, sinking its fangs into Mammuthus’s side.

Crunch.

“Bwooo…? Bwohh…!”

With a grotesque howl, the massive beast’s body toppled sideways.

Kuwaaaang!

The sound of its massive body collapsing to the side was just as thunderous as expected.

“Ugh—!”

The impact was so great that even the supporter standing right in front of Mammuthus was sent flying backward.

“Hmm, not bad for my first time using it.”

That was Heo Sungshik’s impression after taking down Mammuthus in a single strike. It was his first time infusing fire energy into the Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts. Leaving aside its destructive power, he was immensely satisfied with the brilliant effect of the fire dragon.

Moreover, even though he had used it with his hand instead of a sword, its destructive force was still enough to topple the massive Mammuthus in one go.

While Sungshik was admiring his own martial arts technique, the Awakened participating in the raid were all at a loss for words.

“W-What… is this…?”

Staring at the unrealistic sight before them, their eyes were filled with astonishment as they looked at Sungshik. Seeing their reactions, Sungshik smirked.

“W-Who are you?”

Seo Haneul, unable to hide his shock, tried to say something to Sungshik, but his words were cut off.

“Bwooooohhh!”

Mammuthus let out a tremendous roar as it stood up once more. Its presence was even more ferocious than before. But it wasn’t just its aura—its entire body was now radiating a deep crimson energy.

‘It’s gone berserk.’

Sungshik recognized the phenomenon well. This was the Berserk State. Occasionally, some creatures would enter this state, similar to a berserker mode.

‘As expected of an irregular entity—it’s pulling out all kinds of tricks.’

Clicking his tongue, Sungshik gripped his Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword tightly and faced the beast head-on.

“Take them and fall back.”

He turned to the 5-star Awakened who had approached and instructed them to retreat with the frozen members.

“U-Understood. Please, we’re counting on you.”

Seo Haneul seemed like he wanted to say something more, but seeing the resolute look on Sungshik’s face, he chose to step back.

He had probably intended to join the fight himself.

However, he would be of little help in the upcoming battle. If Mammuthus had not gone berserk, it might have been different. But now, he would only be a hindrance.

‘Scan.’

[Boss] Mammuthus Primigenius
Rank: 6-star+ (★★★★★★☆)
Combat Power: S- (Ice Field Buff)

—A boss-grade monster native to icy terrains. Possesses an extremely violent nature.

*Currently in a Berserk State.

Due to its berserk transformation, its rank had risen to 6-star+. Sungshik smirked as he noted its combat power, now at S-.

“Now this is interesting.”

After all, wasn’t it far better to face an opponent that could push him to his limits rather than crushing weaklings like mere insects?

‘The more I think about it, the more I feel like a battle junkie.’

Chuckling to himself, Sungshik readied his stance.

“Alright, let’s have some fun.”

“Bwoooooooohhh—!”

As if responding to his words, Mammuthus let out a furious roar, and their clash began.

“Ah…”

Seo Haneul stood there, his mouth slightly agape as he watched the battle unfold before him. The other Awakened watching the fight were in the same state.

Boom! Boom!

Each of their attacks landed with the force of a massive bomb, generating shockwaves that altered the surrounding terrain.

Gulp.

Everyone was watching with bated breath, swallowing nervously.

“Is… is Mammuthus losing? It’s not just my eyes, right?”

Someone watching the fight asked cautiously.

“No… I see it too.”

Indeed. Sungshik was clearly dominating the battle, pushing Mammuthus back. No matter how many attacks the beast launched, none of them managed to land on Sungshik properly.

On the other hand, the fiery sword strikes Sungshik unleashed continuously burned through Mammuthus’ thick hide, gradually eating away at its massive frame.

It was a sight so unbelievable that even seeing it with their own eyes, they struggled to accept it. A colossal beast nearly 2 meters tall was being overpowered by a human wielding nothing but a single sword.

“That Mammoth isn’t just a 6-star, is it? I’ve seen 6-star monsters before, and they weren’t this strong.”

“No… It seems to be at least a 6-star+. Maybe even 7-star…”

“Then… does that mean that ‘Big Sir’ over there is an Awakened beyond 6-star+?”

The realization left them all wide-eyed. Amidst the tense battle, none of them had stopped to consider it.

“W-Wait… That’s true, isn’t it? He really seems to be above that level.”

One of them turned to Seo Haneul for confirmation. As the highest-ranked among them, they sought his judgment.

“I can’t say for certain… but I think you’re right. That man… No, that person has definitely surpassed 6-star+.”

At that moment, Seo Haneul had another thought.

Does that mean he’s the strongest Awakened in our country?

It was a question that lingered not only in Seo Haneul’s mind but in the minds of everyone who heard his words.

“So… he’s stronger than Kang Hanil?”

No one could answer right away. Logically, if Sungshik was beyond 6-star+, he should be stronger than Kang Hanil, who was known to be at 6-star. But breaking away from long-standing beliefs wasn’t easy.

Kang Hanil was South Korea’s only world-ranked Awakened. Ever since the Great Cataclysm, he had been recognized as the country’s most powerful hunter.

“It… It seems that way.”

However, the truth was undeniable. Sungshik had clearly surpassed the 6-star tier.

Unless Kang Hanil had recently broken through to 6-star+, it was now clear that the man currently overpowering Mammuthus was stronger.

“That is… if Kang Hanil is still only 6-star.”

They added that last part. After all, there was a possibility that Kang Hanil had also advanced to 6-star+ in the meantime.

The last 6-star+ Awakened I saw wasn’t even this strong…

Seo Haneul recalled an Awakened he had once encountered from Italy—Quintera. That man was among the top ten strongest in the world.

Of course, Seo Haneul’s assumption was only half correct. Quintera was destined to become one of the Eleven Thrones—an absolute being. Even now, he had already fully stepped into the 7-star realm.

Back then, Seo Haneul had only caught a glimpse of Quintera’s power. The fact that he thought Sungshik was on par with him spoke volumes.

Huh?

That was when Seo Haneul spotted something beyond the battlefield where Sungshik and Mammuthus clashed.

A wolf-like figure flickered in the distance.