Elang: The Strongest Hunter in the Tower

Chapter 8 ~ Against the Contractor

WHOOOSHH!!

An appalling pressure descended like a crashing mountain. The Forest Guardian's massive body abruptly froze.

Even if it was only for a fraction of a second, that window of opportunity was more than enough.

BRAKKK!!!

Elang's fist slammed directly into the crack on the Guardian's neck—striking the exact weak spot revealed by his Architect's Sight.

The sound of shattering crystal echoed across the entire Hunger Forest. A massive fracture instantly spread throughout the monster's neck.

ROOOAAARRR!!

The Guardian roared in agony, thrashing around wildly.

Its giant body thrashed brutally into the crystal trees. Yet Elang didn't stop. With light, agile movements, he leaped atop the Guardian's head.

DUAAKK!!

Another heavy strike slammed into the monster's skull.

CRAAAKKK!!!

The Forest Guardian's entire crystal skull shattered like a sheet of giant glass.

The Level 15 monster's body froze for a second before slowly collapsing like a crumbling mountain.

BOOOOOOMMMM!!!

The resulting shockwave swept through the forest, sending crystal dust flying into the air.

[The Forest Guardian Eliminated!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

System notifications popped up endlessly before Elang's eyes.

Just as the Guardian's body collapsed, a sudden chill ran down the back of Elang's neck.

"Eh?" he murmured softly.

His Architect's Sight suddenly highlighted a thin red line behind his back.

Elang immediately turned around—the Contractor was still alive. However, the man's face had transformed into something horrifying.

Half of the skin on his face was cracked like black porcelain, while his left eye burned with a dark, vengeful red glow.

Behind him, the shadow of a colossal serpent with thousands of red eyes materialized.

[Warning!]

[Translator Authority Descending]

The Dragonfly Guide began to tremble violently. "N-No way!" its voice hitched. "The Black Snake Clan is actually stepping in directly... just to kill Elang?"

"This violates the Tower's rules! Translators cannot directly intervene to kill a Player!" the Guide screamed in protest.

However, the shadow of the giant serpent merely let out a cold laugh.

"Rules?" hissed a deep voice dripping with venom. "Rules are only made for the weak."

The thousands of red eyes on the serpent's body opened in unison.

WHOOOSHHH!

A suffocating pressure crashed down upon the entire Hunger Forest.

The ground cracked, and crystal trees shattered into dust.

Several nearby hunting Players instantly dropped to their knees, vomiting blood, unable to withstand the overwhelming aura of a High-Rank Translator.

[Warning!]

[Translator Authority Detected Violating Tower Regulations.]

[Administrator Intervention Request Sent.]

Elang narrowed his eyes as his body grew heavy once more. Even his War Sovereign buff began to flicker under the crushing pressure of the giant serpent.

The Contractor laughed maniacally while pointing a finger at Elang.

"Look at that! Even our supreme Translator has descended to end your life!" he shouted with fanatical zeal. "You should feel honored, you piece of trash!"

The giant serpent shadow slowly opened its maw. Inside lay a vortex of dense darkness—an abyss without a bottom.

The Dragonfly Guide went deathly pale.

"No... don't tell me he's going to use Venom Devourer on a lower floor," its voice trembled uncontrollably. "If that skill is unleashed, this entire floor could be wiped out!"

Elang clenched his fists tightly.

His crimson-black aura was still burning wildly, but for the first time, he felt a truly lethal threat to his existence. His body was completely immobilized.

'Damn it, how did I end up tangled with a Translator? In the original game, Translators could only watch from the sidelines without interfering,' he thought.

The sky above the Hunger Forest grew pitch-black. The vortex within the serpent shadow's maw spun faster and faster, as if sucking the very air of the floor into the void.

[Authority Skill: Venom Devourer — 92%]

The overwhelming pressure forced several more Players to their knees. Even the previously defeated Forest Guardian was crushed into dust by the aura before its corpse could fully dissolve.

The Dragonfly Guide panicked hysterically. "Kid, run! If you still can—"

BOOOOM!!

A spatial rift tore open right in the air above Elang, as though reality itself were being ripped apart.

From within the rift emerged a cold, blinding white light.

WHOOOSHHH!

All black pressure came to a dead halt.

The sky, which had been dark moments ago, froze in an instant.

The giant serpent shadow immediately stopped laughing.

[FINAL WARNING.]

[HIGHER-DIMENSION TRANSLATOR INTERVENTION DETECTED.]

[10TH FLOOR ADMINISTRATOR: KAEL VEYR NEUTRALIZING THE AREA.]

A massive human figure emerged—possessing long hair and adorned in ancient royal accoutrements. It was Kael Veyr, revealing a muscular physique and sharp, crimson eyes.

"What is the meaning of this?" His voice resounded—stern, absolute, and terrifying. "How dare an anomaly disrupt the operation of this Tower!"

Kael Veyr stood amidst the spatial void. His long hair swayed gently despite the lack of wind, as if the world itself was terrified to touch him. His crimson eyes stared straight at the giant serpent shadow suspended in the frozen sky.

"So it's a high-tier Anomaly," Kael's voice was low, yet every word struck like a heavy hammer against the souls of everyone who remained conscious. "You have crossed the boundaries of intervention, Translator."

The shadow of the giant serpent shuddered. Its thousands of eyes blinked simultaneously, as if holding back something far greater than anger.

"Tenth Floor Administrator," the voice came out heavy and distorted. "You descended too quickly."

Kael did not answer. He simply took a single step forward.

The Dragonfly Guide, still half-paralyzed, gasped sharply.

"T-That's... Authority Break," it whispered, pale with fright. "He's really going to erase it from the system."

Elang stood frozen. His body felt weighed down from every direction. Yet, what disturbed him most wasn't Kael's power, but the fact that Kael didn't even look like he was fighting.

He was merely clearing away an annoyance. Like dusting off a smudge, the shadow of the serpent finally moved.

"Don't be arrogant, Administrator!" it roared. "We are the roots of the Tower system! You cannot—"

Kael raised a hand, cutting the sentence short.

"Translators are only permitted to watch from the VIP lounge and behind the scenes. You shall not interfere with the progression of the Tower's game or harm the Players," Kael declared sternly. "The rules are clear: even as a VIP, you can be expelled for breaking them. So stick to gambling behind the scenes on whichever Player your clan supports."

The air in the Hunger Forest grew increasingly tense. It wasn't just quiet; it felt as though the entire floor was being forced to obey the absolute law.

Kael Veyr slowly lowered his hand, yet the pressure surrounding him intensified.

"Damn it!" the serpent entity hissed, its sharp eyes holding back immense fury.

The entity appeared to be restraining itself from causing further chaos. It then glared sharply at Elang.

"I will be watching you, kid!" it hissed menacingly.

The black mist wrapping around the Contractor's body began to peel away bit by bit.

The cracks across half his face spread down to his neck, disintegrating into shards of dark light that floated into the air. But before completely vanishing, those red eyes remained fixed intently on Elang.

WHOOOSHH!!

The dark aura swirled wildly before being sucked back into the spatial rift in the sky. The Contractor's body vanished along with the dark light.

Within seconds, all of that horrific pressure vanished completely.

The Hunger Forest returned to total silence.

"The Anomaly is no more. You will all return to the actual floor and resume the game on the Fourth Floor," Kael spoke with a booming voice.

In that moment, a blinding glare pierced through Elang's retinas, making him dizzy and completely unable to keep his eyes open.

Until finally, everything plunged into pitch darkness.

***