Slaughtered Prey

Five days later.

"Awooooo—"

A frenzied roar echoed throughout Yharnam, causing the Beastification Citizen to tremble in fear.

The one who made this sound was naturally the Cleric Beast, and only its roar could travel throughout Yharnam.

At this moment, it is facing an attack from ten fully armed hunters.

These hunters were all dressed in identical clothes. Apart from their height, weight, and the weapons they carried, they were almost indistinguishable, looking like copy-pasted versions of each other.

Since being deployed in the Zane Dungeon, the Cleric Beast had never seen so many hunters together. Its ferocity was aroused to the maximum, and with a sudden burst of strength, it hurled itself into the air, crashing down on the group of hunters.

Faced with the danger falling from the sky, the hunters not only dodged but also made the same move in unison.

Drop Molotov Cocktail!

Nine out of ten Molotov Cocktail hit the Cleric Beast, and flames immediately ignited on its fur. Wait, there were also two Oil Urn among them?

Now the flames became like leeches, clinging to its body and burning continuously with the help of the Oil Urn pot, making one momentarily imagine it as Laurence.

The burning pain caused it to lose its balance as it fell, completely losing its aim and crashing hard onto the bridge surface. Although the bridge surface was shaking, all the hunters present steadied themselves, and no one staggered or even fell down due to the tremors.

Before the Cleric Beast could get up, gunshots rang out, and he was hit by a barrage of Quicksilver Bullets!

"Roar!"

Without stopping for a moment, it charged toward the nearest and smallest hunter, who clearly lacked strength. He held only a Hunter Pistol and a cane in his hand and stood motionless, simply raising his pistol at it.

It immediately jumped to the side to dodge. Even though the pistol could do very little damage to it, nobody wants to get hurt. Even though it was huge, it was agile and difficult to hit in this situation.

Can you keep up with my speed, hunter?

"Bang!"

The gunshot rang out, followed by the howl of the Cleric Beast. It clutched its left cheek and screamed in agony, even losing its aim Charge and crashing into the edge of the bridge.

Blood kept flowing from between its fingers; it had been hit in the eye!

How could a hunter who looks like a minor girl have such accurate aim?!

It almost plunged off the bridge into the sea, and the hunters were still hoping for a glimmer of hope, but now it seems they are destined to be disappointed.

Fortunately, the people didn't fight with any wishful thinking at the beginning. A strong man rushed over with a hunter's axe and made a leaping slash that hit the Cleric Beast hard, causing... it actually cut through the beast's skin and caused bleeding!

"Sure enough, as the number of challengers increased, this guy's strength also increased."

Not far away, Fan En muttered something to himself, then lifted his mask to smell the unique scent of Yharnam air, and shouted excitedly:

"Let's go, everyone, let's begin our hunt!"

These hunters were all survivors from that time!

After five days in the dungeon, they have now become hunters who are proficient in using weapons. Perhaps they cannot match veteran adventurers like Leon in terms of combat experience and skills in the short term, but in terms of mentality, they have already met the standards of a hunter.

Two distinct emotions were evident in their eyes: one filled with an addiction to the hunt, and the other revealing a calm rationality.

This is the special gaze they developed over five days by repeatedly "becoming addicted to hunting" and then upgrading their Doll to achieve "purity and detachment." In battle, it is neither violent nor reckless, a state that most martial artists aspire to.

The reason they were able to train to this level in such a short time is because of their spirit of repeatedly pushing themselves, which is an unorthodox approach that ordinary people cannot take.

The amount of exercise they did in those five days is probably equivalent to the total amount of exercise they did in their entire lives.

The Zane Dungeon is all about how hard you work and you will be rewarded. The survivors are training so hard and they are getting what they deserve, just like now.

"Drink!"

Fan En slashed the Cleric Beast's left leg, instantly inflicting a finger-length wound. Although small, blood spurted out!

After five days of rigorous training, even when facing Cleric Beast enhanced with the power of ten people, he was able to inflict greater damage than when he first encountered this enemy!

Just as the Cleric Beast was about to retaliate angrily, he heard a sharp, cursing voice coming from not far away.

"If you've got the guts, come and hit this old man! If I don't make you pay until you're bankrupt, I'll let you kick my ass with your boots!"

The statement itself wasn't particularly offensive, but the old woman's unique demeanor and sharp tone amplified its sarcastic undertones. The Cleric Beast, Beast, casually slapped Fan En before charging furiously at the old woman, Bell.

Bell, like a shrewish old lady who appears in every residential area, glared at the beast with a mean expression. She had suddenly discovered that she had a unique talent for taunting and attracting the monster's hatred, but her talent seemed too good, as even her companions couldn't stand her behavior.

The hunters naturally wouldn't stand idly by while Bell was attacked; gunshots and slashing sounds rang out simultaneously, and the Cleric Beast was besieged from all sides.

Each attack may seem insignificant, but when these seemingly insignificant injuries accumulate, they create a terrifying situation that is unbearable for the creature.

These tiny insects, when gathered together, can actually hunt monsters!

Upon realizing this fact, it went into an even more ferocious state, swiftly knocking away two hunters and biting one of them with its gaping maw!

The hunter, who had been bitten, screamed as a Saw Cleaver flew out of nowhere and struck the Cleric Beast squarely in the cheek, forcing it to release its grip.

The unfortunate hunter was pulled away from the battlefield to heal his wounds the moment he fell to the ground by the previously stern-faced Bell. His stomach had been pierced by fangs and he needed immediate treatment. Bell was quite adept at taking care of people, and his expression had changed to that of an elder doting on a young person.

"Attack according to plan, just like we practiced!" Yi Sha shouted.

Everyone present had encountered the Cleric Beast before; each of them had fought it to some extent. After all, if they didn't meet it, the Doll Girl would be unable to see them, as if they were invisible, and they wouldn't be able to level up.

Today, the hunters have made thorough preparations, their purpose being, of course, to hunt the Cleric Beast.

Once the hunt is successful, the things to do are also clear.

The battle was fierce and intense, with injuries constantly appearing. However, after receiving treatment, they would immediately return to the battlefield. They would not give up hunting unless they were completely killed; their vitality was even stronger than that of a cockroach.

Bottle after bottle of Molotov Cocktail rained down on him, Saw Cleaver, a large axe, and a cane took turns carving wounds into his body. The Cleric Beast gradually showed signs of exhaustion, and finally, with a Molotov Cocktail exploding near its head, its body collapsed to the ground, powerless.

"Go, Fan En!"

"They're here!"

Fan En took the lead and leaped out of the crowd, gathering all his strength in his arm, and smashed the Saw Cleaver into the head of the Cleric Beast. Blood gushed out like a fountain, instantly staining his entire body red!

The others exerted all their strength in the attack, leaving their own marks on the Cleric Beast!

"Aww—"

The Cleric Beast lay sprawled on the ground, emitting a dying howl.

The hunters were excited. Five days had passed, and they had never seriously injured Cleric Beast to this extent. They were about to succeed!

People rushed forward eagerly, ready to deliver the final blow, but then it did something unexpected.

Lying helplessly on its back, the Cleric Beast stretched out its trembling claws and actually clasped its hands together as if a clergyman were praying. In that instant, the bestiality in its eyes subsided considerably.

The hunters stopped and looked at each other, wondering what was going on.

The Cleric Beast still retains some human consciousness? Then shouldn't we—

Before the hunters could figure out what to do next, the Cleric Beast's eyes were once again filled with an extreme ferocity, and with a sudden slam, he smashed the nearest hunter into a bloody pulp.

People were stunned for a moment, then an overwhelming anger surged within them. They had just been thinking about whether they could persuade the other party, but the other party had used that brief moment to launch a sneak attack.

Everyone rushed forward, venting their anger, and the already severely injured Cleric Beast collapsed to the ground once more.

"Snap!"

Fan En transformed the Saw Cleaver into its long-handled form, walked up to the beast, and raised the Saw Cleaver high toward its head.

The Cleric Beast, trembling slightly from its severe injuries, raised its head, its hands about to clasp together.

Without the slightest hesitation, Fan En slashed down.

Blood flew everywhere.

[Prey has been slaughtered]

Several large characters suddenly appeared in front of them, as if the underground city had witnessed their growth.

When the hideous beast's head hit the ground, it was as if something inside people had finally burst out, and they all showed a feeling of relief and excitement!

An unprecedented amount of Blood Echoes appeared inside their bodies, along with the [Sword Hunter Badge], several [Beast Blood Pellet], and various other consumables – a veritable windfall.

"Yay!"

People celebrated their hard-won victory, and laughter echoed across the bridge.

"Elder brother."

Yi Sha smiled and raised her hand.

"Um."

Fan En smiled and raised his hand, the crisp sound of a high-five echoing around him.

He had finally succeeded in hunting the Elite Monsters, but the smile on his face only lasted for a short time. The others also turned to look at him, as if waiting for Fan En to give them orders.

"We have proven our strength; even the most powerful beasts will be dragged down to hell by us."

Fan En clenched his fist, and everyone stared at him, waiting for him to say what had been buried in everyone's heart for a long time.

Seeing this scene filled him with an unprecedented passion; even the excitement he felt when hunting the Cleric Beast couldn't compare to this.

"It's time to reclaim our city!"