REINCARNATION OF THE STRONGEST WAR HERO

Screams tore through the eastern horizon. It was an area near the mountains, far from the city, with many villages scattered around.

Due to the dungeon break, monsters had already flooded into the nearby areas. Smoke and dust filled the air as they swarmed out in waves. Goblins shrieked, dire wolves howled, orcs roared, and even hulking minotaurs smashed through homes as if they were toys.

Civilians were scattered everywhere. Men, women, children..... running haphazardly with nothing but sheer terror in their eyes.

Some hunters were already fighting, trying to push back the tide. But most were mid-ranked, and they were totally outnumbered. Their spells felt like a drop of water against a raging fire. One after another, they were forced back.

The ground shook as a group of orcs stormed through the village outskirts. Windows shattered. Blood stained the dirt roads.

Amid the chaos, a woman was running as fast as her legs could carry while clutching her young son tightly to her chest. Tears streamed down her face, but she didn't want to let go. She wanted to protect her son. Somehow. Anyhow.

"Just a little more... Hold on honey. Soon we will be safe." she cried, her voice breaking.

But suddenly her foot caught on a broken wooden step and tripped.

Crash!

Both mother and child tumbled to the ground.

Before she could rise, a towering orc snarled and charged toward her. Its tusks were gleaming under the sunlight. The ground cracked under its weight as it leapt.

The mother's scream cut through the air.

She grabbed her son's head with trembling hands, pulling him close. She intended to protect him. Her own death didn't matter. The only concern visible in her eyes was her son's safety.

And then....

Crunch!

The orc's massive jaws clamped down, ripping her upper body apart in a spray of blood and flesh. Her scream ended in a gurgle as her body went limp.

The child froze in shock, his small hands stained red, eyes wide with incomprehension. He didn't even understand what had just happened. All he could do was cry, voice raw and piercing.

"wa! Waaa!"

The orc tossed the corpse aside like trash and turned its gaze to the boy. Drool dripped from its tusks as it reached down, claws stretching toward the sobbing child.

Though the boy had no idea what danger was closing in, the orc's grotesque face only deepened the fear in his heart, making his cries grow louder.

Just when the claws of the orc were about to touch the boy's skin, just when he was about to face the same fate as her mother....

Swish!

A sharp wind blade cut through the air, severing the orc's wrist clean off. Blood spurted.

Before the monster could even roar, a shadow descended from above.

Bam!

A flying kick smashed into its shoulder, hurling the orc sideways like a rag doll. It crashed into a collapsed wall, stones scattering everywhere.

The figure landed lightly, dust swirling at his feet.

A hammer rested on his back.

It was Hervy.

One of Leo's party members.

The child's cries filled his ears, but Hervy's eyes stayed locked on the monster crawling out of rubble. Not because he didn't care about the boy, but because his heart wasn't capable of accepting such a scene. His knuckles tightened with rage.

Behind him, Leo's full party stormed into the field. He was the first one to arrive at the scene with all his party members. Other hunters were still on the way

"Lily!" Leo barked.

The healer sprinted forward without hesitation. While adjusting the bow on her back, she knelt down beside the child.. She scooped him into her arms, whispering softly as she tried to calm him. Then she ran toward the safer edge of the field.

"Kyke, make sure she and the boy are safe," Leo shouted.

Kyle gave a small nod, then dashed after Lily to guard her. Together, they disappeared into the smoke, carrying the child away from death.

Leo then turned toward the monsters.

"Let's begin."

Monsters surged forward.

Leo, along with the rest of his party members, charged as well.

Spell blades, weapons, and fangs clashed in a storm of blood and steel.

Each thrust of Leo's earth spike pierced an orc's heart.

Hervy roared beside him, hammer smashing on an orc's head. Duke's water blade flew toward it and slashed both its legs. Jasmine flung a fireball, her rage-filled spell engulfing the monster.

Dire wolves leapt from the sides, claws flashing. But Duke was quick to react. Water bullets stormed toward them massacring each one.

The battlefield ignited with chaos.

The roar of monsters collided with the cries of hunters. Dust clouds and mana blasts turned the land into a storm of fire, lightning, and blood.

But each time one fell, hundreds more came crawling out.

More goblins poured from the dungeon gate. Orcs bellowed, swinging their clubs like falling trees. A minotaur stomped out next, each step shaking the ground as it towered above the others.

Leo's voice boomed. "Don't falter! Hold them until the others can arrive."

For a moment, it felt like the monsters would overwhelm them.

But then...

More wagons rolled into sight.

The rest of the hunters had arrived.

Dozens leapt from their mounts and stormed into the fight. Magic arrows whistled through the air. Blades of ice carved through goblin packs. Explosions of fire lit up the ground, burning wolves to ash.

The field turned into a battlefield of thunder.

Screams. Explosions. Blood.

Hunters and monsters collided head-on.

The first to arrive among the main wave of hunters was Leonard's party. Even before their wagon came to a halt, Leonard had already leapt down. Raising his right hand high, a thunderclap split the air, and lightning crashed down, turning a massive horde of goblins into ash in the blink of an eye.

At his side, Lucas was no less fierce. The moment his boots hit the ground, multiple fireballs erupted from his hands, slamming straight into the charging monsters.

Gideon's party didn't waste a second either, hurling themselves into the fray. But the one to move first among them was Lilith. Despite being only a D-class, the smug curve of her lips and the sharp glint in her eyes made her look nothing less than an S-class hunter.