I was Kicked Out of the Hunter’s Guild

Sometimes, you can see disaster coming and still have no choice but to walk straight into it.

That was exactly the situation A-class hunter Park Sunyoung found herself in. Unfortunately, things were unfolding exactly as she had expected.

“Form defensive positions! There’s an abandoned building nearby, use it as the center immediately!”

The adjutant’s voice rang out with urgency, but his instructions weren’t helpful at all in the current circumstances.

The so-called “abandoned building” was nothing more than the crumbling remains of a one-story house mid-demolition. Its walls weren’t high enough to provide meaningful cover, and against the Abyss, creatures capable of smashing through concrete like it was paper, there was no chance it would offer any real defense.

Worse, the building was in a low-lying area, surrounded by higher ground. Fighting in such a position was practically an invitation for disaster, leaving vulnerable to an overwhelming assault.

‘Haa… I knew it would end up like this. But still… I didn’t expect it to go downhill this quickly.’

About 100 meters ahead, Isena—the S-class hunter—was relentlessly slaughtering Abyss without a care in the world.

Meanwhile, further up the hill, an enormous horde of Abyss was beginning to pour towards them.

Watching the scene unfold, Sunyoung sneered as she raised her weapon.

‘Seriously… I had a shred of hope, thinking this adjutant might be different since he’s supposedly “highly skilled.” But no. He’s no better than anyone else we’ve worked with. If it were him… If the commander were Lee Jinhyun, we wouldn’t even be in this situation in the first place.’

With that thought, Sunyoung clenched her teeth, her mind briefly drifting to the image of the ordinary, unimpressive face of Adjutant Lee Jinhyun, a man she surprisingly found herself wishing to see more than ever today.

Pushing her frustration aside, Sunyoung raised her voice to rally the others.

“Everyone, deploy the defensive formation!”

“Formation deployed!”

Following her command, the hunters quickly took their positions, forming a circular defensive line according to their training.

At the front, the B-class hunters activated their electronic shields, creating a glowing circular barrier to protect the group. Behind them, the A-class hunters prepared their firearms, adopting shooting stances as they aimed their weapons toward the approaching horde.

Meanwhile, as always, Isena continued to swing her weapon freely, completely ignoring her team. She danced through the Abyss, cutting down her enemies with reckless abandon.

“She’s so far ahead of us this time… It’s worse than usual. What are we supposed to do about this?” muttered an A-class hunter standing next to Sunyoung.

The comment carried an undertone of sharp annoyance rather than genuine concern for Isena’s safety.

Recognizing the meaning behind the words, Sunyoung sighed and shook her head slightly.

“It’s dirty work, but just keep firing as best you can without hitting her. If something happens to her over there, we won’t even be able to hold out until Yujin’s group arrives. At the very least, we need to make sure the green C-class hunters in the rear survive.”

“…Haa… I never thought I’d end up dying in a mess like this,” the hunter grumbled bitterly.

“Hey, don’t push yourself too hard. No matter what, this is just a B-class mission, remember? If you die here, you’re throwing away your qualifications as an A-class hunter,” Sunyoung replied, trying to inject some practicality into the conversation.

“Yeah, I get that, but still…”

The hunter trailed off, his attention shifting back to the battlefield.

There was no need to finish the thought.

Everyone knew the truth—they’d already been set up for failure by the reckless actions of the S-class hunter in front of them. The situation was out of their hands now, and all they could do was endure the chaos that was about to unfold.

“They’re coming!”

At Sunyoung’s sharp warning, the hunters steadied themselves, preparing to fire.

In their hands were 15mm-caliber rifles—massive firearms typically used in sustained fire. Despite being classified as “rifles,” each shot from these weapons had enough destructive power to easily pierce through armored plates.

These guns required immense strength to wield and could only be used by A-class hunters, but they offered reliable firepower in exchange.

And, unlike Isena’s group at the front, this team was fully equipped with a complete set of ammunition.

As the Abyss charged toward them in waves, the hunters prepared to unleash their firepower, just as they had done countless times before.

“Fire!”

At Sunyoung’s command, the hunters opened fire.

The bullets tore through the air, each shot piercing the thick, outer carapace of the Abyss and shredding their insides.

“Queee!!”
“Kurreugh!!!”

Dozens of wolf-type Abyss charged forward, letting out grotesque shrieks as they fell under the hunters’ relentless assault.

However, no matter how many were cut down, countless others surged forward to take their place, like waves crashing against a rocky shore.

The ground was quickly littered with the corpses of Abyss, but their advance didn’t slow. Their sheer numbers overwhelmed the battlefield, making it impossible to hold them off by simply killing a few here and there.

Even after hundreds of Abyss had been ground to pieces in a short span of time, the hunters could do little to stop the horde from closing in.

And then

-BOOM!

“Ugh!”

A thunderous impact struck the B-class hunters standing at the front with their electronic shields raised.

The shock was tremendous, and even with their enhanced physical capabilities as hunters, they were nearly thrown back by the force of the blow.

Still, they managed to hold their ground, the electronic shields holding firm against the onslaught.

“Raise output! Now!”

At Sunyoung’s order, the B-class hunters immediately activated the shields’ secondary function.

-CRACKLE!

A burst of super-high-voltage electricity surged through the Abyss in contact with the shields, instantly frying their bodies. The creatures collapsed to the ground, their charred corpses filling the air with a nauseating, acrid stench.

Even though the hunters were used to the smell of gunpowder, the smell of burned Abyss flesh never failed to make them gag. It was unbearable but they didn’t have time to dwell on it.

Because in front of them, yet again, the Abyss were climbing over the growing pile of corpses, charging at them with renewed fury.

“Damn it… If only the formation was better, we could have blanketed the field with high-explosive rounds,” one hunter muttered through gritted teeth.

“That’s not the issue!” another snapped. “Our commander hasn’t said a damn thing about the Abyss we’re dealing with! Shouldn’t he at least tell us about their characteristics or something?!”

The hunters’ frustration was justified. The poor terrain—a lowland surrounded by higher ground—meant that any misstep, such as using explosives, could result in friendly fire. They had already written off the terrain as a lost cause.

What they desperately needed now was better guidance from their commander.

In the past, during missions with Lee Jinhyun, they had always been given real-time, detailed information. He would analyze the Abyss, provide critical intel about their behavior, and tell them exactly where and how to attack.

But the new adjutant?

The only instructions he’d given so far were clumsy, vague orders to build a defensive formation around some useless abandoned houses.

To make matters worse, Isena, the guild master, was still off fighting alone—completely ignoring the adjutant’s orders. Her reckless solo rampage had only drawn more Abyss to their position, turning the battle into a bloody nightmare.

And while this mess was largely her fault, the adjutant wasn’t helping either. He spent most of his time urging Yujin’s group to hurry over, offering nothing useful to the hunters who were currently fighting for their lives.

That said, it wasn’t entirely fair to blame the new adjutant.

The abilities of most adjutants were limited to general planning, monitoring the battlefield, and issuing broad instructions. Unlike Lee Jinhyun, who had been an exceptional tactician, most adjutants simply couldn’t provide the same level of insight.

The Abyss were notoriously difficult to analyze, their dark and twisted forms making it hard to distinguish one from another at a glance. Identifying their exact species and behavior patterns in real time was a skill that few, if any, adjutants possessed.

And there was another reason Lee Jinhyun had been uniquely capable, but…

The hunters hadn’t truly expected the new adjutant to meet that standard.

Unfortunately, understanding all this didn’t make the current situation any easier.

Hemmed in by poor terrain, an unhelpful commander, and an S-class hunter gone rogue, the hunters had no choice but to grit their teeth and continue firing, holding back the Abyss as best they could.

But as time passed, they began to reach their limits.

And then—

“Argh!”

One of the B-class hunters at the front finally collapsed, unable to withstand the continuous assault.

With the formation broken, the Abyss surged forward, exploiting the gap in their defenses.

“Damn it! The line’s been breached!”

The hunters braced themselves, desperately trying to regroup, but the overwhelming force of the Abyss’ attack was too much to contain.

The horde was now upon them.