Episode 18: Don't Look Down on My Guys

Requesting a weapon from a miner, Hae-In prepares to look into the A-Rank dungeon, while Jinwoo and Kihoon's people are hemmed in by Kargalgan's orcs. The shaman announces that his soldiers will slaughter, torment, and devour the hunters for sport. Kihoon charges him on his own, only for Kargalgan to swat the blow away using magic and gravity and leave him hurt. Jinwoo intervenes to rescue Kihoon, telling him to retreat with everyone else as he alone faces both the shaman and his whole horde, then calls up his Shadow Army to begin the fight.

Elsewhere, Woo and his companions arrive at the site. Questioning a miner, Woo learns that Jinwoo had hired on under Kihoon to haul gear, and that the dungeon already held both Hae-In and Jinwoo's party. An odd aura drifts past Woo's group as Hae-In inspects the bodies of fallen orcs, then takes up her pickaxe and moves toward the shaman. Reinforcing his shadows with a fresh magic skill, Jinwoo throws his troops into the orc lines while driving for the commander. Kargalgan turns him back and rips through the shadow soldiers, granting Kihoon's people a chance to withdraw. An ally of Woo's observes the place is climbing close to S-Rank strength, which moves Woo to summon the Master of Hunters. Jinwoo downs a potion and conjures undead orcs by the legion, warning Kargalgan he will soon be among them; the shaman, puzzled by Jinwoo's nature, confesses an order to hunt humans and tells his ranks to kill the defiant and bring back their remains.

Choi talks over the deteriorating crisis with a female worker and is told to deploy more hunters. With the armies still warring, Kihoon's group tries to aid Jinwoo but is stopped by the shaman's spells. Coming at Jinwoo head-on, Kargalgan finds his powers useless, and Jinwoo summons mages who shatter the magic shield around him. Hae-In reaches the field to witness the leaders' duel, and Woo arrives too. Jinwoo's crushing edge grows plain, and his army at last overwhelms the shaman. Applying Shadow Extraction to the body, Jinwoo converts him into a soldier he names Tusk. Woo and his men press that Jinwoo's gifts are a closely held Association secret and that the day's events stay quiet, as Kihoon offers his thanks and Jinwoo gives back the will he was handed. Afterward Choi questions Kihoon about Jinwoo's true might, and Kihoon hints he eclipses Choi, who cannot clear an A-Rank dungeon alone, so Choi requests an introduction. A closing scene puts Jinwoo with Jinho at a cafe discussing Jinho's chat with Myunghan over the guild master post, while outside the Association building reporters debate Lee Minsung's fresh awakening as he observes them from a parked car.

Standing alone against the orc horde so Kihoon's people can flee, Jinwoo raises his Shadow Army to take on the shaman. Kargalgan proves fearsome, using heavy magic alongside gravity to repel the opening assault and tear through the shadow ranks. Several groups close in on the site, Hae-In probing from within and Woo's party recognizing the place nears S-Rank strength and calling for help. Victory comes once Jinwoo unveils fresh powers, conjuring undead orcs and ordering his mages to break the shaman's shield. He then draws out the dead commander's shadow and christens the new soldier Tusk. With the Association sealing the affair in secrecy, Jinwoo's showing piques the keen interest of Chairman Choi, who asks to be introduced.

The sixth chapter of season two, this episode adapts Chapters 71 through 76. Fuka Ishii wrote it and Takayuki Kikuchi directed it for A-1 Pictures, with airings on February 8th, 2025 in Japanese and February 22nd, 2025 in English. ReawakeR serves as the opening and UN-APEX as the ending, and the insert song SHADOWBORN features as well. Spanning both the Hunters Guild Gate Arc and the Return to Demon Castle Arc, the episode showcases items including a miner's weapon, Hae-In's pickaxe, Kargalgan's magic and gravity powers, a potion Jinwoo drinks, and the magic shield his mages destroy.