The Giant Awakens
It was time. Satisfaction. Or advancement—12. The moon hung bright in the night sky. We waited for what was to come, the stench of rotting zombies thick in the air.
"Feels like we're camping."
"Camping?"
An Sua tilted her head.
"Yeah, something like that."
In this world, camping out with close friends might not be so unusual. The opposite would be stranger. There weren't many safe places to stay or easy sources of food you could get without moving. But from now on, things would change. I'd make sure of it.
...
The bonfire blazed. Something stirred.
"Everyone ready?"
Smoke rose high into the sky. The ground trembled.
You have satisfied the boss summon conditions for Anseongu. The boss will appear shortly.
The status window popped up, then vanished. Sensing something off, I immediately barked orders to my companions.
"...Everyone, fall back! As fast as you can!"
Thankfully, the women didn't hesitate. The massive fountain at the center of Central Park shattered into pieces. And that was just the beginning. Dust erupted from the earth. A tremendous vibration made it hard to even stand.
"It's coming!"
It split open. The sidewalk blocks cracked like brittle crackers, and a colossal arm burst forth.
"W-what the hell is that?!"
"Bosses are this strong? I had no idea!"
An Sua and Han Seohee cried out in dismay as they fled. It was impossible to guess how far we'd need to run to be safe. That arm was, quite literally, a composite mess. And "composite" wasn't a flattering word for describing body parts on something vaguely human-shaped. Some areas had peeling skin exposing raw muscle. The fourth finger was severely rotted and frayed. The inner arm was filled with disgusting black sludge.
And that was just the arm.
"Here it comes!"
Next came the monster's head.
"Do all the monsters around here just bulldoze with size? How the hell did people at other bases even take down things like this?!"
"That's why newly 'liberated' districts are so rare."
Shin Roa, running alongside me, answered.
"There are stories that big organizations or super-strong hunters cleared them ahead of time back when things were better."
"Things like that?"
"I'm no expert on that stuff, but... yeah, this one's an exception. Hunters capable of taking down something that size are extremely rare."
Logically, I had no reason to fear it. I'd slain far larger and uglier beasts multiple times. At that size, I was certain it couldn't keep up with my movements.
"Ugly mug on that thing..."
Still, it was intimidating. Like knowing a horror game ghost can't jump out of the screen, yet flinching anyway when it appears. Its left eye was gouged out, and its mouth was torn halfway to its ears—literally "smiling ear to ear."
"GRAAAAAAAHHH!!!"
"Fuck, shut your trap!"
The beast roared wide-mouthed. Inside its massive jaws, new mouths lined with countless teeth sprouted haphazardly. Reacting to the roar, zombies began swarming from all directions.
"We cleared all the ones nearby..."
We'd needed zombie corpses for the ritual anyway, and stragglers would've just gotten in the way during the boss fight. But with that bellow, zombies poured in like they were spawning from nowhere, surrounding us.
"This'll be a pain."
The arm slammed the ground. Like a man scaling a cliff, the giant was crawling up from below. Soon, its enormous body emerged.
"GRRRRAAAAHHH..."
Thank God it had no genitals. Seeing that on such a grotesque horror would've caused serious mental damage. Chunks of its body were rotting, spewing toxic fumes from the decayed flesh. But I managed a faint smile.
"It can't stand up?"
"Is that what matters right now?"
"Of course."
Its lower body wasn't human. Instead of legs, black, leech-like flesh hung where they should be.
"A monster that size standing up makes it hard to even reach a vital spot."
"You've killed a lot of them?"
"Yeah... had to at some point."
The nastiest in that category had been dragons, bar none. Filthy huge and they could fly, so a pure swordsman like me had no choice but to grind it out for months. My mediocre archery and basic arrows couldn't even scratch their hides. Compared to that, this thing was easy prey. My sword could reach it. If it reached, I could kill it. Life had plenty of things a sword couldn't do, but I never backed down from what it could.
"Ignore us and focus on the fight."
An Sua flashed a grin.
"The surrounding monsters have a few elites mixed in, but nothing we can't handle. We've leveled up plenty, and holding the line is no problem."
"...Thanks."
I was worried, but I had to trust her now. Better for me to pin down the giant than waste time alternating between it and small fry. They weren't kids. They'd fought zombies before I came along, and they could without me. I trusted them.
"Alright, I'm going in."
I gripped my plastic sword and eyed the giant flailing its arm while prone.
"I'll kill it and be back."
I charged at the giant. Its rotting eyes fixed right on me. /////
An Sua gazed at the zombies, pistol in hand. The massive one wasn't her concern—her master would handle it. Once decided, no doubts. Her job now was facing the horde gathering here.
"Everyone, stay sharp."
Lee Hari issued cold, precise orders.
"Director, prioritize threats. Unless it's an elite zombie, don't fire even if we look in danger."
"Got it."
"Seohee unnie, you're our front line— you know that, right? Plenty of firepower, so focus on holding them steady rather than dropping them."
"No way. You expect me to waste time on punks I could smash? Against zombies that die in one swing?"
"Ah, yeah. Got it. Roa'll handle herself. And the rest of the orphanage group—"
The ritual needed ten people. Excluding the women Sunwoo knew, three orphanage kids were among them.
"Just like we practiced."
"U-uh, yeah!"
Kim Haena nodded desperately. The others looked tense but not scared or fleeing. Running solo in this mess was pointless anyway, and they all owed Sunwoo. These girls who'd come to fight were survivors from that night in the "darkness." They'd seen his plastic sword's warm glow up close. Witnessed him carve through the zombie wave. No running. Even if they'd met him later than Haena or Hari, their feelings matched. They wanted to see him liberate this district firsthand.
"They're coming!"
Most zombies charged the man with the glowing sword, but some spotted the women. They advanced. But An Sua felt no fear.
...Ah.
Her usual fights were pointless. Better not to fight zombies at all. Better to avoid them. For a scavenger, battling them wasted mana on futility—a failure of survival strategy. All they needed was minimal food for the day and a hideout for their exhausted bodies.
But this fight was different. It had meaning. Reward. Hope. Unlike scraping by, burning mana just to delay death. She could make him happy. See his smile. Hear "Good job" or "Thanks." Victory meant watching him save more people. Loving more, loved by more. So she couldn't lose. Couldn't die. Not now, when people would grieve her death.
"I'll clear a path first."
Her body moved like the wind. Light and swift as a feather, An Sua slowed the advancing zombies. Those who lunged thinking she was easy prey found her gone.
"Open fire!"
Rifles in the orphanage kids' hands spat flames. Dozens of zombies dropped. With each flick of An Sua's pistol, heads exploded.
"Nice start!"
Han Seohee grinned, gripping her bat as she watched. The battle had begun.