Chapter 57: Is This What You Wanted?
Ran, who had fired the shot, stared at me in utter bewilderment.
In this era of hunters, one might think guns were useless, but of course they weren't. Outside gates, at least. Guns didn't work inside gates, but outside, they still fired perfectly fine and killed people just as effectively—that was the terrifying nature of firearms. There weren't any skills yet that could block them, like a Shield or something.
Well, what I used wasn't exactly a shield... Wait, wasn't it?
Maybe it was. It wasn't me using it; the system was creating a shield for me, right?
Just then, Ran aimed his gun at me again, and this time I focused intently on observing the shield skill the gate deployed for me.
Observation (Active) skill has leveled up to 5.
Shield (Active) Level 5 obtained.
Bang!
The bullet hurtled toward me, and as expected, the gate's shield skill unfurled. The shield seemed to have a dense honeycomb structure, designed to disperse and neutralize incoming impacts.
A bit more.
As if he'd understood my unspoken command, Ran switched his rifle to full auto and unleashed a barrage at me.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat.
Click-click-click-click.
Ran was one tough bastard.
Finally, following Heal, I'd acquired another magic-like skill: Shield. My hunch had been right. The gate had been using Shield to protect me.
I immediately tested the skill.
Shield.
There were others around, so I chanted the activation word silently in my mind. Though it seemed I might not even need to.
Sure enough, the exact same shield the gate had conjured appeared before my eyes. The only difference between the gate's shield and mine was who was wielding it, right?
It started at level 5. Probably because the observed target's level was high. That meant the shield the gate used on me was likely even higher level—or some advanced form of defensive magic.
"Ah, sorry. I got lost in thought for a sec. Anyway, isn't it about time you snapped out of it? Ran, I'll ask again. Answer straight."
"Wh-what."
"I know you lot hate admitting shit—it's like your racial trait—so shut up and answer. Did you kill Hakashi?"
I cast Fear as I spoke. Ran's eyes met mine, and he began trembling violently. He even pissed himself.
The guys hovering protectively around him like bodyguards just stood there dumbfounded, unable to process the scene. Makes sense. I'd only targeted Ran with Fear.
In games, fear makes targets flee in panic, but mine froze them solid. Maybe that was even more convenient.
"Last chance. Don't answer, and you die."
"Th-th-th."
"Did you kill Hakashi?"
Hakashi had written about what the Self-Defense Forces did to him in his diary, but he hadn't named names. Hence this tedious interrogation.
"N-n-no, not me! It wasn't me!"
"Then who?"
"Y-Yamato, the Third-Class Petty Officer!"
"Good info—and thanks for the gifts. Oh, and I mean that sincerely. So as a special treat, I won't kill you. Or your underlings."
"R-really?"
"Yeah, I won't."
"But that wolf...?"
"Oh, Leo? You don't recognize him? This is Hakashi's Leo."
"N-no way!"
"I won't ask you to believe me. Oh, and he'll hold off on attacking you too. Promise. Right, Leo?"
Grrr.
Leo nodded. The men sighed in relief.
So I gave them a parting gift.
Gate access privileges revoked.
"Gasp!"
"Wh-what the."
"No way!"
"Live well, then."
Kekeke-kekeke.
Before the now-powerless hunters could recover, dozens of goblins swarmed in. They'd been fleeing from Hoya and ended up right in front of Ran and his crew.
I quietly slipped away with Leo and Kkamangi. A promise was a promise—I and Leo hadn't laid a hand on them.
"Leo, hold it. He said there's a bigger fish. Third-Class Petty Officer—that high up?"
I'd done my military service, but in the Korean army, so I was clueless about Self-Defense Force ranks. Never cared much either. But now I needed to know.
"Hoya, mind grabbing that dropped smartphone?"
Mrowr!
"Got it. I'll get it myself."
Hoya had just herded those goblins, so pushing my luck might cost me my life. I went on my own.
"Hey, this the owner's? No answer? Guess I'll borrow it."
Of course he couldn't answer. He was busy fighting—no, getting devoured by—goblins like a madman.
Grotesque as it was, I stayed surprisingly calm. Calm enough for the system to notice.
I'd become even calmer. Maybe Seon-woo was right—maybe I wasn't a full psychopath, but a sociopath at least? The thought flickered, but who dwells on that?
Smartphone in hand, I turned—and a goblin approached, eyes gleaming. Hoya scared it, but I looked easy pickings.
I pulled out my lighter.
Kreek!
Another goblin yanked its arm back and avoided my gaze.
"Huh? You know me?"
Kreek, kreek.
It played dumb.
"Play dumb and die."
It flattened itself on the ground, bowing desperately. Begging for mercy, probably. Smart one.
"Come here."
Kiki-kreek, kreek-kreek.
"Won't kill you. But don't come, and you die."
It bolted over. Felt familiar somehow.
"You're from our gate, right?"
Nod.
"Know why you're here?"
Shake.
So even they didn't know. Our territory's goblins hadn't come willingly.
"Others too?"
Nod nod.
Villains in their own right? But monsters all the same. Biggest difference from Karak: no production value. Narrow metric, maybe, but mine.
No citizenship for them. But good XP farms.
"Business done, go home. Or meet me again."
Kreek-kreek!
Crazy nodding.
"Go."
Kreek!
It scurried back, chattered to the others, then ignored us. Clever goblin.
I rejoined Hoya and the crew.
I didn't stick around to watch the goblins finish off Ran and the Self-Defense Force guys. A grown man can handle goblins fine—novels aren't all lies. But that many? Different story. They'd probably ended up as goblin chow by now.
Should feel gruesome, but those scum deserved it.
Why not dirty my hands? Too merciful. I left them to the most agonizing death via goblins.
Overkill? See what they did to Hakashi—then call it mercy.
I unlocked the phone—screen was open anyway—and searched Self-Defense Forces. Third-Class Petty Officer equated to major-ish. Found their nearby base too.
I had Hoya fetch that goblin. It showed up soon.
"Listen up. I'll show your path. So..."
After repeating a few times, it got it. Told it to rally as many goblins as possible and hit that base.
Innocent troops? Maybe. But goblins overrunning and no SDF response? They ain't protecting citizens. Most were hunters, leveled in Hakashi's gate. Yet ignoring goblins—Ran even called it a hunting ground.
No mercy for them.
But goblins going elsewhere? Those I'd handle.
"Leo, let's clear the strays first. We'll get Hakashi's revenge proper."
Woof!
Leo sniffed and bolted one way. I scooped Hoya, mounted Kkamangi, and followed—checking Japanese news on the phone.
Ridiculous headlines everywhere.
I'd seen Hakashi's family photos—no way he was Zainichi. Yet Japanese media twisted it that way, sly question marks and all. Like the old Kanto Earthquake rumors of Koreans poisoning wells.
I stopped mid-goblin hunt.
Did I have to clean them up? If I did, they'd spin me as the hero Zainichi saving Japan from... Japan.
"Hoya, what do you think?"
Meow.
Hoya couldn't care less about my dilemma. More interested in my levels. But goblins gave no XP here.
Time to head home.
"Leo, let's go. Level up there too."
Time dilation was 1:5. Six hours hunting there was one here. Do it.
What happened to Japan? Who knows.
Save innocents? Are they innocent? Blindly following propaganda?
What about the framed "guilty" suffering? Who's accountable?
Can't claim I'm right. But that's my call. No obligation anyway.