Chapter 11
Chapter 11
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Battle (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Even that was something.
Kim Suhyun dusted off his hands after hopping down from the Black Bear.
It was just a stopgap measure, but he had to do everything he could.
The jungle at night was utterly still, save for the distant chirps of insects.
Kim Suhyun killed time by staring vacantly around him.
If Kim Suhyun had paid even a little more attention to the resting team members,
he might have noticed that someone was watching him instead of sleeping.
* * *
Running into a Calcutta Crocodile Bird and a Calcutta Hell Crocodile was an exception, not the rule.
If that sort of thing happened every day, the mercenaries taking these jobs would be charging several times their usual rates.
As dawn broke, the team scarfed down a quick meal and set off again.
They couldn't afford to dawdle if they wanted to reach the marked coordinates in time.
On top of that, yesterday's fight had already burned through a chunk of their schedule.
Kim Chang-sik yawned and grumbled.
"Damn. If we go through all this and come up empty, it's really gonna piss me off."
"We got the advance payment, didn't we?"
"Who gives a shit about that? You think we came out here just for the advance?"
Before this coordinate-checking gig, the team had received a few million won as an advance.
It was the bare minimum, just enough to cover basics.
If viable resources turned up at the site, their pay would scale up based on the value of those resources.
A few million? Or tens of millions? That was the gamble, so everyone was hoping for something worthwhile.
"You got places to blow your cash or what?"
"It's not a lack of money holding me back—it's a lack of places worth spending it. Plenty of fun to be had if you've got it. What about you?"
"Me? Well..."
Kim Suhyun had no family, and he was crashing in the company dorm right now, so no need for his own place.
The first thing that came to mind was weapons.
He needed something better than the basic gear the company had issued him.
'Once I get some money, first stop's the black market.'
Sure, Cameron Planet's cities had legit shops selling guns,
but the good stuff—the risky, powerful gear—was usually on the black market.
Smuggled military weapons or decommissioned pieces with shady histories often turned out to be gems if handled right.
Kim Chang-sik seemed to misread Kim Suhyun's trailing off.
He grinned and poked Suhyun in the side.
"A girl, huh?"
"Pardon? No, not at all."
"No need to be shy. Everyone's like that when they're young. Hell, I was too, back in my day."
No point arguing—he'd already made up his mind.
Kim Suhyun gave up and asked back.
"So what happened?"
"Got shot down. She said no money meant no dice."
"..."
"Why're you looking at me like that! You saying you wouldn't end up the same?"
"Didn't say a word."
Kim Suhyun brushed off Kim Chang-sik's nonsense and suddenly felt eyes on him from up ahead.
He looked up.
Lee So-hee, riding the Black Bear at the front of the pack, was staring right at him.
At first, he figured she was giving him a warning look for yapping with Chang-sik.
But the moment their eyes met, she whipped her head away.
"...?"
He chalked it up to coincidence at first.
But after it happened a few more times, Kim Suhyun started feeling baffled.
'What's her deal?'
Lee So-hee wasn't the shy type like Park Su-yong.
The idea of her sneaking glances and then looking away when caught just didn't add up.
As he puzzled over it, he heard an exclamation from one of the team members up front.
He looked ahead.
The dense jungle gave way to a vast expanse of green plain.
Red trees stood thick in the distance, with a crystal-clear lake smack in the middle.
Ignore the surroundings, and it could've passed for a resort.
"Whoa..."
That was it.
They'd reached the designated coordinates.
The team barely had time to gawk before pulling out their detectors.
Pretty was pretty, and mission was mission.
Time to work.
The detectors were straightforward: they scanned the terrain and checked for matches against their resource database.
Essential gear for jobs like this.
"Cameron Redwood confirmed. At least we're breaking even."
"Less than the redwoods, but we've got Cactus Flower too."
The reports rolled in.
With confirmation that the expedition wasn't a total bust, Lee So-hee nodded.
"I'll head into the woods to verify."
"Go in pairs, just in case."
"I'll take the newbie with me."
At Lee So-hee's words, Kim Chang-sik grabbed Kim Suhyun's arm.
Suhyun, who'd been soaking in the view, scowled at the sudden tug.
"Why me?"
"Nobody knows the area like you do. Better safe than sorry. Woods like that? Probably fine, but you never know."
Kim Suhyun's exploits had left a mark—Kim Chang-sik wanted him along even for a quick check.
Unknown territory spooked everyone.
"Not like anything extra's gonna pop up if we poke around there..."
"You never know. Might as well be thorough while we're here!"
It wasn't a big deal to tag along.
Kim Suhyun nodded and matched pace with Kim Chang-sik.
The woods ahead were choked with red trees.
He gave one a light tap.
Thud.
'This'll fetch a nice price.'
Cameron Redwood.
One of Earth's hottest woods right now.
The value of this whole stand was beyond imagining.
"No monsters lurking in woods like this?"
"Look at the setup—too cramped for big guys. Anything that's here won't be a problem. Plus, redwood groves don't have venomous snakes or bugs or anything..."
"Oh yeah? That's a relief."
They fired up the detectors a few times inside, but no new resources pinged.
Kim Chang-sik smacked his lips and eyed the trees.
Disappointing, but hey—this haul wasn't nothing.
The towering trunks looked pricey even to him.
"?
Kim Chang-sik glanced up, and his eyes caught something weird.
Far off, a tree was shooting straight into the sky.
"Hey."
"Yeah?"
"What's it mean when a tree shoots up into the sky?"
"What kinda nonsense..."
Kim Suhyun turned, figuring it was bullshit.
But then he heard the whoosh of air and saw trees rocketing upward in the distance.
His face went sheet-white.
"Cal-Ca-Calcutta Gorilla!"
Even Kim Suhyun, who rarely panicked, couldn't stay cool at this.
This monster didn't show up around here.
You had to go way deeper to find one, and even then, they were rare as hell.
That alone wouldn't faze him, though.
What got him was how tough they were.
Nicknamed the King of Calcutta.
Top of the food chain.
One of these could trash the whole area.
Tough hide, lightning reflexes.
Monstrous strength and savage fury.
It had all the traits of a top-tier monster.
Running into one now was a disaster.
Their best shot was the Black Bear.
Standard personal firearms wouldn't even scratch it.
"Run!"
"W-What?!"
Kim Chang-sik freaked but bolted after Kim Suhyun anyway.
The team by the lake, checking resources, saw them sprinting full-tilt and knew shit had hit the fan.
"What happened?!"
"Monster! We gotta evac now!"
"Evac? What about fighting?"
"No way we can take it!"
You'd need two or three Power Armors to have a prayer.
To hunt one solo in a Power Armor, you'd need a pilot like Kim Suhyun in peak condition.
Lee So-hee was skilled, but not that level, and the Black Bear wasn't top-shelf.
Sensing the urgency, Lee So-hee didn't question him.
Kim Suhyun's word carried weight now.
No one dismissed him as just a rookie anymore.
"Move out—now!"
One of the Calcutta Gorilla's traits was berserk mode.
No one knew why, but once it flipped, it rampaged like it wanted to level everything.
Yanking trees and hurling them was just the start.
The team scrambled to prep for evac.
But the Calcutta Gorilla's speed blew past their expectations.
A few bounds, and it landed in the clearing.
They hadn't even fully ducked into the jungle yet.
Instinct told them:
It had spotted them.
"W-What do we do?"
"Open fire! Don't aim at the Calcutta Gorilla—shoot the air! Make it loud as hell! Ditch the suppressors!"
"What?!"
"Airbursts, I said! Never aim at the Calcutta Gorilla!"
Surprisingly, Park Su-yong followed first.
He gritted his teeth, yanked off his suppressor, aimed skyward, and unleashed.
Gunshots cracked sharp and loud.
"Damn...!"
They had no clue why this insane tactic, but they hesitated only a second before obeying.
Like it or not, Kim Suhyun held sway over them.
Suppressive fire instead of direct shots was a desperate ploy.
The Calcutta Gorilla was brutal, but no idiot.
Faced with unfamiliar prey, it sized them up first.
They had to act loud and scary.
Buy time before it charged.
But actually hitting it? Suicide.
The second a bullet tagged it, it'd drop the recon and smash its attackers.
They needed to hold this standoff, widen the gap, then bolt into the jungle.
Far enough it'd lose interest.
Kim Suhyun focused, unleashing his telekinesis.
Far off, a rock floated up behind the Calcutta Gorilla.
Wouldn't hurt much tossed from behind, but it'd snag its attention rearward.
Distance was a bitch, so he poured everything into it.
Had to hit hard enough to register.
Even at full power, his telekinesis felt weak.
'Go!'
Thwack!
Not the light 'thud' he'd expected—but a meaty 'thwack'.
The rock tore through the air and stabbed into the Calcutta Gorilla's back.
The beast, who'd never known real pain, howled for the first time.
"?!"
No time to wonder why.
Kim Suhyun knew he'd fucked up.
The Calcutta Gorilla's eyes—hit first—started glowing red.
"...Fuck."