Chapter 12
Chapter 12
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Combat (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Calcutta Gorilla’s thirst for vengeance was infamous. Once it took a wound, you had to fight until either the gorilla or the hunter dropped dead. That was how tenacious they were.
The Calcutta Gorilla’s blood-red eyes fixed on Suhyun. Meeting its gaze, Suhyun gave an awkward smile and spoke.
“Even if I say I didn’t do it, you won’t believe me, will you?”
Krwaaaaaang!
What came back instead of a reply was a roar brimming with fury.
“Urk!”
The beast’s bellow was on another level from any ordinary animal’s cry. It was a true eardrum-shattering roar, powerful enough to throw off your sense of balance for a while if you took it head-on. It was the Calcutta Gorilla’s ability to keep prey from fleeing.
Yet the team members endured with just a single groan. Suhyun had instinctively thrown up a telekinetic barrier. He hadn’t expected it to work, but...
‘Something’s happened to my ability!’
Under normal circumstances, his power couldn’t have blocked that roar with such a wide, strong field. Not to mention piercing the Calcutta Gorilla’s back hide.
He should have noticed when he first extended the threads. His telekinesis output was abnormally high.
‘Damn it, I should have tested it beforehand!’
He hadn’t experimented with it since he hadn’t needed to, and now it was biting him in this situation. Suhyun gritted his teeth and glared at the Calcutta Gorilla.
No matter how terrifying or shaky the moment, he never looked away from the enemy. He kept his eyes locked on the foe until the end, thinking through how to fight. That was the result of the experience Suhyun had built up over his lifetime.
‘Looks like...’
The Calcutta Gorilla wasn’t even glancing at the other team members—it was zeroed in on Suhyun alone. If not for that unfamiliar pain it was feeling for the first time, it would have charged already. Despite the shot coming from behind, its wild instincts had pinned Suhyun as the culprit.
“We’re screwed.”
“What do we do now?!”
The team members were panicking, unaware Suhyun had even used his superpower. He spoke coolly.
“Let’s split up.”
“What?!”
“It’s decided I’m its prey. Retreat on your own! We’ll see each other back if we survive!”
With those words, Suhyun shot forward. Enhancing his body with telekinesis was a technique he’d mastered in his previous life. The key part was...
“Urk!”
How much stronger his superpower had become than expected. His leap carried him just as far as the Calcutta Gorilla’s earlier jump. Feeling the strain on his body, Suhyun quickly scanned around.
Right now, the Calcutta Gorilla had clearly marked him as its vengeance target. Fighting alongside the team like this was pointless. The Black Bear had some attack power, sure, but with its middling performance and Lee So-hee’s control, it’d just be a hindrance.
Better for them all to die together than for him to lure it away, shake it off, and regroup later.
Kwaang!
“Damn good eyesight, huh.”
The Calcutta Gorilla didn’t let Suhyun escape. True to a monster’s destructive power, it smashed through obstructing trees in pursuit. He’d hoped the tight terrain would slow it down a bit, but no—the beast was no pushover.
“But I’m not planning to just take it lying down.”
In his previous life, under decent conditions, he could have hunted a Calcutta Gorilla no problem. If he’d had his weapons, gear, and teammates. It left a bitter taste.
No gear, no allies. All he could rely on was his superpower. Suhyun resolved to test just how strong it had gotten.
‘Focus.’
A raging Calcutta Gorilla was charging right at him, but losing his cool meant death. Telekinesis was a power of the mind. It only worked properly with precise, focused control.
Kwa-kwa-kwang!
The charging Calcutta Gorilla was flung backward. Suhyun had swung at it full-force with telekinesis. Scattering it over a wide area normally weakened the output, but even so, it repelled the beast mid-leap.
‘Insane!’
Suhyun was stunned by his own feat. A superpower this potent? Compared to his previous life’s version, it was like a cannon versus a popgun.
“Uh...”
A warm trickle ran under his nose. Nosebleed. Backlash from overusing his superpower. Suhyun realized that even with the boost, he couldn’t spam it endlessly. No matter how strong a superhuman, he was still human.
‘Alright. Now I’ve got a bit of an idea how to handle this.’
The gorilla’s ambush, the sudden power-up—both so out-of-left-field that his head hadn’t been working right. Now he could finally cool down and assess properly.
Opponent: Calcutta Gorilla. His weapon: potent telekinesis. Any regular person might charge in trusting the new strength, but not Suhyun. The more advantage he had, the harder he pressed the enemy.
‘A head-on fight risks me exhausting first, and then it’s over. No backup...’
He was an elite soldier, but also a peerless monster hunter. No one matched him at taking down monsters.
Humans are weaker than monsters, but more tenacious.
It was what he always drilled into the recruits. No matter how obsessive a Calcutta Gorilla, it couldn’t outlast a human.
“Come on, chase me!”
If it fled, great. If it followed, he’d hunt it. Suhyun braced for a prolonged battle. Leaping between trees and vanishing into the distance, he drew a furious roar from the Calcutta Gorilla as it gave chase.
* * *
He might be going too far out, but against a Calcutta Gorilla, quibbling over that was a luxury. He’d worry about it after the fight. Returning just meant checking directions.
Surviving solo in the Calcutta Zone sounded like escaping hell to novices, but for Suhyun, it was like breathing.
Nosebleed stopped, body steadying, he halted atop a tree. Far off, the Calcutta Gorilla barreled toward him.
‘Spear this time.’
Last hit was a bit wasteful just to gauge total output. Repelling it was one thing, but since he’d decided to hunt it, no need to burn power like that.
Just enough to wound. Sharp and pointed, concentrated on one spot...
‘Go!’
Like a spearman’s throw. But the effect dwarfed any javelin. Midway, the Calcutta Gorilla sensed something eerie and twisted away.
Pook!
A second lifetime of pain. Its scream shook the jungle. He’d aimed for the leg, but the dodge turned it into a flank pierce.
‘Damn. Meant for the leg.’
Its regen was no joke. Not troll-level, but it’d heal most wounds. That’s why he targeted the leg for distance...
Kraaaang!
A rock flew at him. Suhyun flipped upward into another leap, widening the gap. He’d only recently grasped telekinesis potential, yet here he was, fully adapted.
Telekinesis-boosted jump upward, then midair foothold for a double-jump. Other superhumans would’ve been impressed by the mastery.
“Alright. Rifle next.”
Once out of sight, the Calcutta Gorilla switched from vision to other senses to track. It bought a few seconds to locate and charge—time Suhyun exploited masterfully.
Perched at the treetop, he lined up a sniper shot.
Pewk!
A rifle lacked raw power to hurt a Calcutta Gorilla much, but add telekinesis, and it changed everything.
‘More cost-effective, more efficient.’
Stealthy telekinesis opener to blindside, then follow-up on the confused beast.
A Calcutta Gorilla that detected invisible spears wouldn’t miss a normal sniper shot—but this layered trap fooled it.
Suhyun’s plan worked. The bullet pierced the beast’s right eye perfectly.
“----------------!”
An indescribable howl. Suhyun grimaced. The telekinetic shield saved his eardrums; otherwise, they’d be ruptured.
‘Its weakness... it’s too fragile to pain.’
Born too tough, it rarely got hurt. Where other monsters would endure and charge, this one rampaged in agony. Fine against weaklings, but Suhyun wasn’t weak. He was a hunter who could end prey anytime.
Boldly, Suhyun dropped from the tree and advanced. Sniping from afar limited telekinesis on bullets. Hence the eye shot, but...
One step, then another.
As the Calcutta Gorilla shredded its surroundings, Suhyun approached unflinchingly, eyes unblinking. Debris grazed his face, but he pressed on.
‘One more step.’
Halt.
Suhyun raised his rifle, aiming at the Calcutta Gorilla’s brain. Pierce the forehead, then spin telekinesis inside like an explosion—no monster could survive.
‘One shot ends it.’
Calcutta Gorillas weren’t pushovers. Fail to finish it, and it’d realize the one who hurt it was right in front.
Pewk!
Blood sprayed from the forehead. The full-power bullet punched through. He couldn’t see it, but instinct said the brain was mush.
“Fuu...”
The arm that had been ripping trees mere seconds ago swung limply at air. The Calcutta Gorilla tumbled backward. Suhyun lowered the barrel with a sigh. He pulled risky stunts like this daily, but this ranked high in tension.
‘Tch. Want the corpse, but... too greedy.’
Lugging it telekinetically would draw packs of monsters. Tempting as hell, but no. Suhyun wasn’t dumb enough to die overreach.
Krrrng—
“...”
Turning to leave, Suhyun spotted another Calcutta Gorilla. For one, it’d approached too quietly—he half-thought he was dreaming.
“Its mate, huh?”
As if in answer, the Calcutta Gorilla swatted him. Cursing inwardly, Suhyun flew far off.