The Tyrant's Footsteps and the Heart's Crisis

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

The footsteps that had been drawing steadily closer finally arrived right in front of us. Han Seungpil and I stood shoulder to shoulder, holding our breath as we stared straight ahead. We had thought a lion or a bear might appear. But we never imagined a dinosaur would emerge. A Tyrannosaurus Rex. Commonly known as a T-Rex. The strongest predator and the most powerful land animal in Earth's history. Yet even that supreme being had gone extinct in the distant past, so until now we had only encountered it through creative works like movies and games. But right now that T-Rex was actually standing before my eyes, drooling as it caught the scent of prey and approached.

An unreal size, as if an entire house were walking. Overwhelming majesty. And pure terror. If Han Seungpil hadn't been beside me, I might have screamed and fled. The T-Rex was a creature that instinctively triggered biological fear at a primal level. Its head alone was several times larger than a human body. Each tooth was as thick as a forearm. It looked fully capable of crunching someone like me to pieces in a single bite, the way one might chew through a dried anchovy. Its short front legs would be a disadvantage in a chase. Unlike the internet images I'd seen, it had no feathers. Its body was covered only in thick, armor-like hide resembling a rhinoceros. Its tail and hind legs were thicker and longer than expected. Its stride was enormous, covering several meters with each step. The moment it began to pursue, escape would be impossible. I understood that instinctively.

Grrrrrrrr…….

The T-Rex that had approached right before us stopped in front of the wild boar liver we had left out. So it had come following the scent as well. Even if it ate the organ, it probably wouldn't even register in its stomach. It wouldn't throw a tantrum over such a small amount, would it? I had considered that something might appear. I had even thought it wouldn't be strange if fantasy monsters like goblins or orcs showed up. But a dinosaur? A Tyrannosaurus of all things! Wasn't this too much? Goblins or orcs would have felt far more realistic by comparison. And they expected us to kill it? Was the system seriously issuing this as a mission? The sheer unfairness made me want to scream. In reality, however, I couldn't even make a sound.

Chomp, chomp, chomp.

Having reached the wild boar liver, the T-Rex lowered its head to the ground and began to devour it. The process didn't take long. Compared to that massive maw, even the boar liver was no bigger than a chestnut. It scooped the lump into its mouth, raised its head, swallowed with a single gulp, and that was it. The seemingly large organ had been barely a bite. Then, as if nothing had happened, the T-Rex turned and began to walk away.

Thump. Thump. Thump!

The ground-shaking footsteps gradually receded. Had it failed to notice us, or had it simply not cared even if it had? Either way, we had survived. Only after the sound had almost completely faded did Han Seungpil and I finally release the sighs of relief trapped in our chests.

“Wow! Holy shit! Corporal Kang Changjae, sir. Did you see that just now?”

Han Seungpil was babbling with the excitement of someone who had seen a lion on his very first safari.

“Is there something wrong with my eyes? Of course I saw it.”

“It’s seriously insane. Wow. I can’t believe a real Tyrannosaurus existed.”

“You can say that again.”

I listened to Han Seungpil’s fussing with half an ear while checking the mission that had appeared on my phone once more.

“……Seungpil.”

“Yes.”

“Do you think a T-Rex skull can be pierced with a K2?”

“Huh? Sorry, I didn’t catch that?”

Considering the rifle’s firepower, it would certainly be able to inflict damage. But rifles were not designed to kill dinosaurs. If we sprayed bullets like water in full-auto, we could probably kill it, but that would be an absurd waste of coins. When each 5.56mm round cost 500 coins, even receiving 7,000 coins as a reward would still leave us at a heavy loss. Which meant……

“It means we have to kill it using some other method besides guns……”

“……Corporal Kang Changjae, sir? You’re not seriously thinking of hunting that thing, are you?”

Han Seungpil stared at me with the exact expression of a bottom-rank private who had just been ordered by his battalion commander to move a mountain on the division commander’s orders.

“Of course I am. Could you sleep easy knowing something like that is wandering around nearby?”

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

“Well… that’s true, but still……”

“Besides, who knows? Maybe dinosaur meat will drop. Where else would we ever get to eat dinosaur meat?”

“T-that’s also true, but still……”

Han Seungpil was sweating bullets. I knew exactly what he was worried about.

“Hey. Don’t worry. I’m not going to make you do it.”

“……For real?”

“Yeah, dumbass. I’ll handle the hunt alone. What would I trust you with to make you catch something like that?”

“Ooh! As expected of Corporal Kang Changjae, sir! What grand ambition! The world’s first T-Rex slayer! You’re truly amazing!”

“You little shit. Look at you getting all excited.”

His expression changed so obviously that I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Hey. Enough of that. Let’s pack up quickly and head back.”

“Yes.”

Han Seungpil and I each purchased large 100-liter backpacks from the shop and began loading the drop items into them. Since we had caught quite a lot, simply collecting everything was no small task.

“Corporal Kang Changjae, sir. I’ll carry the heavier load.”

“Go ahead. I feel ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like I’ll collapse if I try to carry that.”

There wasn’t an ounce of strength left in my body. I wasn’t injured, but I had pushed myself far too hard. I had thrown the bamboo spear with full power repeatedly and engaged in several hand-to-hand fights with the machete. A normal soldier had suddenly overworked muscles he had never used before, so there was no way my body would be fine. In comparison, Han Seungpil was in much better shape than me. After all, I had done the spear throwing, charged in first, and only then did he join the fight at the very end. Having had an easier time, he still had strength to spare.

“You worked hard, Corporal Kang Changjae, sir.”

“Yeah. Still, thanks to this we won’t have to worry about coins for a while.”

“Hehe.”

Han Seungpil rubbed his palms together with the expression of a flattering court eunuch. I let out a small laugh.

“Don’t worry. We’ll be using the coins together anyway.”

“Yes, sir! I’ll trust only in you, Corporal Kang Changjae!”

This hunt had confirmed several things. One of them was that ‘party members do not split all coins equally.’ For example, the first wild boar we killed at the base had been stabbed by my bamboo spear and finished off by Han Seungpil smashing its head. Our contributions had been judged equal, so we each received 8 coins. But the coins from this hunt were mostly mine. I had landed the first strike with the spear and then severed the neck with the machete. Only for the ones that still weren’t dead did Han Seungpil finish them off with the iron spear. Naturally my contribution was higher, and I received coins at an 8:2 ratio.

Of course, that didn’t mean I intended to monopolize them. We had earned them together. Acting stingy now would only build resentment, and I would be the one to lose in the end. At times like these, generosity was necessary.

“Instead, Seungpil.”

“Yes.”

“You take responsibility for persuading your sister. You know what I mean, right?”

“……Yes.”

Hunting was important, of course. But it wasn’t the most important thing. The most important thing was gathering coins through lewd acts with your partner. Knowing a safe, fast, and massive way to earn coins yet refusing to use it would be a sin. It was an action that endangered not only yourself and your partner but the entire party. Even if Han Seungpil felt it as nagging, I had to say it.

“……Corporal Kang Changjae, sir. What if just the two of us swapped partners──”

Smack!

I struck the back of Han Seungpil’s head with the bamboo spear.

“Argh……”

Han Seungpil crouched on the ground, clutching the back of his head while still wearing the large backpack.

“Say that shit one more time and next time I won’t hit you, I’ll stab you.”

“Sniffle. I’m sorry……”

You little shit. There are things you should say and things you shouldn’t. I didn’t even know if swapping partners was possible, but even if it was, it wasn’t something we should do. That would mean exchanging my mother and Han Seunghee. My mother, to a skeleton-like bastard like him? Absolutely not. Hmph.

“……I’m sorry, Corporal Kang Changjae, sir.”

“It’s fine. Just don’t do it again.”

“Yessir……”

On the way back, Han Seungpil apologized once more. I couldn’t say I didn’t understand his thinking. He might believe it was better for unrelated people to do it rather than family members. Perhaps that was what a normal person would think. But if that was normal……

“……”

I didn’t care if I was abnormal. My feelings toward my mother were definitely abnormal. Still, this was one thing I could not compromise on. I could never tolerate it. No matter what happened. Absolutely. I could not tolerate it.

Knock knock.

We walked the rest of the way in silence and arrived at the base. I knocked on the iron door with my bare hand.

“Mother. We’re back. Please open the door.”

We waited a moment. It was quiet inside.

“……Mother?”

No answer. A flicker of anxiety rose.

Knock knock.

When I knocked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠again, the tightly locked iron door finally opened.

“Changjae.”

“We’ve returned, Mother.”

Seeing her face finally let me breathe easy. It felt like I had truly come home. But Mother’s expression was strangely dark. Had something happened while we were gone?

“──Seunghee?!”

While I was still wondering, Han Seungpil suddenly threw down the backpack he had been carrying and dashed inside the base like lightning.

“……Mother. Did something happen?”

What could it be? Seeing Han Seungpil panic like that, it clearly wasn’t ordinary.

“W-well……”

But Mother also looked like she had no idea what was going on. She simply glanced back and forth between me and Seunghee with an anxious expression.

Yes. Seunghee. Han Seunghee was curled up on the frameless mattress, clutching her chest. As if her heart were in pain.

“Seunghee, Seunghee! What’s wrong? Is it your heart? Does your heart hurt?”

“Ugh……!”

At Han Seungpil’s question, Han Seunghee bit her lower lip and shook her head. But it didn’t look like she was saying she was fine. Her face was deathly pale while sweat poured down her forehead. No matter how you looked at it, she was clearly in serious pain. Come to think of it, Han Seungpil had mentioned that his sister had undergone heart surgery. And that she had been hospitalized for a long time because her condition wasn’t good. So it really was her heart?

…What now? What the hell were we supposed to do? There was no hospital here. No medicine. We couldn’t even call 911. We didn’t know any first-aid procedures. There was nothing we could do.

Just as I stood there flustered, an alarm suddenly rang from Han Seungpil’s phone. The four of us listened together to the message that followed.

“What?!”

Just like when I had been bitten by the hyena, the phone announced death in an eerily calm tone.

“No, wait, how? What?”

At the news that Seunghee might die, Han Seungpil completely lost his mind. On the other hand, the person in question, Seunghee, accepted it with a calm ‘as expected’ expression.

And then the sudden mission that followed. It was the same type of mission I had received when I injured my hand. However, this time it was given to Han Seungpil and Han Seunghee instead of me.

If they succeeded in the sudden mission, they would receive a high-grade recovery potion capable of curing chronic illnesses and aftereffects in one go.

And the reward was the same. A high-grade recovery potion. It seemed it could eliminate not only injuries but also illnesses and post-surgery complications. Wasn’t this the very crystallization of alien technology?

It was a message I was already familiar with. It was the same path my mother and I had already walked. So, Seungpil. What are you two going to do?