Chapter 145
Chapter 145
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 145
Chapter Title: 73. Armband (3)
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"When we gave up on Seoul, even the Legion faction pulled back from the eastern side of the city."
"Some people refused to leave, and since Seoul's such a massive city, plus all the refugees who'd flooded in from nearby areas, there were just so many folks around. So yeah, a decent number of people stayed behind."
The identities of these strangers who'd shown up before us were, as they'd said earlier, a search team from the National Crisis Committee. Let Song Yujin explain their purpose.
"There had to have been at least a few hundred thousand left behind. Even after being abandoned, it was still about the size of a provincial city's population."
"Then the cold snap hit, monsters came down from the north, and these Four Heavenly Kings or whatever Mutations started roaming around, so that number dropped fast. But at some point, everyone just... vanished."
"It was around last summer, I think."
Song Yujin looked at me with misty eyes.
"So we send out search teams to figure out why. About once a month."
The bespectacled man beside her chimed in.
"Beyond that, we're investigating the erosion rate around Seoul, changes in vegetation, Mutation population counts, and Monster densities."
"If Seoul—which is basically one with Incheon—falls, Incheon will end up in the same boat."
His name was Lee Hoyeon.
An Awakener like Song Yujin, level 4.
He was in charge of the search team.
The team totaled seven: four Awakeners and three soldiers.
Though they were Awakeners, all but one were below level 4—low-tier—so the soldiers were filling in the gaps in basic combat power.
The soldiers weren't from the Ministry of Defense but the National Crisis Committee, so no rank insignia. But their sturdy builds and sharp gazes marked them as battle-hardened veterans.
They'd found us not through Awakener senses, but our bonfire.
They'd spotted the black smoke rising in broad daylight, headed straight here, and pinpointed our exact spot with detection abilities.
A hazy coincidence leading to a profound inevitability, I suppose.
The mood wasn't bad.
The soldiers kept their walls up, but the Awakeners—thanks to Song Yujin—were generally friendly.
"So why'd you suddenly come to Seoul, Sam?"
"Well, about that..."
I paused to think.
How to frame the story so it strictly separated me as SKELTON from me as Professor.
Song Yujin's lips were sealed, sure.
If she'd ratted to Woo Minhee about my real satellite gear, I might've vanished before even dreaming of that armband. After sorting my thoughts, I gave Song Yujin a serious look.
"You know Failnet?"
"Yeah, I do."
The Awakeners behind her exchanged glances.
"It just went down."
"Oh."
They hadn't given me their names.
Not that they disliked me—it was just how young folks were, wary of linking up with strangers.
"I'm on my way to fix Failnet."
"Failnet?"
I introduced the silent Valentine to her.
"He's the current Failnet admin. We've known each other for a while."
"Valentine here."
"Ah, okay..."
Song Yujin didn't warm to Valentine like she did me, but the two nameless ones were stunned and crowded him with questions.
While they chatted, I said to Song Yujin,
"Mind if I talk to your team leader alone for a sec?"
"Team leader? No problem. Team Leader Hoyeon! Looks like our Sam's got something to say."
As Lee Hoyeon approached slowly at her words, Song Yujin suddenly leaned in close and whispered in my ear.
"Our team leader's been dealing with depression lately. Just so you know."
"Depression, my ass."
Lee Hoyeon approached with a wry smile.
This guy was tall.
Like 6'2", 6'3" maybe?
Lean build, hunched shoulders—you wouldn't notice from afar, but up close, his presence hit hard.
His attitude toward me was neutral.
Not liking or disliking.
He knew I was Professor, but it didn't resonate as deeply as it did for Song Yujin.
That was the new norm, really.
No matter my past glory or achievements, my style was already branded outdated.
Like a painter of meticulous portraits cast out by the invention of cameras.
I had no thirst for respect or validation of old glories, so I got straight to business, dryly.
My business? The new-type Monster.
I showed Lee Hoyeon the photo Valentine had drone-captured: that grayish-white grub-king thing.
The moment I did, he adjusted his glasses.
No change in expression, but surprise flickered in his eyes.
"This is..."
He asked for the phone.
I handed it over, and he zoomed in until the new-type filled the screen, then spoke.
"Extermination type."
"Extermination type?"
The unfamiliar term had come up once before in Dongtanmom's livestream, from some user Anonymous 68 I didn't know well.
Livestreams auto-translated everything to board language, so no clue if Anonymous 68 was Korean or foreign.
I'd tried English—ignored. Left the meaning a mystery.
Now the same word from a level 4 Awakener.
Awakeners under level 5 got dismissed as trash, but level 4 and below weren't the same—needed distinction.
Awakener levels were set back when no one knew shit; plenty weird now in hindsight.
Sketch of mental resonance from normal to level 10 Awakener:
Normal person <<< (impassable 4D wall) <<< Lv1 Lv2 Lv3 <<<<< Lv4 <<< Lv5 < Lv6,7,8,9 <<< (another 4D wall) <<< Lv10
Roughly.
Don't dismiss under Lv5—big gap between Lv2/3 and Lv4.
So level 4s got treated differently from lower tiers.
Like mid-level officials in Joseon times.
"Found in places like China, India, Africa—already Monster territories."
Thus, his words carried more weight.
Higher levels got more respect in the Committee, barring elites.
"Unlike past Monsters, whose behavior was about securing footholds in human lands rather than outright hostility, Extermination types explicitly see humans as enemies and actively hunt us."
"So Monsters have truly become humanity's foes."
Shocking, but not surprising.
Some vague hunch or prediction had lingered in my gut.
Monsters treating Earth itself as enemy now, but eventually turning teeth on Earth's children?
Every year since Rifts opened and humanity's fight began, new species evolved to corner us more.
Just my guess, but our real enemy might not be Monsters—but the world beyond the Rifts?
Like a human immune response.
The "Infinite" I saw beyond wasn't just about numbers.
Beyond that gloomy horizon, countless gray-white horrors were forming—no factories, no workers, just intangible ash raining down as they self-assembled.
"Looks like it can operate outside erosion zones, like small-types?"
"No. Mostly found deep in fully eroded areas. First sighting in uneoded Seoul."
“Clearing method?”
"You gonna fight it?"
Lee Hoyeon eyed me skeptically.
The doubt of an Awakener who could kill with will alone.
"If unavoidable."
"Sadly, not much data on these. They only pop up in full erosion zones—no drones or sats work there."
He bowed his head to me.
"Anyway, thanks for the valuable intel. An Extermination type active outside erosion zones? Best find since I took this gig."
Our era's Hunters and today's differed fundamentally.
We never settled for spotting a new-type—we claimed it under our name.
That recklessness killed countless comrades, true—but their sacrifices secured data, saving future allies.
These new guys? Discovery was the win.
I approached Song Yujin, leaving Lee Hoyeon behind.
"Search team ops—continuing?"
"Yeah. Nothing else to do. Cold out here, but what's the point sticking in Incheon? Wanna get back to Jeju ASAP. Any pull with your connections, Sam?"
"If I had pull, I'd be there already."
Situation clear.
My task too.
Fixing Failnet mattered, but killing that new-type? Priority.
Long off active duty, but hatred for Monsters burned undimmed. And slaying new-types? That's Professor's job.
"Got a favor to ask."
"What?"
"Viva! Apocalypse! You know it."
"Yeah."
"If anyone's in Incheon who can log in, ask this m9 guy if he's seen that white grub-king thing."
People say I bagged so many first-kills thanks to superhuman judgment, command, combat.
Truth's cruder.
Always gathered intel.
Stragglers, civilians, even jailed crooks from outbreak zones—all testimonies collected. Sometimes rifling through rotting corpses mangled beyond recognition to infer attack methods.
Won't deny leaving salvageable Chinese to die for data in a pinch.
Pieced tiny puzzles, cracked new types repeatedly.
Our team's power and legendary teamwork came after.
m9? Seoul's holdout king post-evac.
Not close with him, but gotta admit—he's more famous now.
"m9? Oh~! The guy in that leaning apartment?"
"You know him too?"
"Who doesn't? The Hope Cliffhanger."
"...He stuck in Seoul, so maybe he's seen the new-type. That's why—get someone in Incheon to ask."
"Hold on."
Song Yujin pulled out her K-Walker radio and tapped keys.
Personal ID: CLIFF_HANGER
"What's that?"
"Oh, got his personal ID."
"What?! That loser's?"
"You know him?"
"Not really."
"Honestly, he's like... a human cultural asset now? His place is The Hope, right? Symbol of hope, so folks send him tons of aid."
"...I see."
Made sense, but... this feeling?
My doomer philosophy crumbling.
Proving zoo-style survival works—not by smarts, but sheer luck. But can't deny m9's method's superior.
Drawing equal goodwill from the biggest threat: humans.
m9 picked up.
"Captain M9 speaking!"
I lost it, blurting,
"Bullshit."
"Sam?!"
I clamped my mouth, signaling Song Yujin with old squad signs to handle comms.
She gave me a troubled look but asked m9 what I wanted.
"Someone just said 'bullshit'..."
"Oh, talking Jurassic next door."
"Hmmmm..."
Song Yujin requested Extermination type info.
I had a hunch.
Leaning building = better downhill view.
"Oh, that grub-looking bastard?"
Bingo—m9 knew it.
"Fast little shit, but sucks at inclines. Once chased me to the elevator shaft—I slicked the floor? Tumbled solo. Haven't seen it since. Slippery fucker."
(Slick: make floor slippery)
Even survived an attack.
"..."
m9 seemed a few screws loose at first, but cliff life leveled him up.
Asked more via Song Yujin: shots fired? Special powers?
No jackpot, but useful bits.
Key fact: Extermination types make no waves.
Waves: precursors to Monster reflection fields, miracles—psychic energy bursts.
No waves? Not that big a deal.
Dongtanmom's stream too—no waves, moved with zombies.
"..."
This new-type might not be as strong as we think.
Specs? Test in combat.
"Thanks, Yujin."
"No biggie, Sam."
"We'll head to Seoul to fix Failnet then."
"Seoul? After seeing that new-type?"
Song Yujin stared, shocked.
"For real?!"
Thinking it over, I'd taught my prized pupil precious little.
Just rote textbook lines, soulless.
Still, her loyalty deserved one lesson.
Over her shining eyes, I overlaid her innocent middle-school self and spoke calmly.
"Spotting a new-type doesn't warrant aborting the mission."
"?"
"If I dodge, someone else faces it blind. Maybe you and your team. You know how dangerous unknown new-types are, Awakener or not."
"...Yeah."
"Being a Hunter means fundamentally believing you're better than the rest."
"Sam..."
I smiled faintly at her.
"And I'm Professor."