Chapter 212
Chapter 212
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 212
Chapter Title: The Man from Jeju (5)
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Creak—
The door swung open.
He wasn't carrying a gun.
Instead, he gripped two axes in his hands.
Footsteps echoed from behind, followed by the sensation of countless eyes on his back.
In a small, enclosed facility like this, rumors spread like wildfire.
In this concrete bunker starved for entertainment, there were no real secrets.
It was just like a murmur in an empty winter room carrying clearly to every corner.
The audience wasn't only beyond the rear bars.
Children in crisp uniforms stood in neat rows atop the 15-story hexagonal walls, staring down without a care for the fear of falling.
I need to hurry, he thought.
Gripping his axes, he stepped forward.
"Stop!!!!!!"
A voice boomed through a megaphone.
It was Jeong Ho-kyung.
Wheeee—
He even triggered the siren to try and halt him.
Slow steps quickened to a brisk walk, then to a jog.
The monster took notice of him.
The thing, which had been utterly still like it was dead, turned its rounded body toward him, protruding lump that passed for a head aimed right at him.
Soon, it rose up.
Like hoisting a massive pot lid, the solid gray mass blocked his entire view.
The old hunters had panicked at the sight alone, opening fire—and died under the bullets they unleashed.
The existence of the reflective force field only became known after it claimed dozens more lives.
He had no intention of denying those pre-modern hunters.
Thanks to their experiences and records, they could face monsters better prepared.
"Go back!!!!"
In that sense, he differed from Jeong Ho-kyung, who rejected the past.
"......"
Sprinting at full speed, he glared at the hulking silhouette silhouetted black against the blinding backlight filling his vision.
The monster threatened to drop its body and crush him any second, but his legs didn't stop.
The monster's massive body, raised high, began its descent.
Like swatting a bug with a heavy book, it came crashing down.
"Kyaaaaah!!!"
Screams rang out.
From behind and above.
Feeling the pitch-black shadow engulf him, he twisted sideways and leaped.
Boom!
The impact shook the ground as the monster's body slammed into the earth.
Dust billowed thickly as the monster tried to rise again.
But—
Crack!
He was already atop it.
As its tilt raced toward vertical, his axes never rested.
Crack!
Crack!
Snap!
Less hunting, more logging.
As the angle steepened and gravity threatened to slide him off, a change occurred.
The monster's movements halted.
At the same moment, a chunk of flesh he'd hacked out with his axe dissolved into light.
He spun the two axes lightly and slotted them into the holsters on his harness before riding the collapsing monster torso down to the ground.
Thud!
The monster's body hit the dirt again, soon breaking down into particles of light.
He turned to look behind him.
Silence greeted him first, then unstained cheers.
"Woooow!!!"
"Did you see that?!"
"Waaaah!!!"
Amid the echoes ringing off the hexagonal walls, he quietly looked up at the man standing with the children atop the wall.
"......"
The man—Jeong Ho-kyung—stared down wordlessly, then turned with megaphone in hand and vanished into his blind spot.
"Teacher Park!"
Hong Jong-beom burst out with the children, flinging open the bars.
"What can I even say? You're this strong?"
"......Let's clean up the corpse."
He stared at the cow carcass in one corner of the pasture, flipped over and bloated like a balloon.
"Bring a cart and hose."
"Hold on."
Hong Jong-beom walked toward the monster's dispersing light particles, which scattered like burning embers.
"?"
He wasn't alone.
Other boys and girls followed him to the monster, bowing their heads in prayer or silent tribute side by side.
"What're you doing?"
Hong Jong-beom answered.
"Praying."
"Praying to a monster?"
Our Jong-beom isn't a zealot, is he?
"No."
Good.
"Then who?"
"Friends."
Hong Jong-beom gave a wistful smile.
"Friends?"
"Yeah. When one of the kids here disappears......"
He stroked the head of a boy beside him—barely junior high age—praying fervently, gazing sadly at the scattering light particles.
"......A monster appears where they vanished."
*
The standoff between Jeong Ho-kyung and him might have been inevitable from the start.
He'd pretended not to know his callsign but obsessed over his name to the point of nervous breakdown.
So he'd treated him unfairly, desperately trying to paint him as insignificant.
The lighthouse's other adults—who'd kept out of sight—had tipped him off.
"Old-school hunters are the real deal. Gets the chills seeing one after so long."
"Committee member Jeong brags about being an 8th-level Awakener himself, but no one's seen him unleash a single wave."
"That guy's been muttering 'Professor, Professor' like a drowned rat even before you arrived. Must've hated showing weakness to you more than death."
Handling base security, medical, galley duties, they were all from Jeju and loathed Jeong Ho-kyung far more than he did.
He asked why they'd followed such a hated man.
"Figured we'd advance under him, obviously."
"Jeong Ho-kyung was always on the rise. Hit senior secretary level at just 22. Grade 4. Grade 4. Not some political appointee—real civil service exam stuff, which is Grade 5."
"No one's lucky forever. We over-invested, that's all."
"You fixed things, though. Now he won't quit till he leaves for Jeju."
The adults left at the lighthouse dreamed only of returning to Jeju.
Leaving them behind, he headed to Jeong Ho-kyung's room.
Still cramped, stuffy, reeking of body odor.
Jeong Ho-kyung sat at his tiny desk in just a sleeveless running shirt, sweating profusely.
"Mr. Park Gyu."
He handed over something.
A report.
"This is the activity log for Gaeseong Lighthouse under my command. It shows how we've been luring monsters."
Last shred of pride?
He said nothing about the pasture incident.
Instead, he made one demand.
"A chopper from Director Woo's side will arrive soon."
"Yeah?"
"Please leave on it. This isn't a request—it's an order as lighthouse commander."
"One question."
He stared steadily into Jeong Ho-kyung's eyes.
Their gazes met, and the man's body trembled faintly.
"The kids say something weird's happening."
"Like what?"
"Monsters appear where kids vanish."
Jeong Ho-kyung's face lit with understanding as he smirked.
"You don't believe that nonsense about people turning into monsters, do you?"
"Of course not."
"......Kids do disappear. That's fact."
Jeong Ho-kyung sighed, grimacing as he scratched his head irritably.
"Erosion zones cause mental breakdowns—even in kids. You know prolonged exposure leads to dementia-like judgment issues and sudden vanishings."
"Happened here too, huh."
"Kids can't endure what adults struggle with. But we manage as best we can."
Jeong Ho-kyung stood, giving a slight bow.
"Anyway, thanks for reclaiming the pasture."
Shallower than his first 90-degree bow—just a nod—but far more sincere than last time.
*
Reclaiming the pasture didn't mean milk right away.
Skin and bones—no way it'd lactate.
But even that month's wait was pure joy for kids in this abandoned, empty building.
"One month till fresh cow milk!"
"It's milk, not 'cow milk' like some hick. Still buying into Juche crap?"
"I like cow milk. If South Korea's so great, go there."
"They'd have to send me."
Today's meal was just flour cakes again, but the cafeteria buzzed with anticipation.
The biggest change? How the kids treated him.
"What'd you do to fight like that?"
"Were you in the arena fights?"
"So cool! What were you? Old-school hunter from that academy? Y'know, Old Boy hunter?"
Just one monster down, and they treated him like a kids' show hero.
"I was active back in the day. Did okay myself, but there was this great guy called Skeleton......"
He humored them enough, then stepped into the hall where unfamiliar kids waited.
In crisp uniforms—South Korean kids.
They looked like they had business with him.
But this VIP already had a manager.
"Hey now. What business does Moran-dong trash have visiting our Teacher Park? Wasn't that Jeong trash your teacher?"
Hong Jong-beom—vice aide turned full manager—strutted beside him, taunting the Moran-dong kids after starting with insults.
He didn't particularly like kids, but his fan service was top-notch, so he gently promised the visitors who'd come all this way.
"Tomorrow, lunch time. Meet at the pasture. Got work for you."
"Yes, sir!"
The Moran-dong kids beamed and left.
Hong Jong-beom grumbled immediately.
"Teacher Park. How could you? We carried you when that Jeong jerk dissed you!"
Hong Jong-beom wasn't handsome, honestly.
Tall like a beanpole for his age, prominent cheekbones, scholarly face with an aura too mature for a boy.
Compared to the cute, sharp kid who'd just left, he was an uncle.
Still, he acknowledged Hong Jong-beom as his #1 follower.
"Here."
He pulled a bullet from his gear and handed it over.
5.56mm. NATO round.
Plain bullet, but signed with marker:
That made it special.
"Professor. My old callsign."
Hong Jong-beom—183cm, nearly his height—grinned like a ten-year-old at the crude gift.
"Thank you, Teacher Park. No—Professor!"
After sending him off, he read the activity log he'd given Jeong Ho-kyung.
In the quiet night, under lamplight, he savored the lighthouse's records, nodding repeatedly.
"......Hmm."
Quite plausible—and provably effective.
From last fall to now, Gaeseong Lighthouse had pinned down monsters trying to push into the capital region for a full year.
But the lighthouse's fate was grim, undeniably.
It tied into humanity's doom: you can't hold an eternal flame forever.
*
"Hah!"
He woke in cold sweat.
"......"
Internet withdrawal.
Almost a week without.
Kim Daram's anger would've faded by now; safe to sneak back online.
Plus, he had tons of "tales" to unload.
Time to serialize high-class premium content "Skeleton's Tales" on legit Viva! Apocalypse!—not trash like Blinder.
"When're you coming? Oh, three days? Can't make it sooner? Staying here long's making my head fuzzy...... Ugh, even now it's dizzying......"
Radioed Lightning on K-walkie-talkie, protested to get extracted ASAP, then headed to the cafeteria.
Menu killed his appetite.
He quietly turned back, dug out his hidden US MREs.
[Mre - 09]
Gifts from Rebecca and Su.
Not tasty, per se—but leagues above undercooked flour cakes.
Back turned, he tore the pack, dumped contents into the tray, and shoveled the stew-like beef stuff when—
Knock knock—
Someone knocked.
"?!"
What now?
Should he answer?
He hesitated—not because eating rations was wrong, but showing he ate alone felt off.
Knock knock—
Again.
Say something.
"Uh—"
Before he finished, the door opened.
"Mr. Park Gyu?!"
Jeong Ho-kyung's voice.
"......"
Back still turned, he froze, silent.
In the awkward quiet, Jeong Ho-kyung sniffed.
"Uh, um...... Nothing major. Monster alert. Forecast says outbreak from Paju. We'll light the lighthouse when it starts."
"......"
"Figured you'd want to see it......"
Jeong Ho-kyung left, quietly closing the door—clearly sharp enough for high office.
He wolfed down the rest and headed to the pasture.
South and North kids waited separately.
He approached.
"Lighting the lighthouse?"
"Yes!"
"Probably tomorrow? Latest, afternoon after."
"Nice."
Lucky.
See Gaeseong light up, then head home.
Satisfy curiosity—and give Skeleton's "tales" new life.
One small issue.
His #1 follower, Hong Jong-beom, was nowhere in sight.