Chapter 364
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 364
Chapter Title: 148. Painkiller (4)
They react to three main factors.
One is territory, another is sound, and the last is the death of a sibling.
If humans invade their territory, they only send a small scouting party.
Grayish-white monsters with multiple legs emerge in a line from the darkness.
I slowly backed away while speaking into the communicator.
"Cease fire. Cease fire. Everyone, safeties on. Hyungdo, check the fuses."
"Yes, Captain!"
"Drop the 'nim'."
"Yes, Captain!"
I adjusted the pace.
To control the spot where I would clash with the monsters lurking in the darkness—to make it my choice.
And that moment came next.
The lead spiderling leaped at me.
Compared to the dancer-type minions, its jump was slow-motion slow.
Of course, with their greatest weapon being numbers, the individual's poor performance wasn't a big issue for them.
I aimed my pistol and pulled the trigger.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The ones charging in an instant rolled on the ground with holes in their torsos, dissolving into particles of light.
I could feel the rookie hunters' stares.
"Whoa..."
"That's no joke."
"Cowboy?"
Watching the spiderlings vanish as if evaporating on their own, I spoke up.
"...We're not Western movie cowboys. It just means we don't have to worry about them shooting faster than us. Prioritize careful, accurate hits. Speed will come naturally once your accuracy improves."
I led the rookie hunters into the gap in the power plant.
This time, Kim Hanna was with us.
Noticing her body trembling lightly, I asked,
"First time in a battlefield like this?"
"...Yes. Rifts don't have nests inside... No infiltrators there."
"These are far inferior to what you faced inside rifts."
Spiderlings swarmed from the darkness again.
Having sensed their comrades' deaths, there were twice as many as before.
Roughly a few hundred, by my estimate.
A number too much for a single human.
But we had tools.
"Hyungdo."
"Yes, Captain."
Shim Hyungdo stepped forward.
Strapped to his back was a separable combustible material unit.
Every time he pressed the ignition button, two different pipes fused materials together, spewing flames that incinerated nearly everything.
Whoosh—
Hellfire unfolded before our eyes, and the hundreds of spiderlings within turned to ashes—or particles of light—and vanished.
"Fall back again. Re-enter in ten minutes."
Peeling them out was tedious work.
But our investment raised success and survival rates exponentially.
No reason not to do it just because it was boring, plain, and repetitive.
We weren't gladiators in an arena—we were hunters staking our lives.
Besides, this simple, repetitive task instilled a bit of courage and confidence in those who feared and struggled with combat.
"Can't we just go in and wipe them out at once?"
One guy whose pride was already flaring up spoke.
"Go lure them out alone, then."
"Uh, that might be a bit tough."
Cheeky guys like him brought smiles to the others.
Kim Hanna snickering behind me was no exception.
She was getting used to the battlefield.
"Kim Hanna."
Time for a test.
"Yes, Captain."
"Can you show us what you've got?"
Caught off guard by the sudden request, Kim Hanna glanced nervously at the others.
"..."
I hoped she'd grown.
"Uh, sure..."
Habitually evasive as always, she looked for an excuse, but then met my eyes, bit her lip lightly, and nodded.
"I'll give it a shot...!"
Thud!
A powerful shockwave slammed into the darkness like a drumstick.
And within it, we saw it.
Visible straight lines spreading like a spiderweb.
Thud!
Another shockwave burst, transforming the lines into tangible white flames that incinerated everything inside.
As hundreds of light particles ascended competitively, Kim Hanna turned to me.
"Captain!"
That smile was more beautiful than any I'd seen from her lately.
*
"Is that so...?"
Change triggers a chain reaction, I believe.
When he heard that Kim Hanna—who'd refused combat—was joining the core push to secure the power plant for the new Seoul, the cynical Awakened's face filled with shock.
"That woman?"
"That woman?"
"No way she'd do that."
"Did she take the wrong meds or something?"
One more step.
"Captain, is this for real?"
The moment we stepped out of the building with the "Main" sign, I Haru followed.
Bandages wrapped, but the bruises on her face looked like they'd linger.
No surprise—an adult man had bashed her mercilessly with a pistol grip.
Yet not cowed after such a beating? That's a standout trait.
Washing away my brief prejudice, I smiled faintly and replied,
"If you want, you can watch in person."
"Really?"
I figured Kim Hanna might object, but having a witness would help her establish herself among the regular Awakened.
Sure enough, when I Haru showed up, Kim Hanna protested to me,
"Why's she here?"
"To watch your performance."
"Does it have to be her? The results speak for themselves, right?"
"Plenty of people won't believe even notarized records with witnesses. Besides..."
I glanced at I Haru standing far off.
Kim Hanna shook her head slightly, showing her discomfort, and I Haru waved from amid the soldiers.
"Big sis, fighting!"
Kim Hanna's face flushed hot.
She bowed her head and turned away, ears red to the roots from embarrassment.
"Get used to that face. You'll see it all the time now."
"I don't particularly want to get close..."
"No need to."
Kim Hanna looked up at me.
Recalling an old scene now only in memory, I continued,
"But it's your territory now. To survive in it, you need at least minimal acceptance."
Click—
I checked my firearm and moved forward.
"Remember. We prove ourselves with results."
The operation began.
Yesterday, we'd cleared a large number of spiderlings.
Recon from all sides confirmed no other monsters in the spider-type nest.
The monsters holding the power plant's north and east sides didn't react.
Everything favored us.
Barring anomalies, it wouldn't be hard.
Even if anomalies hit, we could retreat.
The stage was set.
Clang!
Pressing the button lit up small Christmas-tree bulbs beyond the darkness, carving a golden line through it.
"As I said yesterday, don't cross that line. If you must, leave weapons behind. You know why."
Leftovers from yesterday's cleanup.
To avoid the monsters' detonation ability.
Some hunters grumbled it was childish, but measuring distance in chaos isn't easy.
Even veterans misjudge and die stupidly to it.
If it detonates with ammo loaded, expect at least severe injury.
Most die instantly, though.
Instructions must be simple and clear enough for a seven-year-old.
Grayish-white minions swarmed from the darkness.
At least a few hundred.
"Hyungdo."
Shim Hyungdo stepped up with Inferno.
I stood behind him like a guard with my axes.
"Begin."
No sooner said than Inferno spat fire.
The latest motor on his back spun fiercely.
Vrrr—
Death flames spread, dancing left and right, and every minion in the blaze thrashed in agony.
Some survived and approached, of course.
That's what I was for.
Slash!
Protecting the flamethrower gunner with dual axes, I carved out territory.
Slice!
No room for mistakes.
"First wave annihilated."
Hearing the support hunter's report, I issued the next order.
"Prepare breaching."
Soldiers raised rocket-launcher-like weapons.
Target: the gray structure called spider-type webbing, marked yesterday with red paint rounds.
A hole there, and nothing separates the lurking spiderlings from us.
The standard way to dismantle a fortified spider-type nest.
"Breach!"
Shwooo—
The rocket spewed fire, arcing grotesquely into the twisted structure.
Boom!
Earth-shaking explosions chained, dust clouding vision, then a black hole yawned before us.
Shine light in.
"Monster sighted!"
The prey revealed itself.
Thud!
As expected, exposed to line of sight, it unleashed a shockwave, awakening from long slumber.
"Kim Hanna."
"...Yes."
I looked at her.
A day or two of training aside, long-ingrained fear is hard to shake.
I met her eyes.
"..."
They trembled perilously.
For a moment, I wondered if all our time was wasted—she was gripped by overwhelming terror.
Was she always like this?
No.
No courage, no entering rifts.
She had courage.
Mental fortitude to witness otherworldly horrors for a year without going mad.
"You okay?"
"S-sorry, Captain..."
She breathed raggedly, needing sedatives.
Hunters' stares gathered.
And from behind, I Haru—more crucial to Kim Hanna—watched too.
"I'm right here. Whatever happens, I'll protect you."
"Captain..."
"Can you neutralize the barrier?"
"Captain. No, wait."
Kim Hanna grabbed my arm, struggling to steady her breath.
"Th-there's something I didn't tell you."
"Speak."
"I..."
She bowed her head, body shuddering violently.
"I hear voices..."
"..."
"You know what they say? People who hear voices disappear soon."
"Yeah?"
"It's the monster leader's voice. Hearing it means the leader's whispering to you... Means you've become a monster..."
"Nonsense. Bullshit."
"N-no, it's true. My friends Hye-young, Young-bang, Jong-chun... They heard voices too and..."
A sparkle fell from her shadowed, lowered face.
"They vanished..."
Noise echoed from the darkness again.
Second wave of spiderlings incoming.
Meanwhile, many spiderlings clung to our hole, spewing gray material to repair it.
"Captain."
Hunters' stares intensified.
I sighed silently, steeling myself.
Faces of Kim Daram, Woo Min-hee, countless comrades, juniors, seniors flashed by.
"...You can overcome it."
I said something insincere.
The words I hated most.
Forcing unbelieved hope on another.
"Captain."
"Later for that. Let's get through this together now."
Kim Hanna looked up.
Wiping unshed tears with a finger, she nodded.
And.
Thud!
Another shockwave resounded from beyond the dark.
"Everyone down!"
Bang!
Intimidation.
The monster unleashed a shockwave barrier simultaneously.
The moment a bullet grazed past my cheek with chilling wind, I yelled,
"Neutralize!"
Thud!
Our Awakened fired her shockwave.
Two waves pushed against each other in midair.
The barrier was neutralizing.
Seizing that split-second gap, I fired again.
Bang!
The deviated bullet no longer reflected.
Safetying my weapon automatically, I shouted to all,
"Attack!"
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
All weapons blazed.
A monster without its barrier is nothing.
Under furious volley, it crumbled, soon turning to fleeting, beautiful light particles.
"Captain!"
Kim Hanna shouted at me.
No—not time to celebrate yet.
A spiderling closing in targeted her back.
It leaped.
"..."
This might be dangerous.
*
Rare fine weather, so the hospital room window was open for ventilation.
"..."
I was injured.
Nothing major—just bruises and a slight ankle sprain.
Result of throwing myself to shield Kim Hanna.
Precisely, hurling an axe mid-leap, taking out two charging spiderlings with one.
Imperfect landing sprained the ankle, though.
Kim Hanna, naturally unscathed, returned safely to the group amid I Haru's adulation.
Well, happy ending, I guess.
On the bedside table sat Kim Hanna's gift with a handwritten note.
- Get well soon. Captain! From Hanna.
Her gift: painkillers.
Ridiculous, but in this world, white anti-inflammatory painkillers are pricier than gold by weight.
Said she got them faking illness at the clinic often.
Classic Kim Hanna gift brought a smile, but I couldn't laugh fully now.
"..."
Not Awakened, but I knew.
What those voices meant.
Tinkle—
With a clear chime, the private room door opened.
Beyond it: my junior, Woo Min-hee.
"Sunbae. How's the body?"
"No big deal. Couple days' rest should fix it."
"I see."
Woo Min-hee bent to sit in the caregiver's chair.
"Thanks to you, sunbae, the issue resolved shockingly clean and fast. Even the regulars are dropping their stubbornness, volunteering for the front one by one."
She smiled.
"As expected of the Professor?"
"..."
Nothing to say.
Results good, but heart heavy.
In the silence, Woo Min-hee spotted the pill bottle and note.
"Oh, her gift? Painkillers?"
"Yeah."
"Even giving something this precious. Sunbae, you didn't steal that kid's heart too, did you?"
Straight-faced to her teasing, I said,
"That girl's not fit for the front lines."
Woo Min-hee stared, questioning why.
"...She hears voices."
"Oh?"
"Could vanish suddenly. Like the lighthouse kid."
I knew.
That I shouldn't say what I was.
"Can't give special treatment."
Woo Min-hee voiced exactly my rationale.
"You know why not, right?"
I turned to the open window.
"...Chilly. Close the window?"
She gestured, and it shut as if with a mind of its own.
"Like I said before, the first time's the hardest. Just that once. After..."
"Got it."
Woo Min-hee looked mildly surprised, then stood.
Sighing softly, she said,
"Let's grab a drink sometime."
"..."
"Been six years and three months since we drank together?"
"Has it?"
She smiled faintly.
"Even drunk, please no beatbox solos."
At the door, she waved her hook hand.
"Pain? Take a painkiller. They work great."
I stared blankly at the bottle.
Is there a painkiller for the soul?
If so, someone tell me.