Chapter 100
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: Behemoth - [3]
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He kept killing powerful monsters, one after another.
He shot them down with autocannon rounds, smashed them with falling impacts, tore chunks out of their bodies. Without a moment's rest, he teleported relentlessly, taking them out just like that.
His efforts in darting around in real time, picking off only the strongest ones among the horde, had paid off. The visibly powerful individuals surging in waves had dwindled to the point where they were barely noticeable anymore.
There were still Force Field Bodies mixed in among the countless Deathclaws, and who knew how many more powerful ones lurked inside the Gate. Still...
But the calls for him never stopped.
The radio transmissions summoning him sounded something like this.
"A-rank down here! We've got a Force Field Body running wild—we couldn't take it out! Kim Geuk, Hunter, get here quick—"
A-rank Hunters... Awakeners were dying left and right all over the place.
Every time, he had to teleport in to replace the fallen Awakener. Even though he'd been conserving his teleports as much as possible, dizziness was setting in. But he couldn't just sit idle.
Whew.
Pulling the trigger mid-teleport, his vision shifted, and autocannon rounds poured from the barrel. Straight into the side of the rampaging Force Field Body.
Another monster down.
This one was a Deathclaw Force Field Body too. A monster he'd seen to the point of boredom, one that was starting to feel easy to dispatch one or two at a time. But apparently not for the other A-ranks.
Whoever had fought this Force Field Body and died—he recognized the face. Even with his guts spilling from a gutted belly, he could tell.
Kim Yo-han.
The guy who'd filmed his scuffle with the Special Task Force and tipped off HuntWeb to back him up. As far as he knew, the guy's contract with Seoul City had already ended. No idea why he'd answered the call.
No time to close his eyes or wish him peace. He blinked once, then teleported to the next place calling for him.
Like that, summoned here and there, every time he arrived at a spot where an Awakener Hunter had fallen in battle, he took in the sight of another familiar face among the dead.
Kang Jun-man, throat half-severed by a Deathclaw Force Field Body.
One of Kim Seok-hee's crew, who'd just debuted as an Incheon Hunter—crushed in an ogre's grip.
The Force Field Exoskeleton guy he'd gotten familiar with over drinks with fellow A-ranks—gutted by a Deathclaw...
And finally, Kim Hyeong-man.
Seeing that acupuncturist in his hanui outfit, neck severed from his body, he squeezed his eyes shut tight, then opened them.
More than sorrow, another emotion swelled larger. Futility.
No wonder other Hunters stayed numb even when comrades died mid-hunt. After going through this over and over, a corner of the brain went numb. It had to.
"This is Kim Geuk. Aren't you calling in the Special Task Force? Things are this bad..."
Venting into the radio, an even angrier voice shot back.
"We called! We called, and no one's coming!"
Fair enough. Guys who'd chosen cushy salaried jobs because they hated fighting monsters.
The Special Task Force knew full well the country wouldn't punish them for defying orders in a crisis. No way the nation would jail them, not when Seoul needed every superpowered fighter to handle dozens of superhuman criminals.
Disgusting half-baked Awakeners...
After that, he kept fighting. By his rough count, he'd taken down more than half of the powerful ones that had poured out of the Gate—solo. With Kang Jun-chi gone, it was what he had to do as the Korean Peninsula's strongest Awakener.
Killing monsters like that, he saw all sorts of chaos. His team nearly getting swarmed by a seven-meter Deathclaw way back there, Behemoth mimicking the voices of the dead to lure out civilians...
In the midst of endless fighting without rest, Behemoth changed direction. Toward where?
Someone screamed over the radio.
"Behemoth's heading for the shelter! Get everyone inside to evacuate—now!"
Behemoth choosing that spot wasn't coincidence. As a spirit, it could see souls and their locations.
For Behemoth, the haul so far must've felt lacking. Most people had evacuated before it even opened the Gate, so it hadn't absorbed as many souls as hoped. Heading for a spot packed with people to reap more made perfect sense.
But from the radio chatter, evacuating the shelter would take time.
That's when Seok Jang-sil stepped up to buy it.
"I'll... I'll try luring it."
"Behemoth? How the hell...?"
"If I make myself visible and run, it'll follow. Behemoth and I are both Rock Spirits. Absorbing same-type ability users boosts spiritual power more, right? To it, I'd look like the juiciest prey."
Seok Jang-sil said it with startling calm, offering himself as bait.
But Behemoth's heat ray downed supersonic jets. Once targeted, escape was impossible. What gave him the guts?
No, it wasn't guts. More resignation than resolve in those words.
He got it. Guy was going all-out in a final, reckless blaze.
No energy to cheer or stop him.
He kept teleporting to calls while watching Behemoth and Seok Jang-sil's lure attempt.
To get noticed? Seok Jang-sil ballooned into a 14-meter rock giant, charging through the city. Unreal size on its own, but dwarfed next to the hundreds-of-meters Behemoth.
And sure enough, Behemoth took interest. It subtly shifted legs toward the fleeing rock giant. Nailed it.
But Seok Jang-sil clearly didn't plan to die easy. Instead of open roads, he dashed behind buildings. Even if Behemoth fired a heat ray, it'd hit cover first.
Behemoth didn't care.
As Seok Jang-sil bolted past a building, Behemoth aimed its tail tip that way. Then unleashed a heat ray.
The ray from the tail pierced and melted the building clean through. Even bone-tired, he gaped. Concrete melt that easy?
Seok Jang-sil must've been shocked too. He pushed harder, but Behemoth fired again—and down he went.
His rock legs, melted by the heat ray.
The fallen giant couldn't rise.
Behemoth approached.
It could've pierced the core from afar, but targeted the legs to immobilize first. Too far, and even killing wouldn't let it absorb the soul.
So closing in to finish up close? Still time.
He teleported.
Onto the thrashing rock giant trying desperately to rise, panicked now.
Seok Jang-sil was inside the torso core. He smashed it with his Force Field-coated Hunter rifle, granite cracking.
A few more hits, and Seok Jang-sil emerged. Guy's eyes bulged at him.
"Kim Geuk-hyung? Why...?"
"Gonna teleport you out. Stuck to that rock mass, can't teleport the bulk. Gotta separate you."
"You're evacuating me? Why the hell...?"
"This way, you can't even bait properly before dying, kid."
"Just... leave me."
He snorted at Seok Jang-sil's words.
"Leave you? Bullshit."
This spy bastard caused this mess—couldn't let him go out heroically. No way he'd let the guy launder his record with some noble sacrifice.
This spy deserved to die cursing up a storm. Anything less twisted his guts. Absolutely not.
The moment he yanked Seok Jang-sil from the giant, Behemoth sensed something, tail tip swiveling their way—but he was faster.
Before the heat ray launched, he teleported away with Seok Jang-sil.
Dumped the stunned guy in an alley and got back to work.
"Kim Geuk, Hunter—we need backup!"
Now they called only him outright.
And of course, he had to protect the frail non-Awakeners who called.
Teleporting again, killing more monsters—then it happened.
No time to react. Not even a blink.
Mid-fight, he glanced back—Behemoth's tail aimed their way. He didn't react yet. Buildings in between for cover.
But a heat ray thicker than the tank-melter filled his vision. It punched through the buildings between him and Behemoth, slamming him with scorching heat.
The horrific burn left him dazed.
"Kim Geuk, Hunter!"
Snapping to, his lower body wouldn't move. Spine? No—lower half incinerated entirely.
Why target me?
He'd killed plenty of monsters, but not Behemoth's minions. Hadn't touched the thing, and piercing those buildings wasted massive energy. Why bother...?
Probably pissed he stole its prey. Still greedy for his soul—left the upper body intact.
Half his body gone, no pain even. Allowed eerie calm as he asked,
"Looks like Behemoth's coming this way. If I stay put, will it get closer to the shelter?"
No answer. Nearby soldiers just asked if he was okay. Fine then.
Guesstimated direction, teleported to a deserted spot. Behemoth would have farther to go for his soul now.
Lying there abandoned, Incheon dialect reached him.
"Kim Geuk?"
Turned his head—Nguyen stood there.
Stunned by his mangled form, Nguyen stared wide-eyed.
"How the...?"
Nguyen, barbarian born wrong era. Prophet's instinct warned him: this guy would kill him here.
No doubt. He knew Nguyen's secrets, and with that personality—no reason not to.
Squeezed last strength for teleport—failed.
Nothing for it. Half-resigned, he thought,
Fine, kill me. Take my power. Build a new dynasty in Vietnam as Superman. Better than feeding Behemoth.
Eyes closed, waiting—then his body lifted.
Curious, peeked: Nguyen hoisting him up, slinging him over a shoulder.
Nguyen bolted, him aboard.
Gonna kill me somewhere secluded? Then Nguyen radioed.
"Hospital! Where's the nearest hospital?!"
Hospital? Why?
Caught off-guard, he listened. Sensing him awake, Nguyen yelled while sprinting,
"Kim Geuk, you can't die like this! We gotta drink again, yeah?"
Ah, the guy liking him was true after all. This loyal rescue felt genuine too.
Nguyen accelerated.
Normally Han Hee outpaced him, but Nguyen lacked neural acceleration—full speed risked crashes into disaster. Not inferior growth as Awakener.
Straight-line sprints? Nguyen crushed her. Especially empty roads post-evacuation.
Background blurred past; blinked—inside a hospital.
Nguyen, still carrying him, bellowed,
"Healer!"
Healer? Not doctors?
Turned out a Healing Ability user. Woman arrived, eyed him wearily.
"Isn't he already dead?"
"He's alive! Can't you see his organs regenerating halfway? Kim Geuk's Physical Enhancement—just top him up, he'll pull through. Hurry!"
Some back-and-forth after. Hard to hear, but something about backlog of emergencies, no cutting lines.
Frustrated, Nguyen yelled into the radio—then a voice replied.
"Kim Geuk's in the hospital? Save that bastard first—no excuses! No time to explain, just do it!"
National Security Minister, sounded like. Instead of barking, explain how saving him saves more lives. Why always "no time"?
Tubes jabbed in—gooey fluid like Super Regeneration booster drink.
His body absorbed it, regen kicking in.
Fresh flesh swelled. Scorched bones regrew, muscles cloaked them...
Soon, opened eyes—lower body reformed. Grabbed nearby ill-fitting pants from the floor, bowed to the healer.
"Thanks..."
"No, injected the solution before full strain... regenerated fine."
"Good then."
Checked his state. Wrecked, obviously.
Muscles sluggish, but movable. Force Field shattered earlier by heat ray—now recovered after rest?
Use rebuilt Force Field Exoskeleton as muscles to move the body.
Standing, Nguyen reacted.
"Kim Geuk? What're you doing! Rest!"
No. He wasn't non-Awakener trash.
Awakeners were superhumans.
Awakeners superior to non-Awakeners.
Body, mind—every way. Hundreds, thousands times over trash.
Time to show trash non-Awakeners Awakener superiority.
Rising for teleport, a man shoved a camera in his face.
Emergency reporter. Normally, signature pose. Not now. Instead, grinned at the guy, muttered,
"Incheon forever."
Then teleported. Outside the hospital. Back to the raging Octagon monster brawl.
Sky quiet—no more explosions. No drones, helos, jets. Wiped out already? Air support requests everywhere, but no word.
Then time for his job.
"This is Kim Geuk. Got any explosives? Gather max. What for?"
Into the radio,
"You blind? See that Behemoth over there?"
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