Chapter 116
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: The Newbies [2]
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Slightly turning my gaze, I looked right below the transport chopper.
Even from this height, I could clearly see the road packed full with a wave of Deathclaws.
Having already witnessed similar scenes multiple times during the Behemoth incident, it didn't faze me. But for the new team members who'd just joined, this was clearly their first time seeing something like it. Their pale, stunned faces and the way they exchanged words said it all.
"Deathclaws usually run in packs of ten at most, right? Even large groups don't exceed a hundred. What the hell is that...?"
"The monsters have learned. The ones that followed Behemoth around started grouping up and saw the benefits. Now they all know group tactics work better. It's harder to respond when they pop out in multiple spots at once and go berserk. They've figured that out and changed their strategy..."
According to the Hunter app, gates had opened not just around here, but all over Seoul. None were as concentrated as this spot, but small gates had cropped up here and there in less visible areas.
And amid all this, the only place staying eerily quiet was around the hotel where Kang Jun-chi was holed up?
But Kang Jun-chi still had no intention of deploying for something like this. He felt guilty about the mess he'd caused, sure—but instead of stepping up to apologize and make nice with the Gangeo-gu crew, he showed no signs of getting actively involved anytime soon.
I stood up from my seat. Lifting my Hunter Rifle, I said,
"I'm heading out first."
Seong Mun-yeong nodded.
"Got it. Good luck!"
I flashed a small smile, then teleported away with my Hunter Rifle in hand.
Landing atop a utility pole beside the road.
Ahead of me, the wave of Deathclaws surged like a tide. They filled the road completely, charging in one direction.
Anyone swept up in that wave—even me—would be dead in seconds.
Damn, now I got why the newbies were so terrified of being thrown into the field. It wasn't just inexperience making them uneasy; the situation itself was way worse than back when I was in my prime.
This was practically a war zone. No matter how you sliced it, not an ideal spot for rookies to gain experience.
Of course, for someone as seasoned as me, it wasn't anything to fear.
Against that mass of flesh, there was no need to even aim. Every shot would hit.
Dr-r-r-rak— Squeezing the trigger from atop the pole proved me right.
Blood and chunks of meat sprayed with every shot I fired. In moments, I'd dropped dozens.
The Deathclaws mid-charge suddenly whipped their heads toward me. Then they all charged my way at once.
Some started climbing the pole, others slashed at it with their hooked claws.
In an instant, their force field claws sliced clean through the pole.
It toppled over. Just as I was about to fall with it, I teleported to another nearby pole.
I unleashed a barrage of autocannon rounds on the Deathclaws rearing back to slash at my falling form. Only then did something like screams erupt from their ranks.
They milled about confusedly for a bit before finally spotting me again. As they charged once more, I hosed them down, then teleported to yet another pole when this one collapsed too.
And squeezed the trigger again. Dr-r-r-rak—
After this repeated four times in a row, the Deathclaws seemed utterly baffled by the situation.
Frustrated after missing me over and over, they let out stress-filled roars before eventually giving up on me.
They reformed their wave and resumed charging down the road.
But they couldn't escape me.
I fired at their rear while leaping down from the pole.
Then I gave chase, blasting away with the Hunter Rifle as I ran.
The horde filling the road thinned out in seconds.
Even as I pursued them, spraying bullets nonstop, I scanned the overall situation with my mental web.
Almost no civilians nearby. The locals must have evacuated to shelters the moment the gate opened.
Still, not everyone made it out. Where were the survivors?
Found one. I probed that area deeper with my mental web.
Piecing together the 3D info feeding into my brain.
Looked like a basement shelter. A man lay collapsed on the floor. And the ones threatening him...
At first glance, I mistook them for people. But no.
Goblins. Well-fed and burly ones, too.
Were they just that big from gorging themselves? Raiding people's food supplies and stuffing their faces?
Another change in the monsters since the Behemoth crisis.
At that size, "goblin" didn't quite fit. Maybe I should call them orcs or hobgoblins in fantasy terms.
Those hulking goblins were acting more like looters than monsters. Each clutched a K-2 rifle and was sweeping canned goods from the basement into sacks. For whatever reason, they hadn't shot the man yet, leaving him alive.
Planning to kill him later? Or drag him off as a slave or emergency rations? Who knew.
I teleported right in front of the man, squeezing the Hunter Rifle's trigger.
Placing my foot on the back of the cowering man, who let out a scream.
"Agh! Agh..."
I could've teleported him to safety right then. But I held off. Had to conserve teleports.
Besides, no need. I'd already coated his body in a force field exoskeleton for protection.
Most force field exoskeleton users could only apply it to themselves, their clothes, and tight accessories like necklaces or watches, right?
But mine covered a much wider range. Massive heavy weapons in my hands, vehicles I was riding in—even people I was touching. Frequent group teleports with contacts must've evolved it that way.
As autocannon rounds poured from my Hunter Rifle, shredding the goblins, the man huddled and screamed his head off.
"Agh! Agh!"
I barked at the pathetic Seoulite.
"It's over. Get up!"
Only then did he snap out of it. Looking up at me, he mumbled,
"K-Kim Geuk the Hunter? I'm a huge fan...!"
Ah, an Incheon guy living in Seoul. His crisp pronunciation amid the chaos screamed hometown pride. I gave him a friendly smile.
"No injuries?"
"No, thanks to you...!"
"Good. Let's get you to the shelter! Incheon forever."
I repeated the process for other survivors in need, teleporting them out. Rescuing all seventy-eight in the area took less than three minutes.
Dumping people into the shelter every thirty seconds or so filled it up fast. The soldiers there just gawked at me, mouths flapping like they wanted to say something.
Time to refocus on monster hunting.
A transport chopper touched down nearby.
Through my mental web, I scanned the people disembarking.
Eight Hunters with assault rifles... and one with a Hunter Rifle, under their guard.
Rookie A-rank Hunter and porters, by the looks of it. More choppers landing in sequence meant several new A-ranks had just arrived.
Earlier, I'd seen the rookies dawdling big time—late to deploy and even later to the field. Someone griped over the radio.
"Why are you so late? Get your heads in the game?"
Meanwhile, I kept working while monitoring each arriving rookie's movements via my mental web.
Could they pull their weight?
As A-rank Hunters, their job was taking out high-threat targets. So they'd be thrown into the hottest spots from the jump.
And most Hunters die on their first mission. Even with intense training—and these guys had barely any.
I zeroed in on the first rookie to head out. Watched the action unfold through my mental web.
The rookie A-rank and his porter escorts went after a Deathclaw Force Field Body.
Long story short: The rookie fired his Hunter Rifle at the charging Force Field Body but missed.
And like with any big game hunt, missing a Deathclaw means certain death. Especially one that could leap dozens of meters in a single bound.
"Aaaah!"
By the time I teleported in, the Force Field Body was airborne right in his face, and the rookie was screaming.
Just as its hooked claws were about to hit, I grabbed its ankle and hurled it skyward.
Aiming my Hunter Rifle at the airborne monster, I unloaded. Tough bastard—took three seconds of fire before its field shattered in a messy midair explosion.
Situation handled, I turned to the rookie. Familiar face.
The young guy who'd come out with Jeong Jin-yeong earlier for coffee. The playful grin from back then was gone, replaced by raw terror.
"You okay?"
No answer. Still reeling from the near-death scare, he panted for a while before registering what was happening.
"Kim Geuk hyung? Thanks..."
"You okay?"
I repeated myself, and finally got a response.
"N-No... not okay... I can't do this anymore..."
His voice shook, limbs trembling nonstop. I kept my tone as calm as possible.
"You can."
"No, I can't..."
"I said you can. You're special."
Sounded random, huh? He blinked at me.
"Huh...?"
"Can't you feel the power flowing inside you?"
"Power inside me? What're you..."
"Look. It's manifesting outward, forming this incredibly strong, solid field."
I tapped his shoulder—specifically, the force field coating it.
This guy had solid force field exoskeleton skills. Too good to quit after one botched hunt.
"So get up. Come on."
I offered my hand. He took it and stood, but still shaky, he muttered,
"My body's trembling... won't stop..."
I replied,
"That's fine. Go ahead and shake. Mess up from nerves all you want."
"But if I..."
"It's okay. You won't die. I'm watching over you, got it?"
"You're watching me?"
"That's how I knew to come help, right?"
Locking eyes with the dumbfounded guy, I said,
"Keep shaking and screwing up until you're used to it. I'll be watching, so I can step in like this again. Understand?"
He nodded. I grinned, then checked other spots via my mental web.
Another rookie needed my help.
Teleporting there.
This time: a young woman with a Hunter Rifle and her Hunter escorts.
"What're you waiting for? Move while it's stopped!"
The others urged her on, but the Awakener woman froze.
I eyed their target. A three-meter ogre, mouth smeared with blood from snacking on someone. Scared to approach a man-eater like that?
"Time to move. Ease up on the pressure, guys."
I walked up and spoke. Her face lit up, mouth agape.
"Oppa Kim Geuk! Here to hunt it for me?"
"Nope."
"Then..."
"Here to watch you do it. Go on, give it a solo shot. I'll cover if things go south."
The non-Awakener escorts perked up at that.
"What a golden opportunity. What're you waiting for? Go!"
The young woman hesitated, still terrified. But under my silent stare, she finally gritted her teeth.
She'd psyched herself up. First mission like this? She knew it didn't get better.
Gripping her Hunter Rifle, she advanced on the man-eater.
Soon, a storm of autocannon rounds from her rifle hammered the three-meter ogre. A few missed, but the rest tore into it, bursting its massive body.
"Nice shooting!"
Amid the porters' cheers, she returned, mission complete.
Now realizing the favor, she shot me a grateful look. I grinned back, then teleported to the next rookie.