Chapter 19

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Translator: Ace

Chapter: 019

Chapter Title: Ice Awakener Baek Dam-bi

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When the academy instructor taught how to deal with various monsters, most of the content was about Deathclaws. It was only natural—they were the ones you'd face the most.

And what about Flame Spirits?

The instructor, who had spent barely a minute on Rock Spirits because you were unlikely to ever encounter them, pointed at a photo of a Flame Spirit and said this:

"If you run into one of these bastards, tell your nearby buddies to put a bullet in your head quick. Better to go out easy than burn to death, right?"

Was that comment aimed at the non-Awakeners aspiring to be Hunters in the room... or did it include me, the only Awakener there?

Who knows.

I spoke into the radio.

"I'll handle it. Make sure to send the transport chopper..."

Teleporting right after that wasn't easy.

I'd already overused my Teleportation skill. And I'd even used sightless Teleportation a few times on top of that.

My head was spinning so badly from the dizziness it was unbearable. Damn it.

I hadn't noticed when adrenaline was surging through me, but now that the hunt was over and my tension had eased, my body was swaying on its own.

Because of that, I failed my first Teleportation attempt before finally reaching the rooftop of that apartment.

"Mommm..."

"I love you, okay? I love you..."

Even amid my dizziness, the survivors on the rooftop already looked like they were in full-blown panic.

And no wonder—each floor of the apartment was exploding one after another with loud bangs.

I didn't know much about Flame Spirits, but it wasn't hard to guess what it was doing. It was setting the entire building ablaze to cut off any escape routes.

Another floor erupted in a deafening blast. It felt just like a warzone.

In the midst of it all, one man on the rooftop spotted me. He recognized me.

"Hunter Kim Geuk?"

"Yeah, Incheon forever."

"Could you Teleport us out..."

I didn't even have the energy to refuse. I shook my head vigorously, and though the man tried to persuade me, I was too dizzy to make out what he was saying.

I headed for the rooftop stairs to do my job—to take on the Spirit alone.

But that proved impossible right away.

The stairs were choked with heat and smoke. I couldn't suffocate to death before even reaching the Spirit, so I climbed back up and shouted,

"The Spirit's coming up soon. Everyone, hide to the sides! To the sides...!"

After barking it a few times, they finally did as told. As I closed my eyes to regain some focus...

The radio blared loudly.

「Hyung! A Flame Spirit showed up, right? You're gonna fight it?」

Seong Mun-yeong's voice. I answered as briefly as possible.

"Looks like it."

「Can you win? That Flame Spirit—is it something a Physical Enhancer can even handle?」

This guy.

I had no idea what kind of answer he wanted. He couldn't help anyway, so was he just gonna nag? Sure, he was probably worried, but it pissed me off anyway.

This is why non-Awakeners are useless. If you can't help, just cheer from the sidelines—don't butt in...

Next came the voice of someone who wasn't a non-Awakener but was treated worse than one by the public.

「Kim Geuk-ssi? If you're going up against a Flame Spirit, take me with you.」

Even as irritation boiled up and I clamped my mouth shut, I blinked in surprise.

Baek Dam-bi—the woman who usually kept her mouth ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shut—was suddenly saying what?

"Have you... ever caught a Flame Spirit?"

「I've never even seen one, but...」

Her voice cut in and out. I could hear her panting hard too. What the hell was she...

Some gut feeling made me glance down at the base of the building, and I furrowed my brow.

Someone was sprinting desperately toward it.

It looked like Baek Dam-bi. She was trying to get as close as possible so I could Teleport her easily. That much showed her offer to help wasn't just empty words.

But could she actually help me? No time to grill her on it.

I pondered briefly, then Teleported right in front of her.

"Uh..."

Baek Dam-bi skidded to a halt beside me as she ran.

I looked at her amid my dizziness.

Baek Dam-bi—she was cradling an armful of water bottles. How the hell had she run all the way here like that? And why did she bring those in the first place? Was this crazy woman planning to douse the Flame Spirit's fire with drinking water?

Before I could ask, she beat me to it.

"You look in really bad shape..."

Baek Dam-bi's gaze flicked between my face—ears and part of my cheek sliced off—and my left hand, missing three fingers. I muttered softly,

"The bleeding's stopped, right?"

"Yeah, but..."

"Then we're good."

"Still, you plan to fight like that?"

"What about you? What's got you stepping up all of a sudden?"

"Just, uh..."

"Anyway, you're in to fight together, right?"

Baek Dam-bi nodded, and I had no time for chit-chat. I grabbed her shoulder and Teleported back to the rooftop.

I didn't know what she was thinking, but if she turned out useless, I could just chuck her off the side of the apartment. From what she'd said during her self-introduction about her abilities, a drop like that wouldn't kill her.

Right away, Baek Dam-bi got to work.

"I'll do what I can to keep you from burning too bad..."

She splashed the water she'd been carrying at me. As the droplets flew through the air and caught her gaze, they turned into tiny ice shards—which then, at her gesture, clung to my body.

So this was her way of protecting me from the flames. Awakeners couldn't use their abilities directly on another person's body due to limitations, so this indirect method must take a toll, but she seemed pretty skilled at it.

And I took a moment to rest. Amid people begging me to Teleport them, others endlessly murmuring love to family over the phone, and those praying—I closed my eyes and stayed still.

Couldn't rest long.

Soon, screams erupted from the crowd.

"Agh!"

I turned toward where they were staring.

A crimson glow climbed the smoke-filled rooftop stairs, filling my hazy vision. Every step it took brought flames and smoke.

The Flame Spirit was coming up.

Through the smoke, its burning silhouette was visible as it ascended. It looked like a fireball climbing the stairs. Probably was, literally.

Just from that, you could tell it was a monster immune to rifle rounds or even autocannon shells. High-explosives could disrupt its form with blast pressure, but it was so rare—and capable of exploding a tank's engine and ammo just by looking at it—that successful cases were few and far between.

Would an Ice Awakener's power work on it? No idea. But I wouldn't expect miracles.

I resolved to face it alone.

Before engaging, I gave the area one last scan.

First, the crowd—nicely positioned to the sides. Their terrified faces weren't ideal, but whatever.

Round girl—why was she wearing a crop top instead of a tank top? But anyway, she was standing nicely off to the side...

Good. All preparations perfect. I blinked hard to fight off the dizziness.

I was in the Octagon.

"Hot, ho-hot-hot-hot..."

I hummed my entrance theme from my mouth, glaring at my opponent as it entered the Octagon.

A flaming hyena had just set foot on the rooftop.

The Flame Spirit.

Its head and body, limbs and tail—all made of flame. Golden eyes and fiery nostrils blazed on its face.

From its look, it must be a Deathclaw that Awakened to fire powers and evolved spiritually into a Spirit. Its signature hooked claws gleamed with a force field.

"Incheon forever."

I went to bump gloves before the fight, but there was no ref.

And the Spirit didn't wait for a signal. It acted first.

The Flame Spirit gaped its burning maw wide. Something dark red churned inside.

Whatever it was doing, it didn't look good. Had to judge fast.

Dodge to the side?

No. Crowd on both sides.

As I braced for impact and drew a deep breath, a thick, ferocious jet of flame burst from the Spirit's mouth.

That flame jet was way too thick.

As it filled my entire vision, I moved on instinct. Charge.

Straight ahead, eyes closed, relying on the info from my mental web.

"Agh!"

The crowd must have found my frontal charge into the flame terrifying to watch.

The screams echoing behind me felt great even as my body heated up. Empathizing with my pain meant they were cheering fans. I was this popular.

Adrenaline helped me ignore the agony of skin peeling and blood boiling. I kept pounding the ground.

Finally reaching it, I slammed down my hammer. With enough force to send a shockwave—one strong enough to snuff out even the flames.

Boom! Sure enough, the hammer blow and shockwave shattered its form. The flame jet cut off with it.

So, dead?

No. I hadn't fully extinguished its flames.

The fire scattered by my blow regrouped in an instant. The hyena shape reformed before my eyes. As it regenerated in a flash, it slashed hooked claws across my chest.

Sprayed blood evaporated in the flames instantly.

Gritting my teeth, I hammered down again. Boom!

As the shockwave crumbled its form once more, I felt a chill enveloping my body, easing the pain.

I cracked my eyes to see what was happening and was surprised.

A blizzard exploding into a frenzy...

The round girl had intervened in the fight. Would've been better if I'd handled it solo, but I wouldn't complain.

Even amid the swirling blizzard, the Spirit's flames endured. Its body was regenerating as it glared at me.

But its size had clearly shrunk.

The reformed Flame Spirit charged me again.

And I slammed my already descending hammer even harder.

Boom! Once more, its form collapsed without fail. The shockwave snuffed its flames, scattering them everywhere.

And the flung flames got caught in the blizzard's fiercest zone. Steam erupted explosively, devouring the Spirit's fire.

Meanwhile, it was regenerating in front of me again. But unlike before, it was a pathetic flicker—and something translucent glinted within.

Obvious at a glance: this was its final flame.

I swung my hammer once more, and the last blaze before me winked out.

Soon, the raging blizzard cleared. Amid the steam, I turned around.

I took in the pale-faced survivors.

The cheers from the crowd in my mind overlapped with their real-world shouts. My name echoed like a chant.

"Kim Geuk! Kim Geuk! Kim Geuk—!"

As the defeated Spirit's soul seeped into me, I raised my arm high, declaring victory.

When I came to, Baek Dam-bi's face was there. She'd taken off her sunglasses, revealing her expression.

Surprisingly, she looked thrilled. First time I'd seen her make any face besides annoyed or irritated... She was clenching both fists in an "ajja!" pose.

Then our eyes met.

To her, I must've looked like hell. She flinched, then hurriedly asked,

"You okay? No, don't answer. God, your whole skin's burned off. The blisters rising mean your insides are probably fine, but..."

First time seeing her make such a fuss too.

Even as dizziness hit and my body burned in agony, I suddenly found her cute.

Was it the Spirit's soul seeping in, transferring its heat? Something stirred warmly down below—always limp since Awakening.

Drunk on victory and that inexplicable feeling, I grinned. Baek Dam-bi, who'd been watching my state warily, awkwardly grinned back.

I had won.