Chapter 98
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 098
Chapter Title: Behemoth - [1]
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The Gate was expanding in real time.
It takes time for a Gate to swell up to a size where monsters can pass through. And for it to grow large enough for Behemoth's surreal bulk to emerge, it would take even longer.
In the meantime, transport helicopters were landing on the ground one after another.
Hunters I recognized stepped out from the transports.
First came Kim Hyeong-man, his light green medical uniform standing out immediately. It looked like he'd been pulled straight from his clinic without even a chance to change.
There was Kang Jun-man, who'd gone from cop to special forces and recently become a Hunter, and Kim Yo-han, whose Seoul Hunter contract was supposedly ending in September but had been called in anyway. Several other Hunters I'd met at the Association were there too.
Most were Hunters active in Seoul, but as I'd confirmed earlier, they'd summoned those from the entire capital region.
A distinctive Incheon accent pierced my ears.
"What the hell? Why'd they call me to Seoul? I'm contracted with Incheon City, aren't I?"
It was Nguyen. Naturally, his usual Hunter team was with him.
A variety of men with different skin tones disembarked carrying Hunter rifles—foreign Awakeners mainly operating outside Seoul in the capital area, all rounded up without exception.
With Naido Sang-man nowhere in sight, it seemed they hadn't called every Hunter, just the A-rank ones. A wise decision. If they'd summoned every lowlife cruising around in a Lexus, the civilians' evacuation routes would've been blocked before the monsters even arrived.
Meanwhile, familiar faces stepped out from another transport. Spotting my Hunter team, I widened my eyes.
Even amid the urgency, I approached them.
"What are you all doing here?"
Seong Mun-yeong replied with a look that said, Why are you even asking?
"The country called us, so we came?"
I'd figured they wouldn't call non-Awakeners, but it seemed National Security had dragged them out specifically to support me.
They were doing something I hadn't even asked for, and it pissed me off. I growled.
"Go back. This isn't Incheon."
Had some subconscious infrasound leaked out?
Seong Mun-yeong flinched but still shook his head.
"You're gonna fight here, right, hyung? How could we just leave? Someone's gotta swap out the magazines for that Hunter rifle you're gonna spray everywhere..."
"If you're staying, at least just leave the rifle handlers!"
Im Hyeong-taek responded awkwardly to my retort.
"We need people watching your back while the three of us handle the rifle mags, don't we?"
They were all set on staying. Was this recklessness or camaraderie?
Whatever it was, I wanted to yell at them to fuck off, but there was no time to argue.
"Ah!"
Jeong Jin-yeong shouted, staring up at the sky.
Everyone, including me, turned to look.
And we all wore the same expression as Jeong Jin-yeong. Faces pale with shock, shrinking back.
The Gate in the sky had expanded fully.
From the Gate, now dozens of meters wide, Behemoth finally poked its face out.
Ah, that face...
A twisted visage like a deformed lion born from inbreeding. A manticores face, ugly bordering on grotesque.
That hideous rocky face was dozens of meters across, and with the mane around it, it looked even larger—nearly a hundred meters for the head alone.
As I'd felt last time, even that ugly mug carried such scale that it exuded supernatural majesty.
Something apocalyptic and divine, sent from the heavens to punish humanity...
I didn't get to admire it long. Shells and missiles rained in from all directions, pummeling the face mercilessly.
Explosions showered fragments from Behemoth's face. Flames and smoke engulfed its massive head.
Had it gotten pissed at the welcome right after emerging?
Even from afar, I could see Behemoth's expression twist. Its eyes shifted, and then...
From the crystal embedded in the rock that formed Behemoth's eyes, crimson heat rays burst forth.
Beams thick enough to engulf a tank entirely.
The heat ray swept across the ground once, and every tank in its path vanished without a trace. Where the massive Black Panther tanks had stood, only pools of what might have been molten metal or lava remained.
If that hit me, force field or not, I'd be dead instantly. Damn it.
But tank wipeouts weren't surprising anymore. More projectiles kept slamming into Behemoth's face. Roars of flame and thunder echoed nonstop.
Raising my voice to cut through the din, I shouted,
"At least stay to the rear! Got it?"
My team members didn't refuse outright this time.
"Y-Yes? Got it...!"
Seong Mun-yeong nodded with wide eyes. I teleported us all to the back.
Even then, I wasn't reassured.
Normally, Baek Dam-bi would take the front lines and the riskiest roles, but she couldn't stick with them now.
She'd grown as far as she could as an Awakener. Unlike before, she couldn't fight like a non-Awakener anymore. Now, as a full-fledged A-rank Hunter, she'd move independently to take down the powerful monsters.
The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. Forcing frail non-Awakeners to fight without Awakener protection? Ridiculous.
I'd never tolerate it under normal circumstances, but right now, there was no choice. The situation was too dire.
After sending my Hunter team to the rear and teleporting Baek Dam-bi to where she was needed, I warped back alone to a spot with a clear view of Behemoth.
The Gate had now expanded enough for Behemoth's entire body to emerge. It took a single step onto the ground.
The sound wasn't a mere thud.
I couldn't even begin to describe it with an onomatopoeia.
Put simply, the entire world shook.
Concrete floors heaved. Buildings swayed like reeds, signs and billboards fluttering down like leaves in a typhoon. Street trees were uprooted wholesale, rolling everywhere.
A single step—one not even bearing its full weight, with most of its body still inside the Gate—did that much.
So what would it be like with its full body moving?
I didn't want to know, but I found out soon enough.
Behemoth finally emerged fully and began to walk.
Surrounding buildings crumbled.
Apparently, they hadn't reinforced the rebar enough. Or the seismic design was botched.
Either way, untouched by its body, the buildings collapsed helplessly.
A tremendous roar followed—like massive meteors pounding the earth repeatedly.
My eardrums numbed, and I was glad I'd sent my team back. Non-Awakeners exposed to that sound alone wouldn't survive. Just being nearby could rupture eardrums and kill.
The quake intensified. Concrete didn't just shake—it rippled like waves. If my weight were average, I couldn't have stood.
The sky was chaos too.
More firepower mobilized against the fully exposed Behemoth.
Bombers circled, dropping aerial bombs relentlessly. Drones—bait for the heat rays, disguised with human-like signatures since Behemoth could sense souls?—swarmed, dazzling my eyes.
That tail-end heat ray could down anything, though.
A heat ray from Behemoth's enormous tail melted a fighter jet just after it dropped its payload.
No chance to teleport-rescue the pilot. Both the ray and explosion were too fast.
I averted my eyes from the horror.
Behemoth wasn't my focus. Nothing I could do against it anyway, and with the air force bombing nonstop, clinging to it would just get me caught in the blasts.
I had to worry about the monsters following behind.
Like in Australia, the monster horde marching after Behemoth.
As Behemoth advanced, shrugging off humanity's arsenal with its massive rocky body, silhouettes rippled in the Gate behind. Monsters emerged into reality.
First out: a pack of Deathclaws. Hundreds at a glance.
The Defense Ministry seemed prepared.
A barrage of artillery roared, shells pouring toward the emerging Deathclaws.
But the shells meant to obliterate their paths missed.
Tracing odd trajectories, hitting buildings instead—the soldiers looked panicked.
They shouted discussions—not out of rage, but necessity amid the roar.
"Why are they veering off like that?"
"The ground's shaking too much! Like firing mortars on a rocking ship—the quakes throw off the impact points..."
The moment I saw those repeated misses, I knew we were screwed.
Back at the reinforced island base, no casualties because they'd pinpointed the Gate early and concentrated fire.
That narrow path let mortars hit even Force Field Bodies.
Should've been the same now—but it wasn't.
Deathclaws poured out, scattering into the city instead of eating artillery.
Scarce rifle fire too—too close to Behemoth for soldiers to shoot safely. Any posted there would've been crushed by its steps already.
Frustrated, I teleported there.
Monsters charged ahead. Rat-tat-tat—Hunter rifle spray shredded the sprinting Deathclaws.
A brief thrill, but fleeting.
I knew that. Frustrating as hell.
As Behemoth's tail tip locked on me, I teleported away. The spot I'd been melted by the next heat ray—I shuddered at the power.
Catching my breath, I waited for more monsters from the Gate.
Huge, powerful, tough ones.
True lords of Sword World. That's why Awakeners like me were called here.
Soon, they set foot in Seoul.
The massive Gate spat out monsters of varied sizes and types.
Ogres first. Six giants trailing Behemoth like buddies—absurd.
Even more ridiculous: seven-meter Deathclaws, that boar-like brute from before, wriggling Sandworms, various Spirits, and unidentifiable beasts.
The first to move fast: a six-meter ogre.
It ignored half-collapsed buildings, leaping over several in an instant and clinging to one still standing.
The rooftop held machine guns and soldiers.
The ogre targeted them. Jamming fingers into windows, it scaled floors roaring, charging the troops.
I teleported in.
Soldiers' screams pierced my already numb eardrums.
"Aaaagh!"
An ogre loomed before me. I thrust my hand straight at the gaping monster.
Shoved fingers into its jaw, yanked down hard.
Pulled by my grip, the ogre plummeted from the building.
Hunter rifle into the falling beast—ripped its belly open.
It died on impact. Ecstasy as its soul absorbed into me.
Regaining composure, I asked the soldiers,
"Can you stay here? Shouldn't you relocate? I can teleport you..."
But their eardrums were wrecked—they couldn't hear.
I quickly texted on my phone. A sergeant shook his head.
"No, thanks, but we'll stay. Seriously, thank you."
Hated leaving fragile non-Awakeners in danger, but had to.
Plenty more spots needed me.
"Kim Geuk here. I'm on it."
I leaped from the building.
Mid-fall, with gravity loaded, teleported—Hunter rifle muzzle down, force field coated.
Finished warp: a Deathclaw rampaging under bullet hell now under the barrel.
Pulled the trigger. Blasted away, crushed it under the muzzle. Boom!
Force Field Body down. Soldiers around panted, bloodshot eyes. Coming to, they mumbled "Thanks..."
Explained their tension—three dead already. Wounded too, but no teleporting to hospitals. Better if they retreated under injury evac pretense.
Too many calls here to do more.
"Done. Heading there now."
Teleported again—killed another big, tough monster.
This one boar-like. Smashed through a bus-wall barricade, crushed six soldiers. Hunter rifle to the eye, through the brain—dead.
Three big ones down in seconds, but this Gate was a hundred meters wide.
Monsters pouring out, powerful ones mixed in—too many.
Way too many.