The Glutton's Demise
The flow of mana that had been streaming from my fingertips into the creature's mind suddenly snapped. The convulsions that had wracked its body, forcing foam from its mouth without even a scream, subsided as if they had never happened. When the light flickering in my palm finally faded, the beast slumped like a soaked rag, gasping for breath.
"Hoo... Good work. You held on well."
I brushed the damp hair from its forehead and, almost unconsciously, gave its perked wolf ears a gentle stroke.
...!
The sensation against my palm was exquisite. Though the fur was soaked with cold sweat, making it feel like petting a dog fresh from a bath, the hidden softness beneath was so heavenly that I couldn't pull away.
Ah, this feels gross... but I can't stop touching it. It's just too soft.
Celebrating inwardly, I gave the ear another sneaky rub. Just then, a muffled sound came from the creature, as if it were trying to speak.
"Ah... ugh... er..."
"Oh, right. The gag."
Distracted by the ear, I'd forgotten the most important thing. I pulled the leather gag from its mouth. The beast coughed violently, its ears drooping in response to my touch as it began to tremble.
"It's okay. You're safe now. We're the Mobile Rescue Team."
"M-Mobile Rescue Team...?"
When it looked up at me with disbelief, I offered the most reassuring smile I could muster.
"That's right~ Team Leader of Mobile Rescue Team 1, Charon."
I stroked its ear again to calm it. The beast flinched with a small yelp and hunched its shoulders, but instead of pulling away, it leaned its head against my hand, as if relief had washed over it.
"Charon... that person who..."
"Yep. The one who drags people back from the underworld by force, beating them with an oar. That's me."
At my mischievous joke, the corners of its mouth lifted weakly but clearly.
"Heh... hehe... So I got beaten and dragged back too, huh."
"Well, you did take quite a hit."
Seeing it respond to the joke meant its condition wasn't too bad. It seemed more relieved to have regained its senses than to have endured the pain of healing. Not only was its body sturdy, but its mental fortitude was impressive too. Quite the resilient young lady.
"Sirius, take care of her. Spica, keep monitoring her condition from the side."
"Yes! Mama!"
Sirius and Spica, who had been waiting, quickly took my place. I stood up, lowered my helmet visor, and opened the command channel.
"This is Team 1. Survivor secured. Consciousness restored after healing."
...Understood. Deploying healer team to that floor immediately. Over.
There was a subtle pause in the voice. What did that silence mean? Surprise that the rage-afflicted beast had survived, or fear that even my infamous healing hadn't left it unable to speak?
Well, whatever the reason, as long as it ended well.
Shrugging, I holstered my pistol and retrieved the shotgun slung across my back. With the patient handed off to the medics, it was time to return to the front line.
I walked over to Felis, who was standing guard outside the door.
"Felis. Everything clear?"
"Yes, Mama. Seems those were all the ones that crawled up the stairs earlier."
"Hmm... Let's hope so."
Though I couldn't see anything in the pitch-black darkness without my night vision, Felis was different. As a cat demi-human with keen night vision, she peered through the dark, ears twitching. The movement of those ears suggested she'd detected something.
"Someone's coming?"
"Hmm... The footsteps are regular. Probably one of ours."
"Got it."
Relieved it was friendly, I switched on the comms—this time to the healer team waiting in the rear.
"This is Team 1, holding position at the end of the right corridor in the goshiwon."
Understood. Entering now.
The reply was so curt it practically crackled. I'd heard healers had high egos, but treating fellow teammates this coldly? Technically, I'm a healer too. Of course, my patients tended to scream or pass out instead of saying "thank you," so I never got the chance to act superior. Well, at least I'm prettier and better in a fight than them.
Shaking off the bitter thought, I stared blankly at the tactical lights cutting through the darkness at the end of the corridor.
...Moments later, the healer team arrived and took the wolf demi-human survivor. Even as she was carried away on a stretcher, she glanced back at me, but I coolly waved once before returning to my duties.
"Alright, let's head down again."
We reactivated our night vision, checked our gear, swapped in fresh magazines, then opened the emergency door to the goshiwon section and descended to the lower floor.
Thud, thud. Rustle.
Dull vibrations and bustling noises echoed from above. The retrieval team was busy hauling away the subdued suspects. The flashing searchlights outside the top-floor windows suggested other teams were also occupied securing the building's perimeter.
At this rate, they could at least rotate us out... Complaining wouldn't change anything. The dirtiest, toughest work on this mission always fell to Team 1 anyway. Badmouthing other teams would only tire my mouth and add wrinkles, so I silently descended the stairs until we reached the middle floor.
Creaaak...
The rusty hinges screamed as the iron door opened. But the texture of the air had changed.
"..."
A sticky, ominous energy clung to my skin. I instinctively knew this was the source of the outbreak—the breeding ground of the rage phenomenon.
"Command. Entering the rage epicenter."
Any anomalies?
I lifted my helmet visor slightly and scanned the area with my naked eyes. The darkness was so complete that not even a single rat was visible. Everything was eerily quiet.
"Nothing visible to the naked eye."
Understood. However, mid-tier entities typically inhabit this area. Proceed with caution. Over.
With a crackle, the transmission cut off. Without looking back, I issued orders to the team.
"Everyone, switch to anti-monster rounds. When you see them, don't conserve ammo—unload everything."
Yes, Mama!
The sound of magazines being swapped echoed softly behind me. I emptied my shotgun's chamber and loaded special rounds marked with red bands, one by one.
This time, I'll cook them nice and crispy.
Using incendiary rounds that spewed flames inside a sealed building was insane—unless the targets were monsters. Thick-skinned beasts were weak to fire nine times out of ten. From a hunter's perspective, this was the most efficient tactic.
Well... if there had been gas buildup, that would've been a problem.
Looking around, wind whistled through broken windows, and the only scent was stale dust. No gas leaks. Perfect conditions for a barbecue.
"Moving in."
Gripping my shield tightly, I advanced slowly. Through the green haze of night vision, I spotted a massive shape in the middle of a ruined area littered with broken signs, its nose buried in something.
"Shh... 12 o'clock. Main dish has arrived."
Hideous spikes jutted from its back—an unmistakably demonic beast that looked like it had crawled out of hell. It was so absorbed in its meal that it hadn't noticed us approaching.
Crunch, crunch.
The sickening sound of bones and flesh being chewed filled the silent space.
"Everyone, aim... Target the head and neck."
Following my command, laser pointers from the team's guns danced across the beast's thick nape and the back of its head. A quick glance showed Spica's muzzle also steady on its vital spot.
Oh, not bad.
The rookie hadn't even trembled while aligning her sights. How admirable.
"Fire. Don't hold back—unload everything."
Tatatatack! Tatatatang!
The thunderous roar of gunfire tore through the silence, raining bullets onto the beast's head. Caught mid-meal by the sudden storm, it couldn't even scream properly, its mouth gaping as it thrashed.
"Kreeeegh!"
While it was still reeling from the shock, I strode forward. Releasing the shotgun's safety, I pulled the trigger.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
White flames erupted from the muzzle, striking its back directly. The incendiary rounds ignited, making the green night-vision view flare blindingly. I flipped my visor up.
"Kyaaaaak!"
Snapping back to its senses from the burning pain, the beast spotted me and charged in a frenzy. Its massive bulk hurtled forward at full speed, but I calmly pressed the deployment button on my shield's handle.
Clack! Clack!
The shield expanded wide, blocking its view.
Thud!
A dull impact reverberated through the shield, but I didn't take a single step back. Instead, the beast staggered as if it had run into an invisible wall.
As expected, it misjudged the distance.
In this pitch-black environment, my shield—coated in light-absorbing paint—was invisible to them. From its perspective, it had charged into empty air only to slam into a solid steel wall. A concussion was inevitable. It was just a giant lump of meat throwing itself at my shield.
In that case, I'll finish cooking it.
Looking down at the staggering beast, I raised my folded shield. It lifted its head from the floor, sniffing, and opened its maw wide toward me—but at that exact moment, the waiting team's gunfire erupted.
Tatatatang! Tatatack!
Lead bullets poured mercilessly into its gaping mouth.
"Kk...!"
It didn't even have time to scream. Having swallowed more bullets than its stomach could handle, the beast's eyes rolled back as it collapsed face-first onto the floor.
Thud.
The massive carcass sprawled across the ground like trash.