EP5. Arena
Choi Jae-jun paused on his way back to Seoul as the distant sound of gunfire reached his ears.
Was someone running a training drill?
But mixed faintly between the shots were screams.
What the hell?
Jae-jun headed toward the source of the noise.
There wasn't a soul in sight on the streets.
Even after emerging from the alley onto a major road, he saw no one.
Not even the convenience stores along the way had their lights on.
After passing a few buildings, he spotted soldiers blocking off the street.
One of them caught sight of Jae-jun and shouted.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
Jae-jun turned his head.
The soldier gripping his rifle looked irritated.
"What's going on?"
"Didn't you hear the broadcast? Gate break! Get to a shelter now!"
The soldier grabbed Jae-jun's arm and yanked.
"Gate break?"
Jae-jun frowned as he asked.
But no matter how hard the soldier pulled, Jae-jun didn't budge. The man eyed him suspiciously.
"Damn. You really didn't hear it?"
"The boss monster escaped from a nearby dungeon. You a hunter by any chance?"
"Yeah. I am."
"Oh. Sorry about that. You just look so... ordinary, I figured you were a civilian."
The soldier bowed his head briefly.
In this day and age, soldiers and guns were relics that barely worked against magic beasts.
But when it came to crowd control, nothing beat them for speed and efficiency.
That's why, during gate breaks or disasters, the military got deployed to the scene.
"Where's the monster right now?"
"A bit further in..."
Before the soldier could finish, a massive explosion boomed from deeper ahead.
Bombs won't do shit against monsters.
Why aren't the hunters handling this?
Jae-jun's expression hardened as he pushed further in.
After rounding another alley, the devastation became clear.
Not just empty streets, but wrecked cars, half-collapsed buildings with cracks spiderwebbing their walls.
Red blood and corpses scattered here and there drove home the severity.
What the hell was the Hunter Association doing to let it get this bad?
This wasn't some remote village—dungeon breaks in the capital region were rare.
Guild teams or Association hunters swarmed gates the moment they popped, clearing them fast.
Especially high-rank ones; standard protocol was to station backup hunters in case the raid failed.
Something must've gone really wrong.
Before Jae-jun's thoughts could deepen, the culprit appeared.
Kraaaaargh!
A troll, with a head oversized for its body, thick limbs, and a barrel chest.
It swung a massive club, smashing a building to rubble.
BOOM!
Soldiers fired rifles and artillery from all sides, but it only enraged the beast.
And against its regenerative healing—even wounds closed instantly—gunpowder was useless.
"Keep firing! Don't stop!"
The soldiers fought desperately to hold the line.
Behind their defense was a school.
Kids are in there?
Through the school's crumbled entrance, he saw huddled civilians—students in uniforms.
KABOOM!
BOOM!
The ground shook as the troll staggered and fell.
A few hunters were aiding the soldiers, trying to contain it, but they were woefully short-handed.
Offense and defense both in tatters.
Kraaaaargh!
A hunter turned to bloody pulp under the troll's club swing.
"Healer! We need a healer!"
His comrade yelled frantically, but no one dared approach the battlefield.
Thud!
Grrrrowl...
The troll loomed right in front of the man.
Pumpkin-orange eyes in its grotesque, filthy face glared down.
The savage cruelty swirling in them made the man's hands tremble.
"S-someone... please..."
Whoosh!
The troll raised its club high.
A dark shadow fell over the man's face.
Terror-struck, he ducked and squeezed his eyes shut.
—
Watching it all, Jae-jun's eyes flashed cold.
Acceleration!
His body surged forward in an instant.
Swish.
The Frost Blade was already in his hand.
Slash!
The troll's body rocked violently, toppling backward.
Its ankle severed clean, cross-section exposed.
Kraaaaargh!
Clueless why it fell, the troll belatedly bellowed.
"You okay?"
Jae-jun asked the man still pinching his eyes shut.
The man jolted his eyes open.
No time to wait—Jae-jun scooped up the injured hunter under one arm, the man under the other, and blinked to the soldiers.
Instant teleportation executed.
"Emergency aid, please."
"...Y-yes, sir!"
Jae-jun turned straight back to the troll.
"W-wait! Going alone is dangerous!"
The man shouted after him.
Jae-jun just nodded curtly and approached.
Something about that solid back made the man feel secure.
The troll's severed ankle had already regenerated.
Monstrous recovery.
Standing, it scanned for its attacker.
Kraaaaargh!
Spotting Jae-jun striding boldly toward it, the troll roared ferociously.
Thundering forward, club raised to pulp him in one blow.
"C-careful!"
A warning cry from behind.
"I'm good."
Jae-jun blurred again, reappearing right before the troll.
Shadow Slash!
Shadow Slash
The Frost Blade's edge gleamed translucent.
It carved ruthlessly through the troll's neck.
Slash!
But the neck was too thick—not fully severed.
Blood fountained from the ragged stump as it crashed down.
Kraaaaargh!
The cut was already knitting back together, healing slowly.
No attack works!
Onlookers felt their spark of hope snuffed out.
Then.
Jae-jun extended his hand toward the troll.
Hellfire of the Demon Realm.
Hellfire of the Demon Realm
WHOOSH!
A wave of white-hot inferno surged, engulfing the troll.
Not content, the flames swirled around it, spinning viciously.
Kraaaaaargh!
Miserable screams echoed from the vortex.
Soon, even its vocal cords burned away, leaving only sizzling flesh.
Sizzle!
Still not dead?
Half its body charred to coal, yet no kill chime.
The troll lived.
Jae-jun extinguished the flames and gripped the Frost Blade again.
Shing!
Like lightning, Jae-jun scaled the troll's body, his blade mercilessly dismembering it.
Slash!
Slash!
Limbs severed one by one, finally the head.
Only then came the end-of-battle chime.
Ding—
"Whew."
Jae-jun stored the Frost Blade in his subspace and exhaled.
"Everyone okay?"
They nodded silently.
The hunter who'd been clubbed seemed out of immediate danger.
"Alright. Clean up the rest."
"W-wait!"
As Jae-jun turned to leave, the man grabbed him.
"...What's your name?"
"...Choi Jae-jun."
He blinked away.
"Choi Jae-jun."
The survivors murmured the name.
—
The troll's regeneration was impressive.
But Jae-jun's offense outpaced it.
Testing Hellfire of the Demon Realm and Shadow Slash in real combat? Even better than expected.
Not bad at all.
A smile tugged his lips as he blinked home repeatedly.
At the door, he eased it open quietly, lest he wake Hye-seon.
"Oppa, you just got back?"
But she was already dressed in her uniform, ready for school.
"Heading to school?"
"Yeah. Breakfast is ready—eat it all, okay?"
"Got it."
As she stepped out, she paused and turned back.
"Oh, right. Thanks for the card, oppa. Bought some clothes yesterday."
"Something cute?"
"Yep. Hehe."
Jae-jun chuckled awkwardly, seeing her off.
Sniff sniff.
Spicy kimchi stew.
Hunger hit hard; he headed to the table.
—Author's Note—
Thank you.