Bull Hunt
Simple calculation. In the Black Cave, it took roughly twenty monkeys to bring down a single bull-head. Without me and the core zombies, how many monkeys would be spent in the same span of time? At least fifty would die, and that would only be to stall for time, not to actually hunt. In the end, the math said we would need 18,090 monkeys just to secure an [Exit]. The bulls would tire and take wounds, of course, but my own stamina was not unlimited. Even without factoring in variables, the conclusion was obvious: it was impossible.
Now, however, the situation had changed dramatically. First, Boots had recovered. More than recovered—he had gained a new home and the strength to handle a bull on his own. Baengnae and the beastkin were in even better shape. The overall quality of the monkey zombies had risen considerably as well. But the greatest leap forward was in weaponry.
Until now the monkeys had fought with claws, teeth, or whatever rocks they could pick up. That was no longer the case. The dark elves had come bearing proper weapons, and every last one of them now belonged to us. Spears, swords, boots, gloves—every piece had been distributed among the monkeys. On top of that, we even had dark-elf zombies who could shoot bows. I was ready to hunt bulls.
I raised the axe I had taken from the bull in the Black Cave and shouted.
“Who wants to eat dark elves?!”
The monkeys slammed their weapons into the ground. Thud. Thud. Thud.
“Who will slaughter the bull army?!”
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Determination burned in their eyes. Morale was high. All that remained was to act.
I led the army along the maze walls. There was no need to return to the previous location; the right-hand rule produced the same result no matter where we started. As expected, [Exits] appeared.
“Spread out!”
The plan had already been made. We had even rehearsed it that morning, so the troops moved immediately. Trying to fight twenty-seven bulls at once was suicide. We would lure them in different directions and defeat them one by one. The special squads containing the core zombies were for killing; the regular-zombie squads were for holding the line.
The bulls soon scattered after the monkeys. I donned the armor over my upper body and picked out the nearest bull beastkin. He would be my first prey. I set the axe aside for now; it caused too much unnecessary damage and was not suited for this fight.
“You remember what we practiced, right?”
“Aratta.”
“Let’s go.”
It would not be as difficult as the Black Cave. The first time was always the hardest; repetition made everything easier.
Thud—
Unlike in the Black Cave, the bull lost his balance and fell. I clenched my fist.
“Good. The level-up effect is working.”
Having pushed three more stages, I was noticeably stronger than before. This was going to be easier.
“Don’t let him get up!”
Baengnae and the monkeys rushed in, stabbing and slashing. The bull was tough, so he did not die instantly, but the outcome was obvious. My growth had been more significant than I thought. I changed the plan on the spot.
“Baengnae, finish him and go support the others. I’ll keep knocking bulls down as I move.”
“Aratta.”
There was a huge difference in combat power between a bull swinging an axe and one lying on the ground being beaten. I did not need to finish every single one myself. I turned and targeted the next bull.
Thud—
“Charge!”
Thud—
“Charge!”
The plan went smoother than expected. Bulls had narrow fields of vision, so they never noticed my approach. I kept knocking them down one by one, moving to the next target. But it was not all easy. By the time I reached the thirteenth bull, half the monkeys in that squad were already dead. Even with weapons, a single axe swing still killed a monkey.
Thud—
“Keep him down! If you hold out a little longer, the squads that have already won will come to help. Just endure!”
Fortunately, the squads with Bangsil-i, Nareun-i, and Boots had not suffered heavy losses. The squads made up of only monkeys and dark elves, however, looked as though they would be nearly wiped out. I stopped thinking and moved toward the fourteenth bull.
After roughly ten more, I was completely exhausted. Charging at full speed into something heavier than myself took a greater toll than I had imagined. My entire body trembled faintly.
“Haa… haa…”
This is the last one.
It was the final squad composed entirely of regular zombies. They had already been completely annihilated. The monkeys were all corpses, and even the bow-wielding elves were being hunted down one by one.
Huuup…
I forced my body forward again. Without zombies to distract the bull, he spotted me and swung his axe. But he was slow. I rolled past the attack.
Heh… you’re tired too, huh?
Of course, I was far more exhausted than he was. Still, I was not alone.
Thwack—
The dark elves I had drawn his attention away from nocked arrows and fired. Twenty arrows already protruded from his back, yet the twenty-first made him furious. Just when he thought he had seized victory, an intruder had appeared.
“Moooooo—!”
“Shut up.”
I threw my entire body at him once more. His axe came around and struck my armor. If he was tired, the armor would hold.
Crack—
The stone armor shattered with a dull sound, and a sharp pain shot through my shoulder. But I had succeeded in ramming him. We both tumbled across the ground. I immediately climbed onto his head and wrapped my arms around his neck.
Tight—
I no longer had the strength to continue fighting. This was where it had to end.
Huuup…
As his windpipe was crushed, the bull clawed at my arm with thick fingers. But I was wearing stone armor. He thrashed and struggled.
“Just die already…”
While I held his neck and waited for his breath to stop, zombies that had finished their own fights began gathering around us. They formed a circle and stared at me.
This… these guys.
Something about the monkeys crowding around to watch me felt strangely uncomfortable. I shouted at Baengnae.
“What are you all staring at? Finish him already!”
“Hi… Aratta.”
Baengnae’s sword pierced the final bull’s heart, and the hunt was over. The moment the tension left my body, every muscle began to scream.
“Aigoo, I’m dying.”
It felt as though I had been in a dozen minor car accidents back to back. My hands, which had only trembled slightly before, were now shaking uncontrollably.
Haa… Maybe I should push one more round?
Then I remembered something useful. Among the Fruits of Good and Evil I had obtained, there was one that aided recovery. Its side effect was that it forced the user into sleep until the recovery finished, so I had been putting off using it. I took out the grape-like fruit. Before eating it, I called Baengnae and Nareun-i over.
“I’m going to sleep for a bit, so clean up while I’m out.”
“Aratta.”
“Understood.”
I started to put the fruit in my mouth, then paused and added one more order.
“Eat only the bull whose body is in the worst condition. I’m going to turn the rest into zombies.”
Baengnae looked up at the sky.
“You. You.”
“Mmm. Madda.”
“What do you mean, ‘madda’? Get up and check.”
I placed the fruit in my mouth. A gentle drowsiness washed over me.
Augh, why does this happen every time I fight? I wish I could get a recovery-type skill somehow.
I sank into a deep sleep.
Manager Park Gibeom clapped his hands with delight.
“Euhaha! Ahahaha! That’s it! That’s it! Well done!”
Before him, the client President Kim—wearing nothing but his underwear—was performing an absurd dance. Back when Park Gibeom had still been a section chief, Kim had once forced him to dance on a table at an entertainment gathering. Now Park Gibeom was making him pay it back in full. Kim’s burly bull beastkin summons had been taken over by puppets and were now mimicking his movements like backup dancers. Kim shook his body desperately, fighting to stay alive.
Clap, clap, clap—
After a long while of clapping and laughing, Park Gibeom’s smile suddenly vanished. Only the sound of waves remained in the sudden silence.
“I’m bored now.”
Kim trembled and begged.
“I did everything you told me to! Please, just let me live. If you spare me, I’ll live like a dead mouse from now on. You can see it yourself, can’t you? I can’t even dream of climbing anymore. Please, just let me live…!”
“Mm, mm. You’re right.”
It was true. Because of the nature of Stage 5, losing an entire force made recovery extremely difficult. If Park Gibeom simply left him here, Kim would most likely die before long. Yet Park Gibeom shook his head.
“No. You still have several things you can do for me. You’re coming with me.”
“With you…? How? W-wait. No, that’s not—”
Swish—
One of the bull beastkin puppets that had been dancing swung its axe and severed Kim’s head in a single stroke. The head rolled across the floor, blood spraying. A skeletal puppet approached and began digging into Kim’s corpse. The unpleasant sound of hard material tearing through flesh.
Crunch—
Crack.
Rrrrip—
Park Gibeom smiled as he listened to the sounds.
“Almost done.”
Park Gibeom had always had a dream: to sit at the very top of a massive corporation, commanding countless employees while living out the various “role-plays” he enjoyed. So he had built it. He had founded his own company in this world, hired subordinates, and created clients. Of course, they were all still puppets for now. But once he returned to Earth, real people would work for him as well.
A voice shattered his fantasy.
Stop. We must go.
Park Gibeom clicked his tongue at the call from his sponsor, the small-to-medium enterprise “Yeon.”
“How many are left?”
[Four in Stage 6, one in Stage 5, one in Stage 4.]
New ones aren’t climbing up anymore.
He had already devoured countless acquaintances, yet he still craved more resources and power. Lately, however, the influx had slowed.
“I’ll take Stage 5.”
Park Gibeom chose Stage 5 again. The cautious man intended to harvest every possible target in Stage 5 before moving on to Stage 6 users. Stage 4 offered too little value, so he had settled on Stage 5. Wearing a thick smile, Park Gibeom stepped through the rift his sponsor opened.
President Kim’s world, now ownerless, began to collapse.