Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: The Reason I Need to Level Up
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Jang Ho-seop described his mother's name and appearance.
He even mentioned that she was a nurse at this hospital.
"Um..."
Then a woman raised her hand and spoke up.
"I've seen her around here constantly."
She explained that she'd been observing the outside from the rooftop.
"Th-those green monsters... I saw them dragging people away."
"Really?"
"Yes. Toward the underpass."
The goblins on the hospital's ninth floor had only been a fraction of them.
"Almost all the ones they took were women. Our staff and the mothers-to-be. Oh, and the babies too..."
As the woman explained, life returned to Jang Ho-seop's face.
"Where's the underpass? Far?"
"You can see it from here..."
They stood at the rooftop railing and looked in the direction she pointed.
It wasn't far.
"Brother. You see it? I can't make it out well."
"Yeah, I see it. Looks like the underpass connecting to Yeouido Road."
It was the underpass running beneath Olympic Expressway.
"I got LASIK a while back... guess my eyesight's really gone downhill."
The sun had set, but I could still see clearly.
It might be because it wasn't deep night yet, but with my level up, my night vision felt a bit sharper.
"Um."
"Yes."
The woman called out to Jang Ho-seop, as if she had more to say.
"But about those goblins you mentioned."
"Yeah. Short, ugly-faced things."
"It wasn't just goblins."
"What? What else was there?"
"There were bigger monsters, the same green color."
Jang Ho-seop questioned her more closely.
How many of those big ones, what did they look like exactly.
"It was far away... couldn't see the details. I spotted three of them."
The first thing that came to mind.
"Orcs?"
I'd encountered orcs on the bridge too.
Their looks differed slightly from goblins, but the skin tone was a similar green hue.
In my view, orcs and goblins were different species.
Orcs had even attacked goblins.
Still, if humans were in front of them, they prioritized people.
"Definitely the same green? The bigger ones weren't a darker shade?"
"Pardon? Oh... not entirely sure, but probably... yes. Same color..."
The woman answered hesitantly.
"Brother. Might not be orcs."
"Yeah?"
"Could be goblin mutants."
"Mutants?"
"Like Goblin Warriors or something."
Jang Ho-seop suggested other possibilities.
Fair enough—monsters would have individual variations within species too.
"Guess we'll check it out when we get there. Let's go."
"Right now?"
"Yeah."
Even as they talked, Jang Ho-seop's mother could die.
Assuming she'd been dragged to the underpass.
'If I'm sticking with Jang Ho-seop anyway...'
His mother needed to be alive for them to keep each other in check.
"Um... it's really dangerous... those monsters were huge."
As I acted like I was leaving immediately, the woman added with a worried look.
"Not just big—they looked insanely strong. They charged and shoved cars right out of the way."
The others chimed in too.
"Uh... Officer Kang-cheol? I get it, but the living come first."
A woman in a white coat called me Officer Kang-cheol.
The police uniform I wore had "Kim Kang-cheol" stitched on it.
"It's night now—too risky, right?"
"Wouldn't it be better to call for backup?"
The other women added their thoughts.
The male survivors said nothing, but wore similar expressions.
"Rushing off to save people right now isn't courage—it's recklessness."
"Exactly. Nighttime... better rest a bit first..."
The others had seen those unknown things too—orc or goblin mutants, who knew.
They grabbed at me, insisting no human could face them barehanded.
'Worry.'
I could sense their emotions clearly.
Leveling up hadn't just expanded Target Detection's range.
The emotional hues from targets felt more vivid too.
"Jang Ho-seop."
"Yes, brother."
"Get ready."
Only Jang Ho-seop obeyed.
Not just because he needed to save his mother.
'Trust.'
He trusted me.
His strongest emotion toward me was trust, followed by hope.
"Ah... it's really dangerous. Seems too reckless."
"Think calmly. Charging in blindly like this..."
"Wait. What about us if you go like that?"
So that's it—they worried for themselves, not me.
They mistook me for a cop who'd come to rescue them, along with Jang Ho-seop.
And they were convinced I'd die in the underpass.
"Officer Kang-cheol. There's a cafeteria underground, and a shop... how about holing up there for the night and thinking it over?"
The female doctor gently grabbed my arm.
She suggested eating, washing up, and resting first.
Thud.
I lightly shook off her hand.
She wanted to eat, wash, and rest herself—not me.
"Take them to the eighth floor. I'll follow soon."
"Yes. Everyone, let's go."
I told Jang Ho-seop to lead them down first.
"Not even going underground?"
"Yeah. Might as well go all the way..."
"I just wanna go home..."
Jang Ho-seop soothed the grumblers and led them away.
"Director and nurse, stay."
I stopped the male doctor whose finger I'd broken and the woman I'd shoved to the ground.
Seeing them together, they must've been close before.
"Why? Can't you see the director's hurt? Thanks to who?"
The woman glared fiercely.
Brows furrowed, upper lip slightly curled.
'Resentment.'
A shared emotion from both: resentment and vengefulness.
Couldn't leave people like that behind.
I eliminated the loose ends and left the rooftop.
We slipped out of the hospital building and reached the underpass.
Surprisingly, the underpass was fairly bright inside.
'Fire?'
Goblins had lit fires in metal drums.
No—on second look, the captives had done it.
'Fewer than expected, though.'
The goblin numbers were lower than on the ninth floor.
But as heard from the rooftop, there were odd ones.
Twice the size of regular goblins.
They looked the same otherwise.
—Not orcs.
Jang Ho-seop scribbled quickly.
Goblin mutants.
—What's that?
He hadn't pointed, but Jang Ho-seop answered right away.
A standout goblin caught the eye.
—Probably a Goblin Shaman.
A wrinkly old goblin.
Wearing a garish yellow dress from who-knows-where.
Absurdly clutching a plunger in one hand.
—Goblin Shaman, Goblin Warrior... think of 'em like that.
Jang Ho-seop named the mutants.
To sum up: three Goblin Warriors sat around the Goblin Shaman.
—Those bones in their hands are small.
—Yeah. Horrific.
Human bones littered around them haphazardly.
After hearing they'd mostly kidnapped women and babies, I'd thought goblins had some other purpose.
No. Just food.
—Mother?
—Can't spot her.
People huddled against one wall of the underpass.
All crouched, heads down.
A waterproof tarp lay on the floor—they couldn't step off it, apparently, pressed tight together.
Jang Ho-seop squinted, scanning the backs of heads intently.
"Huh?"
Jang Ho-seop startled.
He'd found his mother.
At the same moment, so did I.
Never seen her face, but I knew instantly.
Because when two regular goblins yanked up a woman on the edge, Jang Ho-seop reacted.
Good.
Jang Ho-seop's mother was still alive.
—Mother?
—Yes.
The downside: we truly had no time.
The two goblins dragged the woman away.
Toward the mutant goblins' gathering spot.
One Goblin Warrior stood.
Clutching a Chinese cleaver in one hand.
—Hit now.
Situation like this—no time to observe the mutants.
One consolation: the Goblin Warrior's aura didn't feel overwhelmingly massive.
No exact comparison, but.
The strongest aura was the Goblin Shaman's.
'My level's 24. Hard to gauge...'
I'd just hit 24 by killing the hospital director and nurse on the rooftop.
Couldn't use Target Detection on myself, but the Goblin Shaman's aura felt weaker than mine.
—Just focus on saving Mother.
—Yes.
I finished thinking and stood.
Jang Ho-seop bowed his head solemnly to me.
And as he activated transparency and vanished.
Whoosh!
I hurled the stone I'd gripped hard.
Thud!
The stone struck the Goblin Warrior's gut, cleaver in hand.
"Keeik?"
The lounging goblins stirred.
I charged straight at them.
"Kiaaaak!"
I pierced the chest of the nearest goblin.
Chaos erupted immediately.
Goblin shrieks echoed through the underpass.
"Kirik!"
"Kiririk."
A pack rushed me, bellies protruding proudly.
I swung the iron rod, smashing them.
"Kyaaaao!"
Goblins swarmed, but futile.
I fought while deliberately circling.
As I led them on, people fled, amplifying the disorder.
By the tenth regular goblin down, unscathed.
Thud thud thud thud.
Heavy footsteps: a Goblin Warrior barreled toward me.
Goblin Warriors were slightly larger than orcs.
Unlike orcs draped in armor-like muscle, they had thick, flabby builds.
Whoom.
I easily dodged its reckless punch.
Naturally sidestepped to the 9 o'clock position.
A ingrained pivot.
To it, I vanished in an instant.
Smack!
I thumped its exposed flank.
Fist sank deep.
'Reactions are good, but...'
Strength and reflexes solid, yet no technique.
The Goblin Warrior crumpled.
Proper body shot, like on a human.
"Kieeek!"
Next Goblin Warrior charged.
Arms wide, trying to grab.
Blind to the long weapon in my hand?
Squelch.
I gripped the one-handed iron rod two-handed and thrust.
The Goblin Warrior slid onto me, throat impaled.
Drop.
I released the rod and dodged.
Other goblins swarmed instantly.
Tap tap thud!
Guard up, dropping each lunging goblin.
They couldn't track my moves.
Jaws slack.
No, didn't even need to target jaws.
Thump.
Any hit was lethal.
"Heh heh heh."
Fun.
I'd envied the orcs' wrist and fist power on the bridge.
Now my body was the weapon.
Swinging nonstop, no strain.
Target Detection's info and superior physique granted freedom.
Turning fantasies into reality.
"Brother!"
As I reveled, surrounded.
Jang Ho-seop slew a goblin and rescued his mother.
But urgency flashed on his face toward me.
"Watch out..."
"Kishy karak kroom!"
Something changed.
Goblin cries had just been howls till now.
'Language?'
Body grew heavy.
I barely dodged one goblin, turning.
"Kishy karak kroom!"
Goblin Shaman uttered it again.
My body lifted slightly into the air.
"No!"
It aimed the plunger at me.
What had the Goblin Shaman done?
Floating midair, a Goblin Warrior seized my leg.
Jang Ho-seop's scream-like shout rang out as my vision spun.
Bam!
Intense impact to my back.
The Goblin Warrior had swung and slammed me into the wall.
Protected my head, thankfully, but breath caught.
"Kyaaak! Kishy karak kroom!"
Goblin Shaman's voice again immediately.
Thud thud thud.
Goblin Warrior leaped at me.
I barely managed one shout.
"Fire!!!"
Vision blurry, but I'd sensed Jang Ho-seop rushing my way.
And as I yelled "fire," he froze.
Fwoosh.
Jang Ho-seop lifted the waterproof tarp from the floor.
Covered the drum with the thick tarp, then dove atop it.
Darkness fell over the underpass.