Wolf Among the Sheep (6)
Shwick, clack!
Ju Kang-rim swung his hand axe toward Godajok, but another hunter who had closed in blocked it. Almost simultaneously, a blade thrust toward his side. The knife sliced through his clothing. Feeling the flat of the blade against his skin, Ju Kang-rim kicked the hunter in front straight in the chest.
The hunter staggered back, dragging Godajok with him. Faster and more agile than expected. Acceleration ability. And not just any civilian-turned-hunter—this one was clearly an awakener with elite military training.
Clint's direct unit?
Ju Kang-rim was already scanning for follow-up support through Ttakkachi. None in sight. No backup meant they were confident enough to take him on alone—strong enough to go for the win right here.
Godajok, with her injured finger, wouldn't be combat-ready anytime soon. As she tended to it with first aid, the hunters resumed their assault on Ju Kang-rim.
One's acceleration, the other... what?
Clang, screeech.
Ju Kang-rim's hand axe clashed with the hunter's blade, sparks flying. The technique of glancing off instead of meeting the axe head-on was solid, but the hand axe chewed into the knife like it was gnawing metal. Watching his blade shatter in a blaze of sparks, the hunter recoiled in panic.
The weight and sharpness infused into the Saingeom surpassed ordinary weapons.
The two hunters exchanged a quick glance before charging again. Ju Kang-rim spotted one rushing him while the other pulled something from his coat—a pistol.
Awakener or not, a gun was still deadly against humans. But firing a loud one inside a gate crawling with zombies and abominations was suicidal unless you were desperate.
Yet the gun he drew had a distinctly unusual design.
Ah, no way.
Ignoring the hunter in front, Ju Kang-rim bolted straight for the gunman. But the shooter oddly twisted his left hand, as if gripping and turning something invisible. Ju Kang-rim's movements slowed.
Shwick, shwick!
As the gun spat fire, it made not a bang but a ragged breathing sound. By then, Ju Kang-rim had already raised his arm to shield his face. The bullet burrowed into his left forearm's flesh but didn't penetrate.
Slowdown ability? A nasty combo.
Slowdown paired with acceleration. Fortunately, neither seemed to last long. The moment the slowdown lifted, Ju Kang-rim kicked off the ground. The Saingeom's "Swift Pursuer" trait boosted his leap, launching him forward.
The hunter tried slowdown again, but it dulled reflexes, not physics. Ju Kang-rim closed the gap in an instant and seized the pistol. The hunter pulled the trigger, but it just went clack—no bullet emerged.
As the slowdown faded, Ju Kang-rim smashed the hand axe down on the hunter's wrist.
"Grahhh...!"
While the hunter clutched his wrist and retreated, Ju Kang-rim checked his own wound.
Rocket-propelled round, as expected.
Rocket-propelled ammo burned internal fuel instead of gunpowder. Minimal noise, but insanely expensive. And without distance to build acceleration, its power dropped off sharply—barely piercing skin if the barrel was blocked.
That's why it hadn't hurt him much.
Military-grade gear confirms Clint's involvement.
Ju Kang-rim turned to the pursuing acceleration hunter, but the guy was always a half-beat faster than anticipated.
"Kuh!"
The hunter stabbed Ju Kang-rim's side. Spinning, Ju Kang-rim flung blood from his axe and swung. The hunter twisted his blade to block, but Ju Kang-rim struck with the poll, not the edge—like a hammer.
Clang!
The knife shattered, shards flying. The hunter took them full to the face, groaning as he fell back.
Blood dripped from Ju Kang-rim's left arm and side. He grimaced. The intact bullet core clattered to the ground.
All this in the five or six seconds Godajok spent patching herself up. Now, face twisted, she glared at him.
"What the hell are you...?"
They'd investigated him too. A green rookie zombie hunter with no military record. Sure, he'd "disappeared" Kangryeong Daegun, so he had some skill, but they figured hidden powers or backup.
Yet he'd faced two trained soldiers without revealing a thing.
"My mistake," Ju Kang-rim muttered, clicking