Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Troll Onslaught
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The gate flashing a break alert on the Hunter app was one that hadn’t broken in my previous life. The year before I died in my past life had breaks happening left and right, so memories from that time were hazy, but I remembered this period clearly.
I didn’t know the cause, but right now, that didn’t matter. First, we had to stop it.
“Nayeong, let’s go.”
I fitted an in-ear into one ear, linked to the Hunter app. This allowed the Hunters deployed for the break suppression operation to communicate with each other and receive instructions from the control room.
“Yeah.”
Nayeong, who knew the severity of a break situation, nodded gravely.
Sangheon, who hadn’t been with us today, would join us at the scene.
“We’ll run there.”
“Huh?”
“Transportation doesn’t help much in a break. It’s not far, so let’s sprint.”
I wrapped my suit around my body and scooped Nayeong into my arms. Then I launched myself toward the direction of the break.
Cleaving through the wind, I dashed between the cars densely packed along the roads. To head straight to the site, I leaped over building rooftops and crossed mountains.
After about fifteen minutes of slicing through the wind, screams from people began to reach my ears. Unfortunately, the gate that had burst this time wasn’t far from the city outskirts.
“Damn…”
Even arriving fifteen minutes after the alert, monsters had already poured out in droves.
I spotted a civilian about to be attacked by an orc. Without slowing, I kicked the orc’s head, sending it flying, and kept racing toward the gate.
“Jiseok, what about those people?!”
As I overtook the fleeing civilians and headed for the gate, Nayeong asked.
“Blocking the gate comes first! There’s no end if we try to stop them here!”
Catching monsters while running around wouldn’t mean much if they kept pouring out and scattering everywhere. So we had to prioritize blocking more monsters from entering at the gate entrance.
Finally, a twenty-meter crimson gate came into view. The gate, which dyed even the sky above it red, boasted its eerie presence. An ignorant person might call it beautiful, but to anyone who’d experienced one, it was nothing but a nightmare.
Hundreds of monsters were surging out in front of it. Unlike typical gates with just one or two monster types, this one spewed a variety from F-Rank goblins to C-Rank Cerberus.
At the vanguard, a dual-wielding Hunter was blocking the enemies with his body. He showed nimble footwork, but struggling against the C-Rank Cerberus marked him as C-Rank at best.
His other party members would’ve helped, but the Hunters nearby were struggling against ogres and couldn’t assist.
A few military helicopters rained machine-gun fire and missiles ahead of the gate, shredding low-rank monsters like goblins and werewolves, but the numbers pouring from the gate far outpaced those killed. Modern weapons had little effect on large monsters like ogres and above.
Just one A-Rank Hunter would make a huge difference, but unfortunately, none had arrived yet.
“Reporting to the commander! I’m casting a wide-area control spell right at the gate entrance! I’ll block the front, so please support the Hunters accordingly!”
I pressed the in-ear button and sent the message. The exchange operator in the Management Bureau’s command center relays only suitable messages to the commander based on the field situation. Now it was up to the commander and operator.
“Nayeong! Wide-area blind right at the gate!”
I set Nayeong down on a building rooftop.
“Y-Yeah!”
The blind spell spread wide in front of the gate, blinding the emerging monsters. The horde tangled and collided with each other; some even attacked fellow monsters, throwing everything into chaos. It didn’t cover the entire battlefield, but just blocking right at the gate was a massive help.
“Stay here, Nayeong!”
I set her down and gripped a mana stone, absorbing it. Using the absorbed energy, I grew to five meters and plunged into the monster swarm. My largest size yet. The suit couldn’t fully cover my expanded five-meter frame, leaving my shoulders and arms exposed.
I landed by stomping monsters underfoot and immediately sent a nearby ogre flying.
I left the small fry to the other Hunters and soldiers, targeting only mid-sized D-Rank and above. Any monsters in my path to those were crushed in my charge, needless to say.
I spotted the struggling dual-wielder. Leaping high, I smashed down on the ogre beside him from above, then kicked the adjacent Cerberus in the torso, sending it flying.
[Hunter Lee Dongbin! From now on, take the left side from the gate’s perspective. Hunter Lee Jiseok, who just grew giant and charged in, will handle the right.]
“Got it!”
The dual-wielder, Lee Dongbin, responded energetically. His weary expression eased at my arrival.
I cleared the large monsters around Dongbin and moved to the next target.
“Commander, I don’t need healing! Have the healers support the other Hunters!”
Healing had come my way, so I relayed via in-ear to the commander.
Under the control room’s direction, we finally formed a defensive line at the gate. Now monsters couldn’t escape, so we just had to hold this sector and clean up those that had already gotten out.
“It’s working!”
Hope surged among the Hunters who’d thought they’d die here.
Gate breaks end after a set time. With more Hunters arriving steadily, I thought we could hold.
“…W-What… What is that…?”
A Hunter casting spells from behind the line pointed at the top of the gate.
A massive head emerged at about ten meters up.
Far higher than Nayeong’s blind zone.
“…It’s… It’s a troll!”
The ten-meter behemoth dragged a giant tree trunk, tilting its head at the milling monsters below before kicking them out of Nayeong’s blind area.
Small monsters were pulverized, but many escaped the blind zone with that kick.
The helicopters unleashed missiles at the troll.
“Kraaagh!”
Modern weapons did nothing to the B-Rank troll, but they certainly pissed it off.
The troll scooped up small monsters and dirt in a heap and hurled it at the helicopters.
The helicopters, spread wide, couldn’t evade the flying goblins, debris, and rocks. Goblins and stones shredded the rotors. The helicopter lost control and crashed into the monster swarm.
“Damn…”
Our hard-formed defensive line was about to be breached by one troll.
The control room grasped the severity and mobilized all mages to prioritize it with spells. C-Rank magic only left shallow scratches on the troll’s tough hide, which healed instantly.
To it, even my five-meter-plus giant form looked like small fry, ignoring me entirely. It charged straight for the makeshift command post where Hunters and soldiers clustered.
If left alone, our side would be wiped out. Shoving aside obstructing small monsters like tanks with my shoulders, I pursued the troll from behind.
Then I kicked off the ground, leaped, and clung to its neck. Like a child hanging onto an adult’s back.
“Krah?”
It turned at the heavy sensation.
I shaped life force aura glowing red on my fist into a blade and stabbed its neck.
“Kraaaagh!”
It thrashed in pain. But I couldn’t form a blade big enough to sever the troll’s thick neck. Not enough life force yet.
I pulled my fist back to stab again.
A hand, swift despite its size, grabbed me and slammed me to the ground, crushing monsters beneath.
Before I could rise, its foot came down, flattening me and surrounding monsters. Enraged, the troll stomped repeatedly, intent on burying me.
In my daze, the stomping stopped.
“Kraaaaaagh!!”
Then the troll’s scream rang out.
Rising from the ground, I saw the troll writhing in agony.
Peeling skin on its face told me it was Nayeong’s Corruption.
Its face was hit too, but as the epitome of life force, the troll regenerated the facial wound in seconds. It spotted Nayeong, who’d cursed it, and charged her in fury beyond the missile strike.
“No!”
I rose and slammed an aura-wrapped fist into its knee. If I couldn’t pierce, I’d blast energy inside to destroy from within. But projecting aura consumed more than shaping blades. I’d already burned through plenty of life force, but no time for nitpicking.
Its knee bent in an unnatural direction, forcing it to the ground.
“G-Got it!”
A Hunter rashly declared victory.
But the undying troll, kneeling, swung a massive fist down at me.
I dodged the huge fist and burrowed into its guard. Aiming at its lowered nose, I swung an aura-clad fist.
Its nose exploded, head snapping back. I’d hoped that’d kill it, but I lacked the power to one-shot a B-Rank monster.
It thrust its head forward, mouth gaping wide.
I evaded upward, spun midair, and slammed an aura-infused heel into its crown.
Its skull cracked, slamming its head into the ground.
[Your level has increased.]
No time to celebrate the level-up. Enemies were still too numerous.
I jammed fingers into the fallen troll’s neck and absorbed its life force. Great to down it, but the cost was too high.
“We got it this time! We won!”
The same hasty Hunter yelled again.
And simultaneously, trolls filed out of the gate one after another.
“Shut up!”
Nearby Hunters cursed him.
It took all that just for one, yet five more emerged. No guarantee that was all.
Had maxing my level in under a year been my best? Regret gnawed for not pushing further.
But surrender wasn’t an option. I kept absorbing life force to prepare for the continuing battle.
It didn’t take long for the freshly emerged trolls to spot their fallen kin and me beside it.
The troll pack charging with clubs exuded a pressure I’d never felt even in my past life.
“Fine. Let’s go all the way.”
I stopped absorbing and charged the troll horde.
The lead troll raised its club high. Before it fell, I kicked off and flew at its nose with a dropkick.
Smaller than them, but I was heavy and fast enough. The struck troll toppled backward.
The next troll swung its club at me astride the fallen one.
I rolled aside swiftly; the club smashed into the troll beneath me instead.
“Kraaagh!”
Struck out of nowhere by kin, its chest half-caved, the troll bellowed in agony. Death would’ve been ideal, but the severe wound would take time to heal.
The remaining four glared murderously, tightening their encirclement.
At this awkward giant size, I was just a bigger target. I released the gigantification, weaving between legs while aura-kicking ankles. One troll’s leg snapped, toppling it.
One-on-one, they’d have grabbed me easily, but four chasing a small, fast target tangled themselves.
The trolls’ rampage jammed monsters halfway out of the gate.
We’d blocked them from the control post—for now—but couldn’t land a decisive blow. Worse, the downed one rose, making five again.
“Damn it…”
A curse escaped me.
In that instant, light flashed, and a crack split one troll’s neck.