Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Evil Ghost Snufen
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Bombs and bullets began pouring down in succession.
Du-du-du-du-du-du-du!
“Everyone, heads down! Hold on tight!”
Boom!
Han River water surged up, carried by the wind, drenching the boat.
“Son of a bitch! Why the hell are they shooting at us!”
Pew-
Bang-bang!
Amid the barrage of shells, the soldier at the boat’s bow shouted.
“Major, we need to turn back!”
“No! We press forward!”
The soldier who’d been talking with Major Kim Juncheol swallowed hard, then bellowed at full volume.
“It’s too dangerous! They’ve already marked us as enemies!”
“We can’t turn back now. Break through!”
“We’ll all die!”
“Are you afraid of death?”
Major Kim Juncheol stared sternly at the helmsman. The subordinate who met his gaze lowered his eyes and replied.
“……No, sir.”
“Then we break through. What’s our current distance!”
“About three hundred meters left!”
“If we retreat now, we’re dead anyway! Once we arrive, advance toward cover!”
The soldiers responded in unison.
-Understood!!
Pew-woooong-
The sound of a shell arcing high into the sky rang out.
I turned my head and spotted a green oval object hurtling toward us, trailing flames like its ass was on fire.
In the blink of an eye.
A flash of light.
Kwaaang!
Flames erupted from the bow of the cruise ship. Shattered debris rained down into the Han River.
The boat lurched violently, nearly capsizing as it veered off course.
Major Kim Juncheol raised his rifle to fire back at them.
Click.
Then he activated his radio.
Beep.
“All units, prepare to fire!”
Those wearing the Goblin Unit masks swiftly raised their rifles, aiming their muzzles at the people on the opposite side.
Seeing this, I grabbed Major Kim Juncheol’s wrist and said.
“Major.”
“……Speak.”
“They’re not targeting us. Calm down.”
“What do you—”
Pew-!
Boom!
Water exploded right beside our boat.
The rushing current rocked the boat as if it might flip. Yoo Sora clung tightly to my waist, letting out a shallow groan.
Gripping the boat’s handle firmly, I continued.
“Major, look underwater!”
“Underwater?”
“Look below the surface!”
When I didn’t avert my gaze, he frowned suspiciously and peered into the water.
“What am I supposed to see?! There’s nothing there.”
Irritated because the darkness made it hard to see, he grumbled.
I pointed at the river again and yelled.
“Look closely! Down there, right below! Don’t you see it?”
“See what—”
Major Kim Juncheol’s face hardened like dry clay.
“What…. What the hell is that…?”
Having spotted the creature in the water, Major Kim Juncheol fell speechless.
[System Message]
[Event Occurred!]
[Difficulty: S]
[Reward: 5,000 Jen]
- Gather your strength and defeat the evil ghost Snufen.
That’s right.
The reason bullets were raining down from the opposite riverbank wasn’t to kill us.
On the contrary, they were doing everything in their power to save us.
Against the event boss in an impossible zone that no one had ever cleared.
Just glimpsing Snufen blinking its eyes in the not-so-deep water made goosebumps erupt all over my body.
Enormous black pupils faintly visible slipping through the abyss-like darkness of the Han River.
Its size matched our boat, making it impossible to ignore.
Buuubbuuub-
Bubbles rose up between the widely spread-out boats.
“W-What is that thing?”
“Mutant.”
“Mutant?”
“……Yes. A mutant created by the Z Virus.”
Among the mutant creatures born from the Z Virus, this was the most powerful on the water.
No sooner had I spoken than it passed directly beneath us.
Kurrrr-
The current from its movement rocked the boats side to side.
For a brief moment, silence fell.
Even the shells and bullets flying from the north side of the river halted.
They couldn’t fire without pinpointing its location.
My heart pounded wildly.
This was a round no player could handle on their own.
“……It’s coming.”
It stopped in front of the cruise ship.
The river split with a torrent of water.
Like a massive submarine surfacing, a pointed fish head emerged.
Its skin wasn’t smooth but ragged and decayed, turned brownish.
When it opened its mouth, filthy black sewage poured out. The teeth visible inside were serrated like a saw.
“Ch-Cheonjae-ssi….”
“…….”
When its head was halfway out of the water.
It looked like a fish at first, but past the gills stretched a long yellow neck.
-Kieeeek!
The body that emerged above water was emaciated, like a starved human.
No—a merman.
With fins crossing its back and webbed hands.
Everyone gaped in horror, staring at it.
A monster of unimaginable height, like a giant from Greek myth.
Everyone held their breath.
Its overwhelming size made it impossible even to fathom how to fight it.
Major Kim Juncheol breathed shallowly, slowly scanning it from top to bottom.
He was assessing it.
I whispered softly.
“Major Kim Juncheol. Don’t engage it until I give the signal.”
Kim Juncheol’s mouth opened and closed before he continued in a low voice.
“Then…. What do we….”
“First, head straight forward.”
“…….”
“Radio the other boats too. The moment it roars, go full speed toward land.”
He closed his eyes briefly. It seemed like deep contemplation. With so many lives at stake, he couldn’t decide rashly.
Still.
In this situation, trusting me was the best option.
“……Understood.”
Beep.
The radio crackled.
“All units, when the monster… fish… thing ahead roars, ignore it and head to land. I repeat, all units, ignore the roaring monster ahead and head to land.”
After the transmission, Major Kim Juncheol swallowed and asked me.
“By the way, who are you? How do you know about that thing?”
What should I say?
I hesitated for a moment.
“……‘The Opener.’ Just think of me as ‘The Opener.’”
“The… Opener?”
“Yes. My name is Kim Cheonjae.”
That was introduction enough.
All players in this game were ‘Openers.’
-Kieeeek!!
At Snufen’s roar, every boat and the cruise ship started moving again.
Vroooom-!
The boats, with their superior acceleration, overtook the cruise ship and sped ahead.
They surged forward so fast the bow lifted.
The impacts from slapping the water surface made our butts bounce.
Yoo Sora gripped my wrist hard to keep from falling off the boat.
“S-Sorry!”
“It’s fine.”
Major Kim Juncheol aimed his rifle at the monster and yelled over to me.
“Is warning fire okay?”
The motor’s vibration drowned out his voice, so I shouted back.
“No! It’ll turn its attention to us!”
He nodded.
Vrooooom-
The distance between the boat and Snufen closed. It rolled its massive fish eyes toward the cruise ship’s position, then raised its hand high.
The webbing between its finger joints glistened.
Whoosh-!
Its palm, the size of an O-ton truck, swung down in a straight line toward the cruise ship.
“……Keep going straight!”
Boom!
Shwooooom-
A roar echoed from the north bank.
A soccer-ball-sized shell arced through the air, striking its hand dead-on.
Kwang!
-Kieeeek!
The army across the river would block the first two attacks after Snufen appeared.
I didn’t even need to react.
The problem was the cruise ship.
The cruise ship, loaded with countless NPCs and summoner players, moved at an agonizingly slow speed.
It must have sustained damage from the earlier impact.
Du-du-du-du-du-du-du!
Machine gun fire rang out.
A hail of bullets streaked from Snufen’s waist, climbing its back fin to riddle its head.
It thrashed in agony.
“……Huh?”
I stared at it in bewilderment.
It was doing something I’d never heard of.
Unable to endure the pain, Snufen submerged back into the Han River.
Pooosh- Bang!
The waves from its dive surged massively.
-Whoaaa!
The boat nearly capsized.
Thanks to the helmsman’s skill, we managed to stop without flipping.
Major Kim Juncheol checked the other boats’ status, then signaled to resume.
“Let’s go.”
Vroom. Vroom. Vrooooom!
Where could it be?
Everyone craned their necks to peer outside the boats.
It hadn’t seemed this bad when we first spotted it, but now the water was pitch black, visibility near zero.
With Snufen vanished, everyone’s eyes filled with anxiety.
My heart thumped too.
‘Where’d it hide?’
No telling when or where it might strike.
I’d only known it sank ships with its palm, but now it was hiding underwater.
I breathed steadily, eyes wide open.
My post-job vision outstripped these unawakened soldiers’.
.
.
.
.
.
.
“There it is.”
Found it.
Thanks to the streetlights on land, I spotted Snufen’s eyes glinting underwater.
The rest of its body was invisible.
Camouflaged by the dark Han River water.
“Major Kim Juncheol!”
“Speak!”
“Order all boats to stop moving. Right now.”
Major Kim Juncheol nodded and keyed his radio.
Beep.
“All units, halt movement and hold position! I repeat, all units, halt and hold position!”
At his command, the boats came to a complete stop.
The only vessel still moving was the cruise ship trailing behind us.
“Kim Cheonjae-ssi, what’s going on?”
“It’s waiting just ahead of the shore.”
“Ahead of the shore?”
“Yes. Right there.”
I pointed with my index finger between our position and the land.
Major Kim Juncheol peered through his night-vision goggles at the spot.
Nothing but darkness would be visible to him.
“I don’t see anything.”
“You wouldn’t. I just caught a glimpse as the light hit it.”
Major Kim Juncheol nodded.
“What now?”
“……Wait until I say otherwise.”
“Just wait?”
“Yes.”
We killed the engine and waited, but it didn’t budge.
Despite the unexpected twist, it stayed within its known behavior pattern.
So the solution was clear.
I took Yoo Sora’s hand.
“Sora-ssi.”
“Y-Yes?! Oh, yes.”
“Prepare the syringe.”