Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Rise in Fury, You
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I died again.
So, this is the fourth phase?
At least in my perception, it is.
Even if I've gone through hundreds of time loops without realizing it, that wouldn't mean much. If you don't perceive it, it's useless and worthless.
I prepared thoroughly and infiltrated the path to Noryangjin.
This time, I needed to meet Metatron first.
Meet her, explain the time loop to her, and tell her about the trap.
But here's the thing.
Even setting aside how to convince Metatron, how was I supposed to find her?
Metatron was either secluded somewhere or wandering around for some purpose.
Even if it was near Noryangjin, it was still frustrating. Noryangjin wasn't the old Noryangjin anymore. It was a hunting ground teeming with monsters—one of the most dangerous spots frequented by hunters.
And yet, a mere hyena like me wandering around searching for her like some lost kid?
No way that was happening.
I navigated Seoul using routes I'd mapped out over ten years.
Noryangjin, on the other hand, was uncharted territory for me. I had no idea where was safe or dangerous. The Dongjak-gu Office with the Lord-grade corpse had been just 100 meters from the station, which made it easy to approach.
So, actively hunting her down on my own was out of the question.
In the end, I had no choice but to call her—and right now, the only way to do that was by triggering the trap.
A brute-force method, but I had to set off the trap.
Sigh. Still, I was sick and tired of that explosion by now.
I didn't want to get hurt.
After a brief moment of thought, I nodded slightly.
"Simple enough."
If I didn't want to get hurt, I just needed to make someone else do it.
***
"Stop right there, you bastard!"
I was chasing after a fleeing monster.
It was already the umpteenth one I'd seen like this. At this rate, I might actually start getting attached.
It was that one-eyed brute I could run into right after exiting the Banpo forest area.
As soon as I passed through the forest, I killed one on the spot. Then I tried to capture the remaining one. But after a few solid hits, the damn thing bolted like a coward.
"What a waste of bulk!"
Of course, if the thing understood me, it'd probably be baffled.
The one-eyed brute was fleeing for its life, going so far as to untie the food pouch from its waist and toss it away.
Chunks of human flesh spilled out in a heap.
Whoa, this freak really was grotesque.
That unidentified massive thigh must be its staple, with human body parts as snacks, huh.
Must be desperate. This guy was obsessed with food like no other, yet it ditched its rations.
No good.
I'd hoped to catch it with all limbs intact, but at this rate, it'd get away.
Even half-crippled would have to do.
I hurled my shield at the fleeing one-eyed brute's back. I adjusted the force so it wouldn't embed.
Whoosh!
The shield whistled through the air with power and struck true. The brute screamed and tumbled across the ground.
A three-meter-tall beast rolling like that made for quite the spectacle.
"Cough! Cough!"
The dust was a bit of a problem.
I pulled a thick, long whip from my subspace pouch.
Why a whip?
I'd gotten it specifically to tame this guy. And it wasn't just the whip—I had a chain collar too.
Same principle as handling a wild beast.
Crack!
With a sharp crack, a straight welt appeared on the one-eyed brute's back.
Kuaaaang!
It wailed in agony and crawled away pitifully.
Had to hurt.
I'd swung with full force while charging.
For the record, this thing was a perverse item that pierced through barriers. I'd asked Sui-El to open the angel shop and bought it there. With all the money I'd saved, a whip like this was no big deal.
Even if it did cost a whopping 590 million.
Crack!
I lashed it again.
Blood welled up across its back.
This whip was purely for training. Made to subdue captured monsters. It wasn't great for combat damage, but perfect for inflicting pain.
"You bastard! That's what you get for snacking on people like they're treats!"
The person who'd been this brute's snack could've been a hunter, a hyena, or even a civilian.
The image of that corpse spilling out and rolling fueled my anger.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
I whipped it wildly, and the brute screamed and writhed. But it didn't dare fight back. No wonder— I'd taken out its companion in one blow.
Smashed its skull with a shield to the forehead.
No surprise it was terrified.
I kept laying into it relentlessly, turning its whole body into a bloody mess.
Kuhuuuuh. Kuung!
It even pretended to whimper pathetically.
Unbelievable.
It widened its single eye as subserviently as possible, begging for mercy.
But if I'd planned on mercy, I'd have given it a quick death with the shield.
A hyena like me doesn't feel pity for a man-eating monster. You think I've only seen my comrades devoured alive by monsters once or twice in ten years?
Remembering them, I whipped even harder.
Boom! Booom!
In a thick, low voice, the brute groveled.
Amusingly, it rubbed its hands together like a human and knelt, begging for its life.
Vicious bastard.
This was the thing that cackled while tearing into terrified, crying kids. And now that its own life was at stake, this attitude. The hypocrisy made my teeth grind.
Crack!
One more to the cheek, drawing blood.
I aimed for the cheek on purpose. If any pride remained, it'd glare at me with venom. I'd be watching for even a split-second of that.
But the brute showed no such sign.
So I tossed the chain collar from my subspace.
"Put it on. Properly, or I'll kill you."
I scowled and growled, and it looked puzzled. So I whipped it again.
Kurrung!
It finally got the message and grabbed the large dog collar.
Yeah, some bastards only listen after a good beating.
Soon, the one-eyed brute was leashed like a dog.
"Walk, you punk."
From behind, I cracked the whip to guide it where to go.
What a bizarre sight this must be.
A small human leading a one-eyed giant around on a chain.
Hey, ever seen anyone with a cooler pet than mine?
***
I finally dragged the one-eyed brute all the way to Noryangjin.
Not easy, but a veteran like me handled it fine. Actually, having the brute along made some parts convenient.
Most monsters took one look at it and scattered.
Right now, the brute wouldn't even meet my eyes.
No wonder—it had seen me one-shot a rank-3 giant worm in the underpass.
It couldn't comprehend my strength with its tiny brain.
"Keep moving briskly."
Snap!
Another lash.
Quit screwing around, you Egyptian slave wannabe.
The only reason I brought this thing was to safely dismantle the bomb.
The problem? That "safety" only applied to me.
I took it straight to the Dongjak-gu Office.
The brute freaked out, legs shaking. I'd barely dragged it in with whips, but seeing the dead Lord-grade monster sent it into full panic.
"Don't wuss out. Scared of a corpse?"
I kicked the body casually in front of it, even chainsawed chunks off later to show it was fine.
The brute calmed down a bit.
"Here, take this."
I tossed a large pickaxe from my subspace pouch.
I'd prepared this on purpose. I climbed onto the corpse's chest and marked the spot with lacquer.
"Now, dig here. Got it?"
Then I tied the chain to nearby building rubble—an exposed steel beam perfect for it.
"Get to it."
I gripped the whip and glared; the brute finally hefted the pickaxe and started hacking at the corpse.
No choice, huh.
Plus, now it knew a dead Lord-grade was no big deal.
Soon, blood started splattering with each swing.
Thud!
Still weird blood even on second look. Didn't even coagulate after death. Maybe it had some use, but that was beyond my knowledge.
Hyenas have their own know-how, and hunters have theirs.
Among hunters, mages would know what to do with stuff like that.
Pretty advanced secret art.
Thud! Thunk!
The sound of the pickaxe digging into flesh was gruesome.
The brute swung with all its might, shaking the dead Lord-grade corpse. Like an unconscious patient jiggling during CPR.
I urged it on with whip cracks on the ground for a while.
Once it seemed deep enough, I slipped away quietly. Luckily, the brute was too focused to notice.
Sorry, one-eyed buddy, this is where we part.
I retreated to a safe distance, then hid behind concrete for good measure and raised my shield.
How long passed?
About time for a vending machine coffee—and suddenly, a massive explosion roared.
Ah, it triggered. It actually did.
Back against the concrete, I couldn't see, but scorching heat rolled in. Something tumbled from the side the concrete didn't cover.
"Haha!"
I let out a bewildered chuckle.
It was the brute's eyeball. Bigger than a baseball, with a long optic nerve trailing behind.
I picked up the eye by the nerve.
Hot like fresh from the oven—and I liked it.
"No better souvenir than this."
Part of me wanted to offer this eyeball to the nameless soul who'd become the food pouch's snack.
Revenge is best served by others, after all.
Rest in peace and settle your grudge in the afterlife.
I tossed the one-eyed brute's eye into my subspace pouch and stood.
"Ah!"
The area ahead was an inferno. A hot gust blew back my bangs.
But they stayed up.
Huh. Natural blow-dryer, I guess.
I touched my heat-styled slicked-back hair and walked forward.
The flames were intense, but my shield had +30% fire resistance. Scattered post-explosion fires were negligible. That's why I'd grabbed the hot eyeball without flinching.
My boots, though—the rubber soles were melting, giving off that nasty smell.
Alright, showtime.
I'd been through this scenario countless times. I stayed calm.
Come to think of it, my adaptability is off the charts.
Now explosions barely faze me; I'm busy collecting souvenirs. Total war machine.
As I tidied the collar and chain, flames swirled into a vortex, and a beautiful angel with black wings appeared.
Stunning, no matter how many times I see her.
But Metatron's beauty felt off somehow.
Like looking at a doll.
She spotted me and strode over. Just as she opened her mouth, I spoke first.
"You're here. I've been waiting. I have something to tell you, Metatron."
"What?"
Confusion flickered across her doll-like expressionless face.
"I said I have something to tell you, Metatron. Time's short, so cooperate, will you?"
"Do we know each other? Hunter."
"I'm not a hunter. My name is Yu Je-a."
"What does that—"
Metatron looked deeply troubled by my overly familiar tone.
I grinned at her.
"I told you to remember my name."
============================ Author's Note ============================
Double update for the weekend. The Metatron episode is almost over. It'll get even more fun ahead, so stick around. You can consider this the end of the intro for this arc. Expect full-on adventures in this world from here on out.