Leona's Sunday # 5
Leona's Sunday # 5
"No! What is going on here! A gate appearing inside a building! What kind of crazed bullshit is this!"
Wait, you're freaking out too, Leona?
"Leona. Calm down for a second. We need to get a grip first."
"Right! Of course! But Kim Geun-cheol! Look! A gate just opened inside the building!"
Is that unusual?
Anyway, I tried to draw my sword.
"Oh no! Leona! I didn't bring a weapon!"
"Damn it! I didn't bring one either!"
"You've gotta be shitting me!"
This is why you're supposed to always carry a sword, but today of all days, neither of us brought one! A gate opens right now and we're unarmed...!
"Ah! Ah! Customers, this way!"
Just then, a heavily armed security agent over there shouted through a megaphone. It seems they've had professional training—even in this situation, they're immediately trying to evacuate the customers.
"Hyeon-su! James! Nguyen! Control the crowd! I am authorizing high-intensity beatings and extreme verbal abuse on any customers who panic! And if any bastards don't follow orders, bash their heads in! Everyone else will die because of those bastards! Move it!"
"Move-move!"
"Move-move!"
—Thud-thud-thud-thud!
I think I heard something weird, but like medieval knights with guns, the heavily armed department store security agents began herding customers in a specific direction while rushing in front of the gate with shields raised, acting as a human wall.
"Good heavens!"
These agents, who aren't even superhuman, are throwing themselves in harm's way to protect the customers, disregarding their own lives! Incredible professionalism! Standing in front of a gate unarmored has to be no ordinary feat!
Feeling deeply shocked, I looked at Leona.
"Leona! We've gotta do something too!"
"Damn right! How could superhumans like us just run away in this situation!"
"But we don't have weapons!"
Should I have learned hand-to-hand combat for situations like this? No! Wait! That magic sword Ryu showed off! And the mana armor I was conceptualizing!
If only I could materialize those, I could arm myself right now...!
Not bringing a weapon today is the regret of a lifetime! This is no time to dismiss it as romanticized nonsense! Next time I have time, I'll definitely train in Mana Sword and Mana Armor to prepare for a situation like this!
Hand-to-hand combat on top of that!
"No choice! I'll have to face them bare-handed!"
"What do you mean no weapons!"
"What?"
"The upstairs is a weapon shop, remember! Hurry! Let's go up before they close off the floor!"
"Ah! Right!"
Now that I think about it, the floor above is a weapon shop!
If we go there, weapons are literally scattered everywhere. As long as I have one, I can chop up F-rank monsters. It'll be a huge help.
Leona's right. We can't just run away in an emergency.
Let's protect the citizens together.
"Over there! Up through the emergency exit!"
"Got it!"
So I ran with Leona toward the emergency exit.
"Customers! This way is off-limits! Failure to comply may result in high-intensity beatings and verbal abuse with lasting aftereffects, so move to that side immediately!"
One of the security agents near the emergency exit shouted, but how's an ordinary agent going to beat up a superhuman!
"Agent over there! We're academy cadets! We're superhuman! We're going upstairs to get weapons, so please open the emergency exit!"
"Oh my! So you're cadets! Please save us!"
Reacting quickly, the agent opened the emergency exit door.
But don't people normally evacuate through emergency exits? There's no one here except the two agents guarding it. Everyone on site is crowded over on the other side.
They must have a separate emergency passage for evacuation.
"We'll save you, so just open the door faster! The upstairs is a weapon shop!"
"Yes! I'll contact them to open the emergency exit upstairs!"
"Do it fast!"
When Leona shouted too, the emergency exit door, which had been securely locked, opened faster. It seems the emergency exits get sealed during an emergency.
What's the point of that?
"Let's go!"
"Yeah!"
After entering the emergency exit, we quickly ran up to the next floor.
"You've arrived!"
The moment we entered, the agents guarding this emergency exit greeted us. After telling them not to lock the door, I kicked off the floor and entered the store.
"Kweaaaaak!"
"Grrrrrk!"
All sorts of bizarre-looking monsters were pouring out. But the important thing was that all those monsters were being sliced apart, their guts scattering everywhere.
—Shzzk!
Amazingly, since this floor was a weapon shop, there were active heroes and hunters who had been shopping here!
"Wipe 'em all out!"
"Where the hell did all these bastards come from!"
"A gate inside a building!"
It seemed they had formed an impromptu alliance; the superhumans had teamed up and were slaughtering the monsters. Plus, I could hear gunfire from over there. The agents and superhumans were fighting together, so that floor was fine!
"Kim Geun-cheol, hurry! Gear up first!"
"But can I just grab loot!"
"Of course not! Dear customers! I'm the owner here! If you're gonna take something, buy it fast!"
Shockingly, the merchant was a superhuman too! He stopped fighting, dashed over, and shouted while standing behind the counter!
"Agh! Just pick anything!"
"Alright!"
I immediately picked a random sword with Leona and ran to the counter. Because it was an emergency, Leona said she'd pay for mine too, and just as she thrust her card forward—
"Customer! Ten percent cash discount!"
This guy is talking about cash at a time like this!
"Just swipe the damn card!"
"Aww, alright..."
—Beep.
The moment the card was swiped, I grabbed the sword and ran with Leona toward the emergency exit. The heroes on this floor would handle the rest anyway.
"But seeing this, I think it's safe to assume all the floors have gone to hell!"
"How is this happening!"
The inside of the department store was a state of absolute hell right now. With gates opening inside the building, all the civilians inside were essentially rats trapped in a jar.
The instant we ran back down to the lower floor.
—Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
—Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
A fierce battlefield had unfolded.
How many security agents are there? Heavily armed agents had formed a defensive line with their shields, and riflemen positioned behind them were opening fire on the F-rank monsters.
The customers were nowhere to be seen; they must have all evacuated somewhere already.
"Ah! There's a person over there! Team leader! There's a customer...!"
"We're academy cadets! Don't worry about us!"
"Yes, sir!"
This was such a stark contrast to modern Korea. Strangely enough, though, I was beginning to calm down.
"Kim Geun-cheol."
—Thwump.
I looked at where Leona pointed.
"Over there and over there. New gates are forming."
Her voice was dead serious.
"If monsters come pouring out from there, the agents alone won't be able to hold. We'll each take one, and we'll save everyone. Understood?"
Leona's face was as serious as her voice. Of course. There's only one answer to give to those words.
"Just leave it to me. I'll mark that one."
"Good answer."
Smiling, Leona turned around.
"I'll come support you if I get some breathing room. Later!"
"Fight well!"
"Go wipe 'em all out!"
"Yeah!"
—Boom!
As Leona pushed off with a stamping step, charging toward the gate, I also pivoted and launched myself toward the gate on the other side.
Stay calm.
This place is wider than the Monster Zoo, and there are people fighting alongside us. And since this is a department store downtown, rescue teams will arrive if we hold out just a few minutes.
"Kraaaaaaah!"
Letting out a battle cry with those thoughts in mind.
—Tzzzt!
Toward something that was just starting to emerge from the gate.
"Weapon Enchaaaant!"
I thrust my sword with all my might!
—Clang!
Clang? The moment I felt that doubt, something bizarre walked out from inside, snickering.
"Kihihihit."
"You bastard!"
It was a monsterkin in an incredibly bizarre shape!
It looked like some kind of grunt straight out of Power Rangers. It was a humanoid thing with gray skin, completely naked, with limbs longer and thinner than a human's, a single-eyed Cyclops. On top of that, it had no nose on its face, just a lipless mouth gaping open.
Its ears flapped like an elephant's... but the real issue was that this bastard was holding a sword!
—Skreeee!
It was blocking my sword with that blade!
"Die!"
In that instant, I stomped on its foot with all my strength, just as Yu-ri taught me.
—Crunch!
"Kwhaaaaak!"
Its foot exploded and it threw its mouth wide open, letting out a scream. I immediately tried to run it through and finish it, but this bastard was tenaciously defending against my sword...!
My arms were trembling from the clash of strength.
"Mana Shield!"
—Tsupat!
I materialized a mana shield on the fly. Not a rectangular one. A triangular shape, like a Megalodon tooth. I grabbed the thing that appeared before my eyes with my left hand, and slammed it down right onto the bastard's face—specifically, its giant single eyeball!
—Crraack!
"Kahaaaaaak!"
Only then did the thing stagger backward.
I won't show mercy. If you let monsterkin bastards live, humans just die. Feeling something akin to a sense of duty, I pulled my freed sword back toward me and then—
—Shunk!
I stabbed it right into the bastard's neck.
"Urgh...!"
The monsterkin that had made such a confident entrance, blocking my sword, fell to its knees. I won. My heart felt like it was going to explode with excitement. But there's too much to do to be savoring the thrill of victory here.
—Crunch!
I immediately struck down with a reverse grip, severing its head.
"Send out the next bastard!"
The next monsterkin was already coming out of the gate.