Chapter 54
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Hidden Monster: The Traveler Seeking People
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[Hidden Monster: The Traveler Seeking People]
[Fire Attribute]
[Special Note: ■■ in places with many people.]
[Maintains absolute invincibility until reaching the destination and ■■.]
It looked like someone had forcibly edited and inserted it. The text sizes were all over the place, and parts of it were blurred out like there was noise interference.
The creature was approaching us very slowly, with steady strides, in complete silence.
"Doesn't look like it's going to attack first."
Kim Min-suk Hunter spoke up first. Just as he said, the Traveler Seeking People had a serene expression and simply walked at a leisurely pace.
"I have no idea what it does in places with lots of people."
"No way..."
Han Jin-woo Hunter started to respond to me but clamped his mouth shut. A quick glance his way showed his big eyes trembling with anxiety.
"Self-destruct... maybe?"
"That's a pretty common attack pattern."
Se-bin added, drawing Yeong. Her sharp, thick eyebrows gave off an oddly chilling vibe.
"But if it self-destructs in crowded places, shouldn't it have blown up in front of the internal team?"
"Oh, right. So maybe not self-destruct..."
While we traded comments about it, the Traveler Seeking People closed quite a bit of distance with us.
If it was self-destruct, it should've exploded with the internal team. If not, we needed to figure out why it had made it all the way here.
It'd be great if I could remember something...
[One Who Steps on Karma]
[Progress Increased]
[Progress: 49%]
[*To increase progress further, you must atone for your karma.]
'Damn it.'
Now I couldn't even remember if I wanted to.
It had gone up a little, but all that surfaced was the sensation of danger.
Thud. Thud.
The Traveler Seeking People walked right past us toward the gate.
"Hold on."
A chill shot up my spine in an instant. My senses sharpened so acutely that I could feel sweat trickling down my back. Outside the gate, the external team had more people than the internal one. If even they weren't the Traveler's destination...
"We have to get to the hospital!"
Boom!
The moment I shouted, the Traveler Seeking People leaped high into the air and sprayed flames in all directions.
"Ngh!"
Click.
I pulled Ego's trigger, enduring the fierce heat scorching over my skin.
Thung.
"S-Shin Ji-ui Hunter's attack bounced right off!"
Damn it. I'd broken through S-rank boss monster Hachi's invincibility skill, but this thing shrugged it off.
Krunch.
The moment the Traveler Seeking People deflected my attack, black hands and thick vines wrapped around it, yanking it straight to the ground. Its body scraped across the floor as it thrashed with all its might to crawl toward the gate.
"What do you mean get to the hospital?"
"It's trying to get out of the gate! Somewhere with more people than the internal team—either the external team or the hospital where people evacuated..."
Riiip.
Damn, it won't even let me talk!
The Traveler's nails extended long, shredding the vines, and it shot back into the sky.
Boom!!
Choi Min Hunter, waiting in the air, grabbed its neck and slammed it back down, but since attacks weren't landing, she was the one taking damage instead. Still, she kept her blank expression and wrapped it in flames.
Bang, bang, bang.
Seizing the chance while it was pinned, I fired again. White bullets embedded in its body, but fresh flesh immediately began regenerating.
"So you're saying it's heading for the hospital?"
"Yeah."
Se-bin approached me then, but I kept my eyes locked on the Traveler, only opening my mouth to reply.
"We'd better hope it's not self-destruct. If it is, this is gonna be a headache..."
Crackle.
[Hidden Monster: The Traveler Seeking People]
[Fire Attribute]
[Special Note: Self-destructs in places with many people.]
[Maintains absolute invincibility until reaching the destination and self-destructing.]
'Shit.'
Its status window had changed. The worst-case scenario I'd hoped to avoid unfolded in my mind in seconds.
Thud-boom!
The Traveler Seeking People burst out from underground again. It brushed the dirt off its clothes and rocketed toward the gate like a bullet.
Kaboom!
Just then, black hands from its shadow wrapped it tight and ground its face into the floor.
Slash—
Se-bin, the shadow's owner, sliced horizontally across the Traveler's neck, then stood atop its body and turned to the others.
"Then let's hurry to the hospital. Send any external team members with defense skills there too..."
Whoosh-boom!!
"Se-bin!!"
"Kang Se-bin Hunter!"
A massive explosion rocked us so hard we could barely stand. A crimson pillar of fire engulfed Se-bin and shot toward the sky, with only the figure in the wide-brimmed hat standing motionless at its center.
"Se-bin!! Kang Se-bin!!"
I screamed until my throat tore.
Scream, anything—just show me you're alive, please!
Flutter.
A pale beige coat hem fluttered beside me. I whipped my head around to see Se-bin collapsed, hand over her mouth.
"Got careless."
Her expression and voice were the same as always, leaving me unable to even ask if she was okay.
"Kyaa! K-Kang Se-bin Hunter! Just hold on a bit!"
Se-bin's abdomen was charred black. Shadow hands steadied her as she nearly fell, and Healing Hand meticulously wrapped her wound. The heavy scent of wet grass pushed back the blood smell while Se-bin lay utterly still.
Some emotion—rage or whatever—chilled my body and twisted my gut.
No way, not Se-bin, not here, not this pointlessly?
Thud.
"No threat to her life."
A large hand covered my eyes. Warm energy steadied my fraying sanity and calmed me. Stepping back revealed Choi Min Hunter watching me.
I caught my breath and looked back at Se-bin. She looked in pain but conscious, her wound slowly closing under Han Jin-woo Hunter's skill.
Turning to Choi Min Hunter, I saw she'd already dashed off to bind the Traveler's feet.
"...Han Jin-woo Hunter, I'm counting on you."
"Don't worry! She'll be healed in no time!"
I tore my gaze from Se-bin's fixed stare and unyielding feet, then ran toward the Traveler.
Kaboom!!
"Ngh!"
The Traveler broke free of the vines and opened the gate first. It spewed flames more fiercely to keep everyone at bay, the heat searing into my throat and choking me instantly.
It had inflicted serious injury on Se-bin, who never lost in close combat. I couldn't take it lightly.
Bang!!
Hitting its head made the flames flicker briefly. Ha Mi-jun Hunter seized the opening and hurled it deep into the dungeon—to reach the hospital even a second sooner.
"Go on ahead! I'll buy as much time as I can!"
"Got it!"
Kaboom!!
Thick vines bound the Traveler's body once more. Leaving its grotesquely twisted form behind, I bolted out of the gate. The external team hunters, on alert, widened their eyes at the sight of me.
"D-Did you take it do...?"
"Send all hunters with defense skills to the hospital right now! The monster's heading there!"
Boom!!
As if to prove my words, the Traveler burst out of the gate. Smiling broadly, it floated swiftly toward the hospital.
'Damn, didn't expect it to get out this fast.'
"Wh-what?!"
Rat-tat-tat-tat.
The panicked external team unleashed attacks, but of course, they couldn't even scratch it. Their faces turned ashen.
'Quit wasting time and head to the hospital!'
I accelerated with Word Without Feet, stabbed my transformed scattergun Ego into the ground, and caught up. My throat burned, coughs wracking me, but I had no choice if I wanted to arrive sooner.
Whoosh.
Choi Min Hunter soared across the sky toward the hospital, continuously tracking the Traveler's path from ahead.
Whiiiish—
Dusim flew low and fast, tripping it up. Its face scraped the asphalt repeatedly. The gap closed rapidly, and I finally overtook it.
'At this speed, I can beat it to the hospital!'
Crash.
"Ugh!"
But my body was hitting its limit. My lungs burned, innards churning, yet I pushed up, forcing strength into my legs and sprinting toward the stark white hospital beyond the low houses. The hospital had noticed the situation outside—sturdy metal plates encased the entire building.
'Just a bit faster, just a bit!'
I vaulted the hospital fence, head thrown back to the sky—and spotted the crimson blaze hovering in the air. Naturally, Choi Min Hunter was inside it.
"Choi Min Hunter! When it gets here, keep it as far from the ground as possible! It'll self-destruct within seconds of reaching this spot!"
"I'll take it up myself."
An S-rank hunter immune to sub-S-rank fire skills with flight capability—Choi Min Hunter could end this quickest and cleanest.
'Good, it's handled.'
Kaboom!
The Traveler appeared before us right on cue, grinning wide as it charged the hospital lobby.
Thud!
Choi Min Hunter plummeted like a meteor, grabbed its collar, and rocketed skyward. The creature's body began glowing red, as if ready to explode any second.
"Haa, haa... Now it's really over..."
Thump, thump, thump.
'...Huh?'
Alarms blared in my head. My heart raced faster than usual, stomach roiling so badly I could barely swallow.
An ominous premonition—no, a familiar sensation from before—gnawed at me from my toes up, forcing me to confront the past memory.
"I'll take it up."
"Thanks, Choi Min Hunter!"
With those flat words, she'd flown into the sky. I'd thought that would end it. When she carried the Traveler up to about rooftop height, it self-destructed as expected.
And what fell before my feet amid the black smoke was...
The corpse of Choi Min Hunter, her body shredded by the creature's nails.
Boom!!
"Choi Min Hunter!! Get away from that thing NOW!!"
I had to stop it. No matter what.
That was all that filled my mind. I leaped with Word Without Feet to save her, but it was futile. Reaching out, screaming at Ego—she didn't notice.
"I can't lose you again!!"
[S-Rank Movement Skill: 'Bird That Listens to Daytime Words']
[Description: Step on spaces where sound exists. Movement speed increases the brighter the space.]