Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 011
Chapter Title: Shadow Worm, Cha-Ratevil (3)
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4.
Three hours later.
The raid squad assembled in front of Independence Gate, grouped by squad. Tension rippled through the heavily armed hunters' movements.
“Once we enter the Nightmare Zone, we head straight down to Independence Gate Station.”
In front of the gate. Shin Tae-yeop broadcast the final precautions.
“From Independence Gate Station on, we stay quiet. That’s because ‘they’re’ hiding there.”
……They, huh.
Just thinking about encountering those things sent chills down my spine already.
“We’ll avoid combat as much as possible until we reach the assigned mission area. We’re here to take down the boss.”
Jeong Ha-kyeong, who’d been listening silently beside me, spoke up.
“What do you mean, ‘they’?”
“Who else? I’m talking about the human cockroaches.”
Jeong Ha-kyeong made a face like she was utterly fed up.
“Human cockroaches? You mean, like wheels and humans mashed together?”
“Of course.”
“Argh, fuck…… Just the name makes me wanna puke.”
Looks like Jeong Ha-kyeong had never been underground before.
Well, most Nightmare Zone hunters probably hadn’t. The underground was one of the most dangerous spots even there.
“G Squad, you stay behind and guard the subway exit. Don’t let a single heteromorph slip back through.”
Everyone nodded solemnly.
“And now for the last thing…….”
Shin Tae-yeop paused, looking each of us in the eye one by one.
“Brothers, let’s go win this. Message over.”
He flashed a bright smile.
That face really was his weapon. How could you not melt when that cute mug pulled an expression like that?
The suffocating tension eased into a warm vibe.
“Alright, let’s move!”
Shin Tae-yeop waved his hand.
Someone from B Squad activated the device, and with a mechanical grind—ki-gee-gee-gee-ging……—the Independence Gate began to rise powerfully.
Beyond the gate, a shimmering fog rippled.
Stepping through that would take us into the Nightmare Zone. Straight into the jaws of death.
“Move out!”
It was time for the assault.
B Squad and C Squad plunged into the fog. We were next.
[Zone Transition: Nightmare Realm - New Jongno-gu]
Pushing through the fog wall revealed a ruined cityscape.
Collapsed apartments.
A church building melted down to its skeletal frame.
Cold winds sweeping empty streets.
A bleak, desolate place that tugged at the heartstrings with nostalgia. But we were no longer the masters of this land.
……Kikikikikikikiki…….
Laughter echoed from the ruins here and there.
Grotesque monster birds circled the sky, hunting for prey.
Shin Tae-yeop and B Squad scanned their surroundings warily and pointed toward Independence Gate Station.
“Move! Move! Don’t stop—run straight to the subway station!”
As I sprinted toward the station, I glanced up at the sky.
This insane star-bound world had no sun or moon. Days glowed with brilliant starlight, nights were deep and distant. That was it.
……For now, Muak-dong first.
I’d take it all back from this pointless game. Renewing my resolve, I bounded down the subway station stairs.
“Halt! We wait here until the Raid Leader arrives.”
Independence Gate Station’s concourse was pitch black.
Seoul’s underground had long since turned into a hair-raising hell.
An eerie chill. The stench of rotting corpses. A massive silence that felt ready to shatter at any moment.
“There’s a station master’s office fifty meters ahead.”
It was on the landing just before the concourse.
Shin Tae-yeop, who’d linked up with us, whispered the next waypoint.
“We’re heading to the station master’s office first. Gotta open the platform barrier.”
“You scouted ahead, right? Why’s the barrier shut?”
“In case the boss moved somewhere else.”
……Ah, got it.
A female hunter from B Squad tilted her head toward the concourse, then nodded to Shin Tae-yeop.
“The air flow’s blocked. The platform barrier’s intact.”
……Impressive. Meticulous in every detail.
If it was broken, the boss had relocated, and we’d retreat.
Since it wasn’t, we proceeded with the plan.
“Okay. C Squad, confirm the movement route’s safe.”
C Squad went down first, flashlights in hand, into the concourse.
A squad made up of those with stealth and tracking unique skills.
Even so, watching C Squad cross the darkness to the station master’s office made my heart pound.
Fortunately, C Squad reached the office unharmed and shook their lights. All clear.
“Move out immediately. No running. No loud noises. We can’t let them hear us.”
Shin Tae-yeop issued the warning, then took point, leading the way.
The other squads—the entire formation—followed in single file. Our A Squad was third from the front, right in the middle.
Thud…… thud…… thud…….
Somewhere in that vast darkness, they were watching us, no doubt.
The thought made cold sweat break out every time my footsteps echoed.
“What the hell is that smell?”
Jeong Ha-kyeong muttered under her breath.
Hong Byeong-gyu, the fortysomething from A Squad, chuckled silently.
“It’s their shit-stink. They crap everywhere if there’s even a crack, like cockroaches.”
“The underground’s fucking insane. Coming here to raid right off the bat was the right call.”
Then, a rustling came from the distant dark. My heart lurched, and I shushed them.
“Quiet. Don’t you know how sensitive their hearing is?”
The station master’s office was secure, thanks to C Squad’s check.
We rushed inside. B Squad was fiddling with the control panel by lantern light.
Fiddling?
I couldn’t hide my bewilderment and blurted out,
“There’s no power. What are you doing?”
The glasses-wearing young guy tapping the keys pushed up his specs and replied.
“Once you know the principle, it’s easy. Ever since Shelter City went up, Seoul’s subways have run on station-independent power systems.”
The glasses guy grinned and slammed the [Enter] key.
“So, if I just trickle some power into the independent console with my unique skill? Done. Used up all my daily casts on this one, though.”
Ziiiiing.
The barrier on the platform side began to rise with a hum. No need to worry about the noise drawing them in.
……Kugugugu…… Kugugugu…… Kugugugu…….
He’d inputted [Forced Open] and [Forced Close] commands to the barriers farther out.
That’s where the bigger racket was starting. Most of them would head there for sure.
Incredible. Truly incredible.
The <GodSpring> raid squad.
From the leader on down, it was a collection of top talent. No wonder they were famous as the vanguard raiders.
“Alright. Phase 1 complete.”
Shin Tae-yeop sprang to his feet.
“Then, right away…….”
That’s when we all froze in place for a split second.
The power surge briefly flickered the concourse lights on and off.
In that instant, we saw it.
On the glass wall outside the station master’s office.
A repulsive bug plastered huge against it.
Too quick to identify perfectly, but no other bugs that size infested subway stations except them.
“Human cockroach.”
Hong Byeong-gyu shouted.
Shin Tae-yeop and I sprang into action immediately.
“I’ve got it!”
The next moment, the human cockroach was engulfed in blinding flames. Shin Tae-yeop’s unique skill.
“……It huuuurtsaaaah…….”
The human cockroach peeled off the glass, wailing.
Soon, echoes of other wails rippled from all directions.
Euhuhuhu…… Ahahaha…… Ihihihi…….
This was bad.
I snatched a sledgehammer from another hunter and smashed the glass wall to bits, yelling urgently.
“No time to go around! Cross here and head straight to the platform!”
“Do what Lead Hunter Uncle says! No running—move carefully!”
I handed the hammer back, vaulted the railing, and Shin Tae-yeop followed right behind.
“……Hehehehihihe!”
One leaped at us from the dark.
In that moment.
My blade traced a dawn trail through the shadows.
──Puhaak!
A squelching sound, and a carcass tumbled at my feet. The severed stump gleamed with the Dawn Sword’s bloody light.
“One down.”
My head throbbed.
Damn…… This is the Nightmare Zone, alright. The raid’s going sideways from the start. Shin Tae-yeop dashed up beside me then.
“Lead Hunter Uncle, secure the front! I’ll handle this. It’s still within calculations.”
“What? How are you gonna──”
“Del, Bel Arverta!”
With bizarre incantation and hand seals, Shin Tae-yeop unleashed an unbelievable sight.
Charrararararak──!
The rosary around his neck unfurled massively ahead, transforming into a wall of flame.
──Hwarararararrrrr.
Approaching human cockroaches crumbled in the blaze. The firepower was insane.
What the hell is this?
Even for a unique skill, this was top-tier.
“Go, hurry!”
No time to gawk.
I bolted toward the platform stairs.
At first, I led as vanguard, clearing the way. Later, from the landing, I guarded the rear.
While sending the raid squad down, I sliced three more human cockroaches.
“Kieeeek!”
Shin Tae-yeop came sprinting up just as I was butchering the fourth.
“T-Take it! Uwaaak!”
I swallowed hard.
At the black horde surging behind him.
Shin Tae-yeop leaped toward me in a panic. I realized what he meant by “take it.”
I sheathed the Dawn Sword.
Caught him midair, slung him over my shoulder, and raced down to the platform.
“Playplayplayyyy!”
Run.
Run, run.
Get swept by that wave, and we’re both dead.
It was five endless seconds.
The instant I hit the bottom of the stairs, dozens of human cockroaches jumped down after us.
“Where you think you’re going!”
Shin Tae-yeop, on my shoulder, raised a flame wall at the stairs.
……Hwararararar…….
The human cockroach swarm slammed into it.
The jumpers burned to crisps without exception, charring black.
The rest snarled impotently outside the flames.
We watched from ten paces away.
I finally exhaled the breath I’d been holding. Shin Tae-yeop let out an “ah-ha” laugh.
Not the fun-of-a-fire kind, but the hysterical release after tension snapped.
“Haah, nice combo play, Lead Hunter Bro.”
“Just added a spoon to what the boss did.”
“Bro? C’mon, drop the formal talk. You’ve gotta be at least six bowls of rice cake soup past that, right? Speak casual. I’ll do the same.”
Rice cake soup?
What a funny guy. Shin Tae-yeop slid off my shoulder, catching his breath. That’s when he tilted his head.
“But seriously, Bro, you look familiar. Have we met somewhere?”
“Me…… Nah, I don’t think so.”
“Really? Weird. What is it?”
“Oh, maybe if you were the human scum type back in your delinquent days.”
“Whoa! What? Were you a cop, Bro──”
Shin Tae-yeop’s eyes locked onto the Dawn Sword.
What’s this? Staring vacantly at the Dawn Sword, something rose in his eyes…… a distant pain.
“No…… It’s not you that’s familiar…… It’s this sword……? What……? Why is this──”
“──Tae-yeop!”
A female hunter from B Squad ran up.
She was pretty up close in the light, and she immediately hugged Shin Tae-yeop, rubbing her cheek against his head.
“You okay? Why do you always push yourself alone like that?”
“Ah, no…… Lead Hunter Bro helped. Let go now, can’t breathe. It was just Plan D as expected—why the fuss.”
……Plan D?
You planned for this mess? This guy’s terrifying.
Shin Tae-yeop shook his head free and turned serious again.
“I must’ve lost it for a sec. Got lost in some…… other thought. Not the place for it…… Regroup and move out. You too, Lead Hunter Bro.”
Why’d he ramble like that all of a sudden? No clue. Overused his unique skill and crashed?
“……?!”
Then, a faint tremor ran through my back.
The Dawn Sword was vibrating on its own.
Weird. Why in this situation……?
“Bro, what’re you doing? Hurry up!”
“Yeah, coming.”
Shin Tae-yeop’s call snapped me out of it, and I hurried after.
Not just because of his urging, though.
As I recalled, the Dawn Sword vibrated when a powerful heteromorph was nearby. A warning to hurry.
Wait.
Was it really only then?