Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 019
Chapter Title: Mad Hunter: ??? (3)
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4.
Following Baek Hyun-jong down the stairs, children began gathering one by one.
Ragged modern clothing.
It stood in stark contrast to the old-fashioned, vintage attire of the Paradise Zone citizens.
The children blinked their eyes in wonder, and one little girl spoke up with a childish lisp.
“Uncle, who are you?”
“Me?”
It was a simple yet awkward question.
How could he say, “I’m Kim Baek-jun,” right here?
When talking to kids...
Yeah, that’s it. He pulled it out of his pants pocket and placed it in her tiny hand.
“I’m the uncle who gives out chocolate. Sorry I don’t have much. Still, you have to share it nicely with your friends.”
Chocolate he’d bought at the [General Store] when he stopped by the cathedral.
It was labeled [For field sugar replenishment], and that’s why he’d purchased it, but it still tasted like chocolate.
“W-Wow!”
Perfect effect.
Who’d have thought he’d use it like this.
“Don’t be surprised. He’s the one Sister Ji-yeon told us about.”
At Baek Hyun-jong’s words, one child jumped in surprise, folding fingers one by one as he muttered.
“Good-looking... tall... strong... kind... It’s really him!”
“Who? Me?”
“You idiot. How would you know if he’s strong and kind.”
“You’re the idiot. Can’t you tell from the chocolate he gave?”
The children bickered in that cute, kid-like way. Baek Hyun-jong scolded them in a fatherly tone.
“You kids. No fighting on the stairs. It’s dangerous.”
At the sight, his chest tightened with emotion. A scene he hadn’t seen in far too long.
“These kids... they’re so full of energy.”
“It’s relatively recent. The adults are working hard to survive, so the kids are getting their spirits back.”
DMC Station had built a mysterious survival system.
As he moved to the station master’s office at the opposite exit, Baek Hyun-jong gave a detailed explanation.
“We’re using both platforms as residential areas. As you can see, those tents are like houses. We use the tracks like roads.”
“What about the Shelter City sections?”
At his question, Baek Hyun-jong anxiously glanced around.
“Shelter City is monster-infested. We sealed off all the bulkheads right away. We still have sentries posted, but if you listen closely, you can hear the monsters howling.”
For a moment, the image of a human wheel popped into his head, sending chills down his spine. He shook his head and moved to the next question.
“How many refugees are there?”
“Exactly 274. Among them, 18 Stalkers and 4 Hunters. There was a military base nearby, so our armament level is decent. I train the Stalkers myself.”
Not a small number at all.
But then this was the problem.
“How do you handle food supplies?”
He expected the answer that Hunters and Stalkers gathered them from the surface. But.
“We’re doing that for now, but long-term, there was no future in it. So we built a livestock pen midway through that tunnel.”
Baek Hyun-jong pointed to the tunnel toward Jeungsan Station.
Unlike the tunnel toward World Cup Stadium Station, it wasn’t blocked by bulkheads because there was a Suburban Knights group at Jeungsan Station too.
“We started raising chickens and pigs. As you know, Paradise Zone sells livestock too. Oh, and we’re trying mushrooms as well. These guys need to adapt to the underground.”
“Truly ingenious.”
He could feel a fierce life force throughout the station. The Hunters protected the citizens wholeheartedly, and the citizens respected and followed the Hunters sincerely.
They worked together, chatted amiably, and laughed.
It was modest yet radiant.
Here remained the human essence of the pre-apocalypse world. The wonderful scenery of that world he thought was completely lost.
“This feels more like paradise than Seodaemun-gu.”
“It might really have become that way.”
Baek Hyun-jong muttered gloomily as he opened the station master’s office door.
“Might?”
“All of this was Ji-yeon’s idea. Even the Suburban Knights forming around the station...”
Park Ji-yeon.
She’d shown brave acts in Jongno-gu too. Was she just fundamentally a shining person?
- Then I’ll take the rear with you.
- Helping quickly is the realistic choice!
And now such a person was wandering on the brink of death.
He had to rescue her before it was too late.
Reaffirming that resolve as he entered the station master’s office, Baek Hyun-jong’s words were utterly unbelievable.
“Baek-jun, please don’t go rescue Ji-yeon.”
“What... did you just say?”
“I hope Kim Baek-jun doesn’t rush into danger.”
Was this sincere?
He hesitated to guess Baek Hyun-jong’s intentions. Jeong Ha-kyeong let out a sigh as if she understood everything.
“That madman only operates around World Cup Stadium. If we give up on World Cup Stadium, we’ll be fine.”
“Even if we give it up, shouldn’t we still rescue Ji-yeon first?”
“It’s already been seven hours. She said she’d be back in one hour.”
Baek Hyun-jong rubbed his forehead with a weary sigh.
“Ten Stalkers have been killed. Three Hunters—no, now four... Any more losses, and the station’s very existence is at risk.”
“Shouldn’t we stop it before it becomes a bigger disaster?”
“That guy is different from anyone Kim Baek-jun has faced so far. He doesn’t fight with skill. He fights with traps.”
“Have you met him yourself?”
“Yes.”
Surprising.
As he shot a questioning look, the color drained from Baek Hyun-jong’s face.
“Two days ago, he chased me for the first time. I heard human laughter while gathering food. It felt ominously wrong, so I ran like hell to World Cup Stadium Station. I mustered courage and looked back...”
“And?”
“It was a person. He chased me to the stairs, then turned back into the fog. Laughing.”
A chill ran down his spine.
Only another Hunter could chase a Hunter.
“He wears a pure white mask. A smiling mask.”
“What kind of weapons?”
“Traps. Maybe because he’s a Hunter... he cunningly sets them in passages people frequent. Yesterday, I rushed to a scream...”
Severed ankle and blood.
Only echoing laughter remained. The Stalker whose ankle it was had vanished.
Traps, huh... that bastard.
Using such cruel methods on fellow humans.
“Anyway, I don’t want to owe Kim Baek-jun, who’s fighting in the Nightmare Zone for us.”
It felt off.
Baek Hyun-jong’s tone was flat, like reading a book. That’s when Baek Hyun-jong suddenly knelt before him.
“Ji-yeon told me to say this before she left.”
“Park Ji-yeon did? How?”
“She said Kim Baek-jun might come. If he really does, stop him somehow...”
Unbelievable.
Park Ji-yeon... thought of him even in a situation where she might die?
“But I just... can’t do that... This station... Ji-yeon was like the sun here. Without her, the station will... collapse someday. Then where do all these people go...?”
Baek Hyun-jong begging with tears was monumental.
Baek Hyun-jong was a Hunter.
Even if DMC Station collapsed, he had plenty of places to go.
“This is such a dangerous place... I know it’s shameless, but please... help us...”
And yet he was throwing away all pride to beg him.
“It’s our job, but... we’re low-level... cowards... weak...”
“No, absolutely not. You all—”
Even if the world ends, some people keep light in their hearts.
People who shed tears for others when others bleed for them.
He believed.
Those people were truly.
“—the bravest and strongest I’ve ever seen.”
“Yes?”
They weren’t weak at all.
They’d simply chosen to be “people” over “Hunters.” And.
“12 minutes. 3 left, so let’s go early.”
He extended his hand, and Baek Hyun-jong’s eyes trembled as he looked up.
“I’ll definitely bring back Park Ji-yeon.”
His own youth.
From that moment rescued from flames of death.
He had chosen the path of helping and saving such “people.”
5.
World Cup Stadium-bound uptrack tunnel.
After 30 meters, a sandbag outpost appeared.
Another 20 meters, and the bulkhead-sealed point.
Jeong Ha-kyeong sat hesitantly before it.
She’d gone ahead, saying greetings were burdensome.
“Ha-kyeong.”
Post-Muak-dong raid, Jeong Ha-kyeong’s outfit looked cool.
Black vintage uniform topped with dark blue chainmail. A tough leather backpack on her back.
“Just the two of us?”
“No. Baek Hyun-jong is forming an assault team to join us.”
Jeong Ha-kyeong stayed silent for a while, then blurted out.
“Not a wise move.”
“Is that so? Should we go just us?”
“No. I mean earlier.”
“Earlier?”
“Giving soulstones to those Baek Society trash. We could’ve just done that and left.”
“Why should we let thugs like that get away with it?”
“So the human scum won’t target you.”
It was bewildering.
The great Jeong Ha-kyeong speaking in a worried tone.
“You don’t avoid trash because you’re scared. You avoid them because you don’t know what stupid shit they’ll pull, and they’re filthy.”
“My philosophy differs. You don’t avoid filth—you clear it.”
“Yeah... you’re always right. But realistically. Suppose Paradise Zone Hunters target your life every day.”
A shout came from the station: “Bulkhead opening in 15 seconds!”
“Where can you be at ease? Underground prison forever? High level doesn’t mean bullets and blades won’t kill you.”
“No compromising with criminals.”
He’d quit the police special forces because of superiors who wanted to compromise.
He knew from fieldwork.
They were society’s pests. Exterminate on sight to make the world right.
“If you clear out Baek Society? Others will take their place just the same. Humans are like that. No one with power doesn’t lord it over others.”
“Hasty generalization. Look at the Suburban Knights.”
“Sigh... Sometimes, I can’t believe you were a cop. You’re so innocently naive, like a child.”
Then, with a rumble, the bulkhead began rising slowly. Baek Hyun-jong activating the generator from the control room.
“What can you do.”
Amid the noise, Jeong Ha-kyeong sighed emptily.
“Such an idiot... Guess I’ll have to stick by your side forever.”
It sounded sarcastic, but for some reason, she smiled.
The roar of the opening bulkhead deafened him, so he couldn’t discern her tone.
“Right now—”
“—Baek-jun. We’re here.”
He tried to ask, but Baek Hyun-jong joined them.
Baek Hyun-jong’s assault team numbered six.
Easy to tell Hunters from Stalkers.
Civilians lacked poison fog resistance, needing gas masks. Two Hunters, four Stalkers.
But... their armament was odd?
“Hyun-jong, do outdated firearms help?”
Stalkers were one thing, but Baek Hyun-jong and Hunter Yang Je-geom both armed with K214 assault rifles.
Full parts with suppressors and scopes, but... against Heteromorphs, they were toys.
Baek Hyun-jong looked puzzled instead.
“Yes? They work on most, except a few.”
...What?
He and Jeong Ha-kyeong exchanged glances.
Hunting Zones really differed vastly from Nightmare Zones. Baek Hyun-jong tilted his head.
“Jeong Ha-kyeong doesn’t use guns either?”
“This?”
Jeong Ha-kyeong shrugged her shotgun.
“This isn’t like yours. Made at the <Blacksmith>. Vintage design, but lethality and stopping power dozens of times better than modern guns.”
“Dozens of times?”
“Yeah, dozens. Close range, it’ll blow the heads of those ‘few exceptions’ you mentioned to shit.”
The assault team inhaled sharply.
“Whoa... Nightmare Zone requires stuff like that?”
Only that was usable.
Nightmare Zone crawled with those “few exceptions.” He quickly took charge.
“Enough talk. Let’s move.”
He peered beyond the bulkhead.
A massive, silent darkness path.
Chills crept up his back. Time to arm himself.
Dawn.
Spreading his right hand in the air, he intoned inwardly.
[Equip unique weapon: Dawn Sword]
Dawn’s light aura blazed brilliantly, forming a broken greatsword in his grip.
Amid the team’s gasps, Jeong Ha-kyeong said.
“Cool, right? Always badass no matter how many times.”
He slung the Dawn Sword on his back scabbard and advanced—then.
Behind.
Amid the closing bulkhead rumble, thudding footsteps approached.
What?
Baek Hyun-jong looked panicked too.
“Who’s there?”
Jeong Ha-kyeong shone her flashlight attachment backward.
Closing bulkhead.
A small figure rolled through the narrowing gap just in time.
That’s... Park Ji-won?
Minimal chainmail, pistol and dagger equipped.
Boom.
The bulkhead slammed shut with a heavy thud.
They stared at Park Ji-won in stunned silence. Five seconds later, Baek Hyun-jong yelled in near-shock.
“You idiot, what are you doing! Why follow us!”
“I’m... I’m going too. Take me.”
“This isn’t kid’s play.”
“No time to babysit against a psycho.”
“I’m a Hunter too! No need to babysit. And you need me to find Sis on time.”
“We’ll... send you right back.”
“No.”
Not mere stubbornness.
And... how to wait another 15 minutes? Telling him to stay would just make him follow.
“Unique skill tracking-related?”
He asked Park Ji-won.
“Yes. Watch. Then decide.”
Park Ji-won drew his dagger.
Deeply slashed his palm, clenched his fist, and squeezed out blood.
“What are you—”
Then the astonishing happened.
The blood on the floor rose into male and female shapes.
Simple outlines, but familiar faces... him and Jeong Ha-kyeong?
“《Blood Realm Tracking》. Recreates nearby movements. Within 12 hours.”
Incredible unique skill.
The blood figures perfectly mimicked their actions.
Jeong Ha-kyeong approaching him.
Sighing. Drawing her gun. Him summoning the Dawn Sword.
“Voices no, but... so why treat me like baggage, Station Uncle?”
“If I lose you out there, how do I face Ji-yeon? Je-geom has tracking too.”
“Mine’s way better!”
Decision swift.
No reason to leave 《Blood Realm Tracking》. It’d make searching hundreds of times easier. And no time.
“Fine. You come. But condition.”
“What?”
“No fighting. We handle combat. Got it? Break it, you stay.”
He couldn’t deliver Park Ji-yeon her brother’s corpse. Park Ji-won bit his lip rebelliously but nodded.
“Got it. Won’t fight. As long as we save Sis.”
“Good... Everyone, let’s really go now.”
The assault team trembled silently.
In their minds, the mad Hunter’s laughter echoed, hunting humans.
“Alright, everyone.”
So he clapped his hands once, forcing a smile.
“We’re not going to die. We’re going to bring back Ji-yeon. Right?”
He always thought he lacked eloquence.
But it worked.
Thrill crossed the faces gripping weapons. Baek Hyun-jong rode the momentum to recap the plan.
“First, through the tunnel to World Cup Stadium Station. Cross 100 meters surface section...”
Baek Hyun-jong swallowed hard.
“...into World Cup Stadium building. His lair.”
Time to reclaim DMC Station’s sun.
But the sun had sunk into darkness, so to reclaim it, they had to descend to darkness’s depths.