Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: The Girl Dreams, 1st Hunting Squad (2)
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5.
“Why are you leaving that thing alone?”
A street blanketed in ash.
Pointing at the human-form heteromorph wriggling right in the middle of it, Do Ye-jin asked.
“I’ll catch it. I can do it.”
“Yeah, sure you will. And then you’ll get yourself killed right after. You idiot.”
“What?”
Cha Seung-hyeon pulled out a chakram.
“Hey, you moron. Don’t you know something screaming ‘come catch me’ out in the open like that is a trap 99.999999999999% of the time?”
“A trap...? From a heteromorph?”
“You’ll see.”
Cha Seung-hyeon tossed the chakram into the distant empty air.
Perhaps to make it hard to pinpoint his position as the shooter, the chakram zigzagged through the sky several times.
“Three seconds until impact.”
That was when chills ran down her spine.
The moment the chakram embedded itself in the heteromorph’s skull.
“Kieeeekeeeeee...!”
Heteromorphs poured out from the surrounding ruined buildings. Do Ye-jin muttered blankly.
“That’s insane.”
“Heteromorphs think, too.”
“...?”
“They make plans. It gets even worse when they form groups.”
“No way.”
“It’s true, idiot. Don’t underestimate them just because you’ve gotten a little stronger.”
Cha Seung-hyeon was always playful.
But when he was teaching her that prey could hunt hunters by making plans, he somehow looked depressed.
Did he have some sad memory?
By the way, this was the fourth lesson she’d received from Cha Seung-hyeon.
Her morning training involved heading straight into the Nightmare Zone. Of course, they never went into the deep layers. It was far too dangerous.
“The deep layers of Sajik-dong are called the [Maze Zone].”
“Maze?”
She’d asked in return, but the answer came right away.
The outskirts of Sajik-dong.
The rooftop of an intact apartment building.
From there, Sajik-dong sprawled below in a single glance—a hellscape of countless collapsed buildings.
“You know how heteromorphs love ruins and interiors, right? But to break through the [Maze Zone], you have to go inside those buildings. Multiple times.”
“...?!”
“Scared? Well, it’s a piece of cake for a genius like me, but for you, it’d be like swallowing boiling porridge.”
“I’m good with hot stuff, though?”
Cha Seung-hyeon chuckled teasingly, then turned serious upon hearing Do Ye-jin’s reply.
“Hey. You never give an inch, do you?”
While Cha Seung-hyeon munched on combat rations, Do Ye-jin gazed gloomily down at the [Maze Zone].
A gray mist enveloped the city.
An evil chill blew through, accompanied by ominous wails.
How could the world suddenly become like this...? So it really could....
What for?
The being that had destroyed the world without warning had given Do Ye-jin the power of a subordinate.
What for?
She didn’t know.
It was a world shrouded in fog.
Maybe that’s when it started. The thought that hunting might be the process of finding answers to this apocalypse.
6.
“You need to learn about Reinforcement.”
She’d learned hunting knowledge from Cha Seung-hyeon, and combat from Yoon Geon-woo.
“Reinforcement?”
“Simple. It’s concentrating the transcendent power from the Holy Apostles into one part of your body.”
Yoon Geon-woo picked up a wooden spear and hurled it at a stone wall. The spear bounced off.
“That’s all you get with normal strength.”
That was the moment.
Smoke began rising from Yoon Geon-woo’s body.
“If you reinforce your arm.”
He threw a second wooden spear at the wall... and holy crap.
It was incomprehensible.
The wooden spear pierced straight through the stone wall... and stuck there.
“Saw the speed? You wouldn’t have even seen it without focus.”
“Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah!”
Do Ye-jin exclaimed in genuine admiration, but Hong Byeong-gyu, who’d been watching from behind, jeered.
“Don’t fall for the salesman, Ye-jin. He threw it into a pre-cracked spot.”
“Really?”
Ahem... Yoon Geon-woo cleared his throat exaggeratedly.
“The key is being able to reinforce freely.”
“Really? For real?”
“You can amplify strength or durability that way.”
Yoon Geon-woo was an ordinary-looking college student. Aside from the occasional stutter.
“Give it a try.”
“That guy’s a total dunce, so you’ll have to teach him the trick.”
This time, Cha Seung-hyeon jeered. Yoon Geon-woo shook his head.
“Don’t say that. Everyone struggles at first.”
Unlike the playful Cha Seung-hyeon, Yoon Geon-woo was ordinary, gentle, and crucially, kind to Do Ye-jin.
To be honest, everyone in the 1st Hunting Squad was kind. Contrary to Shin Tae-yeop’s warning on the first day.
A hunter’s job was hunting.
In a word, slaughter as daily work. So everything they taught was brutal and savage... but the lessons were fun.
Probably because she liked the people.
Do Ye-jin imagined.
In this ruined world, if.
Her dad were alive, he’d feel like Hong Byeong-gyu.
If she had a big brother, he’d be like Yoon Geon-woo or Shin Tae-yeop.
If she had bickering twin siblings, maybe like Cha Seung-hyeon.
If they could be together forever.
Even this ruined world would be okay, she thought.
But it was a pipe dream.
The hands of despair ticked relentlessly, creeping right up to her before she knew it.
7.
“I’ll now explain the outline of the Great Library investigation operation.”
Gyeonghuigung <Association> headquarters.
[Operations Briefing Room].
All 127 Association members sat in tiered seats, with Command Operations Officer Choi Uk standing at the podium.
“The core objective of this operation is to safely transport the subordinate weapon to the Great Library.”
In official settings, Choi Uk always referred to Do Ye-jin as the subordinate weapon.
“Look at the map behind me. This operation faces two major obstacles.”
In summary, they were as follows.
One was the [Maze Zone] in the deep layers of Sajik-dong. The other was the Great Library itself.
As the two nightmares were mentioned in sequence, veteran hunters began sighing one by one.
“To overcome these, I’ve decided to split the combat units into two.”
“............!”
“The designations are Breakthrough Team and Transport Team.”
The Breakthrough Team handled combat in the [Maze Zone]. The Transport Team slipped through while they fought.
“Of course, the Lead Hunter’s subjugation squad will take point in the main breakthrough as well.”
Lead Hunter.
Kim Baek-jun stood briefly from the front row and bowed to everyone, eliciting cheers and whistles throughout the room.
Kim Baek-jun was a symbol of hope.
Completely unlike Do Ye-jin. A symbol of despair, the subordinate weapon.
“I’ll explain briefly. Listen well. Regarding the breakthrough formation.”
Kim Baek-jun proceeded with a gentle explanation.
The sight of the other hunters—especially the rookies—watching with sparkling eyes and nodding was almost religious.
Do Ye-jin wasn’t the sharpest, so she didn’t follow it all... but Kim Baek-jun seemed aware and summarized the key point.
“The core is this: Ye-jin and the 1st Hunting Squad position between the vanguard and the Breakthrough and Transport Teams.”
Unlike Choi Uk, Kim Baek-jun called Do Ye-jin by name anywhere.
That was when someone posed a question.
“You said the catalyst for subordination is in the Great Library.”
“Yes. The Star Messenger told Choi Uk that.”
“What if—just hypothetically—we get the catalyst and she goes berserk immediately?”
The room fell silent in an instant. Arrows named gazes flew from all directions.
It’s fine. It’s fine. Smile.
Do Ye-jin barely held onto her mask of a smile.
“In that case, capturing her alive would be ideal.”
Choi Uk was the one who answered.
“But ideals are just ideals. We must base ourselves in reality. In the worst case, we’ll authorize lethal force.”
8.
“It was just talk.”
Shin Tae-yeop said, frowning. He’d been like that since Choi Uk’s statement.
“Forget it. Pretend you didn’t hear.”
Yeah, I will.
I’m good at pretending not to hear.
“I need to talk to someone for a bit. Head back first.”
But someone had taken that “just talk” as gospel.
“Hey, subordinate weapon.”
The young man who stopped Do Ye-jin at the headquarters main gate was exactly that.
[Lv: 56].
Top-tier level... She sensed it the moment she saw.
“Please go berserk for me.”
Ah. This guy...
He must’ve been at the Gounam-dong raid.
“I’ll stick a blade in that head of yours this time for sure. Got it?”
The young man patted Do Ye-jin’s head as he spoke. It felt like a snake squeezing her heart. That was when.
“You’re really asking for it.”
The one who said it... was surprisingly Cha Seung-hyeon.
“What’s with the tough guy act? You couldn’t even touch a hair on Arishel during Gounam-dong.”
“You little shit, what’d you say?”
“‘You’re asking for it,’ I said. You’re asking for it.”
The young man cracked his neck. In the tense standoff, Hong Byeong-gyu and Yoon Geon-woo returned from their brief absence.
“Hey, hey, calm down, everyone. Senior Go Hun, what’s got you so riled up?”
“Riled up? I was just trying to teach your brat some manners.”
Cha Seung-hyeon bristled, but Hong Byeong-gyu held up a hand to stop him.
“Then sorry about that. I’ll apologize on his behalf.”
The young hunter named Go Hun smirked like he’d won.
“I’ll let it slide this time because of your old man face. But no next time.”
“Yeah, yeah, thanks. But you won’t have a next time either.”
In that instant, Hong Byeong-gyu’s affable face turned ferocious. He was smiling, but not really.
“Touch my kids one more time. I’ll smash that arm to pieces.”
Uncertainty flickered in Go Hun’s smile.
“You serious right now?”
“Ever seen me lie?”
And well he might—Hong Byeong-gyu’s level was 66. Top 5 among Nightmare Hunters.
“You got a soft spot for the weapon or something, you bastard?”
Go Hun shot Do Ye-jin a murderous glare, spat on the ground, and stormed out of headquarters.
“That’s Go Hun, the thug bastard.”
Cha Seung-hyeon spat toward where Go Hun had vanished, looking pleased.
“2nd Hunting Squad Leader.”
“Well... I get he lost his whole squad at Gounam-dong, but still.”
Yoon Geon-woo replied, then Hong Byeong-gyu scolded.
“Ye-jin, I told you not to mess with him. I handle my own business.”
Cha Seung-hyeon bowed his head.
“How am I supposed to stand there while he’s badmouthing Ye-jin?”
Do Ye-jin stood there dazed.
My kids... He called them my kids...
Why did “our” hit her heart so warmly...?
- Happy birthday, our daughter.
Do Ye-jin quietly touched the wristwatch she’d received as a gift.
“Don’t mind it. Not everyone in the <Association> is good.”
Yoon Geon-woo offered comfort, assuming Do Ye-jin looked downcast. Cha Seung-hyeon said.
“It’s not all villains, though?”
“No. With Baek-jun hyung as leader.”
“True.”
“Is Uncle Kim Baek-jun a good guy?”
For some reason.
She blurted it out.
Yoon Geon-woo, Cha Seung-hyeon, and Hong Byeong-gyu exchanged wry smiles.
“What do you think? A bad guy?”
Cha Seung-hyeon said, and Yoon Geon-woo followed.
“He’s... our savior. Yours too, Ye-jin.”
Yeah. That was true.
- I want you to live, Ye-jin, and encounter all those possibilities.
Only then could Do Ye-jin share their smiles. It felt like the wall named “shared past” had crumbled.
“Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.”
9.
Two days until the investigation operation.
During those two days, the <Association> ran formation rehearsals.
It felt meticulously safe.
She wasn’t a strategy expert, but being in the center meant total protection.
One day like that, then another.
She finally reunited with her classmates on the eve of departure.
“Don’t worry.”
Park Ji-won said.
“Even if you go berserk, this body will handle it all.”
“Hmph, you’re recon corps.”
It was true.
Park Ji-won had been assigned to recon corps, fitting her aptitude. The monocular emblem on her shoulder proved it.
“I’m an ace recon, so I fight as well as combat corps.”
“Y-Yeah! We’ll do our best too! Right, Black? White?”
Ryu Hyun-ji gripped Do Ye-jin’s hand as she spoke. The divine beasts, Black & White, spun loops in the air.
「Fool. Don’t wanna help.」
Do Ye-jin hugged the airborne Black and rubbed her cheek against its fluffy fur. Black shrieked.
“You guys have zero tension.”
The one who said it was... Huh?
“What? When did you sneak up and eavesdrop?”
“S... Stalker?!”
“Oh shit. Stalker headshot.”
“We came together from the start, you idiots!”
It was Heo Cheon-gyeom.
Do Ye-jin finally let out a heh and laughed.
“I know. Just kidding. Kidding! Why get so mad?”
“Kidding... Fine. Whatever. But Ye-jin, you really have subordinate power? Still can’t believe it.”
“Guess so. Honestly, I can’t either.”
Do Ye-jin peered into her palm as she muttered.
“Our squad leader says three in ten rookies die this expedition.”
“...I see.”
All the blame will fall on me again.
Rookies were assigned relatively safe spots, but not as safe as Do Ye-jin’s.
“But he said it’s worth it.”
“What?”
“If we can actually use the subordinate weapon... conquering the Nightmare... will end quick.”
It was the first time Heo Cheon-gyeom said something cool that suited him.
“So... damn it... if we protect you right this time... our world has hope too, right?”
“...!”
“My position’s left flank. That spot... I’ll guard till I drop, so damn it, succeed. Got it?”
The last visitor was Do Su-jin. Do Ye-jin relayed her talk with the classmates to her sister.
- Our world has hope too, right?
“Hmph. That kid knows something. What’s his name?”
“Heo Cheon-gyeom. But can I really be hope?”
“No need to feel burdened by ‘hope’ or whatever.”
“But I have to, to survive.”
Gloom clouded Do Su-jin’s eyes.
“Our Ye-jin. Not scared?”
“Scared... Scared I’ll get hunted for real as a subordinate. Scared I’ll never see you again.”
Choi Uk’s words weren’t empty.
This was her final chance to prove her worth.
“Scared I’ll rampage and burden you again. Everything’s scary. Sis, I’m scared.”
Do Su-jin pulled Do Ye-jin into a hug. The sisters began sobbing silently.
Do Ye-jin was different from the hunters.
She hadn’t chosen to become one. Or a subordinate weapon. It was just... decided for her.
Do Ye-jin had never been strong inside. She’d only pretended.
“Do you know Kim Baek-jun’s dream?”
“...?”
“Restoring the world to how it was. And he knows how.”
Restore?
Fix it? How?
“Then we can see Dad again.”
“Really? For real?”
“Probably. That’s what we want. So Ye-jin, don’t die. Live. Let’s live together and go meet Dad.”
“Dad.”
Do Ye-jin whispered the lost word with longing.
“When we do, let’s tell him this: Dad, we just had a terrible nightmare. But it was only a dream. Lucky, huh?”