Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: The Void Hunter, Cheongunhyojadong (3)
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3.
………………………………?
A silence as if the world had stopped.
The Heteromorphs that had been surging toward them froze in place for a moment…… What the hell?
“Kee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee!”
“Hee-hee-hee-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh!”
“Heh-hee-ree-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee!”
Out of nowhere.
They began attacking Roheiritz and the demons en masse.
The assault seemed endless.
It was as if every Heteromorph hiding anywhere had swarmed out.
The burning street instantly turned into a chaotic melee of group combat.
“What the…… hell is this?”
“What’s going on?”
The First Hunting Platoon watched the scene in stunned bewilderment. The first to regain his composure and make a judgment call was, as expected, Shin Tae-yeop.
“Now’s our chance! Let’s run!”
“Wait a second!”
“……?”
“Let’s fight together instead! They’re not attacking us!”
Do Ye-jin meant it.
The Heteromorphs paid no attention to the First Hunting Platoon. They just brushed right past them.
“No way! He’s just flustered right now and caught up in the Heteromorphs’ momentum.”
“But he looks cornered?”
Roheiritz was smashing Heteromorph skulls with his gauntlet-clad fists or slicing them in half with the short sword at his waist.
“He might look like that now…… but it won’t take him ten seconds to crush them all. Not if he uses that lightning strike from before.”
Shin Tae-yeop grabbed Do Ye-jin and pulled him along again. The other platoon members soon followed.
How long had they sprinted at full speed?
A collapsed section of ground appeared before them.
A sewer pipe, perhaps four meters in diameter, lay exposed with its midsection severed.
“Perfect. Let’s go in there and move.”
Once everyone had entered the sewer pipe, a blinding flash scorched their eyes, engulfing the world.
From far away, it echoed.
The sound of countless things turning to ash. Rumble…… thunder roaring.
And then.
Drip, drip, drip.
The sound of rain falling drop by drop before pouring down.
Soon, the patter of rain drowned out heaven and earth.
4.
The sewer pipe was damp and pitch-black.
Ankle-deep filth made even walking a chore.
But they kept going without rest.
Because stopping felt like death.
Because it felt like Roheiritz’s arrow could fly at them any second.
“This should be far enough.”
Only after traveling about 500 meters did Shin Tae-yeop create lighting with flames. Probably wary of pursuit.
“Let’s rest a bit. Just a minute.”
They had been hurrying along, holding even their breaths. Now everyone exhaled raggedly.
“You okay?”
Do Ye-jin approached Ryu Hyun-ji and asked. Her forehead was hideously torn from the earlier ambush.
“Yeah…… I think so. Just a little dizzy.”
“What were you two doing while Hyun-ji got hurt? You gotta earn your keep!”
When Do Ye-jin scolded Black & White, Ryu Hyun-ji defended her two divine beasts.
“They’re both injured…… I pushed them too hard against the demons…… I need to put them away to rest for a bit.”
Ryu Hyun-ji beckoned with her finger, and Black & White, whimpering in midair, dissolved into particles of light and vanished.
“Hyung, what the hell happened?”
Park Ji-won asked Shin Tae-yeop with a face full of fear.
“The Heteromorphs suddenly moved like they were one…… I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“I don’t know exactly either.”
“Not even roughly?”
Shin Tae-yeop sighed and glanced at Do Ye-jin.
“Part of the Subordinates’ power, maybe?”
“……?”
“My guess is Do Ye-jin gave orders to the Heteromorphs.”
Orders?
A chill ran down his spine.
“You think I did that?”
A hollow laugh escaped him.
What kind of cursed power is this……? Not only turning into a monster, but commanding Heteromorphs too.
“I really am a monster.”
“……I said it’s just a guess. Enough. Let’s move again.”
Do Ye-jin shut his mouth.
Shin Tae-yeop was clearly done discussing it.
He hated the world.
The world that had given him this despair…… and the master of the nightmare…….
He hated his fate.
Nothing good had happened since gaining this power…….
“Hey, idiot.”
That was when Heo Cheon-gyeom sidled up beside him.
“Don’t act like that again.”
“Like what?”
“When you tried to step up to save Ryu Hyun-ji earlier. Don’t do that shit.”
“What are you trying to say?”
Heo Cheon-gyeom let out a disbelieving chuckle, shaking his head mockingly.
“Looks like you still don’t get why all the previous First Hunting Platoon members bit the dust.”
What…… did he just say……?
Rage boiled up.
You…… how dare you…… talk about those people like that……
He remembered intending to say that.
But when he came to, Do Ye-jin was gripping Heo Cheon-gyeom’s collar. The mood turned hostile in an instant. Heo Cheon-gyeom yelled.
“You fucking idiot! You really don’t get it?”
“Get what?”
“They knew it too. That they were all just side characters.”
“What bullshit! Side characters? Side characters? Those people were so strong. Way stronger than a punk like you!”
“Oh yeah? Still just side characters. Side · char · ac · ters.”
“Shut your trap! In this fucked-up world, who’s the protagonist and who’s the side character!”
“There is, you moron!”
“Where!”
“Right here! You! And us.”
Us…… what the hell?
In that moment of confusion, Heo Cheon-gyeom roughly shook off Do Ye-jin’s hand and drew the sword from his back.
“Heo Cheon-gyeom, cut it out! We need to move fast.”
Shin Tae-yeop shouted, but Heo Cheon-gyeom just gave a helpless, bitter laugh.
“I know. I know it down to my bones. Look at my ability.”
The serrated edge of his Hwapae Sword began to burn with starlight.
“It just enhances a weapon’s cutting power with starlight. How the hell am I supposed to kill Subordinates with this?”
“…….”
“See? You know it too, right? You think I don’t? I know better than anyone! That I’m just a side character in this world.”
Heo Cheon-gyeom pointed at Park Ji-won, then Ryu Hyun-ji.
“It’s not just me! We all are. No one…… no one expects anything from us. No one believes we can pull off a hunt.”
“I’m the same──”
“──The same my ass! You fucking idiot, you’re special! Your power is goddamn fucking special!”
Crack.
His head jerked forward.
Heo Cheon-gyeom had grabbed Do Ye-jin’s collar and shoved his face close.
“Who else can become a Subordinate and hunt other Subordinates on equal footing? Who else can command Heteromorphs?”
“I didn’t ask for this──”
“──It’s fucking infuriating the more I admit it……!”
Heo Cheon-gyeom half-sobbed.
“You’re the protagonist. Like that Lead Hunter old man, the protagonist of this ruined world. If the protagonist dies, the story ends…….”
“What story ends?”
“What else? The one where you end the nightmare and take back the world.”
His breath caught for a second.
It was baffling. This guy who’d talked about ruling the new world’s elite was saying this?
“That’s why those people died! They left it to you! The things we can’t do…… you can do naturally.”
“Bullshit. What did they leave me?”
“Their dreams, probably.”
Dreams……?
“So don’t step up like that again…… you idiot. Even if we all die, you have to survive.”
That was when Ryu Hyun-ji intervened and pried Heo Cheon-gyeom’s hand from Do Ye-jin’s collar.
“……Let’s stop. Now.”
“Yeah…… uh…… let’s stop now…… and hurry…….”
That was when it happened.
Splash! Water sprayed everywhere. It didn’t take long to realize what was going on.
5.
“……He passed out.”
The one who had collapsed into the filth was none other than Shin Tae-yeop. Park Ji-won, who quickly propped him up, said so.
“Just passed out?”
“Yeah. Look. His heart’s still beating.”
Do Ye-jin nearly collapsed, his legs giving out.
Thank God…… really…….
He’d been truly terrified of hearing he was dead.
“……It’s the obvious result. After using that much power…… I’ve never seen such a powerful unique skill.”
Ryu Hyun-ji said as she pulled out a vial of Star Nebula Liquid from her waist.
“That flame that swallowed a wide area in an instant…… It was too much. To keep us all alive.”
Ryu Hyun-ji jabbed the needle into Shin Tae-yeop’s neck and injected the Star Nebula Liquid.
“You idiots, is this the time to chat all buddy-buddy?”
Heo Cheon-gyeom stepped forward and forcibly shoved the Hwapae Sword into both of Do Ye-jin’s hands.
“I’m the tallest. I’ll carry him. You hold this.”
“Heo Yi-eol, doing something cool for once.”
At Park Ji-won’s jab, Heo Cheon-gyeom sighed.
“I just know when to do what, asshole. Let’s get out of this sewer first. We need to find a hideout.”
He was right.
Waiting here for Shin Tae-yeop to recover wasn’t an option. Because.
“If my gut’s right, he’ll catch up soon. That guy’s insanely strong. Let’s go now.”
The rookies nodded in unison. Park Ji-won and Ryu Hyun-ji took point and rear with the torch, while Heo Cheon-gyeom and Do Ye-jin walked in the middle carrying Shin Tae-yeop.
For the next hour, the boys and girls sloshed hurriedly through the sewer.
No problems so far.
Even though the surface was shaking like mad.
And Heteromorph screams were rampant.
The trouble came after they escaped the sewer.
“I…… can’t walk anymore…….”
Ryu Hyun-ji groaned.
Everyone felt the same. It was like trudging through a swamp…… the stamina drain was no joke.
“What do we do?”
Park Ji-won said.
His voice was utterly exhausted.
“Should we head to the surface now? There’s a manhole right ahead…….”
“Won’t that be dangerous?”
At Ryu Hyun-ji’s cautious concern, Heo Cheon-gyeom replied with a sigh.
“Staying here until we’re all wiped out is even more dangerous.”
“The sounds have stopped…… The ground’s not shaking anymore.”
After Do Ye-jin spoke, silence fell. The boys and girls just exchanged scared looks.
No clear answer.
No way to know.
They were just rookie Hunters…….
Their minds went blank with helplessness from lack of experience.
Back in the dawn of hunting, how had the first Nightmare Hunters fought?
“Let’s go up.”
In the end, Do Ye-jin decided.
“We’ll go up and find a spot to regroup. Until Shin Tae-yeop wakes.”
Even climbing the manhole ladder went smoothly.
Park Ji-won went first and opened the lid.
Heo Cheon-gyeom followed, carrying Shin Tae-yeop, then Do Ye-jin surfaced.
The surface.
A drizzle scattered around, visibility low, but no threatening howls.
……Refreshing.
Breathing fresh air instead of the horrific stench of sewage made him feel alive.
“Here.”
Do Ye-jin extended a hand to Ryu Hyun-ji to pull her up, right then.
“Do Ye-jin.”
Park Ji-won’s urgent whisper.
Turning his head…… in the darkness of the rain and wind, something heavy gleamed dully.
A weapon.
The moment his senses sharpened.
Flashlights blazed from all sides in a crossfire. Flashlights……?
“Don’t shoot! We’re on the same side!”
Do Ye-jin shouted, half-sobbing.
What stroke of luck.
To run into friendlies like this. It’ll be okay now. Finally…….
“Did you hear that?”
A playful woman’s voice.
“Guess Heteromorph bastards learned Korean these days.”
“Oh man, they’re Hunters.”
“Hunters?”
“Look at those kindergarten uniforms. That’s what the <Association> guys wear.”
……Huh?
Something’s off with this conversation.
“Ah, those fuckers…… So these bugs that crawled into our campsite in the middle of the night belong to them?”
Soon.
Three figures emerged from the rain and walked up to the boys and girls.
One woman, two men.
The woman was taller and slimmer than Seo Hwa-yoon…… but her playfully gleaming eyes were different.
Cruel sanpaku eyes.
And their outfits were different too.
All in unique attire. Not <Association> uniforms.
Not <Association> Hunters?
“Wow, fucking hell, things were boring as shit, and now they’re suddenly fucking fun?”
The woman eyed the boys and girls with interest, and Park Ji-won replied cautiously.
“We don’t wanna fight. Didn’t know this was a campsite. Let us go.”
“Oh, how grateful we are.”
One man snickered mockingly, and the other burst out laughing. The woman alone furrowed her brow in dissatisfaction.
“No fighting…… That’s a shame.”
“……?”
“I feel like fighting.”
He couldn’t believe his eyes that instant.
The woman’s fist slammed into Park Ji-won’s gut. No time to react. Park Ji-won flew briefly through the air before tumbling across the ground.
“Ji-won!”
Do Ye-jin rushed over and cradled Park Ji-won. Park Ji-won groaned, vomiting blood.
“What the hell are you doing all of a sudden!”
Do Ye-jin yelled at the woman.
The men glanced warily at her and stayed silent, while she just whistled in amusement.
“Got some spirit? I figured <Association> trash was all weak as shit, but you’re a surprise.”
“I’m the mild flavor.”
The woman burst into a hearty “Wahaha!”
“Look at this kid talk. Fucking adorable? Hey, Hong-gu.”
“Yes, sis.”
“First, grab these and toss ’em in the slaughterhouse. Du Hwan-i, wake up those two ‘shitheads’ and call ’em.”
“Got it, ma’am.”
“Fuck, I told you I’d fuck you up if you used that dialect one more time, didn’t I?”
She raised her fist, then snapped her fingers as if remembering something.
“Oh, right. Call Choi Jeong-gyun too. Would be perfect. He used to be with the <Association>, right?”