Piercing the Dragon's Heart

[Stealth Applied] (01:19 ···)

I had securely mounted the bipod in the corner of my room and formed a distortion point to cross over.

A black sphere. The inside of the barrier was filled with darkness.

'It's pretty far.'

Public comms chatter came through.

Cartibes had hatched.

According to classified intel, we're all dead meat.

Even so, the high-rankers were unleashing a barrage. No one was giving up. Me neither.

- Click.

Luckily, all that training at 16x zoom meant I could handle the distance.

Two sniper shots immediately. But,

One more shot, but still no dice.

I could at least confirm bullet impacts. The bipod kept my sniper sense sharp.

But what good is high accuracy if it doesn't penetrate?

No options. For a one-trick pony like me whose whole damage is sniper shots, if they don't land...

No guaranteed dispel rounds either. Was I really just supposed to sit here watching?

- Kraaaah!

- Shooooook!

Right in front of my despairing eyes, a scene unfolded. Hunters' screams echoed from all sides.

Blood, bones—all the elements making up living beings—were sucked into the barrier.

Whatever the hell was happening, Cartibes's HP was climbing right now.

A world on the brink of apocalypse. Like staring into hell.

"......"

Per the docs, we'd stopped four apostles, so incomplete hatching was right, but now it was going full completion.

- Kraaaah!

- Aaack. Aaaack!

[Stealth Applied] (00:25 ···)

Rage boiled up.

From the first day of awakening to now, I'd barely rested, constantly on edge just to survive somehow.

Shelter, agents, pendant—I'd clung desperately to any sliver of hope. But disaster struck, and Cartibes hatched.

Monsters pouring everywhere, endless explosions and fires. Seoul crumbling, and no plan came to mind.

High-rankers seemed to be trying their best, but no real solution in sight.

- Click.

I decided.

Load Hundred Colors Bullet. Whatever comes, whatever explodes, fire first.

This was my shelter's land, filled with precious memories.

The dungeon that swallowed my parents coming home when I was a kid—it was here.

My great-aunt who took me in alone, caught in the monster crisis, gravely injured but holding my hand saying, "At least you're safe"—that house was here in Seoul.

With no money, I stuck to going to college but didn't want to leech off the country, so I worked convenience store shifts.

Desperately clawing to live had been my specialty forever. Hunkering in this room was just an extension.

I'll survive. Somehow. No thought of ending here.

Until I find joy, good things in life someday, I'll keep going.

So don't wreck what's still intact.

- Crack. Crack.

As ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I went to load Hundred Colors Bullet, something weird caught my eye.

The barrier ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠warped slightly, cracking.

Where high-rankers hammered attacks, faint heat haze. The distortion cracked the barrier.

- Crack. Crack.

Then, one method to apply.

I didn't know the details. Anyway, I was gonna blast random Hundred Colors, so a hypothesis was worth testing.

《Management Bureau》

A string of despairing hours. The white-haired old man's hands trembled.

The emergency World Hunter Management Bureau video conference ignited in each nation's language.

Top officials feigning worry over Korea's crisis, spouting nonsense. Offering to dispatch their high-rankers personally.

But the attached conditions were impossible to swallow.

Support guaranteed by Korea's massive national losses. Profiting off Cartibes's explosion?

"......"

Fury surged.

Want to reject outright and storm out.

But every minute, every second felt eternal. Even now, gates opening over Jamsil, low-rank hunters dying, Cartibes recovering strength.

That damn barrier showed no sign of breaking.

This way, Jamsil falls, then Seoul, then all Korea in peril.

Bow and survive, or perish? Baek Moon-seong faced the moment of decision.

Finally, Cartibes's HP hit two bars (■■).

"!!!"

Can't delay. Only option: give up, beg foreign aid.

Was this inevitable? Then all this was Baek Moon-seong's fault.

Stubbornly holding out on impossible self-reliance, trying domestic solutions.

Should've yielded early when disaster hit. Old man's obstinacy brought this.

Precious hunters who could've lived—countless dead. Innocent civilians, even more.

Disqualified.

Baek Moon-seong closed his eyes, condemning ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠himself, and uttered his final words. Korea might take ages to rise again.

"The Republic of Korea accepts these clauses······."

Then, breaking news hit.

Unusual phenomenon under Cartibes's barrier.

Baek Moon-seong hurriedly checked the footage.

'No way.'

Mind sharpened. Every time an impossible scene like this, the protagonist was one person.

The 'unregistered' we'd desperately tried to recruit.

We had one more card. A joker beyond expectations.

The world taking notice: an irregular outlier still in Korea.

That scene leaving Creeper's barrier and fortress as dust—unforgettable.

"Hold on. Give us a bit more time to review."

Sudden silence.

Eyes squeezed shut—then.

- Kwaaaaaaaaang!

A massive impact roared through the feed, silencing even world leaders.

···Always the same.

Overwhelming destruction from who-knows-where.

Familiar to Baek Moon-seong.

A ● emerging, like a black hole.

The barrier sucked into the black hole, cracking everywhere—crack. Crack.

The barrier desperately ramped recovery, filling cracks fast, but the black hole's suction edged it out.

MARK-67 broadcast to high-rankers.

Cheon Seung-hyuk could guess whose power. Who else in Korea could cause this anomaly?

"Unregistered joined the fray."

Holy sword depleted. Other high-rankers burned heavy firepower. Odds of killing barrier and Cartibes beyond: slim.

But him? The one hunter whose full power we couldn't gauge. Once frustrating, competitive. Now, that unknown sparked hope.

"Unregistered breaking the barrier. Spread out!"

His power from Creeper fight: not rapid storm, but intermittent overwhelming DPS in range, devastating areas.

'That black hole is his mark. Lingering nearby would just hinder.'

Judging so, he sent people scattering instantly.

- Kwaaaaaaaaang!

"!!!"

Horrific explosion near black hole. Bursting from thin air, as expected.

- Crack. Crack!

First time. Physical force ejecting barrier shards. Purple pixels spraying everywhere.

Unregistered hammering the weakened barrier via black hole!

MARK-67, real-time analyzing, broadcast results.

Barrier not uniform omnidirectional—energy rushes to shocks to block.

Unregistered's attacks, including black hole, drew energy there.

"Opposite side assault. Execute now."

Refocus firepower opposite. Disperse energy. Best way to aid Unregistered.

"Me and MARK-67 hit opposite! Hae-dong, Kim Chi-gon—ground level!"

Cheon Seung-hyuk flew behind barrier via air-step.

Aerial-weak Hae-dong and Kim Chi-gon dove into Seoul streets to block undead wave.

Ground victory meant halting hatchling recovery. Do-or-die; no failures allowed.

'Unregistered. Please, this time.'

Seoul's fate hung here.

Thus, [Giant's Sword], [Collapse] missiles—poured all firepower on black hole's opposite barrier.

Purple pixels surging here too.

'Definitely concentrates energy!'

Then, another massive blast opposite.

Unregistered's.

[Stealth Applied] (00:15 ···)

- Wooooong...

- Crackle. Crrrackle.

Spatial distortion worked. Remaining ~1 min, cracks keep sucking inward.

Hope in sight. Then, no breaks now. No mercy.

'Dragon or whatever, I'll show you.'

Power gained at the cliff's edge. How much?

[Stealth Applied] (00:10 ···)

- Click.

Accuracy? Who cares. Aim near distortion.

'One shot.'

Trigger.

- Kwaaaaaaaaang!

No more dull defense. Just massive impacts widening cracks.

Physics penetrating a bit now.

Perfect timing—nearby hunters scattered opposite. Sensed my assault? Whatever, not my problem.

'One more.'

- Kwaaaaaaaaang!

Barrier shards flying everywhere.

- Fwooooosh!

Black smoke billowing from barrier gaps. Even I could tell it was toxic.

Then,

Public comms. Aimed at me? Dunno, mana-like stuff.

- Shooooook.

But it too vacuumed into ●. Where to escape?

- BOOM!

- Kurung!

High-rankers opposite, concentrating fire. Some strategy, looks like.

Scope showed barrier cracks worsening. Effective, whatever it was.

'Then one more.'

- Kwaaaaaaaaang!

[Stealth Applied] (00:01 ···)

Stealth fading, but,

"Not over yet."

'One more.'

- Kwaaaaaaaaang!

Spot hit by my sniper barrage—shredded.

Spiritless Bullet distorting space under barrier—~40 sec left. When distortion ends, barrier recovers fiercely.

'Time for the real deal.'

Full shatter later; enough wrecked for one bullet to pierce.

Aimed Penetration for hatchling, but interior pure dark—nothing visible. But,

I had gear.

'There you are.'

Visible now.

Cartibes hatchling, curled fetal, floating aimlessly inside barrier.

Not just that. 'Bone'-like walls—multiple layers like Creeper's fortress—growing from its skin.

Sensing crisis from shattering barrier.

Key issue: moving target at this range hard to snipe precisely. Swimming speed decent. Then,

"Stay still and take it."

My last Spiritless Bullet.

Fire with Penetration.

- Kwaaaaaaaaang!

- Pop!

'Penetrated!'

As expected, barrier didn't shatter. Slime-like, rapidly sealing bullet hole.

But Spiritless Bullet inside pierced three bone fortress layers, reached near hatchling, formed black hole (●).

'Spiritless Bullet done. Consumable, no reset.'

- Wooooong.

Settle it here. Direct body hit ideal, but this haul enough.

『Kieeeek!』

Scream echoed. Spatial distortion pinned it; skin crushed against inner ●, shrieking.

Others would've died to suction alone, but,

Cheeky bastard won't die. At least stalled at two HP bars, no more recovery.

No time left. Issue: first Spiritless Bullet.

Hatchling pinned, so barrage remaining time. Bipod built confidence in hits.

'Spam nonstop.'

Penetration duration ample.

But,

- Grrrrowl!

- Caw! Caaaw!

Suddenly, hundreds, thousands of monsters from Seoul waves surged.

Toward the exterior crack I'd made.

- Thud! Thud! Thud!

- Thump! Thud!

Undead sucked at insane speed, compressing around ● to plug barrier.

Instantly 4-5 layers undead mound. Like a black wart on barrier.

My Spiritless Bullet couldn't affect all Seoul. Then,

'Meat shields from minions?'

Plug soon-to-breach hole with underlings' bodies, buy time.

Ignore.

Random: [Lightning Bullet].

'Trigger.'

- Cracklezzzzzt!

Penetration Lightning Bullet burrowed undead pile, unleashing Zeus-like massive lightning. Overwhelming bolts everywhere.

- Thud thud thud.

Half the pile crumbled at once.

But reinforcements swarmed real-time; by next shot prep, pile reformed.

'Damn.'

Penetration can't pierce 3+ layers, Hundred Colors used. Undead tankiness... critically blocking me now.

Dire straits. 10 sec left. Exterior ● gone, barrier frees from distortion, rapid heal. Leisurely, behind undead plug.

No choice. Keep spamming Penetration shots.

But thousands undead crammed at crack—doubt reaching Cartibes in 10 sec.

Night vision no undead see-through. Total crisis.

'No giving up. Till the end.'

Even so, as I readied barrage,

"......"

Cheon Seung-hyuk and some mech-man charged undead pile at crack at blinding speed.

- Kwaaaaaaaaang!

Their immense power cleared the pile in a flash.

But Seoul undead surged to re-plug,

Tanking incoming swarms, kept undead at crack minimal.

This was the chance. One they made for me.

Undead cleared—night vision showed hatchling again. Still pinned by Spiritless pressure.

Penetration active.

Click. Round chambered precisely.

'Was gonna anyway.'

Breath. And

······Trigger.

End