B-Rank Gate Shock (2)

Rushing toward the source of the noisy cries, a purple rift had torn open across a four-lane road in the distance. And already, monsters were rampaging wildly.

-Twitch.

-Twitch twitch.

"───Hurry! Herd them to the center!"

"Civilian evacuation! What's the status?"

"Ngh, ogre ahead! All B-rank and below, fall back behind Kim Baek-min!"

Thanks to my assimilation with Fenrion, the voices of the hunters battling far off rang crystal clear in my ears.

But that wasn't all. The footsteps of people fleeing to shelters. The growls of more monsters emerging from inside the gate. The sparking of severed power lines. Every sound I could possibly hear flooded in.

"Phew…."

Thankfully, the evacuation seemed to have gone off without a hitch—no dead or seriously injured civilians in sight. The hunters had formed up properly and were holding their own against the monsters. Still, it wasn't exactly an optimistic situation. The hunters on the front lines looked overwhelmed just maintaining their formation. Meanwhile, the fractured purple gate kept spewing out more monsters without end. This was why gate shocks were such a headache. The damn things never stopped vomiting monsters.

"…Manifestation!"

-Thump!

"Kehk."

Activating the Manifestation skill at last, my heart pounded just like last time. I staggered to a halt mid-stride, and a barrage of alert windows popped up before my eyes.

Maybe because I started at 37% assimilation this time, the rate shot up way faster than before. My vision expanded in an instant. An overwhelming sense of omnipotence surged through me. My senses sharpened by the second. I was itching to charge into the fray right now.

"…Phew…."

These sensations were familiar from last time, but something felt different now. Before, the monsters had seemed like pathetic ants. This time, that thought didn't even cross my mind. They didn't feel like living creatures at all—like empty plastic bottles waiting to be recycled and tossed. Yeah, just a hassle, nothing more.

-Crunch.

"…My store manager's braised beef."

"Beef's so expensive these days───!"

-Dash──!

Wrapped in an indescribable irritation, I kicked off the ground and charged. At some point, I was running on all fours, but it was faster, so I didn't care. All that mattered was shoving these uninvited guests back into their gate and getting on with my move. The ogre monsters bellowing and pushing the hunters back were the most annoying. Among the gate-spawned horde, they were the bulkiest and most conspicuous. Around seven meters tall. And every time they moved, I saw things I really didn't want to. Between their legs… well, you get it. Horrifying, anyway.

"Take th───."

"───is exhibitionist bastards!"

-Smack──!

I barreled straight into the one-eyed ogre at the front, slamming my fist into its bald forehead. Almost instantly, it frothed at the mouth and convulsed. The massive bulk that had been flashing something nasty at the hunters toppled backward. But I didn't stop.

-Hop──!

This time, I leaped at the one beside it, landing an uppercut square on its jaw. The huge head snapped back. The world flipped, and the asphalt—far below moments ago—rushed up. A freefall, basically.

-Boom!

"Eek, cough. Cough…."

The ogre crumpled from one hit, kicking up massive clouds of dust. No wonder the fine dust levels were so high lately—these guys were the culprits. Anyway, plenty of monsters left. I turned my head, and more ogres were surrounding me, charging in.

-Boom, boom, boom, boom!

-Roooaaar────!

For some reason, the ogres looked terrified, but I couldn't have cared less. Fenrion's senses had already picked it up—the static electricity filling the air around me.

-Flash!

I glanced up, and dark clouds loomed overhead. My vision went white for a split second.

-Kwarrr rumble boooom────!!

Blue lightning rained down from the sky, engulfing the entire area except me. The ogres charging at me roasted to a crisp. The smell hit like freshly fried chicken straight from the oil.

-Gulp….

"Bet that tastes go─── no, what am I saying."

I wiped the drool that had started ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠flowing and turned to Kim A-rin, who was approaching slowly. Her eyes held a hint of shock. No doubt stunned by how I'd dropped giant ogres in one go. But looking around, something was off.

"Hey, Kim A-rin. Where'd all the other hunters go? Not a single one in sight."

"…Told them all to retreat. They might get caught in my attacks."

Fair enough. But still.

"What about the monsters? Where'd they all go?"

Aside from the massive ogres Kim A-rin and I had taken down, not a single monster was visible. There had been cyclops moles, two-headed purple snakes, orangutan-like things walking on their arms—hordes of them. Did Kim A-rin ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wipe them all out? This was S-rank?

"…No."

"Huh?"

"Wasn't me."

Kim A-rin looked down at me with eyes like she'd seen something she shouldn't have. ……Did you see that ogre earlier thing too?

I knew it already. The Lee Ji-woo before my eyes—my sister—had cleared an S-rank dungeon on the day she awakened.

So Kim A-rin wasn't that worried. This gate shock was B-rank. For someone who'd cleared an S-rank dungeon, a B-rank shock should be a breeze.

-Flash!

"This is Haetae’s Kim A-rin. Everyone, fall back."

The moment she arrived on the battlefield, she wreathed herself in blue lightning and ordered the other hunters to retreat. That was what an S-rank hunter was—a being whose mere presence could ensnare others in their overwhelming power. Unless they were another S-rank, they'd just get in the way. But the instant she cleared the field…

-Chill.

"……!"

Kim A-rin felt it. A dread beyond comparison to the monsters spilling from the B-rank gate.

-Roooaaar──────!!───!!!!

Lee Ji-woo's mouth gaped wide. The roar like thunder made Kim A-rin's eyes tremble. Glass shattered all around.

-Crash!

-Crack, crack.

-Boom───!

Cracks spiderwebbed across the asphalt below. A crumpled car's engine exploded in the road's corner. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Even the intact cars blared their alarms in unison. But what truly shocked Kim A-rin wasn't just Lee Ji-woo.

-Zzzt, zzzzt, zzzip……!

-Groan, groan……!

-Squeeeal───!

The monsters that had been savagely charging every visible hunter turned pale, as if spooked by something. No—they turned tail and fled. Back into the gate they'd just emerged from.

"Fleeing…? …Why?"

It was impossible. Monsters from an overloaded gate were berserk from the dungeon core's overload—eyes rolled back, driven solely by slaughter. Yet they fled, trembling—even the giant ogres. Staring at the little girl who'd just flicked one of their own on the forehead.

-Flinch.

"…Sister."

No hunter in the world had ever driven berserk monsters back into their gate. Even the strongest would only make them charge more ferociously, never cower. But they cowered.

-Boom, boom, boom, boom!

-Roooaaar────!

Not to kill, but to survive—they bared their teeth and charged. At a girl even smaller than their fists. Of course, she hadn't just watched. No matter how oddly the monsters acted, the priority was her sister.

"…Vanish."

-Kwarrr rumble boooom────!!

Blue lightning speared the ogres swarming Lee Ji-woo, buckling their knees. Natural enough—B-rank gate trash couldn't withstand S-rank thunder. But.

"What about the monsters? Where'd they all go?"

Lee Ji-woo herself had chased them off and now looked baffled. Not exactly natural. Kim A-rin wanted to ask how she'd done it, but time was short. Gate shock first.

"Let's go, Kim A-rin. I've got 3 minutes left."

"…You stay here. I'll get the dungeon core──"

-Dash──!

"Right now, my nose is way better than yours, dummy──!"

"S-Sister!"

Lee Ji-woo plunged into the rampaging gate first. Kim A-rin hurried after. No matter how overpowered her sister seemed, she couldn't let her go alone. But what the hell was going on?

"Huh? What's this?"

"Wait, Sister. Something's wrong."

By the time Kim A-rin followed Lee Ji-woo into the gate, red warning windows surrounded her. As if she didn't belong. As if the system saw her as a new hidden boss. Sensing danger, Kim A-rin hugged her tight—no vanishing like at Haeinsa Gate. And almost simultaneously, more red warnings.

-Step.

-Step.

A prickling energy crawled over her skin. Footsteps she couldn't even perceive before now echoed right in front.

Kim A-rin knew instinctively. Finding the dungeon core wasn't the priority now. Survival was. Somehow.