Annihilating the Pursuit
Gaon slowly ascended the hillside. He clenched and unclenched his fist, reaffirming his grip on the spear while calming his mind and sharpening his senses. Focusing on his ki sense, he pinpointed the location where they were hiding.
I didn't expect to be tracked like this...
He thought he'd been cautious enough. He hadn't left any footprints or traces—how had they found them? Unless they'd mastered tracking skills to a profound degree, there was no way they could have followed their trail. Did they possess a Unique Ability related to pursuit? That would explain the current situation perfectly. Special abilities that defied ordinary physical laws were beyond even his control.
He'd considered just fleeing, but that would only be a desperate short-term fix. He wasn't even sure if a full pursuit team was on them, but once they'd caught their scent, they'd stick like glue. Better to end it decisively now. There couldn't be many in Shin Segye with tracking-related Unique Abilities. He had to eliminate them while he had the chance.
Gaon recalled the conversation from five minutes ago.
"Ms. Yi Cho-rin. We've got a tail."
"Pardon? A pursuit?"
"Yes. They seem to have some special ability. We need to shake them off for good here."
"...Understood. What should I do?"
Right now, Cho-rin was hanging back, following covertly. If the trackers had found the cave, they'd likely form a perimeter around it—but there was no need to drag her into the danger. She could handle the crossbow well enough now; providing rear support would suffice. This wasn't like the goblins. Earthlings each had at least one Unique Ability. He couldn't risk exposing her when any of those abilities could introduce unpredictable variables.
This probably severs ties with Shin Segye for good.
Gaon intended to kill the entire pursuit team. No survivors once they'd come this far. And that would force Park Gyu-wan, their leader, to act. He'd already killed five of theirs, and a pursuit team would number at least double that—over fifteen losses. Even if Gyu-wan wanted to let it slide, his subordinates wouldn't allow it. Overlooking it would fracture the group. In the end, it would be kill or be killed between Gyu-wan and Gaon.
Lost in these thoughts, Gaon reached the top of the incline before he knew it. Through the underbrush, he spotted the cave where they'd stayed for days. And within his ki sense, ten presences encircled it like a noose.
Not as many as I feared.
First, take out the archers. Removing them would lower the fight's difficulty significantly. With Cho-rin's support fire, victory was assured.
Gaon approached the cave stealthily, then pressed against a tree. Standing motionless for about thirty seconds, scanning his surroundings, he heard rustling in the bushes. A group emerged: three with crossbows, two with shields, and five with spears or swords.
One of the crossbowmen stepped forward.
"Hey, where's that slut Yi Cho-rin?"
"Slut?"
"Yeah, that fucking bitch. She sucked your dick like a pro, huh? All that innocent act, but she's just a whore."
A decent-looking face, just shy of 180 cm tall. A sly, weaselly impression with large eyes lacking double eyelids. It was Kim Min-jun.
Gaon twitched an eyebrow. He hadn't expected Min-jun in the pursuit team—confronting a piece of his own dark history was unwelcome. But that was then; this was now. Seeing Min-jun casually insult Cho-rin, Gaon curled his lip in a sneer.
"Slut? Nah, you just couldn't stand her turning you down, right?"
"What? You fucking bastard!!"
"Hey, calm down! Why react to that cheap provocation? You there—Hyeo Ga-on, was it? Where's Ms. Yi Cho-rin? I'd like to see her."
"......"
A rat-faced man blocked the raging Min-jun. His words sounded polite and mannerly at first glance, but his eyes gleamed with sticky lust. Gaon could guess their true aim. Sure, they were hunting the killer of their scouting party, but more than that, they were after Cho-rin. The motive was obvious.
Got to kill them all.
He'd planned to anyway, but now it was absolute. Cho-rin would be a major ally later. He wouldn't let her become playthings for this trash.
Gaon raised his spear tip from the ground, pointing it straight ahead. At that moment, a bolt flew from the group's flank.
"Gah!"
The bolt embedded in the shoulder of a rear crossbowman aiming at Gaon. All eyes snapped toward the scream, and Gaon seized the opening, charging forward.
Just before collision, he drew a dagger from his waist and hurled it, piercing the foot of a shield-bearer. As the man stiffened in pain, Gaon's thrust sliced open his side. Blood sprayed as Gaon spun, smashing his elbow into the temple of the other shield-bearer nearby. He thrust his recovered spear at the staggering foe—but it didn't finish him. The rest had snapped to attention and rushed in.
"Fuck, kill him!"
"You, head toward where the bolt came from! Capture, don't kill!"
Min-jun and the rat-faced man barked orders, raising their weapons. At the command, a swordsman started toward Cho-rin's position.
Spotting it, Gaon backpedaled and hurled his spear. Storm mana gathered in his dantian surged to his right shoulder, amplifying the throw's power. The spear tore through the air, ripping into the swordsman's side. Blood and entrails coated the blade as it embedded halfway into a tree behind, the iron shaft humming with residual force. The blood-smeared spearhead was unnervingly ominous.
As he reached to grab the spare spear on his back to counter the encirclement, two bolts flew from the front, targeting his chest and gut.
Tch. Gaon adjusted his stance and swept his spear, deflecting them.
This is getting annoying.
He wouldn't lose, but he couldn't afford complacency. He'd nearly missed one—the trajectory had curved mid-flight. Definitely a Unique Ability. A subtle shift, but enough to kill. Twisting his wrist to track it had left a dull ache.
Such thoughts were a luxury. The foes closed in, shields forward, attacking from all sides. Clang! Kang! Kiiing— He parried a rising slash from the lower right, deflected a frontal thrust, and slid off a halberd chop from behind. Crossbow bolts interspersed the onslaught, leaving no respite. Even Gaon struggled to shake the relentless barrage.
Better teamwork than expected.
Only two weeks in this world, yet their coordination was polished. They'd hunted monsters hard—individually, their physical prowess matched Cho-rin's. Of course, she had Gaon's personal spear training; they couldn't beat her. Not that he'd let them try.
Still, can't take chances.
Gaon abandoned caution, diving aggressively into them. Splat! Splurt— A spear grazed, drawing a long bloody line on his skin. But the risk paid off. He grabbed the collar of a foe who'd overextended and lost balance, hurling him into the charging shield-bearer. The collision stalled the shield line, exposing a gap. Gaon exploited it.
Their tactic relied on covering each other's openings post-attack, with bolts covering mistakes. Effective, but fragile—one slip undid it all. With a shield-bearer neutralized, Gaon's spear struck like arrows, slitting the throat of the next foe in line.
The formation crumbled. From there, it was straightforward. One gap became a chasm as Gaon relentlessly widened it, felling them one by one.
"Fuck, shit! Get ready quick!"
"Y-yes!"
Finally realizing the peril, the rat-faced man ordered the crossbow woman. Whatever trick they had, Gaon wouldn't let them use it. His movements accelerated. Half lay dead when the first crossbowman—shoulder-pierced by Cho-rin's bolt—edged back and bolted.
"I-I don't wanna die! Uwaaaah—"
"You mad bastard! Hey, get back here!"
"Traitor, you— Gurk!"
As the crossbowman fled, the halberd man facing Gaon glanced away, cursing the deserter. Gaon struck, killing him, then reset his stance. No mercy, not even for the fleeing.
He pulled his shoulder back and hurled with a step. Over 20 meters away, but Gaon's mana-enhanced strength sufficed. The near-straight arc pierced the man's gut and pinned him to the ground—like a kneeling penitent from afar.
"Hoo..."
Gaon caught his breath. Mana was near-omnipotent, but not quite—overuse had his shoulders throbbing from two over-limit throws. His body couldn't yet endure it. That's why tempering flesh and mana roads was essential. In his second timeline, he'd neglected it, gorging on elixirs and nearly crippling himself with mana backlash. Hoarding opportunities didn't guarantee endless strength.
Composing himself, Gaon advanced on the hesitant shield-bearer. He dodged the sword thrust from behind the shield, landed a gut punch and jaw hook, snatched the blade, and slit his throat.
His gaze shifted to the last two.
"F-fuck. This can't be real!"
Min-jun met Gaon's eyes and forced a grin, denying reality. But he was clear-headed—sharp at assessing situations, like when they first arrived. He knew death loomed, yet drew his sword anyway, even as he babbled denials.
Facing him, Gaon eyed the other: a woman with gray hair and eyes, features so vague she blended into the background. Terror in her eyes, she muttered prayers. Would gods who ignored Earth's faithful help here?
As Gaon watched her, Min-jun feinted a charge, then flung his sword and fled.
Didn't see that coming.
Who bolts in this spot? He should've tried when the crossbowman ran. Too late now.
Gaon poised to throw the sword—when his ki sense detected an alien energy. A hazy mana clump, arrow-like, streaked toward his heart.