Chapter 216
Chapter 216
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Rescue
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-Grrrrrind!
"What a brute!"
I'd slipped between the buildings hoping to slow the thing down a bit, but that hope was shattered as the monster crocodile bulldozed straight through the walls, barreling after me.
Sensing the crisis as it closed in right behind, Grace leaped up onto a wall.
By a hair's breadth, the crocodile's gaping maw smashed the wall and grazed the soles of her feet.
A split second later, and she'd have been straight down its throat.
Floating in midair, Grace looked down to see its remaining unharmed eye glaring up from right below.
If she could take out that eye, the croc would lose its vision. Escaping after that wouldn't be hard.
With that thought, Grace gripped her axe tighter. As she plummeted down, she swung it with all her might toward the monster crocodile's eye.
But as if sensing her intent, the crocodile squeezed its eye shut.
-Clang!
The axe handle snapped under the powerful rebound.
"Shit!!"
Grace stared in shock as the handle broke without even piercing a single eyelid. She couldn't fathom how tough its hide was.
At the same time, a chill ran down her spine.
Reflexively, she spun around and drew the jungle knife from her waist to block.
The monster's massive tail was whipping toward her.
A flimsy jungle knife was nowhere near enough to stop it.
To lessen the impact, Grace hurriedly pulled back.
-Boom!
The monster crocodile's tail smashed the jungle knife.
She barely blocked the tail, but the knife shattered, and Grace went flying, tumbling wildly across the yard of some village house before crashing into a fence.
"Gah!"
The intense shock to her back choked off her breath.
Her head spun.
Her blurring vision whirled, and a metallic tang of blood filled her mouth.
Even amid it all, one thing was clear...
The crocodile's jagged-toothed maw gaped wide as the massive beast lumbered toward her.
Grace tried to move, but her body wouldn't respond.
'Am I going to die like this?'
Sensing death, Grace squeezed her eyes shut and awaited the end.
-Crunch!
Something shattered.
But no pain came.
Silence fell.
The moment she'd expected death had long passed.
Feeling puzzled, Grace opened her tightly shut eyes.
What came into her somewhat recovered vision:
The giant crocodile's clamped-shut jaws, its enormous tongue lolling slack to the side.
Looking up naturally, she saw a man atop the monster's head—easily over 2 meters tall, with a solidly built, well-muscled frame.
His face was hard to make out in the backlight, but she could tell he wore casual clothes and had black hair.
And clutched in his grip was a long, thick spear buried deep in the crocodile's skull.
'Did this guy just... kill this ridiculous monster?'
In a single blow, no less.
Grace, who knew full well how tough the giant crocodile's hide was, figured the man must be a superpowered human too.
The man lightly yanked the massive spear from the crocodile's head and leaped down, approaching her as she sat dazed on the ground.
"You okay?"
With those words, he extended his thick, large hand to Grace.
Still seated in a daze, she grabbed it and staggered to her feet.
To Grace, still wearing a blank expression, the man brushed the dirt off the sheriff's hat on the ground and placed it on her head.
"Any injuries?"
"N-No, I'm fine..."
"Grace!"
Just then, a man's voice shouted her name.
It was Philip, who'd come running in a panic, worried about her.
Naturally, Grace and the man's gazes turned to Philip.
Spotting the hulking man, Philip drew his pistol from his waist and aimed it at him, yelling,
"Get away from her!"
Seeing Philip like that, the man scratched his chin indifferently.
He showed no sign of fear despite the gun trained on him. If anything, he looked like he was pondering something.
"Stop it, Philip! He saved me."
Grace quickly intervened.
Hearing her, Philip flinched and slowly lowered his gun, though his wariness lingered.
In this world, humans could be as dangerous as monsters. Philip was just acting on common sense.
"I was too frazzled to say thanks. I'm Grace Anderson. Call me Grace. Thank you for saving my life."
Grace introduced herself and offered her hand.
"I'm Park Un-ho. Hmm... here it'd be Un-ho Park?"
With that, Park Un-ho's thick hand clasped hers.
"Impressive ability you've got there."
"Yeah, pretty much."
Park Un-ho didn't deny it.
His words carried confidence, and Grace got a strong sense of his formidable nature matching it.
"Mr. Park. Got any companions?"
"Nah, just me. Call me Un-ho."
At his words about being alone, Grace paused thoughtfully before speaking.
"Got it, Un-ho. How about joining us?"
"Grace!"
Philip exclaimed in surprise.
"It's fine, Philip. He's a powerful superhuman. If he were a bad guy, he wouldn't have saved me."
"W-Well..."
Philip knew it too.
Why Grace wanted to recruit him into the group.
The more superhumans, the higher the group's survival rate.
Their current group had only had Grace and Philip as superhumans at first.
Then one more awakened, making three, and things got way easier—supplies, operations, undeniable.
"Even so, deciding something this big on your own..."
"Sorry, he seems like such a strong one, I just wanted to snag him. And Philip, aren't you jumping ahead? He hasn't said yes yet."
Their gazes turned to Park Un-ho.
Park Un-ho's eyes were fixed on Grace.
Under his steady gaze, Grace felt an inexplicable flutter and grew a bit embarrassed by it.
'Wh-Why am I...'
Grace desperately tried to hide her flushing face.
"Alright, Grace. I'll trust you and tag along."
"Welcome! To our group!"
"Hold up."
"Hm? What is it, Philip?"
Grace asked with a frown.
"Grace, I still can't trust him."
"Philip!"
"Hear me out, Grace. This affects our group's safety. Okay... just a few questions."
With Philip saying that, she couldn't argue further.
"Un-ho, sorry. Philip's just looking out for the group. Understand?"
"Got it."
Fortunately, Park Un-ho didn't seem bothered.
Philip looked at Park Un-ho seriously and asked,
"Have you ever killed anyone?"
"Yeah."
Park Un-ho answered matter-of-factly.
Grace and Philip flinched but didn't react strongly.
In this world, someone with that power never killing? That'd be weirder.
Unless a total coward, which he clearly wasn't.
"How many?"
"Too many to count."
"What?!"
Philip and Grace's faces tensed.
"Still... I've saved more than I've killed so far."
Grace relaxed at Park Un-ho's follow-up.
Philip, though, wasn't fully convinced. Whatever his reaction, Park Un-ho remained stoic.
"Anyway..."
As Park Un-ho started to speak, Grace and Philip looked at him eagerly.
"We probably don't have time to stand around."
"Un-ho, what do you—"
Grace's words cut off.
-Crunch!
The wall crumbled as a monster crocodile appeared.
Not as big as the dead one.
A juvenile maybe—smaller than the other, but still big enough to chomp a human easily.
And not just one.
-Crunch! Crunch!
Smashing surrounding walls, monster crocodiles swarmed from all sides.
The two paled at the sight.
Then Park Un-ho stepped forward, hefting the massive spear that had one-shot the first croc.
"Un-ho?"
"Grace, which way?"
"Th-That way..."
"Then keep up."
"Huh?"
Park Un-ho charged ahead.
Toward the swarm of monster crocodiles.
"Un-ho!"
Grace shouted in alarm at his reckless charge.
The astonishing part came next.
Each swing of Park Un-ho's spear sent a monster crocodile flying.
Notably, a faint black glow enveloped his spear.
"What the..."
"You coming?"
Un-ho glanced back.
"Y-Yeah! Philip, let's go."
"Uh? Oh!"
Stunned by Park Un-ho's prowess, the two snapped to and hurried after him.
Thanks to his skills, the trio broke through the crocodile encirclement easily.
But the pack still chased from behind.
'Saw a river near Bacon on the map... did they come from there?'
With some breathing room now, Grace could speculate.
As the front threat cleared, Park Un-ho slowed and asked her,
"Where to now?"
"I'll guide."
Grace took the lead, directing the way.
Matthew and Humphrey had the car idling, ready to roll anytime.
Peering out the window for their comrades, they spotted the crocodile pack chasing Grace's group and yelled in shock,
"Hurry!"
Grace and Philip, arriving first, piled into the car.
"Un-ho! Quick!"
Grace gestured for Park Un-ho, following behind, to get in.
But to him, the 5-seater pickup looked cramped even for him.
"I'll ride in back."
With that, he hopped lightly into the truck bed.
Confirming Park Un-ho aboard, Matthew floored the accelerator.
-Vrooom!
The pickup surged forward in a cloud of dust, pulling away from the monster crocodile pack and speeding ahead.