Chapter 26
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Outing (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Time was 9:30 a.m.
43 minutes until the incident.
In the meantime, he chewed on some kimbap as a simple meal substitute.
Eating it secretly in a bathroom stall felt weird, but there was no choice.
He fiddled with the white mask.
For something like this, he'd operate anonymously.
Even a trip to the bustling streets would reveal it, but getting too famous wasn't good for him.
He was a regressor.
Revealing that to the public would be a bad idea.
He'd left behind all gear that could identify him.
Not just the slime switch weapon, but even his hunter suit.
All he had was a single real sword.
He had to be cautious.
Many people's lives were on the line.
His heart pounded.
Pigmen were just mid-to-low-tier monsters.
More than manageable for him now.
But still...
This was the first real monster he'd face since regressing.
One mistake, and he'd lose his life.
He couldn't forget the senses from his past life.
He had to save countless lives.
He couldn't die here.
If the black mask was "disaster," then he claimed to be "hope."
"...9:58 a.m."
-The Cheongnyangni-bound train is now arriving. Passengers, please step back from the platform edge.
The Cheongnyangni train arrived right on schedule.
He'd boarded at Myeonghak Station, the stop before Anyang.
The reason for Myeonghak was simple.
He needed time to prepare to ensure no casualties.
In the crowded throng, he silently donned the white mask.
The ride to Anyang took four minutes.
As soon as the screen doors closed at Myeonghak and the train departed, he pulled "Skunky's Scent" from his inventory.
And executed the plan.
Crash!
He smashed the glass bottle on the floor.
A horrendous stench immediately filled Car 1.
"Ughhh!"
"Gah! What the hell?!"
"Urk!"
The effect was perfect.
To an outsider, it might look like a stink bomb terror attack, but it was all to save lives.
"Aaaack! Bluuuugh!"
"...Ugh...! Who the hell?!"
People grew agitated, then plunged into panic in an instant.
Everyone scrambled to the next car.
He had to finish before the subway guards arrived.
Clutching Skunky's Scent, he strode toward them.
"Th-that guy's the terrorist!"
"Bluuuugh!!"
Soon, everyone from Car 1 fled to Car 2.
He pursued relentlessly.
Crash!
He unleashed the stench in Car 2.
Tormented, the passengers fled to Car 3.
He chased them through Cars 3 and 4, driving everyone out with the smell.
Now, Cars 1 through 4 were completely empty.
Just as planned.
Finally, he shattered one more bottle in Car 1.
The conductor's door opened, and the engineer emerged.
"Wh-what the hell are you?!"
"..."
It would've been ideal to chase the engineer to Car 5 too, but this guy didn't seem like the type to comply.
Knocking him out and dragging him off wasn't an option either.
In the end, he'd have to fight while protecting the engineer.
First objective: Stop this stench-filled train at Anyang Station.
That was the safest bet.
The train wouldn't depart, and backup hunters could arrive.
"Y-you! Wanna get beat?!"
"..."
Then the announcement played.
-This station is Anyang. Exit on the right. There's a large gap between the platform and train. Please mind the gap.
Anyang Station finally came into view.
It looked peaceful at a glance, but a portal had opened in the station.
"I... I'm a retired E-Rank hunter! Used to drive trains after retiring. You ain't gettin' away!"
"...Get down."
"You don't get it yet... Back in the day, I was the Alaska Blizzard. Huh?!"
"Get down!!!"
Boom!!!
At that moment, the train shook violently.
The rampaging Pigmen had charged into the entering train.
'Faster than expected...!'
He drew his sword.
Geumjeong Station.
'Heh... Perfect.'
Irina Delebayne waited for the train at a station she'd never visited before, wearing sunglasses and a hat.
She even had two secretaries trailing behind her.
'Ah... I really am a genius.'
Having watched last night's seminar "Make New Friends 100% on the New Semester," Irina brimmed with confidence.
This time, she'd make a friend for sure.
Operation: "Pretend It's Fate to Become Besties!"
The seminar had said:
-To befriend someone, create as many "coincidental" moments together as possible. They'll surely open up to you~
To her, who'd spent her life confined at home surrounded only by maids and butlers, friends were a mystical concept.
Irina checked her phone.
Real-time card transaction alerts popped up.
'But she's only spent 20 million won today... She could spend more. What's this? Kimbap Hell, 2,000 won? What the heck did she buy?'
Irina couldn't imagine a single kimbap roll costing 2,000 won.
The ingredients for hers alone ran into hundreds of thousands.
To her, 20 million was like 20,000 to an average person.
"Did she buy dust or something? Ah... Ugh... This is hard. So hard. Commoner life..."
Tracking Tae-hyun's card history, Irina had made it all the way to Geumjeong Station.
With her face hidden by sunglasses, no one would recognize her. Now, it was time to charge in.
One of her attending secretaries watching her asked,
"M-Miss... Are you sure this is okay?"
"Huh? What?"
"Taking the subway... I'm just worried."
"It's fine. Totally fine. Might be a bit cramped, but no big deal."
Di-ding-ding-ding~!
Right on cue, a subway train pulled into Geumjeong Station.
The "train" in her mind wasn't a subway.
She pictured a luxury car with sofas, a wine bar, and a personal chef.
But reality was...
...pure hell.
"W-W-W-Wait...! Wh-what is this?!"
A strange man she'd never seen pressed against Irina, staring at his phone.
Every brush of his bare skin made her shiver with goosebumps.
Plus, some kid behind her kept jumping, thumping her back.
And the sour sweat stench.
The suffocating, stale air.
To Irina Delebayne, it was living hell.
"W-Wait! Paul! Help! I can't breathe..."
"Miss!!!"
Even her secretaries were helpless against Seoul's hell train.
Irina nearly passed out, losing her grip on reality.
'Th-this... is the subway...!'
Later, she'd call this day's ordeal nightmare fuel.
Operation Bestie Fate had failed ages ago; now it was just survival thrashing.
As she struggled to stay alive, a surge of people flooded in from the front car.
"Ughhh!!"
"Gaaah!!"
Everyone retching as they came.
A foul odor wafted from the front car.
"What smell is that...?"
"Ugh, gonna puke."
The subway turned into chaos instantly.
Irina was pushed to the brink of fainting.
Then a noise snapped her back.
Boom!!!
A massive crash from ahead tilted the train.
"Kyaaaah!!!"
"What the?!"
Irina clung to a handrail and stayed upright, but most passengers tumbled over, dazed.
The train stopped at Anyang Station, screen doors opening.
The platform was a nightmare.
'...Pigmen?!'
Irina recognized them instantly.
Monsters rampaged inside the station.
Suddenly, the doors shut, and the train hastily departed.
That moment, an auntie fleeing from the front car screamed,
"Monsters!!!! There's monsters inside the train!!!!"
Monsters.
Hearing that word, Irina swallowed hard.
She calmly assessed the situation.
"Miss! Get to safety!!! We'll handle it!"
Her three secretaries clustered around her.
But Irina drew her bow.
The secretaries stared in shock.
"M-Miss?"
The odds of a hunter being on the train were slim.
And though not officially a hunter yet, she was the only one who could fight here.
Irina knew that well.
"You three protect the civilians. I'm heading forward."
"No! Too dangerous!"
Dangerous...?
Then Tae-hyun's words flashed in her mind.
-You don't have what it takes to be a hunter, Irina Delebayne. This isn't a place for cowards like you.
It was the most insulting thing she'd ever heard.
Also the first real scolding from anyone.
Irina Delebayne was a hunter.
Dodging duty made one a coward.
A hunter's duty was protecting civilians.
Irina shook off her secretary's arm and shot back,
"If I don't... who will?"
The secretary fell silent.
Secretaries were just secretaries—no mana.
No mana meant monster bait.
"Just keep the civilians safe. Pay cut for every injury."
Leaving the speechless secretaries, she charged forward.
"M-Monsters?!!"
"Kyaaaak!!"
He drew his sword.
Pigmen had massive builds compared to civilians.
No lone adult male could handle one.
A blaring siren echoed through the train.
The monster alert announcement.
Station staff calmly directed civilian evacuations.
Still, a few slipped through, wreaking havoc below.
"Snort!?"
"Snort!!"
But they quickly shifted focus.
Pigmen were infamous for tracking stench.
They smeared themselves with foul filth on purpose.
"Squeeee!!"
"Snort!!"
And their favorite scent?
Skunky's Scent.
He'd smashed two bottles in Car 1, farthest from civilians.
Tormenting his nose, but the plan worked.
They swarmed Car 1 like beasts in heat.
Then, an unexpected snag.
"U-Uwaaaah!! Monsters!!!"
Frightened by the Pigmen, the engineer tried to start the train.
"No!"
But as it began moving, rampaging Pigmen hurled themselves aboard.
"Squeee!!"
"Squeee!!"
The engineer fainted at the Pigmen's arrival.
Strong pheromones induced Pigmen rut.
They were in full frenzy now.
In other words, berserk.
'...No choice.'
Five inside total.
Manageable.
He swallowed hard.
Quickly analyzed amid the standoff.
Terrain, their weapons.
And the engineer's safety.
All possibilities considered.
'Three behind, two ahead. One Pigman takes half the car's width. Moving from position risks encirclement. Take out the front two fast, secure space.'
Five at once was too much here.
'Problem: Distracting the rear while handling the front.'
Two simultaneous rear attacks spelled doom.
Needed something to divert their attention.
'...But the only hunter here is me.'
Desperate.
Just one ally...
Then—
Whoosh!!! Boom boom!!!
"Squeeee!!"
Explosive arrow!
One rear Pigman shrieked in agony from the blast.
He whipped around in shock.
"Haa... haa..."
Irina Delebayne gripped her bow, panting, tissues stuffed in her nostrils.
'What the—?! Why is she here?!'
He was genuinely stunned.
Irina boldly yelled,
"Hey, you pig bastards!! Quit harassing innocents and fight me!!!"
"Snort...!"
"Snort. Snort..."
The two rear Pigmen slyly turned toward her.
They chased her to Car 2.
Thanks to her, only three Pigmen remained in Car 1.
'Good...!'
He gripped his sword tight.
No choice now but to swiftly kill the three...!
Battle stance.
(To be continued next time)