Chapter 27
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Outing (3)
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Was it misfortune or a stroke of luck?
Thankfully, Irina had lured two of them away, giving me some breathing room.
No matter how much of a hunter she was, I couldn't help but worry about her.
Her grades were at the bottom of the pack, and as an archer, she was especially disadvantaged in tight quarters like this.
'Gotta take out these three quick and go rescue her.'
One Pigman charged at me, hurling its massive bulk forward.
Clumsy. Slow.
Perfect. Easy enough to dodge.
I shifted my body just a bit, and it lost its balance, tumbling headfirst.
Awakening Skill <Hunt Begins>
Stab!
I plunged my blade into the back of the fallen beast.
I felt it pierce something, but no blood gushed out.
It was the Pigman's double hide.
A thick layer of pigskin encasing yet another shell.
"Kweek!!"
The thing scrambled up and lunged at me right away.
Getting grabbed by a Pigman spelled doom.
These monsters crushed enemies with their sheer body weight.
Fortunately, its attack didn't even graze me.
In fact, it was slower than a goblin, giving me plenty of chances to counter.
A monster specialized in defense over offense.
"Thunder Sword."
Kwajijik!!
I had to control my power carefully in here.
One slip, and I could blow the whole subway car sky-high.
"Kweek!!"
"Uwaa!!"
My roar and the monster's screams echoed through the subway.
Kwajik! Pshut!
My lightning stabbed straight into its fist.
'It works!'
It worked, but it wasn't enough to kill outright.
I had to stab the same spot over and over to finally draw red blood.
"Kweeeek!!!!"
Most monsters flee or cower when wounded.
But these ones went berserk instead, rampaging even harder.
"Haa... haa..."
Narrow passage.
And power control.
Their bulky frames were the problem.
I couldn't let this drag into a prolonged fight.
If the train kept barreling along without stopping, it'd smash into the one ahead.
"...Kweek!"
All three charged at once.
I stayed calm and responded methodically.
Dodge the first one.
The second always lets its guard down, thinking it's no longer the priority target.
I exploited that and sliced its throat.
Sek! Pshuuut!
Fetid Pigman blood splattered across the ceiling.
No matter how many attacked together, their slow swings never connected.
'Next...!'
I spun my sword, edging the blade.
"Kweeeek!!!"
Sek!
The charging Pigman's arm severed clean off.
With lightning coursing through my blade, it came off easier than expected.
"Kweek!"
Now that I knew attacks worked, it was time to press forward.
I closed in tight on the one-armed beast.
"Four Limbs Severance."
A technique to cleave off all four limbs in one go.
Sek! Sek! Sek! Sek!
The Pigman's limbs flew off, severed.
Chopped appendages scattered across the subway car.
<Hunt Begins> Effect
Stamina +1
I surged forward even faster.
Closing in before they could react.
To sever the thickest part—the neck—I had to strike swiftly.
Sek!
Stamina +1
Two down in a flash.
One left.
"Kwiik!!"
The Pigman let out a wail.
Suddenly, it turned and pounced on the corpses.
Chomp, chomp!
Pigmen grow stronger by devouring their own.
It tore into the other Pigman's body ravenously.
'Can't let that happen.'
I raised my sword to take its head.
But in that instant, the Pigman seized my blade.
Our strength was evenly matched.
It had powered up in a split second from that bit of flesh.
'Damn...!'
Thud!
With my body locked, its massive fist slammed into my gut.
"Kuhuk...!"
My sword trapped, I couldn't dodge.
I crashed into the subway wall and bounced off.
Kang Tae-hyun's 4th rib has cracked.
Kang Tae-hyun's 5th rib has cracked.
"...How considerate."
The Hunter Network objectified my body, scanning my status in real time.
This was real combat.
Unlike simulations, wounds didn't vanish once it ended.
'...Time to crank it up a notch.'
Mana hyper-condensation.
Sparks danced along my blade.
Enough power to shatter rock.
I charged at it.
"Kweek!!"
The Pigman swung its fist, but I twisted away.
Wouldn't get hit twice...!
Then I swung.
Kwajijik!
The lightning pierced straight through the Pigman, cleaving up to the ceiling.
The last Pigman split in two and collapsed.
'Phew...!'
Dizziness hit, but no time to hesitate.
I hurried to the control room.
Grabbed the red lever and yanked.
Kiiiiiek-!
The subway screeched to a halt.
"...Damn."
Cracked ribs made moving painful, but not debilitating.
Bam! Boom!
Explosions echoed from beyond car 2—Irina was still holding on.
I rushed there.
I'd charged in recklessly, but now came the hard part.
Irina checked her quiver.
Two wire arrows and five explosive arrows.
Only five explosives left, and they weren't even landing properly.
She'd succeeded in drawing their attention, but that was it—just attention.
"...I can do this. I can do this. I can do this... I can do it."
She'd trained in archery under an Olympic gold medalist since childhood.
She had confidence in her bow.
"Kweek... kweek..."
"Kweek..."
The grotesque creature lumbered toward her.
She'd never faced a monster this close before.
Irina nocked an arrow and drew.
"Wha... what..."
Her hands shook, ruining her aim.
Terror blurred her focus.
She released.
Shweeek-! Boom!
Even at close range, the explosive arrow missed spectacularly.
And it punched a hole in the train's side to boot.
'I... I can do this...'
Irina drew again.
The Pigman closed in slowly but steadily.
What a rutting Pigman would do to a female was obvious.
She released again.
Shwek-! Bang!
Miss again.
Three left.
Irina drew mechanically, entranced.
Couldn't run back— this was car 4, civilians behind.
Dozens cowering in terror.
She couldn't abandon them.
Shweeek-! Bang!
Miss.
Again.
Miss.
"Kweek... kweek..."
The Pigman drooled, looming over her.
Irina collapsed, strength gone.
Tears streamed down her face.
The Pigman reached out.
Irina closed her eyes gently.
She'd given up everything.
"Sis!!! You got this!!!"
A child's voice pierced the air.
Irina looked back.
A father held his daughter.
The girl shouted.
"Fight!!! Don't lose!!"
Clinging to her dad, she yelled at the top of her lungs.
'...D... Dad?'
Father was a distant concept to Irina.
Never seen his face once since birth.
He was nearby, but always too busy.
All she'd known were gifts carrying his warmth.
She'd strived desperately just to see him once.
Tried everything for his attention: studies, archery, swimming, shooting, gymnastics, sports.
Maybe if she excelled, he'd notice.
Letters poured out her heart—always unanswered.
'Just once... I wanted a hug.'
Irina bit her lower lip.
Just to feel his embrace, even once.
That was all.
She clenched her fists.
"...But dying like this? My life's too pathetic for that...!!"
"Kwiik!!!!"
Irina dodged the Pigman's hand and backpedaled, drawing her bow.
Shweeeek! Boom!!
Another miss.
But a smile crept onto her face.
"...You filthy pig bastard."
This time was different.
A wire arrow.
It embedded in the subway ceiling.
Irina charged the Pigman.
"Kwiik!!!"
It flailed to grab her—fat chance.
She climbed its body, wrapping the wire tight.
Looping it around shelves and seats.
Rock climbing and parkour since childhood—child's play for her.
"Kwiieeeek!!!!"
Snap!
One Pigman finally bound immobile by the wire.
Irina drew again.
"Eat this."
Twang-!
The explosive arrow rocketed into the Pigman's mouth.
Boom! Bang!
It detonated inside, shredding the beast.
Irina wore the gore like a cloak.
Blinked not once, eyes locked on the remaining Pigman.
'One wire arrow left...'
No explosives, no safe way to finish it.
Only mutual destruction.
Irina tied the wire around her waist.
When it tried to eat her, she'd shoot the hole in the wall.
The wire would yank them both out together.
She glanced at the father and daughter one last time.
'...God. Next life, let me be born into a normal family... A doting dad would be nice.'
Resolve hardened, she advanced.
"Kweeeek!!"
The Pigman charged in fury.
Distance closed to nothing.
Irina drew.
That instant.
The train screeched to a halt.
Kiiiiiek-!
'Uwuk...!'
Irina lost balance and pitched forward.
She realized something was wrong.
The Pigman snatched her.
Caught firm.
"Sis!!!"
"Ah..."
To end so anticlimactically.
She'd imagined her finale as a blaze of glory, fireworks fading beautifully.
"Kwiik!!!"
The Pigman gaped wide to swallow her.
Irina sensed the end and shut her eyes.
...
Kwajijik!
Surely devoured gruesomely.
But a flash later, the Pigman lay bisected, wretchedly dead.
"Kyaaak!"
Irina tumbled to the floor.
Tae-hyun caught her seamlessly.
"..."
"..."
Princess-carried in silence.
Not a word between them.
Pigman-gore-soaked Irina and white-masked savior, bloodied, eyes met.
Tae-hyun said nothing.
Couldn't risk his identity.
Irina stared at the white mask for a long moment.
As she reached tentatively to remove it, he pulled back.
Then gently set her down and vanished toward the breached wall.
"W-Wait... hey!!"
Too late; the white mask was gone.
Her cheeks flushed crimson.
"Miss!!!!!! Are you alright!!! I'm so sorry!!!"
"Miss!!!!"
Her attendant finally reached her.
He began berating himself.
"Miss!!! I'm too incompetent to protect you. For this failure, I'll stake my life!!"
"...Paul."
"Yes! Miss. Take this gun! Kill me to restore your honor!"
Irina shoved the lamenting Paul aside.
Her eyes fixed where the white mask had vanished.
"...Paul. You know."
"Yes! Paul is ready!"
"...I think I'm in love."
"Yes! Paul... Huh?????"
The Pigman Invasion Incident.
News outlets worldwide scrambled to cover it.
Portals spawning smack in city centers were exceedingly rare.
Cities were shielded by top-tier barriers; ordinary monsters couldn't breach them.
Experts across fields delved into this anomaly.
Of course, the Gyeonggi Defense Commander took the fall and resigned.
Locking the barn after losing the horse.
Gyeonggi Metropolitan Defense doubled troop deployments.
In the end, the shocking incident wrapped up.
38 injured.
0 missing.
0 dead.
Post-incident, Irina Delebayne received commendations from the government.
A chaebol heiress saving civilians? Reporter catnip.
Irina Delebayne skyrocketed to celebrity-level fame.
And one more.
The identity of the 'White Mask' who saved everyone and vanished.
No one unmasked him.
Rumors swirled he summoned the portal— just rumors.
Most citizens idolized the 'White Mask.'
...Thus passed a Saturday full of buzz and drama.
(To be continued next time)