Chapter 34
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Rio de Janeiro (3)
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"Everyone except the scout leader has been wiped out...? How could that happen."
Hong Ga-yeon asked, her voice laced with worry as she listened to the radio report.
Lee Jae-yeol waved it off like it was nothing.
"Don't worry. They're probably just getting a lesson."
"...Pardon?"
"With Kang Tae-hyun there, there's no way they'd get annihilated. Just prepare for the operation."
Lee Jae-yeol was absolutely certain.
Hong Ga-yeon was a bit surprised by his demeanor, but she could see why he felt that way.
The strength he'd shown in sparring.
The innate situational awareness during the tournament.
Even though the first semester wasn't over yet, Class C shared a powerful bond of trust.
It wasn't just Lee Jae-yeol.
The entire Class C had faith in him bordering on certainty.
Hong Ga-yeon glanced at her own Class B at the same time.
They were clustered in spots, but not fully united.
The difference in leadership.
The ability to rally everyone into one cohesive force.
That was the one area where Class B fell short of Class C.
And it was the one thing she absolutely didn't want to lose.
Hong Ga-yeon clenched her fist tightly.
"...Understood. West Force is ready to charge."
"Got it. Stand by. Orders incoming."
Lee Jae-yeol never took his eyes off the map for a second.
Even his tactical sub-commander, Sergeant Honda, was impressed.
It was incredible focus and decisiveness.
Boom! Thud!
Hong Ga-yeon looked toward the city center.
Preemptive artillery barrage was underway.
Specially made anti-kaiju shells streaked in with deafening roars.
The city center under the shelling was pure chaos.
"West Force Leader."
"Yes."
"West Force, launch now. Mitsuda! You're deploying too."
"Yes, sir."
Hong Ga-yeon bowed her head politely in response.
Mitsuda, on the other hand, was fuming.
"Hey! Even if it's training, don't talk down to me like that! You wanna die?!"
The deployment order had finally come.
Hong Ga-yeon approached Class B.
Her aide, Smith Ron, was still fast asleep, not yet woken up.
"Class President, you're here."
"We'll trust you again, Class President."
"Class President, all of Class B is ready for deployment."
Ga-yeon looked over her subordinates and smiled.
"...Good. Let's go, Class B."
"Yes!"
"Class President's orders. Everyone, up and at 'em!"
At Hong Ga-yeon's command, the West Force began marching into the city center.
"Grrr..."
"Grrr...! Graaaah!!!"
Zombies charged at them.
Yoon Seo-hyun stood motionless, both hands stuffed in her hoodie pockets.
She just chewed her bubblegum and watched idly.
One zombie lunged at her.
Whoosh!
In that instant, Yoon Seo-hyun's Flame Soldier intercepted it on its own.
"Grrr..."
The Flame Soldier blocked the zombie and held it in place.
Then another Flame Soldier appeared and sliced the zombie clean in half.
Even severed, the zombie kept moving.
It thrashed, desperate to bite.
Yoon Seo-hyun's Flame Soldier ignored it and hurled itself at the fallen zombie.
Her fighting style was simple and brutal.
Even if she couldn't kill them outright, she'd burn them all so they couldn't take a single step.
"...Ugh, that rotten stench."
Seo-hyun wrinkled her nose.
The putrid smell of rotting meat filled the air.
Yoon Seo-hyun's Flame Soldiers methodically incinerated the zombie horde.
Her vanguard cheered and gave thumbs-ups.
Class V's vanguard stuck close to Yoon Seo-hyun.
Most of their firepower came from her and Nero alone.
Annoyed, Yoon Seo-hyun turned to them.
"Hey, you guys... fight a little? My skills aren't infinite, you know."
"Oh, of course, Seo-hyun."
"Hey! Irina!"
"Eek...!"
Irina Delebayne was shoved out from the group.
Her face flushed as she looked around nervously.
"You take point."
"Huh? Uh, but I'm a ranged dealer..."
"You miss half the time anyway. At least make yourself useful to the class."
"True~. Why'd you even become a hunter? You could've just lived comfy in your mansion."
"She's a hero. The hero of Anyang Station! Show us what you've got."
"Pfft! You're bullying her too much."
Yoon Seo-hyun just watched the bickering.
She hated getting involved in arguments.
Especially annoying ones that didn't concern her.
So Seo-hyun ignored Irina.
Irina stepped forward, hands trembling.
'...What do I do.'
If she came in dead last again, expulsion was right around the corner.
She had to survive somehow.
"Graaaah...!!!"
A zombie charged at Irina.
No one helped.
Yoon Seo-hyun's Flame Soldier was too far away.
Irina nocked an arrow.
Twang! Thud!
'...Hit!'
For once, she landed it without shaking.
But the zombie kept coming, even minus an arm.
Whack!
She bashed it away with her bow, but the next one closed in.
'...! W-wait.'
Irina shrank back.
Terror struck again.
"Kyaaah!!"
Flames swept in at that moment.
Roar!
"Graaaargh-!"
The zombie about to pounce on Irina burned up and collapsed.
"...?"
Yoon Seo-hyun blew a bubble and glanced toward the flames.
There was Ah-young and her squad.
Seo-hyun waved happily.
"Sis? Long time no see~"
Yoon Seo-hyun's vanguard met Mitsuda's East Force.
Ah-young strode over and helped Irina up.
She glared at Seo-hyun.
"...She's your subordinate. Why'd you just watch?"
"Huh? Weak ones aren't needed. Why?"
Ah-young's expression darkened at that.
Seo-hyun burst out laughing.
"Ahahaha. Sis, don't worry about other classes~ Yours isn't all that anyway. Except one guy."
"What?! You little brat! You done talking?!"
"Gorilla's out."
Yoon Seo-hyun shot Mitsuda a sharp look.
He flinched and shuddered.
Ah-young stayed calm.
"Not all that, huh?"
"...Huh? Did I say wrong?"
Ah-young let out a short sigh before replying lowly.
"Fine. You're heading to the Jesus statue anyway, right? How about a race? Let's see that fancy vanguard of yours in action."
"Ahahaha! Ahahahaha!!!"
Seo-hyun laughed at the challenge.
Then she narrowed her eyes.
"Sis. You think you can beat me? You've lost your edge. Need another sparring lesson?"
"..."
Back at the Yoon Family estate.
Yoon Ah-young and Yoon Seo-hyun often sparred.
The result was always Ah-young's crushing defeat.
Despite being younger, Seo-hyun had innate genius.
"I'm the next head after Big Sis. Sis."
"...We'll see about that."
"...Hmph! Fine. But if I win? No stakes for me."
Seo-hyun patted her chest and asked.
Ah-young answered without hesitation.
"If you win, I'll leave the Yoon Family voluntarily."
"Huh? ...No need to go that far..."
"But if I win, apologize. For insulting Class C and Irina."
"Ah... ahahaha..."
There wasn't a hint of doubt in Yoon Ah-young's voice.
She was resolute.
But Yoon Seo-hyun wore an inscrutable expression.
Her face smiled, but she didn't look amused.
"What, scared?"
Ah-young glared, and Seo-hyun whipped her head away.
The listening Class V vanguard rallied behind Seo-hyun.
"Seo-hyun! Show 'em. Crush those trash."
"Yeah! Let's stomp them flat this time."
"..."
Seo-hyun scratched her cheek.
She replied as if she had no choice.
"Fine."
And so the rematch between Class C and Class V began.
Ah-young led her group forward.
Then she glanced at Irina.
"Come with us."
"Uh...? But I'm in Class V."
"No need to hang with that trash."
Irina looked flustered but didn't resist Ah-young's pull.
Yoon Seo-hyun didn't stop her either.
"...Class C punks are getting cocky. For real."
"Right, right. Those bastards have been too arrogant lately."
"That bitch Irina. Soon as she sees an opening, she jumps to Class C."
"Bat girl. Let's mess her up when she gets back."
The advancing cadets snickered and laughed merrily.
Seo-hyun's face twisted at the sight.
She snapped.
"Why the giggling, kids? This fun for you?"
"Huh? Oh, no... We were just."
The laughing cadets panicked at her sudden shift.
"Training's not over. Focus... Useless bunch."
Yoon Seo-hyun was in a foul mood.
Her classmates using her as a shield to attack others.
And the strained relationship with her sixth sister, now worse than ever.
'Annoying... Annoying... Annoying!'
Yoon Seo-hyun bottled up her anger.
Nero silently walked beside her.
"Ninety... two...!"
"Ninety... three...!"
"Butt down more or you're dead."
"Sorry, sir!!"
"Sorry, sir!!!"
For insulting a superior, I'd ordered the entire scout team to do 100 push-ups.
I'd threatened to kill them if they disobeyed.
They turned into obedient puppies in no time.
Hammerd sweated buckets but pushed hard.
I eyed the front.
'...The zombie clusters are mostly gone...'
I don't waste time.
I'd waited just long enough to avoid the horde at the underground tunnel entrance.
Used that time to drill some discipline into my team.
The zombies blocking the tunnel path had scattered.
Probably drawn to hunters advancing elsewhere.
"Good. Stop."
"Haaah...! Pant... pant...!"
I checked my watch.
East and West Forces were on the move, so scouts needed to hustle.
"Hammerd."
"Yes? Yessir!! Sergeant Hammerd!"
Pumped and disciplined, Hammerd snapped to attention before me.
"Prep a grenade round. Target that clothing store."
"Yes, sir! Hey! Follow the leader's orders!"
"Sir!!"
Hammerd obeyed promptly, loading the grenade into his rifle and aiming.
"Good. Miss, and you're hit."
"Yes, sir! Dead on target!"
Hammerd took careful aim.
He signaled ready.
"One grenade round chambered!"
"Fire."
"On two... three... fire!"
Thump!
The grenade flew true into the store.
Crash! Boom!!
Glass shattered amid the racket.
"Grooo...!"
"Graaaah!!"
Zombies reacted to the noise, swarming the store.
The path to the tunnel cleared.
I ordered.
"Full sprint to the tunnel. Warm-up's done, right?"
"Yes, sir!!!"
Not one lagged; they bolted into the tunnel at my word.
No zombies attacked as our six-man team entered.
We dashed in at top speed.
Drip. Drip.
Water leaked from the ceiling.
Just as expected.
Hardly any zombies in the tunnel.
"Grooo...!"
"Graaah!!"
Three zombies in hunter gear charged us.
One panicked scout yelled.
"Leader! Three ahead!"
"Yeah. Saw 'em."
[Form Change: Bracelet → Sword]
I switched my Switch Weapon to sword form instantly.
Gathered the light I'd prepped in my body.
The blade glowed pure white.
I surged forward and slashed the zombies.
Slash! Slash!
The slow zombies were no match.
Their flesh burned away on contact with the light blade.
"Ooh..."
"Wow..."
The scouts gasped in awe at my moves.
I looked at the fallen zombies.
Hunter uniforms, but cadet gear.
Second-years, by the insignia.
Five years ago, the Rio reclamation op threw in cadets to fill ranks.
It was a bloodbath.
Of 100 second-years deployed, only 23 survived.
'...Damn it.'
Senior cadets turned zombies, cut down by juniors.
Couldn't get more tragic.
Even in sim, it hit hard.
Zombie ranks had plenty in hunter gear.
Not just them.
Elders, kids too.
Monsters now, but citizens once.
"...Leader! Awesome! Man, officer cadets are something else."
"...Shut it. Eyes on the flanks."
"Uh, yes sir."
Casual punk.
The five scouts gripped M1s loaded with anti-kaiju mana rounds, scanning flanks as we advanced.
Noncom cadets lacked mana for spells, so mana ammo it was.
Regular bullets and missiles wouldn't cut it against monsters.
"Zombie ahead!"
"Good. My turn!"
Bang! Bang!
Hammerd nailed the zombie's head.
It dropped limp.
"Clear."
His marksmanship was top-notch.
Scouts were elite picks, better than average grunts.
'...Anyway.'
The uphill track narrowed from collapsed inner wall.
Ceiling down to single-file adult width.
Downhill would double the time.
Had to push uphill.
"Hammerd, you take rear guard. React fast if anything pops."
"Yes, leader."
Put my most seasoned at the back.
I led from the front uphill.
The ruined subway was packed with gruesome corpses.
Rotted so bad, rats swarmed.
"Urk-!"
Green cadets puked constantly.
I pinched my nose but stayed alert.
Ten minutes uphill.
'Something's off.'
Too few zombies. Unnaturally so.
Tunnel or not, this was wrong.
I keyed the radio.
-Static...
-Crackle.
'Damn. Underground signal sucks.'
No comms-specialty hunter in class, radio had limits.
Kept moving.
After dull marching, the path widened.
Next station past, maybe the one after.
'Checked Rio subway map. Got our spot.'
"...Rotten smell's worse, right?"
"Yeah. Breathing makes me wanna hurl."
Three stops ahead.
Push on.
I pocketed the map and stood.
"Move. Time's short."
"Yes."
I advanced.
No zombie bodies here either.
Shone my flashlight ahead.
Then one scout screamed.
"Gyaah!!!"
I looked.
A tentacle gripped his leg.
'...Where?! Nothing ahead.'
Slash!
I severed it quick.
Scanned around. Nothing.
Then a scout stammered, terrified.
"L-leader... up... up above...!"
I looked up.
(Continued next chapter)