Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Dead Zone (2)
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Jacob wiped the sticky blood from his hockey stick on the stiffly protruding grass.
"Those Pubkil bastards, ambushing us."
Clark grumbled, furrowing his brow in displeasure, as Scarlett scanned the surroundings. There wasn't a single sign of life.
Even so, everyone in Branch 5 was on high alert. Just moments ago, they'd been attacked by Pubkils with no warning whatsoever. No one was seriously hurt, but the shock was plain on their faces.
"Why did it have to be Helper out of everything! If I'd been a normal Civilian, I wouldn't have to deal with these damn monsters—I could've just been dating some guy!"
Tag turned to Stephanie, who was whining like always.
"Hey, Stephanie. Don't think like that! If you were a Civilian, you couldn't even dream of the life you're living now."
"What do you mean?! Even if I'd been born a Civilian, someone like me would've been fine...!"
"Treating the examiners like your personal secretaries? And forget Scarlett— what can you even do?"
"Tag!"
Leri hurriedly stepped between the two.
"Whoa, man! Don't fight."
"She started it! Why are you taking her side?!"
As Stephanie shouted indignantly, Leri glanced at Clark. Sure enough. Clark was glaring at Stephanie and Tag, grinding his teeth.
"Of all the Helpers left, it had to be ones like this."
Clark continued in a mocking tone.
"The Helpers who died in your place back then... they're the pitiful ones."
Stephanie and Tag couldn't even muster a retort. They remembered the Helpers who'd taken on all the Hunters' Cleans while they just screamed and hid—and ended up dying for it.
Still, Stephanie looked displeased. She bit her heavily painted lips and whipped around.
"Hey, where are you going, Stephanie!"
Ignoring Leri's call, she stormed ahead. The Hunters and Helpers watching her let out small sighs.
"Clark."
Scarlett quietly spoke up beside him.
"I get how you feel, but that was a bit harsh. We agreed not to say anything provocative on-site, remember?"
"You could stay calm after hearing crap like that?"
Clark's voice burned with anger.
"Damn it. We have to keep that Branch 1 Helper here somehow. Looking at things now, Leri's the only decent one we've got."
"The guy himself didn't seem interested."
"Then convince him. You're tight with the Branch 1 leader, right? Talk to her. They've got plenty of Helpers anyway."
"I'll ask, but if Ji-young or Su-ho don't want to, what can we do?"
Clark whipped his head around and glared sharply at Scarlett.
"Shouldn't we be thinking of ways to make him stay? You thought it'd be great to bring him to our branch at first too, didn't you?!"
"Of course. But if he says no, what choice do we have?"
Clark spat a quiet curse as Scarlett shrugged.
"Fine. I'll make him stay, even if I have to force it."
The only Helper actually useful in combat was Leri. They needed someone reliable right now—someone worthy of Branch 5.
And there was exactly one who fit the bill. The Helper who hadn't shown a shred of fear even before a rampaging Hunter.
If the Branch 5 rep could sweet-talk the Association and government, they might keep Su-ho. Or they could ditch Tag and Stephanie—who were worthless anyway—and snag Su-ho instead.
He was worth more than the two of them combined.
That was when Clark wore a meaningful expression.
"Kyaaah!"
Stephanie, who'd gone ahead, started screaming. She often freaked out on-site and shrieked like this, so everyone brushed it off at first. But seeing her frozen in place, they started rushing over one by one, sensing something off.
"What the hell did you see?!"
The Hunters and Helpers who reached Stephanie had to stop dead at the sight before them.
"P-Pub... Pubkils...! Mmph!"
Leri clamped a hand over Stephanie's screaming mouth, but it was too late.
Down the steep slope lay a horde—dozens, no, hundreds of Pubkils clustered together.
And every one of their heads was turned in the same direction. Straight toward where the Branch 5 Hunters and Helpers stood.
"Insane..."
As Clark dropped into combat stance, Scarlett turned to Tag.
"Share our coordinates with Branch 1 right now."
"Y-Yes, got it!"
Scarlett shot a displeased glance at Tag fumbling in fear, then fixed her eyes on the Pubkils.
"Everyone, can we hold out?"
Until Branch 1 arrived? At Scarlett's question, Ronnie lightly swung his axe.
"Hell yeah! We'll finish 'em before they get here!"
"Ready when you are!"
Jacob shook his hockey stick in battle prep, and Eric stepped forward, extending both hands.
"Shall we start with a freeze?"
Eric swept his hands through the air. In an instant, sharp ice pillars erupted behind the Hunters, aimed squarely at the Pubkil horde.
Krrrng.
Krrrr.
The Pubkils grinding their teeth and glaring at the Branch 5 group kicked off the ground and leaped. It was like a herd of buffalo stampeding. Except these were grotesque horrors charging to rip the Hunters and Helpers apart.
Despite the fear that sight should inspire, the Branch 5 Hunters didn't budge. If anything, they braced as if welcoming the assault.
Kyaaang-!
The lead Pubkil charging at the front gaped its jaws wide.
Kwajik-.
One of the hovering ice pillars pierced straight through its skull, slamming it to the ground along with the pillar.
Silence fell. The frenzied Pubkils clambering up, the Branch 5 Hunters and Helpers—all froze.
In that moment like time had stopped, a wolfish howl echoed. It spread sporadically—from every Pubkil.
The madness in their eyes turned to pure killing intent as they stared at the Branch 5 group.
"Eric."
Clark said lowly.
"Attack."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the Pubkils surged again. As they barreled forward, veins bulging and jaws gaping, Eric unleashed a barrage of ice pillars. The Pubkils didn't dodge the indiscriminate volley raining from the sky.
Puk, puk. Pubkils tumbled as ice impaled them, only for more to trample over their bodies.
"This is getting bad!"
Scarlett thrust her hand out quick. Like erecting a shield, a massive wall of flame rose before the Hunters and Helpers.
She figured they wouldn't cross it. But when Pubkils burst through the fire, the Hunters' faces turned grim.
"Yeah! Leave the one-on-ones to us!"
"Back us up!"
Ronnie and Jacob charged. They smashed an axe into a gaping Pubkil jaw, then cleaved downward.
Kwajik!
Jacob hooked another Pubkil lunging at Ronnie's back with his hockey stick and slammed it down. Before the half-severed neck could regenerate, he swung again.
Clark, Scarlett, and Eric sprang into action watching the two fight.
Clark began levitating every rock atop the cliff with telekinesis, one by one. Eric conjured more razor-sharp ice pillars.
While they prepped, Scarlett handled the Pubkils rushing the pair.
"You ain't getting past!"
She seized a Pubkil's legs with telekinesis as it charged Eric, then shoved a fireball down its gaping maw.
Keuong, kyang-!
As the writhing Pubkil thrashed in agony, Leri smashed a fist down on its head.
"Can't just stand around! Yeah! Scarlett, pass 'em to me!"
Leri was confident finishing off immobilized Pubkils, even if frontline combat wasn't his thing.
"Thanks, Leri!"
Scarlett conjured another fireball, shouting back. They couldn't win like this. The frenzied Pubkils kept crawling up, and they couldn't drag it out longer.
"Clark!"
At Scarlett's call, Clark nodded.
"Ready."
Clark scanned the area with bloodshot eyes. The crawling Pubkil mass was utterly repulsive.
He gritted his teeth and looked up. Countless rocks and ice pillars hovered overhead, poised to crush the horde.
It was enough. More than enough to bury them all.
"Eric."
Eric nodded at Clark's call. Clark muttered low.
"I'll kill 'em all in one go."
Clark spread his arms wide, then swept them down. The floating rocks lost power and plummeted.
At the same instant, the sharpened ice pillars shot downward like arrows. Rocks and pillars crashed precisely onto the Pubkils.
Kugung-! Kwagwagwang-!
Visibility vanished. Dust from shattered rocks, dirt clouds, and ice shards filled the air.
As the choking haze finally settled, the Pubkils came into view.
The Branch 5 Hunters peered down the slope, breathing raggedly. The Pubkils seemed wiped out. Mangled corpses tangled everywhere.
"Yeah...! We got 'em!"
As Ronnie cheered, Jacob scanned around.
"Where's the leader? Did it go down with them?"
Clark, Scarlett, and Eric started searching too. But amid the wreckage, no sign of the leader.
The leader was three or four times bigger, far more grotesque. Even mixed in, it'd stand out. Clark's face hardened as he scoured the debris.
"...Hold up."
"What? What's..."
Even Scarlett trailed off.
"Those... insane bastards."
Hunters and Helpers alike gaped in disbelief at what they saw.
A bead of sweat trickled down Clark's temple.
"Branch 1... where are they now?"
The Pubkils were rising one by one, more deranged than ever—like the ones that survived the fire pit last time.
Tag stammered, face pale.
"N-No reply yet..."