Part 1 Chapter 2 (6)

April 4, 2020, 6:40 PM, ‘Hunter’s Rest’ near Gwangmyeong City Hall.

Ability users are largely categorized as either Heroes or Villains, but there are also those who exist in the gray area between them.

Those who awakened their abilities but do not act as Heroes. And yet, they are also those who do not commit evil acts using their abilities.

With very few exceptions, these individuals, who did not side with either, hunted monsters using their abilities. People called those who reported their abilities to the government and registered their names in the government-managed database this:

Hunter.

Those who made it their profession to hunt monsters and sell their byproducts. While the Association had a headache dealing with them, they formed a symbiotic relationship with the Hunters under the common goal of ‘catching monsters.’

This alliance stands out even more during the occurrence of dimensional gates like this one. While Heroes focus on eliminating dimensional gates, Hunters deal with the monsters that spill out.

“Hey! Get your gear!”

Kim Seong-oh urged his fellow Hunters and checked his equipment again. There were countless other Hunter parties stationed in Seoul besides them.

“Boss! The Association sent a map!”

At his subordinate’s words, Seong-oh tapped his smartwatch to open the map.

While a bird’s-eye view of Gwanaksan Mountain was drawn flat, the expected direction from which monsters would descend was marked with red arrows.

“The guys in Gwacheon will be raking in the money. Tch.”

Most of the monsters descending along the hiking trails made by humans headed south and east. The monsters heading towards Seoul National University in the northwest were sporadic in number, but for some reason, they were marked as dangerous.

“What is this? Is it a dangerous species?”

“It seems so.”

“Damn it. If I can’t earn Cores, this month will be in the red.”

Seong-oh spat on the ground and climbed into the back of the truck. A modified truck, ready to deal with monster attacks at any time, was an essential item for Hunters.

“If only a B-class had appeared….”

“Boss! Look there!”

At his subordinate’s shout, Seong-oh was about to curse but lost his words.

“What is that?”

A giant pillar of flame rising from the south.

The massive blue pillar of flame, at least tens of meters high, was clearly visible even from these Hunters’ base 2km away.

“…Are they already spewing out monsters like that?”

Should I run? Seong-oh, who had been licking his lips, frowned at the new monster appearance alert that rang out, then his jaw dropped.

– A-class appearance near Doksan Station! Danger! Please evacuate quickly!

Seong-oh and the Hunters looked at each other and nodded.

“Jackpot!”

The Hunter trucks, which had been heading towards Gwanaksan Mountain, all at once turned their steering wheels towards the pillar of flame at Doksan Station.

* * *

“Haa, haa!”

Cheon Gaeul ran downhill without looking back. If she didn’t run, she would be eaten by the monsters.

“Uwaaak!”

A filming staff member, surprised by the monsters’ speed descending the mountain faster than expected, screamed and fell. Those who were running with him had no presence of mind to help him up, even seeing him trip and fall.

The staff member fell into despair, seeing his colleagues abandon him. The mental pain of being abandoned by colleagues he had shared meals with was greater than the pain of his sprained leg.

Vrooom!

Starting with the director of photography, everyone who got into their cars hurriedly left the parking lot. The staff member swallowed his indignation at the sight of even the car he had arrived in abandoning him and leaving the parking lot.

A hand pulling his arm appeared.

“What are you doing! Get up!”

A beautiful hand he had only seen beyond the camera. Cheon Gaeul grunted as she pulled the staff member’s arm.

“Hey! Are you crazy?!”

“Instead of cursing, just help!”

The manager stomped his feet in frustration, then joined Gaeul’s side and helped the staff member up.

“Can you run?!”

“Uh, somehow!”

Even dragging one leg, they had to run. The Hero who could help them right now was heading to the summit of Gwanaksan Mountain to stop a greater danger.

“Lee Seung-hyung…! He could have just helped us and left!”

As the staff member said tearfully, Gaeul, who was running while supporting him, shook her head and said,

“If it were just a monster, he would have. But it’s a dimensional gate, isn’t it?”

Why dimensional gates appear, and even if humanity didn’t know that their true name meant a connection to another dimension, they clearly knew that if dimensional gates were left alone, more dangerous monsters would appear.

“There are still many people living in Seoul. Even for their sake, it’s right for Seung-hyung-ssi to go and block the dimensional gate.”

“But we’re all going to die right now!”

The manager shouted as he ran towards the van parked in the furthest corner of the parking lot. Gaeul bit her lip tightly, supported the staff member, and pulled him towards the van. Other cars had already left the parking lot and headed down towards the main road.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Behind them was a monster that had already descended to the university grounds. The monster, resembling an orangutan, was beating its chest and letting out a monstrous roar from the rooftop of a building.

Kyaaaaaaak—!

“H-ack?!”

At the roar the monster let out, imbued with mana, the staff member lost consciousness and collapsed. Dark red blood flowed from his ears.

“Ugh?!”

Gaeul barely steadied her trembling body. The thought of abandoning the unconscious staff member and immediately jumping into the van flashed through her mind for a moment, but she bit her lip tightly, put her hand under the staff member’s shoulder, and pulled him into the van.

“Hey! Get in quickly!”

The manager turned the car key with an extremely anxious expression. His trembling hands, whether from tension or the fear of death, failed to start the engine several times.

Vroooom-

A low engine sound rumbled, and the car started. Gaeul, who had lifted the staff member into the car door with all her might, gasped for breath and shouted towards the manager.

“Help me, oppa! I can’t do it alone!”

“What? What are you…?!”

Kwaang!

The monster, which had somehow run right up to them, jumped down from on top of the building. At the impact that made the heavy van briefly lift and then fall back down, the manager fell into a panic, changed gears, and shouted.

“Hey! Leave him!”

Gaeul froze in shock for a moment.

The words to abandon the staff member. It was the same as saying to use the staff member as bait and escape.

“B-but….”

“But or no but! Those who can live must live!”

The manager shouted, spitting as he spoke. But Gaeul’s hands wouldn’t let go of the staff member’s shoulder.

Kugugugung!

The ground shook as the monster started running towards them. At the overwhelming presence of the monster running towards her, one hand, which was holding the staff member, unconsciously moved towards the car door, but the manager pressing the accelerator was faster.

Gwaaaaaang!

With the sound of sudden acceleration, the car body lurched forward, and Gaeul’s hand grabbed at empty air. The staff member, half-hanging out of the car door, was dragged by the car, then was flung out as the car spun, rolling across the parking lot.

“Ah.”

Gaeul blankly watched the car leave the parking lot and simply collapsed onto the spot. The manager, who had shared joys and sorrows with her for over a decade since her child actor days, drove away alone and escaped without looking back.

Krrrung.

Gaeul looked back with trembling eyes. There, a monster with deep purple fur, flaring its nostrils and alternately looking at Gaeul and the departing vehicle, had approached right in front of her eyes.

Krrung.

Was it Gaeul’s imagination that it was twisting its lips and smiling? The monster, snorting steam from its nostrils, crouched its knees, then,

Kyaaaang!!

Screaming, it leapt high into the sky. The monster, which had jumped high enough to clear at least one lecture building, landed directly in front of the car trying to leave the parking lot.

“Uwaaak!”

Startled by the monster that suddenly appeared in front of him, the manager turned the steering wheel to the side. The monster, spreading its two arms wide, blocked the car trying to pass by its side with its body.

Kiiiiiiik….

The car, which had pushed the monster’s body back slightly, stopped completely. The manager tried to press the accelerator somehow, but the car didn’t budge.

“Ah, ugh.”

The manager’s eyes met the monster’s with the window between them. As if enjoying the manager’s fear, it spat and laughed towards the window, then raised its fist high into the sky and brought it down on the driver’s seat.

Kwajijik!

The sound of something being crushed and crumpled would not have been just the sound of the car body.

Gaeul covered her mouth with both hands at the manager’s left arm, which fell limply through the torn-off car door.

Krrung. Krrung.

The monster, wiping the blood from its fist onto its fur, stomped its foot and slowly approached Gaeul. Gaeul’s legs had already given out, and she couldn’t even put proper strength into them.

Kruk.

Looking at Gaeul like that, the monster put its hand into its crotch. The pillar it pulled out with its hand from amidst its thick fur was repulsive and hideous.

“Ugh.”

Gaeul suppressed the nausea rising to her throat and turned her body. The warning from her survival instinct allowed Gaeul to turn her back on the monster and run away with superhuman strength.

Krrruk. Kruk.

” “

But in front of her eyes, there were two more monsters that looked exactly like the one from before. Gaeul burst into tears that she had held back at the reality she didn’t want to believe.

“I told you I wouldn’t come to a place like this, Huk!”

She didn’t want to die. So she gathered every penny she had and took her parents and crawled into New Seoul. But why did something like this happen?

Krrruk.

The voices of the approaching monsters somehow felt like they were mocking her situation, so Gaeul wiped away her tears and stood up. Taking off her high heel and holding it upside down, Gaeul swung the heel, threatening the monsters.

“D-don’t come!”

Krrk-kheuk.

A clear mockery. But even with her hands trembling, Gaeul didn’t let go of the high heel aimed at the monsters.

Thump.

A giant shadow fell over Gaeul’s head. When a startled Gaeul looked back, there was a monster two to three times larger than the others, glaring at Gaeul.

The monster grabbed Gaeul with its large hand and lifted her into the air.

“Aaaak!”

Even while being held, Gaeul held the high heel upside down and jabbed the monster’s hand multiple times. It couldn’t even pierce its skin, let alone cause a wound, and kept glancing off to the side, but Gaeul kept jabbing and jabbing until her strength gave out and she dropped the high heel.

Krrruk.

The giant monster slammed Gaeul, who had dropped her high heel, onto the ground. Gaeul, who rolled on the asphalt, collapsed to the ground, coughing from the violent impact.

“Ugh! Keok!”

Blood mixed with her coughs and spurted out. In her fading consciousness, Gaeul looked at the approaching giant monster and scoffed at herself.

‘I don’t want to die yet.’

In the memories flashing through her mind like a kaleidoscope, a man came to mind. He, who was in a much higher social position than her, had continuously shown interest from the day of the script reading.

– No matter what happens, I will protect you.

She even thought that perhaps he would come to save her. A prince who defeats monsters and saves a princess in distress, just like in a fairy tale.

But in reality, there were Heroes, but no Cinderellas.

‘Right. Since he’s a Hero, of course he has to go and block the dimensional gate.’

Gaeul had always thought that removing factors threatening the lives of Seoul citizens and all of humanity was more important than the life of one person. So Gaeul, pretending to be strong, made Seung-hyung head towards the dimensional gate.

She never dreamed that command to fulfill his duty as a Hero would lead to her own death.

‘If I ever see him again alive.’

She glared at the giant monster’s fist, rushing towards her head, until the very end, then turned her head.

♩♪♬—-!!

At that moment, a sound like a bird’s cry shook her eardrums. At the same time, the giant monster’s body was engulfed in an explosion.

“Phoenix Kick!”

Piercing through the smoke of the explosion, a dropkick landed squarely on the giant monster’s chest. The giant monster, with its massive body, flew straight into the lecture building.

Kwaang!

The monster, which had flown tens of meters, crashed through the building’s wall and fell. Gaeul, who turned her head, was mesmerized by the blue flames burning before her eyes.

Kyaaaak!

The monsters, which had begun to rage, quickly swarmed the girl who had appeared in front of Gaeul. In the eyes of the monsters rushing forward with sharp claws, even a resolute will to kill, even if it meant dying, was visible.

“They’re slow.”

Wings of blue flame spread out behind the girl’s back.

With just the wind pressure from spreading her wings, the monsters, still mid-jump, were blown away like the giant monster and slammed onto the ground.

“What, they’re Chaos-attributed. Their Cores don’t drop. No luck.”

She couldn’t understand what the girl was saying. But the warmth emanating from those blue burning wings was so warm that Gaeul felt like she might unconsciously relax.

“I’m busy, so… Incinerate.”

The girl snapped her outstretched finger to the side.

Click.

Hwarururuk!!

With a crisp sound, blue flames erupted from the monsters, turning them into ash in an instant. At the sight of even the giant monster, which seemed to be at least 3m tall, turning to ash in a single blow, Gaeul reached out her hand towards the girl.

“Huh?”

The girl, whose skirt was grabbed, turned her head. Gaeul was dumbfounded, looking at the blue girl’s face, as if she had just come out for a stroll.

“An angel…?”

With those words, Gaeul’s consciousness faded.