Chapter 23: Clash (3)

Late at night, past 10 PM.

Hyun-seok suddenly came to the base and woke up all the sleeping employees. Then he blurted out without preamble:

“I’ve confirmed there’s an elite monster nest deep under the tracks at Yeoksam Station.”

Elite monster.

A beast with exceptional physical abilities and strength, far beyond zombies.

In the past, when the notification that Phase 2 had begun appeared, Young-cheol and the employees had witnessed an elite monster.

‘It was definitely something that looked like a centipede.’

A centipede monster as large as a high-speed train.

At first, they trembled in fear that such a monster might attack, but this proved unfounded. The creature burrowed into the ground and suddenly disappeared deep underground.

‘But why is he suddenly bringing up elite monsters?’

Perhaps signs of it awakening soon were observed?

A warning to move the base because it’s dangerous?

Young-cheol waited for Hyun-seok’s answer with various speculations. However, the response that came back was far beyond expectations, bordering on insanity.

“Tomorrow morning, we’re going to lure it to the surface.”

“…Pardon?”

Manager Choi asked back with a blank face.

That’s not all.

Young-cheol, Assistant Manager Kim, and the intern staff all wore expressions of disbelief. They couldn’t even begin to guess Hyun-seok’s intentions.

“No, why are you trying to stir up a hornet’s nest that’s just sitting there? If we do that—Ack!”

Hyun-seok punched Assistant Manager Kim in the face in response to his objection. Along with the brutal assault, Hyun-seok growled threateningly.

“You bastard. Just do as you’re told. Don’t try to climb above your station.”

Leaving the battered Assistant Manager Kim behind.

Hyun-seok glared at the employees with murderous eyes. Overwhelmed by his aura, the group could only bite their lips while lowering their gaze.

That’s when Manager Choi spoke up.

“May I ask the reason?”

The reason for deliberately trying to draw out an elite monster that was just quietly existing. To this, Hyun-seok replied with fire in his eyes.

“Obviously, it’s to eliminate it.”

“D-don’t tell me you want us to…”

“No, it’s too much for you. The level gap is too big, so your skills probably won’t even work.”

Except for Manager Choi.

Hyun-seok laughed coldly.

“You have only one job. To lure the elite monster hidden underground.”

“What? Lure it?”

Lure it? Lure it to do what?

Is Hyun-seok planning to face the elite monster himself? As questions multiplied, Manager Choi asked again.

“So you’re saying we should draw the elite monster to the surface and lure it somewhere else?”

“That’s right.”

“W-where exactly…”

At those words, Hyun-seok grinned.

“To where the Mage is.”

“…The Mage?”

“There’s a monster of a guy called the Mage of Fire Thunder in the Jamsil area. You’ve probably heard the name at least.”

They had heard of him. The Mage of Fire Thunder was often mentioned in auction house comments. Meanwhile, Young-cheol wore a surprised expression at Hyun-seok’s words.

‘I had guessed he was living somewhere in Seoul based on comment reactions, but to think he was this close.’

And it seemed Hyun-seok knew the Mage well. Hyun-seok looked at the other employees and summarized the conversation so far.

“Listen up, everyone. Your mission is simply to draw out the elite monster and lure it to where the Mage is.”

Hyun-seok pointed to the map on the wall.

He continued his explanation in an indifferent tone.

“After that, the Mage will take care of the elite monster, so you just need to fall back and return here. Understood?”

“Um, how exactly should we lure it…”

“There are several egg sacs of the elite monster attached near the underground ticket gates of Yeoksam Station. If you snatch one of those, it will surely chase after you.”

Because centipedes have strong maternal instincts.

Adding further explanation, Hyun-seok pointed to a vehicle parked on the road outside the building.

“I’ve prepared a vehicle for you to escape with, so use that to lure it.”

After finishing all he had to say.

Hyun-seok took out a box from his bag.

It was full of small glass vials. Antidotes. The employees took the glass vials as if entranced, and Young-cheol also poured the antidote into his mouth.

A tiny amount of antidote.

This amount isn’t enough to completely escape the poisoned state. It only extends life day by day.

‘But still…’

He wanted to live even like this.

Because Young-cheol had a family.

As he clenched his fist, thinking of his daughter whom he hadn’t met since the Upheaval, Hyun-seok continued speaking.

“If you complete the job well, I’ll give you more antidotes. So work with all your might.”

Hyun-seok left with those words.

The next morning, the group split into two.

A team that had already boarded the vehicle and completed all preparations for departure, and a team that would steal the egg sac of the elite centipede monster.

Manager Choi and Young-cheol were in the latter.

“I’ll take the lead.”

Manager Choi was the highest at level 16 among the group.

His job was Shield Warrior.

He had such a powerful defense skill that even if bitten by zombies, no wounds would remain, so no one in the group objected.

As they went down the stairs and approached the ticket gates, a bizarre sight unfolded.

“That’s…”

Huge eggs attached to the walls and ceiling.

Egg sacs as big as exercise balls were hanging everywhere. Following Hyun-seok’s instructions, the group detached one egg sac and dashed to the surface.

At that moment.

Kuwaagaga! Kwaaang!

With a thunderous vibration, the floor collapsed.

Then the centipede monster appeared. It had grown even larger than when they first saw it. In the process, two employees fell down below.

“Aaaaaaah!”

“N-no! Aaaagh!”

They fell with screams, followed by the sound of bodies hitting the ground.

But there was no time to mourn.

Because the centipede monster started chasing after the group with terrifying momentum. At this rate, they would surely be caught before reaching the surface.

“Everyone go ahead!”

At that moment, Manager Choi activated his skill.

A provocation skill that draws the enemy’s attention while maximizing defense.

Did it respond to this?

The centipede monster stopped in its tracks and glared at Manager Choi, its upper body swelling greatly. Then it suddenly spat out black venom.

And a shocking scene unfolded.

Manager Choi, drenched in venom, melted away without even being able to scream. In just 10 seconds, his bones and organs were visible.

Young-cheol gritted his teeth and shouted.

“Damn it! Don’t look back and run!”

They had to flee now, if only to not let Manager Choi’s death be in vain. As a result, they barely managed to reach the surface.

“Huh? Why isn’t Manager Choi…”

“Just step on it! Hurry!”

Young-cheol yelled.

Soon after, the centipede monster also burst to the surface, and seeing this, the employees all drove their cars towards Jamsil Station.

The chase began like that. Along with dozens of larvae that had been clinging to the centipede monster’s body, which had awakened relatively early.

After finishing his recollection of what had happened.

Young-cheol swung his axe and split the head of a zombie lunging at him in half.

“Huff! Huff!”

His whole body was drenched in sweat from dealing with over a dozen zombies.

But the effort was worth it. A considerable number of zombies occupying the road had disappeared.

With that number, they should be able to ram through with the car and move on. Having made his judgment, Young-cheol immediately turned to look at the employees.

“That’s enough! Everyone get in the car and—“

As he was about to shout to resume moving to their destination.

Young-cheol froze with his mouth open. The employees who had been fighting zombies with him just moments ago had vanished without a trace.

Just then, familiar voices were heard.

“M-manager.”

“Please… save us…”

Assistant Manager Kim, who had been at the wheel.

Minjeong, the intern employee. Their voices came from inside the car, which was now full of centipede larvae that had suddenly swarmed in.

And the two were being eaten alive by the centipede monsters in real-time. Their lower bodies had already completely disappeared, and they had lost a lot of blood.

Crunch! Munch munch!

There was nothing that could be done anymore.

Young-cheol squeezed his eyes shut and deliberately ignored the two pleading for help with fading voices.

Then screams erupted from all around.

“Kyaaaah!”

“Wh-when did they get here!?”

Eunhee and other survivors approached Young-cheol. They wore terrified expressions, and Young-cheol soon realized why.

“Damn it…”

The centipede monsters that had been watching Ttukseom until just now had suddenly surrounded the area.

Over dozens of larvae.

Meanwhile, there were less than ten employees left.

Moreover, this side had lost their fighting spirit. On the other hand, Young-cheol gripped his axe and gritted his teeth.

‘I can’t die like this!’

Thinking of his beloved daughter, strength naturally flowed into his body. Even if he was eaten alive, he didn’t want to give up until the very end.

That’s why he shouted as if in desperation.

“Come on! You monster bastards!”

Just as he was about to swing his axe.

Suddenly, something fell from the sky.

Kwagagaga! Kwaang!

A strong shockwave that shattered the road.

The centipede larvae caught in it turned to mush. A moment later, as the dust settled, what appeared was a monster without a head.

The monster that had suddenly barged in swung its whip-like arms, and began tearing apart the larvae that had formed the encirclement.

Puk! Pukpuk! Pueok!

The larvae exploding like bursting balloons.

Watching this, Young-cheol muttered with a blank face, unable to comprehend the situation.

“…What kind of monster is that now?”

“I don’t know. But…”

“It, it seems to be helping us, right?”

As Eunhee said, the suddenly appeared monster didn’t seem particularly interested in the employees. Instead, it only persistently targeted the centipede monsters.

‘I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but…’

If the encirclement breaks like this, they might be lucky enough to escape. Young-cheol inwardly cheered on the unknown monster.

But at that moment.

【Kiaaaaaaah!】

A terrible screech along with the shaking ground.

Soon, Young-cheol’s expression was tinged with despair.

Because the giant centipede, which had been watching from behind until now, charged into the battlefield.

The Collector sprinting fiercely on the road.

While clearing away the zombies blocking the path and heading towards the destination, Han-seong noticed that the blue and red dots on the map had overlapped.

‘Has a fight broken out?’

Han-seong, who had used Detection on the Centipede Queen earlier, had obtained information about the levels and jobs of the survivors being chased.

Survivors with an average level of about 10.

They might be able to handle centipede larvae, but their skills wouldn’t even work against the Centipede Queen.

‘I need to hurry.’

So he decided to ignore the zombies.

Using the Collector’s powerful jumping ability to leap over the zombies filling the road, he was soon able to reach his destination.

‘Found them!’

He saw the survivors surrounded by the Centipede Queen and larvae. Han-seong made the Collector jump with all its might and landed at the destination.

To break down one axis of the encirclement.

Han-seong’s plan succeeded, and two larvae were crushed horribly under the Collector.

[You have killed a Centipede Larva.]

[You have acquired (10) Coins.]

‘5 coins per larva, huh.’

The equivalent of five zombies’ worth of coins.

Thinking the efficiency wasn’t bad, Han-seong swung the Collector’s arms at high speed.

Hung! Hunghunghung! Huuuung!

The arms rotating through the air soon struck the larvae, and without exception, all the larvae that were hit burst apart.

The sound of coins accumulating was heard repeatedly, and Han-seong smiled with satisfaction.

But at that moment.

【Kigigaaaah!】

The Centipede Queen charged in.

Seeing her children being killed, she must have decided she could no longer stand by and watch.

At this, Han-seong temporarily stopped attacking the larvae and retreated to create distance.

‘The Centipede Queen has three skills.’

Venom Spit, Poison Mist, and Spawning.

Among these, Spawning was probably a skill for laying eggs. There was no need to worry about it immediately.

‘So I just need to watch out for Venom Spit and Poison Mist?’

But while Venom Spit was straightforward, what kind of skill was Poison Mist? It didn’t sound like it meant dancing while spraying venom.

Meanwhile, around that time, the Centipede Queen that had charged into the battlefield began wildly swinging her tail at the Collector.

Whoong! Kwajik! Kwaddeuk!

Powerful enough to smash a car to pieces.

But no matter how strong an attack, it’s meaningless if it doesn’t hit. The Collector dodged the attacks nimbly, and the Centipede Queen soon stopped in place.

Then she suddenly exhibited an unexpected behavior.

She pointed at the Collector with her antennae and began swelling her neck grotesquely.

‘What is she trying to do?’

As he watched warily, suddenly a survivor’s shout was heard from afar.

“D-dodge! It’s poison!”

At that moment, the Centipede Queen spat venom.

Black venom that looked clearly dangerous.

But the venom didn’t reach the Collector.

Thanks to Han-seong pulling the Collector’s body back a step ahead after hearing the warning.

Whoong! Chulpuk!

The venom that flew into the air covered a crumpled car, and the vehicle melted away at a rapid pace.

Han-seong’s expression hardened.

‘…We’re done for if we get hit by that.’

The Collector’s body is tough.

It’s sturdy enough to be unharmed even falling from tens of meters in the air. However, he couldn’t guarantee it would be safe against such strong venom.

At that time, the centipede larvae released their encirclement of the survivors and instead surrounded the Collector.

‘Are they trying to tie down its feet?’

So it can’t dodge the venom.

Indeed, as the larvae moved, the Centipede Queen once again showed signs of gathering venom.

But there was something they had overlooked.

This place was 1.3km away from Han-seong’s officetel. In other words, it was within the effective range of all skills except Inventory and Wind Cutter.

[Activating skill.]

[Remote: Tinder]

A flame that bloomed in empty air.

The flame fell in the middle of the larva swarm, and the larva suddenly engulfed in flames writhed madly before turning to ashes.

Taking this as a signal, the unquenchable flames frantically latched onto the centipedes.

Hwareuk! Hwareureuruk!

The larvae on the road turned into lumps of charcoal while screaming, without even being able to put up any resistance.

Without a single exception, all of them.

Then the Centipede Queen, who had been preparing her venom, charged forward with fierce momentum. She seemed to have lost her reason after seeing the larvae turn to charcoal.

Han-seong pulled the Collector back while striking the Centipede Queen’s shell with its arm.

‘Damn, it’s tough!’

It was a blow that had even dismembered the larvae, but it didn’t seem to work on the Centipede Queen.

Han-seong ended up pulling the Collector far back.

In the opposite direction of the survivors. At that moment, the Centipede Queen raised her mouth towards the sky.

‘What’s this? More venom?’

Han-seong widened the gap with the Centipede Queen.

So he could dodge at any time.

But this time was a bit different. Instead of directly spitting venom, she started spraying it into the air like a mist sprayer.

Soon after, the Collector’s condition became strange.

[Replica: Collector (Lv.30)]

▷Status: Poisoned, Slowed, Paralyzed

“Poisoned?”

Along with slowing and paralysis symptoms.

It must be because of that action just now. After a while, a dark purple mist began to spread on the road, and Han-seong belatedly realized.

“Ah, so it was poison mist!”

Poison Mist. Mist containing poison.

The Centipede Queen’s second skill had manifested. Because of this, the Collector’s physical abilities dropped sharply, and she didn’t miss this opportunity.

Whoong! Pueoeok!

Hit by the attack, the Collector was thrown into a corner like a rag doll. The health gauge decreased instantly, but this was actually fortunate.

‘It’s out of the poison mist’s range.’

Physical abilities returned to normal.

Han-seong created as much distance as possible from the Centipede Queen while checking the Collector’s condition.

‘One health gauge bar left.’

First, he needed to recover health.

Fortunately, there were corpses of the larvae the Collector had crushed earlier in its path, and Han-seong stuffed them into the Collector’s stomach pouch.

Then he activated a skill.

[Replica: Collector’s Skill]

[Activating Devour.]

A skill that dissolves and absorbs corpses stored in the stomach pouch to recover health. Thanks to this, the health gauge filled up by two bars.

【Kyaaaaaaah!】

Meanwhile, the Centipede Queen let out a terrible screech.

Well, it’s understandable to be enraged after watching her children’s corpses being devoured greedily right in front of the mother.

She quickly closed the distance and once again raised her head to the sky. It looked like she was going to spray poison mist again, just like before.

Seeing this, Han-seong’s eyes lit up.

‘The Centipede Queen’s movements are fast.’

And her senses are keen, so she becomes wary and flees when skills are activated. This is probably why she was able to avoid Tinder, which had burned all the larvae.

But she had a weakness.

It was when using skills.

‘When preparing venom, or when spraying poison mist, she always stops in place.’

Meaning her movement becomes fixed.

Han-seong, who had noticed this fact through the battle so far, didn’t hesitate to use a skill the moment she raised her head.

[Remote: Decoy Dummy]

A skill that requires casting time.

Since it would be useless if the Centipede Queen ran away or destroyed the doll right before the skill activated, he deliberately aimed for when she was using the poison mist.

Han-seong’s intention worked perfectly.

【Ki, kigik?! Kiiiaah!】

Just before the Centipede Queen spat out the poison mist, her body moved on its own. To attack the doll with a provocation effect.

Thanks to this, the Poison Mist skill was canceled, and Han-seong was able to naturally prepare a follow-up attack.

The most powerful blow among the skills he currently possessed.

[Remote: Call Lightning]

Kurung! Kwaaaang!

Dazzling lightning struck the Centipede Queen.

A direct hit, without missing.

With the powerful strike, her shell instantly turned to charcoal and shattered. The Centipede Queen, writhing from the shock of being struck by lightning, suddenly began frantically digging into the ground.

“Trying to escape?”

Can’t let that happen.

Han-seong used the Collector’s long arms to pierce through the body of the Centipede Queen as she tried to flee.

She thrashed about desperately, but with her shell shattered, there was no way to block the attack. And in this process, she fully exposed her weak point.

‘The heart!’

Han-seong discovered something like dark red blood sacs in the head, body, and tail areas. It clearly looked like the vital point, the heart.

If so, there was no need to hesitate.

[Remote: Magic Arrow]

Puk! Pukpukpuk! Pueok!

A barrage of arrows raining down in succession.

The outer membrane of the heart was tougher than expected, and it was only after embedding all five arrows that he was finally able to destroy it.

‘Two hearts left.’

Han-seong activated additional Magic Arrows he had stored in the bracelet earlier. And the moment he struck the remaining two hearts in succession.

With an indescribable scream, the Centipede Queen’s body convulsed. After a while, she collapsed to the ground as if crumbling.

And she no longer moved.

[Subjugation successful.]

[Elite Monster: Centipede Queen]

The familiar notification that soon appeared.

It was the moment of successfully hunting an elite monster for the second time since the Upheaval.