37. The Beast Herd. (1)

“Are you really okay? Going alone?”

“I’m fine. I’ll be back, so keep the windows secured.”

I put on my shoes while the Special Forces members stood behind me.

Sung Ga-yeon approached and handed me a wireless earphone, saying,

“Can you keep us updated? We’ll listen through the speaker. If anything happens, we’ll provide immediate support.”

Sung Ga-yeon’s face showed a stubbornness that said, “Don’t refuse.”

I looked at the earphone, chuckled, and put one in my ear.

“One should be enough, right?”

Sung Ga-yeon handed me her phone.

I dialed my number and handed it back.

“I’ll be back.”

I left the house and got into the elevator.

People really worry a lot.

Even though I said I’m fine.

Especially Sung Ga-yeon, who has seen me fight, still acts like this.

…But to be honest, I am a bit nervous.

A dog the size of a house and a cat bigger than a tiger…

Ding-

As soon as I got off at the first floor, Sung Ga-yeon called me.

“By the way, me.”

I pushed the phone and stuffed it in my pocket.

“Yes?”

“I’ll put it on the speaker now. I’ve fully charged the battery, so the call should last for four hours.”

“Got it.”

I shrugged and adjusted the duffel bag on my shoulder, then started walking toward Dongchang-ri.

The sun had already set, and there was no trace of the sunset, just a dark evening.

Walking alone on the empty street felt eerie.

I would feel more at ease if I could hear a dog barking somewhere.

Except for the beasts that have turned into monsters, of course.

“Seong-hun, are you really okay if we don’t wait nearby? Should we come now?”

“I’m fine. Nothing will happen.”

Don’t come.

Fighting alone is better. It’s annoying if someone nearby becomes a target for the beasts, and I have to protect them while fighting.

But I can’t just leave them.

I looked up at the sky.

The sky on that side is dark, while this side is still evening.

It’s a strangely beautiful scene that can only be seen at this time.

The wide fields blend in, creating a picturesque view.

But I won’t be able to enjoy the scenery for long.

With a somewhat relaxed feeling, I walked out of town to the north, and it was already night by the time I kept walking.

The earphone in my ear picked up someone’s voice.

It’s okay. Nothing’s happening. Don’t worry. It’s just taking longer than expected, and so on.

It seems the Special Forces member has a new girlfriend.

I chuckled to myself as I walked and soon saw a house.

A detached house surrounded by a stone wall.

Such detached houses are scattered throughout the town.

The streetlights, if they can be called that, are far apart and barely illuminate the ground, making it a typical rural area.

…Now I understand why people were so afraid.

If the houses are this far apart, you can’t help your neighbors if something happens, and you might not even know what’s happening next door.

The number of households is quite large.

Though they are scattered, the town is quite big.

Maybe this kind of town structure helped them survive.

Densely populated areas were devastated in no time.

Basements or places like supermarkets…

I slowly walked through the town.

I could see the river in the distance.

…Something is wriggling…

Like a bunch of worms…

I narrowed my eyes and looked at the riverbank.

…Not worms.

The human beasts that were trapped in the water are crawling out onto the land.

They don’t die when they fall into the water, but they definitely slow down.

The human beasts are wriggling and crawling out, both on this side and across the river.

For some reason, they can’t get up easily, flapping their arms like mudskippers, indicating that water significantly hinders their movement.

“……”

I slowly moved my steps and placed my hand on the hilt of the sword.

…A bow would be better here.

The arrows have been regenerating so much that the quiver is overflowing.

I brought thirty-five, but with the regeneration, I have almost seventy.

If they were regenerating at a rate of one per minute, people would have noticed, but they only regenerate three per hour, so when an arrow falls out of the quiver, it’s just assumed that one fell out by accident.

Replicating items is an extraordinary event, and people tend to rationalize anything that isn’t extremely bizarre within their own logical framework.

Still, it will be discovered eventually.

That I have special abilities.

Our supermarket group and the Special Forces members, including Sung Ga-yeon, seem to have some idea.

I pulled out the bow from the quiver.

Twang-

Then, I opened the zipper of the duffel bag slung over my shoulder.

The Adidas bag I usually use couldn’t be brought on this trip.

Since the purpose was to gather weapons, everyone brought a large duffel bag that could hold a lot, measuring 1.3 meters in length.

This duffel bag is perfect for storing arrows, which are less than a meter long.

I took out an Ingram magazine from the open duffel bag and put one in each pocket of the leather belt on my thighs.

The magazine pouches Soo-hyeon attached to my thigh strap after I got the Ingram. I don’t know how I would carry all this gear without Soo-hyeon’s help.

I’ll give her a big hug when I get back.

I prepared the magazines and pulled an arrow from the quiver on my waist.

Thwick.

The wooden shafts of the arrows clattered slightly.

I nocked the arrow and lowered my arms, looking ahead.

The human beasts wriggling up…

…Should I shoot now?

…No.

Let’s wait a bit longer.

I can kill the human beasts anytime.

“Seong-hun, your breathing has slowed. Where are you now?”

It’s Sung Ga-yeon.

I said softly,

“I’m about fifty meters from the riverbank.”

“Are the beasts out?”

Sung Ga-yeon’s voice was slightly tense.

I shook my head.

“Not yet. But the ones that fell into the water are crawling out.”

Some men’s voices were whispering.

They were too low to understand.

Sung Ga-yeon said,

“Let us know if anything happens. We’ll come immediately.”

I shook my head.

No need to come.

“…Alright.”

At that moment, I heard a sound.

Whoosh, whoosh?

I turned my head.

The bedroom window of the detached house next to me.

An old man poked his head out and was making a whooshing sound.

Our eyes met.

The old man said,

“Young man, what are you doing there? It’s dangerous. The beasts are coming out. I’ll open the door, come in quickly. Hurry.”

…What a kind old man.

I couldn’t understand half of what he said because he was mumbling so much.

I smiled slightly and said,

“Thank you, I’m fine.”

Krrrrrr-

Speaking a bit louder than usual, the human beasts must have heard me.

This familiar, barking sound.

The beasts reacted to my voice.

I nodded to the old man and said,

“Close the window and draw the curtains. Don’t make any noise.”

“Hey, young man, don’t do that. Come in, okay?”

Hmm.

It’s nice of him, but it’s annoying.

Let it be.

He’ll close the window himself.

I turned my head and looked into the distance.

The human beasts were slowly getting up on the land.

Krrrrrr-

Krrrrrr-

And another sound mixed in with their noises.

Uuuuuu-

A deep, operatic sound, as if a bass singer was letting out a long note.

From far away.

It sounded like an echo from deep in the mountains.

I looked up and gazed into the distance.

The mountain across the river.

A large shadow in the darkness of the night.

There.

Urrrrrr!

At that moment, I heard a sound.

The air seemed to tremble.

Turning my head, I saw the riverbank beyond the detached house.

A dark shadow was attacking the human beasts there.

Crunch, crunch, crunch!

It was eating the human beasts that had crawled out and were moving clumsily.

It was too dark to see clearly.

Just a dark shadow.

But I could tell it had four legs.

And a long tail.

…It’s big.

The human beasts next to it gave me a rough idea of its size.

About the size of a one-ton truck.

The beast, which had been gnawing on a human beast, lifted its head and opened its mouth.

Urrrrrr!

The air trembled.

What is this sound?

It’s definitely from somewhere…

A sound I’ve heard before…

I held the bow with the arrow nocked, slowly raising it to aim at the beast.

I must have been clenching my teeth without realizing it.

Was I nervous?

Damn, it feels like the first day of the apocalypse.

“Phew.”

I steadied my breath and drew the string.

Whoosh-

A transparent circle appeared.

And the massive beast caught in the circle.

The beast started to glow red.

It turned its head sharply.

In the darkness, its eyes glowed like fireflies.

Release the string…!

It disappeared.

…So fast!

Where did it go?

Damn, should I have used acceleration before shooting?

I turned my head left and right, scanning the surroundings.

I couldn’t see it.

Then, the air behind me trembled.

Urrrrrr!

A shiver ran down my spine.

I turned around reflexively.

The roof of the detached house.

On top of it, a massive form.

It leaped, shattering the tiles.

It was rapidly growing in size!

Urrrrrr!

Acceleration!

[Automatic Activation: Acceleration]

The breeze that was blowing turned into a jelly-like substance, slowly pushing the air away.

I immediately drew the string and aimed at the beast.

The beast glowed red.

At that moment, I realized.

This is…

A black cat.

Its fur was patchy, and its vertical pupils had bloodshot lines. Its mouth was so wide it looked like it could tear its neck open.

But it was definitely a cat.

A cat the size of a truck…!

I released the string.

Thwip.

I immediately knelt on one knee, grabbed an arrow from the duffel bag, and shot it.

Thwip, thwip, thwip, thwip, thwip!

Second acceleration.

The beast was getting closer.

I need to dodge!

I grabbed the duffel bag and jumped to the side with all my might.

The acceleration ended.

The monster cat swung its front paw.

At the same time, seven or eight arrows pierced the beast’s eyes, mouth, and head like a storm.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!

“Krrrrrrrrr!”

The monster cat, which seemed to have toppled the ground, crashed into the wall.

The wall collapsed with a thunderous sound.

A faint scream could be heard from inside the house.

“Phew, hah.”

Damn, that rumbling sound earlier.

It was the growling of the cats.

I thought it sounded like helicopter propellers, but it was those crazy monsters.

I knelt on one knee and looked at the collapsed wall.

I stuck so many arrows in its head, it should be dead…

Crunch, crunch.

The debris from the collapsed wall was moving.

Urrrrrr- Urrrrrr-

The beast was slowly lifting its head.

“Seong-hun, what’s happening? What’s that sound?”

…It didn’t die even with arrows stuck in its head?

I was so surprised that I laughed.

“…A cat.”

“…What?”