episode_0273

A lean build covered grotesquely with tangled, fine muscles.

Its long, slender limbs, as if stretched by force, boasted equally prominent muscles.

‘…’

The outer skin, which appeared to have little body fat, was a dirty skin tone, somewhere between healthy human flesh and the decaying flesh of a zombie.

Beneath it, thick, lumpy tendons were clearly visible, as if flaunting themselves, bulging angrily.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t tattered flesh.

The creature possessed skin that remained moist enough to appear smooth when wet with rainwater.

And huge hands, large enough to lightly cup a human head.

Its dirty hands, caked with dirt and something else, held onto the steep cliff with ease.

Clinging to the cliff in a posture similar to a spider-boy, the mutant watched us from above.

Through its long, flowing straight hair, which young women might prefer, dull gray eyes met mine.

Its appearance was exactly like a ghost crawling out of a TV…

‘It’s dangerous.’

It’s very strange, but even more dangerous.

As proof, my mind kept issuing warnings.

The threat wasn’t limited to visible dangers.

‘It has no presence.’

The mutant and I were clearly looking at each other.

Yet, its presence was extremely faint.

Even when it stopped moving and glared, I couldn’t sense the unique killing intent.

It’s a common characteristic of zombies to rush at living humans like ravenous ghouls.

But this mutant had none of that.

Its demeanor, observing us as if we were a newly discovered creature, tensed my body.

Click-clack-

As soon as the sound of a pistol being loaded came from directly behind me, the mutant’s head twitched.

“…”

Reacting to the sound, the mutant slowly began to descend the wall.

It moved its long, slender limbs like a soldier crawling, sliding down silently.

Its movements were so natural that it was hard to feel any incongruity.

If it had been crawling on the ground instead of the wall, it might have received a perfect score for its posture.

The creature descended to about 5 meters and then stopped again, scrutinizing us.

Screech-ee-ee-

The mutant let out a bizarre, high-pitched screech, like a thorn stuck in its throat, and grotesquely twisted its neck.

Then, its eyes darted between me and Heize, before fixing its gaze on Heize.

‘That bastard-‘

The mutant, with a woman’s face, grotesquely twisted the muscles around its mouth.

In context, that was clearly a ‘smile’.

At the same time, it revealed its killing intent, as if showing that its previous calm demeanor had been a pretense.

“Gasp…!”

Heize gasped, as if struck by a killing intent that, if it had form, would boast a thick texture.

Perhaps it was because she had been directly hit by the killing intent in the cold.

Heize’s hand, holding the pistol, began to tremble.

Squish-

“Cough! Choke- Urgh…! Hah!”

As soon as I moved to hide Heize behind me, she inhaled sharply.

“Han, Han…”

“…”

I held out my palm behind me, and I felt Heize adjust her stance.

Crunch-!

Gritting her teeth, she brought forth her fighting spirit.

At the same time, the mutant’s gaze fixed on me.

Twitch- Twitch-

Seeing the mutant’s fine muscles twitch, I knew.

That thing didn’t like me right now.

‘This fucking bitch.’

The grotesquely twisted facial muscles moved again, forming an expression clearly indicating anger.

Added to that was a sudden intensification of its killing intent, sharp and pungent, like a sting in the throat.

It assessed the situation, observed the opponent, and measured it.

Then, it targeted the weaker prey.

An act like a predator just before a hunt.

Furthermore, it enjoyed toying with its prey and reacted with displeasure if disturbed.

I was certain.

That thing definitely had intelligence.

Even now, it watched me, who was calmly receiving its aura, with suspicion and caution.

‘Why is this guy unaffected?’

Perhaps it was thinking something like that with its melted frontal lobe.

Regardless, I slightly stepped back with my right foot and gently bent my knee.

That thing would definitely test the waters once.

Based on experience, similar creatures usually did.

It would take a sample, taste it, and then make a careful decision.

Whether to devour immediately, or to wait a little longer.

Or to retreat.

‘I’ll finish it here.’

If I let it go here, it would relentlessly target us.

If that happened, my family would be in danger, and I could clearly envision myself cursing and pounding the ground.

Just then, the mutant looked poised to rush in.

Whoosh-

My vision intertwined through the gaps in the obscuring rain.

I stealthily opened my inventory—

Shatter-!

“!”

With the sound of crumbling stone, the mutant lunged forward like a projectile.

Thwack-!!

The mutant, which had rushed in with great momentum, took a massive blow to the face and tumbled to the ground.

It would have been dangerous if I hadn’t instinctively struck the mutant’s temple.

Heize.

My eyes blazed, forgetting any thoughts of strike reactions or anything else.

“You goddamn bitch-!!”

Cursing automatically erupted from me at its tactic of pretending to target me while rushing at Heize.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Taking advantage of its stumble, dull thuds echoed as it was struck on the head.

It was good timing and a direct hit, but unfortunately, it had no effect.

Instead, it placed its hand on the spot where I had hit it, looking utterly enraged.

“Aaaargh-!!!”

A scream of uncontrollable rage.

Watching the creature shriek in a voice similar to a woman’s, I quickly opened my inventory.

And without looking back, I said,

“Heize. Run.”

With my inventory open, I unhesitatingly pulled out the minigun.

Hiss-

“Ah, shit.”

As soon as raindrops touched the glowing red barrel, it hissed and steam violently erupted.

I’d forgotten I’d used it until it overheated in the previous battle and then just put it away like that.

‘I should have taken it out and let it cool down…!’

Blaming myself for my carelessness, I pulled the trigger all the way.

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR-!!!

Vivid muzzle flashes erupted from the rapidly spinning barrel and didn’t cease.

I was pushed back slightly by the powerful recoil, but my stance didn’t break.

“What the f…”

A clear cry of utter astonishment.

Heize was greatly flustered upon seeing the minigun suddenly appear.

I understood her feelings, but explanations could wait.

For now, I focused on riddling the mutant in front of me with bullets.

“Screeeech!!”

With sounds like meat being pounded, the mutant howled and thrashed its body.

Dark blue blood splattered, and the mutant’s torso was mercilessly pushed back by the minigun’s powerful destructive force.

Suddenly- *whoosh*! (flurry of rapid movement!)

Even while being pummeled by the intense barrage, the mutant quickly got back on its feet and ran erratically.

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRR-!!

Thud-thud-thud-! Crack! Whump!

“Ah, that bastard.”

The mutant, which had been stumbling, darted here and there to avoid the minigun’s bullet curtain.

Especially seeing it hide behind trees and run, the minigun was definitely effective.

The mutant stubbornly weaved between trees, dodging a considerable number of rapidly fired bullets.

Whoosh- Thud! Thud! Thud- Thwack!

Its movements regained their liveliness, as if it had recovered from the shock.

Then, it began to move quickly from tree to tree, blurring my vision.

“Are you a ninja?”

The location was unfavorable.

I wanted to rampage with the minigun and destroy the entire forest, just like in the movies, but…

Seeing the barrel not just red-hot but shimmering with heat haze, I stopped firing.

I couldn’t keep up with that speed with the minigun, and it seemed I shouldn’t pull the trigger any further.

As the barrage stopped, the mutant reacted immediately.

It stopped its frantic movements and hung horizontally from a tree, glaring at me.

Thick killing intent and glittering eyes.

In just a moment, its flesh was tattered and dangling, and dark blue blood oozed sluggishly.

The minigun, which I’d unleashed from the start, had faithfully done its job in a short time.

As a result, it finally looked somewhat like the zombies I knew, which was satisfying.

Glance-

Yet, its gaze wasn’t on me, but behind me.

‘This fucking bitch, really…’

“Heize?”

I couldn’t take my eyes off the creature, so I only slightly turned my head and called her name.

“Can’t run away. Show your back and you’ll die.”

It seemed she had stayed a few steps away from me, holding her ground.

For now… Heize’s judgment was correct.

Considering the mutant’s behavior, it was possible it would have lunged at Heize if she had moved away.

But that would have been in a normal situation.

Since I was here, I could have definitely held it back, but…

“I won’t leave you behind, Han. I’ll fight too.”

“…”

Unconsciously, my gaze turned to Heize.

She trembled from the killing intent emanating from the mutant, yet didn’t lower the pistol she held up.

Gritting her teeth, her blue eyes shining, there was no hesitation in her.

“…”

Heize conveyed ‘Are you serious?’ with her body.

Soaked to the bone and looking like a drowned rat, she simply looked incredibly beautiful.

At her sincerity… I, too, firmed my resolve.

I took a rifle and magazines from my inventory and tossed them to Heize.

“Huh? Huh?”

“Get ready.”

Heize, who was almost bewildered once more by the suddenly appearing weapon, quickly loaded the rifle.

As she crept closer, I handed her additional spare magazines.

“…”

Taking the magazines, she shoved them into her pockets without another word.

I felt the mutant’s gaze from the front and Heize’s gaze from behind.

The mutant still didn’t move recklessly, merely glaring at me and Heize.

I met the mutant’s gaze head-on and calmly said,

“Bullets won’t penetrate.”

“…”

“If you aim, aim for the head. Hitting its eyes will be effective.”

“Understood…!”

“Even if it’s not effective, it’ll go crazy if hit. You suppress it to cut off its movements. Then I’ll land a decisive blow.”

“Got it.”

Slowly, I gripped the hilt of ‘Myeongwol’ from my inventory.

“I’ll protect you. Fire away without worry.”

“Oh~”

“?”

“So hot…”

…Where was the woman who was just trembling…

Click-clack-

“Go.”

Rat-a-tat!! Bang!Bang!Bang!

She began by riddling the mutant’s head with bullets.

“Kyaaaaah!!”

The mutant, letting out a piercing shriek and flailing its arms, moved quickly.

Whoosh-! Whoosh-! Swish!

It swung from trees left and right, then surged forward, rushing directly towards us.

I felt Heize take a diagonal step back and lower her stance.

It was a fast charge, but perhaps thanks to the minigun, its speed had slightly diminished.

‘Just as I thought.’

It seemed to be a frontal attack, but as expected, it was targeting Heize.

Guarding in front of her, whose gaze was now fully drawn, I drew my sword and gripped it.

HUUUMMM-

As Myeongwol hummed softly and glowed, I saw the mutant’s gaze flicker for a moment.

I greatly lowered my stance to match the mutant rushing for a person’s neck.

From top to bottom.

A downward slash, drawing a beautiful semicircle.

SWISH!

Flash-!

Myeongwol, leaving behind a bluish afterimage of its blade, gifted my hand with an indescribable sensation.

At the same time, the blade began to glow a little more intensely.

Splat- Splat-

The mutant fell, and its severed arm spun around and dropped to the ground.

“Screeeeeeeech-!!”

A familiar shriek.

I had gifted the mutant with its true voice.

The creature, with its right shoulder cleanly severed, shrieked and thrashed on the ground.

I rushed at the creature, which writhed violently as if it were feeling pain.

Swish-!

“Screech!”

I aimed for its neck and brought Myeongwol down, but only managed to cut off its ear and some hair.

‘…’

Its instantaneous movements were incredible.

Just now, I had intended to split its head in half, but it twisted its body in mid-air.

Even now, it violently contorted its body to dodge its head.

Thud-!

“Kaaaaaagh!”

If that’s the case, I just needed to make it slower.

I plunged Myeongwol into the knee of the creature, whose movements had become slightly more sluggish.

At that moment, it raised its upper body and swung its remaining arm at me.

An attack with its claws bared so overtly.

WHOOSH-!

Thwack!

After throwing an uppercut to knock away the mutant’s hand.

Thwack-!!

As it bared its blackened teeth, I struck its jaw.

The moment the mutant’s heavily shaken head hit the ground.

Rat-a-tat-tat-! Bang-bang-bang-!

Thud-thud-thud-thud!

Heize, having taken her stance behind me, relentlessly targeted the side of the mutant’s head.

The concentrated fire on almost the same spot finally made blood gush from the mutant’s head.

At that moment.

WHOOSH-!

The mutant rapidly escaped its position, scuttling backward on the ground.

The creature was so flustered that it abandoned one leg to pull its body away.

Its movements were noticeably dulled by the accumulated impact, severed arm, and its now three legs, but it was still fast.

The mutant quickly moved away from me.

Bang-bang-bang-!

Heize, true to her role, steadily suppressed the mutant.

She succeeded in making the creature, which was trying to escape through the trees, change direction.

Thwack!

I kicked off the muddy ground, which had turned into mush, and closed in on the mutant.

The creature, enraged and about to lunge at Heize, noticed me and unhesitatingly moved towards the cliff.

Leaping like a frog, it clung to the wall and began to climb.

‘I’ll catch it here!’

As I put strength into my legs and stepped onto the difficult muddy path.

Bang-! Bang-bang!

Thump! Thump! Crumble!

“Screeeeeeech!!!”

Heize meticulously targeted the mutant’s remaining hand.

Dark blue blood splattered, and the moment the mutant’s body fell from the cliff.

‘Good job.’

Dash-dash-dash-! Thwack!

I dashed frantically, closing the distance, and leaped.

And.

Whoosh-

Flash-

I swung my sword, timing it with the correct interval.

The sword, swung towards the mutant’s neck as it fell back-first to the ground, severed its neck without any resistance.

Thunk! Splat- Thud!

Two going up, three coming down.

Whoosh! Swish-!

I swung the sword through the air to shake off the blood, but the blade remained spotless.

‘…’

Myeongwol, which had left a superb sensation in my hand, hummed softly and slowly dimmed its light.

Just as I was about to put Myeongwol, which had shown abilities beyond my expectations, into my inventory.

“Han!”

Splish-splash- Splish-splash-

Whoosh-!

Heize, having run over awkwardly, threw herself into my arms.

I gently patted her back, where her arms were tightly wrapped around my neck, and said,

“It’s okay now.”

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

I chuckled softly, watching Heize release her arms and start examining my body.

“No. What about you?”

“I’m fine.”

I caught Heize’s hands, which were feeling my arms and legs for injuries, and stopped her.

“I said I’m fine.”

“…”

The slight tremor in her blue eyes stopped, and she looked up at me.

Then, without a word, she buried her face in my chest.

“Aren’t you cold?”

“…”

“Hmm…”

I felt a slight tremble from the arms and body wrapped around my torso.

Seeing no sign of it subsiding, I finally wrapped my arms around Heize’s body.

Whoosh-

After embracing each other in the rain for a little longer, I gently pulled Heize away.

“You’ll catch a cold. Let’s go inside.”

“…Okay.”

Taking the hand of the somehow docile Heize, I finally started to move.

Even while walking, and until we reached the shelter’s entrance.

Heize remained silent.