Chapter 32: Chapter 32

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Chapter 32: Hunting (4)

“Huuh…!”

“We’re almost there! Hang in there a little longer!”

Pushing through the dense bushes, I sprinted towards the safe zone.

In the distance, a crowd of people came into view.

A green circle drawn in the middle of the forest path was packed tightly with men and women of all ages.

“There are so many people.”

“It looks like there are more than fifty, noona!”

The tense atmosphere seeping through the branches made my hair stand on end.

「01:14」

Thankfully, there was still time.

Which meant…

“Shall we start catching them?”

I extended my right hand to Jieun, standing beside them.

My left hand had long been held firmly by Yura.

“Do… we really have to catch them?”

“Yes. Hurry.”

But Jieun hesitated, awkwardly fumbling instead of taking my hand.

It was unlike her to hesitate, especially when everyone was waiting.

Was there a reason she was unwilling…?

— Swish.

So there was.

“Jieun.”

“Y-Yes?”

( whispered her name, cautious not to be overheard.

Jieun flinched as if startled by thunder.

“Schisandra tea is good.”

“What? All of a sudden…?”

“For hyperhidrosis.”

Her noticeably clammy palm seemed out of place for the mild weather.

It appeared to be an unspoken insecurity of hers.

I hadn’t noticed before.

Well, I never had a reason to hold the hand of a colleague from another team, so there was no way to know.

“If we scavenge the remains of a convenience store or mart, we might find schisandra tea. Let’s look for it when we search for supplies.”

“…”

I meant it as a thoughtful comment, but Jieun remained silent, her head lowered.

Did that… upset her?

“I apologize if I overstepped. It’s not a life-threatening condition, so if you don’t want—”

“It’s fine! Let’s just go quickly!”

Jieun raised her face, now as red as a ripe apple, and hurried her steps forward.

I wondered if I should comfort her, but there wasn’t enough time.

“Yura, could you use your skill?”

“Sure!”

Paaah—!

The moment Yura nodded, a system message echoed in their mind.

[You have entered the ‘Hide and Seek’ zone of target ‘Kim Yura.’]

[The skill effect will dissipate the moment you let go of the caster.]

We all held hands as we moved forward, though the arrangement was awkward and uncomfortable.

As we trudged along, Yeojin asked,

“Why do we have to sneak in like this?”

“…You’ll see when we get closer.”

I held back the full explanation.

I didn’t want to tell the high school girl that humans were not to be trusted.

And besides…

It wouldn’t be long before the scene revealed itself.

“What? What do you mean?”

“Is there an enemy or something—?”

Clang! Clang! Crash! Screeeech!

The sound of metal clashing and shattering announced the fierce battlefield ahead.

The safe zone, now fully visible, was a chaotic war zone.

“!!”

“What’s going on?!”

“Why are they fighting each other?!”

Dozens of survivors swung weapons at one another.

Small groups huddled together, backs pressed against each other, casting wary glances in all directions.

“Die!!”

“Arghhhh!”

People wielded spears, swords, even kitchen knives, desperately slashing at one another.

It was an unrestrained brawl among ordinary individuals, leaving everyone stunned.

“Why are they fighting?! There’s enough space in the safe zone for everyone!”

Jieun shouted in disbelief.

“Because they need to catch it first.”

“Catch what? Don’t tell me…”

When I neither confirmed nor denied her suspicion, Jieun bit her lower lip hard.

“…”

Men killed women, and young adults stabbed and slashed middle-aged people.

The slaughter unfolding before us was unbearably horrific.

Although I had vaguely expected something like this might happen…

“…I didn’t think it would escalate into a fight this massive.”

Most of the survivors in the safe zone were caught up in the chaos.

Perhaps their rationality was paralyzed by the terror of “kill or be killed.”

‘I have to stop this.’

If this continued, everyone would really die.

“Everyone, don’t let go of each other’s hands.”

“Okay!”

“And…”

Holding Yura and Jieun’s small hands tightly, I added:

“Yura, hold onto your sister’s hand.”

“Eunho!”

“What about you?”

“Hmm…”

Four wide, round eyes stared at them from both sides, trembling with unease.

Seeing their pupils shake with anxiety, I answered with a reassuring smile.

“I’m just going to get some fresh air.”

* * *

[Time limit reached.]

[All individuals outside the safe zone will be eliminated.]

For the first time, I realized…

“Arghhhhh!”

“You murderer!!”

…that for so many people, “killing” felt more real than “deletion.”

“P-Please spare me! I beg you…!”

“If I can just gather 400 more points…!”

Whether they were hikers, students, or tourists, anyone could turn into a demon with a blade at their throat.

【‘The Raven of the Administration Bureau’ complains that this is not how you’re supposed to fight.】

【Many observers are urging participants to join the blood-soaked brawl!】

【An anonymous observer is curious about target ‘Lee Eunho’s choice.】

— Phew!

To make matters worse, arrows began flying from somewhere.

Arrows, at a landmark in Seoul?

‘People hiding might get hurt.’

I had to find a solution quickly.

‘A way to grab everyone’s attention.’

The chaos was filled with desperate screams.

Yelling wouldn't work—it was clear.

…Looks like there's no other choice.

"Upgrade the shop."

[Congratulations!]

[The lower-level shop, Mobile Kiosk for New Recruits, has been upgraded to the mid-level shop, The Golden Carriage That Is Everywhere and Nowhere!]

—Fwoosh!

The kiosk that had surrounded me vanished in an instant.

In its place appeared a giant wheel.

Atop it sat a rectangular space.

Huge and semi-transparent, yet showing off a golden body...

"A carriage?"

[10,000 welfare points have been deducted.]

I hesitated, placing my hand on the opening door of the carriage, then pulled it back.

‘I’m curious... but if I waste time inspecting a shop in a battlefield, I might die.’

This left me with only 533 points.

I’d just given up a daily payout worth 5,000 points.

‘Though I’m confident I can earn them back.’

The reason I took what seemed to others like a reckless gamble was...

[Congratulations!]

[You have opened the first mid-level shop in District 13.]

[Choose your first upgrade perk!]

This.

「Wind Blast (Lv.1): Releases a concentrated gust of wind from the user’s hand. Can push up to 0.1 tons, but its power decreases with distance.」

「Use is limited, and it recharges once every 10 minutes. Be cautious.」

「Usable charges: 3/3」

The protective shield that blocks one attack under 30 damage or the lightening effect reducing a target's weight by 10% weren’t bad, but...

For now, this seemed the most practical.

And urgently needed.

"Selection complete."

[Skill Wind Blast has been unlocked!]

A skill that could attract attention, attack distant enemies, and handle multiple opponents.

‘I’ll knock them all down with Wind Blast.’

It would not only grab attention, but also separate people who were desperately attacking each other.

"Wi..."

[Due to the Swordsmanship Skill Tree, Wind Blast has evolved into Sword Wind!]

[Skill power and range have been increased.]

Huh?

Wait a second.

‘Skill tree? Sword Wind?’

I had no idea there was such a thing—oh!

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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[The Swordsmanship skill tree has been unlocked with the acquisition of Basic Swordsmanship.]

A message I saw when I first learned swordsmanship skills at the academy.

‘I thought it was meaningless at the time…’

Who would have guessed it would bring unexpected benefits?

[Checking the skill Sword Wind.]

「Sword Wind (Lv.1): Releases a powerful gust of wind along the trajectory of a swung sword. Use is limited, and it recharges once every 10 minutes. Be cautious.」

「Usable charges: 3/3」

I raised my sword high toward a nearby tree and swung it down.

—Swoooosh!

"!!"

The tree split cleanly in two, top to bottom.

Thud!

It toppled over.

Both the man next to it and the one threatening him with a spear...

Even the woman trying to smash the back of his head with a rock.

"Arghhh!"

"What the hell?!"

"Did you just hit me?!"

The woman screamed, seemingly having dropped the rock on her own hand as she fell.

"Wha...?"

Whoosh!

This time, I swung toward a much bigger, older tree nearby.

I swung harder, just in case.

—Swoooosh!

The black sword carved a crescent arc, sending a gust of wind like a crescent moon.

Crack!

A tall, sturdy tree broke like a rotting log.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

People locked in a standoff near the trajectory had to defend themselves against the invisible blade.

This was...

"Cut? Cut! Arghhh!"

"Damn it! When did that attack happen?!"

Stronger than I thought.

"No, wait! Over there...!"

"Wasn’t it that guy earlier?!"

"...?!"

One by one, people started noticing something strange about the sudden gusts of wind.

Attention was turning toward me.

‘Good. Now, for the last one.’

Even amidst the chaos, people still ran at each other, desperate to kill.

With one final swing...

—Swoooosh!

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Boom!

"Ahhh! What is this?!"

"Was that wind just now?!"

"Who the hell is that guy?!"

「Usable charges: 0/3」

The forest, now resembling an open clearing, was filled with toppled and fallen people and broken trees.

‘This should do it.’

I climbed up the neatly severed tree stump, revealing myself.

Then I spoke.

"Let’s stop this."

Though I’d just attacked with a fearsome ability... I tried to make my voice sound as non-threatening as possible.

Yet firm enough to convey my intent.

I was prepared to be labeled an evil force and mobbed by them.

The crowd’s attention was elsewhere.

"5-5500 points?!"

"I swear I saw it go up to 10,000 points earlier!"

"Where did all of it go?!"

Even with a person standing right in front of them, the crowd was fixated on the numbers on the map.

Sigh.

"Whether I have 10,000 points or 500 points…"

If it were me, I’d first figure out what kind of expression the person in front of me has, what abilities they possess, and what they want.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"That’s not the important part."

"Then what is it?"

"Y-you’re not planning to kill us all to hit the quota, are you?"

Their faces turned pale, as if they understood what might happen next.

A few quick-witted ones stood up, armed themselves, and began glaring.

"5,000 points is more than enough. I don’t need to kill anyone."

"What?"

"How can we believe that?"

Suspicious faces everywhere.

Everyone bristled like hedgehogs, their whole demeanor oozing caution.

"You’re not planning to drag us somewhere and kill us? We saw you attack earlier!"

"Yeah! You think we don’t know you’re planning to deal with us all at once in some corner?"

'So these are the ones I dealt with earlier.'

It’s understandable that they wouldn’t believe me.

But still…

"If I wanted to kill you, I’d have done it a long time ago. You know that better than anyone, don’t you?"

"Ugh…"

…The problem was that I didn’t have time to persuade every single one of them.

3:05 PM.

Three hours left until my shift ended.

This was the best I could do.

‘If they don’t follow, there’s no helping it.’

"Three hours from now. Assuming we take an hour to prepare… two hours should be plenty of time."

"W-what are you preparing?"

Thud!

I stepped down from the tree stump and calmly answered.

A young woman with big eyes asked the question.

She wore a skirt and had a youthful face.

High schooler?

At most, a college freshman.

‘Not sure if you’ll understand this.’

"Auto-hunting."

"Excuse me?"

The crowd started murmuring.

Some frowned, trying to make sense of what I said.

Regardless.

"Alright, then…"

Half were still wary, their eyes filled with suspicion.

The other half glimmered with faint anticipation.

"Anyone ready to dig?"

* * *

"Sergeant Choi! Have all the trenches dug within the hour!"

"Yes, sir!"

Memories I’d nearly forgotten came rushing back.

That day during winter training, we dug trenches over a meter deep.

Scraping away at that painfully hard ground like moles.

"Not done yet?! Do you want to leave here without completing the drill?!"

"N-no, sir!"

Sweat streamed down Jaehyuk’s back like a river.

His gray T-shirt was long soaked, its color darkened by patches of sweat.

"Hah… I’m going to die…"

"How much longer do we have to keep doing this?"

The two men following him complained endlessly, but Jaehyuk was still going strong.

Was it because he was with his long-admired superior?

Or perhaps because he’d finally earned his superior’s recognition?

— Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

He didn’t feel tired or exhausted.

There was just ground to dig and a shovel in his hand.

"Are you some kind of ghost obsessed with shoveling?"

"Seriously. We can’t even keep up, but you’ve already hit your quota."

Jaehyuk slowed down a bit to match the others’ pace, and not long after, Eunho approached him.

"Jaehyuk! How’s it coming along?"

"Almost done, sir!"

The ground they’d worked so hard to dig surrounded the boundary of the black smoke.

Their very own trench.

"Thanks, Jaehyuk. You know this is the key to our strategy, right?"

"Of course! This is where the monsters will fall and die automatically, right?"

"Yep. Then we’ll build barricades to keep the Fire Bear from escaping the perimeter."

"Wow, that’s brilliant!"

As Jaehyuk wiped his sweat and admired the plan, Eunho chuckled and added,

"Good job. Time for a shift change."

"I’m fine, sir! Thanks to you, I’ve already hit my quota!"

"You’re not tired?"

"Not at all!"

Though Eunho looked puzzled, he didn’t press further.

Instead, he gave Jaehyuk’s shoulder a firm pat and issued instructions to the others.

"The rest of you, switch out. Buy spears from the shop and coat them with poison."

"Poison? Where are we supposed to get that?"

"From the shop?"

Eunho gestured with his chin toward a group of people gathered around.

The corpse of a Venoumous Sky Tiger, its belly split open and guts exposed, lay there.

Carefully, the group dipped their spear tips into the black liquid, coating them evenly.

"Get in line over there. Hurry."

"Ah… Thank you!"

The men, awe-struck, straightened their backs.

They discarded their shovels like they couldn’t stand the sight of them anymore.

"Once the poison is applied, stake the spears into the ground. Maintain proper spacing."

After giving his instructions, Eunho picked up his sword again and rushed to face another monster.

— Grrrrrrr!

The monster was swiftly taken down with a single strike.

No matter how many times they saw it, they never got used to the sight.

And that went for the newcomers as well.

"Wow…"

The fresh workers let out a mix of awe and disbelief.

"Who is that guy? Is he, like, a national fencing champion or something?"

"No way! With brains like that, he’s clearly not just an athlete."

"Ha… True. How does he come up with plans like this so quickly?"

Jaehyuk felt proud even though the praise wasn’t directed at him.

His shoulders seemed to straighten a little more as he kept digging.

‘Eunho’s the best!’

Maybe that’s why he was even more enthusiastic.

— Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

More tirelessly than when he first started building the trench.

He dug and dug, over and over again.

— Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack…

"Jaehyuk, take a break!"

"I’m fine, ma’am! I’m still good to go!"

"You’ve been shoveling for over an hour now… Aren’t you exhausted?"

"It’s been that long already?"

He hadn’t noticed the passage of time because he didn’t feel tired.

He could only guess based on the amount of ground he’d dug.

"It feels like I just started. How strange."

— Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud…

And even after that, he kept digging for a while longer.

As he reached the point where the ground felt like it was swaying, where he couldn’t tell whether the shovel was him or he was the shovel…

[Congratulations!]

An odd sound echoed in his ears.

[With your formidable resilience, the memory of labor etched into your triceps to calves, and an extreme resistance to injury, a unique skill has been created!]

[Subject 'Choi Jaehyuk' has unlocked the ability 'Super Regeneration'!]

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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