Chapter 125: 125

Episode 125. Once things go wrong, they spiral out of control (2)

“Oh, you’re here, hunter Jeong Si-woo.”

“Yes.”

“You came quickly. I thought you’d take your time.”

I was going to take my time.

But there was no way I could after hearing something like that.

“You’ve applied to be positioned in the center, haven’t you? You don’t need any support teams, and you’ll be working as a duo with hunter Han Yeon-soo?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Do you need a briefing?”

“I’ve already received all the information. You must have a lot of work to do, so you can go ahead and leave us. We’ll hear the rest from this hunter.”

“Oh, yes, thank you. I look forward to working with you.”

I shook hands with the Association staff member stationed at the front line camp and turned around.

A briefing? Of course, it was important to be briefed. But right now, it wasn’t my concern.

“Where did that strange phenomenon occur? I’d like to see it right away.”

“Oh… it’s a bit inward. You’d better eat first and rest for a while, then go in with another team. It takes at least two more hours on foot from here.”

“That should be okay. I don’t think I’ll be able to eat before I see it. It’s quite concerning. ”

“…Oh, well, in that case.”

The hunter nodded reluctantly. It looked like he wasn’t considerate but wanted to rest himself. Usually, I would have let him by saying, ‘Yes, let’s take a break,’ but the situation didn’t allow it.

“Okay, let’s go, let’s go.”

He muttered rather bluntly. His face had “I shouldn’t have told him” written all over.

* * *

“According to the Great Sage, everything will be over if we defeat this guy who’s about to show up, right?”

“Everything?”

“Yes, the Rifts in the sky… The monsters that pour out from them and the Disasters that have threatened humanity. If we blow off his head, all those things will be gone, won’t they?”

“I don’t know.”

The guy leaning on the terrace uttered encouraging words. He was a junior analyst who just recently started to learn from me. A smart guy. He would soon be useful if I taught him well. But he still had a lot to learn.

“Don’t look forward to it.”

“…What?”

“The more you expect, the more you despair and become disappointed.”

“…….”

I turned my head and looked at him.

“Hunters who fight and civilians who anxiously watch the news mustn’t lose hope. Without hope, it would be too hard to survive another day.”

“…….”

“But we shouldn’t expect good outcomes.”

“…Why not?”

“Because we create hope. When people lose hope, we have to find something new that they can cling to and give it to them. If we collapse, everyone collapses.”

Tap.

I tapped him lightly on the forehead.

“There are hundreds and thousands of hunters and experts who trust and follow me. Every word I say gives them the strength to live, and every time I look grim, they feel anxious that they might die.”

“…….”

“If you keep working for me, someday you will hold that responsibility. Start practicing. Analysts always have to plan for the worst. Don’t plan to achieve the best results. Plan how to avoid the worst.”

I put a cigarette in my mouth. He took out a lighter from his inside pocket and lit it up. He didn’t even smoke, but he was now totally accustomed to it.

“… Don’t carry around a lighter. I can light up on my own.”

“Oh, okay.”

Whew.

I let out a cloud of smoke while looking out at the landscape.

“You have to assume failure all the time so that you don’t panic no matter what happens. And only if we don’t panic will hunters and civilians stay calm and have hope.”

“…….”

“Remember, if you want to lead hunters with enormous strength and stand in front of monsters barehanded, you need to have a mind of steel. Even if we can’t make our bodies rock-hard, we can try to make our minds strong, right?”

“…Yes.”

His face didn’t look that bright. I wondered what was bothering him, and I noticed that he was looking at the tip of my cigarette.

“Yeah, the smell of cigarettes sucks, doesn’t it? You can go inside.”

“Oh, no.”

“It’s okay, man. Go in.”

I tapped him on the shoulder. He was a solid guy. I was nearly done analyzing the Great Overlord. With proper management of the hunters and a few more attacks, we would be able to destroy him like we did the other Disasters. Thinking about it left a bitter taste in my mouth.

‘Yet I can’t help but look forward to it.’

The expectation that Rifts and monsters may really disappear from the world. The hope that killing him would end this horrible cycle of Disasters. I wasn’t supposed to hold such expectations. I had to be cool-headed, but my heart pounded with hope. We had struggled for so long. Wasn’t it time we enjoyed some peace? Wasn’t it about time we rested…?

“Sir-!”

It was an irresponsible thought.

“Watch… out……!”

After enduring so many hardships, I had forgotten one thing.

That I was just an ordinary human being who could easily die from a stone flung at his head.

Although I worked alongside superhumans and was called a hero, that didn’t change.

Thud!

The man had turned to go back inside the building when he suddenly jumped towards me and pushed me over. He was a sturdy guy. I fell and hit the floor from the sudden attack and yelled as I felt pain trembling in my whole body.

“What the hell are you…!”

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No, I was going to yell.

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“Sir… run… away…….”

Until I saw blood flowing from a hole in his chest, the chest of the man I thought could become a useful analyst once I taught him.

“You… have to live… to save… save everyone… run….”

I saw his head fall to the ground, and his blood burst out like a fountain.

Boom.

There was a massive roaring sound. And the sound of countless explosions followed. The concrete building readily collapsed, and I was caught in the destruction.

Everything fell apart.

My weak body could not withstand the collapse, and pieces of metal horribly crushed my legs.

And a man walked slowly towards me in the rising dust, trampling on the debris of the building.

“What a shame.”

The Great Overlord. It was him.

“I really thought you would die this time.”

I knew right away that this moment was the end of my desperate life.

My insight and comprehension that people praised so much told me that this marked the end of ‘Analyst Jeong Si-woo’.

Even before I could accept it.

* * *

“Mr. Jeong Si-woo!”

“Uh, yes.”

“What are you thinking about? I called you multiple times….”

“I’m sorry. I was thinking of something… I guess I’m a bit tired.”

“I said you should rest. You’ve overworked yourself.”

I shook my head. I became lost in my memories while walking absentmindedly. Damn, ever since I discovered traces of him, I couldn’t stop thinking about the Great Overlord. But I shouldn’t. I needed to stay calm in situations like this.

‘That’s how death works. Death itself, and even near-death experiences, are rooted deep in the human brain, and they cause torment. But you experienced the horror of ‘death’ itself, didn’t you? Your response is natural. You can’t help it if you’re a mortal.’

I took a deep breath. Still, I couldn’t regain my composure.

“We’re here. Everyone said they saw it on this side.”

“…Okay, let’s see.”

It felt like starting to analyze would help me better in settling my nerves. For now, deep breaths or relaxing pills seemed to be of no use.

“Um, do you see anything?”

“No, you usually can’t see them right away. If you hunt for a while, they suddenly pass by like a mirage. The others said so, too.”

“…Then let’s hunt some monsters. I brought all my equipment.”

“Huh? Wait a minute. Mr. Jeong Si-woo, the front line is different from entering other Rifts. These monsters have adapted to the Earth’s ecosystem and have stayed here for years. Their behavior and habits are completely different……!”

I ignored him and walked ahead.

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“I’m coming, Mr. Si-woo!”

Han Yeon-soo, who was standing still, followed me. It felt like I needed to hunt to get rid of my complicated thoughts. I wanted to move and pour out my strength.

“Ugh… what a jerk. It’s probably because he’s so young. Hey, I’m coming too!”

The grumbling hunter followed me, pulling his sword out from his waist.

Tap! Tap tap.

Due to the rough front-line terrain, it was hard to keep my balance. Pebbles scattered upward, and as soon as my footsteps rang out loudly, I could hear the distinctive growls of monsters all around. It sounded like they were welcoming their prey walking in on its own.

Tadadada.

“You shouldn’t run so loudly! Don’t you know why we walked slowly for two whole hours? The monsters are going to swarm. What the hell are you doing? Your experience up till now doesn’t apply to the front line!”

“Stop. Stop yelling at Mr. Si-woo. Or else I’m not using honorifics for you anymore.”

“…What?”

The hunter’s agitated voice died away. It was thanks to Han Yeon-soo’s scary warning.

My lips twitched.

‘My experience won’t apply to the front line?’

His words made me laugh. He didn’t know me, which was why he judged me like that. But I couldn’t help but smile, thinking of the memories and experiences accumulated in my head.

“Krrrrr!”

Swoosh.

A giant monster that resembled a gorilla, which looked at least over 10 meters tall, leaped into the air and flew towards me.

“… Don’t fight it! I said these monsters, they’re completely different from regular ones!”

The hunter shouted, his face stiff with worry. But I didn’t listen to him.

I simply flicked my finger.

[‘Link’ is activated.]

The huge chunk of flesh was falling towards me.

And—

『A single syllable turned the sea upside down and collapsed mountains.』

The monster’s body halted mid-air.

『A single movement brought down thunder and shook the world.』

Oh, my God!

Simultaneously, the monster was split into dozens of pieces as if something had pulled it apart. Sticky lumps of blood dropped down, and the smell of blood spread in the air.

“…Huh?”

The hunter let out a dazed sound.

“I told you to leave him alone. He can handle everything.”

Han Yeon-soo murmured proudly, looking at me.

Instead of responding, I shook my hand and took another step forward.

“Let’s go. We’re going to wipe out all the monsters and see if the strange phenomenon occurs.”

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