Chapter 126: 126

Episode 126. Once things go wrong, they spiral out of control (3)

I kicked the ground and jumped up into the air.

“Krrrrrr!”

The predators smelled prey and the scent of human flesh and bared their teeth as they rushed forward.

A swarm of monsters gathered through the thick clouds of dust. Their disgusting smell and the scent of dirt mixed together. It was the scent of the front line. I smelled it so much before I came back in time, and the smell had saturated my clothes and my body.

[Outstanding Insight has been activated.]

From the memories in my head, I recalled their behavior and habits I had deduced from repeated analysis.

Their species’ names, how they inhabited the front line area, and what habits they formed. What instincts were stimulated when they spotted prey and how they acted. All that information blazed in my mind like a flame.

‘On the left.’

A gust of wind blew. I instinctively looked in the opposite direction, and a hideous claw reached out towards the space where my face had just been.

[Even though you trained and trained, I didn’t think you could acquire all that knowledge in such a short period…. It’s an abnormal rate of development, although you own the Akashic Records.]

I kicked the ground and drew up my foot. The tip of my foot smacked the monster in the jaw. Even with my conditioned, strengthened muscles, I couldn’t break its solid skin. But my intention wasn’t to hack away at its body until it died.

“Krrk….”

The ‘Ki’ that was concentrated at the tip of my foot surged like a wave. The soft flesh and intestines inside the monster’s skin collided with each other and ripped into pieces. Black blood spurted, and the monster’s huge body collapsed.

‘Downward right, then above.’

I leaped up into the air. The scythe-like claw of a monster swept the ground below me. After checking the attack, I swung my upper body back. A sharp-pointed object flashed by like a bullet.

I didn’t make the slightest mistake. Front line or not, there were very few monsters in the world that I didn’t know about entirely. And here, there wasn’t a single one that I didn’t know.

Cla-clang-!

I could hear the sound of metal clanging. The confused monsters had bumped into each other.

I landed on the floor and flicked my finger again. The duration of Link was not over yet. The power to destroy the monsters at once was still vividly present in my body.

『Magic was originally something you studied.』

『Until that man appeared.』

『It was a field of study that was classified along with mathematics and astronomy.』

The tip of my finger heated up. A warm sensation. It meant that the mana writhing inside me was ready to reveal itself.

『Who knew?』

『Who knew that the complex field of study that explored the mysteries of the world could become a means of terrible destruction in the hands of a person?』

『If it weren’t for him, ‘magic’ wouldn’t have been corrupted that way.』

Sizzle.

Smoke rose in the air. The cool air around me rapidly heated up. The water in the air boiled, and my mana surged violently towards the creatures that were registered as ‘enemies’ in my eyes.

“Krrr…Krrk….”

The monsters rushing forward fell and dropped to the ground, unable to get back up. The smell of cooking meat came from the flesh inside the monsters’ skin. Melted intestines spilled out of the holes in their bodies, and not a single intact monster reached me.

“Hm… I think we’re done with this area.”

“…….”

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I muttered in front of the pile of monster carcasses. The hunter silently watched, and Han Yeon-soo looked accustomed to the sight as she just stood there.

“…Hm?”

And then.

“That’s it.”

While looking for any remaining monsters, I saw something hanging in the air.

It was a transparent opening. A shape that was too small to be a -Rift- but too ominous to ignore. That was probably it.

“What? Mr. Si-woo, what are you talking about? I don’t see anything…….”

“Be quiet for a moment.”

I kept staring at the opening in the air. I was looking for something more trivial and more decisive than what the other hunters would have seen.

To determine whether it truly was the thing I knew.

I activated Outstanding Insight, enabled Access to Information, and glared at the phenomenon without blinking once.

“…Whew.”

Nevertheless, nothing changed from my first impression of seeing it.

“I was right.”

The phenomenon that foreshadowed the emergence of the Great Overlord. The phenomenon that was his most ‘dangerous ability’ and a ‘warning’ that terrorized the world.

“It’s a Small Rift.”

* * *

“Hmm… So, did you guys see anything else? Or feel strange about anything?”

“Nothing other than that mirage-like thing.”

“How about any effects on your body… Were there any?”

“If we had any problems like that here on the front line, we wouldn’t be smiling and talking right now, would we? We’d either be in a coma or be dead and having our funerals.”

“… You’re right.”

I replied awkwardly to his matter-of-fact answer.

It was good news. Only the ‘First Precursor’ had appeared.

‘That means the Great Overlord hasn’t gained his full power yet.’

He wasn’t a creature that suddenly fell from the sky. He lived within the Monster Land ecosystem beyond the front line, gradually building up his strength.

He didn’t realize his power at first, but he turned into a ‘tyrant’ due to a certain incident. And he became a Disaster that ruled over the monsters and strived to destroy humankind.

‘He’s the most difficult Disaster to deal with.’

If I tried to nip him in the bud before he gained power, it could cause him to explode into an uncontrollable bomb. But if I left him be, humanity could be wiped out by the overwhelming wave, like what happened in my past life.

“Okay, thanks for telling me.”

All I could do was go along with the flow and establish a more thorough and complete plan to shut out any potential aberrations. I had to find a way to kill him without repeating previous mistakes.

“Um, are you guys done talking?”

“Oh, yes. I took up too much time; sorry.”

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“It’s okay. Why don’t we gather in one place now? Can everyone please come over here for a moment!”

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Said the man in charge of leading the front line team once he saw I was done talking.

“Let’s introduce ourselves first. As you all know, these are hunters Jeong Si-woo and Han Yeon-soo. Both of them are known to be very talented, and we appreciate you for volunteering to fight on the front line.”

“…….”

“The two of you can learn who the other hunters are while you work. I heard you would be working as a duo, anyway.”

“Yes, I’ve picked up most of their names.”

The hunters focused on us. Those who were working moved over to where we were, and some expressed surprise when they heard I had picked up their names. It seemed like a casual gathering.

“The reason I gathered everyone here is to talk about the large-scale hunt tomorrow. Do you two know about large-scale hunts?”

“Yes, we do.”

“Then, we can move on without any further explanations. All right.”

Large-scale hunts.

They were hunts conducted regularly to maintain the ‘front’ between the Monster Land and residential areas.

A process that required accurate planning to reduce the monster population and repair the fort. A successful large-scale hunt didn’t yield significant results, but failure could cause tremendous damage. If the front collapsed by mistake, the monsters inside could spread over the world.

‘Then, it’ll be over.’

I knew because I had experienced it. Humankind would cease to exist.

I wasn’t exaggerating. The ‘human species’ would become extinct on Earth.

“Hunter Kim Seung-hyun joined us when he was still inexperienced but has become one of the best. And hunter Lee Hyun-seung is the symbolic figure of the front line. The two are preparing for the hunt as a duo inside, and we’re going to get going tomorrow as soon as we receive their signal. We’re going to reduce the monster population dramatically this time by focusing all of our firepower.”

“How long will the hunt last? We need to prepare provisions.”

“I’m thinking about a week. We need to repair the fort as well, so bring along plenty. You all eat too much, anyway.”

“Hahaha, that’s not for you to say!”

Everyone laughed out loud at his remark. The man shrugged in return to the joke.

“And there’s also word that a new monster species has been discovered inside.”

“A new monster species?”

“Yes, it was captured by a satellite sent up by the Association. They say it looks mysterious and different from anything observed before. They say it looks human, but monster wavelengths were detected.”

“Well, those monsters have set up house here. Maybe different species bred among themselves and had babies. How different could crossbreed monsters be? They’ll die just the same if we stab them with a sword.”

“Still, stay on your guard. Honestly, there are plenty of monsters in there that don’t die from stabbing, aren’t there?”

“Well, yeah. There’s nothing wrong with being careful.”

The conversation continued. Most of it was about how to charge the monsters and what role each hunter would be playing.

But I couldn’t concentrate on the conversation. Was it because I already knew the plan? No, it wasn’t.

‘…A new monster species. One that looks human but sends off monster-like wavelengths.’

Those words were stuck in my mind.

‘It’s him.’

The Great Overlord.

Before I came back in time, the Association named him ‘Monster Child’.

‘Something’s wrong. It’s way too soon. He’s supposed to be spotted by the Association’s satellite at least ten years from now. He’s supposed to be stuck inside without coming out…….’

There was no way I could have miscalculated the time.

It wasn’t supposed to happen now.

No matter the changes in variables I factored in, everything was moving too fast.

‘Why is he already starting to be active?’

My head started to ache. It looked like I wasn’t going to get much sleep tonight.

[…I want to tell you the answer, but that won’t be any fun.]

I could faintly hear the Traveler.

[Figure it out for yourself. I’ve helped you enough up till now. You should be able to do this on your own. This is the last moment that will determine your fate, so do your best.]

* * *

“Run; run a little faster!”

There was a child in the barren land.

A boy that looked about seven years old

“Krrr… Krrrkk!”

He was shouting excitedly, perched on top of the neck of a monster that was more than ten meters long. It was an astonishing sight to see. It was impossible by normal standards.

“Good! Run, run, run!”

But the monster ran with the child on top of it. Instead of being aggressive or attempting to feast on the child, the monster gently followed the child’s orders as if it were playing with its baby.

“Heh-heh, I like playing with you the best.”

The boy stroked the head of the growling monster. Then, he looked at the sky and waved his finger.

“I wish I had more friends. So many that I wouldn’t be bored for even an instant.”

“Krrr, Krrrk.”

“Oh, you want me to stop thinking about other friends? Okay. I’m sorry. Come on, run!”

The boy smiled brightly and stroked the monster’s head again as it stomped its foot. The two raced across the barren land.

And then.

Sizzle… sizzle…

A transparent opening had formed where the boy had waved his finger.

“Krr… Krrrk….”

Onto the spot where the boy had been.

Monsters spilled out of the transparent hole.

It took less than a few seconds for a new -Rift- to be born.

“Hahaha, run a little slower!”

The innocent ‘Fifth Disaster’ shouted excitedly, using the land of death as his playground.

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