Episode 5
Having finished surveying the terrain, Nam Gyuil looked at his team members.
He had set several traps along the escape route for Hong Sinu, who had to act as bait.
Everyone was waiting in their respective positions for the signal.
Swish, swish.
Nam Gyuil sent a hand signal.
The operation began.
“Hey, you damned salamander bastards!!”
Hong Sinu shouted and lifted a rock toward the Lizardmen.
His face turned red, likely because it was quite heavy.
“Taaaah!”
Hong Sinu threw the rock at the Lizardmen.
Thud.
The Lizardmen moved nimbly and dodged the rock.
The rock rolled across the ground and stopped dead in front of the Shaman Lizardman.
“Shiiiaak-”
“Shaak-!!”
The Lizardmen raged at Hong Sinu, who had provoked them all alone without a shred of fear.
Their brows furrowed deeply, and their eyes brimmed with vicious killing intent.
The Shaman Lizardman gave a signal.
“Shaak.”
At that, the Lizardmen let out bizarre shrieks and raised their spears.
Thud, thud, thud.
They charged at Hong Sinu.
Their heavy bodies stomped the ground, making thunderous footsteps.
“Hiiik-!! Y-you damned salamander bastards.”
Hong Sinu’s voice, which had been provoking the Lizardmen, trembled violently.
He fled without looking back.
The lure had worked.
Nam Gyuil watched his retreating figure and wished him luck.
‘Keep running straight and get out through the Gate safely. Or hold out using the traps I set earlier. I’ll definitely come to save you.’
Thanks to Hong Sinu fulfilling his role as bait well, only the Shaman Lizardman and a few subordinates remained near the core.
“Shaak.”
The Shaman Lizardman snorted heavily.
An expression that said everything was annoying.
Not a hint of tension could be seen on his face.
He didn’t even seem to consider that this might be a lure, though he should have realized it if he had used his head even a little.
‘He underestimates humans.’
Nam Gyuil saw through the Shaman Lizardman’s inner thoughts.
Srrung.
He drew a dagger from his waist.
In that instant, the Shaman Lizardman’s ears twitched.
As if he had heard something.
Taat-!!
Nam Gyuil burst out of the bushes.
And ran toward the Shaman Lizardman like an assassin.
He lowered his posture and took wide strides.
He moved so fast that dust kicked up until his feet were nearly invisible.
“Shak?!”
The startled Shaman Lizardman flinched.
As the distance between him and Nam Gyuil closed in an instant, the creature shot a fireball with magic.
Roaring flames trailing red tails flew through the air.
This time, it was Nam Gyuil who was in danger.
But the corner of his mouth had already subtly curled up.
It was a smirk.
Tadat-!!
Nam Gyuil suddenly changed the direction of his dash.
He stopped his body from propelling forward due to acceleration and raised his leg strength to the extreme.
Kwaang!
A violent change in direction occurred, as if stamping a footprint into the ground.
Nam Gyuil had two goals.
The Team 07 National Hunters tied up in vines. And the Lizardman guarding them.
Sseuk-!!
The dagger slit the Lizardman’s throat in an instant.
He severed the artery cleanly.
The creature pressed the wound with his hand but couldn’t stop the blood spurting like a fountain.
Red blood flowed through the gaps between his fingers.
“Sha….”
And so the Lizardman guarding the kidnapped National Hunters died.
The Shaman Lizardman’s eyes widened, unable to hide his bewilderment.
Nam Gyuil held the dagger in his mouth.
Hwip, hwip.
He threw the vine-bound National Hunters toward where his comrades were.
“Now run!!”
Nam Gyuil shouted.
His comrades snatched the National Hunters who had been kidnapped as preserved food and fled.
The Shaman Lizardman’s face trembled.
“Shiik-!!”
He seemed to be feeling humiliated.
Nam Gyuil spat out the dagger he held in his mouth and gripped it in his hand.
‘Stupid fool. He fell for it so easily.’
Nam Gyuil bursting from the bushes and aiming for the Shaman Lizardman had been a smokescreen tactic.
By pretending to target the boss monster, the subordinate Lizardmen’s attention was drawn there, allowing him to induce a lapse in vigilance.
Thanks to that, he had easily rescued the Team 07 National Hunters.
Nam Gyuil looked at the remaining Lizardmen.
Excluding the Shaman Lizardman, only two remained.
No reason to waste time.
Sseuk-!!
He took care of the rest.
Now only the Shaman Lizardman remained.
Nam Gyuil corrected his stance.
If he killed that one and destroyed the core, the entire operation would end.
Nam Gyuil’s gaze focused on the Shaman Lizardman’s black tail.
His eyes slowly filled with greed.
“Shiik?!”
The Shaman Lizardman flinched, sensing something strange.
Nam Gyuil coveted the creature’s black tail.
Because,
‘It is a very important ingredient for making mid-grade elixirs.’
If he had grown this strong with just low-grade elixirs, how much stronger could he become by consuming mid-grade ones?
Strength entered the hand holding the dagger.
And involuntarily, a hollow laugh escaped him.
‘The situation has changed.’
In the past, he would have been too afraid of monsters to even think of facing them head-on.
Should I run?
Can I win if I fight?
I have to survive somehow.
His mind would have been so full of such thoughts that he couldn’t focus on the fight.
Not now.
He could focus entirely on the fight.
He was no longer someone to be trampled by monsters.
Now….
‘You are the prey.’
Nam Gyuil charged at the Shaman Lizardman.
The creature used its shamanic arts.
It created rocks and fire in the air and shot them.
The heat of the flames instantly scorched the atmosphere as they flew.
But Nam Gyuil merely scoffed as if it was nothing.
He concentrated the high-purity mana he had mastered through Arnia’s body strengthening technique into his legs.
His speed increased even more.
With acceleration added, the momentum of his charge grew even sharper.
Moreover, he moved in a zigzag, dodging all the flying flames and rocks.
The Shaman Lizardman’s jaw dropped in blank astonishment.
It was practically impossible to hit Nam Gyuil as he weaved left and right to evade.
His momentum broken, the creature took a step back.
Before long, the distance between Nam Gyuil and the Shaman Lizardman had closed to within arm’s reach.
He took a stabbing posture and pulled back his arm.
The Shaman Lizardman specialized in ranged attacks, but was helpless in close combat.
“Shaak!!”
The creature used a semi-transparent blue defensive barrier made of mana.
It was shaped like a long wall.
Nam Gyuil, who had taken a posture as if to thrust his arm forward, suddenly changed his stance.
Using his heel as an axis, he spun his body around and moved instantly to the side of the Shaman Lizardman.
“Shak?!”
The Shaman Lizardman’s pupils trembled.
The barrier was a shamanic art that blocked the front, so if attacked from the side like this, he was defenseless.
Puook-!!
Nam Gyuil’s blade pierced the creature’s throat.
“Sha….”
The Shaman Lizardman let out a brief death cry.
Blood, compressed and then bursting forth like water pressure, sprayed out and dyed Nam Gyuil’s fingers red.
Soon after, the Shaman Lizardman fell to the ground, his eyes rolled back.
When he died, the barrier protecting him vanished.
“Phew, it’s over.”
Nam Gyuil let out a long breath.
He cut off the Shaman Lizardman’s black tail with his dagger.
“With this, I can make a mid-grade elixir.”
He turned his head.
A sphere floating in the air caught his eye.
That was the core.
Pazzztik.
Nam Gyuil slashed the core with his dagger.
The shock-sensitive core sparked and then soon fell from the air and rolled on the ground.
Kurrrung.
Dark clouds draped across the sky.
Lightning flashed between the black clouds.
It was a sign that the Gate was disappearing.
Nam Gyuil ran toward the Gate’s entrance.
***
“Huff, huff, uaaak.”
Hong Sinu was taking strangely ragged breaths.
After luring the Lizardmen according to plan, he was running straight for the Gate entrance.
He should have gotten out by now.
But how fast could a newbie who had only joined the Hunter Bureau a day ago be?
He couldn’t even run properly despite using the traps, and to make matters worse, his legs were growing heavier.
“Kuaaaak-!!”
Though Hong Sinu ran while shouting like a scream, the distance between him and the Lizardmen closed relentlessly.
“Shaak.”
“Shiaaak-!!”
As the Lizardmen’s bizarre shrieks grew closer, Hong Sinu shed tears.
‘At this rate, I’m going to die.’
Thoughts of what would happen to his parents if he died, plus regrets about not confessing to the girl he had a crush on, flooded in.
Amidst this, a certain figure came to mind.
“Staff Sergeant Nam Gyuil~!!”
He loudly called out the only lifeline he could grasp.
The Lizardmen raised their spears high.
They seemed about to attack as the distance closed.
It was then.
Rustle.
Someone burst through the bushes and intervened.
Sseuk, peoook-!!
The two Lizardmen that had been about to attack Hong Sinu fell.
The sudden turn of events made not only Hong Sinu but also the Lizardmen stop in their tracks.
The figure who appeared between them was Nam Gyuil.
“Staff Sergeant Nam!!”
“You brat, did you miss me?”
“Yes, sir!!”
Hong Sinu wiped his tears with his sleeve.
Kwarrrung.
Dark clouds were beginning to spread across the sky.
Nam Gyuil explained the current situation.
“I destroyed the Gate’s core.”
“Yes, sir.”
“The Gate will disappear soon. So there’s no need to fight the monsters.”
“Huh?”
When Hong Sinu made a deflating sound, Nam Gyuil hoisted him up.
“We’re going to run at full speed toward outside the Gate from now on. Hold on tight so you don’t fall off.”
“Private Hong Sinu! Roger that-!!”
Hong Sinu gripped his clothes tightly.
Tadat.
Nam Gyuil ran toward the Gate exit carrying Hong Sinu.
The Lizardmen tried to chase, but instead of closing the distance, it grew farther.
Their bizarre shrieks grew quieter.
As they arrived near the Gate entrance, the other scattered comrades came into view.
Everyone was safe.
They carried the rescued National Hunters on their shoulders and ran toward outside the Gate.
With the operation a success, Hwang Ilsu looked at Nam Gyuil.
“I’m glad you’re safe. Honestly, I was half-doubting when I heard the plan.”
Nam Gyuil laughed heartily and shouted.
“Hahaha, you brat! You doubted the team leader’s plan? You have to buy me a meal as punishment. You know I have expensive taste, right?”
“As soon as we get out of this damned Gate, I’ll buy you as many as you want.”
Hwang Ilsu answered without backing down.
Soon, the Gate exit began to come into view.
“Alright, let’s get out!!”
With Nam Gyuil’s thunderous shout, everyone threw themselves out of the Gate.
The moment they got out, the Gate slowly contracted and disappeared in a puff of gray smoke.
“Huff, huff, huff.”
Everyone caught their breath roughly.
They looked at each other’s faces and exchanged glances.
Though no one spoke, they all shared the same emotion.
It was an overwhelming surge of emotion.
“Hurray!! We closed the Gate without a single death!”
“No one got hurt.”
“I can’t believe a day like this has come. Is it okay if I cry?”
They embraced each other and cheered. For the first time, they had closed a Gate with all members safe, without any deaths or injuries.
Hong Sinu praised Nam Gyuil.
“All of this is thanks to Staff Sergeant Nam Gyuil-!!”
Then agreeing voices burst out.
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“It’s all thanks to Gyuil-!! What on earth happened at the hospital? Did you get some kind of serum like in the movies?”
I Chanu even cracked a joke.
Nam Gyuil shrugged his shoulders and said,
“Don’t worry from now on. I’ll make sure all of you get discharged safely.”
The mood of Team 01, which had been like a funeral home every time they entered and exited a Gate, became warm and amicable for the first time.
***
Major Bak Huiryeong, who worked at the Hunter Bureau, read the report carefully.
‘All members of Team 01 safe?’
For the first time, a report of all members being safe came up at the Hunter Bureau, where news of fatalities had been ceaseless.
Naturally, it piqued her interest.
‘How could they all return alive from a Gate?’
Guild hunters who had safely retired from the Hunter Bureau and established their own fighting styles might have managed it, but there had never been a case where National Hunters all returned alive from a Gate.
Bak Huiryeong got up from her chair and headed to the status board.
Ssk, ssk.
She wrote something on the status board.
- Team 01. 1 day without accidents.
They had never once passed Accident-Free Day 0, but they had achieved Day 1 for the first time.
Bak Huiryeong put on a proud expression.
‘Team 01, huh… I’ll have to talk with them about how they fought.’
Thinking so, she clasped her hands behind her back.