Chapter 24 (1/2)
Episode 24
The surface of the suit was matte.
The gray was quite close to black, and the sharp color made it seem as though it was shiny.
Yoo-seong began to wear it.
The outer part of the suit was a solid armor consisting of hundreds of nodes.
However, the inside has a softer surface, like high-performance sportswear.
Eventually, after being zipping the suit to his nape, Yoo-seong paused in fascination and enjoyed the sensation he felt throughout his body.
“Isn’t it quite comfortable?”
The delivery man smiled at Yoo-seong’s reaction.
He was not only a delivery man but an apprentice who had been part of the crafting process.
“Except for the joints, which have several segments for easier movement, the whole outer surface is made of tough materials. Then, we put the utmost effort into the processing and bonding of the inner lining.”
“You used a lining?”
It didn’t feel like it. It felt so smooth; Yoo-seong felt he could wear it forever.
“Well? Didn’t you notice the feathers of Slush Terror that you provided as a material?”
“Yes?” Yoo-seong asked in surprise.
Slush terror-★★★★
At first glance, it looked like a mixture of a poodle and an ostrich, a ridiculous-looking giant bird. However, unlike its appearance, it was an aggressive predator, exceptionally greedy for flesh.
It was covered in fluffy feathers that could absorb considerable amounts of physical shock. Essentially, it was flesh-eating cotton candy.
Yoo-seong was deep in thought.
A Slush Terror was a rare monster that was quite difficult to capture. The three hundred million won in Yoo-seong’s bankbook would have been wiped out to purchase enough feathers for this suit. He couldn’t have afforded it.
So then, where did the resources come from?
The driver noticed that Yoo-seong seemed worried.
Yoo-seong smiled a little to ease the man’s tension.
Inside, he wasn’t smiling. It was clear where the feathers of the Slush Terror came from.
Sung-wook would have gotten them from his private warehouse.
He had hidden the detail about the feathers in the sample order he had shown Yoo-seong.
“Would you like to try it out for a while? It’s impossible, but if there’s a problem with your movements, I can make adjustments to it.”
“Okay,” Yoo-seong said.
He flipped his head, and the helmet was folded flat on the back of his neck.
When he flipped his head again, the helmet completely covered his head. Yoo-seong moved his arms and legs, carrying out simple movements like bending, twisting, or stretching.
He threw a punch and the suit perfectly caught up with his move without resistance or noise. He was impressed.
Yoo-seong felt his heart beating with excitement.
Dark. Tough. High quality. High performance. Cutting edge. His custom-made suit had arrived.
Yoo-seong clenched his fists. As he did, he noticed there were nice cursive engravings on his suit’s arms, from wrist to forearm.
– Oh Yoo-seong.-
-Freelance Hunter-
At the same part on the left arm were the words: -Reginae Amet-
“What does this mean?” Yoo-seong asked.
“Uh… This is the phrase you asked for when you ordered, right? It looks as though you have no idea of your order. Usually, the name of the equipment is engraved on the left forearm. What was the meaning again…”?
After thinking for a moment, the driver snapped his fingers and said,
“I think it means ‘The Queen’s Hug.’”
Yoo-seong raised an eyebrow.
“Is it German?” He asked.
“The internet says it’s Latin,” the driver replied.
Yoo-seong smiled.
“It’s perfect,” he said. He liked Sung-wook’s naming sense.
The suit itself was as though the Queen Ant wrapped its tough armor around him.
The feather lining only made it feel much better. He stepped out of the luggage compartment where he had gone to change.
The older QR Hunters looked at him with admiration as they whispered among themselves.
The seniors didn’t envy him. They had better armors.
However, some of the hunters were jealous.
They were those who purchased armor rather than having it custom-made from their prey.
“Ah, what…”
Jang Yoong-cheol couldn’t hold back his goosebumps.
He glanced at Yoo-seong, then at the other team members. He was going to complain about the armor’s gray color, but he knew it would be futile. It would be obvious that he was just jealous.
***
The crack opened.
-Alpha Team, 02 Operation Division assigned.-
-Giant Whipper-★★★~★★★★★-
-Currently, there are three monsters observed. Two are 4-stars, the other is a 5-star.-
-Further reports will be sent later in case of more monsters observed.-
“Briefing is out!” Jang said as he stormed out of the camp.
The other hunters followed closely behind him.
The Alpha Team and three other QR hunter teams were in charge of the rift area. They were separated into four divisions.
“Get your equipment!” he shouted to the hunters around him.
In general, monsters with four or more stars have a certain level of strength and special abilities, just as the Queen Ant had a higher durability level.
“Box mounted!” one hunter said.
“B4, B9, C2 boxes have been confirmed!” another one replied.
They stacked the necessary supplies in a trunk and headed out to the rift locations.
“According to the briefing, there are three Giant Whippers in total,” Yoong-cheol said on the way to the operation section.
“We will move in twos, and we’ll be using capture ropes to subdue them. Got it?” he asked his team.
“Okay!”
“Okay!”
The team members shared a subtle glance among themselves.
They were all familiar with using the equipment through the training they received from QR.
Yoong-cheol intended to make Yoo-seong a bystander during the operation.
He had ensured that would happen. The capture ropes were designed to be used by two people at once.
The Alpha Team had ten hunters and five capture ropes.
The task was perfect for their workforce, without Yoo-seong being included.
“It’s a four-star monster, so, everyone, stay vigilant. We’re going to grab the monsters, two hunters with a rope.”
As the vehicle got closer to the center, everyone in the car moaned.
“Wow…”
“This is crazy…”
The crack was right before them.
It was the first time for all of them to see a storm-class crack that covers at least a small town. Its length was over a hundred meters. The purple aurora tore through the blue sky.
Their bus stopped, along with the buses carrying the other team of hunters.
The only buses that went further ahead were those carrying hunters assigned to go inside the crack to close it.
“Guys, look!” a hunter said, pointing out to a row of buildings.
Everyone almost stepped down from the bus to see what the man had pointed at.
Suddenly, there was a thud against the bus, causing it to turn over.
It was a giant monster, over 13m in height. It had the shape of a human body without a neck and face. The eyes and mouth were on the chest side.
At the ends of each arm, instead of a fingered hand, were several long wriggling whips.
“Okay… everyone has the right frequency?” Jang Yoong-cheol whispered.
The team members nodded nervously.
For them, this was more than just practice. They set their GPS so that they could request support from nearby seniors if the problem became more than they could handle.
They sneaked down from the bus as the Whipper’s attention shifted from them.
It started to walk past the bus.
Jang Yoong-cheol looked at the monster’s back in relief.
Yoo-seong was the last one to step out of the bus.
“Hey, go hide in a building or something. We need to get to work,” Yoong-cheol said to him.
The operation had begun, and an outsider was a nuisance. Jang Yoong-Cheol stared ahead. Around him, the Alpha team moved quickly.
A hunter blew a whistle, and the piercing sound filled the streets.
The Giant Whipper turned.
One of the Alpha Team members stood on the street right behind the monster.
The member blew another whistle, diverting the monster’s attention.
Meanwhile, the other Alpha team members ran to their positions. The monster wasn’t in a hurry to chase them.
It was bigger than any of them, and its single step could cover more ground than theirs.
Just as the Whipper got between two high rising buildings, Yoong-cheol yelled into his communicator.
“Everyone, go now!”
At the same time, three pairs of Alpha Team Hunters appeared on the buildings.