Chapter 38 (1/2)

Episode 38

Earthquakes, thunderstorms, and other forces of nature were the signs of a crack opening.

Usually, the larger the crack was, the more severe the natural disaster was.

Outside, there was a thunderstorm, and the clouds were dark. That was enough to tell them that they were about to deal with a large crack. The crack had opened a little earlier than expected. That wasn’t a problem. However, there was a monster sticking out of the crack.

That was the problem.

All they could see so far was what looked like the monster’s mouth. It was black with moss green trails alongside it.

No one could tell whether it was a bird’s beak or an alligator’s snout. What bothered everyone the most was that the entire crack, with its diameter of about ten meters, wasn’t large enough for anything more than the monster’s mouth to come through.

The gigantic mouth kept wriggling.

The tight crack acted as a kind of gag so that the monster couldn’t open its mouth. It couldn’t move back either, as its mouth was stuck.

-Current monster identity is unconfirmed. Please wait.-

Well, should I say thank you? Yoo-seong thought as he rolled his eyes.

The protruding snout acted as a kind of stopper, and no other monsters came out of the crack.

However, sometimes, more than anything else, imagination was often the worst threat.

Inside the bus, everyone was talking.

like Kargadon?”

“I don’t know, but when its face comes out, I’m sure it will look like Kargadon.”

“We might be surprised that the body size is actually insignificant.”

Irrespective of their ranking, all the hunters on the bus were amazed.

-Please wait. Request for additional hunter support and military support in progress.-

The action of the Central Observation Center of the Special Defense Agency was quick.

It was probably because they had already suffered from the unexpected Shantigas attack.

Unlike the Shantiga, they didn’t even have accurate information on what the monster was this time.

Everyone sighed in relief as they read the message. Suddenly, someone else pointed out.

“Wait a minute; did that just get a little longer?”

“No way,” another person said as they all looked out.

There was a large screech as the mouth of the monster was able to open. Its wriggling had finally paid off, and the crack was becoming wider.

At the same time, the snout gradually emerged.

Whatever the identity of the creature was, it was quite desperate to come here. The physical force it possessed was enormous enough to affect the crack’s expansion.

Some hunters inside the bus looked at Yoo-seong, but Yoo-seong’s eyes were fixed on his phone.

He wasn’t reading a briefing, though. A message had appeared on his phone.

-I’m watching the live broadcast. I can see the monster.

Yoo-seong was chatting with Sung-wook.

He needed the veteran hunter’s opinions.

-To rip a crack open with physical force, we know that it will be eight stars or more. It might be a mutation or a new species; we don’t know that. It’s also in the ‘Giant’ category, so it’s not a problem that can be solved by individual efforts or single firepower.

Sung-wook’s opinion was correct. Soon, a new briefing was released.

-Regardless of the area of responsibility, hunters with the means and ability to attack are to move to the central operation area where they can shoot. You are to focus your firepower autonomously.-

The most important thing in the current situation was somehow preventing the monster from squeezing through the rift.

They weren’t sure if they could kill the monster even with their numbers. However, they had to dissuade it from coming over, at least.

Yoo-seong looked around him.

Everyone had seen the briefing, but they were exchanging opinions rather than taking action.

He rolled his eyes. He had been expecting that. The only reason the central observation center would issue such specific instructions was that the situation was urgent.

Unfortunately, these were low-grade hunters without a professional control team.

Yoo-seong took a deep breath.

As much as he had wanted to avoid giving orders, he had to say something at this point. In terms of years of experience, he was sure that he was a novice compared to the others.

That notwithstanding, he spoke.

“Please pay attention, everyone. I believe you have all seen the briefing. If you have a means of attacking or maneuvering and wish to come along, please follow me.”

The noise in the bus died down at that. No one challenged his authority.

“Three people from our team will go,” one team leader said.

“Our team will also delegate one person along with myself to accompany you,” another team leader said.

The groups on the bus were willing to take action since there was someone to lead.

“Well, we will go, too.” Yoo Jae-gon said, raising his hand.

His face was a little red. He had a team of veteran hunters.

He could have taken the prerogative. Instead, he had allowed worry to rob him of his initiative.

“If we are going to get to the area quickly, we’ll have to go by bus. Please, driver, hurry up,” he said.

The driver mumbled a ‘yes’ and turned the steering so that the bus took a turn and entered a new lane.

Soon, they began to see other buses with hunters.

It wasn’t long before they stopped.

The crack shook, and everyone looked up with worry evident on their faces as if on cue. It was a much more violent vibration than the first.

Finally, the monster’s face appeared, the shape of which was similar to that of a crocodile turtle.

It had the face of a reptile with a curved beak. However, its eyes were far different from that of a turtle.

It had yellow sclera with vertical pupils like a predator. The two giant marbles looked down for a moment, and it roared. Rather than an animal cry, its roar was like the sound of a large earthquake.

Everyone watched in silence as ripples of fear rushed through them.

Their gazes were fixed on the stalactite-like teeth and the bright crimson tongue that fluttered in the air.

Suddenly, it spat. Everyone stared at the trajectory for a moment.

Along the trajectory, there was thick purple smoke rising.

That was when they realized it was poison. The hunters moved quickly, maneuvering their buses out of the way.

The poison landed on the ground, and there was the sound of boiling.

Before long, all that was left of the area was a crater with smoke rising from it.

The monster began to breathe out purple smoke everywhere so that it became increasingly difficult to see the area around the crack.

Several buses reversed and zoomed away from the spot. Even the hunters on Yoo-seong’s bus changed their minds.

“I… I don’t think I can participate in this operation. We don’t have the equipment for spray-type poison. We’re leaving,” one team leader said.

The others agreed and began to opt-out one after the other.

Yoo-seong didn’t say anything as he watched the smoke rise from the crater. He turned his head and looked at Yoo Jae-gon.