Chapter 57
Materials piled onto the first-formed foot, creating legs, and then a torso was constructed. While everyone froze at the abnormal sight before their eyes, the monster was able to complete its body. When a head finally sprouted from its thick shoulders, the massive body writhed and undulated. After a series of grotesque movements, it smoothed out its skin to complete a human appearance.
Grooooooong-!
A vibrating sound burst from its cave-like mouth, and fierce winds swept through the city center.
The monster, towering above the top of a 15-story building, was a changgui. However, it couldn’t precisely recreate Eunseong’s appearance. Its facial features were haphazard, like a crude work made by an unskilled sculptor.
Long white hair hung down over its hunched back. When it moved its legs carelessly, the ground shook as if an earthquake had struck. The entire Residential District 3, floating in the air supported by rift energy, rumbled as if it might crash down at any moment.
“Guild Leader-!”
Yeon Seokchun urgently shouted as he opened the guild leader’s office door.
Having gone to support the changgui specialized team, he had returned to the guild one step ahead of Mujin. As soon as he crossed the lobby door, he rushed to the guild leader’s office to look after Eunseong first.
“Team Leader Yeon.”
Eunseong answered without even looking back at him. He stood in front of the large glass window, staring outside as if nailed in place.
The massive creature, blocking out the morning sun between the forest of buildings, was slowly rising to its feet. It took its first step, dragging its patchwork body that crudely imitated human form.
Kuwoong-! The moment the ground rumbled heavily, Eunseong’s body trembled with a start.
It was the moment the creature turned its head. He was startled because it seemed to recognize him, meeting his eyes directly.
“Team Leader Yeon, that’s a monster, right? It’s a changgui, right? Why is it like that… What about Mujin?”
“He’s coming. Please evacuate for now. Where are your security glasses?”
“But…”
“Hunter Lee Haesu will take care of Hanyeong and put him on the helicopter. Hurry. Everyone’s waiting.”
Eunseong snapped to attention at the mention that Hanyeong had been moved. At the same time, Yeon Seokchun grabbed Eunseong’s arm as if snatching it and began to run. There seemed to be no time to grab the security glasses. As Eunseong left the guild leader’s office with him, he turned his head once more to look outside.
Beyond the glass window, the creature standing far in the city center began walking directly toward them.
* * *
“Th-they’re filming a movie, right?”
“…It’s too realistic though.”
Even in a world where rifts opened, monsters were just something from the news for ordinary people. Like wars in distant countries across the ocean, it was a fear that didn’t touch their skin.
Even when sirens announcing rift entries sounded several times a month, even when information about hunters who died during subjugation operations was updated on the web, even when someone was ground up to extract rift energy to maintain the residential districts.
Taking each such incident seriously was too much for ordinary humans who found their daily lives burdensome enough.
Only when an event that completely smashed the hamster wheel occurred would they finally realize that what they had dismissed as other people’s business was actually all closely involved with their own survival.
This was the first time a large monster had appeared before ordinary people since they abandoned the ground to escape rifts. Under the slowly moving monster’s feet, everyone froze and stared into empty space as if hypnotized. Its large, hideous body blocked out all the sun, making the city center as dark as if a typhoon had approached.
Kwaaaaang-!
Without warning, its swinging hand swept away the side of a building helplessly. As concrete and steel frame debris poured down like rain, screams finally burst out. People began scattering and fleeing like ants from under the monster’s feet.
Breaking through the chaos, hunters from the changgui specialized team arrived at the scene one after another. The hunters who arrived closest to the giant changgui helped people evacuate, while those guarding near Eunseong’s guild building formed a defensive line according to Woo Nayeong’s instructions.
Though they moved in unison, they all had troubled expressions.
They had no experience outside of combat within rifts. They had only learned to invade monster territory when rifts opened and destroy their cores, but they didn’t know how to fight while protecting someone on their own land.
In a way, they had been winning for so long. This complacent land didn’t even have a simple defense system.
“If we just push through recklessly and the entire residential district gets blown away, what then?”
Woo Jaehui said breathlessly. Though his words sounded like a question due to his light tone, it was actually closer to a warning. Mujin responded without a moment’s hesitation.
“Cut off its limbs first. Make it sit down for now.”
Mujin’s gaze toward the mutated changgui was so cold it stung. The enlarged body was hideous and grotesque, but it made Mujin feel comfortable by exactly that much. The shape of an ‘enemy’ familiar to him was supposed to be like this.
Its corpse-like grayish-white skin was hard enough that ordinary weapons couldn’t even scratch it. Its thick rope-like hair seemed to have defensive power of its own, and the claws protruding from each fingertip were each a massive blade.
Having enlarged its body while seemingly abandoning intelligence, its movements were slow and blind. Nevertheless, wherever it passed was destroyed and blood pools formed. It meant that just being grazed by it would kill a person.
Mujin closed both eyes, loaded his breathing, and gathered strength in his fingertips. He created a red blade with condensed energy and gripped it firmly. Wielding the seemingly living sword, he charged at the changgui’s leg.
Chwaaaaak-! A brilliant flash occurred. One of the changgui’s legs was severed and its body tilted, but the flesh wriggled and stuck back together. Instead, black fluid that had been inside gushed out like a fountain and soaked the ground. A fishy and disgusting stench spread through the air.
“Uweeek-!”
A nearby hunter gagged at the smell, clearly a rookie with little monster combat experience.
Hunters with extensive combat experience drew their respective weapons like Mujin and charged at the giant changgui. But still, the regeneration speed was faster than the cutting speed. Several hunters who showed openings and got hit by its hand were sent flying and crashed into building walls. Blood spurted from bodies with torn flesh.
“Stay alert! Don’t let it advance!”
During the ongoing battle, someone’s shout scattered in the wind.
The changgui twisted its massive arm into a spiral and thrust it like a spear at Mujin. Mujin twisted his body to dodge and fiercely swung his heat-loaded blade. Kagagak! The stone floor was cut and split, creating a long black line. The changgui, having narrowly avoided the blade, tore its lips long and laughed with clicking sounds.
“Kkeuk, kkeureuk, going. Go. Will go. Ah, ah…”
At the same time, sparks flashed from Mujin’s fingertips. Too fast to gauge its form, a fireball shot out and struck the changgui’s shoulder hard. Finally, one severed arm fell to the ground, raising thick dust.
“Keuaaaaaaak-!”
As the monster screamed, ear-splitting sound waves spread out. People who had been fleeing sat down covering their ears. Black fluid pouring like a waterfall from the torn arm splattered in all directions. Mujin’s body was also getting soaked in the foul smell and sticky mucus.
“Aak! So fucking dirty! Burn it all!”
Woo Jaehui screamed frantically, forgetting what he had said earlier.
Then, the changgui curled its body and crouched.
“Take cover!”
Mujin shouted but it didn’t reach them. The creature leaped like a frog, and several hunters were knocked away by its powerfully extended legs. At the sight of the massive body flying up into the sky, horror spread across the faces of those watching.
Kwajijik-!
The ground cracked in a circle around the landing point. The ground crumbled like sand and dozens of surrounding buildings collapsed instantly. The massive bulk prepared to leap again.
“Stop it!”
The place where the leaping creature was heading was the building where Eunseong was.
As if its sluggish movements until now had been an act, the changgui ran and leaped across the ground with surprising speed. Each time, the ground was torn apart. Cars on the road were pitifully shattered like broken candy.
“Tie up its legs! Knock it down!”
The hunters shouted, but not one succeeded.
Mujin stretched his left arm toward the changgui and drew his bowstring. After drawing it until his angry muscles swelled up completely, dozens of fire arrows formed in the air at once.
“Hoo.”
He inhaled, and the moment he cut off his breath, he released the string. With the sound of cutting through air, streams of fire shot out like lasers, drawing long tails.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each time an arrow struck the monster’s back, explosions occurred, but its momentum was hardly broken. Rather, as if gaining propulsion, its charge became fiercer.
Mujin gritted his teeth. When he shot the last arrow, the creature mockingly twisted its body to avoid it. The deflected fire arrow struck a bus that had stopped on the street.
Kwaaaaaaang-!
With the explosion, the changgui leaped once more. On the rooftop of the guild building where Eunseong was, a helicopter was preparing for takeoff with red warning lights flashing.
Mujin immediately leaped. As if crossing the changgui’s trajectory, his body soared through the air.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
