Chapter 25
“Poong.”
He was quite bulky, so Seo Won wondered if he could get inside, but the guy never gave up. Even when his shoulders got stuck, he twisted himself in, and even when his ribs got caught, he forced himself through. Even though you could see his skin being pushed and his bones bending, he stubbornly pressed forward.
“Poong, don’t overdo it.”
Yu Sol tried to stop Poong out of worry, but he managed to get inside. Having arrived like that, Poong licked the bridge of his terrified wife’s nose and rubbed his face against hers.
That sight looked somehow pitiful, so Seo Won turned his head away.
“Kids… come out quickly.”
Yu Sol had tears welling up in her eyes before she knew it and patted Poong’s rear end. She kept pleading for them to come out quickly, to go to a safe place. Even as she rubbed her eyes each time tears fell, unable to bear their weight, she didn’t stop.
Whether her earnest wish finally reached them, Rang slowly lifted her head. Fortunately, unlike before, she looked somewhat more stable.
Knowing that they couldn’t delay any more time, Poong first took one puppy in his mouth and backed away. Yu Sol and Seo Won grabbed Poong’s tightly wedged body and pulled it back, helping him as much as possible.
The puppy that came out was immediately held in Yu Sol’s arms. Then Poong squeezed his body into the gap again.
Even after getting two puppies out with the help of the two people, Poong continued to go into the gap. The mother, Rang, was also using her snout to push out the puppies as much as possible.
Just when another one had come out and was whimpering like that.
There was a tremendous explosion sound, and creatures began pouring in from beyond the barrier. Seo Won and Yu Sol held their breath.
“Poong, hurry! Rang, you come out here too!”
Yu Sol, who had become urgent, urged the guys. Poong and Rang, who sensed the danger, also quickened their movements. Seo Won looked around and asked Yu Sol.
“Where’s the nearest shelter from here?”
“There, there’s a storage room under those stairs. It’s not a bunker, but it should be enough to hide in.”
“You go first. I’ll bring the remaining kids.”
“No way! Let’s go together.”
“No, it’s more dangerous if it’s locked. You go first and check.”
Yu Sol bit her lips repeatedly, then nodded with a tearful face.
“You have to come quickly.”
“I’ll be right there.”
Yu Sol, holding three puppies, climbed up onto the platform above the railway tracks and began running with all her might. As he sighed in relief and turned his head, he saw Poong stuck in the gap, unable to go forward or back. When he hurriedly pulled the guy, he barely managed to get out.
In the guy’s mouth was a whimpering puppy. Thinking he might be wary of him, Seo Won carefully extended his hand. As he waited while feeling his anxiously beating heart, the guy seemed to recognize him as someone trustworthy and handed over the puppy. It was fortunate.
Seo Won watched Poong’s back as he went inside again, then turned his gaze toward the barrier.
It was chaotic with creatures continuously coming over and sparks exploding below them. It seemed like the people hidden in the barrier were attacking the creatures, but looking closely, there didn’t seem to be much damage.
Watching the guys that had been sliced cleanly by Baek Rak’s sword now only occasionally being pushed back by shock waves was disheartening.
Firearms didn’t seem to work at all. Is this why they had no choice but to rely on hunters? Baek Rak seemed impressive anew.
Suddenly, the image of Baek Rak slaughtering creatures and traitors came to mind. Baek Rak, who had mercilessly cut, stabbed, and swung his sword, had looked incredibly strong. The composure and indifferent actions he showed made viewers feel relieved.
How good would it be if he were here right now? As Seo Won thought absentmindedly, he was suddenly startled and shook his head vigorously.
Baek Rak was probably fighting creatures somewhere far away right now. He couldn’t be a burden when he couldn’t even help. At least he had to protect himself, Yu Sol, and these small dogs.
As he made that resolution and raised his head, something suddenly entered his field of vision. Huh…?
For a moment, his gaze met with red eyes. The strange pupils that were clearly visible began to be colored with joy.
“…Damn it!”
He hurriedly turned his head, but the thing began running toward where he was while screaming as if tearing through the air.
“Kids, quickly! Come out quickly! Hurry!”
He received the last puppy from Poong, who had escaped from the gap, and looked inside. Fortunately, Rang was carefully crawling out while maintaining her pace.
When he raised his head again, he could see creatures rushing toward this side in a crowd. Seo Won swallowed dry saliva and stood up.
Finally, even Rang had all come out, and he hurriedly put the two guys up on the platform. When he also climbed up by stepping on a wooden box, the two guys bit his collar and pulled him as if they had been waiting.
“Okay, let’s go!”
When Seo Won climbed onto the platform and ran, Poong and Rang also began running alongside him.
Boxes piled up here and there and scattered objects obstructed the path, but Seo Won ran forward persistently. But he felt something chilling.
Seo Won instinctively ducked his head sharply. At that moment, something long brushed past above his head.
When he looked back, he saw a group of creatures that had approached very close. What had brushed over his head were long tentacles that moved writhing from the guys’ entire bodies.
“Ugh… really.”
This time too, it seemed he would have to play a round of tag with creatures. After confirming that Poong and Rang were following well, Seo Won put more effort into his speed.
“Here! Come this way!”
Yu Sol was gesturing from far away, telling him to come quickly.
Seo Won kicked objects that were awkwardly positioned and ran with all his strength. Then he picked up an iron rod that he saw in front of him and threw it backward.
There was a dull sound and the sound of the iron rod falling to the ground. However, there was no time to check what happened. He just ran as much as his breath allowed.
“Dodge to the left!”
At Yu Sol’s scream-like shout, he hastily twisted his body. Then long claws cut through the space and passed by. Could it be right behind him? All the fine hairs on his body stood up.
“Poong!”
At Yu Sol’s scream heard once more, Seo Won looked at Poong running on his right side. The guy bit one of the tentacles flying toward Seo Won’s side and threw it to the opposite side. It was tremendous strength.
As if he wasn’t Yu Sol’s bodyguard for nothing, Poong protected Seo Won by deflecting several more attacks afterward.
Running hard, he was finally able to meet Yu Sol.
“Run! Run! This way!”
“The door?”
“I opened it!”
Arriving under the stairs, Seo Won quickly twisted his body and hid behind a pillar. When several creatures that couldn’t overcome their speed bounced away, Seo Won, Yu Sol, and Poong and Rang ran with all their might toward the open storage room.
“Go in first!”
Seo Won let Yu Sol and the two guys go in first, then entered last and immediately slammed the open door shut.
Yu Sol quickly locked the door and poured all the objects around to the front of the door. It was a struggle to prevent the door from opening even a little.
Seo Won leaned against the wall, gasping for breath, then his legs gave out and he slid down. His breath came up to his chin, and his lungs hurt. Though it wasn’t perfect, just as his heart was about to relax from the relief of escaping from those guys even a little…
Thud.
A long tentacle pierced through the iron door and stuck into the wall. Seo Won forgot to breathe and stared blankly into the air. Some liquid scattered through the air. Something fishy and sticky.
It was something unmistakable even in the darkness. The red blood of a living person. It was blood that Yu Sol had spilled.
“Ah, heuuk!”
“Yu Sol!”
Unfortunately, Yu Sol, who had been in front of the door, was hit directly by that tentacle.
Seo Won hurriedly pulled Yu Sol toward him. At the same time, dozens of tentacles pierced through the iron door and stuck into the wall. The timing was so close that if he had been even a little late, Yu Sol’s entire body would have been pierced.
“Sol! Are you okay?”
“Ah, aheu, it hurts… euk.”
“Where are you hurt?”
“My, my waist…”
Seo Won looked at Yu Sol’s right waist that she was clutching. As if the tentacle had taken a chunk, flesh was torn away and missing. Blood was flowing out from there.
He hurriedly took off his shirt and pressed firmly on Yu Sol’s waist. He could hear the sound of her gritting her teeth from the considerable pain.
“Bear with it a little.”
“Heu, heuuk, euk.”
“Yu Sol, stay conscious. It’s okay, you’ll be fine.”
He tried to comfort her by embracing her small trembling body, but the pain didn’t go away. Just by not screaming, Yu Sol was doing her best. What should he do? How should he handle this?
Then suddenly a certain fact came to mind.
“Sol, you’re a healing-type hunter. Can you heal yourself?”
Yu Sol was a healing-type hunter. Han Seong Hyeon’s words came to mind – that she couldn’t cure all diseases, but external injuries were possible. Then surely she could heal this wound too.
But.
“…Self, healing is… ha, euuk, not, possible.”
The fact that Yu Sol told him while enduring the pain was tragic.
Seo Won gritted his teeth. What kind of damn handicap is this? She could heal others, but herself was impossible. Was this why she was the top priority for protection?
‘I shouldn’t have made eye contact.’
His stomach felt bitter as if he had unnecessarily drawn the creatures. He shouldn’t have looked. What was he so curious about that he turned his head?
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
