Chapter 88
If the impact he received was this much, there was no way Baek Rak would be unharmed. When he urgently examined his expression, he was frowning around his eyes as if something was uncomfortable. Worry came first as he grabbed his shoulders.
“Are you really okay… Ugh!”
However, before he could properly examine him, his body swayed. Because creature attacks poured down again.
Thud!
The ground struck by the back of the spear was deeply gouged and debris flew up. Baek Rak blocked it with his own body and climbed up the creature’s body using the armor of the spear-wielding creature as support.
Avoiding the hands of the creature that flailed trying to catch him somehow, Baek Rak jumped up, held his two swords pointing downward, and stabbed the red eyes.
Then red liquid burst out from the creature’s eyes, which were the only part with color.
The liquid that spurted out like a fountain dyed the creature’s face, which had been entirely black, red. It looked like it was shedding tears of blood.
Then once again the sound of cutting through air was heard as an arrow was shot.
Baek Rak immediately retrieved his swords and ducked to avoid the arrow flying toward them. The giant arrow that passed by smashed the head of the eyeless creature and crashed into the ground far away. A tremendous roar echoed as the bodies of creatures nearby were torn to shreds.
“Wow…”
Seo Won, who had watched the entire spectacle without missing anything, couldn’t help but be amazed. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like Baek Rak had purposefully guided the arrow to deal with the spear-wielding creature. The way his movements flowed naturally like water made it certain.
To know how to operate situations advantageously even amid frantically pouring attacks. Baek Rak’s fighting style was amazing and bold.
It wasn’t just about avoiding, blocking, and cutting, but using his head to achieve optimal efficiency with minimal movement.
Come to think of it, he had seen several times when attacks Baek Rak avoided hit other creatures. While doing so, he also inferred the next situation and always maintained a state of tension in preparation for unexpected circumstances.
At Baek Rak’s newly felt abilities, Seo Won felt a strange thrill rising. The kind of feeling where he wanted to go somewhere and boast about it. Now he could completely understand Yu Sol’s feelings.
Baek Rak, who had jumped up by stepping on the giant’s body falling to the ground, dealt with the charging creatures and landed on the ground.
“Ugh.”
But suddenly Baek Rak let out a short groan.
Seo Won felt like he had been doused with cold water. He had been momentarily carried away by the abilities Baek Rak showed and failed to properly check his injuries. He had definitely looked uncomfortable somewhere until just now…
“Are you okay? Where does it hurt?”
“…It’s fine.”
“What’s fine? This is the first time I’ve heard you groan!”
Just as he was examining him everywhere trying to find where he was hurt, Baek Rak suddenly chuckled and spouted nonsense.
“You heard my groans yesterday too, didn’t you?”
“…What?”
For a moment he was stunned and forgot about worrying, shouting loudly.
“You crazy, mmph!”
“Shh.”
However, before he could finish cursing, he was stopped by Baek Rak’s hand. Seo Won glared at Baek Rak with his face turning red and blue. I’m worrying about an injured person and you’re teasing me? And in a state surrounded by creatures like this?
‘Did he make his heart out of steel?’
He really was an amazing guy in every sense. And I’m still the same, always falling for it.
But where and how much was he hurt? He couldn’t help but know that he had deliberately tried to change the subject. Could it be that he was worried I might get anxious about his injury?
He gave Baek Rak’s back of the head a light tap and then tightly embraced his neck.
Avoiding the creature’s arrow attacks flying at them again, Baek Rak began running toward the Alpha. The arrow attacks would disappear once they got somewhat close to the Alpha, so there was no need to deliberately go catch him.
However, other higher entities that had been far away were running over, so time was tight. Even if he had to push himself, he had to catch the Alpha before those guys arrived.
“……”
However, Baek Rak, who had been running while avoiding attacks from regular creatures, frowned at the pain that wouldn’t diminish. Perhaps because the burden on his shoulder from deflecting the first arrow was greater than expected, the pain was considerable.
Usually this level of pain would quickly recover after a little time passed, but strangely it was getting worse.
It seemed like nerves rather than muscles or joints had been damaged. It was a minor injury that would return to original condition after about an hour of rest, but it could work disadvantageously in the situation before fighting the Alpha.
But he couldn’t withdraw his body right now either.
Until now he had been able to escape by taking refuge in shelters that the creature couldn’t enter, but now they were far from the shelter, so escape was impossible unless he dealt with the Alpha.
The creature had been waiting here targeting this.
Baek Rak endured the pain that grew with movement as much as possible and moved forward. Cutting, stabbing, and sometimes avoiding creatures as he advanced like that, arrows continued to be shot as if to block the path to the Alpha.
Baek Rak’s expression gradually hardened at the attacks that clung as if they couldn’t let him go yet. It was unbearably annoying.
When he glanced at the Alpha, the creature was watching with amusement, laughing.
Just as he was tensing his body with the thought of charging in one breath.
“…!”
The sight of the bright red sky in the distance being swallowed by darkness entered his vision. A large object that artificially covered the sky and summoned another darkness that wasn’t night was rapidly approaching.
As soon as Baek Rak discovered it, without any consideration or deliberation, he immediately turned and ran out. Not toward Gangnam Station where the Alpha was guarding, not toward Yeongdeungpo Station where creatures were swarming, but toward the north.
Then the Alpha, who had been sitting still, jumped up from his position.
The creature moved all the waiting creatures to chase after Baek Rak. The moment the approaching darkness swallowed them up, the last remaining possibility for them would completely disappear.
That moment was right in front of them.
“You can’t escape this time!”
A bizarre smile appeared on the Alpha’s face.
“Ugh, Baek Rak? Where are you going now…”
Seo Won, who had been swaying from the sudden change of direction, couldn’t continue speaking at the sight he saw as soon as he raised his head.
Darkness was approaching from far away, and the Alpha and creatures were chasing them like crazy. He instinctively felt that the situation was turning unfavorable.
Looking back, Baek Rak was continuing to run in a direction without creatures. Feeling like he had gotten faster than before, when he looked ahead again, he could see that other creatures except the Alpha were gradually falling behind.
Then his eyes met with the giant creature holding a bow. At that moment, the creature released the bowstring it had been pulling strongly.
“Baek Rak! Arrow behind you!”
The arrow rushed forward with tremendous sound, passing by the creatures and Alpha.
Baek Rak glanced back and said to Seo Won.
“Yoon Seo Won, be careful not to fall off.”
“Huh? Why suddenly… Agh!”
Right after the warning, Baek Rak jumped up urgently before Seo Won could even finish preparing. Then a huge arrow stuck into the spot where they had been standing and the ground caved in.
Boom!
Without time to check the debris flying up, Baek Rak stepped on the arrow’s fletching and shot forward like bouncing using the recoil. At a speed faster than before, the distance from the creatures widened in an instant.
“Ugh!”
Fierce wind scratched and passed by his face. It was to the degree that his body would stick on its own even without embracing Baek Rak’s neck. Seo Won squinted and looked at the creatures getting farther away.
Even during all this, the Alpha was chasing by transforming its legs.
But the strange thing was that there wasn’t a single creature in the direction Baek Rak was fleeing. It seemed to be because they had called all the creatures from the surroundings to block the path to Yeongdeungpo Station.
When regular creatures could no longer be seen and even the giant creature with the bow had become as small as a dot.
Baek Rak, confirming the Alpha still chasing them, began to gradually slow down. Seo Won looked at Baek Rak anxiously.
He had a determined look in his eyes as he was infusing energy into his sword. Now that he had separated the Alpha alone, he intended to kill it here. Would it be okay?
As he felt anxious in a situation he couldn’t be certain about, an unexpected event occurred.
A tremendous roar suddenly echoed from the direction Baek Rak had been heading. Soon after, an enormous water column shot up.
“What is that?”
Unlike the puzzled Seo Won, Baek Rak gave up the thought of fighting the Alpha and quickly rushed forward. Perhaps because it wasn’t very far, they quickly arrived at the place where the water column had shot up.
There, two men and women were collapsed, and a boy who appeared to be about five years old was crying beside them. And around them, dozens of creatures were scattered in pieces.
What was surprising was that water droplets, presumably from a hunter’s ability, were floating in the air. That power was surrounding the area as if to protect the child. The child who was emitting emerald-colored energy.
‘Is that child a hunter?’
However, seeing the energy leaking out continuously, he couldn’t properly control his ability. He probably lost his parents to creature attacks and awakened without knowing it.
Baek Rak immediately approached the child. As if the child felt threatened, the water droplets became pointed and headed toward them. Seo Won urgently stopped Baek Rak.
“Baek Rak! Wait a moment.”
Only then did Baek Rak stop and put Seo Won down. As soon as his feet touched the ground, Seo Won slowly crouched down to meet the child’s eye level and spoke.
“It’s okay, calm down. We’re not monsters, we’re people.”
“Hnngh, hup, waaah.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
