Hiding a House in the Apocalypse-Chapter 145.4: Faith (4)
Lee Haru, like most newcomers, had knowledge that never fully reflected reality.
It’s true that the dancer-type monster is a dangerous opponent for us old-school hunters.
Faster than us, more aggressive when it comes to hunting humans, and possessing close combat abilities that can’t be compared to other monsters.
When we first encountered one by ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) chance, unprepared and without the proper weaponry, we knew we were walking into an unavoidable massacre.
But even in such situations, we’ve managed to come out victorious.
It was only possible because of the top-tier team members, like Kim Daram, at the time.
However, without those two variables, a dancer-type monster is actually easier prey than a spider-type with a fully established fortress or a necromancer-type that has built a kingdom.
The dancer-type may set up a base and transform the surrounding area into a pale, eroding wasteland, but its minions are fewer, weaker, and its base’s defenses don’t compare to other monsters.
In other words, if we know what we’re up against and are sufficiently armed, the dancer-type isn’t a difficult opponent.
Of course, this is only speaking from the perspective of experienced hunters like us.
Hunters without sufficient experience, even if they’re prepared, would likely be wiped out by a dancer-type’s explosive power and leap potential.
“I’ll be going now.”
Despite her words, Lee Haru didn’t leave, only stepping back a little.
Instead, she pulled out a camcorder from somewhere and started filming us.
She probably wanted to capture our last moments on video.
Even though she was staring directly at us, I saw her lips curve into a faint smile as she watched us through the camcorder screen, which reminded me of Woo Min-hee’s past.
A budding talent, but I thought she still had a long way to go before she surpassed our experiences.
Click! Click!
Meanwhile, Defender’s team members were busy installing barbed wire and Claymore mines connected to trip wires along the side emergency exit, linking them to undestroyed platforms to prevent any approaching fanatics from hearing the sound when the fight inevitably began.
“Are you sure about this?”
Defender, having survived countless battles, was cautious when it came to fighting large monsters. He approached me and asked carefully.
One of the reasons he was concerned was because I was the only hunter participating in this operation.
While Defender’s friends are skilled soldiers, there is a strict distinction between a soldier’s qualities and a hunter’s.
Furthermore, the way a human group behaves in normal conditions compared to when they’re in danger is vastly different.
Defender’s team is made up of seasoned killers with strong combat skills and organizational prowess, but I wondered whether they would be able to maintain their composure if team members started dying.
Casualties within a team are one of the greatest sources of stress.
If one member breaks under extreme circumstances, the situation can quickly spiral out of control.
A situation where these guys panic would be far more dangerous than me going in alone.
That’s because we’re not dealing with just one monster.
While the dancer-type may be a challenge, there’s also another new breed, a mid-sized monster, that I know little about.
Only someone with rich experience, able to handle any situation flexibly, can face unknown threats.
Shing—
I checked the edge of my axe.
It was sharp.
The weapons I’d prepared were three types: two harpoonizers, one handgun, and two axes.
I didn’t carry a rifle.
The sound of gunfire might provoke the fanatics overhead, and I needed to move more swiftly when the dancer-type appeared.
“Professor. The operation is starting.”
After I received the call, one of Defender’s team members, who had been monitoring the platform, suddenly turned to face me and saluted.
“...”
It was a small gesture, but it filled me with a slight sense of pride for my past.
I stepped forward into the pale, eroded area.
The first thing I noticed was the sharp metallic scent in the air.
It wasn’t the smell of the rift.
Beyond the rift, the area was sterile, lifeless, devoid of any scent.
It was probably the smell of the subway itself, weathering away in the erosion zone.
Swish—
I moved forward, and soon the skittering of numerous legs echoed through the air.
The lantern illuminated a small circle, revealing a pale, insect-like monster with many legs, its head and torso held upright, and two razor-sharp forelegs like its master, the dancer-type’s minion.
It was a dancer-type’s subordinate.
Like its master, it attacked with explosive speed and deadly force.
Shing—
Two of them leaped at me like bullets.
Pah!
With a flick of my wrists, I swung both axes and cleaved them cleanly in half.
I had split them right through the torso, from the tofu-like skin to the halfway point of their bodies.
“······Amazing.”
“Without a gun, you’re taking them down with only melee weapons?”
“Truly monstrous.”
I heard voices from Defender’s team over the comms, though they had been silent until now.
It seems they had tried their hand at the area as well.
“Truly, Professor!”
Lee Haru made a sound of admiration, like a student toward their teacher.
“You’re doing quite well?”
There was no need to respond. It wasn’t a difficult task.
The dancer-type minions are fast and deadly, but they have a predictable pattern: they charge at the torso at high speed. If you know the timing and the tricks, they’re easy to handle.
Others often resort to firearms from a distance because they struggle with the proper techniques.
Ignoring the sounds coming from behind me, I pressed forward, step by step, cautiously.
But I was aware that my presence was clearly noticeable to the enemy.
I started calling out one by one to the minions, drawing them toward us.
C.Y.M—“Call Your Mom” was one of the old-school hunter tactics.
The idea is to lure out and deal with minions, gradually pulling them toward the fortified nest and clearing them out.
It’s a highly stable method, but it takes time, and depending on the creature, some may not be lured out at all, leading to wasted effort.
The Chinese government inspectors watching us hated this approach.
“Oh, I know about that. The C.Y.M. tactic, right? We learned it in school as part of the classics. But what happens if the dancer-type doesn’t come out?”
Lee Haru, the hopeful protege of Woo Min-hee, chatted through the comms.
Seems like she’s studying hard.
I’d heard that the Awakened candidates didn’t get tested on old-school hunter doctrines, but perhaps she’s different.
“······.”
There’s always a way.
I did this almost every day.
I watched dozens of comrades perish and saw even more die before my eyes.
Swish—
Pah!
My condition wasn’t bad.
What pleased me most was the relief from the constant, gnawing drowsiness that had plagued me for so long.
What had taken away that persistent, unhealable fatigue?
Pah!
Thinking it over, maybe it was the social reputation I’d gained online that gave me the will to fight another day?
I wasn’t about to ask her, but it’s safe to assume that someone her age is probably online and knows about Necropolis.
Do you know the Skeletons?
I wonder how she’d respond to that.
She’s not the only one.
The regular Awakened, who are holed up in the sauna-like area, probably know too.
One of them might come up to me, eyes wide in awe, and say, “No way, are you that Skeleton?”
Swish—
Pah!
I’ve taken down twenty of them.
Enough for now.
While each dancer-type minion is deadly, their numbers are nowhere near as high as a spider-type or necromancer-type that commands thousands.
Even if there are more, they probably don’t exceed fifty.
Each monster has its strengths and weaknesses.
The real problem is that the situation is matching my predictions—and Lee Haru’s prattling—exactly.
Even as I continue drawing out and eliminating the minions, the main body shows no signs of appearing.
“······.”
This is a non-reactive type.
It means the doctrine doesn’t apply.
“You see? It’s not coming out.”
If I had known this chatterbox would be such a problem, I probably shouldn’t have brought it along.
“Back in your day, maybe that doctrine worked, but nowadays, very few monsters get lured out by C.Y.M. Do you know that monsters evolve and adapt their behavior?”
“I know.”
For the first time, I answered.
Click—
I pulled out my weapon.
The Harpoonizer.
The sharpest spear I’ve ever used.
Dealing with minions doesn’t change much in a fortified base.
Monsters that have set up strongholds likely have enough minions to keep them well-guarded.
But the monster type must be taken into consideration.
While the dancer-type is strong in combat, it’s not particularly skilled as a fortress-builder.
Sure, if it had more time, it could set up a decent base, but it’s nothing compared to other competitors.
Especially when it only has a few powerful minions that we can easily dispose of.
And for every minion that disappears, the way is opened for us.
“······.”
There it is.
The pale, skeletal shape of the monster standing motionless among the strange, dry structures it’s created, surrounded by a thick, unnerving silence.
It matches the information I gathered during my basic reconnaissance with the crossbow.
I scanned the area.
Beyond it, a large partition seemed to block the subway tracks.
The new mid-sized monster is beyond that.
I swiftly took down one of the minions.
The Harpoonizer back on my back, I ran at full speed.
Swish—
The minions, like trees rooted in the ground, started reacting to my movements.
And then.
Hiiisss—
Hiiisss—
They launched themselves at me like spears.
Swish—
I drew both axes and slashed through them.
Pah! Pah!
The important thing was not slowing down.
Hiiisss—
Boom!
Even if I didn’t take down the minions in one strike, it didn’t matter.
They’d fall to the ground and try to regain their balance, but I kept moving fast.
The key was to get within the dancer-type’s reflective field before it woke up.
Before it had a chance to react.
Hiiisss—
Pah!
The attacks kept coming.
I killed five and discarded seven.
The distance was now 50 meters.
A single sprint would get me close.
But I wouldn’t increase my speed just yet.
Hiiisss—
I waited for one to come from the side.
Pah!
And then I pulled out my spear.
About 40 meters.
[ Mixed ]
I removed the safety pin, pressed the button to mix the charge, and started counting in my head.
‘3... 2... 1...’
Boom!
At the end of the countdown, a shockwave blasted from the front.
The monster—our enemy—had awakened.
“Are you okay?”
I heard Lee Haru’s voice again over the comms, but I ignored it and focused on the creature.
Its two blade-like forelegs twitched, and the massive body, nearly five meters long, stretched as it prepared to strike.
Soon, its head, resembling a massive skull, looked directly at me.
It had recognized me.
It was staring me down.
I stood still, not moving.
“Are... are you okay?! Answer me!”
I waited.
For it to get closer.
Boom!
With a shockwave, it leapt toward me.
At the same time, I aimed my spear.
“······.”
In many media interviews and confidential briefings, I’ve always said that the origin of our hunters—especially the hunters from South Korea—wasn’t in the elegant modern archers or safari-hunting Westerners, but in the old-school marksmen who hunted tigers with single-shot matchlocks.
They hunted apex predators like Siberian tigers with crude rifles that couldn’t guarantee accuracy at long range.
The key to their success was courage and composure.
Knowing that a single shot could be their last, they waited until their prey was within 20 meters to deliver a fatal blow.
They bet everything on one shot.
Hiiisss—
Just like now.
Boom!
With a thunderous roar and a jetstream of force, the sharp harpoon flew toward the monster.
It struck directly into its torso, a clean hit, and triggered a devastating chain explosion from within.
Though I wanted to watch the monster’s end, there was still something left to do.
Thunk—
I still had to deal with the minions I hadn’t finished off earlier and the new ones that had arrived.
Hiiisss—
Pah!
While fighting the minions in the second round, brilliant particles swirled around my vision, disorienting me.
“······.”
I sighed lightly and continued slashing through the approaching minions.
“Dancer-type. Defeated.”
Cheers erupted through the comms.
Of course, the voice of one skeptical friend mixed in.
“W-Wait, is this real? You... you really took it down... all by yourself?”
There was no time to answer.
Tatatatat!
Gunfire erupted from the platform.
And then.
Boom!
Another shockwave shook the darkness.
The mid-sized new type.
Macrophage-type has awakened.
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