Hiding a House in the Apocalypse-Chapter 145.5: Faith (5)

If you have just one proper hunter weapon, you can defeat most monsters.

That has long been my theory.

Of course, when it comes to new types, observation time is necessary.

Besides, Lee Haru didn’t provide any information earlier.

While retreating at full speed, I asked Lee Haru.

“What kind of monster is a Macrophage?”

“I... I don't know.”

Her voice, which had been so confident just moments ago, was now noticeably trembling with fear.

“They said it’s specialized against Awakened.”

“Yes. That's right. I'm really, really sorry, but I’m going to leave now.”

Not long after those words were spoken, Defender’s cold voice came through.

“Awakened, escaped.”

“······What’s the situation?”

“A few fanatics stepped on the mines. The gunshots we heard weren't fired at us; it seems one of the ones who stepped on a mine accidentally pulled the trigger as he died.”

“I see.”

“But it’s inevitable that more fanatics will come.”

Defender sighed as he spoke.

“Let's pull out for today. Taking down the dancer-type alone means we achieved 120% of today's objective.”

“······.”

“We’ll come back next time, finish off the mid-size monster or whatever it is, and wrap this up.”

“No.”

I shook my head.

At the same time, the pale white territory ended, and beyond it stretched endless dark tracks, where I could see Defender’s team standing.

“We need to finish it here.”

“What?”

“They’re not fools. If they realize one monster has been taken out, they'll fortify their defenses here.”

“······But.”

“You know, right? In a straight, open area like this, even just one machine-gun nest could pin down an entire regiment.”

There is no weapon, short of heavy equipment, that can kill people more efficiently than a machine gun in human-versus-human combat.

A single well-placed machine-gun nest forcing the movement of an entire tactical unit is a common scene on the battlefield. frёewebnoѵēl.com

Of course, against monsters, it would be little more than a quick suicide, but we are human.

“We need to finish it here.”

“So, you're saying we go back in?”

“Just one of you needs to come with me.”

I needed backup.

I had only one pair of eyes and one gun to wield.

After picking up the rifle I had placed down before taking on the dancer-type and checking the ammunition, I waited for a volunteer from Defender’s side. Suddenly, laughter rang out.

The fanatic.

“Hahahahahaha! It’s all over now! I see your end!”

He glared at me with bloodshot eyes.

“You rejoice at killing one of God's envoys? It’s too early to celebrate. Beyond there is······.”

Thwack!

Of course, the one who approached him was Defender.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

As you can see, he doesn’t even blink when killing people, but he definitely looks tense against monsters.

Watching Defender’s team members holding their positions, I asked him.

“How long can you hold them off?”

“It depends on their aggressiveness and troop quality, but if they only send light infantry, we can hold them for at least ten minutes.”

I nodded.

“That’s enough.”

“But if Awakened are mixed in, then who knows.”

“······We’ll leave that to luck.”

Risking your life isn’t a choice I enjoy.

But if we retreat here, we can forget about exterminating the fanatics, and that would mean we can't move the regular Awakened holed up in the sauna either.

It would be a strategic failure.

Maybe there would be a next time. Maybe not. In situations where there might be no next time, the process doesn’t matter.

Whether we killed the dancer-type or not would mean nothing in the face of failure.

“Let’s go.”

Boom!

Shockwaves continued to rumble from up ahead.

“······.”

I could see Defender’s breathing growing rough.

This wasn’t like him.

He must have developed trauma from facing large monsters several times.

It’s a common occurrence.

Even excellent hunters sometimes develop extreme fear and dread of the same enemy type after repeated battles.

If it were during the China era, I would’ve forcibly repatriated him to Korea, but nowadays, every person is precious.

“Just handle the minions. They don’t deploy reflective barriers.”

“O-Okay.”

“That alone is enough. Cover my flank.”

In the distance, something pale and wriggling came into view.

Leftover minions from the dancer-type.

Although they will disappear once the pale zone dissipates, until then, they’ll persist stubbornly.

Bang! Bang! Tatatatang!

Running together with Defender, we dealt with the charging minions.

It wasn’t surprising, but Defender’s shooting combined agility and precision typical of a school-trained hunter.

Boom!

The shockwaves grew closer.

After crossing the pale wall, the main body, which unleashed shockwaves far beyond what the dancer-type could manage, finally appeared.

“······.”

Looking closely, it resembled a gigantic grub.

It was large, fitting for a mid-size monster.

Its body alone was over 5 meters tall, with fat, thick segments reminiscent of a worm trailing behind.

It must have been around 10 meters in total length.

Although its size was close to that of a large monster, there must have been a reason it was still classified as mid-size.

“A monster······.”

Defender’s face visibly paled.

I patted his shoulder and spoke calmly.

“Leave it to me.”

Defender met my gaze and nodded.

The unwavering eyes and composed attitude of a leader give courage to the team.

I always tried to maintain that appearance, and now it had become part of me.

Letting Defender regain his composure, I turned my eyes back to the monster.

Distance: 120 meters.

Should I approach?

The distance was considerable, and I didn’t know how it would attack.

Luckily, the monster’s barrier in front of us was unexpectedly solid.

It had defense strength comparable to reinforced concrete.

It would disintegrate into dust once the pale zone was lifted, but for now, it was a sturdy cover.

Bang! Bang! Tatatatang!

Gunfire echoed from behind.

It seemed the fanatic patrols were starting to press forward.

It was a situation where I couldn't predict when our retreat path would be cut off, but I continued to wait—to analyze the mid-size monster’s attack pattern.

Mid-size monsters are usually combat types.

They have overwhelming area-of-effect firepower compared to small types.

Therefore, I had to see their patterns somehow.

Boom!

Suddenly, pale, gelatinous things burst from the monster’s body.

Dozens of floating balloons—or objects resembling skulls.

Upon closer inspection, they seemed to have gimmicks imitating teeth and mouths.

What was this?

Minions?

Rather than minions, it felt more like a self-produced swarm.

As I pondered deeper.

Boom!

Another shockwave.

But it wasn’t from the monster.

It was from behind.

“Check it.”

I told Defender, and he immediately spoke into the radio.

“Report the situation.”

Faint murmurs came through Defender’s comms.

He looked at me and said.

“They say no Awakened spotted.”

“Which means······.”

Could it be from Lee Haru’s side?

Defender spoke grimly.

“We might have been surrounded from way behind.”

“Proceed.”

I answered coldly and turned my attention back to the monster.

And that’s when it happened.

The pale, mouth-like globes released by the mid-size monster suddenly swarmed—not toward us, but toward the rear.

“What the hell?”

“······.”

This was only my guess.

Lee Haru said this new type was specialized for anti-Awakened combat.

Far away, another shockwave exploded.

Despite the dozens of globes, not a single one targeted us.

Which meant—

“Cover me.”

I sprinted forward with my rifle.

I don’t like gambling.

Even less so betting on slim chances.

But sometimes, you have to place everything on a faint belief.

Now was such a time.

The mid-size monster known as the Macrophage type was prioritizing reactions to Awakened.

Wooooooong—

With a strange noise, the massive grub twisted its body toward me.

Had it finally noticed me?

Boom!

From the various holes scattered along its disgusting segmented body, dozens of mouth-globes burst forth and positioned themselves throughout the air.

Boom!

With the shockwave, a white pre-fire line was drawn unrealistically in front of me.

I braced myself and increased my speed.

Immediately after.

Bzzzzt!

Merciless currents scorched the surrounding air along the white pre-fire line.

And then.

Swish—

Dozens of orbs come crashing down toward me.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

I fired my gun.

The orbs that were hit by bullets—

Boom!

Exploded with considerable force.

They're explosion-type.

The destructive power, by human weapon standards, is primitive and crude, but more than enough to blow up an unarmored human being.

A mass release of guided bombs. A slight self-defense type of authority.

I felt the data on this new type updating in real time inside my head and shouted to Defender.

"Cover me!"

Bang! Bang! Tatatatang!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In the midst of dozens of deaths raining down on me, what I felt was exhilaration.

"······."

I could feel my heart pounding.

Yes.

This was the sensation.

What I had wanted.

Tatatatang!

To stand at the very front line of humanity and eliminate, eradicate humanity’s enemies before anyone else.

That alone is the requiem that soothes the eternal flames of hatred within me.

Tatataang!

Dropping the charging orbs from the sky, I now stood before it.

Boom!

The monster.

The so-called "new type" stood towering in front of me.

Breathing in that repulsive way, as if imitating life.

Feeling it stare at me, wide open and defenseless, the monster that terrified the regular Awakened, I prepared another harpoon.

Fwoosh—

Mixture.

And then.

Boom!

I saw the multiple spears pierce through the monster’s maw and deeply burrow into its long stretched body.

And then.

Papapapang!

With a fierce internal explosion, the monster’s massive body lifted slightly into the air before sinking down.

I turned around as the limp monster's body scattered into particles of light.

"New type. Defeated."

The greatest hurdle was cleared.

I saw Defender running toward me.

Carrying a bag that could bring death to hundreds, maybe thousands of people.

We moved quickly enough to get breathless and planted the bomb where Defender had planned.

Beep—beep-beep-beep—

"I set it for 10 minutes. If we get caught, we’ll die too."

"Good."

Footsteps could be heard from all directions.

The fanatics must have sensed that something had gone wrong.

We hurried to evacuate the area.

Beyond the steadily dissipating pale white zone, Defender’s comrades still held their ground firmly.

"Let's go."

As we gathered each one of them, we hastened our steps.

"That was incredible."

The reverent stares multiplied with each hunter that joined us.

"Professor. I used to wonder what was so special about the name... but damn, you really did it with just the two of you."

"No, he did it alone."

I looked around.

One was missing.

The fanatic.

"Where did he go?"

Only then did Defender's team notice that the fanatic was gone.

"Huh? He was passed out, collapsed on the ground."

"Yeah."

This is why killing them is the right choice.

Blocking variables from the start is the best method for us hunters.

But what's lost is lost.

We hurried our steps.

Clack—

Every 50 meters, Defender’s team planted a claymore mine.

I could see red lasers flickering in the hazy darkness—infrared detection.

The guy in the gas mask looked at me and said,

"After tasting a few of those, they'll have their souls sucked right out."

It was good to have rear security, but something was bothering me.

Lee Haru.

Dozens of guided explosive bombs had flown toward Lee Haru.

Afterward, I did feel a few more shockwaves—but that was it.

I tried contacting Lee Haru by radio but got no response.

As we walked at a fast pace, I asked,

"Anyone know what happened to the Awakened?"

As expected, no one knew.

"······."

Had we lost one precious Awakened?

I felt a bitter taste spreading in my mouth, just about to sigh, when—

"Hey. There’s something."

Ahead, someone was there.

Two people.

"Who is it?"

Defender's eyes gleamed.

"Awakened and a fanatic."

Yes.

It was Lee Haru and the fanatic.

Covered in blood, Lee Haru was held from behind by the fanatic, who was pressing a gun to her temple.

Judging by the scene illuminated by the lantern, Lee Haru must have responded to the biological bombardment of the Macrophage-type monster nearby.

She didn’t appear to have major external injuries but was drenched in blood and, most importantly, unconscious.

The fanatic had discovered her, stolen her gun, and was now holding her hostage, waiting for us.

"You motherfuckers. Fucking bastards. Goddamn sons of bitches!"

It would have been better when he was at least pretending to be a believer.

The vulgar curses spilling from his swollen, bruised, twisted face were really unbearable to listen to.

"You."

The fanatic, glaring at me with bruised, half-swollen eyes, pointed his finger at me.

"You bastard. You dare kill God's envoy? You'll be cursed. You’ll never be united as one."

Defender whispered beside me.

"What’s there to hesitate about? Just kill them both."

I shook my head.

Regardless of her personal character or actions, Lee Haru was a precious regular Awakened.

If properly used and trained, she could achieve far more than I could.

For a moment, I was a bit surprised at myself for thinking that way.

"······."

Yeah.

I still wanted to win.

Even knowing the end, knowing the future that awaits.

I still couldn't stop imagining humanity's victory.

"Drop your weapons and come here."

The fanatic threatened, pressing the gun harder against Lee Haru's temple.

"Skeleton."

I signaled Defender.

While he positioned himself behind me, I slowly lowered my gun to the ground.

At the same time, Defender silently tossed a knife into my palm, perfectly hidden from the fanatic’s line of sight.

A perfect toss.

I laced my hands behind my head as if surrendering.

I could see a smile spreading across the fanatic’s torn, swollen lips.

"Yeah. Yeah. You fucking bastard. Come here! Come closer!"

I slowly approached.

And then.

Whoosh—

I quickly flicked the hidden knife from my palm and upper arm into the air.

"? "

The fanatic, still clueless about what was happening, ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) watched as the knife drew a comicishly high arc—

Thunk—

—and lodged precisely in the center of his skull.

Bang!

His uncontrolled finger fired the gun, but the bullet merely sliced through the darkness meaninglessly.

I caught Lee Haru's collapsing body and stared at the dying fanatic.

The fanatic, his eyes already glazing over, reached out with trembling hands, trying to say something.

I ignored him and moved past.

Three beliefs clashed.

My belief wasn’t particularly noble or miraculous.

It’s just that Lee Haru placed her belief—a heavy stone—on a foundation of prejudice meant to shatter.

The fanatic placed his belief on a solid rock but merely waited for it to be fulfilled.

Whereas I made mine happen.

That's the difference.

Kwakwaaaang!!!!!

A huge explosion echoed from afar.

It’s a big one.

I need to hurry.

I don't want to get caught in the aftershock, but more than that, I want to quickly see the faces of those glorious Awakened bastards.

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