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Chapter 4 - Unwanted Occurrence (3)
Chapter 4 - Unwanted Occurrence (3)
Chapter 4: Unwanted Occurrence (3)
TL: SHW
Yoo Ji-eun died.
The bond we had was perhaps a bitter one, but it was a bond nonetheless. Still, I didn’t think our relationship was bad. I never wished for her to die like this.
I never imagined a Hunter of Yoo Ji-eun’s caliber would die like this.
Staggering, I stood up, leaving Yoo Ji-eun behind. I picked up her sword.
I wonder if the police officer we parted ways with earlier is still alive. Did he find other survivors? Or perhaps?
What about other countries? Are they in the same situation as here? Or did they manage to hold on somehow?
Who knows.
I have my own problems. At the very least, South Korea is definitively ruined.
I recalled Yoo Ji-eun’s last words.
Make it out alive.
“How am I supposed to survive here?”
Or maybe it was a hopeful statement, thinking that as long as I stayed alive, things would somehow work out.
The Yoo Ji-eun I knew was not someone who clung to such hopeless optimism.
Well, they say people do things they normally wouldn’t when they’re about to die. Seeing Yoo Ji-eun say something she normally wouldn’t before dying proves she was human after all.
But unlike the dead Yoo Ji-eun, I had to face reality.
A city burning black. People killed by monsters and burned to death.
“Damn it, seriously….”
Gripping Yoo Ji-eun’s sword tightly, I cursed and continued walking. It didn’t seem like I had walked much, yet I had already reached the Ability Management Agency.
This used to be the site of the Ability Management Agency. The building stood tall and impressive. Several Hunters had worked together to fix up the rooftop park, making it quite pleasant.
But now, nothing remains. Above the shattered building lies the corpse of a giant centipede, the source of the poisonous aura.
Around it were the bodies of Hunters. The bodies were burned, but the familiar weapons caught my eye. They were the Hunters of the agency.
What about the Director?
I could draw the Director’s weapon with my eyes closed. Though its appearance was rough, how could I forget the spear with the delicate blue waves engraved on its blade?
I checked the Director’s dog tag, which I had kept in my hand, fearing it might get lost.
It was something the Director always wore around his neck. And Yoo Ji-eun had brought it. Instead of his body.
The Director died without even leaving a body behind.
“…Even if a Hunter’s job often means not leaving a body behind.”
This wasn’t right.
I walked among the bodies.
I kept walking.
“Make it out alive.”
If you’re going to make such irresponsible statements, you should at least tell me how to survive.
What now?
Should I keep searching for survivors?
If I find survivors?
“……”
Are there even any survivors to begin with?
Fuck.
“Fuck!!!”
Filled with rage, I almost threw the dog tag away but stopped.
Thinking that this was the last thing he left behind, I couldn’t let go.
Instead, I swung Yoo Ji-eun’s sword. Although its owner was dead, the once picky sword responded to my mana.
Whoosh.
Flames spouted from the sword. Unlike the flames consuming Seoul, the flames produced by my mana were blue.
The blue flames, weak because they weren’t imbued with much mana, flickered as if they would go out at any moment. But miraculously, they crawled along the ground and reached the centipede monster’s corpse.
The corpse, with its legs severed, crushed, and slashed, still had poison-laden fluids dripping from it. If I stayed here too long, I would get poisoned as well.
Ha.
Even in this state, I’m still thinking about surviving. Maybe Yoo Ji-eun knew this about me, which is why she said those words.
“…What the?”
But my thoughts were short-lived as the blue flames, feeble as they were, touched the corpse, and the centipede vanished without a trace.
Monsters from dungeons acting strangely is not uncommon….
After watching the scene for a moment, I ran toward the empty space. There might be Director’s body. If not his body, then at least his weapon. If not a weapon, then something else. Something else.
He was the strongest Hunter in South Korea. It doesn’t make sense that the only thing left to commemorate him is a dog tag!
However, there was nothing where the corpse had disappeared. Only the remains of the building, corroded by poison, were left behind.
“…?”
No, it wasn’t that there was nothing.
There was a single item encased in white light.
“…Did it come from that thing?”
I hadn’t picked it up from inside the dungeon, and I’d never heard of monsters leaving behind items. Since it was a centipede, it was likely to have something like an inner core, but…
This wasn’t something like that. If I had to compare it to something…
…A clock?
It was a clock. A tabletop digital clock. The screen that should be displaying the time was pitch black.
After hesitating for a moment, I felt I had to check this suspicious item out. In any other situation, I would never approach such a suspicious object.
[——- Verification. Authorization process initiated.]
“What?!”
At that moment, a monotonous voice came from the clock.
The black screen flickered and lit up.
[Pending]
[Emergency procedure activated]
[Input]
[Input]
[Input]
The screen changed. Random numbers appeared. Then it stopped.
[ 0 0 0 0 – 0 0 – 0 0 ]
The voice asked me.
[—Would you like to proceed?]
[ 0 0 0 0 – 0 0 – 0 0 ]
[Would you like to set it?]
“…….”
The eight-digit numbers blinked.
Such a format is usually used to display dates.
[Would you like to set it?]
I should know what I’m setting before I decide.
[Would you like to set it?]
It was a flat, monotonous voice you often hear from AI-based items.
I hesitated for a moment before asking. If it was AI, it should answer.
“What am I setting?”
[Date]
[Setti]
The voice abruptly cut off.
The blinking numbers disappeared. As I stared at the item, now devoid of light, in confusion, the numbers reappeared on the screen.
[Rebooting]
…Do items nowadays have self-booting functions?
[Automatic sequence initiated]
[ 0 0 0 0 – 0 0 – 0 0 ]
What the hell is this?
“Hey. What is this?”
[Cannot set]
“What can’t you set?”
[Rebooting]
The item ignored my words, repeatedly turning off and on at its own will.
[ _ _ _ _ – _ _ – _ _ ]
[Would you like to execute?]
The wording had changed.
Earlier it had asked me to set a date earlier.
“Shouldn’t you tell me what you’re executing?”
[Would you like to execute?]
“…….”
It seems the AI’s performance isn’t good.
What’s the use of having AI if it can’t explain anything properly? I hesitated for a moment before picking up the item. Nothing changed. I couldn’t manipulate it in any way.
The clock kept blinking.
AI-based items are dangerous. I’m not talking about the item’s performance.
There are items programmed to deceive the user. Though rare, if I encounter one, it’s a hundred percent certain.
No matter how bleak the situation, I have no intention of doing what this suspicious item says…
Grrrr.
From a distance, I heard the sound of a beast breathing.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The ground shook.
Crack… Crash. Boom.
The remaining buildings were collapsing. Every sense in my body sharpened.
Something had appeared. Something was heading this way.
Something saw me.
The first thing I saw was a giant horn.
The horn was covered in bright red flames, and as it moved, flames dripped from the horn. The falling flames joined the fire that was burning Seoul. The fire grew even fiercer.
Moreover, the alien mana felt from the surrounding flames intensified.
It’s that thing. That thing is what burned Seoul. Not the centipede.
Grrrr……
The towering head is covered in black scales. Despite the considerable distance, its size is such that I can see it clearly. Its bright yellow eyes are staring straight at me.
The clock I was holding started to blink rapidly.
[Warning]
[Warning]
[Danger detected]
[Survival probability 0%]
I can’t hear the item’s babble. The creature has spotted me. It’s coming closer and closer.
Grrrr….
Let’s think rationally.
There’s no way to beat that thing.
“…….”
I looked at the blinking, glowing item. It had estimated my survival chances.
Growl… Thud!
The beast’s roar reverberated. The vibrations intensified. My hair stood on end.
“Can this thing help me escape from that?”
[??? Danger? Death? ????probability]
“If there’s any chance to escape, just do it.”
[Identity?? ? ??? confirmed]
[Emergency protocol activated]
[Executing]
[Qualification verification procedure activated]
A whirlwind of mana surged around the item. The mana twisted so violently that it made me feel nauseous.
“Roar!!!!”
And the creature arrived.
[Verification ??? Abnormal? Flow????]
As if it couldn’t afford to lose me. Along with flames. Along with the indelible scent of blood.
[???Abnormal? Execution?? Failure??? No????? The ????? Savior???]
“What now!!”
A shrill, ominous beep filled the surroundings. The swirling mana inscribed bright red letters in the air.
[!!! ERROR !!!]
[!!! ERROR !!!]
[!!! ERROR !!!]
[Rebooting]
[Rebooting]
[Rebooting]
There’s no time.
“Grr….”
The creature is laughing. One of its claws is bigger than my entire body. Its overall size is similar to that of the dead centipede. Director, Yoo Ji-eun, and other Hunters died to kill that centipede.
They all died.
Now it’s just me.
[Rebooting]
The clock turned off and on again.
Should I run now? Is it possible? All my senses are on edge. Now that the creature has seen me, there’s no way to escape.
[Qualification verification]
[Ineligible]
[Qualification verification]
[Ineligible]
[!!! ERROR !!!]
[Searching for available functions]
[Forced sequence activated]
[Unavailable]
[Unavailable]
[Unavailable]
[Final sequence activated]
[Approved]
[Procedure initiated]
[Qualification verification]
[Detected]
[Confirmed]
[Activated]
[??? Qualifi?? cation with confirmed probability]
[World is bound for destruction]
[Last survivor]
[Confirmed]
[Moving to a random time]
The view was filled with ERROR messages. Dripping flames. Heat. Trembling vibrations. The gigantic monster approaching me.
That’s my last memory.
* * *
Slap.
“…ster!”
“…Mister! Mister! Wake up!”
Slap. Slap.
The first sensation to return was pain.
Someone is slapping my cheek. Who… who is this bastard?
I want to remove the hand that’s slapping my cheek, but I can’t tell where my arms are. It feels like I’m floating in water. The slapping hand is annoying, and it seems like it would be okay to just fall back asleep.
“Mister!!”
“Ugh!”
With sharp pain, all my senses returned. My eyes and ears snapped open.
“Are you okay, mister?”
A worried-faced girl leaned in close. She’s wearing the Hunter Academy uniform. The old one, before it was changed.
I quickly glanced at the name tag on her chest. Yoo Hye-eun.
“I’ve given you some first aid, but you shouldn’t move too quickly.”
“……”
“Uh, the situation is pretty bad right now, but you’re a Hunter, right”
“……”
“Since you were holding a sword….”
“……”
“Mister? Are you okay?”
What… is this?
I slowly looked around.
There are a few kids wearing the old Hunter Academy uniforms, whispering among themselves. On the opposite wall, a group of pale-faced people huddled together, trembling.
The cluttered office has overturned monitors and computer towers on the desks. The models are incredibly outdated. Do companies still use such computers nowadays? It must be a poorly run place.
I blinked my eyes.
Seoul was burning. South Korea was destroyed. Probably the whole world was destroyed.
But what is with the bright sunlight pouring through the windows and the kids wearing the old Hunter Academy uniforms?
“This is strange. There don’t seem to be any noticeable injuries… Mister, can you hear me?”
“…Do I look like a mister to you?”
“What?”
Where the hell… is this place?