Chapter 24

〈 Chapter 24 〉 Part 1, Chapter 2 (10)

<Doksan Station>

KOOOONG!

The Flame Giant slams its fist down. A building collapses, and dust flies everywhere in the surrounding area.

“Hey! Take cover first!”

“What the heck? Is this A-Rank monster really this reckless?!”

The hunters dodge the Flame Giant’s attack and regroup around it from various positions.

“Die, you dumb brute!”

Kim Seong-oh fires a magical cannonball from the shoulder-mounted magic cannon he’s carrying. Korea still bans private gun ownership, but talented individuals like Kim Seong-oh are given special licenses to keep them from leaving the country.

<Magi Cannon>.

This ability to fire magical cannonballs boasts formidable firepower against giant monsters.

BOOOOM!!

The Flame Giant swings its fist toward the incoming cannonball aimed at its chest.

“Eh? Wha-?!”

Like swatting away a dodgeball, the Flame Giant bats the cannonball aside. The deflected magi cannonball passes by the Flame Giant and destroys a bridge when it hits the river.

“Seong-oh Sir!”

“It wasn’t on purpose, I swear!”

Seong-oh growls as his fellow hunter mocks him, and he begins gathering more magical energy.

“That guy attacks like an idiot but defends like a pro!”

It seems almost deliberate how bad the Flame Giant is at dodging. Right now, for instance, the Flame Giant’s wild kick slices through empty air and demolishes a nearby shop.

As the Flame Giant rolls across the ground, a hunter leaps off the rooftop of a 15-story apartment building, wielding an axe with both hands.

“This A-Rank is mine!!”

The blade glows with magical energy as the hunter slashes downward at the Flame Giant’s head.

PUUUUUK!

“Hmm?”

The magically forged axe embeds itself into the Flame Giant’s scalp. But faster than ever before, the Flame Giant grabs the hunter.

“Ahh, ugh!”

The captured hunter struggles desperately, but the blue flames quickly begin charring his body.

WHOOSH!

The Flame Giant throws the man, axe and all, into the river. Then it suddenly crouches and leaps high into the air.

“Whaaa?! Get out of the way! Another dive-bombing attack!”

As the Flame Giant flips backward, landing flat on the road, Kim Seong-oh pivots his cannon toward the prone giant.

“Let’s see if you can block this lying down.”

The display next to the cannon barrel lights up, indicating the magic charge is complete. Seong-oh pulls the trigger, firing another magical cannonball.

“Gotcha!”

Following a parabolic trajectory, the cannonball crashes into the Flame Giant’s chest.

KABOOM!!!

A massive explosion of magical energy erupts from the Flame Giant’s torso as it attempts to rise. The force knocks its head back and slams it onto the ground.

“Did we take it down?”

“Are you seriously doing that on purpose?”

Seong-oh frowns at his fellow hunter’s comment. The teasing hunter grins while checking his weapon.

“Come on, sir, everyone knows your Magi Cannon is super weak.”

“Hey! I’m B-Rank, though! My firepower is A-Rank!”

“Yeah, sure, but reloading takes you 15 whole seconds.”

While the hunters exchange banter, the dust settles.

…

The Flame Giant remains motionless, sprawled on the ground.

“Huh? Really? Did Seong-oh actually kill it?”

Seong-oh looks skeptical even as the Flame Giant stays down.

“Nah, it’s just pretending.”

“Sir, look over there.”

In the Flame Giant’s chest, a gray rock is partially exposed — clearly its core.

“Can you see the size of that core? This thing is barely A-Rank. Maybe S-Rank?”

“Wow, this is huge, sir. Even if you only get credit for the finishing blow at 10%, you could probably leave Korea.”

Among hunters active in Korea, it’s a common joke: save enough money and immigrate to a country with Round Table Heroes.

Seong-oh swallows hard at the golden future unfolding before him.

“The Dimensional Gate is such a blessing. If only these things kept appearing, life would be perfect.”

“It’d be nice if more came, wouldn’t it?”

The hunters laugh nervously as they approach the fallen Flame Giant. Seong-oh awkwardly salutes a woman approaching him.

“At your service! Hunter Kim Seong-oh reporting to the Hero Association representative!”

“…Why do I have to deal with you?”

The green-haired woman immediately turns her head away as if repulsed by the sight of Kim Seong-oh. He smirks and steps closer.

“What’s wrong, <Storm Girl>?”

“It’s <Tempest Lady> now, remember?!”

“Everyone still calls you Storm Girl, Chunja.”

“Don’t use my old name! It’s Yang Seonyu, I told you!”

Yang Seonyu screams, her face turning red. Kim Seong-oh bursts out laughing, waving his hand dismissively.

“Sorry, sorry. It’s been too long. Haha. By the way, how did you end up here instead of dealing with the Dimensional Gate?”

“All the A-Rankers went to seal the gate. I was sent to handle this guy. Lucky break.”

Yang Seonyu sighs in relief looking at the fallen Flame Giant. Meanwhile, the other heroes restrain the approaching hunters and begin tying down the Flame Giant.

“Ah, so the gate is closing? What a shame. I thought we’d get more hunting time.”

“Not unless it’s near Shin Seoul or Busan. Too dangerous here. And you managed to land an A-Rank Magical Strike, which guarantees you at least 10% of the spoils.”

“How does someone like you know so much about hunter business? Do you have a side job… or is this your main gig?”

“I’m going to be a hero! And stop calling me Chunja!”

As Yang Seonyu blushes furiously, Kim Seong-oh pats her shoulder and chuckles. Watching their interaction, a fellow hunter cautiously asks Seong-oh:

“Who is she, sir? This person?”

The hunter wiggles his pinky finger suggestively, prompting Kim Seong-oh to smack him in the back of the head with his cannon.

“You insolent fool! Me and her? Ha! Like I’d marry Princess Seolhwa of the Light Blade!”

“…”

Yang Seonyu’s hair flutters dramatically in the wind. Swallowing hard, Kim Seong-oh raises both hands defensively.

“Chunja… err, Seonyu… don’t you think we should resolve this peacefully? We parted on good terms before, so-”

“Get out of my way, you moron!”

As Yang Seonyu extends her arms, a powerful gust of wind erupts. Kim Seong-oh and his fellow hunter roll away just in time to avoid the intense heat behind them.

“Still alive, huh?”

Yang Seonyu’s wind magic blocks the Flame Giant’s hand as it tries to grab Seong-oh while lying down.

CRASH, CRASH.

The magical restraints fall apart easily as the Flame Giant rises to its upper body.

Heroes activate their powers, ready to fight, while hunters prepare their equipment to support from behind.

…

The Flame Giant turns its gaze to one side, followed by everyone else.

“…What is that?”

Kim Seong-oh stares in shock at Mount Gwanak, visible at the end of his line of sight, dropping his cannon.

ZZZZZT!

A gigantic Dimensional Gate floats in the air, large enough for even the Flame Giant to pass through easily.

“A-Rankers went to seal it, right?!”

“…Emergency!”

Yang Seonyu quickly reads the message coming through her smartwatch. The other heroes also stiffen upon receiving the signal.

– Dimensional Gate running rampant.

– S-Rank “Dangerous Species” magical signature detected.

Rampant? Why? Did Bulgom fail?

Yang Seonyu feels despair wash over her as she receives the following signals.

– Evacuate Seoul immediately.

“Aaaaaah!”

Hunters scream and start fleeing. They’re all too familiar with how the Dodgers disaster in America began.

And Yang Seonyu witnessed that event firsthand. As her spirit breaks, her legs give out, and she falls to her knees.

“Aaaah…”

“Snap out of it!”

Kim Seong-oh rushes over and shakes Yang Seonyu. When it becomes clear she won’t regain composure, he hoists her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and yells at his fellow hunter.

“Start the engine! We’re leaving Seoul!”

“Uh, where to?”

“Damn it, anywhere—Incheon, North Korea, doesn’t matter, we need to move!”

Just as Seong-oh finishes speaking, the Flame Giant rises to its feet.

…

In that short time, it seems to have fully recovered. The previously exposed core is once again concealed by blue flames. Kim Seong-oh’s mouth goes dry.

“They say bad things happen on your lucky day… I’m losing my mind.”

He should’ve suspected something when the A-Rankers suddenly rushed off. Throwing Yang Seonyu over his shoulder, he abandons his cannon and jumps onto the back of a truck.

BOOM.

The Flame Giant takes a step forward. Seong-oh interprets this as a sign it’s about to rampage and swallows hard.

BOOM.

Another step. Seong-oh notices the direction has changed slightly.

BOOM!

The Flame Giant charges forward with a powerful leap. Seong-oh tilts his head, noting the similarity to enhanced physical abilities users who reinforce their bodies to rush forward.

“That’s towards Mount Gwanak?”

……

The blue flames burning on the Flame Giant’s body intensify. It charges straight ahead, stepping on buildings and destroying entire apartments, heading directly toward Mount Gwanak.

“Wait, what is… ah.”

Seong-oh loses his words.

On top of Mount Gwanak, a massive bird glowing with purple flames spreads its wings wide and takes flight.

!!!!!

With a screech like nails on a chalkboard, the purple monstrosity announces its presence. The powerful magical shockwave threatening to burst eardrums prompts Seong-oh to cover Yang Seonyu’s ears.

“Grrrkk!”

The impact feels like having one’s brain shaken directly. Seong-oh’s head spins as he collapses backward.

“Kruuuuugh…”

Even as his consciousness fades, the Flame Giant continues charging toward the mountain peak.

* * *

<At that moment, Yellow Sea>

A long line of ships stretches across the sea. The coast guard officers aboard patrol boats, watching for illegal fishing vessels, tremble at the sight of a single centaur figure standing opposite them.

“This…this is chaos.”

Not ordinary chaos.

The dimensional gate in Seoul. According to international agreements, if the originating country fails to close a dimensional gate within an hour, neighboring countries’ heroes can intervene without issue.

“Hey! How’s Seoul holding up?!”

“They say an S-Rank danger species has appeared.”

“Damn…”

The coast guards feel fear at the presence of the S-Rank monster rampaging in the heart of Seoul.

Whether aware of the S-Rank monster or not, the moment the dimensional gate appeared, Yunjang instantly manifested outside territorial waters, striking awe into the coast guards.

“This is Republic of Korea territorial waters!”

“I am aware.”

The voice transmitted through the microphone is overshadowed by the magical voice reverberating louder. The deep, resonant tone exudes authority.

“If Korea cannot close the dimensional gate, I will simply launch an assault.”

The fiery horse stamps its hooves, creating waves. Yunjang casually urges his mount forward, heading straight toward Seoul.

“Well, it’s good that Yunjang showed up.”

The coast guard officer swallows hard at the radar showing hundreds of points.

“But deploying hundreds of landing ships is excessive, isn’t it?!”

They call it human wave tactics.

Chinese heroes linked with their military grip weapons on the decks of amphibious assault ships, anxiously waiting.

When the one-hour mark after the dimensional gate’s appearance passes,

They’ll need to open the shipping lanes for the arriving landing ships.

“Damn… Damn!”

There’s nothing they can do. All they can do is hope the dimensional gate closes quickly.

* * *

“Sir.”

A black-suited secretary cautiously asks the man sitting on the sofa, lost in thought.

“The Chancellor wishes to deploy Guangjian.”

“Why?”

The man, compiling information coming in every second, irritably responds to the secretary.

“It’s just a simple dimensional gate, no? Those in Seoul should handle it themselves.”

“…But, an S-Rank monster has appeared…”

“Then it works out perfectly.”

The man adjusts his glasses, twisting his lips into a smirk.

“Isn’t this the stage for Lee Seung-hyeong to become the protagonist?”

“…Though it may be presumptuous to say, Bulgom is merely an A-Rank hero-”

“He’ll awaken if he’s in danger, won’t he? Isn’t that how heroes always work?”

The man calmly sips his tea, snickering.

“Well, if he dies in the process, we can always use him as propaganda. Hero Lee Seung-hyeong, who fell gloriously defending Seoul.”

“…Understood. And regarding intelligence from the Yellow Sea…”

The secretary shows another photo. S-Rank hero Yunjang, one of the Round Table knights, stands prepared on the water, ready to dash toward Seoul at any moment.

“Damn bastards.”

The man’s hands tremble as he monitors China’s movements.

“According to international agreements, it was definitely one hour, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s close it at 59 minutes.”

“…Then what about Seoul during that time-”

“Is there a problem?”

The man laughs heartily, cracking jokes.

“A city already doomed, what difference does further ruin make?”