Chapter 46

Chapter 46

The Special Force Training Center, now that I had returned to it, was utterly silent.

It was as if both the people and the monsters had receded like the ebbing tide.

Only, with every step I took, corpses caught against my feet.

Horribly mangled bodies and the remains of monsters were strewn everywhere.......

‘That startled me.’

My eyes met those of a corpse whose head had been half-smashed open, brain matter streaming down.

Of course, it did not bother me.

I had long since grown used to seeing horrible sights.

In truth, compared to a real catastrophe, a scene like this was nothing, so I felt no particular emotion.

I had only been startled a little. I would still eat well and sleep well.

Corpses?

They were nothing but lumps of flesh.

There was no need to attach meaning to them.

While they were alive, they had names and stories, and they were beings you interacted with, crying and laughing together. Once they died, that was the end.

THUMP.

I firmly pushed a body aside with the tip of my foot and kept walking.

When you worked as a Hunter, everyone ended up like this.

After seeing, hearing, and feeling so much death, you became numb to it.

However, our cute little fledglings were not like that.

“Urgh.”

“I-I feel sick.”

The team members suffered with deathly pale faces.

Right, this was that stage.

For a while, they would not be able to eat, and they would not be able to sleep either, tormented by nightmares.

But in the end, they would overcome it and get used to it.......

Cases where Hunters developed mental problems over something like this, or completely fell apart, were extremely rare.

I did not know why.

But one thing was certain: compared to ordinary people, Hunters possessed not only superior physical abilities but also a far greater resistance to stress.

In my opinion, it was probably because Hunters were beings born to oppose those unidentified invaders that had invaded Earth.

Though I could not say Hunters devoted themselves purely to humanity.

“Big Brother, are you really all right?”

Ra Sihyeon asked me.

“With what?”

“It is horrible.”

“Not particularly?”

“Even with corpses lying everywhere?”

“They are just lumps of flesh. What is there to care about?”

“Pardon......?”

“It is the same as a dead bird on the roadside or a water deer hit by a car.”

“......”

Ra Sihyeon pressed her lips tightly shut.

She seemed sickened by my answer, but that was not something I needed to worry about.

Before long, she would think the same way.

“This way.”

Staying out in the open was dangerous, so for the time being, I headed toward the nearest building.

‘Not bad.’

As luck would have it, it was the building the instructors had used as lodging, so it was reasonable to expect not only weapons inside but also some food.

BEEP!

The door was locked, but Instructor Kim Sangeung had an access card in his possession, so we were able to enter easily.

The inside was as silent as death, and there were no signs that monsters had broken in.

We settled in a room on the second floor.

“Draw the curtains. Turn off all the lights. Leave only that light over there on.”

“Yes.”

SWISH!

CLICK!

Light discipline was essential in an area where a Transference Crisis had occurred.

Monsters might be drawn in by the light.

“Seunghye.”

“Yeah.”

“Take Taegwon with you and look for weapons and food. I’ll watch the instructor.”

“Got it.”

Right after giving instructions to Oh Taegwon and Kim Seunghye, I turned to Park Seokho.

“Come here and roll up your sleeve.”

“Yes, Brother.”

I drew Park Seokho’s blood and transfused it into Instructor Kim Sangeung.

“And you......”

While thinking it was fortunate that there were two people with Type O blood, I turned to Ra Sihyeon.

“Yes?”

“No, never mind.”

I had been about to tell her to watch the window in case someone approached, but Ra Sihyeon was already peering outside through the gap in the curtains.

‘For now, let me catch my breath and think.’

I leaned my back against the wall.

After moving without rest for several hours, repeatedly fighting and relocating, my stamina had been drained, and my fatigue was considerable as well.

Hunters were still human in the end.

They had to eat, drink, and rest in order to move.

Though once they surpassed 7-Star, they became superhumans who far exceeded human limits.

***

As I had expected, the instructors’ lodgings contained many useful supplies.

We were able to secure several rifles and ammunition, as well as various food items stored in the refrigerator and even bottled water.

“Eat only enough to keep your blood sugar up. Divide the water properly and drink in moderation.”

Eating a lot in a situation like this was never a good idea.

Many Hunters misunderstood this, but if they relied only on healers’ healing, they could find themselves in serious trouble.

No matter how exceptional their healing abilities were, surgical operations could not be completely ruled out.

Say you were injured and had to undergo emergency surgery.

If your stomach were full of food...... with bad luck, you could die on the operating table.

They did not make people fast before surgery for no reason.

“What do we do now?”

Ra Sihyeon asked me while biting into a sandwich.

“We hold out here, then escape when the tide window opens.”

“We are not waiting for reinforcements?”

“That is the same as saying we should sit here and die.”

“The Defense Strategy Department......”

“They are probably doing their best.”

“Then why......”

“You experienced it yourself. This is not a situation where reinforcements can make it here.”

“Ah.”

“When a Transference Crisis occurs, there are many cases where people cannot go in to rescue others even if they want to. Do not wait for someone to come rescue you. Remember this. In any situation, surviving and escaping on your own is your top priority.”

“I’ll remember that.”

Ra Sihyeon and the other Bravo Team members nodded.

“I’m going to sleep for just thirty minutes, so rest.”

I truly did make up for my sleep deficit for exactly thirty minutes, then opened my eyes.

The team members were huddled by the window, keeping watch outside.

‘......They look like a pack of meerkats.’

In case monsters approached, the fledglings were standing guard while tense to the bone.

“Heh.”

Without realizing it, I let out a faint snort of laughter.

“You’re awake. Would you like some water?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

Ra Sihyeon noticed I was awake and brought me a bottle of water.

“Big Brother, how can you sleep in a situation like this? Ah, I am absolutely not being sarcastic, so please do not misunderstand......”

“I am not misunderstanding.”

“That’s a relief.”

“To answer your question...... why would I not be able to sleep?”

“Pardon......?”

“A person needs to eat, drink, and get some sleep to fight. We are not machines.”

“That is true.”

“Tensing your nerves and glaring with all your might will not stop a monster that is going to come. If it comes, it comes; if you die, you die.”

“I do not think I can be like you, Big Brother.”

“Do not be so sure. You will.”

After moving my body around a little to wake myself up, I left the room.

“Where are you going?”

“I’ll go take a look around, so all of you rest.”

“It is dangerous.”

“It is not as if this place is completely safe either.”

First, I went out to the building lobby and looked outside.

Given the hour, it was still dark outside, and because the Fog Labyrinth lay thick all around, I could barely see anything.

‘I do need to find Jeong Hobin. But do I have the capacity for that?’

Judging coldly, giving up on Jeong Hobin was the right call.

I did not even know where he had been swept off to, and I could not rule out the possibility that he was dead.

‘I am sorry, but I have no choice but to give up...... Ah?’

At a sudden thought, I touched my waist.

The [Mutation] card and the [Search] card came into my hand.

‘If I use them well, I might be able to find the survivors.’

There was nothing to lose.

The Ether consumption was a burden, but I had searched the lodgings and secured several Etherium Ampoules, so it should be fine.

“Did you call, Master? Heh heh.”

“I greet you, Young Master.”

Card Spirits.

Helkiyan of the [Mutation] card and Lumos of the [Search] card appeared and greeted me.

“Can you find survivors and bring them here?”

“Of course. Have you finally decided to make some use of us? Heh heh!”

Lumos’s white eyebrows twitched.

He seemed displeased that Helkiyan’s answer was not respectful, but perhaps because of the situation, he appeared to be holding himself back.

“Could you go with him?”

“Of course, Young Master.”

Lumos glanced at Helkiyan before answering.

“If you judge it to be dangerous......”

“My. Is Master even worrying about our lives? Heh heh.”

Helkiyan said with a broad grin.

“Please put such worries aside. Even if something like that does happen, we will return to Master’s side before long.”

“Then that is a relief. Ah, wait a moment.”

Since I was at it, I also summoned the Card Spirit of the [Luck] card and had it cast a blessing on Helkiyan and Lumos.

If their luck improved, the chance of finding survivors would increase as well.

“We will be back, Young Master.”

“Rest and do not worry, sir.”

Helkiyan and Lumos left the building and disappeared into the fog.

‘This should be as much as I can do.’

I turned away without lingering regrets.

Now that I had sent out the Card Spirits, there was no need for me to invite danger by walking out of the building myself.

Now, I had no choice but to leave everything entirely to the survivors’ luck and the Card Spirits’ abilities.

***

After sending the Card Spirits out.

Instructor Kim Sangeung had still not regained consciousness, but seeing that color was returning to his face, there did not seem to be a major problem.

‘About two and a half hours left? We can move when there are about thirty minutes remaining.’

Just as I was roughly drawing up an escape plan in my head.

“Brother, the fog is clearing.”

“What?”

At Oh Taegwon’s words, I looked out the window through the gap in the curtains.

The fog that had been so thick we could not see an inch ahead was slowly clearing.

After watching it for a while, I found that it had not cleared completely; it had only thinned by about half.

“Is it calming down?”

“We will have to watch and see.”

Just as I answered Kim Seunghye’s murmur.

“Help me! Help me!”

A little girl’s voice rang out.

“Huh? Over there!”

Kim Seunghye pointed outside through the gap in the curtains.

The distance was roughly fifty meters.

A little girl who looked about four or five years old was wandering outside.

“Oh my! What do we do!”

The startled Kim Seunghye was about to run out immediately.

GRAB!

I seized Kim Seunghye’s wrist.

“Leave her.”

“Whaat......?”

“I said leave her.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what I said.”

I tightened my grip on the hand holding Kim Seunghye’s wrist.

It would be troublesome if she rushed out.

“You are telling me to leave a little girl alone when she is by herself in such a dangerous place?”

Kim Seunghye’s voice turned somewhat fierce.

“Help me! Is nobody there? I-I am so scared! Help me! Please!”

The girl’s voice calling for help faintly reached us.

“Let go.”

“What if I refuse?”

“Then......”

That was when Kim Seunghye tried to shake off my grip.

“Huh? There.”

Park Seokho pointed outside the window.

A man wearing a trainee uniform rushed out from the building across the street and ran toward the girl.