Kim Seojun glanced briefly at the rift that had suddenly appeared, then immediately lost interest.
Although many casualties would occur because of this rift, he didn’t feel obligated to step forward and deal with the monsters pouring out of it.
“What I have to do right now is protect my family.”
Since he hadn’t yet officially received his Hunter license, there was no reason for him to be obligated to respond to a rift outbreak.
Kim Seojun hurried to the elevator entrance on the first floor and waited for the elevator coming up from the underground parking lot.
A moment later, when the doors opened, he was surprised to see someone already inside.
“Father?”
Inside the elevator was Kim Juhyeok, just getting off work.
“You got the message too, right?”
Kim Juhyeok asked immediately whether Seojun had received the disaster alert text.
“Yes. A rift appeared at Jungsan Station…”
“Get on quickly. Mom’s going to worry.”
The two of them waited silently for the elevator to reach the 18th floor.
But Seojun could clearly feel Juhyeok’s restless, serious expression.
“Father, you’re not an active field Hunter right now. You don’t have an obligation to respond in emergencies.”
At Seojun’s words, Juhyeok gave a bitter smile.
“That kid. It seems he understands what I’m worried about. Yeah, you’re right. There’s no obligation to respond to this emergency. But no obligation doesn’t mean you can shirk responsibility. As a Hunter who has trained in mysticism, I have the responsibility to protect citizens from monster threats. I have strength now, enough to protect people.”
“What about Mom? If you run around saving others, what happens if Mom gets into danger?”
Seojun gripped his fists tightly and asked.
Juhyeok placed a hand on his son’s shoulder.
“You protect Mom. With you by Mrs. Baek Yeonji’s side, I can rest easy and save many people.”
“Father, do you think I taught you martial arts so you’d look after strangers instead of your own family?”
Seojun didn’t want to send his father into danger.
He wanted Juhyeok to stay with the family until other Hunters resolved the rift waves.
“Seojun. The mysticism we trained in wasn’t given just to satisfy our own greed. It’s a gift from the heavens to help those in difficulty, to save those facing danger. So… I have to go.”
“Father…”
Kim Seojun sensed he couldn’t stop his father.
No words could prevent Juhyeok from plunging into danger.
“According to the information sent by the Rift Management Bureau, that rift is Grade 6. So don’t worry. You know better than anyone else that I’m now a respectable Grade 2 Hunter, right?”
Kim Juhyeok gave a reassuring smile and patted Seojun’s shoulder.
At that moment, the elevator reached the 18th floor.
“Lock the door tight and close all the curtains so no light leaks out. As long as you don’t attract the monsters’ attention, this place will be safe. Stick close to Mom. Got it?”
Juhyeok’s firm words made Seojun nod.
After sending Seojun out of the elevator, Juhyeok smiled brightly, telling him not to worry.
The doors closed and Juhyeok descended back to the first floor.
Kim Seojun let out a deep sigh.
Standing in front of the door, he reached to unlock it, then lowered his hand and rested his head against the door.
Father holds such a strong belief and runs into danger. How can I stop him? If I can’t stop him…
Then I just have to protect him.
Leave the rescue to him, and I’ll protect him from that danger.
Besides, in his previous life, Kim Seojun was a great hero who gave his life to protect the world.
A lonely hero who sacrificed himself and fought for others.
Because of that past, he wanted to indulge in a little selfishness here.
But in the end, he couldn’t help but step forward to protect his family and father.
Seojun clenched his fists tightly.
Monsters pouring out of a Grade 6 rift weren’t very intelligent, so they mostly attacked houses rather than apartment buildings.
Also, this was a high-rise building, the 18th floor, so there wasn’t much risk of large-scale danger.
Sorry, Mom… but I have no choice.
Kim Seojun called Mrs. Baek Yeonji.
“Son, where are you? I just got the message. You saw it too, right? Your father’s coming soon, so come in quickly. The rift’s opened even in our neighborhood. Is our house okay?”
“Mom, I’m closing all the curtains inside and turning off all the lights. No matter what sounds come from outside, don’t open the door.”
Baek Yeonji, feeling the danger in Seojun’s words, spoke with a trembling voice.
“You can’t… No! You’re still a student, not even a Hunter. Where do you think you’re going?”
“I met Father, but his hero sickness flared up again. So I can’t just stay still.”
Though the words were metaphorical, Baek Yeonji clearly understood what he meant.
“He did? But that doesn’t mean you have to rush in too. You… you should come home.”
Baek Yeonji didn’t want to send both her husband and son to that terrifying rift site.
At least for her son, she wanted to keep him away from danger.
“Mom…”
Seojun called softly.
“Seojun…”
There was desperation in Baek Yeonji’s voice through the phone.
“I’m a Hunter too. How could I stay at home while Father runs into danger?”
Baek Yeonji was silent for a moment.
Seojun judged that she understood his intention.
“I’ll bring Father back safely.”
He didn’t need to explain in detail why he had to go.
Just those words—an expression of his will to bring his father back—were enough.
Baek Yeonji no longer tried to stop Seojun but gave him one last request.
“Come back with Father.”
“Yes. I promise.”
After finishing the call with Mrs. Baek Yeonji, Kim Seojun immediately took the elevator.
He pulled out an Arondight from his usual pocket space and strapped it to his waist.
“If I have to, I’ll use other artifacts too to protect Father.”
There were various artifacts, but only a few were useful for dealing with monsters pouring from the rift.
A gravity club, a chalice of healing, and some elemental orbs.
Seojun decided he would use those artifacts anytime.
‘It’s cold… Life here isn’t so peaceful either.’
Compared to the previous world, this was a calm daily life.
But thinking about how the future would become increasingly dangerous gave him a headache.
Stepping outside the apartment, the surroundings were in chaos.
The news that a rift had opened in the neighborhood had terrified all the citizens.
Some had driven their cars in panic, thinking even here was unsafe, but most citizens stood outside their homes, nervously staring up at the darkening sky.
They were suffering from safety negligence.
When a rift opens nearby, you’re supposed to stay indoors to avoid drawing aggro, but here they were out on the streets stomping their feet in panic.
Kim Seojun didn’t care whether the citizens acted like that or not and quickly ran toward Jungsan Station.
11 minutes left.
Nine minutes had already passed since the emergency alert sounded in the sky.
Soon, many monsters would fall from the wide-open rift.
I just have to protect Father from danger.
Kim Seojun didn’t see himself as a hero.
He didn’t want to sacrifice everything to eradicate evil from the world like before.
He wasn’t as strong as he used to be, and he had a family to protect.
There was no reason now to fight desperately, risking death to stop the enemy.
Kim Seojun had already summoned the Solar Qi.
Though the violent movement of his body caused his internal oxygen levels to spike rapidly, as soon as Solar Qi was activated, the levels quickly stabilized.
His physical condition was at its peak.
With this condition, he could handle several dozen monsters coming from a Grade 6 rift without issue.
“But I must never push myself too hard.”
Kim Seojun reminded himself not to get too deeply involved this time.
*****
Go o o o o o—
Finally, the rift trembled and began spewing out black shadows.
Kuh-yong. Ku-gung-gung. Gwa-jik.
Over ninety black shadows poured down onto the building’s rooftop, the crowded road, and cars parked on the street.
Awooooh.
Kraaang.
The shadows howled.
Larger than tigers or lions, these monsters called Wulphs were weaker than trolls but much faster and specialized in group attacks, making them quite tricky for low-grade Hunters.
They revealed long, sharp claws that scraped against the asphalt as they snarled.
Then, snorting loudly, they began to charge in groups in three directions.
“They’re coming! Aim for their eyes and mouths, and never get separated! Start shooting!”
Someone shouted, and gunfire erupted wildly inside the room.
Though guns were mostly ineffective against monsters, hitting their eyes or inside their mouths could significantly disrupt their movement.
The Wulphs, trying to avoid shots to vital areas, rampaged wildly, charging at the people blocking their path at terrifying speeds.
Those who attracted the Wulphs’ attention with gunfire were Hunters.
At that moment, twenty-six Hunters were gathered near Jungsan Station, either by chance or bad luck, right as the disaster alert was sent.
Due to their profession, they were always prepared for battle with weapons and equipment, but unfortunately, most of them weren’t high-rank Hunters.
Of the twenty-six, only two were Grade 0.
Most were Grade 1, and many were Grade 6.
They spread out from the rift site in three directions, setting up defenses.
Using guns first, they drew aggro to prevent monsters from escaping.
All that was left was to endure the waves of charging Wulphs.
“Just ten minutes! If we hold on ten minutes, higher-ranked Hunters will arrive!”
Choi Minho, a Grade 8 Hunter leading them, shouted loudly, and everyone brandished their weapons, yelling with enthusiasm.
“Today we’re going to enjoy some serious meat!”
“I’ll show you the taste of my iron mace, you bastards!”
“I’ll burn you all with fire!”
“Waaaaaah!”
With their battle cries, the Hunters charged at the Wulphs.
Blood splattered instantly, and flesh tore apart in chaos.
At first, the Hunters enhanced their physical abilities with mysticism and seemed somewhat advantageous.
Melee combat Hunters stood on the front line, while ranged mystic users supported from a distance.
Within moments, over a dozen Wulphs were slaughtered and lay sprawled across the road.
But the situation quickly reversed.
The Wulphs leapt across the road and buildings, even onto vehicles, attacking mercilessly.
One Hunter who had just shot fireballs at a distance was bitten by a Wulph before his one-minute cooldown ended, his head crushed.
A warrior-type Hunter who had slashed the necks of three Wulphs at the frontline was bitten on the leg by a massive Wulph with a sword still stuck in its belly.
The road was soaked with the blood of Wulphs and Hunters alike.
The defense line soon collapsed.
Even the police shooting nearby to assist the Hunters began to be attacked by Wulphs.
More and more Wulphs escaped the scene, and powerless citizens started dying one by one as the monsters ventured into the city center.
*****
A little away from Jungsan Station, in a residential area.
“P-please! Someone save me!”
A horrible scream echoed.
By now, the Wulphs had dug deep into the housing district.
Although Grade 6 monsters, Wulphs could easily crush ordinary citizens to death with a single strike from their paws.
Screams kept bursting out relentlessly.
A woman clutching a small child in her arms ran through an alley.
But mercilessly, Wulphs appeared before her.
Krrrrr.
The monster wasn’t alone.
There were three.
True to their pack-hunting nature, two blocked the woman’s front and back, while one perched on a wall, glaring fiercely.
“P-please… someone help me!”
The woman’s cries echoed, but no movement came from around her.
The child, tightly held in her arms, sobbed uncontrollably.
“Waaah! I’m scared, Mom! I’m scared!”
The Wulphs took step after step toward them.
The Wulph in front slightly crouched as if preparing to pounce.
The woman closed her eyes tightly, thinking it was all over.
At that moment—
Thud!
A man burst out from the alley and swung a steel pipe into the face of the Wulph.
Gwa-keng!
The force was so strong the Wulph flew into the wall and crashed into it with a loud thud.
Kraaang!
Another Wulph charged at the man, but he boldly ran toward it.
Against the dim streetlight, the middle-aged man in a suit clashed with the large Wulph midair.
Ka-ang!
The steel pipe sliced through the Wulph’s claws.
The man stabbed the broken pipe into the monster’s neck and wrapped his left arm around its throat.
He then squeezed the Wulph’s body tightly with both feet.
Ku-dang-tang-tang!
The man and the Wulph tumbled on the ground entwined.
Blood flowed from wounds caused by the Wulph’s weight.
But the man didn’t loosen his grip on the Wulph’s neck or legs.
Udeuk.
Eventually, the Wulph bit its tongue and collapsed limply.
There was one more Wulph—the one watching everything from the wall.
That monster leapt toward the woman and child sitting nearby, who were not Kim Juhyeok.
“Get out of the way!”
Kim Juhyeok shouted, but the woman and child couldn’t move.
Frozen by fear, their mouths agape, they could only watch the Wulph sink its teeth in like a dagger.
Juhyeok gritted his teeth and kicked the tangled Wulph’s body, throwing it off and standing up.
But it was too late.
The Wulph’s huge jaws were already clamped onto the woman’s head.
Then—
“You bastard!”
Suddenly, a large man burst from the darkness and wrapped his arms around the Wulph’s neck.
Ka-hyung!
The Wulph screamed and struggled, but the man’s grip was so strong it couldn’t escape.
At that moment, another Wulph hit the man with a steel pipe, throwing him into the wall, and rushed again toward the woman and child.
The big man who was strangling the Wulph was helpless to stop it.
Then, the large man slammed his left forearm into the mouth of the charging Wulph.
The Wulph bit the man’s forearm instead of the woman and child, struggling wildly to break free.
“Kr-ack! Get out of the way!”
Despite his arm being bitten, the man ignored the pain and focused on the woman’s safety.
But the woman trembled so much she couldn’t think of leaving.
Frustrated, the big man slammed the Wulph biting his arm hard into the ground.
The Wulph released its grip and jumped up again.
“Damn it!”
Just as the man growled—
Shiiik—
A cool breeze brushed past the terrified woman.
Like an autumn wind softly passing through.
Like the refreshing feeling when stepping out of a hot sauna.
The gentle wind became a sharp blade, cleanly slicing off the heads of two Wulphs.
Swish.
Where the wind passed, blood fountains erupted.