Chapter 58

58 Gourmet Day

Everything was red.

All he could see in front of him was a bright red world.

“What is this?”

Byeong-gap didn’t know what was happening. It felt like something had stolen his eyes. Only then did he realize that it was blood, not red curtains, that had been covering his eyes.

“Ugh!”

The skin on his face was burning, but that wasn’t all. From the top of his head to the bottom of his toes, there wasn’t a single place where he wasn’t hurt.

He wondered how he had come to this point.

‘Okay…’

Just a few minutes ago, things had crossed his mind. It was the moment when a shock wave hit the black monster.

While he was briefly reminiscing, his vision turned red. Byeong-gap nervously rubbed his eyes and sat up.

‘All my limbs are still here.’

It was a relief. He hurried to use Ki-breathing and recovered himself.

Suddenly…

Hik!

“Shriek!”

The whole world brightened with a roar that seemed to rupture his eardrums like thunder had just struck. In fact, he could see a streak of lightning rise up as if it was touching the sky.

That was probably Shim Seung-seop’s work.

Byeong-gap let go of his plugged ears and tried to move his feet.

“Rice… Bottle…”

“?!”

A voice came from behind him.

Byeong-gap turned reflexively and looked at where the sound came from. There was Kim Dae-yeop, looking like a miserable skeleton.

“Oh, uh, uh… Oh God!”

Kim Dae-yeop was crushed under the rubble of a collapsed building. His lower body was completely crushed, his upper body barely sticking out of the ruins.

‘Damn it, damn it, damn it!’

He couldn’t figure out what to do, so he dug up the wreckage as soon as he could.

“Byeong… Byeong-gap… Cough!”

Kim Dae-yeop threw up blood and spat out a lump of clotted blood.

“Don’t speak! Damn it!”

“Rice, Mr. Byeong-gap… Radio… to headquarters…”

Kim Dae-yeop tried to speak, his eyes pointing to a radio on the side.

“Radio… Must be… I was… wrong…”

“That’s enough, don’t say anything!”

Byeong-gap was like a madman. No, actually, he was half crazy as he cleaned up the pile of concrete. Even when his fingertips were swollen, and his skin was torn apart, he didn’t stop.

How long has it been? Kim Dae-yeop wasn’t able to escape from the rubble.

Eventually, he was able to remove all the concrete pinning down Dae-yeop, and his whole body was immediately revealed. It was disastrous.

‘Legs…’

His legs from the bottom of his knees were cut off completely, and his upper body was no different from minced meat.

‘Backpack!’

Byeong-gap quickly picked up the supply backpack that fell just around the corner. With shaking hands, he opened the pouch containing the potions. Fortunately, the potions were all still intact.

He hurried to feed him the elixir, but his hand stopped.

‘I can’t feed him like this.’

The effectiveness of an elixir was great. However, it was not possible to restore the missing parts of a person’s body because potions merely helped humans to recover themselves.

‘He would need to eat dumplings first.’

Byeong-gap opened the Ancient Shop, not caring whether Kim Dae-yeop saw it or not. He bought two dumplings for each type, meat, flesh, and bone.

“Open your mouth!”

“Ugh…”

“Chew! Chew and swallow!”

Kim Dae-yeop managed to chew and swallow the dumplings. The effect was immediate. His torn lower body quickly took shape, and his severed shin grew anew.

When he fed him the potion, his pale complexion returned to its original color.

“Gasp, Gasp!”

“You’ll be fine now. You’ll be fine now.”

“This is not the time. We have to contact headquarters, headquarters!”

“I’ll do it. Where’s Mr. Ho-yun?”

“I’m sure he’s that way…”

Byeong-gap looked at where Kim Dae-yeop was pointing. A few minutes later, he was able to find Jung Ho-yun, who had fainted.

‘He’s okay, he just fainted.’

Jung Ho-yun was relatively intact. His entire body was fractured, but no limbs were severed. He also rushed to feed him dumplings and a potion.

When Byeong-gap returned to his original location, Kim Dae-yeop was sitting up and doing something. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the man was manipulating the radio, but the look on his face was not good.

“Damn it!”

There was no need to ask why. At a glance, he could see that the walkie-talkie was destroyed.

Kim Dae-yeop looked up at Byeong-gap with his eyes seeming to ask, ‘What should I do?’

“Dae-yeop, take Mr. Ho-yun downstairs.”

“Yes?”

“If you walk down the path we’ve taken, you won’t run into a monster. Find another group and ask for help.”

“What about you, Mr. Byeong-gap?”

“……”

Byeong-gap turned his head instead of answering.

In the distance, they could hear a roar every five seconds. He could tell, even if he didn’t see it, that the attack squad was still there…

Recognizing Byeong-gap’s intention, Kim Dae-yeop shouted at him.

“What are you trying to do? It’s not up to us!”

“But I have to go.”

Byeong-gap raised himself.

“You need to inform the others of the situation here as soon as possible. The fate of all of us is in your hands.”

“Oh, no, no, no.”

“Go, go, go!”

“Fuck it! Alright!”

Kim Dae-yeop jumped to his feet. He carried Jung Ho-yun on his shoulder and ran with all his might.

As he let the two of them go, Byeong-gap looked forward again.

Crunch, crack! Boom!

About a kilometer ahead, he could hear a lot of roars and explosions as if there was a natural disaster happening. As soon as he took a step forward, chilling energy flowed down his spine. His body constantly signaled danger.

Maybe Kim Dae-yeop was right.

It used to be a lot stronger, but that place wasn’t deep enough to put his feet in.

And… above all, the Goblins came to his mind.

‘What happens to the kids if I die?’

What was the point of asking?

If he died, so would the Goblins. They would be stuck in Ashvilam waiting for their Lord to come back and slowly wither and die.

“…Fuck it!”

But he still had to go. There was no logical reason for it; he just did what his heart told him to do. This meant that there was nothing he could do about it, even if they cursed at him for being an idiot.

He ran hard, pouring out his strength. The stronger the sense of death stabbed his skin, the faster he ran.

After a while of running, something caught his eye. It was a severed human arm.

Whose was it?

Boo Young-geon’s? Han Chang-hoon’s? Song Han-gil’s? Shim Seung-seop’s?

Or was it Jeong Seon-kyung’s?

The answer to that question came to him surprisingly quickly.

“Gasp!”

He suddenly arrived at a gigantic canyon with huge cliffs blocking the way on both sides. He thought canyons like these could only be seen in the United States or in Africa, but here was one on the Korean Peninsula.

Before his humble appreciation was over, something flew off of the edge and fell into the cliff. It was the captain Boo Young-geon, who only had one arm.

Boomph!

Something huge flew into the cliff after him.

A black, gigantic monster.

It was the one that broke up Group C.

‘Balrog!’

It was a Balrog that was listed as an S-level threat. It stood about four meters tall, and its black body burned without rest. Flames blew out of its eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. Its giant horn resembled a mountain goat’s, and its wings were like a bat’s. Its long tail drooped and fluttered, looking like a thousand-year-old snake.

Unless you were a person of great courage, you would die of fright just by looking at it.

“Kaaaaah!”

Boom! Boom!

The Balrog slammed its claws on the cliff. The whole area about thirty meters around the point of impact sank and crashed down with a loud sound.

Byeong-gap fled to avoid being caught by the falling cliff.

‘Is Boo Young-geon still alive?’

He didn’t take his eyes off the Balrog. In an instant, it plummeted as if a huge bat had hit it, and Boo Young-geon appeared through the dust cloud.

Gong!

A massive streak of lightning struck the fallen Balrog. Tens of thousands of lightning streams filled the canyon. However, despite such a relentless attack, the Balrog stood up easily.

“Ah…”

Shim Seung-seop vomited blood from his mouth and collapsed. He had done his best.

“Damn it! Look!”

Byeong-gap heard Jeong Seon-kyung’s voice. She fell sharply, an ax as raised high above her head.

“Crush!”

“Ugh! Argh!”

The Balrog used his wings to block the ax and launched a counterattack. Jeong Seon-kyung, who was beaten off, flew like a tennis ball and hit the cliff, creating another crater. The Balrog aimed for Jeong Seon-kyung, constantly spouting fire.

Boo Young-geon quickly blocked the flames and developed a large-scale barrier.

A collision happened between the flames and the shield. The shield seemed to hang in there for a while but eventually broke.

The flames shot forward and seemed to eat up the two hunters.

‘They’re in the same S-class, but they’re so different.’

It was a far cry from the lower awakeners like him. Even in the same S-class, the difference between the top and the middle class was significant.

‘Why are there only three of them? Where are the others?’

It was strange. Song Han-gil and Han Chang-hoon were nowhere to be seen.

Byeong-gap scoured the canyon that had become a mess, chasing the trail of the two men. Before long, he saw two people lying on the ground.

Han Chang-hoon’s whole body was charred all over, and Song Han-gil was bent at a bizarre angle.

He realized what had happened.

‘No. If the healer is missing, there is no chance of winning.’

Byeong-gap gulped and watched the battle. The bottle of potion in his hand was wet with his sweat.

‘Even Han Chang-hoon must live.’

Fortunately, the Balrog was not interested in him.

All kinds of simulations played in his head. After picking out the optimal simulation, Byeong-gap took a deep breath.

One. He only has one chance.

Pots!

He kicked the floor, crossing the ravine like a wolf.

The distance between him and the two fallen people quickly narrowed.

30 meters.

20 meters.

15 meters.

He was almost there.

“Crrr…”

“What?”

Why was the Balrog suddenly in front of him?

He had been so sure. It was far away just a second ago!

The Balrog clenched its huge fist and shot towards him; nobody could stop it.

Time went by slowly as if the world had stopped. It was clear that its claws were approaching him in real-time. It was inevitable and unstoppable.

“I’m dying.”

Byeong-gap felt death in his bones.

Then someone was standing in front of him.

“Hey, you crazy man! Why are you here?”

It was Jeong Seon-kyung.

She spat out Karma with a ferocious force, countering the enemy’s attack.

“Are you a nutcase? Don’t waste your breath and run away.”

“Crrr!!”

“Huh?”

Jeong Seon-kyung disappeared before his eyes. She was flung off the ground and flew more than a few meters backward.

The Balrog’s offensive attacks did not stop. It began to kick him nonstop.

‘Damn it! I can’t avoid it!’

There was no one to stop it this time.

Byeong-gap immediately took a defensive stance. At the same time, he reinforced his body by releasing his maximum strength.

The Balrog’s wretched feet kicked him in a flash, and he flew helplessly to the cliff.

Boom boom!

He broke through the rock and was dug several meters in. Broken debris fell and collapsed on his body, and terrible pain came over him.

“Gasp! Gasp!”

His mind went blank. He felt like he was going to lose consciousness any moment now.

‘I think all of my bones are broken. Damn it, am I even still alive?’

It seemed impossible to lift a finger.

He just realized then that no matter what he did, he wouldn’t be able to fight a Balrog.

‘How the hell were they going to beat that? Should I call the Goblins and fight it together…? What am I gonna do with the Goblins when five S-class people can’t even stay standing together?’

“Cough!”

It was as hot as fire in his stomach, and it looked like his guts had been blown up.

‘First of all, treatment…’

Byeong-gap used Ki-breathing and raised his strength. When he could move his body a little, he opened the Ancient Shop. All the potions he had brought were now broken, so he had to buy and eat some dumplings.

After putting the dumplings in his mouth, he could finally breathe. He felt like he was on the verge of life and death.

As the pain subsided, he burst out laughing for some reason.

“…God damn it. What’s the use of all this?”

The situation has not improved at all. Even if he recovered, he wouldn’t be able to even scratch the monster.

“There’s nothing.”

He looked at the shop window and felt hopeless.

The Ancient Shop. Even this strange store didn’t sell any swords that could defeat a Balrog.

At that point in time, he thought he should just give everything up and flee to Ashvilam. He had to admit it; this wasn’t at his level in the first place.

“Okay, let’s get away.”

The moment he tried to close the Ancient Shop, a product caught his eye.

***

Boo Young-geon staggered to his feet. His face was contorted with despair and pain.

‘I made a mistake, and I was arrogant.’

It was a clear lapse of judgment. He had thought that five S-class hunters would be able to stand up against a Balrog, but really, there was no choice.

It was stronger than he had imagined, and the team was in danger of annihilation.

‘It’s all my fault. Everything.’

He should have ordered a retreat as soon as possible. No, they should have taken refuge the moment he spotted the Balrog.

Even if he regretted it, the cup has already been poured.

‘I… I have to be the bait.’

That was all that he could do now, be the bait and evacuate the rest of the group. It was the only way to save even one more person.

The only problem was…

‘Terrified.’

He was afraid. He was so afraid to die.

Even if he was an S-class hunter, he was still human. He had a lot of regrets about his life and he didn’t want to die at the age of only 28.

“…..”

In fact, Group C was already annihilated.

Song Han-gil and Han Chang-hoon had collapsed. Shim Seung-seop, who poured out his Karma like crazy, was defeated by his own exhaustion and passed out.

He himself had lost an arm. His bleeding was so severe that he could not even stand now.

“Look! Search a little!”

At least Jeong Seon-kyung was still standing. She burned her fighting spirit even when she was left alone. Unfortunately, she couldn’t beat the Balrog with just her fighting spirit.

“Ugh!”

Eventually, she had also collapsed. A barrage of flames and bullets broke her down.

Jeong Seon-kyung was completely battered and exhausted, spread out on the ground.

“Krrrrrrrrrr!”

The Balrog roared loudly, overflowing with confidence.

‘Just a little bit. I wish I had pushed it a little harder!’

The Balrog’s condition was also not too good. They had battered it down to almost a wreck. If only there were one more healer on the team… No, if Han Chang-hoon hadn’t been so vain, their side would have won.

“Krrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!”

“Ouch! Argh! Argh!”

The Balrog trampled on Jeong Seon-kyung, who was already lying on the ground. It was making a mess out of her. Every time it stomped, the ground was pushed further down and a series of faint groans erupted from it.

‘Stop… That’s enough! You won!’

He cried inside.

The reality of having to look at that disastrous sight was so miserable.

‘…Let’s die. Let’s die and apologize to the crew.’

He raised his final Karma with anger. He was willing to punch that monster even if it led to his death. If he didn’t, he couldn’t even die of anger.

He shouted, exploding Karma.

“Stop—”

“Stop it, you monster.”

Suddenly, someone else appeared and blocked the Balrog.

He couldn’t believe it. It was Ko Byeong-gap.

Byeong-gap stood in front of the Balrog, blocking its feet to protect Jeong Seon-kyung. Somehow, the Balrog couldn’t even make him budge.

It seemed very displeased with the current development.

“Cree!”

“Avoid!”

The Balrog clenched its claws and hit the ground.

Boo Young-geon thought that Ko Byeong-gap and Jeong Seon-kyung would certainly be crushed together, but such a disaster did not happen.

Scream!

A ray of light flashed brightly…

And the Balrog’s arms were severed.