Chapter 7
Whatever he was feeling, we had our own path to follow.
The group, clustered around the man holding the glowing orb, began to cross the bridge.
I turned on my flashlight and slipped somewhere into the middle of the line. A few others lit their surroundings with their phone lights as well.
“Hyung, can I just go back to the other side for a moment—”
“No. With Sunwoo gone, you’re now the main damage dealer in our squad. You’re the only one who can pierce the Red Dragon’s hide.”
“But Garuda is still over there…”
The chick-like rookie Hunter trailed off, glancing toward the crowd.
It was obvious he wanted to go back and join us.
“Give it up. We’ve done all we can. Now, it’s all up to luck.”
The plant Hunter spoke as she dismantled the bridge after the last person had crossed.
The rookie Hunter scolded her, saying her words could hurt those listening. But really, how could a normal person hear what she said from that distance?
He’d only awakened a week ago, and he truly acted like it.
“If we’re lucky, we won’t run into the Garuda legion. If we’re not unlucky, we might meet the government-affiliated Hunters from upstairs. So stop worrying. Yuri unnie is up ahead, leading.”
With every step she took, new flowers bloomed behind her. This time, they were threatening black roses with sharp thorns.
“Miss! Miss! What are you doing? If you just stand there, you’ll get left behind! Hurry up and come this way!”
Someone called out to me as I stood still, watching the Hunters.
It was a middle-aged lady, probably around the same age as my mom.
“You’re upset the Hunters didn’t come with us, right? Don’t be too disappointed. Still, those Hunters treated us better than most would.”
She took my hand firmly and hurried to keep up with the group.
The place was littered with corpses and blood. The giant corpse of a wasp lay tangled with the dead body of a Rosemary Guild Hunter, like something straight out of a monster movie.
Six years ago, when the Gate opened just as that cult leader predicted, it became our reality.
Had it never opened, it would have remained just another scene in a movie.
“I’ve been caught up in a Wave before. Back then, not a single Hunter helped the civilians. If a government Hunter hadn’t shown up in time, I’d be dead.”
The lady smiled gently as she walked in a wide arc to avoid the giant wasp’s corpse.
Despite talking about death, her face was still smiling.
“Don’t worry too much. Like you told the Hunter earlier—if we were going to die, we’d have died already.”
The monster’s bodily fluids and the dead Hunter’s blood clung thickly to the soles of my shoes.
The hems of my pants were soaked in filth and dragged heavily.
Relying on the faint light of the glowing orb and our phone flashlights, we walked through a valley of cold corpses.
Waaaaah—!
A baby’s cry rang out again.
The warmth from my hands, which I had been rubbing together due to poor circulation, disappeared along with the sound.
The lady who had been holding my hand tightly was now beside the crying baby’s mother, trying to soothe the child.
KA-BOOM!
A thunderous noise echoed from the far end of the subway station.
A strong gust of wind followed, mixed with an unpleasant stench and an unidentifiable floral scent.
Flashing lights flickered in the distance, followed by streaks of blue light like falling stars.
It was the sight of the 3rd Dawn Assault Squad fighting the Red Dragon legion.
“Hey lady! Can’t you shut that kid up? What if the monsters hear and come this way?! We’re all going to die!”
The man carrying the glowing orb shouted irritably.
The baby’s mother bowed deeply, apologizing profusely, and the older lady continued trying to calm the child, but the group’s stares remained cold.
Watching the scene unfold like a farce, I shook my phone. Even with all the flashlights, it was still dark.
The group that had been rushing forward stopped due to the rising tension.
A man in a suit suggested they abandon anyone who threatened their survival. The people hesitated.
It’s natural for people to value their own lives above others. Their hesitation wasn’t strange.
I’d seen many people like that—those who calmly cut off dangerous elements in a crisis.
Technically, even those Hunters had done the same, abandoning us as a threat. I wasn’t even surprised anymore.
“I’m sorry. I really am. I’ll calm the baby as fast as I can. Please… please don’t leave us behind…”
The baby’s mother looked close to tears as she desperately tried to soothe her screaming child.
But no one showed even a sliver of sympathy. At this rate, everyone would die because of the child.
Honestly, leaving them behind was the logical choice. If I were just another powerless civilian, I would’ve agreed.
“Mom…”
A child who looked about seven clung to her mother’s back, staring at the crying baby.
I looked around at the man cursing, the others glaring in disapproval, and the man leading the group.
It looked like they had decided to abandon the family.
Rrrrraaaah—!!
A monster’s roar echoed louder and louder underground.
I watched as the others turned their backs and prepared to move on, then swung my flashlight to check our surroundings.
The Hunters were all fighting the Red Dragon legion that had come through the Gate. Meanwhile, the remnants of the Garuda legion from a previous Wave were heading toward us.
It wasn’t looking good. If things continued like this, we’d all die.
“What are you doing, miss?! Hurry and follow them! You’ll be in real danger if you stay here!”
“You haven’t left either. And there are children here.”
“Oh, just call me ahjumma. And we’ll be fine. We’ll hide for a bit. Actually, my sister’s an A+ rank Hunter. I already called her. She’ll be here soon. So don’t worry about us. Just go, it’s dangerous.”
I looked at her face as she lightly tapped my shoulder.
She was forcing a smile, but she didn’t look fine at all.
“She’s right. Please go. And take this lady with you too.”
“How can I leave with the baby crying like this? There, there, sweetie…”
She started soothing the baby again, while the mother took the older child’s hand.
I silently watched them, then looked up.
The sound of giant wasp wings came from the direction the others had gone. Then—screams.
The scent of human blood drifted in on the wind. Wasp larvae are carnivorous.
Most likely, the people who went ahead had become their meal.
A few minutes soaked in screams.
I stared at the now frozen women and spoke.
“I think… everyone who went ahead is dead.”
I hadn’t meant to do a fact check like that, but there wasn’t much else to say.
This is why people should just stay behind quietly.
Anyway, those ahead were all dead, and we were now facing a crisis of our own.
“What do we do now?”
The baby’s mother, holding both children close, looked like she might cry.
The ahjumma, who had been forcing a brave face, anxiously bit her lip and pulled out her phone.
She was probably trying to call her A+ ranked sister.
But… it’s too late. The wasps are already right in front of us.
I raised my phone—battery at just 17%—and held it up.
The bright flash illuminated the wasp’s exoskeleton.
Monsters stained with human blood were slowly approaching us.
“Hold this and stay here quietly.”
I hadn’t planned on stepping up, but there was no choice.
Cracking my knuckles, I handed my phone to the older woman.
Then, I ran toward the approaching monsters.
“Miss! Miss!! What do you think you’re doing?! Come back!!!”
The Garuda legion, shaped like giant wasps, had a key characteristic: their hard exoskeleton.
It’s incredibly tough and hard to pierce—but ironically, their insides are soft and vulnerable.
Glossy black bodies, dark wings, grotesquely extended jaws, and furry, oversized forelegs.
I jumped onto one’s foreleg and launched a kick toward its massive eye.
Its body burst with fluid, writhing grotesquely. Wings twisted, legs flailed.
Electricity surged from my fingertips, scorching its shell.
A bolt of lightning split the air, followed by thunder and a flash.
In moments, the few wasps that had approached were reduced to ash.
I grimaced, disgusted, as the monster fluids soaked into my thin clothes.
They stared at me, dumbfounded.
“Miss… did you just awaken?”
And the question that followed was even dumber.
