Chapter 117

"Ugh...!"

Grrrrrk―

The lava that appeared with a strong gust of hot wind, as if in warning, approached while twisting its shoulders. The speed at which the mutants appeared in front of Soram and Tae-un was getting faster. That meant the number of mutants that couldn't be blocked at the front and were sent to the rear had increased.

In the desperate situation, the hunters gritted their teeth and endured. However, while the speed at which the rift spewed out lava did not decrease, the hunters' stamina continued to dwindle.

Moreover…

―B-3 building. The building is collapsing. People inside, evacuate!

―Sh-shaking, aaaah!

The lava undulating on the first floor of the building melted the cement walls and steel frames. The building, whose foundation had disappeared, tilted to the side, and the long-range attack hunter fighting there hurriedly jumped out the window. The hunters nearby also hastily retreated before the shadow loomed over their heads.

"Damn it, just the lava alone is overwhelming, cough, isn't this too much...!"

The peaceful seaside city was scorched and devastated in all directions as if it had been bombed. Rather than the rampant monsters with terrible appearances, the sight of the familiar city being burned and destroyed was even more shocking. The convenience store, small cafe, and sashimi restaurant that had been right in front of the sea could no longer be recognized in their original form.

The lava that had been wriggling and raising its body covered the transparent window of a clothing store slightly away from the center. The glass, weakened by the heat, shattered with a clang, and the lava rushed into the store.

"Aaaah! Get away! Don't come in! Save me! Help!"

And a scream burst out from inside the store that should have been empty.

Tae-un was the first to react. When he flew to the store where the lava had invaded, there was a person hiding inside the store with the lights off, not having evacuated. The lava that had infiltrated up to the feet of the person pressed against the wall suddenly increased in size.

Tae-un raised his sword and flew behind it, but from the moment he discovered the inside of the store, he had a premonition that it was already too late. Before Tae-un arrived, the lava covered the person's head.

"Aaargh, guh... ugh, ...! ...."

Sizzle!

The core was cut by the sword a moment too late, and the lava turned into black smoke. However, the person inside the store already had their neck and above melted away.

"..."

While Tae-un was momentarily stunned by encountering such a sight for the first time, the lava that had entered the store with him jumped up.

"Ugh!"

The lava grazed his shoulder deeply as it passed by. When he cut the lava with his sword and examined the wound, the clothes had melted, and the skin was exposed, bright red. Tae-un tore the sleeve of a blouse hanging in the store and tied it around his shoulder. And he covered the corpse of the dead store owner with a white cloth.

"I'm sorry."

As Tae-un came out, Soram was dealing with the wriggling lava in front of the store.

"What are you sorry for? It's the fault of the person who ignored the evacuation order and hid."

"Still."

"..."

Soram, who had eliminated the last mutant, went to Tae-un's shoulder and tightly pulled the sloppily tied knot to apply pressure. Even though they had been fighting side by side, they hadn't noticed the wounds that were densely packed on each other's bodies.

Now was not the time to point out such minor injuries. Another mutant that had risen from the lava walked towards them with heavy steps. Soram's blade stretched out. Tae-un also leaped to the opposite side, suppressing the memory of the corpse he had seen for the first time in his life.

―The defense line of the front teams 1, 2, and 3 has collapsed. We are retreating.

Upon hearing the radio transmission in their ears, the two turned their heads towards the seaside.

The hunters fighting on the coastal road finally gave up on holding that position and retreated. The lava began to engulf the residential area they had tried to protect by any means.

The countless training sessions may have sustained the Busan Branch until now, but that was only in situations where they could at least maintain formation in front of an enemy with a physical form. In the face of an enemy that not only continuously surged in but also freely changed its form, all conventional tactics became meaningless. In the end, it had to turn into individual close combat.

―From now on, individual combat deviating from the assigned positions is permitted. Let's meet again safely.

But it was still a long way off.

Soram gritted his teeth as he recalled his memories.

The Great Rift in his first life took 20 hours, the second took 26 hours, and the third, which was the life right before, took 48 hours to reach a lull.

***

6:00 p.m., 6 hours after the dungeon outbreak.

The news of individual combat was also conveyed to Team 2 Leader Do Jong-chan. Seo Min-ki, who had been leading Teams 4 and 5 consisting of Field Operations Bureau Team 2, moved to the center of his team members.

"I will go down and support the retreat of the front teams and come back. Everyone, please endure well."

"Yes!"

"Will do Team Leader-nim. I'm counting on you."

"Don't worry."

As soon as the conversation ended, he disappeared from his spot.

Seo Min-ki, who was so introverted that he was even considered naive, often eliciting sighs of "Oh my, what do we do with him..." within the Busan Branch, but it wasn't for nothing that he had been regarded as a genius hunter since his teens. With a sword drawn in front of the enemy, he began to appear in flashes from all directions, instantly eliminating numerous mutants. His usually passive demeanor was nowhere to be seen as he constantly monitored the situation, issued orders, and fought more fiercely than anyone else. His composure, having already experienced the Great Rift at a young age, was also remarkable. It wasn't for nothing that even the much older senior hunters readily followed him.

"I should also do it properly."

Do Jong-chan himself also experienced the Great Rift at a young age. So if they overcame this crisis, in a few years, he would stand at the center of the Busan Branch, just like Chief Seo Min-ki.

Now, the only 1st-grade hunter left in this area was him. Do Jong-chan tightly gripped the spear he used as his main weapon. With Chief Seo Min-ki gone, the responsibility had become even heavier. He aimed his spear at the mutant and forcefully raised his shoulders. The spear he thrust shattered the core.

At the same time, the tip of the spear collided with something metallic that wasn't originally there.

Clang―!

"Oops."

"Ah."

The small paper airplane that had pierced through the lava drew an arc and returned to its owner's side. Chief Jin Soram checked the condition of the paper airplane and lightly landed on the ground. Since permission had been given for individual combat, deviating from the formation, he seemed to have moved his position as well.

His appearance, slightly bowing his head towards them and then returning to battle, was definitely different from his usual sluggish self. His expression was hardened, and there were scratches on his pale face where he was either scorched or had blood showing.

As expected of a chief.

Although the front defense line had collapsed, that team had originally intended to endure only to the point where they wouldn't suffer major injuries. And currently, even if the hunters couldn't stop the surging lava, they were steadily slowing it down. At this rate, they would somehow be able to endure until a lull. The Great Rift was stronger than expected, but it wasn't as desperate as anticipated.

Do Jong-chan kicked the ground and slightly caught up with Chief Jin Soram. Recalling the image of him yelling at Branch Director Shin Gi-hyeon, asking if he wanted to see everyone die.

"Hey, the Great Rift is manageable, right?"

Soram glanced at him. Do Jong-chan eliminated the mutant with a spear thrown with a show of strength.

Clang! Thud, thud―…

The attack, which used more force than usual, showed the result of piercing through the lava mutant and noisily knocking down the tree behind it. Then, using his special ability, the spear returned along the trajectory it had flown, gripped in his hand.

"Hmm."

Soram tilted his head and said,

"Don't use up too much strength."

And then he immediately lifted his body and flew to another place. Do Jong-chan ignored Soram's advice. Was he telling him to wait for the support from the headquarters or something?

Now that he looked, Soram was only controlling three metal paper airplanes. He had seen him move up to eight in a public training session, so he wondered if he was fighting half-heartedly because it wasn't his jurisdiction.

It didn't matter. As Branch Director Shin Gi-hyeon said, it was enough for the people of the local branch to protect this land.

If they continued like this, there would be no problem.

That thought completely changed about 2 hours later when the sky turned pitch black.

"Huff, huff... ugh, huff..."

Even as the time since the dungeon outbreak was about to fill half a day, the activity did not stop. The hunters must have already cut down thousands, tens of thousands of mutants. Yet the dungeon was like a huge tree from which only a few leaves had been cut. It continued to spew out lava at the same speed without any impact.

From staring at the burning lava for so long, the afterimage wouldn't disappear from his eyes.

"Ugh, huff..."

The spear he had been swinging around now felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

Athletes were all people who had hoped to stand at the very top of the podium. A few hours ago, Do Jong-chan had imagined such a scene. Everyone would join forces to drive the lava back to the coast, and they would protect the living area without a speck of damage until a lull arrived.

Then, when the flood stopped, he would volunteer to go towards the center of the rift. Although they couldn't fire missiles at the ground where the rift was buried, it would be possible to pierce it with a spear. In the last moment, he would throw the spear with all his might into the rift and destroy it, becoming the protagonist of the Great Rift…

Now he couldn't even have that delusion anymore. The only thought that came to mind now was that he desperately wanted to relax his arms and legs, even for a brief moment. He had been swinging his weapon for hours without even time to think. He belatedly realized how many enemies those at the front had been blocking while he had leisurely thoughts at the rear.

"Huff, Chief-nim! Here, he co-collapsed...! Wake up!"

"Quickly move him back!"

While Seo Min-ki blocked the attack, the exhausted hunter was moved with the support of another hunter. Despite being a long-range attacker, his body was already covered in wounds. The same was true for Do Jong-chan. As his stamina hit rock bottom, his concentration gradually decreased. Even though he wasn't directly hit by the fire, being continuously exposed to the heat had covered his entire body with indirect burns. The pain had also dulled his senses.

Now he didn't even know how to move the spear.

Whoosh―

A bright red conflagration rose in front of his exhausted self. His mouth opened blankly before any reaction. He had to block it.

"Uh..."

But his arms wouldn't lift. His arms, covered in burns and overloaded with muscle fatigue, had been trembling for a while.

The crimson figure gradually covered his field of vision. N-no, it can't be. No…