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A commotion erupted nationwide.

Calling it chaos doesn’t quite capture it, and it’s too huge to simply dismiss as a trivial matter.

Thus, this stir could rightly be called a nationwide event.

Jeolla, Chungcheong, Gyeonggi, Gyeongsang, Gangwon….

Literally ‘the whole country.’

『 Author: ㅇㅇ

Title: Lol, do wild boars go mountain climbing now? Haha

(Picture of a ridiculously large wild boar)

Damn

I can’t answer questions because I gotta run. 』

『 한마음등산동호회김춘식: Can’t see this dude in the gallery anymore, downvote lol 』

『 한마음동호회경리: Lol, looks like it’s in Gangwon? Offer up all your potatoes and pray for your life hoho 』

『 ㅇㅇ(46.182): Where is this again damn, every mountain’s a hunting ground now, what the hell 』

『 Author: ㅇㅇ(46.182)

Title: Who the hell opened the hellgate?

(Picture of a monster that looks like a bird-mermaid hybrid)

What the hell is this

I feel like that thing’s gonna jump me, can’t go anywhere ㅠㅠ

Before I die, I wanna post a serious article so upvote please. 』

『 가능충: Hmmm 』

『 ㅇㅇ(46.182): Hmmm what? Damn 』

『 한사랑등산회장: Haha, upvote, twice, I did, haha 』

Moreover, the bigger issue was that this mess was happening in mountains all over the country.

For Koreans, hiking was quite the popular hobby.

Not only did most of the country consist of mountains, but it was also a great way to experience nature and exercise without spending much money. Consequently, many people of all ages took up hiking as a hobby, and among them were quite a few who, despite having no interest in it, joined the hike due to their seniors’ hobbies.

And that meant… countless people across the nation had unwittingly gone hiking only to encounter such monsters.

Going with a light heart thinking, ‘Let’s just get some fresh air, sweat a little, and heal,’ to suddenly face such monsters without any weapons or resolve was nothing less than a catastrophe.

“Whoa, what the heck is that!”

“Manager! I don’t know what that is, but we need to get down quickly! We’re in big trouble!”

“Uh, you’re right. Let’s hurry down!”

The group from the company, who had planned a team hike, panicked upon seeing the monster and made their descent.

“We should’ve gone to the lodge… what is that…?”

The lodge manager found himself unable to do his job since a monster was blocking the way.

“Ah, brother! That thing’s ugly as hell.”

“Yeah, it looks furious like my wife when she’s mad.”

“That’s understandable; didn’t you fool her into thinking a gaming console was an air purifier?”

“Come on, it’s not even expensive, why complain about that…?”

“That console’s base unit costs 2.5 million won! How is that not expensive!?”

“Hey! Little bro! You gotta be kidding me? Now I have to bring up how you bought a bunch of limited edition Legos for your kid!”

“You already mentioned that! And how much can you combine all those limited editions for…”

“Over a million won! What’s your wife gonna say?”

Those who had come for hiking were also blocked by the monster from ascending the mountain.

This, at least, was a relatively mild case.

The worst situation was for those on the opposite end— individuals who needed to make their descent while a monster blocked their path.

“Oh no. What do we do?”

“I was just about to offer some prayers and head down when that ghoul showed up.”

“Monk, can’t you drive that thing away with some scriptures?”

“Ah, my dear benefactor, scriptures aren’t magic. How can chanting drive that away? Let’s not rush, people will arrive to sort this out soon.”

The victims were diverse.

Those who couldn’t come down because the monster appeared while going to the temple.

Monks living at the temple.

Lodge managers and hikers.

Herbalists gathering herbs all over the mountain.

A hunter who was training their dogs in the mountains.

Sports club members or potential warriors training on the mountain.

The variety of victims was truly impressive.

Especially since this stir had erupted ‘nationwide,’ the numbers were substantial enough to be significant.

Thus, it was only natural that chaos ensued.

The first place to cause a ruckus was where people typically called in a crisis.

119 and 112.

“Yes, 119 here.”

[Oh my, this is 119? I’m trapped in the mountain and can’t descend. I’m about to die! Hurry up and send help!]

“Yes, you’re on a mountain and can’t come down? Is it an emergency?”

[No, it’s not an emergency, there’s this tree blocking my way!]

“Is a fallen tree blocking your escape…?”

[No, not a fallen tree! Damn, this is frustrating! There’s a tree-like thing walking around! Walking!]

“Ah, not a fallen tree but rather a strange creature resembling a tree is blocking your way?”

[Yes! That’s it! Now you’re getting it! I can’t pass because of that, and what are you gonna do about it? I’m about to starve on this mountain! Come help me!]

“Yes, please hold for a moment. Could you send a video or picture?”

[Picture? Who’s got time for that? Just track my location and come already!]

“Even with location tracking, we need to know exactly what’s blocking the way. Depending on the situation, we may need to coordinate with the police or local autonomous crime prevention team.”

[Fine. Wait a moment. Ugh, this is such a hassle. Done! Sent it!]

“Yes, thank you. Confirmed. It’s presumed to be a summon creature… but I can’t be sure. There may be a threat, so we’ll send a team with a warrior. However, your current location is not suitable for a helicopter to land. Can you possibly move to a different spot?”

[Really? After seeing that? What if I move and that thing follows me? Is that common sense?]

“Understood. For now, please try to stay put. We’ll get there as quickly as we can. If you see anything unusual, please move to a spot out of sight from the creature.”

[Hurry up, hurry!]

At least 119 managed to handle the situation reasonably well.

As far as the usual scenarios went, aside from an increase in calls, it didn’t differ greatly from normal circumstances.

Those calling were anxious, curt, and urged their arrival.

Moreover, while the call numbers were high, there were no significant issues, as instead of running around to rescue people, they were assisting those trapped by creatures.

The creatures only blocked paths without showing significant aggressiveness.

They didn’t chase down fleeing people to bite into their necks or tear limbs off; they didn’t attack first outside their territory either.

They merely attacked when people entered what they considered ‘their territory.’

Of course, there were some whose encounters could have ended badly because of the attacks….

In the end, perhaps it was a stroke of luck.

Most managed to avoid serious injuries, ending with minor bruises at worst, and no one was seriously hurt.

Despite wielding sharp claws, weapons, or fangs that undoubtedly could inflict severe damage, no one faced catastrophic injuries.

Some even saw this as a ‘blessing from God’ and prayed.

Thus, 119 had plenty of leeway.

However….

112 was a nightmare.

“Hey! A monster’s popped up in our area too!”

“Yes, didn’t I mention? A monster just emerged in the next area. Why are you repeating yourself?”

“Right now, there’s a monster in our area! In our jurisdiction!”

“Wait, did it come from the neighboring area?”

“No, we’ve got a new one here—!”

112 had to deal not only with rescuing people but also with addressing the monsters threatening them.

Indeed.

They had to respond.

Subdue, kill, or capture.

They had to tackle whatever was threatening people.

That was the task assigned to them.

“What the hell… is there a factory somewhere producing monsters?”

“Damn, I don’t know, just grab equipment.”

“Don’t we only have gear for dealing with people?”

“Exactly.”

“Isn’t that just close-combat gear, pistols, and tasers at best?”

“True?”

“What can we do with that…?”

“Just gather your strength and take them down….”

The issue was that their equipment was inadequate compared to the task.

In rural areas where serious crime wasn’t common and capable individuals weren’t abundant, there was no way local police would have gear to handle summon creatures or monsters.

Though having a certain level of strength was necessary to become police, hope was still faint….

“Oh man, this isn’t good.”

Equipped with barely useful gear, attempting to take down a monster that was too large was just wishful thinking.

 

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