Chapter 161
Chapter 161: Caught
“I will never go through a narrow terrain again.”
“I agree.”
Following Park Jae-kyung’s wishes, the expedition team decided to take a longer route through wider terrain, prioritizing safety over speed to their destination.
And whether that choice was the right one.
After emerging from the tunnel and slightly altering their route, nothing unusual occurred.
‘Is it already evening?’
Yoo Ji-han looked up at the black sky.
Time had flown by, and it was now the evening twilight.
Traveling along tracks and highways, the expedition was almost at its original destination, Suncheon Station.
By now, it was likely that the other advance teams or guilds who had lost contact in Nonsan had also returned to reality.
That was all they hoped for.
“Is anyone still able to make calls?”
“No!”
“Then let’s move on to Suncheon Station as scheduled.”
The original plan was to make contact with the team left behind in Yeosu and investigate the nearby area.
However, with long-distance communication cut off, they had no choice but to formulate a separate plan.
“Support team! Just a bit more, please!”
“Understood!”
The expedition team increased their speed as they ran along the tracks.
Once they crossed an area where a river could be seen, the structure of Suncheon Station came into view.
However, the closer they got to the station, the more the heroes’ expressions began to crack.
“Th-this is….”
“No way…!”
The heroes stared at Suncheon Station with incredulous looks.
Most of the station building had crumbled to the ground.
Especially the front entrance, where the station sign should have read ‘Suncheon Station’, was horrifying, with only the word ‘Station’ remaining visible, while the rest had vanished.
The entrance beneath the sign was covered in the debris of the collapsed building.
The only thing still standing was the side of the building they had spotted from a distance.
“There are dead people over there!”
“There too!”
The plaza in front of the main entrance was littered with the bodies of humans and monsters.
Yoo Ji-han, having spotted a monster with long antennae, rummaged through his memories but realized it was a monster he had never encountered before.
‘What on earth happened?’
The figure of Jung Gi-jun, who had departed earlier, was nowhere in sight.
As everyone faced the tragic scene, speechless.
Chilla, who had been twitching its ears, suddenly dashed somewhere on all fours.
“Chirp chirp!!”
The creature, gazing at the collapsed Tourist Information Center building, let out a loud cry.
Min Yu-ri, following Chilla, spotted a person trapped in a small gap of the building.
“There’s someone unconscious here!”
Those who rushed over carefully cleared the debris from the building.
Thankfully, the man was only trapped and not completely squished.
The rescued man appeared to be an employee of the Tourist Information Center based on his attire.
As if sensing the surrounding commotion, he slowly opened his eyes.
“Gah! Ugh!”
“Calm down!”
The man, upon awakening, cowered in fear, protecting his head with his hands.
Park Jae-kyung encouraged him to take deep breaths, trying to soothe him.
Once the man collected himself, he trembled as he pointed towards the station.
“M-monstrous creatures appeared and killed everyone around here!”
“What kind of monsters?”
“They looked like giant cockroaches….”
At the mention of giant cockroaches, many faces went pale.
Min Yu-ri was among them.
“Goodness! They really created something horrifying.”
“Was a being that should never exist brought into this world…?”
Yoo Ji-han looked at the antenna that lay on the ground.
It certainly appeared to be a cockroach’s antenna.
“A new material?”
“Seems worth investigating.”
The blacksmiths, including Nam Ho-yeol, turned their gaze towards the antenna.
At that moment, the man, who had been tilting his head while looking at Park Jae-kyung, spoke.
“Your face seems a bit familiar… Are you from the Dice Guild?”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
“You mentioned that the heroes who entered the station earlier were also from the Dice Guild?”
In response, Park Jae-kyung turned to gaze at the ruined Suncheon Station.
With a sense of urgency, she dashed forward with her sword imbued with aura and sliced through the wreckage.
Not like this… I pray.
“Aah….”
Moments later, the bodies of dead monsters and humans were discovered inside the station.
Among them was one of the Rank 3 heroes who had briefly accompanied Park Jae-kyung not long ago in Yeosu.
——It’s an honor, Vice Guild Master!
She had always admired Park Jae-kyung from afar.
It was her first time participating in an operation together and expressing her honor.
Clang!
Dropping her sword to the ground, Park Jae-kyung embraced the lifeless body of her fallen guildmate with a heavy heart.
Onlookers could only watch the scene with sorrowful expressions.
“Vice Guild Master….”
Crunch!
The sound of Park Jae-kyung grinding her teeth echoed around them.
The expedition team had come down from Seoul to Suncheon with relatively little damage.
This was the moment when Yoo Ji-han’s previously mentioned word, ‘war’, became palpable.
*
The number of heroes found dead inside the station totaled four.
All had belonged to the same party from the Dice Guild.
Embedded within the pocket of a corpse, whose ankles had been severed, was a crumpled piece of paper.
[If you see this paper, please ensure it gets to the Dice Guild or the Hero Department.]
[The special operations team from Dice Guild evacuated citizens from Yeosu, where monsters surged, to Suncheon.]
[We waited for the advance team at Suncheon Station, but realizing that the train hadn’t arrived, we recognized that another incident had occurred above…….]
…….
…….
[Father, Mother, I’m sorry.]
[Please donate half of my inheritance to the orphanage.]
The paper started with an explanation of their situation arriving in Suncheon and ended with a last will.
It had been left for those who would discover his corpse.
“……I will kill them. I will kill them all.”
“I will make sure they all pay. Those bastard sons of bitches.”
“Not a one will be spared.”
The heroes who recognized the fallen were unable to contain their rage.
The number of people vowing revenge for the rest of their fallen comrades only grew.
At that moment, Park Jae-kyung spoke.
“Killing any IUPC members before I give my consent is forbidden.”
“Why not?”
“I’ll take them alive and impose a punishment worse than death.”
Park Jae-kyung’s eyes glimmered with a murderous intent as she grasped her sword.
Amidst the sinister atmosphere surrounding the heroes of Dice Guild.
The Red Hole Guild heroes and Yoo Ji-han’s party kept their distance as they surveyed the surroundings.
“Nothing over here.”
“None here either.”
“Chirp!”
Yoo Ji-han’s party inspected the river near the station.
Just in case there might be any monsters lurking underwater.
Kim Si-hu utilized magic for the search, but nothing of note was discovered.
“It’s strangely quiet.”
Not even a small animal could be seen, let alone a monster.
It seemed the monsters who had attacked Suncheon Station had vanished.
Yoo Ji-han then picked up a box full of candy from a nearby convenience store and returned to the station.
“Here you go.”
“Pardon?”
Park Jae-kyung tilted her head as she received the box from him.
“Why the sudden candy?”
“Sweet foods can help when you’re feeling down.”
“Ah….”
“Please share one with the other guild members too. Even if we seek revenge, managing our conditions is essential.”
Convinced by Yoo Ji-han, Park Jae-kyung took a candy from the box and popped it into her mouth.
“It’s sweet.”
“Pretty good, right?”
“……Ji-han, you’re kind of like my mom.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“Usually, people wouldn’t hate their moms.”
“Then I’ll take it as a compliment.”
“Hehe.”
As Park Jae-kyung smiled with her candy, a short while later, everyone in the vicinity had a candy rolling around in their mouths.
Thanks to this, the previously tense atmosphere began to lighten.
“Park Jae-kyung!”
“We found a person!”
Just then, the heroes from the Red Hole informed them of another survivor they had found.
Everyone in front of Suncheon Station followed them as they moved.
They arrived at a large supermarket near the station.
“Where are they?”
“Over in the 2nd floor food section.”
Everyone sprinted up the stopped escalator energetically.
Upon reaching the second floor, where the smell of food wafted, they saw several survivors gathered together.
“Wow!”
“Famous heroes!”
“We’re saved now!”
“Phew….”
The sight of the heroes, who had built up a bit of recognition, greatly relieved the people.
“Vice Guild Master.”
“Ah!”
From the inner area of the second floor, injured heroes of Dice Guild emerged.
Those with injured legs were being supported by others nearby.
“I’m really embarrassed and sorry…”
“No! We’re just glad you’re alive!”
Despite the chaotic situation, Park Jae-kyung comforted the guild members who had protected the citizens.
“Where are the other parties?”
“They separated to shake off the enemies.”
“Do you have any idea where they went?”
“They definitely wouldn’t have gone down to Yeosu.”
“Could it be they went up?”
“Most likely….”
“Haa….”
A sigh escaped Park Jae-kyung’s lips.
It seemed their paths had diverged.
One thing was certain: Jung Gi-jun, who had separated from them in Jeonju, had still not arrived in Suncheon.
“Show me your wounds.”
“Ughhh!”
While new injured members were being treated by healers,
Yoo Ji-han, surveying the second floor of the supermarket, found himself deep in thought.
‘If we head into Yeosu like this, it’s only going to get tougher.’
Considering the expedition team’s strength and the enemies likely to appear,
He was doubtful if they could overwhelm them.
If Jung Gi-jun’s group joined them, the pressure would significantly ease.
But now, with more citizens to protect, the conditions were hardly favorable.
‘I need to do better.’
The latent power within the Sylph was just as explosive as Mumu, Yoon Do-ha’s spirit.
If he could draw out that power and control it properly, turning the unfavorable tide wouldn’t be out of reach.
Just as he thought this.
“……Huh?”
Yoo Ji-han locked eyes with a man who had been crouching on the second floor.
The man looked like he was taking refuge in the supermarket from the fight occurring outside, just like the others around him.
Watching him quietly, Yoo Ji-han strode forward and stood in front of him.
“W-what’s going on?”
The man flinched at Yoo Ji-han’s sudden approach.
It was a very ordinary response for a citizen.
After all, it was rare for a hero to take personal interest in someone.
However, Yoo Ji-han spoke directly to him.
“Do you know me?”
“I don’t.”
“Really don’t know?”
“I-I don’t know, I’m sorry!”
“Don’t be sorry. It’s fine if you don’t.”
“Oh, okay.”
“And if possible, I’d prefer you to never know.”
“Huh? What do you mean….”
Wham!!
Yoo Ji-han delivered a scorching uppercut directly to the man’s jaw.
It was such a powerful strike that five teeth shattered at once, including his front ones.
Watching the man instantly faint made the other citizens gasp in shock.
“Whoa!”
“A hero just hit a person!”
As the commotion erupted, Park Jae-kyung rushed towards Yoo Ji-han.
She looked down at the fallen man and asked,
“What is going on here?”
“I just punched this guy.”
“……Why?”
“Why, you ask?”
People from another world.
I caught one.
