novelraw Chapter 85 : Chapter 85
Chapter 85 : Chapter 85
Chapter 85: Raid (1)
Smoke was thick.
Flames rose between the buildings distorted by the explosion.
A half-destroyed parade train was stuck in the middle of the road.
The head mask of the Hero Land mascot doll lay sprawling on the ground.
Torn flags and burnt banners.
Fear settled over the wreckage of the festival.
Monstrosities that looked like mixtures of humans and demonic beasts appeared from all directions.
Winged arms, metal-protruding shoulders, beast legs.
Like nightmares brought to reality, those forms were incomplete and bizarre.
“Hic…….”
Amidst that chaos, a woman was hiding inside a playground structure.
A small tunnel-shaped igloo made for children.
That place was currently her only refuge.
A man in combat gear had collapsed near the tunnel entrance.
His body was already sagging limp.
The smell of gunpowder and blood stung the woman's nose.
The woman held her head and curled up.
Exciting K-POP was still flowing from the headset hanging on her ears.
A song that had suited the exciting day just moments ago.
A day that was so joyful had been overturned in an instant.
Thud—
Then a heavy and short vibration struck the ground.
“……!”
Her body trembled on its own.
Once again.
Thud—
This time it was closer.
As she raised her gaze with a stiff face, a shadow cast over the tunnel entrance.
Bizarre feet resembling bird legs.
The calves were as thick as a human waist.
The ground caved in whenever the feet touched it.
Her breath hitched.
Her heart beat as if it would burst, and tears flowed automatically.
‘Please, please just pass by.’
But the footsteps did not stop.
Rather, they changed direction.
Metallic claws were facing her before she knew it.
“Kku…… Kkukku…….”
A sound like a chicken's cry was heard.
Soon, with a crack—the sound of a neck snapping—that form thrust its head toward the inside of the tunnel.
A comb sprouted like a mane on the creature's head.
The eyes and nose were clearly human, but a beak hung where the mouth should have been.
The beak, stained with blood, looked pitch black as if rotten and crumbled.
Thick wings occupied the place where arms would likely be.
A form that gave off a human feeling at a glance but could not possibly be seen as a human.
“Kku—.”
A sound that she couldn't tell if it was a bird cry or a shriek rang inside the tunnel.
A cool wind swirled.
A moment later, the creature grabbed the tunnel just like that.
Tuduk— dududuk—
The iron frame embedded in the ground was pulled out.
The ground flipped and dust exploded.
The space hiding the woman was exposed to the air in an instant.
“Ah…….”
She looked up, frozen.
The refuge disappeared, and the monster's beak and eyes were above her head.
Just as their gazes met, a long tongue popped out from between the monster's beak.
With a fishy smell, sticky flesh approached her, wriggling like a snake.
“Heeuk……!”
The woman swallowed a scream.
Her body moved back on its own.
Avoiding the Chicken Human's tongue while dragging her trembling body was only momentary.
Thud—
Something hard touched her back.
The woman, having turned her head, froze on the spot.
Behind her stood a being only about the height of a middle school student.
But the face was not that of a child.
It wore a benevolent smile, but its skin was made entirely of stone, and there was no light in its eyes.
It slowly raised its arms.
It clasped its hands together as if a young monk was praying, then began to slam them down like a hammer.
Swaaaek—
At that moment when the hand of death cast a shadow while cutting through the air.
[Shadow Chase]
Seogeok—
The monster's arm, hard as stone, was cut off and sliced through the air.
Thud—!
The severed arm fell to the ground, causing the earth to vibrate violently.
A deep gauge remained in that spot.
“Hiek!”
The woman's shoulders flinched.
Her gaze soon turned to the shadow cast over her.
“Ah…….”
A groan flowed out automatically.
The one who cut off the monster's arm was a man in uniform.
A man standing with white hair neatly swept back, holding a black dagger.
There was a heavy pressure along with a cold demeanor.
Uniquely, his two eyes were dyed black.
On his back, a sagging woman was being carried.
The head of the woman with colorful hair swayed as if rattling.
First of all, it is a human. And he is strong.
Tears trickled from the woman's eyes out of relief.
Relief was momentary; a bizarre scream burst from behind.
“Kkuu-kkuuuk—!”
The chicken-headed monster pounced.
It threw its massive body while violently spreading wings that clanked with metal.
Swish—
At the same time, the man's silhouette disappeared.
Seuseuseuk—
Black afterimages flowed, overlapping dozens of times.
The woman could not understand what had happened.
However, there was one thing she could know.
That the Bird Human and Stone Human had suddenly stopped their bodies before she knew it.
“……Kku?”
The monster's head turned slowly.
In an instant, a thick red line was drawn from the nape of its neck.
Seogeok—
Sticky body fluids spewed out like a fountain and scattered in the air.
Thud—
Slowly, the monster's huge body toppled over.
Watching that sight, Hojin lightly flicked his dagger.
Blood scattered in the air like raindrops.
The surroundings were still a mess.
Flames, debris, smoke, screams.
Unidentified monsters were raiding Hero Land.
He turned his head and scanned the corpses.
Humans covered in bizarre materials, bodies with exposed metal skeletons, and regularly engraved brands.
‘Biological weapons artificially synthesized from humans and demonic beasts. Moreover, they are not of an ordinary level.’
His brow furrowed.
Chijik—
Soon, the receiver in his chest pocket rang out.
-Hey, Hojin. How is the situation over there?
Kang Mooseong's low and thick voice flowed out.
“I eliminated two unidentified monsters. Four victims, one of whom is an Awakened in injured condition. I am evacuating the cadets outside. What about your side?”
-It’s chaos here too. Tsk, I was planning to ride the Mega Viking all day today.
“Do you have any idea about these monsters?”
-There is one. You should know too, right? The Alliance.
Hojin's brow narrowed at the word ‘Alliance’ conveyed by Kang Mooseong's voice.
There is a story going around.
A story that ‘Freaks’ gathered to form a single group.
-It seems they are frantic to increase the number of Freaks. Perhaps these monsters are their failed creations.
Combining humans and demonic beasts.
Creating bizarre humans from that.
Rumors that such inhumane experiments were being committed were circulating in one sector.
And if this terror attack is really the Alliance's doing.
‘Dangerous.’
Hojin looked at the dots appearing on the receiver screen.
Each one was a cadet. Targets that must be protected.
Hojin, who quickly organized his thoughts, opened his mouth toward the receiver.
“Is the location of the cadets being identified?”
-Yeah, it’s working fine. It can't be cut off by ordinary jamming devices. Looks like it’ll be busy today.
“……I will go west.”
-Then I will go east.
Hojin quietly inhaled.
Soon, heavy footsteps were heard from afar.
Another individual revealed itself.
A monster that looked like a combination of a toad and a human.
Swollen body, skin wobbling like jelly.
At the same time, clanking mechanical sounds were flowing from inside.
‘Grotesque.’
Hojin's fingertips flashed.
[Silver Wolf: Form of Wild Nature]
A cold wind rose in the surroundings.
Pure white energy wrapped around him.
A wolf silhouette seeped into his back, and a faint howling shook the air.
Immediately, the monster's massive body kicked off the ground and leaped.
Hojin also raised his dagger.
Staring at the enemy's vital point.
***
[Tactical Manual]
- Learned about ‘Hurricane Spike’.
- Would you like to learn this skill? (Y / N)
[Required SP: 20,000 SP]
[Possessed SP: 64,200 SP]
‘Keep for now.’
I didn't learn the skill.
I might find better techniques.
I looked at the man who appeared in front of us.
He was the man who dug into the gap and cut off the guy's arm at once, just when Seol Hayun put a brake on the Chimera's movement.
An active-duty Hero.
In other words, he was like a textbook to me.
‘Spike Blue. Was he a B-Class Hero?’
It's a face I've seen.
Since he's a Hero from Zero, he was a character I had seen a few times in the game too.
“You there! You are Zero cadets, right? My juniors.”
Recognizing the uniforms, he winked and spoke to us.
“I’ll handle this monster guy. You guys evacuate the citizens.”
Chuk!
He gave a thumbs up and smiled confidently.
Peook—!
At that moment, the Chimera swung strongly at him with its uncut opposite arm.
The air exploded and Spike Blue's form distorted.
A strike he couldn't dodge and took directly.
Spike Blue's body, which cut through the air violently, spun fiercely and flew away.
Kwaaang—!
The next moment, he slammed into the outer wall of a building.
The wall was gouged deep and debris fell down.
“The, the Hero flew away!”
“What? Did he get beaten?”
Bewildered groans and screams burst out among the evacuating citizens.
The citizens were so shocked that they even stopped moving.
And the thought that naturally came to mind.
If the Hero is defeated, the monster targets us.
Fear and terror spread like waves.
‘Looking cool is good and all, but carelessness is poison, mister.’
I shook my head and muttered inwardly.
I wasn't particularly worried.
Because I knew he wasn't someone to be defeated by just this much.
Teoeong—!
An explosion burst once again.
Dust and smoke scattered, and the silhouette of a man carrying a polearm on his shoulder appeared within it.
“Damn it, this monster bastard, interrupting when I’m trying to look cool in front of my juniors!”
Spike Blue broke through the debris that buried him and stood up.
Roughly wiping the blood smeared on his mouth with his arm, he cracked his neck—dduduk.
In an instant, the atmosphere changed.
His eyes had changed.
“I’m going for real.”
Along with the short phrase, the airflow around his body fluctuated.
Peojik—!
Instantly, the air fluctuated.
Blue particles popped out like an explosion around him.
He raised his polearm obliquely.
Soon his body crouched low and his toes dug into the ground.
Pagak—
The ground was gouged as if exploding.
Then, a whirlwind starting from his toes flared up along his whole body to the polearm.
[Cyclone Heat]
Kwagwagwang—!
His polearm struck the Chimera vertically.
Then a vortex of energy began to rise like a hurricane.
Blades of violent wind raged, and the monster's flesh and hide were torn away in an instant.
Creating a chilling scene, the power continued to accelerate.
Kwakwakwa—!
Debris scattered explosively.
The silence that followed.
When not even the form of the Chimera remained, the surrounding air became quiet as if settled.
A residual wind rose lightly, spreading a gentle breeze around.
Spike Blue lightly swung his polearm to shake off blood and flesh, catching his breath.
“Wow, what did I just watch?”
“If it’s Spike Blue, isn't he a Hero rising huge lately? I saw him in the AOH Weekly Ranking 200 last time.”
“Awesome…….”
AOH, Age of Hero, was a specialized Hero magazine that dealt with various information about Heroes.
And if covered by AOH, it was safe to say he was a Hero with enough influence to attract attention.
The surroundings murmured.
Faces frozen in fear relaxed one by one.
Hero.
With that one name, the air changed.
The sensation of ‘danger’ felt just moments ago had disappeared without a trace.
Spike Blue, who was fully enjoying people's admiration, approached Seol Hayun.
“You’re Seol Hayun, right?”
He smiled with his polearm resting on his shoulder.
“The teamwork earlier was good. The flame octopus was cool, you know?”
He reached out for a handshake.
Seol Hayun looked at the hand with a reluctant expression.
“Ahem, excuse me…….”
Seeming slightly flustered by Seol Hayun's calm reaction, he lowered his head and continued speaking.
His speech became subtly faster.
“Actually, I’m looking for a new Guild these days. If it’s okay, could you maybe mention me to Ju Yeonhwa-nim, even just a little?”
“…….”
“The spell you just saw was pretty good, right? I developed it recently. I can hunt large entities without trouble. If Ju Yeonhwa-nim recognizes my skills, that is. How should I say it, it would help with my job change…….”
His words got faster, and his expression became more desperate.
I watched that scene blankly.
Self-promoting even in this chaos?
I feel like I’ve peeked into the bare face of the Hero industry.
‘No wonder he seemed to be putting more effort than necessary into fighting the enemy.’
Well, it wasn't particularly a bad thing for me.
[Tactical Manual]
- Learned about ‘Cyclone Heat’.
- Would you like to learn this skill? (Y / N)
[Required SP: 40,000 SP]
[Possessed SP: 64,200 SP]
Thanks to that, he used his ultimate move that he really didn't have to use.
‘This is pretty decent.’
This technique was worth considering for purchase.
Besides, Spike Blue is reliable.
He has a bad habit of letting his guard down easily, but his skills are certain.
If he is by our side, it would be safe to say that safety is secured to some extent in this situation.
It wasn't a bad flow for me either.
“So, just one word to Ju Yeonhwa-nim, please. Please……!”
Spike Blue was still begging Seol Hayun.
“I don't think this is the time to talk about that. It is a dangerous situation right now and…….”
“Ah, right! True! Let’s talk again later! Then shall I protect my juniors? Hmm— Do Haru and Ryu Jinwoo…… What, Ryu Jinwoo? You’re a man?”
Checking the nametag on the uniform, he narrowed his eyes at me.
What is he saying all of a sudden?
“My policy is not to protect men.”
Is this Hero's personality for real?
Still, he's a Hero, surely he's not serious. It must be a joke.
Folding his arms and pondering, he started to look closely at my face.
It is…… a joke, right?
“Hmm, if it’s this much. Hmm. Okay.”
As if he decided something, he gave a thumbs up and shouted.
“You pass!”
What kind of crazy talk is this.
“What kind of crazy talk…….”
I voiced my thoughts exactly as they were.
Spike Blue still smiled and held out his thumb.
“I can protect you! If it’s you!”
He was a proper lunatic.
They said there are no normal people among Heroes.
It was that very moment I thought that.
Pishit—
The sound of something being sliced off.
“……Huh?”
Spike Blue's right arm spun in the air and fell.
Hudeudeuk—
Red lines scattered in the air.
The blood that burst out splattered to our feet.
Spike Blue turned his head while frozen.
In the silence where the wind seemed to have stopped, a shadow stretched long beyond his gaze.
On the railing of a wooden building.
A black figure stood there.
A woman with long hair braided in pigtails.
A Goth-style dress with lace, dark eyeshadow covering her eyelids.
A silhouette that looked like it just walked out of a dollhouse.
She was smiling happily, looking at the Hero's severed arm.
And someone else sitting next to her.
A white mask with leather texture.
A man revealing only his eyes was moving his hands busily.
Villains of the Alliance.
Gonta, and the Goth woman next to him was Saturn.
The Villain who was targeting Seol Hayun and the Villain who would have originally targeted Lee Junhyeok appeared in this place together.