novelraw Chapter 50 : Daejeon Station
Chapter 50 : Daejeon Station
Chapter 50: Daejeon Station
And so, the full-fledged train exploration began.
Most of the people could hardly move their bodies properly anymore.
“Grrr….”
“Kik! Kik-kik!”
A goblin with red horns was sweeping unconscious passengers into a sack.
A massive centipede crawled across the ceiling.
Outside the windows, ghosts were flying by.
It was as if a miniature world of yokai had been brought to life.
Their average rank was around 2-star of the 1st Month.
Some were stronger, some weaker.
Had they fought and broken through every single car, it would have been a hellish ordeal.
Since these creatures evolved into larger yokai by absorbing the life force of the victims, the difficulty of conquering them increased exponentially over time.
However—
“Twinkle, twinkle, little star….”
As Vivian hummed softly and stepped forward, the yokai stopped what they were doing.
Ku-ku-ku-ku-ku!
A suffocating gap in power.
Even though Vivian was concealing her star rank…
It wasn’t something that could mask the primal fear emanating from her being.
“Kiiiii….”
“W-We behold the Great One. We behold the Great One. Hiiik.”
Thanks to her, moving from one train car to another became much easier.
It also gave them a chance to test out the newly acquired spells on the frozen yokai.
[Low-grade Skill Book: Fireball]
[Low-grade Skill Book: Ice Spear]
[Low-grade Skill Book: Wind Cutter]
The three low-grade skill books Mary had given him from Running Rabbit.
Each required just one Skill Stone, and Mary had kindly included three Skill Stones as a free service.
‘She really knows when to be generous.’
Yohan smiled in satisfaction.
When he’d asked for additional skill books, he’d expected her to give only one. That pleasant surprise had exceeded his expectations.
“Well then…”
It was time to begin his growth as a magician.
[Lv1 ‘Fireball’ is being activated!]
A magical circle unfolded over his palm.
Crimson lines drew intricate runic symbols in the air.
Pachik! Patsuts…
Sparks of fire burst and crackled violently.
Then, for a brief moment—
The searing mana coursed through his veins and took form.
Whoosh!
A fist-sized fireball shot out swiftly.
In a straight trajectory—
Pwoooom!
“Kyaaa!”
A small yokai holding a trident was engulfed in flames.
That must have been a Kappa from Japan—probably around 4-star rank.
‘Not bad.’
Each spell’s base magical attack power was 40.
Though factors like elemental affinity or environment could alter it, the base value hovered steadily around 40.
Then next—
[Bloodline Curse ‘Blood Reinforcement’ is being activated!]
He mixed them.
Mana and blood.
Then—
A dark crimson hue shimmered around the flame.
It was a far more beautiful and dazzling fire.
[Lv1 ‘Blood Fireball’ is being activated!]
Kwaaaang!
“Kieeeeek!”
The massive centipede slithering by the window was instantly burned to ash.
Estimated magical attack power: about 100.
Over double the power.
And not only was it enhanced by fire, it also dealt additional damage through blood absorption.
A thrilling rush electrified every cell in his body.
‘This is definitely broken.’
Among all the classes he had tested, this Hidden Class was the best.
It was the single conclusion—and the only correct answer—he’d reached after 1,000 playthroughs.
‘If I connect this with Void Magic, the effect will be even more brilliant.’
If the hidden magic from the Void Dimension synergized with his deep experience and knowledge as a veteran…
Then this time, he could truly surpass Episode 32 and reach the very end of this world.
No—he would make sure of it.
‘The only problem is the lack of magical items like staffs or rings.’
Those were far more difficult to obtain than normal weapons.
And finding one that matched his mana wavelength was even harder.
‘The one I got from Rakshama was for Orcs—it didn’t suit me very well.’
Still, there was no need to rush.
He already had the optimized growth route in his mind.
Just then—
“Sir Yohan, why do you enjoy these childish games so much?”
Vivian tilted her head to the side.
Tsk. She could’ve at least praised a newbie who was just getting started.
What a way to ruin the perfect mood.
Still, he couldn’t appear petty.
Everything depended on how one framed the situation, after all.
“It may seem trivial, but everything has a beginning. For me, this is a new form of amusement—and a challenge to reach the end of the Abyss. Remember this: one who clings to a single path can never comprehend the worlds of the moon and the stars.”
Yohan spoke in a tone of profound wisdom.
Honestly, even he didn’t quite understand what he had just said.
If one wanted to see the moon and stars, all they had to do was go somewhere with clear air and look up—what’s with all this talk of comprehension?
＊
However—
“Ah….”
A quiet exhale slipped from Vivian’s lips.
Her drowsy eyes widened, and starlight spilled from within them.
‘So that’s what it means.’
Though she had already ascended to a realm beyond reach…
He was not content to stay there, instead pioneering an entirely new field.
Starting from the very bottom—
To climb once more to the highest peak.
Perhaps that was what she herself had been missing.
Not the comfort of hunting only the “guaranteed prey” beneath the safe maple tree, but the courage to take one step further forward.
‘Since he mentioned the Abyss… he must be one of them. There’s no mistake.’
The Transcendents of the Bright Moon and the Winter Moon.
Vivian had heard of their desire—to glimpse the end of this world—on more than one occasion.
Of course, it was a realm she dared not even imagine entering.
“I… failed to grasp your deeper meaning once again.”
She bowed her head in embarrassment.
Then—
“Vivian Astraia.”
Yohan looked directly at her.
“You, too, possess talent. That is why I have permitted you to accompany me.”
Take pride and watch closely.
See who it is you walk beside—and what kind of path that person is carving before you.
“……!!”
From that moment on, Vivian silently followed behind him.
Thank goodness.
As the saying went—once you become famous, even if you take a dump, people will clap for you.
From now on, even if he killed goblins with a Fireball, people would react as if he had slain a dragon with Meteor.
After roughly ten minutes of clearing out yokai, they finally reached near the engine room.
It helped that their reserved seats had been close to it from the start, making the distance relatively short.
Kwaaang!
Kwak-kwa-kwa-kwa!
A fierce battle was raging in the rear cars.
Since this was the train bound for Daejeon where the second episode began, it naturally had a higher proportion of Hunters aboard.
Some of them seemed to be from the Cult as well, as faint traces of holy power could be sensed.
That would at least help reduce civilian casualties.
Not that it mattered much.
Just then, Vivian—who had been scanning the interior ahead—spoke.
“It’s the language of the Yokai Tribe. On the left… it seems to mean ‘burn’….”
“It says to find the Yokai Tribe’s symbol in the third seat on the left and freeze it within 1.5 seconds.”
“You even understand the language of the Yokai Tribe?”
“Roughly.”
The 555th round.
It was around then that he had begun to fully realize the power that language itself possessed after countless failures.
To be honest, mastering the languages of every race was insane—but what choice had he had?
If it increased the chance of success, even slightly, he had to try anything.
So he learned.
From the 555th to the 999th round—diligently.
Jjeojeojeok!
When Yohan activated ice magic, the “cat’s paw” instantly froze solid.
At the same time—
Ding-dong!
A hidden door leading to the engine room appeared.
They had finally reached the end.
Clunk!
Yohan grabbed and pulled the handle, but the door didn’t budge.
[Kick. Kihit. Ti-Ticket. Please present your ticket to enter.]
How troublesome.
So the door only opened with a ticket.
It seemed protected by high-level sorcery and distortion magic—but even so, Yohan was quite knowledgeable in barriers.
If given some time, he could dismantle it easily.
Let’s start with this, then—
Hmm. It was more complicated than he expected.
“Do I just open it?”
“Yes, but you can’t just pull it. You have to use a dispelling formu—”
Vivian grabbed the handle.
Crack!
And twisted it off.
The entire barrier shattered, along with all the spells, as the door tore away from its hinges.
[…Ki… hit?]
The engine room came into view.
Inside, the train conductor yokai froze in place, still gripping the microphone.
Ah, right.
So the door hadn’t opened simply because he wasn’t strong enough.
It wasn’t a matter of needing a card or a dispelling technique.
‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’
Her body looked fragile enough to collapse with a light push…
But her Strength stat must have been in the triple digits—starting with a three, no less.
“We need to go to a place called Daejeon. Will you take us there willingly, or… do we have to ask you another way?”
Vivian tilted her head slightly toward the conductor yokai.
[Ah, of course! I will ensure a safe and comfortable journey, dear guest! Kik!]
The train began gliding forward as smoothly as it possibly could.
＊＊＊
The news was flooded with breaking reports about Daejeon, designated as a Beta Apocalypse Zone.
“Let us out! Use bombs, guns—anything! Just break this damn barrier!”
“Aaaargh!”
“Help us, please! I-I don’t want to die!”
Citizens trapped within the translucent barrier screamed in terror.
Kwak-kwa-kwa-kwaang! Thunk!
Even after hurling stones or ramming dump trucks into it, the barrier didn’t move an inch.
In a few hours, horrors beyond imagination would unfold inside.
However—
Neither the government nor the Hunter Association could dispatch rescue teams recklessly.
Once someone went inside, they couldn’t come back out—and any hasty action would only cause greater casualties.
Above all, no one knew what was happening inside.
The absence of information.
That fear of the unknown bound everyone’s feet in place.
And so, time slipped by helplessly, without any viable countermeasure in sight.
At that very moment—
Screeeech!
The final train pulled into Daejeon Station.
It was a KTX that looked distinctly different from the others.
[Kikit! We’ve arrived! Out of 216 total passengers, 177 survived! Please enjoy your pleasant tour!]
The conductor yokai’s announcement echoed.
About 80% of the passengers had survived.
That was largely thanks to Vivian, who had swiftly taken control of the train—and to the priests from the Cult, who had actively used their holy power.
…Or so it would seem.
‘That makes no sense.’
Eighty percent?
Unless a cardinal-level priest was aboard, there was no way such a high survival rate was possible, no matter how much holy power they poured out.
The AA-grade item deployed by the Requiem Cult wasn’t something to be trifled with.
There were only two possibilities.
The first: Cain had never intended for there to be any sacrifices from the beginning.
The second: someone aboard the train had intervened.
Either way, it was troublesome.
Though, if he had to choose, he preferred the second.
‘At least that’s better than that scheming bastard having another plot.’
Yohan’s gaze shifted toward the crowd disembarking from the train.
Most of them were Awakened.
He spotted guild members, mercenaries, and even strong figures affiliated with the Vatican.
‘This isn’t looking good from the start.’
It seemed this would be an even tougher battle than the one against the Orc Tribe.
“Vivian.”
“Yes, Sir Yohan.”
“I’ll head out to scout the area. In the meantime, I leave this train to you.”
Vivian’s innate trait—[Nest Formation].
She possessed a top-tier ability that allowed her to assimilate even dungeons into her own domain.
Naturally, taking control of a yokai train was no problem.
If he didn’t want to risk getting stabbed in the back while asleep through the second episode, securing a safe base was essential.
As Vivian remained on the train, Yohan blended into the crowd.
Daejeon Station was already swarming with Hunters, civilians, and police officers struggling to maintain order.
Most people hid in city-designated shelters or apartment complexes, but many ventured out to restock their dwindling supplies.
After all, most households didn’t have enough food for even a month.
“Give it back! I saw that first!”
“You bastard, do you wanna die? Do you even know who I am?”
“E-Everyone, calm down! Officer Park! What are you doing—set up barricades now!”
“Sir, many of the patrol officers have abandoned their posts! We don’t have enough manpower!”
The laws and order that once held society together were on the verge of collapse.
The quick-witted ones were already hoarding daily necessities.
He had wanted to at least try Sungsimdang bread while in Daejeon—
But that was clearly impossible now.
The city’s iconic bakery was already overrun by looters.
There hadn’t been casualties yet, but it was only a matter of time.
And then—
“Ahh… As the apocalypse dawns, sins overflow everywhere. How tragic… how sorrowful…”
A frail sigh escaped someone’s lips.
Among those who had just disembarked, one figure stood crying in sorrow.
‘Oh, no.’
Yohan’s expression hardened.
The second episode that began solely in Korea—
Naturally, it had drawn the attention of Hunters from all over the world.
But—
‘Don’t tell me… he came too?’
A monumental figure had arrived.
One he had dearly hoped not to meet.