Drop.
"Keu-urhk...!?"
Yu Il-Ahm cried out in pain as he fell on his butt. His dislocated jaw jiggled because of that abrupt motion, doubling the amount of pain he felt.
But he didn't even have enough time to glare and make his unhappiness known.
"From here on, you're on your own."
Choi Kahng-Sik let go of Yu Il-Ahm's neck and headed deeper into the Monster Association building. The truth was, there were other people besides the Hunters trapped in here.
'There are more regular people than Espers here.'
It didn't matter even if he left Hunters to their own devices. After all, with great power came great responsibilities.
A certain amount of consideration towards the dangers these Hunters faced was included within all the social benefits they enjoyed. Thus, it was only right and proper that they fought as hard as they were treated well by the society at large.
But, what about those regular people with no powers?
Even if the current world was full of people dying at the hands of various monsters, that still didn't mean it was okay for them to get killed en masse. A nation growing insensitive towards the deaths of its citizens would not survive for long.
Choi Kahng-Sik revealed his deep and noble train of thoughts to the rest of the world.
"It's too early to celebrate yet, everyone. This trap has a strict condition attached to it. And that is... Every regular person trapped within the Association building must be evacuated to the underground shelter first. For that purpose, I fought alone out there and tried to buy as much as time as possible, but...."
"Help! Someone, save me!"
The pretty reception girl was hiding below the counter, her entire body trembling in fear. Tears and snot combined to make a mess out of her pretty face.
"I'm here now, so don't worry."
Choi Kahng-Sik formed the smile of a saint.
"T-thank you! Sniff! Sob!"
He reached out to gently grasp her hand and helped her up. Then, he spoke in a grave tone of voice.
"Looks like the Association isn't doing its job properly."
Of course, he didn't say those words so the Association's decision makers would hear them.
┖ It's the deja vu of the pretty girl.... ㅡ.ㅡ
┖ ㅎㅎ Where the hell are the Association head honcho b*stards?
┖ Wowsers. What a waste of my tax money!
┖ Mister MS! Do your best! (^0^)/
'Yup, being on the side of the weak is always right!'
While being showered by the cheers of the audience members, as well as their kind-hearted donations, Choi Kahng-Sik searched through every nook and cranny of the Association building.
Many crossroads found in the maze-like corridors demanded that he make quick decisions.
'How can I tell where people are trapped in this place?'
"Caw!"
….There was no problem, as it turned out.
He only had to choose the directions the baby Oh-Racle said was good for his fortunes. And inevitably, he'd always find people who needed his help.
'Yup, this is definitely a good fortune for me!'
Indeed, his 'reputation' was rising higher and higher with every second.
Kwaboom!
The office wall that stood so tall and proud suddenly crumbled.
"Coo-ink!!"
And from the rubble, a Pig-Jon poked its head in.
"Coo-in-ehck?!"
However, it immediately made its exit. From this world, that is.
Even before the rescued people had the chance to cry out in terror, Choi Kahng-Sik stabbed the monster's forehead with his trusty shovel.
Thud!!
And as a result, the Pig-Jon collapsed to the floor, blood spouting from its gaping wound.
"I've said this before, but this entire place is a trap. Even monsters will have a lot of trouble trying to break past the walls of this sturdy building. These corridors built for humans will be far too small for the monsters to move about unrestricted."
Indeed, it was very cumbersome for these monsters to move around within the building. Hell, it even had to lower its head near to the ground in order to walk around.
And all Choi Kahng-Sik had to do was to stab the shovel in the lowered head presented before him. That was all.
[A certain god finds this a letdown.]
[Another god is getting bored.]
'Hey, come on now. This is also a valid strategy, you know?!'
As he enjoyed the terrain advantage, one or two Pig-Jons no longer posed any threat whatsoever to Choi Kahng-Sik.
Could that be the reason? The left head of the Oh-Racle remained calm and prim like a debutante until now.
However, what about its right head?
"Caw!! Caaaw!!"
It was kept really busy for a while.
"Thank you so much!! I mean it!!"
"Sob, sob!! I lost my mum!"
"I, I was just doing my business in the toilet, then...."
Oh-Racle even sussed out a child hiding inside a ventilation outlet and led Choi Kahng-Sik there. All in all, he hadn't found one single casualty so far.
He was genuinely grateful for that.
'Actually, I was really worried about this whole thing.'
He tried to sound assured and a bit more laid-back during the broadcast in order to calm the viewers and the rescued folks following behind him, but he was doing his absolute best to save as many people as he could.
Because... Well, what if someone, a regular person, died from this battle?
Without a doubt, someone from somewhere would demand that he take full responsibility for luring the monsters here. No logical explanation would get through to emotional pleas, ten times out of ten.
He was well aware of the fact that this whole event had started off on the wrong foot.
"How can these Hunters and the Association members hole themselves up inside this building, when the country is facing such a crisis? It's quite clear that they're not of the right mind. I mean, if these Pig-Jons headed straight for the city, then there would've been a massacre, that's for sure."
So, he hurriedly left a way out for himself, just in case!
Choi Kahng-Sik continued to live stream everything and hurried with his rescue efforts.
'This... I shouldn't use this method too often.'
Indeed, this was proving to be mentally and physically taxing.
He could almost actually feel his reputation soaring higher and higher in real time, but there was too much of an element of risk here; if he failed to rescue even a single person...
And that burden was bleeding into his fatigue.
┖ Wow! There are still so many!
┖ Mister MS! Please find my girlfriend too! ㅠ
┖ XXX Find your own girl, you silly tosser.
┖ Why do you even keep breathing? ㅋㅋㅋ
┖ You really have a girlfriend? What's her number, then? ㅡ.ㅡ^
….Well, that was how it was supposed to be, anyway.
The mood of the broadcast, one that could easily be torpedoed by the sight of a corpse or two mangled beyond recognition by Pig-Jons, was so bright and happy that he could've been on a class field trip, instead.
Could walking on a road full of flowers and rainbows be like this, he wondered to himself.
"....Caw!"
He had to thank the Oh-Racle for today, without a doubt.
'...Wait a minute. That was the left head.'
These Pig-Jons couldn't have been an ill omen. They no longer posed any threat to him now.
But with him was...
Choi Kahng-Sik quickly threw himself towards the people following behind him and shouted out.
"Come over here!! Hurry!"
Kwaboom!!
As soon as his order was issued, the walls and the ceiling began collapsing.
"Cooo-innk!!"
And a Pig-Jon revealed itself from above. This one did not clumsily run on the corridor like the others.
'It's falling from above?!'
The impact it carried as it fell straight down from the sky was immense. With the force of gravity added to its considerable bulk, the power of the descent couldn't be described in mere words.
"Mommy!!"
"Kkyachk!!"
"Save m...!!"
The rescued people behind him all cried out in despair. They squeezed their eyes shut in terror.
The time remaining before the Pig-Jon crash landed on them - two seconds, one, zero...
But, Choi Kahng-Sik didn't get out of the way.
"Haaaaaaah!!"
He held the shovel with both of his hands and swung it as hard as his entire being could manage while screaming out aloud.
'The likes of you...!'
….Was not worthy of hindering him. Not even for a second.
His aim was the five-star monster, Bul-Raid.
Until he got to rip that b*stard into tiny little pieces, falling in the middle of his road was completely unacceptable. He could not let these people die after he went through so much trouble to rescue them in the first place.
Choi Kahng-Sik needed them. He needed the people's support.
More than that, he needed the entire world's cooperation.
Because his opponent was a monster that grew stronger the more enemies it faced. That was the speciality of the Bul-Raid.
If he wanted to create another opportunity to fight it one on one, then the most important thing was the support and help from the citizens, not from governments or organisations.
Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands...
To wield the kind of influence that could, if need be, empty out the entire city with one call.
That was what Choi Kahng-Sik wanted.
Because he wouldn't be able to win if an event similar to MS Hahn Joh-Seop interfering happened again.
That was why.....
"Do not get in my way!!"
Didn't matter whether they were humans or monsters, he'd smash them out of the way!!
Kwaboom!!
SMASH!!
Two powerful forces collided.
"Coo-ehhk?!"
The Pig-Jon got smacked by the shovel and its falling trajectory was altered. It brushed past the terrified group and descended further, crashing to the floors below.
"Heogeok?!"
"What the hell is it this time?!"
"Ahahaahk!!"
The surprised cries and screams of Hunters exploded out from the floors below, but Choi Kahng-Sik didn't mind them and turned around to leave.
Well, he had no leeway to worry about those guys at the moment, anyway.
Drip, drip, drip...
Blood flooded out from his torn hands. He couldn't be sure where the dislocation happened, but his right arm was also hanging limp and unresponsive.
"are you alright?!"
"Young man!! This is....!!"
"Because of us...."
The surrounding people gazed at him with worry-filled eyes.
Choi Kahng-Sik sneaked a glance to confirm where his camera was pointing at and spoke.
"It hurts a lot. There's no way I'm alright, after all. But, still. Seeing you all safe and sound makes me feel like I've received a suitable compensation already. Thanks."
[A certain god is retching to the side.]
[Another god is scolding you.]
'….What the. Why are you all acting like this, since you know what's up already?!'
< Chapter 21: The Air Raid/Sneak Attack (3) > Fin.