“It seems I arrived last. My apologies.”
Park Il-sang said it indirectly, partly to feel things out and see whether there were any additional personnel.
If, as Park Il-sang himself had said, he was the last person to arrive, then they were going with this number. He could not help but feel uneasy.
And if he truly was the last to arrive, he did need to be at least a little apologetic. Though he had not been late for the meeting time in the slightest, was this not what social life was?
“Yes. Mr. Park Il-sang, you are the last. Since the introductions are done, let us depart. I will give you the detailed mission briefing inside the vehicle.”
‘Come now. Did this man not understand what I was implying? Or is he pretending not to know? I suppose it cannot be helped.’
Park Il-sang decided to ask directly.
“By the way, will this really be all right with only us?”
Were they really all right with just this?
“There is a method, so do not worry.”
The team leader said that and headed toward the passenger seat of the truck.
“As you were likely told in advance, Mr. Park Il-sang, you should go up onto the truck roof.”
“Understood.”
For now, since they apparently had some sort of plan, he had no choice but to follow. Thinking that, Park Il-sang climbed onto the roof.
***
There were various types of combat trucks used by Hunters. And the most common custom modification was to install seats on the roof.
They were not ordinary seats.
They were things that looked like the machine-gun emplacements from World War II, the kind mounted on the upper and lower sections of large aircraft where a person would sit inside. These days, technology had improved, so heating and cooling were standard.
Communication through comms equipment was also possible.
Unless they had special positions or abilities, Hunters traveling by truck usually sat in the rooftop seats.
Because when Monsters appeared, they had to fight.
The basic approach was to strike first with firearms. Things like Goblins or Kobolds would be shredded by the barrage of a Heavy Machine Gun and reduced to chunks of flesh.
‘Even so… my Attack Power and Mister Kim Dong-su’s should be inferior to a Heavy Machine Gun, should they not?’
Hunters were strong, but one had to be B-Grade, considered part of the superhuman ranks, to display abilities that surpassed modern firearms.
A B-Grade Hunter in the Tank position could remain intact even under the bombardment of a modern tank, and heavy machine-gun fire would have difficulty injuring them.
Conversely, that meant modern firearms were superior against those below C-Grade.
But Kim Dong-su was E-Grade, and Park Il-sang was also only E-Grade. He wondered if it was really all right to travel with a party like this.
If, by chance, even a single Large-type Monster appeared, things would become quite troublesome.
‘Large-type Monsters can be injured by heavy machine-gun bullets, but those wounds are only light injuries. If one simply pushes through, the truck will overturn….’
Thinking that, Park Il-sang looked around. The glass walls had been made so that he could maintain all-around observation properly.
-The team leader will relay this to the team members. We will arrive at Daebudo in approximately eight hours. Among the Monsters expected to be encountered, none should pose a problem. However, if a variable appears, move according to the method I will now brief you on.
Team Leader Kim Sang-in’s voice came through the earphone in his ear.
-First, the reason I am the team leader is that I possess the special Skill [Veil of Concealment]. In an emergency, it can hide our sounds, scents, and appearances for a certain period of time. You may understand this as the reason we can move like this without an excessive amount of combat power.
Veil of Concealment.
It was an ability optimized entirely for hiding. If so, he could understand to some extent why the party was composed like this.
In particular, he also seemed to understand what he himself had to do.
-If a Large-type Monster or a powerful Monster appears, Mr. Park Il-sang, summon as many Summons as possible and draw the enemies’ attention. While you do so, we will use [Veil of Concealment] and flee. Mr. Kim Dong-su, you will engage the enemy in close-quarters combat only in an extreme situation, and even then, your role is strictly to buy time for the truck to move. Is that understood?
-Of course, of course. I will remember it.
“Understood.”
-In Ms. Kim Ye-rin’s case as well, please focus not on killing Monsters, but on depriving them of mobility. Mr. Han Shin-woo, your role is to identify approaching Monsters. I will say this once again: killing the Monsters we encounter is the second-best option. We only need to remain concealed, keep moving, and hold the Monsters in check so they cannot follow us. Does anyone have questions?
The briefing had covered exactly what it needed to, so no one had any questions.
-Then I will be counting on you.
With that, the communication ended.
Then, RATATATATATATATATAT!
“Kieeeek!”
About thirty minutes after they set out, a staggering number of Monsters called Gablks charged at them.
***
From a distance, they looked as if a black mass had become a small wave.
But if one looked closely, it was clear that at least a thousand strange creatures were rushing toward them in a cluster.
Gablks.
They were Monsters that had appeared ever since the world became this mess. They had tremendous reproductive power, were aggressive, and lived in groups.
To be precise, their ecology resembled that of ants, so they constantly poured out from nests created by Queen Gablks and went hunting like that.
Each one was about the size of a large dog, weighing over 50 kilograms, and they were dangerous creatures that moved quickly as well.
The one who discovered them was Han Shin-woo.
-Gablk swarm spotted ahead! Numbers exceed one thousand!
-Gablks? These things are not even worth money!!
As soon as they were discovered, the team leader spoke.
-Combat Control is online and fully ready. I trust everyone remembers the operation. I will issue detailed orders as needed. Prepare for combat.
-Are we not using that [Veil of Concealment] thing?
-They are in our route, so we have to break through.
-All right~ Understood!
While listening to the team members’ conversation, Park Il-sang thought, ‘It feels a little AI-like. It seems this man has an AI Combat Control System installed too. Is he also a hacker?’
Cybernetics Body.
In other words, since bodies modified with machinery existed, naturally, hacking existed too.
Thanks to that, body modifiers usually kept their bodies offline. If they left them online, they could be hacked.
Among them, there were apparently people who could use Skills to hack an opponent’s cybernetics even while it was offline.
That was why Park Il-sang had not modified his own body.
If he got hacked, his life would be ruined.
While he was thinking that, he saw the Gablk swarm appear ahead and rush toward them.
Then the turrets mounted on the sides and roof of the combat truck opened fire.
BRRRRRRT!
When the Heavy Machine Guns spread a curtain of fire, the charging Gablks began to be shredded cleanly.
BANG! PING!
Amid the intensifying sounds of dust and pebbles striking the steel outer wall of the armored vehicle, bullets fired furiously along with the flashes bursting from the Heavy Machine Guns.
It looked as if small meteors trailing red tails were plunging toward the ground.
Together with that magnificent sight, the roar of the machine guns swallowed every other sound in the surroundings.
‘Good grief. That is loud.’
Even though he had already been given earphones and a headset to wear, the noise made his ears ache considerably.
Meanwhile, as the Gablks running at the very front were melted away, the Gablks began splitting to the left and right.
These things were more cunning hunters than expected.
However, the turrets moved left and right, following their movements and firing again.
As if they were being ground in a giant blender, Gablks died one after another.
But that did not mean their numbers had decreased enormously.
‘Around two hundred dead. Impact incoming!’
-Brace for impact! Cut down every one that climbs up!
Amid the team leader’s voice, the combat truck charged straight ahead.
Some of the Gablks came rushing from the front, while swarms of Gablks crashed in from the left and right.
At last, the truck slammed straight into the Gablk swarm.
CRASH! CRUNCH!
The combat truck charged forward while crushing them.
Even as it did, the turrets fired madly. And naturally, dozens of Gablks leaped from the left, right, or front and clung to the vehicle body.
-Begin eliminating Gablks!
Aha. So this is how it works?
Park Il-sang flicked a finger.
Beside his seat, the lid of one of the [Corpse Boxes] on the Necro Guards, which had been hanging there while gripping one another, opened.
FWOOSH!
Then the huge Undead Kitty burst out of [Corpse Box].
-Meow!
Because he had fiddled with its Soul this way and that using [Soul Processing], the Soul of this enormous Undead monster had transformed into something like that of a loyal cat.
For that reason, the cry it made in Spirit Speech had long since become exactly like that of a cat!
“A cat!?”
“What is this sound!? It is echoing in my head!”
While the team members were startled, the huge Skeleton Beast Lord swung its front paw in midair and struck down part of the Gablk swarm.
Then it leaped down to the side and began running alongside the truck.
Tap.
Park Il-sang immediately used the [Corpse Processing] Skill.
CRACKLE!
The backbone of the Skeleton Beast Lord Kitty grew. It transformed like a tentacle and began stabbing the Gablks to death.
WHIZZ! STAB! STAB-STAB!
“SCREECH!”
One with each strike!
Meanwhile, he saw Kim Ye-rin fully open her seat and pick up her gun.
BANG-BANG-BANG!
‘Oh.’
Her bullets moved through the air as if they were alive, then covered the Gablks.
‘Is that a guidance ability? Does it increase their power too?’
While he was admiring it, Kim Dong-su also jumped out of his seat and began swinging a hand axe.
Astonishingly, even on top of the truck, Kim Dong-su displayed the wondrous sight of cutting down Gablks without somehow falling off.
‘I was even preparing to grab him with Kitty’s tentacles if he fell… but that was unnecessary meddling.’