The surroundings were overgrown with grass, the trees were so dense that the sky was obscured, and not a single sound of an insect could be heard.
Crunch.
Joo-hyun, who had pushed through the grass, looked down at the deer sprawled out like rubbish with a hardened face. The deer had died with its lower body completely missing and its eyes still open. The blood that stained the ground red was still fresh, indicating that the deer had been alive until just moments ago.
It was a scene difficult to stomach for anyone with a normal constitution, but what caught Joo-hyun's interest was the large hole next to it.
At first glance, the hole, just under two metres in size, was too dark to see inside. Fortunately, the hole was smaller than expected, but if it crawled underground, it would be much harder to find.
It was a relief that it had emerged from a gate in a remote mountain area. Just thinking about what would happen if such a monster roamed in a city made him sigh.
Joo-hyun, who was carefully searching, found holes everywhere. Nearby were mostly animal carcasses, and even in places where there was nothing, there were always traces of something having been devoured.
The sooner he found it, the less damage there would be, but the rugged terrain slowed him down.
Joo-hyun gritted his teeth and pushed through the grass up to his waist when he heard Yoon Ga-ram's urgent voice through the earpiece.
"Get to my car right now."
The holes made by the monster were scattered, and there were no traces of it roaming around. The monsters found dead beyond the gate had their abdomens torn open without any other injuries. It was as if they had been attacked suddenly by something with no time to defend.
After a brief moment of thought, Joo-hyun did not hesitate to use his ability. At his will, the tall grass parted to create a path.
Using his ability, he almost flew through the air as he ran, hoping that the guide waiting in Yoon Ga-ram's car was safe.
As he dashed down the mountain path like an arrow, Joo-hyun realised why the holes were so small compared to the wounds on the dead monsters.
The monster standing in front of the car had a long, snake-like body with a width that looked at least twice as large as the hole. Moreover, its body was covered in brown scales with long, sharp horns sticking out, looking rough enough to peel skin with a mere touch.
He didn't know its exact structure, but it seemed that it could fold its horns and shrink its body to move efficiently underground.
Joo-hyun held his breath and swallowed.
A huge body. The ability to tunnel underground. Plus, being able to hunt Yellow-grade monsters instantly without leaving a trace suggested it was a top predator among Red-grade monsters.
The fact that he had to fight this monster in the real world rather than beyond the gate meant there was little he could do alone. Here, the best he could do was flee and call for support. Joo-hyun knew this well. However...
The guide, who was stuck to the seat in the half-destroyed car, looked on the verge of fainting and couldn't even breathe.
Joo-hyun used his ability to stab the monster's back with all his strength. As expected, the tough scales didn't pierce. The monster, turning sharply, had eight eyes that whirled around before fixing on Joo-hyun.
"Yeah. Let's play."
The runaway esper facing a monster he could never defeat smiled savagely.
* * *
Joo-hyun's file under the ability section was written as follows:
[Psychokinesis of rather physical type.]
As it stated, his psychokinesis was far more physical than usual. For instance, he could make it sharp enough to stab an opponent to death or use it as steps to climb, among various other uses.
Of course, it could also form a barrier, though not as strong as an S-grade esper's, but it was still fairly useful.
Crash!
One such barrier shattered with a single gesture from the monster. Even forming another barrier quickly, it was easily broken again.
Joo-hyun was already covered in dirt and had scratches everywhere, but the monster showed no signs of fatigue.
It was a desperate situation, but Joo-hyun didn't think it was all that bad. The monster in front of him was strong among the Red-grade, but it wasn't Black-grade. If he could stall for time, even if he died, the monster would soon be hunted by the espers coming for support.
"Hold on a little longer. I'm on my way."
He heard Yoon Ga-ram's voice through the earpiece. At that moment, the monster lunged, and Joo-hyun quickly rolled to the side.
The monster's mouth was full of sharp teeth, enough to tear through dead monsters and animals in one bite.
Kieeek!
As he stabbed the inside of its open mouth with psychokinesis sharpened like an awl, the monster twisted its body and let out a terrible scream. The ground shook like an earthquake as the giant body thrashed.
"Did your wings break? Why is it taking you so long?"
"Shut up."
"Soon, you won't have to shut up, argh."
Joo-hyun barely dodged the attacking monster but couldn't avoid the sharp horn that cut his forearm. Clutching his bleeding arm, he hid in the grass and tightly bound the wound with his red belt.
"It's fast for its size, but it doesn't have poison or other abilities. The size is... a bit over ten metres?"
Crash!
Joo-hyun blocked the monster's descending body with a barrier and panted heavily. His current task was to hold out as long as possible while passing on information about the unknown monster.
Another barrier shattered as Joo-hyun was thrown against a tree, spitting out blood. It seemed his ability was only at B-grade today.
The monster's eyes gleamed with anger. Infuriated by the small, weak prey that wouldn't be easily caught, it let out a low growl.
Unlike the empty desert, the densely grown trees were bothersome as the horns kept getting caught. The monster's thrashing became more intense. It usually relied on ambushes to hunt in one strike, so Joo-hyun's narrow escapes were undoubtedly frustrating it.
'The moment it hesitates out of exhaustion will be my only chance.' Joo-hyun swallowed his bitter saliva and caught his breath. Suddenly, the monster stopped moving.
After rolling its eyes briefly, it reduced its size to less than half and pressed its horns flat against its scales. The horns gathered sharply in front, and it quickly dug into the ground, pushing its long body underground.
"Damn it!"
Joo-hyun immediately knew where the monster was heading. It was going for the easy prey he had almost caught earlier.
Already, a headache from the lack of guiding began to set in, and his limbs felt heavy. But Joo-hyun had to move. He needed to save as many lives as possible to atone for the lives he had taken. Even though surviving today meant he would take more lives tomorrow, still...
Joo-hyun had never forgotten that day eleven years ago. The sight of his loved ones' bodies sprawled out still haunted him every dawn. Red blood, a full moon, a collapsed...
'Enough.' He told himself.
Now was not the time for such thoughts. Clenching his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms, Joo-hyun took a step toward where the monster was.
The monster was incredibly fast as it tunnelled underground, but thanks to Joo-hyun's use of his ability to sprint through the air, he arrived not too late. Joo-hyun reached out, and the guide, waiting at the agreed spot according to the emergency protocol, floated up.
Immediately after, the half-destroyed car was completely crushed by the monster's emerging mouth. As Joo-hyun lowered the shocked guide onto a tree branch, he wiped his bleeding nose with his scarf.
"Sorry, but I still want to play. Entertain me."
The monster, now fully aroused, stood up with its horns raised and mouth wide open. Somehow, it seemed even larger than before, making Joo-hyun feel daunted.
Even if he died here, Joo-hyun wouldn't regret it. It was a far better death than having his head blown off by the bomb around his neck.
In Block C, death was a daily occurrence, and his comrades wouldn't mourn his death much. He had no family to speak of, and outside Block C, no friends. And Cha In-ho, would he mourn Joo-hyun's death?
Maybe, maybe not. No, probably not. Their matching was only for mutual benefit, so why would he feel sorrow?
The reason he kept thinking about Cha In-ho was certainly because he had saved Joo-hyun's life. His life-saver. It might not be a grand thing, but the essence was no different.
Krrr!
The monster lunged. Having used his ability to near its limit, Joo-hyun could no longer hold back.
The runaway esper, knowing the best way to minimise damage even in death, began to fly towards the gate. As expected, the monster quickly followed, tearing through grass and trees with incredible speed, chasing its small, annoying prey.