Chapter 24
Aiming the K2 squarely at the target.
ㅡBang!
I fire.
ㅡThud.
“Skinwalker down.”
The skinwalker I sniped collapsed. That tiny monster, like a giant shrunk down, is fast and powerful, but not so tough that a gun can't kill it.
The problem is that there are far too many of them, and the army that was supposed to wipe them out has been annihilated. And their numbers keep growing.
You always have to be careful.
I set the rifle on the Y-shaped rest and raised the binoculars. I scanned the area, but no other skinwalkers were in sight.
“Jinseop, keep a close eye out and see whether any more show up.”
I handed the binoculars to Jinseop.
“Keep watching, and if something shows up, tell me right away.”
“Yes, hyung.”
I left the watch to Jinseop and headed down.
“Hoo.”
This life is damned exhausting.
After the giant apocalypse broke out, I somehow managed to survive. I've been scraping by and doing what I have to do.
At this point, I was the leader of a group of survivors.
Running wasn't the only answer. There were plenty of survivors like me who had settled near Seoul, and I formed a group with them.
Along the way, we also ran into remnants and stragglers from defeated units. I brought them in too. In the end, even in an apocalypse, you need a certain number of people to keep a group going.
To survive, scavenging is essential. And to scavenge while avoiding danger—and fighting back when needed—you need a group.
There's a lot to secure.
Canned food and drinking water. And the weapons left behind by the defeated army.
The giants are the most dangerous, but skinwalkers are the ones we fight most often. If it comes to close combat, one mistake is all it takes to turn you into one of those monsters. Guns and ammo aren't optional; they're a necessity.
“Boss. Any more skinwalkers?”
“None in sight for now. I'll watch a little longer and decide. If they still don't show up, that's when we'll move. Jinseop will check.”
“Yes.”
Fortunately, no more skinwalkers appeared.
After making my decision, I armed the squad and set out with them.
ㅡThud, thud.
We moved while keeping our distance and watching all around. Skinwalkers are hiding everywhere in the ruined city. Scavenging in a place like this is incredibly difficult.
The shield-bearers on the outside kept turning their heads, tense as hell.
Dependable tanks, with a shield in one hand and thick gauntlets plus a crudely made steel-plated combat knife in the other.
Skinwalkers are fast and they love to lunge. Even with guns, they're not a cure-all, so shieldmen are essential. Besides, we simply don't have enough guns to go around.
The riflemen stood beside those shieldmen, keeping watch together.
How long had we been walking?
The moment we stepped into an open area,
ㅡRaaaaaaahhhhh!
ㅡRaaaaaaahhhhh!
ㅡRaaaaaaahhhhh!
a grotesque, horrifying sound began to ring out.
“Ugh, ngh.”
“Hoo, hoo...!”
Most of the guys get gripped by fear every time we come here. Well, it really is a terrifying sight.
In the distance, a giant larger than anything else came into view.
“...”
The giant had turned into a flower.
Its facial skin had split into five and spread open, and the flower-shaped face kept relentlessly broadcasting some unknown signal toward space.
The grotesque sound was pouring out from there.
Why the giant had taken on that form, and what it was trying to do by broadcasting signals into space—there was no way to know.
All I'd figured out was that dozens of giants had merged into one and become a flower more than twice the size of Lotte Tower, and that there was probably something important there.
“Ugh, ugh... H-hyung. How are you so calm? Just hearing that sound makes me feel like I'm going crazy...”
Jinseop, walking beside me, said that.
“You're really weird, hyung. Aren't you even scared of dying? What, are you some kind of psychopath?”
“A psychopath? No. I'm just used to it.”
“How can you get used to that...”
“Quit moping and keep your eyes peeled, idiot.”
“Yes...”
I never imagined I'd end up becoming a leader in the apocalypse, but honestly, what Jinseop had just said was the reason.
My mental state does seem to be a bit off, though.
I suppose I was meant to fear death less than other people.
Other people saw that in me, and I naturally ended up becoming the leader.
“...”
It's just because I'm a regressor.
A regressor with a purpose.
I'm not really that great of a person.
I'm a bastard even my own mom and dad abandoned.
I just step up and take charge because there's something that needs doing.
“Hoo!”
Once we left the area where the flower could be seen, everyone caught their breath.
And so we kept marching.
How far had we gone?
“Boss, we found a supermarket.”
Jinseop reported.
“Oh. Split into squads and have them secure the perimeter. Tell the others to get ready to clear the inside. We'll clear out what's in there and take the supplies.”
“Yes.”
Not just me—everyone survived by living like this. At my command, a watch team and a clear-out team were formed immediately.
I was on the clear-out team too.
I walked up to the half-collapsed supermarket and called out. Soon, I heard something moving inside. It would be nice if it were survivors, but there was no way that was the case.
“They're coming out!”
Skinwalkers started bursting out.
ㅡShu-shu-shuk!
Naked monsters with twisted flesh-colored skin. Their bodies were roughly human-shaped, but their limbs were long and their faces were nothing but mouths. With no lips, their gums and teeth were fully exposed, making them hideously disgusting.
Those grotesque things charged at us in a frenzy, but.
ㅡBang!
ㅡBam!
After cutting their numbers down with precise, deliberate fire,
“Hup!”
the shield-bearers shoved them back with their shields, then stomped on them with steel-plated boots and brought their combat knives down to finish them off.
After clearing them out that way, we went inside the supermarket. Once I'd checked it all the way through, I ordered the scavenging.
“Good work, everyone. Now gather everything up.”
“Yes!”
The way they gathered abandoned supplies made them look just like scavengers. Truthfully, that's what life after the apocalypse is like.
After finishing a satisfying haul, we returned to base while keeping strict watch in all directions.
Please, let it be.
I prayed a giant wouldn't show up today.
* * *
That was one day as we continued surviving like that.
Strange people appeared.
Those strange people asked to meet me, the leader of the survivor group, and I met with them.
“What...?”
There were three of them.
One was a blonde woman wearing a nun's habit, completely out of place in the apocalypse.
Another was an Arab man wearing a turban. He had an AK-47 and a scimitar, and with a battle vest over his traditional clothes, he really did look like a Taliban terrorist.
The last was a woman in a suit with long black hair, straight bangs, and red eyes. Her sharp gaze was especially striking. Because of those eyes, she looked incredibly formidable—someone it would be very hard to talk to casually. In other words, the tough older-sister type.
A distinctive trio with absolutely no sense of cohesion.
No matter how I looked at them, they didn't fit.
They were so mismatched that I couldn't imagine them doing anything together.
What the hell are they?
“Are you the leader of the survivor group?”
The nun was the first to speak.
“I am, but... and you? What kind of nun are you, exactly?”
“Yes. That's right. I'm Blaret, of the Holy See.”
“The Holy See?”
The Holy See?
“You mean some kind of special exorcist organization like you'd see in a movie?”
“Wow, that's right.”
“Oh.”
It was truly astonishing, though.
I already know about the hidden side of the world.
With the Administration existing and all, something like a hidden Holy See wouldn't be surprising either. Come to think of it, even on the world politics board, people were suspicious of the pope.
But looking at this nun, I get this weird feeling.
More specifically, it feels like I've seen her somewhere before.
There's no way I could have met a blonde nun like this before, so what's going on?
“Have we met somewhere before?”
As if she had the same question, the nun spoke.
“Ah, I was just thinking that too. But I don't think I've ever met a nun quite as distinctive as you...”
“Could you be a vampire hunter?”
“Ah.”
Ah!
“Christian store!”
“That's right. That devout customer who bought a mountain of crosses back then. You managed to survive? Were you really a vampire hunter?”
“No, I mean... so that really was the person I met back then. Well, if we're being precise, I'd probably count myself as a rookie vampire hunter.”
“Oh my, really?”
The nun's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
“A warrior who hunts demons? Then you're practically one of our Muslim brothers.”
Just then, the man in the turban stepped forward.
“An Islamic brother? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“And you?”
“My name is Saladin.”
The man held out his hand.
“A jihad fighter assigned to the Itaewon mosque.”
“I'm Kim Geunhong. I lead the survivor group.”
“There was a jihad warrior at the Itaewon mosque?”
“Wasn't that a terrorist?”
I feel like I should be shouting Allahu Akbar.
“But I think you were just speaking with that infidel woman. Keep in mind that the one true God is Allah alone, brother.”
“Huh? Huh?”
“Hah, you've got a lot to say for a terrorist. Trying to proselytize all of a sudden?”
“What did you say? Infidel?”
Why the hell are these bastards fighting each other?
“Enough.”
Just as a fight was about to break out, the black-haired woman stepped in to mediate.
“Don't you know this isn't the time for us to be fighting among ourselves?”
She already had a sharp look to begin with, but when she frowned, she looked even more battle-ready. Her red eyes made her seem even scarier.
“And you are?”
“Jaaldi of the Administration.”
“What?”
The Administration?
She's with the Administration?
“Let's stop the introductions here. As you know, the world is in no condition for pleasantries. Those grotesque giants have taken over the world. It's the Giant Apocalypse.”
Whatever she's saying, I can't really make it out.
This woman, Jaaldi... her unusual name is probably just a codename or something. I'll put that aside.
She introduced herself as being from the Administration, but what exactly is that?
Those bastards in the Administration. Did they actually intend to deal with this situation?
Even while feeling anger, I held it down and focused on identifying the hostile figure in front of me as thoroughly as possible.