Episode 37: Ground Zero (2)
I sent an appropriate reply to Ahn Young-ho.
It was an obvious, but moderately hopeful statement that said, “I’ll contact you when the time comes, so make sure you’re doing well.”
‘It will be night when we arrive.’
Ganghu saw the afternoon sun slowly disappearing beyond the western sky.
Although most hunters were reluctant to move at night, they were not strong.
[Night vision]
This is because it has the ability.
Rather, I liked the night.
Hunters are not the only ones who rely on visual information. The same goes for monsters.
Now, when you enter Ground Zero, you have to be very nervous inside.
This place is wild.
It is also a place full of all kinds of variables and mutations.
It is also a place where a moment’s carelessness and wrong confidence can lead to death.
Ttuduk. Ttuduk.
Ganghu began to warm up by stretching his wrist and neck muscles so that he could enter battle at any time.
When you arrive at the scene, you won’t even have time to warm up.
I planned to diligently raise my body’s senses while going north along the Gyeongui Jungang Line.
At Ground Zero, each of the five senses is truly important.
* * *
Two hours later.
After getting off at Imjingang Station and walking up for a while, Kanghu arrived at Ground Zero.
To be exact, it was located 1km away from where the border barbed wire fence and entry checkpoint were located.
“That’s bullshit.”
The atmosphere was as bad as expected.
First of all, entry and exit checks were not being carried out by the Hunter Public Safety Office, but by a guild delegated by the Public Security Office.
It is a ‘new world’ guild.
Although they had a pretty grand name, they were only responsible for opening and closing the iron gates of the entry and exit checkpoints.
The evidence was that they did not intervene in everything that happened there, a street of entertainment and pleasure created nearby.
Because it was all about red light districts and entertainment bars, there were frequent fights and quarrels, but there was no one to intervene.
Even if a murder occurs, it ends only after cleaning up the corpses and blood stains.
Of course, the magistrates from the Hunter Magistrate’s Office have no interest in coming, and the hunters from the New World Guild are also not interested.
Broken streetlight.
Old cars abandoned arbitrarily.
Even a huge mountain of arbitrarily piled garbage bags.
This place, which had become a slum, seemed to have no dreams, no hope, and no future.
Even in old abandoned buildings, homeless people who had been kicked out of Seoul lived in their own homes.
It was pointless to argue over who was the owner, and by the time Kang-hu arrived, there was already a stabbing going on.
While trying to remove a stone that had rolled in, he ended up cutting his stomach open with a knife.
“….”
Meanwhile, Kang-hu, who was facing the obvious red light district in front of him, did not want to be bothered by annoying customers, so he deliberately took a detour through the street.
Perhaps because the main street is in front of the red light district, it got dark as soon as I got to the next block.
at that time.
I made eye contact with five hunters who were smoking marijuana inside a dark alley.
The five were convinced that they were hunters since no ordinary person would come here unless they were out of their minds.
“hey. “Can you stop for a moment?”
When Kang-hu quietly ignored it and tried to pass by, he heard a voice calling him.
But I didn’t respond. This is because talking here means that you will unconditionally start a fight.
There is only one exception.
It’s time for the ‘sisters’ who tout customers in the red light district.
Other than that, the only time Hunter is interested is when he uses the lawlessness of this area as an excuse to do bad things.
“I told you to stop, you idiot.”
Hunter, who was immediately stimulated by Ganghu’s disregard, raised his voice.
I wish they could go their separate ways, but they don’t seem to have any intention of doing so.
“Every time you say one more word, one person dies. Let’s go on our way. “When you say nice things.”
When Kang-hoo gives a short and loud warning and is about to take a step forward again.
“What are you…”
A voice was heard that blew away the last of my patience.
At that moment, Kang-hoo, who had used acceleration and leaps in succession, was in a completely different position.
It was right behind the guy whose voice was being heard.
This is because lateral movement was used in the end.
Sigh!
“Bwak!”
Kang-hu brought the dagger from behind to the front of the neck and slit the throat without any hesitation.
Since it was the weakest part of the armor item’s protection, there was no way to withstand it.
I certainly didn’t forget to link up with blood fire to end my life.
Then, a series of explosions erupted from his neck, where a thick line had already been drawn.
“Fuck… what is this?”
The remaining four were all shocked.
I had no choice but to hold out my tongue at the idea of detaching the head with a single slit in the neck.
Rather than calculating that I could somehow hold on, I was filled with fear as I thought that if I passed by, I would die.
“Ugh!”
The remaining four all ran away without even having time to look for their comrade in arms who had been talking so hard about it.
“….”
Ganghu looked at their backs with a pitiful expression and took the items from the dead hunter.
Although there were no useful items, it seemed like I could make 100 million won if I collected them all and sold them.
I wasn’t particularly impressed, perhaps because he was an ordinary hunter with a lot of low-priced, cost-effective items.
All I could say was that I had enough money to buy about 20 stalks of solarium.
* * *
In front of the entry checkpoint.
Kang Hu applied for admission and wrote a pseudonym on the list.
It was a meaningless procedure in which any name could be used.
There was only one procedure to make sure, and that was the level scan procedure.
“Hey, you’re a rookie.”
The manager looked at Kang-hu’s level information after scanning and smiled.
From the first time they met him and dismissed him as a rookie, he already looked down on Kang-hoo for a long time.
Is that why?
I expected it, but he got into trouble faster than I expected.
“Right now, there’s a lot of waiting to get in, so I think I’ll have to wait for about two days. “Are you okay?”
I’ve never made a full statement before, but I’m starting to say it out loud.
I didn’t feel particularly angry.
Doesn’t it feel like you just ignore an insignificant insect buzzing in front of you and don’t pay any attention to it?
I didn’t think it was worth it, so I couldn’t hear anything they were saying.
There is no one around waiting to enter, and it is obvious that there is room for anyone to enter.
However, when a manager says such bullshit, it usually comes when he or she is in trouble.
Kanghu took out a 50,000 won wad from his backpack and threw it at him.
100 sheets. It is 5 million won.
“Ohh?”
“open it.”
He briefly stated his request.
Then, the quick-witted manager scratched the back of his head and changed his stance.
“Oh my. older brother. When I looked at the list, there was one hunter who didn’t make it today. “You can go right in!”
It was nice to see that he was honest about money.
If he had been a strangely mischievous guy, he would have ended up in the same situation as the guy who had his head blown off earlier.
Do you know?
I was able to save my life thanks to my good behavior.
Of course you don’t know. And one day, I will be treated harshly by someone.
Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be today.
Instead of moving around frantically, Ganghu chose a tall tree and climbed up it.
It was a night when the sun had completely set, so there were no lights illuminating the surroundings.
This is because there are no separate streetlights or lighting facilities inside Ground Zero.
To be precise, it originally existed, but has not been repaired or replaced since it was broken and worn out.
As I looked far away, I saw the movement of a hunter who appeared to be moving using a flashlight.
Although it is an obvious choice, it is also the most dangerous choice at Ground Zero.
This is because that light becomes a ‘target’ for numerous monsters, beasts, and other hunters.
“hmm.”
There is one reason why Kang-hoo didn’t move right away.
It was because there was only one person at Ground Zero that I was very concerned about.
Monster Black Guide.
Also called Shinigami by other nicknames.
It was also a kind of collection of ghosts with characteristics close to a soul that could not be killed or cut down.
As a result, even if I got close, I couldn’t hear any sound at all.
In addition, it had a black shape, making it even more difficult to notice and see at night.
The scary thing is that if your entire body is caught up in the black guide, you lose your vision.
The next thing is that it causes symptoms of delirium and leads to suicide.
Because their minds are controlled before they are even aware of it, they die without knowing that they are dying.
When I open my eyes, I find myself in the afterlife.
at that time.
Kang-hu, who was carefully examining his surroundings with his night vision, caught the eye of something strange.
A hunter who was lighting the way with a flashlight suddenly turned at a right angle.
Then, he threw himself at the sharp stone in front of him, hit his forehead, and fell.
Judging by the fact that his body did not move even once, he was certain that he had died instantly.
‘Shall we go?’
Ganghu came down from the tree.
The Black Guides have a clear territory and do not invade the territory of other members of their race.
And after leading one intruder to death, there is a separate cooling off period.
Just like a killer takes a break after killing.
The ‘sacrifice’ of the hunter who died earlier gave Kang-hu confidence to move.
Sigh.
Kang-hoo came down to the ground and unfolded the internal fluorescent map.
GZ-5. 11. 13. 19. 24. 45.
I can see the key points.
It is certain that there is a Mad Solakium in these six areas.
This is because it is a number that Kang-hoo often marked as a lottery number during his time as the original author.
After that number, we decided on the area number where Mad Solakium appears.
Since the areas are numbered in order of proximity to the entrance, the first area you can reach is area 5.
It’s time to move diligently.
I kept moving.
Perhaps because it was night and Ground Zero was currently on ‘alert’, I couldn’t see any more hunters.
I also felt my vagina becoming particularly strong. It really feels like you can make eye contact with a ghost just by turning your head.
The alert period is dangerous because it is a time when monsters’ abilities become more strengthened compared to the stable period.
But if you think about it, it was also a time when experience points and rewards became much more valuable.
It’s high risk, high return.
Kang-hu actually liked the current time.
If you respond well, you can benefit twice as much as usual.
at that time.
“hmm.”
A sunflower with its petals unnaturally closed came into view.
This is an unusual appearance of a sunflower flower that should always be in full bloom.
It’s not just a flower. It is a flower that has become a monster.
This means that it is a being that can threaten the hunter at any time.
Kang-hu was walking around and suddenly threw himself backwards at a point that was in a straight line with the sunflower.
Then, the closed sunflower petals opened wide and light green liquid poured out from inside.
Cheeeeeek!
It was a strongly acidic liquid.
Everything it touched melted instantly. Everything, including rocks and bushes, has disappeared.
“It’s really wild.”
Ganghu nodded.
And the sunflower, which had lost the liquid it had steadily collected, was cut down with a single knife.
Kiing….
a meaningless death.
Mutant Sunflower gave Ganghu plenty of experience points and a blue magic stone before ending his life.
A magic stone worth 10 million won!
Considering the effort put into cutting down a single flower, there has never been a business as profitable as this one.