Chapter 3: Refugees (2)

[KIEEEEEK!]

The Skull Hound's weak points were identical to a Hellhound's.

The difference?

Size—colossally larger.

Skin—thicker, tougher.

Even if I hit the weak spots, they don't go down as easily.

A Hellhound and a Skull Hound might share the same weak points, but the Hellhounds were smaller in proportion to its massive body.

'My firepower is too weak.'

Normally, a shot to the eye would send the bullet straight into the brain, killing it instantly.

But my current M1 Carbine was too weak to penetrate that deep.

'Well, that's fine.'

If one shot isn't enough—

I'll just fire two.

Or three.

Or as many as it takes.

In The Defense, where ammo was a precious resource, this would've been unthinkable.

But for me?

With my trainer's infinite ammo?

It was possible.

[Kyao! Kyaoooo!]

Every time my gunfire flashed; the Skull Hound's massive frame flinched.

Snap! Snap!

Its jaws clashed together just inches away, trying to bite into the truck.

But each time—

—A bullet slammed into its weak spots.

"AAAAAH!!"

"SHOOT! KEEP SHOOTING!!"

This M1 Carbine was not designed for hunting monsters.

It was old. Weak.

A civilian rifle, not a weapon of war.

If even one shot missed, that thing would be on me in an instant.

I'd be dead.

'…Hah.'

My hands shook violently.

Not from fear.

From my damn hand tremors.

This was life or death.

A single mistake would mean instant death.

Yet, somehow, my mind remained ice-cold.

'Now.'

I held my breath.

For a moment, it felt like time froze.

I pulled the trigger.

—BANG!

The bullet pierced through the air, slamming into the Skull Hound's chest.

[KIEEEEEEEEK!!!]

It stumbled.

Then—

It turned away.

"I-It's running!!"

"WE'RE ALIVE!! WE SURVIVED!!"

As the Skull Hound fled, the Hellhounds also retreated.

The few surviving refugees broke into cheers.

"Holy shit, Carl! I KNEW you'd do it! You really ARE the descendant of the spirits!"

"THE GREAT CARL MARCUS!"

Kurilta and the others began chanting my name.

Carl Marcus.

This character—this body—

Had far more influence among these people than I had realized.

"Carl! You saved us!"

"LOOK! THE ARK! WE'RE SAFE!"

But unlike them—

I wasn't done.

"Turn the truck around."

"…What?"

Kurilta's voice cracked in disbelief.

"What the fuck are you saying—?!"

"We're hunting it down."

"…WHAT?"

A Skull Hound's corpse was incredibly valuable.

And letting a half-dead one escape?

That was a waste.

Especially when I was an outsider.

'And besides, if we let it go now…'

It could become an even bigger problem later.

If you're not going to kill it, fine.

But if you start the fight, you finish it.

There was no time to explain that, so I simply gave the order.

"This is fucking insane!!"

Despite his protests, Kurilta moved instantly.

If we let it get too far, we'd never catch up again.

"TURN THE TRUCK AROUND!"

"WHAT?!"

"JUST DO IT!"

Maybe it was Kurilta's shouting, or maybe it was Carl Marcus' reputation, but soon—

The truck turned around.

I was honestly shocked that they listened.

"This is fucking stupid…"

The refugees' faces were ashen.

And who could blame them?

They had barely escaped with their lives.

Now they were diving back in?

If Carl Marcus' reputation had been even slightly worse, this wouldn't have worked.

'Guess I got lucky.'

Not that I'd call being thrown into this world 'lucky'…

"THERE IT IS!!"

The Skull Hound hadn't gotten far.

Despite the time that passed, it was still limping.

It had suffered massive wounds—

And it was too slow to run properly.

[Grrr… cough…]

A wounded beast.

Normally, it would be too dangerous to approach.

But I knew the Skull Hound's habits.

'When its health drops below a certain threshold, it tries to mutate.'

—Creeeak… Crack!

And sure enough—

Its ribs began breaking through its skin.

The Skull Hound was starting to transform.

If left unchecked, it would evolve into a Grade 7 Skull Centipede.

The parasitic bone organism inside the Skull Hound took over when its host was too weak.

It wasn't an evolution.

It was a death sentence.

Even the Hellhounds had abandoned it.

'Perfect.'

Because I wasn't going to let it happen.

I raised my rifle.

The truck's speed.

The wind direction.

The Skull Hound's movements.

I calculated everything.

Pulled the trigger.

—BANG!

The bullet smashed into its remaining eye.

[KIEEEEEEEEK!!!]

It thrashed violently.

But I wasn't stopping.

—BANG! BANG BANG!!

[KIEEEEKKK!]

The Skull Hound roared in pain—

And then, it charged.

BOOM! BOOM!

Blood poured from its body as it raced toward us.

"IT'S COMING!"

"WE'RE FUCKED!!"

It was like a beast from hell.

Its exposed bones, its glowing red eyes—

It was pure death.

'The wound at the heart.'

I locked onto the weak point.

And pulled the trigger.

—Click.

…Huh?

Something felt wrong.

—Click. Click.

'What…?'

My gun was jammed.

Even with infinite ammo…

[KYAAAAA!!]

'Shit.'

I was fucked.

"CARL!!"

A Moment of Silence

Kurilta's urgent cry barely reached me as the Skull Hound's claws came within inches of my body.

I braced for death.

And then—

[Kik… Kik…]

A whisper echoed in my ears.

The Skull Hound froze.

'…It stopped?'

A fraction of a second.

But that was all I needed.

"Kurilta!"

"Shit! Catch!"

Kurilta threw me a pistol.

I caught it instinctively and fired.

Even on a moving truck, I had no trouble hitting a moving Skull Hound's vitals.

At this distance?

With the target completely still?

There was no chance I'd miss.

—BANG!

A volley of bullets tore into its heart.

Blood erupted like a fountain.

And then—

THUD!

The Skull Hound collapsed.

Even with its thick hide, it was impossible to resist dozens of bullets hitting the same spot.

[You have slain a Grade 8 Elite Monster: Skull Hound.]

[You have defeated the Hellhounds' Alpha. You now deal +10% extra damage to all Grade 9 or lower beasts.]

[The spirits of the unjustly slain rest a little easier.]

[Ether Sensitivity has increased.]

[5 → 6]

"You… actually killed it?"

"Wait, what if it's still alive?!"

"Holy shit, Carl! You really did it!"

As cheers erupted around me, I stood silent, deep in thought.

'That voice…'

That wasn't human.

It was the hallucination.

[Possession] & [Insomnia]

Both were penalty traits I had selected.

[Possession] brought constant whispers.

[Insomnia] prevented rest, haunted by spirits.

"Carl Marcus is a descendant of a tribe that listens to the voices of spirits."

"He rejects this faith, but the voices never leave him."

But the real question was—

'Did the whisper cause the Skull Hound to freeze?'

Was it just coincidence?

Or was there something deeper?

'I have a theory… but I need proof.'

Half-baked speculation was as good as suicide.

So, I pushed the thought aside—for now.

"That."

"Huh?"

"Knife."

Kurilta blinked at me, then let out an exasperated sigh before tossing me a blade.

"You're just taking everything, huh?"

"Just borrowing it."

I approached the Skull Hound's cooling corpse.

"…Carl?"

Ignoring the uneasy gazes, I drove the knife into its chest.

—Slice. Slice.

"What the hell are you—?!"

I didn't respond.

Blood soaked my arms as I carved through the thick flesh.

Some people turned away.

Others gagged.

Kurilta just stared in horror.

"Carl… what the fuck are you doing?"

Then—

My fingers brushed against something.

'Found it.'

I yanked.

A wet, sickening squelch—

And a creature emerged.

The Bone Parasite.

[Screeeeech!]

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!"

"KILL IT! KILL IT NOW!"

"No need."

Kurilta's face twisted in disgust.

"That's a parasite! Why the fuck are you—?!"

I calmly tossed it into a rusty tin can, sealing it shut.

The Bone Parasite was dangerous—

But it was also essential.

"It's useful."

"Useful?!"

The Bone Parasite was a top-tier resource.

One of the must-have materials for clearing The Defense.

"Hah… whatever."

Kurilta still looked nauseated, but he didn't argue further.

'Lucky me.'

To get a Bone Parasite, you had to kill a Skull Hound without destroying the heart.

If I had fought inside the Ark, their firepower would have obliterated it completely.

Fighting out here was the only way to get it.

'Perfect.'

"Let's go."

"…Yeah, no shit."

"Take that too."

I gestured toward the Skull Hound's corpse.

Kurilta gaped.

"…Are you serious?"

"Yeah."

For a moment, he just stared at me.

Then—

"MOVE IT, YOU BASTARDS! LOAD IT UP!"

The refugees groaned, but they obeyed.

Soon, the Skull Hound's body was loaded onto the truck.

We climbed in beside it.

"Ugh…"

"It's not gonna suddenly wake up, is it?"

"Stop being a coward."

Kurilta gripped his pistol tightly, trying to act calm.

The rest of the journey was uneventful.

Whether it was because of the Skull Hound's presence or sheer luck, no other monsters attacked.

And then—

On the horizon—

A fortress loomed.

"…We're really alive."

"THE ARK!"

The Last Human Stronghold—ARK.

A towering steel wall encircled a vast city.

Beyond it, the volcanic mountain Noah stood like a guardian.

The final bastion of humanity.

Ark.

At last—

We had arrived.

***

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