Chapter 7: Searching for Shelter (2)

Even though this was only the outskirts of Mount Noah—

Making noise at night was not a wise idea.

In The Defense, sound acted as a catalyst for Waves, and it was always something to be cautious of.

However—

That didn't mean I was out of options.

I gripped the barrel of my rifle and twisted it slightly.

The Ark-15 not only had an adaptive transformation system—

It also allowed barrel pressure adjustments to enable Silent Mode.

[ Silent Mode activated. ]

Sure, damage output decreased, but—

Against Hellhounds, this was more than enough.

I pulled a magazine from my ammo pouch and loaded it into the rifle.

B-Type Buckshot.

Among all shotgun rounds, this was one of my favorites.

It had the perfect balance between penetration and spread, making it highly effective against beasts like these.

And now—

It was time to prove it.

Fwoosh!

[ Gyaaang! ]

A thunderous crack of wind—

And the lead Hellhound's heart exploded, launching its body into the air.

A clean kill.

'Oh?'

Even though I had aimed for its weak spot—

I hadn't expected instant death.

Even considering my +10% bonus damage against 9th-class beasts and below after killing the Skull Hound, the Silent Mode's reduced power should have weakened the shot.

'Is this because of my traits?'

The gun-related perks I had selected when customizing Carl Marcus—

It seemed they were far stronger than I had anticipated.

'Maybe this is why they banned me from entering Ark.'

Unfortunately—

I didn't have time to ponder it further.

Because at that moment—

[ Grrraaaaah! ]

[ Grrrrrr! ]

The remaining Hellhounds had realized something.

That attacking one by one was pointless.

So now—

All twenty-nine of them charged at once.

'If I get surrounded, I'm dead.'

Luckily—

I had a strong pair of legs.

'Two in front. Five behind.'

In that case—

I'd break through the front.

Fwoosh!

I blew apart the first Hellhound and spun around, immediately firing another shot at the ones closing in from behind.

[ Kyaang! ]

Their dying wails echoed—

But I couldn't stop.

If I didn't keep moving, I would be trapped.

'The terrain is rough. If I step wrong, I'll be surrounded.'

This was a deathmatch.

In fact—

This was more dangerous than when I had faced the Skull Hound earlier.

Back then, my goal had been to escape.

But now—

I was here to kill.

Still—

'That only applies if you look at the situation objectively.'

I reloaded, steadying the Ark-15's barrel once more.

Fwoosh!

The air was torn apart.

[ Gyaaang! ]

The flesh of another Hellhound ripped open.

Flesh and blood rained from the sky.

A chorus of gunfire and dying beasts filled the air.

Of course—

Even the best gunner had blind spots.

But there's a reason humans have two hands.

With my left hand, I drew my machete and slashed at the incoming Hellhounds.

[ Kyank! ]

Even I couldn't kill them in one slice.

But that didn't matter.

All I needed—

Was an opening.

Fwoosh!

Another shot—

Another Hellhound's skull burst open like a watermelon.

Half of them were dead.

But then—

[ Hehehe… ]

I froze.

'…What?'

I had instinctively raised my gun, ready to fire—

But then I saw it.

Something that shouldn't be here.

Something that couldn't be here.

A child.

'No… That's not a child.'

As soon as I realized the truth—

The "child" smiled.

Its lips stretched unnaturally wide.

[ Kikik… ]

That wasn't a human laugh.

'A hallucination!'

A moment's hesitation.

But in a life-or-death battle—

Even the smallest hesitation creates a fatal opening.

[ Graaah! ]

[ Grrr! Grrr! ]

The Hellhounds lunged.

Sinking their fangs into my arms and legs.

"Shit!"

Even Level 3 body armor wasn't weak enough to be pierced instantly by mere Grade-10 Hellhounds—

But that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

"That fucking hurts!"

In an instant, my arms and legs were pinned down.

Normally—

That would have meant I was finished.

But—

My stats were far beyond normal human limits.

『 A warrior of exceptional skill and talent. Gifted in marksmanship, with a hardened body and an iron will that will not waver, even before the whispers of the dead. 』

Yeah, yeah.

I get it.

"RAAHH!"

I ripped my right arm free from the Hellhound's jaws and raised my gun.

"Die."

BOOM!

The air cracked as the Hellhound's head burst like a melon.

"You wanna keep biting? Fine. Hold on tight."

They probably didn't understand me—

But the Hellhounds still refused to let go of my arms and legs.

So—

As a reward,

I personally delivered a B-Type buckshot round into each of their skulls.

[ Kyank! ]

[ Kekeng! ]

One down.

Two down.

Three.

Four.

Five…

The last Hellhound's head burst apart.

Thud.

Flesh rained down onto the bloody ground.

"…Hahhh."

I finally took a breath—

And wiped a mix of sweat and blood from my face.

The darkened landscape was still.

Only corpses and the thick stench of blood remained.

[ With unyielding tenacity, you have survived a midnight assault! ]

[ Stamina has increased. ]

[ 12 → 13 ]

[ You have instilled absolute terror in the Hellhounds. ]

[ Additional 30% damage against Grade-10 Hellhounds. ]

[ You have answered the whispers of the dead. ]

[ Ether Sensitivity has increased. ]

[ 6 → 7 ]

"…Answered their whispers?"

What a joke.

Still—

Getting stronger wasn't a bad thing.

"Hahh…"

That was insane.

I let myself collapse onto the ground, breathing heavily.

I checked my arms and legs.

No punctures.

The Hellhounds' fangs hadn't been able to bite through my body armor.

If they had—

It would have been a completely different story.

'I owe Imosha for this one.'

A few bruises, maybe.

But with a body this tough—

That didn't even count as an injury.

'That was definitely a hallucination.'

I had underestimated these 10th-class mutts—

And it almost cost me.

No wonder [Possession] was considered one of the worst traits in The Defense.

'I don't have time to sit here.'

After resting for five minutes, I pushed myself back to my feet.

Even with Silent Mode enabled, the Hellhounds' dying screams hadn't been silenced.

And though other beasts rarely wandered near Mount Noah,

I wasn't about to gamble my life on that luck.

'What do I do with these?'

I glanced at the Hellhound corpses.

Thirty-one bodies.

Under desperate circumstances, properly prepared monster meat could serve as a decent food source—

Though from what I'd heard—

The taste was anything but "decent."

'Too bad. I can't carry them right now.'

I dragged the bodies together into a pile.

I'd come back for them once I secured shelter.

'If I keep heading in this direction… I should be close to one of the water sources.'

I'd memorized the geography of Mount Noah before coming here.

Now—

I just had to start climbing.

Mount Noah was a wasteland.

There was no lush forest, no wildlife—

Just barren, volcanic rock.

But even after a fight like that, the climb wasn't too difficult.

After all—

I had endured worse in military training.

'…Brings back memories.'

Climbing this mountain reminded me of past missions—

But now—

I was alone.

And this wasn't a drill.

This was survival.

After who knows how long—

I finally reached one of the watering holes I had marked in my memory.

'Should be around here…'

I grabbed my field shovel—

And started digging.

Dig.

Dig.

And dig again.

At about one meter deep—

WOOSH!

A thick plume of steam burst forth—

Followed by a gushing stream of hot water.

A natural hot spring—

Heated by the heart of the volcano itself.

***

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