The classification of monsters falls into two major categories: size and purpose.
Monsters, the enemies of humanity, are generally categorized by size and assigned corresponding purposes.
Small monsters are typically infiltrators. They act alone, establish bases, and accelerate the flow of erosion spreading from rifts.
Medium-sized monsters are primarily combatants. They rarely appear in low-grade rifts but occasionally emerge in high-grade ones, especially in kill zones where numerous surges have been suppressed. Most are eradicated within these zones, but the few that manage to breach them roam the battlefield, causing extreme devastation and numerous casualties—hunters are no exception. These creatures are ruthless killers.
Large monsters are essentially upgraded versions of medium-sized ones, significantly more dangerous. While medium-sized monsters can be hunted with adequate firepower, large monsters are best left alone unless absolutely necessary. The manual dictates waiting for them to naturally expire rather than engaging them directly.
Extra-large monsters are the final category, emerging as a response to humanity’s formidable defenses. Designed to trample entire defensive lines, they are the ultimate shock troops unleashed from rifts.
While extra-large monsters might seem the most dangerous, I disagree. In team-based combat scenarios, the gravest threat typically comes from medium-sized monsters.
Thud.
A medium-sized monster is approaching.
Toward us.
It’s coming to kill us and extinguish humanity's hope.
"Hey, Jeon Si-hoon! Can't you do something about this?" King alternated his gaze between Jeon Si-hoon and the window, finally breaking the silence.
"Th-that thing?"
Jeon Si-hoon looked out the window. His luminous eyes, usually calm, now reflected stark terror.
He stumbled back.
"How could anyone fight something like that?"
"You're strong, aren't you? Aren't you a Level 10 Awakened?"
"Yeah, but I'm not good at fighting. I’m scared."
Jeon Si-hoon backed into the farthest corner from the window, clutching his head and trembling.
A cultist, sitting beside him, gently stroked his head. Jeon Si-hoon rested his head on her shoulder, trembling slightly.
“It’s going to be okay, Brother Si-hoon. We’re children of God. As long as the soul of the Archmage watches over us, He will protect us.”
The scene was reminiscent of a mother soothing her frightened child. But in the cultist's eyes, I saw something sinister—a glint of euphoric madness.
Typical cultists.
They’ve abandoned rational thought, surrendering everything to an incomprehensible higher being.
King sighed and looked at me. When our eyes met, he shook his head.
“It’s over. I didn’t think we’d run into a medium-sized monster. And to top it off, our Level 10 Awakened is useless.”
Having a high Awakening level doesn’t guarantee courage. Many with great potential fail to utilize their power.
Jeon Si-hoon, despite being an over-Level 10 Awakened, was just another coward among the countless others we’ve seen.
"Hey, Skelton, got any last words?" King asked, a bitter smile on his face.
"No."
I picked up my weapon. I slung the Harpoonizer over my shoulder and secured it tightly. Feeling the weight and texture of the two axes strapped to my thigh, I fixed my gaze on the monster approaching us.
“How long does it take to deploy your reflective field?”
“Instantly? If it’s for a person, maybe 0.1 seconds.”
“How many uses?”
“Not sure.”
“Let me rephrase. How long can you sustain it in combat?”
“Not more than an hour. If I push too hard, it feels like my brain will fry.”
“And if you go all out?”
King's eyes gleamed briefly before he answered.
“Five minutes max. Less if it takes heavy hits.”
“Good.”
“Are you really going to fight it?” King asked, staring at me intently.
I nodded.
“Our retreat is blocked.”
There’s nothing at the spot marked with red spray paint. But 80 meters away, a medium-sized monster stands.
Stationary medium-sized monsters don’t act unless provoked or approached. But roaming medium-sized monsters are unpredictable. They might attack or ignore us.
I won’t gamble my life on a fifty-fifty chance.
If that thing mimics human firepower and attacks, we’ll be shredded, even if we hide in the maze of the Spider-Type’s domain.
It’s better to fight and die trying. At least we’ll have put up a fight.
"Skelton, are you serious? I’ve never heard of a single old-school hunter taking down a medium-sized monster."
“You’re here, aren’t you?”
“No matter how strong I am, my abilities won’t work on that thing.”
King wasn’t the only one losing his nerve. Even he was shaken as the medium-sized monster closed in.
I stared at him and smirked.
“Am I such a pushover to you?”
King’s expression hardened. His eyes turned fierce, and his voice dropped to a growl.
“No one looks down on the King of Sejong.”
“Exactly. When I signal, deploy the field.”
“Understood.”
King pulled on his gas mask. As he turned and headed toward the stairs, his steps were steady, devoid of hesitation or fear.
That’s the composure of someone who once ruled a city.
As I followed him downstairs, the cultist spoke.
“You’re going to fight God’s messenger? Just the two of you?”
“What’s your name?” I asked, staring at her.
“Minjoo. Son Minjoo.”
“Minjoo, if we win, will you stop brainwashing Si-hoon?”
“Brainwashing? Teaching the truth isn’t brainwashing.”
“Call it what you want. We’re putting our lives on the line.”
My hand rested on the grip of my pistol. If she didn’t agree, I was ready to put a bullet between her eyes, even if she was just a teenager.
Fanatics like her might look human, but they live by a twisted logic that makes them no better than pests.
“Fine. Go ahead, then.”
“You’re letting us go?”
“We never forced Brother Si-hoon to join us. He relied on us. The decision was always his,” Minjoo replied calmly.
I released my grip on the pistol's handle.
“Jeon Si-hoon.”
Jeon Si-hoon turned to me, his eyes still clouded with fear.
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“You said you admired Kang Han-min, right?”
“Hey! Skelton!” King called out from below the stairs.
“I don’t have powers or blessings like Kang Han-min. But watch closely. Even someone unchosen by God can fight.”
Feeling Jeon Si-hoon’s gaze linger on me, I hurried down the stairs.
Thud.
The medium-sized monster, the Annihilator, was now 100 meters away.
The creature resembled a tardigrade with eight legs, its grotesque form punctuated by a massive circular aperture on its head—a barrel that unleashed devastating shrapnel.
Not a shotgun, but more akin to a monstrous Claymore mine.
The shrapnel it sprayed in a radial pattern came in varying sizes and shapes, all with enough hardness and mass to obliterate almost anything within its range. True to its name, it annihilated everything in its path.
Jang Ki-young had once advised targeting the sides when facing an Annihilator, avoiding its barrel-like front. But that was easier said than done.
The Annihilator, though slow, could detect all living beings in its vicinity. It could swivel its body fast enough to respond to flank attacks. If any adversary lingered nearby, it would fire large projectiles skyward, which would explode and rain down an ashen mist with incendiary properties.
The only method I knew to deal with it was the same as with other monsters: bombard it with firepower from outside its reflective field’s range.
If we had multiple over-Level 5 Awakened fighters, one could strip its protective barrier while others intercepted its attacks with their reflective fields, allowing for effective mid-range combat. But I’d never experienced such a coordinated battle.
Right now, we only had one Awakened.
And he wasn’t trained—just a "naturally occurring" Awakened, someone who held sway over others with sheer audacity and charisma.
“What’s the plan?” King asked.
“Approach head-on and finish it with the Harpoonizer.”
“You do realize the reflective field has its limits? Once those limits are exceeded, the field will shatter.”
“Based on averages, small monsters can withstand two shots from a standard 105mm 60-caliber anti-monster tank cannon. Medium-sized ones can handle five. Beyond that, there’s no reliable data.”
“...Well, you seem to know better than me.”
“We’ll conserve the field as much as possible and minimize its range.”
“Are you seriously going to charge it head-on?”
King’s question wasn’t out of fear but rational doubt. I answered seriously.
“Most medium-sized monsters have detection capabilities, including that one. Flanking is pointless. The ruins here would only obstruct our view. The best approach is directly across open terrain, along the shortest path.”
Convincing your team to risk their lives is also a leader’s duty. But in situations where life and death hinge on split-second decisions, words must be concise and sincere.
I hoped my reasoning reached King.
“...I can trust you, right?” King asked, meeting my eyes.
Through countless moments of persuasion, I’d learned that trust often depends more on the listener’s will than the speaker’s words.
Those ready to fight will follow, regardless of the explanation. Those unwilling won’t, no matter how persuasive the argument.
I nodded at King, who had placed his trust in me.
“I’ll take the lead. Deploy the field when I raise my hand. Otherwise, conserve it as much as possible. Minor injuries are fine. After all, the King shouldn’t be whining about a little pain, right?”
“Don’t worry. My nerves are much duller than yours.”
The briefing was over.
All that remained was to execute the plan.
I stared at the overwhelming monster bearing down on us, then glanced toward the building’s window.
In the corner, Jeon Si-hoon and Son Minjoo were watching us, trembling.
After locking eyes with Jeon Si-hoon for a moment, I turned toward the monster.
“Advance.”
I began to move, my pace brisk but steady.
Running wouldn’t make a difference. It wouldn’t get me within striking distance any faster, and it would only guarantee that I’d take at least one direct hit before reaching it.
Thud.
The monster emitted a shockwave.
Unlike smaller monsters, the Annihilator’s shockwave had an intensity befitting its size. Even from 90 meters away, I could feel it reverberate in my guts. Yet I pressed forward, step by step, with every nerve focused on the path ahead.
Was this how the line infantry of old felt as they marched toward rows of muskets aimed at them? No, I shouldn’t compare myself to them. Their lives hung entirely on fate, while I retained some control over my odds, provided things didn’t spiral into the worst-case scenario.
The tardigrade-like monster noticed us. Its crumpled head segments rose, its aperture pointed toward us—a clear sign of an impending attack.
I heard King’s footsteps falter slightly behind me, but he didn’t say a word. Just as he had shown courage upon entering this eroded zone, he demonstrated it again. For that, I was grateful.
I focused on the monster’s ominous barrel.
Thud.
Another shockwave.
At the same time, the monster’s stubby, black barrel spewed countless white projectiles in all directions, like stars scattering across the sky.
Among those countless "stars," I searched for the large one—the one capable of breaking King’s reflective field.
At least for now, I didn’t see any such threat in its trajectory.
I raised my hand.
Thud.
A shockwave erupted behind me.
The invisible yet miraculous barrier enveloped King and me, stronger than any wall made by human hands.