Chapter 63

39. Campaign (4)

Thud.

The gun fell to the ground.

I retrieved the gun with my empty hand, removed the bullet, and aimed the muzzle at the back of his head while searching his body.

“...”

Park Sang-min bit his lip, his face turning pale.

Is this really that shocking?

To be precise, I had this in mind from the beginning.

That this guy would evoke sympathy to make me let my guard down, then threaten me with a gun and drive me to a dead end.

It’s a cliché story, different from his unique life story.

“...”

What should I do?

Killing him would be the right thing to do.

It’s probably the most rational choice.

The problem is the method.

I don’t want to use the gun.

If the gunshot is heard and a body with a hole is found, it will inevitably cause a stir and might even irritate Woo Min-hee.

“Turn around.”

“Mr. Park Hunter, this is a misunderstanding. I was just trying to intimidate the capsule, you know, with a fake shot...”

Smack!

I struck his shoulder mercilessly with the gun handle.

“Aah!”

“Walk forward.”

“What, what are you going to do?”

“Forward.”

I shifted my gaze to the floor.

There’s a Spider Type in this building.

It’s certain.

Although it’s odd that it’s spewing minions without establishing a base, the traces of the minions are undeniable evidence of a Spider Type.

It might be a new type with a pattern we don’t know.

While it’s not widely known, monsters often change their patterns.

Of course, I can’t deny the possibility that the Spider Type is just a figment of my imagination.

But even in that case, there’s insurance.

Just wake up the capsule.

However, it’s a rather troublesome process, so I’ll leave it as a last resort.

I pushed Park Sang-min toward the trail of Spiderlings on the floor.

The method of leading someone to their death in silence, heightening their fear, is something I learned from my senior, Baek Seung-hyun.

“Can we talk a bit?”

Park Sang-min finally spoke.

I allowed it.

At least while he’s moving, I’ll let him talk as much as he wants.

“I’m sorry too. I understand why you’re angry. I don’t even know why I did it. Maybe I was under a lot of pressure.”

“...”

“Did you see my mother outside? I mentioned her earlier, and it’s true. She’s a tough lady. I’m just a small ball she threw. The moment it was thrown, its vector was set.”

“...”

“Where are you taking me?”

Just in time, the corridor stretched into a dark area.

“...”

I turned on the lantern to illuminate the front.

The scenery changed.

There’s a “web.”

Not a real spider’s web, but the erosion phenomenon that a Spider Type creates in its base.

The corridor, which should have been straight, twisted at a certain point, and grayish-white protrusions covered the floor, ceiling, and walls, creating an optical illusion that made you doubt gravity.

This web is what makes the Spider Type impregnable.

It’s clear that it hasn’t settled in for long.

A perfect web not only confuses your vision but also makes you forget the direction of gravity.

“Are you going to kill me?”

“Is there another way?”

“If you kill me, you won’t be safe either.”

Park Sang-min stopped.

Click.

“Yes, as that bastard Baek Seung-hyun said, I was betrayed. I’m younger than you, but I’m still older than the average in that group, and I no longer have my father’s influence. But, Mr. Park Hunter.”

Park Sang-min turned around with a shameless smile.

“A dead Park Sang-min has meaning?”

“...”

“He’s a useful card. That’s what I am.”

Park Sang-min spread his arms.

“Kill me however you want. I can’t go any further.”

He approached me.

His face, hidden in the darkness, was revealed.

“Do what you want. Now, fuck it. I’m sick of it.”

Park Sang-min was crying.

His tears and snot were mixed,

like a child looking for his mother.

“Do I have to follow others’ orders until I die? As a representative of the people?”

Park Sang-min suddenly stopped.

It’s not because he’s afraid of me.

A thought held him back.

“Now that I think about it, my job was to convey others’ intentions to the parliament. In reality, it’s different, but in the context of a representative system, that’s what it means, right?”

Whatever he says, it doesn’t matter.

A grayish-white light flickered in the darkness of the corridor.

The owner of the underground had discovered us.

Park Sang-min seemed to realize this and slowly turned his head to stare at the giant monster filling the corridor.

“M, Monster...!!”

That’s correct.

“Spider Type!”

That’s also correct.

The grayish-white monster with three segments and six legs matches the Spider Type taught in school.

But there’s one difference.

It has horns.

Horns larger than a human, standing tall and sturdy.

A Spider Type with horns is unprecedented in the cases I know.

It’s likely a variant.

Especially since small spiders are pouring out of its mouth.

Typically, a Spider Type establishes a base and lays eggs, which are polyhedra, to create Spiderlings and defend its territory.

But this one stores minions in its body and releases them when needed.

It’s a new type.

In school, they say:

If you encounter a new monster or variant, always avoid combat.

It’s true.

That’s what you should do.

That’s why I came here.

But.

“...”

I tend to challenge new things.

Curiosity is one thing, but more importantly, I have confidence in myself.

I’ve proven myself as a Hunter worthy of the nickname Professor, given by my mentor, by discovering new subspecies and variants, proposing methods to counter new patterns, discovering new large monsters, uncovering the mechanism of mutations, and reporting on the ecosystem within the rift.

All these achievements were made during my Professor days.

Being a good fighter isn’t enough; such exploration and knowledge have made the name Professor a legend of the old era.

But now is the time to leave.

My purpose for coming here isn’t to satisfy my curiosity or fight the enemy of humanity.

I came here to kill a person.

I, who once hated monsters and wanted to erase their existence, am now about to throw a person to a monster just because they pose a threat to me.

But.

“...I wanted to show my mother.”

Why is that?

“I wanted to show her that this Park Sang-min can stand up and walk on his own.”

Why can’t I take a step?

“Did you see my mother?”

“...”

“How much longer do you think you’ll live? Help me, just this once. Right? You must have a mother too, right?”

It’s not just about stimulating his obvious emotions.

“Have you ever wanted to be a proud son?”

Park Sang-min pleaded, sobbing.

“I don’t have parents.”

When I came to my senses, I was already moving toward the approaching grayish-white monster, ignoring my rational mind.

My instinct, however, was aware of the objective fact of the minimum range of the repulsion field and the loose weaknesses of the Spider Type, which appeared uniformly due to its awkward pattern.

One difference is:

“Squish!”

It spews multiple Spiderlings from its mouth.

Bang! Bang! Tap tap tap!

I knocked down the approaching creatures with my gun.

Click.

Just as I emptied a magazine and was about to reload,

Rumble---

A strange vibration shook the air, making my heart tremble.

I immediately slid the gun away, sending it flying.

Rumble---!!

The vibration reached its peak, and the gun spontaneously flew up.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The gun exploded, scattering fragments and bullets in all directions.

Detonation.

It’s a monster’s ability.

One of the reasons I chose an axe as a melee weapon.

Thud!

A fragment pierced my thigh.

It didn’t sever bones or tendons, but I felt considerable pain and bleeding.

But it’s shallow.

The fragment didn’t directly hit me; it bounced off the floor, reducing its penetration power.

“Mr. Park Hunter?!”

Now the monster is within my range.

In the narrow corridor, its massive body, about five meters long, is wedged in, and its multiple legs are disgustingly wriggling, spewing out its own offspring.

Swish-

I drew two axes.

The Spiderlings charged at me all at once.

The dance of death began.

Every time the merciless axe sliced through the air, the crushed heads and squashed bodies of the Spiderlings were thrown to the ground.

“Huff, huff!!”

I could hear Park Sang-min’s heavy breathing.

He hasn’t run away yet.

Whatever.

Now, it’s just me, Park Sang-min, and the monster.

The monster planted its six legs deep into the corridor and raised its head high, attaching it to the ceiling.

It must have thought it could survive this way.

Crack!

I stomped on its legs.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

I made its massive body collapse, bringing its hideous head within reach.

“Squish...”

I simultaneously stabbed its head, which was about to release more offspring, with both axes.

Crack!

The moment I confirmed the monster’s death, the first emotion I felt was regret.

It was a pointless act.

But the sensation of the monster convulsing and turning into sparkling ashes under my hand gave me more satisfaction than anything else.

Especially when it’s a new type that no one has ever faced.

“...”

I still yearn for the battlefield.

Despite seeing so much despair.

“Are you okay?!”

At the edge of the light, Park Sang-min stood awkwardly.

“So this is a real Hunter...”

The wound is shallow.

But it’s bothersome.

I probably didn’t feel the pain at the moment of impact due to the adrenaline rush.

“Amazing. A human can really kill a monster alone... I’m truly impressed, Mr. Park Sang-min!”

“Let’s go.”

“Huh?”

“I said, let’s go.”

“Are you letting me live?”

“I never said I was going to kill you. You aimed a gun at me, though.”

My heart definitely softened.

More than Woo Min-hee, even more.

If I had harbored such feelings earlier, I wouldn’t have ended up like this.

How many people have I lost because I couldn’t forgive them a little?

Kang Hyun-min and Na Hye-in.

They still haven’t forgiven me.

Park Sang-min tore his suit to bandage my wound.

“It doesn’t seem to have hit an artery. I know a doctor.”

“I’m fine. I can treat this myself.”

We re-entered the parliament.

Despite everything that happened, the two men didn’t mention their past.

The capsule still sat in the Speaker’s chair, gleaming with a disgusting grayish-white luster, looking down at us.

“...”

There’s nothing I can do.

It’s probably a symbol.

A symbol hinting at the fate of this country.

The Republic of Korea is over.

It was over long ago, but the monster is mocking us, pretending to be a coincidence, trying to destroy its soul and roots.

There’s nothing I can do in this situation.

As I tried to move toward the exit, ignoring it,

“Wait. Mr. Park Gyu Hunter.”

Park Sang-min, who was supporting me, suddenly moved away and headed for the podium.

What is he doing?

Is he betraying me now?

Without a gun?

Or is he attacking the capsule to die with it?

Amidst various ominous speculations, Park Sang-min made a choice I never imagined.

“Yah!”

Park Sang-min, the former congressman, lifted the capsule in the center of the parliament.

“What are you doing?”

He staggered, carrying the grayish-white object weighing several kilograms, and moved step by step toward the exit of the parliament.

“It’s me, Park Sang-min.”

“Put it down and come back. I saved you, after all.”

“No, I have to. It’s on fire.”

“What?”

“Seeing you fight, I feel... I have to fight. I have to stand up and fight.”

“Do you want to die?”

“If I move this! I can come back here too!”

Sometimes I think:

The most terrifying aspect of destruction isn’t the destruction itself but the decay of the human heart within it.

I’ve seen destruction many times, but its form varies from person to person.

Some people’s destruction is ugly, while others’ are noble and beautiful.

Unlike the powerless congressmen I saw in the corridors of the parliament, Park Sang-min strongly demonstrated his will to defend the constitution.

A congressman is trying to drive out the force that is literally destroying the parliament to maintain his position.

He was as sincere in his election activities as in his legislative work.

“Film this. You have a phone, right?”

“No, the battery is dead.”

Park Sang-min put down the capsule and suddenly took out his phone and threw it to me.

“What is this?”

“Didn’t you come to support my campaign? Stick to your job. My election activities start now!”

He spoke so confidently that I forgot the pain of my wound and took out the phone to frame Park Sang-min, who was struggling to move the capsule.

Thud!

Park Sang-min, moving with great effort, spoke with a slurred voice, as if biting his tongue.

“I’m going to walk on my own! Fuck, it’s so hard. I feel like my back is going to break, but this is the real start of Park Sang-min!”

Thud!

“As a son who walks on his own, not a ball thrown by my mother.”

I watched silently.

Watching is all I can do.

It’s his choice, and it’s for him.

I did cheer for him a little.

“There’s the Han River. As a representative of the people, I’ll throw this thing in there!”

One of Park Sang-min’s feet stepped outside the parliament.

“Now, I’m about to expel the villain who disrupts the constitutional order from the sacred parliament. Close-up, please!”

As I zoomed in, Park Sang-min’s smiling face filled the frame first.

It was a smile that gave a sense of freedom.

Different from the awkward smile he made next to the orphanage child.

But suddenly, a white noise burst out, covering his forced smile.

The capsule exploded.

“...This is the last image of your son.”

Park Sang-min’s mother said nothing.

She only stared at her son’s back, struggling to carry the capsule out of the parliament, with the same fierce and strong eyes she couldn’t pass on to her son.

A tank arrived, and she left.

In the darkness, the crazy woman I saw earlier was approaching the old lady.

*Unfortunately for Park Sang-min, the election never happened.

The anger that had been vented online spilled into reality.

Hundreds of thousands of people gathered at the government complex to protest the current situation.

All schedules were canceled, and the military blocked the crowd, aiming their guns.

“So, what happened to Park Sang-min? Did he die? The monster? Did you kill it?”

Defender, who was listening to the story, casually asked through the communicator.

“Tell me quickly. Skeleton.”

His brother also showed strong interest.

“Hmm, how should I put it.”

I gathered my thoughts and calmly told my neighbor the last thing I remembered.

“So, the ruined National Assembly was taken over by a small monster called the Spider Type.

The Spider Type is a standard monster, a typical example of a settled-type monster, but the one that took over the parliament had a distinct difference from other individuals.

It had horns, and a person was either impaled or stuck to the horns, like an accessory.

A few coincidences and misfortunes combined to preserve a man like a figurehead on the prow of a ship, impaled on the monster’s horns.

I remember the last image of Park Sang-min, a man, inside the parliament where the roof was broken, revealing the sky.

With his eyes open, Park Sang-min was frozen on the horns, and the monster’s mouth opened, spewing out small spiders to fill the empty parliament.

So, Park Sang-min, now a man who has become the parliament itself, is sending out congressmen, repeating votes and rejections, reenacting the chaos before the war.

“...Now, he has eight legs.”