Chương 105: THE FINAL EVALUATION (8)

"You are still connected to the party, Master," Mimi's voice buzzed in his mind.

"Would you like me to locate your party members using your party system?" Yeah. And create a golden line to show me the path.

"Locating your party members… Location confirmed. 361 meters, 317 degrees. Creating golden tracking line…" A thin, glowing golden line formed before his eyes, guiding him in the exact direction.

"Alright," he murmured, instantly turning on his heel. He shot forward following the line. As he crossed the threshold of the clearing and entered the forest- He activated 'Stealth'. His presence dampened sharply under the fog and shadows, like a moving ghost among the trees. What's their current status?

"All are alive, Master. Nobody is lethally injured at this moment." A short sigh of relief escaped him, disguised under his running gasps. It means that bastard hasn't made his move yet. But I've to hurry. Good. Keep giving me constant updates and inform me the moment you detect something irregular.

"Understood, Master." Jimin kept running. But soon after he crossed a hundred meters-"Warning. Human detected ahead. Not a party member," Mimi's voice buzzed in his mind with sharp urgency.

"Distance: 142 meters. 48 degrees from your current path." A distinct, bleeding red tracking line suddenly appeared, flowing to his left. Jimin immediately dug his heels into the dirt, stopping dead in his tracks. Without wasting a moment, he activated 'Hawkeye', forcing his vision to pierce through the dense mist. But the overlapping trees heavily obstructed his view, leaving him staring at nothing but barks and leaves.

"Tch," he clicked his tongue. Confusion quickly welled up in his chest. The assassin and his group should have been near his party by now. But that direction pointed somewhere deep in the forest. Why would they be in that direction? Then, it clicked him. The portal user! It made perfect sense to him that the portal user would hide somewhere safe at a distance, given if he wasn't a combatant. Until now, Jimin was worried about the portal user but had no special plan for him.

But knowing that the portal user was probably isolated, it completely changed his plans. I need to go for the portal user first. Though his heart screamed at him to hurry toward his endangered party, leaving the portal user untouched was a huge risk. That portal user can interfere mid-fight. And even if I manage to injure his group, he can help his group escape. Or worse… Escape the Rift entirely. But that means me and my party might become their permanent targets. We won't be safe, even if we manage to escape.

Jimin's expression turned ice cold. Killing him is the first priority. He immediately bolted, following the crimson red line.

Meanwhile, outside- A heavy, black armored van rolled aggressively through a wide street in Gangnam. Painted sharply across its side panels was the acronym 'E. R. R. T.', stamped right next to the official emblem of the Hunter Association. Beneath the emblem, the words 'Emergency Rift Rescue Taskforce' were printed in a much smaller, faded text. Inside the vehicle, Ryu Seong-ho sat in silence, along with two rows of operatives wearing identical, black tactical gear. The air felt heavy and suffocating.

But Seong-ho's face wore a complicated expression, a mix of anger and worry. As soon as he had received the news, he contacted the Association for emergency rescue support. But the Association was somewhat reluctant to move, given the current circumstances and naturally so. It was considered almost impossible to escape a Corrupted Rift. Seong-ho knew that. Yet he chose to believe in the almost. There had been a handful of survivors throughout Rift history, after all.

But they had all been seasoned, battle-hardened, high-rank Rifters. Not novices taking their final evaluation. Seong-ho had practically been forced to use his influence and connections to get the E. R. R. T. squad dispatched. He had even ordered them to pick him up directly from the school gates to avoid any delays. He didn't know why he was pushing himself this far. He just couldn't ignore the gut feeling screaming that this particular party could survive. Or perhaps… One particular person inside it.

Fate shouldn't be this cruel. Then- SCREECH! The driver suddenly hit the brakes, the armored van slowly coming to a halt. Seong-ho's patience snapped instantly.

"Why did you stop?" he shouted, his gravelly voice echoing in the tight cabin.

"We are not there yet!" The shaft at the front slid open with a sharp click.

"Sir, there's heavy traffic ahead," the driver said, glancing back through it. Seong-ho immediately looked through the shaft, seeing long lines of cars ahead.

"What?" he muttered in a confused tone. This road shouldn't have traffic like this at this hour… His eyes narrowed, as his decades long experience as a Rifter suddenly clicked. Something feels off.

"I'll go ahead and take a look," he said to the driver.

"If the traffic clears, pick me up ahead."

"Yes, sir!" the driver complied. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. Seong-ho slammed the door open, stepped out and immediately rushed toward the heart of the traffic.

A few minutes ago- The upscale street in Gangnam was peaceful, as cars glided down the road and citizens strolled along the wide sidewalks. It was an ordinary day, just short of noon. Min Kang-eun strolled along the sidewalk, as a warm cup of coffee rested in his hand. As he passed an appliance store, his gaze naturally locked onto a massive flat-screen TV glowing behind the display window. The news anchors were speaking fast, displaying chaotic live feeds of the monster wave pressing against the Paju border.

Not a single boring day in this country, huh? Kang-eun let out a quiet sigh before taking a slow sip of his coffee. Well, as long as the frontline keeps them from crossing into the city, we'll be fine. He turned away from the glass, continuing his stroll. Then- CRASH! Suddenly, a faint noise of clashing metal and human screams came from ahead. Every pedestrian's steps slowed down, their eyes locked straight ahead. It was a big straight street with a single left turn at its end.

Naturally, nobody could see what was happening. So, everyone's first guess was a road accident. But within a few moments- The noises intensified. The screams and the terrifying screech of breaking metal and shattering concrete erupted, much louder than before. Every car came to a halt. Every pedestrian, including Kang-eun, froze dead in their tracks. Their bodies stiffened instantly.

To everyone's surprise, a crowd of terrified people rushed in from the left street corner ahead, running toward them, as if they were blindly running for their lives. But even before the pedestrians could fully grasp that- THUD! A massive black wolf-like monster leaped into view behind them, with terrifying speed and agility. It was almost double the size of an adult human. Before the fleeing crowd could even scatter, the beast snapped its jaw shut, instantly crushing the head of a fleeing man.

The wolf's bloodshot, crimson eyes slowly drifted upward, locking onto the frozen onlookers down the street. Thick, hot saliva mixed with fresh blood dripped from its bare fangs. The next moment, eight more wolves leaped out of the same corner, landing heavily on the roofs of parked cars. Kang-eun's eyes widened in sheer horror. The coffee cup slipped from his fingers, splashing onto the pavement. What the-"Aren't those D-Rank Direwolves!" a man down the sidewalk shrieked in absolute terror.

The scream snapped the onlookers back to reality.

"It's an outbreak!"

"Run!" Everyone turned on their heels, sprinting frantically in the opposite direction. Total panic tore through the whole avenue. People within the cars aggressively slammed their doors shut, ditching their vehicles in the middle of the road to join the panicked stampede on foot. The feral direwolves didn't hesitate. They lunged into the fleeing mass, treating the avenue like a slaughterhouse. They mauled, clawed, and tore through anyone within reach, denting car hoods under their heavy paws.

Some ripped into flesh out of hunger, others simply seemed to enjoy the chaos, playfully batting screaming citizens against buildings like toys. Kang-eun was trapped in the stampede, violently shoving past shoulders and getting ruthlessly pushed back by the terrified public. Everyone was running with everything they had, navigating through the tight gaps of abandoned cars and the crowded sidewalk. The air was thick with the stench of blood and burning rubber.

Kang-eun's lungs burned as absolute terror gripped his chest. Why is this happening here? Why now? He was just an ordinary citizen, completely powerless against monsters that could rip a grown man apart in a split second. A deep, paralyzing dread settled in his stomach, realizing how close he was to death. But suddenly-"Mommy!" A faint, high-pitched scream cut through the chaos. A little girl, no older than eight, had been separated from her mother by the rushing crowd. She tumbled hard onto the concrete.

The stampeding public stepped right over her, ignoring her small hands reaching upward.

"Min-ah!" a woman screamed from ten yards ahead. She tried to fight her way back through the wall of fleeing people, but the sheer momentum of the panicked crowd shoved her backward, sending her crashing hard to the ground. A few runners paused for a fraction of a second, but a deep growl from a closing wolf made them change their minds instantly, abandoning the child to save themselves. Kang-eun noticed them.

He was running for his own life as well, his heart hammering against his ribs, but the sight of the crying child beneath the stampeding crowd froze something inside him. He just couldn't bear to watch it. He had a daughter too. He couldn't leave her. Kang-eun could hear the frantic scratching of claws drawing closer behind him. He knew an ordinary civilian like him stood no real chance of outrunning these monsters. He wasn't going to survive this chase.

But as he looked at the terrified child, a fierce resolve cut through his despair. He briefly looked up high. If I'm going to die here anyway, at least let me do something meaningful before that. He immediately bolted toward the little girl. She was covered in deep bruises and bloody scratches, her small face pale as she cried. Kang-eun scooped her up into his arms, locking his grip around her and started to sprint again.

Most of the pack was currently occupied toying with the fallen, but one direwolf was still chasing. And inevitably, it caught up within seconds. SHHHK! Its heavy claws swept diagonally across his back. The raw force of the strike launched Kang-eun forward through the air. The little girl slipped from his faltering grasp, rolling onto the sidewalk pavement, while Kang-eun violently crashed against the back of a hatchback, sliding down onto the asphalt.

His shirt was completely soaked in blood, four jagged tears exposing the deep flesh wounds on his back. His body lay ruined on the ground, a strangled groan escaping his throat. Yet, the sheer adrenaline kept him from losing consciousness. Through his blurring vision, he watched the direwolf approaching slowly. He tried to move, but his left arm was fractured, and a sharp shard of shattered window glass was driven deep into his thigh. He was completely defenseless. Is this the end?

Though death was staring in his face, his thoughts shifted to his family. He had promised his wife he would call her back. He had promised his daughter he would bring back the specialty pastries she liked. The image of his family waiting for a phone call that might never come flashed before his eyes. But the beast slowed its pace, Its red eyes locking onto his, while its jaws pulled back into a sickening sneer. It was a terrifying, intelligent expression of pure malice.

The monster was actively smiling at his helplessness, savoring his despair. Instead of attacking, it completely ignored his ruined body, its foul snout pivoting toward the little girl. Its gaze settled on the unconscious little girl laying on the sidewalk. No! Kang-eun desperately tried to open his mouth, to shout, to draw the beast's attention back to himself, but due to his injuries he couldn't shout loud enough. He could only watch in absolute, paralyzing horror as his body refused to obey.

The direwolf loomed directly over the defenseless girl. It bared its razor-sharp teeth, its jaws unhinging as it was prepared to bite. CLINK! Out of nowhere, a sharp shard of shattered glass struck the direwolf right near his eye. The beast stopped mid-bite, its ears pinning back in sudden rage and irritation. Its red eyes narrowed as it slowly turned its attention right back to Kang-eun. It began to step toward him with a rumbling growl. Kang-eun slowly lowered his trembling right hand, closing his eyes.

Sorry, dear... Sorry, Yun-seo... The direwolf launched its massive frame toward him, its jaws wide. However- BOOM! A blinding flash of blue lightning tore through the air beside Kang-eun. The bolt struck the airborne direwolf head-on, blasting it backward into a parked car. Its howl faded into a dying groan. A lone figure stepped into Kang-eun's fading vision, blue lightning dancing around his boots. Without hesitation, he raised his arm. A blade of condensed lightning erupted from his reinforced gauntlet. Slash!

The direwolf's head hit the pavement. Kang-eun's vision began to fade. The last thing his fading consciousness registered was a head of bright blonde hair. Lee… Hyun-woo?! Hearing the dying howls of their packmate and catching the sharp scent of monster blood and burning fur, the remaining direwolves down the street stopped their mauling. They turned their heads in unison, their crimson eyes narrowing as they locked onto the sole teenager standing over the dead beast.

Hyun-woo didn't even look back at the unconscious man. He slowly raised his arm, lightning crackling around his gauntlet. His blue eyes narrowed, reflecting the raging pack. Today was supposed to be a break. Not a damn Outbreak!