Yonghoon looked out the window. Below, he could see shopping complexes and, in the distance, an apartment complex.
He turned his head and looked around the house. Aside from the basic setup, the atmosphere was bleak. Thankfully, since it was an officetel, it came equipped with things like a washing machine.
It was his new home. Though it was a rented officetel, it was much bigger and better than his previous semi-basement.
He had ended up spending quite a bit of money to get this place.
Ever since the monsters appeared, prices had been skyrocketing without end.
Home prices, especially for higher floors in tall buildings, were rising steeply. It was because monsters had a hard time reaching the upper levels.
As a result, single-family homes and low-rise houses had hit rock-bottom prices, but no one was buying them.
The country had already entered a depression worse than the IMF crisis. Factories and companies shut down by monsters, and the occasional monster attacks on roads, had severely disrupted logistics.
On top of that, the appearance of E-Rank monsters had made people even more anxious.
Fortunately, the Korean branch of the Link System Company now had five E-Rank Awakened. The number had grown thanks to people leveling up through hunting.
Thanks to that, an E-Rank Awakened team had been formed, allowing them to go around dealing with E-Rank monsters.
While it seemed like the Awakened from the Link System Company were taking care of E-Rank monsters one by one, a single E-Rank team had its limits.
Yonghoon rolled on the floor. As he had confirmed before, the soundproofing seemed fine.
He began assembling the triangular pyramid again. The previous structure had been left at the hardware store during the move, so he had built a new one.
This time, the hardware store had helped him, so he could tightly secure the rods with bolts and nuts. It allowed for more stable training.
He took out four F-Rank Dimensional Cores and set them at each corner. These were cores he had obtained through solo hunts outside of team hunts.
Although the effect had diminished due to his level increasing, it was still better than doing nothing.
The rate at which higher-level monsters were appearing was too fast. If the Link System Company hadn’t prepared, the world would’ve already turned into chaos.
He had to grow as quickly as possible. If he delayed, he might not be able to keep up with the monsters’ emergence.
Yonghoon sat cross-legged inside the structure. He focused his mind.
The space in front of him began to ripple.
And soon, a hole appeared in the stabilized space.
Yonghoon raised his hand while concentrating. He injected Dimensional Power into his hand.
His hand began to glow white.
Thud!
It happened then.
The hole in space suddenly vanished.
But Yonghoon’s expression remained calm. He had seen this sight dozens of times already.
Other Linkers used two separate minds to activate each of their abilities. But Yonghoon could use two abilities with a single mind.
So he thought that maybe he could use both abilities at the same time.
Moreover, his spatial ability needed to be used in tandem with his strike-type ability in order to attack monsters from other dimensions across spatial boundaries.
But no matter how many times he tried, when he activated one ability, the other would cancel out.
Yonghoon wasn’t disappointed at all. It had only been a few dozen tries. If dozens didn’t work, he’d try hundreds. If hundreds didn’t work, he’d try thousands.
He had once been stuck at his limit level for seven years. But even then, he didn’t give up. And eventually, he surpassed that limit.
He had no intention of giving up this time either.
He focused his mind once more. The space before his eyes began to ripple.
“Welcome.”
Sunhee waved with a bright smile. Seeing her, Yonghoon gave a wry smile. Every time he saw her smile, he was reminded that she was a different person.
This Sunhee was a woman who had grown up without experiencing the scars of war. She was different from his lover, who had lost her parents to monsters in high school and fought through the tides of war.
Watching Sunhee’s bright smile made Yonghoon miss his expressionless lover even more.
A week had passed since the team members were injured. And today was the first day Yonghoon was going on a hunt as an official member of the team.
In front of Yonghoon, the team members had gathered.
There was Sunhee, who had just greeted him, a female college student named Jimin who was on a leave of absence, a man in his 30s named Jeon Kangwoo who adjusted his glasses, and lastly, the team leader Han.
Out of the original seven members, three had left and Yonghoon had joined, making it a five-person team.
“We were about to call in a mercenary since the team felt a bit small, but Mr. Yonghoon said he’d take responsibility, so we’re going with this group. You’re really taking responsibility, right?”
Team leader Han looked a bit worried. Even when there had been eight people including Yonghoon, there had been an accident. It was natural to be concerned.
Yonghoon nodded. It might be a bit tough, but he was determined to ensure their safety.
“Mm. Still, I’m relieved. I’ve been feeling suffocated like I couldn’t even breathe, but now I feel a bit more at ease.”
Jimin whispered softly to Sunhee in the car. She had seemed quite introverted before, probably because she had felt overwhelmed.
The minibus driven by the team leader was speeding down the highway. It was using the bus-only lane. The law had been revised to allow hunting vehicles to use the bus lane regardless of the number of passengers.
Thanks to that, they could move quickly even on a congested highway.
But the number of cars on the highway had drastically decreased. No one would go on a trip during such dangerous times. All the cars were either for work or cargo transport. Those with money tried their best to travel by plane.
Still, the highway often got blocked. Sometimes monsters would attack cars on the road.
The government hired Awakened to keep the transport routes open, but manpower was lacking, so it wasn’t easy.
Luckily, the road seemed clear today.
The group arrived at the hunting site without any incident.
The minibus arrived at Korea’s largest amusement park in Yongin. The once-crowded parking lot was now completely empty.
The group got off the bus and stretched.
Looking around, Jimin asked the team leader a question.
“Um. But isn’t there a rumor that there are monsters in this amusement park?”
The team leader nodded at Jimin’s words.
“Well, at this point, is there really a need to take down the monster? It’s not like anyone’s going to visit an amusement park during times like this.”
At Jimin’s words, the team leader broke into a cold sweat.
“Well, you’re right, Jimin, but every company has its own circumstances. As long as we get paid, that’s all that matters for us.”
At the team leader’s words, Jimin nodded enthusiastically.
All she cared about was getting the request fee.
“How much was it again?”
“Two hundred million won to deal with the monsters inside the amusement park.”
“Wow!”
Jimin let out a quiet cheer. The others also looked pleased at the large amount.
But Yonghoon frowned. If it was expensive, there was always a reason.
The Awakened were prioritizing the monsters in the cities first. The locations were closer, and the fees were higher. No one wanted to travel far anymore.
Because of that, monsters in the mountains across the country were being completely neglected. No one knew how many monsters were in the mountains nationwide.
But Korea was still relatively better off. Many countries that hadn’t prepared for monsters were now in anarchy or civil war.
Thanks to that, the global economy was barely hanging on, propped up by the top developed nations.
Most agreed that even that wouldn’t last much longer. But with no alternatives, people had no choice but to keep living.
But since team leader Han’s team lacked recognition, they were pushed aside and forced to go on distant expeditions.
“Alright, let’s go!”
Kangwoo shouted loudly and moved forward. The women chuckled and followed him. Then team leader Han and Yonghoon followed behind.
In the car, Yonghoon asked about the others’ Dimensional Powers.
Jimin was shy and didn’t want to talk, but since they were on the same team, Yonghoon was able to hear everyone’s Dimensional Powers.
Of course, they asked Yonghoon in return, but he deflected by saying he’d tell them after the hunt.
This team had gone on three hunts so far. The men had consistently participated in combat, so they were fine, but the women had only fought monsters during the last hunt, so their Dimensional Powers were still extremely low.
Yonghoon reaffirmed to himself that he’d have to push the team hard.
The group marched forward energetically. Watching them from behind, Yonghoon checked his smart watch. It was about time the detector started picking up monsters.
A little while later, when they reached a point where the main gate was barely visible, Yonghoon shouted to the group.
“Hold on a second!”
Startled, the group turned to look at Yonghoon.
“Everyone, check your detectors!”
At Yonghoon’s words, everyone checked their smart watches. Their eyes widened.
At least ten red dots were visible throughout the amusement park.
A heated debate soon broke out among the group.
“We should go back. There are too many. We can’t handle this with our numbers.”
Sunhee offered the most reasonable opinion.
“Um, then how about we take them down one at a time? They’re pretty far apart.”
Jimin offered a counterargument.
“I think it’s a bit dangerous too.”
Kangwoo cautiously voiced his concern, and team leader Han fell into deep thought. He seemed like he wanted to hunt but couldn’t say it due to opposition.
Sunhee turned to look at Yonghoon.
“What do you think, Yonghoon?”
The others also turned to look at Yonghoon.
“I think it’s worth a try. Let’s hunt.”
As soon as Yonghoon finished speaking, team leader Han also agreed to the hunt, and the group entered the amusement park.
Even as they went inside, Sunhee looked worried.
“If the other monsters hear the fighting and swarm us, it could be dangerous……”
Yonghoon agreed with Sunhee’s concern.
Of course, fighting would naturally attract others. But that didn’t mean they could always retreat.
Yonghoon shut his mouth tightly and followed the group.
After passing through the entrance, the group stepped into the empty amusement park. The grand buildings and the rides in the back all looked desolate.
Team leader Han checked his smart watch and led the group toward the rides. One red dot was isolated there.
A moment later, they saw a monster clawing at the entrance of a massive Viking ride in the corner.
“Hyena-type.”
Yonghoon muttered as he looked at the monster. It was a hyena larger than a wolf. Its fur shimmered with a green glow as it swayed.
Fortunately, the group sighed in relief upon seeing the monster was alone.
Team leader Han gestured to assign everyone’s positions.
He took the lead, with Jimin and Kangwoo following behind.
At first, they tried to keep Sunhee in the back, but due to Yonghoon’s strong objection, she ended up joining the fight.
And as before, Yonghoon decided to help if the group got into danger.
While the group took their positions, the hyena seemed to get irritated and tore off the metal entrance door with its mouth.
Crunch!
The metal entrance door was ripped off straight into the hyena monster’s mouth.
The approaching members became more tense. It was a considerably strong monster. If it bit them, there would be no way to come out unscathed.
The hyena spat out the metal piece, seemingly finding it tasteless, and soon noticed the approaching group.
The hyena growled at them, and the group charged toward it.
The battle between the group and the hyena monster began.
Surprisingly, the four-person combo worked excellently.
Whenever the hyena tried to bite, team leader Han would punch it at the right moment, and Jimin and Kangwoo would spring out from the sides to attack it.
With each of their attacks, the hyena’s body became more and more bloodied.
Their movements flowed smoothly, like the turning of a wheel.
But the one who shined the most unexpectedly was Sunhee.
She knew her attacks didn’t do much damage to the hyena. So she focused on using her stealthy and unpredictable movements to distract its attention.
She appeared at unexpected times and places, digging into the hyena’s wounds and throwing its mind into disarray.
While the group was fiercely fighting the hyena, Yonghoon looked at his smart watch from behind them.
As expected, the nearby ones were being drawn by the sound of battle.
Yonghoon unzipped his bag.
A moment later, the hyena collapsed at the hands of the group.
“Ack! I’m sorry.”
Jimin shouted in joy but quickly covered her mouth in surprise at Sunhee’s warning. They were still surrounded by monsters. Her shout might attract them.
Team leader Han immediately checked his smart watch. His eyes widened. A cluster of red dots was gathering behind them.
He quickly turned around. The others followed his gaze.
And they saw beams of light cutting through the sky and blood splattering in all directions.
‘Three.’
Yonghoon counted silently as he pulled his spear from the hyena’s neck. Two left now.
The remaining two hyenas seemed to be slowly backing away.
But Yonghoon had no intention of letting them go. Even if they retreated now, they were the type to regroup and attack again.
Before they could flee, Yonghoon lunged forward. His spear sliced through the air.
After finishing off the last one, Yonghoon turned his head and looked at the group. They were all staring at him in a daze.
Finally, Sunhee stammered and spoke.
“Um, seeing that your weapon glows… it doesn’t seem like it’s F-Rank.”
Sunhee gulped as she spoke.
“It’s E-Rank.”
Yonghoon replied casually. He had planned to tell them after the hunt anyway. Since they’d be hunting together, he couldn’t keep it a secret.
“As I mentioned before, I’ll be keeping the profit from the ones I kill. Now, let’s head to the next one. Looks like there’s another one nearby.”
Yonghoon picked up his spear and started walking down the path.
The others, who had been staring blankly at Yonghoon, followed after him.