It''s a worse situation to go for support without sufficient power; it''s better not to go at all.

    When offering support, you should always go in with overwhelming strength. Otherwise, instead of helping your trapped allies, you''ll only hold them back.

    Given the current circumstances, it''s impossible to gather enough power.

    Unless I could pull off a trick like Sun Wukong and use my hair to create clones, right now it’s just me. I could call on Valentine, but an untrained fighter would be more of a liability in a monster battle than a help.

    As a backup, I kept communication open, trying to gather as much detailed information as I could.

    "We''re dealing with five new types and a number of zombies. The zombies aren’t much of a problem, but the new types are resistant to bullets. No matter how many times we knock them down, they rise again, spewing black smoke."

    "It''s at the old wedding hall. Do you know the Sky Temple wedding hall?"

    "Our team leader has suffered a major bite. It’s not a full amputation, but the thigh wound is bleeding heavily. We''ve managed to stop the bleeding for now, but the cold is rapidly lowering his body temperature. We’ve called for a helicopter, but with the low temperature, it’s taking a while to get it off the ground."

    "The situation is somewhat stable for now. We heard that they can’t climb slopes, so we’ve built a makeshift ramp with the stairs and are holding out."

    The person handling the communication on the other side wasn''t an Awakened, but a soldier who introduced himself as Sergeant Kim.

    Even amidst the gunfire and chaos, his calm voice made it clear he was someone experienced in frontline combat.

    He added, "Oh, and about that white grub... anyone killed by it turns into a zombie."

    "Is that true?"

    "Yeah, my colleague is down there right now, and he''s trying to kill us with the monsters."

    As we continued the exchange, the gunshots grew louder.

    Beyond the pale street, the wedding hall building loomed.

    It used to be a high-end wedding venue popular with the wealthy.

    I remember it because Kim Daram had mentioned wanting to get married there many times.

    In the end, she ended up getting married at a hotel venue slightly lower in status than that one.

    "What’s the situation now?"

    I checked the area around the wedding hall.

    "Still the same. We''re surrounded, and they’re trying to kill us."

    "How much ammo do you have left?"

    "I have one magazine. The others are probably in the same situation."

    "Understood. Hang in there for a little longer."@@@@

    "Where are you now?"

    "I''m in front of the wedding hall, but I have something I need to check."

    "But the situation..."

    "I can’t fix it alone. I’m looking for another way."

    "Another way?"

    Just then, I heard a voice through the speaker.

    It was Song Yoo-jin.

    For some reason, hearing her voice lifted my spirits a little.

    I hadn’t heard any news of her death, but confirming she was alive felt like a different kind of relief.

    "It won’t take long."

    "Understood."

    I ended the communication and surveyed the surroundings.

    The street was blanketed in snow, and there was no sign of life in the frozen city.

    Without the occasional gunshots from the wedding hall, it might’ve been an ordinary scene I would’ve passed by.

    I looked at the buildings.

    I needed a building that was tall, in good condition, easy to observe from the rooftop, and no higher than ten stories.

    I spotted a ten-story building with a faded sign reading “Rehabilitation Academy” and "Medical Department."

    I walked inside, and the foul stench of decaying corpses immediately assaulted my senses.

    The smell of rotting bodies is awful.

    Even in this freezing cold, the remnants linger heavily in the air, which only emphasizes how long the bodies had been there.

    I hurried up the emergency stairs to the rooftop.

    There were some blocked areas, but—

    Bang!

    With the gun in my hand, nothing would block my path.

    Around the 8th floor, the stench of decay grew unbearably strong, and as expected, a mummified corpse''s arm stuck out from the emergency exit in the open hallway.

    What happened to them or what killed them isn’t important.

    Bang!

    I kicked open the last door, and a bitter cold wind hit me.

    The hand warmer in my chest pocket had lost its heat.

    I swapped it out for a new one, then stood by the rooftop railing, scanning the area.

    From up here, I could see a lot.

    The tallest building behind me was a 25-story officetel, but that’s too tall.

    I had chosen a ten-story building because buildings under ten stories usually have fire escapes.

    Luckily, this building had one on the rooftop.

    Probably because it was an academy building, the owner must’ve taken extra care.

    I lightly hung from it.

    Swish!

    Crack!

    Two down.

    "Kiieeeek!!!"

    There''s no need to count the numbers.

    Considering what I''m doing is more of a task than a hunt.

    For the first time in a while, my axes danced happily.

    My axes are not ordinary axes.

    People often say that my axes are made of titanium, but in fact, they are custom-made killing tools forged from "Super Steel," the highest-grade steel.

    Impressed by my results, the National Crisis Management Committee (Gukwiwon) promised to make me a weapon, and in response, this custom equipment was born.

    The manufacturer is from Austria, and before starting production, they asked whether I wanted to prioritize cutting power or durability.

    My mentor, Jang Ki-young, recommended cutting power, but I chose durability.

    Because I thought durability would kill more in the end.

    Crack!

    It was an excellent choice.

    Now, there was only one thing left.

    Boom!

    The monster leader causing the shockwaves was right in front of me.

    I didn''t think I''d need a gun.

    From the way my entire body tingled as if every cell were waking up, it seemed like I had already entered the minimum distance of its reflective shield.

    "Park Gyu, Hunter!"

    Sergeant Kim called for help again.

    It felt like they were calling me excessively, but judging by the sounds, it seemed really urgent.

    It was likely an "overrun" situation, almost at the point of collapse.

    "We''re out of ammunition!"

    To me, what they lacked wasn''t ammunition, but hope.

    I calmly turned the corner and spoke into the radio.

    "I found their leader."

    "The leader?"

    "Yes. Hold on just a little longer. It won''t take long."

    "But!"

    "Didn''t my disciple tell you about me?"

    "..."

    No further response came.

    Instead, the sound of gunfire filled the air, drowning out the words about running out of ammo.

    I turned the remaining corner, hearing gunshots both from the speaker and the wedding hall.

    Boom! Boom! Boom!

    The monster was in front of me.

    But it felt completely different from the ones I''d seen before.

    When I looked at it as a whole, it was rounded.

    There were no other visible organs or structures.

    For some unknown reason, it hovered in the air like a necromancer, but that was all.

    The new monster I saw had a whitish, grotesque body made of raw flesh.

    And...

    Boom!

    Each time it generated a shockwave, parts of its white flesh seemed to be sucked into the air and disappear.

    "...So this was the mechanism."

    I stared at it.

    There was no malice, no aggression.

    Despite being right next to me, it didn''t take any defensive actions.

    It simply generated shockwaves, supplying its flesh in the form of black mist to another monster.

    Out of all the monsters I''ve seen, this was the first time encountering such a type.

    It was neither a necromancer imitating humans, nor a spider or dancer type mimicking insects or animals—this was a pure, malicious imitation.

    There was no trace of any such mimicry.

    It just kept generating shockwaves, constantly supplying its flesh to its inferior kin.

    It had no combat ability, and not even the smallest trace of intelligence.

    Its horrifying dedication to one function alone made me feel a sense of fear, a feeling I hadn''t experienced in a long time.

    Yes.

    This is our enemy.

    This is the true face of the enemy trying to destroy our world and kill us.

    Not the internet’s monster, but the one we have to face head-on, the true enemy of humanity.

    Not wanting it to be for internet use, but as a teaching tool for my juniors, I quickly took a short video of the creature on my phone, then drew my axe.