Chapter 24

I stumbled a bit when I accidentally tripped over a rock, but I still managed to arrive before it got too late.

Sure, I was covered in blood… but I didn’t think I was the lowest-level Hunter out there. My injuries were a hell of a lot better than when I saw Lee Si-yoon last time.

Of course, the only reason I looked decent was that my face wasn’t completely shredded and my limbs were somewhat intact. Leave it like this, though, and I’d be dead in no time. Even if I doused myself with holy water, who knows if it would even help.

Slowly, a light began to shine down from the sky, enveloping me.

…Alright, alright.

I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing in this situation.

I placed my hands on the injured person and closed my eyes.

…Anyway, even if I didn’t ask for help, Saint Power would start flowing out automatically.

You’re that kind of thing. Not that you’ve ever made me “eat dirt” like that before. If I were to get all arrogant and start parading around as the Saint, who knows what would happen then, but at least up until now, you’ve played nice.

I wasn’t the only one running towards the injured person.

It was only natural for surprised voices to spring up around as they saw the blinding light. Among them were shrieks that sounded like women. I couldn’t tell who it was since they came from far behind—but—

Then, I heard something a bit different from the screams of people.

Was that the sound of a beast? No, it felt a bit different. A chilling sound, unlike anything I’d ever heard from wild animals before.

—A monkey?

Just then, I wondered if it sounded similar to the cries of an ape—

But the human screams returned. Both men’s and women’s voices mixed together. And again, those red things came flying from beyond the Gate.

The beings crashing down made heavy sounds and were part human and part something else.

And among them were pieces of what looked like animal hides. They resembled the fur of a cat-like beast, looking a lot like a tiger or lion.

But they were enormous.

What had Ria said when she was coming here?

Something about thinking of a bear the size of an elephant?

…That thing wouldn’t be elephant-sized, but it looked to be at least the size of a rhino—

“…No.”

I quickly shook my head. As I stood up again, I lost my balance for a moment.

Then I leapt forward.

Towards the nearest fallen red figure.

“…Ah.”

…This person had no chance. They were in a state where survival was impossible.

Next to the red light.

That was part of a person. With just one leg, I could do nothing with my Saint Power.

Next—

“……”

As I tried to get up, someone grabbed my arm.

Just like earlier, my body spun around again.

It was Ria, looking much angrier than when I spoke to Lee Si-yoon.

“Where do you think you’re going—”

I pointed with my finger instead of answering. Not to some halfway point, but to the next person who had turned completely red.

Ria was at a loss for words, watching my actions.

She already had a knife in one hand, but she hadn’t managed to put on her armor. Which was understandable since she had just been in her nun’s robes a moment ago.

Her veil had long since fallen from Ria’s head.

Noticing unconsciously, I raised my hand and found I had no veil either.

“Wait, wait a moment…!”

Sophie called out as she rushed towards me. There were knights nearby. Some looked at Sophie and seemed to be debating whether to pull back with her.

“Sister, that’s closer to the Gate!”

From the panic, it seemed her personality still resembled that of a proper Saint candidate.

Well, one other candidate around here who never crossed paths with me might feel the same, but regardless, one of the two would have to become a Saint if I wasn’t around. At least they should have the bare minimum awareness.

No, actually, it was mentioned that there were quite a few, right? There were reportedly two others nearby, so it wouldn’t be surprising if there were about a hundred nationwide.

“That way, Sister.”

I pointed in the opposite direction to where I was heading.

“You go that way.”

“Huh?”

“There are a lot of injured people.”

I just said that and looked back at Ria.

“…Kuh.”

Ria wiped her face and let go of my hand.

“Wait here. If anything happens, hide behind the Hunters. I’ll be back in a moment.”

“Got it.”

Ria dashed off quickly, and I ran towards the injured people.

I knelt, practically sliding to the ground, barely confirming that one person was still alive before pouring out my Saint Power.

People were pouring out of the building. The lower-ranked Hunters who had been kept back briefly, along with the Hunters being treated for injuries. Priests who had tended to the people inside.

From the few knights coming out, it seemed one of the other Saint candidates had been tending to people inside.

I raised my hand towards the incoming Hunters and shouted,

“Gather the injured! Over this way, quickly!”

The Hunters, trained to move as efficiently as possible in such situations, responded to my call and quickly dispersed in all directions. The priests scattered towards the running Hunters. If they weren’t on the verge of dying, they should be able to at least staunch some bleeding with the holy water and Saint Power they had.

As I confirmed that the person I had treated was still breathing and struggled to rise, I stumbled slightly.

“Kuh.”

In a moment where efficiency was vital, I tried to boost my own efficiency, but the output of Saint Power didn’t seem sustainable enough to be used so efficiently—

“—————!”

Once again, a chilling scream echoed in my ears.

I, and everyone with me—by instinct, turned our heads towards the sound.

The Gate looked as if it was covered in a thin sheen of silver. The surface shimmered as it caught the light, and to my recollection, when one actually touched it, it rippled like a liquid surface.

And that gate’s surface was violently churning.

Bang!

Something hit with a loud sound,

“Damn it!”

Someone shouted in exasperation.

Then, something came flying from beyond the Gate. It was some kind of equipment I had never seen before. If I had to compare it, it looked like a massive communication device you might find at a military base in a war movie, and somehow, it came hurtling towards me as if it had been kicked from inside the Gate.

Out of sheer stupidity, I threw myself over the patient.

Did I think my body would help the patient stay safe? Who knows—

But just before it could hit me, it tore in half.

Bang!

It skidded across the ground, creating a V-shape between the patient and me.

“…Hah.”

As I exhaled at the sight, I looked up and froze at the sight of someone.

“……”

Ria.

Ria gripped a sword with one hand and held my shield in the other.

There was so much I wanted to say, but Ria didn’t bother to vocalize any of it.

“…Well, I guess it’s partly my fault.”

Ria mumbled that for some reason and lowered the shield in front of me.

“I didn’t bring a gun. But… remember? How to protect yourself with the shield? I can’t stop what’s beyond the Gate, but—”

“At least it can block falling debris. Thanks, Ria.”

“…It’s only because you’re my knight.”

Ria closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then exhaled before opening her mouth again.

“So, where are you headed?”

“For now—”

“Sister!”

Someone called out to me.

Turning my head, it was Lee Si-yoon along with the other Hunters, pulling the injured as far from the Gate as possible.

“For now, let’s go that way.”

As I got to my feet, the other Hunters rushed towards us, dragging the unconscious patients along.

“————!”

Just as we started running, something screamed again.

Thud.

This time, the earth shook.

Again, I glanced towards the Gate. And I almost stopped dead in my tracks.

What was coming out from there was a giant. No, perhaps it wasn’t quite human. It looked more like a monkey.

A grotesque creature that had skin sewn together from tiger hides, bigger than anything we knew, was wearing something like a makeshift tiger face on its head.

Something that seemed capable of snatching a person’s waist in one hand to take a bite was struggling to twist its body out from the Gate.

“Oh my God, a second-tier Hunter…!”

Someone muttered as they took in what was in its grip.

That remark sent a chill down my spine.

They say that first-tier Hunters are on par with heroes, but that doesn’t mean second-tier Hunters are weak. From tier three onward, it’s not surprising to hear they’re not even human anymore.

…

Without thinking, I turned to glance at Lee Si-yoon.

How the hell did he survive in a situation like this…?

No, wait.

There was still a glimmer of hope.

The tiger skins were torn in places, and blood seeped through. At the very least, that thing wasn’t a monster. If that’s the case—

Bang—!

The monster let out another tremor-inducing scream.

“Do you think we’ll just let it go like that!?”

That booming voice rang out from inside the Gate.

Right, there’s still a first-tier Hunter inside. Even with victims making their way out, it was still possible to stop this situation.

“Ria!”

“Uh, yeah…!”

When I called, Ria jumped, surprised, and followed after me.

I dashed towards the blood-soaked patient, the scent of blood thick in the air.

It wasn’t our job to face that thing.

At least, it wasn’t something I could handle.

So, for now, I needed to save the people in front of me.

Without even brushing away the light that was falling above me, I focused solely on that thought.