Chapter 301

Chaos erupted nationwide.

It was insufficient to call it a riot, yet it was far too enormous to dismiss as a trivial matter.

Thus, the commotion that was happening took place on a national scale.

From Jeolla, Chungcheong, Gyeonggi, Gyeongsang, to Gangwon…

Literally, across the ‘entire nation’.

『Author: ㅇㅇ

Title: Haha, these days even pigs go hiking? Haha

(Photograph showing an encounter with an extraordinarily large wild boar)

Shit,

I’ve got to run so no questions, please.』

『HanaMaumHikingClubKimChunSik: If this guy is going to disappear from the forum, let’s give a thumbs down. Haha』

『HanaMaumClubKyungRi: Haha, looks like Gangwon Province. Beg for your life and offer all the potatoes you have while praying to survive. Haha』

『ㅇㅇ (46.182): What is this place? Shit, the mountains have all turned into hunting grounds, dammit.』

『Author: ㅇㅇ(46.182)

Title: Did someone open the seal to the gates of hell?

(Photo of a monstrous creature resembling a blend of a bird and a mermaid)

What the hell is this?

I can’t move because it looks like that thing will leap at me if I so much as show my back.

I want to post a proper warning before getting flagged, so please give me a thumbs down.』

『PossibleChung: Hmm…』

『ㅇㅇ(46.182): What’s with the ‘hmm’? Shit.』

『OneLoveHikingPresident: Hahaha,,, double thumbs down,,, delivered,,, hahaha』

Moreover, the larger issue was that this commotion was occurring in the mountains across the country.

Mountaineering has always been a fairly popular hobby among Koreans.

Partly due to the fact that most of the country’s terrain is mountainous but also because it offered an inexpensive way to experience nature and exercise. This made it extremely popular, attracting people of all ages, including plenty who would tag along out of obligation to a superior’s hobby rather than their own interest.

And that meant… countless individuals, without any thought, were heading to the mountains, only to come face-to-face with abominations like these.

These were people who’d thought they’d head out for a bit of exercise and relaxation – “a place with fresh air, a little sweat, and some mental peace” – and now, they were encountering these monsters without any weapons or preparation.

It was nothing short of a calamity.

“What the… What is that thing?”

“Manager! I don’t know what it is, but let’s go back down! This isn’t good!”

“Uh… Yeah, that’s a good idea. Let’s head down quickly.”

Groups that had gone to the mountain as a company excursion saw such horrors and fled back down in a panic.

“But… we need to go to the mountain lodge… what’s that thing?!”

The lodge manager was also unable to do his work due to the monsters blocking the path.

“Oh, my goodness! Look at that thing. Haven’t seen anything as grotesque in a while.”

“Yeah, but it’s like my wife when she’s furious. Looks exactly like her during a rage episode.”

“That’s because she had justification to be mad when you tricked her into buying a gaming console under the pretense of it being an air purifier.”

“But it wasn’t that expensive, so what?”

“Are you serious? The console by itself costs 2.5 million won—how is that not expensive?”

“Alright, alright. But if that’s the case, I’ve got to bring up how you piggybacked on your son’s gifts and bought heaps of limited-edition Lego sets.”

“I already told that story! And even if you combine the cost of those, how much could it be?”

“It adds up to over one million won! Does your wife know that?”

Meanwhile, people who were out hiking for leisure were also getting blocked by the monsters, preventing them from reaching the summit.

This was a relatively better situation though.

The worst-off were those on the opposite side of the mountain, who had to descend but couldn’t due to the monsters blocking their path.

“Oh no! What are we supposed to do? I just wanted to visit the temple, meditate a bit, and come back down!”

“Monk, why can’t we use scriptures to drive these things away? Can’t some chants work?”

“Hah, my friend, scriptures are not magic. No matter how much I chant, that beast isn’t just going to vanish. Please relax and wait. Someone will come and sort this out soon.”

The victims came from all sorts of backgrounds.

Visitors who went to a temple and were blocked from descending.

Monks who lived at the temples.

Mountain lodge staff and tourists.

Herbalists who foraged in the mountains.

Hunters training their dogs.

Martial arts students on training exercises.

Monks and others who lived in monasteries in the mountains…

The diversity of victims was enormous.

Especially with the nationwide scale of the chaos, the number of victims was simply innumerable, making a full-out riot almost inevitable.

The first places where complete chaos erupted were the ones people instinctively call during emergencies: the Emergency Services Number (119) and the Police Number (112).

“Hello, this is 119.”

“Ah, 119? I’m in the mountain, and I can’t come down. Help, I feel like I’m dying. Please come quickly!”

“Okay, you said you are in the mountain, but can’t come down. Is this a rescue situation?”

“Not exactly—it’s this… some tree thing blocking the path.”

“Sir, is it a fallen tree blocking the way?”

“No, no, it’s not a regular tree. Ugh, this is so frustrating! It’s walking around. That tree-like thing… it’s walking, okay?”

“Ahhh, so not a fallen tree, but a strange creature resembling a tree is obstructing your path, preventing your movement?”

“Yes, that’s it! Thank God we’re finally understanding each other! I can’t move because of that thing. Can you help me somehow? If I stay like this, I’m going to starve out here in the mountain!”

“Please hold on a moment. Can you send a video or photo?”

“Photos? Ah, this is so irritating! Can’t you just track my location and come?”

“We need a clear identification of the object blocking your way to understand the situation properly. Depending on the case, it might require the police or the local Autonomous Crime Prevention Team to handle.”

“Alright, give me a moment. Gah, this is so troublesome. I’ve taken a picture and sent it.”

“Thank you. We’ve received and confirmed it. It seems to resemble a Summon Creature… but it’s unclear. Regardless, there’s a potential risk so we’ll send a team, including an armed warrior. However, your current location seems to be inaccessible for a helicopter. Is there any chance you can move to another position?”

“Are you serious? You’re asking me to move when that thing is right there? If I move, it might follow me. Is that logical?”

“I understand. Please stay where you are then. We’ll do our best to reach you promptly. And if you see strange movements, try to move away into areas that are outside the creature’s sight.”

“Come quickly, please!”

At least the 119 emergency service had a relatively better situation.

Apart from slightly abnormal circumstances and a larger volume of calls, the situation was largely similar to usual days.

Callers were urgent, short-tempered, and repeatedly urged the service to hurry.

Besides, due to the large number of calls, it actually wasn’t too bad since all they required was to rescue people trapped by the monsters instead of frantically rushing around to save lives, as in a usual emergency.

The creatures weren’t actively attacking—they were simply blocking the paths.

They weren’t relentlessly pursuing anyone or biting their necks, tearing their limbs, or killing them. Nor were they leaving their territories to attack people.

They attacked only when they felt their ‘territories’ were being invaded.

While some people were nearly injured in these attacks, it could be considered lucky.

The worst injuries were minor bruises, without any significant casualties.

Given their terrifying claws, sharp weapons, and jagged teeth, anyone captured would probably have sustained major injuries. But, no one was seriously hurt, which some attributed to ‘Divine Blessing,’ praying in thanksgiving.

So, the 119 service still had some breathing room.

However…

112 was the worst.

“Hey! A monster also appeared in our area! A monster!”

“Yes, wasn’t this discussed earlier? A monster appeared in the neighboring area just a while ago. Why are you bringing this up again?”

“No, I said it’s in our area! Our jurisdiction!”

112 wasn’t just responsible for rescues. They had to directly respond to and handle the monsters threatening the people.

Yes.

Suppress, kill, or capture.

They had to do something about the menace threatening people.

That was their mission.

“What is this nonsense… Is there a monster factory somewhere?”

“Fuck it, I don’t know, just grab the equipment!”

“All we have are devices for dealing with human threats!”

“Yeah.”

“And we only have close combat subjugation gear, handguns, and tasers.”

“So?”

“What can we do with that…?”

“What else can we do but put all our effort into it and fight?”

The problem was that their mission far outpaced the equipment at their disposal.

In the countryside, where violent crime wasn’t prevalent and capable fighters were scarce, local police wouldn’t have the necessary equipment to handle summoned creatures or monsters.

Even though the minimum physical capability was required to become a police officer, giving them some hope…

“Oh, this isn’t going to work!”

The inadequate equipment and improvised tactics just wouldn’t suffice against monsters that were far too powerful.