Chapter 183: At Least One (1)

The shell from the Aberrant Humanoid Mechanical Monster struck Kim Ki-Rok's shield and exploded in a massive blast. He was hurled backward at incredible speed, rolling across the ground dozens of times before finally coming to a stop.

This was nothing like before. In the past, he'd absorbed impacts by moving with the force of the blow. This time, he took the full brunt of the explosion head-on. After staggering to his feet, he shook his head to try and clear the ringing, but it wasn't easy.

"I'm about to lose my mind, really..." he groaned.

The force that struck his shield had surged up through his arms, sending shockwaves through his entire body. His right wrist was completely shattered, leaving his hand limp. With a trembling left hand, Kim Ki-Rok pulled out a potion and drank it quickly.

He sighed. "Still managed to block it... sort of."

It was a blow that could've killed him. He was injured, but as long as his limbs were still attached and he was breathing, it counted as a win. With that thought, he frowned and circulated his mana, checking the condition of his body.

"Really now," he muttered.

The impact had rattled his whole body, and his mana-holes weren't spared. As he assessed the internal damage, Kim Ki-Rok activated his radio.

"Hunter Kim Ki-Rok has sustained injuries," he reported flatly.

There was a short pause on the other end, followed by the communication officer's voice.

—Uhh,

ahem.

Are you saying you're injured?

"Yes, I am," Kim Ki-Rok confirmed.

—Why... why would you say it like that?

"Because this is a public frequency," he explained. "It would be confusing if I just said that I've been injured."

—Understood. Is your injury serious enough that it can't be healed with a potion?

"It seems like there's been some slight tearing in my mana-holes."

Hunters absorbed mana from the atmosphere and stored it within specialized internal channels. If those channels were damaged and left untreated, it became difficult, sometimes impossible, to use mana at all. Any Hunter who suffered that kind of injury in battle would be forced to retreat immediately.

—Please retreat immediately.

"That would be a bit of a challenge. I'm afraid I'll have to stay here until reinforcements arrive."

—What would be the reason for that?

"It seems I've become the priority target of the Aberrant Humanoid Mechanical Monster. It must have realized my presence is disrupting its predictions, so it won't just let me escape."

—Do you have a plan?

"I need a group of Hunters to attack the monstrous mechanical monsters and draw away their attention. I'll take that opportunity to escape."

There were no further questions from the command center. They were busy contacting Hunters who were resting after clearing all the "trash mobs" nearby, looking for those who could jump back into battle right away.

—This is Lieutenant General Akabe, the commander in charge of this Gate raid. Reinforcements will be arriving within five minutes. Can you hold on until then?

"Yes, but there's also one more thing you need to know," Kim Ki-Rok added.

—Have you received any other injuries?

"No, it's not about my injuries," Kim Ki-Rok replied, unconsciously shaking his head slightly as if he were speaking face-to-face.

His attention was fixed on the Aberrant Mechanical Monsters.

Kim Ki-Rok said slowly, "It seems like they're about to retreat."

—As expected of you, Hunter Kim Ki-Rok. You've also sensed it?

Unlike the Hunters on the battlefield, who could only rely on their senses to observe the enemies up close, the command center could monitor the entire battlefield through drones in the sky. There was no way they could have missed that not only the Humanoid and Animaloid Mechanical Monsters, but also the Aberrant ones, were gradually pulling back.

"So what are we going to do?" Kim Ki-Rok asked.

—We have decided to allow them to withdraw unchallenged.

"Does that include the Aberrant Mechanical Monsters?"

—That's right. We don't intend to continue the battle against the Aberrant Humanoid, the Giant, or the Chimera-like Mechanical Monster.

"But if we let them withdraw, they'll surely be a huge obstacle when we attempt to breach the castle."

—We are aware of that. However, the strain on our Hunters has been greater than expected. If we insist on fighting these Aberrant Mechanical Monsters here and now, increasing casualties among our allied forces, it would be putting the cart before the horse.

It was true that the Hunters had faced far more "trash mobs" than they had planned for. Kim Ki-Rok clicked his tongue in disappointment, still eyeing the Aberrant monsters warily. These mid-bosses would always prove dangerous in the final battles of the raid.

When the time came to take the castle, the Hunters wouldn't even have the strength to take them down for good. Instead, Kim Ki-Rok would have to focus on defense, keeping the eight Aberrant Mechanical Monsters occupied while a special force of the highest-level Hunters went ahead to eliminate the First Mechanical Monster.

But I really wanted to take this opportunity to take one of them down...

he thought reluctantly.

From Kim Ki-Rok's perspective, if he could defeat at least one now, it would be a huge help in the coming battles.

He took another look at one of the Aberrant Mechanical Monsters. Unlike the Chimera and the Giant, this one had already lost both an arm and a leg, leaving it with severely limited mobility. Although it was a tempting target, the Aberrants were built with far more Pastera metal than the beastial or humanoid types, making them more durable and dangerous.

If the Aberrant ones were attacked, would the ordinary units continue retreating or turn back to protect them? Or, slowed down by the Humanoids' lack of mobility, would they lash out at the Hunters in a last-ditch attempt to buy time for their allies?

After gathering his thoughts, Kim Ki-Rok spoke up again. "Let's at least take down that Aberrant Humanoid Mechanical Monster. With a missing arm and leg, its mobility and ability to respond have been damaged. Given how mechanical monsters prioritize efficiency and don't fear death, the Aberrant Humanoid is likely to stay behind as a rearguard to cover the others' retreat."

After a short pause, Lieutenant General Akabe responded in respectful Korean.

—Approved. Since our opponents are mechanical monsters, as you said, it is very likely the Aberrant Humanoid will act as a rearguard and try to delay us.

The transmission wasn't on the public command channel. Instead, it went straight to Kim Ki-Rok's earpiece. He gave a brief gasp of admiration at the fluency and replied, "Wow, your Korean's really good. Anyway... yeah, there's definitely a good chance it'll go berserk to cover its allies' retrea—"

As a sharp, metallic screech cut him off, Kim Ki-Rok looked up to locate the source. It was the distinct signal the mechanical monsters used to communicate. The Animaloids, Humanoids, Chimeras, and Giants all turned at once, ignoring the enemies in front of them, and began sprinting back toward the castle. The sound had been an order to retreat.

After confirming they were really fleeing, Kim turned back to the lone Aberrant Humanoid. The situation had changed. This wasn't a fight to the death anymore; the monster was just trying to buy time. Now that its goal had shifted, so had its top priority.

As its body gradually turned red, the Aberrant Humanoid turned its head toward the nearby Ji Seok-Hyun and Jeong Man-Kook, instead of continuing to chase Kim Ki-Rok.

"

Tsk!

" Kim Ki-Rok clicked his tongue again as he plopped down onto the ground and resumed his conversation with the lieutenant general. "So how do you think we should handle the Aberrant Humanoid now?"

As predicted, the monster began to go berserk to buy time for the others to escape.

—As agreed, we won't be pursuing the escaping mechanical monsters. We should focus all our efforts on subduing that Aberrant Humanoid now that it has agreed to serve as bait.

The mechanical monster's berserk state boosted all of its physical stats and always ended in self-destruction. The Hunters could have waited it out, but Lieutenant General Akabe ordered them to subdue it first.

Taking the moment to rest, Kim Ki-Rok glanced around to gauge the others' reactions. Everyone knew the Aberrant Humanoid would self-destruct eventually, so the order left many confused. A few tilted their heads, while others openly frowned in dissatisfaction. If they had been soldiers, Akabe might have simply repeated the command. But since they were Hunters, he explained his reasoning right away.

—Firstly, the enemy is an Aberrant Mechanical Monster. Its self-destruction could cause a much larger explosion than anything from the humanoid or Animaloid types.

At those words, the Hunters who had been hesitating quickly grabbed their weapons.

—Secondly, we've confirmed that the Aberrant types contain far more Pastera metal than the others. If we take it down before it explodes, that material is ours.

That got the rest moving. Many of their weapons had been damaged after fending off wave after wave of mechanical monsters. Recovering that much Pastera metal would be more than enough for repairs. And lately, its value had only continued to rise.

The promise of a rich reward was enough to get even the exhausted, grumbling Hunters moving again.

—We need to subdue the Aberrant Humanoid Mechanical Monster before it can fully go berserk. As such, we need to aim for its weaknesses.

"Right, its weaknesses!"

The Hunters all nodded, already knowing what to aim for. To secure the Aberrant Humanoid's intact corpse, they had to target its cores.

Kim Ki-Rok lifted a hand to his earpiece and sent a message. "Ji-Hee, tell your unnie Maria that her trip to explore the inside of the monster's body wasn't in vain."

***

Lieutenant General Akabe watched the screen, which showed a crowd of Hunters rushing to take down the Aberrant Humanoid as it slowly turned red. He turned at the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Oh my, I'm so tired I feel like I'm about to die," Kim Ki-Rok groaned as he entered the container-housed barracks and downed another potion.

Lieutenant General Akabe politely greeted him. "Thank you for your hard work."

"Oh, you really

do

speak Korean very well," Kim Ki-Rok complimented. "Is your grandmother Korean by any chance?"

"Not at all. I learned it on my own."

"Oh wow!"

Lieutenant General Akabe burst into laughter at Kim Ki-Rok's over-the-top exclamation and thumbs up.

Once he calmed down, Lieutenant General Akabe asked, "So are your injuries alright?"

"Yep," Kim Ki-Rok said with a nod. "Since I've already taken the required potions, I should recover after practicing my Mana Breathing technique for a day or two."

"That's a relief."

Kim Ki-Rok's stats and levels might be lower than those of an A-Class Hunter, let alone S-Class, but his exceptional combat sense, information, and situational judgment made him an essential asset in this raid, especially if they want to end it with few causalities.

As Kim Ki-Rok smiled and turned to the screens, Lieutenant General Akabe stopped asking questions and shifted his focus back to the battle. The remaining Hunters with energy to spare, all S-Class and A-Class elites, were already engaging the Aberrant Humanoid. If someone had asked whether they could defeat the monster before it self-destructed, they might have hesitated. But all of them were confident they would survive, at least.

As he watched the battle, Lieutenant General Akabe turned to Kim Ki-Rok and asked, "Hunter Kim Ki-Rok, may I ask you a question?"

Kim Ki-Rok nodded politely. "Yes, what is it, Lieutenant General Akabe?"

"Do you really think it's possible for them to subdue the monster before the end of its berserk state? In other words, before it self-destructs..."

"Since the goal of the Aberrant Humanoid is to buy enough time for the other mechanical monsters to retreat safely, it's very unlikely it would self-destruct early just to maximize damage."

"So what you're saying is, you think that it is possible."

"Yes, I do believe it's possible to defeat the Aberrant Humanoid before it self-destructs."

"Hmmm..."

The mechanical monsters did have the ability to control the timing of their self-destruction. However, as Kim Ki-Rok had said, the Aberrant Humanoid's goal was to ensure the others escaped safely. Even if it could hasten its own detonation, the probability of it doing so early was very low.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

This time, it was Kim Ki-Rok's turn to call out. "Lieutenant General Akabe."

"Yes, what is it, Hunter Kim Ki-Rok?" he responded, eyes still fixed on the screens.

"I feel like I might need to meet with the inhabitants of the Patera Dimension."

The lieutenant general finally turned away from the screens to look at him. After a few moments of silence, he gave a short gasp of surprise, as if he had just remembered something, and asked, "Are you going to ask them for information about the aberrant monsters?"

"That's right," Kim Ki-Rok replied with a nod.

"Do you really think they would know anything about the aberrant monsters?" Akabe asked skeptically.

If the rescued inhabitants of the Patera Dimension had known anything, they would surely have offered the information in advance.

"They probably don't know anything," Kim Ki-Rok admitted. "However, they might have noticed something strange without realizing it. I just want to ask if they saw anything unusual in the castle where the First Mechanical Monster now resides."