The Returner Chapter 12

Choi Jung-Hoon pointed towards the direction of the Gate.

"Monsters start to pour out as soon as the light from the Gate dies down. This is actually something you don't see everyday, so please pay attention." (Choi Jung-Hoon)

And just why is this dude so excited about? (Yi Ji-Hyuk's internal monologue)

Yi Ji-Hyuk tilted his head slightly while looking at the oddly excited Choi Jung-Hoon.

He sensed magic power from that superior officer, the woman named Seo Ah-Young. Although he couldn't be totally certain, she could easily take care of a group of those small fry monster things he saw this morning, a Jarchev or whatever, quite easily.

However, Choi Jung-Hoon was definitely a normal person.

Seeing a person like that getting so excited while looking at a Gate that was about to spew out monsters, now that was really not normal.

"Here they come!" (Choi Jung-Hoon)

When the emitted light began to wane, green-coloured monsters came stampeding out of the Gate.

"Fire!"

The moment the order came down from the command centre, the muzzles of guns began spitting out licks of flame.

*SFX for sustained gunfire*

Kkiiieeeck!!

Kyaaahack!!

Soldiers spread out wide on the frontline all fired simultaneously. Since there was that concrete wall erected behind the Gate, they could fire away without any worries.

The green-coloured monsters fell one after another as soon as they came out, with fountains of blood shooting out from all over their bodies.

"There's more of them! It's a wave, a wave!" (Choi Jung-Hoon)

'A wave, huh…' (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk smirked.

If that much was called a wave, then, what should the demonic gates he had summoned before be called now?

If those people who fought against him in Berafe were here, they might have beaten up Choi Jung-Hoon while telling him to never run his mouth off so dang lightly.

"These are Goblins, the most frequently appearing monsters. The actual scientific name is different, but everyone just calls them Goblins." (Choi Jung-Hoon)

Yi Ji-Hyuk narrowed his eyes and carefully observed the bloodied mess of green monsters. Height of around 1.2 metres, green-coloured skin, and that crumpled face.

'Not the same?' (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

They were similar to the Goblins he knew, but the appearance was totally different. The version of Goblins he knew weren't light-green short legged creatures like these, but darker green-skinned wild beasts.

However, their mannerisms seemed somewhat similar.

Just by seeing the poison blowguns rolling around the feet of dead Goblins, there was little doubt about it.

'Are they distant cousins or something?' (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

If this was the case, then it seemed that they were being summoned from a dimension with a similar ecology as Berafe's. Or, there might be more than one dimension where monsters were being summoned from.

Whatever the case might have been, if those Goblins were similar to the versions Yi Ji-Hyuk knew, then it was indeed a dangerous matter with that many being summoned here. It only took around ten Goblins to completely wipe out a single village. So, there wasn't even a need to mention what would happen if a Goblin horde that numbered past 100 launched an attack.

Kyahaack!!

However, the strength of modern weapons was definitely too overwhelming.

Goblins that could be fought one on one only with a trained soldier were being ruthlessly massacred. Seeing them falling in a fountain of blood as soon as they popped out of the Gate even made Yi Ji-Hyuk feel sorry for these Goblins.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!!" (Choi Jung-Hoon)

Choi Jung-Hoon was completely psyched right now.

Well, the thing was - if one's safety was guaranteed, then violence could become a really enjoyable spectacle to behold. There was a reason why boxing and other combat sports were famous, after all.

But, the Goblins didn't remain getting pummeled one-sidedly.

Piling the dead bodies into a makeshift barricade and surviving the barrage, Goblins then used the corpses as shields and rushed forward. If one were to consider the hardness of a Goblin's flesh, then it was indeed difficult to damage the Goblins by piercing through the corpse shields with bullets from a rifle.

But, then again, only a moment later, the previously installed mines below the Goblins' feet began exploding.

A Goblin with twisted-off ankles rolled all over the ground, yet, as if there were more mines down there, this poor sucker kept on bouncing around all over the place.

Too bad, a mine was a one-time use item.

They couldn't completely stop the swarm of Goblins.

"God damn it. It'd be so much better if it's a claymore instead." (Choi Jung-Hoon)

'You should calm down a bit…' (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Using a claymore in the middle of a city…. No, with friendly forces crammed in this place, using a claymore would lead to him witnessing people getting killed by the blast coming from their rear, instead.

If this battle was taking place in the middle of a field, then instead of a close formation for firing, claymore mines would've been installed everywhere and cleanly blow them all away. Regrettably, this was inside a city, so if claymore mines were used to refreshingly blow away the Goblins, then the dude in charge of that particular operation would also see his head refreshingly fly away, too.

When the Goblins neared the ranks of soldiers, an urgent voice called out.

"Cease fire! Second unit, to the front!" (Jeong In-Soo)

Along with Colonel Jeong In-Soo's loud shout, shield carrying soldiers waiting at the back rushed to the front while carrying massive body bunkers. (TL: a body bunker is actually a ballistic shield, but "Body Bunker" moniker is far more well known. Think of "Hoover" instead of people saying vacuum cleaner.)

Khoong!

Huge body bunkers slammed into the ground.

Kyaaaahhh!

Goblins screamed wildly and attacked, but they couldn't penetrate past the body bunkers crafted specially out of hardened ceramic.

*SFX for sustained gunfire*

Towards the Goblins yet to attach themselves to the body bunkers, MG50s fixed to the rooftop of a building began firing. Fitting for a machine gun of its size, rather than fountains of blood, one could see each bullet punching through a huge hole on the bodies now.

To shoot those weak-looking Goblins with MG50s was akin to a monster genocide, that's what this was.

However, such a destructive power was a double-edged sword. The muzzles of MG50s couldn't be aimed closer to the friendly forces. Even if the bullets didn't directly hit, the shrapnel from said bullets impacting the asphalt below would surely turn a human's body into a bloody mess.

The role of fighting against the Goblins clinging on fell to the riflemen and the shield soldiers.

"Endure! You sons of b*tches! Can't you endure properly?!"

"Ahahahck!! Sh*t!"

Only a few handful of dwarfish Goblins jumped on him, but the shield soldier's body was being forced back; the body bunker scraped against the ground with ear splitting screeches.

Humans were animals that lacked physical prowess considering their body sizes. They couldn't even catch a rabbit with their bare hands, for instance.

"Check properly first where you're aiming at!!"

Gun muzzles peeked out between the gaps of the shields and spat lead out. Guns lifted over the heads of the shield soldiers proceeded to shoot down those Goblins trying to climb over.

"Look! That side's being pushed back! Reinforce from the rear!" (Jeong In-Soo)

They were fighting well, but ranks to the one side were collapsing.

Choi Jung-Hoon's complexions darkened.

"This, wouldn't there be casualties at this rate?" (Choi Jung-Hoon)

If the ranks collapsed, Goblins would infiltrate into the midst of soldiers, meaning guns couldn't be used anymore. If things went south, rather than Goblins, there would be people getting killed by friendly fire, instead.

"Those sons of b*tches sitting upstairs." (Choi Jung-Hoon)

Swear words leaked out automatically from his mouth.

They might not enjoy an amiable relationship, but still, this wasn't the fault of Colonel Jeong In-Soo. He had mobilised quickly just after the event broke and formed an optimal defense line, and he had concluded all preparations well before the Gate even opened.

So, the reason for the ranks collapsing wasn't his fault at all. No, it was actually the limitations placed on the type of equipment that could be used within the city limits.

To put it bluntly, if that Gate opened up in the middle of a mountain, then the surrounding area would've become a sea of fire by now - the soldiers would've swept them all away with powerful weapons. Unfortunately, within the city limits, nothing more powerful than the light assault weapons and SAWs (Squad Automatic Weapons) could be used.

Well, destroying a couple of buildings just in order to defend against waves of monsters would eventually lead to the total destruction of Seoul itself in a few years, so there's that.

It was all understandable. Understandable, but still….

"A human life is more precious than a building, isn't it?" (Choi Jung-Hoon)

Or, did the jarheads not count as human beings in the first place?

Maybe the higher-ups didn't treat these soldiers as human beings, but the commander leading them certainly valued them very dearly.

"Fall back to the second defensive line! Do not break the formation, you fools!! The moment you show your backs, you'll all get shot in the head!" (Jeong In-Soo)

Colonel Jeong In-Soo's urgent voice blared out from the loudspeakers. As if they had trained for this kind of situations, the riflemen positioned at the rear orderly moved to the second defensive line formed by the armoured vehicles.

However, if something was earned, then something must be lost; with the widening of the distance, the Goblins' area of activity increased as well. As soon as the shield soldiers fell back, Goblins began destroying the barricades erected in front of buildings instead of giving chase, while some of them began scaling the concrete wall standing behind the Gate.

"Fire, fire!! Shoot those f*ckers down from there!! You miss a single one, prepare to die afterwards!!!" (Jeong In-Soo)

Goblins trying to scale the concrete wall were shot down, one by one. But, at the same time, as the guns were concentrating on one direction, several Goblins began scaling the buildings that stood as blockades between the Gate and the defensive line.

"Those b*stards, damn it!!" (Jeong In-Soo)

Jeong In-Soo gritted his teeth. He wanted to shoot them down as soon as possible, but the ones rushing towards the soldiers had to take priority. If he issued incompetent orders now, then that might cause the concentration of fire to be split unevenly, and then the Goblins might run past the armoured vehicles and scale the concrete wall standing there as the 'back barricade' to infiltrate into the city.

"Three of them!" (Jeong In-Soo)

Soon, the Gate should close, so if they could hold on for a bit longer, they would be able to thoroughly sweep away these worse-than-manure b*stards.

And then, those three escapees would be dealt with soon enough! If lady luck was on his side, then those monsters would be killed within the vicinity. But if not, then he'd have to catch a couple of Goblins rampaging around outside the combat zone, but dealing with only three was still within the scope of the operational management.

'For now, send the request for assistance to the local police and tell them to send combatants over to that area. We just need to avoid civilian casualties….' (Jeong In-Soo)

That's right - as long as there were no civilian casualties. Watching these boys that were like sons to him getting hurt made him shed tears of blood, and seeing them die pained him as if his innards were twisting apart, but… But, that was the life of a soldier. Protecting the civilians was the responsibility of all soldiers.

No matter what, as long as Goblins didn't enter the civilian area, then….

It was then, Goblins scaling the wall of a building jumped to a nearby rooftop.

And then, like performing parkour, they bounced and jumped between buildings, heading towards a certain direction like crazy.

'Civilian casualties….' (Jeong In-Soo)

The location those Goblins was charging at, there was a pale-faced gangling fellow wearing a fashionable black suit, and a civilian brought along by that fellow.

"That stupid son of a b*tch!! I knew he'd cause a problem!!" (Jeong In-Soo)

Swear words escaped out from the mouth of Colonel Jeong In-Soo.

Choi Jung-Hoon formed a strange expression while looking at the Goblins charging towards his direction.

It had been four years already since he began rolling around in this field. Within those four years, had there ever been a time when a monster targeted him specifically and rushed in like crazy? Even going as far as to scale and jump across several buildings?

'God damn it!' (Choi Jung-Hoon)

There was no time to think.

Choi Jung-Hoon planned to drag Yi Ji-Hyuk and climb down from the building, but then, his steps came to a stop.

If they were to enter the lower floors, it might seem safer for the time being, but they wouldn't be able to receive outside help. No one would detach a number of soldiers in order to save one person while ignoring the masses of monsters in front.

Even if he closed the doors shut, that wouldn't last long before being ripped to shreds in the blink of an eye if the Goblins were really targeting him. And, if he ran into a Goblin while trying to get to the lower floors, then that'd be curtains, right there.

'It's not like there are no options available here…' (Choi Jung-Hoon)

There was one hidden card still left. However, if he was to pull that out here, then it might get a little awkward with Yi Ji-Hyuk later on, not to mention the relationship with the Defcom would become pretty frosty, too.

Then, what should he prioritise here?

Choi Jung-Hoon scanned left and right. He spotted snipers positioned on the windows of the opposite building. Choi Jung-Hoon shifted his gaze downward to meet Colonel Jung In-Soo's eyes, and pointed at the snipers.

He'd buy time at a more open location.

If he became the target for sure, then the movements of the charging Goblins should become more predictable, which also meant that the snipers could take out the monsters easily as well.

"Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk, this way!" (Choi Jung-Hoon)

Choi Jung-Hoon dragged Yi Ji-Hyuk towards the very ends of the railings, in order to maximise the distance.

As expected, all three Goblins were making a beeline towards his location.

Could all three be shot down with this much distance?

Pow!

The first gunshot!

From the head of one Goblin, blood rose up suddenly, then it collapsed to the floor.

'Two more. Two more rounds!' (Choi Jung-Hoon)

Pow!!

Another gunshot.

The second Goblin too, expired from an accurate headshot.

The last remaining Goblin must've realised that it was under fire, yet it chose to increase its rushing speed, instead.

"Take the shot already!" (Choi Jung-Hoon)

Pow!!!

Along with Choi Jung-Hoon's voice, another gunshot rang out!

However, the Goblin didn't fall down. A small part of the roof's floor got caved in and dust particles rose up.

At the same time, the Goblin pounced on Choi Jung-Hoon.

"God damn it!!" (Choi Jung-Hoon)

It missed!

But, why now?!

Choi Jung-Hoon gritted his teeth and stepped forward. If Yi Ji-Hyuk was indeed an ability user, this might be resolved quickly, but if he was not, then he had to be protected.

Sacrifice himself and try to widen up some distance. With that, a skilled sniper should be able to hit only the Goblin.

Unfortunately though - the Goblin completely ignored the resolve of Choi Jung-Hoon, jumped past him, and ran towards Yi Ji-Hyuk standing behind him.

Choi Jung-Hoon hurriedly shouted out.

"What the?! Stop that thing!! Mister Yi Ji…"

Before the words 'Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk, run away' could leave Choi Jung-Hoon's mouth, he could hear an annoyed voice, instead.

"Did this b*tch lose its mind?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

In the blink of an eye, Yi Ji-Hyuk grabbed the lengthy ear of the Goblin charging at him, spun around, and then, slammed the monster hard on the floor.

Kwahng!!!

A peculiar sound that shouldn't have been heard from a tachi-waza came out. (TL: "Tachi-waza" is a throw technique performed while standing straight in Judo. Not an expert on that martial art style, so Google it yourselves if you're curious.)

The Goblin's body rebounded one metre into the air after hitting the floor.

Just how strong was the slamming power that could cause a Goblin to bounce around like that?

Quietly witnessing the scene unfold with a pale face, Choi Jung-Hoon finally got to solve one of the mysteries that had been plaguing him for some time now.

"So, he's a body enhancement type…" (Choi Jung-Hoon)

Choi Jung-Hoon's misunderstandings were getting deeper.

< 12. But, I didn't return to do this! -4 > Fin.

Chapter end