Cowards Last Longer

Inside the brightly lit office of the President, the old man leaned back in his swivel chair, eyes closed.

The room was quiet but not completely silent, with the constant whirr of vehicles on the road behind the building and the rhythmic tick-tock of a wall clock.

Feeling a hint of tiredness, he had decided to take a nap.

Suddenly, memories of his time as a military Colonel began to flash through his mind. This particular event was unforgettable, not only for him but for everyone in the world.

"What a moment that was. It holds so many memories," the old man mumbled with a gentle sigh.

(Five years ago)

The sky was painted dark with smoke, the city in ruins. Missiles streaked in one direction while balls of lightning crackled in the opposite. The fate of humanity hung in the balance as millions of soldiers engaged in a blood-spilling battle with monsters.

The soldiers stood no chance against the beasts, which were resistant even to aerial bombardments and missiles. Buildings collapsed, lives were lost, yet more troops kept arriving.

"Move quickly! Get the civilians into the aircrafts!" Park Yonghwa shouted, his voice filled with panic and urgency, his face marred with scars.

The government had ordered the evacuation of civilians to safety camps. With his command, military personnel began ushering millions, perhaps billions, into the aircrafts.

Yonghwa turned away from the aircrafts and spotted a family of four still left behind. Worse, a monster was charging toward them.

"Over here! Quickly!" he yelled. As the family started to move, he cocked his Daewoo K5 (DP-51) and fired at the monster repeatedly.

The creature continued charging as if nothing were happening. Other soldiers joined in, using their gunfire as a distraction.

Bang, bang!! Kree!!

At that moment, among the family, a young boy with deep blue eyes lost his grip on his mother's hand and fell.

"Mom, wait for me!" the boy cried, tears streaming down his cheeks.

The woman, seeing him, ran back and scooped him up. She was about to continue moving forward when a broad shadow loomed over her.

"Ehaha! Gotcha!" the monster roared, standing right before them. Looking up at the nightmarish creature, the woman's breath trembled. Her legs flinched backward in fear, but she held her son tightly in her arms.

"Honey! Honey!" a man a few meters away exclaimed, his skin pale and his teeth gritting. Beside him was a girl, slightly older than the boy, who pleaded with him to save them.

As the monster drew closer, the woman shoved the boy away. She knew they would both die if she kept him with her.

She looked at her wailing son, tears streaming down her face. "Seung... my boy! I am... I am sorry for leaving you and your sister like this-"

In the blink of an eye, something horribly interrupted her statement, and blood poured from her mouth.

Soldiers, her daughter, and her husband could clearly see a long, pink whip-like appendage pierce her stomach and exit through her back.

The husband furiously ran toward her, but before he could take a fourth step, another appendage from the monster stabbed him.

"Mom! Dad!" the boy wailed, and the girl fell to her knees, crying.

Park Yonghwa turned to the man beside him. "Lieutenant Colonel Song Minseok, cover me!"

"Yes, Colonel!" Song Minseok replied, his voice filled with determination. Park Yonghwa felt guilty for the parents' deaths and was determined to save the children.

If they suffered the same fate, he feared he would never forgive himself. Despite being seriously injured, he managed to rescue them.

Everyone was eventually evacuated to safety camps, their expenses covered by the government, including the wealthy Chaebols.

Out of sympathy, Park Yonghwa handed the children over to Song Minseok. A week later, he heard that the children had run away.

(In the World Hunter Association headquarters)

President Park sighed, straightening his neck. "I wonder if those kids are still alive."

Knock...

"Come in," he said. A tall, slim lady with blonde hair entered and bowed. The man rubbed his face and yawned silently.

"If you feel stressed, I can ask the boys to arrange your ride," she offered.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," the President replied. "What brings you here?"

"Director Kim Seijin isn't at the headquarters today. He didn't ask for leave or give notice. Should we check on him?"

The President considered it unusual but concluded, "That's not necessary. He's probably busy."

(Back in the dungeon)

As Yung cursed, he vanished into thin air. They had indeed entered a C-ranked portal, but comparing this monster to any third-rate creature was both ironic and unwise.

For the first time in his life, Park Hyeonwoo was terrified by a monster in a dungeon ranked the same as his energy level. The presence of the Mythendras indicated this place was an ancient temple, and the gray-skinned creature had been sealed within the altar for decades.

"Is that him striking?" Seung wondered aloud. Dagger strikes hit the monster from an unseen source, and it was clear Yung was the attacker.

"Wow, he sure takes the lead in dangerous situations. But can he possibly annihilate that thing alone?"

Just inches from the pillars, the evil creature's body clattered with Yung's dagger, his presence concealed. Yet, the ashen gray skin seemed like steel—none of Yung's attacks made a dent.

"Minho, Seonji, let's help him!" Park Hyeonwoo commanded. They drew their daggers, and Park told Seung, "Since you know some basic defense skills, you should protect the two of you."

Seung frowned, glaring at him from the corners of his eyes.

'Didn't you promise to protect me if things got rough?!' he thought bitterly. 'Don't make promises you can't keep!'

Despite his frustration, he moved in front of Jiwoo, who was trembling in fear. Seung reassured her, "We're a team, so you're one of my loved ones. Don't be scared; any harm coming to you will have to go through me first."

Half of Jiwoo's fear dissipated at his frank and honest statement. Her eyes glowed with an aura of reliance as she looked at his thin back. Though he was a weak Hunter, she believed he was serious about keeping her safe.

"Yahh!!!" the monster snarled as the relentless attack continued.

Lee Seung knew the monster had to be killed for everyone to benefit from the raid, but he didn't understand why Yung was so desperate to do it alone. Though Yung's presence was concealed, his growing exhaustion was apparent.

"Yung, hear me out. It's too dangerous to face the monster alone. Come back, and let's work together," Park shouted.

CLASH!

Once the beast's head was struck, a milky blue light enveloped travelled to the slayers' midst, and Yung materialized from it.

The four charged at the monster. Seongjin skillfully sidestepped its fist attack and struck its lengthy leg, but the dagger bounced off.

His eyes widened. 'A Titanium can't stab through this?!'

Titanium was the strongest C-ranked dagger, weighing close to fourteen ounces. It could inflict significant damage on A-rank monsters.

Seongjin noticed a wide, dark fist diving from above. He dashed away to a distant position, then gazed at the giant creature.

He glanced at his Titanium dagger and back at the monster. 'Despite this weapon's power, the dungeon boss remains unscathed. But why? Isn't it just a rank C? Why is it unbelievably strong?'

Meanwhile, Minho climbed the beast near its eyes and drove his weapon towards its eyes. "Yahh! Let's send you to Hell!" he screamed.

Bham!

The monster's red-veined eyes shifted to him, and a massive wave from an unknown source hurled him into the air.

Swoosh...

His legs slid on the tiles until he regained his balance.

'Those guys can't lay a hand on it! What am I supposed to do now?!' Seung lamented inwardly.

His hands quivered, and the air passing through his nostrils heated up. He was flabbergasted because none of the men's attacks affected the monster.

If they got seriously injured, he and Jiwoo would be the next targets. He swallowed hard, clenching his fist. 'I know without my clones, I stand no chance. But...one just has to try, right? I've been lucky lately, so maybe I can defeat it and save everyone. Right?'

CRASH!!!

Seung glanced ahead.

"Mister Park! Minho!" he screamed, eyes wide with panic.

Two walls shattered as they crashed into them, dark stones scattering on the moss-covered floor. They limped up, faces covered in scars.

"Mister Park! Are you alright?" Lee Seung called out, panicked.

The man smiled weakly. "It's nothing, I'm used to it already."

Yung's body fell heavily to the ground. He grimaced loudly as he rose back to his feet.

"Snarl!" The monster growled.

Tension hung thick in the air. No one moved, all eyes fixed on the menacing creature.

"I didn't come here for a monster show or something! I'll make my move while you all act like cowards!" Yung said furiously.

Park immediately cautioned him, "Don't make any rash moves. The monster is..."

"... dangerous? That's it, right?" Yung cut in sarcastically, then smirked. "Mister Park, your wife divorced you because you decided to work in this demonic field. She left with your children too — basically, you lost everything to being a Hunter..."

"Yung, that's a bit out of line-" Seongjin interjected.

Yung ignored his statement, continuing, "Why act like a coward? Are you just gonna do nothing till death takes you away? Tell me!"

"I've already made myself clear enough. I'm not like you guys."

With that, he turned invisible.

"We can't let him go alone! We have to stop him!" Seung exclaimed loudly, his voice filled with anxiety.

But no one responded.

The dagger strikes landed on the monster more frequently this time.

Yung didn't pause for a second before launching another attack.

"Idiot! Stay focused!" Minho shouted, his concern evident. His brows furrowed, and his fists clenched.

"And... what happens if he loses control?" Seung stammered.

"His ability becomes nullified," Park Hyeonwoo said matter-of-factly.

...

Splash!

Blood splattered around, painting the walls and floors in crimson arcs. Yung's body could be seen plummeting downward from the monster's eye level and...

"Yung!!!" Everyone screamed in shock.

His chest was impaled by his own dagger. With a sickening thud, his body crashed to the ground, sending a spray of blood and dirt into the air.

"Snarl!!"

"Yung!!!" Minho cried out.

Then, suddenly, a golden light from the monster wrapped around the Hunter's corpse. Following that, a milky one swirled into its translucent body.

"What?" Seung mumbled fearfully, his leg flinching back at the sight.

As the monster absorbed the milky light, all that remained of Yung were his shirt, trousers, and a pair of sneakers.

He swallowed hard.

"His... his body vanished! Did... did it just enter that thing?"