Chapter 173
“What is your identity?”
“I’m Han Kang-yoon, a third-class exorcist. We have led the citizens who were nearby.”
“Han Kang-yoon… … Yes. Has confirmed. It must have been quite a confusing situation, but you worked hard.”
Ground shelter near Sadang Station. When we arrived there, we saw the already gathered citizens and the exorcists of the garrison protecting them.
I handed over all the personnel I had brought there and asked one of the exorcists a question.
“How is the current situation?”
“… There is no definitive conclusion, but the situation is not serious. It looks like something similar is happening all over the country.”
After a moment’s hesitation, the man spoke again with a rather cautious attitude,
“Well, it’s at the level that there is a possibility, but the headquarters is telling us to keep in mind the possibility that this may be the second coming of the Baekgwi Nights… … .”
The man sighed and scratched his head as he spoke to himself.
You wouldn’t want to even think about it. Any exorcist who has experienced actual battles would be deeply aware of the dangers of the White Ghost Nightfall.
“Is there any policy that has come down?”
“I was told to evacuate the citizens to a safe place first, and then go around as much as possible to identify and eliminate the monsters.”
“It’s good because it’s simple. I will help you.”
Since he had already shown his certificate, the man nodded without saying a word and spoke to a superior who was a little far away.
So, as a member of the 3rd Defense Corps of their shrine, I patrolled around the shelter to temporarily join.
“What, you mean you just passed the early exam and haven’t even graduated yet?”
“Yes. I’m in my 3rd year graduating class.”
The man’s name is Jinseop Yoon. As a third-class exorcist belonging to the National Guard, we continued to talk, and now we are able to talk at all.
“This is an elite course. Are you going to be in charge of the entire defense force just like our captain later?”
“senior! Stop talking nonsense and focus. The situation is the situation, really. And even if you are ambushed, I won’t help you.”
In the end, Jin-seop, who was given a cup of tea by a woman belonging to the same defense unit, approached me with a somewhat shaky look and whispered.
“These days, overtime is frequent, so everyone is standing up.”
This may also be because the number of youkai has increased due to the harbinger of the White Ghost Nightfall phenomenon.
It also looked light on the outside, but I could sense the slight tremor I felt inside it.
Yoon Jin-seop was also acting to relieve everyone’s tension in his own way.
On the other hand, Lee Min-hye, who was said to be his successor, spoke to me with a rather blunt attitude.
“It is an emergency, so I have to borrow your hand, but please follow the instructions carefully. There are countless exorcists who scream and die in battle right after they get their qualifications.”
If it were a normal situation, it would be better to act confidently like Lee Min-hye than to be scared.
However, the Baekgwi Night Trip is different. I knew it, and Jin-seop Yoon was also vaguely aware of him, so he was nervous.
And the difference soon became apparent as a result.
“… uh?”
In an instant, a huge head was pushed in front of Lee Min-hye, who made a face that she did not understand at all.
The sharp teeth adorned the center and the eyes staring at their prey.
Before he swallowed Lee Min-hye’s head, the magic that I shot quickly stopped it.
Nettle juice!
Whoa-!
“… Heh heh, heh!”
Perhaps she just realized that she could have died, Lee Min-hye was completely frozen and exhaled hard.
Perhaps it was difficult for her to even react to the current blow.
【Madou Yuksa】
▶Level 52
Yeah, because the opponent was a monster equivalent to an A rank.
‘This is the scary point of the Baekgwi Night Trip.’
Although it usually appears very rarely, a higher-level youkai roams the streets like fallen leaves on the roadside.
Of course, even if it were, A rank or higher was not very common, but if you run into such a bad luck as now, even if there are a few exorcists like Lee Min-hye, they will be killed in an instant.
There were so many exorcists who obtained official qualifications, so what would ordinary people without powers be terrified of?
That is why the Baekgwi Night Trip is often referred to as the worst situation of our time.
“It’s high-level! Form a gin!”
The first-class exorcist, the defense commander, has taken on a different direction, so no one will come to help.
The exorcists who were part of the patrol team were startled by the vicious momentum, but quickly formed their formation.
And as if it had been promised in advance, each of them began to develop restraint and attack techniques with perfect breathing.
‘It’s good to move.’
This is definitely a well-trained defense force.
If the opponent was a B+ rank youkai, there is a high possibility that it would have worked.
‘… But, not enough.’
👌👌👌👌👌👌
Kwajik!
“Goo!”
One of the stems grabbed the exorcist who was behind him, one of which broke the magic by splitting his arms into three branches.
“Heh, heh heh!”
However, this time, my movements were one step faster.
Eve, who rose from the shadows, swung her weapon and cut off the stem, and Gongsam-i’s fierce flames shot through the gap.
Fuwaak!
Whoops!
“Ugh-!”
Perhaps it was the guy who had fire as his weakness, and he felt more pain than he thought and stopped moving for a moment.
And if there was that much gap, it was enough to decide the match.
“Gwangsa (廣絲), six words (六偃), and Yuryeoktae (羽靂颱).”
A general-purpose but high-power advanced attack technique, Chilsan Gyeok (七産擊).
Due to my attack with the mantra recited in advance, he could not even resist and changed his name.
After the battle, the first thing that greeted me was the stunned expressions of the other patrol members.
One of the crew members who confirmed each other’s reactions posed a question to me as a representative.
“… Surely you didn’t say that you were a 3rd grader?”
“It’s 3rd grade. It’s only been a few months since I got my qualifications.”
Actually, I expected it to be like this. To be honest, even in my opinion, my current skills are far from those of rookies who have just obtained certifications.
The number of difficulties we have overcome so far is different, so in a way, it was natural.
“No, how could a 3rd grader have such a perfect high-tech… … .”
“Huh, really. It’s hard to believe your eyes.”
And among those people, Jin-seop Yoon approached me as if he had noticed something and asked me.
“Wait a minute, aren’t you sure?”
“What do you mean?”
“Are you that Han Kang-yoon? Early admission senior pass? Shin No-eul from the Red Flower gang got down on his knees and caught him?”
I didn’t know it was already so rumored. There were some inaccuracies, but from what I heard, most of the content was correct.
Yoon Jin-seop, who confirmed the truth in my reaction, scratched his head as if embarrassed.
“I see all the famous people in places like this.”
“… I don’t think so. First, we will resume patrols.”
In the process of advancing along the planned path again, we defeated four more low-level youkai and one more monster equivalent to B rank.
Lee Min-hye, who had lost her energy even if it wasn’t for the repeated battles without a break, expressed her doubts.
“Well, isn’t there something strange about it? There are too many monsters. Besides, most of them are stronger than usual.”
“I agree too. It’s hard to handle with this number of people.”
All of a sudden, the faces of the patrol officers became serious.
It was only then that he realized clearly what the present situation meant.
“… The reincarnation of the Baekgwi Nights is questionable. I think it would be better to hurry back to the shelter and share the information.”
So, we had no choice but to reverse our steps without even producing any significant results.
***
“… That’s the news I was worried about.”
Exactly six hours after the occurrence of the anomaly, the Exorcism Headquarters officially acknowledged that the present phenomenon was the Second Coming of the White Ghost.
At the same time, the highest level of emergency was declared nationwide, leading to the formation of an emergency response team.
At the shelter, the exorcists sitting at the table with confused faces, and Yoon Jin-seop who approached them in the middle, gave me additional information so that the citizens could not hear them.
“… From what I’ve heard, it seems that an S-rank presumed yokai is already appearing.”
“That’s a big deal.”
“Well, saying it’s a big deal isn’t enough.”
However, for me, it was more like the news I had been waiting for.
It was only by catching them all and stopping the constant onslaught of monsters in order to survive this night of the White Ghost.
‘There are only two S ranks that I know exactly what ability.’
Yusakbi, a rock monster that deals with fire and earth, and Jin Myung, a half-human, half-horseman who is about to come out of the world and aim for an opportunity.
However, we have not yet been able to obtain any information about the monsters presumed to be the two.
“When can we go home?”
“Family is not contacted! Let me go find you!”
Citizens’ shouts were heard here and there, but there was practically no way. Right now, no one can guarantee with certainty what will happen in the future.
“… Please calmly tell me about your business one at a time. We will help you with any possible issues.”
Hwang Gwang-sun, the head of the shrine’s 3rd defense unit and now the head of the shelter, skillfully devised a plan in such a situation.
In this part, I was like an outsider, so I was really impressed with his appearance.
After talking with the citizens one by one, Hwang Gwang-sun, who organized them all, sighed and called everyone to speak.
“Our 3rd Defense Forces should do what they can first. And the immediate task is to secure food and search for the missing.”
The idea was to form two teams: those who would get food and water from nearby convenience stores or marts, and those who would search the families of evacuees.
“However, given the situation, one high-ranking exorcist is required per group to proceed with the work.”
Even if Hwang Kwang-sun takes charge of one side, there are no other first-class exorcists in this position.
And Hwang Kwang-sun, right after that, asked me for the role.
“It’s a bit sudden, but can you take over the search team?”
“… Are you okay with something like me?”
“Don’t be joking, if you are that Han Kang-yoon, you probably have better skills than I am today.”
To be honest, I thought it was a little overrated, but Hwang Kwang-sun didn’t seem to think so at all.
‘Did you get information from the famous families?’
Heck, if you were the head of the defense force, you would have built that much information network.
If you had heard of the bets in the imperial family, the clash between the Chung-ha clan and the Qingdao-yul clan, and what happened in Baekrimjeong, you would have had such a perception of me.
‘… Anyway, for the time being, there’s nothing to do except reduce the number of youkai.’
After making my decision, I eventually nodded and accepted Hwang Kwang-seon’s request.
And we headed to our first destination, Bongcheon-dong, to search for the families of the missing citizens.