A Cradle to Avert Apocalypse C9

Chapter 9

Seiros would not be developed until ten years from now. The invention of Sei dramatically increased Hunters’ survival rates.

I’ll need to bring forward AI development too.

The more he thought about it, the more there was to do. Kwon Haeju’s growth and survival. The construction of large-scale shelters and the reinforcement of escort personnel to counter Nukelabi. On top of that, the refinement of Hunter systems—including Sei. There was a mountain of things that had to be accomplished within a limited timeframe.

“It’s fine. There’s still… time.”

Nam Shinhoo muttered anxiously. At the same time, he opened the palm of his hand, marked with nail impressions, then clenched it again. A habit he had developed since returning from his previous life.

Would he be able to prepare everything before Nukelabi appeared? Would there be enough time to face the catastrophe that had once wiped out humanity—this time without losing a single life? Whenever such anxious thoughts surged up to torment him, he clenched his fist tightly.

“E-Excuse me, Hunter Nam Shinhoo.”

The person cautiously poking his head out of the cave was one of the gathering-type Hunters.

“Would it be possible for me to go down first? My home is just below, and I’m really worried…”

“Going down now would be dangerous.”

“I know that, but my wife is pregnant. I can’t leave her alone. My parents live far away, so she’s by herself… There aren’t any flames over there yet, so wouldn’t it be all right?”

Nam Shinhoo followed the anxious Hunter’s gaze toward the village. The village lay to the south.

The south….

It was a direction that had been bothering him for a while. It looked quieter and more peaceful than the others, yet the presence he felt there was the strongest.

“I may not be on your level, Hunter, but I do know some basic combat.”

“Monsters are dangerous, but you could also be attacked by other Hunters by mistake. Everyone’s on edge during a search. You need to wait for now.”

“…I suppose there’s nothing else I can do, then.”

The herbal gatherer lowered his head and returned to the cave. It might have seemed heartless, but there was no helping it. If he were mistaken for a monster by Hunters searching for traces, a gathering-type Hunter would lose his life in an instant.

Moreover, Squad Three—the unit assigned to the south—was led by Kwon Haeju’s younger brother. Any unnecessary accident would only put Kwon Haeju in a more difficult position.

Forests were places where it was hard to distinguish between lurking monsters and people.

If a crack had to happen, a flat plain would’ve been better.

To make matters worse, the dungeon’s location was poor. If it had been closer to the village, in a forest or open field, he could have sent the gathering Hunters down first.

“…Huh?”

What was this? Why did he suddenly feel uneasy?

A powerful sense that he was missing something flashed through his mind. Nam Shinhoo rose from the rock and, as if drawn by something, stepped forward to look down the mountain.

A dungeon deep in the forest, far from the village. A dense woodland where even identifying each other’s positions was difficult, monsters whose presence was hard to detect, and guild members scattered in all directions, making it hard to request support.

It was a place he had never seen before, a situation he had never experienced—yet it felt eerily familiar.

“…”

An old report surfaced in Nam Shinhoo’s mind. Forgotten memories began to play like an old film reel.

Gyeongju, with its wide plains, had mountains separated from the urban area. Due to the abundance of historical sites, large undeveloped areas remained. As a result, no civilian casualties occurred from the crack that formed in the mountains.

This description—this location. I’ve seen it somewhere before.

By the time support was requested, it was already too late. The nearest Hunter guild and Hunter Association branch were both far from the dungeon, and it took a long time for reinforcements to arrive. Even after deployment, dense forest terrain delayed the main force from regrouping. Thanks to Guild Master Kwon Haeju’s excellent response, there were no civilian casualties; however, regrettably, one Hunter fatality occurred.

The once-blurred past struck his vision like a camera flash.

The sole casualty was Kwon Haeju’s only younger brother and one of the search squad leaders—A-rank Hunter Kwon Shinju.

“Damn it.”

This was the dungeon where Kwon Shinju had lost his life in an unfortunate crack incident. Nam Shinhoo clenched his jaw.

At the time, he had been competing against Kwon Haeju. The death of his younger brother had been nothing more than an incident Nam Shinhoo clicked his tongue at and moved on from.

It wasn’t useful for guild power struggles, nor did it stir any sympathy. Rather than mourning the death, he remembered being irritated by the cleanup afterward. He had sent a single condolence wreath—and erased the matter from his mind entirely. To the point that he had even misremembered Shinju’s cause of death as a dungeon subjugation rather than a crack incident.

“Mr. Kang!”

Nam Shinhoo shouted toward the cave. He was one of the gathering Hunters who had introduced himself earlier as a veteran. A moment later, Mr. Kang emerged hesitantly.

“You said you were a veteran, right? That most people here know each other.”

“Y-Yes. But earlier I spoke a bit too casually, so—”

“Don’t worry about that. And take this.”

He pressed a shield artifact into Mr. Kang’s hand. The artifact, about the size of a fist, shimmered faintly—its light shifting subtly depending on the angle. At a glance, it was clearly a high-grade item. Mr. Kang’s eyes widened.

“It’s an S-rank shield artifact. Once activated, no monsters or Hunters below S-rank can enter for three hours. Hold onto it tightly.”

“W-What? This kind of treasure—”

“I’ve got somewhere urgent to be. I’m counting on you.”

“O-Okay. If anything dangerous happens, I’ll use it right away.”

“No. Use it now.”

Mr. Kang jumped in shock. Even a low-rank Hunter knew the value of an S-rank artifact. A B-rank shield alone was worth hundreds of millions; this was an item nearly impossible to obtain even for tens of billions.

“Waiting until you know it’s dangerous will be too late. Go into the cave, activate it immediately, and don’t release it until either I or Kwon Haeju comes back.”

“But using something this precious just to protect us—”

“Use it.”

Nam Shinhoo pushed Mr. Kang gently on the back. Only after confirming that he had entered the cave and activated the artifact did he turn away.

Time was short. Kwon Shinju could not die here. No one should die—but Shinju, in particular, was crucial. He was one of the possible lifelines anchoring Kwon Haeju to life.

Nam Shinhoo kicked off the ground and sprinted.

Finding Squad Three wasn’t difficult. In the quiet forest, the presence of a group of people shone brighter than neon lights.

He stepped lightly on branches and rose into the air. In every direction except the south, small-scale battles were underway.

No wonder Kwon Haeju and the others had missed it. Everyone was occupied with their own fights, leaving no room to watch elsewhere—unaware that the quietest direction was the most dangerous.

“Be careful—there might be monsters nearby! Take turns throwing stealth-dispelling potions!”

Kwon Shinju’s voice, issuing orders as Squad Three’s leader, carried from afar. Thankfully, combat hadn’t broken out yet. Nam Shinhoo gripped his weapon—and in the same instant, released the presence he had been suppressing.

An overwhelming pressure swept through the forest.

“Ugh!”

“What is this—?!”

The Hunters staggered under the sudden wave of pressure. As several collapsed to the ground in instinctive terror, Nam Shinhoo’s gaze shifted.

It wasn’t only the Hunters who reacted. In a fleeting moment, he spotted a space moving unnaturally.

There.

He poured strength into his grip. The spear shot downward. It pierced what appeared to be empty ground, then plunged underground and detonated.

With a thunderous roar, dirt and debris exploded high into the trees. Through the dust-clouded vision, coughing guild members wiped tears from their eyes and looked up.

“What the hell was that? W-Wait—Hunter Nam Shinhoo?”

“Get it together. The main body is hiding underground.”

Up close, the nauseating presence writhing beneath the soil was unmistakable.

The explosion had been in the north, yet the presence was strongest in the south—that was what had felt wrong. Now he understood. The monster that had escaped through this crack burrowed into the ground, spreading long roots beneath the earth. It was a plant-type monster that had taken root thinly across the entire mountain.

“Plant-type monsters have their roots as their main body. Watch the ground. Even if their range is wide, the core is small—destroy the nucleus.”

“To think it was this close and we didn’t notice…”

“Focus.”

Nam Shinhoo clicked his tongue. He had explained the monster’s form and issued warnings, yet the Epic Guild members failed to adopt a proper defensive stance—standing stiffly with weapons in hand like amateurs.

“If there are Hunters who can fly, evacuate the members with the weakest defenses first.”

“And the fight—?”

“I’ll handle that.”

Nam Shinhoo quickly scanned the area. He spotted Kwon Shinju among them—frozen in place, gripping his weapon like the others. Despite being the squad leader, he wasn’t even thinking about protecting his team.

“Especially you. Get your head on straight and get out of here. It’s dangerous.”

The moment he was singled out, Kwon Shinju’s face flushed. His shoulders trembled slightly.