Evolution Theory of the Hunter Chapter 97

Evolution Theory of the Hunter (ETH)
Volume 1 Chapter 97

“I’m sorry to say this but my team’s safety is much more important to me than the safety of hunters I don’t even know.”

“Then I guess I can’t persuade you to do otherwise.”

She got up from her seat and picked up her bag.

“Surely you’re not trying to go in by yourself?”

“What? I never said anything of the sort. I’m not crazy…”

Sooah started cracking up.

“And what’s so funny over there?”

“No, I just remembered the time you came to save me. I really thought you were a crazy person that time.”

“Hm…..”

“Something like that happened? Very interesting.”

Manager Kim said as he stroked his chin. All of a sudden it felt as if the way everyone viewed me changed ever so slightly.

“Old man, did you think I was some psychopathic killer or something?”

“No, nothing that bad….I just thought you were someone who didn’t bleed or cry tears.”

“Same thing! Let’s just pack up all the items and leave this place. I don’t think we have any further need to stay here any longer.”

“Item?”

Sohn Aram spoke up in confusion. I didn’t feel like I needed to explain any more. Because if we leave like this, we probably wouldn’t run into her again.

“Ah, I meant equipment.”

I said vaguely as I got up from my seat.

It was then.

Taaaang!

It felt something strike the back of my head. It felt as if something cold and sharp had struck me.

My first thought was that it was an unpleasant sensation.

“Kyaaaak!”

A bullet had been shot through my head.

My vision blurred into red as the ground rushed up to meet my forehead. I fell to the ground.

It was as if I was intoxicated.

Bam!

I didn’t feel any pain. It just felt as if I was being sucked into a dark void. I wondered if I was dying.

But being able to even think like this was proof that I wasn’t dying.

The world started coming back into view.

Skill ‘Immortality’.

The skill that allowed me to come back to life one time in a day no matter the cause of death had activated.

As if nothing had happened, my body was returned to normal.

“Huh?”

Sooah stared at me with a stony face.

Then her eyes rounded as if she had just seen a ghost.

I just slightly lifted my head and spoke. Because if I were to get hit by another bullet – there would be a big problem.

“Snap out of it.”

“Sunbeh oppa?…You didn’t die?”

“You sound like you wanted me to die?”

“No, no that’s not it.”

“We need to hurry and locate the sniper first ok?”

Bam!

I jumped up from the ground like a spring.

“Huh?”

It was very small, but someone had let out a sound of surprise. Good. I’m sure I shocked that noise out of them after coming to life even when they confirmed a kill shot. But I couldn’t tell their exact location yet. I just started running towards the general direction of the sound.

Whoos.h.!.+ Whoos.h.!.+

I wove in and out between trees as quickly as possible. But he remained quiet.

He probably chose to remain hidden rather than make a shot that misses among the thicket of trees…which could reveal his location.

I needed to think of some other way to lure him out. It might be a bit dangerous but this was the only way.

I exposed my body ever so slightly.

As if he was just waiting for this moment, a bullet came flying at me.

Taaang!

Ping!

It hit the left shoulder of my armor and bounced right off. Firearms are of no consequence to items.

Though it is true that hunters don’t use firearms too much because of the government restrictions, it is also not used that often because there is little use for them.

First, being caught with a firearm was an automatic prison sentence. But the most important part was that firearms did not have much use against monsters.

The only dangerous aspect of firearms came into play if you were to be hit in an area not protected by armor.

A s.h.i.+ver ran down my spine.

I almost died. Just now.

“I got you now. You piece of s.h.i.+t.”

I was finally able to locate the sniper after the second shot. I spied the sniper hiding between some branches of a tall tree.

Immediately after identifying the location of the threat, I climbed 20 meters up the tree in an instant and grabbed the sniper by the neck.

“Here you are.”

Woos.h.!.+

He quickly pulled out a small dagger from a strap on his thigh and brandished it menacingly at me.

From his movements, he was either military or a hunter with a military background.

Crack!

That was the sound of his wrist bone splintering.

“Heuk!”

He used his remaining hand to aim his gun at me before firing a shot.

Taaang!

The shot split the air harmlessly. There was no way he was going to be able to shoot me while in such an awkward position.

The gun was Russian – modified for sniping. It was a famous model that even I was able to recognize.

I s.n.a.t.c.hed the gun from him as I delivered a powerful fist to his face.

Cras.h.!.+

About 80kg of weight fell 20 meters straight down.

I didn’t want to imagine what state he was in now.

“Keuk….”

But, even though there was a small crater from the impact of his fall, he had not died.

I guess he had an item that absorbed most of the shock from the fall.

Now that I looked at him again, he had on a level 3 armor. He was lucky. Otherwise, all of his bones would have shattered into millions of pieces from that attack.

“Hm…I see you’re not dead yet. But then again, you were able to get a shot at me so I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

“Keuk….how the h.e.l.l did you….?”

“None of your business.”

Then I stepped on his right hand. Now he had none.

Squas.h.!.+

“Kyaaaa!”

That’s what you get for trying to reach for that d.a.m.n dagger again.

As his bones splintered, they began to rip through the flesh. It was gross to look at but this much was repairable if you had the right amount of money.

I heard that level 10 healers could even restore limbs that have been permanently lost. Truth be told, I haven’t seen it myself.

Since I haven’t seen it broadcast on the news or tv either, I guess no one actually tried testing it out.

“Kyaaaaak!”

He didn’t stop screaming. He’s much more of a baby than I expected…..jeeez!

Barrf!

He began to vomit black blood and died before I could even get started.

“What the h.e.l.l….”

Hunters are known to usually do what is in their best interests.

I’m sure this would have been the same for the Chinese because who would want to invest tons of money into hunter grade equipment….and then die for a cause that wasn’t their own?

I couldn’t believe that the Chinese government would ask their hunters to commit suicide….and I further couldn’t believe that Chinese hunters would even obey such a command.

First things first, I picked up the dead body and headed towards my party members.

As soon as she saw me, Sooah started running towards me with a handkerchief in hand. She then proceeded to wipe my face.

Seeing it come off with black blood stains, it seemed the dead guy’s blood had splattered onto my face without my realizing it.

“I thought I was going to die from shock.”

“It’s your fault for forgetting about my new skill.”

“Who the h.e.l.l would remember all of the things you can do? And even if I did remember it, there isn’t anyone on earth who wouldn’t have been shocked by what happened.”

“I guess, I can’t say I wasn’t surprised a bit myself.”

“See.”

Sooah said loudly as she nodded her head. Everyone else in the party looked equally upset….while Park Hanb.u.m and Sohn Aram who didn’t know anything about my skill looked even more so.

“But what happened to him?”

“He’s dead. Suicide.”

“What…..”

Han Joonseok had a very uncomfortable expression on his face when I said it was suicide.

I turned into the direction of w.a.n.g Ze Ming, who was still tied up tightly, and asked.

“Do you have a poison ampoule in your mouth too?”

“Yeah right. What if I accidentally bit down? Then what? There isn’t anyone among us crazy enough to do something like that.”

“There’s one right here. h.e.l.lo.”

I pointed at the dead body on the side. w.a.n.g Ze Ming just shook his head.

“What kind of a hunter would put an order above his own life? I wouldn’t. And I know that none of the people I came here with would do the same.”

“So that’s why you had no qualms over ratting out your comrades?”

“They would have done the same.”

His face turned a bright red. I’m sure he was ashamed of sharing this.

“Anyway. Enough with the chitchat. Do you know where this guy might be from? If what you’re saying is true, he’s not one of you….then who is he?”