Chapter: 208
“Citizens! Please remain calm and follow the instructions to evacuate!”
“Everyone, move to the nearest shelter!”
Elite heroes began their operation to hunt the high-tier beasts, and at the same time, evacuations for the citizens were taking place in the outskirts of the city as a precaution.
Honestly, I expected it to be easier than before.
It wasn’t like last time when the gateway was blocked, and there wasn’t a demonic beast threatening the lives of the citizens inside the barrier.
However, that was a mistake.
“What… what was that sound earlier?!”
“Mommm…! I’m scared…!”
“Calm down! If you push like that, people will get hurt!”
“Do we look calm right now?! We saw it! There’s a huge monster out there! Is everything all right?!”
The evacuation crowd was chaotic, with screams and shouts filling the air, it was simply a mess.
With people trembling in fear, some unable to follow orders, how could an evacuation proceed smoothly?
The citizens were in a panic, more than ever before.
It felt frustrating enough to drive me insane, but I soon realized the reason for it.
Those who had trained for emergencies and evacuations were now in this state—what on earth was it?
[■■■■■■!!!!]
“Eeek—!!!”
The shrieking sound echoing from somewhere was the very reason for the people’s panic.
Even the children, who had undergone training to overcome fear, would shrink back upon hearing that wailing sound. How much worse was it for those with no immunity to such things?
Faced with a predator, people would instinctively freeze, losing the ability to think rationally in the presence of something immensely stronger than themselves.
At least there was some relief in that this area was not one where the beast would likely penetrate, so even if time lagged, it wasn’t a major issue.
We were on the verge of death trying to calm those yelling in fear and bring out those shivering under their blankets to evacuate.
…Moreover, the ones truly hard to deal with weren’t even those who were uncontrollable.
“…Huh, heroes. Are you actually going to protect us? It hasn’t been long since that incident. You’re not trying to get us killed like my mom, are you?”
The hardest part for us was dealing with those who refused to listen due to distrust in heroes.
Whether they wanted it or not, the words from the wounded cut deep, hurting us who were trying to help others.
But still, no one among us, who were running around sweating for the sake of evacuating people, would blame them.
Every time they spoke like that, it made us think if we could have saved their precious ones if we had done better.
Therefore, we could do nothing but put our all into ensuring nothing like that happened this time.
“…It’s fine if you don’t trust us.”
“…Yeah, I don’t trust you guys.”
“However, I hope you can trust the heroes fighting the beasts at this very moment, like Captain Yoon Si-woo or Telos. They are risking their lives to protect you.”
“…”
And the best way to deal with such people was to mention names like Yoon Si-woo or Telos.
Their names carried weight, fostering a sense of trust; people tended to listen to orders from those they believed in, no matter how grumpy they were.
I admired how the history teacher calmly guided one troublesome person to join the evacuation line.
“…You seem remarkably calm. There’s a beast right beyond there, aren’t you scared?”
“There’s no need to be scared. The beasts coming our way will be dealt with by Captain Telos.”
The history teacher replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, then smiled broadly.
“Well, you all might be scared, but I’ve worked under him a long time. I can’t imagine him losing, whether the opponent is a high-tier beast or anything else. So I can focus on doing what I need to do, which happens to be evacuating citizens just in case. Funny isn’t it? He won’t lose.”
I chuckled and nodded at that.
Definitely didn’t seem like someone who would lose to anyone.
Regardless, feeling reassured with someone watching our backs made my anxious heart settle down a little.
Just then, as we were about to go back to assist with the evacuees,
[■■■■■■■■!!!!]
A sound reminiscent of a beast screaming echoed from somewhere.
It was eerie enough that anyone would know it was in pain.
As I pondered, I clearly saw the barrier rippling in the distance.
At that moment, I had a rough idea of what was happening.
Just as planned, a beast was crossing over the barrier.
Hearing the anguished cries of the beast made my face stiffen involuntarily.
I knew all too well what kind of emotions it was experiencing.
That terrible sensation of all strength draining from your body, like being wrung out, was one I never wanted to experience again.
Lost in thought, I suddenly questioned something.
What on earth was that beast thinking, tolerating such pain to come over the barrier?
No matter how much prey there is in the city, ordinarily, a creature wouldn’t think to cross a raging inferno for food.
Just dipping a toe in would have triggered a primal instinct to retreat.
What if the beast had some urgent purpose that warranted crossing the barrier?
[─────────────!!!!!]
Suddenly, that sound resounded, and I hastily turned my head toward its direction.
Not to the outskirts but toward the city’s interior.
Gulp, I swallowed.
My heart raced while my blood turned cold.
…What was that just now—
“…What’s wrong? Sweating like that all of a sudden.”
While I was lost in thought, I heard the history teacher’s voice next to me and I blankly stared at him.
Though there was a mix of concern for me, his expression showed no signs of worry.
How could he look so unfazed?
If he heard that sound, there was no way he could appear so indifferent.
I couldn’t understand, so I asked the history teacher.
“…Y-you didn’t hear that sound just now?”
“What sound… Ah, you mean the cry of the beast? If that’s the case, you don’t have to worry. It must be the cry of a beast that crossed the barrier as planned. It must be heavily weakened to be making such painful sounds.”
“Beast?! That’s not what I’m talking about!”
That was much more ominous, much more horrifying, filled with hate, resentment, and anguish.
A chilling cry filled with a plea to come and pull it out of there.
How could he not have heard such horrendous cries?
Clenching my teeth in fear, I drew shallow breaths and looked around.
But all I saw were people trembling and scared, seemingly affected by the beast’s wails.
In this eerily calm scene, I swallowed hard.
Under normal circumstances, they should all be flipping out in terror, but it looked like no one had heard that sound.
In that moment of confusion, I had to accept a grim reality.
It appeared that among all those present, I was the only one who heard that sound.
At this point, I began to question if I was hallucinating, but that scream was too vivid to dismiss as a mere figment.
Perhaps it was due to my unique traits that allowed me to overhear that call.
That posture clearly explained why those beasts were desperately trying to cross the barrier.
Taking a sidelong glance towards the city center, I vigorously shook my head at the thought that had crossed my mind.
What if that thing came out? Let’s not entertain such grim thoughts.
If it broke free, this world would truly be over.
It was so terrifying that I’d stake my claim on that.
So, there was nothing left to do but hope that it never happened.
I should trust that Yoon Si-woo and the other captains would adequately handle the situation.
I tried to control my mind, but the tremors in my hands were unavoidable.
At that moment, the history teacher, who had been looking at me with concern, spoke.
“Seems like you’re very tense given the circumstances. Want to take a quick break? Once we help everyone evacuate from this building, we’ll be wrapping things up in this area.”
“…I’m sorry. I just need to wash my face in the bathroom for a moment.”
Honestly, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed, so I asked for his understanding and headed toward the bathroom located at the corner of the stairs.
Looking in the mirror, I saw my face drenched in cold sweat.
I realized just how on edge I was, letting out a wry smile.
Splashing my face with cold water cleared my mind somewhat.
After roughly drying my face with flames, I stepped out of the bathroom and opened the window to take a deep breath.
Suddenly, I uttered a soft “Huh?”
I couldn’t help it.
This building wasn’t that far from the academy.
The place was actually further away from the barrier than where the academy was located.
But why?
Why did the beast seem larger than when I saw it at the academy?
Fearing the worst, I felt a chill pass over my nape and rushed out of the building.
Outside, I spotted the teacher, who was busy evacuating people from inside the building.
With a flurry of urgency, I ran up to him and said.
“…Uh, teacher. I’m not sure if it’s just my imagination, but it seemed like the beast was approaching the city from above! Was there any plan to lure a beast towards this area?”
The history teacher tilted his head, then burst into hearty laughter before replying.
“Haha, you think the beast seems to be approaching? Well, during a fight, it’s possible the battlefield might shift a little this way. Still, it must be your imagination if it feels like it’s coming closer. Captain Telos wouldn’t lose to a beast like that.”
While laughing, the history teacher’s face suddenly turned serious as he gazed at something.
My expression mirrored his as I followed his gaze.
In the distance, beyond a low building on the outskirts of the city.
The beast’s head peeked through.
By my recollection, that was not something that should be visible from here.
That beast was standing way too close to the city.
One ominous thought crossed my mind, and the history teacher muttered in disbelief, as if he were thinking the same thing.
“Could it be… the captain…?”
And just like that, it seemed the unbelievable was turning into reality, as the beast crept closer, its head and body peeking over the building and grinning.
Even without eyes, you could sense its smile.
In the next moment, the beast thrust its head through the barrier.
[■■■■■■■■■!!!]
The beast screamed in pain.
Yet, it persevered, forcing its head and body into the barrier one after another.
As the barrier was shimmering, a spark-like phenomenon erupted.
The thought I’d once heard from Dwight came rushing back.
“If you try to eliminate too much miasma at once, it can overload and lead to a malfunction.”
At the same time, a low rumbling sound filled the air.
Like the hum of a computer turning off.
[■■■■■■■■■!!!]
The beast wailed again.
But this time, its wailing was filled not with anguish but with a sense of triumph.
“Ahh…”
As the beast’s cry echoed, the despairing voice of the history teacher faded behind me, while I gazed blankly into the void.
The void that had always existed even if it was never seen, was now dissipating.
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