A week passed.
Every night, Donghoon left the barricade. And every night, he returned before dawn, his ax coated in black liquid.
The first night: three Crawlers. The second night: four Crawlers. The third night: five Crawlers and one Howler. The fourth night: two Howlers. The fifth night: three Howlers. The sixth night: four Howlers. The seventh night: five Howlers.
Donghoon kept a record. On paper. Instead of dates, he wrote the number of days since he had come to this world.
'Day 10. Total killed: 27 Crawlers, 16 Howlers.'
Looking at the numbers, Donghoon thought. In the novel, it had taken the protagonist, Jin Seoha, a month to reach this number of kills. Donghoon had done it in ten days. Three times faster.
The reason was simple. Jin Seoha had the knowledge of fifty runs, but every run had to start from the beginning. He had to figure out where the monsters were and how to approach them through trial and error. Donghoon had read all that trial and error in a web novel. He knew the optimal hunting methods distilled from fifty runs of mistakes.
But this was the optimal solution for the fiftieth run. Most of it worked on the third run too, but there were occasional discrepancies.
Last night had been one of them.
While hunting five Howlers, the fourth one acted differently from the novel. In the novel, a Howler called its other companions with a cry when one of them died. But the fourth one last night hadn't cried. Instead, it had run away. There was no scene in the novel where a Howler fled. That meant the Howlers hadn't fled during the fiftieth run.
On the third run, they did.
A discrepancy between runs. Donghoon wrote the words on the paper.
'Run discrepancy confirmed: Howler behavior differs from the novel. Fleeing behavior confirmed. Pattern absent from the novel's fiftieth run.'
Donghoon put down his pen and looked at his body.
It was completely different from ten days ago. The visible changes weren't dramatic. He had put on a little muscle, but he hadn't turned into a bodybuilder. The changes were on the inside.
Strength. Donghoon could now smash through a concrete wall with his fist. He had tested it yesterday. His fist had sunk into the wall. It hadn't hurt.
Speed. At a full sprint, he felt like he might be faster than a car. He didn't know his exact speed, but he could catch a Crawler from behind. Crawlers moved at around forty kilometers per hour. Donghoon was faster.
Senses. His vision was clear even in the dark. His hearing picked up sounds from five blocks away. His sense of smell had changed too. He could smell Crawlers now—a distinctive odor that smelled like a mixture of metal and earth.
In the novel, this level of enhancement corresponded to an 'intermediate Enhancer.' It was enough to face Crawlers and Howlers alone and engage a Grade 3 Hunter.
Donghoon still hadn't encountered a Hunter. In the novel, Hunters inhabited areas closer to the rift. They hadn't appeared near Zone 2 yet.
Yet.
Donghoon folded the paper, put it in his backpack, and went down to the first floor.
It was breakfast. People had gathered in the lobby. When Donghoon entered, the mood changed. Their reaction was different from a week ago.
The wary looks had decreased. Something else had taken their place. Respect? No. It was closer to awe. A man who went out alone every night, killed monsters, and came back. More and more of them each night.
Donghoon sat in an empty seat and accepted his meal.
Yoonah sat across from him. Her ankle was almost healed. She still limped, but she could walk.
"You went out again last night?"
"Yeah."
"How many?"
"Five."
Yoonah looked at Donghoon with an expression that seemed to ask whether he was really the same man she had ridden on his back a week ago.
"Mr. Donghoon, can I be honest?"
"Sure."
"You're scary."
Donghoon stopped with his spoon halfway to his mouth.
"What about me?"
"You are. You're getting strong too fast. It's only been ten days since you came to this world, but you're becoming the strongest person in Zone 2."
Donghoon looked at Yoonah.
"That scares you?"
"It's not exactly fear... I just don't understand. How are you getting strong so fast?"
Donghoon took a spoonful of rice.
"I hunt efficiently."
"And where does that efficiency come from?"
Donghoon didn't answer.
Yoonah sighed.
"I won't ask. Just... be careful."
Donghoon nodded.
After eating, Donghoon went to find Park Jeongsu.
"I want to expand the western search area."
Park Jeongsu looked at the map.
"We're searching up to three blocks west right now. You want to go farther?"
"Up to five blocks."
"Five blocks puts you closer to the rift's influence. Crawler density goes up, and there are more Howlers too. And beyond that—"
Park Jeongsu stopped.
"What's beyond it?"
"There are signs of Hunters."
Donghoon's heart beat a little faster.
Hunters. Grade 3. Intelligent monsters. They set traps, drive their prey where they want it, and act strategically.
In the novel, Hunters were the first opponents the protagonist had struggled against. They were on an entirely different level from Grades 1 and 2. The problem wasn't their strength or speed. It was their intelligence. They learned human behavior patterns. The same trick didn't work twice.
"What do you mean, signs?"
"A month ago, I sent a three-man team to search six blocks west. Only one came back. He said the other two had been caught in traps. Traps that made the ground collapse. The monster had dug them."
Donghoon nodded. Just like in the novel. Hunters dug traps. They weakened the floor of a building so it would collapse when prey passed over it. Then they waited beneath the collapsed section and attacked.
"I know its weak point."
Park Jeongsu looked at Donghoon.
"What?"
"The joint connecting the spine on its back. There are seams in the shell. Stab there."
Park Jeongsu's eyes sharpened.
"How do you know that?"
Donghoon gave the answer he had prepared.
"Observation. Crawlers and Howlers both have seams in their shells. Behind the neck, inside the mouth. Even as the grade rises, the shell structure should be similar. The joint connecting the spine on its back is where the shell overlaps, so there has to be a seam."
He dressed it up as logical deduction. In reality, he had read it in the novel. But the logic was sound, and Park Jeongsu couldn't refute it.
Park Jeongsu stared at Donghoon for a long time.
"...What the hell are you?"
"Someone trying to survive."
Park Jeongsu snorted and pointed at the map.
"I'll authorize you to go five blocks west. But go alone. If you encounter a Hunter, don't engage. Come back with information only."
"Understood."
Donghoon left the room.
Lee Jaehyeok was waiting in the hallway.
"I heard. Five blocks west?"
"Yeah."
"Want some company?"
Donghoon looked at Lee Jaehyeok. There was genuine feeling in his eyes. Not wariness, but a sense of camaraderie.
"I'm fine. I'll be faster alone."
"Speed isn't what matters. If you die out there alone, it's over."
"I won't die."
Lee Jaehyeok sighed.
"I don't know where you get that confidence."
Donghoon didn't answer. Instead, he patted Lee Jaehyeok once on the shoulder and walked past him.
That afternoon, Donghoon headed west.
It was daytime. Crawlers would be hiding, but Hunters were different. In the novel, Hunters didn't care whether it was day or night. They were intelligent. Only inferior creatures acted at night because of instinct. Hunters had risen above instinct.
He passed the three-block mark. This was the end of the searched area. The buildings still bore Zone 2's markings: a circle painted in blue spray paint, signifying 'search complete.'
Four blocks. The markings disappeared. Unsearched territory.
Donghoon slowed down and scanned his surroundings, throwing all his enhanced senses into the task. Sight, hearing, smell.
The buildings had collapsed even more severely. The closer an area was to the rift, the greater the impact of the ruin had been. The road had split apart completely, forcing him to walk across the debris.
Donghoon stopped at the entrance to the fifth block.
The smell was different.
It was similar to a Crawler's, but stronger. Something was mixed into the metallic odor. Earth? No. Blood. The smell of dried blood.
Donghoon scanned his surroundings.
There were traces on the ground. Scratches. Deeper and wider than a Crawler's. That meant larger claws. The marks were also farther apart. Long strides. A bipedal creature.
A Howler? No. He already knew what Howler footprints looked like. This was different. There were three claw marks. Howlers had four.
A Hunter.
Donghoon's heart sped up. It wasn't fear. It was tension. And, honestly, anticipation.
He remembered the Hunter's appearance from the novel. It was slightly smaller than a Howler, around 180 centimeters tall. But its body was more streamlined. Its shell was thinner and hugged its body more closely, allowing it to move faster. Six eyes. And its most distinctive feature was its hands. They were structured similarly to human hands. It could grab things. It could use tools.
A monster that used tools.
Donghoon didn't follow the footprints. Park Jeongsu had told him to bring back information only. Engaging a Hunter required preparation.
Donghoon continued scanning the area and gathering information. The direction, density, and freshness of the footprints. There were several sets. He had to determine whether the same creature had passed through repeatedly or whether there were multiple creatures.
There were two sizes of footprints. Large and small. At least two monsters.
Donghoon recorded it in his head. He didn't have time to take out paper.
Then he heard a sound.
From above.
Donghoon reflexively rolled to the side.
Something fell where he had been standing. A chunk of concrete. It had fallen from the building above.
Donghoon rose and looked up.
Something was in a third-floor window. Six eyes stared down at him from the darkness. Small, yellow eyes.
A Hunter.
Their eyes met.
The Hunter didn't move. It was observing Donghoon. Dropping the concrete hadn't been an attack. It had been a test of his reaction—how he moved, how fast he was, whether he was a threat.
The Hunter was observing its prey.
Donghoon stood motionless with his ax in hand. The Hunter didn't move either.
Ten seconds.
Twenty seconds.
The Hunter vanished from the window without a sound. It had withdrawn into the building.
Donghoon exhaled.
Neither of them had engaged. They had only observed each other before retreating.
This was how Hunters acted in the novel. They didn't attack prey they encountered for the first time right away. They observed. They figured out its patterns. Then, the next time they met, they hunted it using the optimal method.
The next time they met, that thing would know Donghoon's reaction speed. The direction he'd moved to avoid the concrete, his speed, his posture. It would remember everything.
Donghoon backed away and returned toward the base.
As he walked, he thought.
A Hunter. Grade 3. The first opponent the protagonist had struggled against in the novel. But Donghoon had the novel's knowledge. He knew its weak point, its behavior patterns, and the kinds of traps it used.
The problem was that the Hunter had observed Donghoon too. Next time, it would come prepared.
A battle between a hunter and his prey.
Donghoon raised the corner of his mouth.
Good. This was the fun kind.
When he returned to the base, he reported to Park Jeongsu.
"I confirmed Hunters. At least two. They're living along the western boundary of the fifth block."
Park Jeongsu's expression hardened.
"Did you engage them?"
"No. I only observed them and came back."
"...Good. No one goes past the fifth block west for the time being. We need to come up with a response plan."
Donghoon nodded.
Back in his room, he took out a sheet of paper.
'Hunters confirmed. At least two. Western fifth block. Six yellow eyes. Observational behavior confirmed. Tested reaction by throwing concrete. Behavior pattern matches the novel.'
Then he added one more line.
'Next time we meet, I'll kill it.'
Donghoon put down his pen and looked at his ax.
The blade was worn down. After killing dozens of Crawlers and Howlers, its edge had grown dull. He needed a new weapon. No, a better weapon.
In the novel, the protagonist made a weapon from a Hunter's shell after killing it. A monster's shell was harder than any metal made by humans. Shave it down into a blade, and it became the best weapon possible.
But that was a story for after he killed a Hunter.
Donghoon ran a finger along the ax blade.
First, he had to kill a Hunter with this ax. With a dull ax. A Grade 3 monster.
Donghoon closed his eyes.
He could do it. He had the novel's knowledge. He knew its weak point, its patterns, and the kinds of traps it used.
And Donghoon was getting stronger every day.
Donghoon opened his eyes.
Tomorrow night, he would head west.