Capitalist Monster Hunter

The Cockroach Situation (3)

Clank!
Clatter!

Just then, another grate fell from a different vent. YuSeong, who was busy firing at the approaching Croaches, turned his head in the direction of the noise. A Croach’s head peeked out from the vent.

“Oh, damn.”

An expletive slipped out from Yu-seong’s mouth. It was already tough to hold off the Croaches swarming from the front, and now they were coming from another path too.

[Black Star: It’s over, huh.]

[666: Thought we had an interesting one here, but it ends here?]

[Dragon Slayer: Not sure yet.]

[666: There you go again, saying ‘not sure’ like some ordinary human. LOL.]

[Great Archangel: Silence, you demons.]

[Black Star: Here comes the annoying one.]

[Great Archangel: Shut it.]

[666: Look who’s all twitchy again.]

Yuseong had hoped for some encouragement, but the gods and spirits were back to bickering among themselves.

“Not like they’re doing any help…”

It was clear he could only rely on himself. The gods and spirits were just watchers, watching from afar. He had to get through this on his own.

[Need some assistance?]

“Of course!”

Duh. At this point, Yuseong would’ve accepted help from a cat if it’d been there.

[I found a track in the lab’s database that’s said to boost productivity.]

“What? Music?”

Music, out of nowhere? Yuseong was taken aback by Eve’s suggestion.

[The researchers in the lab listened to this track every day to boost productivity.]

He remembered seeing something about it on the internet—a mysterious piece of music that stabilized brainwaves, boosting efficiency and concentration.

Back in the day, there was a weird device called “M-X Square” that went viral in Korea. It was advertised on TV with students claiming it helped them study better. Parents of students lined up to buy it, thinking it would help their kids succeed.

“Right. Korean parents aren’t idiots; they wouldn’t spend money on something useless, right?”

No way a parent would throw away money on something ineffective, Yuseong thought as he spoke to Eve.

“Fine! Play it!”

[Understood.]

As Yuseong gave the go-ahead, Eve played the track.

The lab was filled with music.

“La Cucaracha, la cucaracha, the beautiful face♪”

The speakers played the accordion, guitar, and the distinct shaking of maracas, alongside a smooth male voice singing an upbeat tune.

“…Hey, Eve?”

[Yes?]

“This is the productivity-boosting track?”

[Yes, that’s correct.]

Sigh…

Yuseong sighed.

“Boost productivity? This?”

If it didn’t make him less productive, he’d consider himself lucky. In fact, it was making him more distracted.

The idea that music could improve focus was clearly a lie.

“M-X Square? They can keep it.”

Yuseong forgot that Korean parents would do just about anything to boost their child’s grades—some might even march into North Korea if it meant getting their kid into a Seoul university.

They probably bought M-X Square because they were duped, thinking it would raise grades. But focus? That’s an inherent skill. If there was really a track that improved focus, it would be playing in every high school classroom and office in Korea.

[Goddess of Mischief: What a choice of song, LOL.]

[Fairy King: Oh…]

[Dragon Slayer: Insane.]

[666: LOL.]

[Black Star: Oh, man, LOL.]

Yuseong’s focus didn’t improve, but something else did—his anger.

“Aaagh! You little bastards!”

Bang! Bang! Rata-tat! Tat!

In a rage, Yu-seong began spraying bullets. Croaches fell one after another, dispatched the moment they emerged from the vent. The jackal’s bullets traveled faster than the Croaches could move. They started coming out in groups, but it didn’t matter.

The jackal’s armor-piercing rounds exploded on impact. The more that gathered, the more got caught in the blast.

Click! Click!

The jackal’s gunfire ceased. He was out of bullets, and empty casings littered the ground.

As Yuseong pressed the button on the side of the jackal to reload, the Croaches seized the chance. They rushed at him, screeching.

“Skreee!”

One of them leaped straight at Yuseong’s face.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Wham!

Yuseong smacked the Croach with the jackal, sending it sprawling.

Screech!

As the creature rolled on the ground, he sliced it cleanly in two with his energy sword.

Click!

Reloading with a fresh magazine, he resumed shooting. A few Croaches tried to latch onto his body, but he shook them off, crushing them underfoot.

The gunfire continued until the pile of Croach remains formed a small hill.

“Pant…pant… You damn bugs…”

[Dragon Slayer: Wow.]

[Goddess of Mischief: Oh, he won.]

[War Maniac: Oh, that was satisfying!]

[666: Did he really?]

[Black Star: He actually survived.]

[Mission Success!]

[War Maniac sponsored “Apprentice Knight’s Straight Sword.”]

[Dragon Slayer sponsored “Lower Tier Random Box x10.”]

[Goddess of Mischief sponsored “Body Enhancement Potion.”]

[Black Star sponsored “Lower Tier Health Potion x20.”]

[Anonymous god sponsored “Three Techniques Manual.”]

[Anonymous god-sponsored “Three Techniques Sword Manual.”]

[Anonymous god sponsored “1000 Points.”]

[Anonymous god… sponsored…]

[Anonymous god… sponsored…]

[Anonymous god sponsored “500 Points.”]

As the list of sponsorships rolled in, Yuseong sat down, exhausted from fighting the Croaches. He raised his jackal and shouted.

“I’m alive! You damn bugs! Hahaha!”

Relieved to be alive, Yuseong burst out laughing.

[Congratulations, user Han Yu-seong. I told you, didn’t I? Croaches are nothing but walking targets to a soldier.]

“Hey, Eve.”

[Yes?]

“If you were human, I’d have punched you.”

[Good thing I’m not an organic being, then.]

“I’m serious. No joke.”

Yuseong meant it.

[User Han Yu-seong, I found something that might be useful.]

“It’s not another guitar or maracas, is it?”

[Of course not.]

“What did you find?”

“[This is a drone. It’s a reconnaissance drone used by the alliance, but it seems the lab researchers modified it. It’s not only for scouting and scanning but can also be used for combat support. Plus, it has some basic hacking tools built in.]”

Drones have been growing in popularity on Earth for a few years now. They were used in dangerous or inaccessible places, rescue missions, broadcasting, military operations, and even as a civilian hobby. But in this world, it seemed that the technology was so advanced that drones had become standard equipment in the military.

“Do I have to control it myself?”

YuSeong asked Eve, sounding a bit worried.

[No need to worry. I’ll handle the controls.]

Relieved by Eve’s response, YuSeong felt a bit at ease.

The drone was bigger than he’d expected.

“I thought it would be about the size of a soccer ball.”

Since the drones he’d seen on TV weren’t that big, he figured it’d be at most the size of a soccer ball, but it turned out to be slightly larger.

[We’ve retrieved all the research data, so let’s head back.]

YuSeong and Eve left the Ramdon Central Lab.

‘I remember a bunch of notifications popped up earlier.’

He recalled the many screens that had appeared in front of him while fighting the croaches.

‘Hmm… it’s probably not important. I’ll check it later.’

[While retrieving the data, I also sent a distress signal to the nearest military unit. Let’s head outside and wait for the rescue team.]

“I found him, Chief.”

“I’d love to see the face of the hero who managed to escape Ramdon alone. I heard everyone else on the mission died.”

“Haha! I’d like to see who it is too. Whoever they are, they’ll be a hero when they get back.”

Sergeant Chen chuckled as he opened the helicopter door and saw YuSeong waving at them.

But as he recognized YuSeong, Chen’s face slowly stiffened.

“Chief… It’s that guy.”

“Who are you talking about? Don’t tell me it’s that rude Noble kid.”

“It’s him. The same Noble from before.”

“Oh, wow. A Noble, huh? Never thought that stuck-up brat would survive. Those nobles surely have nine lives, huh?”

Chief Patrick replied sarcastically to Chen’s comment.

“Not much we can do. He’s the only one left from the mission, so we have to bring him in, even if he’s the pain. We can’t just leave him behind.”

“Yeah, if we left a Noble behind, we’d be in bigger trouble. Let’s just hope that prickly Earth aristocrat is happy to see us.”

“Well, he doesn’t look mad—actually, looks like he’s grinning from ear to ear. But he’ll probably complain the whole way back.”

“Oh, like about the seat being uncomfortable or the ride being bumpy?”

“You’ve nailed it. Let’s get him in and — oh, crap.”

Crash!

As Patrick lowered the helicopter, suddenly a massive evolved creature burst through the lab wall.

YuSeong turned his head towards the sound of the collapsing wall.

“Grrrrrrr!”

The creature was like an oversized mutant with bulging muscles that looked like they’d explode if you poked them, fists like wrecking balls, and a towering frame. It made the Mansstag look oversized in comparison.

“Grrrrrr!”

[That’s…that’s a Demolisher! We need to get out of here, now! Get to the helicopter, quickly!]

“I didn’t think there’d be such a monster inside the lab…”

How a creature that big had been inside the lab was a mystery, but YuSeong was just glad he hadn’t run into it sooner.

[Now isn’t the time to just stand there!]

Eve’s words snapped YuSeong out of it, and he started sprinting toward the helicopter.

“Hurry! Get on, quick!”

Seeing Yu-Seong running, Sergeant Chen quickly lowered a ladder and started firing the machine gun at the Demolisher.

Bullets sprayed out of the machine gun barrel, showering the Demolisher with a hail of bullets.

Rat-tat-tat-tat!

Despite the rain of bullets, the Demolisher seemed unfazed and was determined to get to YuSeong.

“We’re getting out of here!”

Grab!

“Hurry up and lift off!”

As soon as Yu-Seong grabbed the ladder and yelled, Chief Patrick began raising the helicopter.

“Grrrrrr!”

The Demolisher reached for the helicopter, but it managed to escape its massive grasp by a hair.

“Phew, we made it.”

Yu-Seong’s heart was pounding like crazy. Sergeant Chen handed him a canteen as he sat down, catching his breath.

“Here’s some water.”

“Oh, thank you.”

YuSeong took the canteen from Chen and started drinking. The cool water soothed his parched throat, and he finally felt a little better.

“Ahh, refreshing.”

YuSeong handed the canteen back, but Chen just stared blankly, not taking it, his expression as if he’d seen a ghost.

“Uh, excuse me?”

“Huh? Oh… right…”

Chen snapped back to reality when YuSeong spoke to him again.

“Do you… not remember me?”

Chen’s eyes widened as he looked at YuSeong, speaking cautiously.

“Sorry, but I don’t really remember. Haha…”

“We met a few days ago. You seriously don’t remember?”

Yu-Seong awkwardly laughed. “I hit my head in Ramdon, so my memory’s a bit hazy…”

At that, Chen’s face went pale. He hurried to contact HQ.

“This is Nighthawk, Nighthawk. HQ, do you copy?”

“We read you, Nighthawk. HQ here. Mission accomplished?”

“Yes, but we have an issue.”

“When don’t we? So, what’s the problem, Nighthawk?”

“The Noble’s hurt.”

“…Did you say Noble?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, damn. Got it, Nighthawk. We’ll have a medical team on standby. Bring him in ASAP before his condition worsens.”

“Roger that, HQ.”

Chen ended the communication.

“Chief.”

“Yes, I heard, Chen. Hang on tight.”

Chief Patrick pushed the helicopter to maximum speed, and before long, YuSeong was finally brought to safety.