By Zephyria 
155
Ho-eun followed Tae-muk with his eyes, losing him, barely finding him again, and then losing him again. Even though he was just standing on the high wall and following him with his eyes, it was difficult to keep up with his movements.
Then, at some point, someone’s shout was heard dully, and Tae-muk raised his head sharply and started running at an even faster speed than before. And then he disappeared behind the wall of a large house.
“Uh…”
Ho-eun lifted his heels and swayed his body slowly from side to side, trying to see him.
“Young Master.”
Gil-sang called him.
“Yes?”
Ho-eun looked at Gil-sang and then froze, startled.
The surroundings… became quiet.
The wailing of the Devouring Ghouls, which had been echoing off the mountain, stopped abruptly as if cut off. All that could be heard was the heavy sound of the wind rushing by, whooooosh.
“…”
Ho-eun carefully looked down at the Devouring Ghouls below the wall. The Devouring Ghouls stretched out their wrinkled necks and stared at an ambiguous spot between the sky and the air. Their heads trembled as if convulsing slightly, and saliva mixed with blood dripped thickly from their gaping mouths. But there was no movement.
It was a scene he had seen before. The Devouring Ghoul he had encountered when moving to Myeonghwa Town with the refugees from Ramjae Town had been like this. And not long after, Tae-muk had appeared holding the Helmet Bone of the antenna Devouring Ghoul.
Tae-muk killed the leader.
That means…
“Get ready.”
It meant that it was Ho-eun’s turn.
“Yes.”
Ho-eun, who answered briefly, raised his Pistol and aimed it at the Devouring Ghoul closest to him. But even though it was close, it was still quite a distance away, so he couldn’t shoot it right away. It wouldn’t reach even if he shot. The bullet, bent by the wind, would only hit some innocent place.
The Crimson Rain Brigade soldiers, not missing the fact that the Devouring Ghouls had stopped, slaughtered the ones near them. The necks of the Devouring Ghouls were cut, and their Helmet Bones were shattered. Over a hundred Devouring Ghouls died in an instant.
And then, at some point. The Devouring Ghouls drooped their heads and began to move.
Kieek, keuk, kieeeeek!
Kaaaaaak!
They screamed at the soldiers. After that, they seemed to be fighting, waving their arms and biting, but soon they began to retreat little by little. Then they quickly turned around and started running towards the wall. The speed of their heavy gallop on four thick legs was tremendous. As the heavy weights rampaged, the snow piled up nearby collapsed and scattered, blurring the vision.
“…”
Ho-eun, who was aiming his Gun, wore a bewildered expression. His vision was already blurred because of the heavy snowfall, but with the hazy snow fog rising, he couldn’t figure out where to aim the muzzle. At that moment, Gil-sang stared at the Devouring Ghoul that Ho-eun was aiming at and said.
“Young Master, you can shoot.”
“…Yes.”
Ho-eun answered, but he couldn’t easily pull the trigger. It was not easy to aim at the eyeballs of the moving Devouring Ghoul. He had practiced hitting targets swaying in the wind with Tae-muk, but it felt completely different.
I have to hit it.
Even one, I have to kill even one.
“…”
Ho-eun kept swallowing, holding his breath, and glaring, but he couldn’t shoot. It was not easy to aim at the face, let alone the eyeballs of the Devouring Ghoul, in the sights.
“…”
Gil-sang looked at Ho-eun like that. But he didn’t urge him or scold him. He just watched. But Ho-eun felt even that gaze as a prodding.
So without realizing it.
Bang!
He ended up pulling the trigger.
With a deafening noise, the bullet flew through the fluttering snow. It didn’t hit the Devouring Ghoul, not even close. Only the roof tiles of someone else’s house were smashed. Ho-eun gasped and swallowed a breath of despair.
“I, I’ll shoot again.”
But there was no time to despair, as it was a battlefield. He had to shoot again quickly.
Ho-eun aimed the muzzle at the Devouring Ghoul again. But this time, it took even longer to fire than before. It was because of the obsession that he had to aim well. Because he had to be more accurate, more certain, to hit the Devouring Ghoul.
Ho-eun was aiming at the Devouring Ghoul for a long time. His muzzle danced, following the Devouring Ghoul that was running around. Then, when the Devouring Ghoul barely came into the sights.
Bang!
He shot the Gun. And after a moment of silence.
Crash!
A sharp sound struck like lightning. This time, the crock stand was smashed. The Devouring Ghoul, which was running away, trampled over the crock stand.
“Ah…”
Ho-eun slowly lowered his Gun. His cheeks were pale. It was despairing. He had trained hard, but he didn’t expect it to be such a mess. He thought that even if he couldn’t hit the eyeballs right away, he could at least hit the head, but it was arrogance.
Well, what could he do to kill a Devouring Ghoul with his abilities? How could he become a Crimson Rain Brigade soldier? A body that had been useless all his life couldn’t possibly be useful now. He dreamed too big. Too… big.
Ho-eun’s hand holding the Gun fell completely down. The fingers holding the Gun were also loosened, and the Gun was dangling as if it would fall soon.
At that moment, Gil-sang called him.
“Young Master.”
“Yes…”
Ho-eun answered in a subdued voice. He thought that Gil-sang was finally going to criticize him. How painful, how sharp would his criticism be, which was kind but firm, soft but sharp, he was afraid in advance and lowered his eyes.
“Do you know what I think about when I fight the Eater Bug bastards?”
Gil-sang asked something out of the blue. Ho-eun asked back with a foolish expression.
“…Yes?”
“What do you think I’m thinking about?”
“Uh…, well… How to kill the Devouring Ghoul…? Where to aim? How to swing the sword? Wouldn’t it be something like that?”
“No.”
“Then…”
“I don’t think about anything.”
“…Yes?”
At the unexpected answer, Ho-eun’s chin lifted slightly forward. Gil-sang continued, staring at the Devouring Ghoul running from afar, the Devouring Ghoul who was gaping its mouth, wondering if there was anything to eat even while running away.
“How can I have time to think about that when the Eater Bug bastards are running at me with their mouths open? I just swing first.”
“You just… swing?”
Ho-eun blinked quickly. Gil-sang’s sword was always fast and accurate. It wasn’t an action that could be expressed in words like ‘swing first’. He couldn’t believe it.
“You have to move instinctively on the battlefield.”
Gil-sang said again, looking at Ho-eun.
“If you mean instinctively…”
“There’s no time to think and aim.”
“…”
“So Young Master, just shoot.”
“Just… shoot…”
Ho-eun repeated those words slowly. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Just shoot? What if he misses? Wouldn’t he just be wasting bullets? Isn’t it better to shoot and hit one properly than to shoot ten randomly?
Ho-eun was stroking the handle of the Pistol with his thumb as if pressing it down. Gil-sang took a step closer.
“Do you remember what the Captain said earlier?”
“What…”
“That he wouldn’t let you come down until you used up all the bullets.”
“…Ah.”
Ho-eun looked down. A box of bullets the size of his palm was placed at his feet. Byeonguk had left it, saying that Tae-muk had told him to bring it. At first glance, it looked like four handfuls, so there were more than a hundred.
“There must be a reason for that.”
“Reason…”
Tae-muk wouldn’t have expected him to kill a hundred Devouring Ghouls with a hundred bullets. He would know his skills better than he did. But the fact that he gave him so many bullets meant that he wanted him to use them.
‘You can’t just shoot at targets forever.’
He had said that.
So Tae-muk… didn’t seem to think of this battlefield as a battlefield. He might have wanted him to use this place as another shooting range.
At that moment, Gil-sang said again.
“What if you miss? Just shoot. The Captain will be listening to everything. That Young Master is shooting.”
At those words, Ho-eun stopped breathing for a moment. Yes, his Gunshots would be a ‘gong’ to Tae-muk, so he would be listening.
He would be listening to him despairing after shooting only two shots…
When he realized that, his cheeks suddenly flushed.
It was because he was ashamed.
To show such a disgraceful figure to his teacher. He was not qualified as a disciple. Even if he couldn’t make him proud of him, he shouldn’t disappoint him.
Ho-eun, who had thought that far, glared.
“I’ll shoot again.”
He would not come down from here until he had used up all these bullets. Ho-eun, who had made that resolution, aimed at the head of the Devouring Ghoul that was coming ahead. And this time, without thinking deeply, without aiming, without waiting, when the muzzle was in line with the Devouring Ghoul.
Bang!
He shot the Gun. The bullet that flew past the head of the Devouring Ghoul whizzed across and was buried in the ground. Ho-eun did not despair and immediately prepared for the next shot.
“…”
Since it flew over the head of the Devouring Ghoul, he had to lower the muzzle a little more. That was something he could know without thinking. Moreover, the Devouring Ghoul was constantly moving. So even if he aimed at the head and shot, it would only hit the back.
Then…
Ho-eun lowered the muzzle once, lowered it again, aimed at the area around the Devouring Ghoul’s solar plexus, and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
At the same time as the Gunshot echoed loudly, blood splattered from the Devouring Ghoul for the first time. The one with a bullet hole in its neck made a strange sound, kwirrrrreuk, and twisted its body. But it did not fall or collapse. Ho-eun stared at the Devouring Ghoul and pulled the trigger again.
Bang!
This time, the bullet hit the Helmet Bone of the Devouring Ghoul, less than a hand span away from the eyeball. But still, it could not penetrate the bone. The Devouring Ghoul was running without any impact.
“…”
He had already shot three times, but he couldn’t kill the Devouring Ghoul. But Ho-eun was not disappointed. He just lowered the muzzle further, following the Devouring Ghoul that had come closer.
Bang!
He shot the Gun once again.
There was a sound like a water balloon bursting, pu-gack. Soon, thick blood gushed out.
Thump!
The Devouring Ghoul fell.