Global Awakening: Only I Can Respawn

[Head Hunter Contract engaged!]

[Target: Berserking Ogre.]

[Threat level: Low~High.]

[Time Limit: 5 hours]

[Known Weakness: None discovered.]

[Reward: 400 gold]

[Punishment: Wilderness Curse: Monsters will attack you every hour for 8 hours.]

I was wondering when I'll get another one of these.

Even though YuWon was expecting to receive a head hunter contract, he was surprised to find the time limit and punishment sections. The last time he got a contract, there were no such terms in place.

Thankfully, he wasn't interested in all that. Why? Because he won't fail the hunt. But before that, he'd need a reason to leave the gas station without Yuna breathing down his neck.

Then he saw the can of beans in his hand and an idea popped up in his mind.

This should work.

With that thought, YuWon headed outside the building to find Yuna.

"Let's split up," he told her.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "We were never together—"

YuWon ignored her childish attempts to coax him and continued.

"Apart from the fuel, there isn't much here. Those goblins must have consumed everything," he said, pointing at the store behind. "There are a few more stores here. It'd be a waste to not look for resources there."

Yuna looked at him, wondering what YuWon was planning. In the end, she decided not to overthink everything and nodded.

"I agree. Finding more food and consumables should be our priority. I'll come with you—"

"No need for that," YuWon raised his hand, looking at the soldiers. "Four of you will come with me. The other two will stay here with the girls and protect the vehicles."

Gina, standing beside YuWon, wasn't thrilled about being left alone. She felt the distance between her and her husband had been growing and didn't want him to leave her.

"But I can—hm..."

Gina spoke, but YuWon pulled her in and gave her a quick kiss before she could voice her objection.

"I'll be back before you know it," he smiled, patting her head. "So be a good girl and do what I say, alright?"

Gina blushed and nodded. The resolve of her protest melted away in YuWon's embrace. Yeji wanted to object as well but knew YuWon wouldn't be as gentle with her as he was with Gina and didn't want him to get angry with her.

As for Yuna, she too wished to tag along with YuWon. But her intentions weren't as pure as Gina's or Yeji's. She only wished to accompany him to learn more about YuWon and his skills. However, the cars were her responsibility and she couldn't leave.

But unlike YuWon expected, the problem wasn't the girls but the soldiers. The moment they realized only two of them could stay back with the women, they began a shouting match.

"I have to stay because I'm better at defense!"

"Like hell you are. You can't even defend yourself. What will you do here?"

"No way you're staying here either! You were on patrol duty with Ms. Yuna last time," another guy argued.

YuWon's eyebrows shook as he had had enough of their bickering. He drew his sword and slammed it into the ground. The clanging sound made the soldiers jump and turn toward him.

"We're not on a picnic, are we?" YuWon growled. "Plus, the ones staying behind have an important job. If I come back and see even a tiny scratch on Gina or Yeji, I swear I'll turn your manhood into womanhood."

With YuWon's warning, the soldiers immediately stopped arguing. But it only lasted for a second. Suddenly, none of the soldiers seemed eager to stay behind and began fighting to join YuWon instead.

"I'm not staying here!" one of them snapped.

"Why do I have to stay back?" another one yelled.

"I'm not babysitting anyone!"

YuWon looked at them and shook his head.

I'm not cut out to be a leader...

***

It didn't take long for the soldiers to fill their backpacks with medicine, food, drinks, and other useful supplies. Other than the initial drama, YuWon had to admit these people were highly efficient when they put their minds on something.

Unlike a certain dumbass.

YuWon stared at the marker at some distance. It showed him the location of the Berserking Ogre. But the creature hadn't moved for a while. And now that they had filled their backpacks to the brim, they had no reason to continue looking for more supplies.

At first, YuWon planned to fool the soldiers into acting like his meat shields and fight the ogre. But that wasn't possible any longer.

"Alright, let's leave—" YuWon said, only to be interrupted by a deep growl.

"What was that?" a soldier whispered, gripping his gun tightly.

"I don't like this," another muttered, looking around.

YuWon smiled to himself. The ogre seemed to have sensed their presence and was finally on the move.

"We should get out of here," one soldier said, stepping towards the gate.

Rest in peace.

YuWon had found his target. He felt bad about it, but every experiment required a sacrificial pawn. This time, it was the soldier's turn.

[Skill: Soul Bind has been activated.]

As soon as the notification appeared before him, a pale, ghostly soul leaked out from the snake skull mark on his hand and slithered toward the soldier. The man had no time to react before the soul latched onto him.

The soldier stumbled backward, holding on to the door. Then he turned eerily straight, as if he was in the presence of a higher-up. In reality, he had turned into a puppet, waiting for the puppeteer to order him around.

"Hey, you alright?" one of the other soldiers asked, reaching out for him.

Go.

Before anyone could stop him, the possessed soldier suddenly bolted out of the shop. But instead of heading towards the gas station, he ran towards the source of the sound.

"What the hell is he doing?!"

"We have to stop him!"

The others rushed to the door only to see the soldier aiming his gun at the ogre. But it was no ordinary ogre. Unlike the sickly green skin, it had red skin marred with scars all over its body.

"Don't!" someone yelled, but it was too late.

The soldier opened fire at the ogre, only for the bullets to bounce off the creature's thick skin and hit the ground, causing no damage.

Just then [Soul Bind] wore off, and the soldier grabbed his head. However, the man couldn't live the rest of his time with a clear mind. When the soldier looked ahead, he saw the hulking creature and his legs gave out.

"W-What am I doing here!?"

The ogre roared and swung its massive spiked mace. The impact flung the soldier across the street, right at their feet. His eyes were wide in confusion, and his body was limp and lifeless.

Sorry, not sorry.