Ch.15I Won’t Hold Back Anymore

The reason why monsters’ danger levels are measured using the same “grades” as hunters is for quicker comparison and extermination.

For an E-grade danger monster, naturally a D-grade hunter or higher would handle the extermination. For a B-grade danger monster, an A-grade hunter slightly above that level would take care of it.

And for an A-grade monster with National Disaster-level potential, only hunters of National Authority-level could comfortably deal with it.

Yet such an A-grade monster was right before my eyes.

‘What should I do…?’

The reason Twin-Head was sitting in front of the large shelter.

No doubt it was because it sensed the largest concentration of humans there.

It had found its prey.

However, monster shelters are structures designed to withstand even A-grade monsters officially classified in the highest tier.

Even Twin-Head couldn’t do anything about it, so it had just been sitting there out of frustration.

But what do you know?

They say good things come to those who wait.

From behind, a group of about 50 humans had voluntarily come looking for it through the sewers.

The 15-meter giant turned one of its heads backward and slowly began to rise.

Yoo Cheran knew.

Even if they retreated back into the sewers, this creature could dig through the ground to catch and devour them all.

“Shinwoo! Quickly take everyone inside to the shelter!”

“What?! Then what about you, Cheran?”

“I’ll buy time and be the last one in!”

“…! Alright, understood.”

In this situation, having one hunter act as bait seemed like the best strategy.

So I nodded and immediately came out of the sewer, shouting to the people below.

“Hurry up and come out! Quickly!”

“W-what? What’s happening?!”

“There’s a giant outside big enough to crush the sewers! If you don’t want to be flattened like dried squid, hurry up!”

“…! Okay!”

I helped pull up the people climbing from below to help them get out faster.

Meanwhile, Yoo Cheran, who appeared as a “C-grade Hunter” in the original work.

“Haah!”

She was a Fighter Hunter, the only hunter profession that “cannot equip weapons.”

Because of this, she was one of the few hunters who couldn’t benefit from equipment advantages.

But her advantage was that…

Thwack!

Thwack!

Crack!

“Grrrr?!”

“Huff…!”

Every attack she landed, even if it seemed to miss, would always hit a critical point.

In other words, every part of Twin-Head that Yoo Cheran attacked became its weak point.

‘Even so, the difference in their abilities is too great for it to matter much…!’

But at least the skin that would normally feel nothing might sting a little, like a mosquito bite.

Watching from a distance, Yoo Cheran was doing a good job as bait.

Deliberately staying out of Twin-Head’s sight, she jumped between the giant’s legs like a mouse taunting a person.

“Is everyone out?”

“Yes! We’re all out, bro!”

“Good. Now we’ll walk in a curved path to avoid Twin-Head. Understand?”

Thanks to Yoo Cheran, Twin-Head hadn’t noticed our group of survivors who had escaped outside.

From here, we planned to move in a wide arc around the giant to safely reach the shelter.

Despite its enormous size, Twin-Head was a monster with extremely sharp senses.

If even one person started running, it would detect that movement and discover 50 delicious snacks that had emerged from the sewer.

“Now, let’s all move calmly…”

We began walking, silently urging each other not to run.

Meanwhile, I could see sweat pouring down Yoo Cheran’s face in the distance.

‘Cheran…’

“Huff…! Huff…!”

Fighter Hunters, unable to use weapons, each have their own unique martial arts style to specialize in hand-to-hand combat.

Yoo Cheran, born in Korea, naturally practiced Taekwondo.

‘How can it be this tough?!’

But.

Low kicks, high kicks, roundhouse kicks, and even the 1080-degree kick known as the flower of Taekwondo.

Despite landing all her attacks on the same spot, Twin-Head remained standing unfazed.

A chill ran down Yoo Cheran’s spine.

It felt like fighting a mountain itself.

However, seeing people moving in an arc toward the shelter in the distance, she remembered her purpose.

‘I’m a hunter… Yes, protecting people must be my top priority!’

A hunter’s purpose isn’t to defeat monsters.

A hunter’s true purpose is to ‘save’ people from monsters.

Sneaking into my father’s workplace against his wishes.

I nearly died there but was saved by a hunter and… him, which is why I became a hunter myself.

“If you can’t win, buy time.”

“And once everyone is safe, abandon your pride and retreat.”

These were all lessons from Teacher Rolling.

Recalling her teachings, Yoo Cheran fought with determination against an opponent she could never defeat.

The ‘pride’ of saving people was her greatest weapon.

She felt invincible.

“Wooooo… oh?”

“…! Cheran!”

At least until the survivors had entered the shelter one by one.

Twin-Head, which had been looking at the ground, suddenly raised both heads to look at the sky and lifted one hand high.

In that moment, my knees weakened as I realized we’d hit an extremely low probability event.

“This is so unfair…!”

An ability that only the rarest specimens of at least A-grade danger monsters could use—a monster’s unique “ability.”

“WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”

Equipment that only monsters could wield.

Exclusive equipment for the monster itself.

As Twin-Head roared toward the darkening sky, black lightning struck down into its palm.

“What is that…”

Then, in Twin-Head’s previously empty hand appeared a giant goblin club burning with black flames.

‘Twin-Head could use Demonic Equipment?’

The probability of an individual monster being able to use Demonic Equipment was exactly 1 in 10,000.

In terms of a typical RPG game, it was like discovering a hidden monster you’d almost never see.

And it happened right when there were enough survivors to form a group, right when Yoo Cheran was acting as bait, right at this moment.

With such impossible coincidences piling up, there was only one possibility I could think of.

‘Today’s the day! The last day of the prologue when Yoo Cheran dies…’

In the game, this part went by so quickly that I didn’t know exactly when or how it happened.

I just arrived at the scene to find only Yoo Cheran’s severed head rolling around.

But seeing this scene, I couldn’t help but understand now.

“WOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

BOOM.

Twin-Head brought down its “Demonic Equipment – Goblin Club” toward the ground at its feet.

Even with Demonic Equipment, the monster’s base stats remained the same, so Yoo Cheran dodged the attack like a mouse and hid behind its heel.

However, that was the wrong move.

“Cheran! Below you!”

“Huh?!”

Black energy began to spread from where Twin-Head had struck with its club.

Then.

CRACKLE.

“AAAAAAAAAHHHHH?!”

“Cheran!”

Black thunder surged from the ground within a 100-meter radius around the monster, instantly engulfing the startled Yoo Cheran.

And when the ground-shaking vibrations finally subsided…

“Cheran! Wake up!”

I saw Cheran being lifted up to Twin-Head’s face, held by its thumb and index finger that were each the size of a human.

Judging by her limp body, she had already reached her limit.

“Shin… woo…”

At that moment.

All the survivors had already fled into the shelter.

Only the three of us remained on the road in front of the shelter: me, Cheran, and Twin-Head.

And they say that when people are about to die, their true feelings come out.

Swish-. Swish-.

“…!”

Cheran waved her hand toward me, using her last bit of strength.

The meaning of that gesture was very simple.

Not “come help me” but “run away while you can.”

Knowing she was about to be chewed up, she smiled faintly before completely losing consciousness.

‘Damn it…’

I didn’t know her well since she was just a character—no, a person—I briefly met in the prologue.

But I realized I had put someone like her in danger when I could have protected her.

There was never any revenge ghost here from the beginning. What was here was a genuine hero.

“Damn it…!”

Nobody’s watching anyway.

…No, forget it.

I’m already too angry to care whether anyone’s watching or not. I’ll think about everything else later.

“WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

***

Twin-Head was in a good mood.

Like a chef who had caught the thieving mouse that always stole ingredients from the restaurant storage early in the morning.

The monster was grinning at the thought of crunching up the annoying little bug that had been scurrying around its feet.

First, how should it eat her?

Should it just chew her up like those other bugs from earlier?

No, then it would end up not tasting anything properly and spitting out only the tasteless head.

So it thought of a gourmet approach.

First, it would pull off the bug’s two legs and eat them.

Then it would cut one arm into tiny pieces with its front teeth and crunch the other arm with its molars.

And finally, it would put the bug’s torso in its mouth and dissolve it while she screamed in agony before death.

Twin-Head was chuckling with excitement after making this plan.

“WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

Until it heard the roar of one of its kind right beside it.

And until its body began to tremble from an overwhelming killing intent it had never felt before.

“Grrrk?!”

Immediately feeling a defensive instinct, it raised its goblin club toward the shelter and took a stance.

But it was already too late.

Thud.

The thumb and index finger that had been holding the bug, as well as all its other fingers, had somehow fallen to the ground.

Twin-Head didn’t even have time to scream about this fact.

Because suddenly it was right below the monster.

A pitch-black monster holding the unconscious Yoo Cheran in its arms.

Ten years after the “Smiling Monster Incident” in Busan.

The “Monster of Jamsil” once again revealed itself on Korean soil.