Ch.167167. Evolution at 10,000 Feet Above Ground

# Monster Daily Report

-Time: Tomorrow at 11 AM, Incheon International Airport

-Content: Defeat the monster carrying ancient species genes.

-Monster Points: 6

The most urgent Monster Daily Report appeared before me.

And it was at Incheon International Airport, where I was planning to go tomorrow.

The time, 11 AM, coincides exactly with our flight time.

Coincidence? I wondered, but what does it matter?

The meaning was clear.

I need to prevent the worst-case scenario of a plane crash. That’s enough.

It feels wrong to ignore Geum Do-hyun’s kindness, but I need an excuse.

-To Jong-hyun: Hey, sorry. My stomach suddenly hurts. Food poisoning maybe? I ate grilled shellfish and it feels off.

Is that excuse too much? I have to go back to school on Monday.

But surprisingly, the excuse worked. That night, Geum Do-hyun sent me a KakaoTalk message.

-Geum Do-hyun: You too? I also got food poisoning. I don’t think I can go. But the party’s still on, so go enjoy yourself.

Did Do-hyun also get food poisoning? Should’ve been careful with seafood in spring.

Anyway, I’ve notified him, so that’s done.

Now I’ll go to Incheon Airport by 11 AM tomorrow and deal with the enemy.

Let me check my points one last time.

-Monster Points: 23

-DNA Points: 41,400

-M Points: 13,500

“Impressive.”

Fighting without evolving has allowed me to accumulate quite a lot of points.

I’ll probably need to spend a significant amount this time anyway.

International airport, an unknown enemy from the Monster Daily Report.

High probability it’s the type I’ll have to fight in mid-air.

No, that’s just my guess, so I shouldn’t jump to conclusions.

[Making assumptions about your enemy can lead to being caught off guard by those very prejudices.]

Isn’t that what Oh Chang-min taught me? I need to assess clearly before engaging.

“Sigh.”

For now, I wait. The next day, I headed to Incheon International Airport.

Taking out the red card and confirming that evolution is possible puts me in a good mood.

I’ve rested enough and prepared thoroughly. Around 10:40 AM, I started waiting near Incheon Airport.

This is also where I once faced off against Dokgo Jun in my first evolved form as a werewolf.

The place I destroyed back then… it’s still under construction.

But the exterior has been substantially restored.

With a bit more reinforcement, it should return to its former appearance.

“…”

I watched planes landing and taking off from a distance.

Today too, busy people moved about as I waited, and now it’s exactly 11 AM.

I looked around tensely, fingering the card in my pocket while slowly moving toward an area with fewer people.

But something’s strange. Shouldn’t there be a break?

The monster shouldn’t arrive early, right?

As departure time came, planes were taking off. Huh? Why is it so quiet?

Something feels off.

Just as I was questioning this, the alarm finally sounded.

That’s more like it.

It’s not always precise.

[Evolution]

Using the red evolution card, I transformed into an Avian Sura and headed for the sky.

And there in the vast sky, I saw a bizarre monster that looked like fog.

As expected, a monster I’ve never seen before.

Since it’s fog-shaped, rushing in carelessly could get me caught.

Let me think—if it’s fog-formed, I should be able to counter it with my wind-controlling abilities.

Let’s probe it and see how it reacts.

The evolved form I’m considering might be slower than my current one.

So I’ll use this agile form to assess the creature.

I carefully probed it using Wind Harmonizer and Feather Flurry.

But strangely, this fog-like creature was being pushed back without resistance.

What’s going on? It can’t be this easy, right? Despite my unease, I kept pushing, but the creature didn’t attack—it just drifted away with the wind.

I might think this is anticlimactic… but no way!

If it’s a byproduct of an ancient species, it should be strong, so why is it acting like this? There must be something more.

Does it feed on energy? Is that why? Can it not inflict physical damage?

My feathers flew through its body or hit something.

It doesn’t seem to be the type that defends with aura.

And this thing is truly massive. Easily over 30 meters… considering the smoke, nearly twice that.

A bizarre enemy with a thin, fog-like form that gives the impression of a fluid shape.

At that moment, the fog suddenly gathered like a stem and began to move.

It’s coming this way.

Fast, but nowhere near the speed of this body.

The sky offers freedom—I can move in any 360-degree direction.

I use my wind magic to harness the strong gusts passing by me.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, a strange noise was cutting in from somewhere.

After putting distance between myself and the creature again, I turned my head to see a plane with smoke rising from it.

“What’s that now?”

As I was bewildered, that plane was getting closer to the fog monster.

*

As planes were taking off, Gu Sang-heon and Han Min-woo were boarding a private jet.

Other Jaegers were bustling around them.

Gu Sang-heon ordered in-flight service food and then spoke to Han Min-woo.

“These private jets are mostly chartered like renting the whole thing. Government agencies just buy them outright.”

“I see.”

“Do-hyun’s family is rich, so they can afford things like this. Might as well enjoy the free food.”

“Right.”

Though the conversation was dry, Gu Sang-heon was grinning.

“Jong-hyun and Do-hyun got food poisoning, I heard. Should’ve been careful with seafood in spring.”

“True. Should be careful.”

“…?”

At this point, Gu Sang-heon’s gaze shifted.

“Min-woo, is something wrong? Why are you talking so much?”

“Food poisoning is dangerous. I’ve had it before.”

“Ah, you speak from experience. Well…”

A Jaeger in the next seat looked at them with a strange expression, but for the two, this was just normal conversation.

However, not long after takeoff, an alarm blared throughout the cabin.

“Ah… inside a plane is a bit troublesome.”

Gu Sang-heon smiled bitterly. An announcement about a monster sighting came on, and the Jaegers on board went on alert.

“It’s outside?”

“Then we can’t really do anything about it?”

People rushed to the windows and moved about busily. Gu Sang-heon also looked out the window and could see a strange fog.

At that moment, several Jaegers stood up and headed toward the front.

In this situation, that might be normal.

But Gu Sang-heon wore a peculiar expression watching them.

“Is there any reason they need to go to the cockpit? Min-woo.”

He moved, and Han Min-woo followed separately.

This judgment was purely instinctual—suspecting the culprits without any concrete evidence.

That’s the kind of person Gu Sang-heon is.

“Hey, what are you—”

“Get back!”

Han Min-woo suddenly rushed forward to block a thorn-like tentacle.

“What the—?”

Just as the other Jaegers turned to understand the situation, a sudden explosion sounded from the rear.

Simultaneously, the corridor leading to the cockpit was destroyed.

As Gu Sang-heon drew his sword and released magical power, Han Min-woo reflected that power with his shield.

Their synergy sent one of the front-row Jaegers flying.

Gu Sang-heon ran in front of Han Min-woo, while Han Min-woo supported his friend’s running start with his shield.

With surprising speed, Gu Sang-heon’s attack pierced the Jaeger’s body.

But the stabbed Jaeger silently turned his head.

[How annoying…]

At that moment, the Jaegers near the cockpit all began transforming into monsters.

[Change course! We don’t need the co-pilot, do we?]

Screams could be heard from the cockpit. That’s when Han Min-woo pushed forward with his body.

Simultaneously, he sent the opponent flying with his shield.

“Everyone this way!”

With his powerful voice, the Jaegers entered combat mode.

But the pilot, unable to resist the threats, was forcibly changing direction.

That sudden turn was enough to make everyone stagger momentarily.

It was simply a matter of how quickly one could recover from that stagger.

Gu Sang-heon was nimble. Instinctively following the momentum of the sway, he body-slammed one enemy and stabbed him with his knife.

Han Min-woo forcibly held his ground, using his shield to brace against the floor while looking for a chance to counterattack.

An adult Jaeger shouted from behind.

“Throw the sword and shield forward!”

The two reflexively threw them forward.

A telekinetic Jaeger sent the two weapons toward those threatening the cockpit.

Simultaneously, buffs activated, and the situation inside the plane was quickly brought under control.

Everyone rushed in together to subdue the enemies.

In an instant, white ropes were binding the subdued individuals.

The monsters struggled and shouted.

[Damn it! People like you should all die!]

“Shut up. Since we’re in a plane and it’s dangerous, let’s end this quickly, shall we? Captain, turn back around.”

They began eliminating each monster.

“Wait, isn’t this kid from Cheongsang Guild? What a world we live in!”

“Wasn’t that one on TV? Famous people being monsters—the world’s gone mad.”

Surprisingly, some of the monsters were well-known public figures.

“Aren’t monsters supposed to be SS-class? They went down pretty easily. Some didn’t even finish transforming.”

“Maybe we’re just strong?”

“Idiot! The kids caught them early on.”

They approached Gu Sang-heon and Han Min-woo, who had first identified their true nature.

“Wow, you’re good! I heard you’re classmates with Geum Do-hyun? So you’re sophomores? They say the Academy has a lot of talent…”

“You moved first, so they couldn’t respond easily.”

Han Min-woo silently nodded, while Gu Sang-heon shook his head.

“No, that’s not it. The kids also stopped mid-transformation because of their size. It doesn’t make sense.”

“But we caught them all, right?”

“If their goal was just to bring down the plane with several people, they shouldn’t have been caught so easily. It would have been better for them to fully transform and wreak havoc regardless of the damage.”

Gu Sang-heon’s instinct was telling him something was off.

They shouldn’t have been subdued this easily. His usually bright expression shifted.

Meanwhile, as other Jaegers approached the last surviving monster, it suddenly began to cry.

[I don’t know… Why am I here?]

“What are you talking about?”

The Jaegers were perplexed.

“They attack us and then play innocent?”

[No… We planned to come here, but… suddenly… suddenly… I can’t remember. I woke up like this. Why…?]

As everyone looked ominously at the sobbing figure, the plane shook violently.

“Huh?”

“Whoa!”

The shaking was much more intense than during the fight, turning the cabin into chaos.

“What’s happening?”

Someone shouted, but their words were soon obscured by gray fog.

Everyone was speechless.

Right before their eyes, a fog-shaped monster had attached itself to the plane.

They heard a crushing sound, and then the monster stuck its face into the cockpit.

No, it was hard to call it a face—the fog forcibly took on the shape of a beast. Suddenly the pilot stood up.

Right before their eyes, his throat was torn out, and a strange worm emerged from within.

The larva that came out from among the dark red blood and flesh began to integrate with the fog.

‘We’re doomed.’

A feeling that even a child would understand. The pilot had been parasitized at some point. The moment it merged with the fog monster, it began transforming like a Raichu enveloped in fog and lightning.

Gray eyes without whites and disproportionate hands that gripped the plane again.

The sensation of death passing through everyone’s minds at that moment.

As huge claws protruded from those hands, they were on the verge of an aerial explosion.

“Ah…”

As they despaired at the increasingly disturbing sound of metal being crushed, a massive shadow appeared.

It was a monster with the impression of a ferocious beast, a muscular body, demonic wings, and a snake-like lower body.