Ch.178178. Blackmail

I don’t know what’s going on. Did Aerial and I fight?

My entire body is throbbing. This is the pain after transformation… No. Something still…

My body feels disoriented. My senses have barely returned.

“Damn it. I need to hurry.”

What should I tell Aerial? Should I just say I dropped out in the middle?

What happened to that caterpillar?

I don’t remember, so I can’t know. But I have a way to check.

Through points.

-Monster Points: 27

-DNA Points: 71,700

-M Points: 23,500

“My DNA points have increased?”

Then I can assume the caterpillar is already dead. It means I fought while transformed without even realizing it.

But I can’t relax yet.

I urgently called Aerial. As I walk through the smoke, something feels strange.

“Aerial?”

[Hey, you idiot! Where did you go? What were you doing? I’m dying of pain here.]

“Sorry… I was attacked by the caterpillar, and I can’t remember anything after that. How’s the situation?”

Despite her anger, Aerial kindly informed me that when the dinosaur appeared, it looked strange, so she fought it.

That’s a relief. No other casualties.

“Anyway, I’m glad you’re safe…”

That’s when it happened. As I moved past the smoke, someone approached.

Thump.

My heart suddenly started racing. Did they see me? No. Because of the smoke… they couldn’t have, right?

It’s not unusual for someone to be in an alley.

I was about to ignore them and walk past.

“Do Jonghyun.”

The moment my name was called, my head automatically turned.

There stood Seo Jinwon.

At that moment, my emotions were indescribable. I couldn’t have been caught, right?

But why is he here? Just out of curiosity?

Lost in thought, my footsteps automatically stopped.

Is this the price I pay for not checking my surroundings before entering because I was too flustered?

No. Stay calm. Simply seeing me isn’t proof of anything. Besides, how would Seo Jinwon know I’m a monster?

Clinging to hope, I asked:

“What are you doing here?”

“…”

“Did you just see? There’s been chaos because of monsters lately, they come without any warning.”

But something seems off about Seo Jinwon. He was just staring at me without saying anything.

The pounding in my chest grew louder.

“What’s wrong?”

“I saw it.”

“Saw what?”

My heart was now beating beyond intensely.

Ignoring the sound that reached my ears, Seo Jinwon pointed at me.

“That monster just now… it was you, wasn’t it?”

“Huh?”

At that moment, my mind went completely blank.

*

The newly dispatched watching eye was keenly observing the situation.

[Analysis: The caterpillar burst. Confirmation: The caterpillar is dead. Question.]

They had intended to utilize those they had naturally dispatched into the human world.

But the human side handled it well. Simple brainwashing and parasitism weren’t enough to create the impact they wanted.

[Analysis: The harvest we’ve sown needs to grow more. Report: Two specimens in Korea, three in Russia, five in the United States are growing smoothly.]

They were trying to further develop the caterpillar specimens they had previously sown.

Mere brainwashing wasn’t enough. They needed to wait for complete metamorphosis.

[Question: A specimen appearing to be a descendant of an ancient species attacked humans. Inference: Our specimen’s influence might be the reason for the sudden attack. Question: If we could control that ancient species… it would be a great help.]

The watching eye needed to initiate the next operation.

Their original purpose was to use students like they did with Yoo Deokmin.

Just as the watching eye had disrupted Keum Dohyun’s plans, they were trying to deeply infiltrate human society in a different way than the Monster Prevention Unit.

Anyway, half of the Monster Prevention Unit’s executives had been taken out and were in the process of reorganization.

For the time being, it would be their stage alone.

Above all, today’s incident was unusual. The ancient species that had been interfering with them had tried to attack humans.

[Analysis: Cannot control an ancient species, a higher entity, through caterpillar brainwashing. Inference: High probability it was attacked when in some ‘weakened’ state. Question: What is that weakened state.]

The watching eye quickly assessed the situation. Even with their eyes, they couldn’t tell where this monster came from after it disappeared.

The Monster Prevention Unit mentioned they had suspects but didn’t specify.

Just as they were hiding things from them, the unit was probably hiding things too.

They were determining a new target.

[Inference: The ancient species appears mainly in connection with the Academy. Conclusion: There is a connection between the Academy and the ancient species.]

A conclusion was reached. The watching eye intended to approach and target Academy students.

Conveniently, they could see students nearby.

Aerial, Yoo Jia, Do Jonghyun, Seo Jinwon. These four were precisely in the watching eye’s field of vision.

*

In silence, Seo Jinwon and I faced each other. He had seen it. Seen me hiding.

No, I shouldn’t admit it so easily.

“Haha, what are you talking about? Monster? Are you dreaming?”

“The monster went that way, and then you came out. You must have seen it, right? You didn’t even scream.”

I had to latch onto Seo Jinwon’s words here.

“Of course. I stayed still because it was a monster, and it disappeared without saying anything.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! Who do you think you’re fooling? How does something disappear in an alley! Do Jonghyun! You were the monster!”

“Do you have proof?”

“Is that how you’re going to play it? Fine. I’ll spread rumors right now that you’re a monster. Do as you please!”

Seo Jinwon started running. He’s going to make this public? If so, everything will change. My family, relatives. All will become targets for enemies.

“Wait.”

In the end, I stopped Seo Jinwon. How should I explain this?

I absolutely can’t tell the whole truth. But I have to say something.

I told Seo Jinwon only that I ‘imitate’ monsters to transform. Just that much.

“Imitate? Is that possible? You don’t even have a summoning spirit.”

“I store and use it. I don’t really know the principle.”

I tried to get away by saying I wasn’t a monster but just imitating one.

“You’re lying. Your entire body was a monster, even when injured. What is that? Tell me everything! From start to finish!”

“Why are you interrogating me?”

“You have a problem with that? You transformed into a monster. How do I know if you’re a human monster? If you are, there’d be a truckload of people ready to cut your throat right now.”

True, if my identity is revealed, regardless of supportive public opinion, many would try to kill me.

“I’m surprised, Do Jonghyun. But it was strange. How could someone without a summoning spirit be so good?”

“I’m trying to save people. You saw it. I’m working to end this situation.”

“That dinosaur? What about the others?”

“I don’t know. Maybe they’re similar ability users?”

“Stop lying. It’s all you, right? I’m warning you, if you lie anymore, I’ll tell everyone.”

This bastard is threatening me?

I felt irritated, but right now, he has the upper hand.

“I keep telling you, knowing this secret is dangerous. So please stay quiet. You’ll be attacked too.”

“…”

“What? Don’t you think you should help save humanity too? Even if you found out. Don’t you want to end the monsters?”

It’s unsettling how he remains silent. His gaze is anything but gentle, making me anxious.

“Ha, this is ridiculous.”

Seo Jinwon looked me up and down.

“You’ve been getting good grades in tests using monster powers? That’s cheating.”

“What nonsense is this?”

“It was strange. How could someone without a summoning spirit, who should always be behind, be ahead of me? It’s because you’re as strong as a monster, right? Ah, I just remembered. Your summoning spirit gave you a card deck, right?”

Seo Jinwon extended his hand.

“Hand it over.”

“What are you trying to pull?”

“You’ve been getting first place using monster powers, right? I got scolded by Dokgo Jun because of you.”

“That has nothing to do with me.”

But Seo Jinwon slammed the wall.

“What do you mean it has nothing to do with you? You’ve been showing off with such strong powers? Thanks to you, I was humiliated.”

“If it’s about Senior Juara, that’s your fault. Demanding to change teammates just because you don’t like them…”

Seo Jinwon pointed at me.

“Say one more word of nonsense, and I’ll expose your identity. Keep talking if you want that.”

“…”

“Good. Good. You should behave.”

Seo Jinwon backed away from me.

“I’ve learned something incredible, so I need to organize my thoughts today. Don’t try anything stupid. I can post it online anytime.”

He leaves ominously. Today’s luck was the worst. From being bitten by the caterpillar and transforming… to finally being discovered.

What will happen from now on?

The next day, we were all fired up about the representative vote.

The decision would be made next week. Perhaps that’s why the pride battle between Seol Yuhwa and Aerial was even more intense.

Both were training their team members Spartan-style for their competition.

On the men’s side, it was a battle between me and Keum Dohyun.

But Dohyun didn’t seem very interested anymore.

“I might be able to enter the realm of priests at this rate. Honestly, no one at this age has tried to enter that realm. You be the representative. I’ve been repaid enough by you.”

He essentially declared his withdrawal and told people to vote for me.

“I’m good. Push Jonghyun from our advanced class. I’m busy mastering new techniques.”

It means I’m essentially alone from the advanced class.

But I’m not happy. Because of Seo Jinwon.

What should I do about this?

I’m anxious about what Seo Jinwon might do. Having been discovered, I’ll have to go along with him for now.

And there was a message from Seo Jinwon on my phone.

-Seo Jinwon: To be honest, I don’t trust you, but since the media praises you and you have goodwill, I won’t reveal it right away. But I need to monitor you. Especially, I can’t forgive the cheating you’ve done. Don’t use monster powers during tests anymore. Stop trying to deceive people.

This guy thinks I get first place in tests using monster powers.

What nonsense.

Well, he’s free to misunderstand. But Seo Jinwon’s strange behavior continued right after.

This week’s structure was about handling airborne situations.

It’s about dealing with rare and difficult airborne monsters and how to handle accidents on airplanes.

Naturally, I already know all this content. I also have numerous experiences on how to handle it.

Either by understanding the monster’s characteristics to lure it or using something that can attack from a distance.

“Evil Bats have strong tracking abilities, so if you wait, they’ll definitely come!”

Following my advice, team members waited patiently and caught the Evil Bat.

Others who tried to catch it hastily just watched as the Evil Bat flew far away.

Alternatively, you can use the method of “specifying a location to lure it.”

Here, Han Minwoo and Gu Sangheon were flying around.

In the test results, I was 5th, Gu Sangheon was 1st, and Han Minwoo was 2nd.

Up to this point, it could be considered an uneventful day.

But the problem, as expected, was Seo Jinwon. He asked to see me after it ended.

“I told you not to use monster powers, didn’t I?”

“What nonsense. How can I use monster powers?”

“You used them discreetly! You ranked 5th this time? Trying to pretend to be in the upper ranks?”

This guy keeps insisting my grades are due to monster powers.

“Do you feel good showing off like that? That’s cheating.”

“I compete with judgment and studied knowledge. That’s natural. Are you blaming others? Besides, I need to transform to use monster powers, so how can you make such a judgment?”

“Monster powers must have influenced you. Don’t try to deceive me!”

He grabs my collar, his eyes full of madness.

“What isn’t, isn’t.”

“That’s impossible! You used monster powers!”

I don’t understand why he’s acting like this. What’s certain is that I’ve never used them, and it’s my inherent ability. Despite telling the truth so clearly, he remained adamant.

“Fine. Then show me you transforming.”

“What?”

“How do you imitate it? Show me the transformation or whatever. I need to verify. Show me proof that you don’t use monster powers.”

“…”

“If you refuse, I’ll tell Dokgo Jun. You know, right? He’s hardline about monsters? The moment he knows your identity, it’s over.”

I might not care about other threats, but Dokgo Jun is truly such a person. He might have been a bit reserved towards me, but the moment there’s testimony that I’m a monster, he’ll try to detain me immediately.

I could even die if things go wrong.

In the end, I showed him my transformation into the Half-Dragon Sura.

“You store appearances in that card deck? Hand it over.”

“Hand what over?”

“It should be fair. Hand over that card deck.”

Look at this bastard’s demands? Crossing the line? Just as I was feeling incredulous, something appeared beside me.