Ch.44A Rigged Gamble (3)

Two stars that had been endlessly connected fell simultaneously.

Thud.

BOOM!

“Is… is it over?!”

“Then… who’s the winner?”

“No, it’s not over yet!”

A City, where the Hero Association was located, was a place where everything surrounding the Association building was a wasteland.

That’s why they could immediately spot the two monsters landing on the barren ground, and as the heroes inside the building tensed up.

“Grrrr?!”

‘Huh?!’

Kang Janghoon finally came to his senses, as if waking up from a nap.

‘What happened? I was definitely in the middle of destroying all those weapons that the Weapon Monster kept summoning…’

Those weapons she kept endlessly summoning, claiming they were her masterpieces.

In response, I had been dodging death and using all my strength to break those weapons one by one.

How many had I destroyed?

I must have broken at least dozens, but strangely, I couldn’t remember anything after that.

It was as if “someone else” had been controlling my body.

That’s when it happened.

“Are you conscious now?”

“Grrrr!”

‘The Weapon Monster!’

Just like me, gasping for breath, the Weapon Monster was dripping with sweat all over her body.

As soon as our eyes met, I immediately took a defensive stance, thinking she might test another new weapon on me.

But then.

Thump.

…and.

“…?”

“Whew! I’m tired, so tired!”

She carelessly tossed away something like a golden branch she had been holding, then plopped down on the spot.

Seeing this special-grade monster raise both hands in apparent surrender, I couldn’t help but be dumbfounded.

“I think we’ve done enough by now. Don’t you agree?”

“Grrrr?! Grr!”

‘No, you’re saying this NOW?’

Anyone watching would think this was a rigged game from start to finish!

I’m the first person… no, monster who got hit by your cancer laser sword! For crying out loud.

And now, after one-sidedly beating me up, you’re the monster of shamelessness saying “let’s call it quits.”

Ziiing…

“……”

Do you have no conscience?

My whole body is aching like the day after visiting a gym for the first time.

I felt so wronged that I needed to give her at least one knock on the head to feel satisfied.

So, while rotating my fist in circles…

Step, step.

“…Eh?”

I was just planning to give her one bump on the head and then run away.

“W-wait a minute! Don’t you know about respecting your elders?”

The Weapon Monster suddenly mentioned age, trying to gain sympathy.

She was making her golden eyes sparkle, trying to look as weak as possible, like a vulnerable animal.

But you know…

“Grrrr.”

‘Respect for elders, my foot. I’ll send you to an elder care facility right now.’

Age or whatever, that appearance that makes my lower body react immediately is clearly not that of an elderly person.

Even in fan creations, the popularity of the missing person is overwhelmingly dominant.

You, with those horn “handles,” were responsible for so many of my twenties.

If you had any conscience, you’d let those plump breasts wither first before asking for sympathy.

And so.

Whoosh.

“Wh-what?!”

I finally raised my fist in front of the Weapon Monster who was sitting in a small puddle of what might be sweat.

With the genuine intention of giving her just one knock on the head.

“Y-you’re really going to hit me?!”

Honestly, just that laser sword from earlier was painful enough, so this is actually being nice.

I’m only being this patient because it’s me.

I can’t bring up insurance claims against a monster, and I need to do at least this much to sleep well tonight, right?

“W-wait…! Let’s make a deal instead!”

Perhaps she’d given up on seeking sympathy.

The Weapon Monster, desperately trying to avoid the fate of getting a bump on her head.

She made one final offer that would be impossible to refuse.

“I think even you, Janghoon, will be happy to hear this proposal.”

“Grrrr?”

‘What did you say?’

An offer that could potentially change my “destiny.”

She said she would present something incredible to me.

‘What could it possibly be…?’

Come to think of it, there was a period during our fight where my memory completely disappeared.

Perhaps during that time, the Weapon Monster, classified as a special-grade monster, discovered something about the secret of my monsterization that even I don’t know.

When I think about it, I was just a veteran player who had only played the mobile game <Monster Front> for 5 years.

But the Weapon Monster, who belonged to the highest-grade monsters, was one of the embodiments of monster history, existing even before this Hero City was established.

‘She must have lived for at least “thousands of years,” so maybe… this is wisdom born from experience?!’

Indeed, a special-grade monster.

Even while fighting like crazy with me, she was thinking about such things.

If it was that kind of information, I could certainly forgive her for today’s beating.

So, lowering my fist, I leaned in to listen.

Swish-. Swish-.

The fact I had forgotten.

“I’ll specially pull out one for you. How about it?”

“……”

That’s right.

The Weapon Monster.

This senile old woman was the culprit who turned <Monster Front>, originally rated for 15-year-olds, into an adults-only game the moment her character was released.

She was also the guardian of the pervert Yoon Ha-eun.

“If you want, I can do it even while you’re in monster form… isn’t that an amazing offer?”

Reminiscent of Yoon Ha-eun in the interrogation room during lunch today.

The Weapon Monster was provoking my lower body by making circular motions with her finger in front of her mouth.

In response to her deal proposal, all I could do was…

SMACK!

“Keh?!”

“W-Weapon Monster-nim!”

“Damn… I can’t see well from here, but it looks like she was trying to make some new move again…”

“That cheap bastard! It’s an unwritten rule not to hit someone when they’re transforming!”

The stinging knock on the head I had planned.

After taking my “sincere knock,” she didn’t have her head explode like other monsters.

Instead, she fell backward with her eyes spinning as if seeing stars.

“That Horn Mask monster…!”

“Ah, he’s a villain! The very embodiment of evil!”

By the way, to the heroes cursing me from inside the building…

You should really be thankful that our conversation couldn’t be heard from that distance…

***

Inside the Okami family mansion.

It had been two days already.

Her only first friend.

Janghoon hadn’t returned, causing the haggard princess Hoshino to skip training, something she did even when sick, and spend almost the entire day lying in her room, not going to school, silently staring at the ceiling.

“Janghoon… I should have just followed you all the way back then!”

I was too complacent.

What power did he have!

When I saw him being dragged away by that S-class hero Yoon Ha-eun, I should have forcibly held onto him and somehow stalled until mom arrived.

…No.

To be honest, I just wanted to save him myself.

Hero or whatever, anyone who tried to take him away from me, I would just kill them all.

But I couldn’t.

Because right now, I was far too weak.

“It’s frustrating! Frustrating! Frustrating!”

No matter how many times I hit the tatami floor covered with blankets, weak is still weak.

I thought I was somewhat strong…

When the Sword Monster appeared, all I could do was carry mom and run away, and this time when that adult Yoon Ha-eun took Janghoon away, I couldn’t do anything.

“…I’ll become stronger.”

Until now, I only thought about becoming as strong as mom.

But not anymore.

Much stronger than mom… even if I become the #1 S-class hero, I won’t stop there and will continue to improve.

Like a lioness at the top choosing a male, I don’t want to be this weak anymore.

“Oh my, Princess! Janghoon has returned!”

“…!”

Just as I was getting up from under the blanket.

“R-really?! Nanny?”

News coming from outside the sliding door.

Janghoon had safely returned.

Hoshino, who immediately rushed outside, towards the boy who would be with her mother…

“Ah, young miss.”

“…Huh?”

Pausing in her tracks.

“Have you been well?”

“Janghoon… your body…!”

Mother with a dark complexion.

Janghoon, who appeared holding hands with her mother, was wrapped in bandages all over his body, whatever had happened.

“You… you’re injured!”

“Ah, this? It’s nothing. I just got a little hurt because I was distracted while following Makoto-nim.”

“Liar! How is this just a little hurt!”

It looked like he had been thoroughly beaten by an adult who couldn’t act their age.

Thinking this, tears began to form in Hoshino’s eyes.

“Janghoon… I’m sorry…”

“What?! N-no! It’s fine, Clan Head.”

“No… Ugh! To think such a disgrace would happen while I was right there!”

In reality, while everyone was distracted.

He had simply switched places with the missing person who was being well-protected, but even after returning to human form, residual injuries remained.

Originally, they weren’t even deep wounds, but he was unnecessarily wrapped in bandages he didn’t need due to overprotection.

However, regardless of his actual condition, Hoshino ran into Kang Janghoon’s arms and sobbed, making a new vow.

To make sure something like this never happens to “my man” again, I’ll really work hard.

I’ll definitely become an excellent hero and protect both mom and Janghoon myself.

And so, after returning to daily life, perhaps because there were no major incidents afterward.

In the blink of an eye, “10 years” had passed.