Chapter 1: The Unbearable heaviness of existence

There’s a story about a Monkey’s Paw.

A tool that grants wishes, but in return, exacts a twisted price.

From the moment monsters and Hunters appeared, Jo Sung-Il had made a wish.

He wished to become someone who could leave his mark on this world.

That was his mistake.

He should have wished to become a ‘person’ of significance, not just a ‘being.’

He hadn’t known someone would actually be waving a Monkey’s Paw around, granting wishes.

KUGUGUGUGU!

Five minutes before his Awakening, Jo Sung-Il, resting near the Han River, began to tremble all over.

‘Could this be…?!’

A blue window popped up before Jo Sung-Il’s eyes. It read:

[Congratulations on your ‘Awakening’.]
[Remaining Time: 04:54]

A short congratulatory message and a timer counting down in real-time.

He’d heard that these system windows appeared right after Awakening, not as a pre-emptive notice.

This was definitely strange.

But Jo Sung-Il didn’t care about such minor details.

He was simply overwhelmed by the good fortune that had come his way and calmly waited for the remaining time to pass.

And as a result,

KRAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

He became a giant monster in the Han River.

“What the h*ll happened?!”

His body was covered in tough, armor-like hide, his frame as large as a giant dinosaur, and his teeth resembled the stalactites of a massive cave.

Resembling a dragon, but without wings, Jo Sung-Il, now a lumbering behemoth, roared at the sky.

“What went wrong….”

Jo Sung-Il, about to continue cursing at this absurd situation, stopped mid-sentence.

[Congratulations on becoming an Awakened.]
[Your name is ‘Kenonian Hectos’.]
[Your past life as an ancient apex predator has elevated you to a high rank once again.]

Utter nonsense.

[Warning. The words and sentences you use are power words that charge your body’s strength. Using them without the appropriate dignity for your rank risks distorting your being.]
[Your past life’s speech pattern will be enforced.]

“What in the blazes are you talking about, sh*t.”

His voice boomed out again, his speech pattern altered.

While he was reeling in shock, blue windows continued to flicker in and out of his vision.

[Warning. Speech pattern enforced, but only enough to prevent distortion of your being. To charge your power, you must physically fill your stomach by consuming other monsters.]
[Current Energy Remaining: 27%]

Looking at the number flashing red as if he needed to find a charging station immediately, Jo Sung-Il sighed.

‘What, I’m rechargeable?’

Despite becoming a giant monster, he possessed a wealth of knowledge acquired before he could become a Hunter.

That knowledge, gleaned from library loans and purchased books, included information about the different combat styles Awakened individuals possessed.

There were countless styles, but the most dreaded by Hunters were the rechargeable types.

Unlike other Hunters who gradually increased their stats, those Awakened with rechargeable abilities were granted fully developed bodies from the start.

This might sound amazing, but the problem came afterward. Regardless of how they recharged, these individuals could only use their full power when their energy was at 100%.

They had to regularly recharge their energy and couldn’t consistently maintain their abilities, so they were usually assigned a B rank.

In other words, despite his appearance, he was likely just a mediocre monster.

KYYYYAAAAAAAAA!

Jo Sung-Il, now Kenonian Hectos, roared again.

“D*mn it!”

He’d dreamed of becoming a hero, saving people, enjoying the accolades, and maybe signing autographs for pretty girls on the street.

Was the fame he craved too much to ask for?

Now, as a monster, his dreams were unattainable, and Jo Sung-Il felt dizzy with despair.

[Forcing Skill Window Open to provide suggestions.]

Just then, a blue window appeared again.

• Skill 1: You can transform into a human form for a set period each day, based on the Korean Standard Time.
  └Remaining Time: 30 minutes.

• Skill 2: You can summon a quest window once a day, based on the Korean Standard Time, to receive an appropriate mission.
  └Remaining Uses: 1.

[Through skills, wings, and various other evolutionary enhancements you will gain in the future, you can strive for a more fulfilling life.]

The system window offered unsolicited advice.

[For your information, in a typical world, giant monsters are usually considered targets for elimination.]
[Please make wise decisions to ensure your survival.]

PAAAT!

The blue windows vanished from his sight.

Now, all he could see was the already broken Cheonho Bridge.

“Sigh.”

A breath of hot steam escaped his mouth as he sighed.

Usually, for Awakened with transformation abilities, the human form was the default, and the transformed state was secondary.

But to be a rechargeable type with a monstrous default form… his future seemed bleak.

KEEEEEEEEE!

He turned his head at the sound.

The Han River rippled with his movement.

WHIIIIIR!

A tank, patrolling the area already devastated by a monster wave, stopped its screeching tracks and turned its turret towards him.

“This is insane.”

Jo Sung-Il sighed.

“Spotted by the military searching for monster remnants.”

After a monster wave, the military would patrol the area.

Their purpose was to eliminate any remaining stragglers.

Jo Sung-Il was also a Runner who collected and sold items left behind after monster waves.

He never imagined this situation would arise.

WEEEEEEEEEN!

Unaware of Jo Sung-Il’s dismay, the tank crew, pale with fear, yelled.

“C-Can we really fire at that thing?!”
“A rare species appeared without a Gate! The sirens are going off too, so maybe we should run while we can….”

The reappearance of a rare monster in a location previously hit by a monster wave was called a “Return of Disaster.”

The monsters that appeared at these times were unprecedented, incredibly powerful, and only S-rank Hunters could handle them.

Moreover, it was common knowledge that these monsters were notoriously ferocious.

“It’s already seen us!”

The tank commander shouted, his face drained of color.

“We need to buy some time, even if it’s just with a Crafted Round!”

Crafted Rounds.

Special shells crafted by artisan Hunters using materials obtained from dungeons and monsters.

They were a kind of secret weapon, allowing even non-Awakened individuals to stand some chance against monsters resistant to modern weaponry.

The problem was that this secret weapon was now aimed at the wrong target.

“Fire!”

The Crafted Round was fired.

Even without a specific caster, a magic circle formed due to the magic circuits engraved on the shell.

The Crafted Round gained powerful propulsion as it pierced through several magic circles in the air and struck Jo Sung-Il directly.

KWAAAAABOOOOM!

An intense explosion erupted.

The deafening roar spread out in a circular pattern.

“Yes!”
“We got it!”

The military-grade Crafted Round was powerful.

The soldiers cheered, clenching their fists as they saw the giant monster enveloped in smoke, convinced that the direct hit would have the desired effect.
That’s why,

WHOOSH!

As the smoke cleared, revealing the giant monster, those inside the tank gaped in despair.

“N-No way.”
“Not a single scratch…?”

They were faced with the scowling face of the giant monster, seemingly enraged by the recent attack.

“…We’re doomed.”

The moment the tank commander muttered those words, the giant monster moved.

“R-Run!”

The tank, stationed by the riverbank, sped away, dodging the debris scattered everywhere as remnants of the monster wave.

But no matter how hard the tank tried, it couldn’t exceed its designed speed.

The tank crew screamed as the giant monster closed in on them with terrifying speed, wading through the Han River.

“It’s a person!”

But they wouldn’t have known.

“I’ve told you countless times, I’m a person!”

SKREEEEEEEEE!

That the noise the giant monster emitted every time it opened its mouth was actually language, distorted and unintelligible due to the difference in their beings.

“Listen to meeeeee!”

Jo Sung-Il’s fist slammed down on the path the tank was racing along.