Chapter 12: how a kaiju can make a call, Part 1

Han So-Yeon’s apartment.

Ring! Ring!

A landline phone, a rare sight in homes these days, was ringing incessantly.

“Since I’m not answering my cell, she’s calling here….”

Han So-Yeon, sprawled on the sofa, sighed and covered her ears.

“The Director is so persistent.”

She had told her to think about how to persuade the higher-ups, but the call meant she had another agenda.

‘She probably wants me to go and take it down with her.’

Knowing the Director’s personality, it was highly likely.

Han So-Yeon was the only high-ranking Hunter who had witnessed the rare giant monster, so the Director would need her assistance for information gathering.

But Han So-Yeon had no intention of complying.

‘This is going to be a problem.’

She had a few ideas if the Director continued to bother her.

They were on good terms, so she hoped the Director would know where to draw the line.

“Why hasn’t he contacted me yet?”

Roll.

Han So-Yeon rolled over and looked at her phone, clutched tightly in her hands.

Was it an intelligence issue? She had given him her number, but she supposed if he couldn’t memorize it, she understood why he hadn’t called.

“I should have written it down somewhere.”

Han So-Yeon sighed regretfully.

“Should I go find him again?”

If the giant monster was on humanity’s side, it would be a significant asset in turning the tide of the current situation.

Besides that, she was simply curious.

Han So-Yeon didn’t believe all monsters were enemies.

Just as not all humans were good, she believed monsters could be the same.

Of course, as an S-rank Hunter responsible for Korea’s safety, she wasn’t naive.

She had always been dedicated to monster subjugation.

But this time, something felt different.

Ring! Ring!

The classic ringtone echoed from her cell phone.

Han So-Yeon quickly sat up and looked at the screen. An unknown number.

“Oh!”

Thinking it was finally him, she answered immediately.

“Hello, this is Hunter Han So-Yeo….”

–Hello customer! This is TGY Bank’s asset management team! We’re calling to inform you about our new financial products….

Click.

She immediately pressed the red “end call” button.

The call ended.

Her rising expectations plummeted, and she slumped back onto the sofa.

“Even with the world ending, there seem to be more and more people talking about money.”

The logic of money seemed to transcend even the apocalypse. Han So-Yeon scoffed, thinking it was an immutable truth that would never disappear, at least not before humanity’s extinction.

“Ah~, I wonder what little dragon-dragon is doing.”

Han So-Yeon stretched, waiting for something exciting to happen.

---

“Wooaaaaah!”

Meanwhile, completely unaware of Han So-Yeon’s thoughts, Jo Sung-Il roared, holding a piece of goblin flesh.

“It tastes like pork!”

Roasted pork, to be exact!

“Goblins, were they this delicious…?!”

When he ate Atla, it honestly felt like chewing on raw fish.

Perhaps due to his transformed body, he didn’t feel much disgust while eating it, but it was still a disappointing experience.

He had thought he wouldn’t be able to enjoy food like he used to as a human.

But now, Jo Sung-Il was amazed.

“Unbelievable! Can I finally enjoy eating again?”

It meant he could hunt monsters not just for sustenance, but for the pleasure of eating.

Crunch, crunch!

Jo Sung-Il excitedly devoured the goblin corpse.

It was a sight that would terrify anyone, but Jo Sung-Il didn’t stop.

That’s what delicious food did.

It went beyond simply filling his stomach; it compelled him to keep eating.

Gulp.

Finally, having devoured the last goblin corpse, Jo Sung-Il smacked his lips.

“A delicacy.”

A blue window appeared before his satisfied face.

[Battle concluded.]
[Check remaining energy.]

‘Battle concluded?’

It seemed these messages appeared after he finished eating, as the energy charge rate depended on how he defeated and consumed the monsters.

Jo Sung-Il finally came to his senses and checked his remaining energy.

[Remaining Energy: 48%]

“Hmm.”

A decent amount.

“How do I fill it completely?”

He was slightly disappointed that it hadn’t reached 50%, even though he thought he had fought and eaten well.

[Trying to have your fill in one sitting will only lead to indigestion.]

Jo Sung-Il chuckled at the blue window’s unsolicited lecture.

“Who said anything about filling it completely? That would be too generous.”

As long as he had enough energy to last until tomorrow, it was enough.

Hunting monsters in this form wasn’t difficult.

He could just rampage through other fields if necessary, as long as he was careful not to deplete his energy completely.

“So, the reward was to make food taste good. It’s not that impressive, but it saved me. I need to be able to enjoy food to get used to this life.”

The blue window didn’t respond.

Jo Sung-Il stood up and started walking.

“I need to find someone to talk to.”

His footsteps weren’t heading back to Olympic Stadium, but towards the populated city center.

“Well, this appearance will cause a commotion.”

Jo Sung-Il thought about his human form.

He couldn’t guarantee it was a good idea to use his human transformation, as he didn’t know what it looked like.

But he couldn’t contact Han So-Yeon in his current state. He needed a smaller body.

“Alright. Let’s do it.”

Jo Sung-Il stopped by a quiet riverside before heading to the city center.

“Now.”

He swallowed nervously.

“What kind of transformation will it be?”

A mixture of anticipation and anxiety.

Jo Sung-Il activated Skill 1.

THUMP!

He felt a pulling sensation, as if being dragged downwards.

“Ugh?!”

Gravity.

The downward force pressed down on him, the giant monster, with immense weight.

“Uwaaaah!”

It felt like he would be crushed.

And indeed, his body began to shrink.

“Huh?”

He shrunk down to two meters.

[Remaining Time: 29 minutes 54 seconds.]

A blue window appeared before him, displaying a countdown timer, but Jo Sung-Il couldn’t focus on it.

“Gasp, gasp.”

He had barely survived.

He thought he would be flattened like a can. He looked down at himself to check if his body was alright.

“Huh?”

And he saw.

“W-What is this?”

Hard, armor-like skin covered his arms. Startled, he checked his torso and legs.

“This is…!”

He looked like a transforming hero from a tokusatsu show.

No, that would have been better.

He found a puddle and looked at his reflection, gasping.

A strange mask covered his face, his eyes glowing.

Only the lower part of his mask, revealing human skin, showed that he was still human.

“No way.”

He tried to remove the fantasy-boss-like outfit, but it wouldn’t budge.

It was like his skin.

It felt like peeling it off would rip away his muscles as well.

“D*mn it.”

Jo Sung-Il cursed.

“How am I supposed to get my phone like this?”

His intimidating appearance gave him a headache.

The only consolation was that the exposed human skin on his face might allow him to pass as an eccentric Hunter.

‘It’s risky, though.’

Some high-ranking monsters had near-human forms, so he wasn’t sure if this would avoid suspicion.

Someone might report him, and if the Hunter Association stopped him for questioning, he would be exposed as a monster.

It would be a very awkward situation if that happened in the middle of the city.

‘Would I register as human in a scan?’

Even though he Awakened as a monster, his original form was human.

‘No. Premature assumptions are dangerous.’

He wanted to avoid becoming a Hunter’s achievement.

“Sigh, then….”

He wanted to retrieve his phone, which he had left behind when he went to the Han River.

Jo Sung-Il looked around and then grinned, spotting something.

“Yes, that’s it.”

His appearance, indeed, was that of a monster, seemingly capable of bringing disaster upon the world.