Chapter 45 : 10 Years have passed (1)

Kaiju Frontline was a mobile gacha game with a total of four chapters and approximately 40 episodes of story content by its 5th anniversary.

When the game started, a voice played like a national rule.

With the Japanese voice actors saying, “Kaijuu Zensen~”, the prologue abruptly began.

The content, based on the early service period, featured an unbeatable quasi-second-class kaiju.

Players learned the basic combat system of the game while facing the wolf-like kaiju that appeared in the peaceful G City.

The protagonist, who was a former soldier, deployed alongside some heroes to subjugate it, but, of course, the attempt ended in a massive failure.

Later, leading up to the first anniversary, the protagonist and heroines who barely survived swore to face the wolf kaiju again, igniting their determination.

…At least, that was how I remembered the official story.

“Kiiieeek…!”

“Die, beast.”

Slash.

That typical royal road storyline vanished the moment the story began.

“Quasi-second-class at best… Nothing special.”

“Amazing… To take down that wolf kaiju in a single strike!”

“Is that the famous Princess Hoshino…?”

“So cool… I admire her…!”

Unlike in the original story, where her family was destroyed, her parents were all lost, and people pointed fingers at her, the young lady Hoshino had grown into something entirely different.

Her former “despair attribute” had transformed into a “lively attribute,” and she had grown into someone far beyond my expectations.

She even single-handedly eliminated the kaiju that the protagonist’s group was supposed to take down.

“Is this all the kaiju that appeared in G City?”

“Ah, yes! That’s correct!”

Ten years ago, she was just a little fox girl.

Now, in my sight, she was receiving the admiration of everyone as she gathered information—an accomplished A-rank hero.

At the same time, she was considered a prime candidate for an S-rank hero.

“To think that Hoshino has grown this much… The despair in the original story was delicious in its own way, but honestly, I think I prefer this version.”

It felt like the bittersweet pride of a father watching his daughter grow up.

I found myself rubbing my nose unconsciously.

Now that I think about it, ten years had already passed.

The original story of Kaiju Frontline was finally beginning today.

Would the prologue proceed as it did in the original?

Worried about the small changes I had made to the official story, I came to the scene in person.

But now… honestly, I wasn’t sure if I should be happy or not.

Defeating kaiju was obviously a good thing for humanity.

But that wolf kaiju was supposed to be a “sacrificial” enemy for the protagonist’s awakening in the first-anniversary event.

“By the way, if this is the prologue scene, then the protagonist should be among those ant-like soldiers down there, right?”

Mobile game protagonists generally fell into two categories.

One was a fully fleshed-out character with a third-person perspective.

The other was a first-person perspective where “I” became the protagonist.

The former was common in Chinese mobile games.

The latter was more prevalent in Japan and Korea.

And since Kaiju Frontline was a rare, nearly successful Korean mobile game, it naturally adopted the latter style.

Thus, in first-person mobile games, there was a rule—

The protagonist’s face was never revealed until the game’s service ended.

So at this point, the protagonist was nothing more than a generic Soldier A.

With his name set as a nickname, I couldn’t immediately pick him out.

“Damn. I thought I’d be able to spot him easily since there are barely any male soldiers in the game, but they all have their faces covered with helmets…”

Or maybe I was too far away?

Right now, I was in my kaiju form, crouched on the rooftop of a building about 10 kilometers from the prologue scene.

Had it really been ten years already?

The kaiju that once terrified all of Hero City.

A monstrous evil that appeared in the very heart of A City—the stronghold of heroes—turning the surrounding wasteland into even more of a wasteland.

That kaiju… was me.

Now, I was a top-priority target for extermination.

Even with the help of weaponized kaiju, I was classified as a first-class threat that must be eliminated.

For the past ten years, I had avoided standing out by restraining my kaiju transformations.

But today was the day the prologue began.

“Still, I have to confirm the protagonist’s face!”

It had been three years? No, almost five years since my last transformation.

Since it had been so long, it felt a little awkward.

Carefully adjusting my strength so as not to collapse the rooftop, I leaped onto a building closer to the prologue scene.

Ten years had passed.

So much had happened in that time.

For one, I had followed in Carmilla’s footsteps and passed the hero exam, becoming the second-youngest hero ever.

Carmilla, who had lost her only record of being the youngest hero, was furious.

“Ugh…! This is so frustrating!”

When I finally put that “alpha female” in her place after she always tried to interfere between me and Janghoon, the thrill kept me awake all night.

By the time I had worked tirelessly to overcome my powerless past…

Click.

I had grown this much.

“Thank you for your hard work, Princess.”

“S-Salute! It’s an honor to serve you!”

“Yes. I’m just glad everyone is safe.”

A-rank, second place.

Hero Name—Jet Black Fox.

Hoshino had become the very definition of a super rookie, widely known to the public.

She consistently ranked at the top in the “Heroes People Want to Date” list.

At the same time, she was always in the single digits on the “Most Popular Heroes” chart.

If the number one hero ten years ago was the freshly-adult Yun Ha-eun, now that title belonged to either Carmilla… or Okami Hoshino.

But.

Why?

Why, despite everyone wanting her…

“Sigh…”

“…?”

“Princess Hoshino?”

“Ah. It’s nothing.”

Was our relationship still going nowhere?!

“Janghoon must be at university by now.”

I had always heard that childhood friends who grew up together would eventually end up dating.

But even when I pressed my growing breasts against him, or subtly rubbed my well-developed hips against him…

“Miss Hoshino, is something wrong?”

“?! Ah, no, it’s nothing…”

There was still no progress between us.

To Janghoon, I was always just “Miss Hoshino,” someone to serve, not someone to date.

And now that I was in my twenties—the peak of that time in life—it was becoming my greatest struggle.

“Princess Hoshino, you don’t look well. Were you injured in the last battle?”

“If only it were a physical wound… At least then, I could get treatment…”

“…?”

Hoshino waved off the soldiers’ concern.

Since the situation was settled for now, she prepared to return to her usual place.

To the university where Janghoon attended.

To the same department.

To the same classroom.

To the seat right next to him, where she could at least try to soothe her frustration.

Rumble, rumble, rumble.

“?!”

“What was that…?”

The next moment.

As I turned my body away from the monstrous dead wolf, the ground suddenly began to shake as if in fury.

At the same time, dozens of military armored vehicles were tossed aside like toys, and a monstrous creature appeared, breaking through the outer walls of buildings.

A monster with not one, not two, but three heads.

“Wolf!”

“Brother!”

“I stayed back like you told me to, but in the end, you still got taken down!”

“Th-Three heads…?!”

“Cerberus?” That thing…

Its appearance closely resembled the legendary guardian of the underworld from Greek mythology—Cerberus.

“I’ve seen that form before… in a book!”

“Rookie?”

“Who…?”

“Yes! Sir! I have just been assigned to the 79th unit of the 142nd Army Division—”

“Ah, 11—”

“””Brotherrrrrr!!”””

“?! Forget your name. If you know what that monster is, just tell us!”

“Yes, sir! Understood!”

Hoshino, with the help of a well-informed soldier, was able to immediately identify the Cerberus.

“That thing is none other than a ‘dog-type monster.’”

“A dog-type monster?”

“Yes! A Rank 2 monster, said to be the manifestation of fear from all canines. It appeared 67 years ago in K City and was reportedly slain by the then second-ranked S-Class Hunter.”

“S-Class Rank 2…!”

Its size was roughly twice that of the wolf monster that had clung to the apartment walls and gnawed on concrete.

That meant it was at least 30 meters tall.

The wolf monster, which had rampaged through G City at terrifying speeds and turned it into a wasteland, now looked like a newborn pup in front of the Cerberus.

And now, I had to face something with three heads, each as tall as a ten-story building.

‘Can I do this…?’

The three heads howled in unison as they mourned the beheaded wolf monster.

“Humans…”

“All of you…”

“Will die!”

A chill ran down my spine.

“?!?”

“I-It’s coming!”

“I’ll take the lead, so soldiers and heroes, support from behind!”

The dog monster, now baring its fangs at me, was unlike anything I had ever faced.

This was a true Rank 2 threat.

A monster that only an S-Class hero or the top A-Class ranker could handle alone.

Was I really capable of challenging this?

My fox ears drooped.

Cold sweat formed on my forehead, and my heart pounded like a drum.

However, Hoshino was not someone who ran away just because the enemy was stronger.

So—

“Breath Style – First Form…”

“Brother’s…”

“Revenge…”

“I will…!”

“Here I go… huh?”

Boom!

Just as I was about to charge at the three heads, prepared to die—

“Craaaack?!”

‘Damn, I jumped too high…!’

A Rank 1 monster, having miscalculated its footing, accidentally landed on the back of the roaring Rank 2 monster.

The Cerberus, having taken the full force of Kang Jang-Hoon’s “butt slam,” vomited all its internal organs and died on the spot.

“…?”

“Huh?”

“Urk?”

‘Huh?’