Chapter 60 : Codename Zero (2)

The Bat Monster.

It was a somewhat mediocre opponent, stronger than the shark monster I had seen at the aquarium before, but weaker than the octopus monster.

But that’s only true when considering my perspective.

“Janghoon, stay close to Hoshino and me.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you, Lord.”

“Ugh… As much as I’d like to part ways here, seeing you whine so much, I can’t help but feel soft-hearted.”

“Hahaha… I’m sorry. But I really wanted to see it. I wanted to see the scene where Zero, the homunculus, defeats the bat monster.”

“But we’re going to the scene where the monster appeared, so not only should you stay close to your mother, but you also need to stay right by my side. Got it?”

“Yes. Understood. Miss.”

Currently, we were heading toward City B in the limousine we had ridden in.

The reason was, of course, to test the performance of the homunculus – Zero.

Originally, her existence was highly classified, so at this point, I, the outsider, should have separated from them.

However, the setting of the homunculus, which didn’t even exist in the original work.

A life that should have been discarded was saved because of me, a powerful threat. I couldn’t stop thinking about that fact.

Muttering…

“Still… something’s bothering me.”

More than anything, the moment I first saw her, the eyes I briefly locked with.

The dark red eyes, even darker than emptiness, were strangely unsettling.

It was as if they were asking me to hold her hand.

Was it just my imagination?

Or was it the highly developed instinct of a monster?

“We’ve arrived.”

“…!”

The three limousines, including mine with the S-class hero, crossed the barrier into City B.

“AAAHHH!”

“Help!”

“Everyone run! It’s a monster!”

What appeared before us was hell.

The people who were running for their lives, trampling even their own kind in their desperation, were endlessly fleeing behind us.

Screams echoed from all directions.

In the chaos, a child who had lost their mother sat on the ground crying, and I noticed an old woman running with a cane among the fleeting figures.

It was truly a pandemonium.

This was a city under the appearance of a Grade 2 monster, which only an A-class hero could handle.

However, unlike me, who was nervously anticipating inside the limousine, the mother and daughter from the Okami family sitting in front and beside me remained calm.

Because they were heroes who had to rescue people in situations like this.

“Separate from the performance test, let’s help evacuate the people.”

“Understood, Mom.”

“…! Miss, I’ll join you too…”

“No! Janghoon, sorry, but from here on, this is the hero’s domain.”

“!!”

Miss Hoshino coldly refused my help.

Had there ever been a time when I was so disregarded while serving her?

It made me realize how vast the gap was between the hero society and the society of ordinary humans.

Simply put, it was a refined version of “don’t interfere.”

“I’ll show you later when the fake, Zero, fights. Until then, stay quietly in this limousine. Got it?”

“Yes, understood…”

“Don’t be too upset… But if something happens to you, Janghoon, I…”

“I know. I’ll stay quietly until you tell me, Miss.”

Pat pat.

The tough image she had a moment ago was gone, and once again, Miss Hoshino became the obedient pet fox.

I gently petted her drooping fox ears.

Before closing the car door, I cheered her on with a “Fighting!” and filled her with some strength.

This was the emergency situation caused by a Grade 2 monster in the city.

Indeed, the atmosphere around us was far more tense than when the near-Grade 2 monster appeared before.

…gulp.

“Hoshino. This stage is still too early for you.”

“…! Mom…”

“So, if you encounter the bat monster while helping people evacuate, don’t hesitate to run away.”

“!!”

Following Lord Makoto, Hoshino got out of the limousine.

Like a professional hero, she quickly guided people to safe zones while staying vigilant.

But her mother’s assessment of her was very cold but accurate.

In the face of a Grade 2 monster like the dog monster, Hoshino’s fox ears unknowingly drooped.

A fox beastman would only show such a weak side in front of someone stronger than them or possibly in bed with their husband.

But, in terms of ability, it wasn’t that.

Considering the overwhelming atmosphere, even Hoshino, who was already somewhat overwhelmed, would find a Grade 2 or higher monster dangerous.

Lord Makoto, having judged this, sternly warned his daughter, who would take over his position one day.

…

To the daughter who thought it was unnecessary interference.

“I-I don’t want to!”

“Hoshino…”

“I’m currently ranked 2nd in A-Class! Even in the A-Class, where there are only 70 spots, I’m right behind the top rank. And yet, are you saying that I would lose to some mere B-Class?”

“I’ve told you before, your position is heavily influenced by our family’s name…”

“Shut up! Mom, you’ve been like this for a while now! Why do you keep belittling me in front of others?! I’m an adult now!”

As if she were being treated like a child.

Makoto, the family head, gave a cold evaluation filled with concern, but to Hoshino, it was worse than being ignored altogether.

“Screw the test.”

“…What?”

“Instead of that fake human, I’m going to hunt down the bat monster today.”

“Hoshino…!”

“So just watch. I’m not the weak little princess you think I am anymore!”

The beast-like pupils that only appeared when facing monsters were now directed at her mother.

Makoto, seeing how heated Hoshino had become, struggled to come up with a rebuttal.

But she couldn’t figure out what to say, and her lips remained tightly shut.

Was this happening because she had tried to play both mother and father for Hoshino, who had recently become an adult?

Still, she couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. If only to calm her daughter’s fiery emotions—

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.

Along with an apology, she wanted to tell Hoshino not to look at her mother with such eyes…

“?! “

“Representative Avanka.”

…She should have said it.

“Bravo~. Princess Hoshino. Your actions just now are the very embodiment of human ‘progress’ and evolution.”

“What?”

“What are you talking about?”

Stepping out of a newly arrived limousine, Representative Avanka appeared alongside Zero.

She showered praise upon the ‘progressive’ daughter who was boldly rebelling against her ‘conservative’ mother.

Rather than fearing death, she admired the courage to challenge the impossible.

“That’s right. Princess Hoshino, you might be able to defeat the B-Class monster right here and now!”

“Listen, Representative Avanka! This is a family matter. So please leave at once…”

“No. She wants to fight the bat monster right now. From this moment on, it’s a matter between ‘Zero’ and ‘Princess Hoshino.’”

“Zero…”

Hoshino locked eyes with Zero, who had just stepped out of the car.

Cold, emotionless eyes.

Standing there, ready to fight without hesitation—it was understandable that a machine that followed orders wouldn’t feel fear.

“Then how about this? Whoever defeats the bat monster first will be ranked ahead when promoted to S-Class.”

“Ahead in ranking…!”

“Representative Avanka! Treating monster hunting like some kind of game is…”

“I’ll do it. That bet.”

“Hoshino!”

Makoto wanted to put an end to this reckless nonsense as soon as possible.

But the timing had long passed.

Hoshino was completely absorbed in the single-minded desire to prove herself.

She walked right up to Zero, locking her beast-like gaze with his emotionless eyes, and spoke.

“It’s a race to see who finds and takes down the bat monster first.”

“A race, you say? …Representative Avanka, Princess Hoshino has proposed the following challenge. Please issue your command.”

“Approve it, Zero. But you must also give it your all in hunting the bat monster. Understood?”

“Yes. Understood.”

The bat monster, naturally inclined to hide in darkness.

Following its instincts, it had concealed itself in an underground sewer system that resembled a massive temple.

“I’m… full…”

The creature was currently flying low through the sewers, slowly making its way out of the chaotic B-City.

“Hmm?”

In the pitch-black sewers, the bat monster, a living shadow itself, had the advantage—it could see its prey, but the prey could not see it.

Perhaps because of that, despite already being full, it couldn’t resist the urge to hunt just for sport.

Spotting a lone figure below, the bat monster swiftly dropped its altitude.

And then—

Thud!

“…Huh?”

It had aimed to descend like a butterfly and sting like a bee.

But in that moment—

An arrow pierced straight through its chest, impaling its heart and pinning it against a pillar behind.

“Guh?!“

A pitiful end for a B-Class monster.

But even more absurd than the way the bat monster had been instantly killed was the presence of someone casually kicking its corpse in irritation.

Thump! Thump!

“Damn it. I sensed killing intent and thought it was that so-called ‘Kin Slayer’ that monsters have been whispering about lately… But what is this weakling?”

White hair as pure as jade, with pointed elf-like ears sticking out from both sides.

Her skin, though not as white as her hair, was pale.

And more than anything, the black sclera covering her golden irises were proof she was not human.

She wore traditional Eastern martial attire, though the most important detail was that her eyes, unlike a human’s white sclera, were pitch black like a monster’s.

The ‘Monster of the Bow’ had been hiding since the incident at District 1.

Upon hearing rumors that the Kin Slayer had arrived, she had fled all the way to B-City.

But now, seeing the massive monster she had just killed, she found herself wondering—

“Wait… does this mean I’m the Kin Slayer?”

“Ugh… Anyway, I’m hungry. Should I just go up for a bit and raid a convenience store?”