Part 1 Chapter 4 (7)

Flame Giant.

A monster that appeared near Doksan Station when the dimensional gate opened and was subdued by Hunters.

From its sudden appearance far from the dimensional gate to its disappearance west of the Gwanak Line, the monster, which truly displayed eccentric behavior, briefly captured the public’s attention.

Some supported the theory of an unfortunate Hero who awakened their powers but was attacked due to inexperience. They were helplessly defeated by the Hunters’ attacks, but there were no casualties.

Some supported the theory of a monster that grew enormous due to the influence of the dimensional gate. If it were a Hero, there would have been no reason to attack the Hunters.

And then there was the ‘Villain theory,’ which gained no support from anyone.

An ability user who normally appeared as an ordinary human but transformed into a building-sized giant only when exerting their powers.

That post, buried among countless others discussing Lee Seung-hyung, unfortunately became a bittersweet sacred place.

□□□□□□!!

The Flame Giant swung its arm horizontally. It toppled buildings, and their debris assaulted the Heroes.

“Disperse! Take cover!”

The Heroes, who had been maintaining their formation, scattered. Concrete chunks, imbued with fire, fell and scraped the innocent road that the Heroes had avoided.

Kagagak!

“Haa!”

Unsa, having fled into a bank teller’s booth, spat out the dirt that filled their mouth.

No Heroes followed them, but as always, Heroes would know what role each of them should play in a crisis.

Unsa lowered their breathing as much as possible and pressed their watch.

Jijik, Jijijik.

“I need to get outside….”

Despite being only the distance between Anyang and Guro, the signal wasn’t good. They felt they needed to get to the main road to contact their commander and teammates.

“…….”

Fortunately, it was quiet outside. Unsa subtly spread their mana to survey the surroundings.

No Hellhounds. But there was a human presence.

Human?

“Kuk!”

Unsa hurriedly moved their body towards the interior. Inside the bank’s cash vault, where they had jumped over tables and broken through a firmly closed door, there was a boy trembling in fear.

“H-Hiiik?!”

The boy, barely covered by tattered clothes, saw Unsa, got scared, and pressed himself against the wall. Ten-thousand won bills spilled out of the bag the boy dropped. Just by looking, it seemed to be tens of millions of won.

“It’s alright. I am a Hero. Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Oh, don’t come!”

The boy pointed a discarded iron skewer at Unsa. Unsa’s lips, which wouldn’t curl up easily, trembled as they relaxed their expression.

“I am Unsa Park Raon, an A-rank Hero belonging to the Association. This place is dangerous. I will help you-“

Suddenly, a man’s voice, difficult to believe it belonged to the boy, was heard.

– G18, G18, respond. Why are you still in Guro? I told you to escape earlier, didn’t I?

Unsa’s actions were as swift as light. Rushing towards the boy in one stride, Unsa avoided the boy’s skewer, grabbed his neck, and lifted him.

“Keo, keoheok!”

The boy, suspended in the air, gasped for breath and kicked his feet. Unsa threw the boy into the back of the vault and picked up the walkie-talkie in the corner.

– G18, no, Kwon Bokhyun. Can you hear me? You didn’t fail to escape Guro, did you?

Unsa’s expression hardened. Picking up the walkie-talkie, Unsa walked towards the boy, who had fallen silent, and quietly brought up a screen.

[Respond.]

The boy’s eyes wavered.

Kkullong.

At the Devouring Cloud Unsa emitted, the boy gulped and opened his mouth.

“…This is G18. I’m hiding in K Bank in Guro.”

– What? Hey, you didn’t go in there to grab money, did you? Are you out of your mind?

“I couldn’t escape, so I did.”

Unsa recorded the man’s voice and cross-referenced it with the database. The biometric data stored in the Association’s Villain roster quickly identified the man.

Kim Ji-hwa. Codename . Villain.

Peok!

Unsa’s spear shaft struck Bokhyun’s stomach hard. The boy immediately fainted from the impact and collapsed.

“Beacon. Is this your doing?”

– …Who are you?

Beacon, who responded to Unsa’s voice flowing through the walkie-talkie, seemed flustered, their voice trembling.

“I asked if you were the one who set up this trap.”

– A trap? …I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just couldn’t get in touch with my guys-

“The Association already knows that Guro’s Beacon doesn’t leave the Digital Complex. Don’t pretend you don’t know after blowing up your own base to lure us here. Did you think the Association wouldn’t know about you?”

– You’re quick-witted. Yes. It’s a trap, just as you thought.

Beacon readily admitted it.

– You’re wondering why I’m telling you so easily, aren’t you?

“I have no desire to know. While I was off guard,”

The building shook. Unsa conjured clouds and draped them over their head.

Kwoong!

A giant flaming fist struck the clouds. Unsa plunged their spear into the ground and squeezed out mana to deflect the impact.

“…they must have been planning to attack like this.”

– Didn’t work. Tsk.

The Flame Giant’s fist withdrew from the building. Unsa tucked the unconscious Bokhyun under their arm and leaped through the hole the Flame Giant had made.

Gu, Gu, Gugu!

The building shook violently, showing signs of collapse. Unsa, who had emerged onto the main road, met the eyes of the Flame Giant, who was kneeling on one knee before them.

“So, it’s that eccentric monster.”

“Team Leader!!”

Tempest Lady rushed out from between the buildings. Most of Team A, except for a few Heroes, had safely hidden.

“What about that kid?”

“They are a Villain’s pawn. They must be apprehended.”

As Unsa put Bokhyun down, two Heroes came and arrested him. Special handcuffs for ability users were placed on his hands, bound behind his back.

Gu, Gu, Gugu.

The Flame Giant rose to its feet. The shadow of its massive body, standing with the sun behind it, was large enough to cover all the Heroes.

– Respond, respond, Unsa!

Shin Jingwang’s urgent voice came through the watch. Unsa immediately responded.

“Unsa. Reporting from current location. Designating eccentric species ‘Flame Giant’ as a Villain. Danger level… A-rank.”

– An A-rank Villain?! It wasn’t in the data!

“It seems they were hiding their power until now. They’ve teamed up with Guro’s Beacon.”

Unsa held up the walkie-talkie. Beacon, insolently, had not yet cut the transmission.

– Khuhuhu. Think what you like. But you know what? Aren’t a few people missing?

“…!!”

Unsa hurriedly turned around to check on their teammates. One B-rank and three C-ranks were missing.

“Beacon!!”

– It’s fine. Are we so scary that we’d kill Heroes? We just put them to sleep. Whether a monster catches them in the meantime, I wouldn’t know. Huhuhu.

With those words, Beacon cut the transmission. Unsa quickly threw the walkie-talkie, and it exploded.

“Are you alright, Team Leader?!”

“I was careless. …More importantly, please track the missing Heroes.”

Unsa took three steps forward and faced the Flame Giant. A quick glance at the outskirts showed the remaining Hellhounds digging their claws in, unable to climb the buildings.

A coliseum where they couldn’t escape unless they killed all their enemies. Unsa gathered mana.

“Commander-nim. I have a proposal.”

– What now?!

“The opponent is an A-rank Villain. Even if we don’t arrive in Yeouido on time, the merit will be more than enough. In that case.”

Unsa pointed their spear tip at the giant.

“One hour remaining until the scheduled arrival time in Yeouido at 13:00. Within that time, I will defeat that Villain and subdue Guro. Of course, I will also rescue those who were kidnapped.”

– …Damn it! Do as you please!

The commander’s order was given. Only then did Unsa subtly raise the corner of their mouth.

“Team A! Prioritize the rescue of the missing Heroes and break through the encirclement here! Deal with the Hellhounds on the outskirts! Immediately apprehend any Villains that appear! As for the Flame Giant-”

The Flame Giant raised both arms high. Its clenched fists dropped towards the ground as if to strike it at any moment.

“I will stop them!”

Unsa swept the road with their spear tip. The mana that flowed out became clouds, billowing up to meet the Flame Giant’s fist.

Kkwadeuk, Kkwadeudeuk!

The Devouring Cloud devoured the Azure Flame. The Flame Giant quickly pulled its hand back before the cloud could touch its fist.

Pshiiii….

The Devouring Cloud, imbued with Azure Flame, twisted its body as if a can were being crushed in a press. The Devouring Cloud, which had been ravenously consuming Hellhounds, seemed to have an upset stomach, spitting out the undigested Azure Flame and disappearing.

Hwareureuk.

Blue flames fell onto the asphalt. Unsa jogged in place, warming up.

A fight between two A-ranks. Fortunately, the Flame Giant was quite cautious of the Devouring Cloud.

“Haa.”

Unsa took a deep breath. They had exchanged blows twice, inside the bank and on the road, but fortunately, it didn’t seem like they would lose.

“It’s a shame. If you had used such an ability for good, there would have been no need for us to hurt each other like this.”

Once the teammates, led by Tempest Lady, broke the encirclement, they would join in capturing the Flame Giant. Until then, Unsa’s job was to buy time.

The Flame Giant spread its palm and brought it down towards Unsa. Unsa lightly dodged the attack to the side and climbed the collapsed building.

Their steps were like Pungbaek’s footwork, moving as if treading on air.

□□□□□!

The Flame Giant swatted its hand as if chasing a fly. At a speed on a different dimension from before, Unsa spread out clouds.

Kkwadeudeuk!

The Devouring Cloud devoured the flames in the air. The Devouring Cloud disappeared before it could convert them into mana, but fortunately, it succeeded in blocking the Flame Giant’s slap.

“!”

Or so they thought. Unsa hurriedly raised their spear shaft in front of them.
□□□□!!

The blue flames had vanished from its palm. In their place was a grayish-white skeleton, much like a human’s bones.

Kkaaang!

The spear shaft and the skeletal hand clashed. Unsa did not let go of the spear shaft, but the one who lost their footing in mid-air was sent flying by the Flame Giant’s palm.

“Keoheok!”

Unsa, who had rolled through the office, breaking the building’s glass windows, gasped in pain. Even with the suit protecting their body, the pain of rolling through the office and hitting a wall was no joke.

“……Hoo.”

They hadn’t expected it. The Flame Giant was understood to be an ability user whose entire body was simply on fire. So, they hadn’t thought there would be a skeletal structure supporting its body within.

“Then there’s no problem.”

Even if its body was larger, it was the same as a human. Just bigger.

□□□!!

The Flame Giant’s fist approached. Its hand, which had shattered all the windows to enter, was once again covered in flames.

“Let’s see if you can endure, or if I devour it all.”

Unsa thrust their spear towards the Flame Giant’s fist. The rising Devouring Cloud climbed onto the Flame Giant’s hand more fiercely than ever before, biting and tearing at it.

□□□□□!

This time, the Flame Giant did not pull back its fist. Instead, its bare skeletal hand reached behind Unsa, as if to grab them.

‘This is…!’

Unsa squeezed out mana to retrieve and spread the Devouring Cloud again. But the Flame Giant succeeded in snatching Unsa’s body even as its bones were being chewed.

“Keup!”

The bony fingers tightened. Unsa twisted their entire body to escape before the giant could restore its flames. But blue flames had already begun to flow from the Flame Giant’s bones.

□□□?!

Suddenly, the Flame Giant’s grip loosened. Unsa didn’t miss the opportunity, quickly gathered mana, and escaped from its hand.

Kkadeudeuk!

The Devouring Cloud, which had flowed up to the giant’s forearm, returned and bit off the giant’s wrist. The giant’s hand bone, which fell into the office with a thud, collapsed powerlessly.

“Haa, haa.”

Unsa extinguished the flames clinging to their suit. The flames, which even burned through the suit, exposed Unsa’s fair skin.

“……?”

Their lower chest, stomach, and thighs. The suit where the giant’s hand had swept was burned away, exposing their skin. Yet, Unsa felt more bewildered by the giant’s actions than by their own exposure.

‘Why did it stop?’

The giant had squeezed its hand tightly as if to kill them, then released its grip. The opening Unsa used to escape was created because the giant had released them on its own.

The giant, whose hand had fallen off, stared at Unsa without a word, then pulled its hand back.

□□□□…!

The giant shouted something. With a kick filled with apparent annoyance, as if it was extremely displeased, another building collapsed.

□□□□□!!

The giant ran down the road without even glancing at Unsa. Its direction was towards the Heroes who were struggling with the Hellhounds.

“I don’t know why, but!”

Unsa was not a Hero who would surrender with a “Yes, understood” just because they were given a pass. Even if their spear shaft broke, even if their mana was depleted and they collapsed from exhaustion, Unsa’s fighting spirit would not be broken.

Kwaang!

Unsa kicked off the office and leaped, running through the air. Their swift footwork quickly overtook the Flame Giant, and they stood on the building next to it.

Kwoong.

The Flame Giant, about to turn the corner, stopped its steps upon seeing Unsa. Its gaze wasn’t directly on Unsa, but it was clearly aware of them.

Its head turned, then snapped away. As if it didn’t even want to look at Unsa.

“…No way?”

No, it couldn’t be. Unsa summoned the Devouring Cloud and wrapped it around their body like armor. At the billowing clouds covering their suit, the Flame Giant’s head turned back to Unsa.

□□□.

The Flame Giant nodded, seemingly satisfied. Unsa looked back and forth between their own body and the Flame Giant, then nodded as if they had realized something.

“Honestly. Are you really concerned about something like this right now?”

Unsa scoffed and released the cloud-armor. Naturally, the exposed areas were revealed again. The Flame Giant’s head snapped away again, as if it had been slapped.

“If you’re concerned about such things on the battlefield, how do you expect to fight?!”

Unsa gathered the Devouring Cloud and scattered it in front of the Flame Giant. The Flame Giant quickly tried to turn the corner and pass by.

But Unsa’s movements were faster.

□□…!

“Turning your eyes away when facing an enemy is an act of suicide. Even if you are a Villain, I can’t help but give this advice.”

A massive wall of clouds blocked the road between the buildings. Unsa stood on that wall, pointing their spear tip at the Flame Giant.

“Do not look away! You are a Villain, I am a Hero! As enemies, either you will be apprehended, or I will be killed! If you are concerned about something as trivial as this!”

Unsa struck the wall of clouds with their spear tip. Simultaneously, the Devouring Cloud flowed down like a river breaking through a dam.

“That is an insult to this Unsa!”

A massive mass of clouds engulfed the Flame Giant.