Ch 203: Beast （1） - yom

Monday is back again.

First, I have another piece of good news to share.

"Congratulations, Hunter Kang Changho-nim."

Finally, the S-rank hunter who was imprisoned in the detention center has been released.

As an alien, I couldn't even begin to understand how it was done, but anyway, they said that everything was taken care of and that there wouldn't be any problems in the future.

Even though it was a case of an awakened one assaulting a non-awakened one, the media has strangely become quiet again.

'Did they perhaps settle with the reporters using money?'

Anyway.

I went to the police station with a gift to congratulate the person who was released from custody.

After searching the internet for the keyword "detention center," there were many stories saying that it would be good to give this.

"Please accept this."

"It's tofu."

But the other person's reaction wasn't very good.

The Earthling who received the handmade tofu looked down at it and briefly considered using violence, wondering if I was mocking him.

But since it was a public place. Fortunately, this didn't lead to a new incident.

Also, judging by Kang Changho's reaction, my plan to suppress and control my mana so that he wouldn't notice my repaired lung seemed to have worked quite well.

If that's the case, then there's no point in hesitating now that the primary concern is over.

I returned home and started planning my future schedule.

"Hmm."

First, the most urgent issue is to prepare a device to deceive the 『Dragon's Eye』 in case of an emergency.

━You know that your mana is always fluctuating greatly, right?

However, in order to deal with Kang Changho's gaze, I needed not only to imitate the "fluctuation" that he saw but also to suppress the mana of my original body, which would be used to conceal the corpse, to near zero.

This means that the project is quite large.

Well, I know a spell to block the leakage of mana traces, so I think I can manage the latter somehow.

The part that's bothering me is the fluctuation phenomenon that Kang Changho mentioned.

To be honest, I still don't know why that residual image appears, and I don't know the frequency or intensity of it at all, so it's a bit ambiguous…

'If I copy the biological information similarly, will it work somehow?'

I started pondering like a madohak scholar for the first time in a while.

The result of my initial consideration was the prediction that I would need about two 『Infinite Power Cores』 for my future plans.

So, as soon as it was afternoon, I rushed to the auction house and bought two cores.

'I don't want to go through the trouble of not finding any items twice.'

To be precise, it means that I bought them immediately with cash.

"Anyway, thanks to getting my lung for free, all the remaining balance in my bank account is now extra money."

I've almost got all the materials. Now, all I have to do is complete a plausible dummy through research.

And so, I went into seclusion again.

Unlike my pre-reincarnation resolution to empty my brain and live a leisurely life, it seems like every day is filled with experiments and labor…

But still, I feel much more at ease now.

Because I achieved the ultimate initial goal of fixing my lung. I don't feel like I'm being chased anymore.

"Hmm."

From now on, I planned to live my daily life leisurely, occasionally paying attention to the growth of Rank 1.

◈◈◈

Bubbling, bubbling…

Soon, Saturday arrived.

There are still tea leaves left in the narrow cupboard of my one-room apartment that I got from Hadong.

The weather is getting warmer, so I was going to flash-freeze them and drink them cold.

━Crunch.

Around the time I froze the glass in my hand with magic.

A familiar word came through the screen of my phone, which was turned on.

『"There is controversy over the reappearance of the 'Beast' at a gate in Europe…"』

Beast.

It was a name that had been appearing in the news every day for the past five days.

◈◈◈

A bizarre outfit with a huge mask made of elk bones and tattered black leather like a used tire.

This is a characteristic appearance of a certain S-rank hunter on Earth.

But the Beast's unique point was not just its appearance.

It was an unregistered awakened one, which is considered a major crime in some East Asian countries.

In short, it was a 'presumed' S-rank hunter who had never been officially tested.

"Kyaaaak!"

"Demon… that's a demon."

This mysterious hunter first revealed its outline during the first S-rank dungeon break that occurred a few years ago.

The Nukelabi incident at the Demon of the Sea Gate.

At this time, the boss monster that appeared, Nukelabi, had a half-human, half-demon form, with its lower body moving like a tentacled creature with a huge mouth, and on top of it was a terrifying monster with a burned human（—probably serving the same role as the photophore of an anglerfish. It didn't seem alive since it was inactive.）

When the mouth on its lower body roared, a famous S-rank hunter who was a former wrestling star was blown to pieces.

That scene plunged the citizens of Hawaii into terror in an instant.

But.

In this desperate situation, a new savior appeared.

A mysterious beast clad in black leather stepped onto the shores of Hawaii.

It single-handedly killed the demon of the sea that was pressuring the American hunters.

"Oh my goodness!"

No one knows what skill it used.

No one knows where it came from.

But most people had the same opinion about the awakened one who suddenly disappeared.

"It's like a reptilian from a conspiracy theory. We feel like that person is some kind of hidden absolute being in the hunter world."

Originally, the public tended to give more favorable reviews to wild, powerful people who roamed the streets than to fighters who fought by the rules in the ring.

The Beast became the undisputed unofficial strongest.

And the Beast has been found in various parts of the world since the Nukelabi incident.

『Giant's Castle』, 『Nest of Fire』, and A-rank 『Dimensional Treasure Vault-Variant』 where golem-type magical beasts appear in abundance.

Before long, people joked that the Beast, who was only rarely seen in high-difficulty gates, which were called trouble spots, was not a person but a spirit.

Like the little beings that turn children's milk teeth into coins.

Indeed, the Beast has been showing us small acts of kindness so far.

…However, this month, that Beast revealed its shocking true colors.

The Beast was spotted in front of a high-difficulty A-rank gate as usual.

The Spanish hunters who met it were delighted to have met the rumored unknown powerhouse and followed the beast without suspicion. To be precise, they accompanied it into the gate.

In the past, the Beast had the problem of joining raids without permission, but it didn't harm the hunters who entered with it.

"Huh? What's this?"

But this time, the atmosphere was different.

A few hours later.

Only one person came out of the exit of the A-rank gate that was created.

The Beast came out, and the passage rapidly collapsed as the light faded.

With this, people easily noticed that there were no survivors inside the gate.

But how could all the high-rank hunters have suddenly been annihilated?

"Hey? What about the hunters who went in with you?"

The Beast was a taciturn person who didn't respond to any interviews, so even until this point, people couldn't know the truth.

They just assumed that the hunters had died at the hands of monsters during the hunt.

Everyone was just confused for now.

But just a few hours later.

The same thing started happening in a European country.

The Beast, which suddenly appeared, mixed with hunters from other countries who were trying to enter a gate, and proceeded with the raid, and then came out alone from the exit that was created.

Both last time and this time.

For some reason, whenever an exit was created, the Beast would come out with a large sack full of something on its shoulder.

But what do you know.

As a result of the investigation by the French authorities, who were suspicious of the Beast's actions, the analysis of the blood that fell from the sack revealed that it perfectly matched the DNA of a specific raider.

"Lord!"

This incident turned the world's media upside down in an instant.

The Beast was taking the corpses of hunters!

Putting aside why it was doing such a thing, if the flow of events turned out like this, a fearful assumption could not help but come to mind.

━Could it be that the reason why the hunter teams have been annihilated so far is…?

It was truly a global emergency.

If the awakened one known as the Beast, whose name was always at the top of the list of S-rank hunters with high combat power, was a murderer, then there could be no worse news for humanity.

Therefore, people around the world hurriedly set out to track down the Beast.

But why would a great source of interest that solved the great disaster in Hawaii have been unknown until now?

They were unable to catch the tail of the Nukelabi Killer.

Because.

『"…According to the analysis of experts, the Beast's awakening type has been revealed to be a category that interferes with 'space'."』

This was the reason.

『"That's why Nukelabi was so easily cut. Until now, the ability related to space has only manifested as convenience functions such as teleportation, but if such an unknown power is used aggressively, it may be possible to achieve cutting by ignoring the hardness of monsters."』

How could one not be afraid?

A suspect who may have murdered the hunters who entered with it wields an ability that transcends common sense.

That's why the Beast was able to hide its face behind a mask all this time.

It was already a monster in terms of physical ability because it was S-rank, and even if you ran and caught up, it could just cross the continent using the methods of space teleportation sorcerers.

The weak fell into fear.

And even at this moment, various media outlets were calling out the name of the Beast day after day…

◈◈◈

Beast.

Who is this uncooperative, mysterious person?

"Hmm."

I, who was drinking the flash-frozen green tea, belatedly focused on my phone.

The news screen that was broadcasting the breaking news had already switched to an interview scene with a foreigner.

'Brooklyn Morgan.'

On the screen, a tall hunter with a neat bob was sitting.

And the woman looked in the direction of the talk show host and spoke.

━The Beast's identity? Well, maybe it's within our Spectrum Guild! To be honest, when I'm with Enzo, I often see him acting like a lazy 'beast'.

Enzo. It's a name I feel like I've heard somewhere before…

Anyway.

Brooklyn Morgan was being asked by the talk show host, as a representative of the top-rank awakened ones, what she thought of the Beast's problem.

But Brooklyn, with her legs crossed, rolled her eyes for a moment and then said this.

━…Let's stop joking around. Did you ask who the Nukelabi Killer might be? Actually, I have a point about that.

━What is it?

━I think the Nukelabi Killer is from a non-English speaking country.

━I see. That makes sense.

━As you can see from the videos of the Beast, it doesn't just have a small amount of words, but it also acts as if it doesn't understand English itself. It even touched a pillar that another hunter clearly warned was dangerous and got burned, right?

━You're talking about the Lava Giant incident.

━Now that Pixy has released a translator, I don't know why it still gives up on communication.

Hoorook.

I took a sip of tea and watched the screen with great interest.

━Even if its nickname is Beast, would it really be rolling around with impalas in the middle of the savanna? The Beast is ultimately a modern person living in the same era as us. Even now, it's probably somewhere looking normal, tapping on its smartphone and messaging a friend.

━Hahaha.

━But if you think about it like this, one more thing becomes suspicious.

━What is it?

━Is there a need for the Beast to be unregistered? Perhaps… isn't it already subtly mixed among the citizens while hiding its awakening type?

From a non-English speaking country.

An S-rank who is hiding their awakening type.

I nodded, thinking that Brooklyn's assumption was plausible.

However, as I pondered it, those conditions began to feel strangely familiar.

━Wow, that's a plot that we often see in movies. So, what Ms. Brooklyn is saying is this, right? For example, a sophisticated Asian man from South Korea might actually be enjoying a secret double life every night.

━Haha! Certainly. It would be an interesting twist if such a man turned out to be the Beast.

I tilted my head while holding the cup of green tea in my hand.

Even at this moment, the cheerful voices of Americans were flowing from the speaker.

Ch 204: Beast （2）

This conversation feels like it's cornering someone.

But if you think about it, the "certain man" they were referring to was highly unlikely to be me.

That American S-rank hunter is suspecting me of being a shameless person who faked their rank.

'Is that a statement targeting Kang Changho?'

Awakened Ones with body enhancement abilities tend not to show their magical attributes outwardly. Well, it's not that strange that Kang Changho is being suspected.

I finished the remaining green tea and turned off my phone.

I know that the world has become noisy because of some Awakened One, but honestly, it's not a problem I need to care about.

'You guys go wild, I'll just do my own thing~'

With those light thoughts, I started my day.

I began working on making dummies.

◈◈◈

『★☆★No informal language★☆★』

『『Recruiting』 10th（Mon） D-rank Raid Urgently Seeking Healer High Pay』

『『Trade』 Please sell me some Screaming Stakes ㅜㅜㅜ』

『『Question』 Is the ring that celebrity is wearing in this picture an item?』

10 AM.

A certain website on the internet.

Today is a weekday.

Normally, general communities see a decrease in visitors at this time, but this place, being a space mainly for hunters, was relatively lively.

『『Chat』 About Giryeo Hunter-nim』

But then, a peaceful morning.

A new topic suddenly appeared on the bulletin board.

『Main Post: By the way, what is their real awakening attribute?』

Because, following a news report from a non-terrestrial broadcasting station that quoted an American talk show, the same question was gradually emerging on the internet.

Jeong Haseong and Esther, etc.

Those hunters who ranked 1st and 2nd have such distinctive innate sorcery that there are few people who don't know their attributes anymore…

Kang Changho and Kim Giryeo were a bit different.

It's just that someone recognized it right away because their past life was a Great Magician.

The sorcery that enhances physical abilities is often easily confused with the basic specs of a high-ranking predator.

It's difficult for Kang Changho's attribute to be noticeable unless it's a high-difficulty battle.

And what about that blonde's ability?

Kang Changho is at least a hunter with some experience, so his attribute could be inferred from past data.

Somehow, the more information about Korea's fourth S-rank was revealed, the more confusion was added.

① The Association ordered him to hide his rank, so he must be a special ability user skilled in espionage.

② How could someone like that think about going one-on-one with an Unfulfilled Malignancy? He must have high combat power.

③ Then, is it the same body enhancement as Kang Changho?

④ No. Considering the Garion Guild Master's recruitment offer, we should assume the fourth one is an Awakened One with outstanding defense.

⑤ An Yunseung's role model statement also supports this assumption.

⑥ By the way, everyone, Kim Giryeo used a support skill in the Japan Gate.

⑦ Huh?

⑧ What?

⑨ Then what is it?

This is the timeline of social media so far.

However, as you can see, no one has reached a clear conclusion yet.

『Main Post: Everyone… there's no need to go far, just look at Kim Giryeo Hunter-nim's interview from the Siren raid. In that interview, Hunter-nim subtly mentioned Esther Hunter-nim's ability characteristics. So, isn't he the same curse hunter…. @;~~~』

The more you dig into their actions, the more different assumptions arise.

The hunter in question is also silent about their awakening attribute （Some alien used magic without regard to attributes. Therefore, any attribute we say now becomes a lie.） The online public opinion naturally got twisted.

[ chat 1 ]

『What is that bastard's awakening attribute?』

『It's defense type, defense type.』

『His physiognomy is that of an assassin, how can he be a tank?』

『If you look at the fact that Yun Sang from Neo is said to have learned a lot while following him around, it seems like he's a defense type. Also, he spars with Jeong Haseong every week, but he doesn't even get a scratch on the outside, so honestly, what else could it be? When you work with a defense type, you can really tell that their physicals are different. Their recovery speed is also unusually fast.』

Like the misunderstanding that the national hero Jeong Haseong had.

For now, the most likely ability is considered to be a type related to protecting teammates and enhancing body hardness, a defense type.

But even that wasn't absolute.

Like the fast-changing modern internet, netizens would refute the mainstream opinion at every opportunity.

[ chat 1 （Refresh） ]

『No, no, no, there's no way he's a defense type. It doesn't make sense if that hunter isn't an attack-oriented Awakened One. It's normal for defense types to take forever to catch even one boss. Even if they use the same weapon, their hunting speed is especially frustrating.』

『True.』

『If that hunter was a defense type, they wouldn't have cleared the Imugi last winter until the light, light, light came.』

Innate magic.

The residents of this planet didn't yet know how the talent of a hunter was determined, but as a species that had conquered the food chain with superior intelligence, they were slowly recognizing the rules hidden within it.

『I also think the above is right.

Kim Giryeo Hunter is too… doesn't his vibe feel a bit detached from a defense type? lol

Most of those Awakened Ones have soft personalities that make you feel like they'll protect you well.

No joke, it's really surprisingly so. lol

But Kim Hunter's impression is very cold.

He looks like the type who clearly distinguishes between public and private matters and is very calm.

Somehow, it doesn't match with a defense skill.』

『I agree.』

『Wow, that's a bit creepy. Yeah, the feeling of our team member is exactly like that!』

A few mammals with good senses are subtly noticing.

That Kim Giryeo doesn't seem like an Awakened One of a defensive type.

Of course, this is a method with somewhat high instability in terms of accuracy, like Earth's physiognomy.

『lol you guys, next time, you'll say that the abilities you awaken will be different based on your blood type~』

Most citizens dismissed the attribute-personality correlation as just pseudoscience.

Anyway.

In the end, as long as Kim Giryeo himself kept his mouth shut, outsiders could only go around in circles no matter how much they talked.

But now is the time when an unidentified top-level Awakened One named Beast is causing incidents.

Then, isn't it the right thing for the person in question to reveal the truth at this point, even to calm the public's anxiety?

『Main Post: Everyone, yesterday, they said that an Awakened One named Beast was caught taking a corpse in Greece,,, the world is really scary,,, in my personal opinion, I think it would be a good idea to implement a mandatory hunter ability registration system now,,,』

But in fact, this was also ambiguous in many ways.

Items.

Earth had gone through a lot of turmoil because of those magical tools that appeared in dungeons.

Among them, there were many cases where hunters, tempted by their colleagues' precious items, analyzed the awakened abilities that the hunters had publicly revealed and tried to rob them while wearing equipment that could counter them.

In the first place, due to the technical limitations now, there was no way for the state to stop all the liars who were hiding their powers.

So, well. The conclusion is.

『★☆★Notice★☆★』

The administrator of a certain website calms the overheated atmosphere by completely prohibiting the writing of speculative posts about S-rank hunters.

Fortunately, the website users didn't have much dissatisfaction with this measure.

『Yeah. It's better to prohibit it. It's a problem that we can't solve among ourselves anyway.』

What would happen if we didn't know someone else's main attribute?

Siren.

The Gampo Port incident.

And other things.

A certain blonde hunter has shown enough trustworthy aspects so far. Surely, such a person's identity isn't a brutal beast like Beast.

『That's right. How could that hunter be Beast? lol. There are so many people in the world who are 179cm tall.』

『And there are also many people whose attributes are secret lol』

『There are also many people who are strong enough to be S-rank… right?』

『….』

It wouldn't be....

◈◈◈

The bright hair color that was chosen in a country where even cars choose black and white while being conscious of others.

The strangely unsettling blue gaze, like when you make eye contact with a criminal's mugshot in an old documentary.

And the suits that are always meticulously worn.

It's not like he has a job that involves dealing with people, yet a modern-day butcher, whose job is just to slaughter beasts, wears a three-piece suit every time.

Kim Giryeo's way of speaking, which is translated due to the influence of his original body, was generally polite.

But despite these advantages, he rarely gains public favor.

This is because multiple characteristics overlap, forming an appearance that makes it difficult to approach him easily.

But those who have spoken to him directly quickly forget their first impression.

『Somehow, I felt uneasy. tsk tsk. I knew it would be like this just by looking at his face!』

To take the past school violence fabrication exposure incident as an example, the netizens would immediately bring up physiognomy and make negative evaluations every time a new suspicion arose.

"Hello, Haseong-ssi!"

However, even public institutions that deal with hunters most often were not free from this prejudice.

"You're here today for the new overseas dungeon data, right? I knew it, so I sent it to the staff information room in advance. Haseong-ssi, please wait here for a bit while having some tea!"

"Ah, yes."

One Monday.

Jeong Haseong visited the Association because he had some business after a long time.

A certain employee who was mainly in charge of Jeong Haseong's response ━ a C-rank Awakened One who could at least maintain calmness in front of the top ranks ━ suddenly brought up this topic.

"Oh! By the way, you know."

"Yes?"

"Did you happen to see the news, Haseong-ssi? About Beast."

"I think I saw it in the newspaper yesterday."

"Oh, I see! Anyway, the world is in an uproar because of that these days, right?"

"Yes."

"But I saw it on Y-Tube. I think Beast might be someone we know~"

For reference, the 1st ranker was holding and drinking the iced tea that the employee had given him.

"No, really, it makes sense! It's like Beast is some kind of thrill addict, always going to avoided dungeons."

"Hmm."

"Do you remember when Haseong-ssi had to clear the White Tower alone in Singapore? They say Beast was taking over a dungeon called 『Paradise Lost』 at that time and fighting a Demilich."

"…."

"But when an S-rank gate appeared in Japan, guess what? Suddenly, they didn't show even a hair? So what does that mean?"

The culprit is among the members of the Kagoshima raid!

Since the damage caused by Beast was mainly in European countries, the employee continued the conversation with a somewhat detached tone.

"Then is Beast Japanese?"

Haseong asked without much thought.

The employee, hearing this, corrected him in disgust.

"No. That's not what I meant… Let's see. The attributes of the S-ranks in Japan have already been revealed, right?"

"Then Kang Changho?"

"No, no~ That guy's build is completely different from the start!"

180cm.

If we exclude the low heel height of the flip-flops, which are close to slippers, and estimate more accurately, it's about 179cm in height.

"I was talking about Kim Giryeo, Kim Giryeo. The internet is currently buzzing with talk about whether he's Beast or not."

The Association employee continued the chat with an excited voice.

He had been in charge of the 1st ranker's responses for a long time, so he had seen and experienced many incidents.

Among them, the one that remained the clearest was the suspicion report of a rank impersonator from some time ago.

Moreover, he had also witnessed a fight between an F-rank and an S-rank through the window while walking down the hallway during lunch break.

'As soon as Kim Giryeo Hunter got out of the taxi, Jeong Haseong was swinging his sword very fiercely.'

The red trail left in the air and the blonde hunter who avoided it with superhuman abilities.

'And later, they also fought in front of some hospital to the point of burning their skin with fire?'

He remembered only the negative incidents that had happened between Haseong and Giryeo and thus misunderstood.

He thought that Jeong Haseong still hated Kim Giryeo.

So, while trying to curry favor with the 1st ranker, he started the backbiting without hesitation.

"By the way, Haseong-ssi, you've been sparring with that hunter on weekends recently, right? Regularly?"

"…."

"Wow, that must be tough. Of course, there aren't many other S-ranks to use as a sandbag, but even if sparring is helpful for improving skills, still."

"…."

"He also looks cold. And the rumors are also true. I wonder what will happen if our national hero gets harmed later. Haha. If that happens, please tell me right away. Then I'll quickly..."

Clink.

Haseong, who had finished drinking all the iced tea the employee had given him, quietly placed the glass on the desk and spoke.

"Excuse me."

"Yes, yes!"

All this time, he had just been too focused on dungeons to reply properly.

From the perspective of the employee who was arbitrarily misinterpreting that Haseong liked listening to his chatter, it was like a bolt from the blue.

"Excuse me, what is the intention behind badmouthing a hunter in front of a hunter…?"

Moreover, the hero's tone was unusually rough.

"Huh, yes?"

"What's wrong with how Kim Giryeo Hunter-nim looks?"

"Huk! Th, that, I absolutely didn't mean to make you feel bad, if you felt that way, I'm really sorry…"

"I'm making it clear, Kim Hunter-nim has absolutely no connection to something like Beast. How can a person belonging to an institution take the lead in spreading rumors?"

The atmosphere turned cold in an instant.

It was then.

"Huh?"

"Huh."

If it were another S-rank, it would have been noticeable a long time ago.

The opponent was an Awakened One with no mana felt, so Jeong Haseong belatedly recognized the person who had approached.

"Kim Giryeo Hunter-nim?"

"Oh, oh, Haseong-a. Hello."

Kim Giryeo had appeared at the Association.

What followed was the act of South Korea's number one hunter willingly bowing to the blonde.

The Association employee, who was watching this from the side, had his expression turn pale in an instant.

But the two S-ranks who met in the hallway proceeded with their private conversation without noticing such a change.

Why did you come to the Association?

Ah, I came to apply for a dungeon raid.

You came all the way here because of that?

To be exact, the app is not working, and I came because I couldn't find a solution....

"Not working? Kim Hunter-nim. If it's okay, may I take a look at your phone for a moment?"

In this process, Jeong Haseong noticed that the cause of Giryeo's inconvenience was related to software updates.

"It's nothing serious. It seems like the automatic update was just turned off…"

Like the ambiguous evaluation score of 3.2★, the hunter app didn't have a mechanism that automatically went to the store.

So, Haseong was operating the phone he had received to do the manual update instead.

Tap.

But while touching the screen, he accidentally opened the smartphone's background screen....

Ch 205: Beast （3）

Do pets also dream?

There is much evidence in the world that mammals other than humans also sleep and dream.

Although we don't know if a dog wiggling its paws back and forth is really experiencing a dream of running.

Most animals dream. However, the identity of the one I'm about to talk about is not a dog or a sheep, but a person, so it is natural to assume that they also fall into frequent REM sleep.

…This place is inside the dream of a beast.

Whenever Beast saw his past in his dreams, he would feel somewhat gloomy.

No matter how happy the scene may seem. Because the end of this story was always a tragedy.

Ten years ago.

At that time, Beast was living a dirty life, hiding in a remote mountain valley, just chopping wood.

One day.

An animal he had never seen before was caught in a spring trap he had set to catch a rabbit.

It was a young person.

Moreover, it was a person with a very clear voice and a beautiful smile.

A hiker who had become an orphan due to an unfortunate plane crash and was wandering in a state of loss.

A chance encounter between a forest beast and a stranger.

What happened after that was a development of a relationship that is commonly seen in the romance genre.

The two people.

No, to be precise, it should be said that the three of them.

They fell in love at first sight with each other, whom they had encountered through a minor incident.

Beast liked the deer-like appearance of the one caught in the trap.

The injured stranger felt a strange attraction and sense of kinship to the other's loneliness, living alone in the mountains, and became interested. That's how love began.

And in this process, Beast was brainwashed by the pure affection he received from another for the first time. Beast was originally a rough and eccentric being who could not lead a normal human social life, but…

When the stranger who came to him showed patience and consistently provided kindness and education, miraculously, his wildness gradually subsided.

"Honey, this is called dental floss. From now on, let's make sure to use this before going to bed."

"Isn't it okay to just brush your teeth?"

"If you do that, you'll get cavities between your teeth. I've made a reservation, so tomorrow, let's go to the dentist together."

After that, Beast did what the other told him to do and didn't do what he told him not to do.

But even so, Beast was happy every day.

He felt a sense of satisfaction in his humiliating life being tamed by the stranger's hand.

The happy moments always pass quickly.

So, Beast spent enjoyable time with his first love in his hut, and after a few years, he was able to receive a proposal from that beautiful stranger.

◈◈◈

A few days later.

『Today, there will be a lot of rain nationwide. Those who are going out should make sure to bring an umbrella.』

On TV, a weather commentator wearing a raincoat says that it will rain all day.

But I thought the season for reading was autumn.

Here, the alien was struggling for a long time, reading a long text, even before summer had come.

"Ughh...."

In fact, this alien was facing a hurdle while creating a dummy to deceive Kang Changho.

A certain type of magic he knew did not activate normally on Earth.

So, after delving into research, he realized that this was a problem caused by the difference in the planetary environment between Earth and Alpha Uri. Now, he is diligently looking for a solution, such as going directly to the dungeon to collect the materials to adjust the variables.

"No, damn it. The only difference is in atmospheric or water pressure, so why does this keep turning off on its own?"

Somehow things are going a little roughly.

Concepts like carbon and nitrogen at least have defined characteristics for each element, so even the alien could easily learn new names.

However, units of measurement such as length or atmospheric pressure are completely different between the two planets, so his head ached whenever he had to calculate.

In particular, the Alpha Uri alien was greatly enraged when he discovered the yard-pound system and the metric system here.

So much so that, if he were to conquer Earth later, he was in a situation where he thought he would have to unify the units even if it meant exterminating all those who used either meters or yards.

"Hmm."

However, despite having such a grim mindset, the problem he faced was surprisingly easily solved.

This alien, despite his appearance, was an excellent scholar who had devoted most of his life to magic.

Due to his stubborn nature, he often showed a clumsy side in everyday life due to a lack of ordinary experiences, but conversely, in madohak, he had knowledge that was second to none.

"Okay. This should work."

A clue to the solution that he came up with not long after.

As a result, the research progressed without much difficulty.

But even if he completes the dummy without any problems, it will be meaningless if he gets stuck at 'that stage'....

'Damn it, but how the hell am I going to get a new body?'

He was able to utilize 100% of the F-rank mana that this body possessed.

Therefore, he was now able to perform the body exchange technique to move his soul again.

All of this was good news for him.

But as he had worried before, the process of finding that damn body ultimately became a stumbling block.

Korea is a country where the Resident Registration Act is well-established, so if a death occurs somewhere, they almost always find and contact the family.

Even if an unidentified, unclaimed corpse is found, the city takes it and conducts the funeral on its own.

In addition, the body of an awakened one has high research value, so there have been several actual theft cases, and the security of hunter-only cemeteries has become fierce.

The convenient solution of a corpse being casually abandoned on the street is not easily achieved.

So how should he acquire a new vessel?

And if he needs to get a corpse of at least E-rank or higher, not just a regular person.

'Hmm, paying the bereaved family with money and taking over the body.... I guess that won't work. My Giryeo's brain has been sending me endless warnings that it's human trafficking and I'll get caught if I do that.'

As his worries piled up day by day.

As it had been, the outside world, where spring rain was falling, was gradually showing new changes.

◈◈◈

Perhaps the fact that the size of the dungeons has been gradually increasing was all a rehearsal for this day.

Earth.

A new type of dungeon that finally fits the adjective "huge" has appeared in this world.

"What is it."

"Is it a new gate?"

1 AM on the 14th, Greenwich time.

A blue gate was discovered in the eastern offshore of Argentina.

Up until this point, the hunters thought it was just an ordinary new gate.

"Hmm? The dungeon mana density is C, but why are D-rank monsters appearing?"

"Something's strange?"

But it wasn't.

The identity of the dungeon that appeared before their eyes was a huge labyrinth with an internal space of 6.1 km.

Its entrances appeared haphazardly in various countries, including Moldova, Iceland, Lebanon, and Korea, in addition to South America.

A global dungeon that shares multiple passages.

This was the beginning of another world called the 『Imitation City』.

『Imitation City』.

A gate that seems to want to imitate the prosperity of humanity, spreading out endlessly.

But since the rank of the monsters coming out of the dungeon is only C-rank at most, the raid will probably end quickly and easily.

The experts from various countries who were careless about this soon realized the seriousness of the situation.

This chaotic dungeon, where monsters of different species appeared mixed up inconsistently, surprisingly did not seem to have a boss.

Then, was this a type Ⅱ blue gate with no boss?

'This is a headache.'

If that was the case, there could be no more annoying subspace for the leaders.

It's already difficult to find hidden monsters because the dungeon is so large, and while the raid time drags on like this, many unverified hunters are going in and out of the entrances in other countries....

The raid is not the problem now.

Even if they kill all the monsters and open the exit, if there are survivors left inside, the dungeon will not collapse after all.

This gate could easily become an illegal means of bringing in foreigners without passports into their country.

The leaders of various countries, including Argentina, quickly identified the locations of the entrances that had been created and rushed to manage them.

But their misfortune was not over yet.

"Oh my god!"

Eight hours later.

A terrifying report was delivered from a surveyor in Iceland that the dungeon was 'getting bigger and bigger.'

Isn't the Imitation City a kind of buffet for the Gishimche's gaze?

A variety of hosts of different nationalities are suffering in one basket.

This Imitation City was created with a structure that made it impossible not to attempt a raid, and its characteristics were as follows.

Ⓐ The size of the space and the number of entrances increase over time.

Ⓑ The dungeon progress is reset every 780 minutes. This means that the changed terrain and the released traps are restored, and the number of general monsters also returns to its previous state.

The expressions have become somewhat gentler after going through the hands of scholars, but to put it simply, it is a very annoying gate.

The good thing is that the 'reset' phenomenon of the Imitation City removes all corpses that have occurred inside the dungeon, so the nightmare of hunting byproducts piling up like mountains every reset cycle has been avoided.

What if a labyrinth passage suddenly opens up in our yard?

What if a dangerous criminal enters our country without going through immigration?

The citizens' worries grew deeper day by day.

Therefore, the World Cooperation Organization hastily began a response agreement to stop the gluttony of this great labyrinth....

◈◈◈

Monday, which had arrived before they knew it.

'Hehehe.'

While everyone was worried, only a young man living in a one-room apartment was swallowing a triumphant smile.

Illegal immigrants.

The fierce charge of a monster that likes the outside world.

Yes, those things are naturally scary for good citizens.

But they are not aware of any serious crimes that will occur in the future.

"I have to withdraw my statement that the world hates me. Looking at this now, the whole universe is on my side?"

What if a rank impersonator secretly steals a corpse in a complex dungeon....

A truly meticulous person should also worry about such absurd possibilities.

As can be seen from this thought, Giryeo was eagerly eyeing entry into the 『Imitation City』.

He didn't think much of it when the dungeon was first created. But as he carefully examined the characteristics that were being revealed one by one, a plan suddenly came to mind.

The dungeon holes that are being created in random locations on Earth even at this moment.

The nameless hunters who are gathering from various countries.

Moreover, even its vast area is just an added advantage when it comes to acquiring a corpse.

'Oh ho.'

Looking at the news, the international cooperation organization is planning to conduct the first search of the dungeon starting on the 15th, with the consent of each country, and based on the information obtained from that, they are planning to establish a proper raid plan and start a real cleanup on the 16th.

Giryeo was thinking of targeting this search process on the 15th.

'If I crouch in a hidden place in that dungeon and wait for an opportunity, wouldn't an awakened one who dies by mistake appear someday?'

In the hunter industry, if a death occurs during a battle, it is common to abandon the corpse and leave because carrying it out would put the remaining survivors in danger.

He just needs to quietly hold his breath, and when a suitable death occurs, he can take it and head to an exit with loose control.

'With my current mana, I can't use permafrost-like freezing techniques.... But I can still freeze a corpse for a few weeks. How about burying the body in another country's land and then going to that coordinate later to perform the body exchange technique? Domestic is more restrictive in many ways.'

Of course, there will be many variables when this plan is actually carried out.

For example, he might have confirmed that there was no one there and came out, but it turned out that there was a witness near the exit.

But in that case, he could just deceive the world with his flexible eloquence.

He had already perfectly analyzed even past events through various web searches.

'If things go wrong, I can just say that I rescued the victim like the misunderstanding that happened at Gampo Port!'

Such scheming was the specialty of the Alpha Uri people.

Ch 206: Beast （4）

…The beast falls asleep.

The brain trapped inside a human skull, not an elk bone, today also arbitrarily pieced together memories of regret.

This dream wasn't the usual first-person perspective, but a peculiar viewpoint as if peeking through the eyes of a third party.

Before long, Beast realized that what was in its sight was a married couple.

A scene where a stranger smiles and puts a ring on Beast's rough, veiny hand, which wields an axe every day to chop firewood.

This was the stranger's proposal in February a few years ago.

And about a month later, they had a modest wedding at a small church down the mountain.

Having grown up in a dysfunctional family where both parents were imprisoned for child abuse, such a picture was unimaginable. Even the beast, after many twists and turns, somehow managed to find a partner.

The newlywed life was happy.

Perhaps because Beast had lived alone in a mountain hut, it consumed less meat than others, unintentionally maintaining a vegetarian-like diet.

Its partner, being from the city, preferred various processed foods, so there were occasional conflicts over food.

"Oh, damn it. Okay, honey. Okay, so just put that down. Yes. I agree! Now that I think about it, eating organically is much better for your health!"

Fortunately, Beast's spouse was quite understanding.

So, even when they had arguments, they quickly made up and were able to live a peaceful life like any other couple.

It was unbelievable that someone who couldn't even properly belong to society like a missing cog would experience such ordinary days.

'Pretty eyes.'

But during this newlywed life, Beast faced a harsh reality.

It had once seen the phrase "Easy come, easy go" in a proverb dictionary, but it was a bit too much that proverbs applied to people, not just money or things.

Moreover, its spouse died for a quite absurd reason.

Frankly speaking, it was a complete black comedy.

If only it hadn't suddenly gone out early in the morning because it wanted to eat the 12-dollar cheese fish cake that was only sold at Korean marts, it wouldn't have died like that.

That's why I told it that if you eat processed foods often, you won't live long, and I even tried to convince it while wielding an axe.

Beast's partner died a year after the Dungeon Shock.

But the victim didn't die from monsters that came out of the dungeon. The culprit was none other than a middle school boy.

To explain in more detail, its partner lost its life due to a young awakened one's prank.

This was a warning incident that showed that the awakening phenomenon wasn't just humanity's salvation.

A certain boy who gained superpowers overnight, out of curiosity, started hitting people for fun.

But his power was invisible telekinesis. People died in agony without knowing why, and the police had trouble identifying the culprit.

A 'clean' power that leaves no fingerprints or traces.

In that way, a certain awakened one had been hunting ordinary people like killing squirrels with his power.

After all, hunting in reality was definitely more stimulating than video games plastered with all sorts of censorship.

To sum it up, it was just bad luck that day.

Beast's spouse came out to the street in front of the Korean mart to buy food, and that little telekinetic kid just happened to pick the bustling human as his next target.

Just like in a city-building strategy simulation game, clicking a button to adjust the population.

"Ugh!"

Someone's spouse with deer-like eyes met a sudden death in the form of their liver and spleen being ruptured by an invisible hand.

But Beast didn't know this fact for a while.

That's because Beast didn't have a driver's license even at that age.

Of course, it tried calling a few times with the old cell phone its partner had bought, but there was no way a dead person would answer the phone.

Come to think of it, I didn't ask where this Korean mart it mentioned was.

Could it be a mart in a very far place? Or did a truck tire burst on the way?

Beast sat alone in the room, reading a book, while contemplating its partner's words, 'Keep the house safe until I come back.'

And six hours passed.

At this point, even the brain of a beast with poor social skills would start to think about going to the police, but fortunately, there was no need for that.

Soon, a call came to its old cell phone from an unknown number.

◈◈◈

The next day.

"2:28 AM...."

Okay, perfect.

After checking the time on my smartphone, I quickly moved my feet, trying to avoid being seen.

Today's destination is the entrance of the global gate that appeared in a mountain valley in Gyeonggi Province, 『Imitation City』.

I had also obtained permission to enter in advance through the Association.

━—————–=

00:02 Are you sleeping?

00:02 No.

00:05 It's nothing much, but I have something to ask about the dungeon….

01:41 Do you have time?

01:42 No.

01:42 I'm sorry, I'll contact you again tomorrow morning.

<15 days ago>

02:15 Hunter Kang-nim

03:11 Never mind, it's resolved, don't worry about it.

━—————–=

I had analyzed Kang Changho's sleep pattern just in case a day like this would come, so there shouldn't be anything to hold me back now.

I decided to steal a corpse, targeting the time between 2 AM and 6 AM when many Koreans fall asleep.

If I use my identity as an appraiser, looking around the dungeon alone wouldn't raise much suspicion.

Besides, even if no one dies during the early morning hours…

It's not like I'm losing anything, so it's worth a try.

'Let's try it first.'

Finally, the entrance of 『Imitation City』 arrived.

In the restricted area, where the surroundings were blocked off with yellow tape, there were some Association employees in suits. As soon as they saw me, they bowed deeply and opened their mouths.

"Huk!"

"Hello...!"

"Shhh, shhh."

But I urgently stopped their greetings.

What's there to be proud of, being a thief? There's no good in making it known to the whole world that the fourth S-rank hunter of Korea is entering here.

"It's early morning, so you have to be quiet. The surroundings are mountains, so everything echoes."

"Ah, yes...!"

"Anyway, is it okay to enter right away?"

"Yes!"

It's convenient to be a celebrity in these kinds of situations.

I was satisfied with the sight of the employees retreating like the tide and confidently entered the gate.

An interior structure with a peculiar atmosphere that was overall dark blue.

A straight path that showed signs of being built by an intelligent being and a feast of maze-like crossroads with dozens, hundreds of possibilities.

'Just as I heard, it's a labyrinth.'

The otherworld, which was expanding even at this moment, was indeed enormous, as if it was a combination of three or four dungeons.

But even in this vast place, there's only one place I need to go.

'Shall we begin?'

A place to hide, crouching like a rat!

So, I used my search abilities to find a nest to wait for the dawn.

◈◈◈

Clang! Thud...!

The sound of tools colliding travels through the dry air of the dungeon.

This is probably the noise of a certain country's investigation team taking down the enemies here, but it's not a very welcome signal for me.

Thud.

The sound of a resident of Imitation City stabbing a person with a mineral skeleton.

Thump, thud.

Or the sound of body fluids leaking from torn skin.

Well, if I had to choose, I'd prefer these kinds of sounds.

'Hmm.'

I was sitting crouched in a hunched posture, with my elbows resting on my crossed legs.

The location was inside a collapsed wall located in the center of Imitation City.

I don't know who did this, but under the shade of these ruins where the destroyed dungeon structures were chaotically intertwined, it seemed like people's eyes would be avoided to some extent.

'And this body is F-rank, so if I don't make any noise, there's no way my presence will be noticeable with mana....'

Wait. Did some stone powder get in my eyes? Why am I suddenly tearing up?

Swish, I slightly lifted the hand that was supporting my chin, wiped my eyes, and then focused again.

I have been keeping my senses open at 100% since earlier, watching all the awakened ones in this area.

As expected, a fresh corpse is not something that comes out so easily.

Appraisers, who are mainly used for investigation work, are treated as precious wherever they go. Their security systems were all strict.

'Looking at the size of the mana, there's one A-rank and three B-ranks?'

When I closed my eyelids and focused on the hunters' mana, the subtle flows they created flowed into my senses.

Looking at the overall atmosphere, it doesn't seem like a corpse will come out until the end, but thanks to these small rewards, I'm not as angry as I thought I'd be.

'My senses have become a bit sharper.'

The effect of the 『Dragon's Lung』.

Perhaps because the amount of internal mana I can handle has increased, I was able to conduct a wider range of detection than before.

Compared to my prime when I encompassed half the planet, it's still just a drop in the bucket.

Anyway, the important part is that there's progress.

'Hmm?'

But then.

I felt a new S-rank hunter get caught at the end of my gently spread senses.

A rather unexpected, strong flow of mana, considering the sorcerer's calm personality.

'Huh? What is this, it's Jeong Haseong?'

I reflexively checked the analog watch I had brought.

The current time was about 4:48 AM, about 2 hours after I entered.

But just now, Jeong Haseong entered this dungeon.

'Huh? Is he crazy?'

I thought his habits had improved after he took a big rest, but how can someone go on a raid at this time!

No, let me correct that. To be clear, his purpose is not a raid.

The dungeon reset time for 『Imitation City』 is 6:30 AM.

But if he entered the gate at such an ambiguous time, it's more likely that he's aiming for a preliminary investigation for later, rather than a full subjugation of monsters.

'As expected.'

When I quietly followed the mana of the Rank 1, it was observed that the opponent was moving quite slowly, as expected.

This is definitely the speed when an Earthling walks normally.

Then, all I have to do is make sure I don't run into the opponent.

'No, but isn't it a bit wrong to be working at almost 5 AM?'

Should I mention this in class or not.

I started to feel a bit of pins and needles in my legs, so I changed my sitting position slightly and went back to contemplation.

Whether there will be any hunters who die. And whether Jeong Haseong will head this way.

"Hmm."

A few minutes later.

The eyeballs inside the closed eyelids twitched and rolled to one side.

This was because a strange change was observed within my spread senses.

Originally, there was one more S-rank in this dungeon besides Jeong Haseong.

Could that mysterious S-rank also have developed a sixth sense like me?

The opponent suddenly dashed towards the direction where Jeong Haseong was. If you didn't know that this sensation was a person's internal mana, you would mistake it for a shot arrow, it was that fast.

"Umm?"

The situation after that progressed rapidly.

As soon as the mysterious S-rank and Jeong Haseong met each other, they began to explosively release their mana.

This means that both of them activated their skills.

And quite aggressive skills at that!

"Wait."

Besides, what is going on?

After a few seconds, Jeong Haseong's internal mana became rapidly unstable. Like a creature's waist being severed, the blue energy showed a gap around the center before barely returning.

"Huh?"

I couldn't help but be horrified.

I'm not using a difficult metaphor now.

Jeong Haseong really had a part of his waist cut off just now, and he's quickly stopping the bleeding with a recovery potion to continue the battle.

"Wha-wha-what?!"

I was startled by the detected battle and got up from my seat.

And I headed to the place of the problem, following the shortcut of the dungeon that I had seen beforehand.

It's not like I can just be happy that a high-rank corpse might come out, because the target is who it is.

'It's over there!'

Tadadadak.

After reinforcing my legs with magic and arriving at the scene at the maximum speed an F-rank could produce, an unbelievable situation was already unfolding before my eyes.

'No! The future national guard I'm putting my effort into raising!'

Aaaah!

Haseong, who looked tattered with his equipment in ruins as if his body had been torn apart several times.

And a mysterious ability user who was showing off his presence against the backdrop of blood splattered everywhere.

The attacker in question was a beast wearing a bizarre mask made of elk bones on its head.

Beast!

Was it the owner of this vast mana?

Ch 207: Beast （5）

From my perspective, this is the first time I'm seeing a real Beast.

However, the S-rank hunter in that pitch-black attire, regardless of whether a witness had appeared in the dungeon room, without a moment's hesitation, slashed down the creature before his eyes.

An existence in the same predator-like position as himself. He attacked the Rank 1 of Korea with a skill.

A powerful, defense-ignoring technique that seems to be called 『Designated Severance』 by the Earthlings.

━Zzzzzing.

Unfortunately, Haseong could not evade this powerful blow from the Beast.

Now that I see it, the hero's one ankle has exposed bone, as if it had been torn apart by the beast's claws.

This was probably the result of the Beast first taking away his opponent's mobility to ensure his 『Designated Severance』 hit accurately.

"Kuh!"

Blood splatters.

The Beast's cutting technique, known to tear through space, mercilessly shattered the human front of Haseong, including his shoulder, collarbone, and chest bone.

With his S-rank reflexes, he somehow managed to avoid a direct hit, but just by being grazed by the opponent's technique, everything protecting his body was destroyed, and blood gushed into the air.

Eventually, Jeong Haseong collapses.

Originally, I only thought things like, "I wish someone would die quickly in this dungeon," but now that a tragedy of a living being dying has occurred before my eyes, a shock beyond imagination has come over me.

Moreover, even if it were someone else, that was someone I had directly interacted with, and even a quite good-natured Earthling.

"Jeong Haseong!"

I reflexively cut between them.

And in a hurry, I took the Beast's next attack with my body.

Honestly, I still don't know what the situation is, but anyway, if Haseong takes another hit in this state, he might really die.

'Ugh.'

Bang!

The Beast was not only a master of the cutting technique that ignored the performance of defensive equipment, but also the possessor of tremendous brute force, wielding a heavy battle-axe with one hand. The blunt, black blade of the battle-axe made a deafening sound as soon as it touched my body, and bounced outwards.

An outstanding repulsive force capable of pushing back even an S-rank hunter's attack once.

This is thanks to concentrating the protective effect of the 『Sacred Tree Sapling』 at one point.

'Got it!'

But the problem is that the sapling's effect isn't invincible either…!

'No, so what is this situation?'

For now, I understand that the Beast appeared here.

The entrances to the Imitation City are open in various places around the world, and even at this moment, the passages connected to the dungeon are increasing, so there's no reason why only Korea's S-ranks should be here.

But this one thing I really can't understand.

Why was Jeong Haseong so overwhelmingly defeated? Even if his growth isn't complete, he's a disciple that the Great Magician spent a full 128 hours directly raising!

'Hah.'

It was at that moment.

While scanning the mana inherent in the Beast's body, I noticed something secret.

Whether it was to conceal his identity or not, the opponent had adjusted the amount of mana in his body differently than usual through a special magical tool.

What I'm looking at is a more fundamental characteristic.

In other words, the Beast's shallow disguise didn't work on the Great Magician.

'Damn it! There are so many scorched marks around here, but why is that guy so unscathed…!'

It was then.

"Kim… Hunter-nim…"

A weak voice came from behind me.

Haseong, who didn't know at all that I was in this dungeon, had a surprised expression as if he had seen a ghost. But before he could even satisfy his curiosity, he lost consciousness and collapsed.

It seems the bleeding was so severe that his brain couldn't handle it.

'Oh no!'

I know there should be extra recovery potions in Jeong Haseong's item box, but I couldn't rashly attempt to treat him.

Because I didn't know when the Beast would launch its next attack.

I took a stance, on guard so that I could physically shield Jeong Haseong at any time. And the situation that followed was.

"...."

Hmm.

"...."

Umm.

'Huh?'

What is it? Strangely, the Beast isn't attacking?

It's an inexplicable silence. For some reason, the Beast tilted its head at my appearance and stopped in place as if it had broken down.

At this point, one hypothesis that could explain this situation came to my mind, but now wasn't the time to consider such things.

I have to heal Jeong Haseong.

'Please don't attack. Please.'

I rummaged through the unconscious Haseong's item box and took out a medicine that I knew well.

And I poured it all over the young man's body.

A hero whose front side of his body was shattered and fainted and an F-rank healing him. It's a scene that feels somehow familiar, but at least this one thing is fortunate.

Because the wound was shallower than I thought, at least this time his precious lung wasn't damaged.

'Except for that… all the other factors are worse than last time.'

Cold sweat runs down my spine.

If I had known this would happen, should I have paid a little more attention when the TV was talking about the Beast every day?

If I retrace the situation I sensed with my intuition before coming here…

It's presumed that the Beast was running in a straight line, following the mana of Jeong Haseong who entered the gate, and as soon as he saw the opponent's face, he activated his skill and attempted a preemptive strike.

The probability is high that my disciple who is lying on the ground got into a fight without knowing why.

Moreover, since the Beast is a primitive sorcerer, he wouldn't have been able to identify the target just by looking at the mana from that distance.

'Then, just by looking at the size of the S-rank awakening power?'

It was while I was pondering for a long time.

An anomaly occurred. The awakened one with the beast mask, who was peeking at me, suddenly gripped his axe again.

And the Beast turns away from me and tries to strike down the unconscious Haseong's neck.

'No, you crazy bastard!'

Clang!

But again, the attack was blocked by the tearful sacrifice of a certain human shield.

When I protected Haseong with my whole body, the Beast tilted the part of his face covered with elk bone and made an incomprehensible gesture again.

And what happened after that was a ridiculously persistent standoff.

Pacing.

The sorcerer called the Beast circles around us, constantly looking for an opportunity.

And I was trying to protect Haseong by watching the Beast and making sure its axe blade didn't reach him.

"...."

But I knew this would happen.

"Huk!"

Wham!

The Beast, tired of just watching, grabbed his battle-axe with both hands and then forcefully swung it into my side.

As expected of an S-rank hunter, its attack created a tremendous impact.

To the extent that even the protective effect of the 『Sacred Tree Sapling』 couldn't absorb the impact and my main body was pushed back.

"Kuek!"

Thud!

But as you can probably tell by now, the Beast never used his ultimate magic, the cutting technique.

Of course, since the opponent's cutting technique has excellent performance, the mana it consumes would be large, so it's natural that he can't use it recklessly.

But it's still strange that he hasn't used it even once against me.

It's blatantly strange.

So, if I summarize this reaction…

'For some reason, the Beast is reluctant to kill me.'

The thought didn't last long.

I decided to use the opponent's characteristic to somehow create an opening.

This is a global dungeon where Earthlings from all over the country gather.

Therefore, I was wearing Pixy's translator from the time I entered, just in case.

━Click.

I hastily straightened my collapsed body and pressed the large button on the translator.

In short, I pressed the button connected to the Korean-English translation function and shouted at the opponent.

"Stop it!"

Then, a somewhat low-quality English sentence flowed from the device on my waist.

"I said stop it. Please."

"...."

"Just for a moment, let's talk. I don't know why you're suddenly trying to kill Jeong Haseong. If you just let him live, I will…"

But the Beast, as if he didn't understand my request for negotiation at all, focused only on his own business.

'Oh no.'

It was as if he knew I was 'slow to react,' he gave up on cutting off the Fire Sorcerer's breath and tried to carry the unconscious hero away whole.

The beast's sudden actions are too fast for an F-rank to perceive.

But as soon as I saw its mana showing an abnormal reaction, I closed my eyes tightly and shouted.

"──Brooklyn Morgan!"

To protect Jeong Haseong.

"Stop right now!"

I had revealed a secret that shouldn't have been spoken.

Well, now that it's revealed this far, what's the point of hiding it?

Beast. Nukelabi Killer. Mystic.

And recently, even the grand nickname of a threat to humanity has been attached.

The identity of that beast with various aliases is none other than a certain blonde foreigner I had met before.

The S-rank hunter from the Spectrum Guild. It's Brooklyn!

"If I suddenly spoke English through a translator, you should have noticed. If I really didn't know your identity, wouldn't I have tried Chinese first, which has the most users on Earth?"

It was then.

The opponent wearing the elk mask reacted slowly after hearing my words.

Coughing.

After laughing a few times with a bizarre sound mixed with air, as if a wild animal had opened its throat and barked, he began to speak in human language.

━How?

But before its meaning could even be converted into AI speech, the opponent immediately took action.

Perhaps thinking that there was no point anymore since his identity was revealed, she threw off the mask on her face coolly.

But what appeared there was a rather unfamiliar sight.

Eyebrows and hair shaved off, leaving not a single strand.

A face with skin completely melted from severe burns.

But her eyes still held their usual unique color, a young woman.

Brooklyn, who revealed a completely different appearance from usual, moved her mouth and spoke.

This was soon converted into Korean through the translator and entered my ears.

"You're not surprised."

Brooklyn seems to be very curious about the fact that the opponent didn't change his expression even after seeing her heterogeneous appearance.

To be honest, I had expected this much of a twist from the moment I faced the real Beast.

That American has been famous for being a top-tier regeneration skill holder for a long time.

'Probably, even in the battle with Haseong, she was immediately healing her wounds to avoid bleeding as much as possible.'

The reason the Beast's mask was bald was to avoid a situation where her hair would fall out and be subjected to DNA analysis.

'And with her face in that state, it's likely that the searcher's skills wouldn't have identified her as "the same person."'

It seems that the reason the Beast hasn't been caught so far wasn't simply due to luck.

Haa.

I rubbed the bridge of my nose, following a habit stored in my body.

I did yell out to stop Brooklyn, but this seems like a very dangerous situation.

'The probability of the target changing to me to keep my mouth shut is 90%…'

Some might wonder at this point.

Brooklyn Morgan. How could a famous S-rank healer, who even earned the nickname of an angel in the United States, be the Beast?

Considering common sense, this is a structurally impossible thing.

Brooklyn's awakened ability is healing.

And the Beast is an aggressive spatial interference type, which is almost the opposite of that.

Since there are two revealed attributes. Usually, you need two people for that.

But in fact, this question is just one thing. It was a problem that could be easily solved with a certain special assumption.

'A rare case.'

Brooklyn Morgan is a hunter with two awakened attributes.

With that one sentence, all the facts fit together without any discrepancies.

But this dual attribute is a frightening characteristic if you delve into it.

This isn't something you can just say is good because you have more skills than others and move on.

Magic is a concept that is deeply related to the sorcerer's mental image.

And since Earthlings haven't been awakened to magic for very long, they acquire their attribute with the image that is most strongly embedded in their brains…

Brooklyn probably hid 'conflicting desires like those held by two different people' in her heart, which is why she got a different result than others.

Yes.

It shouldn't be seen as just a light mask like a persona.

'Is her identity dissociated?'

Brooklyn Morgan is a primitive sorcerer with a very high probability of having multiple personalities mentally.

If that's the case, then there's a new concern now.

Before entering this dungeon, I sent a text message to Kang Changho saying that I was entering the Imitation City. And from my observations so far, our contractor starts his day around 6 AM.

But the problem is.

"Hmm."

No matter how I think about it, an F-rank won't be able to last until 6 AM in front of an American psycho with two attributes.

Should I just abandon Jeong Haseong now?

Ch 208: Beast （6）

6 years ago, March 2nd.

This was the day Beast's, and Brooklyn Morgan's husband died in an attack.

They had always been very stingy with counting dates or celebrating anniversaries, but strangely, this March 2nd remained deeply etched in their memory.

"Hmm...."

Brooklyn actually had two distinctly different personalities since her adolescence, like putting on and taking off a mask.

Because of this, she couldn't blend into society and spent a long time alone in the deep mountains.

But one day, a stranger who appeared by chance taught her about affection.

Low social skills caused by an abnormal childhood.

Unlike her kind and humorous first personality, she had an impulsive self that could start a shooting spree at any time if she had knowledge of weapons.

How could the stranger have loved even the beast's hideous side?

The two women, who had been living quietly in a hut, soon fell for the same man.

The man understood and embraced Beast's identity. That's why the three of them were able to have a peaceful married life.

No. Actually, it wasn't enough to simply say it was peaceful and end it there. If that life had lasted just a little longer, Brooklyn's inner self would have gradually stabilized, and the troublemaker in her head might have slowly disappeared naturally.

"March 2nd."

Eventually, that day had to come.

A stranger died.

The voice in her head became clearer.

The anniversary of gaining a superpower that couldn't revive the corpse in front of her.

◈◈◈

Beep beep beep. Beep beep beep.

Let's continue to explain a dream that someone usually had.

One day, Brooklyn Morgan's old cell phone received a call from the police.

It was to inform her that her husband had been caught in a random murder incident and had died, and to come to the hospital to identify the victim.

And soon after, Morgan encountered a corpse lying coldly ━ like a cadaver often seen in CSI dramas.

The stiff body with its eyes wide open was definitely the stranger she had been living with.

But the appearance of her beloved spouse was somewhat faded.

"Oh dear."

I liked it when this man smiled. Does that mean I'll never see that again?

She was very sad about this situation, but strangely, she didn't have any further reaction.

Unlike the other victims who had been contacted, she was indifferent, neither crying loudly nor shedding any tears.

Brooklyn often showed such a different side in her emotional expressions.

However, that didn't mean she wasn't shocked by the situation.

It's just that she didn't express it well. Brooklyn suffered such great psychological damage from her husband's death that one of her selves was completely twisted.

Still, it seems there is a god in this world. Soon after, Brooklyn, who had lost so much, was given a gift of S-rank awakening power.

Unfortunately, she had no feelings about the sudden superpower.

She had no intention of becoming a superhero or anything. Eventually, she held a small funeral for her husband, and after confirming that the teenage perpetrator who committed the indiscriminate murder was sentenced to life imprisonment, she returned to her previous life.

She shut herself up in a hut in the deep forest and cultivated a vegetable garden.

A simple life of occasionally eating wild animals caught in traps.

Moreover, after her husband's death, the problematic violent self strangely never appeared again.

Although Brooklyn had never had a direct conversation with the her in her head, she could instinctively feel that this was a form of oversleeping due to grief.

What a foolish way to cope.

It's not like the dead spouse will come back if you feel sorry for yourself. What's the point of wasting emotions like that?

—Thud!

Brooklyn brought the axe down on the dry firewood.

Life in the mountains was repetitive and boring, but it wasn't leisurely.

Every day was busy just preparing firewood to cook meals.

The new S-rank awakened one from the United States lived such an old-fashioned life without revealing her identity to anyone, not even watching a single TV show.

"Hmm."

About four months after that.

A ripple ran through her peace, which she thought would last a long time.

One day, a new incident occurred: the rabbit traps she had set up around her house were all damaged by someone.

But what kind of jerk would do this?

In the past, she had listened to her husband's advice that if she set up snares like this, she could be sued, so she had clearly put up signs everywhere stating that the land was private and that traps were installed…

It was at that moment.

Something was thrown behind Brooklyn, who was inspecting the damaged traps.

A unique-grade binding item in the form of a bright red net.

It was a sudden attack by someone.

In fact, Brooklyn had unknowingly been found out by others that she lived alone in a hut, and because of this, she had been caught up in some kind of crime.

"Gotcha…!"

When the woman was caught in the net, the assailant who appeared from behind raised his weapon breathlessly.

But what followed was a scene the assailant could not have imagined.

Soon after, Brooklyn tore through the net that had bound her with her strength and chopped off the opponent's wrist with a wood-chopping hatchet.

"Keeeeeaaaaaack!"

—You shouldn't kill people, honey.

—You won't be able to return to this hut forever.

Brooklyn remembered what her late husband had said. Therefore, she subdued the assailant who attacked her without giving him any more pain than that.

But little did she know that the criminal she had caught was a serial killer who had already committed that 'thing that shouldn't be done' several times.

"Ah… ugh…"

"Thank you so much for your cooperation in the arrest, ma'am."

The mysterious awakened one who attacked her was none other than a possessor of 『Enhancement』, a shameless person of the new era who had been repeating this act in order to plunder the abilities of the strong.

Brooklyn had a history of catching a serial killer in Texas with her own hands a few years ago.

To be more precise, this happened because the concept of an S-rank awakened one had not yet been established at the time.

The B-rank awakened one thought that Brooklyn was at most a slightly stronger A-rank, so he foolishly attempted a crime, but as you can see, the opponent had simply not used her power until now.

If she wanted to, she was a monster who could turn the entire state of Texas into a wasteland.

"Are you okay? You must have been very surprised."

"I guess so."

"If you were able to subdue that killer, you must be a considerable psychic. May I ask for your name for a moment…"

Brooklyn stood there as a victim of the incident and exchanged a few words with the officer.

The Texas killer shouted from the side.

"Please save me! I was just trying to see what kind of abilities I had. I wasn't going to kill this time! Absolutely not, I was just going to ask. I was just going to ask what he realized from the shock!"

Even though he had meticulously planned the crime with items, he was now rambling and making excuses.

"I wanted to have a good skill. I just wanted to have a good skill…"

Brooklyn stared intently at the killer's eyes.

Crack!

And immediately after this, an untimely cracking sound echoed in the air of the blue mountain.

"Damn it!"

"What."

"This crazy…!"

The officers gathered at the hut couldn't understand the situation.

Brooklyn also took a long time to understand what was happening in front of her.

The Texas killer, who had been bound with special restraints, had already lost his life and collapsed to the floor.

As if she had unknowingly swatted away a bug on her body.

Brooklyn had struck the criminal's head with a lightning-fast clap. That's why this tragedy happened.

"Oh."

But the problem was, why did she suddenly show such violent behavior?

At this time, Brooklyn finally became aware of the hatred that had taken root within her.

The situation that had just occurred was not the work of her sleeping second self.

Brooklyn Morgan, who had some social skills, had killed the killer herself.

"Oh my god."

She had come to hate the superpowers she had been born with in this world.

So, she felt disgusted by the assailant who showed a desire for magic, and unable to bear that displeasure, she ended up bursting the sorcerer's head.

What followed was a series of chaos.

She was exposed as the possessor of tremendous mana after killing the Texas awakened one.

A high-ranking figure in the American political world, that is, the future Spectrum Guild Master, offered to make her his dog in exchange for covering up her murder.

Brooklyn expressed her willingness to accept.

Perhaps thanks to the long time she had spent with her partner, she was in a state where she had become quite socialized.

"Okay."

Of course, if the contents of the knight's oath that the other party had offered were unfair, there would have been one more global news story that day.

Fortunately, the demands given were something that even a new S-rank hunter could easily accept.

[Do not harm non-awakened ones without permission.]

Of course, her superior also demanded a wage that was too low to hire an S-rank, as well as various troublesome orders, but what could she do?

One way or another, it was less annoying than becoming an enemy of a powerful country.

That's how the American power broker succeeded in getting an S-rank healer into his hands.

Moreover, the subsequent process was smoother than expected.

Among the two incomplete identities, if the violent personality was asleep, she could live a fairly gentle social life.

'Now I won't be bored.'

Brooklyn Morgan, as the Spectrum Guild Master's dog, fearlessly took on all the tasks that everyone else avoided.

This was the secret to how she reached the top.

It wasn't like Jeong Haseong, who volunteered to serve the country. It was in exchange for being exempted from serving time for murder that she took on numerous gate raids.

Moreover, even items that a typical hunter would drool over and not let go of, such as 『Dragon's Heart』, Brooklyn had to give them all to her superior according to her oath.

But still, everything was okay.

Ironically, she, who was favored by all the mana in the world as an S-rank hunter, hated magical things more than anything else.

"Hmm."

As if she were acting in a role-play, she put on a social mask of 'Brooklyn Morgan with a bright and capable personality' and adapted to her new job.

Since she rarely did anything impulsive, her personality problems seemed to be forgotten by her superior.

But one day.

Around the time her husband's death anniversary came around again.

While checking the calendar, she suddenly heard a low voice in her ear.

—Brooklyn.

It was the voice of the thing that had been asleep for a long time.

The woman in her head who had loved the same man.

"Ah ha."

It had improved a lot in its speaking skills while she hadn't been looking.

In the past, it had only clumsily shouted like an infant. Now, it was expressing its desires politely in a fairly social language.

—I want to go back.

This meant that she wanted to return to that blank slate period when she had neither superpowers nor a husband.

Even Brooklyn, who seemed to have adapted well to the company, actually hated this forest of buildings in one corner of her heart. She often missed the past when she was free to chase rabbits without listening to anyone.

Yes. Hunting.

It would be so nice to hunt as she pleased.

But now, she couldn't run around thoughtlessly like before.

Many years had passed, and from now on, her violent behavior would not be treated as a mere act of rebellion by a girl who was confused about her identity. If she recklessly wielded the dangerous power of an S-rank, she would really become a death row inmate.

"Ah."

But at this time, a breaking news report came on the TV that she had absentmindedly left on.

『Breaking news: A dangerous monster has escaped from the gate, causing panic....』

It was a news report explaining the 『Nukelabi』 incident in Hawaii.

The Spectrum's manager was afraid of losing his assets and postponed the deployment of his slave.

But if she thought about it, she had a way to run wild without being seen by her superiors.

Not the awakened ability of 'Brooklyn Morgan' that was revealed to the public…

—Set me free.

With the power of this thing with a cool voice, she could easily pretend to be another awakened one.

What followed was truly a series of impulsive acts.

Brooklyn Morgan, simply wanting to use violence as she pleased, put a new mask over her head.

A spoil of war from the distant past that she didn't even remember where she had gotten it. A general-grade face accessory.

And clothing made by gathering and attaching various animal black leather that she had collected little by little as a hobby from her long hunts.

'That's it.'

She participated in the Nukelabi subjugation while hiding her face and figure.

Before long, she was remembered as a hero who ended the Hawaii incident and earned the nickname 'Beast'.

Up to this point, she didn't particularly intend to thoroughly hide her double identity.

Like the heroes of comics with various motifs such as bats, spiders, and crashed aliens.

She was just relieving stress with the different experience of a double life.

"Hmm?"

One day.

While wandering around the world with her hidden awakened ability, Brooklyn encountered a new dungeon in a cave on a small island that was untouched by people.

—Wooo wooo wooo....

A bright tone of light expressing that it was EX-grade.

In a way, that was the root of all evil.

It was also because of it that Beast suddenly started committing murder.

It was also because of it that Brooklyn began to cling to anonymity.

And it was also because of it that she encountered a young hero and a con artist in a C-rank dungeon.

In fact, if you look at it, all the tragedies happened because of that one gate

Chapter 7 - Ch 203: Beast （1）