Chapter 101

“Anyway, should we head for the outskirts first? The breaking news says more than one boss monster has appeared.”

Judging by his tone, he didn’t seem angry. Not yet, at least.

“Um... Sorry, but I don’t think getting away is going to be that easy.”

“What?”

“Changho-ssi, can you see this too, by any chance?”

Tap, tap.

I patted Kang Changho on the back, then cautiously pointed above my head.

“In short, I’m completely trapped in this situation.”

I gave him a rough explanation of what was happening.

“The boss will probably keep chasing me until I’m dead...”

As if to confirm my words, the monster let out a deafening roar.

“Shaaaaa!”

Inevitable Malice twisted through the air and came racing after us. Kang Changho glanced at it in the side mirror and gave a quiet chuckle.

“Huh.”

Now that he understood the situation, I wondered how he intended to deal with it.

Screech!

The motorcycle came to an abrupt stop.

Kang Changho swung off, tossed the bike aside as though it were disposable, and stepped into the middle of the road.

“W-What are you doing?”

Startled by his sudden actions, I called out to him, but all I received was a curt reply.

“There’s no helping it.”

With that, Kang Changho even removed his helmet.

The moment it struck the pavement, a thunderous noise tore through the street.

“Kyaaakh!”

Boom!

Good heavens!

“You call this difficult?”

How could a single blow contain so much force?

Even the Association hunters, attacking in groups, had failed to inflict any meaningful damage on the monster. Yet Kang Changho’s fist had left a deep crater in its forehead.

“Shaaah!”

Ironically enough, Kang Changho was perhaps the Awakened best suited to an urban defence battle.

Unlike other S-class hunters, he was a physical-enhancement type. His attacks produced virtually no collateral damage to the surrounding area.

Moreover, the magic reinforcing his body was remarkably simple—and devastatingly effective. With a single skill, he could drastically reduce the force of any attack directed at him...!

‘Heuk!’

Boom!

The Imoogi slammed its body into the ground with enough force to split the road apart.

Kang Changho took the attack head-on without so much as flinching. Instead of retreating, he charged straight back at the monster.

Planting one foot firmly against the ground, he drove a vicious kick into its mouth.

Boom!

His combat ability was truly monstrous. There was no other way to describe it.

‘Huh?’

As I watched the S-class hunter display his terrifying strength, I covered my mouth.

‘Changho-ya!’

You’re finally earning your contract fee!

At first, I had been offended when he said he would come for me only after the dungeon break began...

But now I realised that Kang Changho hadn’t merely been showing off his “improvement.” He was genuinely doing everything in his power to protect me.

At this point, I could hardly break the terms of our contract—not even by threatening suicide.

‘You can do it!’

As though I had never been reluctant to work with him, I immediately changed my tune and began cheering him on.

“Shhh...”

Still, I couldn’t simply stand there and watch.

After all, I was one of the central figures in this entire incident.

‘Should I try removing the mark, just in case?’

While Kang Changho fought, I began analysing the mark hovering above my head.

By the time I finished deciphering its magical structure, the battle had unexpectedly fallen into a lull.

“Shurrrrr...”

At first glance, Kang Changho appeared to have won overwhelmingly.

After enduring countless blows, the Imoogi now had bones broken throughout its body and could barely hold itself upright.

“Hmm?”

And yet Kang Changho merely raised an eyebrow. There was no satisfaction on his face.

A moment later, he turned towards me.

“Hey, Kim Kiryeo!”

“Yes?”

“You have an analysis skill, don’t you?”

Why was he suddenly calling for an appraiser instead of finishing the fight?

“Yes, I do.”

“Then check this thing’s grade again. Is it really S-class?”

At his request, I narrowed my eyes and examined the Imoogi more closely.

Nothing about it seemed particularly unusual. Its magical power unquestionably exceeded the level of an A-class monster.

“It is, though.”

Even after hearing my assessment, Kang Changho remained unconvinced.

“It is? Then why is an S-class monster this weak?”

He had good reason to doubt it.

“Once you reach S-class, it isn’t enough to have an absurd amount of magical power. There should be something else—some distinctive ability...”

It seemed Kang Changho had fought monsters of a similar rank before. That was probably why he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

‘Wait.’

As I looked at the fallen Imoogi, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

Perhaps it was the first warning of another disaster.

‘Come to think of it, why does its magical power keep fluctuating?’

At that very moment, black smoke began pouring from the Imoogi’s body as it struggled for breath.

Thinking it might be poisonous gas, we hurriedly backed away.

But the smoke was nothing of the sort.

It was merely the outward sign of the monster’s transformation.

“Shurrrrrrr...”

How could I have forgotten?

Inevitable Malice had originally been created from a boss monster known as an Imoogi. And when fighting an Imoogi, there were several attack patterns that required particular caution...

‘Its shedding phase.’

The most notorious of those patterns was its ability to shed its skin.

Its body would grow thicker, all previous wounds would heal, and its overall abilities would increase.

Simply put, the black serpent had another phase hidden in reserve.

“Hmm...”

And that left us with a problem.

Srrrk.

How many newly created Inevitable Malices had emerged from beyond that dense fog?

There was no need to answer.

A single sentence from Kang Changho told me everything I needed to know.

“...Kim Kiryeo, pick up the motorcycle. Now.”

The S-class hunter had decided on an immediate retreat.

Unfortunately, escaping would not be easy.

That monster was fiercely obsessed with its chosen prey.

‘Damn it.’

As expected, the newly shed Imoogi opened its eyes, its gaze blazing with fury, and began slithering towards us.

Had it come even a little closer, Kang Changho would have been forced into a second round.

Boom!

But before that could happen, an explosion struck the Imoogi from the right and sent its enormous body lurching sideways.

“Shaaaaaak!”

And the surprise attack did not end there.

Countless Awakened skills began crashing against the boss monster’s scales.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

“Oh my, would you look at this thing? It took every attack my guild members threw at it, and its scales are still intact?”

A dignified voice.

Long hair cascading in loose waves.

And who else in Korea could command so many high-ranking hunters?

“With armour that sturdy, perhaps I should skin it and have a jacket made. Don’t you think?”

The master of the Korean Magic Tower soon stepped into view.

S-class hunter Seo Esther had arrived with her guild members.

At last, she too had joined the hunt for [Inevitable Malice].

‘You’re here!’

What a wonderful sight!

From the very beginning, I had believed she was the only person capable of stopping this terrorist attack.

The remaining S-class hunters all came with far too many uncertainties.

‘Yes. Compared to the others, you’re practically a fairy!’

I gazed at Esther with emotion brimming in my eyes.

She seemed to notice me and offered a light greeting.

“I kept my promise~”

She accompanied the words with a playful wink.

Unfortunately, the cheerful atmosphere did not last long.

Inevitable Malice began rampaging once again.

“Kaaaaagh!”

Esther immediately activated her skill against the boss monster threatening her.

Her curse served as the signal.

All at once, the hunters accompanying her unleashed their own skills upon the serpent’s massive body.

In an instant, the street was transformed into a vivid battlefield, ablaze with flickering light and surging magic.

‘Oh!’

But then, for some reason, Kang Changho withdrew to the side of the road and silently started his motorcycle.

“Oh? Are you planning to run away?”

Now that Esther was here, wouldn’t it be better for the two S-class hunters to work together and bring down the Imoogi?

“If you don’t want to get caught in an S-class curse, wouldn’t it be wiser to leave? You aren’t carrying any resistance equipment.”

From the sound of it, coordinating two S-class hunters was far more difficult than I had assumed.

‘If that’s the reason...’

I left the battlefield behind and followed Kang Changho away from the area.

As the distance between us and the Imoogi increased, its unpleasant hissing gradually faded.

***

Wooooong—

[An emergency disaster alert is now in effect throughout Seoul.]

[Residents in the following districts are requested to evacuate in accordance with the instructions of public officials.]

How many minutes had passed since we fled?

I frowned as the sirens blared around us.

Of course, the announcement was merely a measure intended to ensure the citizens’ safety, so I had no real complaints about it...

“Tsk.”

The true problem was directly ahead of us.

An obstacle had brought our progress to a complete halt.

“Should we get off?”

“Yeah.”

I climbed off the motorcycle and looked up at the enormous creature blocking the road.

[Giant Turtle]

[Grade: B]

[Description: Upon detecting an enemy, summons minions—small turtles—at four-minute intervals.]

It was a brightly coloured turtle with four thick legs.

I distinctly remembered seeing an illustration of it in the documents Seonwoo Yeon had given me.

“Hunter Kang Chang-ho, you said you checked the news on your way here, correct?”

“That’s right.”

“Did they say how many monsters had been released?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t check that part.”

To raise the Imoogi, the Rakshasa Temple had imprisoned additional monsters inside the gate—creatures whose abilities could be useful for its development.

However, when they opened the gate to release the Imoogi, its training material had escaped along with it.

To put it bluntly, the city was now infested not only with Inevitable Malice, but also with troublesome boss monsters appearing in every direction.

‘Phew...’

How were we supposed to escape without difficulty under such circumstances?

The evacuation had already created severe traffic congestion, and now this senseless creature had planted itself in the middle of the road and blocked it completely.

“Wait here.”

Even so, my situation was better than that of most people.

After all, I had the steadfast protection of an S-class hunter.

‘Hunter Kang Changho is the best!’

Every time we encountered a monster, Kang Changho took care of it for me.

And combat strength was not his only advantage.

The man possessed extraordinary wealth. He had even arranged for his private helicopter to be stationed on the rooftop of a nearby building.

In other words, we already had a way out of the city.

‘Oh, I should check the live news, just in case.’

Breathing a sigh of relief, I took out my phone.

I had no ulterior motive. I only wanted to see how the situation was developing.

But after I had watched the broadcast for no more than a few seconds, a shout rang out from the distance.

“Kim Kiryeo!”

Kang Changho came rushing towards me.

A vast shadow loomed overhead.

Then came a heavy rumble that seemed to reverberate through the very air.

“Huh?”

Thud!

Before I could understand what was happening, I was violently shoved aside and sent sprawling across the ground.

Yet the instant I saw what followed, I understood what must have happened.

Boom! Rumble—

A massive piece of debris crashed down directly onto Kang Changho’s head...!

‘Heuk!’

It had come like a bolt from the blue.

Chunks of a building, each of them weighing several tonnes, smashed into the exact spot where I had been standing only moments before.

One of the nearby buildings must have been destroyed by a monster’s attack.

“Huh.”

I had been so absorbed in my phone that I hadn’t noticed the debris falling from above...

‘No, to be fair, it wasn’t even a magical attack. Even if I had been paying attention, I probably wouldn’t have been able to avoid it.’

I had barely survived.

Kang Changho had pushed me out of the impact zone just before the debris came crashing down, saving me from being crushed beneath it.

“Phew.”

Naturally, I ought to thank the man who had just saved my life.

“Ah, thank you.”

Pat, pat.

I brushed the dust from my clothes, rose to my feet, and walked towards the rubble.

“Thanks to you, I survived.”

But wait.

Why had it been so quiet ever since the impact?

I glanced around.

Then I hurriedly searched beneath the fallen debris.

There, pinned beneath the rubble like a mouse caught in a trap, lay the motionless figure of an S-class hunter.

“...”

The moment I saw him, cold sweat began trickling down my back.

Of course, with an S-class body, an accident like this shouldn’t have placed his life in danger.

Still...

No, even knowing that, this was...

“Excuse me? Mr Kang?”

I called to him again, my voice trembling.

There was no response.

Yes.

Kang Changho had been knocked unconscious in the accident.

‘Aaaah! Changho-yaaa!’

Damn it!

It seemed he had been struck in a particularly unfortunate spot by the remains of that building...