The Prelude to Misunderstanding

Crunch.

The sound of flesh tearing echoed unfiltered from my phone.

"A 4th Grade Kaiju really is on another level," I muttered in admiration, staring intently at the screen.

You could say the world had gone completely mad. With how many people had died to these beasts and how much land had been lost, how could anyone watch a video like this with such excitement? Yet, I was far from the only one.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Ugh, the secondhand embarrassment is real."

Just like that, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠battles between kaijus were a highly captivating topic of debate and public interest. You know how those classic arguments used to go viral back in the day? Ngannou vs. Jon Jones. Tiger vs. Lion. That kind of stuff. Raw, primal, and stimulating fights. Well, I couldn't deny that I, too, was a slave to dopamine... but my current situation was a bit different. I wasn't watching this video purely for entertainment.

"If a 4th Grade Kaiju is already this strong, then why..."

Inside an abandoned building where no one ever set foot, I turned off my phone and focused my mind. A dark purple gate materialized before me. This was the ability I had awakened just a few days ago.

The system provided information on the kaijus—things like their name, grade, and attributes. Naturally, the most eye-catching detail was the grade. The weakest was 10th Grade. As of now, the strongest confirmed monster was a 2-grade. The 2-grade kaiju lurking in Northern Russia remained undefeated, left abandoned because humanity had yet to find a way to subjugate it.

In any case, since the grading system scaled upward as the numbers grew smaller, it was only natural to assume that a 1-grade kaiju must exist. Most people argued that a 1-grade would be the absolute peak of strength, though some speculated about the existence of a 0-grade.

But perhaps I was the only one who could give the definitive answer. That there existed an anomaly beyond all standard classifications: the Myth-grade. After all, the system itself had explicitly used the term Myth-grade.

A gate connecting to a Myth-grade territory? And I'm completely immune to damage inside? This is insane.

It had been a non-stop rush of excitement. I couldn't even remember how much I had run around when I first awakened. I didn't know where I would use this ability ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠yet, but at the very least, it was incredibly unique. But now, as I summoned the gate for the second time, I stood before it with a deeply complicated mixture of emotions. In my hands, I held a plastic bag and a burlap sack, both stuffed to the brim.

"Sigh."

Letting out a long sigh, I stepped into the gate. A mysterious shroud of light enveloped my body. When I blinked, my surroundings had completely transformed. It was a desolate space of frozen earth, swallowed by pitch-black darkness. It felt bleak—so suffocatingly oppressive that the atmosphere alone could choke a man to death. Well, it was the territory of a Myth-grade kaiju, so I suppose this level of gravity was only fitting.

But that overwhelming sense of dread was instantly shattered by a sound.

"Kyu!"

I shone my phone's flashlight toward the source of the noise. There, a turtle no larger than a fist was crawling slowly toward me. The author of that adorable squeak was none other than a little black turtle.

The little guy looked incredibly harmless. Myth-grade or not, he was just plain adorable. ...This is a Myth-grade? The disappointment was as massive as my initial expectations had been.

And for good reason. In this day and age, Awakened Hunters were treated like royalty. The more unique and powerful your ability, the better you were treated—and "better" was an understatement. So, words couldn't possibly describe the sheer ecstasy I had felt when I first saw the word "Myth-grade"... right up until I stepped inside and saw this tiny turtle.

At first, I was in denial. No way. It's probably just too dark to see the real Myth-grade kaiju. Ignoring Hyeonmu, I had searched the gate frantically. But the only monster in sight was this tiny turtle waddling after me. Of course, the interior of the gate seemed endless, so I hadn't actually searched every single corner. Still, my cooled expectations and mounting disappointment had eventually driven me back out of the gate.

After spending a few days practically fasting (?) while sorting out my thoughts, I finally arrived at a conclusion. Right, he's still young. I didn't know what "equivalent age" meant exactly, but four years old was basically a baby. Even a tiger cub would get smacked around by a house cat before it grew up. So, even if I was going to be disappointed, shouldn't I at least try raising him first before making a final judgment? ...It was a perfectly logical conclusion. The only problem was, I had absolutely no idea how to raise him. Did he just grow over time like any normal living creature? If so, that would be devastating. It meant I'd have to sit around twiddling my thumbs for decades waiting for him to mature.

So, I racked my brain. How could I raise him to be the ultimate beast? The first method to try was feeding him. After all, isn't a good meal the foundation of all strength?

"Hey, uh... Hyeonmu? Do you even eat stuff like this?"

I pulled a blueberry out of the black plastic bag. I'd heard turtles liked them. Hyeonmu stretched his neck out. His nostrils flared as if he were sniffing it. He was so black I hadn't even realized he had nostrils... Ah, that wasn't meant as an insult. Anyway, Hyeonmu devoured the blueberry with relish. The wet, smacking sounds of his chewing were surprisingly pleasant to hear. I reached into the sack and pulled out some carrots and lettuce to feed him. Man, he's really packing it away... It's nice to see him eat so well, but...

"Hmm, did you get any bigger?"

I lifted Hyeonmu up. Why was this tiny thing so heavy?

"Kyuuuu!"

The little guy, suddenly interrupted mid-lettuce, flailed his legs wildly. Hmm, doesn't look like he grew at all. I guess this wasn't the way. Groceries are practically worth their weight in gold these days... Wiping away a stray tear of financial grief, I moved on to the next plan.

This time, I opened the heavy burlap sack. It had been a real pain to drag all the way here. The second method I wanted to try was feeding him kaiju carcasses. Kaijus that survived for a long time grew stronger over time. While opinions on why this happened varied, a theory had recently gained traction: "They absorb mana while fighting Hunters or other kaijus." Mana absorption... If that theory held true, then since Hyeonmu was still a kaiju, wouldn't he get stronger from it too?

Fortunately, obtaining kaiju carcasses wasn't too difficult. There were plenty of discarded 10th Grade Kaiju carcasses lying around the processing plants that researched and utilized them. Dragging them all the way here was exhausting, but actually getting my hands on them was relatively easy. I emptied the sack, dumping three 10th Grade Kaiju carcasses in front of Hyeonmu. Even though they were dead, even a 10th Grade Kaiju was much larger than him. Should I chop them up for him? Just as I was pondering this, Hyeonmu's eyes flashed.

With a gaze as sharp as a bird of prey, he let out a low hiss, threatening the carcasses. His tail swayed menacingly, moving as if it were a living snake.

"Oh?"

He actually looks pretty fierce. A tense standoff ensued. It seemed like a highly suspenseful moment for Hyeonmu, but for a modern human like me, it was a bit too much waiting.

"...Could you just stop posing and eat already?"

I pleaded earnestly, but of course, it fell on deaf ears. It seemed I needed to take drastic measures. Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck me. I recalled the countless animal feeding videos I'd watched in the past. When feeding predators, they would often wiggle the prey to make it look alive. Sure, Hyeonmu wasn't a normal animal, but when you thought about it, wasn't it basically the same? Most kaijus looked like animals anyway. So, I carefully began to wiggle the carcass...

Pop. Splat.

Something happened in the literal ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠blink of an eye. I couldn't even register what had just transpired. As chunks of flesh rained down and splattered everywhere in the silent space, the reality of the situation finally caught up to me. It seemed Hyeonmu's tail had suddenly elongated and whipped the carcass... and the moment it made contact, the carcass had burst like a water balloon.

"Holy crap..."

My heart nearly leaped out of my chest. It happened so fast that I couldn't help but gasp. Then, I read the bizarre system messages that appeared before my eyes.

If the force was enough to obliterate a 10th Grade Kaiju, I would have died without even having time to react. That is, if I didn't have that damage immunity. "Whew... that was close." If Hyeonmu had been an enemy and this was a real battle, I would have lost my life in a split second. Clutching my pounding chest, I made a firm resolution: Live humbly, and never pick a fight.

That aside, a small change had occurred in Hyeonmu.

His equivalent age had actually gone up by a whole year! And did his body get a little bigger too? Was it... because of the carcass?

"Haha..."

Perhaps thanks to the sudden rush of adrenaline, my blood pumped furiously, and my mind cleared. So hunting other kaijus makes him grow, huh? A creature no bigger than a fist had just vaporized a 10th Grade Kaiju in an instant. If so, just how powerful would a fully grown Hyeonmu be? This was insane. Suddenly, Hyeonmu looked absolutely adorable to me. This gate, once filled only with darkness and freezing cold, now felt incredibly warm. I scooped him up and planted a massive kiss on his head.

"Kyuuuuup!"

He responded with a bizarre squeak. Seeing him squeeze his eyes shut and flail his four legs, did he absolutely hate that? ...Ah, I got a bit too excited.

"...Ahem. Hyeonmu, just wait here. Big bro will be right back."

I set him down and spoke. Leaving behind a tilting-headed Hyeonmu, I stepped out of the gate. I headed straight for the kaiju carcass processing plant, which was about a fifteen-minute walk away. Because the cost of disposing of kaijus was so high, poorly preserved 10th Grade Kaijus weren't even processed properly. They were usually just piled up to be incinerated later, which caused a lot of public complaints. Well, thanks to that, I could easily get my hands on food for Hyeonmu.

I slipped quietly into the plant and stuffed the sacks with carcasses. As much as I wanted to summon a gate right there, I wasn't a registered Awakened yet, and I didn't want to cause any unnecessary misunderstandings. Even if it was a hassle, I had to manually pack and carry them, repeating the process several times. Still, being an Awakened meant I had better stamina and strength than an ordinary person. It was brutally exhausting, but not entirely impossible.

After carrying two sacks at a time, with four carcasses stuffed into each, I did this for several rounds. Just watching Hyeonmu grow was satisfying enough... but then, an even bigger change occurred.