Episode 27: New Threat
Episode 27: New Threat
[Acquired Cursed Flesh.]
[Acquired Cannibal Monster.]
[Acquired Divine Desecration.]
These were traits obtained from the Minotaur.
I equipped the traits.
[Acquired Trait: Innate Destroyer. All physical stats increase by +200.]
[Acquired Trait: Human Devourer. Exudes intimidation towards humans.]
[Acquired Trait: Sacred Resistance. Can now resist divine power.]
From Cursed Flesh came Innate Destroyer,
From Cannibal Monster came Human Devourer,
And from Divine Desecration came Sacred Resistance.
I equipped Cursed Flesh.
It boosted Strength, Agility, and Stamina by a whopping 100.
Combined with the trait bonuses, it totaled 300.
Enhancing the trait would increase the stats further.
[Enhancing Cursed Flesh+.]
[Acquired Cursed Flesh++.]
After equipping the twice-enhanced Cursed Flesh,
Strength, Agility, and Stamina increased by 300.
With traits included, it reached 500.
A single trait brought me close to the stat limit.
'Let's unequip all Superior Body traits except one.'
Traits don't stack. I unequipped all except the six-times enhanced Superior Body.
Even then, my stats reached 550.
I considered what to equip in the remaining slots.
Superior Body and Cursed Flesh were essential.
Traits related to mana were mandatory.
Swordsmanship Factor and Magic Factor were also necessary.
Seol-hwa didn't possess a single skill.
She was a complete blank slate.
This was actually fortunate.
Having no ingrained habits meant no interference with swordsmanship training.
There were still empty slots.
With Rainbow Shell granting magic resistance and Sacred Resistance from Divine Desecration,
I had equipped all traits that could provide special abilities.
[Name: Lee Chan-hwi]
[LV32]
[Class: Predator]
[Strength:600.0211]
[Stamina:580.0211]
[Agility:570.0211]
[Mana:251.001]
[Vitality:MAX]
[Equipped Traits]:[Superior Body++++++][Mana Domination][Mana Affinity][Mana Affinity][Mana Affinity][Mana Affinity][Mana Affinity][Mana Affinity][Mana Affinity][Mana Affinity][Two Hearts][Sturdy Insect Shell][Rainbow Shell][Exceptional Mutation][Swordsmanship Factor+++][Magic Factor+++][Photosynthesis][Tough Skin][Cursed Flesh][Cannibal Monster][Divine Desecration]
[Traits]:[Prey's Intuition][Hardness][Magic Resistance][Two Cores][Heals when exposed to sunlight.][Sturdiness][Berserk][Physical Skill Rank +3][Sacred Resistance][Innate Destroyer][Human Devourer]
[Items: Trait Enhancement Coupon×3]
Stats exceeding 500.
I couldn't fathom how much stronger I'd become.
I wasn't the only one who grew stronger.
Seol-hwa had also grown slightly stronger, though minimally.
This was her status window, obtained after questioning her while she was half-conscious.
[Name: Yoo Seol-hwa]
[LV1]
[Class: None]
[Strength:26][+40]
[Stamina:25][+40]
[Agility:28][+40]
[Mana:20]
[Skill: Steel Willpower]
[Steel Willpower(LV1+3): Strength, Agility, Stamina +10(+30). Stat limit increases by +100(+300).]
I'd heard about this before.
Pushing one's body to the limit could grant skills.
While ordinary humans couldn't break their limits, hunters who transcended humanity could.
The Steel Willpower skill proved this.
Moreover, she now had levels. Her current level wasn't the limit.
"Seol-hwa. When we return, you must register at the gymnasium."
"Hnng... Yesss."
Another reason to visit the Hunter Gymnasium.
Learning from veteran hunters would be better than training alone.
"Tsk. You stay hidden nearby and come when I call. Ah, absolutely don't touch humans. Don't make unnecessary trouble."
I spoke to the surviving clone.
The sole Orc Clone that survived the battle against the Minotaur.
Even it wasn't in perfect condition.
One arm was missing.
Though now one-armed, it remained a mid-level zone monster.
More than sufficient to survive in the outer zones.
The Orc Warrior disappeared into the forest.
"Tsk. Mmm. Breast milk tastes best after battle."
I drank breast milk while chewing on bones.
Satisfying both sexual and physical hunger. My happiness meter skyrocketed.
The monster's life.
Far better than a human's existence.
"This way leads through!"
The rescue team arrived.
Thud
I spat out the bone I'd been chewing. The once massive bone was now mere fragments.
"Over here!"
Light appeared.
A rescue team composed of hunters.
Too late. It had taken over twelve hours.
Well past the golden hour, but we should be grateful they came at all.
Hunters risk their lives for money.
Rescue teams rarely deploy for ordinary incidents.
The losses outweigh the gains.
Their current deployment was because a Minotaur appeared in the outer zone.
Hunting high-level zone monsters without venturing deep.
The guild likely saw it as treasure lying on the ground.
"Too bad, but I ate all the high-level monsters."
I offered silent condolences to the guild that accepted the request.
Sorry, but I devoured all the treasure.
I entered the cave and lay beside the Magician.
The Magician still wandered in dreams.
Like Seol-hwa, she'd been captured by the Minotaur and miraculously survived.
"Entering!"
Hunters entered the cave.
"Found the missing persons!"
The hunters discovered Seol-hwa and the Magician.
I entered Seol-hwa's womb.
"Target not visible."
"Withdraw for now."
My body was lifted onto a stretcher.
"What about the Minotaur?"
A senior-ranked hunter asked.
His voice trembled noticeably.
"Not present."
"Then this is a loss!"
The senior shouted.
Utter disappointment filled his voice. I understood his feelings, but wished he'd voiced them elsewhere.
His blatant disregard for Seol-hwa and the Magician's survival soured my mood.
"Are you lying? Are you certain the Minotaur appeared here? Or did it already escape?"
"W-we're certain the Minotaur was here. We found traces of its habitation in the cave."
"And... we found bloodstains. The amount approaches lethal levels... It appears to have been hunted already."
"Does that make sense? How could anyone dispose of such a massive corpse?"
"We don't understand either."
A subordinate's nightmare.
The gigantic Minotaur had vanished suddenly.
If it relocated, there would be traces. If hunted, a corpse would remain.
Yet the Minotaur disappeared without a trace.
Leaving neither corpse nor evidence behind.
Only near-lethal amounts of spilled blood.
"Find it! If another hunter took it down, track them and claim our share! If it escaped, follow the trail and kill it before it reaches the mid-level zone!"
The senior shouted desperately, revealing a salaryman's determination to avoid responsibility.
"What should we do?"
"Return first. Let's clock out early."
The stretcher moved. Soon we exited the danger management zone.
"Patients?"
"Yes."
Waiting paramedics appeared startled.
They hadn't expected survivors after twelve hours.
Clunk.
Seol-hwa was loaded into the ambulance.
"Check pulse. Examine for other injuries."
A paramedic removed Seol-hwa's clothes.
Fortunately, the paramedic was female. A male would have irritated me slightly.
"Pervert...?"
The paramedic's remark upon seeing braless Seol-hwa.
"She seems like a real pervert?"
Another paramedic commented after checking below.
Thankfully also female.
"...The world has all kinds of people."
An odd misunderstanding seemed to form among the paramedics.
Didn't matter.
Seol-hwa's misunderstanding, not mine.
The examining paramedic checked her pulse.
"Pulse normal. No bruising."
"...Didn't they say she was captured by a Minotaur? An F-Grade hunter's bones would shatter from merely being gripped."
"Not sure... Maybe she got lucky?"
"I've seen hunters gripped by Minotaurs. This can't happen by chance."
They seemed to witness something contradicting all known conventions.
The paramedic repeatedly checked for injuries before accepting reality.
That Seol-hwa had no bruises.
"...Start an IV first. Tell the doctor it's simple fainting."
The paramedic administered IV fluids.
"Patient's condition?"
We arrived at the hospital.
Exited the ambulance.
A doctor inquired about Seol-hwa's status.
"Simple fainting."
"What? But she was caught by a Minotaur?"
The doctor sounded incredulous upon hearing the diagnosis.
"Bones shattered. Left untreated too long, healing poorly. Surgery. Needs surgery."
The Magician's urgent case provided stark contrast.
"...It's true... She's just deeply asleep... Place this patient in emergency for now. Just in case. Haha, but this is truly strange. Shouldn't be possible..."
He must have seen Seol-hwa's peaceful expression.
Deeming it impossible for an injured patient, he kept muttering "strange" as he left.
I lay on an emergency room bed.
"February 1st, 2023, 02:21. Mr. Kim Guk-hwan has passed away."
A patient receiving death pronouncements.
"Ggroan."
The ER filled with moaning patients.
Chaotic.
Amidst this, Seol-hwa slept peacefully.
"Guardian?"
"None reported."
"Since it's simple fainting, no issue. Have her complete discharge when awake."
The doctor charted and left.
Dark circles under his eyes revealed exhaustion.
'Should give her some rest.'
I decided to let Seol-hwa rest until she awoke.
Three days of torment, fighting the Minotaur using her body.
Now was time to rest.
'Can't let breasts sag into granny tits. Just hold them in place.'
I couldn't tolerate sagging. I extended tentacles to support her breasts.
Holding them firm brought relief.
I could endure anything except grandmotherly breasts.
* * * *
Dark dawn.
"Our apologies!"
"Apologies my ass! All of you prepare incident reports!"
A group withdrew from the danger management zone.
With humans gone, the forest regained silence.
Returned to its primal state.
Tap.
Someone broke the stillness.
Not one person. Two.
One stood on the bloodstains.
"It's the Minotaur we lost track of."
One swept the bloodstains.
Reading lingering thoughts in the blood.
"Who killed it?"
"An unknown woman."
"Alone? How? A reclusive top-tier hunter?"
"Not alone. She controlled monsters. Dozens simultaneously."
"A monster tamer?"
"Likely."
Silence lingered this time.
"Can you track where she went?"
Silence broke. The being sought Seol-hwa.
"Easily. She moved openly. Just check hospital admission records."
They retraced the path. Exited the danger zone.
Their destination was Seol-hwa's hospital.