The Birth of Leona
Two days later, Friday night. South Pole Secret Base.
I stood with Marcela, watching the second beast I would soon unleash upon the world. Even through the monitor, the shrill cry pierced the water like nails on glass—skreee! skreee!—a sound so viscerally wrong it seemed to crawl straight into my skull.
The creature resembled a colossal sea anemone. Thousands of long, viscous tentacles drifted in the simulated currents, each one lined with suckers that pulsed with malevolent hunger. At its center, a single eye the size of a car tire swept back and forth, glowing with malignant intelligence. This was Aktoa, the beast that would appear in the waters off Incheon. It seized living creatures with its tentacles and drained their life force—a rather unpleasant monster, all things considered.
It would serve as the perfect measuring stick for Leona’s combat ability and judgment. More importantly, it would launch her fame into the stratosphere.
If Leona loses to this thing, does she end up with every hole claimed by these tentacles? I’d never seen her lose in the game, but given the nature of those magical-girl eroge, it felt like a foregone conclusion.
At any rate, Aktoa’s intelligence was on par with Amducias. Once it surfaced, it would rampage across the area searching for life. Still, because it operated underwater, it caused less collateral damage than the horse-headed brute. Its tentacles looked difficult to deal with, but the creature had one glaring weakness: stab the central eye and it went down with pathetic ease.
I crossed my arms, still studying the beast. “Did you reinforce it through modification?”
“No, my lord. At Leona’s current level, she should be able to finish it quickly.”
“Make some slight improvements. Give the eye a protective barrier, or harden the tentacles. Something like that.”
Marcela hesitated. “But… that might put Leona in danger.”
“Leona needs to overcome dangerous situations because of me. She must learn to rely on me more and more. One crisis is necessary. Besides, Aktoa won’t actually be able to do anything to her. I’ll make sure of that.”
Marcela understood immediately. She let out a soft “Ah…” then spoke with clear admiration. “So when Leona falls into crisis, you, Demon King, will reveal the monster’s weakness and guide her to victory… Is that your intention?”
“Exactly.”
“Aah… This Marcela has grasped the profound meaning behind Your Majesty’s will.”
“If you understand, begin at once. Release just enough portal energy for Dr. Cash to detect it, but not so much that it raises serious alarms. Just enough to make her wary. Set the location to Incheon.”
“Yes!”
“Then I’ll be returning.”
After stepping through the portal and arriving home, I thought to myself that it was about time to give Sehwa an official hero name.
Beast Slayers used codenames. Leona, Yuria, Rose, Caroline, and Celine—the names from the first through fifth installments. Everyone except Yuria operated under an alias, yet Sehwa still lacked hers. Originally, Dr. Cash would have bestowed the name Leona after she defeated Aktoa. This time, however, I would strike first.
Everything about Sehwa had to be guided by me. Until her obsession with me ran so deep she could never break free.
***
Whirrrr—!
The transport’s engine purred smoothly. Seated inside Dr. Cash’s craft, I couldn’t help letting out a genuine gasp of awe.
“Whoa…”
Dr. Cash shot me a look. “You rode in it last time. Why are you acting so impressed now?”
“I was injured then. Today I’m perfectly fine.”
“Right… of course you are. Just make sure you learn how to operate every piece of equipment properly—especially everything inside this transport. You need to master it all.”
“Why me?”
“Because I’m hiring you as my assistant.”
I’d clearly made the right impression by fiddling with various components during my two previous visits to the lab. I was thrilled, but I kept my expression carefully neutral, feigning shock.
“…An assistant?”
Sehwa’s eyes widened as well. She looked back and forth between me and Dr. Cash. Yet beneath her surprise, I caught the faint glimmer of delight.
“What? You don’t like the idea?” Dr. Cash asked. “It’s a chance to tinker with all these futuristic devices you love so much.”
“It’s just… so sudden. And you’re being awfully forceful about it…”
“You’ve already stepped deep into this world. Why do you think I brought you to the lab along with Sehwa? Why do you think I let you touch my precious equipment even after you nearly broke it?”
“I didn’t break anything. I restored it to perfect working order.”
“Such pride—typical of a machine fanatic. Fine. I acknowledge your skill. Let’s work well together from now on, you quirky assistant.”
I thrust both hands forward in exaggerated protest, like a soccer player arguing with a referee. Dr. Cash continued without missing a beat.
“I have another name that carries considerable weight around the world. If I write a recommendation letter under that name, your future will be set. I guarantee it. I’ll even let you attend school concurrently as a favor.”
Of course I knew her other name—Isabel Parsons, the world-renowned futurist whose reputation opened every door. Parsons had been her maiden name, used before she married her late husband. “Isabel” itself was just an alias. It was the Parsons name that allowed her to run her secret laboratory. Even top-tier researchers willingly paid for her analysis and assistance. Her fame was beyond question.
“What’s the name?” I asked, pretending ignorance.
“I don’t show my face often, but once you hear it, you’ll definitely be surprised. I guarantee that too.”
I let out a long, theatrical sigh and pretended to accept reluctantly. “How much will the salary be?”
“You’re already rich. You can work for free.”
“……”
“You’ll get to handle materials and energies that an ordinary college student would never even see. That alone should be more than enough incentive, don’t you think?”
“That’s true, but…”
“You don’t have a choice. This conversation is over.”
I could only laugh at her inwardly. She had no idea who truly held all the cards. She’d regret this later.
I sighed again, this time with theatrical despair. “Haa… They say even a dog’s life can turn around, but my future looks pitch black…”
Sehwa, who had been watching us nervously, covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. When I turned to her with an expression of utter defeat, she gave a small shrug and a bright smile, as if to say, Please take good care of me.
It felt like only yesterday she had been sobbing while clutching my hand. Now she was grinning ear to ear. What a quick change of heart. I gave her a weak smile in return, then turned my attention to the monitor.
“Where are we headed?”
“Incheon. See that skull icon in the upper right of the monitor?”
“Yes.”
“That’s data from the energy spike that occurred when that horse-headed monster appeared. I named this energy Evilion.”
She used the exact same name as the game… It really doesn’t suit her at all. She could have picked something better.
“It has a fitting ring to it,” I said. “Have you managed to analyze it?”
“Analysis proved impossible. All I can do is read the data. If I could actually analyze it, we might prevent these incidents before they happen… It’s infuriating.”
Her tone was clearly wounded. Understandable. She prided herself on being one of Earth’s greatest minds, yet this energy defied her. Still, the fact that she could even detect and quantify it marked her as a genuine genius.
“So this skull icon represents the Evilion gauge? It’s only about ten percent full…”
“Correct. It appeared this morning in the sea between Ganghwa and Yeongjong islands, rose to that level, and stopped. Comparing it to the horse-headed monster’s reading, I estimate the next beast will emerge once the gauge exceeds eighty percent. We’re heading out to investigate and gather more data.”
Not eighty. The current Evilion gauge is remarkably accurate, with only a ten-percent margin of error. The portal opens at ninety percent.
“I-I see… The monster won’t suddenly pop out while we’re there, right?”
“Who knows? Best to stay alert. And… Sehwa.”
At the mention of her name, Sehwa’s shoulders flinched. Before departure, Dr. Cash had already scolded her in the lab—why hadn’t she charged her Device? What if a monster appeared without warning?
“Y-yes…?”
“Thirteen percent is absolutely, categorically insufficient. You understand what I’m saying, don’t you?”
“I-I do.”
“You claimed you had a solution, and since the monster doesn’t seem imminent, I’ll let it go for now… But you know how urgent this is. Honestly, your attitude displeases me. If you truly intend to follow your destiny—”
“I get it, I get it. We can talk about it later… later, okay?”
Dr. Cash glanced at the thoroughly embarrassed Sehwa and shook her head. I listened to their exchange while maintaining an innocent expression, pretending to be absorbed in studying every corner of the transport.
***
We booked three rooms at a hotel on the southern side of Ganghwa Island and immediately began our survey. The search was straightforward: using Dr. Cash’s various instruments to pinpoint the exact source of the energy, or scanning the sea for anything suspicious. That was it.
I carried the doctor’s equipment, hurrying about and sweating profusely, but I never once complained. I simply played the part of the dedicated new assistant.
The survey ended as the sun began to set. We had gained exactly zero useful information. I collapsed on the pier, panting like a dog in the heat. Dr. Cash approached.
“Good work. Let’s head back to the hotel, have dinner, and rest.”
“Every company that makes employees pay for their own dinner gets complaints. Just send me home.”
“Quiet. Get up.”
“Ugh… what did I do to deserve this…”
Grumbling, I stood and asked, “Are we really going to keep handling this physically? Couldn’t you just deploy a few of your inventions to monitor the area? Like that reconnaissance drone you gave me before. Just load it with Evilion data and let it do the watching.”
“We’re still completely in the dark. Until we observe the phenomenon ourselves and learn something, we need to try every method available.”
“We could also inform the World Coalition or the Korean government and ask for help. Why are we trying to solve this alone?”
“I considered that. But imagine if we told them, ‘We expect something like this to happen, so please help.’ How do you think they’d react?”
“You said you had another famous name. If you show them the lab equipment and use that name—”
“That name has nothing to do with the supernatural. Besides, the monster has only appeared once. Do you really think they’d believe us if we suddenly claimed the world was under threat? These things require building trust first. And you—stop worrying about these complicated matters. I’ll handle it. Now quit complaining and help pack the equipment.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I hoisted the instruments onto my shoulder and started toward the hotel. Sehwa hurried over, trying to take some of the load, but I refused.
“You conserve your strength. You need to be ready to fight when the time comes.”
“I get really strong after transforming. Just give me some.”
“Really strong, huh? I’m curious exactly how strong. But it’s fine. This is my job, so I’ll do it.”
My tone left no room for argument. Sehwa eventually nodded and matched my pace.
“It’s been so long since I’ve been to the sea… It’s a shame we can’t actually enjoy it.”
“When was the last time you came?”
“About a year ago. What about you?”
“It’s been almost six months. I went to Jeju Island.”
“With who? An ex-girlfriend?”
She was already probing. The urge to pin her down right then and there surged through me. I chuckled inwardly at her cute little act and shook my head.
“No, with my parents’ ashes.”
“Ah… I’m sorry…”
She fidgeted, clearly mortified. I smiled mischievously.
“It’s fine. But tell me—do you really want this? To fight monsters and criminals for real?”
Sehwa fell silent for a moment, thinking, then answered with a serious expression.
“When I transformed, I felt it. This is my destiny. I still can’t forget that feeling. The reason might sound silly… but I want to try.”
“If your decision is firm, that’s all that matters.”
“Honestly, I’m relieved you became Dr. Cash’s assistant. I don’t know how you feel about it, but… please take care of me, Jihyeok.”
Her bright, sincere smile overlapped with the sunset, making her look breathtakingly beautiful. I grinned back at her.
“I should be the one saying that. By the way…”
“Yeah?”
“If you transform, you’ll probably become famous. People will focus all their attention on you…”
“I’ve never really thought about that… I don’t want to reveal my face. I’d rather protect people from the shadows.”
“Come on, this is the modern age. You think you can stay hidden just because you want to? You’ll be exposed in no time.”
Sehwa swept her hair behind one ear and laughed awkwardly. “Y-you think so?”
“That’s why I think you need a codename…”
“A codename? Hmm… Why do I get the feeling your eyes just got really shady?”
“There’s a character I’ve loved for a long time. Her name is Leona. What do you think? Since she slays monsters, maybe Monster Slayer… No, that’s lame. Beast Slayer… Yeah, that’s good. Beast Slayer Leona.”
Sehwa waved her hands in disgust. “Ugh… That’s so cheesy. I hate it.”
“R-really?”
I looked down at the ground, pretending to be embarrassed. Sehwa watched me for a moment, then spoke carefully.
“But… I’ll think about it. The name Leona itself doesn’t sound too bad.”
My face lit up instantly. “Really?”
“Don’t get too excited. I’m only thinking about it.”
Despite her words, Sehwa had already decided. Her answer would definitely be positive. Why? Because she couldn’t stand to see me disappointed.
“That’s enough for me.”
Yes. That was more than enough.
After dinner, we returned to our rooms to rest and prepare for tomorrow. I focused my hearing, listening to what Sehwa was doing in hers. She seemed to be unpacking the luggage she hadn’t finished earlier.
I was about to head into the shower when I heard rustling, followed by a mechanical whirrrr!
Manual… manual… I’m going crazy. Why do I have to do this…?
Sehwa’s muttered complaint. My eyes widened in surprise, then I buried my face in the pillow and burst out laughing.
Don’t tell me… she’s actually trying to masturbate?
The pure, upright Sehwa—every male student’s object of admiration—reduced to this. She really must want to become a hero. Fate could be so cruel.
Still… if she had listened properly to what the doctor said, she would know masturbation couldn’t charge it. Well, she could try all she wanted. As if the Device would respond. Aether wasn’t that kind of energy.