The Legend of the Beast Slayer Begins
The night air had grown chilly, but it was still pleasant enough to enjoy a bowl of noodles outdoors. We sat on the bench atop the hill we’d visited earlier. I listened quietly as Sehwa slurped her noodles and vented about Yu Seunghyeon, offering nothing but an understanding nod and a patient expression.
“I just can’t believe it… Does he seriously think I’d get mad at him for working at a place like that?”
She kept chattering even though she hadn’t finished chewing or swallowing. I liked seeing her like this—completely unguarded.
“Say something! It feels like I’m talking to a rock!”
Even when she raised her voice, she was adorable. I shrugged.
“I want to comfort you, but what could I possibly say? You two have been together for so long. You know each other better than anyone.”
“Ah… so the third wheel is stepping aside?”
“Hey, what does that make me if you put it like that?”
“Did you see it from the beginning?”
“Not exactly… but I can more or less guess how things went.”
“Then you basically know everything. Just be honest with me.”
“About what?”
“Everything you’re thinking right now.”
I could have torn Yu Seunghyeon down right here. But that was something only amateurs did. Arms bend inward, after all. If I sympathized with Sehwa and badmouthed him, she would instinctively defend him.
I discreetly wet my tongue and loaded my words.
“I get why you’re disappointed that Yu Seunghyeon lied to you. But… I can also understand why he lied.”
“Why?”
“Just looking at it, that hotel clearly runs a room salon on the side. Honestly, what guy could proudly tell his girlfriend he works at a place like that? You have to admit that much, right?”
“Mm… yeah, that’s true.”
“And if he’s willing to lie even though he loves you so much, it must mean they’re paying him a fortune. He probably wants to pay off that sudden debt as fast as possible. From his perspective, the debt just fell out of the sky. It’s unfair.”
Sehwa nodded silently. I watched her lift another mouthful of noodles and continued.
“He must be desperate to pay it off quickly and go back to the way things were. That doesn’t justify lying to you, and I completely understand how you feel. It’s just…”
I paused and glanced at her. She immediately pressed me.
“Just what? Keep going.”
“This might sound cheesy, but I see it as both of you caring too much and trying to be considerate. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could read each other’s hearts? But people don’t have mind-reading powers like that. Not even him…”
“Him?”
“Who coughed? This place is full of demons!”
I exaggerated my imitation of a character from a wildly popular old Korean drama. Sehwa burst out laughing.
“Puhahaha! That doesn’t sound anything like it!”
“Doesn’t it? Anyway, I got off topic, but the point is… maybe you should both take a step back and try to understand each other?”
I subtly planted the idea that neither she nor Yu Seunghyeon truly understood the other’s heart. Judging by how attentively she listened, the seed had taken root. Yu Seunghyeon’s lie and the tiny prank hidden in my advice would become the fuse for the distrust already forming in Sehwa’s heart—and it would only grow bigger from here.
When I finished speaking, I reached for Sehwa’s disposable bowl.
“I talked so much my throat’s dry. Just one sip of the broth…”
Sehwa smacked my hand away with her chopsticks.
“Hey! We bought water earlier—stop messing around. This is all mine.”
“So cold…”
“I’m kidding. Wait a second…”
Sehwa scooted her hips forward slightly and held the bowl out to me. I accepted it with a casual grin. She smiled brightly back at me.
The distance between us had closed. And our hearts had clearly grown just as close.
I'm really sorry. I begged him until he forgave me. Thanks, Jihyeok. It's late—you're probably asleep, right? Good night.
I glanced at the message and smiled with satisfaction.
That’s right, Sehwa. You need to get along with Yu Seunghyeon. Only then is there any fun in stealing you away.
I wondered what kind of face Yu Seunghyeon would make when he saw you—heart and all—standing by my side. Just imagining it made heat rise in my groin.
In the past, I could never understand the guys who chose the corruption or betrayal routes. But now that I’ve become the Demon King, I understand them perfectly.
I looked away from my phone and stared straight ahead with cold eyes.
“Huff… huff!”
A grotesque breathing sound echoed through the laboratory. The horse-headed humanoid monster bound to the table—Amducias—snorted violently. His body was several times larger than an adult’s and packed with muscle. This was indeed the trash-tier boss meant to trigger Leona’s awakening.
Satisfied with the sight, I turned to Marcela.
“It’s the exact same Amducias from before, right?”
Our base contained various modification facilities, condensed from technologies found in episodes one through five. But modifying this Amducias would prevent the legend of the Beast Slayer from ever beginning. He would smash everything around him—including Sehwa herself. No, it was best to send him out unmodified.
“Yes, of course. Neither more nor less. It’s the exact Amducias from the original.”
“Is everything ready for deployment?”
“We can send him out at any moment.”
“Good. Give Yu Seunghyeon a day off tomorrow, no matter what excuse you have to use.”
“Understood. Is it finally beginning?”
I could practically see Marcela’s heart pounding with excitement. I felt the same. But as the Demon King, I had to maintain my dignity.
“Yes. It begins.”
Ah… I couldn’t stop my voice from trembling.
“Will Dr. Cash really appear?”
“I don’t know. But the chances are high.”
She had to appear. If she didn’t, the whole plan would be ruined. Calm down. Calm down. Getting excited would only ruin everything.
“What about the remaining Beast Slayers? Haven’t you located them yet?”
“No… there’s only Yuria besides her…”
“What is Yuria doing right now?”
“She’s living her normal daily life. She doesn’t seem to be looking for the Demon King yet… but we can’t let our guard down.”
“You’re right.”
I would also be near Amducias tomorrow. Not to take Yu Seunghyeon’s place, but to catch Dr. Cash’s eye. She was a workaholic. There was no way she would ignore a genius pretending to be an ordinary engineer like me. If I pretended to be injured nearby, and Sehwa tried to save me after the battle… if Dr. Cash showed interest in whatever she did at that moment, she would pay close attention to me. Then, once Sehwa introduced me, it would be over.
That was my plan. Whether it would work or not remained to be seen.
If this were still the original game’s timeline, Amducias should have appeared long ago. News about the Beast Slayer Leona would have spread across the country and even the world. Since I had already delayed things slightly by securing a place in Sehwa’s heart, I had to account for the possibility that Dr. Cash might not show up. If she didn’t appear, I would have to save Sehwa myself. That was why I needed to be there.
After double-checking every detail, I spoke to Marcela.
“Make every preparation. We follow the plan exactly. Nothing can go wrong. The drop location for Amducias must be precise.”
“Yes! Leave it to me!”
On the evening the legend of the Beast Slayer would begin, I arrived in Sehwa’s neighborhood and looked up at the sky. The weather was appropriately gloomy, as if it might rain. It almost felt like the heavens were blessing the start of my grand scheme… Yeah, right. This was simply the result of Marcela gathering magical power to open the portal just before releasing Amducias. If Dr. Cash was anywhere nearby, she would definitely sense this energy.
Please come… Please…
I prayed silently over and over while hiding my nervousness and strolled down the street.
Yu Seunghyeon was currently on leave. He was probably at home with Sehwa, getting ready to head out. I had promised to meet the two of them today. They were grateful that I had introduced them to a lawyer and acted as a mediator after their fight, so they insisted on treating me to a meal. They said if not today, who knew when we’d meet again.
I had accepted their invitation and was now carrying an expensive nutritional supplement set as a polite gift. As I walked through the shabby one-room village where rent looked suspiciously cheap, I activated the one-time-use signal device attached to my finger. It was a disposable signal for Marcela.
Tick!
The moment I pressed the button, the device vanished with a small sound. At the same time, a massive roar came from the sky.
Kugugung!
It sounded like thunder, and most people would probably mistake it for lightning. But I knew it was Marcela opening the portal.
Soon after, an enormous mouth appeared in midair. Hundreds—no, thousands—of teeth were densely packed inside it. It looked like something straight out of a monster movie.
Jjeoeoeoeok!
Look at that. When it opened its maw, sticky saliva stretched between the upper and lower jaws. And then—
“Kwoooooooor!!”
Amducias had arrived. The monster that fell from the sky landed gracefully one block away from Yu Seunghyeon’s house.
Kuung!
Well, “gracefully” was a generous way to put it. He had smashed through several buildings on the way down, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
“W-what the hell?!”
“Kyaaaaaah!!”
The screams of people still on the street marked the beginning of true chaos. Amducias completely ignored the fleeing civilians and began destroying buildings.
Kwaaaaaang!!
The enormous club in his right hand crushed a building reinforced with steel rebar as easily as if it were a cookie.
The police in 2533 had a system that dispatched units the moment a report came in. Someone must have called, because heavily armed vehicles arrived in an instant. They immediately opened fire on Amducias with state-of-the-art weaponry. But their weapons couldn’t even scratch him.
He’s a monster meant to trigger a magical girl’s awakening. Of course ordinary firearms wouldn’t work.
Kwajik!
“Kihihihihing!!”
Amducias snapped a police car in half like a piece of taffy, let out a roar, and finally smashed the building right next to Yu Seunghyeon’s one-room apartment.
Kwang—!
One of the shattered fragments flew straight toward the corner of the one-room where Yu Seunghyeon lived. This was it. This was the moment.
From the top floor of that building, Yu Seunghyeon and Sehwa would spot Amducias through the destroyed wall. They would be in mortal danger. Amducias would see the trembling pair and try to devour them.
I had positioned myself between piles of collapsed debris near a building close to the two of them, pretending to be trapped. I sent out a reconnaissance monster to observe their building.
Where… where… there.
The monster transmitted the scene to me in real time. I could see them—exactly like in the game—hugging each other and shaking in terror. I could also see Amducias with his horse head flicking his tongue.
Now Dr. Cash had to appear. Hurry up and fire that unfinished future weapon at Amducias. Then try to rescue Sehwa and Yu Seunghyeon, only to change your mind when you see the latent sense of justice bursting out of them! After that, make Sehwa transform! That’s your role!
Just as I was thinking this—
Pushuuung—! Kwaang!
A green laser shot down from the sky directly above Amducias and struck his shoulder.
“Puhihihiing!”
The naked Amducias was knocked backward by the tremendous destructive power and slammed into a building, swinging his massive member wildly.
Fuck… that’s disgusting.
I should have at least put pants on him. Still, I wanted to cheer inwardly. The scene from the game was unfolding right before my eyes.
The unidentified drone that had suddenly appeared from the sky turned its cannon toward the fallen Amducias. But—
Pushiiik—!
Only smoke came out of the barrel. The same laser from before didn’t fire. This was exactly as it happened in the game. The unfinished weapon had malfunctioned.
Amducias was definitely going to be pissed now…
“Grrrrr…!”
A low growl came from the horse’s mouth. Perfect. That sound was always hilarious no matter how many times I heard it.
Using the collapsed building as leverage, Amducias sprang to his feet and swung at the drone.
Peong!
The drone exploded helplessly. What a shame. They must have spent years developing it. I’ll improve it for them once I infiltrate the lab.
“D-damn it…! My masterpiece…!”
My enhanced hearing picked up a husky woman’s voice. I could also hear her running toward the one-room where Yu Seunghyeon and Sehwa were.
Wiiing—!
At the same time, a transport ship appeared in the sky. I sent a signal to my monster.
Show me below the transport ship.
The monster shifted its gaze, revealing the scene beneath the one-room.
Blonde hair tied in a ponytail. Blue eyes. The frameless glasses resting on her nose gave her an intellectual air. A white dress shirt beneath a lab coat of the same color. The finishing touch was a tight black pencil skirt hugging her hips and legs, paired with high heels.
It’s Dr. Cash.
She’s here…! She actually came!
Now all that remained was the transformation… If Sehwa would just transform, I could push the plan forward smoothly no matter how the story changed.
I felt a heavy weight lift cleanly from my chest.
Alright. Let’s watch. Let’s see the moment Sehwa becomes the Beast Slayer Leona.