#242 Did I Win, Right?
KABOOM!
A small, rickety boat exploded into splinters right in front of me, shards flying everywhere. I caught a glimpse of a flustered Peter Elder amid the debris.
What the hell is going on?!
The blast had launched me into the air too. Who the fuck had the balls to attack me?
Treachery?
Siren was my first suspect. But something felt off about her betraying me. The System had flat-out declared that the paper version of her could never turn on me. It was a hard fact from the System itself. Siren couldn't possibly betray me...
Wait...
...Is the System really absolute?
The thought hit me out of nowhere. What if it wasn't? What if it just fed me info, and that info could be wrong depending on the situation? Then Siren betraying me wasn't impossible.
If she really did betray me, you're fucking dead, Siren. I've got a Monster Counter superpower now.
No more struggling like last time, no begging S-rank heroes for help. I could kill her with my own power, clean and simple.
I'll slaughter that bitch Siren...
"Huh?"
Monster: C.Gull.Zepes discovered.
Superpower Level-Up Ticket x1
"Whoa... jackpot?"
Spotting a new monster netted me a free Superpower Level-Up Ticket. Perfect—I could bump my one 9-level superpower out of seven, Thunder Emperor, up to level 10.
"Sweet..."
It'd been bugging me every time I checked my status window. Talk about perfect timing. Total windfall I never saw coming!
Right after, a quest popped up to kill the C.Gull.Zepes. Reward: its byproducts. No Selection or Level-Up Tickets, though. Bummer.
"Wonder if I can subjugate this one too?"
Last time with Siren, when she cowered in fear, the quest conditions shifted. A new option—Subjugation—appeared, rewarding one Selection Ticket and ten Level-Up Tickets.
Honestly, better than some monster scraps, right?
"Oh yeah, gotta get costumes for my crew."
Every time I asked Peter Elder to whip up outfits like my suit—not some cheap knockoff—he'd whine about lacking materials. But if I supplied them fresh off the monster?
No excuses left. Godfather vibes—he couldn't refuse!
"No choice, then."
Today, I'd shed a single tear the size of rat shit and kill the damn thing.
"Oh, right."
Was Peter Elder okay? He didn't fall in the ocean or die, did he?
"Damn it! I knew I shouldn't have followed this lunatic!"
"He's fine."
As expected, Peter Elder was unscathed, floating with his arms stretched straight down like some weirdo pose, lower body dipped in the sea.
With him safe, time to crush whoever attacked me—the arrogant prick.
"Ooooh!"
Activating my Monster Hunter superpower triggered body enhancement traits from level 1 to 5. This special power, exclusive to monsters, exponentially boosted my physique.
"This feels like... at least level 11 or 12?"
Power surged through me. No, "surged" didn't cut it—this was lava on the verge of eruption, begging to burst free.
Attraction.
I used the skill to rocket toward the Zepes.
Kiruuuuk!
It whipped its long, snake-like tail at me like a lash. Perfect—I needed contact anyway.
I redirected my outstretched hand from its head to the incoming tail.
Clang!
"Ngh!"
Monsters were no joke. I timed the Attraction to halt perfectly, latching onto the tail. Its massive bulk meant devastating power—enough to bisect skyscrapers in one hit.
But that was it. I wasn't weak like against Siren, and I sure as hell wasn't a skyscraper. Monster-exclusive enhancements let me tank it.
Hunter's Seal.
Sizzle!
I slammed my palm down like spanking Ignis's ass. The contact point reeked of burning flesh.
Kirururuk?! Kiruuuuk!
Then the real show started. The burn was tiny compared to its size—like a speck on a human. Yet it thrashed in agony, as if its whole body was aflame.
Simple reason: my Hunter's Seal skill, monster-only. Seals made it impossible to evade a hunter's eyes and ears—meaning endless pursuit, no matter how far it fled.
And it stacked like a game debuff. Up to ten stacks, and at max, 30% HP gone. Cheat-level for monsters? Eh, not really—they're walking calamities for a reason.
Anyway, one stack down. Lifting my hand revealed a black-and-white taegeuk pattern.
Taegeuk? National pride incoming?!
But no red and blue, so no chills.
Kiruk! Kiruk! Kiruuuuk!
The writhing Zepes shook violently to dislodge me.
"No you don't!"
I clung like a leech. Slippery bastard nearly shook me off, but Attraction kept me glued.
Kiruuuk! Click! Clack!
Frustrated, it switched tactics—no more tail shakes. It curved flexibly, beak diving to pluck me off.
"Hiya! Stack two! Hunter's Seal!"
Sizzle!
Attraction let me scuttle cockroach-style along its body, dodging the beak and slamming the second seal.
Kiruuuuk?!
It convulsed in pain.
[Master!]
Right on cue, reinforcements. Siren spotted me, joy flashing before fury—she rocketed at full speed.
[How dare you attack Master! I'll kill you!]
Kiruuuuk!
Confusion crossed the Zepes's face, but venom filled its eyes as it charged Siren instead.
Apparently deeming her the bigger threat.
"That hurts my pride, y'know."
Daring to rank that total nerd Siren above me as dangerous? In this world, nothing outpowers me—not even monsters dubbed "living disasters." All kneel equally before me.
"Yap! Hunter's Seal."
Cooldown up, third stack.
Kiruuuuk?!
[Die!!!!]
Siren and Zepes collided midair.
"Ngh?!"
The impact rivaled a nuke. Without instant Attraction-flattening, I'd have been blasted away.
[Die! Die! Dieee!]
Siren hammered with wings and claws—grazes tore flesh, scratches peeled chunks.
Zepes fought back dirty: coiled its lithe body snake-style around her, beak jabbing her neck.
Kiruuuuk!
[Ngh! I've always hated your guts! Always invading my turf! Let's end this!]
They'd clashed over territory before, it seemed.
Siren and Zepes tore into each other midair; I dodged like a shrimp in a whale fight, stacking seals.
"This fucker ignores me to the end?"
Nine stacks already, and zero fucks given.
Time to pay for underestimating me.
Hunter's Seal.
The fateful tenth stack hit.
Kiruk?
Mid-rampage on Siren, its eyes bulged, body froze.
KIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRK!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Soon it convulsed wildly. Ten stacks: 30% HP vaporized instantly.
[Die!]
Siren seized the gap, chomping its neck.
I prepped the finisher.
Crackle!
"Siren! Drop it and fall back!"
[Yes, Master!]
She released, shook off, and retreated.
Reeling hard, Zepes couldn't stabilize.
Ride the lightning.
I hurled lightning from my left hand, teleporting skill-plopping right in its face.
"You underestimated me too much, you oversized pest. Hunter's Seal."
Lightning-fueled fist swung, skill proccing for extra pain.
It plunged into its bulging eyeball—my arm buried to the shoulder.
Kiruuuuk?!
Lightning surged inward, frying its brain. Smoke and charred stench poured from its gaping mouth and ears.
Splash!
Zepes plummeted into the sea.
I yanked my arm from the blackened socket as the quest-complete message appeared.
But I barely registered it.
"...What?"
That lightning output... way beyond expectations. Even battered by Siren and 30% HP-shaved, one shot to kill a monster?
"No way it buffs other superpowers too? Nah, no such trait or skill."
I'd pored over every Monster Hunter detail when picking it—plenty of time back then.
Definite: it amps physicals, not other powers.
So what explained that firepower? Factoring Siren damage and my debuff, at least 40% HP left—yet insta-gibbed.
Off-script power.
"Fuck."
What if I accidentally one-shot Gumiho now? Too strong—it's disorienting. Should've skipped this power?
"Impossible... killing a monster that easily?"
Peter Elder's shocked voice reached me. Later for power analysis.
"Peter?"
"......"
He snapped from staring at the corpse, meeting my eyes. I leaped airborne, landing atop Siren's head.
"On Siren's head...!"
His eyes bugged out.
"We had a bet, remember."
"......"
"I won, right...?"
I flashed a grin at the stunned Peter Elder.