Chapter 36
Chapter 36
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Why Is Noona There?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
While racing toward the Korean branch under the hunters' escort,
Boom!
A massive explosion roared from behind them, and in an instant, a dust storm engulfed the group.
"Princess!"
"It's dangerous!"
The hunters escorting Princess Kurumi.
Because their charge was a Beast Hunter, they couldn't stay too close and maintained a three-meter distance, deploying barriers to shield her.
And then, the sight that Kurumi beheld.
"No..."
The mansion where she had stayed just yesterday had vanished without a trace.
At the same time, realizing the surrounding area had turned into a barren wasteland, she was struck with shock and dropped to her knees right there.
"Shin-woo... Shin-woo...!"
Of course, she had been forcibly dragged away by the hunters, so there was one person she hadn't been able to bring with her.
The one man in this hellish world who had taught her what it meant to be human.
The moment she thought he had been caught in that blast and died, her very 'heart' broke, her personality on the verge of disintegrating as she became little more than a breathing vegetable.
"Shin-woo's not dead."
"...!"
"I... got him out ahead of time."
"Is that true?!"
Seeing Kurumi Princess on the brink of collapse, Sophia spoke bluntly.
Her lifeless eyes reignited with life, and the princess swiftly closed the distance, pressing for answers.
"R-Really?! When? Where did Shin-woo go? Is he safe? Huh? Huh?!"
"Y-Yeah, that's what I'm saying! He went the opposite way from us! Don't worry! Got it?!"
"...! Yes, got it!"
What kind of Beast Hunter closes in on people without hesitation like this?
Sophia felt even more displeased, thinking it was all because of Shin-woo.
But if she left the woman alone like this, Shin-woo would probably end up sulking.
"Sigh... Never mind..."
She shot a sidelong glare at Kurumi Princess, who was shedding tears of relief.
"......"
"Lia?"
The baby monster in ghost loli attire, blankly staring at the mushroom cloud rising in the distance.
Sophia approached Lia, who had been fixated on the same spot for a while now.
"What's wrong? You worried about Shin-woo too?"
"...Yeah."
"That Russian national-power-level hunter who showed up this time, the bearded guy? Did he feel that strong to you, Lia?"
Unlike herself, Lia was worried about Shin-woo.
But shaking her head, it seemed that wasn't her concern at all.
"No, that bearded human is strong, sure. But about as strong as the red-haired human Oppa fought before."
"Red-haired human? ...Oh, you mean Branch Chief Lee Jin-ah."
"That red-haired human controlled monsters like you, Unnie. So Oppa killed the monsters she controlled. But he never attacked that red-haired human once. Not even a single time during the fight."
There was a lot even the Korean branch hunters didn't know about Branch Chief Lee Jin-ah.
As if some massive organization on the level of Hunter HQ was deliberately shielding her info.
'Fought using monster control? So, a Beast Hunter like me?'
But Beast Hunters suffered from human phobia.
Yet that person showed up to every gathering and even led people as a leader?
Of course, she couldn't say there were no exceptions like her dad, Army Chief of Staff Lee Seok-gyu.
"Oppa might not be able to kill a person."
But that wasn't important right now.
"Oppa has never killed a person even once so far."
"...Yeah."
This was the real issue at hand.
"Oppa might be in danger if he doesn't kill that bearded human this time."
"......"
"Just defending could get him killed!"
"...Yeah."
Should she go back to Shin-woo right now?
But what if she ended up as a liability instead?
Sophia stood side by side with Lia, gazing in the same direction, hands clasped together. Her face betrayed only complex emotions.
As the two had predicted, Shin-woo was currently struggling.
'Ugh...!'
In the heart of the city turned wasteland by the force of 10,000 tons of compressed TNT, Shin-woo couldn't even clench his fist properly.
For the first time since monsterizing, cold sweat dripped down his back. He was even gulping dryly in quiet fear.
And for good reason.
Whoosh.
"Puhak?!"
A slightly hard hit, and blood spewed as the opponent flew back.
Tap.
"A-Are you mocking Immortal Lorentski?! Mr. Jamsil Monster!"
Pull back the power, and the guy charged like it was nothing, attacking furiously.
'Tough... So tough!'
Use Kyokushin Karate, and he'd probably kill him outright—no good. Hold back to just knock him out, but the guy was a national-power-level hunter for a reason; he wouldn't go down easy.
A true immortal.
No wonder he was an optional boss in the original story's late game, not mandatory.
Lorentski was the strongest human Shin-woo had ever faced in close-quarters combat.
Meanwhile,
'Fuck!! ...Th-This monster! Why's it so damn tough?!'
Lorentski, back in the days when the Soviet Union was collapsing.
For the first time in ages, he felt that chill of losing his homeland, cold sweat pouring down his back too.
Among hunter classes, he was a Mage Hunter optimized for ability use.
Specifically, a rare 'power mage' who could handle both close and long range.
His magic made anything touching his body explode.
He could hurl objects for delayed blasts at range or, like now, punch or kick to detonate body parts up close.
But what the hell was this guy's body made of?
"Hah... hah...!"
No matter how much he blasted, it kept charging at him unscathed.
"This... real?!"
At first, he figured this brawling style suited Russians anyway and went for a manly fistfight.
But,
Crack!
One solid punch he thought might be okay snapped several ribs, so he switched plans immediately.
What he recalled was his homeland's martial art made purely for killing: Systema.
Blending Systema with his powers, he unleashed flashy chain explosions, thinking he was at least holding his own.
But,
Swish. Swish. Whoosh whoosh.
Boom. Boom. Boom boom boom.
"Hah...! Hah...! Hah...!"
"......"
"Damn... son of a! Just go down already!!"
This kid!
When an adult swings, at least pretend it hurts like a proper Eastern etiquette nation!
Dodging the oddly sloppy punches, Lorentski hammered away with Systema strikes targeting only vitals on the Jamsil Monster.
Yet seeing him casually debating whether to hit back or not, Lorentski felt like he was going insane.
'Fuck! This Jamsil Monster isn't just national disaster level by Korean standards—by Soviet ones too!'
"Raaaaagh!!"
But he wasn't one to give up here.
He was the immortal of the still-living Soviet Union.
"Even if you act fine, the damage is piling up inside bit by bit!"
Third-raters would beg for mercy by now.
Second-raters would feign retreat for an opening.
But first-raters rise believing in their worth.
Lorentski resumed his Systema stance and reminisced.
Training with comrades in the Soviet wilds under falling snow, for the motherland.
Using those who fell one by one as stepping stones to reach this point.
Recalling the red revolutionary flag, hope's flame reignited in his... no, 'our' hearts.
"...!!"
First, feint a punch and kick the Jamsil Monster's left thigh.
A strike that once shattered a humanoid monster's leg bone in Moscow.
Next, fake an eye jab and chop the neck.
The blow that took out a French national-power hunter back in Soviet days.
Then, aim for the shin but nail the solar plexus!
The perfect punch that felled a head of the world's top 10 families...
Thwack.
...Or not.
Thud.
"...Huh?"
His vision spun suddenly, and when Lorentski opened his eyes, he was on the ground.
All he felt was his left cheek stinging?
"...What happened?"
Mid-fight with a humanoid monster,
Yet it felt just like getting a spicy slap from a lover mid-spat.
And that's exactly what it was.
"Grrr! Grk!"
'Yes! Nailed it!'
After trial and error on Lorentski as a guinea pig, Shin-woo finally controlled his strength enough to slap a human face without killing.
Lorentski stared blankly at the jet-black monster dancing solo in glee—what the...?
Next moment,
"Jamsil Monster! If you think this is enough to—!"
"Grrr!"
'Shut it!'
Flick!
Han Shin-woo's original: 'Flick to the skull without killing.'
Lorentski's skull dented slightly, nose gushing blood, eyes rolling back as he collapsed while still alive.
Perfect control.
"Grk. Grrrk."
'Phew. Finally over.'
With the situation resolved safely, Shin-woo sighed in relief.
Sure, the area was charred black from the battle's aftermath, but no casualties mattered most.
"Hoo..."
Exhaling black smoke, Shin-woo surveyed the empty surroundings and promptly undid his monsterization.
"Ugh?!"
Back in human form, pain flared everywhere, making him wince as he stripped off his shirt.
Then,
"Ugh... totally bruised all over..."
He hadn't noticed in monster form.
The damage had accumulated, but not severely—just like after sparring at the karate dojo back in the day.
"Grab some pain patches on the way?"
Shrugging it off casually, he turned around.
And there,
"......???"
...Why are you here?
No, wait—when did you even get here?
Her patrol route happened to be nearby, so upon spotting the mushroom cloud, Fighter Hunter Yoo Cheol-ran had rushed over and now stood there blankly.
A few seconds of staring, question marks practically floating over her head.
"...How much did you see?"
"Uh... well... up to knocking out that guy and then un-monsterizing...?"
She'd witnessed everything from start to finish.
"Uwaaaah..."
Letting out a deflated yell, Shin-woo remonsterized.
"Grk!"
"Wha—hey?! W-Wait! Sh-Shin-woo?!"
To seal the witness's lips, he scooped Yoo Cheol-ran under one arm and leaped away from the scene in a flashy exit.