Chapter 4
Chapter 4
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Became the No. 1 Monster That Absolutely Must Be Tamed
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After rescuing the helicopter, an inexplicable wave of fatigue washed over me.
So when I returned to human form...
"Kid? You okay? Not hurt anywhere?"
"Uh, well..."
"Your parents? Why are you here all by yourself?"
"We've spotted another lost child here! Requesting backup!"
The rescue team members towered over me to an absurd degree.
My original height was 184 cm—this made no sense—so spotting the glass shards from the nearby collapsed high-rise, I turned my head that way.
Reflected in the glass was my elementary school self.
'I got younger...?'
It was a cute little boy, pint-sized and all.
What the hell was going on?
"Um, excuse me..."
"Yeah?"
"Could you tell me what year it is right now?"
"...What?"
Maybe this wasn't a simple game possession.
Swallowing hard at the thought, I turned to the nearest big sister with an intellectual vibe.
"It's 2014, kiddo. Did you lose all your memories or something?"
"2014...?"
"...! Medic! Or at least a corpsman! This kid's not right!"
Hunters Blood launched in 2024.
But 2014? The game hadn't even released yet—that was back when I was actually in elementary school.
"Wh-what the..."
"K-Kid! Kid!"
"Corpsman! Hurry up!"
The confusion didn't last—the tension must've snapped.
In my childhood body, I blacked out.
The next time I opened my eyes, I was in a hospital room.
An unfamiliar ceiling.
And through the window at the foot of the bed, a far stranger view: the half-wrecked Jamsil skyline in plain sight.
"Feeling okay? Anything hurt?"
"Yeah..."
"Um... still nothing coming back? Parents? Friends?"
"Sorry. I don't remember a thing."
To the nurse sister's daily check-in question, I gave my usual vague reply.
"R-really?"
"Yeah... sorry..."
"No, no! It's not your fault, Shin-woo! You'll get it all back with time—promise! Just rest up till then, okay?"
"Sure."
The nurse sister comforted me like she was soothing a toddler, giving it her all.
But my body might've shrunk, brain was still intact!
A 20-year-old adult mind meant I could roughly map out what was coming.
'She's extra down today—orphanage transfer's probably imminent.'
Thrown into this reality-like world out of nowhere, I'd faked 'amnesia' to hide who I was.
No one grills an amnesiac kid about birth certificates or resident registration.
Being elementary-school tiny just doubled down on it.
Proof? I'd overheard the nurses while playing possum: public sympathy was pouring in.
"Shin-woo—they had the Hunter Association pull DNA to find family, but get this: no birth record at all."
"Oh no! What now?!"
"Right...? Ugh, rotten people. Dump a kid, at least raise 'em right."
"So he was a little homeless wanderer around Jamsil even before the amnesia kicked in."
"Yeah... pretty much."
My debut identity in Hunters Blood.
Not some Monsterization Hunter powerhouse—just Jamsil's unregistered street urchin.
'Eh... it'll do.'
Post-discharge: orphanage express lane.
But way better than humanoid monster ID blowing up into an international manhunt.
'Yeah. Best-case scenario.'
Original Hunters Blood backdrop: 2024, launch year.
Ten wild years ahead. Till then, Korea anywhere works.
Worries? Future me's problem.
Creak.
About to nap on the plush hospital bed I might never see again...
"Is there a boy named Han Shin-woo here?"
The nurse sister who'd just cheered me up was turning to leave.
That's when the woman strode in, bumping paths.
Uniform-suit, commander cap, glamorous blonde hair swaying—she hit the nurse sister so stunned she plopped right down.
"Nurse sister?"
"Oh my god! Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!"
"...?"
"Miss Rolling! I'm a total fan!"
"Oh? Honored, really. Nice to be recognized."
"Autograph later?"
"Absolutely. When I head out."
True gentlewoman: she personally helped the legless nurse sister back up.
I tilted my head at first—who?—then...
"No friggin' way...?"
The Commander Hunter who'd led the hunters and troops against my monster form.
Obscured in the crowd before, but face-to-face? Instant recognition.
'...Hold up. Why's she here?'
A Commander Hunter in person.
Job screams leadership—top brass in associations or military alike.
Military equivalent? Corps commander.
Her boss-lady aura made her civilian royalty too—like the nurse's freakout.
Yet this celeb/general-rank whale personally visits a no-parent orphan like me?
Shadier than a back alley.
Something bad brewing—gulp.
'No way they sniffed my identity...?'
Tense as...
"M-Mom..."
"Yes, Sophia. This is the boy from the dictionary. Thoughts?"
From behind mom's cloak-drape coat, a girl with matching radiant blonde peeked out.
Her big, sparkling eyes hit mine—ocean blue—and she ducked back behind mom like a spooked hamster. Adorable.
"...Still feels off, huh?"
Commander Hunter and daughter.
What duo is this?
Identity safe, sure—but zero clue on their play.
"Um, hey..."
"...!"
Business? Wrap it so I can rest—
My hand out.
Suddenly coat flies open, Sophia toddles over, clasps both her hands on mine.
"...?"
The hell?
Handshake request?
She kneads my palm like novel dough, shy as hell, blue eyes twinkling.
"Don't... hate...!"
"Huh?"
"M-Mom! I don't hate this human—er, boy...!"
"...For real? That's true, baby girl?"
Cheeks flushing, hyped daughter spins—mom, more thrilled, rushes in for group hug.
"Thank god! Really...!"
"Yeah!"
"Uh, um... hey?"
"Oh!"
First meet, folks.
Sandwiched mother-daughter style: pure chaos for me.
Mom clocks it finally, loosens grip.
Daughter? Nah...
"Mom! I want this one!"
Toy alert.
Mom's loaded/powerful, sure—but me, me...
'Wait. Orphan. Buyable?'
"Mom! Home with us! Pleeease! Pretty please?"
Human trafficking canon in this Korea?
"Mom! Pleeease! I'll feed, potty-train, all of it. Buy! I'll raise good."
Sophia puppydog-eyes me like pet store pick: chills.
Thonk!
"Sophia! Scaring him! Apologize."
"Waaah. S-sowwy..."
"Ah, 's cool."
Whew—illegal here too.
Then why the sales pitch?
"Must be overwhelming."
"Kinda, yeah...?"
"Sorry, dear. But hear us out—our girl's never hung with people. Ever."
"...Huh?"
Sophia sniffles from mom's loving nuggy.
Watching her, mom whispers in my ear.
"Born Beast Hunter talent... hmm... tl;dr: instincts make her hate everyone but blood kin."
"Ah...!"
Now it clicked—Sophia's whole deal.
'Beast Hunter? Yeah, tracks.'
Beast Hunter.
World's sole monster-tamers.
God-tier skill, cursed drawback from birth: hardcore human aversion.
Game creation screen warns you.
'Affinity starts at -100.'
No peeps chit-chat—even Beast Hunter-to-Beast Hunter nada.
Tames? Strict hierarchy, not BFF pets.
Tops charts growth-wise, but debuffs snowball: depression, burnout, love-starved, suicide bids.
Careless? Self-KO city.
That Beast Hunter.
Yet innate Beast Hunter likes me?
'Monsterization perk?'
Half-monster me.
Talks, interacts, combat-optional carry-pet vibes.
"Huh."
Hit me: Beast Hunters' dream tame.
'I'm kinda cracked.'
Bonus I never saw coming.
Meantime...
"So—we're here to adopt you."
Mom drops the real talk.
Be daughter's one-and-only people-person pal.
Lifelong sidekick gig.
'Jackpot?'
Wealth/fame/power trifecta Commander Hunter fam adoption.
Pre-possession solo 6-pyeong grind? Leagues better.
Main story in ten? Hunter-adopted beats street orphan.
Green light.
But wait...
"Uh, what if I say no?"
Her one-ever convo buddy boy nopes adoption?
"Hm... orphanage till real folks surface?"
Normal af.
Duh—kid-rejecting lifesaver hunter? Nah.
"Korean spots are backed up lately, though..."
"??"
She smiles...
"So non-adopt? Venezuela or Suriname orphanage, stat."
Grinning nightmare fuel from mom.
"Please to meet ya—starting today!"
"Hehe. Likewise."
Adoption: locked in.