Monsters Go Shopping (1)
“Fuck, what the hell is this!!”
Gu Mansik roared, his voice boiling with rage. The employees and hunters under him couldn’t utter a single word; they simply hung their heads in silence.
“That son of a bitch Kang Sigyeong suddenly went dark. I wondered what the hell he was up to…”
Gu Mansik’s body shook violently before he slammed his fist down on the desk.
CRACK!
The desk shattered instantly, unable to withstand the force.
“......”
“......”
The staff and hunters remained frozen, eyes darting around nervously. Gu Mansik stared at them and thought to himself, Fuck… If this blows up, the big guilds will use it as an excuse to rip us to shreds.
Even if Kang Sigyeong said nothing, the mere fact that they had touched Park Jihun—a man drawing worldwide attention—gave them the perfect justification. They would fabricate claims that the Yongmun Guild had orchestrated everything, pushing their narrative without a shred of evidence.
Under normal circumstances, public opinion might have turned against the Association and major guilds for such overreach. But with Park Jihun involved, the public would side with him without question. That would mean the end for the Yongmun Guild and for Gu Mansik himself.
His hunter license would be stripped immediately. Every dirty deed he’d committed would surface. Arrest would follow as naturally as breathing. And once arrested, it was a one-way ticket to the United States to serve time in a prison guild.
Considering everything Gu Mansik had done through the Yongmun Guild, he’d be rotting there for at least twenty years. Unlike regular prisons, the prison guilds didn’t accept bail or pull strings for reduced sentences. Once you were caught, you were done.
He might be an A-rank hunter, but they would send multiple A-ranks to apprehend him. Hell, an S-rank affiliated with the prison guild might even show up. Escape was impossible. Breaking out afterward was even more unthinkable.
That can’t happen…!!
Gu Mansik forced his anger down and thought with cold clarity. Was there any way for the Yongmun Guild to survive this? If not, then at least he could save himself…
The Black Society…!
Yes. There was one path to survival. The deal with Chen Mei from the Heixiaohui. He could use that as leverage to beg for their protection. Even though the operation had failed, they had promised to secure him a position if he ever got into trouble in Korea.
Gu Mansik was certain Chen Mei would help him.
If she refuses… I’ll just have to use my final card.
The recorded phone call with Chen Mei. The document written in both Chinese and Korean that had arrived by fax. He had prepared them as insurance against an unforeseen disaster.
He never imagined that disaster would arrive so quickly.
There’s no way Lung Xiao would have permitted receiving help from a Korean.
Lung Xiao’s Sinocentrism was so extreme it bordered on mental illness. He viewed every non-Chinese race as monkeys living beneath China’s feet. This madman genuinely believed that he, the strongest Chinese alive, was destined to become an emperor ruling over all Chinese and every lesser primate.
Seeking help from monkeys was, in his eyes, an act only monkeys would commit. Members of the Heixiaohui were the type who refused to even ask foreigners for directions when abroad.
That meant the decision to discreetly use a local like Gu Mansik to keep the Black Society hidden was…
This was Chen Mei acting on her own.
In other words, the entire failure stemmed from her unilateral decision. Of course, she could cut him loose and pretend none of it had ever happened, moving on to another plan.
But as long as I hold this, she can’t treat me carelessly.
She had sought help from a Korean on her own authority and failed. The fact that a Chinese citizen—and a core member of the Heixiaohui at that—had done so was something that insane Sinocentrism monster Lung Xiao would never forgive.
Gu Mansik realized that if he chose to, he could ensure Chen Mei faced punishment from Lung Xiao himself. To avoid that punishment, she had to help him.
If you’re planning to abandon me… then prepare to be abandoned by Lung Xiao too, Chen Mei.
He would threaten her with this if necessary. That was his decision.
“Oh… a department store…”
Park Jihun and his familiars arrived at the massive department store building located near their newly contracted house. The ten-story structure stretched far into the distance and spread out wide on both sides.
They parked Shin Jiyeon’s car in the lot, found a decent spot, and headed inside.
“Hurry up, Sunbae.”
“Yeah, yeah. Let’s go, girls.”
“Keeik!”
“Grrrl.”
Briana looked slightly nervous, having never visited a place like this before. Kar, on the other hand, was openly scanning their surroundings with wary eyes.
“Whoa?!”
“Gasp!”
People seeing Kar and Briana for the first time jumped at the sight of green skin, white ears, and a fluffy tail. But once they noticed the pair wearing normal human clothes and walking calmly beside other people, the whispers began.
“Holy shit, no way. Is that the rumored…”
“It’s the Tamer. The Tamer.”
A human who traveled with monsters. There was only one such person in the entire world right now, so recognition was inevitable.
“Wow… he’s seriously just walking around with monsters in public.”
“What if they suddenly attack someone?”
“Shouldn’t they be on leashes? This seems dangerous…”
The stares directed at them were far from friendly.
“Heh heh, but why is a monster wearing people’s clothes? It’s hilarious.”
“Right? Just because it looks vaguely human doesn’t mean it becomes one by putting on clothes.”
Some people went further, openly insulting Briana and Kar.
…Well, I guess it’s to be expected.
No matter how you looked at it, Kar and Briana were monsters. Creatures that could burst out of a gate and attack humans at any moment. It was a natural reaction, but their words still soured Park Jihun’s mood.
Our Kar and Briana are so pretty and well-behaved. They haven’t actually hurt anyone.
He understood how people viewed monsters, so he kept his thoughts to himself and didn’t start anything. Still, as their master, he couldn’t help feeling irritated.
Wouldn’t anyone feel the same if strangers treated their pet dog like a dangerous wild animal? Especially when that dog had never bitten a single person.
Besides, Briana and Kar could communicate, possessed human-level intelligence, and were also his sexual partners. Feeling even stronger displeasure was only natural.
“Idiots. Talking shit when they don’t know anything.”
Shin Jiyeon felt exactly the same way. She loved and lusted after the two girls almost as much as Jihun did. Plus, she shared the position of familiar with them.
“Come on, let’s get moving.”
As Park Jihun tried to hurry them away from the uncomfortable atmosphere, urging Kar and Briana forward—
“Keeik.”
Briana made a face that clearly showed she was extremely displeased. She leaned over and whispered something to Kar.
“Grr!”
Kar nodded with a determined expression, as if she understood perfectly. The two of them immediately dropped every sign of nervousness.
With confident strides, they overtook Park Jihun and Shin Jiyeon, walking ahead like they owned the place. If you ignored the tails and skin color, they looked exactly like ordinary people out for a casual shopping trip.
“Keeiik!”
Having reached the store entrance, Briana turned around to look at the dazed Park Jihun and Shin Jiyeon still standing behind her. Her gesture clearly said, Hurry up and follow.
“…Pfft.”
“Haha.”
Neither of them could hold back their laughter. The way the two girls had tried their best to avoid earning humans’ dislike was both admirable and incredibly cute.
“Yeah, yeah. Let’s go buy some clothes. It’s dangerous for you to go alone. Those mean, barbaric ‘humans’ might attack our sweet, innocent Kar and Briana.”
As Park Jihun spoke, he shot a mocking smirk at the people who had been eyeing Kar and Briana warily.
“He’s right. Let’s hurry. Kar and Briana are far prettier than other people, so they deserve much more stylish, high-quality clothes.”
After shooting sharp glares at the humans who had insulted them, Shin Jiyeon followed the pair into the store.
“Oh… women’s clothing…”
Once inside, they headed straight for the women’s apparel section. The reason was obvious: they needed to buy clothes for Briana and Kar.
They wanted to prevent another disaster like what had happened in the training room, where intense movement had torn their outfits apart. They were here to purchase durable clothes that could withstand vigorous activity without ripping.
“For tough clothes, nothing beats hunter-brand gear,” Shin Jiyeon said, leading them to the store of ‘Kiri,’ a brand that specialized in hunter-exclusive clothing.
Why would a shop selling hunter gear be inside a regular department store? The answer was simple. Hunter clothing used special materials, giving it exceptional durability. Even if expensive, the pieces lasted for years. Ordinary people who wanted everyday clothes with bulletproof or stab-resistant properties also frequented these brands.
“I personally love the Kiri brand. Clothes that can handle the movements of high-rank hunters and still maintain durability for over a year are pretty rare.”
Kiri was known for having average special abilities but the absolute best durability among hunter clothing brands worldwide. That was why Shin Jiyeon shopped here regularly, and why she had decided to buy Briana and Kar’s new wardrobe from this store.
“Hiek… Twenty-one thousand won for a single white t-shirt…?”
No matter how special the material was, this seemed excessive. The thought flashed through Park Jihun’s mind. Honestly, packs of three basic white inner tees could be found on sale for ten thousand won.
No matter how tough it is, does one shirt really equal the value of sixty normal white tees?
While he was thinking that, a staff member suddenly appeared and began explaining with practiced enthusiasm.
“Haha, sir. This is absolutely not an expensive price. From the look of you, I’m guessing you’re that famous Tamer Hunter. Honestly, a plain white tee? Move even a little vigorously and it’ll tear everywhere. And when taming monsters, you have to fight them even harder than if you were just trying to kill them, right? One shirt is nothing. Even two wouldn’t rip.”
“Uh… yeah…”
Park Jihun sensed an incoming sales pitch and tried to slip away, but the employee was relentless.
“Hunter customers typically go through three or four t-shirts a month. But our Kiri white tees? Completely different. Even hunters who raid gates three times a month have worn our shirts for a full two years! Two years! That’s seventy-two gate runs! A regular shirt would have been destroyed seventy-two times by then. In other words, one of our tees has the value of seventy-two normal—”
“…Oh. It really is good.”
In the end, he couldn’t escape.
“If you like that, sir, how about stepping up to this model? We also have hooded versions! And this one, and that one…”
“O-ohhh!”
He was being enthusiastically sold to, falling into a trance-like state as he kept adding items to his basket.
Meanwhile, while Park Jihun was busy being hypnotized by the sales pitch—
“Hehe, Kar thinks this would look good! And this hat that can cover my ears would be perfect too!”
Shin Jiyeon, Kar, and Briana were leisurely enjoying their shopping in complete relaxation.