The Werewolf Crashes the Show
The boss's plan itself was simple. I would barge onto the stage that the magical girl Fresh Grape had set up. I'd knock down every last bastard acting as her enemy—including Fresh Grape herself. Then, at the critical moment, ta-da! Magical girl Double Melon would burst in, defeat the evil werewolf, and rescue Fresh Grape. Show over. At least, that was the scene the crowd gathered to watch the performance would get to see.
‘Those bastards openly lured us out. After hunting the undead to shut down Double Melon's activities, they trotted out a magical girl named Fresh Grape who reeked of a cheap knockoff. But it wasn't created with the same purpose as ours. This isn't an attempt to steal the project.’
Far in the distance, a park stood right in the middle of the city. People were already pouring in.
‘This is a provocation aimed at me. A challenge. I could ignore it, but they know that would scratch my honor and pride. They're daring me to come ruin their show, openly performing while taunting me to stop them. They've even been hinting at the time and place of the next performance. All while carefully scaling up the production so I couldn't easily appear on stage. Fresh Grape's shows always happen during the day—the one time when neither I nor any of Bloodycore's clan members can move freely.’
It was currently two in the afternoon. Peak sunlight hours. Even with the cool breeze, the high temperature pressed against my skin.
‘Among the people under me, someone who can move during the day, understands the situation in this world, and possesses real power. Yeah… it's you, Rin. By process of elimination, you're the only one. They're luring you out. On our side, you're the only one who can act right now. But because they've drawn such a large crowd, you can't carelessly transform into a werewolf. They're forcing you to fight in human form.’
I set the bag I'd prepared in advance on the ground and opened it, taking out the contents one by one.
‘To them, the magical girl Fresh Grape is nothing more than a sideshow meant to draw you out. They don't need to think beyond that. So the moment you arrive, they'll reveal their true colors. They can even paint a picture where the magical girl joins forces with her enemies to drive out the outsider. That said, they won't be able to use guns. Too many spectators. If any of them get hurt, it'll be a disaster.’
Four pairs of enormous black shoes shaped like animal paws—far too big to belong to any human. Equally oversized pants. And a huge pair of glasses.
‘At most, they want to keep it as a brawl that ends with them subduing some show-crasher. There are too many eyes watching. No matter how reckless they are, they won't reveal more of their identity than necessary. After all, they're still people of this world. They're bound by the same shackles they've placed on you.’
“Huuu…”
I steadied my breathing and transformed into my werewolf form.
‘It's obvious what they're trying to lead me into. A sloppy plan, right? You think it's not a trap? Heh. It's fine. You can trust this. The information came from a reliable source. They have their reasons. Here, take these. You'll need them to start the show. No matter how much they've rigged it so people think you're a fake monster, if they see your real appearance they'll still freak out. So put these on after you transform.’
I slipped on two pairs of the shoes. They fit perfectly, as if measured for me.
‘You're not a cat, Rin. No matter how lightly you hit them, anyone who takes a blow from you in this form will end up a bloody pulp. So wear the shoes to protect your opponents. Hide your claws and soften the impact. Listen carefully. To keep this a show, there can't be any blood.’
With the shoes on my… hands? Paws, I suppose. Anyway, with shoes on my front paws, I swung my arm.
Whoosh—!
The sound of air being sliced was sharp. I rarely stayed in werewolf form, so I wasn't good at controlling my strength. How often did I need to hold back during a fight, anyway? Still, I had to do it now. Enough to knock them down without killing them.
I swung my arm again and again, practicing force control.
‘The pants are more important than the shoes. I've seen quite a few werewolves in my life, but I've never met one with a package as big as yours. Do you know how shocked I was the first time I saw it? Anyway, that's not something you can show in front of people. If you appear like that, this magical girl show will definitely get treated like cheap porn. So put on the pants. To cover up that monstrous thing!’
I followed the boss's advice and pulled on the pants, but my package was simply too large to hide the obvious bulge. Come to think of it, didn't this look even more terrifying? It practically screamed that I was hiding something hideous.
‘Finally, the glasses. There's no prescription, so just wear them. These three items will at least make you seem a little less like a monster. What? What about Double Melon? Don't worry. I've already taken care of that. You just need to play your role faithfully. Still, don't let your guard down. It's a sloppy plan, but they might have a hidden card up their sleeve.’
Last time, my arbitrary actions had ruined everything. This time, if I just followed the boss's orders, it would all work out.
With my paw-like hands made clumsy by the shoes, I somehow managed to put on the glasses. It was time to move.
Yo-un was blended into the crowd exactly as Hwan had instructed. The moment Rin appeared, he was supposed to stab him. He'd disguised himself to hide his presence and had even heavily applied a perfume he never usually wore. As a precaution, he'd also received a knife coated in poison.
‘I really don't want to use something like this.’
He pushed the knife deep into his pocket. Though he had fallen far enough to throw himself into the underworld for money, he was still a martial artist. Using poison was something a true warrior could never do. Above all, he didn't want to commit such an act in front of his beloved younger sister.
“Grape Kick!”
Thwack—!
The organization member kicked by his sister, Yo-wol, went flying through the air. As expected from people who had both trained in martial arts, both the one delivering the blow and the one receiving it made the act look convincingly real.
“Whoa, are they actually hitting each other? Is that okay?”
“What do you mean? When you watch Double Melon's videos, it looks like she's really hitting them too.”
“Oh, I guess so.”
“This is way better, isn't it? I've seen both, and this one feels more realistic.”
Thanks to that, the audience was full of praise. If they were actually getting paid for this show, he figured they must have earned a considerable amount by now.
‘Just endure it a little longer. Close your eyes, finish this one job, and the hardship ends.’
With the massive payment he'd receive, he would return to China. That money would support his sister Yo-wol, who dreamed of becoming an idol in Korea, while he planned to open his own dojo.
‘So just this once.’
The thought of having to kill someone for money weighed on him, but they were people of this world anyway, weren't they? They lived by committing all sorts of dirty crimes and harming ordinary people. There was no need to feel guilty about killing such bastards.
Yo-un convinced himself of this as he steadied his breathing. Hwan, who had said he would notify him once the execution date was set, had suddenly ordered him yesterday to wait near the stage among the crowd every single time. Though the sudden change in instructions confused him, Hwan hadn't explained the reason.
‘No. I just need to do as I'm told.’
He wasn't joining the Samgunhoe organization. Having been hired simply as a mercenary, he only needed to carry out his assigned task.
With that thought, Yo-un furrowed his brow and scanned the stage.
‘A werewolf, huh.’
He had never seen one. According to the description, it was a monster that looked like a mix of human and wolf. It supposedly possessed strength that far surpassed humans or vampires. Having once killed a vampire with his bare hands, Yo-un felt more curiosity and competitive spirit than fear.
‘I wonder how strong it is.’
He was smiling faintly while imagining something that could never happen when—
Boom—!
A tremendous roar came from far away. Something huge and black came flying toward the stage. It flew as if launched from a catapult and landed right beside the magical girl Fresh Grape and the organization member who were in the middle of fighting.
Kwaaang—!
A deafening sound rang out as a cloud of dust billowed up. The shockwave from the landing knocked both Fresh Grape and the organization member nearby to the ground.
The cool summer breeze began to clear away the dirt and dust. When the figure revealed in the middle of it came into view, Yo-un was struck with horror.
‘This is a werewolf?!’
It was far larger than he'd imagined. Sharp, fierce eyes that seemed to overwhelm anyone who looked into them. Long fangs like daggers visible between its protruding snout. Though it wore a ridiculous outfit, Yo-un's senses—honed as a martial artist—told him exactly how dangerous this creature was.
The competitive spirit that had burned inside him vanished completely. Fear began to stain his chest. Yet only a very small number of people, including Yo-un, felt it.
“I-it's a werewolf! A werewolf!”
“It's real!”
“Whoa!”
Not screams, but cheers. Not terror, but delight greeted the werewolf's appearance.
Maybe because of the werewolf uproar, the number of spectators was larger than expected. Far more than when Double Melon performed. What had started as cheers quickly turned into disappointed grumbling.
“What the hell? Up close, it's obviously fake.”
“What are those gloves and shoes about? It's not even an amusement park mascot. Seriously.”
“Ugh.”
“Still, the face is pretty well made, right? Looks like a robot.”
The spectators felt that way, but the Samgunhoe organization members who had been acting alongside Fresh Grape seemed tense rather than disappointed.
One man pulled out a tonfa and charged at me. I swung my soft paw toward him.
Boing—!
Not a thwack, but a soft, cushioned sound. The man's body bounced back dramatically and flew away.
“Kraaaagh!”
The man screamed as he slammed into a tree.
Bang—!
When the man went flying, the crowd cheered.
“That looked real!”
“How did they do that?”
At that moment, I spotted someone pulling out a small magic wand hidden in their clothes. Judging from the multiple tattoos on his body, he was clearly a magician. I was about to open my mouth to deal with him before he could activate his spell when I stopped.
The boss had said I mustn't draw blood.
Instead, I sent the doppelganger charging at me flying toward the magician.
“Uwaaaaagh!”
Boing—!
The flying doppelganger collided with the magician, then kept rolling without stopping until both of them tumbled into a distant pond.
Splash—!
Even as they watched their comrades get sent flying, the organization members kept rushing at me. It was broad daylight. There were no vampires. No werewolves either. At most, just doppelgangers and magicians. I didn't know their exact identities, but most of those charging at me were ordinary humans.
Besides, they couldn't use guns, and there were no hostages present to trouble me right now.
I rampaged to my heart's content.
Boing—!
With every strike, one more person went flying. I sent them far away, to places where the spectators wouldn't notice. Things were proceeding even more smoothly than the boss had described.
Eventually, inside the circular stage created by the crowd, only two remained: myself and Fresh Grape.
I stood in front of Fresh Grape, who looked up at me without being able to say a word. Her face looked slightly older than it had in the videos. Still, she definitely appeared younger than Double Melon.
‘You're the villain. Stay true to the role. Corner Fresh Grape, then get eliminated by Double Melon who appears at the perfect moment.’
I couldn't injure her either. But I had to make it look like I was driving her into a corner.
I opened my mouth wide in front of Fresh Grape and roared.
“Kwaaaaaang!”
“H-hiiiik!”
Fresh Grape collapsed on the spot from the threatening sound.
Now all that remained was for Double Melon to appear and defeat me. Once the situation ended, I just had to collect Fresh Grape and withdraw.
Ah! In the distance, I could see Double Melon running this way. For some reason she had bandages wrapped around her stomach, but those enormous breasts that even a bra couldn't restrain were definitely Double Melon's, bouncing wildly as she ran.
Confirming Double Melon's approach, I licked my lips to heighten the atmosphere.
“S-someone… help me…”
Maybe because she knew I was the real thing, Fresh Grape looked around at the spectators with a trembling face and muttered. She looked genuinely terrified. It felt a bit overdone. Still, the moment Double Melon arrived, the mood would completely reverse.
Or so I believed as I waited.
“O… ppa…!”
“Stop right there!”
A man burst out from the crowd and stood in front of me. It happened just before Double Melon could arrive.