The Human Hunter
There were a few vicious boss monsters that were burned into my brain like a brand. Among them, this one was, without a doubt, the worst of the worst.
"Over... here. Over... here."
A tone that was somehow vaguely off. A strange cadence and rhythm. But back then, I didn't have the luxury of noticing such nuances.
"Huh? An NPC? Thank goodness. I should ask where the bonfire is."
That was how I approached it. A moment later, my character was one-shot killed.
[WARNING!]
[WARNING!]
"..."
What kind of game is this? No matter how high-difficulty a souls-like is, isn't it crossing the line to have a monster pop out just because I tried to talk to someone? And a Queen-class at that. It wasn't just a simple monster; it was a full-blown boss that the system kindly flagged with a red warning window. Moreover, it took me two hours just to get back to that spot. It was truly the nightmare of my newbie days. And now, that nightmare had come back to life in reality.
The thing waving its hand in front of me. Its movements were strangely slow and repetitive, like a machine. That was the one. A parasitic lifeform.
"Everyone, get ready to fight!"
"Chanwoo?"
"What do you mean by that all of a sudden?"
"That thing isn't an android. To be precise, it's a Queen-class monster using an android as a shell!"
As soon as I said that,
[WARNING!]
[WARNING!]
A red warning window slashed across my vision, and a health bar and name appeared in my field of view.
The hand gestures stopped, and the voice cut off. Instead, it slowly revealed its true form from beyond the darkness. It had the appearance of an android wearing a bodysuit. But as it drew closer, it was clearly no longer an 'android.' A strange pink glow was blooming from one eye, and half of its face was occupied by black tentacles, with the internal machinery exposed. It looked as if something had invaded from the outside and was gnawing at the existence from within.
Grotesque tentacles, a mixture of flesh and metal, grew in swarms from its shoulders and arms, and even its movements were strangely limp. It looked like it was based on the same model as Revi. But that shouldn't be... no, is it 'possible'?
"...I'm capable."
"Pardon? What did you just say, Chanwoo?"
"Ah, nothing!"
"Anyway, what on earth is that?"
"A monster. A parasitic type, I'd guess."
"Parasitic...?"
"It uses dead androids as hosts to control their bodies. The more androids it hunts and absorbs, the stronger its core becomes."
Back to the point. When it first parasitizes, it's just a Pawn or Rook-class—a crude, stumbling weakling. But after absorbing five or more, it becomes Knight-class. It grows rapidly by devouring combat data and core energy, and once it swallows ten, it becomes uncontrollable. From that point on, the monster transcends specifications. A 'Queen-class' that even the system gives up on judging. A solitary boss capable of sealing off an entire battlefield. And right now, what was in front of us was that Queen-class monster.
"I... am..."
"Hm?"
"Hu... man."
The monster's mouth moved slowly, at an unnatural angle. A parasitic monster that has absorbed memories no longer perceives itself as an android. While it collects data more accurately than anyone, it cannot properly interpret the meaning. Thus, it believes itself to be 'human.' The beings they admire, want to resemble, and fail to understand. Humanity, which was strong, possessed emotions, and enjoyed life. The more memories they eat, the more energy they absorb, the more they deceive themselves. They believe they are no different from them. No, that they *are* human. It was an error created by instinct, and in the end, that distorted belief is what created... this horrific monster right now.
"1...R...4...S."
"That is...?"
"A distress signal. It matches the code we were tracking."
The monster must have absorbed the memories of the android that sent the distress signal. And it used those memories as 'bait' to lure us here. There was never a distress call from the start. This was a thoroughly calculated trap. It had twisted someone's final scream—the signal of the dead—into a mere device to draw in prey.
Perhaps because its ruse had been seen through, the bizarre hand gestures beyond the corner stopped. And the next moment,
"Here... it is!!"
No sooner had it spoken than it lunged toward us as if flying. Its movement was neither human nor android. It was dizzyingly fast, yet its joints, bent at impossible angles, made an unpleasant clattering sound. Its tentacle-laden legs pounded the floor, and its entire body was twisted into a form that was neither machine nor creature. There was no focus in its pink eyes, and its torn lips were curled into an absurd smile. There was no scent of blood, no warning. Only the instinct to 'kill' was flowing from its entire body.
"...!"
My heart sank. But there was no time to hesitate. I reached out to grab my controller before I could even catch my breath. But then,
"Wind speed stabilized. Air density matched. ...Noise coefficient, removed."
A soft light bloomed from Serika's fingertips. A sniper rifle materialized in the air, and she pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Bang!
The gunshot rang out. The monster's head snapped back, losing its center of gravity, and Revi didn't miss the opening. The blade that had plunged deep into its abdomen pierced the monster's organs without hesitation.
"See? You would've been in big trouble if it weren't for me, right?"
"...That is not true. I could have handled it on my own."
The two were still bickering. But even then, their positioning remained precise, and their guns and swords crossed without a single error. Gun and sword. Cold logic and reckless charge. Despite having completely different styles, their synergy was breathtaking. Serika shoots, Revi stabs. When Revi charges, Serika is already preparing the next shot. Watching that scene, I was honestly surprised. To think their movements would be so seamless despite their bickering. Is this the 'chemistry' of combat weapons born to protect humanity?
...No, as a veteran who has played Star's Doll for over 20,000 hours, I can tell you that this level of synergy is truly rare. A compatibility that fits together perfectly. A joint attack as natural as flowing water. A combination that works surprisingly well in combat, despite their personalities being as opposite as a cat and a dog. That was exactly why I couldn't let my guard down.
"Here... it is."
"...What?"
Crunch.
The blade embedded in the monster was sucked inward and vanished. A horrific regeneration, as if melting, as if being swallowed. The monster's body rippled like water, its torn abdomen split open, and something glowing red flashed from within. I had a premonition. 'The real start is now.'
Just as we had shown an amazing joint attack, it was now their turn. The opponent was Queen-class. Everything up until now was just a warm-up.
"Here... it is."
"?!"
"I pierced its core, didn't I?"
"Here... it is!"
Black metal began to churn from the monster's shattered arm as if regenerating. It was a shape that looked like giant wings spreading from its shoulders, like unrefined feathers. Angel wings mixed with blood and machine. There was no light, only a black form that transmitted terror just by existing. That was the start of Phase 2. It meant that the realm of impossibility, where even a 'can-do' guy would have to take a step back, had arrived.
Queen-class Monster - Human Hunter
📍 Danger Level: A+
🎁 Key Features: Parasitic type, High-speed regeneration, Core absorption, Nano-tentacle assassination function
"Revi! Serika! Watch out for those wings!"
"Wings...?"
"Yes! Remember the androids scattered in the hallway? They all had needle-sized holes in their necks. Those were traces of the tentacles from those wings expanding to a nano-scale to pierce the core and drain their memories and energy!"
Serika gasped. Observing the wings through her scope, she shuddered as if horrified.
"...Eek?! That, that was a wing?"
It was terror itself, with hair-thin tentacles moving in swarms. And those tentacles were...
"...They are absorbing my weapon."
The monster was slowly pulling Revi's blade into its arm. As if it had been part of its own body from the beginning.
"Can you summon it again?"
"It is impossible. The link has been completely severed. It might be possible if we defeat it, but..."
When Revi finished speaking, the surroundings went quiet for a moment. Our current strength was one ranged dealer and one disarmed tank. According to the settings of this world, those two alone could never defeat a Queen-class. A gun is, at best, a support tool. Even with firepower, it cannot handle the center of an engagement. A souls-like party without melee is like a chef without a knife. So,
"Finally... it's my turn."
I slowly took out my controller. Meanwhile, Serika looked toward me, narrowing her eyes. Then, she said in a slightly trembling voice,
"Chanwoo...? What... are you trying to do right now?"
Her gaze literally contained 'incomprehension.' "The weapon has already been absorbed by that thing, and that monster... its form has completely changed. In this situation, running away is the right thing to do."
She was still holding her sniper rifle in one hand, but she didn't pull the trigger. It was proof that she had been overwhelmed by the opponent. "Right now, there is no force capable of fighting in the front line. Revi is disarmed, and I only have long-range support. If we collide head-on like this... the survival probability is almost zero!"
But I just smiled at Serika's words and looked back at Revi.
"Revi."
Revi, on the other side of the screen, looked back at me.
"Do you trust me?"
Revi didn't hesitate at those words.
"Of course."
The control mode connected, and my perspective shifted. Serika was still looking at me, seemingly unaware of the situation, but it didn't matter now. This was a game, and I was a veteran who knew the standard tactics of this game better than anyone else.
"If the opponent is stronger than me, running away is useless. Because you'll just get caught."
"...!"
"And if they're weaker? You just take them down. That's all there is to it."
I had no weapon. But it was fine. Just because the weapon was gone didn't mean I couldn't fight. From now on, I just had to hunt it down with my trusty 'fists.'