First Hunt 1

Headless, naturally, had no head, so it couldn't see. It sensed its opponents through approaching sounds and smells. Its massive body completely blocked the convenience store entrance.

"Ke ke ke ke ke ke..."

The monster's laughter echoed through the store interior. Headless was waiting for the fog to thicken completely. Its lower body looked pathetically scrawny compared to its bulky upper torso—like one of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠those typical gym bros who only trained their upper body. And that's exactly what I was targeting: its spindly legs, like SpongeBob's matchstick-thin ones.

Huh? Now that I think about it, it kinda looks like SpongeBob.

Roll roll roll roll.

The rum bottle tumbled between its legs. Ting ting ting—crack— It rolled over the sidewalk blocks outside the store, letting out a clear, tinkling sound. Finally, it fell under the curb and shattered.

Only then did SpongeBob back away, shuffling toward the noise. As its bulk retreated from the entrance, the exit cleared.

"That's right, SpongeBob, you fucking bastard."

At the same time, I hurled the fireball from my right hand like a baseball pitch, putting all my strength into it. Even though the fireball expanded in size, it still weighed about as much as a baseball.

Whoosh—

The fireball sliced through the air and slammed dead-center into Headless's chest.

Boom!

The flames erupted on contact with the monster's body. Sparks flew, igniting the rum on the ground.

Whoosh!!!

Explosive flames roared upward.

"Kraaaagh!"

Headless's scream tore through the night sky. I didn't miss the opening and chucked another rum bottle at it.

Crash!

Flames engulfed its body completely. Writhing in agony, it charged toward the road.

"Persistent little shit?"

But this wasn't over. If I didn't finish it off, it'd come crawling back. Even amid the blaze, the monster was still alive. Its muscles kept twitching as they burned.

I need to put it down for good!

I conjured fireballs in both hands and gave chase. In the thick fog, the brightly burning monster was like a lighthouse beacon. I sprinted toward Headless. The flames had disoriented it completely. I lobbed two more fireballs in quick succession.

Boom!! Boom!!!

The fire blazed even fiercer. Finally, the engulfed creature dropped to one knee. I fed it another fireball. Normal mages had mana or some resource drain when firing fireballs, right? But not me—it felt endless. No ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fatigue, just endless fireballs.

Am I... way stronger than I thought?

Eventually, the monster thudded to the ground. It was still burning fiercely, but no room for complacency. I approached carefully, gauging the distance. That's when its flaming fist swung wildly—its last desperate attack.

Thanks to keeping my distance, I dodged easily.

"Grrrrraaah!!"

It had been luring me in. When HP hit 10%, the [Soul Harvest] alert popped up, so I knew its status better than anyone.

"Eat this!"

I slammed two more fireballs into it.

Boom!! Boom!!!

And right as the third one detonated—that was my moment. I launched myself after the flying fireball. The explosion would overload its senses. As the third fireball burst, I drove the screwdriver into where its heart should be.

Squelch!

"Kreeeek!!"

My strength was beyond human limits. The screwdriver pierced the monster's tough muscles. There was initial resistance, then a pop as something burst inside. Dark red fluid sprayed out like a fountain.

I quickly pulled away from its flailing grasp.

"Kraaaagh!"

Headless's burning screams grew weaker as its massive body collapsed forward. Slowly, the flames consumed it, its movements grinding to a halt.

A monster like that? Yeah, worth harvesting the soul.

"Demon Headless, Soul Harvest."

That's when it happened. Headless's body shuddered violently, and a translucent soul rose from its flesh like mist. It floated up, then streaked toward my left hand.

My left wrist burned hot.

Whoosh—

Dark red light seeped under my skin, spreading through my veins like spilled red ink. Then it converged into one spot.

Sizzle—

A small droplet-shaped tattoo etched itself onto my wrist. It started blood-red, then darkened to a coagulated crimson.

"Huh?"

The absorbed Demon Headless soul had embedded as a tiny dot on my left wrist. The harvested soul was stored there as a point.

Soul Harvest was a skill beyond my wildest imagination. Harvested souls became summonable familiars under my will. I tried summoning right away after reading the description.

"Soul Summon: Demon Headless."

Instantly, SpongeBob materialized before my eyes. The thing I'd just risked my life against now stood obediently. Pitch-black like India ink, a shadow so dark it seemed to swallow light entirely. Vantablack or whatever they called it.

The shadowy tank loomed tall.

"Black because it's a soul? Least it looks less gross now."

Without the creepy red-and-blue veins or grotesque details, it was less scary. Just the outline made it even more SpongeBob-like. Demon Headless bowed toward me, awaiting orders.

"From now on, you're SpongeBob."

It bowed deeper. Right on cue, a Mannequin monster clacked toward us—probably targeting me.

"SpongeBob, smash that fucker."

SpongeBob thumped its chest and charged. Crack! The Mannequin's plastic body exploded like fireworks, shattered in one hit.

"Damn, those fists pack a punch."

I was impressed by the raw power. As the Mannequin fell, the status popped up.

"Soul Harvest: Death Mannequin!"

A translucent soul rose from the Death Mannequin's body—this one purely human. It flew to my left hand.

"What... a human soul inside the monster?"

Oh Su-jeong's soul embedded on my left wrist. Flashy process for a simple result.

"Soul Summon: Oh Su-jeong."

A pitch-black feminine shadow formed. Slender, naked body—soft-looking black flesh stood before me.

Gulp.

I swallowed dryly. My [Soul Harvest] skill was straight-up demonic, transcending human limits.

A shadow human...

A chill ran down my spine.

"Give me your orders, Master."

Her voice was clear and melodic. The shadow woman knelt on one knee.

Hard to make out facial features unless you looked close. Even her teeth were black, so opening her mouth was barely visible.

"What can you do?"

"Anything you command, Master."

"Beat SpongeBob."

"Yes!!"

Oh Su-jeong charged with eager bravado, but her run looked precarious from the start. Arms tucked close, shuffling tiny steps on tiptoes. Even as a black shadow, her bouncing breasts and ass were vividly clear with every stride.

"Kyaaah!"

She let out a cute scream as she lunged at SpongeBob. Her tiny fists flailed pathetically—like a girlfriend playfully smacking her boyfriend's chest, pounding its lower abs.

Thud thud. Thud. Pat. Pat. Pat.

It sounded like cotton swabs. SpongeBob didn't budge.

"Ow, it hurts! It hurts!"

Oh Su-jeong shook her fists, pretending to wince. Her face was indistinct, but even in shadow form, her expression scrunched up.

"You! Bad boy!"

She scolded SpongeBob in a pouty, sulky voice. Then she backed up, charged, and tried a jumping kick—but her foot slipped off its body on contact, sending her crashing ass-first to the ground.

"Ow!"

I facepalmed. Zero combat power. No different from a regular woman.

"Stop, Oh Su-jeong."

She got up and approached me. Her feminine outline was sharp—better figure than Han Areum's. Long slender legs, full breasts, slim waist, round hips, all crisply defined even in shadow.

"Sorry, Master. I'm too weak to beat that monster."

Her voice was sweet, like honey dripping.

"What are you good at? Fighting's not your thing."

Oh Su-jeong glided closer, catwalk-model graceful. She stopped in front of me and leaned forward slightly. Her breasts thrust out, jiggling with a boing.

"I have... other talents, Master."

Her voice dropped lower as she slowly knelt before me. Her shadowy hand reached for my thigh.

"Shall I show you?"

Her hand touched my thigh—strangely warm, like real flesh.

"Not now."

I pushed her hand away. She looked disappointed but smiled again.

"Call me anytime, Master. I can provide... very special service."

Her tone dripped with fuck-me sex appeal. Long fingers traced her lips, tongue flicking out teasingly. Shadow form or not, the gesture was crystal clear.

"Got it. Dismiss for now. Soul Return: Oh Su-jeong."

Her shadow dissolved into smoke and returned to my wrist. SpongeBob stood there blankly. I'd seen its power—stronger than me in physical fights.

"What's the difference between T-12 and T-16? SpongeBob was T-12."

The harvest noted T-12 for SpongeBob, T-16 for Oh Su-jeong. Gotta ask Beelzebub later.

"SpongeBob, come here."

The roided-out muscle monster lumbered over. As a demon hunter, I regretted finishing it with fireballs. Time to test my fists' limits.

"Tank this."

A proper punch—foot planted, hips twisting. Wall-piercing power. I threw my strongest straight right.

Bam!!

SpongeBob staggered back but took it without major damage. Wall-piercing or not, it had physical resistance.

"Useful."

SpongeBob bowed in acknowledgment. Until I get better gear, front-line SpongeBob with my fireballs it is.

"Now, let's check that gate. Gangnam department store, right...?"

Was my demon hunter power growing? The fog's range ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠felt farther. Visibility over 5 meters now. Fog wasn't scary anymore. With SpongeBob leading, monsters seemed to scatter.

Roll roll roll. Clack clack clack.

Crawling Heads and Death Mannequins rolled away, dodging SpongeBob. Then—thud thud thud. A bear plush monster lumbered in boldly, like challenging SpongeBob head-on.

Blocking its path.

"What's with that guy?"

Different from the usual(?) bear plush in the fog. Horse-riding stance like in a shonen manga, blocking SpongeBob.

SpongeBob awaited my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠command. The bear assumed some mystery martial arts pose. Then—

"Groooar!!"

Another bear ambushed me from the opposite direction. I'd already sensed it creeping through the fog.

"Distract and flank, huh?"

I easily dodged its sharp claws. Heavy paw grazed my hair. I countered mid-dodge, but it blew past me—not targeting me, but SpongeBob's open back.

SpongeBob blocked the first bear's attack. The flanker smashed its exposed back. SpongeBob wobbled.

"SpongeBob, fight and win!"

My order dropped, and SpongeBob unleashed a flurry of massive fists, batting away the bears' attacks.

Crunch! Crunch!

Two Crawling Heads were biting SpongeBob's ankles. The rolling ghost heads joined the fray.

"Kweeeek!!"

Enraged, SpongeBob swung wildly, hammering the bear plushies. The fog monsters were ganging up on it.

"Why you all so pissed?"

Suddenly, a fart slipped out with a pffft from my ass. Lower belly twinged, dick stirring.

One phenomenon explained it.

"Ah, the Milf Pussy monster's here!"

Even the Milf Pussy slithered toward SpongeBob. I realized the fog beasts were going all-out against it.