[Raccoon Man Beginning]
[Raccoon Man Beginning]
Kwakakakakaka!!!
The monster, crushing the asphalt and crashing in with overwhelming mass, took the form of a dragon. Its head was shaped like a drill, perfect for piercing things, and while its body was streamlined, it was covered in spiral protrusions and scales.
"Japan had a Thunder Wolf Dragon, and now America has a Death King Dragon? Did these bastards watch Monster Hunter and get inspired, or what, I!!!!"
With the formula of Mass X Velocity = Destructive Power, a body slam that could only be described as insane flew at me.
I braced myself against the ground and reinforced my Force Field even further to take the hit, but the ground shattered, and my body, having lost its footing, flipped over five or six tanks behind me, causing significant damage right from the start.
"Large! It's an extra-large Enemy Species!"
"Holy shit!!!"
Even though only about half of its body had emerged, it was already nearly 60 meters long. It seemed obvious that it would easily exceed 100 meters once the rest of it came out.
An extra-large size that made you question if it was even sane. Fiercely, the nearby Gaia Force was gathering, and the Force Fusion Phenomenon was occurring so that Force Users could effectively attack it, but it would take at least 10 minutes, or as long as 15 to 20 minutes, for it to be fully realized.
I wouldn't be as worried if it were just this one. From the still-open Dimensional Rift, small and medium-sized Enemy Species began to pop out.
Small, medium, and as for large ones, it seemed like there were none other than this dragon-type Enemy Species, but the sight of the bizarre-looking monsters was enough to make the situation desperate, just like their numbers.
However, there was still a chance of winning. If I hadn't stopped this guy, it would have wiped out all the surrounding troops from the very beginning, but at least because I blocked it, it ended with only the damage of a few tanks. The American Force Users started to take out their weapons and deal with the small and medium-sized Enemy Species.
[Kuwaaaaa!!!]
"Your breath stinks, you bastard! At least chew some Xylitol before coming here!!!"
Kung! Kuung!!!
While throwing a tantrum and thrashing about to crush me, I persistently grabbed the bastard's maw and wouldn't let go. The creature's wide-open mouth was big enough to swallow someone like me whole. No, would it even be a snack for it?
Even a single tooth was the size of my body. Compared to the overturned tank right next to me, this guy's head was two or three times bigger.
"Wh, who are you?"
Now that there was a bit of a standoff, an officer who had some breathing room looked at me and asked. No, I'm holding this guy back, is this really the time to be asking questions?!
"I'm Raccoon Man, I'll handle this extra-large Enemy Species, so don't worry!"
"Raccoon Man?"
I raised my fist and struck it. The heavy fist coming up from under the bastard's chin would definitely land an impact with my ability infused in it. The massive shock, enough to make the bastard's body fold into a U-shape, was enough to make the giant monster recoil and crush the bodies of other Enemy Species behind it.
"Raccoon Man!!! How are you here!"
"Sergeant! Do you know him?"
"Korea's masked superhero! A Master User!"
"A Master User!!"
Since they're hyping me up like that, I might as well dance. You know, they say praise makes even a whale dance.
I threw a few punches and dealt damage to some threatening medium-sized Enemy Species. That extra-large one alone was annoying enough, so let's just help out a little so others can handle the ones below that.
"How did you get here? We didn't hear news of a visit!"
"Smuggled in!"
"No, don't be so proud about it!!!"
What's there to hide? It'll be the same when I go back anyway!
The extra-large Enemy Species, having regained its senses, glared at me with glowing red eyes. I had intended to break at least one jaw with that last punch, but seeing as it was fine, it seemed tougher than I thought.
Furthermore, the feeling of my fist hitting it was strangely different. I hadn't caught many Enemy Species until now, but this one was on a different level. The power the Enemy Species used... was it called Raf Energy? It felt a bit more sticky.
".....I know now isn't the time to be picky! Will you help us?"
"I told you before, didn't I? I'm Raccoon Man, I'll handle this extra-large Enemy Species, so don't worry!"
"Understood! That's reassuring!"
Because he was wearing body armor and was heavily equipped, I couldn't see his face well, but seeing two flower-like insignias on his rank badge, he must be around a Lieutenant Colonel. He seemed to have enough authority to command this scene.
Kung! Kung! Kuuuung!!!
I blocked the head of the extra-large Enemy Species as it rushed at me again. This time, it was a heavy charge with much more force than before. Thanks to its sharp, protruding head like a drill, its piercing power was no joke. If it were a person, its small size would mean the aftermath alone would be enough to tear them to shreds.
The massive body, which shouldn't exist in the natural world, ignored the laws of physics and kept pushing my body backward. As the distance collapsed, the vibration shattered the building's windows, sending shards flying everywhere.
"Be quiet!!!"
Kwaaang!!
Thinking I couldn't just keep blocking like this, I gave up on blocking, jumped onto the monster's head, and struck down hard. The body that had been charging mindlessly stopped in an instant.
I can't miss this opportunity!!!
"Welcome to Earth!!!"
I shouted the line Will Smith used when he was beating up aliens and beat the hell out of it.
Is this Men in Black? No, it's Independence Day!!
Every time I hit it, its head started to get buried into the ground. After hitting, hitting, and hitting it again to the point where it felt excessive, its head was buried about 3 or 4 meters into the ground. It was the exact opposite of someone sticking their face out of a sand beach and taking a sand bath.
And yet, no proper damage was dealt. Was it because even though I used my ability, most of it went in as physical damage?
Hmm.....that's part of it, but there was a feeling that the Raf Energy was canceling out the impact. In the first place, canceling physical attacks is a characteristic of Enemy Species, but this time it was more, how should I put it......conceptual? No, it would take too long to explain in detail.
Kugugugugu!!!
The bastard's hind legs started to struggle. And with its head buried in the ground, it started to dig through the earth like a mole, heading deep inside.
Look at this bastard? Where are you running off to?
I followed the hole the bastard had dug. The sharp head and the spiral protrusions and scales on its body created a drill-like effect, allowing it to move at high speed even while digging through the ground like this.
"Hey? Hey you bastard! Not there! Where are you going, you bastard! Hey! Hey!"
The bastard dug underground and went straight ahead. But in front of this path is Columbia University, where Lee Yoon-yang is.
If it only destroys the building, that would be fortunate. But the path the bastard is taking is underground, and if it's underground, there's a bunker.
It would cause even greater damage than destroying the surface.
"I don't care if other people die or not, but if you make a mess there, she'll die too, you bastard!"
What would I look like if I promised Mr. Lee Gyeong-jin I'd take care of it, only to fail to protect her? Before that, the heart of a father who lost his daughter cannot be replaced even if the sky were torn apart.
I quickly tracked the bastard, but the tunnel it created was unstable, and the vibrations from its movement caused the tunnel to collapse. Even if I ground my way through with my ability, I was slower than the bastard.
One step faster than me catching it, the bastard reached the underground bunker.
Since the Great Depression 20 years ago, people have made preparations against Enemy Species. People who advocate survivalism have many facilities prepared for emergencies, such as setting up separate family bomb shelters.
If it was a facility of a certain size, they built a bunker underground so they could evacuate in case of an emergency. It required a considerable budget and time, but 20 years was enough to make that possible.
The underground bomb shelter, which accepted not only school students but also nearby residents, was revealing its fear through the silence of people who were too scared to say anything.
The sound of shelling from outside, and the screams of monsters. Even though they were underground, the sounds, along with the vibrations they could feel on their skin, gradually created terror.
Furthermore, this Dimensional Rift was one that Alyssa Near had predicted for the first time in years. As the only Precognition Trait holder in the United States, she had predicted that it would be quiet enough for her to forget about it, having only warned of major events before.
The pressure that the level was different from before became fear and gradually encroached upon them.
All they could do was pray that the battle would end as soon as possible.
"Yoon, are you okay? Do you want some water?"
"Ah, I'm fine, Bianca."
Lee Yoon and her bodyguard, Bianca Lowell, were waiting for the battle to end quietly in the bunker, just like everyone else.
She is a Force User, but her job is solely to guard Lee Yoon. She needs to be by her side in case of an emergency.
It's not just about Enemy Species; there might be times when she needs to protect her from citizens who have panicked. So it's better to keep Lee Yoon in her sight as much as possible.
"I wonder if that person from earlier managed to escape safely....."
"That person? The one Mr. Lee Gyeong-jin said he sent?"
"Yeah, that person."
Bianca had been Lee Yoon's bodyguard since she came to the United States to study, so they were now like friends.
"......I'm not sure. His impression didn't look good, so I was going to intervene if things went wrong. Didn't he just leave without doing anything?"
"I refused him on purpose. And besides, isn't Korea also a forecast area? Then it's better to be in a place I can trust."
Anyway, Korea, like New York, has a Dimensional Rift forecast in Seoul. It's better to stay in the United States than to spend time going back to Korea. At least the military power is much higher than Korea's.
But if she had known that a Dimensional Rift would open in Manhattan in that vast New York, she would have evacuated to another area instead. She knew a Dimensional Rift would open, but this was the first time they were opening simultaneously like this.
"It will be fine. Everything will be resolved as time passes, and that person from earlier must have evacuated into the bomb shelter, even if he's not around us."
"You think so?"
Rumble!
A vibration rang out. The vibration that shook the entire bomb shelter made even the quiet chatter go silent.
Other people thought it was a vibration caused by the shelling of the battle, but one person, Bianca, who is a Force User, realized that the vibration was unusual.
The source of the vibration was not moving away, but gradually getting closer. Even though they were underground.
Only after the monster's cry followed the vibration and approached right in front of them did the people realize that something was wrong. But it was too late.
Kwaaaaang!!!
The monster broke through the meter-thick concrete wall like tofu and thrust its maw into the bomb shelter. Because of that, people nearby were injured or lost their lives due to the crumbling wall fragments and the monster's movements.
"Kyaaaaak!!"
"Run! It's entered the bunker!"
"It's a large one! It's huge! Uwaaaaa!!!"
People screamed and moved away from the hole where the monster had thrust its face. However, it gradually squeezed its face in and struggled to kill humans as ordered.
"Bianca!"
"Get back, Yoon! I'll buy some time! Hurry!"
Bianca, a Force User, stepped forward to avoid the monster that was swinging its head threateningly, as the two of them happened to be quite close.
A heavy fist, which would have been enough to smash a passenger car even though she was a woman, was swung. The fist, aimed at the protruding snout of the extra-large Enemy Species, hit with a heavy sound.
"The Force Fusion Phenomenon hasn't......!"
The flow of Gaia Force, visible to a Force User, showed that the monster had not yet fully undergone the Force Fusion Phenomenon.
The reason a Force User can land an effective attack on an Enemy Species is that the Gaia Force in the body and the Force User's Gaia Force resonate due to the Force Fusion Phenomenon, dealing damage.
If the Force Fusion Phenomenon has not occurred, even a Force User has a hard time dealing proper damage to an Enemy Species.
[Kyaaaa!!]
The monster shrieked and swung its head. The agile movement, which didn't suit its giant size, was fast enough that even Bianca couldn't avoid it.
She raised her guard as a last resort, but a heavy impact, like a truck crashing at maximum speed, was applied to her body.
She didn't die, but the right arm she had used to guard was broken, and a few ribs were cracked. That alone was enough to put her in a state of combat incapacity.
"Bianca!!"
Lee Yoon screamed and called her, but Bianca's body rolled on the ground and didn't move. She seemed to be breathing, but it was barely enough to keep her alive.
[Kyaaa, Kaak?!]
The extra-large Enemy Species hesitated as it tried to enter the bomb shelter again. And it started to struggle.
That wasn't a struggle to get inside, but a struggle not to be dragged out. However, as the force applied from behind was even stronger, it was soon dragged out.
From the giant hole the monster had created, only shrieks and voices full of anger could be heard.
Kung!!
Before long, the monster revealed its heinous appearance inside the bomb shelter once again.
Just its neck.
"This bastard is such a pain in the ass. Why are you shortening your own lifespan when you were going to die anyway?"
A man wearing a metallic Raccoon mask walked in from the hole.
The man, who had vented his anger by kicking the monster's neck, which was crushed and severed as if twisted off, looked around.
"Wh, what? Who is it? Is he a Force User?"
"Is there a Force User who wears a mask? Who is it?"
"I know him! That man is Korea's Master User!"
"Ah! Raccoon Man!"
"Raccoon Man?"
Raccoon Man, Choi Ak, looked around and soon found Lee Yoon. She was looking at Bianca's wounds. However, it was difficult to treat her injuries with the medical facilities in the bomb shelter.
Choi Ak walked over to her and spoke.
"Miss, are you hurt?"
"Raccoon Man......? Ah, wait a minute, are you the one from earlier?!"
Although it was the first time she had seen him today, there was no one who wouldn't recognize the clothes of the person she had just met. Even if it was just jeans and a T-shirt with no special features, the people who come to mind when thinking about that attire and first impression are limited.
"What's this, is this miss hurt?"
"Ah, yes.....Bianca was trying to protect me......can you help? I suspect not only fractures but also internal bleeding, so she needs to be treated quickly."
"Well, being a med student, you'd be good at spotting wounds. But I'm busy right now, you know?"
Kurrrrrng!!
Along with a heavy vibration from the surface, the sound of shelling was heard. Along with screams as well.
"Looks like another big one has come over. If I don't stop that now, everyone around here will die."
"But......"
"So, I'll give you this."
Choi Ak took out a spray canister and a cartridge from his waist. It was an emergency medical kit that Sion had packed for him.
As a demonstration, he took an ampoule out of the cartridge. He opened the lid and poured the potion into Bianca's mouth.
After a while, her complexion improved. The fractured parts healed on their own, and the body suspected of internal bleeding was also treated.
"Eh? Eh? Ho, how is this......what kind of medicine is this? How can it have such an effect?!"
"It's not a panacea. It looks like many other people are hurt too. Use that to treat them first. Half a bottle should be enough for most wounds......and this can't do anything about brain injuries. If the bleeding is severe, spray this. Got it?"
"Ah, yes. Yes....."
Lee Yoon received the cartridge with a bewildered expression.
It wouldn't be used even if he took it back anyway, so it's a good thing to use it to save people.
Choi Ak was aware that it was a new drug that couldn't be compared to any modern medicine, but since victims were created because he was acting leisurely, he was willing to bear that much loss. It's annoying if his identity is revealed anyway.
As Choi Ak was about to go back outside through the hole, Lee Yoon grabbed him. When he looked back, asking why, she hesitated for a moment before asking.
"Did my dad really send you?"
Choi Ak could have told the truth, but he decided to provide service for the sake of a smooth family relationship.
No matter how much of an idiot he is, he has that much intuition.
"Why else would I be here?"
Actually, I came to prevent my wife's property loss.