[Raccoon Man Beginning]
[Raccoon Man Beginning]
The two who got off at Yeouinaru Station first discussed what they had seen earlier.
To be precise, it wasn't Baek-ri, but only Ruri who saw it. Baek-ri might be superior in physical ability, but that's purely in terms of raw muscle strength; when it comes to the five senses like vision or touch, Ruri is far superior.
Compared to Baek-ri, who awakened as a Force User at most a few months ago, Ruri awakened more than ten years ago, so she is skilled in control and usage.
"......The monster you mentioned earlier. Did you really see it?"
"My eyesight is 6.0 in both eyes, enough to give an eagle a Falcon Punch, so do you think I misread it? And I don't lie about stuff like this."
"A monster came out of the Han River? What is this, an old movie trope?"
"I saw it, anyway, I saw it."
Ruri definitely saw it from the subway. Something with a massive, heavy build swimming near Mapo Bridge.
It wasn't hanging from the bridge like in that old movie, but just the part that was floating above the water while swimming was big enough for one person like Ruri to lie down on.
They say it's the tip of the iceberg, so I can't even imagine how big the real body is.
"There was no Enemy Species alert......"
"Then isn't it an Origin Species?"
"......Is that so? But it's a bit strange. If it were an Origin Species of that size, it would have appeared years ago. Even if I think of it like the Fox Origin Species from last time, it's still a bit weird."
No, considering the case of the Fox Origin Species they met when they went on summer vacation, it was possible.
Until meeting the ATLAS test subjects, the Fox Origin Species also lived without attacking people. Because it knew that attacking would also be a loss for itself.
However, that was largely because it was in a remote mountain area. And it was even more so because the mountain was Private Property purchased by Sion, so no one trespassed recklessly.
This is the Han River. People crossing the bridge into Seoul come and go by the tens of thousands every day, and the same goes for people hanging out at Han River Park.
According to Ruri's testimony, it's a big guy, so no matter how wide the Han River is, there's no way an Origin Species of that size wouldn't be noticed.
"I searched for Han River monster on SNS, and only stories about Director Bong come up."
"That's dangerous....."
An Origin Species that appeared suddenly without any sighting reports. There is a possibility it's a friendly Origin Species that won't attack unless provoked, but they couldn't just leave something that might cause casualties based on such an uncertain assumption.
"......Should we do something?"
"Are you an idiot, Oppa?"
"Ah, why are you cursing?!"
"No, did your hero complex grow after playing Raccoon Man No. 2? Why are we stepping in when we should leave it to the experts? A hero is best when they have nothing to do."
Ruri picked up her phone and called somewhere.
"Who are you calling?"
"Seoul Origin Species Countermeasure Team."
If it were an Enemy Species, maybe, but it's best to leave Origin Species to the experts. When Ruri called the Origin Species Countermeasure Team, it rang a few times and was answered immediately.
[Yes, this is the Seoul Origin Species Countermeasure Team. How can I help you?]
"Hello. We are currently at the Han River, and I think we saw something like an Origin Species."
[.......Where is your exact location right now?]
"Yeouido Han River Park. At the camping site. I saw the Origin Species near Mapo Bridge."
[Is there any possibility you saw it wrong? Like misinterpreting the sunlight reflecting on the waves......]
"I'm a Force User myself, so my eyesight is good. I definitely saw it."
[We will dispatch immediately.]
Compared to Enemy Species, the appearance of an Origin Species is rare, but they will move to handle it just as surely. Because it is directly linked to human lives.
The two, being children of a firefighter, knew that well. Having grown up watching their father respond to calls even if they seemed like prank calls, they looked at the calmly rippling Han River.
The water, which is so deep that the bottom cannot be seen properly, does not show what it is hiding.
"We can leave the rest to the experts. There's no need to suddenly transform into Raccoon Man No. 2."
"......That's true."
"Oppa, you're a good person, but you're too stupid for your own good. When something like this happens, you should call the people who are good at it first, and if that doesn't work, then you make a choice. You're already thinking about solving it yourself just because you got that fancy suit. You should use the people who are paid with taxes to do their jobs."
"Stop hitting me with facts. It hurts."
"So you know it hurts?"
Baek-ri also reflected on himself. Because he had received the Raccoon Man suit and played an active role in the Myeongdong Dimensional Rift incident, he had been intoxicated by society's praise and couldn't see reality properly.
What's needed now is the Origin Species Countermeasure Team, not Raccoon Man No. 2.
.....Kkuek.
"Hm?"
"Uh......?"
A sound reached the ears of those two. A ringing cry. Considering the distance, it was by no means a small sound.
Kkueeeek!
This time it was heard from much closer. It was heard clearly, so not only them but also people playing near the Han River expressed confusion.
"Don't you hear a weird sound? Like a pig being slaughtered."
"Isn't it a frog sound?"
"Do frogs live in the Han River?"
"I saw the other day that otters live there, so..."
"Wow! Really?"
Others brushed it off as nothing special. Unless they were the two who had already seen an Origin Species, normal people fear Enemy Species, not Origin Species. In fact, there were quite a few people who didn't even know about Origin Species.
Moreover, where they are now is the Han River in the middle of the metropolitan area. If a Dimensional Rift alarm had sounded, they would have fled to a nearby shelter without looking back, but vigilance against Origin Species in a normal city center was low.
".....Ruri."
"Oppa, there isn't even a public restroom near here. I don't see any place to hide and transform."
Ruri shook her head. Because this area is a park, there was no place to hide and put on the suit.
Even a public restroom was some distance away from here. It wouldn't take even 5 minutes to run, transform, and come back, but......
"And if we transform here, things get complicated. I made the report, so I left a clue. You should have at least stopped me before I reported it."
"It doesn't matter."
It was the weekend and the weather was nice, so people were enjoying their holiday at the park or the public swimming pool.
If an Origin Species appears here, the casualties will be comparable to an Enemy Species.
"Rather than that, fight with your bare body."
"What?!"
"Anyway, we're both Force Users. We just need to hold out until the Origin Species Countermeasure Team arrives. It'll be 5 to 10 minutes at the longest."
Kkueeeeeek!!
A clearer sound is heard than before. Only then did people start to feel the crisis. Despite the noise created by the crowd, the threatening, unidentified monster's cry was enough to create a sense of alarm even now.
"Uh.....?"
Pu-hwak!!!
Something with a huge build came up from the river to the land. A squelching sound of slimy skin touching the ground was heard.
The appearance of the Origin Species that revealed itself took the form of a giant frog.
If you only looked at its appearance, it had a somewhat cute look. It wasn't the majority, but it was a type of frog Origin Species that some might even consider as a pet.
"Kyaaaaaaah?!"
"It's an Enemy Species!"
"Fuck! The alarm didn't even go off, what is this! Run!"
If only its size didn't exceed 5 meters.
"What kind of frog is that big?!"
"I think it's a bullfrog!"
"Now is not the time to ask about the species!!!"
People fled in a hurry. A frog Origin Species reaching 5 meters was not something a normal person could handle, no matter what.
When it comes to frogs, it's perfectly normal for them to be small enough to fit in your hand no matter how big they are, but this guy reached 3 meters in height from the ground to its head, and its body length was 5 meters. The species, as Ruri said, is a Bullfrog Origin Species.
Regardless of how it got that big, there was the most important problem.
Bullfrogs have a habit of seeing anything smaller than themselves that moves as prey. Even at normal size, they have an appetite that eats small birds or mice.
Now that it's much bigger than a human......
"Uaaaaaah!!!"
It jumped lightly and bit a man who was a dozen meters away, swallowing him whole. Baek-ri and Ruri were both horrified at the sight of it swallowing an adult man in one bite.
Enemy Species kill humans, but they don't eat them. Origin Species also attack humans, but that was mainly closer to anger over territory invasion.
Even looking back at 20 years of history, there were only a few cases of Origin Species that seriously viewed humans as prey.
"Ruri!"
"From today, we are Kamen Riders who are two-in-one! This is lit, so lit!"
"Double? That's Double, right? Anyway, let's go!"
"Let's go with force!"
"First, the person who was eaten!"
Baek-ri and Ruri kicked off the ground and rushed at the guy. They combined the acceleration from running and threw a powerful punch at the nose of the guy who was about to eat another person right next to it.
Tu-woong!!
"What kind of rebound is this?!"
The mucus and thick body unique to amphibians cushioned the impact of the punch. However, they succeeded in diverting its attention, so it turned its head.
Baek-ri threw a punch at the guy's stomach area again, but the hit didn't land. It just bounced off again due to the mucus and elastic body.
"This bastard, attacks aren't working!"
"It must be physical immunity! As a rule, you have to crush guys with physical immunity with elemental attacks!"
"Ah! Does it have that trait?"
"No!"
"Hey!"
They couldn't land a proper hit, but the guy, having its attention fixed on the two who were at least much more threatening than normal people, screamed and shook its body.
Not agile, and because of its body structure, it was hard to turn around, so it kicked the ground vigorously and jumped up.
"Kkueeeeeeeek!!!"
"High?!"
It didn't jump far, it jumped high. The guy, which jumped up about 10 stories of an apartment in one go, fell straight toward the two.
Kwa-ang!!!
Falling from tens of meters in the air with a body that physical attacks don't work on, the shockwave spread in all directions due to its massive weight. Even though it wasn't a direct hit, the two, caught in the shock, stumbled and steadied their bodies that were about to fall.
"What kind of physical attack.....! Because it's a frog, its jumping power is no joke!"
"Don't go head-on! If you do, you'll get hit properly!"
If that much jumping power were directed forward, the impact would be enough to crush a person. Even with a Force User's durability, at best, they might barely withstand it once.
The fortunate thing is that if you are behind its back, there's no need to worry about that. The only thing to be careful of is attacks caused by vertical jumps like just now.
"First, spit out the person you ate, you bastard!"
The goals are two. Holding out until the Origin Species disposal team arrives.
And making it spit out the person it just ate to save them.
"This bastard isn't spitting it out!"
"Good! I'll step up myself!"
Ruri moved quickly and approached the guy's abdomen with a line that sounded like she was about to cut all life in half with a finger snap. She concentrated Gaia Force in her hand and struck it in one go.
Teo-ong!!
A different sound rang out than when Baek-ri hit it. And if it felt like his fist was bouncing off, Ruri's fist felt like it had dug in.
The difference wasn't just in appearance, as the guy let out a painful scream.
"Kya-aek!"
"How did you do that?!"
"My Unique Trait is 'Penetration'!"
"No wonder it hurt when you hit me, even with Force!"
Ruri's Unique Trait is Penetration. Therefore, despite the guy's elastic body, the damage was fully transmitted, and even to the internal organs.
However, it's not a fatal wound. Even though it was an attack that Ruri put a lot of effort into, it was only that much, but the attack that shook the internal organs was enough to make it feel nauseous.
"Kku-eok?! Kku-eo-eo-eok?!"
The guy spat out what it had eaten. Baek-ri and Ruri stepped back and watched it vomit, and among them was the man it had eaten first.
Baek-ri dragged him and stepped back. Since one of the goals was achieved, all that's left is to buy time.
"Ruri! Step back for now!"
".........."
".....Ruri?"
Ruri's gaze was on the vomit the guy had spat out.
Half of it was unrecognizable due to being melted by gastric juices, and half was melting, but among the things that were melting, there was something like a clump of fur.
A slightly long, dead carcass of a weasel-family animal. It doesn't look like just one, but a family with big and small ones mixed together.
Not one, but several. Seeing the appearance that looked like a family, Ruri's eyes went crazy.
"The otters..... died!!!"
There was occasional news that otters had come to live in the Han River due to various release and protection activities. However, I never thought I'd see them like this.
In the nature of survival of the fittest, it's inevitable for animals to be eaten by animals, but seeing the sight of it eating the whole family, anger welled up from deep within her.
"I'm angry, Freezaaaaaa!!!"
"The only thing that matches between a frog and Freeza is one syllable!!!"
Ruri, who was already half-crazy, but now completely lost it, rushed recklessly toward the guy.