Chapter 2. Adaptation In Progress (7)
“He really ate a lot.”
Ogernam had already finished twenty portions without breaking a sweat. And yet his jaws still kept thrusting the meat down nonstop. His chewing speed had slowed quite a bit from the first time, but it was still far faster than an ordinary person’s, with that steady kkeul-kkeul motion of swallowing.
“Here, another ten portions.”
Kang-jun ordered extra and shot Ogernam a disappointed look. He had come because his stomach was empty before fighting, but he never imagined this monster would dump meat straight into its stomach like this.
“You’re not being starved without food from the organization, are you?”
“I was hungry the whole day yesterday. They told me to get food for myself, but I didn’t know what they meant. I learned that I can’t just eat anything off the street.”
Haigo, he really learned a lot. Kang-jun waved his hand, signaling that he could eat as much as he wanted.
“Once you’re done, we fight.”
“Got it, so just hurry up and eat.”
It was true that Ogernam looked pitiful because he ate so poorly. But he challenged them like that, and Kang-jun couldn’t simply ignore him.
Soon ten more portions of samgyeopsal arrived. Kang-jun grilled the meat, and the monster gulped it down straight from the grill.
Ogernam finally finished the additional ten portions and wiped his bulging belly. Kkeuuk. A porky burp scent wafted from his mouth.
Kang-jun paid the bill and stepped out. The owner had even commented that this was the first time he’d seen someone his size eat so much.
Kang-jun left the meat shop and stared up at the pitch-black night sky, exhaling a long breath. The cool air wrapped around his body once.
“Come at me. Quick.”
Ogernam clearly wanted a proper conclusion. He must still be rattled from the earlier beating.
“Follow me.”
Kang-jun gave a nod. Ogernam trailed right behind. Pik. A faint smile escaped him as he thought, This is a ridiculous life—feeding the guy who came to fight, then fighting back. He had gotten so caught up in the eating show that he hadn’t realized he was acting like some kind of clown.
He checked his phone for a nearby school. The only place in the city suitable for a fight was the athletic field. He didn’t want to train somewhere random and get beaten up or lose money. Besides, his pockets had been tight lately.
The two leaped over the school wall into an empty spot. Relying only on the pale moonlight, they faced each other in the deserted field. Ogernam tossed his backpack far away.
“Come on.”
Kang-jun had checked the stats. The monster’s speed stat was the only one that had improved; everything else remained the same. That meant even without a dramatic shift in fighting style, the outcome was obvious. It seemed he only saw the stupid guy’s head as narrow and disadvantageous in confined spaces.
Swish. Ogernam charged like a bull and swung a fist at Kang-jun. But every punch tore through empty air. No matter how hard he swung, he couldn’t touch even a single hair on Kang-jun.
“Th-this, th-this—!”
The monster’s face flushed red. It was like watching a flying squirrel scurry around desperately. Annoyance welled up inside him.
Should I start showing him the difference in strength between upper and lower body?
Honestly, he hadn’t wanted to kill anyone at first. But killing an organization member could cause problems later, and the police would investigate too. Besides, the monster’s tail might be tainted, so the Hero Association could sniff him out. He could probably evade it somehow, but he didn’t like relying on luck. That wasn’t his style.
For now, he’d just beat him up. Since the monster had stronger ogre instincts, once he got a clear upper-body lesson, the guy would naturally submit. Ordinary humans did that. The monster seemed a bit obsessed, but if it knew it couldn’t win, it would probably give up cleanly.
“Don’t just run away—fight you bastard—!”
Angered, the monster shouted that. Kang-jun struck straight at its jaw. Bak. Ogernam staggered. But a normal punch wasn’t enough to bring it down.
Kang-jun dodged and kicked out with his shin, smashing it into the monster’s lower belly. Ogernam backed away several steps. Thick. Heat rose to its head; it panted heavily while glaring around.
“Woooow—!”
Ogernam pounded his own chest with both fists before charging again.
Kang-jun, wanting to see the end soon, didn’t dodge this time. He was ready to send it flying with one blow.
The monster’s eyes widened in shock. It hadn’t even realized he was deliberately not dodging.
Kang-jun slapped the monster’s wrist with his left hand, twisting the punch’s trajectory. Then he confirmed the exposed torso. He clenched his fist. This time it was a fist technique, not a palm. Cracking internal organs here would be hard to clean up later. It was easier to just knock it out in one strike.
Tai Chi Fist Method
Spinning half a circle, he struck powerfully. The fist slammed exactly into Ogernam’s belly. While the Asura Palm Method mixed internal qi manipulation, the Tai Chi Fist Method focused on destructive strikes. It didn’t mean it couldn’t break internals, but that wasn’t the point.
!
Ogernam flew back dozens of meters from the punch and crashed to the ground. Kuk.Week. It vomited up the food it had just eaten. Surprisingly sturdy, it stood up again. It hurt a lot, but since its limbs worked, it could still move somehow.
But when Kang-jun moved quickly and smacked its jaw again, it collapsed and couldn’t get up.
“Ha, ha.”
Ogernam lay flat, panting. Kang-jun stood beside the fallen monster and tapped its crown with his toes while speaking.
“Now you get it. You didn’t lose because you were unlucky.”
Ogernam couldn’t answer. The upper-lower difference was now clear. It must have realized it, because the fiery spirit from earlier had vanished. It was only natural for the weak to squat before the strong.
Ogernam slowly raised its upper body. Sitting with its back bent was a pathetic sight. Kang-jun snorted and spoke quietly.
“Hey, you comfortable?”
“I can sleep anywhere.”
Kang-jun suddenly recalled the past. He too had been beaten by a strong opponent and lay on the ground feeling miserable. Of course it was a distant memory now, but the feeling hadn’t faded.
“Follow me.”
“I lost. I’ll leave.”
Shut up. Stop talking nonsense and follow.
Once Ogernam stood up beside him, the vomitous smell was overwhelming. Aigo. Kang-jun stepped back. Still, it was better than taking the train in this state—something that would have been unavoidable otherwise.
They walked for a while and entered the half-basement room Kang-jun had rented recently. All that was inside were a mat, blanket, extra clothes, and a few plastic bottles scattered around. It was still better than sleeping on the street.
“Go shower.”
Ogernam went to the bathroom and rinsed with a few splashes of water before coming out completely naked. His thick genitals swung heavily.
“Cover yourself, you bastard.”
“I have no clothes. I took them off earlier.”
“I threw them in the washing machine. Just wear panties.”
His body was too big for normal clothes. Tomorrow he’d probably need to buy a few cheap ones. Ogernam sat squatting in the corner wearing only panties.
“Until you adapt, stay here. Of course I won’t treat you for free. I’ll make it a debt for you.”
“…Understood. Boss.”
Boss?
“Since I lost, the boss is the boss.”
He was hearing for the first time that ogres had bosses. Haha, I never bothered studying how they live.
“Do ogres really live like that?”
“That’s right.”
“I thought ogres lived alone in their own territory.”
“I guess, but the boss has a wide territory. You have to submit to the boss there. Ogres live alone, but their territory isn’t.”
Kang-jun finally understood how ogres survived. It was similar to a lord and his knights. Knights each ruled their own villages, but they ultimately belonged to the lord’s territory.
“Whatever. If you think so, I’ll make you my boss.”
Having a stupid but strong subordinate wasn’t bad. If necessary, he could use it as a guard later. Of course it wasn’t useful enough yet, but with growth it could become a decent long-term asset.
Thus Kang-jun gained his first official subordinate. He sent the monster to construction duty to keep it busy. On weekdays he sent it there; on weekends they went to the training ground together. Living expenses rose noticeably, but he earned extra money by working hard at night. Soon he started targeting women who looked rich and had decent stats.
His coworker Lee Hye-ri also seemed interested in Kang-jun, but he was too busy to bother with her. Still, he raised her favorability just enough so he could sleep with her whenever he wanted.
“Kang-jun, look at this.”
“What?”
“Heroes Challenge.”
“Ah… I’ve heard of it.”
Kang-jun knew the show. It was a television program where people who wanted to be heroes gathered and put on various performances. Not something that would make you laugh, but the final prize was registering as a real hero, so the hype was huge. In Earth terms, it was like picking idols.
“Season 3 started yesterday. This time the scale is really big. They’re even saying they’ll go into real dungeons later.”
“Impressive.”
Kang-jun smiled faintly and played along. He had seen it in his third playthrough too—everything was scripted. Heroes once fought with real purpose, but now it felt more like a show. And it wasn’t just about world peace; politics and economics were mixed in. Water gets stagnant when left too long, right?
Other than that, the female worker kept talking about latest news. Kang-jun caught some odd pieces of information. Monsters appearing in certain zones, or dungeon teams vanishing while heading to other dungeons… Since the world was weird, the conversation naturally turned to that, regardless of gender.
At that moment a breaking news alert flashed on the screen. These stores always had the news on. So the moment the alert sounded, everyone’s eyes turned there. Today it was probably to watch innocent victims in some zone. And when they saw the familiar zone number, their eyes widened.
42 Zone, 34-5, multiple monsters appearing.
Kang-jun watched the screen too. Since the cafe was in 33-8, 34-5 wasn’t far. Chaos erupted inside immediately. Customers grabbed their things and rushed to the nearest shelter. The female worker was frantic.
“What do we do?”
“What else? We lock the door and leave too.”
There were already no customers. Kang-jun didn’t know where the emergency key was. Lee Hye-ri went into the staff room and quickly grabbed the emergency key. They locked the cafe door and headed to the shelter.
Many people were already rushing to shelters after hearing the alert. But suddenly those coming toward them turned and fled in the opposite direction.
The two were swept up by the momentum before they knew why. Boom. Alarm bells rang everywhere.
They returned to the front of the cafe. She said the nearest shelter was the way they had fled earlier. Or they should go to 34, but the alert hadn’t appeared there yet.
“But 34 isn’t the one, why are people running?”
“I don’t know either.”
The woman bit her lip hard, saying it was better to go back inside the cafe and wait until the situation calmed.
“Maybe monsters appeared there too, so people fled….”
Kang-jun followed her suggestion. They opened the cafe door again. No one was nearby. They locked the door and went back into the staff room.
Haa, haa. Kang-jun spread mana around while listening to her rough breathing. Eh. There was something strange nearby. A monster. He couldn’t see the exact shape, but the outline was clear. It looked like the alien monster from the movie. It had arms and legs like a human, but a tail as big as its torso. It was probably about twice the size of an adult man.
It’s pretty strong.
Just by mana, it was around level 150. Fighting it would be tough, but… if unlucky, it could kill him. Applying the monsters’ luck stat near zero, its average ability was around 30. The difference was overwhelming.
Ogernam stopped briefly, then headed straight for the cafe. It was coming to check them out. Their presence must have been noticed.
These bastards…
Kwaaang!
It leaped and smashed into the staff room in one breath. Lee Hye-ri was dragged away beyond the broken wall without even screaming. Aaaaah! Her scream tore. Her head was swallowed whole and chewed. One arm twitched and hung limp.
The monster swallowed the female worker whole. Soon a person had been completely transferred into its stomach.
These bastards—!
Kang-jun gritted his teeth and spun mana around. The monster’s head turned toward him.