Punish the Bad Uncle!
"Civilians, please evacuate this way! And hunters, we ask for your cooperation in this emergency!"
"Chairman’s orders. Don't hold back your firepower in suppressing the gate break."
"Seogang prioritizes the safety of VIPs."
The Hunter Management Bureau folks were busy in their own way, as were the sunglass-wearing uncles and the people wielding shiny weapons—they all moved with purpose.
—Boom!
"Chorok! If you're fighting, we'll cover you from nearby!"
"Yep! Thanks!"
Seo-ah and her grandpa followed the sunglass uncles to safety, while Seonhwa unni blocked the creepy pterodactyls swooping at me with her whipping punches and kicks.
—██████!
In the midst of it, one of those creepy pterodactyls let out a deafening skreeee, stirring up a sonic blast that hurt my ears.
The solid wall crumbled like cornstalks under the assault, kicking up clouds of dust that had me coughing uncontrollably.
Luckily, Kkumteuli snapped away the falling debris, so I wasn't in any real danger.
"I still can't forgive you! You made me cough a little. Total nuisance! Kkumteuli, punish it!"
—Whoosh!
Kkumteuli's vines shot out at blinding speed toward the pterodactyl trying for another skreeee.
—███!?
It couldn't unleash its second blast—instead, it choked and flopped over dead on the spot.
"The enemy uses sonic magic! Everyone, be careful!"
Then a hunter's voice rang out from afar. So that skreeee was magic? Monsters can use magic too?
"Magic's supposed to be cool and flashy with whooshes and booms. I don't count that ear-piercing screech as magic! Deobseok-i!"
—Grrr...!
Deobseok-i, still grumpy after finishing off that pterodactyl chicken buffet earlier, was fuming.
—████!
It charged straight at the swarm of creepy pterodactyls jingling through the air, unleashing plant punches left and right and kicking off another boneless chicken feast.
I mean, I was pissed too. This weird foreign uncle suddenly starts blabbering nonsense, and now everything's a mess.
This is straight-up public nuisance. And that gate turned all red like ramen broth—there's gotta be fat sis inside...
Plant Empathy Lv.03 has been activated.
"Huh...? What...?"
A faint voice trickled into my head. But unlike with Kkumteuli or Deobseok-i, it was hard to make out.
"Help... Save me...? You're asking for help? To be saved?"
I had to really focus just to catch it. But I remember this voice. I heard it in my dream. It sounded just like fat sis.
—█████!
"Eek! Shut up! I can't hear!"
They kept pouring out like a swarm of bees—when would it end?
The other hunters, Management Bureau people, Seonhwa unni, Deobseok-i, Kkumteuli—we were turning them all into half-and-half chicken with total fire, but more kept popping out.
"This won't do! Seonhwa unni, like with that emergency gate, I'm gonna grow Deobseok-i a bit!"
"Indeed... This is exactly when we need that power."
This wasn't cutting it. Other people might get a little scared, but I had to clear out these creepy pterodactyls all the way to the gate.
I could still hear it faintly in my head—that thin voice sounding so heartbreakingly sad. I couldn't just ignore it.
Fat sis, who I was gonna welcome as a new friend. This chaotic mess. If I could sort it out, wouldn't that be best?
"Deobseok-i! Grow just a little! Not full mega-size! Just big enough to show off your power!"
—Keeek!
Plant Empathy Lv.03 proficiency has greatly increased.
Deobseok-i heard me and bulked up whoosh-whoosh, about half the size I'd seen in the city—bus-sized, roughly.
"What? A new monster type?"
"Everyone, stay alert! Monster herd incoming!"
"Damn...! What the hell is that?! Just looking makes me dizzy!"
The hunters up front spotted Deobseok-i and freaked. Gotta clear this misunderstanding!
"Don't worry! It's my friend! So everyone, get outta the way!"
"Hunter Management Bureau! You're safe! That's a summon! Clear the path!"
Thank goodness Seonhwa helped back me up—they all got the hint and cleared out of Deobseok-i's charge path.
"Go get 'em, Deobseok-i! Your turn! My turn! Body slam!"
Not quite a body slam, but Deobseok-i barreled into the pterodactyl whirlwind with its massive body!
That alone smashed a bunch with keeeks, sending them crashing down... but...
—Hiss!
The real deal's this! Puffy puffy grow-grow sleep gas—been a while. Time to put it to good use.
—███!?
Sweet, sugary puffy gas billowed out, and the creepy pterodactyls panicked before stumbling dizzily toward Deobseok-i.
Creepy bugs or creepy pterodactyls, all the same. Dumb as bricks—one whiff and snip-snip!
—Crunch!
See? Straight into the boneless chicken nom-nom buffet. They all swarm right into Deobseok-i's mouth like total idiots, serving themselves up.
"My god..."
"A summon like that exists?"
"More monstrous than the monsters..."
"Wait, I inhaled a bit of that smoke... Dizzy... Urp..."
The surrounding hunters gawked in disbelief as the bright red ramen-broth gate entrance finally cleared.
"Snap to it and suppress the gate break!"
"Yes, sir!"
The lead hunter's shout got everyone focused, and they charged the gate.
Is it over? Will the gate calm down now so I can meet fat sis?
"Ia! Ia! Nyarlathotep! Ia! Ia! Nyarlathotep! Shamash shamesh Shan Shaggai...!"
Just as I started to relax, a creepy voice buzzed unpleasantly in my head like nails on chalkboard.
—████!
A bug head poked out from the gate. Way grosser than that fly from before—huge ugly head like a total reject, with massive bug eyes.
It flicked three slimy mouths and shook its head, making some kinda noise.
"Urgh...!"
"What the hell is that sound... Gah!"
"Aaaah!"
People charging the gate dropped like flies. What's wrong with everyone?
"Chorok...! Urgh...!"
Even Seonhwa unni nearby was affected. What do I do? They all look like they're suffering, just like at the training center.
—████!
The bug head slithered back inside the gate. That weird foreign uncle's gotta be behind this. No doubt!
"Chorok...? No way, right...? You can't."
As I stepped toward the gate, Seonhwa struggled to rise and stop me.
She's trying to hold me back, yeah? I know it's dangerous—even for me. But everyone's down—who's gonna fix this?
"I'll be right back. I won't get hurt. Promise."
Seems like I'm the only one fine right now. Building's trashed, people collapsed, and...
It hurts. Help me. Mother. Save me...
It's calling me from in there. This time, I wanna handle it somehow.
—What a handful you are...
The voice from that dream on the plane kept echoing, making me even more determined.
"If I get hurt, then you can punish me, Seonhwa unni. I'll definitely come back."
"Chorok...!"
So I'm going. This is what I wanna do!
I'll give that weird foreign uncle inside a proper thrashing, and save fat sis too!
Inside the gate. The familiar scene unfolded again.
Dunno why, but every gate I hit feels all Egypt-y. Weird, right?
But this one's different. Bigger than all the previous gates combined—and it's indoors.
And...
—██████!
Those creepy pterodactyls from before swirled in a vortex at the center.
What's got them spinning like that?
"Strange. Most peculiar. You should be kneeling before the great one's power... How did a mere fledgling enter? Thanks to that grotesque summon, perhaps?"
Look closely—that weird foreign uncle whose head melted earlier floated at the vortex's heart.
"I'm not a fledgling!"
Gotta say it loud and proud! I'm an adult! Twenty years old! Who you callin' tiny?!
"Nonsense...! What the hell are you?!"
"I'm Yeon Chorok! A-rank hunter! And totally cool confirmed hidden class!"
"A-rank...? Hahaha! Ridiculous. A mere A-rank defying the great prophecy of Outer God...? Shantak! Kill that thing...!"
—████!
The creepy pterodactyls buzzing around the uncle surged like a wave.
"Deobseok-i. Kkumteuli. No holding back—show 'em everything! We can go wild in here!"
Space is huge, no bystanders. Time to give that shady uncle what he deserves!
—Keeeeek!
Deobseok-i went full mega-size first, bulldozing the incoming pterodactyls!
—Whoosh!
Kkumteuli's vines exploited the gap, clanging into a cage that bundled the trapped pterodactyls into bossam lumps and slammed them to the floor!
"Deobseok-i! Fire the puffy grow-grow gas!"
—Hiss!
The rest of the diving pterodactyls got snip-snipped at once, drawn into Deobseok-i's mouth by the sleepy gas.
—Crunch!
Deobseok-i's really chowing down today. If those count as chickens, how many's that?
Anyway, belly full for a while—awesome!
"Th-this...! The prophecy said nothing of this! What are you...!"
The uncle still hovering looked panicked. How's he even flying? Wanna learn that. He'd be creepy, but it'd look cool on me.
"Told ya—totally cool confirmed hunter!"
"Shut up...! That's not what I mean! That aura... It's clearly the great one's power!"
"Huh? You wanna know? Or is it rhetoric? Tons of guys like you on HighSchoolGal. Anyway, dunno!"
What kinda question is that? Great one who? No clue. This is me and my pals' power.
"Insolent fool! Per the great chaos prophecy, I've already got what I want... So as a special treat, behold! My incomplete summoning ritual!"
Green light seeped into the floating uncle—from somewhere invisible beyond.
It hurts... Help me...! Mother...!
What? I heard that clearly. That shady uncle's making her say that?
"Shamash shamesh Shan Shaggai...!"
"Eee! It was all you! Why're you hurting fat sis?!"
I'm really mad now! That uncle's making fat sis suffer!
"It's over... Descend here! Heed my call! Insect from ███!"
—Crack!
"Gack...! No. Something's wrong? Urk...? Gah...! Nooooo!"
Suddenly the uncle choked like a fishbone in his throat, then turned into a squishy clay ball.
What? Why's he like that?
—Crunch!
"Eek! That creepy bug head from before!"
Like bursting from a cocoon, the bug head tore through the ball and emerged.
But just the head. Uncle said something went wrong...
—████!
"That gross bug head's super weird!"
Three tongues flicking. Fly-buzz noise. Head floating solo.
Emitting weird sound waves—loud and gross.
Why's every dungeon I enter crawling with creepy things? I want adventure vibes, not gross monsters!
"Deobseok-i, Kkumteuli! End it now! No more mercy!"
—Whoosh!
Kkumteuli's vines lashed out in every direction first. Then, like with the pterodactyls, they wrapped it tight—grandma bossam style!
But different this time...
—██!?
Snap! Thorns sprouted from the vines, riddling the bug head with holes!
—Thud!
The bug head panicked and plummeted. Drill was cool last time, but this is cooler!
—Keeek!
Deobseok-i took the baton next! Perfect combo—they charged tag-team, baring its signature second mouth.
—██! ████!
The bug head thrashed, blasting more sound waves, but Deobseok-i ignored and...
—Crunch!
One bite! Dunno if bug head tastes good, but Deobseok-i munched happily.
The First Seed failed to devour the insect from ███.
Reason: Incomplete Summon
Huh? Something happened again? But failure this time... Kinda disappointing.
Still... Got what I wanted—awesome!
"Fat sis! Hold on!"
I dashed off with Deobseok-i and Kkumteuli toward the gate's end.
...
"...Found you. Hng...!"
Moments later, at the massive gate's depths, I met fat sis.
This place is looong. Tiring. But I had to come.
Mother...
She's still calling.
Just like in the mirror—bound tight, searching for me. Looks pained. Gotta save her now.
"Saving you right now! Fat sis!"
Plant Growth Lv.EX has been activated.
I pressed the green energy blooming from my hand to fat sis's face.
—Crack! Zap!
Everything binding her shattered at once, and she toppled toward me.
"Whoa!? Heavy!"
I sank into her super soft, fluffy skin for a moment. Then the freed fat sis...
"Mother...?"
Her eyes snapped open.