Threat to Daily Life
“That thing—”
The Outer God opened her mouth, then hesitated uncharacteristically for a long moment.
I had a rough idea already. The cosmic devourer of stars who fled in terror just once during her endless wanderings—and that it was now perched atop that red star.
“So, what the hell is that thing? Does it have a name?”
“...That.”
The Outer God lowered her gaze.
“This Lady does not know its name...”
“You don’t know?”
“This Lady has never called it, never faced it. She only knows it exists. The one thing This Lady knows for certain—”
The Outer God pointed at the red dot on my phone screen. Her fingertip trembled faintly.
“For a time, it will do nothing.”
“...Huh?”
“Like a beast nesting in its lair, even by This Lady’s senses, it will be a while before it opens its eyes and stirs again.”
“Cool. Then we deal with it when it wakes up.”
The tension drained from my shoulders.
“Th-that thing is a different breed from This Lady—”
“But you’re pretty lame yourself anyway.”
“Kkh.”
The Outer God shut her mouth, seemingly at a loss. Her duck-bill pout was kinda cute.
That was already a few days ago.
And today.
I was facing off against humanity’s universal, most insidious enemy.
Bzzzzzzzzz—
A piercing whine scraped past my ear, yanking me from the brink of sleep. An obnoxious alarm.
Bzzzzzzzzz—
Right... a mosquito.
I reflexively slapped my cheek to smash it.
Smack—
All I got was stinging pain and crushing disappointment.
I dashed to the light switch, flooding the room with daylight brightness. The damn mosquito had vanished like a ghost.
I scoured every inch—white wallpaper, ceiling corners, desk underside, under the bed—but that vile bloodsucker was nowhere.
As if it were all just auditory hallucinations from sleep deprivation.
I spat curses at the empty air where it might be lurking. Exactly thirty seconds after killing the lights and pulling the covers over my head.
Bzzzzzzzzz—
The whine drilled into my ears again.
I clapped my palms together, swiping at the void.
Clap—
Nothing.
Again.
Clap—
Still nothing.
“...”
By now, I was getting pissed.
My pride was wounded. Acid reflux burned in my throat.
I half-wanted to fire off a novella text to the mosquito.
The Outer God stirred on the sofa at the sound of my mosquito hunt, poking her messy head up.
“What foe do you face, my liege?”
“Mosquito.”
“Mo...squito?”
“Not ramen, so go back to sleep.”
I gathered power at my fingertips. Luckily, nighttime meant mana overflowed.
Nameless star? Nah, too slow for that speedy bastard.
Neutron star? Might blow up the house.
One answer.
Make it impossible to escape.
Yeah, black hole it is. The Association President said he'd cover up all traces of star-summoning anyway, identity intact.
Stellar Script Magic activated.
Target: Supermassive Black Hole (Sagittarius A*)
Drawing in the target's concept.
I pulled only the black hole’s “devours all” concept. Skill level-up made this possible.
A lightless dot formed at my fingertip.
I casually aimed it toward where the mosquito fled.
Air near the window frame warped. Curtain edges stretched taut, sucked toward one point.
“Hey!! Are you insane?!”
Unni burst out from the next room.
“I-is that a black hole?! The house’ll get sucked away!!”
Unni freaked at my mini black hole.
“It’s fine. I’ve got control. No one’s dying anyway.”
“No one? My house is dying!!”
The Outer God nodded proudly at the scene.
“Indeed. Unyielding even against vermin—that resolve is—”
“You shut up too.”
Unni snapped coldly, pinching her forehead.
Anyway, the window ledge held something way too grand for a bug.
Just needed the bastard in range now.
I floated the dark dot by the window, waiting for the mosquito’s return.
Bzzzz—
Meanwhile, same time.
Do Hyunwoo huddled under a streetlamp’s shadow, drenched in cold sweat.
Hunter Police Force, 8 months on the job, B-class Hunter.
In his hand: the case file from two days ago.
‘Chinese armed infiltrators smuggling via port’
The brass said it was above their paygrade—let it slide quietly.
But Do Hyunwoo couldn’t.
His sister, Do Siyeon. She’d vanished two days ago—right at the infiltration timestamp.
Before cop, he was her big brother. Couldn’t sit idle.
So on his off night, he patrolled solo, tracing the perps’ likely path.
Siyeon... where are you.
Not certain perps would show, or if she was even nabbed. Didn’t matter. For her, anything.
Then—
A chill prickled his spine.
No footsteps, no breath—
A man scaled the building wall like a spider.
Worlds apart from the last assassin squad nabbed.
Presence erased, only killing intent honed razor-sharp. A true assassin.
Hyunwoo’s instincts screamed. Beyond his power.
Still, he moved.
“Freeze!! Hunter Police Force!!”
He kicked off the wall, mana-charged fist slamming the man’s back.
Hit.
But—
“...Cough—”
Hyunwoo spat blood.
The man didn’t even turn. Just swung one arm lightly—Hyunwoo flew, smashing into the adjacent wall.
“Guh...”
Ribs cracked. Vision blurred.
The man finally glanced back. Eyes on an annoying fly.
“...You dare.”
Hyunwoo clutched his broken ribs, glaring bloodshot.
“The sister you kidnapped two days ago, Do Siyeon. Where is she.”
The man’s lip twisted.
“Sister? Ah, that ‘cargo’.”
His blood ran cold.
“Wasn’t just blades we smuggled. Whatever. You won’t live to know—you die here.”
The man eyed the lit 4th-floor window.
“The real job’s up there.”
“You bastard!”
“No mess. No traces. While the bitch lets her guard down.”
Hyunwoo didn’t grasp it all.
Just that someone upstairs was the target—and this guy knew Siyeon’s whereabouts.
The man kicked off the wall again. Toward the 4th-floor lit window.
“No...”
Hyunwoo hauled his broken body up. Legs failed. Mana depleted. Still, he crawled. One step.
Mana gone. Still crawled. One step.
If he couldn’t stop it, whoever was up there dies.
And Siyeon’s trail vanishes with this guy forever.
“Please... someone, stop him...”
The man drew his blade at the 4th-floor window. Black edge devoured moonlight.
Shattering glass, he surged inside.
Hyunwoo watched in despair from below.
That assassin—even an S-class Hunter would lose their head.
Now, whoever was in that room—
Bzzzz—
“...Here it comes.”
The mosquito finally buzzed toward the window.
Perfect. Now.
I loosened the darkness at my fingertip just a touch.
That instant.
Crash—
The window exploded.
Something black lunged in, sword in hand.
“Huh?”
Of all the luck.
It barreled straight into the center of my mosquito-trap dark dot.
Schlurp—
The black thing got sucked right in.
“...”
The room fell silent.
Only night breeze whispered through the shattered window.
I stared blankly a moment, then recalled the dark dot.
“...Whoa. Mosquito was huge.”
“...”
“Must’ve been another one. A big fucker.”
The Outer God gaped at me. Unni too.
“...Hey.”
Unni spoke, face pale with shock.
“That... wasn’t a mosquito, I think.”
“Look—”
Unni and I jumped.
A bloodied man dangled from our window frame.
Morning broke.
Last night’s chaos summed up:
The window-dangler was rookie cop Do Hyunwoo. He’d scaled the wall barehanded to stop that “big mosquito”—aka the sword assassin.
Ribs busted, body shredded, yet he clung to our sill.
Unni freaked, dragged him in for first aid.
Me? Lounged in bed spectating. Nothing I could do anyway.
Hyunwoo’s story was tragic once lucid.
Sister Do Siyeon vanished two days back—smack at the Chinese smuggling time. Off-duty, he tracked perps solo, ran into the assassin last night.
Problem: The one guy who knew her whereabouts? Sucked into my black hole.
“...Oh. Just spit him out.”
I flicked my hand; the swordman flopped out half-folded from last night’s dark pocket.
I’d only borrowed the “suck in” concept—no crushing, just stored.
Hyunwoo gawked at the glassy-eyed, barely-breathing killer.
Anyway, live capture secured. Unni handed the unconscious assassin to the Association.
Interrogation on sister or Chinese plot? Their experts’ job. Hyunwoo teared up, bowing nonstop—first time getting thanks like that, felt awkward.
And the Gallery? Bait flying as expected.
“Pfft.”
...That’s my baby. Unni covered, but my brain short-circuited.
I quietly closed the phone.
Same time, top floor of China’s Hunter Management Association.
The president stared at the dead comms terminal in the dim office.
“Wave Two’s gone dark too.”
The aide reported, sweating bullets.
“Songgol. Our top S-class assassination specialist. No capture, no body—just signal cut. Like he never existed.”
Silence blanketed the office.
Wave One armed team: bait. Wave Two Songgol: the real blade. Yet that blade vanished traceless.
The president stayed quiet long, then spoke slowly.
“...Intriguing.”
Cold amusement laced his voice.
“Wave One caught alive. Wave Two denied even death...”
He rose.
“If we can’t have it, we break it. If our power falls short—”
He gazed out the window, toward Korea.
“Then we unleash the final measure.”
The aide blanched.
that? The uncontrollable one—”
The president chuckled low.
“No need for control. Just release it in Korea’s heart.”
He input the command. Seal release code.
Far below, deepest Chinese Hunter Association basement.
Boom—
Boom—!
The massive door, sealed decades in steel and barriers, trembled faintly.
From the crack leaked an indescribable... breath.
Evening now. Unni cooking.
“Whoa, Unni, you’re a pro.”
“Heh. Cooking’s my thing.”
Peaceful dinner as always.
Then.
Ding—
Phone buzzed. Direct Association message. First since going private.
“...Huh?”
I opened it.
Nearly dropped my seaweed.
(Association Priority Emergency) National Disaster in Progress.
Unknown S-class+ Entity Entering Korean Territorial Waters.
Association President Jeong Daehun: We’ve failed your request again—deeply sorry. At this rate, the calamity reaches Seoul before sundown. Could you please help just once more?
I slowly looked out the window.
The sun still hung high noon.