A low growl rumbled.
The sun was blotted out by the head of the towering beast. Hunters who had faced countless powerful monsters all fell silent. Even though they had braved S-rank dungeons, they had hardly ever encountered creatures above S-rank. This monster could not even be compared to the SS-rank beasts that had appeared in Japan.
Next to this white monstrosity, SS-rank monsters felt not just mid-tier but low-tier.
“This is....”
Soone managed to speak, but their faint voice trailed off. The hands of those gripping weapons clenched white-knuckled. The sound of teeth grinding could be heard. The air grew taut with tension as if sharpened to a blade, yet no one dared step forward.
Since awakening, had they ever felt so helpless?
Although only four years had passed since Awakened Hunters first appeared, these hunters had long grown accustod to their own strength. But in an instant, a crushing power overwheld them.
Even if defeated rcilessly by a stronger hunter, one remained human. But this was entirely different. Standing before that great serpent felt like being a worthless mouse at the feet of a dragon. Even if you bared your teeth, you could not scratch its armored scales.
Amid that oppressive atmosphere, Seong Hyunjae glanced at the chat window.
└ “Dodam Dad has evolved!!!!!!!”
└ “The sound of hunters getting wrecked echoes in Dolby Surround”
└ “Wh—what’s happening??? Boss mob appeared?????”
└ “Director Han transford into Han Yujin lololol”
└ “Why are all the hunters freaking out? That monster just looks like a giant cat lol”
└ “Go to another room to see reactions lol they filter anything saying Yujin so everyone’s dying of frustration lol”
└ “Slave channel is the best”
Viewers not sensing the transcendent presence wrote calmly. Delarose. The transcendent in the Japanese dungeon ca to Seong Hyunjae’s mind.
—“...Is that... Dad? Could it really be Dad?”
Gyeol, clinging to Seong Hyunjae’s shoulder, spoke in a hushed voice. Though fairy dragons were immune to others’ attacks, against a transcendent it was different. A being of a higher plane rendered the fairy dragon’s species traits useless.
“Besides Han Yujin, who else might there be?”
Seong Hyunjae slowly unclenched his trembling hand. The power thrumming through him almost made him laugh.
└ “Han Yujin’s stats remain unchanged!!!!!!!!!!!!”
└ “lolololol it’s not a ss, it’s a cat ss lolol?”
└ “Truly a paper tiger”
Alas, this was where it ended. Han Yujin’s stats remained F-rank, and the slave could not attack. Otherwise he would already have made a move.
└ “Director Han says please make us a joint winner.”
└ “Is it necessary to take everyone? I agree with Evelyn’s opinion.”
└ “We can succeed together—combining forces is best, though the trolls are annoying.”
—“Dad, you have to help!”
Gyeol beat at Seong Hyunjae’s shoulder with his forepaws.
—“I can’t speak! You know, over there, you know...”
“I can’t hear you clearly.”
—“Gyeol, I can’t speak anymore...!”
The fairy dragon’s frustration made him tug at Seong Hyunjae’s sleeve. His great golden eyes glistened. He ant to help, but only hindered—and when real help was needed, he was powerless. Seong Hyunjae gently tapped Gyeol’s head as if to comfort him.
“You can still ask for help.”
—“...You will help?”
“Why do you think the villain?”
Despite all this kindness. Feigning regret, Seong Hyunjae picked up a small stone from the flowerbed. With his fingertip, he flicked it. The pebble struck Moon Hyunah’s hand exactly. She started and glanced at him. Their eyes t as Seong Hyunjae gave a playful wink and ford a heart shape with his shoe. He could not point at the monster under information blocking, but Hyunah understood. She recalled a similar aura in the Japanese dungeon—hot pink yarn fending off chains, the Han Yujin who said he was going to the restroom and disappeared.
“There’s no ti!”
Moon Hyunah’s shout made everyone snap to attention.
“The monster isn’t moving yet! It cannot have failed to notice us! There must be so constraint. We must prepare in the anti!”
“Prepare? Wouldn’t it be better to run?”
“Damn it, let the asset owners win amongst themselves!”
So thieves backed away as /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ if to flee. The asset owners’ faces reddened with resentnt. At talk of ending the ga themselves right now, even the police’s resolve turned grim.
Then the slave spoke.
“The slave’s joint victory condition is survival for over one hour after the monster appears.”
His voice was youthful and thin but carried an uncanny weight. Moon Hyunah replied swiftly.
“The outlaws are not the Haeyeon Guildmaster! Yet the Haeyeon Guildmaster has been calm until now—despite not being that kind of person!”
“Gasp! Then the real slave is our Guildmaster? How did this happen!? ...Ugh.”
Kang Soyeong chid in, and Evelyn, who’d kept her distance, stepped back slightly. The hunters’ eyes widened at the slave. Seong Hyunjae smiled and then strode into the center of the plaza.
Whether the slave’s words were truth or deception was unknown. But in this crisis, the status of being the Haeyeon Guildmaster lood large. And if those conditions were true, it made sense that one of the slaves might sacrifice victory, side with Han Yujin, and sow discord—to buy ti until the monster’s appearance.
Seizing the mont of wavering trust:
“Evelyn!”
Moon Hyunah called out. Evelyn blinked at the summons.
“I thought you’d never say that na. Asset owners, bring out your gold coins. Let us employ every officer and thief here.”
They could not succeed alone. They needed as many as possible. Though independent, these were hunters who had fought through dungeons together. Knowing they were disadvantaged in combat, they moved swiftly. Asset owners, sparing only enough gold to avoid elimination, promptly hired thieves and police. Gold coins glittered as they flew through the air. anwhile, Evelyn granted the asset owners permission to enter the plaza.
“Asset owners who can only counterattack, take the rear—slaves move to the front! Act according to your dispositions after being struck! Police, form the front line; thieves, spread out and use stealth to support! Riette, Kang Soyeong!”
“OK, OK~”
At Moon Hyunah’s call, Riette stepped forward and re-rolled into draconic form. Against the pure white monster, the small turtle blocked the plaza entrance. Kang Soyeong leapt onto Riette’s tail, raced along the shell, and in no ti perched on the turtle’s head, brandishing a spear.
“We’re ready!”
“Defense-class hunters, onto the turtle’s back!”
—“It’s a dragon, you know~”
“Asset owners with defense skills, to the rear of the slave!”
The hunters took their positions. Most had never cooperated with other S-ranks before. Yet by virtue of their experience, it was not as awkward as they’d feared. Once battle comnced, chaos might still reign—but for now:
└ “Rare sight: S-ranks cooperating”
└ “Our Hyun-nim is grabbing the collar to ensure joint victory!!”
└ “Sohow it’ll work lololol?”
Preparations complete:
[Asset owners have begun guarding the slave!]
[Ti remaining: 1:00:00]
The ssage window appeared before everyone’s eyes. One hour. If they could hold out, joint victory was possible.
A deep rumble echoed.
In the tense silence, the alabaster monster bared its teeth. Its tail whipped angrily, and light gathered before its maw. A blazing sphere of heat ford and then—
KRAKABOOM!!
It fired at the buildings. Smoke billowed, and the acrid scent of burning rose as one building—half-demolished—collapsed with a thunderous groan. Shards of glass rained down with chaotic clinks and clatters. Even after unleashing an attack that required every ounce of an S-rank hunter’s strength, the monster simply twitched its ears—like it had just sneezed. The hunters swallowed dryly.
“Huh? You’re all here? What is that monster?”
A bright voice cut through. Kang Soyeong, atop Riette’s head, blinked.
“Yerim? Director Song! You two remained behind?”
Park Yerim waved cheerily, and Song Taewon inclined his head in greeting.
—“Kyaaaa! My paw! My palm! No, right now it’s my paw!”
A tree branch jabbed my paw. Rocks and cars prodded it too. It felt like stepping on scattered building blocks. Thankfully Gyeol was with —otherwise all four paws would have bled. Even now I was badly scraped.
Standing tall, I tried to walk on the smoothest ground I could find.
‘My stats are still F-rank, so this huge body is hard to balance...’
A true transcendent Delarose could have crushed cars, trees, even buildings underfoot. But I was only big. Any hunter could knock over with a tap.
‘I can fully transform into Delarose.’
At least outwardly I would appear the transcendent—an overwhelming presence no one would dare challenge.
└ “HJZ what’s this? A demonic beast all along??”
└ “No lolol Dad demon beast is really demon beast? Could be Peace’s real dad”
└ “Han Yujin’s a heroㅠㅜlolol instantly transfordㅋㅋㅋㅋ”
└ “└○┐Unimaginable identity..!!!!”
A low growl rumbled again.
I was speechless. Having checked “OK” on the warning that skill information might be exposed, it seed viewers were watching my Delarose form exactly as I appeared. They might not feel the intimidation, but—
—“Kya‐rurk, krrurk.”
└ “Hey, subtitles are popping up”
It seed my words were appearing as subtitles on the stream.
└ “Anyone understand what’s going on? I don’t, but HJZ do it all”
└ “What, HJZ wasn’t F-rank..?”
[Everyone, this skill is known as Paper Tiger—my current stats remain F-rank! My paws hurt like hell! Oh, and who abandoned a motorcycle here?]
└ “Director Han lolol”
└ “Huge Yujin is super cute!!”
└ “Strong Yujin is wailing”
└ “Giant white cat!!!! Cats will rule the world!!!!!!”
[Not a cat but an extrely dangerous demonic beast. Seriously.]
A transcendent. Yet the chat filled with cats. Delarose was catlike, yes—but it had devoured dragons to ascend! It was no re cat! Even the item’s na was Wildcat.
└ “See, group projects are such a scourge—normal people turn into cats”
└ “Looking to adopt Han Yujin, contact ”
└ “Whoa, in this state can Yujin talk to Peace??? Hurry, find Peace, I need to see Cat-Yujin and Peace owingㅠㅠㅠㅜㅜㅜㅠㅜ”
No—right now I’m growling! I’ve never owed.
[Everyone.]
I spoke to the chat.
[Information blocking does not apply to the slave.]
And Seong Hyunjae still had one chance to speak.
[Please let them know I wish for a joint victory.]
It would have been better if Seong Hyunjae had spoken first and then Gyeol had one chance, but still—no one here would seek to ruin us. We were on the sa ship. Seong Hyunjae knew better than anyone how important hunters’ public image was.
└ “The chat is buzzing lol”
└ “A common enemy helps unite—but S-ranks never need to unite, that was the problem”
Exactly. They could go it alone, with rewards at stake—naturally they’d wonder why cooperate.
└ “But then Director Han can’t win jointly, right?”
└ “At the end he pops back: ‘I was in the restroom~’”
└ “I’m not giving up yet—Han Yujin can do it, protect my ¥100,000!!!”
Hmm, maybe slipping away with ten minutes left... But if a terrifying monster appeared and everyone united while soone tried to scavenge scraps at the last minute... it would provoke backlash. Even if I declared “Actually, it’s !” afterward. I couldn’t spoil it at the end. And I didn’t even know if late entry was permitted.
[Asset owners have begun guarding the slave!]
[Ti remaining: 1:00:00]
The ssage window appeared again. Thankfully they had safely united. With an hour to hold out, occasional threats might help—but my stats...
“Hyung.”
—“...Krrnk?”
Yuhyun’s voice reached —from the opposite side of the plaza, hidden by my body. But where was he?
“Here.”
I felt a hand near my ear. Turning slightly, I saw my younger brother.
—“Kyaung.”
“What are you doing, wandering off by yourself?”
Yuhyun tilted his brow. Then Peace approached, burrowing his head into my side fur.
“The slave-guarding has started, but why are you the only one here?”
My brother complained.
“You said one thing and did another. Should I go block them?”
No—wait. It was frustrating that he couldn’t speak. Luckily, Yuhyun sighed softly instead of heading for the plaza.
“I get what you’re trying to do, but...”
He really was my brother! I instinctively stuck out my tongue to lick him, then stopped. I’m neither cat nor dog.
“I’ll cooperate because you’ve helped .”
Despite misgivings, Yuhyun leaned in toward my mouth.
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