“Jeong-ah!”
“Huh?”
“Block off all the windows with the blocks! And don’t come out for anything!”
“D-Dad. Why? Are you going out?”
Yohan pulled out the Heavenly Demon Spear from his hand.
With a metallic click, the blade flashed as Yohan drew it, ready to head out. His children, startled, sprang to their feet.
“Dad, didn’t you hear that noise?”
“It sounds dangerous…”
“Dad, I’m scared!”
Even Sejeong, who was usually fearless, was trembling—maybe she sensed the murderous intent spreading through the howling.
Not even the giant Monsters had released such killing intent.
Of course, as top predators, they probably never needed to, given their massive size. Still, this thing was definitely dangerous.
The children wanted to stop their Dad from going out, but—
“I’m not fighting. I’m just scouting. We need to know what we’re dealing with to prepare.”
“Really?”
“You think I’m crazy? I’m not going to get myself killed for nothing. I’m just checking it out, just in case. I’ll be careful, so all of you stay here and keep quiet.”
With that, Yohan left his seat.
They continued to watch him anxiously, but knowing how stubborn he was, they couldn’t stop him once he’d made up his mind.
And what Yohan said wasn’t entirely wrong.
Even with the blocks, they needed to confirm if they’d really be enough.
After Yohan left the café, Jeonghu looked at Seoyoung with a tense expression and spoke.
“Just in case, I’ll go to the second floor and support Dad from a distance. You stay here and guard this spot.”
“Will you be alright? The door on the second floor—is it open?”
“Yeah, I checked earlier. The door’s open and nobody’s up there. Just like down here. Anyway, it doesn’t hurt to be careful. I have to watch Dad’s back—what if a Monster attacks from behind?”
“Okay. Be careful, oppa.”
“What’s there for me to be careful about?”
Jeonghu smacked his lips as he said that.
Why did the last game I played have to be Battle Survival?
Sure, it’s come in handy, but without a gun, I can’t do anything.
That’s why Dad always has to go out and put himself at risk.
Even after serving in the Army, I’m still relying on Dad. It doesn’t feel great.
While the children busied themselves in their own ways, Yohan was carefully making his way toward where the howling came from—the place where the murderous aura still seeped out.
‘If only I had something like Stealth Technique or Footwork Art…’
The sound of branches and leaves crunching under his feet grated on his nerves.
Come to think of it, autumn had passed and winter was already approaching.
‘My wife used to love the rustling sound of the fallen leaves covering the ground…’
Yohan was lost in thought for a moment.
Kang!
Awooooo…
At the sound, he held his breath.
At least two.
There were two in the mountain.
No wonder the killing intent felt so sharp—it wasn’t just one source, but several as he got closer.
‘What’s going on here? Did someone, thinking the mountain was safe like us, run into a Monster?’
Thinking all sorts of things, he crept toward the source of the murderous aura.
The closer he got, the more the Heavenly Demon Divine Art warned him of danger.
“…!”
And then he saw them.
The owners of that killing intent.
They weren’t as huge as the giant Monsters, but even at a glance, these Monsters looked at least three or four meters tall, showing off their intimidating presence.
Bigger and bulkier than an orc, with steel-like muscles, and a snout like an alligator—only the fangs were even longer and sharper than a crocodile’s. It sent a chill down his spine.
Clearly, this wasn’t an ordinary creature.
That thing was staring intently at something, on full alert.
But something seemed odd.
Even a Monster so threatening that Yohan wouldn’t dare mess with it was wary of…?
‘…A dog?’
It was a dog.
‘No, a wolf.’
No, it looked too big for a dog.
Either way, it was much smaller than the Monster, and it just stood there, ears perked up and panting innocently, looking harmless. Why was the Monster so wary?
Thinking about it, another oddity came to mind.
Whether it was a dog or a wolf, it was strange to see such a large animal wandering around a mountain like this.
There shouldn’t be any predators like wolves roaming the hills of Korea.
In fact, aside from the Half-moon Bear in Jirisan, there are no dangerous wild beasts in the country.
‘So it’s a dog after all?’
Yohan shook his head.
‘No Monster would be wary of a regular dog.’
Which led to only one conclusion: that dog-like creature was also a Monster released from the Spaceship.
No sooner had he reached that conclusion—
Uwooooo!
Grrr, bark! Bark!
The two Monsters collided.
The Alligator-Tooth Monster made the first move.
The Alligator-Tooth lunged at the Dog Monster, swinging its massive arm, but the dog leaped nimbly into the air, dodging the attack and opening its jaws.
Fwoooosh!
“…!”
Yohan was startled out of his wits.
He’d assumed the Alligator-Tooth would win by sheer size, but the Dog had a trump card.
Who would’ve thought it could shoot a laser from its mouth!
Uwooooo!
And the laser was powerful enough to pierce the Alligator-Tooth’s steel-thick hide.
Even as it roared in pain, the Alligator-Tooth grabbed the dog’s leg and swung it hard.
The dog spun wildly through the air, crashing through trees and flying onward.
And it was coming—right toward Yohan.
‘Why me, of all places…!’
By the time Yohan tried to turn and flee, it was already too late.
Crash! Crack!
The tree right next to where Yohan was hiding shattered, and the dog crashed to the ground.
“Urgh…!”
Afraid he’d be discovered and killed, Yohan froze, unable to move, and ended up pinned beneath the fallen tree.
It was a thick tree, so the shock of being pinned was no joke.
Groaning in pain, Yohan clenched his teeth to avoid making any noise.
Maybe being pinned was actually better than running away—since the tree now perfectly concealed him.
Whimper… whine.
Meanwhile, the dog that had rolled across the ground struggled to its feet.
Up close, its head was even bigger than Yohan’s, and it kept whining in pain.
But it didn’t seem to have any visible injuries.
Maybe it had broken a bone? Just as Yohan wondered, he noticed something odd.
The dog’s body looked strange.
‘Its belly is swollen.’
As someone who’d raised dogs, he knew—when a dog gets fat, its ribs and frame spread out.
But this one wasn’t like that.
Its belly was abnormally distended, bulging out to the sides rather than up or down.
Yohan realized at once.
That was a female.
And not just any female—a pregnant one.
Judging by the way its belly rippled, it was close to giving birth.
‘Wow…’
It was unexpected.
‘Even a Monster sent here to kill people can get pregnant and raise young?’
He’d thought these things were just Chimeras created by science on the Spaceship.
Uwooooo!
Meanwhile, the Alligator-Tooth Monster charged at the struggling dog with terrifying force.
The dog, limping, fired another laser.
But the laser couldn’t bend, and the Alligator-Tooth simply leaped over it, making it useless.
Falling from midair, the Alligator-Tooth raised both hands high and brought them down in a hammering blow.
The dog dodged, leaping backward.
‘…?’
Yohan noticed blood and amniotic fluid dripping from the dog’s hindquarters as it jumped.
It must be hemorrhaging from the earlier impact.
At this rate, there was no avoiding it—the dog would have to give birth.
And even if it did, there was no guarantee the pups would survive in this dangerous situation.
As Yohan felt a strange mix of emotions, the Monsters’ battle raged back and forth.
But unlike the unscathed Alligator-Tooth, the dog was clearly weakening.
Not only was it bleeding, but being pregnant meant it had little stamina.
Gradually, it began failing to dodge the Alligator-Tooth’s attacks, getting hit once, then twice.
Maybe realizing it couldn’t go on like this, the dog braced itself after being knocked back.
At that moment, its stance looked almost desperate.
Fwoooooooosh!
A laser far stronger than before burst forth.
If that hit, it would easily obliterate a part of the body.
Kwoar!
Startled by the powerful blast, the Alligator-Tooth tried to leap away.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out from the distance.
Ting!
The single bullet couldn’t pierce the Monster’s hide, but it did immobilize it for a split second—a mere instant.
Because of that, the Alligator-Tooth, though not hit directly by the laser, lost its right leg.
Uwoooooo!
Howling in pain from the lost limb, the Alligator-Tooth turned its gaze toward the source of the bullet.
‘Why did you have to get involved!’
Yohan’s face turned pale.
The shot had come from the café.
Through the large window in the second-floor lounge, Jeonghu could be seen aiming his gun.
The Alligator-Tooth turned its body toward the café.
Amazingly, even on one leg, it managed to stand and then charged straight at the café.
“…..”
Yohan instantly took a deep breath and forced himself up.
He easily lifted the tree that had been pinning him and tossed it aside, then dashed at the Alligator-Tooth.
He drew the true form of the Heavenly Demon Spear, which he had hidden away.
Shrrk!
With the blade gleaming as it extended, Yohan gathered all his internal energy into his grip, arms, and shoulders.
He thrust the spear straight at the Monster’s crown.
“Yaaah!”
Crunch!
But the result was disappointing.
The razor-sharp blade only sank in about a finger’s length.
…Krr?
The Alligator-Tooth made a puzzled noise.
“Damn it.”
Yohan despaired.
Fwoosh!
Just then, a thin laser shot from behind, slicing toward the Alligator-Tooth.
Though only as thick as a finger, it was more powerful than Yohan’s full-force strike with the Heavenly Demon Spear, piercing straight through the Monster’s chest.
Kroar!
“Take this!”
Even as blood spurted from its chest like a fountain, the Alligator-Tooth refused to die. Yohan gritted his teeth and began pounding its head with his fist.
Bang! Bang!
The sound of his fist striking the skull rang out loudly.
Even the hardest stones would shatter from Yohan’s blows.
No matter how much of a steel juggernaut the Alligator-Tooth Monster was, it couldn’t last forever.
Cracks began to form, starting from where the Heavenly Demon Spear was lodged.
Aiming at the now-softening head, Yohan gathered every last bit of internal energy and struck down with all his might.
At the skull?
No—straight at the Heavenly Demon Spear!
Bang!
Crack!
Like a nail being driven into a wall, the Heavenly Demon Spear sank deep into the Monster’s head.
Thud!
At last, the Alligator-Tooth dropped to its knees, then collapsed to the ground.
“Whew…”
Yohan let out a sigh as he confirmed the Monster’s death, but then his expression hardened as he glanced to the side.
He had killed the Alligator-Tooth, but another Monster still remained.
Turning his gaze, he saw the other creature, white fur billowing, staring at him.
Under that piercingly cold gaze, Yohan unconsciously swallowed hard.