The Earth Dragon, perhaps enraged by its failed attempt at a feast, opened its mouth wide, spewing out a stench of rot.
All over its body, tentacles writhed like earthworms. It was such a glutton that it mindlessly swept everything nearby into its mouth.
How much space was left in my Inventory? Roughly a dozen people had been stored inside, including that Office Worker guy.
How many could I save?
Ssshhh!
The Earth Dragon’s tentacle shot toward me. Though it looked like a worm, it darted at me like an arrowhead.
I swung my Two-Handed Sword in a wide arc, slicing the tentacle cleanly in two.
Watching the severed tentacle twist on the ground and spew liquid, I couldn’t help but feel a bit satisfied. But the real problem was its main body.
Dodging the Earth Dragon’s lunging jaws, I aimed to slice at its hind legs at the same time.
Or at least, I tried to.
Bang!
With a dull thud, my Two-Handed Sword was knocked aside.
Wham!
The Earth Dragon’s hind leg kicked me, sending me sprawling pathetically across the ground.
Blood spurted from my mouth. Did I break something? The pain was damn unbearable.
Unfortunately, my weapon had no effect. I couldn’t even cut it, let alone deal any damage.
The Earth Dragon scattered more tentacles.
There were easily more than ten.
I braced myself, slashing my sword diagonally.
The severed tentacles squirmed on the ground, gushing fluid like live fish.
The Earth Dragon didn’t so much as blink at the pain, charging at me once more. I had to avoid it.
This time, I didn’t get hit. Sliding across the ground as if tackling it, I slashed at its belly skin—no effect, as expected.
All I did was scrape my legs for nothing.
Damn, that stings.
A few hits had landed, but none were effective.
Time to check my Legendary Skills.
Insight was useless against this one. It would probably just say it’s hungry.
Close Combat only worked on humanoid enemies. Against massive monsters, it was useless.
Phantom Soul let me see attack trajectories, but the Earth Dragon’s attacks weren’t particularly sharp—they were just massive and hard to dodge.
My only offensive skill, Soul Breaker, was pointless here.
This thing didn’t use magic attacks to begin with.
My arsenal consisted of the Tactical Knife Karin bought me, three auto-generated daggers, one Longsword, and one Two-Handed Sword. I couldn’t take down a giant with this paltry kit. And their durability was at its worst.
“Damn it.”
I had no choice but to retreat.
It was humiliating, but with the strength I had, I could only taste helplessness once again.
“Ugh, aaah!”
Suddenly, a scream and frantic bursts of gunfire rang out.
A soldier who hadn’t managed to escape yet. His leg was stuck in a building, and he couldn’t move.
The Earth Dragon’s tentacle, shot by the soldier’s bullets, targeted the immobilized man.
He screamed again, firing his rifle wildly.
Tak-tak. But soon, only the click of an empty magazine echoed as he stared in disbelief.
Slash!
I severed the tentacle holding the soldier all at once. The man, nearly out of his mind, reeked of urine.
Even a soldier would be terrified facing such a Monster.
Without asking for his permission, I stored the man in my Inventory.
Then, dodging another attack from the Earth Dragon, I rolled across the ground.
The choking dust.
I needed to get out. I had to run.
That’s what my instincts screamed.
But I couldn’t just flee from here.
“Kyaaaah!”
“Sa-save me! Please, save…!”
Screams and terror echoed from every direction. Throwing daggers at the Flesh Beetles chasing the fleeing people,
Trying to capture the immobile into my Inventory while fighting off the Flesh Beetles alone was reaching my limit.
Still, if I moved—even once more—at least one more person could be saved.
If I backed down, people would die all the faster. It was as if I was forcing death upon them myself.
My mouth tasted dry.
What a damned meddlesome sense of responsibility. Saving someone when your own life is on the line is, paradoxically, a foolish act.
“Puh.”
I lost track of how many Flesh Beetles I’d killed.
“Puhaha.”
For some reason, I laughed.
I really was a sucker, wasn’t I?
Looking back, maybe this is why I was chosen as a Hero.
I’d fought with my life on the line in a world not my own, bled through brutal training.
And I swore I’d never do it again.
Yet back in the modern world, all I’d wanted was to get stronger, become famous.
“Get out of the way!”
Rip!
“Move! If you don’t want to die, run!”
Thunk!
I swung my sword countless times, lost some teeth, and my Ethere depleted.
Before I knew it, my Inventory was full. Wounds opened up all over my body, and my Power Suit was torn, no longer protecting me.
“Huff, huff.”
My breathing had grown ragged.
Something kept clouding my vision; wiping it with the back of my hand, I saw blood.
Must’ve grazed it on some debris while dodging earlier.
The Earth Dragon wailed, apparently annoyed I was still alive. The sounds of people around me had faded. Maybe this was enough.
The Earth Dragon charged again.
I couldn’t be sure I’d dodge it this time.
My whole body felt heavy.
A quick glance at my status window showed my HP was at zero. No wonder everything hurt so damn much.
I had to run now. But my body felt like a soaked sponge.
Damn, would I really die here playing hero? How absurd.
Summoning all my strength, I dodged the monster’s kick and slashed horizontally with my Two-Handed Sword.
Kraaaah!
For the first time, the Earth Dragon let out a cry of pain.
The broken Two-Handed Sword had lodged itself in its foot.
Come on, that’s like a splinter to a human.
Dropping the shattered sword, I reached into my Inventory for Sword No.1. Just then, a blinding light flashed before my eyes.
Creak!
Something slammed into my side and swept me away.
I felt a long moment of weightlessness before tumbling across the ground.
“Gah!”
A mouthful of blood sprayed onto the ground.
It hurt like hell, but my mind was razor sharp.
To deliver the price for my crazy actions, the Earth Dragon opened its massive jaws toward me.
Hey, isn’t using a breath attack on just one guy cheating? Huh?
KWAANG!
At that moment, an explosion struck the Earth Dragon’s flank. For the first time, it staggered. Gunfire followed, and a firestorm enveloped the monster.
“Hunter! Fall back now! All civilians have been evacuated!”
The amplified voice from the loudspeaker was joined by military reinforcements bombarding the Earth Dragon.
The battered monster slowly raised its head. I felt a sudden unease.
It opened its giant mouth wide and unleashed a wedge-shaped firestorm in all directions.
Whoosh.
Unquenchable flames incinerated everything, and screams of agony rose from every side.
When I slowly opened my eyes, I was surrounded by a sea of fire. The Earth Dragon began to move again.
I couldn’t breathe properly.
As my vision gradually faded, system messages appeared before me.
- You have Leveled Up.
- Porter Lee Hyunbin LV25
- Inventory greatly expanded.
- Porter exclusive skill, Domain Declaration, has been created.
- Synchronization rate has reached 40%.
- Hero Privilege is now activated.
My consciousness faded away.
“As of this moment, the entire area near Seoul Station is under lockdown.”
“A Boss Monster summoned from the Seoul Station Dungeon will soon be the target of a subjugation operation.”
“Right now! Here! The proud Special Strike Force of the Republic of Korea is on the scene!”
The Reporter’s feverish voice was caught by the broadcast camera.
He asked the helicopter pilot to fly lower.
The pilot shook his head, but after persistent requests, he finally flew lower—hoping for extra hazard pay.
“At SBC, we strive to bring you the fastest news, right from the heart of the action! At this very moment, the battle has begun!”
The Reporter’s excited shouts faded when he witnessed the horrific scene.
Barrage after barrage was unleashed at the giant Monster.
In retaliation, the Monster breathed fire. In an instant, as if erased with an eraser, the soldiers stationed nearby were all melted away.
Originally, they had hoped to secure exclusive footage of hunting such a colossal Monster. Instead, they broadcasted the army’s annihilation in real time.
This was the complete opposite of what the network had wanted. Broadcasting this would surely get them in trouble with the disaster agencies.
The Reporter, having lost his train of thought, glanced at a text message sent to him and muttered under his breath.
Cease filming.
Of course, it was only natural. Broadcasting a live hunt like this was clearly illegal.
More importantly, people who stood at the front lines to protect the citizens were now crawling like insects, their lives snuffed out.
To make matters worse, a 4-Star Boss had appeared just when S-rank Hunters and A Grade Hunters had all entered the Gate.
At that moment, the Reporter spotted something.
‘A Hunter?’
There was a Hunter.
Parasite Bugs, spawned from the dreadful Monster, were chasing down the fleeing civilians. And among them, someone was single-handedly cutting down Monsters.
The man received not a single word of thanks—heading straight for the scene where the giant Monster was attacking people.
He didn’t run. Instead, he faced the Monster head-on.
Who is that…? Don’t tell me…?’
His instincts as a Reporter screamed: That man isn’t crazy.
A thrill welled up inside. The Reporter gestured to the cameraman.
Ignoring the cease-broadcast message, they started filming the man.
“A Hunter has just appeared on the scene!”
The Reporter’s previously silenced lips finally parted.
Seohyeonji had no intention of staying long at the training ground, especially since Lee Hyunbin wasn’t there.
“Want me to grab something to drink?”
“Oh, noona! I’ll have a sports drink!”
“I’m fine with just water.”
Normally, it would’ve been unthinkable for a top star like her to go buy drinks herself. But since they were on the same team, she felt she should at least do this much.
Seeing Kim Taeyang and Kim Inho working so hard made her feel oddly proud.
As notifications kept popping up, Seohyeonji unlocked her phone.
The same was true for Kim Taeyang and Kim Inho.
They only realized the seriousness of the situation after watching the video.
“What the heck, this guy!”
Seohyeonji freaked out after seeing the linked video in the group chat.
The Team Leader who’d taken the day off was out there fighting a giant Monster alone.
Apparently, a lot of people were watching live, because the buffering was terrible. Annoyed, Seohyeonji kept hitting refresh.
“What the… Why is he fighting that thing alone?”
It didn’t have wings, but it looked like a dragon straight out of a fantasy movie. Each time the building-sized Monster spewed fire, everything nearby was turned to ashes.
A single Hunter was fighting the dragon alone, rescuing people in the process.
This wasn’t some movie or commercial shoot.
- Additional military deployment must be decided now! Without an S-rank Hunter, who will protect the people?
Right here, a mere C-rank Porter-classified Hunter was fighting a Monster alone, risking his life.
At that moment, Seohyeonji unconsciously clenched her fist.
Just as Lee Hyunbin barely dodged an attack and slashed at the dragon’s ankle with his sword.
For the first time, the dragon let out a horrible scream as it received a deep wound.
‘Damn, his sword broke!’
‘Whoa, he immediately pulled out another weapon.’
‘Wow, the delivery guy’s amazing. Is that really a Porter? He’s going full solo slaughter mode!’
As people gasped in admiration, the video showed Lee Hyunbin getting knocked aside by the dragon’s tail.
A wave of pity washed over them. Just then, the remaining troops rushed in to provide covering fire.
It seemed like the situation might turn around.
But in the next instant, the dragon’s flames exploded, destroying everything.
Kim Taeyang, Kim Inho, and Seohyeonji all froze in shock.
Just then, someone burst into the training ground, shouting urgently.
“The Union Chief has called for a full assembly! Everyone, gather at once!”