LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 1 - It has become a national 'disaster'-level monster.
Chapter 1 It has become a national ‘disaster’-level monster.
A game that you can’t save is total crap.
“Hmph! I’m upset with you!”
[Yu Si-hyun’s favorability has decreased by 10.]
“How can you step on an ant while walking? It’s disgusting. You have failed this test.”
[Main Quest: You have failed the Intermediate Hunter Exam.]
[As a penalty, the exam fee of 1.5 million won will be forcibly deducted.]
[Additionally, Kim Min-ah’s favorability has decreased by 50.]
“Hunter. Thanks to you not sacrificing yourself, my grandfather has passed away. Couldn’t you have died instead?”
[Side Quest: Lee Hee-jung Rehabilitation Route has failed.]
[Many changes will occur due to this incident…]
[Additionally, Lee Hee-jung’s favorability has decreased by 100.]
“Damn it, why is this so difficult?!”
An expansive open world that perfectly mirrors modern Earth.
The freedom to interact with every NPC you come across.
In addition, realistic graphics and immersive storytelling.
The game I bought this time,
That is, if you ignore the lack of save/load features and the excessively realistic character narratives.
“Ah, this time Lee Hee-jung turned dark again. No, no. This route is deleted, deleted!”
How many characters had I created for a happy ending by now?
If you died midway, all your progress was erased, and even upon seeing the ending, it was always a bleak one where only the protagonist survived.
However, despite all this, I could confidently say I was in the top 0.01% of
Because of the Hunter’s Blood Gallery that appeared simultaneously with the game’s release.
Commonly known as ‘Hunble Gallery,’ seeing the posts there made it clear that most people hadn’t even seen the bleak ending.
[TITLE: The game is just fucking terrible.]
[TITLE: Why P-Corp is Korea’s representative game company.]
[TITLE: Does anyone know how to take the Japanese route instead of the Korean one?]
[TITLE: Damn it, I’m going to kill Lee Soo-jin.]
[TITLE: Hold me, Hunter.]
Humans tend to feel reassured by looking down on those worse off than themselves.
I realized this while looking at the posts from people who hadn’t even reached an ending, even though I was on my 39th character.
There are always worse cases below.
“Anyway, what kind of hunter should I raise this time…?”
Just counting the hunters I had raised…
Shadow Hunter.
Assassin Hunter.
Mage Hunter.
Beast Hunter.
Cleric Hunter.
Gunner Hunter.
Avenger Hunter.
Lance Hunter.
Archer Hunter.
Sculptor Hunter.
Item Hunter, and so on.
Combining all these various hunters…
“Huh?”
It seemed I had finally played every class that was available at the game’s initial release.
“Hmm… So, should I repeat one?”
If it were a second playthrough, maybe.
But starting completely from scratch with the same class was boring.
It felt like the sudden deflation of excitement.
Typical of a crap game.
Having the “So what do you do now?” moment only a month after the game’s release, I checked the gallery again, wondering if any new DLC had come out.
[TITLE: Found hidden job code]
“…Huh?”
Zero recommendations and zero comments.
It seemed like an obvious clickbait post, but I was drawn to it and clicked anyway.
[The method is super simple. Just press Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A on the keyboard and hit space.]
‘…Does this guy think this is some kind of Tekken game?’
I immediately gave a thumbs-down to the post that suggested mashing keyboard keys like in a fighting game combo.
‘…But I’ll try it anyway.’
Click click click.
It was just a few keystrokes, so I decided to humor it.
Then, to my surprise, a system window I had never seen before appeared on the game’s title screen, making me feel a bit guilty for downvoting the post earlier.
[Command input complete]
[Special Job: Monster Hunter is now available for play!]
“Ooh!”
As expected, browsing the gallery was an essential skill for gamers.
“Is this the Monster Hunter?”
I carefully scrolled through the information of the newly added Monster Hunter at the bottom of the character creation screen.
—–
**Job: Monster Hunter**
**Strength:** 1/20
**Endurance:** 1/20
**Agility:** 1/20
**Magic:** 1/20
**Dexterity:** 1/20
**Skill:** Monster Transformation (Unique)
**Advantages:** When using Monster Transformation, all stats can increase by up to +18.
**Disadvantages:** When transformed into a monster, you are classified as a target for extermination by other hunters. You cannot use any other skills or equip special gear. Stat growth rate is 0.01x. If your identity is discovered by humans while transformed, there is a very high chance of being internationally wanted.
—–
“Wow…”
First of all, the starting stats were extremely low.
Even the ‘Beggar Hunter,’ notorious as a pick for veteran players, started with stats of 2, but this one didn’t even reach that.
Moreover, I had never seen such a long list of disadvantages for any other class.
At most, they might be ‘vulnerable to bleeding’ or ‘unable to perform ranged attacks.’ There was always something worse.
No skill or equipment to cover for the low stats, a cursed existence where even hunters who fought monsters would become your enemies.
“…This sounds incredibly fun.”
Wow, seriously.
Why hadn’t I discovered this content until now?
Despite the numerous disadvantages, I excitedly clapped my hands at the single advantage of the Monster Hunter.
The ability to raise all stats by a maximum of 18 points.
Even among the 38 hunters I had raised so far, the one with the highest stats, “IReallyWantToSuckMommyMilk,” had a maximum stat of 14 at the end.
And that was only one out of five stats.
But with a total stat maximum of 19?
This might be the key.
Even for a seasoned player like me who hadn’t seen the happy ending of
With that thought, I immediately created a Monster Hunter.
[Please choose a name.]
[Warning! Warning!]
[Names cannot be changed once entered, so please choose carefully.]
[Human Name: …]
[Monster Name: …]
True to the Monster Hunter class, there was a separate window for choosing a name for both the human and monster forms.
“Since I’m taking this seriously this time…”
Type type type.
[Human Name: Han Shin-woo]
For the human name, I entered my real name.
For the monster name, I took a moment to think before typing.
Type type type.
[Monster Name: Urogal]
I chose the name of my favorite monster from another comic.
“Alright. Now to create…”
I had selected the job and entered the names, so it was time to start the game.
“…Huh?”
Suddenly, I felt dizzy. It was like a wave of exhaustion hitting me all at once.
How many days had it been since I last slept?
My forehead hit the keyboard with a thud.
What was this strange metallic smell I sensed while breathing?
Something warm seemed to be trickling down, but I couldn’t tell what it was.
I wasn’t in a condition to figure it out.
“No way…”
I had a feeling that sleeping like this would lead to something bad.
I wanted to at least make it to my bed, but my eyelids felt too heavy.
With all my strength, I tried to pull my phone out of my pocket to call my parents…
“Oh… right. I’m an orphan…”
The penalty for those born immune to verbal abuse.
I only realized this penalty as I was on the verge of death, finally succumbing to sleep at my desk.
***
Whoosh.
“Mmm…”
Whoosh.
“So cold…”
Expecting to face eternal rest due to my immunity to verbal abuse, I was surprisingly greeted by the refreshing night breeze from the open window as darkness fell.
“Ah, I slept well.”
What time was it now?
From my six-pyeong one-room apartment, I looked out the window to see a bright full moon hanging in the sky.
It was a realistic yet exaggeratedly beautiful sight, just like game graphics.
“Oh… time for a photo.”
Thinking this would make a great screenshot to post alongside my guide, I reached for my phone in my pocket.
But something felt off.
“Huh?”
I rummaged around.
When I placed my hand on my waist, I felt a hard, shell-like surface. It was like touching the untreated skin of a living crocodile.
And that wasn’t all.
“Did I sleep without pants?”
The other side of my waist, my legs, my chest, and my shoulders—all felt as hard as if I was wearing armor.
This was not the kind of firmness you get from working out. It was on a different level entirely. It was definitely my body, but it didn’t feel like a human body.
Feeling a wave of anxiety, I swallowed hard and slowly walked towards the window.
I closed the window and looked at my reflection in the glass.
A face like a skull mask.
Slitted red pupils and sharp eyes staring back at me.
And from head to toe, my entire body was encased in a jet-black, armor-like physique.
Cosplay? …It felt far too realistic for that.
With a dazed mind, I touched my skin, realizing this wasn’t just a decoration but my actual body.
“This is… me?”
I wanted to play as a Monster Hunter, not become one.
Confused about whether the game had possessed me or I had somehow entered the game, I sighed.
Click.
“Huh?”
As if my mind wasn’t already in turmoil.
Suddenly, with the loud roar of propellers, bright lights surrounded me from beyond the window.
I was on the 10th floor.
A helicopter had swiftly flown up to my level, and its door opened. Inside, I saw a massive machine gun, far too heavy to aim at a person.
It looked similar to the anti-monster guns I had seen in the game… no, it was exactly the same.
But why were they aiming it at me?
The reason was clear. As a veteran player of the original game, I understood immediately.
**Disadvantage: When transformed into a monster, you are classified as a target for extermination by hunters.**
It seemed I had become a target for extermination.