I Became a National ‘Disaster’ Level Monster

Chapter 20: Don’t Kill It

“Wh-what did you say, an angel’s offspring?!”

“Yes. Because it escaped from the research facility, the entire area around Yeongdeungpo is now under lockdown.”

Entity name: Angel.

Despite having been successfully hunted down 10 years ago, perhaps due to its title as ‘the first national disaster-level monster to appear since the establishment of Korea,’ it was a monster that automatically triggered PTSD in all the hunters who were born and raised in Korea.

This was especially true for Sophia, who had witnessed its overwhelming strength firsthand.

But an offspring of that Angel?

No, before that, a humanoid monster got pregnant and gave birth?

“It was a top-secret research project, so it was kept secret from all hunters except for the branch manager…”

“So, it’s no longer a secret, is it?”

“Yes. Regrettably, that’s correct…”

A researcher was explaining to Sophia in the operations meeting room on the sixth floor.

Lee Hee-jeong, who had a cast on one arm, clicked his tongue and continued with a sorrowful expression.

“Even though it’s just an offspring, it has significant aggressiveness, probably because it’s humanoid! In fact, one D-rank hunter has died because of it, and three B-rank hunters are currently undergoing treatment for serious injuries!”

“So, you’re saying that a not fully grown monster’s offspring defeated three of Korea’s B-rank hunters?”

“That’s right! That’s why we earnestly hope that Hunter Sophia can capture it ‘alive.'”

Lee Hee-jeong approached and suddenly grabbed Sophia’s hand without permission, as if pleading for empathy.

Sophia flinched at the sudden surge of ‘anthropophobia,’ but…

“Yes, I understand. I will try to subdue it appropriately and bring it back alive.”

Accustomed to managing her image, she somehow endured it with a bright smile.

‘Phew… I almost slapped him.’

“Then, can I depart immediately?”

“Yes! As a hunter from the United States, we are looking forward to seeing what you can do!”

“…Alright. Then.”

After receiving the brief information about the monster’s offspring, Sophia immediately left the operations meeting room.

A few seconds after the door closed.

“Sigh… America, huh. I’m envious. I wish I was born in a country like the USA…” Lee Hee-jeong’s voice grumbled out of nowhere.

Meanwhile, below.

With my enhanced hearing from my transformation into a monster, I eavesdropped on the entire situation above and fell deep into thought.

First of all, the researcher Sophia met.

Since was a fully voiced game, I could immediately recognize that it was Lee Hee-jeong just by her voice.

I had thought the in Busan 10 years ago ended smoothly and things would flow differently from the original, but it seemed she still aspired to be a researcher.

‘She still yearns for America like in the original…’

That meant her parents were still alive, but there was still the possibility that she might ‘betray’ later?

However, the turning point where Lee Hee-jeong starts down the villain path appears much later.

Right now, the immediate concern was capturing the angel’s offspring, which didn’t even appear in the original.

The monster that had escaped from the underground research facility was presumed to be wandering around the vicinity of Yeongdeungpo.

‘A capture mission is a quest with a higher reward than an extermination mission, but its difficulty spikes. It’s best I step in before any more casualties occur.’

Even if it was just an offspring, it was a ferocious monster that had simultaneously taken down three B-rank hunters, who ranked in the top 5% of hunters.

If I could subdue it to some extent and throw it in the middle of a conspicuous road, the other hunters would take care of the rest.

While nodding to myself, deep in these thoughts, I heard,

“Is it really in here…?”

“Really?”

After all, this was the Hunter Association building.

The emergence of a monster, let alone a national disaster-level one, had long been detected by the situation room.

“Then why isn’t it coming out?”

“Exactly… maybe it’s taking a dump?”

“No, can a monster, even if it’s humanoid, really use a toilet?!”

All the remaining hunters from the Korean branch were waiting tensely in front of the men’s restroom on the fifth floor, fully armed.

And then finally,

Gurgle…

“…!”

“It’s coming out!”

The sound of a toilet flushing echoed.

At the same time, a pitch-black monster calmly emerged from the stall.

“…! It’s real! It’s exactly like the picture!”

“The monster from Jamsil?! No, but why is a monster in the Hunter Association building? And why did it come out of a toilet stall?!”

“Is it alone?!”

Uh, I’m still single, so yeah, I’m alone.

“Grrr…”

“Eek?!”

“Isn’t this place too narrow?!”

“Hey, hey! Don’t push!”

As I expected, they discovered me.

Seeing the hunters filling up the area in front of the sink, I sighed as expected.

Spying was the best I could do for now, but what should I do next?

Charging through them head-on… was not an option.

If I brazenly walked out the front entrance of the Association, my infamy would spread not only domestically but also internationally. Being put on an ‘international wanted list’ would be exhausting in many ways.

‘Sigh. I have no choice…’

It felt unpleasant, like I was destroying the company I worked for with my own hands, but…

“…!”

“It’s coming!”

“Damn it, this is driving me crazy…!”

Pretending to take a step towards the hunters, I lifted my heel slightly.

“Inhale…”

As I shifted the weight of my forward-moving foot backward, I kicked the wall behind me with my planted foot.

Boom!

‘Kuk Jin Kwon – Back Kick.’

“Eek?!”

“The wall of the building…!”

Under a massive impact, even the supposedly impregnable outer wall of the Association building couldn’t withstand a focused strike from a national disaster-level monster.

A small hole, just enough for me to pass through, appeared in the previously impregnable outer wall of the Association building.

‘Phew. Time to make my escape.’

I swiftly darted through the hole I’d made, taking advantage of the hunters’ momentary shock.

Then, I jumped down from the building to capture the monster’s offspring hiding in Yeongdeungpo.
***
“The Jamsil Monster?!”

Thud.

“Another humanoid monster?”

Thud.

“Nice to meet you, Jamsil Monster. I am from the Korean Hunter Association…”

Thud.

I was supposed to catch monsters…

So why did I keep dealing with people?

Because the precious experimental subject had escaped, Yeongdeungpo had become a hunter’s haven.

No matter how carefully I moved, I kept running into hunters at every corner.

So, I had no choice but to knock them all unconscious.

I must have done this nearly twenty times by now.

‘Thanks to this, I’m only just now finding a clue I should have found earlier…’

I mainly wandered through narrow alleys.

One of the offspring’s behaviors was a preference for dark, narrow places.

Having just emerged from the mother’s womb, the newborn instinctively preferred dark places similar to the womb environment.

Moreover, if it were in a desperate situation with someone chasing it, its instinct to hide would be even stronger.

Normally, this monster capture quest would require scouring the entire city, following minute traces, and taking days to complete.

Although eavesdropping like this was the best option, I wondered what I should do now. A straightforward confrontation was obviously not an option. If I walked out through the association’s main entrance, my infamy would spread not only domestically but internationally. If I ended up on an ‘international wanted list,’ things would undoubtedly become more complicated.

‘Sigh. I have no choice…’

It felt unpleasant, like I was destroying the company I worked for with my own hands.

“…!”

“It’s coming!”

“Damn, this is driving me crazy…!”

Pretending to take a step toward the hunters, I lifted my heel.

“Hiss…”

I shifted my weight backward in an instant, brushing past my stepping foot, and kicked the wall behind me.

*Boom!*

‘Kyokushin Karate – Back Kick.’

“Eek?!”

“The building wall…!”

While the building’s wall could withstand large impacts, it couldn’t endure a concentrated strike from a national disaster-level monster.

A small hole, just big enough for me to pass through, appeared in the supposedly impregnable exterior of the association building.

‘Phew. Time to make my escape.’

I quickly jumped through the hole I made while the hunters in front of me were still stunned.

I then leapt down the building to capture the monster’s offspring hiding somewhere in Yeongdeungpo.

***

“The monster from Jamsil?!”

*Thud.*

“There’s another humanoid monster?”

*Thud.*

“Nice to meet you, monster of Jamsil. I am from the Korea Hunter Association…”

*Thud.*

I had definitely come to capture a monster…

Why was I continuously capturing people instead?

Thanks to the escape of a valuable experimental subject, Yeongdeungpo was now teeming with hunters.

No matter how carefully I moved, I kept running into hunters around every corner.

Having no other choice, I knocked them all out.

I must have done this nearly twenty times already.

‘Thanks to that, I’ve only just now found a clue…’

I mostly wandered in narrow alleys because one of the monster’s offspring’s habits was to prefer dark, confined spaces.

Having just emerged from its mother’s womb, the offspring instinctively preferred environments similar to the inside of a womb—dark places.

Moreover, in a situation where it was being chased, its instinct to hide would have been even more heightened.

Originally, capturing this monster would have involved searching the entire city, following minute traces over several days.

However, thanks to my monster-enhanced senses, I didn’t miss even the faintest trace the offspring left behind.

Finally, I reached the point where its trail ended in front of a manhole.

‘Let’s go down.’

I easily removed the manhole cover and jumped down.

The underground sewer system of Yeongdeungpo was wider than I had expected.

There was a bit of sunlight, no flowing water, and it was a massive sewer pipe.

Just as the distinct stench of a monster reached my sensitive nose,

“Graaaah!”

I had already sensed it a moment earlier.

The monster’s offspring, which was clinging to the ceiling, jumped down at me, baring its sharp teeth.

But I simply caught its neck and slammed the once formidable offspring into the ground.

“Gahk?! Ugh!”

“Grrr.”

‘Got it.’

Since it was a humanoid monster’s offspring, its skin was pale, and it seemed like I was dealing with a ferocious human child.

But it was ultimately a monster.

When our eyes met, its vicious eyes gleamed blood-red, snapping me back to reality.

It was still an enemy of humanity.

Although it resembled humans, I couldn’t let personal feelings get in the way. I planned to neutralize it by breaking its arm or leg bones.

I grabbed its right arm firmly.

“Do… don’t…!”

“Grrk?!”

The monster spoke human words.

While it wasn’t impossible, the sight was so rare that I instinctively recoiled.

“D-don’t hit me…!”

The monster’s offspring, which had suddenly stood up, stumbled backward and fell.

As I approached, it started rubbing its hands together in a pleading gesture.

“I-I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

“……”

“Please, don’t kill me! I want to live!”

What was this?

In all my playthroughs, I had never encountered a monster that begged for its life.

Especially not a young monster that looked so much like a human.

‘No. Don’t waver. It’s still a monster.’

It had already killed a person.

I couldn’t let it go just because of some sentimental feelings.

Despite my momentary hesitation, I steeled myself for the happy ending of this world and approached the monster again.

Just then,

*Crack!*

“Ugh?!… Ah!”

*Crack! Snap! Crunch!*

“Grrrk?!”

“Wh-what…!”

Suddenly, the young monster in front of him stretched out one hand and began to twist her own fingers.

With a pained expression, she bit her lip hard to hold back a scream and squeezed her eyes shut. She didn’t stop until her entire hand was completely mangled.

Finally, showing her hand, now unable to make a fist, she pleaded, “Look, I’m… not… dangerous…! If you… don’t attack… I won’t… fight! And if… I hurt myself… again, I’ll… break it… again!”

“……!”

“So…”

So.

“Please, don’t… kill me.”

Her whole body trembled in fear, yet he forced herself to smile to appease the other. However, her eyes still overflowed with tears of terror.

…I knew that face all too well.

‘Oh, crying? Keep crying?’

‘Ha, haha. Father. Hahahaha. I was wrong. Hahahaha.’

“…Damn.”

What should I do?

I knew that turning this child over to the association was the best option…

But somehow, it seemed I could no longer choose that path.