LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 7 - National Power Level Hunter
Chapter 7: National Power Level Hunter
“This, this is…!”
“Eek?!”
“Sophia!”
The entity’s name was Angel.
As soon as the hologram displayed the monster’s appearance, Sophia, who had been terrified, hid behind her mother. Uncle Lee Seok-gyu, also a Beast Hunter, was no different; cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
“Since it seized control of the U.S. military’s aircraft carrier, it’s been standing on the deck, so we haven’t been able to precisely assess Angel’s abilities. However, judging by your reaction, it seems we can classify it as threat level A.”
“Hey, Yoo Jun-young, what are you talking about?”
“…Yes?”
“Does that look like a mere A-class threat to you?”
Beast Hunters were the only beings in the world capable of subduing monsters. In other words, they were the best at assessing the ‘level’ of the monsters they faced.
Since combat was inevitable during subjugation, Beast Hunters possessed the ability to gauge the level of monsters. Among these Beast Hunters, the Army Chief of Staff was one of the top five in the country.
“That thing is beyond A-class.”
“…!”
Everyone at the headquarters froze at his words.
“A, beyond A-class…!”
“Yes.”
“Are you saying that this monster is a ‘National Disaster Level Monster’?”
“…Unfortunately, yes.”
Uncle Lee Seok-gyu spoke with a frown.
“As the Army Chief of Staff, I have defeated A-class monsters several times. But the creature that appeared at Busan Port… I don’t think I can defeat it.”
“Sir, does that mean…!”
“Yes. Just as it takes a D-class Hunter to face an E-class monster, and a C-class Hunter to face a D-class monster, we need at least three or four National Power Level Hunters right now to bring that Angel down.”
“…!!”
Uncle Lee Seok-gyu concluded his words, and naturally, the headquarters descended into chaos.
“At least three National Power Level Hunters?!”
“But in our country, the only ones at that level are the Army Chief of Staff and the head of the Korean branch of the Hunter Association, right?”
“Then, does that mean we can’t stop it…?”
Should we request support from our military allies, the United States or Japan?
However, no matter how strong the alliance, they would not easily provide National Power Level Hunters. Moreover, negotiating and finalizing the contract could take time, and there was no guarantee that the monster would stay on the deck until then.
“Then, at the very least, if the Korean Navy provides support…!”
“If it were a gigantic monster, the Navy’s firepower might have been of great help. But it’s a monster about the size of a human.”
Just as a lion’s teeth can hunt herbivores but miss flying mosquitoes, how accurately could a warship’s artillery, designed for military combat, hit a human-sized monster?
Even if they managed to aim precisely, it was likely that the monster, being a National Disaster Level, could dodge or withstand the hit unscathed.
“It would only result in unnecessary deaths.”
“Then what can we do, sir?”
“……”
Unprecedented.
For the first time since the founding of the Republic of Korea, a National Disaster Level Monster had appeared.
In front of it, were we truly so powerless?
Even Lee Seok-gyu, who had experienced countless battles, couldn’t come up with a solution this time. He squeezed his eyes shut in frustration.
“Then, now is the perfect chance to launch a surprise attack before it does anything.”
“Honey?”
“And when it comes to taking down an unsuspecting monster, there’s no one in this country better than me.”
“Honey!”
In the frozen atmosphere, Mrs. Rolling stretched and spoke cheerfully. However, she was known to be a commander Hunter specialized in support roles.
Seeing his wife’s apparent readiness to fight, Uncle Lee Seok-gyu’s face crumbled.
“No… no, no, no! Absolutely not! I can’t allow it.”
He grabbed Mrs. Rolling’s shoulders firmly, looking straight at her as if to stop her.
“Dad! Are you fighting with Mom? Don’t fight!”
Despite Sophia’s attempts to intervene, Uncle’s expression was deadly serious, enough to make me break out in a cold sweat.
But as she looked at her husband, Mrs. Rolling smiled gently.
‘?!’
Her hands touched his, and as if by magic, his grip loosened and fell away.
“I’ll go.”
“No…”
“I was already prepared for this. I’m wearing my armor under my uniform.”
“You…!”
“I know. If I use this power for too long, it will kill me. But I must save this land for our children.”
“But… I…”
Uncle Lee Seok-gyu collapsed to the floor, sobbing.
“Ah, ah, Dad, why are you crying? Sniff… don’t cry!”
Sophia, not understanding the reason, opened her tiny arms wide and hugged her father’s head tightly.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Rolling looked at me and our eyes met.
“Shin-woo.”
“Yes?”
“No matter what happens, please take care of Sophia.”
She smiled gently and then threw her uniform high into the air.
Underneath, she wore a sleek, white bodysuit that revealed her body’s contours.
“Armed White Tiger – System activate!”
Crackle.
As Mrs. Rolling called out, high-voltage electricity began to surge visibly through her bodysuit. A pair of plasma wings formed on her back, and in her right hand, she held a long heavy lance that looked capable of piercing anything before her.
“Well then, I’m off. Honey.”
“Rolling…!”
“Wow. Mom, you look so pretty…”
“Is that so? Thank you, my dear.”
With a kind smile, Mrs. Rolling ruffled Sophia’s hair affectionately.
But just before she soared through the ceiling of the naval base…
Her expression as she turned her back was as cold as that of a white knight ready to face death.
***
Inside the U.S. military aircraft carrier stationed in South Korea.
This was the dining hall, capable of accommodating almost all personnel on board, and the scene on the deck could be viewed through TV monitors installed on the ceiling.
“Are we going to die like this…?”
“Corporal Michael, don’t lose hope.”
“Admiral, but…!”
“We are soldiers of the U.S. military stationed in South Korea. Our nation is considered the strongest in the world, and the sea we are currently in is the port of Busan, a city in our ally, South Korea. There are only friendly forces around us.”
Earlier this morning, a humanoid monster had suddenly appeared on the deck, effectively ‘anchoring’ the aircraft carrier in the sea. The creature, reminiscent of an angel from the Bible, miraculously caused no casualties, but the entire U.S. military crew had taken refuge below deck.
Among them was Brigadier General Talisman, the admiral of this aircraft carrier. His current role, according to protocol, was to maintain the morale of the soldiers until rescue arrived.
“Admiral! Can’t we just go out and fight?”
A soldier stood up abruptly and addressed the admiral.
“I used to be a B-rank Hunter with the American branch of the Hunter Association! I’m sure there are many others on board with similar experience!”
“So you’re suggesting we go out and try to fight it?”
“Yes! As soldiers sworn to protect civilians, I wouldn’t regret dying in battle against that monster.”
“Hmm. Fight, you say…”
However, Admiral Talisman responded nonchalantly to the enthusiastic soldier. The soldier tried to argue again but was interrupted.
“What’s your name?”
“Ah, yes! I’m Corporal Doberman!”
“Well, Corporal, I commend your spirit. In this frozen atmosphere, a man who boldly states his case is a true sailor.”
“Thank you!”
“But your proposal contains a significant contradiction.”
“A contradiction?”
“Yes. You wouldn’t call it a fight if an elephant steps on an ant.”
Corporal Doberman tilted his head in confusion.
Seeing the young man brimming with confidence, Admiral Talisman, in an attempt to temper his eagerness, explained,
“Do you know how heavy this aircraft carrier is?”
“Huh? Well… maybe 1000 tons? 2000 tons?”
“No, it’s roughly 300,000 tons.”
“…!”
The previously confident corporal fell silent.
“It’s a weight no human can handle alone. Yet, that monster outside has stopped our 300,000-ton ship.”
“That can’t be…”
“I don’t know how it did it, but for a monster to perform such a feat against an aircraft carrier, it must be at least a National Disaster Level.”
“Na-National Disaster Level…!”
“Then does that mean help is on the way?!”
Faced with a barrage of questions from the soldiers, even the admiral, tasked with maintaining their morale, found it difficult to provide comforting words.
“Well, that…”
Confronted with this harsh reality, he couldn’t bring himself to offer false hope.
“……”
Silence settled in as they grappled with their fears and the uncertainty of their fate.
“……”
The entire carrier was submerged in a silence born of despair.
Everyone stared blankly at the humanoid monster that remained hovering on the deck, as if they were fanatics entranced by a religious icon.
Then, suddenly—
Beep. Beep.
They had been instructed not to use the intercom unless absolutely necessary, due to the monster’s acute hearing.
“Admiral! There’s an object heading towards our carrier at incredible speed!”
“An object?!”
The intercom broadcasted information that had just been detected on the radar to all personnel on the carrier.
“Its speed exceeds Mach 5! And the identity of the object captured by our ultra-fine camera is…!”
The humanoid monster, designated as Angel, which had remained motionless since its appearance, turned its head at the sound of the air splitting.
Thunk-!
“?!”
“Get out of the way, you bastard!”
Before Angel could react, a heavy lance was thrust into its side.
At the same time, witnessing this scene through the monitor, all personnel on the carrier realized that hope had arrived.
“A new female figure has appeared on the deck, presumed to be a Hunter! According to our search, she is former National Power Level Hunter, A-rank Hunter Rolling!”
Hope flickered back to life in their eyes.