Monday has come again. First, let me share another piece of good news.

"Hunter Kang Changho, congratulations."

At last, the S-rank hunter who had been locked up in detention was released.

As an outsider, I had no clue how he managed it, but apparently, everything had been taken care of perfectly, so there would be no further issues. It was an incident where an Awakened had beaten up an ordinary person, yet, strangely enough, the media had gone quiet once again.

"Did he make a deal with the reporters for money?"

Anyway, I went to the front of the police station with a gift to congratulate him on getting out of custody. When I searched the keyword 'detention center' online, I found many suggestions saying this would be a good gift.

"Take this."

"It's tofu, huh."

However, the other party's reaction wasn't particularly good. The earthling who received the soft tofu stared down at it and briefly considered whether I was mocking him—enough to contemplate violence. Fortunately, given the location, it didn't escalate into a new incident.

And judging by Kang Changho's response, my plan to suppress and control my mana, so as not to reveal that my lung had been restored, seemed to have worked quite well.

Since my initial concerns were resolved, there was no point in hesitating any further.

I returned home and began planning my schedule for the days ahead.

"Hmm."

First and foremost, the most urgent issue was preparing a device to deceive [Dragon's Eye] in order to prevent any unforeseen incidents.

"-Do you know that your own magic is always fluctuating greatly?"

However, in order to respond to Kang Changho's surveillance, it was necessary not only to imitate the "fluctuations" that had appeared in his eyes, but also to suppress the magic of the main body, which would be hiding the corpse, down to near zero. This meant that the work ahead was quite substantial.

For the latter, since I knew a technique to block the leakage of magical traces, I figured I could manage it somehow. However, the real issue was still the fluctuation phenomenon Kang Changho had mentioned.

To be honest, I still had no idea why such afterimages appeared, and I had no clue about their frequency or intensity, making things a bit uncertain...

"Maybe if I somehow replicate the biological information, it'll work out."

It had been a while since I last thought like a proper wizard. The first conclusion from my deliberation was that I would need about two [Infinite Power Cores] for my upcoming plans. So, as soon as the afternoon arrived, I rushed to the auction house and bought two cores.

"I'd rather not go through the trouble of not finding any stock again."

To be exact, I paid in cash and bought them on the spot.

"Since I got my lungs for free anyway, all the remaining balance in my account is just extra money."

I had gathered most of the materials. Now, all that was left was to complete a convincing dummy through research.

So, I entered another period of seclusion. Unlike my resolution before reincarnation, where I thought I would live a carefree life, each day ended up being consumed by experiments and labor... Still, I felt more at ease now—because I had achieved my ultimate initial goal of fixing my lung. I no longer felt the pressure of being chased.

"Hmm."

From now on, I planned to take things easy, only occasionally paying attention to the words of the rank 1 hunter.

***

Bubbling, bubbling...

Saturday soon arrived. In the small cupboard of my one-room apartment, there were still tea leaves I had gotten from Hadong. Since the weather was getting warmer, I decided to rapidly cool them and enjoy a chilled tea.

Crack.

Around the time I froze the cup in my hand with magic, a familiar word reached my ears from the phone screen I had left on.

[A 'Beast' has appeared once again at a gate in Europe, causing controversy...]

BEAST. That was a name that had been on the news every day for the past five days.

A bizarre figure adorned with a massive mask made of elk bones and ragged black leather resembling old tires. This is the distinctive appearance of a certain S-rank Hunter in the world.

However, the peculiarities of the Beast weren't limited to just its appearance. It was also an unregistered awakener, which, in some Eastern countries, would be considered a major crime. In other words, it was an 'assumed' S-rank Hunter, someone who had never undergone official examination.

"Kyaah!"

"Devil... That thing is a devil."

This mysterious Hunter first emerged during the world's first S-rank dungeon break—the Nuckelavee incident at the S-ea Gate.

The boss monster that appeared at the time, the Nuckelavee, had a half-human, half-horse form. Its lower body moved like a massive, gaping-throated cephalopod, while above it sat a charred humanoid figure—likely serving a role similar to an anglerfish's lure, as it showed no real signs of life.

When the gaping mouth on its lower body let out a roar, a certain former wrestling star-turned-S-rank Hunter was gruesomely torn apart. That moment plunged the people of Hawaii into sheer terror.

However, in this desperate situation, a new savior soon appeared. A mysterious beast, clad in black leather from head to toe, strode onto the shores of Hawaii. It single-handedly tore apart the sea demon that had been overwhelming the American hunters, killing it with ease.

"Oh my goodness!"

No one knew what skill was used. No one knew where they came from. But people all shared the same opinion about the Awakener who disappeared suddenly.

"It's like a reptilian in conspiracy theories. We feel like that person is an absolute, unseen existence in the world of Hunters."

Originally, the public tends to give higher praise to wild, untamed strong individuals wandering the streets rather than to warriors who fight within the rules of the ring.

That's how Beast became the unofficial strongest. And Beast was often found all over the world after the Nuckelavee incident. [Giant's Castle], [Fire Nest]. And A-class [Dimension Treasure Vault-Subspecies] full of golem-shaped demons.

Before long, people began to joke that the Beast, who was rarely seen except in high-difficulty gates, was not a human but a perhaps a spirit. Much like the little beings who exchange children's milk teeth for coins. After all, the Beast had shown small acts of kindness to people so far.

...But this month, the Beast revealed a shocking true nature.

As always, the Beast was spotted in front of the high-level A-rank gate. The Spanish hunters who encountered it were excited to meet the legendary unknown powerhouse and, without hesitation, followed the beast. To be precise, they actually assumed it was part of the gate, the Beast had a tendency to intrude into expeditions without permission, but it never harmed the hunters who entered with it.

"Huh? What is it?"

But this time, the atmosphere was different.

A few hours later, only one person emerged from the exit of the newly created A-tank gate. As soon as the Beast stepped out, the light faded and the passage rapidly collapsed. This made it clear to everyone that there were no survivors inside the gate. But the question remained—how had so many high-ranking hunters suddenly been wiped out?

"Hello? What about the hunters who went in with you?"

Since the Beast was a quiet person who didn't respond to any interviews, people did not know the truth until this point. They simply assumed that the hunters had died at the hands of monsters during the hunting process. Everyone was still bewildered.

But just a few hours later, the same thing happened in a European country. Beast suddenly appeared, mixed in with hunters from other nations who were about to enter a gate, and proceeded with the raid. When the exit was finally created, he was the only one to emerge alone.

Both last time and this time, although the reason was unclear, Beast always emerged from the exit carrying a large sack on his shoulder, as if it were filled with something.

But to everyone's surprise, after the French authorities investigated Beast's actions, it was revealed that the blood dripping from the sack matched the DNA of a specific hunter who had gone missing during the dungeon raid.

"Lord!"

This event caused the world's media to flip upside down. The Beast had been taking the bodies of Hunters! Whether the reason behind this was secondary, the situation naturally led to a terrifying assumption creeping into people's minds.

"Could it be that the reason why Hunter teams have been wiped out all this time...?"

It was truly a global emergency. If the awakened individual known as Beast, who had always been ranked among the top-tier S-rank Hunters, turned out to be a murderer, it would be the worst news possible for humanity.

So, the people of the world rushed to track down Beast. But why had such a remarkable figure, who had solved the great disaster in Hawaii, remained unknown until now? In the end, they could never catch the trail of the Nuckelavee Killer. The reason was...

[...According to experts' analysis, it was revealed that Beast's awakening type belongs to the category that interferes with 'space.']

This was the reason.

[So that's why the Nuckelavee was so easily severed. Until now, his space-related abilities had only manifested as convenient functions like teleportation, but if that unknown power is used offensively, it might be possible to ignore the monster's hardness and make a clean cut.]

How could anyone not be afraid? The suspect who may have killed the hunters who entered with him wields abilities that transcend common sense. That's why Beast had been able to hide the face behind his mask all this time. Not only is he an S-rank, with monstrous physical abilities, but even if someone were to chase him down, he could easily escape by using space manipulation techniques, jumping across continents.

The weak were plunged into fear. And even at this moment, various media outlets repeatedly called out the name of Beast...

***

Beast. Who exactly is this uncooperative, mysterious figure?

"Hmm."

I, who had been sipping the chilled green tea, finally focused on my phone. The news screen, which had been broadcasting breaking news, had now switched to an interview with a foreigner.

"Brooklyn Morgan."

On the screen, a tall hunter with a neat bob haircut was seated. The woman then turned the talk show host and spoke.

The identity of the Beast? Well, it might be someone within our Spectrum Guild! Honestly, when I'm with Enzo, I often see him acting like a lazy 'beast'.

Enzo. I feel like I've heard that name before...

Anyway, Brooklyn Morgan, as the representative of the top-tier awakened individuals, was being asked by the talk show host about her thoughts on the Beast issue. However, Brooklyn crossed her legs, briefly rolled her eyes, and then responded with something like this.

...Enough with the jokes. Did you ask who the Nuckelavee killer might be? Actually, there's something that stands out about that.What is it?I think the Nuckelavee killer is from a non-English-speaking country.I see, as expected.If you look at the videos where Beast appears, you can tell that he's not just quiet, but he actually acts as if he doesn't understand English at all. Remember when he touched a pillar that another hunter clearly warned him about, and he got burned?Ah, the Lava Giant incident.Now that there's a translator device available from Pixy, I don't understand why he's still refusing to communicate.

Slurp.

I took a sip of my tea and watched the screen with great interest.

No matter how much his nickname is Beast, would he really be rolling around with impalas in the middle of the savannah? Beast is ultimately a modern-day person living in our time. Even now, he's probably somewhere, looking perfectly normal, tapping on his smartphone and chatting with friends on messenger.Hahaha.But when you think about it this way, there's one more thing that's starting to seem suspicious.What is it?Is there really a need for Beast to be an unregistered Awakener? Perhaps... he's already blending in cleverly among the citizens, hiding his awakening abilities?

An S-rank from a non-English speaking country, hiding their awakening abilities.

I nodded, thinking that Brooklyn's assumption made sense. But when I thought about it carefully, the conditions began to feel familiar.

Wow, this sounds like a plot you'd often see in movies. So what you're saying, Brooklyn, is that perhaps a sophisticated Asian individual from South Korea could secretly be living a double life every night?Haha! Certainly. It would be an interesting twist if such a man turned out to be Beast.

I tilted my head slightly, holding the cup of green tea in my hand. Even at that moment, cheerful voices of Americans were flowing from the speakers.