Chapter 207

Chapter 207. Beast (5)

From my perspective, this was the first time seeing the real form of the beast. However, the S-rank hunter in dark attire, without a moment's hesitation, slashed through the creature in front of him, whether a witness had appeared in the dungeon room or not. An entity in the same predatory position as him. He had attacked Korea's number one ranker with his skill. It seemed that the powerful, defense-ignoring magic would be known to Earthlings as [Designated Cut].

Jiiiiing.

Unfortunately, Haseong couldn't avoid Beast's powerful attack. Now that I look closely, one of the hero's ankles is exposed, as if it had been torn apart by the beast's claws. This is likely the result of Beast first crippling his opponent's mobility, ensuring that his [Designated Cut] would land without fail.

“Keuk!”

Blood splatters. Beast's incision technique, known for tearing through space itself, mercilessly shattered Haseong's front—his shoulder, clavicle, and ribs. Despite his S-rank reflexes, he tried to avoid a direct hit, but even a mere graze from his opponent's technique caused everything protecting his body to break apart, and blood spilled into the air. And then, Jung Haseong collapsed.

Originally, I had hoped for a quick casualty in this dungeon, but seeing the tragedy of someone who was alive just mo

om his opponent's technique caused everything protecting his body to break apart, and blood spilled into the air. And then, Jung Haseong collapsed.

Originally, I had hoped for a quick casualty in this dungeon, but seeing the tragedy of someone who was alive just moments ago dying before my eyes was far more shocking than I had imagined. That person had been someone I had personally interacted with, even someone with a fairly good nature, a fellow Earthling.

"Jung Haseong!"

I reflexively stepped in between them. In a hurry, I took the next attack from the Beast with my body. Honestly, I still didn't fully understand the situation, but anyway, if Haseong took another hit in this state, he could really die.

'Ugh.'

Boom!

The Beast not only had the cutting technique that ignored the performance of defensive equipment, but also possessed immense physical strength, wielding a massive battle axe with one hand. As soon as the blunt edge of the battle axe touched my body, it made a tremendous noise and bounced off outward.

The remarkable rebound force, enough to repel even an S-rank Hunter's attack, was due to the concentrated protective effect of the [Sacred Tree Seedling].

'That's it!'

But the problem is that the effects of the seedling aren't completely invincible...!

'No, so what's going on here?'

For now, I can understand that the Beast appeared here. The entrance to Mimic City is connected to various places around the world, and even at this moment, the tunnels linked to the dungeon are increasing. So, there's no rule that only Korea's S-rank hunters should be here.

But this is something I truly can't understand. Why was Jung Haseong so overwhelmingly defeated? Even though his growth isn't complete yet, he's the disciple of an archmage who poured 128 hours into personally training him!

'Heukh.'

It was at that moment. As I was scanning the magic within the Beast's body, I noticed something— a secret. Perhaps in an attempt to hide their identity, the opponent had adjusted the amount of internal magic using a special magical tool, but what I was seeing was something more fundamental.

In other words, the Beast's shallow disguise didn't fool the archmage.

In an attempt to hide their identity, the opponent had adjusted the amount of internal magic using a special magical tool, but what I was seeing was something more fundamental.

In other words, the Beast's shallow disguise didn't fool the archmage.

'Damn it! There were so many burn marks around him, but why was that guy so fine...!'

It was then.

"Hunter...Kim..."

A faint voice from behind came through. Haseong seemed completely unaware that I was in the dungeon, his expression startled as if he had seen a ghost. However, before he could even finish satisfying his curiosity, he lost consciousness and collapsed. It seemed like the severe blood loss had caused his brain to shut down.

'Oh my!'

I knew that Haseong's item box had spare healing potions, but I couldn't attempt to treat him recklessly. I had no idea when the Beast would launch its next attack. I took a defensive stance, ready to physically shield Haseong at any moment. And then, the situation that followed was...

"...."

Uhm.

"...."

Hmm.

'Huh?'

What's going on? Strangely, the Beast isn't attacking. There's an eerie silence. For some reason, the Beast tilted its head at my appearance and froze in place, as if malfunctioning. At that moment, one hypothesis came to mind that could explain this situation, but now was not the time to dwell on that. I needed to treat Haseong.

'Please don't attack. Please.'

I rummaged through Haseong's item box, pulling out a familiar form of medicine. Then, I poured it generously over the young man's body. An image of an injured hero, with his front torn apart and unconscious, and an F-class individual healing him—it felt strangely familiar, yet there was one silver lining. The wounds were shallower than expected, so at least this time, his precious organs weren't damaged.

'Aside from that... everything else is worse than last time.'

ealing him—it felt strangely familiar, yet there was one silver lining. The wounds were shallower than expected, so at least this time, his precious organs weren't damaged.

'Aside from that... everything else is worse than last time.'

Cold sweat runs down my back. If I had known this would happen, I should have paid more attention when the TV kept talking about the Beast every day.

Before coming here, if I retrace the situation I sensed it with my instincts... The Beast most likely followed Jung Haseong's magic straight after he entered the gate, and upon seeing his face, it seems the Beast activated a skill and attempted to strike first. My disciple, lying on the ground, probably got caught in the trouble without even understanding what happened. Moreover, since the Beast is a primitive sorcerer, it's unlikely he could identify his target just by sensing their magic at that distance.

'Then, did he just judge based on the size of the Awakening level, being S-rank?'

It was a moment of deep thought when an unexpected change occurred. The Awakener with the beast mask, who had been glancing over at me, suddenly gripped the axe again. Then, the Beast turned away from me and aimed to strike the unconscious Haseong's neck.

'No, this is crazy!'

Clank!

However, once again, the attack was blocked by the tearful sacrifice of a certain human shield. As I used my entire be...

Clank!

However, once again, the attack was blocked by the tearful sacrifice of a certain human shield. As I used my entire body to protect Haseong, the Beast tilted its elk bone-covered face and repeated another incomprehensible gesture.

And what followed was an absurdly persistent standoff.

Pacing back and forth.

The sorcerer, known as the Beast, circled around us, constantly looking for an opportunity. I, on the other hand, kept my focus on him, trying to protect Haseong from the axe blade, ensuring it didn't land on him.

....

....

But I knew this would happen.

Heuk!

Boom!

“Heuk!”

Boom!

As if growing tired of merely probing for an opening, the Beast gripped its battle axe with both hands and swung it forcefully at my side.

True to an S-rank hunter, its attack generated an overwhelming impact.

So much so that even the protective effect of the [Sacred Tree Sapling] failed to fully absorb the blow, and my body was sent flying backward.

The Beast, seemingly tired of merely gauging the situation, gripped its battle axe with both hands and swung it forcefully at my side. As expected of an S-rank hunter, the attack generated a tremendous impact. So much so that even the protective effect of the [Sacred Tree Seedling] failed to fully absorb the blow, causing my body to be pushed back.

“Keugh!”

Clank, clank, clank!

But by this point, it was clear—the Beast still hadn’t used its most powerful magic, the severing technique. Of course, given how exceptional the technique was, it was only natural that it consumed a significant amount of mana, making it difficult to use recklessly.

Still, it’s strange that it hasn’t been used even once against me. It’s blatantly strange. So if I put this reaction together...

‘For some reason, the Beast is hesitant to kill me.’

I didn’t take long to think. I decided to take advantage of this trait and create an opening somehow.

This was a global dungeon where Earthlings from all nations gathered. Therefore, I had been wearing a Pixy translator from the moment I entered, just in case of an emergency.

Click.

I hastily straightened my collapsed body and pressed the large button on the translator—essentially the switch linked to the Korean-to-English translation function—then shouted toward my opponent.

“Stop it!”

Then, a somewhat poor-quality English sentence flowed out from the device on my waist.

“Stop it. Please.”

“....”

“Even just for a moment, let’s talk. I don’t know why you’re suddenly trying to kill Jung Haseong, but... If you just spare him, I will...”

However, the Beast seemed completely unable to understand my attempt at negotiation and simply focused on what it was doing.

‘Oh my.’

As if it somehow knew that my reaction speed was lacking, it abandoned the idea of finishing off the flame sorcerer and instead attempted to carry the unconscious hero away entirely. The beast’s sudden action was far too fast for an F-rank like me to fully perceive. However, the moment I sensed an abnormal fluctuation in its mana, I squeezed my eyes shut and shouted.

“—Brooklyn Morgan!”

es shut and shouted.

—Brooklyn Morgan!

To protect Jung Haseong.

“Stop right now!”

I’ve already revealed a secret that should never have been spoken. Now that it’s out in the open, what’s the point in hiding it any longer?

Beast. Nuckelavee Killer. A mysterious figure. And recently, a grand new title—Humanity’s Threat. The creature with so many names is, in fact, a certain blonde foreigner I’ve met before.

An S-rank hunter from the Spectrum Guild. Brooklyn!

“If I suddenly started speaking English through a translator, you should’ve figured it out yourself. If I really didn’t know who you were, wouldn’t I have tried Chinese first, the most widely spoken language on Earth?”

At that moment, the opponent wearing the elk mask slowly reacted upon hearing my words.

She chuckled, a strange sound mixed with air, like a wild beast growling through its open throat. After a few more of those eerie sounds, she began speaking in human language.

How?

The mask was cast aside without hesitation, as if she no longer saw any point in keeping up the charade now that her identity had been exposed. But what emerged from beneath it was an unfamiliar sight—something unexpected.

Not a single strand of eyebrow or hair was left; her face was marred by severe burns, with the skin almost entirely melted away. However, her eyes still held the unique spark they always had, betraying the presence of a young woman beneath the scars.

Brooklyn, revealing a completely different appearance from usual, moved her lips to speak. Her words were soon converted into Korean through the translator and reached my ears.

"You're not surprised."

Brooklyn seemed somewhat intrigued by my lack of reaction to her unnatural appearance. But to be honest, I’d already expected this kind of twist the moment I first laid eyes on the real ‘Beast.’ That American had long been known as a top-tier wielder of regeneration skills, after all.

‘She probably healed her wounds immediately during the fight with Haseong to minimize blood loss.’

op tier wielder of regeneration skills, after all.

'She probably healed her wounds immediately during the fight with Haseong to minimize blood loss.'

The fact that Beast is bald under the mask was probably to avoid leaving behind hair for DNA analysis.

'Moreover, if her face is in that condition, the Searchers' skills might not have registered her as the 'same person."

It seems that the reason Beast had not been caught all this time wasn't just because of luck.

Haa.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, following the habit stored in my body. I tried to stop Brooklyn, but it seems like a very dangerous situation.

'The probability that the target will change to me in order to silence me is 90%...'

Some might start questioning at this point. Brooklyn Morgan—an S-rank healer so renowned in the U.S. that she even earned the alias 'Angel'—how could she possibly be Beast? By conventional logic, this should be structurally impossible.

Brooklyn's awakening ability is healing. Meanwhile, Beast's power is an aggressive spatial interference type—almost the complete opposite.

Brooklyn’s awakening ability is healing. Meanwhile, Beast’s power is an aggressive spatial interference type—almost the complete opposite.

Since two distinct attributes have been revealed, it would normally require two separate individuals. However, this mystery can be easily solved with just one particular assumption.

'This is a rare case.'

Brooklyn Morgan is a Hunter with two awakened attributes. With that single statement, everything falls into place without contradiction.

But if you delve deeper into this dual attribute, it’s a terrifying characteristic. It’s not just about having more skills than others and calling it an advantage. Magic is a concept deeply tied to a sorcerer’s mental image. And since Earthlings have only recently awakened to sorcery, their attributes are often determined by the most deeply ingrained image in their minds...Brooklyn probably got different results than others because she hid ‘contradictory desires that seem to be held by two different people’ in her heart.

Yeah. It’s not something as simple as a light mask, like a mere persona.

'Is her identity dissociated?'

Brooklyn Morgan is most likely a primeval sorcerer with multiple personalities. That means a new concern arises. Before entering this dungeon, I had sent a message to Kang Changho, informing him that I was heading into Mimic City. Be...

'Is her identity dissociated?'

Brooklyn Morgan is most likely a primeval sorcerer with multiple personalities. That means a new concern arises. Before entering this dungeon, I had sent a message to Kang Changho, informing him that I was heading into Mimic City. Based on my observations so far, our dear contractor usually starts his day around 6 AM.

But the problem is.

“Hmm.”

No matter how I think about it, an F-rank like me won’t last until 6 AM against a psychotic American with two attributes. Should I just abandon Jung Haseong after all?

Author's Thoughts

Hi, from now on, I will update this novel 3 chapters/week. Thank you for all your support so far:)