Level Up Monster
Chapter 2
For the first week after unlocking his nature, Kim Sae-Jin lives in isolation like a mental patient.
It was completely understandable because, for 23 out of 24 hours a day, he suddenly had to exist as a monster.
The boss at a part-time job sends him various messages and phone calls, but they all go in one ear and go through the other without actually registering in his brain.
Two of them showed concern, but the other threw verbal abuse as if there was no tomorrow. But again, it is understandable where they came from.
The only thing Sae-Jin cannot understand, is the absurdity of her current situation.
And after a week had passed, the small room that was guarded very carefully, became a messy and messy trash can.
Totally equivalent to a course, really. The expanding claws on his claws would leave unsightly scars all over the place, no matter how gentle and gentle he walked.
Like this, where livelihood really cannot be called living anymore, another 4 days passed.
Only then, Sae-Jin finally comes to accept her predicament.
The body length is about 2m, the shoulder height is about 1. 2m, the tail length is about 50cm, the weight definitely exceeds 90kg. And a brown fur coat.
At first glance, they might sound like the specs of a still-growing tiger, but unfortunately, the numbers are his.
Sae-Jin is actually the Brown Wolf now.
Monsters who were considered the weakest prey there, had always been the target of arrogant idiots who proudly referred to themselves as "Knight", "Paying Army" or "Hunters."
Also, too ambiguous to be referred to as a true Monster, bona fide – overstepped the invisible boundary between a savage beast and a full-fledged monster, it was not easy to categorize this creature.
In addition to the choice of hunting materials favored by beginners, a wolf is usually slaughtered without being seen by the following traits: the following:
1, There are many of them like a horde,
2, They are a little inconvenient for ordinary citizens to deal with.
It was the shape of Sae-Jin, at the moment.
He found it difficult to accept this at first for obvious reasons. And after finally agreeing, he then realized that it wasn't the end of his problem, no. Now, he must formulate a plan to "live safely." His desire to continue breathing was much stronger than he expected. There was at least a $ 3500 pillow in his bank account, which he was definitely grateful for.
Sae-Jin quickly decides to maximize her Human Form during the precious 1-hour window.
For his meal, Sae-Jin buys an easy-to-prepare TV dinner from a store 5 minutes away and always eats it while on Human Form. His pride as a human being would have no other way. And he made sure to give himself 30 minutes of breathing room in case of an unexpected emergency.
Then he practiced controlling the power of the Brown Wolf Shape to perfectly imitate the creature. After 4 days of joint efforts, he even found a way to retract his sharp claws.
Meanwhile, whenever there was a chance, he turned into a Goblin Form and started cleaning up the mess in his house. A 140cm tall goblin may have a small stature but have a pair of very flexible hands for the kind of work that demands proper workmanship, which is perfect for taking care of household chores.
The ugly claw remains here and there, but before long, Sae-Jin's room regains its clean, clean appearance.
But the biggest problem remains to be solved: the cost of living.
Without paying the monthly rent, he must be living on loan time here.
That's why he used a computer bracelet, something that was thrown into a corner of the room some time ago.
Sae-Jin will find out how ⸢Start Income From Home, ⸥
… But then, stop. As a high school dropout, with only a high school graduation certificate, he only knew that it was impossible to find someone willing to let him work from home.
He stared at the hologram screen projected in the air with a tone of regret, slowly caressing it. Then a thought suddenly comes to him, and Sae-Jin searches for a topic about Monsters.
That's how he accidentally stumbles upon a clue that could potentially save his life.
Looking at the topic of discussion, a powerful bright beam of light burned dangerously in both of his eyes.
Q: ⸢Did Lycanthrope, top-dog in the Monster-type Monster power sequence, really exist? ⸥
st Generation "Soo-ins" (TL: literally humanoid beastman in Korean) who crossed over the World's Rift, they did exist in the legends . A: ⸢According to Generation 1 "Soo-in" (TL: literally humanoid beastman in Korean) who crossed the World Rift, they do exist in legend. Capable of changing their shape indefinitely from the fearsome two-legged wolf to the perfect appearance of the tailed man, one could tell that they share some of the same racial traits as Soo-in. However, in truth, the overwhelming power classes they possessed were on another scale, seemingly, and could not even be compared at all. But because of their unique nature of violent nature, they eventually went extinct and have become legendary creatures. ⸥
Lycanthrope. It was a mythical Monster that Sae-Jin had heard of at least once from somewhere.
An unexpected existence, which could freely become a flawless human despite being a monster and vice versa. It's different from Soo-in who can alternate between animals and humanoid forms. More than anything else, the human form assumed by Lycanthrope does not leave a tail.
"What if… . "
Clearly, the influential Trait told him that "when certain conditions are met, the Monster ranks will rise."
He intuitively understood. The only way for him to exist was by exploiting this rule.
No matter what the conditions were, he had to quickly finish them to evolve over and over again.
It is possible that his evolution could have gone down the wrong path, but this was the only path left for him in the end.
He stood up immediately. The things he had to do were already set on the rock.
*
The mountainous area in Gangwon Province had been designated as the Monster Region for a very long time.
Low-level monsters like Wolves, Orcs and Goblins, medium-level monsters like Trolls and Gargoyles, and finally, high-level monsters like Ogres and Wyvern, occupied this Region and called it their home.
One of the most diverse monster ecosystems in the world is within the borders of Gangwon Province in the Republic of Korea. Naturally, Knights and Monster Hunters hunted here, eyeing this perfect place to earn money in the "House of Monsters."
"Hey !! Stay with me !!"
However, it was only possible for the Knights who had at least an upper middle ranks to trick themselves into thinking this place was nothing more than an easy gold mine.
Most people see the mountains as Hell on Earth, where ferocious monsters engage in brutal conflicts with each other, and for those who bet their lives to make a living by catching these raging creatures, they all wanted to leave this terrible killing field. and never come back here as soon as they get a passport out.
"You're almost there, don't faint on me, now !! Stand !!"
One can receive much-needed assistance from the military at the border of Gangwon Province.
A low-level Hunter named Kim Tae-Jo could not spare a thought to wipe the blood flowing from his forehead. He was too busy slapping the cheeks of his comrade, who was lying on the ground, motionless.
"…… I .. cannot .. continue."
Fellow Tae-Jo can only mutter words that make desperate. This man's eyes were tightly shut, the flame of life was ready to be extinguished, one of his legs was gone.
It was a terrifying sight if one took a closer look. Even a quick glance could tell these two Hunters had endured a heavy ordeal at the hands of a ferocious beast that was judged from the bite marks on the wound.
At first, their group consisted of 3 low-level hunters and 2 middle-level hunters but they met the Great Monster Tiger.
Monsterised Great Tigers live in the deeper parts of the mountains, which exist to compete with the more powerful Monsters there. In other words, they never bothered to descend to the lower lands near the border at all.
But the party actually met the Great Tiger, which was akin to being struck by wild lightning in broad daylight while walking around. That's unheard of.
"Hey !! Stand up you …"
Kim Tae-Jo can't finish what he wants to say.
Krrrr "growling of a beast . Because, from somewhere nearby, he could hear the growl of "Krrrr" from the beast.
"……"
Holding his breath, Tae-Jo tilts his head slightly towards the sound, and finds a wolf, its fur glowing brown and clearly starving from prolonged starvation.
It was just a pile of skin and bones, his eyes were red, proving just how hungry it was.
"…. ** * * …."
The Brown Wolf is the weakest monster out there. Normally, 3 low-level Hunters could defeat him – no, if weakened by as much as this creature, then only 2 should be enough to hunt him down.
But the current situation is the worst. His comrade lost a leg, and by dragging the injured man here alone, Tae-Jo is also near his physical limits.
"… Go !! Go, I said !!"
Tae-Jo screams in despair. But overcome by greed, the lone Brown Wolf continued drooling nonstop and slowly advanced towards him. It seemed that the Wolf was carefully assessing the feeding situation that took too long.
"Oh, what a shit !!"
There's no other choice. Tae-Jo has to leave his partner and run for it. Yet….
Krrrrrrrng!! – Krrrrrrng !!
Exhaustion from pushing themselves to the limit and Brown Wolf's growl brought about by fear of conspiring to freeze his legs; they were unwilling to budge.
And also, no matter how hungry he is, Tae-Jo realizes that the starving Wolf is still faster than him, and that it won't let any of the free food just run away.
"This ... this boy. I caught hundreds like you until now …"
Tae-Jo swears resignation, knowing full well that his number is up. He grabbed a rifle that no longer had any Mana bullets in it. If the lady was lucky to smile at him, then she could land a punch on the wolf's head and drop it. That's hope.
"……"
Tae-Jo gulps his saliva hard.
That, being the signal "the".
The Brown Wolf ignored everything and kicked the ground, crazily running towards him.
Afraid, he could no longer dare to watch and close his eyes, and swung the stock of hunting rifles violently.
Kwajeeck !!
The voice he heard was slightly different to what he expected, a dull sound from a blunt impact. Instead, it was similar to a broken neck.
"… ??"
Tae-Jo carefully opens his eyes after hearing the strange voice.
An even stronger despair struck him the moment he did that.
"Huh ….?"
There was another brown wolf in front of him.
But this one is giant – tiger. His body was as big as a tiger before it passed through Monsterization.
This enormous Brown Wolf has fangs buried deep in the neck of an unlucky Wolf who is eyeing the lives of Tae-Jo and his friends.
The difference in size between these two wolves made calling them the same type of Monster a ludicrous idea. Of course, the starving Wolf was atypically smaller than usual, but still, Tae-Jo had never seen or heard of a Brown Wolf of this size before.
"Fuck . "
Tae-Jo can't help but murmur an oath again, being on the receiving end of such a huge Brown Wolf gaze.
The extremely sharp eyes of the wolf were burning in a flame of pure, uncontaminated and extremely swift confidence. Stared by eyes so powerful, and somehow, boldly, Tae-Jo feels an indescribable pressure weighing down on him.
He has to accept the reality of his situation.
So here it is. Looks like this is where I met my maker.
Met up with the Great Monsterised Tiger, then this Tiger-sized Brown Wolf.
My luck ended up being really good, didn't it? Yep, this is so good today, it has turned into my last day in the world !!
"…. Fuu."
Fully resigned to his fate, Tae-Jo can only sigh and close his eyes again.
The rustling of his footsteps teased his eardrum like a hammer far away being struck.
However.no matter how long he waited, the expected suffering of death did not occur.
Confused, Tae-Jo opens his eyes carefully.
"Geek !!"
Right in front of his nose stood the Brown Wolf.
But that's the strangest thing.
The wolf inserted its sharp fangs between the slits of its fallen comrade's armor and was in the process of lifting it up.
"What ... what the hell?"
Tae-Jo briefly entertains the idea of this Wolf tinkering with his food but having to kick that thought to the curb on a double with his next act of banging the creature.
The Brown Wolf beckoned with its big head as if it wanted Tae-Jo to follow him, and started carrying the wounded comrade to his mouth towards the military base to the West.
