Chapter 133 – SSS-Rank Hunter (8)
[Chapter 7 – Section 4] This Is What a Protagonist Is!
I really wanted to have a soul-shaking showdown with the monster elephant that swallowed the patient, but I had to hold off until I could properly wield the Infinity Blade.
Blink, blink.
The thing was quietly wrapped around my right arm.
‘There are some inconveniences.’
Because my mental space was completely blocked, there was no clear way to convey my will.
For example?
‘Sword!’
No reaction at all.
“Sword!”
Blink, blink!
Understanding my words, the Infinity Blade transformed into a sword and fused around my right hand as if enveloping it.
“Good job.”
It’s obedient, which is nice, but since it only responds when I speak directly, varied and rapid combat would be impossible. Could I fight the monster elephant in this unstable state?
It would be suicide.
“Every time I see it, I’m amazed. Until now, no ability user has ever succeeded in controlling the Super Grand Galaxy General Infinity Blade…”
“Is that so.”
“Oh! I forgot to introduce myself. I’m S-rank hunter Natalia.”
Natalia!
Her name—which I had no real need to know—was stored in my mind.
“Nice to meet you, Natalia-yang.”
“My ability is classified as S-rank acceleration.”
“Hmm… So you can move quickly?”
“Yes. As long as my stamina holds out, I can reach the opposite side of the Earth in an instant.”
“Then it’s similar to time stop.”
“No. SSS-rank time stop can be applied to others too, but this only works on myself.”
“Aha!”
Still, “acceleration” was undeniably an incredible ability. That’s why it was rated S-rank.
“What kind of home do you prefer, Amolang-ssi? Apartment, villa, detached house, cabin, camping…”
“There are people who camp?”
“Yes. They pitch shabby tents on the outskirts of the city and live there. We call that ability addiction.”
“…The kind where your whole body itches to use your ability…?”
“Yes. Exactly.”
“Hmm…”
I knew that feeling well. It probably started after learning taekwondo from Master Go Mu-shin in Nam Hae-soo’s dream, the swimming emperor.
In reality, whenever I saw a legal chance to kick, I’d pick a fight just to loosen up.
How much more for supernatural abilities?
They can’t freely throw lightning or fireballs in the middle of a city with bare hands. So even if it’s dangerous, they have no choice but to go to the outskirts.
“I got carried away for a moment—what kind of home do you prefer, Amolang-ssi?”
“Hmm… I’d like a low-rise villa or detached house near an airport.”
“Oh! Excellent judgment. I can guess, but may I ask why the airport?”
“So overseas support will be convenient.”
Since I massacred ten SSS-rank hunters, I had no choice but to work ten times faster.
Natalia smiled softly at my answer and said,
“You don’t know because you lost your memories. Aviation is completely blocked due to flying monsters running rampant.”
“Ah…”
“We’ll handle overseas support with S-rank spatial leap abilities. The same goes for receiving help.”
“Then please find something close to that S-rank ability user’s home.”
“You’re very proactive.”
“Perhaps… I’m already itching to try using this guy. Maybe I’m addicted too?”
Blink, blink.
The Infinity Blade, transformed back into an eyeball tentacle, wrapped around my right arm again.
“Let me summarize. A location convenient for hunter support. Low-rise… is that to guard against earthquakes or flying monsters?”
“Yes.”
That was part of it, but mainly because I’d never lived in a high-rise and preferred what I was used to.
“Please wait a moment.”
“Yes… Hm?”
Natalia’s body, right in front of me, blurred and vanished.
S-rank ability acceleration.
Truly absurd performance.
‘If she wanted, she could kill me anytime…?’
Matchup, perhaps.
The SSS-rank time stop—which was considered an upgraded version of acceleration—had posed no threat to me at all.
Sliiide—
“Here, choose from these.”
“…Yes.”
Natalia reappeared almost instantly and showed me eight real estate listings.
「SSS-Rank Garden of the Blue City」
「The SSS-Rank Mansion Everyone Wants to Live In」
「SSS-Rank Home Where Nature Breathes」
“I even attached photos.”
“You’re really fast.”
“I’m only fast. Is there a house you like? If not, I’ll take more time and find others.”
“Hmm…”
The people in this world really love “SSS-rank.”
That was the extent of my impression.
‘Let’s just pick anything.’
Since I wasn’t planning to be buried here, the residence wasn’t particularly important.
“Thank you for preparing these, but having lost even common sense, I wouldn’t know even if I looked. Please recommend one, Natalia-yang.”
“Then I’ll go with this house.”
“Yes.”
「Fairy-Tale Village Guarded by an S-Rank」
The name of the house she recommended didn’t have “SSS-rank” attached, but it strongly gave off the vibe of a safe, wealthy neighborhood thanks to a resident S-rank hunter.
Like “the apartment where celebrity so-and-so lives.”
Or “the neighborhood where politician so-and-so resides.”
That kind of feeling?
“To move in quickly, we need to decorate the interior right away. Is there anything you’d like? Like two toilets or two beds…”
“No.”
“Yes. There’s not much budget yet since you have no record, but once you demonstrate your ability, Amolang-ssi, you’ll be able to freely add chefs, personal doctors, housekeepers, maids… even pets if you want.”
“Then let’s go right away. To a hunting ground where I can lightly test my ability.”
If they’re offering various perks befitting an SSS-rank hunter, I won’t refuse.
“Yes.”
Natalia operated her smartphone to search for a hunting ground.
Tap, tap, tap.
Even here, an ability? Her fingers pressing the screen created an optical illusion like a fan.
“……”
I genuinely couldn’t understand why such a fraudulent ability was only S-rank.
“Found one.”
“Where is it?”
“We have to go to the outskirts of the city. It’d be nice to use a helicopter, but fuel is conserved—we can’t use them unless it’s an emergency.”
“Then public transportation?”
“Of course not. We’ll use a rickshaw.”
Rickshaw.
A cart powered by human strength.
It naturally reminded me of the palanquin bearers and palanquins I’d seen often in the world of the historical drama <Palace Maid Deok-chun>.
Beep, beep.
Natalia operated her smartphone and spoke at a speed I could understand without using her ability.
“Please send a rickshaw.”
(S-rank hunter Natalia-yang. Please briefly explain the situation.)
“It’s for Amolang-ssi’s ability test.”
(Ah! We’ll send one over immediately.)
Beep—
Ending the call, Natalia turned to me and said,
“It’ll be here soon.”
“Hello! The requested B-rank rickshaw has arrived~!”
A booming male voice came from beyond the window.
“It came quickly, right?”
“…Really quickly.”
It was fast enough that I’d believe it if they said it had been waiting in front of the window.
And moreover,
‘This is a rickshaw…?’
Two men wearing eye-catching fluorescent yellow suits were carrying a two-seater palanquin front and back.
That much I could accept, but the problem was that their feet were floating three stories high in the air, not touching the ground!
Click.
Natalia opened the window.
“Amolang-ssi. Get in.”
“Huh? Ah, yes.”
Momentarily stunned by the completely unexpected culture shock, I climbed into the two-seater palanquin.
Swipe—
And before I knew it, Natalia was naturally seated beside me.
‘She really is fast!’
Goosebumps rose at the fact that even I—who could dodge bullets—hadn’t noticed at all.
“Where to, sir?”
“Please take us to the Shadow Mouse nest designated as a B-rank danger hunting ground.”
“Yes!”
Whoosh~
Upon receiving the passengers’ order, the rickshaw truly began racing through the sky.
‘…Cool.’
If there weren’t the threat of monsters, this would be a charming world.
***
Shadow Mouse.
Directly translated: shadow rat!
Their size is about that of a cat—small for monsters—but because they move through shadows instead of mouse holes, hunting them is extremely tricky. They’re F-rank monsters.
Their reproductive ability is outstanding, just like ordinary rats, so if their numbers aren’t periodically reduced, they’re said to be more dangerous than S-rank monsters…
“Squeak!”
“Squeak!”
But there are no shadows in the sky, so the monster rats could only look up at us, licking their chops.
“The way to hunt Shadow Mice is simple yet difficult. Eliminate the shadows.”
“That really is difficult.”
Shadows naturally form under the monsters’ feet, after all.
“That’s why we hunt by shining light from multiple directions. If you shoot light just before they fully enter a shadow, chasing it away, their bodies get severed.”
“Oh~”
It might actually be surprisingly simple?
“The problem is that they’ve finally learned because we’ve overused it.”
“That’s troublesome…”
“Because of that, the quality and quantity of hunters deployed are steadily increasing. The government, sensing a crisis, has conducted eight extermination operations, but a few that escaped into shadows bred and created even smarter groups—an endless vicious cycle.”
“I understand.”
Shadow Mice that had learned human hunting methods never ventured into open plains where shadows were scarce.
Under trees, inside abandoned buildings…
They only moved to places where shadows were guaranteed.
“What about at night?”
It’s not a shadow, but the condition of being dark without light is the same.
“Good question. The size of shadows Shadow Mice can enter is limited. If it’s too large, they drown like rats in water and can never escape the shadow, dying inside.”
“That’s a relief.”
If those things infiltrated the city, it would be a catastrophe.
“Squeak!”
“Squeak squeak!”
Even now, Shadow Mice leaping vertically to catch us.
They didn’t reach, but their jumping power was incomparable to ordinary rats.
“We’ve cleanly cleared a wide area to prevent them from expanding their territory further, turning it into flat land.”
“Oh! Rats in a jar.”
“But it’s a serious situation we can’t relax about.”
“…Because of the SSS-rank hunters?”
As someone with a guilty conscience, that’s the first thing that came to mind.
“No. We recently discovered that the Shadow Mouse swarm is digging tunnels like ordinary mice.”
“Tunnels…?”
“Yes. That explains why extermination operations kept failing. We’re detecting and catching them with radar, but if even one slips into the city’s sewers, it’ll really be the end.”
“I understand the severity. Including what I need to do.”
Blink, blink.
The eyeball of the Infinity Blade met my gaze.
“Shall we go?”
Blink, blink!
As if answering my question, the SSS-rank monster reverted to sword form.
“I’ll be back.”
“Huh? Wait! This place is—”
I ignored Natalia trying to stop me and jumped out of the rickshaw.
“Squeak!”
“Squeak squeak!”
The surrounding monster rats rushed at me all at once, as if welcoming me.
‘If I fail, I just die.’
I swung my right hand toward them.
Shaaa—
Sword wind manifested from my right hand, which couldn’t use supernatural abilities due to “my world.”
“Squee—?!”
“Squea—?!”
The monster rats charging with claws and fangs bared were sliced into pieces.
Is that it?
No.
“Do your best!”
Shaman Kang Moon-soo, who landed safely from a height that would have fractured an ordinary person’s legs at minimum.
Stab!
Just like the thieving woman I met at the museum, I plunged the blade into the earth.
‘My perception range…?’
In the world of the historical drama <Palace Maid Deok-chun>, I had honed my senses to catch thieves. And that growth still applied now.
Ruuuumble—
The ground shook as if an earthquake had struck.
“Sque?!”
“Squeea?!”
Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab…!
Countless tentacles erupted from the ground like bamboo shoots, piercing the bodies of the Shadow Mice.
Hundreds? Thousands? Tens of thousands?
An uncountable number of monster corpses stretched endlessly to the horizon. And unseen, the underground was teeming with their bodies too.
Just one strike.
The extermination of Shadow Mice—that humanity had attempted eight times and failed—was simply accomplished.
“…Lives up to its name.”
Blink, blink?
Super Grand Galaxy General Infinity Blade.
I now clearly understood why this eyeball was classified as SSS-rank.
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TL Note:
The novel is fully completed (231 chapters)
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