Chapter 134 – SSS-Rank Hunter (9)
“This is an SSS-rank monster…”
“Super Grand Galaxy General Infinity Blade…”
“I can’t believe it even after seeing it…”
Natalia and the two rickshaw pullers—who had watched the battle (if it could even be called that) from the sky—descended to the ground.
Admiration, fear, awe…
The emotions on their faces were very similar to what I felt the first time I saw Magic Boy Choi Kang-min.
“No issues.”
“Amolang-ssi. Isn’t controlling the Infinity Blade difficult?”
Natalia asked with worry.
She must know how horrific a massacre would unfold if I fell under the monster’s mental domination.
“No problems.”
“That’s a relief, then.”
“Leave the cleanup to the government and let’s head elsewhere.”
“Elsewhere…?”
“F-rank monsters like Shadow Mice aren’t enough to measure its ability.”
“After seeing this number… Amolang-ssi, you’re truly humble. You instantly wiped out a nuisance that humanity failed to exterminate despite subjugating SSS-rank monsters.”
Natalia’s praise—tinged with a scolding tone—wasn’t wrong.
However,
“I want to face a single powerful monster.”
My ultimate goal is the SSS-rank monster, Ancient Black Elephant.
I need to kill the monster elephant that incapacitated me with a single tail swipe like swatting a fly.
And quickly!
Because I don’t know how long patient Park Hyo-man-ssi can survive inside its stomach.
“Hmm… Wait a moment.”
Tap, tap, tap.
Natalia took out her smartphone and began searching requests on the app.
A system where monster- or missing-person-related incidents are posted as requests, and hunters voluntarily choose and resolve them.
Though there’s a brokerage fee, no one dares exploit ability users who can assassinate without a trace, so it’s minimal…
I waited calmly.
“…There’s nothing within rickshaw range. Looks like we’ll need spatial leap after all.”
“Good.”
Hunting wild monsters that haven’t invaded human territory is fine, but I decided to do meaningful work if possible.
“You know where to go, right?”
“Yes! We’ll take you right away!”
“Going fast!”
Vrooom~
The rickshaw carrying us sliced through the wind and flew toward the city center.
***
Having simply massacred the Shadow Mouse swarm—a calamity humanity knew about but couldn’t stop—I was officially elevated to the ranks of “SSS-rank hunter.”
Ah! Correction.
I became the only SSS-rank hunter.
“Amolang-ssi. This way.”
“Yes.”
“Normally, passport issuance and immigration screening are required, but no country is foolish enough to demand that from an SSS-rank hunter. A simple notification that you’re heading there is enough.”
“That’s a relief.”
Fewer inconvenient procedures were good for me.
“I’ll briefly explain the principle. Spatial leap is a special conditional ability that only manifests in identical twins.”
“Oh~”
“It’s the concept of connecting an invisible passageway between twins far apart to exchange objects—and those objects don’t have to be inanimate.”
“I understand.”
“Spatial leap is an ability that even F-rank monsters can’t beat, but its value is rated SS-rank.”
“SS-rank? Seems undervalued.”
An ability that can instantly deploy hunters—only SS-rank?
“There are major restrictions. Regardless of distance, they can move about 100kg per day to their twin’s side. Pushing it, 150kg is the limit.”
“Ah…”
While we talked, an approaching official bowed.
“Hello. As per regulations, I’ll explain the safety rules. You must not let go of my hand until the transfer is fully complete. And absolutely do not use your ability during transfer. Ability interference causes disappearance.”
“Yes.”
I didn’t have high expectations.
‘Will it work?’
I was doubtful whether I—who deviate from world rules—could use spatial leap. I could only hope it followed physical means like the rickshaw.
“We’ll measure body weight now. Amolang-ssi, please step on the prepared scale.”
“Yes.”
Tap.
The number rose.
“74.3kg. Thank you for your cooperation. Natalia-nim, yours is naturally 25.7kg, right?”
“Yes. 25.7kg. The two of us together are exactly 100kg.”
Natalia answered brazenly.
“What…”
She’s no kindergarten kid—her goddess-of-abundance-like figure couldn’t possibly be 25.7kg; it had to be at least double.
I was dumbfounded, but no one pointed it out. No one wants to get on an S-rank hunter’s bad side.
“Here we go.”
“……”
“…Huh?”
As I expected, the spatial leap failed.
Was this the first time they’d experienced something like this?
The official visibly panicked and tried again, but there was no sign of me being transported anywhere.
“It seems my ability is rejecting it.”
“That’s strange. I’ve transported nullification ability users before…”
“I’m a bit different. I’m always maintaining my ability.”
“Then please pause it for just a moment.”
“I can’t. Who knows what this guy might do in that brief instant.”
Blink, blink~
The eyeball tentacle wrapped around my right arm sent a mischievous gaze.
Super Grand Galaxy General Infinity Blade.
It probably wouldn’t happen, but if I fell under its control even for a second, hundreds of thousands living in the city’s prime district would lose their lives.
“Ah…”
“Then there’s no choice. We’ll have to limit activities to nearby areas.”
“I’m sorry. If my ability were stronger, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“Don’t blame yourself. It’s an unavoidable issue.”
It’s not a matter of being strong. It’s the rule of an independent world! Even a nuclear-bomb-level ability couldn’t scratch my body.
“This is a big problem. An SSS-rank hunter being grounded…”
“What a shame.”
I had planned to work hard to cover for the SSS-rank ability users I killed, but I was blocked by physical limitations.
“Amolang-ssi. I’ll contact headquarters and look for a solution.”
It was only slightly disappointing for me, but Natalia’s expression and tone were extremely serious as she assisted me.
“Good.”
Spatial leap is absolutely impossible, but I didn’t stop her from trying to find a way. I wasn’t planning to stay in this world long anyway.
‘Hmm… Should I install that app on my smartphone too?’
Searching directly wouldn’t be bad.
“Found one.”
“Where?”
“The Shadow Mouse nest—or rather, what used to be the nest would be more accurate now.”
“Hmm?”
Why the place we just cleared?
“The Shadow Mouse cores we left for the government to collect because there were too many. Some hyena-like humans targeting them sent a rescue request.”
“There must have been surviving Shadow Mice.”
Blink, blink!
As if protesting that couldn’t be true, the tentacle eyeball fluttered its eyelid vigorously.
“No. With the Shadow Mice gone, monsters are fighting over the vacated territory. The hunters who posted the request got caught up in it.”
“Aha!”
“Even if they survive, they won’t escape punishment for targeting an SSS-rank hunter’s spoils, but if they die, there’s no punishment. What will you do?”
“Let’s go. I’m not interested in punishment, but I was just looking for work.”
“Yes. I’ll call the rickshaw again.”
For that reason, we returned to the hunting ground we’d just visited.
***
Monsters aren’t the only ones with territories. From predators like tigers, wolves, lions, and leopards to even pets raised at home!
To secure hunting grounds smoothly, individuals or packs have territories, and they fight to drive out intruders.
However, no animal chases away invading mice.
Why am I suddenly saying this?
“Two S-rank monsters are clashing to claim the land vacated by the Shadow Mouse swarm.”
Territorial disputes—whether among animals or monsters—happen between similar levels.
“Oh! They’re holding up well between two S-rank monsters.”
Is it because territory matters more to them than humans?
“No. They’re probably already dead. They were continuously transmitting their location until a moment ago, but it’s completely cut off now. Unless their smartphones broke.”
“That’s unfortunate…”
But we can’t stop. Since I accepted the rescue request, I have to recover at least the bodies or belongings left after the monsters finish eating.
That’s what a request is.
“Moooo!”
“Prrrh!”
Boom! Booom!
A blue cow-like monster and a green deer-like monster were violently clashing horns in a brutal body fight.
You might think their skin color is just unusual, but…
“If we hunt those, food worries would be over.”
They were enormous. With fangs and lower jaws as menacing as their horns, to boot.
“Blue Laser Cow and Green Fire Deer. As you said, they’re edible S-rank monsters.”
“Hmm…”
Blue Laser Cow.
Green Fire Deer.
Am I the only one thinking these monster names lack effort?
“Amolang-ssi. As expected, the requesters seem dead. Evading those on open flatland without obstacles is nearly impossible.”
“What about you, Natalia-yang?”
“…Fifty-fifty. My stamina has limits. I’d have to create enough distance to shake them off and hope for exhaustion.”
“Subjugation, not escape.”
“……”
“They’re the same rank as you, after all.”
It was pure curiosity.
“In a one-on-one situation, in peak condition with sufficient weapons, I could hunt them narrowly.”
“I see.”
It was a roundabout way of saying she’d lose.
“How do you want to fight, Amolang-ssi?”
“Is there another way?”
“Monsters don’t fight to the death over territory. There are two main methods: intrude before they reconcile, or ambush right after they’re exhausted and make peace.”
“Is there much difference?”
“Yes. It’d be a solo fight versus one-against-two. If you want, I can assist and make it two-on-two.”
“I appreciate the thought, but if you help, Natalia-yang, it becomes two-against-three. Right?”
Blink, blink!
The eyeball tentacle nodded up and down in affirmation.
‘The way it’s treated…’
I know full well that I’m weak, but I’m not an accessory to the SSS-rank monster Super Grand Galaxy General Infinity Blade.
At that moment,
“Moooo!”
“Ah! It saw us!”
“Evade! Evade!”
The monster cow—with double rows of shark-like sharp teeth—opened its snout wide.
Woooong—
A blue light source began gathering in front of the open snout.
“It’s preparing a laser!”
“We need to create distance quickly…!”
“It’s fine.”
“A-Amolang-ssi?! It’s danger—”
Whoosh!
The blue laser shot toward us, assuming the sky was safe.
However,
“It doesn’t work on me.”
Fsssh…
The laser—fired at invisible speed—couldn’t pierce my body and fizzled out pathetically.
“Nullification? Defending against an SSS-rank monster’s mental domination while blocking an S-rank monster’s attack too? That’s impossible…”
“Here it comes again.”
Fwoosh!
This time, green flames shot toward us, threatening to engulf everything.
Unlike the laser, it spread widely in a radial pattern, so
Spread!
To protect the rickshaw, I stretched my limbs wide and leaped toward the flames.
“…I should return what I received, right?”
Blink, blink!
Understanding my words, the eyeball tentacle transformed into a sword.
“Moooo…!”
“Prrrh…!”
Perhaps considering me a threat? The two monsters—who had just reconciled and formed an alliance—charged together amicably.
Stab!
I plunged the Infinity Blade into the ground.
“Moo!”
“Prrh!”
Thud! Thud!
But the two blades erupting from the ground couldn’t fully slice through the monsters’ thick hides.
‘As many as the number of enemies…’
Unlike when I massacred the monster rats—where blades filled the horizon—it didn’t produce that grand scene.
Then,
“Let’s go flashy.”
Blink!
The area around the Infinity Blade’s blade darkened, and grain-like starlight gathered.
The sword wind the thieving woman used?
Completely different.
Everything touched by the light grains vanished without a trace. Only my body—immune to fantasy—was safe.
“It’s charging-type?”
I wanted to gather more power, but those guys didn’t seem like they’d wait.
Whoosh—
So I swung parallel to the ground toward them,
“Moo?”
“Prrh?”
Thud! Crash!
The two monsters—still far from reaching me—had all their legs severed and crashed into the ground.
“You know romance, huh?”
Blink, blink!
I simply finished by slitting the throats of the two immobilized S-rank monsters.