NOVEL NEXT Chapter 24
Chapter 24. Giant Cat Monster (2)
“Have you heard? The Giant Cat Monster has appeared!”
“Let’s head there.”
The Giant Cat Monster.
It was just an ordinary cat that had turned into a monster.
Its size varied among individuals, but typically it was about the size of a grown leopard, and with an inherently ferocious nature, it wasn’t a simple foe.
However, as a monster announcing the party’s Rank 4 promotion, it wasn’t all that bad.
‘I should let Mongdang know too.’
Kook Jam and Mongdang met up for hunts every time at the 5th Rank Monster Area in Bucheon.
Sometimes Mongdang would already be waiting in Bucheon, so it was wise to inform them of the promotion news and the Monster Area they’d be moving to, to minimize wasted movement.
“Do you know how fast the Giant Cat Monster moves?”
“Of course I do. I can recognize famous monsters.”
The Giant Cat Monster was one of the monsters often found in the city.
The Monster Areas where it appeared included several established places, not just new ones.
“Make sure you don’t get caught by its claws.”
“Stop worrying… I can use defensive magic too.”
“What?”
Yoo Ji-han looked at Kim Si-hu in surprise.
[Shield]
Swish!
A thin, shimmering barrier of magic covered Kim Si-hu’s entire body.
For a mage, whose physical strength is generally weaker compared to a warrior, this was a skill to protect oneself from enemy attacks.
Among such skills, the “Shield” was frequently used.
Yoo Ji-han’s eyes widened.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen you use that.”
“I had a feeling you’d think that.”
In Kim Hyun-tae’s party, the mage Lim Si-yeon always maintained her shield, so it was quite noticeable.
But this was the first time Yoo Ji-han had seen Kim Si-hu use his shield.
He hadn’t mentioned it until now, seeing him bare in battles.
Just like every mage having different specialties, it was possible that Kim Si-hu hadn’t learned defensive magic until now.
“I don’t really use it often.”
“Why not?”
“They usually teach you to keep it up all the time… Honestly, maintaining it costs too much. My magic isn’t infinite, after all.”
Kim Si-hu, valuing efficiency in using magic.
Wasting magic unnecessarily was a terrible behaviour in his view.
“There aren’t new mages nowadays who can’t maintain a shield for even an hour, you know? Even if it gets canceled midway, they can use it again within a few seconds. Back at my academy, they thought it was pretty important, and there was a separate test for that. If you didn’t pass it, you wouldn’t graduate.”
“It’s changed a lot after a few years.”
“I’ve only used it briefly while facing a mutation in Bucheon.”
Yoo Ji-han hadn’t noticed the magic enveloping Kim Si-hu due to being focused on fighting the mutation.
Besides, seeing him use it right in front of him today made it clear; such neatly maintained magic wouldn’t be easy to identify from a distance.
‘Newbies these days are impressive.’
Perhaps Park Joong-seob’s words in Keroes’ office weren’t entirely off.
*
A new Monster Area opened in Incheon at an apartment complex.
With the discovery of the Giant Cat Monster, all apartments from the first to the last fifth complex were declared as Monster Areas.
People who had been trembling inside their homes and safely escaped with the heroes lingered slightly away from the apartment.
“Ugh! What in the world is happening!”
“I left my phone and wallet at home…”
It was the first time a Monster Area had been declared from those apartments.
Residents panicked significantly when something they’d only seen on TV or news happened to them.
Some attendees were desperately trying to squeeze past the Hero Department staff blocking the entrance to regain some peace.
Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu were observing the situation nearby.
“There are so many people.”
“It’s still early since the Monster Area popped up, so everyone’s in chaos.”
Whenever a party entered, all eyes were drawn towards them.
They were hoping for a famous hero to show up.
Though honestly, there weren’t many really famous heroes among the Rank 4s.
‘And those people over there…’
Yoo Ji-han turned his head to the side.
A group of people unrelated to the apartment had gathered in one place.
“Heroes, stop hunting innocent creatures!”
“Stop it! Stop it!”
“Creatures deserve to be respected as lives!”
“They are lives! Lives!”
Holding up signs with large and small bold letters, the gathered crowd echoed loudly near the apartment.
Only a few Hero Department staff and some police were watching over them.
“Those are those people, right?”
“IUPC.”
They looked like protesters, members of the International Union for the Protection of Creatures.
Known simply as IUPC, this organization operated not only in Korea but globally, and their members referred to monsters not as “Monsters” but as “Creatures.”
The reason was simple.
They claimed that creatures could coexist with humans, just like ordinary animals and plants, stating they weren’t “monsters.”
“Do you agree with their opinions?”
“No way. They should be making sensible arguments.”
“Just as I thought, right?”
Most heroes, including Yoo Ji-han, didn’t agree with their views.
Given the injuries and deaths caused by monsters, those nonsensical opinions couldn’t be dismissed.
Nevertheless, the IUPC’s influence was on the rise day by day.
It was known that mostly regular citizens joined their ranks, not heroes.
‘If they confronted a living monster right in front of them, they’d probably run away.’
Yoo Ji-han glanced at the large wooden placard being held by a man.
The cute monster illustrated on that sign could easily be compared to the drawing printed on the monster juice box gifted by Yang Ji-cheol.
However, it wasn’t something to view as merely cute; the illustration aimed to soften the public’s animosity towards monsters.
‘Let’s ignore them.’
Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu turned their backs on the clamor and walked away.
After completing a simple verification process, they stepped up to the apartment entrance.
Other heroes waiting before entering the battle and the barrier was becoming clearer.
“Ji-han, senior?”
“……?”
Just then, someone called Yoo Ji-han’s name.
It was a man holding a long spear along with his shining armor.
“Senior, do you remember me?”
“You, from Keroes…”
“Yes. I greeted you a few months ago.”
“Oh right. It’s been a while.”
Yoo Ji-han recognized his face.
He was a junior hero whom he occasionally met at the guild building back when he was with Keroes.
The people behind him were fellow heroes belonging to Keroes.
They were a Rank 4 party from Keroes.
“I heard you left the guild, senior.”
“…… That’s what happened.”
“Still, I’m relieved you’re in Rank 4.”
“Is that so?”
“It wouldn’t reflect well on you if you fell from a higher rank to Rank 5.”
Yoo Ji-han smiled bitterly.
The people in the guild had somewhat guessed the circumstances under which he wasn’t treated like a full party member.
Back then, when neglect was the norm, it was a relief just to exchange greetings like this with a junior like him.
“I’ll make sure to greet you whenever we meet from now on.”
“Sure. You hang in there too.”
The man slightly bowed and returned to his party.
Kim Si-hu, who had been staying away to give them space, approached once more.
“Do you know him?”
“A junior from Keroes. We only exchanged casual greetings, so we don’t know each other well.”
“Hmm…”
Kim Si-hu surveyed the party the man returned to.
About two of the five members glanced at Yoo Ji-han, covering their mouths with their hands.
It was an action to suppress laughter.
However, they couldn’t hide the overall jovial atmosphere and their smirks.
Kim Si-hu’s lips twitched as he observed them.
“Seeing them smirk, it gives me an eerie feeling.”
“Just leave it. No need to worry about it.”
Since a senior hero like Kim Hyun-tae, who had been there from the start of the guild, was at the same rank as them.
Yoo Ji-han wasn’t foolish enough to not realize what sort of conversation they might be having.
But he didn’t care much.
He found that wasting time on pointless matters was not worth it.
“Whoa?”
“Here he comes again.”
“I knew he would come.”
Suddenly, people around started to buzz.
Everyone halted their activities and fixed their eyes on the back.
Sensing the odd atmosphere, Yoo Ji-han also shifted his gaze over.
‘……?!’
A large unidentified animal was walking on four legs.
Its belly was white while the rest was a fluff of gray.
A tail was attached to its backside.
It was big enough to raise suspicions of it being a monster.
‘That’s something only tamed creatures can possess.’
The thick scarf around its neck bearing the national flag and the Hero Department logo was proof that it wasn’t a monster.
Attacking a creature recognized as tamed could lead to harsh repercussions.
Beside it, a woman with a short cut was walking with a bow of suitable size on her back.
Someone nearby said.
“Don’t you know her? That’s Min Yu-ri from the Snowflake Guild.”
“……Ah.”
Snowflake.
Yoo Ji-han had heard of that guild at least once.
A young woman leading a one-man guild, Min Yu-ri was a hero who had succeeded in taming a monster.
‘She mentioned that her pet turned into a monster.’
The monster she had tamed was her pet that she had been raising at home.
It was a case where a well-behaved pet had transformed into a monster.
‘Didn’t they call a tamed monster a Pet?’
It was rare for a tamer to operate as a one-man guild without joining a larger guild, which was why Yoo Ji-han had seen mentions of the Snowflake Guild in the news.
“……”
Min Yu-ri, with her expressionless face, walked towards the barrier, ignoring the surrounding gazes.
People in front of her moved aside to let her and her pet pass.
Similarly, Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu slightly moved aside during their observations.
But just as they were passing in front of Kook Jam—
Whoosh!
The large creature that had been walking on all fours suddenly turned its head sharply.
It happened to be in the direction where Yoo Ji-han was standing.
‘……Is it looking at me?’
For reasons unknown, its bright black eyes were fixed right on him.
Caught off guard, Yoo Ji-han subtly shifted to the side.
In response, the creature turned its head further towards him.
Then it twisted its body entirely and approached him.
“Hyung, be careful!”
“I’m fine, just stay still.”
Startled, Kim Si-hu readied his staff.
Yoo Ji-han stretched out one arm to stop him.
<— Probability of the monster in front of me attacking me>
[Less than 2%]
He verified using sampling.
And through the large eyes, he could tell it wasn’t filled with anger or hostility.
The creature, having come close to him, stood up on its hind legs.
‘It’s huge!’
The creature standing on its hind legs was similar in size to a large bear.
In fact, it felt even larger than many bears he had encountered in various Monster Areas.
The shadow it cast with its body was enough to cover Yoo Ji-han entirely.
“What a rare occurrence.”
“Excuse me?”
Min Yu-ri stepped out from behind the large pet, looking at Yoo Ji-han with an expression of discovering something very intriguing.
“It’s the first time Chilla has shown interest in someone other than me.”
“Chilla?”
“My pet’s name is Chilla. It’s a breed of chinchilla.”
“……A chinchilla?”
In the world, a chinchilla larger than a bear.
“Min Yu-ri is talking to someone?”
“Is she actually being friendly all of a sudden? Have you seen her act like that before?”
“I’ve never seen it either.”
“I almost asked for her number before… got turned down though…”
While Min Yu-ri was talking to Yoo Ji-han.
Including the junior from Keroes who had mocked him, other parties were also focusing their attention on them.