Chapter 683

〈 Chapter 683: Part 2, Chapter 4, Section 10 〉

In New Seoul, there are no monsters.

To be precise, monsters don’t visibly exist in New Seoul. Although countless monsters secretly reside in Korea, not a single one dares to set foot in New Seoul.

“New Seoul? Why would you go there? Do you want to get struck by lightning while walking under the sky?”

Any monster foolish enough to step into New Seoul is promptly struck down by a golden blade to the crown of their head. The S-Rank Hero, Light Blade, has made New Seoul his personal domain, ensuring that no monster can dare approach it.

However, there are occasional instances where even Light Blade cannot control a monster—not because the monster is beyond his reach, but because the situation or environment prevents him from acting.

“GYAAAAAH!!”

First case: A newborn monster wreaking havoc. Just our luck, a Hell-Beast Monster entered the underground shopping mall near the station we arrived at and started smashing everything in sight, flexing its power recklessly.

“ROOOAAAR!!”

Despite being only C-Rank, this Hell-Beast Monster was more ferocious than your average B-Rank monster. While it could easily be subdued within ten seconds by a B-Rank Hero, it cleverly maneuvered through the chaos, avoiding capture.

“GRRR! Excuse me! I’m a hero!”

“KYAAA! It went that way!”

“W-WHAT?! Is it a teleporting villain?!”

The Hell-Beast Monster darted around like the wind, destroying everything in the underground shopping center. It seemed to have a grudge against women, targeting attractive females with particular aggression. Though several heroes on-site tried to intervene, they couldn’t act immediately due to the large crowd.

“Nuri, does this monster seem like it’s being controlled by someone?”

“It doesn’t look like that ugly guy earlier…”

“There’s no way. Only high-ranking members of the Dark Legion can control monsters. Why would an officer waste their time controlling a C-Rank monster in New Seoul?”

BOOM!! BOOM BOOM!!

The Hell-Beast Monster slammed a mannequin into the ground violently. Its position kept changing, and the fluorescent lights above it shattered as fragments of the broken mannequin flew everywhere.

“Nuri, remember this: indoors is outside Light Blade’s jurisdiction.”

“I didn’t know that…”

This is the second factor that makes it difficult for Light Blade to respond—when the environment or space is indoors or underground. Since Light Blade’s attacks are essentially squad missiles of magical energy launched from the association building’s rooftop, he can’t target monsters effectively if they’re underground or inside buildings. Unless he causes an earthquake by collapsing entire structures, his long-range attacks won’t reach them.

“Damn it, what’s Light Blade doing?!”

“Light Blade, stop slacking off and send a hero already!”

People were calling out for Light Blade and other heroes. Despite having at least ten C-Rank or higher heroes present in the shopping center, none stepped forward.

‘They’re all too busy watching us.’

Among the spectators were agents from various factions: humans sent by the association to protect us, watchers from the Hunter Guild, patriotic youths, bodyguards hired by tattoo masters, and others keeping an eye on the commander—all hesitant to move lest their identities be exposed.

Even regular heroes visiting the mall didn’t dare to interfere. Three minutes had passed since the Hell-Beast Monster began its rampage, yet no one acted.

‘They’re scared of liability claims, aren’t they?’

Who is responsible for property damage caused during a hero-monster battle? The hero themselves. If a building collapses, the hero must personally compensate for the damages. This is why three out of ten heroes fleeing Hell-Joseon do so due to such incidents.

‘All of this is just setup to make the protagonist group shine.’

With no one stepping up, I gently grabbed Nuri’s shoulder as she prepared to charge forward.

“Nuri.”

“Boss…”

“I’m not stopping you. Can you win?”

“…Of course!”

Clutching her fists tightly, Nuri dashed forward. Without even switching into her battle suit, the C-Rank special ability user charged recklessly into combat. Gaeul watched anxiously.

“Are you sure she’ll be okay?”

“She’s my discovery, my protégé. She wouldn’t lose here, right?”

“But won’t things get really messy during the fight? You do know who’s responsible for damages in Hell-Joseon, right?”

In response to Gaeul’s worldly concerns, I loudly snorted dismissively, making sure everyone nearby could hear.

“In other countries, this wouldn’t even be an issue. But that’s beside the point. If things get messy….”

I fiddled with the Magical Gear and issued instructions to Nuri’s holographic screen.

“We’ll deal with it then.”

Amidst the rising tension, I directed Nuri to attack the Hell-Beast Monster.

* * *

CRASH!!

The convenience store windows shattered, and shelves collapsed under the impact. But it wasn’t the giant monster rampaging—it was the giant monster getting thrown into the convenience store.

“Who…?!”

The crowd turned their gaze toward whoever had flung the monster. There stood a small maiden wearing a black snapback hat and a black mask, casually brushing her hands off.

“……”

She stood silently, then tilted her head slightly to the side.

SMASH!!

A flying beer bottle whizzed past her, shattering against a pillar. The projectile came faster than any MLB pitcher’s fastball, originating from the direction where the monster had fallen.

“ROOOAAARR!!”

The monster began throwing anything it could grab toward the girl, ranging from beer bottles to heavier objects. Though it looked ridiculous for Goliath to throw stones at David, each item hurled was dangerous enough to kill if it hit its mark.

“Hmph.”

The girl infused her hands with glowing blue magic power, creating gauntlets that deftly caught and placed each incoming object safely on the ground—a feat bordering on miraculous.

“Water affinity?!”

“That little kid…?!”

Before the crowd could fully process what they were seeing, an ATM machine came flying out of the convenience store. Larger than the girl by 1.5 times, the spinning ATM machine hurtled toward her.

“EEK?!”

Behind her stood a young man who hadn’t moved to dodge, instead continuing to spectate. His wristwatch-like Magical Gear was recording everything in video mode.

“Tch!”

The girl clicked her tongue and planted her rear foot firmly on the ground, causing her sneaker to twist sideways as she swung her arm back forcefully.

“HAAH!”

With a sharp cry, a wave of water surged forth from her hand, forming a shimmering blue blade. Though refined, the fluctuating form revealed her abilities to be around C-Rank.

“HAHAHAHA!”

In the same C-Rank category, size matters. The monster, having demonstrated its strength by tearing apart and hurling the ATM, grinned wickedly at the girl’s apparent fragility.

SNAP.

But the girl didn’t crumble as expected. Instead, the ATM split cleanly in half, slicing through the air around her.

“What’s your deal? Were you causing trouble just to ask for money?”

As she cut the ATM in two, scattering cash across the floor, the girl picked up some bills.

“You didn’t come here to buy fried chicken wings, did you? More like harassing women and got rejected, huh? What a loser.”

“RAAAAWWWRR!!”

Enraged by her mockery, the monster charged at her. The girl sidestepped with a smirk, only to collide with someone else.

“ACK?!”

“Ugh!”

She tripped over an old man’s cane, which had been stealthily placed near the ATM wreckage. In the old man’s hand were several soggy ten-thousand-won bills, while the girl quickly canceled her water sword and performed a safe landing technique.

“HEHEHEHE!”

The monster swatted the old man away with its palm. Flying over five meters, the old man crashed into a wall littered with broken beer bottles, knocking him unconscious. As the girl turned her head toward the old man, a sinister aura of magic emanated from the monster.

“Wolf Claws!!”

Responding to the monster’s roar, jagged black claws formed from dark magic appeared on its hands. Swinging them toward the old man, the girl hastily recreated her water blade and deflected the claws mid-air.

“HAHAHA, stupid girl!”

The monster grabbed her with its other hand. She countered by surrounding herself with a protective layer of magic while angling her sword upward.

“GRR…!”

“Some brat thinks she can mock me?! How dare you, you insignificant piece of—”

“GRRRR… Hmph!”

POW!!

The girl kicked the monster’s groin with her magic-infused leg. The force of the blow caused an explosion, flipping the monster onto its knees as it gasped for breath, eyes rolling back.

“So much for fitting anything in there. Looks like your package exploded too.”

Breaking free from the monster’s grip, the girl tapped her sneakers against the ground. Water dripped from the soaked crotch area of the monster, whose pants were now wet and dripping. With a scowl, the girl removed her hat and mask.

“Hey, mister.”

Lifting the leg she used to kick the monster’s groin, Kim Nuri addressed it.

“If you feel wronged about being castrated, feel free to sue.”

SLAP!!

She delivered a swift uppercut to the monster’s jaw, sending its head snapping backward.

THUD!!

The monster collapsed. After enduring a brief moment of peril, Nuri successfully defeated her opponent with clean efficiency. Turning around, she called out.

“…Uh, grandpa, are you—”

PLUMP.

Without warning, Nuri stumbled forward and fell. No attack had been aimed at her, yet her sudden collapse shocked the crowd.

“Hold on, hold on!!”

A late-arriving hero rushed to the scene, checking the monster before placing a hand on Nuri’s back.

“It’s magic exhaustion!”

Upon hearing the female hero’s diagnosis, relief washed over the faces of the onlookers. Simultaneously, the monster’s body began to dissipate into mist.

“WOW!!!”

Cheers erupted throughout the underground shopping center.

C-Rank Hero Kim Nuri.

Her first words upon regaining consciousness in the hospital were, “What about that old man?”