Chapter 894

EP.894 [Light Novel Side Story] Death Dinus of the Sky 2 Vol. 011

<3:00 AM, Guro Base Camp.>

“Yuna, it’s okay not to sleep? You look really tired.”

“I’m fine for a day. It’s not like we’re in a situation to rest anyway… Haaam.”

Yuna covered her mouth as she yawned. The bloodshot eyes clearly showed her exhaustion, and Xian wanted nothing more than to get Yuna to rest.

“Why don’t you take a nap at the back? Raon and Nuri have already gone to sleep. Yu-Joon hyung too.”

Xian pointed towards the back of the trailer. Her teammates had entered it in preparation for any unforeseen circumstances, while Megrez’s guild leader, Hero Yu-Sung, volunteered to guard and urged everyone to rest.

“…It’s kind of awkward.”

Thinking about the remaining empty seat, Yuna looked uneasy. Xian tapped her fingers on the steering wheel in agreement.

“The spot where the monster was… yeah, it’s still kinda off-putting.”

“How could a monster even get into New Seoul?”

“I didn’t know there were abilities that allowed someone to transform into another person either.”

Chun Bomi had frighteningly copied Raon’s appearance. Though her cover was blown due to ignorance of small habits and insider knowledge among team members, if she had been given a little more time to refine her act, things might have turned out differently.

“They say she kidnapped Raon while impersonating Sister Xian during her watch.”

“……I can’t even blame her since I trusted her so much.”

Raon explained how she got kidnapped. While standing guard, a sleeping Xian suddenly hugged her, startling her into not reacting in time. By the time she noticed something was off, her consciousness was already clouding over, and she woke up in a cave-like space under an underground passage.

“Guess we should be thankful it was Raon who got kidnapped?”

“…If it had been me, Nuri, or Hyu-Joon, we probably wouldn’t have been able to use magic power.”

“She doesn’t know about Raon having a sub-core.”

Though drugged and her magic power suppressed, Raon cleverly feigned death and attempted an escape. The sunglasses-wearing monster who tried to harm her ended up getting killed when Raon punched straight through his chest.

“So that’s why his head flew off first.”

The fallen monster turned out to be the boss of the Guro area, maintaining regular contact with other station groups.

“Princess Seol used that as a basis to formulate a monster extermination strategy.”

“There were so many monsters hiding underground; I never would’ve guessed.”

“Hmmph, probably living down there since before the Great Cataclysm…”

Yuna yawned again, dozing off mid-sentence. Xian sighed helplessly but also sympathetically as she reached for the passenger door.

“This won’t work. You should-”

Thud. Yuna collapsed onto the driver’s seat, resting her head on Xian’s thigh. Xian quickly raised her elbow to block Yuna’s gaze from looking up at her.

“Y, Yuna?”

“Just a short break… Just a bit.”

With half-closed eyes, Yuna smiled faintly. Xian gripped the steering wheel tightly, glancing upwards before swallowing hard.

“…Just for a moment then.”

“Hmph, understood. But Xian, how did you realize Raon was fake?”

“Huh, that?”

Xian lightly tapped her lips.

“Raon doesn’t usually say ‘~~yo.'”

“…? Just because of that?”

“At first, I thought it just slipped out without me noticing, but once I started doubting, there was no end to it.”

Xian pulled out a map from the magical gear that displayed the real-time locations of her companions. Two behind the trailer, and one next to Xian.

Chuckling slightly, Yuna poked Xian’s side.

“Looks like you’ll soon know everything we’re doing wherever we are.”

“…Turn it off normally. You only turn it on for moments like this, right?”

“Hmph, understood. I trust you.”

Adjusting her posture so as not to disturb Yuna, Xian watched as Yuna shifted slightly, fidgeting with her hands before asking:

“What about Chun Bomi now?”

“…Her parents passed away, and her agency is denying everything. It doesn’t seem like the association will expose that an entertainer coming to New Seoul was a monster.”

Staring at the window coated with film, Xian spoke. Outside, the ability users were busy investigating elevators and vents before heading underground.

“Probably not just her. Chun Bomi might’ve just gotten lucky snagging a minor role, and we have no idea how many more monsters are hiding in New Seoul.”

“…We couldn’t tell at all, even though they checked her at the association.”

Through unknown means, Chun Bomi blocked the characteristic aura of monsters, acting like an ordinary person.

No one knows when Chun Bomi became a monster or why she led a double life as an entertainer and a monster.

“The core will be managed by the association, right? Where exactly are Korea’s monster detention facilities?”

“In Daejeon. There’s a research facility near the Hero Academy.”

“…All we can hope for is that they repent while living as ‘puppets.'”

Xian was curious too—what was Chun Bomi’s relationship with the sunglasses monster, how did she hide the monster’s presence, and although she didn’t really care, who exactly was ‘that person’ mentioned by Chun Bomi in her dying breath?

“Wouldn’t it be easier if they just told us their alias or name?”

“……”

Snore snore. Unaware of Xian’s complaints, Yuna’s eyelids slowly closed. Xian froze momentarily before looking down at Yuna with a warm smile.

“Sleep well. You worked hard today.”

“……”

Yuna rolled over to her right. As she turned her head toward Xian’s stomach, brushing against her thigh, Xian froze completely.

” ”

There was roughly three hours and thirty minutes left until sunrise.

Xian’s troubles deepened.

* * *

<6:00 AM, March 2nd, Guro Base Camp.>

“Ajusshi stayed up again?”

Nuri was shocked at the heavy dark circles under Xian’s eyes. Thanks to the association’s assistance, they managed to get some solid rest in the trailer, but it seemed Xian had pulled another all-nighter.

“No matter how uncomfortable the driver’s seat is, you shouldn’t skip sleep entirely. At least eat this to snap out of it.”

Raon handed over a bread roll allocated to Xian while reprimanding her. With a vacant expression, Xian took the bread and nibbled on it listlessly. Her leg movements mimicking restlessness were clearly uncomfortable.

“…”

Only Ha Yu-Joon showed sympathy for Xian’s plight. Wobbling awkwardly, Xian let out a deep sigh and slumped onto any available seat.

“Are you alright? Do you want to close your eyes for a bit?”

“…”

Looking at the worried Yuna with wobbly eyes, Xian bowed her head deeply. Chuckling softly, Yuna pointed to the trailer behind them, and Xian trudged aboard like a zombie.

Nuri tore open the plastic wrapping of her bread with a tut.

“Did our ajusshi watch a zombie movie while we were asleep or what?”

“…It’s probably because of us. Since that person came through the association, and even though they said they’d provide protection, he must’ve found it hard to trust them. Even with Princess Seol’s certification, he’s foreign, so naturally, he wouldn’t trust easily.”

“I agree, Sister Raon.”

Speculating differently, Nuri and Raon received support from Ha Yu-Joon for Raon’s opinion out of respect for Xian’s dignity. Nuri ripped her bread aggressively.

“Didn’t you check Oppa and find out he wasn’t someone else?”

“…Hmph, are you questioning Oppa now?”

“Not really, but among all the people Ajusshi interviewed, two were chosen, and one of them turned out to be a monster. If one was like that, how can we guarantee the other isn’t?”

“That’s true.”

Ha Yu-Joon stroked his chin before stiffening. Raon stepped in front of Nuri, gathering her magic power.

“Don’t stress too much. I’ll reveal my true identity to just the two of you.”

Lowering his voice to a whisper for fear of being overheard, Ha Yu-Joon confessed.

“To tell the truth, I’m the president of the Yu-Sung Group.”

“Get outta here.”

As if the previous tension meant nothing, Nuri scoffed and swallowed her bread. Raon chuckled too, dismissing Ha Yu-Joon’s claim as a joke.

“Sorry, I never imagined Ha Yu-Joon would make such jokes.”

“…Sister, what would you do if I really were the president of Yu-Sung Group?”

Feeling wronged, Ha Yu-Joon thumped his chest. Exchanging glances, Nuri and Raon replied together.

“Everyone knows the president of Yu-Sung Group is Eun Ha-su. Why? Are you trying to bet? No thanks, too much effort.”

“Since we have a prime example of verbal slip-ups right beside us, we’re pretty cautious about stuff like that.”

“Who…ah.”

Realizing immediately who the embodiment of gossip was, Ha Yu-Joon locked eyes with Yuna, who was entering the trailer with bread and milk.

“…”

“Are you saying you’re the president of Yu-Sung Group?”

Tilting her head, Yuna looked at Ha Yu-Joon questioningly. Feeling as if she was seeing straight through him, Ha Yu-Joon instinctively swallowed hard. He forced a laugh and waved his hand dismissively.

“Haha! …Actually, it was a joke, so don’t take it too seriously.”

“Is that so? Hmm. Understood.”

After nodding twice, Yuna climbed into the trailer. Ha Yu-Joon looked as if he’d aged ten years as he shook his head.

“Creepy.”

“Oppa gets it. When Yuna-ssi acts like this, she’s truly terrifying. Feels like you’re seeing someone from another world.”

Even Nuri shivered. Raon gulped, unable to deny it.

“……Jun. To avoid any misunderstanding, I’ll warn you ahead of time—if you ever join this ‘team,’ please remember this.”

Pointing at the trailer, Raon cautioned.

“You need to understand who the real ‘boss’ of this team is. Even though she looks like this-”

“I don’t need to see to know. Yuna-ssi is scary.”

“? This Oppa is mistaken. Yuna-ssi may look like a boss, but the real boss is that ajusshi.”

“……?”

Nuri pointed her thumb toward the trailer, and Raon added further explanation.

“Although he usually acts nice, he’s the leader. I was going to warn you not to misunderstand, but I guess I did the right thing mentioning it.”

“Yuna-ssi isn’t the boss. That gullible ajusshi is our real leader.”

“Wha…t…”

Ha Yu-Joon had stepped on a major misstep.

* * *

“You didn’t sleep either?”

“Just needed to think for a bit.”

Xian finished her breakfast of bread and milk prepared by Yuna, her eyes half-closed. She was meticulously reviewing the profiles of Chun Bomi and Ha Yu-Joon on her magical gear.

“Somehow, I feel like I picked the wrong candidate.”

“…? Were you really considering adding them to your guild?”

“Yeah. Both of them. Not just for ulterior motives, but because I saw some potential in them. They seemed like the highest-ranking types.”

In response to Yuna’s query, Xian alternated between the profiles of Chun Bomi and Ha Yu-Joon with a complicated expression.

“Definitely something there… So it feels like I chose them almost instinctively.”

“According to him, he claims to be the president of Yu-Sung Group.”

Before boarding the trailer, Yuna relayed Ha Yu-Joon’s boastful statement to Xian. Staring blankly at Yuna for a moment, Xian smirked.

“No way. That guy exaggerates too much.”

“That’s true… Anyway, what are we going to do now? Princess Seol forcibly stopped us from participating in the underground sweep.”

As heroes went underground to capture monsters, excluding hunter guild personnel citing safety concerns, Xian’s group was also excluded from the operation.

“You did plan the sweep thoroughly, didn’t you, Xian?”

“I made it up on the spot. Still, the hero side accepted it.”

Based on the map obtained by Raon, Xian devised an almost perfect sweep operation, which the hero side adopted. However, Seok Harang enforced mandatory rest for Xian’s group.

“But Princess Seol sure has a temper. Almost got reported.”

“……That’s your fault, Xian. Being rude to a lady you’ve never met leads to this.”

Correcting her posture, Yuna sharply criticized Xian’s mistake.

“Even if you say something meaningless, it can upset the listener. Princess Seol was angry because of that.”

“…So that’s why we were excluded from the operation? Yet why did she accept my plan? Ever since coming to this country, whenever I try to do something, it feels like all the credit gets taken away.”

Covering her face with both hands, Xian bitterly lamented. From the day she first met Yuna to the present, every time Xian tried to accomplish something, the juiciest rewards somehow ended up in others’ hands.

Of course, there were instances where Xian herself stepped aside, but this time, she genuinely wanted to participate directly since she had planned the operation.

“Maybe a demon possessed her?”

“……Well, at least we got Princess Seol’s personal number, so it’s not all bad, right?”

Naturally, Xian protested, and barely calmed down, Seok Harang offered a flimsy excuse.

– The country doesn’t sit idly by watching foreigners shine. Even if it’s a former Round Table studio.

According to Seok Harang, the association and the government wanted to keep the incident involving the monster Chun Bomi confidential and no longer wished for Xian’s group to draw attention. Although Seok Harang mildly resisted, given her position tied to both the association and the country, she had no choice but to comply with their wishes. That’s how she defended herself.

– …For now, follow the association’s suggestion. In return…

While following Xian’s plan but excluding her from participation, Seok Harang felt apologetic about her somewhat unscrupulous behavior. She left her personal contact details, offered a sincere apology for her harsh words, and promised private compensation.

Thanks to this, Xian, forced into mandatory rest, saved the phone number Seok Harang provided while sarcastically muttering.

“I’ll have to fleece her big later.”

“So please don’t misunderstand….”

[This number has already been blocked.]

“?!”

* * *

Breaking news!

Heroes dispatched for the 13th Seoul Recovery Operation have successfully eliminated all monsters and villains hiding beneath Seoul.

Operation commander Princess Seol (Seok Harang, 26) confirmed discovering a passage leading underground while tracking monsters around 2:40 AM in Guro, subsequently wiping out the monsters in the area and obtaining classified information to raid their base.

A total of 527 villains were captured, including 205 monsters. These individuals, regardless of whether they were human or monster, were discovered hiding in the underground tunnels, committing heinous crimes such as kidnapping, imprisonment, and monster transformation.

Among them is the identified top-tier criminal and presumed leader of the villains, A-Rank villain <Sky Castle>.

Meanwhile, reports suggest the operation was communicated exclusively to the association’s ability users, sparking concerns that Princess Seol excluded the Hunter Guild to monopolize the credit for the association.

In response, the Hunter Guild stated…