The Tough Guy Hides the Villainess - Chapter 101



101 – Become a Myth #3

101 – Become a Myth #3

Seventeen members, excluding the three women associated with “Witch’s Herb.”

From those seventeen, excluding students like Baek Yeoul, Seo Gaeul, and Wang Jahyun, there were roughly thirteen left.

These thirteen were veteran awakeners who had firmly established their positions in society.

“Set up the tents over here! Wire traps go there!”

“Will traps work on demons?”

“We have to try everything we can.”

In less than an hour, a plausible defensive stronghold was completed in the clearing of the vast forest.

They set up a large enough fence to catch a tiger and placed jelly that rhinoceros beetles would like inside it, emitting a strong sweet scent.

It’s a smell that monsters like.

It’s a monster trap.

The work progressed so smoothly that even I was impressed. There was nothing for me to add.

So, while I was trembling with emotion, Mr. Jeon Suho, who was practically the team leader of this expedition, slapped me hard on the back.

“Why are you trembling like that? Are you scared? Don’t worry. This big brother will take responsibility and protect you kids, so just stay quietly by my side and don’t do anything unnecessary.”

It’s refreshing to have adults you can trust and rely on.

Rustle-. At that moment, the bushes shook violently, and the sound of branches breaking echoed loudly.

“A monster is coming!”

Jeon Suho banged his huge shield like a hammer, sounding the alarm.

Everyone who had been chatting until just now went into alert mode.

“Hanamjin! Stay by my side!”

Bbangdaengi, who was carrying a huge bag like a snail’s house, grabbed my side. He said he would protect me, but in reality, he was half hiding behind me.

Crunch-.

Snap-. Crack-.

The sound of branches breaking continued to heighten the tension. Dr. Wiseona, who possessed the concept of “analysis,” tapped her forehead with her fingers and came to a conclusion.

“It’s approaching at about 60 km/h! It weighs around 1 ton!”

Could she really determine the speed and weight just by the sound of branches breaking?

Dr. Wiseona had an amazing talent.

Whoosh-!

At that moment, something burst through the bushes.

It was a giant lizard, as big as a small car.

The peculiar thing was that it was walking on two legs.

Its red body, which looked tough, had a yellow crest similar to a chicken’s, running from its forehead to the tip of its tail, giving it a flamboyant appearance.

“A dinosaur…!?”

Bbangdaengi was shocked.

Maybe because it was big and bipedal, it did look like a dinosaur.

─Shhh!

The monster lizard.

Its red-stained gaze turned towards the people.

Bang bang- Jeonsuho hit his shield.

“The creature is paying more attention to us than the bait in the trap! It might be a ferocious one, so everyone, prepare for an attack! I’ll draw its attention, so be ready to ambush it when it turns its back!”

Originally, we planned to lure the monster into the trap with a sweet scent, but things don’t always go as planned.

Improvisation.

The problem was that the monster lizard’s gaze wasn’t directed at Jeon Suho, who volunteered to act as bait.

“Why, why is it looking at me!”

Flick, flick.

The monster lizard licked its lips with its long tongue, staring at Bbangdaengi.

Jeon Suho clicked his tongue.

“It looks like its brain is the size of a peanut, but it’s smarter than it seems. Targeting the weakest one in the group is a basic tactic.”

Did the lizard target Bbangdaengi because he looked the weakest?

No, I thought differently.

It seemed like something in Bbangdaengi’s bag caught the lizard’s attention.

“Bbangdaengi, it looks like you and I have to act as bait.”

“Us…!?”

Plans should always be flexible.

Thud!

A stone flew from somewhere and hit the lizard’s head.

When I turned my head, a handsome man with a sly look was holding a few stones and shouting.

“I’ll be the bait, so stay back!”

It was Wang Jaehyun.

─Shhh!

The lizard’s gaze turned to Wang Ja-hyun, seemingly angered by the stone that hit it. The organ that looked like a rooster’s comb swelled up, and it even caught fire like a flame.

Shook, shook, shook, shook-.

The problem was that one of the stones Wang Ja-hyun kept throwing hit Bangdae’s forehead with a thud.

“Ah!”

Bangdae fell down.

Unlucky fellow!

Because of that, the overly large bag he had brought along opened, and the combat rations inside spilled out with a rustle.

The lizard, which seemed to have been starving for a long time, turned its gaze back to Bangdae. If things continued like this, the defenseless Bangdae would be attacked by that monstrous fire lizard.

Thinking there was no other choice, I quickly picked up Bangdae.

“Bangdae, hold onto my neck tightly! Keep your mouth shut so you don’t bite your tongue!”

“Mm!”

As I lifted Bangdae and dodged, the lizard monster’s claws slashed through the air.

─Shhh!

Crash-!

The monster’s sharp claws tore through the ground.

If I hadn’t dodged while holding Bangdae, we would have been seriously injured by those pickaxe-like claws.

Whoosh, bang-!

At that moment, something with intense energy sliced through the air.

─Keeeek!

Seo Ga-eul fired a miraculous bullet from the palm of his hand.

Bang, bang bang bang bang-!

The bullets fired by Seo Ga-eul kept hitting the lizard’s body.

“Drive it into the cage like this!”

─Shhh!

The monster lizard was gradually driven into the demon trap.

Whoosh-!

It struggled here and there, spewing flames from its mouth, but the men of the vanguard, including Jeon Su-ho, rushed at it with all their might and pushed it into the cage.

Clang-!

The moment the cage closed, everyone cheered simultaneously.

“Great!”

“We did it!”

Of course, not everyone was purely happy.

Jeon Su-ho approached Wang Ja-hyun, grabbed his shoulder, and shook him violently.

“You idiot! What the hell were you doing all of a sudden! We almost had a big problem! If you stay still, at least you won’t get in the way!”

He was saying that Wang Ja-hyun almost messed things up by hitting Bbangdaengi with a stone. Everyone felt the same way, so Wang Ja-hyun, feeling overwhelmed, couldn’t make any excuses and clicked his tongue.

“Bbangdaengi, are you okay? Getting injured by a flying stone, that’s unlucky, huh?”

I asked, looking down at Bbangdaengi.

Then Bbangdaengi, with a face flushed red, said,

“Maybe I was actually lucky…!”

To say you’re lucky to be hit by a stone.

Your head must hurt a lot from being hit by a stone!

# # #

─Shhh!

The lizard trapped in the trap licked the piled-up jelly.

Seona, who was recording and observing the scene, also licked her own lips with her tongue.

“To me, it looks like a monster with the concepts of ‘claws’ and ‘evolution’. It’s the first time a multi-concept monster has been found in this forest. These kinds of creatures are usually found in the depths of the great labyrinth.”

A monster from the depths escaped to the surface-.

Seona concluded as such.

It means that there is something in the depths strong enough to make a powerful monster escape, and we could easily guess what that existence was.

It’s the demon of the ‘star’.

Anyway, with the capture of the monster, the preparations to summon the demon of the ‘star’ were complete.

I took out the concept stone of ‘conquest’ from my bosom.

“If we shove this into the lizard’s mouth, it will probably go berserk.”

It’s a concept stone so contaminated that even the gluttonous Yingying refused to eat it.

If the lizard consumes it, it will soon go berserk, and the demon of the star, sensing that intense energy, will come to this forest – that is our plan.

“Got it! It’s the same strategy as luring the barking dog with ketchup when it was wandering around the factory!”

Bangdae nudged my side with his elbow and whispered in admiration.

Just as he said.

Tracking a monster is difficult, but luring it is rather easy.

Even if it were a demon, it would be the same.

“I’ll shove my hand down this b*stard’s throat. Give me that.”

Jeon Suho, who possessed the concept of “Steel,” took the concept stone of “Conquest” from me.

Jeon Suho’s expression crumpled violently.

“Ugh!”

“W-What’s happening!”

Wi Seonah asked in confusion.

Veteran teacher Moon Hyunah was equally tense.

“It’s as hot as a burning ember taken out of a molten furnace! Just holding this makes my mind dizzy! I can tell just by touching it! This is poison!”

It seemed that the pollution emitted by the concept stone of “Conquest” had made his mind hazy. Because of that, Jeon Suho dropped the concept stone on the floor.

Thud, roll-roll-roll-.

Wi Seonah covered her nose as she looked at the concept stone that had fallen to the floor.

“Ugh, such a strong smell.”

Other awakened ones also stepped back hesitantly.

They acted as if they were dealing with a radioactive uranium substance.

“Hey, how were you carrying something like this around?”

It was a question that seemed to find it strange that I had brought the concept of “Conquest.” Honestly, it was unpleasant, but it wasn’t to the extent that I felt such a strong aversion.

F-class teacher Moon Hyunah slightly lifted her eyepatch and asked me.

“Come to think of it, Han Namjin, didn’t you say you had no backlash when handling concepts? Seonah, there are people who have little resistance to concepts, right?”

“Yes, there are. People who have a low probability of becoming demons.”

Should I be the one to handle this concept stone after all?

At that moment, Jeon Suho picked up the concept stone that had fallen to the ground.

“Enough! I said I’ll do it, so I’ll do it!”

He endured the pain because he was an adult.

Grit-

Jeon Suho, grinding his teeth, thrust his hand through the iron bars and shoved it into the lizard’s mouth.

The monster lizard gnawed as if it would sever Jeon Suho’s arm with its sharp teeth, but only scratches appeared on Jeon Suho’s skin, which was as tough as steel.

Swoosh-

As Jeon Suho pulled his hand out of the lizard’s mouth, Yang Sunsoo, a healer who had been on standby, sprayed medicine on Jeon Suho’s arm and wrapped it with a bandage.

What will happen now?

─Krrk, grrk, guaak-!

The monster lizard struggled as if it had swallowed poison.

Like a rat that had eaten rat poison.

Bulge, crack-

The monster’s body, which had looked somewhat cool because it resembled a dinosaur, swelled even larger. The comb that had stood like a rooster’s rose majestically as if it were a crown.

The lizard of “Conquest.”

It roared.

─Kroarrr-!

It looked like a dragon.

In the boiling power, Wi Seona shouted.

“It’s a Grade 4 monster!”

A Grade 4 monster, comparable to a Grade 4 awakened being.

We had created that dangerous entity with our own hands.

However, the monster’s mutation was not yet complete.

─Krrr…!?

The monster let out a pitiful sound as if it couldn’t handle the changes happening to its body.

Its skin tore, muscles swelled further, and bones twisted, transforming into a large, swollen mass of flesh.

Seo Ga-eul reacted to the sight.

“Han Nam-jin! It’s becoming like the Giant of Conquest!”

“I know.”

“If the operation fails, we’ll just end up with more dangerous enemies!”

“Everyone, fall back!”

“Maintain the front line! Hold the formation!”

Everyone was in a state of panic.

The Star’s Mine should respond to the Conquering Dragon.

So, it was time to wish for something that could be called a long-forgotten prayer or supplication to something without a subject.

『A threat to the safety of the Great Labyrinth has been detected.』

『Do you authorize the activation of the defense system under the authority of the King?』

『YES/NO』

The awaited words appeared.

YES.

As I projected my will onto the letters, a space so intense it made my skin tingle began to ripple.

A ring of light appeared in the air.

Flash-.

Just as the dazzling light flashed, a figure (人形) glowing like a universe filled with stars appeared in the air.

The peculiar thing was that it had no head.

Instead of a head, there was a black hole above the perfectly flat neck and shoulders. It looked like the Tower of Sauron with a black hole on top.

Whatever it was, I could no longer see that man as a member of the human (人間) species.

【Eliminating the kingdom’s threat.】

Crack-.

The dragon, which had been becoming a giant of “Conquest,” was crushed and compressed by the intense gravity.

“A being that overwhelms a 4th-grade monster… That is… the demon of the “Star.””

Researcher Wi Seon-ah was the first to react.

Was it because she was captivated by that beautiful starlight?

However, Jeon Su-ho did not hide his tension as he planted his shield into the ground.

“I understand now that I see it with my own eyes. It’s the same chill I felt when I had a nuclear missile in front of me at the northern research lab. Are we supposed to fight that monster…!?”

“Han Nam-jin was right, the demon of the star has come!”

“The operation so far has been a success. It’s a success, but─.”

“Are we really supposed to take that thing down on our own? Even the army would struggle!”

They were either in awe, tense, or at a loss for words.

When everyone faced the wall of life with various reactions, the most intense reaction came from Bangdaengi.

He reached out his small, fragile hand towards the void, shouting as if it were insignificant compared to the brilliance of the stars.

“…Oppa! It’s me!”

“Yeoul, it’s dangerous!”

Wisonah tried to stop her, but Baek Yeoul did not give up.

She raised her voice even more.

“Oppa! It’s me! Baek Yeoul! You remember me! You know who I am! Mom and Dad are worried too! We used to eat watermelon together and spit out the seeds when we were kids!”

In the end, Baek Yeoul burst into tears.

Does Nam Woojoo, who has become a concept rather than a human, still have a ‘heart’?

Soon, the black hole eyes, shining like Sauron’s eye, turned towards Baek Yeoul.

【…Yeoul….】