People often have a hard time grasping the concept of nano size.
Naturally, that’s to be expected.
Because the unit “nano” refers to a size so small that it can’t be perceived by the human eye.
The size is approximately one-billionth of a meter.
It means 0.000000001 meters.
In other words, the concept of catching or hitting it simply doesn’t apply.
So what is this thing then?
“Did my nano-sized clones ‘disappear’?!”
“Hehehe…”
“Wow, amazing! Horned Mask!”
Kang Janghoon clapped his hands and instantly turned part of a swarm of mosquitoes flying toward the disappearance point into “dust,” as if swatting flies.
It was an impossible feat.
A swarm of mosquitoes broken down to nano size dying from being slapped against his palm.
At that size, it should have been able to slip through without harm, between the palm’s contact.
Yet, it was as if he used insecticide spray.
Zzzt, zzzt, zzzt…
“…Vibration?”
It wasn’t an ordinary clap.
As if to demonstrate, Kang Janghoon showed his hands, vibrating thousands of times per second before the mosquito monster.
“C-Could it be that it’s in a vacuum state?!”
Vacuum.
It refers to a state where most of the air between spaces is absent.
Or, in other words, the air pressure is extremely low, which theoretically means that any object entering the space could be destroyed instantly, even nano-sized mosquitoes.
But wait.
‘You created a vacuum artificially? With just your palms…?’
Which living creature could intentionally create a vacuum state?
Unless it was a ‘power.’
No matter how you look at it, what he did seemed to be simply a vacuum created by rapidly pushing the palms apart—a result of physical effort.
In other words, this wasn’t some kind of magical or special ability.
‘How strong must his physical abilities be to create a vacuum like that, something only manifested in space?’
Could it be a coincidence?
Or perhaps such power comes with a risk.
The mosquito monster thought to itself, sending more nano-sized clones toward the target of disappearance again.
But once again.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
“?!?!?!!!?!?”
“Oooh…!”
It was as if he were casually swatting passing insects.
Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!
Without hesitation, Kang Janghoon used his super-compressed clapping to slowly destroy the high-level nano-sized monster.
The mosquito monster, after sensing the discomfort, felt nothing but ‘fear.’
‘This guy… No, a monster of this level came here to compete with me?!’
It felt completely out of place.
It was clear—this was a different level.
Even though it was a high-level monster, it wasn’t one of the top-tier among them.
A truly high-level monster would be something like a “sword” or “radiation” from the human realm.
Wait a minute.
“A horned mask of red color?”
Now that I think about it, the monster of violence who returned after a month from the human realm was also wearing a similar mask.
When two high-level monsters with followers arrived in the other world, they screamed like this.
“Horned Mask!!”
“I will definitely kill you!!”
As if they had both been attacked by the same force.
The traitor they mentioned among their kin.
With bright blonde hair, a cape-like flesh fluttering behind, and most of all, the horned mask.
A legendary kin killer hiding his identity behind a red horned mask.
Chilling.
‘Could it be that this is the same guy?!’
It was a mistake.
If he were that kind of monster, he wouldn’t have fought in the first place.
But rumors said he fought for humans. Could that be true, not just a rumor?
As a monster, there could be no greater traitor.
They hadn’t even made a ‘contract,’ yet they threatened their own kind?
‘It’s frustrating, but I don’t have the power to beat him right now.’
Was his hobby to hunt high-level monsters?
How did he know that the monster would approach the missing one and make preparations in advance?
No.
From the start, he was surprised by being ‘betrayed’ by the missing one.
But still, the mosquito monster desperately tried to buy time with the nano-sized clones.
‘I need to inform the Disease Master quickly!’
The mosquito monster tried to flee the scene as quickly as possible.
However.
Szzzt!
“?!”
“You… you did it all! Amazing!”
Did he really catch all of them?
All the nano-sized mosquitoes numbering in the trillions?
Did he catch them all with his hands?
“…Insane.”
“Hehehe.”
‘It’s over.’
The last nano-sized mosquito, which was about to disappear behind the fog, met its end.
The monster, realizing the truth too late, was facing the very creature before him.
As soon as his eyes met Kang Janghoon’s…
Clap!
And quietly, it vanished.
“Hehehehe!”
“Mom! Mooooom!”
“My daughter!”
“Thank you! Thank you so much, Hero!”
“It’s nothing… I didn’t do anything this time.”
The incident quickly came to an end.
After defeating the mosquito monster and returning the restaurant to its original state, countless people rushed to the entrance, which had been inaccessible.
They were all either police officers or heroes, and as we had felt, there had been chaos outside as well.
“We were called in after hearing that the top floor of the Hero Museum had disappeared suddenly.”
“How long exactly was it gone?”
“Yes. According to the time the CCTV cut off, it was exactly 39 hours, 18 minutes, and 47 seconds.”
“Luckily, the time difference between the inside and outside was the same.”
“It seems so.”
Once the situation was over, Yoon Ha-eun returned the children to their parents who had come to this place.
She was still on high alert, receiving reports of the situation.
She must have barely slept while protecting the kids in such an isolated situation, but despite her rough manner, her strong mental resilience was truly that of an S-rank hero.
“Anyway, this ended much more simply than I thought.”
“Yeah, it really did.”
Meanwhile, the two who were less impressed with the outcome were Miss Hoshino and Carmilla.
They looked somewhat disgruntled.
“Why did they suddenly have to come out?”
“Yeah… Did the monsters that locked us up start fighting among themselves?”
I flinched!
Despite being sharp, I chose to ignore it.
“Janghoon, are you alright?”
“Yes? Oh, of course!”
“That’s a relief. If you feel any discomfort, you must tell me immediately, understood?”
“Yes, I understand.”
Anyway, with this, the incident was successfully handled.
Stretching my arms, I yawned, relieved that it was over.
At that moment, Yoon Ha-eun approached.
“Are you two alright?”
“Ah, yes…”
“What about you, Teacher?”
“Well, as you know, there was no fighting this time. I’m just a little tired, that’s all.”
She must have stayed up for almost 40 hours, and she’s only a little tired?
Was she saying that for the children, or was it genuine?
Either way, it didn’t seem like there was much benefit in hanging around with her.
“Janghoon, are you sure you’re not hurt anywhere?”
“Of course not.”
I followed her lead and just smiled.
It was an innocent child’s smile.
Like the ending credits of a movie, this incident was over…
Click.
“Huh?”
“Eh?”
“Eh?”
I thought it was over, but…
“Excuse me, Teacher?”
Still smiling, Yoon Ha-eun took my hand and handcuffed my wrist to hers.
I’ve seen this in movies.
It’s a method police use to prevent criminals from escaping.
But why would she do this to a weak little boy?
It seemed like she had something to say.
“Janghoon.”
“Ah, yes. Teacher…”
It was only a moment since she was smiling at me.
Her eyes, still full of lustful heart shapes, quickly wiped away her expression, and she looked down at me with clear ‘hostility’ in her eyes.
“It seems I must arrest you for ‘suspected monster affiliation’ from now on.”
“Wh-What?!”
“What?! Are you saying you’re arresting Janghoon without anyone’s permission?”
“Do you understand if I say it’s under the authority of an S-rank Hero, Princess?”
“!!”
At the Hero Association in A City.
On the very bottom floor.
In the ‘workshop,’ which was even deeper underground than the ‘special room’ for managing monsters, there was someone who was always crafting weapon blueprints while hammering away at metal.
She was an ancient monster who had existed even before the establishment of Hero City.
At the same time, she was a unique species in the monster world who had unconditionally sided with humanity. She was also the only ‘Special-class Monster’ ever recognized by Hero City.
With red-tinted skin, flowing black hair, and two horns protruding from her forehead.
Her eyes glowed dark gold, just like a beast’s eyes.
Her attire was minimal, made for swift work activity.
Her lower body barely covered by micro shorts, and her upper body only covered by a string tied bra.
Clang, clang.
Click, click.
She spent the day making weapons.
Monsters, by their nature, were stronger, and she worked to ensure humanity’s survival.
She existed solely because humanity existed.
Today, like any other day, she spent a fulfilling day working.
Chilling.
“…Huh?”
One day, while going through a routine day,
“What is this… What have they brought?”
From above her head, in the far distance, there was a faint presence—a presence of the same kind.
It had been a long time since a fellow monster had arrived. She paused hammering.