The two stars that endlessly connected lines fall at the same time.
Boom.
Bang!
“Is, is it over?!”
“Then… who is the winner?”
“No, it’s not over yet!”
City A, where the Hero Association is located, was a wasteland except for the association building.
So, the two monsters landing on the barren land could be easily spotted, and the heroes inside the building were on edge.
“Chrrrk?!”
‘Huh?!’
Kang Jang-hoon, who had just snapped out of his sleep, looked around, like someone who had woken up from a nap.
“What’s going on? I was clearly breaking all the weapons that the monster of the weapon kept summoning…?”
The weapons that had been constantly summoned as so-called masterpieces.
In response, he did his best to break them one by one, jumping between life and death.
How many had he broken by now?
He must have broken dozens of them, but after that, he strangely couldn’t remember.
It was as if ‘someone else’ had taken over his body.
It was then.
“Are you back to your senses?”
“Chrrrk!”
‘The monster of the weapon!’
Just like me, the monster of the weapon was sweating heavily as if it had woken up from a nap.
As soon as our eyes met, I wondered if she would test a new weapon again.
Thinking that, I immediately took a defensive stance.
But then.
Thud.
…and.
“…?”
“Phew! I’m exhausted!”
She casually tossed what looked like a golden twig behind her and sat down on the spot.
Seeing the special-class monster raise both hands in surrender, I couldn’t help but be stunned.
“At this point, I’ve done enough, right? Don’t you think?”
“Chrrrk?! Chrrrk!”
‘No, now?!’
If someone didn’t know better, they’d think this was all a pre-arranged game from start to finish!
I was the first person to be hit by your weapon monster’s laser sword… No, you monster!
And after beating me senseless, you now want to call it quits.
Zing…
“1”
Don’t you have any conscience?
It felt like after visiting a gym for the first time, every muscle in my body ached.
I was so frustrated that I felt like I needed to smack you in the head to feel better.
So, I spun my fist around…
Thud.
“…Eh?”
I was about to make a bump on your head and then run, but.
“Wait, wait! Don’t you know how to respect the elderly?”
Immediately, the monster of the weapon mentioned age and tried to gain sympathy.
Her golden eyes sparkled, trying to look as weak as possible.
But, well…
“Chrrrk.”
‘Respect for the elderly? I’ll give you a proper burial right now.’
You’re not an elderly person; just the appearance alone was enough to make my lower body angry!
Even in secondary creations, the popularity of missing persons is overwhelming.
You were one of the figures who helped me a lot during my twenties because of that ‘handle-like’ horn.
If you have a conscience, let’s first see your firm chest shrivel up before you ask for sympathy.
So.
Clink.
“Uh, uh?!”
Finally, I raised my fist in front of the monster of the weapon, who was sitting on a small puddle, either from sweat or something else.
With the thought of giving just one smack on the head,
“Y, y, y-you’re really going to hit me?!”
Honestly, the laser sword from the beginning hurt so much; this was nothing in comparison.
I could handle this.
Since I’m the only one who could endure it this much.
I couldn’t mention insurance against a monster, but if I do this, I should be able to sleep peacefully tonight, right?
“Wait a second…! Then, let’s make a deal!”
But had she given up on gaining sympathy?
The monster of the weapon, who seemed to desperately avoid the bump that would appear above her head, now made a proposal I couldn’t refuse.
“Listen, after hearing this proposal, Janghoon, you’ll definitely be happy.”
“Chrrrk?”
‘What, did you say?’
She was offering a proposal that might change my ‘fate.’
An incredible proposal.
‘What could it be…?’
Now that I think about it, there was a gap in my memory while fighting her.
Could it be that during that time, the monster of the weapon, classified as a special-class monster, had discovered something about my transformation into a monster that I didn’t know?
Thinking back, I had only played the mobile game <Monster Frontline> for five years.
But the monster of the weapon was one of the monsters who existed even before the creation of Hero City, a part of the monster history itself.
‘She must have lived for at least thousands of years, so maybe… is it wisdom from all that experience?!’
Indeed, the special-class monster.
While fighting like crazy, she was still thinking about that!
With that much information, it would be enough to forgive everything that happened today.
So, I lowered my fist and listened carefully.
Whoosh, whoosh.
The fact that I had forgotten.
“I’ll personally step back for you. How about that?”
That’s right.
The monster of the weapon.
This senile old man was the culprit who turned the 15+ rated <Monster Frontline> into an R-19 game upon its release.
He was also the guardian of the pervert, Yun Ha-eun.
“If you want, I can even do it while in monster form… Isn’t this an incredible proposal?”
Just like how Yun Ha-eun in the interrogation room this afternoon seemed to be trying to make an impression.
A monstrous weapon provoking my lower body by making a circle with her fingers and waving them back and forth in front of her mouth.
The only thing I could do for her, who was proposing such a deal…
Smack!
“Kehk?!”
“Mrs. Monster of Weapon!”
From a distance, I couldn’t see well, but it seemed like she was about to make another new move… Damn…
“You cowardly rascal! The rule of thumb is to never hit someone while they’re transforming!”
A well-planned, sharp flick to the forehead.
Unlike other monsters whose heads would explode from my “serious flick,” she simply spun her eyes in circles as if seeing stars and collapsed backward.
“Horned Mask Monster…!”
“Ah, it’s a villain! The embodiment of pure evil!”
By the way, to the heroes cursing me from inside the building…
You all should be really grateful that our conversation didn’t reach your ears from that distance…
Inside the Okami family’s mansion.
Had it already been two days?
Her one and only first friend.
Because Jang Hoon hadn’t returned at all, the princess, who had even skipped training when she was sick recently, was looking haggard.
Hoshino had been lying in her room almost all day, skipping school, silently staring at the ceiling.
“Jang Hoon… I should’ve just followed him to the end that time!”
She had been careless.
What strength did he even have?!
When she saw him being dragged away by Yun Ha-eun, an S-rank hero, she should have grabbed him by force and stalled for time until her mother arrived.
…No.
To be honest, she simply wanted to save him herself.
Hero or whatever, if anyone tried to take him away from her, she’d just kill them all.
But she couldn’t.
Because she was too weak.
“Frustrating! Frustrating! Frustrating!”
No matter how much she slammed her fists onto the tatami-covered floor under the blanket, weak was weak.
She thought she was strong…
When the Monster of the Sword appeared, all she could do was carry her mother and run away.
And when Yun Ha-eun took Jang Hoon away, she was powerless again.
“…I’ll get stronger.”
Until now, she had only thought about becoming as strong as her mother.
But not anymore.
She would surpass even her mother… Even if she became the number one S-rank hero, she wouldn’t stop. She would keep improving.
Like a lioness at the top choosing her mate, she no longer wanted to be this weak.
“Ah, Princess! Jang Hoon has returned!”
“…!”
The moment she suddenly sprang up from beneath the blanket.
“R-really?! Nanny?”
A voice came from beyond the sliding door.
Jang Hoon had safely returned.
At those words, Hoshino immediately dashed outside…
“Ah, my lady.”
“…Eh?”
She stopped running.
“Have you been well?”
“Jang Hoon… Your body…!”
Her mother’s dark expression.
Jang Hoon, holding hands with her mother, appeared, his entire body wrapped in bandages.
“You… Y-you’re injured!”
“Oh, this? It’s nothing. I just got a little hurt because I was distracted while following Makoto-sama.”
“How is this just a little injury?!” Lies!
It looked exactly like he had been beaten up by some irresponsible adult.
As Hoshino thought that, her eyes started welling up with tears.
“…I’m sorry…” Jang Hoon…
“Huh?! No, it’s fine, Lady Okami.”
“Ugh! Even though I was right there, I let this disgrace happen!”
No…
The truth was, while everyone was distracted, he had simply switched places with the missing person who had been protected.
Even after returning to his human form, there were lingering minor wounds.
They weren’t even deep wounds, but he was overly protected and wrapped up in unnecessary bandages.
However, regardless of how he felt, Hoshino ran into Jang Hoon’s arms and sobbed, vowing once again.
She would never let this happen to “her man” again, and she would work hard.
She would become an outstanding hero and protect both her mother and Jang Hoon.
Since no major incidents happened after their return to daily life…
Ten years passed in an instant.