Chapter 51 : The Place Where the Shark Appeared (3)

Carmilla’s pistols in both hands spewed fire.

Bang! Bang!

“Craaaak?!”

The shark-like monster, which had been rushing forward with its mouth wide open, instead took a bullet wound and retreated.

It seemed to have the ability to enlarge its head in an instant to swallow its prey.

However, looking at it differently, that also meant that there were more places to hit.

‘This isn’t an unbeatable opponent. It seems strong for a Grade 3 monster, but at most, it’s around the quasi-Grade 2 level!’

“Krararararak!”

“Yeah. If you can attack, come at me!”

Hadn’t Princess Hoshino once taken down a quasi-Grade 2 wolf monster in G City?

Since she was Jang Hoon’s master and had achieved such feats, Carmilla, as a ‘rival,’ couldn’t afford to lose.

She aimed her gun once more at the shark monster, which was baring its sharp teeth at her, and fired.

However, just as the saying goes, “Even a school dog can recite poetry after three years,” the monster no longer foolishly took her attacks head-on.

Tatadak.

“?!”

It ran forward, pretending to charge directly.

Then, it abruptly changed direction, leaping off a glass wall where fish were displayed.

“That thing… is it planning to turn this place into an ocean?”

If so, that was dangerous.

As expected of a fish-type monster, the shark monster would undoubtedly be stronger in the water.

If she blindly fired bullets at the aquarium, it was clear that this place would soon become a fish paradise.

And that was exactly what the monster wanted.

“Kruruk. Kk-kk!”

“Oh? Are you laughing at me?”

Carmilla momentarily lowered her gun, which had been aimed at the monster.

The shark monster clung to the glass wall, letting out a mocking laugh.

Normally, it wasn’t a monster capable of such intelligent thinking.

If it had been something like an orca, often called the “gangster of the sea,” it would make sense.

But for a mutated shark to possess such knowledge? That was ridiculous.

There was only one possible explanation for this level of cunning.

‘It received power from a higher-ranked monster!’

Which meant that there was at least one more monster hiding in this aquarium.

A chill ran down her spine.

‘Jang Hoon!’

If that were the case, this was serious.

She, as a hero, would be fine, but Jang Hoon, who had stayed behind until everyone was evacuated, was still inside.

With his personality, he would prioritize saving people, even at the cost of his own life.

“Time for a change of plans…”

“Krrrk?”

“I was originally planning to take you down with minimal damage to the aquarium, but that would take too long.”

The first rule of being a hero.

Even if it means sacrificing your own life, you must save innocent people.

That was the first thing heroes heard at the Hero Association’s auditorium.

However, for Carmilla, this rule carried a personal emotion, making her even more determined.

“You want that seawater beyond the glass wall?”

Click.

“Kr-Krrk?!”

“Then have it all you want.”

When working as a hero, naturally, she would receive a bill for the destruction she caused.

Most of the repair costs were covered by the Hero Association.

But if the level of destruction was unnecessarily excessive, complaints were inevitable.

And this was one of those ‘inevitable’ times.

“This is Allah’s magic wand, you bastard.”

The pistols in both her hands had already vanished.

Instead, resting on her shoulder was an RPG bazooka—the epitome of mysterious weaponry.

Of course, it wasn’t an ordinary military-grade model.

It was a special anti-monster magical weapon that only she could use.

“Die.”

Boom!

With a short farewell, light burst from Carmilla’s shoulder.

The projectile struck the shark monster, which had been standing on the glass wall, and just as it wished, the aquarium instantly turned into a fish paradise.

Of course, there wasn’t a single fish left swimming—because they were all roasted.

“Phew… Did I get it?”

The infamous rule of magic resurrection.

Whenever someone asked, “Did I get it?” the enemy always revived like a stubborn cockroach.

“Kreeegh…”

However, perhaps because it had taken a direct hit from the almighty magic RPG,

The monster, now charred black like charcoal, had its eyes rolled back and showed no signs of getting up again.

Thud.

The aquarium shook momentarily from Carmilla’s RPG blast.

However, for the two monsters on the opposite side of her, the impact wasn’t even noticeable.

Because, at this battlefield, that level of tremor was nothing.

“Megalodon.”

“Kraaaaaah!”

The deep-sea monster formed a seal in the air like a ninja using both hands.

Immediately, from what seemed like empty space, a portal opened with a powerful surge of water.

From within, a gigantic, ancient fish species—one long thought to be extinct—emerged.

A Megalodon, large enough to make modern sharks look like Nemo, instantly swallowed Kang Jang Hoon whole.

“How dare… how dare you! A mere monster eating my children?!”

The deep-sea monster.

She loved the sea so much that she wanted to kill any humans who polluted it.

To her, monsters that had no relation to the sea were nothing more than abominations to be eradicated.

“When you fall into another world, apologize to the baby pollacks.”

Monsters—how truly horrifying they were.

At least humans had a sense of respect and reverence for the ocean.

Since ancient times, human mythology had worshipped the sea god just as much as the sun god.

To humanity, the ocean had always been a sacred existence.

But monsters?

These bastards had no respect whatsoever for the sea.

They didn’t care at all about polluting it if it meant killing humans.

In fact, half of the planet’s oceans were already contaminated because of them.

And now, they had moved beyond simply polluting—

They were even consuming the young marine creatures in the cruelest way,

Turning them into salted pollack roe.

“Galon! Chew it up thoroughly!”

“Galon! Galon!”

Megalodon—the extinct predator,

Now resurrected through the deep-sea monster’s power and named Galon—

Obeyed its master’s command, using all its strength to chomp down on the creature in its mouth.

And lost all of its teeth in the process.

“G-Galooon…!”

“W-What?! Galon!”

Galon, now toothless, spat Kang Jang Hoon back out onto the ground.

Looking at such a pet megalodon, the expression of the abyss grew even darker.

“Uwaaa! Not just an endangered species, but one that’s already extinct, and you made its mouth like this?!”

“Krurrrk…”

‘No, that was actually me…’

“Shut up! I don’t know who you are, but I’ll kill you right here and now!”

With those murderous words, the connection began to form again.

Had she even forgotten the polite and refined lady persona she usually maintained?

The next attack from the abyssal beast was directed straight ahead.

Instead of summoning just one giant portal, multiple massive portals appeared around Kang Jang-hoon, just like before.

From within them, enormous octopus tentacles emerged.

“Kraken! Kill him on the spot!”

In the past, when navigation was not well developed—

It was the legendary monster feared most by all sailors.

The Kraken.

In modern terms, a monstrous octopus.

Kang Jang-hoon was instantly bound tightly from all directions by the tentacles of the summoned octopus monster.

“How is it? The power of the Kraken isn’t as easy to deal with as the megalodon, right?”

“Krurrrr…”

“Even so, that child is strong enough to be classified as a ‘Grade 1 monster’ among humans.”

An octopus is classified as Grade 1?

Was it because this was a monster that didn’t appear in the original work?

That was unexpected.

Then again, octopus sashimi is delicious, right?

‘Or is it because <Monster Frontline> was a “god-tier game” that was trying to expand into Western markets?’

Well, unlike in the East, where people eat almost anything, the West has quite a few seafoods they don’t eat, like crabs or seaweed.

It made sense, but maybe it was because I grew up in the Okami family, which had an Eastern motif.

I never expected octopus to be such a divisive food in this world too.

No—seeing that an octopus monster is classified as a Grade 1 threat, maybe here, it’s as unpopular as coconut juice.

‘…Or maybe octopuses here just taste different?’

“It seems you are being choked so hard that you can’t even speak.”

Meanwhile, as she watched Kang Jang-hoon, who was completely immobilized, the abyssal beast seemed to regain her usual composure.

Recalling her dignity as a lady, she spoke in a much calmer voice.

“Jang-hoon, I despise monsters.”

“Krrrk?”

“If they are not monsters born from the terror of the sea, I want to eradicate them all!”

Wait a second.

What did she just say?

Despite being of the same kind, she hated monsters that much?

‘This… This is a setting that wasn’t even in the original work.’

Of course, in the original story, there were no humans who could transform into monsters.

So, there was never a chance to hear the abyssal beast’s true feelings, fueled by the shock of seeing pollack roe devoured.

“Trash who don’t care if they pollute the ocean as long as they can kill!

Fools who call themselves kin but have no obligation to spare them!”

The abyssal beast.

Was it because 70% of Earth is covered in water?

It seemed that the patience she had for the other monsters’ nuisances had long since reached its limit.

Just like now.

I should have realized it from the moment she tried to brutally execute her own kin just for eating a bit of pollack roe.

In other words, this was an opportunity!

‘Maybe… just maybe, she could become an ally?’

In the end, she was a plot thread left unresolved as a MacGuffin.

But three years from now, the abyssal beast would face a certain “incident”—

She would suddenly lose the ability to speak and become a semi-special-grade monster, meeting a tragic end.

If that’s the case, what if I pull her to our side now, before she gets betrayed by her own kin?

Kang Jang-hoon’s mind burned with that hopeful thought.

Fortunately, he still had one final card left to play.

‘If we’re talking about the scariest thing in the ocean, there’s only one answer.’

Think carefully.

Why do people instinctively feel fear of the deep sea?

The deep sea isn’t some local restaurant you can casually visit, yet people still fear it.

Because if they ever entered the deep sea—

They could disappear forever.

When it comes to ocean-related incidents with the highest number of casualties, nothing beats disappearances.

And the abyssal beast, who, even in the original story, was infamous for wiping out polar bears in fan interpretations—

“Krrrurrrk.”

‘Just wait a moment.’

“Huh?”

“Krrrk. Krrrk.”

‘I could introduce you to a really nice girl.’

“…? I’m a girl, though?”

Right now, I should be in my dorm room, just grinding ranked games.

I decided to sacrifice “The Missing One” as an offering.