Shhhhiiik.
Each time the toad spat its opaque saliva, I rolled around to dodge.
Pfft!
This was the fifth time. Even as I frantically dodged, a heavy question mark formed in my mind.
‘Am I really dodging properly?’
Considering my usually frail body, the fact that I could even roll like this was a miracle. My body was boiling hot, yet my limbs felt surprisingly light. But no matter how much faster I had become, had I really dodged that damned spit all five times?
Its saliva flew as fast as an arrow and as persistently as a viper. No matter how light my body felt, was it even possible to dodge every single one?
Shhhhiiik!
Forget about striking the Monster, I was too busy running for my life. Anger welled up inside me, but I kept thinking. If I hadn't dodged them all, why was I unharmed?
Didn't the people who died before me drop dead instantly from even the slightest contact?
Shhhhiiik. Thwack!
As I rolled for the sixth time, the test results I received from the hospital today came to mind.
‘MMPT—Multi Monster Poison Test...!!’
That's right.
It said I was poisoned with seven different toxins. Whatever poison that thing had, getting hit with a new one might not change anything for me. So I came to a conclusion.
I already had that creature's poison inside my body. If I was already poisoned, what harm could one or two more hits possibly do?
Shhhhiiik.
When the infuriated toad spat its saliva for the seventh time, I didn't move anymore. Partly because I wanted to test my hypothesis, and partly because I didn't want to roll on the ground anymore because of that son of a bitch.
Swoosh.
I knew from experience that its saliva aimed precisely for the face. I blocked my face with my palm, and just as expected, the saliva flew straight for it.
Thwack!
A direct hit. My palm became sticky with the unpleasant liquid. But that was all.
Unlike the others who bled from every orifice, my body showed no change at all.
Kiruruk?
The toad Monster's pupils dilated. It didn't seem very intelligent, but its instincts were telling it something. That the man before it was different from the other humans.
“Just as I thought.”
I murmured under my breath with a strange smile, looking at my palm. The ugly toad before me was a threat because it was a Poison-type. Most Monsters that come through the Gates are large and powerful, but Poison-types come in various sizes.
Since they didn't kill humans with physical force, size didn't matter. But the fact I just realized. I was a human immune to Monster poison.
‘In that case…….’
If you take away the danger of poison from a small Poison-type Monster? It meant they were less of a threat than a mere puppy.
“Did you have fun, you damn bastard?”
The tables had turned. I grabbed the cane lying next to the fallen old man.
Kiruruk?
Only its saliva was fast; the creature itself was not. Cane in hand, I walked steadily toward the toad. Seeing this, the toad spat its saliva irritably.
Shhhhiiik! Thwack!
But once again, it was useless. The saliva blocked by my palm scattered into the air with a single flick of my hand. Do Monsters have facial expressions?
The toad looked visibly flustered.
“It's you or me today.”
I raised the cane with both hands and swung it down fiercely.
Thwack!!!!! Kiruk!!
The toad, bewildered that its poison had no effect, was struck hard on the head. It staggered, then fell backward and died. The Poison-type Monster that had killed dozens was anticlimactically beaten to death with a single cane.
“Hoo…….”
Perhaps from the exertion, I felt a slight dizziness. My nostrils were already filled with the acrid smell of poison and the scent of people's blood.
Kiruk? Kiruruk.
Other toads, confirming the death of their kin, began to gather one by one. It seemed they had identified me as the primary target to be eliminated.
“One…… two…… three…….”
I began to count the slowly gathering creatures. Their approach, flicking their tongues, was quite menacing, but they were no longer a threat to me. I'm living on borrowed time anyway, so what's wrong with a little sword dance before I die?
Watching the approaching Monsters, I tightened my grip on the cane.
Thud!!!! Clang!!!!
“Pant…… pant…….”
Gasping for breath, I wiped the sweat from my brow with the back of my hand. The small Poison-type Monsters were much weaker than I'd thought. Is this what it's like for a novice hero to fight a slime?
All I had to do was bash the toads with the cane. However, there were just more of them than I'd expected. While taking care of dozens of Monsters, I was practically showered in their secretions.
I'm not sure, but for even a Hunter, this amount would probably be dangerous. But other than feeling disgusting, it had no particular effect on me.
“Hoo.”
After a deep breath, I took out my phone. But perhaps because of the surrounding core energy from the Gate, I couldn't get a signal.
‘My sister will worry if she sees the news…… I need to get out of here and contact her quickly.’
Normally, she would be busy working right now. But the Gate had opened near the hospital. My sister was the type of person who would drop everything at work and come running here.
I didn't know where the boundary was, but I started walking anyway. Hoping that the Monsters I killed were the last of them.
Wooooong.
But then I realized it too late. The jet-black Gate floating above my head. The fact that it hadn't closed meant there were still Monsters nearby.
“Damn it!!”
I cursed and started running toward home. Our house was very close to the factory where my sister worked, and only one stop away from the hospital, so it was well within running distance. I only ever took the bus because of my usually frail body.
As I was running home, I had to stop in my tracks.
“Damn it…….”
Why are bad feelings never wrong? I had a feeling this would happen. My sister was running toward me.
“Hae-seon?!”
Seeing her tear-streaked face, she must have been crying a lot. This was the outskirts of the Gate area, so it seemed everyone else had fled. It was just my sister and me here.
Seeing my sister wandering alone in the empty neighborhood, anger flared up before relief. They said that when a Gate forms, Hunters are usually on standby, and Safe Lines are set up to restrict access. Restrict access, my ass.
What the hell are those bastards at the Association doing?
“Shit. They can't do a single thing right.”
I spat out a curse, but on the other hand, I let out a sigh of relief. It was a good thing we met halfway. What would have happened if she had run into a Monster…….
THUD!!!!!!! Just then.
As if mocking my thoughts, I heard the sound of enormous footsteps. I turned my head toward the sound.
Kereureuk!!
It wasn't a small one like I had been fighting, but a giant black toad that looked to be at least two stories tall. It was leaping toward my sister with heavy thuds.
“Ah……!!”
My sister's already pale face turned ashen. I told you! What were you thinking, coming here so recklessly!
I screamed at my sister at the top of my lungs.
“Run!!”
But consumed by fear, my sister froze on the spot. She collided with the toad's massive body and was sent flying as if hit by a truck.
Bang!!
“Sister!!”
Sparks flew from my eyes. I ran toward the black toad and swung the cane with all my might.
Thwack!
A dull thud echoed as it hit the creature's leg, but the toad didn't even flinch. It was to be expected. The Monsters I'd beaten so far were at most 50 to 70 centimeters, but this black toad was many times larger.
Unlike the shiny skin of the others, its skin was hard as concrete, and its limbs were long and thick like logs. The small ones could be subdued with human physical strength alone, but now, I was completely outmatched in that department.
Krrrreuk!!
The toad let out a cry as if mocking me, then swung its thick arm.
CRASH!!!
I was sent flying several meters and collapsed.
“Keuk……!!”
My whole body felt like it was shattering. The terrible pain jolted me awake, but then my consciousness began to fade. In my blurry vision, I could see the black toad.
As if to confirm the kill, it was slowly walking toward my sister. My heart felt like it would burst. My blood felt like it was boiling.
These bastards.
As if ruining my life wasn't enough, now they were trying to kill my sister. She was someone who had dedicated her whole life to taking care of her younger brother. And now a person like that was about to die because of a Monster, because of me.
“Uwaaaaaah!!”
Snap.
I heard something snap inside my head. At the same time, the boiling heat within me erupted out of my body.
Fwoooosh!
The energy was so menacing that it was enough to make the black toad turn its head.
Keruk!!!!
A crimson aura shot out from my body toward the sky. The blood-red gas gathered in the sky and began to take shape.
Keruk!!
It was so massive that its shadow covered both me and the area around the toad. Its entire body was covered in sharp, crimson scales. Its movements were smooth, yet they sent a chill down my spine.
The creature, so large it made the toad look cute, resembled a snake.
Shhhhhhhhhhh.
The Crimson Venom Snake floated slowly in the sky, looking down. Its blazing red eyes turned toward the toad.
Keruk!!
The toad tried to cry out, but an unconcealable fear was embedded within its cry. The primal fear of a herbivore facing an apex predator. It felt just like that.
How did I unleash such a terrifying power? I didn't know why, but it didn't matter. As if possessed, I murmured in a low voice with an expression unlike my usual self.
“Kill it.”
Shwaaaaaaak!
As if responding to the command, the Crimson Venom Snake began to descend with terrifying speed.
BOOM!!!!!
The Crimson Venom Snake dove headfirst and collided with the toad's entire body. The power was so immense that the impact alone made the ground tremble as if in an earthquake.
“……!!”
A large crater formed in the ground where the toad had been standing. It looked as if a meteor had fallen from the sky. The massive toad that boasted such a large frame had vanished without a trace.
“Haa……!!”
An incredible sense of exhaustion washed over my entire body. I hadn't felt like this even when my symptoms from the poison were at their worst. If there were a bed in front of me, I'd want to dive right into it.
But I couldn't do that now.
“Sister!!”
I couldn't bring myself to touch her because of the poison on my clothes, so I checked her condition from a distance.
“Umm…….”
Her beautiful face was contorted in pain, but thankfully, she hadn't completely lost consciousness. We were some distance from the Gate, so maybe the signal would work here. I hurriedly took out my phone and dialed 119. No, I tried to.
Thud!! Thud!!
“……!!!”
Just then.
I felt the greatest despair of my life. A massive black toad, a head taller than the one I had just defeated, was approaching.
Kirrrr…….
And that wasn't all. As if the black toad were their leader, the remaining toads, large and small, in the area were gathering toward us.
“……For fuck's sake…….”
It would be great if I could summon the Crimson Venom Snake again, but I had no idea how I'd done it in the first place. It was more like it had burst out on its own rather than being intentionally summoned.
Crucially, right now I didn't even have the strength to pick up the cane, let alone summon that thing again.
Shit.
Is this the end? As I barely managed to get up from my kneeling position, a wave of nausea hit me.
“Ugh.”
Blood, crimson in color, similar to the Crimson Venom Snake I had just summoned. Did she sense this was the end? My fallen sister raised her hand, trying to grab my collar.
“Hae-seon…… ah.”
I shifted my body slightly to avoid her hand.
“……You'll get poison on you, sister.”
Thud. Thud. Thud.
You're about to die anyway, does that matter? The massive toad's ugly face seemed to be asking me just that. The creature, now just a short distance away, was truly enormous.
So big that I had to crane my neck all the way back just to see its head. Smaller toads gathered around the massive one, surrounding my sister and me. From the way they were acting, it felt like we were about to be publicly executed.
I summoned every last bit of my strength and lifted the cane.
Thwack! Kiruk.
I knew it, but it had no effect on the toad whatsoever. The massive toad shrugged its shoulders as if finding me pathetic. Then, as if swatting a fly, it brought its pillar-like arm crashing down.
Shit.
Is this the end? Scenes from my past flashed before my eyes like a revolving lantern.
CRASH!!!!!!
When the impact is too strong, do you not even feel it? Unable to even attempt a counterattack, stars exploded before my eyes.
Damn it.
This is the end. It was a truly shitty life.
But then. Krarak!!
A cry filled with rage echoed vividly in my ears. Was the afterlife this realistic? I slowly opened my closed eyes.
Strange.
I was sure I was dead, but I was still alive. The boiling heat in my body confirmed that I was still living.
“How……?”
As I opened my eyes a little wider, I heard an unfamiliar woman's voice in front of me.
“You shouldn't use your power like that, puppy.”