I Became a Monster in a Novel

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Gu Ma-jun—he was a man known as a C-class Hunter.

However, despite being a Hunter, he wasn’t part of a clan; instead, he belonged to a temple.

‘It’s not the typical temple you might think of, though.’

The Temple of War.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a clan, but it was somewhat similar. Its identity was a successor to the Roman Vatican, and this world had fallen apart for some reason, resulting in the Vatican fleeing to Asia, dividing into two major factions. One maintained a religious significance, while the other was a group of fanatics clamoring for revenge. The Temple of War was an organization formed by the latter.

‘So rather than a place to heal like other fantasy temples…’

Picture bald monks and paladins wielding hammers or maces, whacking monsters. Honestly, you could say it was not much different from a clan. No, calling it a multinational clan would be more accurate. They preached religious doctrines with their mouths but engaged in slaughter with their hands… they were just like that.

‘In Gyeongsang-do, you could practically say the Temple of War and the Gwameong Association hold it up.’

Other areas in Gyeongsang-do had representative clans too, but that was the case. From the standpoint of a novel reader, it was a two-horse cart. If the Gwameong Association didn’t collapse, Gyeongsang-do wouldn’t be entirely wrecked. But still, you know.

‘It wouldn’t be a bad idea to cut off other tails too.’

Gu Ma-jun was a former Hunter.

But at some point, he entered the Temple of War, and I don’t know exactly when that was. Why? Because it wasn’t mentioned in the novel.

‘So whether it’s there or not, who knows.’

Getting to Daegu was no big deal. D-class Stealth would probably go unnoticed. The real issue was.

‘There have to be Hunters in Daegu too.’

Let’s assume the regular Hunters are no big deal. They’d probably have trouble finding me. But the Temple of War? What about the team leaders of the representative clans? If someone finds me, like what happened to Hong Yu-ri last time?

‘That would be the end.’

It’s not like the mountains or dungeons. If I get spotted in the city, running away would be impossible. The Temple of War folks would be singing hymns while wielding hammers and maces, and the Hunters would be thrilled to grab their weapons.

‘Should I really boost my Stealth?’

With 6 skill points, wouldn’t using them all on Stealth get me to C-class?

‘I can’t be sure.’

The sunk costs are too high. I can’t invest all my remaining skill points into something I’m not sure about.

‘Besides, I need to fight and run anyway.’

This isn’t about asking Gu Ma-jun something. It’s about going to kill him! The tail of the scoundrels? Sure, the protagonist might be curious, but I’m not. Since I’ve read the novel to the end, I already know where the tail is. Of course, I don’t know everything about the scoundrels, but I at least have no curiosity about Gu Ma-jun.

However, the reason I still need to find Gu Ma-jun is.

‘It’s about time I should start issuing warnings.’

To be honest, I was a bit lazy to do it all myself… but there was a need to instill some awareness.

‘There’s an organization that messes around with everything.’

You might not easily believe it, but as I deal with them one by one…

‘They’ll start having doubts.’

Just the doubt alone would make the scoundrels’ actions more cautious. Just that would keep them in check. By now, I had come close to Daegu, but no sharp ideas came to mind to enter the city properly.

‘I can change my appearance. But…’

It would likely feel awkward. No matter how much I tried to mimic an appearance.

‘It would only put me in the uncanny valley.’

Let’s say I could mimic my appearance.

What about joint movements? Eye contact? Breathing? Walking? If this were a fantasy world, I’d just throw on a robe, but doing that here would probably make me get mistaken for a suspicious person. Even though people claim they have no interest in others, would they really not notice?

‘It seems even using Transformation would be tough.’

Above all, I probably wouldn’t have enough magic power left. The cobalt mine was situated in the rural region of Gyeongsan, which was relatively less populated, but the temple was likely in the city… and while thinking that, previous events came back to me.

‘Ah.’

Why did I only consider changing into a human? It was a fixed notion. Instead of a person…

***

“Oh? Big brother! Look at that puppy over there!”

“Is it lost?”

“Shouldn’t we report it? Should we take it home?”

…Once again, I became a stray dog.

Right now, I looked like a small, black puppy. Since wolves and dogs are nearly indistinguishable, I thought I could go unnoticed.

‘Surely, there can’t be a crazy person using emotions on a dog.’

Anyway, I was free to roam around Daegu. Since vanishing right in front of them would be weird, I wandered down an alley and used Stealth.

‘Phew. Seems okay.’

I briefly showed myself with some uncertainty, but it looked like there was no problem. Even if my Stealth got discovered, I could just act like a puppy.

‘For now, this is Nobyeondong.’

I wasn’t exactly sure where the Temple of War was. What kind of author would write down the precise location? They’d just vaguely mention that it’s somewhere in Daegu.

‘But it’s better than the cobalt mine.’

I really had no clue where the cobalt mine was, and it took me a lot of searching to find it.

‘But this time, it should be easier, right?’

There was only one branch in Korea. You could practically call it a famous clan. Moreover, since it’s a temple… I should find it quickly.

***

The training room door slammed open with a bang! Even amidst the noise, everyone’s attention turned to her, but she threatened with, “What are you looking at?! Back off!” and their gazes scattered.

“Hey. You’re the one making noise even at night, right?”

“Huh?”

Hong Yu-ri frowned at the stiff Euna who was waving her hand dismissively.

“Am I going to eat you? Don’t be scared.”

“Uh. Well, it’s not that…”

Considering she had only heard bad things about her,

It wasn’t their first conversation, but Euna wasn’t the kind to approach first, was she? As Hong Yu-ri raised her finger, she gestured.

“Come over here for a sec.”

“Uh, sure?”

“You heard me. I said to come.”

“…Okay.”

Euna hurriedly stepped closer. Hong Yu-ri looked up at her. She appeared to be a little girl not even 150 cm tall. She looked younger than her little sister, but shockingly they were the same age as Team Leader.

“What kind of ridiculous thoughts do you have right now?”

“No? Not at all!”

Hong Yu-ri examined the dodging Euna suspiciously up and down, propping her chin with her thumb and index finger.

“Well, fine. I’ll let it slide.”

Then she nodded or shook her head at herself, like she was evaluating an item for about 10 seconds.

“—Okay. You’ll do.”

“Uh… I don’t really understand what you’re saying?”

Hong Yu-ri motioned for her to come closer again. It wasn’t a command to approach, and when she bent down to match her height, she pinched her cheek.

“Ouch!”

Suddenly feeling like her forehead was splitting, Euna fell with a thump, not joking.

“Why did you hit me all of a sudden?”

“What’s this? You’re totally out of it.”

She had been uttering nonsense since earlier. Not being able to voice it, Euna looked up with an annoyed expression.

“What’s with all that eye-rolling?”

“Huh? Um, it’s just that.”

“What?”

“…It’s just that you hit me out of nowhere.”

Her cheeks puffed up, showing a sulky expression. Hong Yu-ri snorted and pinched her cheek again.

“Ow! Why are you doing this!”

“Ha! Soft, huh? This won’t do either. Follow me.”

“Huh? Excuse me? Vice Team Leader? Vice Team Leader!!”

Euna, with a pleading look, turned to ask for help from those around, but in the end, she got grabbed by Hong Yu-ri by the nape and dragged away… The bystanders shook their heads in pity. The Vice Team Leader’s tyranny wasn’t something that happened just today or yesterday. It was sad, but they feared the aftermath of intervening.

…Could she really not kill her? Probably not.

Yet, amidst that chaos, someone in the background tilted their head in wonder.

“Wow. Euna really seems talented indeed.”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t you know? Woo Taek used to be dragged like that by the Vice Team Leader too.”

“Oh. You’re some old guy who’s seen it all, huh?”

“If you ever pull that again…”

“Is it too long since you used it? Looks like the effect has worn off. Anyway, why?”

“Hehehe. Curious, huh?”

The young Hunter shook his head up and down. Not just him, but many people in the training room pretended not to listen while perked their ears up. Enjoying their gaze, the Hunter continued.

“Back when Woo Taek was on Team 2, he got pinched like that by the Vice Team Leader.”

Like this. Like this. As he demonstrated, his pinch sliced through the air. The swishing sound was no longer from the pinch.

“Why a pinch?”

“I don’t know. But later, Woo Taek asked about it. He said if you give it a shot, you can somewhat gauge it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Who knows. Just don’t interrupt me.”

“…Oh, okay.”

“And it was probably about a month later? Woo Taek, who was C-class, shot up to B-class.”

“Wow. Has it been that long since Woo Taek became B-class?”

“Yeah. He was originally a talent. But he had no tricks up his sleeve.”

“No tricks up his sleeve? At that age, reaching B-class is pretty quick, isn’t it?”

“…You want to try that again?”

The young Hunter flinched at the offended tone of the Hunter.

“Ah. I’m sorry. Please continue!”

“Well, from the moment Woo Taek came in, he was diligent. Unlike you, the laid-back type.”

“Why am I laid-back?”

“Don’t you know? Anyway, Woo Taek used to hit the walls and sandbags all day until he was exhausted. Compared to that, now he’s like soggy sweet and sour pork.”

“What kind of comparison is that?”

“Dude, is that what’s important? What’s important is the Vice Team Leader and Euna right now.”

“That’s true. Keep going.”

“So, who’s the person dragged away by the Vice Team Leader? Hayeon from Team 1. Gijun from Team 2. All of them were raised by the Vice Team Leader.”

“Huh? Those people? But why didn’t I get taken?”

“Why would I bring you? I only raise those with talent, you dimwit.”

“I’m talented enough, aren’t I?”

“You’re joking, right?”

“Wow. I’m so jealous. Then Euna will come back stronger, right? What if she surpasses me?”

The young Hunter was overawed, while the other Hunter couldn’t hide his uneasy expression and just said to stick to training as he started hitting the sandbag again. Soon, people returned to their original routines, starting their individual training.

“…If she endures, I guess she will. If she endures.”

***

‘Found it. The Temple of War~ in the maze-like alleys~’

Not so quickly found, it was already dark again. I thought it would be easy to find the temple.

‘I never expected it to be in the West.’

This was completely opposite from Nobyeondong in Su-seong-gu. Even within Daegu, it felt like the poles apart. If I didn’t have the signposts, it would have taken me longer.

‘This should do, right?’

I scouted for a suitable spot in the alley opposite the temple and crouched down. Honestly, I considered using Transformation to sneak in and ask briefly, but stopped at the thought of getting caught and dying.

‘…’

In the end, I waited all night. While using Espionage to monitor each passerby, Gu Ma-jun was nowhere to be seen.

[Espionage (E) Lv.7’s proficiency has reached its maximum. Espionage (E) Lv.7 -> Espionage (E) Lv.8]

‘People here are pretty much monsters too.’

I hadn’t seen monsters like Hong Yu-ri or Jeon Woo-taek yet, but each of those suspected to be Hunters was far from easy to deal with.

‘The name of the temple itself isn’t normal.’

True to its name, the Temple of War, no matter what, they matched or exceeded the level of female Hunters or middle-aged Hunters I’d seen in dungeons. Anyway, having waited until night, I eventually made a decision.

‘Time is precious.’

How long was I supposed to wait for someone who might or might not come?

‘…Should I go?’

I stood up from crouching for a long time. Feeling the presence of seven within the temple, that was enough to give it a shot.

‘I’ll just check if Gu Ma-jun is there or not and get out.’

***

“So you made the kid suffer again?”

“What do you mean? I helped her, but she didn’t even thank me properly.”

“If you do it, it’s considered suffering, Woo Taek.”

Thinking it over, had Woo Taek liked it? He seemed to have grumbled a bit, but then the Team Leader changed his words.

“…Gijun hated it, though.”

“That’s just that lazy kid’s issue. She should be grateful for the teachings I give. What’s she thinking?”

“…”

He chuckled confidently, correctly. Few would dislike being taught by an excellent Hunter. Even if the teacher’s personality was a bit… no, very rough.

“So how’s Euna doing?”

“Not bad, but…”

He crossed his arms, mumbling something that seemed displeased. The Team Leader had to perk up his ears to catch the whisper.

“She has Poison too. She wants to use it. She’s making an effort. But something just isn’t right.”

“Not right? What do you mean?”

“Why is she so low on stamina?”

“That’s because…”

She wasn’t an Academy graduate and had only been a Hunter for a short time. I had heard that even if she tried, she might have a clumsy disposition due to some innate talent…

“She’s no different from an ordinary person. No, she’s worse than most people. She needs to roll every time. She absolutely has to.”

“Hmm.”

“She’s a needle. One trick with magic. What if it’s gone? Just grab any random person and make them do it instead.”

Was it that serious? I was so busy I didn’t have the time to care for teammates. While I briefly reflected, Hong Yu-ri smirked and asked.

“I’ll handle it, so don’t worry. So how did the matter you went to get dealt with?”

“It went well. I think it’s probably true that Worg evolved into Skull Wolf.”

“Oh my, a disaster. So brave yet so silly. Only a Skull Wolf? You should know some shame.”

“…….”

With that, I had nothing to retort.

Yet the howls I’d heard in Jirisan were truly strange and menacing. Even not just for me, everyone on the team felt it. Even if I came across it again, I couldn’t be sure I’d win. What was going on?

‘Did the appearance really change?’

At first it was a Worg, then it became a Skull Wolf. It was definitive that it had other skills aside from Predation. Camouflage? Mimicry? Or maybe another type of skill? But it seemed like it had some kind of Stealth skill too…

“What are you thinking?”

“Well, I thought it might be a bit of a headache to catch it.”

“Still, there’s been no damage yet?”

“Who knows?”

How could I know if it was dealt with somewhere nobody would see? This wasn’t a dungeon, and I had to stress over just one monster like this.

“So, tomorrow?”

“Yeah. I’ve already gotten the green light from the representative clan. Team 2 will be on search duty while your tracking eye will probably still be able to follow it.”

“Smart move. But that clan seems quite something?”

“……?”

“Aren’t we not a clan out here in Gyeongsan? If it were me, even if I got permission, I’d feel like they’d send it for a few more looks and suck the life out of it before tossing it to me.”

“That’s maybe… all kinds of stuff happened.”

To be exact, it was thanks to a certain female Hunter and a middle-aged Hunter letting me know the internal situation that led to an easier negotiation. The problem seemed to be badly infected since they were hesitant about getting involved. Hence, manipulating them was simple.

“Anyway, know that and get ready. We’ll be leaving tomorrow morning. Since soon enough Euna will just be focusing on physical training, it shouldn’t matter, right?”

“Yeah. I can just ask someone else for help. I wouldn’t give a dumb fool still unable to do that a shot.”

“…….”

“Who’s being borrowed?”

“Five including Woo Taek. Anything beyond that isn’t needed. Team 2 will also come.”

The testimonies said they’d confronted Araneae. Perhaps Choi would not have faced her head-on, but it would be better to set the bar high.

“Looks like they’ve gathered only B-class or above.”

“Yep. This time we have to make sure.”

Each of them could independently take out Araneae. There’s no chance they’d miss out on Alpha.

‘This will ease the Clan Leader’s discomfort too.’

—At this point, the wolf’s tail is caught.

The ones hunting the wolf awaited only tomorrow.

 

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