Chapter 42 : Prank!? Prank!! 3

Choi Hyung-min's monster transformation ability was called [Shapeshifter].

It wasn't a magic-like power that allowed free transformation like in games or novels.

When Choi Hyung-min transformed into a monster, there were various conditions attached, and the basic requirement was that he had to have a part of the monster's body in order to transform.

Of course, there were other methods.

He could consume the monster to acquire the mimetic gene and store it in his body.

Alternatively, he could plug a conductor made from the mineral "Gridan" provided by the Hunter Association into his palate like a socket and connect it to the monster's mucosa to seize the gene and transform his body.

However, this process caused significant pain and took a long time, making it useless in urgent combat situations.

Moreover, the type of monster he could transform into depended on the amount of mana he possessed.

If it was a monster below C-rank, just a single tooth or nail was enough to transform his entire body into that of the monster.

But from B-rank monsters and above, a single nail could only transform his body up to the elbow.

However, one never knew what kind of urgent situation could arise in a dungeon.

When could he gather monster genes and transform?

Even assuming he used his ability outside the dungeon, Choi Hyung-min's ability wasn't cost-effective compared to other hunters from the preparation stage.

Furthermore, while other hunters could sell the rare monster parts they acquired at the market or auction, Choi Hyung-min had to keep part of them for future dungeon runs due to his ability.

Because of this, the hunters who had previously partied with him began to distance themselves, opting to find other members instead.

'Even though I work harder in dungeons than others, I always end up at a loss…'

In the end, despite his many preparations and harder efforts in dungeon conquests, his income was inevitably lower than other hunters.

This was why he ended up becoming a streamer.

Choi Hyung-min's [Shapeshifter] had many limitations as a hunter ability.

But as a streamer who created numerous content, hidden camera pranks, and nasty prank videos, his ability was beyond optimized—he was practically born to be a malicious streamer.

The videos of him pranking hunters were so sensational that public opinion was divided.

But his views far exceeded those of other streamers.

In fact, the split opinions were welcome to Choi Hyung-min.

The views increased his bank balance, and the audience that supported him even defended him fervently.

At this point, he didn't feel the need to work hard to rank up as a hunter.

Choi Hyung-min's [Shapeshifter] ability grew stronger with more monster parts, and he could even mimic the abilities of the monsters he transformed into.

He even planned to incorporate a "Monster Show" into his content.

Of course, he later canceled this content because he feared revealing all his cards during a prank on a hunter.

However, Choi Hyung-min's [Shapeshifter], when fully prepared, could perfectly transform into an S-rank monster.

There was one drawback to his transformation ability, though: once transformed, he couldn't revert for at least 30 minutes.

The ability transformed him to a genetic level.

Since his body had already adapted to the monster's form, the genetic material had to settle into his body for him to revert back to his original human form.

Alternatively, if he sustained severe injuries or trauma that made it impossible to maintain the ability, the transformation would end.

But as an A-rank hunter, Choi Hyung-min had never been injured enough to lose his transformation.

What's that supposed to mean?

'Shit, shit, shit!'

What do you think it means? It meant he couldn't undo the transformation and had to keep running for a while.

"Kyaahahaha!! Where do you think you're going?! Come here!"

– hahahahahahahaha

– Why is he running away?

– I think the streamer is chasing someone?

– What is this? What's happening?

– lol, the streamer's drone camera is so bad it can't keep up.

– Please, get a better camera. lol

– Man, you get so many donations, just buy a new camera lol

The only fortunate thing for Choi Hyung-min was that his drone camera was still an outdated model, so it couldn't capture him properly as he ran for his life.

Moreover, Suwol Plains had terrain filled with reeds taller than a person.

The dense reeds made it difficult to secure a clear view from the ground.

The drone camera couldn't properly identify who was being chased and who was chasing beneath the thick reed bed.

– Dude, I can't see anything.

– The streamer is fast as hell.

– Noonaaaaa, stop alreadyyyyyy.

– Crazy woman! The camera can't keep up!

– Fix your settings!

– Outrage on

– Pay some attention to us, will you? lol

– Mom, did you abandon us? Mom, did you abandon us? Mom, did you abandon us? Mom, did you abandon us? Mom, did you abandon us? Mom, did you abandon us? Mom, did you abandon us? Mom, did you abandon us? Mom, did you abandon us? Mom, did you abandon us?

The same was true for Shia's drone camera.

Shia's drone was the latest model, not even available for sale yet, but unfortunately, she had been flung from 2024 to 2088 and was hopeless with technology.

A simple tap on the hologram button could've switched it to combat or comprehensive filming mode.

But since it was in normal filming mode, her drone was slowly trailing behind her steps.

Even when it tried to close in, the shockwaves from the battle between Choi Hyung-min and Shia threatened to destroy the drone.

Hunter drones had a feature that made them automatically distance themselves from a location if there was a risk of being damaged by combat shockwaves.

So, viewers on both sides were getting increasingly frustrated.

At least the distant explosions, monstrous screams, and occasional flashes of light indicated that some kind of battle or similar situation was happening.

Kwang! Puhk!

'Ugh?!'

Choi Hyung-min began to question why he had to find himself in this kind of situation.

Boom!

Each hit was overwhelmingly heavy.

He had transformed into an S-rank Dragon Soldier.

With red, hard scales, spikes covering his body like armor, the ability to unleash a dragon's breath, and the strength to easily topple buildings, the S-rank Dragon Soldier had been a living calamity during the First Great Rift.

A monster born from a dragon that even surpassed the dragon—it was an absurdity that shouldn't exist.

Not only was it powerful, but it also had intelligence like a human, capable of tactics and strategy.

Even today, in a world where monsters had lost much of their stature, the appearance of an S-rank Dragon Soldier would put an entire area on high alert.

Most hunters would panic and run at the mere sight of a Dragon Soldier.

Choi Hyung-min's original plan had been to chase the hunter he planned to "prank" for the 30 minutes before his transformation wore off, pretending to go after them for a hidden camera video.

But what was this?

An S-rank Dragon Soldier couldn't even deflect a single punch from that woman?

How was it possible that such tremendous strength could come from those small hands, enough to crush the scales of a Dragon Soldier?

'Damn it, damn it, damn it…!'

Sweating profusely, Choi Hyung-min was fleeing at full speed from the strange woman.

He had often chased and pranked people, but never had he been the one being hunted.

And in the form of an S-rank Dragon Soldier, no less!

'Wait, is she an S-rank hunter or something?! Where the hell did she come from?!'

Fortunately, he had transformed into an S-rank Dragon Soldier, or he might have been in serious trouble after her first charge.

To be honest, even now, Choi Hyung-min thought he could be caught by the woman at any moment.

Despite transforming into an S-rank monster, he was no match for her.

Wasn't he being overwhelmed by the mere tentacles she was swinging around without a care?

Wouldn't it make sense to clear up the misunderstanding now?

Couldn't he just reveal, "This was a prank!" and explain the situation?

Of course, that thought crossed his mind.

But once Choi Hyung-min used his Shapeshifter ability, he couldn't revert to human form for 30 minutes.

And unfortunately, after transforming into a Dragon Soldier, even his vocal cords had changed, making it impossible to speak human language.

Until his body fully adapted to the monster's genetic material, he couldn't even produce human speech.

He could only let out a threatening roar like a monster.

Crunch!

'Agh!'

[Graaaah!!]

Choi Hyung-min flinched as a tentacle suddenly bit into his shoulder, and he rolled on the ground in terror.

Even his screams came out as a dragon's roar, making it impossible to communicate through words.

More than anything, the sight of the woman sent chills down his spine.

"I've… found you…"

Under the faint moonlight of Suwol Plains, the woman was beautiful but more vicious than any monster.

Her silver hair glowed even more brightly than the moonlight through the reeds.

And her eyes, filled with hunger, murderous intent, and greed, gleamed crimson like a beast's as she stared at him.

Choi Hyung-min couldn't tell if the real monster was himself or her.

No joke, his rational mind was being overtaken by fear of that white-haired woman.

A broadcast?

He was on the verge of dying; who cared about that right now?!

'Is that even a human?!'

Her flower-like tentacles dripped saliva as they licked their lips.

This felt like a horror movie.

Choi Hyung-min felt like a victim in a B-grade horror game or a cheap horror movie.

Grrr…

'Damn it, I can't even speak…'

And who the hell was that woman?

Why was she licking her lips while looking at him?

Was she a zombie or something?

Sure, it was normal for a hunter to hunt monsters.

But was it normal for someone like her, who had popped up out of nowhere, to toss around an S-rank Dragon Soldier like it was nothing?

'Damn it, if it's come to this, I'll have to go all out and attack her. At least I can claim self-defense!'

Resolving himself, Choi Hyung-min gritted his transformed dragon teeth and swallowed the rising heat from deep within.

Dragon Breath.

It was proof that the S-rank Dragon Soldier had surpassed the dragon that created it, a breath of pure destruction.

Even an S-rank hunter couldn't guarantee their life if hit directly by this attack.

Though Choi Hyung-min, having transformed using the Dragon Soldier's materials, wouldn't be able to unleash the original's full destructive power, it should be enough to subdue most hunters.

'Damn it…! Whatever happens, happens! I don't want to get hurt!'

That woman might get severely injured or even die.

But wasn't his life the priority here?

[Graaaah!!]

"Huh?"

Seeing the woman's startled face, Choi Hyung-min momentarily thought he might have gone too far, but inside, he sighed with relief.

Judging by her expression, it seemed like this Dragon Breath would be enough to subdue her.

At least his safety was guaranteed for now.

If things got out of hand, he could cover her hospital fees, offer an apology, and lay low for a while.

Boom!!

As the breath shot out of his mouth, a red beam sliced through the Suwol Plains.

The reeds in its path were incinerated without a trace, and the woman stood there, still wearing that same bewildered expression.

'Huh, why isn't she dodging?! If she doesn't dodge, she'll die…'

Crackle!

'!?'

Right after the breath was fired, Choi Hyung-min was shocked by the unbelievable sight unfolding before him.

What the hell was happening?

What in the world just happened?

'…Did she just block it with her hand? With nothing but her bare hand!?'

Choi Hyung-min was horrified as he saw his confidently fired Breath being blocked by the woman's hand.

'This is insane…'

The woman hadn't used any visible technique or power.

She simply tilted her head in confusion and then blocked the Dragon Soldier's Breath with her bare, unarmed hand.

The immense mass and destructive heat energy of the Breath had engulfed her, but her hand didn't budge at all, while Choi Hyung-min, the one firing the Breath, was suffering from the massive drain on his stamina.

'…Crap, I messed up… damn it…'

After 10 seconds, when the Breath's duration ended, Choi Hyung-min instinctively took a step back.

No matter how strong a hunter might be, it was beyond comprehension for a Dragon Soldier's Breath to be ineffective.

This wasn't just an unexpected situation—this was something that simply shouldn't be happening.

The woman, who had been staring at her hand, slowly lifted her head like a doll.

"…That's supposed to be a… Breath?"

'Gasp…!'

Shia's pale, white palm was slightly singed from the heat energy's friction.

But even that minor burn healed in a matter of seconds, and the tentacles on the woman's back began to stir once again.

'Crap, I've got to run…!'

Thunk!

[Graaaaah!!]

"I won't let you go."

At that moment, pain shot through Choi Hyung-min's ankle, making him scream internally.

The sound that came out of his mouth was still the Dragon Soldier's monstrous roar, but the pain was so intense that he felt like he was losing his mind.

What was happening? What's going on?

It hurts, it hurts! It's so painful!

He hadn't felt pain like this in so long since he'd stopped hunting for a while, and it seemed even more unbearable.

When Choi Hyung-min barely regained his senses and looked at his ankle, he found a tentacle biting into his ankle, having emerged from the ground.

In that brief moment, the tentacle had buried itself into the earth and launched a surprise attack.

'This is insane! I'm a Dragon Soldier! My scales are tougher than steel… no, stronger than Gridan minerals! And it's piercing my scales and biting into my flesh?!'

Despite twisting and struggling to break free from the tentacle, it showed no signs of letting go.

And shortly after, the tentacle began dragging Choi Hyung-min… or rather, the Dragon Soldier's body, back toward Shia.

[Graaaaah!]

'Let me goooo!'

No matter what he said, only the Dragon Soldier's monstrous roars came out of his mouth.

"Heehee, heeheehee…"

Unlike Choi Hyung-min's desperate situation, Shia's expression in the distance was pure and cheerful.

No, in fact, Shia was genuinely happy.

The prey that had been running away had finally been caught.

Now, she could eat.

How should she cook it?

Grilled? Skewered?

Should she cook it slowly on a stone plate like the Eopjinsal she grilled with Yeonhwa?

No, maybe she should boil it like the blood soup she had in front of her house?

The scales and bones looked incredibly tough.

If she made a broth out of it, it would probably be delicious.

"Heeheehee…"

[Graaaaah! Grrrrr! Graaaah!]

"Come here, don't run. Don't run away."

Heehee, heeheehee.

Ah, I'm drooling.

It looks so delicious.

It smells like human flesh.

The Dragon Soldier I know doesn't smell like this, but this one smells so tasty.

Wait, I shouldn't call it human flesh.

To me, human flesh is the greatest taboo.

It's a memory I must carry for the rest of my life, my greatest sin.

But this is a monster, isn't it?

Eating a delicious monster isn't a sin, right?

Isn't that right, Menelapie?

Isn't that right, Teresa?

Isn't that right, Yeonhwa?

"Heeheeheehee!"

[Grrrr! Gwaaaah!!]

The tentacles dragged the Dragon Soldier's body in front of her.

It was still trying to let out monstrous roars and flailing its claws and fists at her, but the tentacles restrained its limbs, and it seemed irritated by the loud roars, so they sealed its dragon-like mouth as well.

[Gr… grr… mmmph…!]

It shook its head as if pleading for her to stop.

Did this monster have intelligence?

But that didn't matter.

It was giving off such a delicious scent.

A monster that torments humans had come right before her eyes as if offering itself—could she just let it go?

Although it looked much stronger and more evolved than a regular Dragon Soldier, something felt off, like it was weaker and somewhat lacking.

Still, if this thing met other hunters, they could end up dead.

As for me, I'm just a stray stone in this world.

If I, a stray stone, want to adapt to this world and become a settled stone, I have to get along well with others and help them, right?

Eating this monster isn't out of selfishness.

I'm just taking care of it before it hurts anyone else.

Yeah, that's it.

That's right.

It must be.

"Heeheeheeheehee!"

The Dragon Soldier, bound entirely by tentacles and even gagged, looked like a perfectly wrapped Christmas gift.

Ah, it really is a gift to me.

It's my Christmas feast.

It looks delicious.

Now that I'm close enough to smell it, it really does smell like human flesh.

Ah, it's fragrant.

It's going to be blissful to eat.

It'll send me into ecstasy.

Ah, let's eat.

Let's eat.

Let's eat.

I have to cook it for the viewers, but it wouldn't hurt to sneak a taste beforehand.

The finest fish is best served as sashimi, and the prime cuts of meat are served as fresh tartare, aren't they?

Just one bite of this nasty monster's raw flesh…

"Time to eat…"

Monster.

Dragon Soldier.

You're like a great gift to me.

Should I embrace you?

Yes, I'll embrace you.

You'll be delicious.

With this scent, there's no way you won't be…

Squish.

'Squish…?'

Just as she was about to take a bite out of the creature's shoulder, an unexpected texture made her stop.

What is this…?

The scales and spiked armor covering the Dragon Soldier's body shouldn't feel like this.

It should have gone "crunch, crack, crunch" when she bit into it, but it felt… strangely soft.

What is this?

Why is it so tender?

Just before biting into the Dragon Soldier's shoulder, Shia realized something was wrong.

And she knew what that texture was.

How could she forget?

It was her sin.

Her taboo.

How could she ever forget that?

"Ugh, ugh…"

Hastily, she pulled her mouth away from the creature's shoulder and withdrew the tentacles, releasing it from her grasp.

[Graaah! Graaaah!]

Even though it had only been bitten on the shoulder, the Dragon Soldier was thrashing about as if it were in terrible pain or perhaps out of sheer terror.

"Hah… hah… Hah… It's… human…? Was that a human…?"

Shia couldn't grasp what had just happened.

What if she had let her hunger take over and hurriedly devoured it?

What if she had been just a little hungrier and had eaten it in her haste?

'Hah… ah… what was I thinking…? I nearly made a terrible mistake…!'

No, no.

Realizing how close she had come to a disaster, Shia quickly wiped her mouth.

It was only then that she understood, somehow, that this Dragon Soldier was undoubtedly human.

Shia wiped the saliva from her mouth and even held her breath to avoid smelling the enticing scent.

A dead body doesn't need to breathe, after all, so it wasn't a problem.

"I… I'm sorry… Are you okay…?"

[Gwaaaah! Graaaah!!]

"…"

Well… for now, I need to calm him down.

Choi Hyung-min was going wild in fear and panic.

Just a moment ago, there had still been a glimmer of reason in his eyes, but now, he was thrashing about like a wild animal, screaming and flailing on the ground.

What should I do…?

Ah…

[Shia, do you know how to handle a soldier who's fallen into panic?]

[Hmm, should I comfort them?]

[A soldier suffering from the fear of battle won't even hear comforting words.]

[Then what should I do?]

[Heh heh, would you like to know? It's a calming technique I've perfected through years of experience. It's so effective that I often use it myself.]

At that moment, Shia remembered Menelapie's advice and guidance from long ago, and she nodded as she opened the backpack slung over her side.

She had originally intended to use it for cooking…

[Gwaaaaah! Please, spare me….]

Menelapie's calming technique…!

[Hit someone on the back of the head with a frying pan, and they'll calm down.]

Smack!

A clear metallic sound rang out across Suwol Plains, and shortly after, the human-turned-Dragon Soldier collapsed to the ground like a corpse, twitching slightly.

Since he was still twitching, it seemed like he was alive.

Listening carefully, she could hear his breathing and his heartbeat sounded normal.

"Whew… thank goodness."

Shia finally let out a deep sigh of relief.

That was a close call.

The fact that she still found the smell of human flesh so intoxicating—it shouldn't be that way…

The number of gravestones in her heart seemed meaningless now, given how she almost succumbed to the temptation of human flesh again.

'Thank you… Menelapie…'

Your calming technique is the best…