Just as a newly hatched duck sees the first thing it sees as its mother, the same was true for the Albino Troll.
Especially when the first thing it saw was a tamer.
An awakened being with the skills of ‘communication’ and ‘training’.
Because of this, the tamer was able to train the Albino Troll easily. Over a period of five years, no less.
During this time, the tamer utilized the Albino Troll in various ways. Not just for extravagant performances, but also for various experiments involving the Albino Troll.
But now, the situation had changed. The Albino Troll, known as Backdo, had awakened its own power, ‘magic’.
With this awakening, the Albino Troll could see the hidden truth.
A fragment of the past.
The place it considered home was actually a prison, and the ones it considered family were iron-clad prison guards.
Humans who split open its mother’s belly to take it out and displayed its mother’s corpse. Furthermore, those who planned to use it to create a second Albino Troll.
Upon realizing such truths.
The Albino Troll fell into despair.
‘I will turn this world into a world of monsters. Humans are the ones who should be imprisoned, not us.’
With such determination, it tempted the rookie tamer and succeeded in opening the door. Thanks to its awakened magical power. Anyway, as it was about to move on to the next stage.
‘Just as I was about to awaken them, they interfere again like this!’
“Kwaaaaah! Hrrrng!”
The Albino Troll let out a roar of anger. In response, the monsters around it began to roar as well. They openly showed their anger towards the tamers.
“Kwaaaaah!”
“Wooong!”
“Kekerek.”
Subsequently, they attacked the tamer who activated the [training] skill. Caught off guard by the unexpected situation, the tamers panicked, and the hunters joined the fray belatedly.
“Aaaaaaah!”
“Why the hell…”
“W-What should we do, Team Leader?”
“Damn it. What do you want us to do when the tamer fails? Handle it!”
It was obvious that there would be casualties amidst all this chaos. Screams echoed from everywhere. It was truly a scene of chaos. The situation on the Albino Troll’s tamer side was no different.
“B-Backdo? You need to lie down! Lie down, Backdo…?”
“Kwaaaaah!”
He was startled by Backdo charging towards him and stumbled backward. Now, he could sense the troll’s anger. So, he tried to run away, but for some reason, his body wouldn’t move.
It felt like being tightly bound by ropes.
“Eeek! H-Help…”
Meanwhile, the Albino Troll approached step by step.
Sensing imminent death, he desperately pleaded for rescue.
“But it’s too late now!”
Just when he tightly closed his eyes.
Willingly, Jong-sik stepped forward.
Jong-sik, who had been silently concealing his presence until now.
“I knew this would happen. You never know until you try whether it’s soybean paste or crap. At this point, I won’t even bother with the nonsense about personal property.”
With that thought, he revealed his presence. A surge of powerful mana erupted.
Boom!
A single blow was enough to tear apart the Albino Troll’s body and pierce its bones.
“Krrrrrrraaaaaack… Krr… ack.”
Green blood painted the Albino Troll’s white body. Soon, it splattered over the face of the tamer who had collapsed in front of him.
“Ah… Huh?”
Feeling the dampness, the tamer opened his eyes, and the overwhelming pressure vanished instantly. Before him lay Backdo, collapsed with a thud.
“Huff, huff… huff.”
Was it the relief of being alive? The tamer breathed heavily. At the same time, as if remembering something, he hastily reached out to the Albino Troll with his body.
At that moment, Jong-sik shouted.
“Stop moving. Stay away from him. He’s not dead yet. So, stay right there.”
The troll, as white as snow, was a troll born with magical power. When dealing with a troll shaman, you had to remove not only the physical body but also the mana heart dormant inside the body.
In other words, even though it seemed dead, it meant that the creature’s origin was still alive.
But as expected, the tamer didn’t listen. He casually ignored Jong-sik’s words.
“No! How could I have raised you just to let you die like this? Even if you die, you have to leave something behind for the future!”
That way, he could maintain the reputation he had built up over time! With that purpose in mind, the tamer reached out to the torn body of the troll. Toward something inside it.
“Tsk. I said stay away.”
It wasn’t out of genuine concern. It was a sinister intention. It had been vaguely felt before, but now it was confirmed. Therefore, Jong-sik didn’t take any further action. After all, he had warned, and it was the tamer who had violated it.
As a result,
The tamer’s arms, reaching out, were torn off in an instant.
The albino troll, thought to be dead, was able to move its body by utilizing the vitality stored in its mana heart.
Seeing this, Jong-sik clicked his tongue and once again wielded mana. His hand, as sharp as mithril, twisted the creature’s flesh.
Then he pulled out the mana heart hidden within the ribcage. As a result, the albino troll could finally face true death.
‘This could be useful.’
Once the mana heart was broken, its nutritional value would disappear.
However, Jong-sik’s initial blow didn’t damage the mana heart. He had attacked with the intention of taking it. ‘To catch a bird, one must catch the egg as well.’ Today, luck was certainly on his side.
That way, he obtained the albino troll’s mana heart.
Although casualties occurred during the process, it was regrettable….
“I clearly told you not to get too close.”
He didn’t particularly feel guilty.
He had clearly warned, and it was this person who had recklessly jumped in.
Jong-sik shook his head disapprovingly as he looked at the unconscious tamer.
Still, he provided some light first aid to the injured man.
Then, he walked back into the battlefield once again.
A little while later,
The situation came to an end.
All the tamers who attempted to capture the monsters failed. Not only that, but they were all injured to some extent.
Nevertheless, the escaped monsters were neatly dealt with. They were eliminated rather than captured alive.
Thanks to Jong-sik’s decisive actions, the mission was successfully completed, and the chief hunters expressed their gratitude. There was also a chief hunter from Team 2 who arrived late.
“I was worried because we arrived late… Thanks to the hunters, we were able to clean up the monsters quickly. Thank you.”
“Hmm, well. I’m glad I could help.”
The man expressed his gratitude hesitantly.
He was the one who had sent warning remarks to Jong-sik earlier. Jong-sik looked at him.
“The person who warned about stopping the attack because of the Monster Foundation’s property. That’s you, right?”
“Cough, cough! Did I say that?”
The leader of Team 1 seemed flustered by Jong-sik’s words. He didn’t expect Jong-sik to say such things.
Moreover, if the leader of Team 2 finds out that he received bribes from the Seoul Monster Foundation and forcefully conducted the capture operation, it won’t bode well for him.
“I believe I firmly warned not to make any sudden moves since the tamers were supposed to capture them alive.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Well, I just want to make sure. It would be tiring if we had to compensate each other for unnecessary expenses later on.”
The public officer replied kindly, understanding Jong-sik’s implication.
However, it was not the leader of Team 1 but the leader of Team 2 who spoke.
“It seems there was such an incident. You don’t need to worry about that part. I assure you that such an incident will never happen again.”
“Yes. But just to be sure, I prefer to hear it directly from the person involved.”
After being targeted by Jong-sik’s words, the leader of Team 1 finally spoke up.
“Well, uh, if there’s a fine to be paid, it will be paid, but there won’t be any demands for compensation from the Hunter’s Association.”
His voice was tinged with wounded pride. Perhaps that’s why he resorted to such futile threats.
“A compensation fee?”
“There is a reward system for individual hunters who receive support. Additionally, we also transfer the monster materials captured by the hunters. So, I’d like to confirm the hunter’s credentials. Oh, and please be aware that the confirmed identity may also be provided to the ‘Seoul Monster Foundation’.”
With a momentary increase in volume, the leader of Team 2 responded to the clumsy threat. Anyone would think it was his own business.
“Hey, Team Leader Kim! What kind of nonsense are you talking about? Since when did we report to the Seoul Monster Foundation? Huh? Revealing the identity of the supported hunter as well?”
“Report? My intention was not that we report, but that since the Seoul Monster Foundation can also provide compensation, we inform them of the identity. That’s what I meant.”
In the exchange between the two, Jong-sik frowned and shown his hunter’s license. Whether his identity was disclosed or not, Jong-sik had nothing to fear.
“I understand what you mean, so let’s confirm the identity first. And I’d like this to be handled as quickly as possible due to urgent matters.”
How influential were the hunters affiliated with the ‘Seoul Monster Foundation’? Yet, despite Jong-sik’s unchanged attitude, Team Leader Kim felt a momentary surge of resentment.
“Ah, my mouth got ahead of me. It was just a spur-of-the-moment comment, but he doesn’t even blink an eye. Who does he think he is?”
As he accepted the extended hunter’s license, Team Leader Kim could see why Jong-sik was so nonchalant.
It was because of the confidence that stemmed from his skill.
“D… DokJong-sik Hunter?”
Wasn’t he a recently famous hunter? He had heard of his reputation, but he had never seen his face before. Yet here he was, standing in front of him.
“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t recognize you and was rude.”
Quickly changing his tone, Team Leader Kim continued, “There’s nothing rude about it. Anyway, now that your identity has been confirmed, please handle the materials properly. I remember everything I’ve caught alone. And if Seoul Monster Foundation requests my information for compensation, make sure to provide it.”
Then I’ll be thankful. With that, Jong-sik said and retrieved his hunter’s license again. In response, Team Leader Kim nodded humbly.
“That will never happen! And if there’s any hesitation about handling the materials, it’s better if you see it yourself…”
“No, I have somewhere urgent to be. Well then, thank you all for your hard work.”
Although there were still some monsters left to be dealt with, they should be easily handled. Moreover, it was time for the sealed dungeon to open. He had to move quickly!
“Thank you!”
“Thank you for your hard work!”
In response to Jong-sik’s farewell, both team leaders responded with military-like posture.
After Jong-sik left, there was a disturbance among the people managing the scene.
“Team Leader! I think we missed a monster?”
The subordinate’s words furrowed the 1st team leader’s brow.
“What nonsense. We’ve received reports of everything here!”
“Well, the tamers are saying they can’t find the body of the Basilisk. And…”
“What else?”
“We searched the pouch of the White Kangaroo, but there were no eggs inside.”
Seoul Monster Foundation had reported that the fleeing monsters had stolen eggs that were hatching. They had asked to examine the pouch of the White Kangaroo…
But there were literally no results.
That leaves only the Basilisk.
Without a report, there’s no way to find it.
We need to know if it flew away or burrowed underground.
“For now, everyone stay put and search the area.”
In the end, they had to rely on the report.
Still, they couldn’t just stand idly by, so they ordered a search.
Since the fleeing monsters were gathered together, it was a reasonable assumption that the creature could also be nearby. Unbeknownst to them, they were dealing with something sinister.
Meanwhile, at that moment.
A post was uploaded to a famous mom cafe.
With attached black box footage.
[Title: Survivor at Gangseo-gu Dangchon Intersection (Monster Escape Incident)]
-Hello.
-My heart is still pounding uncontrollably.
-But I’m writing this post to find the person who saved me.
J-ust a moment ago, as I was leaving the hospital with my child… (omitted)
-I wanted to thank them belatedly, but they disappeared like a ghost.
-I asked the public hunters, but they didn’t give me their name…
-Moreover, the breaking news only contains information about the public hunters. If someone doesn’t know the situation, they might think they handled everything, but that’s definitely not the case.
-As evidence, I’m attaching the footage. And if anyone happens to know this person, please leave a comment. I really want to express my gratitude.
-If there’s a problem with the video, I’ll delete it immediately.
L My goodness… They must be a renowned hunter. Otherwise, does it make sense for someone with such skills to exist? It’s crazy. My child’s father is a scout; I should show him.
L Huh? I think I know this person. They’re the sibling of the owner of a regular restaurant. I’ll send you a private message, OP.
L A restaurant? Does a hunter family run a restaurant? With that level of skill, their family must be sitting on a mountain of money. What are they doing? I can’t believe it. Where is that restaurant?
L Please, no. It’s a restaurant where you have to line up immediately if you get famous, so I’m sorry, but I want to keep it to myself. ㅠㅠ L ;;;
;;; Ridiculous.
L Excuse me. I’m not interested in the restaurant’s name, but can you tell me where they live? I’m looking for a neighborhood with good security.ㅠ
L But who is the person telling them to stop attacking? Isn’t that crazy? Shouldn’t citizen safety come first? Or is it catching monsters first? Who is that person?
L Oh;;; I didn’t know it was on mute, and I said that? But that hunter ignored it and saved the wise mom family!
L I thought it was nonsense, so there was no need to listen. But we really need to publicize this.
