Chapter 2- cameraman-2

At my question of “Are you crazy?”, the other person burst into laughter.

“Haha! As expected of my manager. I knew you’d dodge it. Choi Kang-sik. You’ve worked hard so far, and keep working hard until the end. I’ll never forget the precious three years I spent with you.”

“You…!”

Choi Kang-sik, who had fallen onto the bushes, glared intensely at the handsome young man striding past him. He had realized the guy’s intentions.

‘I’m the monster’s bait…!’

The MS, who had climbed into the truck’s driver’s seat, said, “Choi Kang-sik. Think about it carefully. Isn’t it much more beneficial for this country and the world if I, a psychic, survive, rather than a common porter like you? So don’t feel too wronged.”

“Are you calling that an excuse…”

Thud!

There was no more time for conversation. The 1-star monster Any-One, which had approached unnoticed, menacingly kicked at him.

‘Damn it!’

Choi Kang-sik, who had no intention of dying as senselessly as the pretty girl, rolled his body again, avoiding it.

“Kwoo-aahh!”

The monster, having missed its kick, stared at him irritably.

Vroom!

In that brief moment, MS Yu Il-am started the truck and swiftly fled, even abandoning the cold corpse of the pretty girl he had been intimate with. Sparks flew from Choi Kang-sik’s eyes.

“Yu Il-am! Get ready for me, you hear?!”

“Alright! If you’re still alive by then, by all means! Hahaha!”

The sarcastic laughter faded into the distance. Choi Kang-sik, utterly enraged, involuntarily cursed.

“F***ing hell…”

‘God is always watching me?’

That’s a nice-sounding load of crap. There are only people watching the fight between hunters and monsters from afar, like an MS broadcast. There is no such thing as God.

[A certain God is bewildered] [Viewer: 1]

“…Hmm? God?”

A suspicious message floated before Choi Kang-sik’s eyes. He turned his head left and right, but it persistently followed him, as if stuck to his cornea.

‘Hologram…?’

He looked around, but no suspicious machinery was visible. Would he have dismissed it as a mischievous prank by a third party if the meaning of the strange, non-Korean message hadn’t been drilling into his mind?

[A certain God nods politely]

‘Ah, yes. Hello… Wait! God? The God I know? G.O.D.?’

There was no time to pry.

“Kwoo-aahh!”

Because the monster’s huge fist fiercely swung at him.

“Ugh!”

Choi Kang-sik rolled on the ground again, barely dodging it. His stamina, often spent running around all day burdened with heavy cameras, exceeded the average person’s limits. Even so,

‘Dangerous!’

He wasn’t as well off as a hunter who could freely unleash psychic powers. He could manage to dodge once or twice at his discretion, but the extreme concentration required quickly brought on fatigue.

Whoosh!

The whoosh of the fist brushing past him was chilling, like a blade. His hair stood on end, awakening his mind. But it quickly dulled. A warning sign that his mental energy had already reached its limit. There was no time.

“What should I do…”

“Kwoo-aahh!”

“……”

The opponent was a monster. A predator that had reduced humanity, armed with advanced science and nuclear weapons, to the weak in just a few days. Choi Kang-sik made a cold assessment.

‘At this rate, I’ll die.’

Because human legs can’t run faster than a monster. If he couldn’t run away, the remaining options were to fight or beg for his life, but monsters never compromise with humans. In the end, fighting back was the only path.

[A certain God pops popcorn] [Viewer: 1]

‘Popcorn? Not a movie theater. Is this an evil god who enjoys broadcasts of humans struggling and then getting eaten?’

If so, their taste is certainly unique.

[A certain God cheers you on]

“Cheer on my ass!”

Choi Kang-sik retorted at the message as he ran.

‘I need a weapon to fight.’

It was impossible for a human to do anything to a monster’s hide, which even bullets couldn’t penetrate, with bare hands. So the first weapon Choi Kang-sik thought of was the tent MS Yu Il-am had brought for his moonlight strip show. An item brought with the plausible plan of finding sweet romance by sharing warmth with the pretty girl. It was left neglected in the tall grass, still in its bag, unpitched. Ropes, stakes, a flysheet, a waterproof sheet, wire, steel poles, a camping shovel…

Choi Kang-sik ran, snatched the tent bag, and slung it over his right shoulder. Though heavier than the camera, it wasn’t enough to hinder his movements. And he turned around. Towards the roughly-shaped ape monster.

“Kwoo-aahh!”

Any-One roared in response, looking down on the human who was supposed to run away, now charging back, with immense amusement.

Rip!

Choi Kang-sik yanked open the bag’s zipper. Then he forcefully threw a steel pole at its face and shouted, “Here, look!”

“Krr…?”

The monster, Any-One, flinched, its gaze shifting from him to the steel pole. It stopped the foot it was about to kick the human with and batted away the foreign object with its hand.

‘Opportunity!’

Choi Kang-sik didn’t miss the chance. He grabbed the straps of the heavy tent bag, full of parts, with both hands and swung it like a shotput. With centrifugal force, he aimed for the monster’s hamstrings!

Thwack!

“Kwoo-ah?!”

Any-One stumbled, its knee unexpectedly bending. It was surprised by the fierce resistance of a human, who was merely prey. It even ended up resting its palms on the ground, kneeling. However, Choi Kang-sik’s expression didn’t lighten.

‘As expected, it won’t work.’

If such crude methods could take down monsters, humanity wouldn’t be cornered as it was now. He moved to the monster’s blind spot, its back. He judged it safer there. Then he inadvertently saw it.

“That’s…?”

A hole. It’s the law of nature that when something is eaten, it comes out the other end. Even monsters, which often defy the laws of physics, were no exception to this. We elegantly call this hole,

‘Anus.’

Choi Kang-sik’s eyes narrowed. At most, he had about 5 seconds before the monster would stand up again. Now was not the time to be picky.

“……”

The young man’s expression hardened. He silently pulled out a steel pole from the tent bag and gripped it. Then he put all his strength into it, thrusting it like a bamboo spear.

Thrust!

Towards that wiggling spot.

“Kwoo-aaang?!”

Any-One, who had been looking around for the human it had lost sight of, let out a bizarre scream. Something had plunged deep into its body! The accumulated contents gushed out.

Plop! Plop!

Human fingers, bones, clothes, accessories… They were the remnants of humans it had recently devoured.

“Ugh!”

Choi Kang-sik gagged. But his hands didn’t stop. Because he knew if he stopped here, he’d end up like that too. He became even more determined, covered in horrible, bloody feces.

Finally,

Thrust!

He succeeded in fully cramming one steel pole inside.

“Kwoo-aaang?!”

Thud.

The monster, bewildered, toppled forward, its massive rear quivering.

[A certain God covers their eyes]

“Kroo-ooh…”

Any-One, which had been so arrogant just moments ago, trembled like an aspen tree. It couldn’t stand up on two legs again and crawled awkwardly through the bushes.

Flash.

Then it glared at the human with hatred and threw a punch. Any-One’s punch, now perceiving the human in front of it not as ‘prey’ but as a clear ‘enemy,’ was incredibly fast.

[A certain God offers condolences]

“Who’s gonna die, you think…!”

Choi Kang-sik shouted fiercely, as if opposing the subtly irritating suspicious message. Sparks flew from his eyes.

‘I know I don’t have talent! I know!’

Cruel fate had not granted him psychic powers. If he had possessed a power like the fireballs MS Yu Il-am had been spewing, he would have easily burned the ape monster in front of him. That was always an “if,” a hypothetical.

“Kwoo-aahh!”

“Alright. Let’s see you try.”

Choi Kang-sik’s eyes were filled with defiance. Recklessness was fine. He consistently trained his body and diligently saved money to acquire weapons to deal with psychic abilities. He also never neglected his studies for a moment. He researched monsters’ weaknesses and ecology and consistently watched hunting videos. Thorough self-management. He hadn’t worked this hard just to die to some ‘roughly-shaped ape.’

‘My dearest son.’ ‘I like oppa the most!’ ‘God is watching you.’

Illusions he couldn’t shake off even after 10 years. And his sworn enemy.

“Blade…”

He couldn’t fall before killing that monster. Choi Kang-sik pulled out the flysheet (tent fabric) from the tent bag and embraced it with both arms. He held the now lighter bag in his mouth.

‘Here I go.’

After one deep breath, he charged. Towards the still prone Any-One’s dull head.

“Kwoo!”

The monster instinctively swung its arm. Choi Kang-sik, unafraid of the huge fist cutting through the air, calmly spread his hands.

Flap!

The flysheet unfolded.

“Kwoo?!”

The young man, having avoided the monster’s momentary surprised flailing, pulled out a wire from the bag he held in his mouth.

Whoosh!

And then, like looping it over a branch, he threw it in a parabolic arc over the monster’s neck. From this point on, it was a race against time. A showdown of who could react faster. To tie, or to untie.

Squish.

Any-One swatted away the flysheet with its hand. It looked around to find the human, then was startled to see something wrapped around its neck.

“Kwoo?!”

“Die already!”

Choi Kang-sik leaped onto the monster’s back. He shouted menacingly, stomped on the monster’s nape to get a grip, and pulled the wire. Like pulling the reins of a horse!

“Kwoo-aahh!”

Any-One, who had never once been threatened by ‘prey’ since its birth, became flustered. It flailed its hands, trying to remove the wire, but its thick fingers struggled to grip it. The human on its back was also out of reach.

The only remaining method?

“Gah?!”

To roll around on the ground! But the pain from the steel pole stuck in its anus and the burns on its back from the psychic attack made this also difficult. A fierce back-and-forth battle between monster and human continued.

• OMG. Is this hunter for real?
• My goodness! Barehanded without psychic powers?
• No no, he's a cameraman.
• My heart is pounding, I can't watch. ㅠㅠ

Unaware that the camera, dropped in the field, was still filming, Choi Kang-sik, holding the wire in his right hand, rummaged through the bag in his mouth with only his left. To find a useful weapon.

[A certain God is anxious]

“Argh, seriously! If you’re worried, don’t just watch, help me out! Huh?”

Something clutched in his hand as he grumbled.

‘Camping shovel…?’

He remembered. It was brought to level the ground or dig furrows around the tent during the rainy season. He saw a hammer and iron stakes nearby too, but he couldn’t let go of the wire in his right hand, as he would immediately fall from Any-One’s head if he did. His deliberation was brief. He gripped the shovel handle and slammed it down with all his might.

Thud!

[A certain God is startled and drops popcorn]

‘I’ll definitely finish this!’

It didn’t sink in well, like frozen ground in winter. If so, he would just strike again. Choi Kang-sik raised the shovel blade high.

“Kwoo-aahh!”

Feeling its life in danger, Any-One rolled on the ground even more violently. And it tried to grab him whenever it had a chance. Choi Kang-sik’s stamina was also slowly reaching its limit. He instinctively knew this was his last chance.

‘All or nothing!’

He shifted his right hand, which was holding the wire, to the shovel handle.

“Hah!”

The young man put his entire body weight into slamming the crude shovel blade down onto the monster’s massive nape.

Crack!

A sensation of something breaking and caving in. The enormous hand, which had been just about to grab the impudent prey clinging to its head, lost all strength and hung limp.

“Grrgle…”

Any-One’s huge body stopped.

“No, not yet.”

He shouldn’t underestimate a monster’s vitality. It had only suffered a temporary concussion from the skull damage. Choi Kang-sik didn’t stop shoveling and continued.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwaaack!

He rummaged through the monster’s brain as if scooping out dirt. He finally felt satisfied and fell off only after shoveling until Any-One’s bloody head was completely mangled. He took a few steps and then collapsed onto the bushes. Completely exhausted.

“Ha, haha… I really can’t believe it…”

Even though he was tired, the young man’s gasping mouth couldn’t stop letting out foolish laughter. A powerless person, taking down a monster alone. Perseverance? Skill? Luck? It wasn’t some kind of spiritualism that would only be used in a hot-blooded manga. He had been too focused during the fight to notice, but looking back carefully now that it was over, his movements were different from his usual self.

‘My body suddenly got stronger.’

Without this dramatic change, he would never have won. He couldn’t figure out the cause…

[A certain God is satisfied]

[A certain God gestures to a friend]

[Viewer: 1]

A friend to God…?

It was natural, if anything, that God’s friend was God.

[A hasty certain God peeks out] [A certain God nods politely] [Viewer: 3]

‘…There isn’t just one God.’

Culture shock. No, was it religious shock? As a certain God called two friends, the messages multiplied. His vision was dizzyingly flooded with their greetings.

[A certain God shares popcorn]

[A hasty certain God is unimpressed]

[A certain God praises the popcorn as delicious]

[A certain God feels proud]

…If it had truly only been this, Choi Kang-sik would have been annoyed first instead of surprised.

‘Amazing. This is incredible, isn’t it?’

However, the young man chose to accept his fate instead of being annoyed. There was no flashy psychic power, but,

“……”

He glanced at the monster he had killed. It wasn’t some ‘pipe dream of becoming a psychic’ that had bothered and tormented him for 10 years. He had grown stronger. It was the result of the Gods watching his hunt.

‘Just like an MS’s viewers.’

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Choi Kang-sik furrowed his brows and steeled his resolve. He would do anything if it meant becoming stronger!

[A certain God introduces the host] [A hasty certain God says they are ugly] [A certain God giggles while eating popcorn]

“…I can do this, right?”

Just a little, he lost confidence.