Chapter 3

A Glimmer of Power

[A certain God cheers you on]

[Viewer: 3]

“……”

Choi Kang-sik had no idea why he could suddenly see the Gods’ conversation, nor how much or where his body had grown stronger. It wasn’t like a video game where stats were conveniently displayed in numbers. He could only vaguely feel it: he was stronger. Right after defeating the Any-One, the messages had proliferated, solidifying his certainty that he had become more powerful. The reason for this, he mused, was, ‘Could it be because the viewers increased?’

“Viewer” was a very familiar word to Choi Kang-sik. As the manager for MS Yu Il-am, who seemed to care only about hunting and women, managing these viewer ratings was almost a daily task. Then, a thought suddenly struck him.

“My camera?”

Choi Kang-sik hurried to retrieve his livelihood, which he had thrown into the bushes. A professional camera, equipped with all sorts of functions from live broadcasting to management, was an expensive item, comparable to a decent studio apartment.

“Whew!”

Fortunately, the camera was unharmed. However, a minor problem, if one could call it that, had arisen.

‘It was still broadcasting?!’

Startled, Choi Kang-sik used the camera’s built-in monitor to check the broadcast chat. It was true.

• OMG? The cameraman caught the monster. (◐0 ◐);;
• Dude. Are you Superman 3?
• As a fellow ordinary person, I feel pathetic... OTL
• The cameraman is stronger than the MS. lol

The comments from viewers poured in. The viewership had tripled. It must have been word-of-mouth from excited viewers, buzzing about the shocking broadcast accident. Choi Kang-sik felt a little flustered. Although he had been a cameraman for a long time, he had no broadcasting experience. Still, he wasn’t overly concerned. Didn’t they say a dog that lives at a school for three years can recite poetry? After a deep breath, he spoke.

“Viewers, did you all see it?”

• Yup. Ye.
• From start to finish.
• You were awesome. ^^

Choi Kang-sik humored the viewers’ comments, asking a few more questions. Thanks to that, he easily obtained useful information.

‘Whew! So, for now, I’m safe?’

He was told that a rescue team would soon arrive, thanks to a report from a righteous citizen. MS Yu Il-am, who had fled alone to Seoul, was immediately arrested when he tried to cover up the incident with lies. The crime scene had been broadcast live! He probably hadn’t known the camera was still working. Things seemed to be going surprisingly smoothly.

But then…

• What happened to the pretty girl? T.T
• Yeah. That's right. Check on her.
• Shouldn't it be mosaic-ed? ;;
• Shut up! She's alive!

Choi Kang-sik sighed at the viewers’ urging.

‘If I say it’s none of my business here, I’ll get caught in a personality controversy, won’t I?’

[A certain God pops popcorn and affirms]

[A hasty certain God is unimpressed]

[A certain God urges rescue]

‘…I didn’t ask you guys, though?’

Choi Kang-sik scratched his head and manipulated the camera. He mosaic-ed the entire screen from the viewer’s perspective.

• Really mosaic? Remove it while I'm being nice.
• Do you know what a true MS is?
• Cameraman! That's not how you broadcast.
• Tsk tsk. Really doesn't know how to broadcast!

Some viewers protested loudly, but Choi Kang-sik ignored them. The reason?

“This is an all-ages broadcast.”

‘Crazy bastards. Do they think a corpse is a joke?’

It seemed like the “strip show under the moonlight” was already a lost cause, but that was merely the result of MS Yu Il-am’s reckless rampage due to his fear of declining viewership. It was a failed broadcast. Normally, there wouldn’t even be a recording, let alone a mosaic. The hunter and cameraman would have already been killed by the monster. It was a miracle that he, the cameraman, had killed the monster and survived. A highly unusual situation!

“I think it was around here…”

Choi Kang-sik slowly walked in the direction where the pretty girl had been kicked by Any-One.

Stop.

And he stopped.

‘Hmm. Did it explode from the inside?’

He found the young woman lying in the bushes. Although there was blood around her mouth, there were almost no external injuries. Still, it was definitely the pretty girl abandoned by Yu Il-am.

[A certain God swallows hard]

[A hasty certain God is excited]

[A certain God is anxious]

Choi Kang-sik’s eyes narrowed. The Gods’ reactions were unexpectedly intense. It was as if,

‘They’re expecting something to happen…?’

Vroom!

An ambulance, perfectly timed, stopped abruptly in front of him. The siren wasn’t blaring to avoid provoking any wild monsters. Rescue workers rushed out of the vehicle.

In addition,

Clank!

“Oh my! You fool! I told you not to wander around like that!”

A woman, presumed to be the pretty girl’s mother, burst out of the ambulance door. She was a beautiful lady, whose looks clearly indicated whom the pretty girl had resembled. Just as she was about to rush to her daughter, she was restrained by rescue workers who swiftly grabbed her shoulders.

“Madam. It’s dangerous here.” “From now on, please follow our instructions.” “An autopsy is a priority.”

The team members spoke naturally, as if reading from a pre-written script. Their demeanor suggested they had anticipated this situation.

‘Haa… I knew it.’ ‘Wealthy, prestigious families are annoying for this reason.’ ‘I just want to finish work quickly and rest…’

“Th-these people! Let go! This isn’t good?!”

The woman raged, but the rescue workers did not budge an inch. Allowing her to accompany them this far was already an extremely rare privilege.

“Phew…”

Choi Kang-sik, observing the scene, breathed a sigh of relief.

‘It should be fine now.’

Since the rescue team had arrived, he should be able to return safely to Seoul.

“Mr. Choi Kang-sik, is that you?” a man, presumably the rescue team leader, addressed him.

“Yes.”

“Nice to meet you. I was so surprised to hear there was a civilian who single-handedly defeated an Any-One… Mr. Choi Kang-sik, you might not realize it, but you’ve accomplished something truly amazing.”

“Is that so? Ha, haha…”

Choi Kang-sik, feeling a blush creep up, scratched his head.

‘It’s a bit hard to say it was with divine help.’

Conversely, it would be ridiculous to brazenly boast that he defeated the monster bare-handed without psychic powers. Is this how an athlete who passed a doping test would feel? So the young man humbly replied:

“I was lucky.”

A very conventional line, adhering to gentlemanly language. Weighing his conscience against his secret, Choi Kang-sik praised himself, thinking there could be no more perfect answer.

“Luck, huh…”

“I was able to win because the monster was realistic.”

It was a creature that ate and excreted, just like any other.

“Huh? Haha!”

The team leader, briefly bewildered, then burst into hearty laughter, seemingly understanding how the hunt, which began as a broadcasting accident, had unfolded. Meanwhile, the rest of the rescue team members moved busily. They first assessed the monster’s condition.

“It’s still alive, as expected.” “Unless the core is hit, it rarely dies.” “Anesthetic injection before it regenerates…” “Hurry up with the core extraction!”

They prioritized the killing of the 1-star monster whose head had been mangled by a brave citizen.

Whirring! Buzzing!

They began the process of severing Any-One’s neck with heavy machinery. Several chainsaws dug into the 1-star monster’s fur and spine. For one sole purpose: the Core. The organ that distinguishes animals from monsters. It is the source that allows monsters to exert superhuman strength and vitality. They rushed because a monster that loses its core is definitely dead. Wouldn’t it be a disaster if the monster revived and rampaged? Any-One’s ‘Core’ was hidden in its large head. That’s why they intended to detach the entire head. The laying to rest of the victim’s body would come afterward.

“Sob sob! How can you call yourselves humans!”

The lady, with tears welling in her eyes, shouted from afar, unable to get close to the rescue workers. She was seething with anger at losing her daughter, but her vague fear that the bloody, giant ape might suddenly stand up overshadowed it. And that wasn’t all.

Whirring! Grinding!

The sight and sound of chainsaws gruesomely cutting the monster’s neck were not for the faint of heart. Was that what enraged her? The woman’s gaze turned to the young man.

“My daughter died because of you! Bring her back! Bring her back, I say!”

Sparks flew.

“…I also deeply acknowledge my indirect responsibility. I will spare no effort in cooperating so that Mr. Yu Il-am, who dragged your daughter into this and fled, receives justice.”

Choi Kang-sik replied with utmost politeness. Because…

• Cameraman. RIP. lol
• Auntie. What do you expect from a mere salaried worker?
• Look at the personalities in the comments. Madam! Hang in there!
• What's wrong with you all? She might still be alive. T

The camera was still on. Choi Kang-sik wrestled with the decision to stop the broadcast for a long time. But in the end, he didn’t press the power button.

‘This is an opportunity.’

When else would someone like him, neither an outstanding hunter nor an MS, get this much attention? More than anything, he wanted to record and preserve the final moments of the ‘first monster he ever hunted.’ Therefore, he stepped forward.

“I’ll help too.”

“What? Wait! That camera…”

“It’s fine.”

“No, we’re not fine… Huh!”

The rescue worker’s eyes widened in astonishment. The young man, who had suddenly volunteered to help, had effortlessly lifted heavy equipment with one hand, equipment that would normally require both hands to manage. And in his other hand, a large camera? The worker murmured, half-lost in thought.

“He’s incredibly strong…”

Choi Kang-sik shrugged nonchalantly and replied, “Any cameraman who’s been rolling in this field for over five years without rest does about this much.”

“R-really?”

Could a cameraman be stronger than an average hunter? It was while he was having such a foolish thought.

“Kya?!”

A scream from the madam echoed from a short distance away. Immediately after, she collapsed beside her daughter like a marionette with severed strings. Outwardly, there were no external injuries. But she didn’t get up again.

• Why did that auntie fall down? (⊙ω⊙)?
• She must be shocked by her daughter's horrible state.
• As expected, mosaic was the answer, huh?
• Cameraman's foresight is amazing!
• Foresight X Foresight (prophetic vision) O ^^

‘Ah, so that’s what it was.’

Choi Kang-sik understood.

[A certain God feels sorry]

[A hasty certain God cackles]

[A certain God offers condolences]

The reason why the Gods’ message reactions were so suspicious.

“Under-Dog (Under-毒).”