[Any-Won] (TL: Yet another pun, this time "anyone." The "Won" is actually one of the three letters that form the Korean word for "pithecoid".)
A large but simple monster with a haphazard appearance. It looks too strangely non-descriptive to even be referred to as a large ape.
There is nothing particularly special about the creature, other than its high vitality and physical strength, which happens to be a common feature among most of the monsters.
The best type of prey for beginner Hunters.
It was already ten years since that fateful day, yet he still couldn't forget the horrors.
The day when the blades utterly blanketed every inch of the sky above the cityscape and poured down like torrential raindrops.
Could that be heavenly retribution for humanity's arrogance?
If so, God had to be a devil for sure.
"Hey, mister manager."
"....."
Other memories also came flooding back into his mind.
His mother, shouting at him not to be late for school, while waving around a ladle; his little sister waving her hand at him, telling him to take care.
A female classmate presenting him with a box of chocolate, while saying that she was acting out a certain accepted form of etiquette from the past, and a close friend teasing him non-stop because of that.
They were all beautiful memories.
"Hello? Mister Choi Kahng-Sik?"
"....."
His little sister dancing and spinning around and around on the spot while wearing a white one-piece dress, her birthday present; and his father, dryly telling her to be mindful not to trip on her feet. He could be so boring like that at times.
The family he loved so much...
All of that was destroyed in only a single day.
It'd been ten years of him wandering around the city of Seoul, having lost everything to a 'playful' monster that behaved like a little child destroying an ant hill just because it could.
He'd been asking the exact same question several times a day since then.
'What have I done in the meanti...'
"Hey, man! Choi Kahng-Sik! Why are you wasting time like this?!"
His name was Choi Kahng-Sik.
The young man woke up from his recollection of the past after his name was called out.
Choi Kahng-Sik's eyes recovered from the daze induced by his daydream and regained focus.
The guy with a similar age as him, the one Choi Kahng-Sik had the distinct displeasure of staring at for the past three years or so until he was now feeling genuinely sick of it, was now breathing heavily like an angry bull.
That man just so happened to be Choi Kahng-Sik's employer as well.
"It might look like I'm wasting time to you, but trust me, I've set up the camera just fine. You'll get all your money shots when you start fighting the monster, so don't worry."
Choi Kahng-Sik, he had tried pretty much everything to survive.
There was a period of time sometime in the past when he swore to himself that he'd become a powerful Hunter capable of easily destroying the various monsters found in the world.
The "Hunters."
The job title of those who hunted monsters, the enemies of humanity.
Unfortunately, Choi Kahng-Sik lacked the most important prerequisite called 'talent' to become a Hunter.
The world proved to be far too 'realistic' for a human to take on a monster with nothing but his unyielding spirit, as said human would receive a fatal wound from being grazed by a monster's attack.
Indeed, it was too realistic.
There had been too many cases of people fighting with nothing but fantasy anime-like dreams, hopes, love, and friendship, and ended up only as the stars in their own funerals.
This was a world without a single shred of compassion.
And a Hunter who had adapted to this reality was calling out to him.
"Choi Kahng-Sik! You think your job's over just because you're done with preparations? You should've reported to me as soon as you were done!"
Choi Kahng-Sik made plenty of reports already, though.
But, the Hunter was trying to pick a fight with him by pretending to not hear them.
"Mister Yu Il-Ahm. Please just be honest with me and say it out loud, that you need something else to revitalise your sagging rating."
"H-how dare a mere Cameraman run his mouth off like this!"
The "Cameraman."
The profession of capturing the footage in real-time of the heroics of those men and women who defeat the dastardly monsters that terrorise humanity.
The cameraman Choi Kahng-Sik spent the past three years of his life with the Hunter Yu Il-Ahm, filming the scenes of the latter hunting various monsters.
The concept of "a Hunter & a Cameraman."
It was a rather unlikely combination of jobs, but when living in a time of great upheaval, the types of preferred occupations would also change accordingly.
What if the world was half destroyed by the appearance of monsters?
Humans would still find a way to take that depressing situation of the world coming to an end, and use that as an opportunity to enrich themselves and become famous.
That was exactly how humanity adapted to this situation.
The "Monster Streamer."
Shortened to "MS."
Such a job was created while the world was being pushed to the brink.
For those who lost their significant other to monsters, those who lost their family to monsters, those who lost their friends to monsters, those who lost their wealth to monsters - to monsters, monsters... Because of those d*mn monsters!
For those regular people who lacked the talent to fight even though they felt embittered and resentful...
They watched the Hunters kill monsters and felt satisfaction, a sort of catharsis, that way. It was exactly like them cheering on the duels fought to the death inside a Colosseum.
And so, they sponsored and cheered on their favourite MS pairs.
┖ MS Yu Il-Ahm, I'm choosing this broadcast cuz I believe in you!
┖ Thanks for the good show. See you around. ^^
┖ This is your 'Hyung' speaking. You MS pair, why aren't you greeting me?
┖ Time to leave, then. ㅅ ㄱ
┖ If it's not entertaining today, then ㅃ2.
Of course, not all Monster Streamers were doing okay.
Because, even though they were Hunters, the Monster Streamers were also people, too. And it was a common occurrence for them to avoid powerful monsters and worry about their own skin.
So, it was obvious that, as the risk factor fell, the competitiveness of the channel would also end up falling as well.
What would an MS pair do after experiencing a huge drop in the ratings?
'They always do something unreasonable.'
Choi Kahng-Sik, with his five years of experience as a Cameraman, knew this truth oh-so-well. He had to watch many of his former employers die because of this inevitable lapse in judgement.
"Mister Yu Il-Ahm."
Choi Kahng-Sik carefully observed the resting monster lying on the grassy plain as he called out the name of the Hunter.
"What is it?"
"The hunt this time is impossible."
No matter how many times Choi Kahng-Sik thought about it, this hunt was just too dangerous.
"And why is that?"
"To fight without a Vanguard, your superpower, Flame Attacks, will be insufficient against that monster. Also, it'll be difficult to make our escape since we're on a flat plain. Above all, didn't you drink excessively last night? Your steps are minutely unstable. If your aim misses even by a little...."
"Shut up."
"....."
"A guy who doesn't even know the sweetness of alcohol is busy yapping on and on. Do you even have any idea what the romance of enjoying a glass of whiskey with a pretty girl by your side, is? Hey, Choi Kahng-Sik? You just worry about filming everything properly, got that? If you fail to capture my face properly, you won't even get a cent from me, got that?!"
"....Mister Yu Il-Ahm."
"Argh, what now?!"
"We're already on air."
"Heok?!"
┖ Hey, you dumb MS. You say you know what the 'romance' is? ㅋㅋㅋ
┖ You had a drink with a girl yesterday? Hul...
┖ Hey, little bro? You should listen to the Cameraman and his sagely advice. ^^
┖ Looks like this MS has decided to kill himself today. ㅉㅉ
Choi Kahng-Sik ignored the freaked-out MS Yu Il-Ahm and studied the monster again.
The one-star ranked monster, Any-Won.
The b*stard resembled a four-metre-tall monkey. The monster's stunningly unremarkable countenance easily roused a certain sense of disgust from him.
Thought to be the weakest out there, thus rated as a single star. A single star to its name, thus, theoretically, the weakest monster.
However, if one underestimated a monster because of its looks or its star ranking, then one would end up as a monster snack very quickly.
'This hunt is impossible, no matter how many times I think about it...'
"Oppa alone can easily bully an ugly monster like that!"
The voice of a young woman suddenly butted in without a warning.
And she just so happened to be that pretty gal MS Yu Il-Ahm was with when he was mouthing off about a whiskey romance or something. On top of that, she was also a regular civilian, whom Yu Il-Ahm agreed to take along to the hunting ground during his drunken stupor.
"Hah..."
Choi Kahng-Sik slowly facepalmed.
A headache was suddenly assaulting him.
"Ehehe. Nice. Very nice."
On the other hand, MS Yu Il-Ahm looked to be very pleased with himself.
It was clearly illegal to bring regular civilians outside the city without a licence, but unfortunately for Choi Kahng-Sik, this employer of his did whatever he felt like.
'Just to stop the falling rating, you ended up making it even more impossible for yourself, huh.'
┖ It's a pretty lady! (⊙0⊙) Wowsers!
┖ This is why I always tune into this MS channel.
┖ I only hope it's not a total annihilation. ^^
┖ Hey, Mister MS? Kill the monster quickly, and go for the second round! ♥ω♥
Although, the comments showing up in the chatroom weren't bad.
Well, by taking a pretty girl to a hunting ground outside the city limits full of scary monsters, that would surely give a healthy boost to the channel's competitiveness, that's for sure.
It sure was a low-class tactic, though.
Still, its effectiveness wasn't in doubt.
The ratings were creeping upwards bit by bit.
"Hello, dear viewers! This is your Monster Streamer Yu Il-Ahm speaking! I've prepared a very special broadcast for you today. It's the story of defeating a monster with an incomparable beauty by my side! I'm also planning a moonlit strip show for tonight, so please have fun and stay with the channel!"
"Please, enjoy!"
The pretty girl made her cute greeting like a pro-celebrity.
"A strip show...?"
As Choi Kahng-Sik looked away from the camera's viewfinder, a deep frown formed on his forehead.
That was because Yu Il-Ahm had decided to broadcast a strange program without consulting him first, who just so happened to be his Cameraman and his manager at the same time.
Worse still...
'You want to defeat that monster with a regular civilian? You mean, that monster?'
Was this guy being serious right now?
Suddenly, Choi Kahng-Sik wanted to crack open the skull of his so-called employer, Yu Il-Ahm, and see what was inside.
"Today's prey is called Any-Won."
"And, it's that ugly creature over there."
"Dear viewers, are you disappointed because it's only one star? If so, please take a look around me. I didn't bring a single comrade with me today. And this beautiful lady to my side? She is definitely not a Hunter."
"Oppa? Surely you wouldn't...?"
"Correct! Let me present you with a question. How many intermediate-ranked Hunters capable of soloing a one-star rated monster are residing in Korea?"
"Oh, I know! It's 86!"
"Ding! 'Time out'! Soon, it will be 87. I'll be the one to change that count today! So, everyone, please stay tuned right till the end!"
"Kkyahk! Oppa, 'fighting'! Everyone in the audience, let's cheer him on together!"
'….Well, they know how to play it up, at least.'
Choi Kahng-Sik had to admit that, just a little.
Although the potential result of the hunting was still up in the air, for now, the broadcasting itself was proceeding quite swimmingly.
Despite his crappy personality, MS Yu Il-Ahm was a veteran of over three years of broadcasting. The pretty girl, who was supposedly an aspiring actress herself, also wasn't bad.
The viewers' reactions were….
┖ C'mon now, hurry it up and get to the strip show already.
┖ Wait a minute, Mister MS. It won't be you who's doing the strip show, right?
┖ Even this channel has become corrupted, I see. ㅉㅉ
┖ If you're wearing boxers, I will never tune into this channel again.
There were quite a few harsh comments criticising them for forgetting the actual reason for the broadcast - to hunt monsters, but the viewership numbers painted a stark picture in contrast.
This was the 'mercy' of the kind gents watching on that implied their willingness to see something new every now and then!
The part this pretty girl played was rather substantial in that, though.
"And so, I'll start hunting the monster."
The broadcast containing such bright and funny topics lasted only for a short while longer. MS Yu Il-Ahm thought that it was a good time to make a move, and lifted his hand to point at the monster.
*SFX for flames burning up*
Even without the aid of a special equipment, a basketball-sized fireball formed on the palm of his hand.
It wasn't created through a trick or from a mechanical device.
No, it was created through a unique ability of Hunters.
The superpower of the Hunters!
The power granted to those few human beings possessing 'talents'.
MS Yu Il-Ahm took on a cool-looking posture like a wizard from a fairy tale and threw the ball of flames as hard as he could. Such an action wouldn't increase the power of the attack, but still.
He was just performing for the camera, that was all. Just as a pro-MS should, he remained conscious of the camera and the audience.
He was making sure that the visual effects would be as colourful as fireworks lighting up the night sky.
Kwaboom!!
The fireball squarely hit the monster Any-Won lounging around getting a tan. Even though it was quite a distance, the attack was surprisingly accurate.
The flames roared on.
And the reactions of viewers were also roaring on.
┖ As expected of Yu Il-Ahm!! (◐0◐)b
┖ Yes, the one and only Flaming Sniper!
┖ This is why I pay good money to tune into this channel. ^^
'No, he messed it up.'
Choi Kahng-Sik's expression hardened in an instant.
And that was because the attack landed on the monster's broad back, instead of on either its eyes or legs in order to rob away the creature's sight or mobility.
*SFX for flames raging on*
The dry grasslands lit up in flames before long.
The choking smoke began spreading around like a fog. Even though they weren't facing the headwind, he couldn't immediately grasp the unfolding situation from the smoke obscuring his vision.
ROAR!!
Sure enough, he heard the roar of an angry monster.
'G-god*mn it!'
After confirming the monster's position by using the infrared sensor attached to the camera, Choi Kahng-Sik hurriedly shouted at Yu Il-Ahm.
"Yu Il-Ahm! Look up!"
It did not matter if he were to get scolded for raising his voice at the employer later on.
If the main actor died, then it'd be all over. It was almost impossible to fight a monster without a Hunter capable of using superpowers.
*SFX for the monster jumping in the air like an insect*
The one-star monster, Any-Won, jumped up high into the sky like a grasshopper. It narrowed the distance while drawing a low parabolic arc in the air
"Oh, sh*t!!"
Yu Il-Ahm became nervous.
From the get-go, he knew he couldn't kill the monster in one shot. But, he was sure of seizing the initiative.
He was so, so sure of it. But...
*SFX for the monster's roar*
What a painful reality this was, where he didn't even have any comrades to cover for his mistakes. He missed his aim so much so that, the nickname of the Flaming Sniper seemed wasted on him.
This hunt was unfolding in a horribly bad way from the word go.
However, that didn't mean he was thinking of dying without doing something.
"This is merely the beginning!"
Yu Il-Ahm quickly retreated while shooting fireballs at the falling monster.
If he continued to keep his distance and damage it, then he could win….
Grab.
Only if things went according to the plan.
"O-oppa?!"
The pretty girl faltered to the ground in terror and grabbed hold of his pant leg, causing Yu Il-Ahm to momentarily freeze on the spot.
No, rather, he actually got freaked out.
"Hey, you! Go hide over th... D*mn it!"
Yi Il-Ahm suddenly remembered the warnings of the Cameraman, the one he ignored not too long ago.
He was standing in a plain without a single obstacle that a person could use to hide. Not even a commonly-found boulder could be seen nearby.
There was only one truck, the one they drove to get here.
He swiftly made his decision.
"Kkyahk?!"
He promptly shoved away the hands of the pretty girl clinging onto his leg.
┖ What did I just witness? ;;;;
┖ XX, this MS just lost his f*cking mind!
┖ Isn't this getting really dangerous now?
┖ That MS has abandoned the pretty girl! ㄷㄷ
Understandably, the viewers were greatly shocked. They thought they'd get to see the hunt end without a hitch and then, watch a pretty girl strip for them.
The current situation was not within their expectations. This wasn't a problem that would end as a funny incident or a simple accident.
Even MS Yu Il-Ahm was shouting out something nonsensical.
"Choi Kahng-Sik! Distract the monster!!"
"What bullsh*t are you spouting now?!"
Choi Kahng-Sik had already thrown the camera to the bush, having realised that this was no longer the time to continue the live broadcast.
It was then.
"Ssave me…."
The fate of the pretty girl who was abandoned by her trusty Hunter was already set in stone.
Slam.
The petite girl was kicked away like a soccer ball by the giant monster, and her bloody body was flung far away.
Without a doubt, it was instant death.
ROAR!!
Witnessing human blood, the Any-Won became even more frenzied and attacked again.
Yu Il-Ahm shouted out urgently.
"Choi Kahng-Sik! Look behind you!!
"What? Heok!"
Choi Kahng-Sik was running away as fast as he could, but when he saw a fireball flying towards him, he dived and rolled on the ground without an ounce of hesitation.
The fireball brushed past, just above his head.
And then...
Kwaboom!!
Burning heat grazed his cheeks and goosebumps belatedly broke out all over his skin. If he was late by a whisker, he would have died at the hands of Yu Il-Ahm.
The Cameraman Choi Kahng-Sik angrily shouted out.
"Yu Il-Ahm!! Have you lost your mind?!"
< Chapter 2. Cameraman > Fin.