Side Story 1

Several years had passed since the Age of Great Monsters began.

Since then, monsters from other dimensions have ceaselessly tormented humanity.

The monsters only had one goal: to devour humans.

They greedily preyed upon them.

The only ones capable of stopping these monsters were those who wielded powers from other dimensions themselves, the former users of Elder Lord.

* * *

"There are too many of them!"

[Just hold on.]

"The Human-faced Birds keep coming out! We can't handle this! We’re headed toward annihilation!"

[Reinforcements have been dispatched.]

"How many? If they don’t come fully prepared..."

Humanity quickly established a system.

Elder Lord users became 'Hunters' and formed teams and the government supported them. Everyone united for survival.

[Do not worry.]

As the system became established, exceptional individuals appeared.

Talented individuals were always bound to eventually show themselves like an awl poking out of its pocket. Those who were stars in Elder Lord became stars on Earth as well.

['Rommel' is on the way.]

"Rommel!"

The faces of the Hunters lit up with hope upon hearing the reinforcement team's radio communication. Despair turned into hope.

If Rommel was coming, they were going to live.

"Kieeeeee!"

"Watch out!"

"Ahh!"

A Human-faced Bird snatched one of the Hunters and flew high into the sky.

The captured Hunter tried to resist, but the bird’s talons crushed his shoulder bones.

A desperate scream echoed.

Arrows and magic flew toward the Human-faced Bird, but it evaded the attacks with acrobatic mid-air maneuver and circled the area leisurely.

"Dammit."

A hunter of the ‘Hunter’ class aimed at the sky again, but it was too far.

He clenched his teeth and drew strength from his entire body, but he still couldn’t aim at the bird.

The Human-faced Bird was tearing at his comrade in the sky, and painful screams kept coming.

He desperately pulled the bowstring.

He couldn’t let his comrade end up on the long list of casualties.

His arms trembled. He wasn’t going to hit it, he knew that. But he couldn't just give up.

At the very moment he was about to release a blind arrow, a mysterious power enveloped his body. Energy surged from his tired shoulders. Vitality returned to his arms. His blurred vision cleared.

The forehead of the Human-faced Bird, high in the sky, came into clear view.

He released the bowstring.

His arrow pierced the head of the Human-faced Bird.

Another Hunter caught the falling comrade.

[Team 'Rommel' has entered the operation area. Coordinate with them.]

He had arrived.

'Rommel' Choi Hansung.

An unmatched presence even during his Elder Lord days. The 'War Maestro' class, a tactical genius with buffing abilities that could cover mass areas.

The moment they entered his domain, their fatigue melted away. Fighting spirit and vitality sprung forth.

This was now Rommel’s domain.

Just being under his command literally made them several times stronger than usual. The Hunters' combat power simply increased.

The Human-faced Birds began to fall one by one.

"Starting now, I will take command."

Choi Hansung's voice clearly reached everyone's ears.

Neither the team leader nor anyone else was against it.

He was Rommel.

The clear leading contributor who made South Korea the world's one and only first-class monster-safe zone.

The man who led the Hunters in a desperate battle against dozens of Ogre-class monsters in Mungyeong Saejae and ultimately annihilated them. He was the guardian of South Korea.

"Our objective is complete annihilation."

Complete annihilation.

They weren’t going to just forcibly close the gate with special equipment, but they were going to release firepower until no more monsters appeared. It was not a commonly recommended operation.

However...

"Civilian casualties have occurred," Choi Hansung announced.

"So we are going to make them pay for what they’ve done."

The Hunters nodded.

It was a rare rapid gate. The dimensional wall opened and monsters appeared, attacking residential areas before any signs could be caught.

What they witnessed upon arrival was the grotesque faces of the Human-faced Birds tearing at human corpses.

The anger suppressed by the power difference raised its head again.

"Let's make sure they never even look at this land again."

Through research, monsters have been proven to possess intelligence and learning abilities. It was also discovered that they selected the regions to attack themselves.

They tended to not appear for a long time in places where they had been severely defeated, but continuously invaded places with poor defenses, turning them into their forward bases.

Therefore, the reason South Korea became a first-class monster-safe zone was clear.

South Korea was a land that never let the monsters get away.

A dangerous, and the most infamous area known among the monsters, was the Korean Peninsula.

'Team Rommel,' led by 'Rommel' Choi Hansung, and the existing Hunters formed a circle.

"Slowly close in on the gate."

A black sphere was open above a ruined house, and from there, Human-faced Birds continued to pour out.

Since Human-faced Birds could freely fly in the sky, a different approach from the usual combat formations was needed.

Choi Hansung placed warrior classes among wizards and ranged attackers to prepare for sudden descents.

The situation required complex commanding, but it was natural for Choi Hansung.

"Ubern, support the right side. Yulia, move to the left and join. Kim Chul, switch your weapon and take up the shield. The Human-faced Birds are coming down.

He even knew the nicknames of those he had only met for the first time. He was standing at an angle where the nametags embedded on the Hunters' chests weren't visible, but he literally saw through the entire battlefield.

Soon, all the Human-faced Birds fell.

The ground was littered with the corpses of monsters. It was a grotesque sight. Birds with human faces were writhing here and there with their entrails exposed.

The Hunters finished them off without notable expressions on their faces.

The gate that had been pouring out the Human-faced Birds no longer emitted anything.

"Stand by."

They surrounded the house where the gate had opened. In fact, they were wanting for more enemies to appear.

The residents of this house were likely all dead. Although the neighbors had evacuated, there had been several casualties.

A Hunter spotted a tricycle lying in the yard and cursed.

"Dammit."

He spat and glared at the black gate.

Why were these monsters, coming through the dimensional rift, so desperate to consume humans?

"It seems there are no more. Close the gate......"

Just then, the gate began to distort.

"It's closing on its own."

The Hunters watched the shrinking gate until it disappeared completely.

Soon, there was nothing left.

"Job done. Good work, everyone."

"Good work!"

"Well done."

"Great job!"

The Hunters slumped down.

Though it was their job, it was a battle for their lives. The intense tension was something they could never get used to.

There were no fatalities, but there were many injuries. The Hunters called for ambulances.

The support team was on its way.

But then...

"Wait, everyone stand by."

Choi Hansung abruptly stood up,and the Hunters got up hesitantly in response.

He looked toward an intersection not far away, where the roads crossed.

An unknown energy was seeping out from that spot. It was such a small premonition that only a high-level Hunter like Choi Hansung could detect it.

"Something is coming. Prepare for battle. And...

The support team radioed in.

[Is something wrong?]

Choi Hansung replied.

"We need backup."

[Sorry?]

"Support. We’re requesting backup. Call everyone, every single person available. Exclude only the minimum defense personnel in each area and summon all Hunters in Korea."

[What...]

“Gate’s opening. This is bigger than an Ogre-class. It’s a Cyclops-class... no, actually, that’s not even close. All I know is that this thing is dangerous.”

[O-o-okay, got it!]

The Hunters' faces turned pale.

What Choi Hansung was saying was clear.

An Ogre-class alone was an emergency, but he called it a Cyclops-class.

It was a disaster.

Under Choi Hansung's command, the Hunters positioned themselves around the intersection.

They prepared for whatever enemy might come, maintaining a basic defensive formation and keeping distance.

"Everyone, stay alert." Choi Hansung's voice deepened.

He too hoped his intuition was wrong, but his entire being was screaming that this gate was dangerous.

Though not a direct combat class, his level and skills were among the highest in the world. Having gone through countless battles since the monsters appeared on Earth, he had grown even stronger.

That finely honed battle senses of his were sounding all the alarms.

The being that would appear... it was a monster that should not be opposed.

Yet, Choi Hansung could not retreat. He was always the last line of defense. If he couldn't stop it, no one in Korea could.

Soon, a gate loomed black above the intersection.

A black gate over the crossroads, the perfect condition for a demon to appear.

Choi Hansung muttered with a smirk, "Just what are you?"

Soon, the monster revealed itself.

"Shiiiiiiiiiiii!"

It was a familiar figure.

But not from this place.

"Is that......?"

The Age of Great Monsters had begun, and they were given their old power of Elder Lord, but their enemies were not the monsters of Elder Lord. The new enemies of humanity were bizarre creatures they had never seen before.

Bu, this monster was exactly what remained in their memories.

It was a 'Basilisk.'

"What is going on...?"

But this wasn't the time to be shocked.

A cyclops was nothing more than a meal to a Basilisk. It was a real monster.

The Hunters classified the ranks of monsters through the representative monsters of Elder Lord days. Monsters classified as an 'Ogre-class' meant they had a combat power that was roughly equivalent to an ogre of Elder Lord.

A monster like a Basilisk would be categorized under ‘Death Knight’ of Elder Lord.

A Death Knight-class monster, surpassing Cyclops-class, had appeared.

A Hunter murmured, "Please be just the one......"

They were faced with the ultimate danger.

The Hunters braced themselves for a hard fight.

If it was just the one Basilisk, they would probably be able to hold the lines until Hunters from all over the Korean Peninsula could gather.

Especially with none other than Rommel by their side.

"Brace yourselves!" Choi Hansung spoke.

His resolve was infectious. The Hunters gripped their weapons, ready for the clash.

But then, the Basilisk collapsed.

"Shieeeeeee... Shiek...”

As the gate above the crossroad fully opened, its massive body fell to the ground, writhing before soon collapsing into convulsions.

Then, it stopped breathing.

It was dead.

What happened?

And the Hunters saw them, the beings that killed the Basilisk.

They fell upon the Basilisk and then turned to look at the Hunters.

Four figures, unknown identities.

All were humanoid.

There had never been a humanoid monster before.

They spoke.

"—— —— ——."

It was an incomprehensible language.

The Hunters tilted their heads in confusion.

“—— ——?”

One of the mysterious beings muttered, drawing his sword. His blade flashed, spreading a palpable tension throughout the area, an oppressive, almost suffocating murderous intent.

A Hunter, frozen stiff, inadvertently released his bowstring.

The arrow rushed toward them.

Then, the unidentified being slashed with his sword. In an instant, the arrow was cut into dozens of pieces, scattering in the air.

"My god..."

It was an incredible display of martial prowess.

The Hunters realized these mysterious beings were monsters they could not contend with.

"Everyone, stand by."

Rommel walked toward them.

"Sir Rommel! It's dangerous!"

"Don't worry."

Rommel's face was stern, but there was no sign of fear.

It was as if he was approaching people he knew.

The short man who was standing in the center of the group walked toward Rommel.

He was a man with an intimidating look and a deep scar on his face.

His appearance was grim, marked by scars from countless brushes with death, and his physique was robust.

A true veteran of numerous battlefields, that was the impression he gave.

He took something out of his pocket. It looked like a broken stone, but it was enveloped in a strange energy. He held it toward Rommel and spoke.

Then, astonishingly, everyone could understand his words.

"You're Rommel, aren’t you?"

"...!"

The Hunters were shocked.

Rommel nodded and replied.

"You are correct. And if I remember correctly myself, you are Tiyo."

"You do remember, indeed..."

Then, the Hunters also began to remember him,a famous character.

Yes, during the peak of their Elder Lord days, he was Crockta's partner.

𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The ‘Magic Bullet Sprayer’ Tiyo!

How had he appeared here!

"Hehehe..."

He grinned.

His face bore the toll of many hardships.

It was as if the struggles he had endured were etched on his face.

"Yes, I did it. I've finally come. I am Tiyo. The man who doesn't know how to give up."

He had crossed the dimensions to finally reach Earth.

Tiyo asked Rommel, "This must be Crockta's dimension, right? Where is he?"

Rommel smiled bitterly.

"Crockta, you say. He is..."

* * *

"Achoo!"

[Are you okay?]

"I'm fine. Someone must be talking about me," Yi-An answered.

He was standing alone in the middle of the desert.

In front of him, a massive gate was opening.

[If at any time you need backup...]

"I'm good. Should be enough."

[Yes, you’re right. But...]

A monster began to emerge from beyond the gate.

It was enormous.

It was a monster that was literally as big as a mountain.

[... your opponent is a 'Dragon-class' monster.]

"I know."

It was a monster with a hideous appearance as if it had emerged from hell. It resembled a reptile, but its physiology would likely be bizarre and horrific, incomparable to anything on Earth.

It was an unknown identity.

All they knew about that monster was its purpose.

To devour until humanity was no more.

"Don't worry. It's just what I always do."

[On behalf of all of Egypt, we thank you for your salvation.]

"Don’t worry about it, " Yi-An smirked.

At the same time, tattoos began to appear on his body. Magical power erupted from him. The atmosphere trembled following his movements. His beloved sword 'God Slayer' shimmered with a power that almost felt catastrophic.

If 'Rommel' Choi Hansung was the guardian of the Korean Peninsula.

Then 'Raven' Jung Yi-An, he was...

"Now, I’ll start the operation with the goal of extermination."

The guardian deity of Earth.