LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 137
Chapter 137 Season 2 – Trust Your Brother…!
A world where almost all humans were annihilated.
In the apocalyptic world, where even the remaining humans had turned into bandit gangs preying on each other, where did the humans who retained their sanity live?
The answer, as mentioned earlier, was underground.
“We initially tried to build a base in the sky as well.”
“You tried…? Does that mean you failed?”
“Yes. Unfortunately, Earth in 20 years has monsters living as naturally as animals. The pterosaurs in the sky made it impossible to build an aerial fortress.”
“So, are you saying the gate phenomenon no longer exists in this world?!”
Jae-won, leading the group, explained the events that had occurred in the future.
One of the stories he shared was about the failed aerial fortress.
“Gate? Oh, are you referring to how the monsters used to come through portals, Father?”
“Yes. In our original world, monsters appeared through such portals.”
“I haven’t seen any such gate. Monsters are just there, and you can spot them as you pass by. Like now.”
As he spoke, Han Jae-won pointed upwards.
At the same time, something that initially looked like a small bird started circling above us.
“Keeeekkk!!”
Suddenly, it turned into a massive monster that could instantly engulf a person and began plummeting toward the ground.
“It’s coming!”
“Is that… a B-rank flying monster, the Owl Hunter?”
“B, B, B-rank monsters just appear out of nowhere like that?! What kind of world is this?!”
“It’s about 5 meters tall! Luckily, it’s a solitary monster, not part of a pack!”
“Everyone, prepare for battle!”
We readied ourselves to respond to the Owl Hunter, which was diving at one of us.
Miss Kurumi had already summoned the fox monster, Inari, from the shadows, and Ria took her Kyokushin karate stance.
I was ready to transform into a monster at any moment, while Jae-won unsheathed the sword on his back, and Che-ran pulled out a weapon that looked like a nunchaku.
Only Sister Kang Mi-rae, who wasn’t a combat type, crouched down and hid.
Naturally, the first target the Owl Hunter sought was the nun, who could do nothing but heal amidst these powerful fighters.
“Damn it, of course it’s targeting Kang Mi-rae!”
“Ah, ahh! Help me!!”
Kang Mi-rae, who locked eyes with the giant 5-meter Owl Hunter, screamed in terror.
Even though it wasn’t yet sunset, the creature spread its wings wide and descended, instantly plunging her vision into darkness.
No matter how fast she ran, it was impossible for her to escape.
Realizing this, I immediately prepared to transform into a monster to save her.
However.
“Father! If you transform into a monster here, Han Shin-woo from the future will notice right away.”
“What?!”
“Think about it! You and future Han Shin-woo are linked, right? That’s why you’ve been growing stronger the more you fight! In your normal state, it’s fine, but if you transform, he’ll know immediately!”
“Tsk…!”
True, when I transformed, a black lightning bolt pierced the sky.
And since I had already sensed my future self’s presence, there was no guarantee that he wouldn’t notice me too.
In other words…
“Aaahh! Save me!!”
‘This one’ wasn’t the kind I could save.
I wished someone else would save her…
“Oppa! That monster is too fast and too high!”
I ruled out Ria, who was small and not fast enough.
It would be different if the monster came at her, but chasing it wasn’t her strong suit.
“I can take it down, but what if the nun accidentally gets hit by my nunchaku?”
No.
If Che-ran hit her with one of her large-scale attacks, the nun, who could only heal, would explode on the spot. So, Che-ran was ruled out too.
“Shall I transform into a monster to save her?”
“No… If you transform, my future self will sense your energy and come flying.”
“Hmm… that’s true, but…”
Jae-won was also out of the question, leaving us with no choice but Miss Kurumi.
But even that was…
“Grrr! Grrr!”
Bang!
“Keeeekkk!!”
“Grrr!”
“Ahh! You crazy monsters! Stop fighting in front of me!”
The 5-meter fox and the 5-meter owl were fighting like a cat and a crow.
Caught in the middle of their fight, Kang Mi-rae looked even more endangered, screaming continuously.
“She’s going to get crushed if this keeps up.”
“Tsk! Looks like I’ll have to transform after all…”
But at that moment.
While everyone was hesitating, unsure of what to do.
Swoosh.
“Keeek?!”
A sharp strike flew through the air, cutting the Owl Hunter’s neck cleanly.
The one who delivered the blow was none other than the girl who had quietly followed us from behind all this time—Shin-ah, one of my daughters.
“I-I’m alive!”
“Are you alright…?”
“I’m not alright! If you were going to save me, you should’ve done it faster! Geez, you really take after your father, so slow!”
“What, you brat?”
“What, you jerk!”
“Please, both of you, calm down…”
A madwoman should at least say thank you when she’s saved.
Seriously, for someone who calls herself a saintess, her mouth is more suited to the underworld.
Che-ran finally managed to calm us down after we had growled at each other.
Meanwhile, Jae-won, who had been halfway through drawing his sword, glared sharply at Shin-ah, who had been trailing behind us.
“How many times do I have to tell you? I said we can’t let you into the Resistance headquarters!”
“I know! Ugh, I know… But Brother Leon told me to at least experience it…”
Despite being in an awkward situation, Shin-ah stubbornly refused to give up.
Well, I’d prefer if she stuck around too.
Earlier, Leon had decided to stay behind with his family and side with me.
He had also entrusted Shin-ah to us, saying:
“I want Shin-ah to see more of the world. If Father from the future is defeated, then we’ll face a situation where monsters and humans will have to coexist.”
“So, you’re sending Shin-ah to the underground city where the rebels live?”
“Yes. Yulian, Yujin, and I are all graduates of the Monster Academy. No matter how we try to see humans differently, our fixed views have been ingrained in us. But Shin-ah is a new student, having just entered the academy.”
Just as the world is always led by the young and capable, Leon believed that while they might not be able to change, Shin-ah, still young, might be able to view humans differently.
That’s why he entrusted her to us.
Of course, since Shin-ah was the daughter of my future self, Jae-won harbored deep hostility toward her.
“Jae-won… Can’t we make an exception just this once?”
“Father! But she’s…”
“I know Shin-ah was one of the children who followed my future self.”
“……”
“But before that, she’s also a child who was abandoned, just like you.”
“…!”
“D-Dad…!”
She called me ‘Dad’ instead of ‘Father.’
Was that a sign I had earned some points with her?
Shin-ah, meeting my gaze, seemed startled again and quietly muttered, “Your Majesty…”
But I smiled warmly and patted my daughter’s head.
“If you want to call me Dad, feel free to do so. And your brother has never had a younger sister before, so don’t worry about him.”
“…! Yes, I understand…”
“Who… Who says I’m her brother?!”
“Huh? Well, according to the family tree, you’re her brother. Or are you her sister?”
“No, just take me out of that family tree!”
“If I take you out, that means Sophia, your mother, becomes a stranger. Are you okay with that?”
“Uh, th-that…”
As expected, he was a momma’s boy.
As soon as I mentioned Sophia, Jae-won’s mouth quickly snapped shut.
Honestly, as a father, it was annoying how often he asked to be removed from the family tree.
But seeing his weak spot made me laugh even harder.
“I’ll take responsibility for Shin-ah, so let’s just pretend she’s part of our group and take her with us. Okay?”
“Haa… We really shouldn’t be doing this…”
“Come on, as her brother, you should trust her first.”
“E-Excuse me…”
“Hmm?”
“I swear I won’t betray you! Besides, I have nowhere else to go, and betraying you would just leave me stranded on the ground…”
Clinging to my side, Shin-ah spoke in the most pitiful voice, her eyes sparkling as she looked up at Jae-won.
Jae-won, meeting her gaze, flinched.
“Haa, just make sure you hide your origins. If that gets out, we’ll all be in serious trouble.”
“Y-Yes! Thank you, Han Jae-won oppa!”
“?! Oh, yeah…”
Jae-won seemed to have reluctantly accepted Shin-ah.
“So, how much further do we have to walk?”
“Actually… We’ve already arrived at our destination.”
“Huh?”
“Right here?”
“But there’s nothing around here.”
“Do we need to dig into the ground or something?”
“Come on, we’re not that primitive!”
Hearing Jae-won say we had arrived, we all looked around, startled, and began inspecting the area.
So, this was the rebel base.
But where was the entrance?
Underneath the rocks?
Beneath the ruins of a building?
Or maybe, just as Ria suggested, we really needed to grab a shovel and dig our way in?
“Is this really the place? I’m about to start digging.”
Unable to understand, we raised our hands in surrender, ready to start digging into the ground.
But then.
“Who, who goes there! Making such a commotion up there!!”
A person suddenly appeared from behind the rocks, trying to sound threatening but stuttering, leaving an awkward impression.
“Ah, Captain!”
“Huh?! Jae-won? Y-you’ve finally returned! Thank goodness!!”
The woman who immediately hugged my son upon recognizing him.
But ‘Captain’?
What kind of future was this where *you* could become the captain?
“D-Dorothy?!”
“Huh? …Eeeeeek?! H-Han Shin-woo! Han Shin-woooooooo!!”
It was Dorothy, the heroine I remembered as the most useless member of the Monster Group.
Seeing the future Dorothy, who could only scream “Eeeeeek” over and over, left me utterly speechless.