I Became a National ‘Disaster’ Level Monster

Chapter 140 – Tactical Retreat

After clashing with my future self, my body underwent numerous changes.

First of all, due to witnessing how my future self fought and wielded the power of the monster, my movements became much more refined.

Even without transforming into a monster, my body had already surpassed the limits of an ordinary human.

“Quick draw!!”

*Chaeng!*

Sparks flew.

Not from elsewhere, but from my body.

When I unconsciously blocked Princess Asuna’s blade with both arms, my skin didn’t get cut. Instead, it deflected the steel blade like iron.

“What?!”

And I could see it.

Her movements.

Realizing that her attack had been blocked, Princess Asuna’s samurai beast, Tengen, charged at me, swinging its sharp blade back and forth.

But even those movements, despite not being in my monster form, I could somewhat see and managed to dodge them all.

‘The technique I’m using right now, these actions, they’re exactly like the movements my future self made…’

This was how he had crushed the hopes of humanity, one by one.

It was only natural.

It wasn’t impossible.

Moreover, he had used the entire world as his training ground, soaring to god-like heights.

There was no doubt that my future self could move in ways far more incredible than I could right now.

But that didn’t mean I was going to give up.

‘As long as the master of a servant beast is alive and their “core” remains intact, they will eventually regenerate.’

In other words, even if the beast became temporarily incapacitated from losing its head, it wouldn’t die permanently.

With that in mind, I intended to take down Tengen to resolve the misunderstanding with Princess Asuna.

Just as the beast raised its sword high, I prepared to strike with my fist, adopting a quick-draw stance like the extreme karate style.

However, at that moment.

*Grrr!*

“Huh, you are…”

“Inari?”

A massive fox jumped between us, mediating the fight.

It was none other than Inari.

And there was only one person in history who could command four guardian beasts of the Kitsune family simultaneously.

“Shin-woo, are you okay?”

“Lady Kurumi!”

“I sensed a disturbance outside, so I rushed over, but what in the world is going on…”

“Sister…”

“…?! Are you… Asuna?”

The once graceful demeanor of the princess from the past was gone, replaced by scars across her face and a torn warrior’s outfit.

However, Lady Kurumi could never fail to recognize her younger sister.

As soon as the two locked eyes.

“Big sister! It really is you?! But how?! You were captured by Han Shin-woo, weren’t you? Sister! Sister, sister, sister!!”

“L-Let’s calm down, Asuna…”

Princess Asuna, forgetting about the battle she’d had with me, dashed into Lady Kurumi’s arms and hugged her tightly.

At first, her voice echoed with joy.

Then, as she began to tremble, it seemed as though she was swallowing her tears.

Yet, her face still wore a joyful smile, crying and laughing at the same time.

“How did you escape from the palace? I thought I’d never see you again…”

“Asuna, the thing is…”

“But sister, your skin looks so much better. And your hair too… you look like you’ve gotten younger…”

“Asuna, did you just come back?”

Lady Kurumi, who appeared younger than when they had last parted, made Asuna’s brows furrow in confusion.

Then, Jae-won, who had run over from outside, greeted her, asking how her trip had been.

At this moment, she couldn’t help but realize.

“I see… You’re not my sister from the present.”

“…Yeah.”

Asuna released her embrace and took a few steps back, sitting down where she stood.

Her servant beast, Tengen, naturally returned to the shadows from which it came.

And the commotion had begun to attract people from the mud houses, one by one.

“W-What’s going on?!”

“Asuna? Why are you suddenly sitting there?”

“Oh, I know that guy from Japan.”

“Princess Kitsune Asuna? You survived in the future?”

Our members from the past—Lady Kurumi, Ria, Saintess Kang Mi-rae, and Yoo Che-ran—looked on.

Seeing some familiar faces must have triggered something because Asuna’s previously gloomy expression started to brighten.

Meanwhile, behind us, others from the surface were returning one by one.

But when I saw those members…

“What?! Han Shin-woo?”

“Han Shin…? Wait, is he… smaller?”

“Wait a minute, is that Commander Che-ran I see over there?!”

“What? C-Commander?!”

Unexpected people had arrived, and my mouth fell open in surprise.

***

Twenty years ago, she was just a pink-haired girl wandering around.

But now, she was said to be an irreplaceable figure in the human rebel forces.

Yoo Shi-hyun, one of the main heroines in the original story.

She was currently one of the few remaining hunters on the human side and lived in the underground village.

“Unbelievable, it’s really the past Han Shin-woo! I can’t believe the past ally Jae-won brought is Han Shin-woo. This is incredible!”

“Yoo Shi-hyun…? You mean *the* Yoo Shi-hyun? The one who always hoarded everything for herself?”

“Oh, come on! That was a long time ago! I threw off that childish attitude a long time ago! Now I’m a ‘hero’ who shares what I earn!”

They say positions make the person.

It took her until she was in her forties to finally mature.

In the original story, she never figured it out and ended up getting eaten by a monster while acting recklessly. Now, seeing Yoo Shi-hyun, who had truly become a hero, left me speechless.

However, the real shock was yet to come.

“Shin-woo, I’m glad to see you’re not a bad guy just yet.”

“Mr. Lorensky… I’m shocked you’re still alive!”

“Haha, yeah, I’ve aged quite a bit, haven’t I?”

Lorensky, now in his eighties, with his white hair and beard, was once the only nation-level power from the Soviet Union.

“Past Han Shin-woo! I remember you from back then. Let’s fight together and rescue your woman from that Demon Lord!”

“Yes, I look forward to it, Mr. Joo Sang-ho.”

Known for his temper issues, Korean A-rank Hunter Joo Sang-ho, whom I thought had long since died, was still alive.

“Wow! I never thought I’d see you again at this age, Shin-woo! I’m so happy!”

“Xiao Ling?! You’re alive?”

“Of course! Back in your time, I was China’s nation-level power!”

And even Xiao Ling, who had once been China’s national-level power during the Korean-China conflict, was still alive.

It seemed I had been worried for nothing about the human forces being decimated.

Surprisingly, the surviving forces were among the elite of the elite—S-rank members of the highest caliber.

“Wait, with people of this caliber… why is Dorothy the leader?”

“What do you mean, ‘why’? I’m the one who designed the underground village and everything!”

“Ah, I guess that makes sense…”

“Hahaha. That’s right. If we only chose leaders based on strength, humanity would’ve been doomed a long time ago.”

Even though she looked a bit foolish, Dorothy was still a genius.

Surprisingly, Dorothy had an IQ over 200.

Of course, in my world, she didn’t get to showcase that talent, spending her days locked in her room playing video games and eating Doritos…

“By the way, is this all the members who came from the past?”

“No, Katarina is still guarding the time machine with my children.”

“Hmm… To think Monster Group Leader Katarina and Han Leon, who once served Han Shin-woo, have now turned to our side…”

“But we can’t trust him, right? Isn’t that right, Mr. Lorensky?”

“Indeed, Miss Shi-hyun. I nearly died at his hands once, so we should remain cautious.”

Mr. Lorensky seemed too old to fight anymore.

Yet, the experience he had accumulated made him seem even stronger than before.

Even though Asuna was the leader of the hunting squad, it was clear that Lorensky was the true spiritual guide for the group, as everyone seemed to respect his words.

“So, is the hunting squad made up of just the five of you?”

“Hm? No. Normally, we’d move in squads of eight, but we’re short on people these days.”

“Besides us, there’s another squad of three that operates independently. They work day and night, so they’re often gone for about a month.”

“It’s been about three weeks since they left, so we should see them sometime next week!”

“Really?”

Five people in a squad, but I wondered who the three people out in the field were.

I was curious, but I decided to save that question for later.

For now, there was something far more important to discuss.

“Dorothy, I was thinking while I was outside.”

“About what?”

“If we want to borrow the strength of the underground village, we’ll need to help develop this place first.”

“Father…!”

“Shin-woo, you mean…”

“Hey, monster! Don’t tell me?”

“Yeah, it’s exactly what you’re all thinking. Retreating can be part of the strategy too. For now, let’s stay here and help the village.”

“If my brother asks me to do something

, I’ll do anything!”

The few forces in the underground village were nation-level powers who could be considered the strongest even by past standards.

We absolutely needed their help.

And to get it, we had to improve their living conditions first.

‘As long as my future self is Han Shin-woo, I don’t think he’ll harm Sophia… For now, I just have to hold on.’

A hastily drawn sword won’t be able to stab deeply.

I resolved to step back for the time being, with the determination to deliver a fatal blow to my future self when the time came.