Long gave rise to the saying, "Never take in a black-haired beast."
Simply put, it meant never trust people too much. Someone might stab you in the back with a smiling face.
And this Igeon fellow was a young man who would rather trust the toe jam of a monster than a human brat.
So, he didn't expect much in the way of gratitude.
But those bastards who were called heroes—especially the ones who only got to hear that name thanks to him—
They should have at least maintained the bare minimum of decency.
"Geon-ah, thank you. We were able to conquer the Tower of Demons this time thanks to you."
The Tower of Demons.
It was the nest of the monsters' leader. And of all places, the bastard had coiled itself up north of Seoul.
The entire world groaned under the threat of that power.
That demonic lizard bastard, perhaps feeling that Asia and Europe alone weren't enough, even crossed the Pacific to America, treating it as its personal early morning soccer field. It was the common enemy of humanity.
The worst monster in history, one that would bring about humanity's annihilation.
Normally, no one would have dared to even think about entering the home of such a reckless fiend, but this time was different.
Because Igeon was there.
It was only thanks to his existence that they could even consider subjugation.
"Haha! Once we get out of here, we'll receive an incredible reward!"
"It's the greatest subjugation ever! More than enough to become heroes!"
"Then, shall we start negotiating the payment at 100 billion?"
His comrades who had entered the tower with him were excited, but Igeon had scoffed.
"Just cover my payment with a 10-year pass to a 7-star resort in Hawaii."
"What?"
"Because of the Red Eye, most of the country will be in an IMF-like state for the time being."
"......!"
Truthfully, when they had entered that tower, humanity was simply praying. Please, just let us die without pain.
The situation was that dire, backed up against a cliff.
And it had all started on the last day of the 20th century.
It began when that octopus-headed monster invaded the Mediterranean coast.
The President of the United States even detonated nuclear weapons, staking the dignity of humanity, but the octopuses seemed to think of nukes as some kind of firework display. They danced merrily as they destroyed the city.
In that situation, what appeared like a miracle were the 13 Awakened.
They, who could kill the monsters, were humanity's hope.
But what did that matter?
"Huh, a 10-year pass to a 7-star resort? Are you really satisfied with something like that?"
"Geon, you ran off immediately last time too just because someone called."
"Right. Shouldn't you stall for time and wait until people are dropping dead? Then they get desperate and call for a higher reward, you know?"
They were only called heroes, but the vast majority were thugs to the bone.
"Hey, Igeon. Don't pull out. You have to get a big reward too, so you can make deals with us."
"You should get that face fixed, you know? That face that used to be handsome. You'll need to extend your lifespan too."
They frowned, looking at Igeon's hideous, monster-like face.
"Your body can't be in good shape either, so don't overdo it."
There was a sneer hanging on their lips as they pressed down on Igeon's shoulder.
"No matter how strong and experienced you are, you're still just an ordinary human."
"We'll catch the Red Eye, so you just stay behind and watch."
They were triumphant. Even among superhumans, the 12 who received the gods' protection and Igeon, who did not, were fundamentally different.
"A guy who couldn't even borrow a god's skill."
But that was only for a moment.
On the final 100th floor, where the boss appeared.
"Crazy, what the hell is that...! Are you kidding me right now?"
"Run! That thing is insane!"
"Still, if we run away like this, the surrounding area...! No, people all over the world will be massacred!"
"Who cares! As long as we survive!"
The ones praised as the strongest in the world were actually terrified and busy fleeing.
Because no matter how much they received the gods' protection, they couldn't stand against the Red Eye.
But Igeon was different.
"Hey, are you crazy? Where are you going!"
"Are you insane, wanting to die?!"
As if mocking them, Igeon plunged right into the boss's embrace.
Alone.
Crunch!
A fierce battle ensued. And how long did it pass?
Finally, the massive head dropped to the floor, and Igeon gouged out the accursed Red Eye.
Splat!
It was the moment the reckless monster that had driven humanity to despair collapsed.
But what did that matter?
Igeon didn't make it out of the tower.
Of course, it wasn't because of the battle with the Red Eye.
Then why?
"Ah, I wonder which bastard shoved me at that timing."
That was it.
He had fallen into a trap. The worst kind of trap from which he could never escape.
Igeon couldn't forget the sensation of someone pushing his back towards the trap. And on top of that, the pain of a dagger gouging into his back.
For him, weakened after catching the Red Eye, that alone was enough.
That was why Igeon could only grind his teeth.
"Wow, what perfect timing. You should've moved like this earlier. When I needed you guys, you couldn't follow for shit."
His blood boiled with a sense of betrayal, and he coughed up blood from the pain piercing his lungs.
The bastards had exploited his weakness and deliberately set out to kill him.
'Those damn bastards.'
A hollow laugh escaped him.
Did they hate cooperating with each other that much? Did they hate using their powers for others to that extent?
He wasn't afraid of dying, just resentful.
"It would've been better to poison fried chicken. At least that's tasty. Sons of bitches."
Of course, not all 12 were traitors.
'They exist. The ones who want to kill me.'
It was when Igeon's vision was blurring as he ground his teeth like that.
"Kieeeek!"
'!'
Right behind him, octopus-headed monsters appeared. To tear into his body and devour him.
And beyond them, the number of monsters visible alone was tens of thousands.
'Ah. This is truly X-ed.'
The problem was that all those bastards were monsters they had killed while climbing the tower.
He couldn't understand how it happened. But looking around, he could roughly guess.
'Could it be that time reset?'
Evidence of that was the exit had already vanished, and all the dead monsters were revived.
What drove him even crazier was that the place was swarming with unkillable species they had deliberately avoided.
Clearly, he had fallen into such a trap.
But unlike those bastards, he was still in his injured state.
'I can't even use my abilities because my magic power is drained.'
All he could do now was swing the blade he'd brought along to slice jerky.
Having both arms useless, being a cripple, was an added bonus, so to speak.
So he spoke.
"Huh, you bastards really do this just because I stole all your chicken wings?"
One arm sliced off by a monster, the other paralyzed. Igeon sensed his own death.
Of course, he had no intention of just taking it.
He was the strongest humanity had, the one who had caught the Red Eye alone.
His eyes flashing, Igeon barely managed to lift his paralyzed arm and bit down on his dagger.
And at that moment.
"Kieeeek!"
The blade flashed like a rain shower, chopping the octopuses into pieces.
"Grrrr!"
"Kiek!"
He sliced and sliced the enemies in sight. He didn't know how much time had passed.
He only thought about the fact that if he didn't kill them, if he didn't chop off all their snouts, he would become their humiliating meal.
There was no reason there. The burning adrenaline moved his muscles, his nerves, his heart.
And how long had it been since he started carving up enemy flesh?
[U-Unbelievable... How did you get this far!]
He slaughtered all the monsters of the tower, which couldn't be conquered by human strength.
[W-Wait! Someone...!]
"Call all you want."
Thud!
When the final enemy fell and the trap shattered,
At last, Igeon collapsed too.
The time he'd endured the monsters' torment and killed enemies stretched into an unfathomable period.
It was a miracle he had been alive until now.
And he died. No, he thought he had died.
He definitely thought so.
* * *
"J-Just a moment."
"Hey, are you okay?"
For some reason, he was alive.
He didn't know the reason. And when he came out of the tower, there was a familiar-shaped human figure before his eyes.
'A creature.'
The strong sunlight momentarily blinded him, but Igeon clearly saw.
An elongated shape.
But two pairs of arms and legs that didn't wobble. Familiar eyes, nose, and mouth.
It wasn't a monster.
Yes...
"Hey, I asked if you're okay?"
"A human-type monster, huh."
"Wha, what?!"
Bam!
The hunters near the tower screamed. Because Igeon had suddenly swung his sword.
Thud!
"Aaack! What are you doing!"
"Stop it! We're not monsters!"
They clutched their startled hearts.
Damn it, it was unfair enough to be ambushed by monsters due to an unexpected situation, but now they were being attacked by some weirdo from the tower!
"What's this? That bastard wearing some creepy mask... Ah, forget it! Let's just go!"
"What? But didn't that person come out of that tower? This is huge, it's top news! It'll cause a sensation, so first let's find out who...!"
"Are you blind? Come out of the tower, my ass. It's just more of those guys digging around here. Didn't you see the news yesterday about guys like him loitering around?"
The men argued back and forth, but Igeon himself could only tilt his head.
It was only natural.
This area was probably around the dangerous nest of the Red Eye.
'Nobody should have been allowed near the tower.'
Igeon traced back his memories of the subjugation battle.
Wasn't it due to the monsters' destructive energy? They said this surrounding area had to be kept empty for some time even after the subjugation.
'There's no way Korea would ignore that.'
Of course, the time he'd been trapped in the tower was immense.
The moment the trap activated, the tower entered an infinite reset, transforming into something like the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.
'If my calculation is right, the time spent just beating down monsters in there is at least several hundred years.'
The flow of time inside and outside the tower was different, but still, quite a bit of time must have passed.
So, people moving around the vicinity was one thing, but...
'Magic power from humans?'
His five senses were numb from fighting, but he could detect magic power from them.
That's why it was strange.
'There shouldn't be any other humans besides me and those guys who can use magic power.'
He thought they might really be human-type monsters and was about to finish them off for sure.
"Aaack!"
The hunters who were trying to run away collapsed.
The wolf monsters that had scattered when the legendary tower broke had returned.
"Grrrr!"
The hunters cried out in terror.
"Damn, they came back in the meantime!"
"I knew those things wouldn't give up their prey...!"
The black wolves that swarmed in numbered roughly twenty.
There was even a red wolf that looked like the pack leader.
When they were cornered like this, survival was a miracle even for high-ranking Awakened.
In the end, the hunters gritted their teeth and raised their weapons.
"I don't care anymore, since it's come to this, let's become world-famous like Igeon!"
"Ohhh, respected Igeon-nim! Please grant us strength!"
At those words, the person in question just tilted his head.
He didn't know why they were calling his name there, but...
'They're human.'
There's no way monsters would spout crap like that.
And as his vision slowly returned, Igeon quickly changed direction.
Perhaps because he had escaped the tower, the time on his bodily organs, which had been stopped all along, began to flow again.
Of course, his senses were still numb, and his vision hadn't properly returned, but there was no problem walking.
'Let's get out of here first.'
While there were bastards he wanted to kill, there was something he absolutely had to do before that.
It was a very important matter.
But it was then.
"Hey! Are you crazy? You can't go that way!"
The man shouted in horror. Because of the direction Igeon was trying to pass through.
"Are you insane, wanting to die?"
"What?"
"I said, can't you see the monsters swarming in front of you?!"
And at that moment, the hunters' faces turned sheet-white. Because wolves were charging in behind Igeon, who had turned his head.
Sharp fangs aimed for Igeon's neck.
"Aaack!"
"Danger!"
Those on the younger side couldn't bear to watch and squeezed their eyes shut.
But.
"These mongrel bastards."
Along with an annoyed voice, the wolves' screams rang out.
"Yelp!"
"Kyaaaeng!"
"!!"
The hunters screamed too.
"Ah!"
Thud!
Wolves whose spines had been completely snapped flew in like trash bags.
And then they realized.
The masked man hadn't failed to notice the wolves' presence.
"Geez, I was busy so I was going to pretend not to see, but why are you bothering me! You pathetic punks!"
Crack!
"......!"
The hunters were appalled.
It was only natural.
"To so easily... deal with monsters that even high-ranking Awakened struggle against...!"
On top of that, the man even blew away the wolf that appeared to be the pack leader in one blow. So, they found themselves muttering involuntarily.
"X. That crazy bastard."
The moment he uttered the curse, the man's eyes met Igeon's. Because of that, the man was startled out of his wits.
'Did he hear that?'
Tattered clothes, a filthy appearance like a wild beast. Even a spine-chilling glare visible through long bangs of hair.
He didn't know who this man was.
Still, the hunters had just felt a glimmer of hope that they might survive.
However.
"Ha."
They trembled at the irritated sigh that escaped him.
When Igeon finally walked towards the hunters, their legs went numb.
It was certain.
'He heard me cussing!'
They were going to die just like those wolves.
'Damn, he looks like he has a filthy temper too...!'
And the moment that tall figure loomed over their heads.
"Hey."
The hunters hurriedly bowed their heads.
"S-Sorry. What I just said...!"
"Sorry, but can I get something to eat."
"Excuse me?"
The hero on the verge of starvation collapsed.