Chapter 112
Chapter 112. Bullfrog Monster
Office of the Sweet Fun Guild.
Since moving to the new office, the desk that had been empty for a long time now had large boxes sitting on it for some reason.
“How do you use this?”
“Just a moment.”
In response to Min Yu-ri’s question, Yoo Ji-han began to read the instruction manual he held.
On the desk were three silent drones equipped with high-resolution cameras.
These items operated using a small amount of electricity and magic stones within them, and were sent by Ha Seong-tae after signing a contract for movie filming.
“This drone tracks the body of the person who infused it with magic and follows them around. The maximum continuous shooting time is 12 hours, and it has a stealth feature that allows it to remain hidden from others.”
“I’ve seen similar ones used by other parties.”
Min Yu-ri reacted with great curiosity as she looked at the drones.
She had only watched similar drones being used by heroes active in the broadcasting sector a few times before.
Usually, such things are known to be utilized by heroes involved in broadcasting.
Now, she was finally going to use those for film shooting herself.
“Do you want to try flying it, Yu-ri?”
“I’ll give it a go.”
Yoo Ji-han took a drone out of the box.
Min Yu-ri placed her hand on the drone and infused a small amount of magic into it.
Whir—
The propellers attached to the drone began to slowly spin.
Shortly after, as the propellers spun fast enough to appear as a single circle, the body lifted off the desk.
Interestingly, aside from a slight sound of wind, there was no noise whatsoever.
‘This won’t be a disturbance.’
For now, the drone was scheduled to follow the party around, filming videos.
Yoo Ji-han had been worried that it might interfere with combat, but fortunately, it wasn’t as distracting as he had feared.
As Min Yu-ri operated the functions of the drone rising into the air, she said, “I think my parents will really like the footage. They’ve always been curious about how I fight on-site.”
“Bro, what about the Sylph? It shouldn’t show up on camera.”
The cameras that had been used previously were fixed to the body, allowing her to manage the spirit from angles that were not visible to the lens.
However, with a drone flying freely in the sky, there was a high possibility that the footage would capture the appearance of the Sylph, which could put Yoo Ji-han in a difficult situation since he hadn’t revealed the spirit yet.
“I’ll let Ha Seong-tae know about that in advance.”
Yoo Ji-han, who had the same thought, planned to inform Ha Seong-tae that he was a Spirit Master.
This would increase the number of people sharing the secret, but later on, he could edit out any parts featuring the Sylph during the video editing process.
“Hmm.”
Looking up at the flying drone, Kim Si-hu wore a somewhat complex expression.
“What’s wrong?”
“What was the reason Ji-han hyung didn’t want to reveal the Sylph to outsiders?”
“Because we’re afraid people will stick around wanting to exploit the spirit. And he’s also wary of becoming famous just by sheer luck.”
“Isn’t that different from us gaining notoriety through movies?”
Yoo Ji-han’s party becoming famous as a party with a Spirit Master, and becoming famous as a party that appeared in a hero movie.
Kim Si-hu questioned the difference between these two.
Regardless of the means, if their name became known outside of their heroic activities, it could lead to defamation or ill opinions.
However, Yoo Ji-han shook his head lightly.
“This time is a bit different.”
“Really?”
“It’s showing our real selves. It shouldn’t be seen in a purely negative light.”
Not a fabricated story, but showcasing the reality of a hero.
Having watched several completed hero movies, Yoo Ji-han felt quite positive about that aspect.
While there were some concerns, the benefits that the party could reap from a successful movie would be substantial.
‘Still, who would bother to watch a Rank 4 party video?’
It would be best not to have empty hopes.
He should see this shoot merely as an experience.
It was worthwhile to approach this with a mindset of gaining new experiences.
Just that alone was sufficient reason to take on this endeavor.
Whir—
At that moment, Yoo Ji-han’s phone vibrated.
[This is Instructor Jin Seok-woo.]
[Before the next training session, I have an assignment for each party leader. Please check it and reply…]
A message sent by Jin Seok-woo.
It conveyed that assignments would be given to the trainees at Hero Academy.
[As a note, the assignment is optional…]
Officially, the assignment had no compulsion.
It only stated that parties who completed the assignment would receive extra points in training.
‘They really mean to enforce it.’
After reading the message, Yoo Ji-han forced a smile.
While it wasn’t mandatory, all the trainees would end up completing it.
No party would wish to be eliminated from Hero Academy.
[The current assignment is “Hunting the Bullfrog Monster.”]
The content of the assignment was simple.
The bullfrog, a creature transformed into a monster.
They were to hunt it and present their impressions as parties.
Yoo Ji-han informed his party members about the assignment.
“Ji-han, have you ever caught a bullfrog?”
“Hmm… Yes, from way back.”
Recalling a memory from years ago, Yoo Ji-han remembered a day when he swung his weapon at a bullfrog by the broad riverbank.
It was still a memory from when he was in Kim Hyun-tae’s party.
“How was it?”
“It’s really slimy.”
“Ew.”
Min Yu-ri slightly crinkled her face.
She had inadvertently imagined the appearance of the bullfrog.
“Do you dislike frogs?”
“They’re gross…”
Min Yu-ri didn’t particularly like reptiles or amphibians.
Yoo Ji-han added further explanation.
“You might know, but they typically breathe through their skin, so their skin can’t dry out. That’s why they’re slimy from the mucus. The ones that transformed into monsters are even slimier than the usual ones.”
“I’ve heard people compare them to being smeared in oil.”
Chilla, Golden Bullfrog, Bullfrog Monster, and more…
There were various species of bullfrogs in the world.
So far, a total of six species of bullfrogs had been discovered in Korea.
“They say they can be more dangerous than you’d expect.”
“Many who underestimated them ended up in deep trouble.”
The bullfrog was a monster generally larger than an adult Golden Retriever.
Its long tongue, which snatched up prey, was notably sticky compared to its slick skin.
If it caught onto someone’s wrist, it would be tricky to escape without cutting either the tongue or the wrist.
*
The next day.
Yoo Ji-han’s party traveled to Gyeonggi-do Gwangmyeong City in a vehicle driven by Min Yu-ri.
The entire ecological park there had been declared a Monster Area (MA).
It was a park specially established for the endangered golden frog’s habitat to protect it.
However, due to the unfortunate fact that they had transformed into monsters, they all had to be eliminated.
“Please take care of this.”
“Leave it to me.”
After parking a little away from the park,
Min Yu-ri was the first to infuse magic into the drones they brought along.
Primarily engaging in combat from the rear, she took on the role of adjusting the drones for capturing videos from various angles.
“Hyung, are you really gonna use that?”
“Of course. If we weren’t going to use it, why would we have brought it?”
“….”
Kim Si-hu, who kept his mouth shut, looked at Yoo Ji-han with a long bag on his shoulder.
Inside that bag was a fishing rod.
It was something Yoo Ji-han had bought hoping he would eventually have a use for it.
“Hmm?”
However, near the entrance to the MA, there seemed to be a commotion.
Yoo Ji-han looked at the crowd gathered in front of him.
“Stop the destruction of the golden bullfrog habitat!”
“Stop! Stop!”
People shouted loudly with flushed faces.
Yoo Ji-han’s party immediately realized who they were.
Most were members from IUPC.
The golden bullfrog was a creature that had transformed from the endangered golden frog of Korea.
Being that it was a rare monster, it seemed to be a target for protection by IUPC.
“Please step back!”
“Back away, I said!”
Police officers with large shields were desperately trying to prevent them from getting inside the park.
Yoo Ji-han’s party arrived while the two groups were in conflict.
“Tsk!”
Kim Si-hu clicked his tongue, possibly recalling memories of being interfered with by IUPC.
At the same time, Min Yu-ri also frowned.
She was well aware of what kind of organization they were.
“Ah!”
“Get them out!”
At that moment, while the police officer holding a large shield at the front was pulled towards the IUPC members.
He had been pushing forward but did not respond in time when they pulled him backward instead.
“Stomp on him!”
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
IUPC members attacked the dragged police officer.
They stomped on him mercilessly with their sneakers and sturdy shoes.
Some even swung wooden sticks or hurled solid stones.
“No!”
“Hyo-jun!”
Other police officers gritted their teeth, seeing their comrade being dragged away.
Their eyes filled with rage, but they did not leave their posts.
“Ugh! Ugh!”
The police officer collapsed on the ground, curling up.
However, that didn’t mean the attacks would stop.
His lips burst, and kicks continued to rain down.
‘I’m going to die…!’
Terrible pain coursed through his body!
The police officer had a foreboding feeling that he might die here.
Monsters that kill humans were inside that MA, yet he was being attacked by fellow humans.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Ji-han! That person is going to die!”
Unable to stand by, Yoo Ji-han’s party approached the fallen police officer.
But regardless of who got closer, the people kicking were in a frenzy.
They were collectively engulfed in madness.
Thump!
Yoo Ji-han grabbed the shoulder of one of the assailants who was trampling the police officer, wearing an evil grin.
“Stop it.”
“Who the hell are you…!”
The man, whose shoulder was grabbed, immediately flared up in irritation.
Yoo Ji-han lifted him effortlessly and threw him far behind.
He knew from the start that this wasn’t someone who would understand reason.
Whack! Whack! Whack!
Next, Yoo Ji-han grabbed the collars and shoulders of those attacking the police and threw them back.
“Snap! Snap!”
“Uh, uh?!”
As Chilla, who was considerably larger, took action directly, the IUPC members were blown back like leaves in the wind.
Kim Si-hu reached a hand towards the fallen police officer and said, “Are you okay?”
“I-I’m… okay.”
The police officer, with a split lip and torn skin, was bleeding.
Meanwhile, the IUPC members who had been pushed back looked at Yoo Ji-han and Min Yu-ri, yelling,
“You damn hero bastards!”
“Don’t interfere, just get lost!”
“You pieces of shit…”
Each one was filled with dissatisfaction.
Among them was someone relentlessly spouting curses.
If words were swords, they could have stabbed multiple times over.
Then, a woman pointed her finger at Chilla.
“Look over there!”
“How do they have such a cute creature with them!”
The gaze of IUPC members was drawn toward Chilla.
True to their nature of advocating for monsters, they were attracted to the strong presence Chilla exuded.
The monster, looking cuter than an ordinary animal, was among their top priorities for protection.
“I can treat you way better than those violent heroes!”
Min Yu-ri cast a side-eye at the woman who spoke.
“Do you want to take him away?”
“Of course!”
“If you want him, then go ahead and take him.”
At her cool response, the woman stopped momentarily.
“… Really?”
“Yeah. If you can.”
Gulp!
The woman swallowed hard, focusing her gaze on Chilla.
“Hey, you cute little friend. Come here!”
“Chirp?”
“I’ll buy you food, give you clothes, and do whatever! I can treat you way better than that person!”
The woman exaggeratedly appealed to Chilla with an awkward smile and over-the-top gestures.
She was claiming she could be a better owner than Min Yu-ri.
Chilla stared intently at her.
‘Is this happening?!’
Finally, Chilla slowly approached the woman.
The woman, filled with anticipation, wore a greedy expression.
She thought she could take the creature away from the clueless hero.
“Chirp!”
“Ahhh!”
Just as Chilla walked right up to her, he suddenly slapped her nose with his hand.
The woman, caught off guard, collapsed while clutching her nose with both hands.
Min Yu-ri raised her palm to her lips, saying, “Oh my, that’s too bad. He said he doesn’t like you.”
