S-Class Hunter Heals with Monsters - Chapter 154



Only Noblemtl

Episode 154: The One Who Lost His Face

Is it really him?

The child that Cheon Do-woon remembers was an 8-year-old, squeaky-nosed child.

As time passed, it was natural for me to become an adult, but when I think about the passage of time, I was too young for that.

‘I think the case is a bit different from that of Nana and her siblings.’

Cheon Do-woon and his siblings also maintained a youthful appearance for their age, but their circumstances were different.

They have reached a point where they no longer age.

The natural energy that overflowed within the body, the power called mana, constantly activated the cells.

But the person in front of me was different.

If I had that much strength, I wouldn’t have been chased by a bear monster.

‘Is this… a similar case to number 49?’

Number 49 did not reach the level of Cheon Do-un or his siblings. However, there is one reason why he maintains his youthful appearance.

‘Rapid monster transformation.’

It was because of the changes that occurred when the explosive spell exploded inside the body.

As monsterization progresses rapidly, the lifespan becomes closer to that of a monster.

This result was due to the fact that among the cells transplanted to number 49, there were some that were of long-lived species.

‘I guess this guy is one of those cases.’

That was the feeling. But something was different.

As he observed Seok Woo-hyeok, he realized the identity of the strange feeling.

“Who is that now?”

Seok Woo-hyuk’s expression hardened at the sudden question.

“You don’t seem to be your original self. Who have you turned into?”

“What is that…?”

“Don’t act like a fool. Right now, you’ve changed your face with the power of a doppelganger. Why are you calling someone else’s face your own?”

There was silence for a moment. At the end of that silence, Seok Woo-hyuk averted his eyes.

“As expected, it’s hard to fool the teacher.”

Seok Woo-hyuk’s appearance blurred and melted away.

Human skin, clothes, hair. All of that disappears, revealing a human-shaped clay figure.

It was the very image of a doppelganger, with round holes in the eyes, nose, and mouth.

“Hello again. This is Seok Woo-hyuk.”

“Is that your real appearance?”

“Yes. Doesn’t it look a bit odd?”

“No. It’s better than before.”

Seok Woo-hyuk, who had become a clay man, flinched at Cheon Do-woon’s words.

“Because I was too concerned about my appearance earlier. It felt like the flow of energy wasn’t smooth.”

That was the true nature of the sense of alienation that Cheon Do-woon felt.

“Do you feel that way?”

“I can’t feel it. If I were to use an analogy… yeah. It’s like the difference between lying around in comfortable clothes at home and standing up straight in a suit outside. Don’t you get tired of maintaining your changed appearance?”

I was tired. It was a feeling just like the metaphor Cheon Do-woon had mentioned, so Seok Woo-hyuk laughed.

The round, perforated mouth gave off a strange atmosphere as it laughed.

“You can be comfortable in front of me. How did you end up like that?”

“Father….”

Seok Woo-hyuk paused for a moment while speaking.

It seemed like he was thinking of old times, but it was difficult to read his expression through the doppelganger’s wide-open eyes and mouth.

He opened his mouth as he was organizing his thoughts on his own.

“Do you remember the research lab where you first met the teacher?”

“I don’t remember. I think we moved to another place after about two years.”

After that, I lost contact with Seok Woo-hyuk.

The director of the research institute didn’t tell his son the location of the place he had moved to.

Moreover, Cheon Do-woon was 19 years old when he moved the research institute.

It was a time when he began to show signs of side effects, however subtle.

Seok Woo-hyuk was quickly forgotten by Cheon Do-woon because his memories began to be eaten away without any symptoms.

We lost contact so naturally.

“After that, my father… no, the director of the research institute, that author, transplanted doppelganger cells into me.”

“You even used your own son as a test subject?”

Seok Woo-hyuk shook his head.

“That’s not true. He said he injected me with safe drugs. I think… he thought my physical abilities weren’t enough to survive in the old era.”

Stronger, stronger, to survive in this crazy world.

Since we live in the same house, there were many opportunities to inject drugs.

The opponent was just a 10-year-old son. All he had to do was mix medicine in the child’s food, put him to bed, and give him an injection.

If there was something that the director of the research institute overlooked, it was that no matter how safe a drug is, each individual’s reaction can be different.

“I guess the reptilian cells that were already injected into me didn’t match. The side effects were severe, and after three days of taking the drug, I ended up like this.”

Seok Woo-hyuk looked down at his body.

A body that looks like it’s made up of flowing mud. No one would welcome forced cell transplantation.

This is especially true if the side effects make normal life impossible.

“He said, ‘This is not my son,’ and gradually distanced himself from me and abandoned me.”

It was a bonus that he threw it out while denying the consequences of his own arbitrary actions.

So, at the age of 10, he was thrown into the world.

In his doppelganger form, he became an easy target for hunters, so he began replicating human forms in order to survive.

Seok Woo-hyuk’s appearance changed into that of a human being, a young man in his 20s.

“This is what I imagined myself to be like. If I had grown up normally, this is what I would have looked like.”

A face created by combining the facial features of cloned people bit by bit.

An ability that the original doppelganger does not have. This was possible because it was a chimera.

“What did he look like when he was being chased by the bear earlier? That person is now in a wheelchair. Why was that person cloned?”

“Because I want to live.”

Seok Woo-hyuk answered with a bitter smile.

“It’s one of the side effects of cell transplantation. If you don’t replicate the human body periodically, you can’t maintain your form.”

So I crossed the gate several times a month.

They pretended to be monsters and attacked the hunters, replicating their appearance.

“They live for a few days replicating that form and then releasing the transformation. In a way, they live a life like a parasite.”

There are rumors about Seok Woo-hyuk losing contact several times a month.

That was because they went through the gate to clone people.

The rumors of his mysterious appearance also came from that.

“At first, we cloned city people, but we ran into problems because people would repeatedly collapse for no reason and wake up a few days later.”

An investigation has begun, as it appears that a doppelganger has crossed the gate.

It was not uncommon for people to move their residence each time the investigation net narrowed in.

After that, only the hunters were cloned inside the gate.

“If you get knocked down by a monster during a subjugation, it’s the same for everyone. And cloning an Awakened person also makes you feel less guilty.”

“Guilt?”

“When I clone, the other person falls into a state of trance. In the case of ordinary people, they have a hard time for a few days even after waking up.”

In comparison, the Awakened were fine, except for feeling a little dizzy. This was natural, since their bodies had different endurance levels.

No matter what, it was hard to shake off the feeling of being a parasite on someone.

A life where one barely maintains human form by borrowing the appearance of others.

After living like that for decades, there were times when I was confused about whether I was really human.

“I didn’t know I would meet you here, Master. I’ve been sending messages here and there hoping to meet you.”

“message?”

“Yes. I have mentioned the TDA Research Institute in interview articles, but every time, the article was cut before it could be published. It seems like there is someone controlling the media. Maybe…”

“Faceless sponsor.”

Cheon Do-woon muttered.

One of the three people who founded TDA Research Institute.

Even in those harsh old days, he was the one who always gave us money whenever we moved our research institute.

If you survive while maintaining your wealth, controlling the media will be easy.

“The article that was not cut was a passionate article about the Master. I want to meet the Master, I respect the Master, Master, Master, Master… They published an interview that was obviously bizarre to anyone.”

A secret message asking you to contact me if you recognize me.

That was the article that Manager Kim saw.

Of course, there was no way I would have received a call like that.

As time passed, did he really die? As he was feeling hopeless, he heard the rumor of the remains of the 17th Torai.

“I didn’t believe that my master was dead. No, I didn’t want to believe it.”

Cheon Do-woon was the strongest person he knew.

If even that strong teacher is dead, then we can assume that all the people in the old research institute are dead.

There is not a single person in the world who knows their true self.

Now, he even felt like he wanted to follow his old acquaintances.

The reason I didn’t do that was because I thought I had to collect my teacher’s remains and bury them.

He planned to save up money and buy ‘Remains of Number 17’.

“That’s right. It was fake information after all. I’m glad you’re alive.”

Seok Woo-hyuk said with a smile.

Just meeting someone who remembered when he was human was enough to fill me with joy.

In some ways, he was a person who lived with similar worries as number 49.

As I became a chimera, even my own identity was shaken.

Cheon Do-woon looked at him and tilted his head.

“It’s really strange. People who didn’t have any special connections before, but they keep coming together one by one.”

“yes?”

“Come to my house. There are a lot of guys like you.”

“A lot? What is that…?”

“You’ll know when you come. By the way, have you been in contact with your father?”

Seok Woo-hyuk shook his head with a bewildered expression.

“It’s been decades since we last saw each other. He’s probably still alive. He was an Awakener, albeit a low-ranking one. The last time I saw him, he said he wanted to become a chimera too.”

In order to survive, you have to give up your humanity. That was the director’s thought.

It’s terrible that such a person is your father.

Shaking off the unpleasant thoughts, he asked what had been bothering him for a while.

Actually, there was something I wanted to ask from the first time I saw Cheon Do-un.

“Master, what is the leaf you have in your hair?”

A leaf from the World Tree was stuck on Cheon Do-un’s head.

These days, when he wakes up in the morning, he naturally puts a leaf on his head.

We also took the trouble to secure it with thread so that it wouldn’t fall off.

“It’s a stopgap measure for Dodak’s mental health.”

“yes?”

“I have to keep this plugged in so this guy feels safe. I’m going to stay like this for the time being until I figure out a way.”

Cheon Do-woon took out a tong from his fanny pack.

It’s now Dodak’s nap time. As expected of a sleepy mandragora, Dodak is fast asleep.

That Dodak came up with a Doppel hanging from his side.

“Is that… a doppelganger?”

A small creature that looks like a 5cm-sized cloud.

Seok Woo-hyuk recognized the identity of the doppel through the wavelength he felt.

“As expected, I recognized you right away. That’s right. You’re a doppelganger. To be exact, you’re a chimera mixed with liquid metal.”

At the word chimera, he looked at his doppelganger.

“If it’s liquid metal… Now that I think about it, there’s a swamp that feels similar to this. It feels exactly like that.”

“What does that mean?

“I’ve seen a white swamp before. It had a slightly metallic quality. Now that I think about it, it has a similar wavelength to this liquid metal.”

Seok Woo-hyuk spoke as he recalled his memories.

“I once fell into it. When I went in there, my stamina strangely recovered. It was a long time ago, but I remember it because it was a swamp with very unique ingredients.”

A white swamp with healing powers. It was the same swamp that Gu-u was looking for.

“Do you remember where that swamp is?”

“I remember it, but if I go there, there’s nothing there. That swamp moves. It changes location frequently as if it were alive.”

“It moves.”

Could it be some kind of swamp-like living creature? Whatever it is, it’s hard to find right now.

Now that the area was covered in snow, it was nearly impossible to find a white swamp to move through.

‘But is there any hope? At least we have confirmed that the healing swamp that Gu-u spoke of exists.’

If you think about it, it’s a decent harvest.

As Cheon Do-woon thought to himself, Seok Woo-hyuk looked over his shoulder and his eyes grew wide.

“T, Master! It’s dangerous!”

A parrot was flying over Cheon Do-woon’s shoulder.

It was Blue. As Cheon Do-woon’s words grew longer, he was coming to land, but Seok Woo-hyuk, who didn’t know that, entered a battle stance.

“I’ll handle it!”

If it’s just one parrot, I guess I can do something about it.

Let’s show off our best in front of the teacher we haven’t seen in decades. Seok Woo-hyuk was burning with fighting spirit as he looked at Blue.

‘You don’t have to. Should I tell you?’

No, it’s fun, so let’s just leave it.

Cheon Do-woon laughed. This will be a good test to see how much physical ability Seok Woo-hyeok has.

Instead of telling Blue’s identity, Cheon Do-woon laughed.

“Master, just trust me!”

“Yeah, okay. Trust me.”

Blue, carrying the latest railgun called Kim Na-ri on her back, was getting closer.

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