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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 19
Kaserian was by no means an aggressive monster.
In fact, because it so strictly kept to its own territory, you could even call it docile.
But that same territorial discipline also meant something else—any intruder that stepped foot into its domain would be shown no mercy. None. Not even the faintest trace of forgiveness.
So when a foreign presence dared to invade the peace of its land, Kaserian flew into a rage.
Its sole source of happiness had always been the undisturbed quiet of its slumber, and the being that had shattered that peace? That intruder would pay. It must pay—because only through retribution would it ensure this never happened again.
It was instinct.
A warning.
Do not ever trespass. Not even by mistake.
KWWWWWAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUHHH!
Kaserian unleashed a deafening roar as it rose from its crouch, massive wings flaring wide.
Its neck stretched high toward the sky as it summoned the power of the wind buried deep within its body.
In an instant, the air around it turned fierce—sharp and howling with deadly energy.
The Sky’s Sovereign.
That’s what Kaserian believed itself to be.
Whether the other airborne monsters accepted that claim was... up for debate.
“...Yeah. That’s definitely Kaserian.”
Dojun murmured, his eyes fixed on the towering creature radiating murderous intent his way.
There was a strange look on his face. A flicker of nostalgia, almost.
Because he already knew: the monsters on Earth carried the exact same names as the ones from his lost, ruined world.
It was all thanks to the mana stone analyzers—devices that could read and display the identity of a monster through its mana core.
A mana stone, in essence, was like a monster’s ID card.
In his old world, that’s how they confirmed every creature they hunted. Scan the core, pull up the data—it would show exactly who or what the monster was.
Earth didn’t have archmages or grand scholars like his world did, but with science and technology, they’d created their own equivalent: a mana stone scanner. The data it produced revealed each monster’s name.
And for Dojun, Kaserian held a certain significance.
His full name, back in his world, had been Karserian Le Vandeiyan.
Funny thing was, Karserian—sounded exactly like “Kaserian.”
But it wasn’t just the name that made this monster special to him.
…There was another reason.
“You will be one hell of a ride... and one hell of a war beast.”
Kaserian’s flying ability was second to none.
And there had been almost no flying monsters strong enough to match it in battle—making it the perfect creature for fast, dominant combat in the skies.
Planes on Earth were much more comfortable—and reasonably fast—so it was questionable how useful Kaserian would be as a means of transportation here.
“Feeding and housing that giant thing wouldn’t be easy either.”
Back in the ruined world, Dojun wouldn’t have hesitated to tame Kaserian. But Earth was different. The environment, the aftermath, the sheer scale of risk involved—none of it was easy to manage.
So, he decided to think of Kaserian as nothing more than a monster carrying a top-tier mana stone.
KWAAAAAUUUUUHHH!
Even as Kaserian unleashed a savage bloodlust aimed directly at him, Dojun didn’t so much as blink.
Sure, on Earth, Kaserian was considered an extremely dangerous boss monster.
“One look and I can tell—it’s a rookie.”
Dojun casually threw a punch.
A burst of deep-blue mana surged from his fist, swirling like a vortex of fire, and struck Kaserian’s right wing head-on.
CRAAACKKK!
Starting from the feathers, down to the hide and bone, it all got scorched and torn apart in an instant.
A hole larger than an adult human’s torso was blown right through Kaserian’s wing. It was completely unusable.
KWAAAAAARGHH!
Kaserian let out a piercing shriek, thrashing its remaining wing in a frenzied panic.
Its feathers shot out like blades, and violent gusts surged toward Dojun like they meant to rip him to shreds.
But at that, a faint smile tugged at Dojun’s lips.
That attack? In the past, it was the very same one he’d used to turn entire ground armies into minced meat.
He calmly raised his hand—summoning a mana barrier.
The same kind of barrier that had once protected the World Tree from the siege of hundreds of Bulkenas.
Now, with all the residual energy he’d absorbed since then, Dojun’s mana had become even stronger.
Kaserian’s little tantrum? Not even close to a threat.
The feathers shattered into ash the moment they touched his blue mana barrier. The howling winds—violent enough to wreck buildings—were scattered like smoke in the air, completely neutralized.
“If you take a hit, it’s only fair you return the favor.”
Dojun threw another punch.
CRRAAAACK!
The left wing was next—blown wide open just like the right.
With both wings crippled, Kaserian had lost the very thing that made it dangerous: flight. Now gripped by extreme pain and raw terror, its heightened senses were all but useless.
The only thing Kaserian had left was its sheer durability—its defense born from a tough body.
But when a single punch could punch holes through its wings?
There was no way this could be called anything but a one-sided slaughter.
Kaserian, whose very existence was built around tearing intruders to pieces, now cowered—body hunched, head buried into the ground—and let out a mournful whimper under Dojun’s overwhelming power.
It was survival instinct.
And Dojun knew better than anyone—
’This was the perfect moment to break it. To tame it completely.’
But even with Kaserian’s submission, even with its body screaming obedience—
Dojun didn’t hesitate.
He threw one final punch.
THWACK!
Kaserian’s skull shattered. Its enormous body collapsed, limp and lifeless.
“You know full well you didn’t contribute, right?”
Dojun turned to Hyun Jooyeon, who just stood there, mouth wide-open and wide-eyed, too stunned to speak.
Having watched him bring down a Rift’s boss monster—Kaserian—without so much as breaking a sweat, Jooyeon stood frozen, humiliated by her own powerlessness for the first time in her life.
＊ ＊ ＊
“Damn it! Park Haeyeol’s losing it!”
Park Haeyeol, towering over 190 cm with his bulky 30‑something frame, kicked the massive boulder in front of him with a sharp, irritated shout.
BANG!
The rock shattered into fragments—bigger than a car—scattering debris everywhere.
“Calm down. They say a frog that’s been crouching long can leap far. Endure this a little longer, and the world will see you for what you truly are—one of the greatest heroes alive.”
“…Damn right. I’m gonna make every last bastard who looked down on me eat their words.”
“Exactly! They say you can forget a favor, but never a grudge. The longer it simmers, the harder it explodes. When that day comes… they’ll all be on their knees, Guild Master.”
Those sweet words of flattery softened Park Haeyeol’s expression.
He was one of only seven S‑rank heroes in South Korea.
Just three years ago, he ran one of the biggest and strongest hero guilds in the country—Sweet Life. It had everything: numbers, power, money, influence. He was untouchable.
Then, one colossal mistake sent him tumbling straight to rock bottom.
“If I hadn’t gone after that damn Kaserian….”
If he could turn back time, he would’ve slapped that arrogant version of himself senseless before he ran off chasing glory.
Of course, that was wishful thinking. And the person he hated most for how things turned out… was himself.
“But really, who knows more about hunting Kaserian than you, Guild Master?”
The adviser continued.
“If you hold out a little longer, I’m certain one day you’ll be the only hero capable of taking down Kaserian with the fewest helpers. Maybe the Hero Association will even give you the exclusive rights to Kaserian.”
“Exclusive rights to Kaserian? Hmm…”
A smile finally cracked across Haeyeol’s face.
“After all, there's no hero in the world who knows Kaserian like I do.”
To slay Kaserian safely, you needed at least three S‑rank heroes.
No guild had that many—you’d need to hire them mercenary‑style, costing tens of billions.
Profits from a ₩10 billion mana stone didn’t cover that, so it made zero financial sense.
But Haeyeol believed if he could secure 300 A‑rank heroes under him—heroes schooled in Kaserian lore—they might pull it off with just his one S‑rank presence.
It would take massive funding and time, but if he obtained exclusive hunting rights, he was sure he’d recoup the costs.
All monsters carried mana stones, but the chance of finding one on a corpse was low—except for boss monsters, which always dropped one.
Kaserian’s mythic‑grade mana stone started at a market value of ₩10 billion.
His guild, Sweet Life, had nearly collapsed under the blow when they sold one for “just” ₩13 billion—several times what they paid in cost. But if he could get exclusive rights to hunt Kaserian every three months… the profits would snowball.
Then, his guild would truly live up to its name: a Sweet Life.
Still...
“When the hell am I going to be able to set up a Kaserian raid force? Damn it.”
His grand plan felt more like torment than motivation.
“But I—more than anyone—will take that monster down with my bare hands. One day, this plan will come to life.”
As Park Haeyeol smiled with triumphant confidence, little did he know...
...that somewhere out there, ‘someone’ had already taken down Kaserian with just their bare hands—without any help at all?
＊ ＊ ＊
From the shattered skull of Kaserian, Dojun retrieved a Legendary-grade mana stone.
It radiated an intense light, nearly blinding, and was larger than a basketball.
Mana stones had revolutionized Earth's technological advancement as a new energy source, with limitless applications.
Most importantly, the energy condensed within them could be used without causing any environmental pollution or hazards. To Earth’s scientists, mana stones were nothing short of priceless treasure.
And yet, Dojun showed not even a flicker of excitement as he casually stuffed the Legendary-grade mana stone—starting at a market value of ₩10 billion—into his backpack.
“Looks like I won’t be needing a guide anymore. I’ll move on from here alone.”
Entering the Rift might be tricky, but exiting was simple. With that, Dojun slung his backpack over his shoulder and began walking—already set on finding his next monster.
“Aren’t you going to take Kaserian’s byproducts?”
After all, Kaserian was the Rift’s boss monster.
But unlike bosses from other Rifts, Kaserian didn’t drop any high-value parts used to craft unique weapons or equipment.
At best, its beak, claws, and feathers might be used as auxiliary materials. The rest was mostly for research purposes—nothing truly valuable.
Dojun, well aware of that, simply replied—
“Spending time dismantling that thing isn’t worth it. I’d be better off hunting another monster and getting another mana stone.”
Hyun Jooyeon couldn’t argue.
After witnessing Dojun’s overwhelming power against Kaserian, it was clear—he was better off moving straight to the next hunt.
“You can have the byproducts. Consider it your guide fee.”
And with that, Dojun vanished without a trace.
Left behind with nothing but a corpse, Hyun Jooyeon stared at Kaserian’s massive remains, dumbfounded.
“I… I’m an S‑rank hero, though…”
For the first time, her very identity felt shaken.
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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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