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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 24
Long Sutton, The Shrewsbury, England.
Once a peaceful area, now a decimated ruin—ravaged by a monster wave triggered by a newly formed Rift.
The British Hero Association had the area locked down with tight security.
The thing about Rifts where a monster wave has already occurred?
They're like cursed wounds—they reopen.
Roughly 300 days after the initial wave, a second wave usually hits.
Because of that, the Association considered it an absolute obligation to destroy the Rift before that next wave could crash down.
The worst monster wave Earth had ever seen?
That nightmare belonged to Namibia, in southern Africa.
The Rift that opened in Leobos gave birth to seven monster waves.
Namibia, in the aftermath, was a nation in name only—all functions of the state completely obliterated.
The entire country had turned into a monster habitat.
Neighboring countries—South Africa to the south, Botswana to the east, Angola to the north—were now burning through manpower and resources just to keep the monsters spilling across borders under control.
“So we either kill the boss monster, or find the Rift Core that's sustaining the zone and destroy it, yeah?”
“If we’re lucky and there’s a Mekkasian boss monster in there, we could destroy the Rift just by taking it out. But if not... we’ll need to find the core. And who knows how long that could take—we’ve got no idea what it’s like inside.”
“Hey... there are only Mekkasians in there, right?”
“Yeah, that’s the assumption.”
“How many do you reckon?”
“Just because there was a wave doesn’t mean every single monster poured out. Some stay behind—someone’s gotta guard the nest, right? I’d bet there’s at least a few hundred still breathing in there.”
“But they’re just monsters you can take down with a bit of Red Fire Ant Essence, right? Even a C-Rank... hell, sometimes even a D-Rank hero could manage them.”
“Exactly. That’s why, if a Mekkasian boss monster’s in there, this could be a cakewalk.”
“Hmm... makes sense.”
Murray—a newly minted hero, more by accident than destiny—had been assigned to the new Rift control mission.
Even though he wore the title now, he didn’t know jack about this line of work.
So he was learning the ropes from his senior teammate, Donaldson, from the ground up.
“What a waste... If we could just gate this rift with the A-Rank Mekkasians inside—the only A-Rank monster D-Rank heroes can actually hunt—we could more than make up for the damage we’ve taken.”
“And that’s exactly why the Association busts their asses trying to prevent monster waves. Once a wave hits, a second and third are basically guaranteed. The only real option is to destroy the whole zone.”
Donaldson’s words were soaked in frustration, and Murray nodded along in agreement.
“Still, it’s not all bad. The Association made a solid plan: send in heroes on a tight schedule before the second wave hits, take out the Mekkasians, and gather as many mana stones as they can.”
Just like Donaldson had said, the British Hero Association had already laid out a plan to capture as many Mekkasians as possible before the second monster wave hit, aiming to collect a large supply of high-grade mana stones.
Even a D-Rank hero could take down an A-Rank Mekkasian with just some Red Fire Ant Essence—there was no other goldmine on Earth quite like this.
If only the monster wave hadn’t happened.
If only this Rift could’ve been stabilized and turned into a proper gate...
Then Britain might’ve risen as a true mana stone powerhouse.
But because a Rift that had experienced a monster wave couldn’t be gated, both the British Hero Association and the government had come up with the most efficient plan possible—one that would allow them to secure as many of those high-grade mana stones as they could, each one worth no less than £68,000 (around ₩100 million).
“Didn’t they say that with the second wave, monsters other than Mekkasians could show up?”
“Depends on the situation. If it were just Mekkasians again, who’d be crazy enough to destroy this goldmine? But if something new shows up—something we’ve never seen before, like what happened with the Mekkasians...”
“Just thinking about it is terrifying.”
If a second Mekkasian-level disaster broke out, the Hero Association couldn't afford to risk triggering the second wave just to gather mana stones. That would be suicidal.
“Anyway, stay sharp until the Rift is completely destroyed. Now that everyone knows how to hunt Mekkasians, all sorts of nobodies are gonna try sneaking in to grab a piece of the pie.”
“Even after the Association issued such strong warnings? You really think heroes would enter without permission?”
“You sweet summer child. Just because there’s a law doesn’t mean people don’t break it. And if someone comes out of there alive? Depending on the haul, they could walk away with serious cash. You’ll see—all kinds of people are gonna show up. I’m gonna go check on the other teams. Hold it down here, yeah? Don’t tell me you’re scared to be alone.”
With a teasing grin, Donaldson waved and wandered off.
Murray, not rising to the bait, shooed him off with a flick of his hand, like “Yeah, yeah, get going.”
As Donaldson walked away, chuckling to himself, Murray was left behind—burning with a strange mix of anticipation and duty. He started scanning the area, eyes sharp.
How long has it been? Five minutes? Ten?
The place was dead quiet—not even an ant crawling by.
And just like that, Murray’s enthusiasm started to fade.
’This is so boring.’
He had imagined that becoming a hero meant fierce battles against monsters, raking in mana stones, and rising to fame.
He dreamed of glory, riches, and headlines.
Reality?
Reality meant guarding Rifts like some bottom-tier D-Rank rent-a-cop.
“Haaaah…”
He let out a long yawn and casually glanced over at the Rift.
He remembered the other heroes who had entered the zone a few hours earlier—laughing and chatting as they’d gone in—and compared them to his own dull, lonely vigil.
“I could totally take one down too… if I had Red Fire Ant Essence.”
As Murray stared at the Rift, frustration bubbling just below the surface, someone began to walk out of it.
“Already done hunting?”
But that didn’t make sense.
The heroes who’d gone in had been scheduled to hunt for 12 hours.
A quick glance at his watch told him it hadn’t even been five.
‘Something’s wrong... Did something happen there?’
Murray stared toward the Rift, still lost in thought, when he spotted someone walking out.
“…Huh?”
It wasn’t a hero.
It wasn’t a monster either.
It was… a third party.
A tall, lean man—well over 180 centimeters—with sharp features and blond hair.
Definitely human by appearance. But Murray could tell immediately that he wasn’t a hero.
The reasons were obvious:
He wasn’t wearing a combat suit.
“…There’s no hero with a scar like th—gkk!”
Murray was eyeing the man’s face—specifically, the large, gruesome scar that no one could possibly forget—when he suddenly grabbed at his throat, both hands clawing frantically.
An invisible force was strangling him.
“Kgh—kk! Krrk!”
He flailed, kicking at the air, trying anything to break free—but it was pointless.
Whatever was crushing his throat wasn’t something he could overpower. It was on a completely different level.
As Murray thrashed, desperately trying to survive, the man simply stared at him in silence.
Then, slowly, the man spoke:
“…Too weak.”
Crack.
With a sickening sound, Murray’s neck snapped—and his limp body collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.
The man showed no further interest in the corpse.
Instead, he reached out into thin air.
A faint crackling sparked through the space, like static tearing through reality.
Something emerged—a small device, roughly the size of a smartphone.
Beep-Beep-Beep-Beep-Beep-Beep-Beep.
Numbers began to appear on the device in the man’s hand.
[19.26%]
“Ten years in this world’s time… and it still hasn’t even reached 20%?”
He clicked his tongue lightly and closed his eyes, taking in the data.
Then he furrowed his brow.
“So it failed? Even after forcing open a dimensional rift… Seems I’ll have to step in directly. First, I’ll need to increase the mana concentration. But before that—”
“Murray!!! HEY!! Who the hell are you?!!”
Donaldson had just returned after making his rounds.
His eyes darted between Murray’s lifeless body on the ground and the stranger standing before the Rift.
He instinctively drew the collapsible baton from his belt.
Shk-Shk-Shk!
With the baton fully extended, Donaldson squared off in a combat stance.
The man looked at him, eyes cold.
“I’ll start by exterminating the ones as weak as insects.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, black flames erupted around his body—churning and pulsing like living fire.
“…Oh god…”
Donaldson froze.
His instincts screamed at him—this man was an absolute monster. Someone far beyond anything he could hope to face.
＊ ＊ ＊
「We have another abnormal phenomenon.」
The anchor’s face and voice on the breaking news broadcast betrayed barely restrained excitement.
Dojun, just about to eat, paused mid-motion and turned his attention to the TV.
「As you can see, a newly formed Rift in Long Sutton, England—which had triggered a sudden monster wave—has completely vanished as of 5 p.m. local time yesterday. At the time, the Kingbird Guild, led by British hero Luke Morrison, was hunting Mekkasians inside the Rift. However, they failed to exit and are presumed to have disappeared along with the zone itself. Some speculate the guild may have destroyed the Rift Core from within but didn’t make it out in time…」
This wasn’t normal.
Even when a Rift is deliberately destroyed, it typically takes time to collapse.
Meaning—whether a team kills the boss monster or destroys the Rift Core—there’s usually a window of time to escape.
But in this case, the Kingbird Guild was wiped out along with the Rift.
「Generally, there are two possible explanations for a case like this. The first is that everyone inside died. Maybe during a boss fight… or, though extremely rare, the Rift Core exploded. It’s not unheard of, and so, all things considered, this is the most plausible explanation. The second is that an unforeseen variable was involved. From the very beginning, this Rift in Long Sutton went off script—triggering a monster wave no one expected. So we have to treat this situation as something entirely different from any Rift we’ve encountered so far. Personally, I’m hoping it’s the first case. Because when it comes to unknown variables… nothing’s more dangerous to us.」
Viewers across the board nodded along with the expert’s opinion.
Dojun kept watching in silence as pundits from all fields weighed in and scenes from the UK scrolled past.
Eventually, he switched off the TV.
Back in the world he’d come from—the world that had already perished—things like Rifts or dimensional gates didn’t exist.
So frankly, he didn’t feel like he had the right to say much about all this.
“Not really my problem anyway.”
Besides, England was on the other side of the world.
In short, it had nothing to do with him.
“Oppa, I want a hamburger.”
Eunyeong tugged at his sleeve, begging for burgers.
Dojun looked at her and asked—
“Double cheeseburger?”
“Yup!”
He remembered exactly which one was her favorite.
“Wanna go get it together, or eat it there?”
“Both!”
She wanted to dine in and take out—classic kid logic.
Dojun couldn’t help but smile at her little greed.
“Alright then, why not.”
He took her hand and stepped outside.
They passed through the small front garden and opened the gate.
Just then, two sharply dressed men in suits approached and immediately addressed him upon recognizing his face.
“Are you Mr. Seo Dojun?”
Dojun studied the man who’d spoken.
The man reached into his jacket and handed over a business card.
“We’re from the Hero Association of Korea. My name is Min Hong-gi.”
At the mention of the Hero Association, Dojun instantly understood why they were here.
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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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