Chapter 45:


    After ncing at Lee Chan-taek, I looked at Nuri.


    In my previous life, Nuri had broken through the first hunting team, the second hunting team couldnt handle it, and when the third hunting team came out, the aggro drew the attack towards Seoul.


    Kim Yong-hwan imed to protect the citizens but didnt take any action.


    As a result, Seoul suffered immense damage, and countless people died.


    At that time, it was said that Nuri was different from other level 8 monsters.


    It retained its original form and preserved its purity, and the power of the de Storm, which was recognized as a Gift with free control, was intense.


    It was a range attack that tore everything apart within a 50 meter radius, a disaster in itself.


    So I tried to exploit themon weaknesses of this kind of monster.


    Its head is incredibly tough.


    Despite the three sessful attacks, Nuri didnt even flinch.


    Instead, it channeled its anger, even when getting hit without losing control, showing remarkable anger management.


    <em>Keyaaa!</em>


    With a howl, it soared into the sky.


    I stepped through the air to approach it and tried to fight it. In the meantime, the Nuri desperately tried to distance itself by spewing fire breath and causing de Storms.


    Was it learning? Maybe because its like a king among the bird-like monsters, its adaptability was extraordinary.


    I activated Intuition. The Gift I had taken from Jung Da-hyun had infinite ways of use, and it possessed a mysterious quality that I, too, couldnt determine its limits.


    With Intuition, I explored efficient ways to capture Nuri. Should I still use Land Mine like now? To do that, I needed to get closer to Nuri. Since it was trying to maintain distance with fire breath and de Storm, I needed to change my approach.


    Then it must be sh, not Land Mine. My Intuition responded. But theck of reaction told me that this wasnt the right answer, either. This just showed how tricky Nuri was.


    Saying that since Land Mine wouldnt work, he should use sh instead, was a bit narrow-minded.


    I guess theres no choice.


    Seeing that I had distanced myself from Lee Chan-taek due to the recent sh, I clenched my fists and activated the sh Gift.


    Crimson energy burst forth, causing a collision with the de Storm<em>.</em>


    <em>Boom! Bang! ng!</em>


    Countless residual Forces scattered as the sh and the de Storm collided. The ground turned over and raised a thickyer of sand as if a 100-meter radius had been swept by the storm. I clicked my tongue briefly as I watched Nuri fly higher and higher through the dust.


    It seemed that this bird instinctively believed it had the advantage when it was higher up. Its bing a bit annoying to watch.


    How bothersome.


    I stomped upward on the Force and parried the de Storm.


    The thinlyyered Force was continuously pounded by the de Storm. It was an incredibly annoying Gift. Not only was the power of each Force de within the storm substantial, but as I approached Nuri, the Force steadily drained away as I had to maintain my body in mid-air.


    It was like scooping seawater quickly into arge basin.


    If it were someone else, they might have run out of Force long ago, unlike me, who poured it recklessly.


    The reason why the method of engaging in skirmishes to deplete a monsters energy had be the conventional approach might be because of this.


    <em>Kiieee!</em>


    As I broke through the de Storm and got close, this time, it unleashed its fire breath. After countering it with a sh, I sessfully closed the distance between us.


    Even though I had arrived right in front of Nuri, it still activated its Gift.


    <em>Kwadddook!</em>


    It repeatedly collided with the force barrier, causing ruptures, shattering, and then regenerating. It tried to create distance using this method, but I managed to reach right in front of it in the end.


    I activated sh with my fingertips and stabbed its head.


    <em>Kwaang!</em>


    The tough hide didnt allow sh to pierce through. It had an unbelievably sturdy hide, and I could feel an immense Force resistance.


    How tough did a hide have to be to withstand Land Mine explosion and not even get pierced by sh?


    The sh didnt pierce its skin, but it wasnt without impact.


    <em>Kye-eak!</em>


    Nuri, who screamed, tilted and fell to the ground before barely managing to get back up.


    It seemed like it was getting annoyed. Nuris body turned redder, and steam rose.


    There was one more nuisance.


    The Force carried by the de Storm now even had heat.


    Was this the Phase 2? Its getting really annoying. All I could think of now was to finish this quickly.


    <em>Jjeo-eong!</em>


    I swung a Land Mine right in front of me. The strong recoil was still there. However, I didnt feel that it was stronger than before. It seemed that the guys defenses also wouldntst forever.


    Even when I relied on Intuition, I couldnt find the answer with Land Mine or sh. It meant that I couldnt finish the situation depending solely on Gifts. So, I set aside Intuition here because relying on it further would result in endless mental exhaustion.


    Yes, there was only one way from the beginning.


    No matter how tough and sturdy Nuri might be, it was a monster made of flesh and blood. If I kept hitting, it would eventually break. So, I put away the sh and started putting Land Mines in my fists, pounding Nuris head.


    It was after more than thirty blows to the head that it squirmed and moved out of my range.


    <em>Ke-ee-ee!</em>


    Nuri, who couldnt hold on any longer, screamed and fell.


    With a thud, Nuri collided with the ground. Seeing it still writhing, I could tell how resilient it was.


    Its really tough.


    Even after more than thirty Land Mine strikes, it held on. Not all danger level 8 monsters were like this.


    One thing was clear. An armor made from the hide of a creature that survived my Land Mines would be worth a fortune.


    I stood before Nuri, feeling a considerable drain on my strength after a long battle.


    It was the first time I had faced a level 8 monster while I was in my right mind. To efficiently deal with the next level 8 monster that would appear, I would need to do some research.


    Im d youre alive.


    Nuri trembled, seemingly in response to my heartfelt words.


    ***


    Interesting, isnt it?


    I conducted various experiments on the fallen Nuri. Its hide was incredibly tough, and it was indeed rted to Force.


    At a primitive level, even Nuri instinctively manipted Force. When my attacks were about to hit, it instinctively concentrated Force in the area where it would be struck to mitigate the impact.


    However, even its Force maniption had its limits. After enduring several experiments at my hands, it seemed that its strength had waned, and its toughness was not as it used to be.


    Then, as its Force depleted, the Land Mine that hadnded on its head began to deliver significant damage.


    Kyaah!


    Nuri writhed in pain.


    Did I hit you too much?


    I observed trembling Nuri, without much sympathy. If it had killed and harmed humans, it should be prepared to receive a beating.


    I experimented with Land Mine and tested the hides strength with sh, and just as Nuri was about to foam at the mouth, I moved on to the next stage.


    Taming monsters to use them as pets was a desire shared by many.


    There were precedents for taming danger level 1 and 2 monsters through Training or Taming.


    However, there were far more cases where these two Gifts were used on humans, which had be a social issue.


    It has been proven possible to tame monsters, but most people believe its only possible for lower-level ones, those with a danger level of 1 or 2. In reality, monsters at these danger levels were just a little more than wild animals.


    Taming monsters that were at danger level 3 and 4, the ones that truly harmed humans, had never been done before, so its practically impossible.


    As the monsters danger level increased, its hostility towards humanity grew stronger, and its mental fortitude became more robust. Experts said that breaking through this mental barrier would make the taming possible.


    I thought that brainwashing could break down this barrier.


    But then again, they could have turned into idiots.


    Anyway, it doesnt seem like theres much of a difference between a little birdbrain and an idiot.


    They both seemed equally stupid.


    I contemted the concept of brainwashing.


    The principle of this Gift was imnting my will into another beings consciousness. It revolved around gaslighting, which involved breaking their will and injecting the keywords I desired.


    I didnt do it as subtly as the False Prophet who used this technique. He turned his subjects into fanatics through environmental maniption, atmosphere, rhetoric, and other means.


    His brainwashing was so thorough that he wouldter lead his followers tomit mass suicide with a single word.


    Since I couldnt perform brainwashing as subtly as the False Prophet, I had to do it my way.


    I injected the keyword obey into Nuris mind through brainwashing.


    <em>Snap!</em>


    The consciousness that remained resisted. Hostility towards humanity and personal resentment towards me, both ingrained in its mind, became the driving force of resistance.


    It was a stubborn one.


    First, I needed to break this resistance.


    I didnt care about Nuris rebellion and applied brainwashing once more. This time, I repeated the keyword, stacking it in its mind.


    <em>Obey, obey, obey!</em>


    Kyaah!


    Nuri, who had only shown intermittent resistance, started to break down.


    Was this the final resistance? Its quite intense.


    <em>Quadduk!</em>


    I nted a Land Mine on its head, causing him to stop moving.


    I injected a few more brainwashing keywords into its head as it copsed, but it held on.


    This could really get to peoples nerves.


    I endlessly injected the keywords.


    <em>Obey, obey, obey, obey, obey, obey, obey, obey, obey, obey, obey, obey, obey, obey, obey, obey, obey, obey, obey, obey, obey.</em>


    Even though my Force was constantly draining away, I didnt care. At this point, it could have given up and surrendered. But this bastard was quite persistent too.


    Whenever it got aggressive, I would knock it down withnd mines and imnt brainwashing keywords.


    After trying three times and injecting the keywords about 300 times, Nuri couldnt hold on any longer.


    <em>Kirur!</em>


    Intermittent convulsions spread throughout its entire body, and then, with its eyes flipped over, its movements came to a halt.


    Is it dead?


    I gently tapped its head, and its brain seemed to be mushy. It seemed like the brainwashing went a bit too far.


    Its not easy to tame.


    I murmured softly, reaching out towards where Nuris heart was.


    The skin that had lost its force resisted my sh, but after about three attempts, it tore apart.


    I clenched Nuris heart. It had just died, but the freshest green blood was sticking to my hand. When it touched my skin, a stinging sensation spread. Its poison. Without hesitation, I brought the blood to my mouth.


    Its nasty.


    It started with paralysis, then confusion, hallucinations, and poisoning began to ur.


    Familiar sensations were suppressed with force. Poisoning ured whenever I tried to get a glimpse of the monsters Gift.


    Suddenly, I remembered that if I had Complete Immunity, it would prevent me from experiencing these ailments. If I ask the Berserker guy for it, he would probably go ballistic, so I needed to look for a way to copy the Gift without killing him.


    Meanwhile, Nuris Gift information began to be copied. There were de Storm, Fire Breath, and High-Speed Flight. It was as expected, so there was no disappointment.


    The Fire Breath and High-Speed Flight were Gifts that were impossible to choose due to race limitations.


    Then whats left was de Storm. When I chose it, an unusual phenomenon urred as the Gift began to be copied.


    Huh?


    I had to choose which Gift to delete, but the sh disappeared without any warning. And in its ce, the de Storm took over.


    No way?


    This was by no means amon urrence. But its also not rare.


    Moremon than Dual Gifts, theres another phenomenon that ured, and thats the Gift Mixing phenomenon.


    Two Gifts were said tobine and be one, making it more powerful.


    Just now, sh was absorbed by the de Storm.


    I didnt expect this.


    I need to check.


    I pulled out a dagger from my pocket. To properly unleash the power of sh, a sword that emitted energy was important.


    When I unleashed the de Storm, a Force de that was distinctly different from sh extended. The violently rotating Force de tore the rock I aimed at to pieces, so violently that it was almost messy.


    It was a Force de that included the rotation of the de Storm within the existing Force de, destroying everything it touched.


    The skill was perfect for tearing apart the opponent, both on the surface and deep within, thanks to the Gift Mixing phenomenon, which ingeniouslybined the advantages of sh and de Storm.


    As expected, saving lives was the most difficult thing.


    After confirming Nuris death, shortly thereafter, several helicopters and vehicles began to gather like a swarm.