I Have Become a Death Worm

Buaaang-!
“Run faster! You morons!”
China’s Inner Mongolia Gobi Desert, S-12 Regular Gate.
A roofless jeep drives through the inner world.
‘Today I will be reborn anew.’
A smile never left Wang Junlin’s face.
A member of China’s 8 major guilds, Fantasy Paradise Guild, yet a figure who stayed out of the spotlight.
A promising S-class monster tamer, but there’s a reason for the subtle disrespect he receives.
Guild Master and eldest son Wang Wei is an S-class summoner, Vice Guild Master and second daughter Wang Shuran is an S-class spirit medium.
Executive Director and youngest Wang Junlin is considered inferior compared to his siblings’ specialties.
Controlling summons and spirits is considered a different class from taming monsters.
“Ah, communications good. No issues connecting with the dispatch team.”
“Indeed, a terrible place no matter how many times we visit. This place is hell.”
For expeditions to foreign lands, hiring locals is essential.
Borhu muttered while turning the steering wheel.
Nerme in the cargo area checked the radio and equipment.
Tolga, occupying the back seat, maintained his gun while advising Wang Junlin.
“Young man, it’s better not to push yourself too hard. Never let your guard down. Tragedy strikes when you feel safe.”
“Why don’t you go home and watch your grandchildren, old man? If you want to spout senile nonsense, that is.”
Wang Junlin sneered with extreme rudeness.
Borhu and Nerme’s expressions twisted.
‘What an ill-mannered hoja! Chinese pig!’
‘May Tengri’s divine punishment break and twist your legs.’
In contrast, the silver-ponytailed veteran Tolga remained perfectly calm.
‘He’s young and hot-blooded, I understand completely.’
Mercenaries hired from the mercenary guild in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
The enormous reward offered by the young master of a major corporation who came from Beijing.
The Blue Wolves party of three is currently performing a special mission.
Tolga gazed at the otherworld desert outside the vehicle, lost in thought.
‘This makes it the 25th year, doesn’t it?’
July 1, 1999.
In accordance with Nostradamus’s great prophecy, the great demon king Angolmoa descended from the sky.
Angolmoa commanded five demon lords.
Sky Demon Lord Killion, who descended with the celestial demon tribe.
Earth Demon Lord Grandark, who soared with the land demon tribe.
Sea Demon Lord Yula, who landed with the ocean demon tribe.
Sun Demon Lord Nakrus, who blazed with the solar demon tribe.
Moon Demon Lord Carmiel, who froze with the lunar demon tribe.
Humanity was foolish, and no one trusted such absurd prophecies.
Humans had to bear a miserable price for not preparing for the clearly forewarned disaster.
Gates opened from the sky, earth, sea, sun, and moon, and unknown monsters poured out.
More than half of the 6 billion human population was reduced, and major cities around the world were destroyed.
Countless wealthy tycoons and politicians, whose fortunes were guaranteed, also lost their lives.
The Great Demon King and the five demon lords bestowed merciless destruction upon Earth.
It was a desperate calamity that humanity had never experienced before.
But hope emerged in the form of awakened individuals called Hunters.
Warriors fought brilliantly for humanity.
In fact, they reclaimed a significant portion of occupied territories.
Now it’s 2024.
The otherworld from which the Great Demon King came is also hostile to demon tribes.
Currently, Earth and the otherworld maintain complex relationships while waging a dimensional war against the Great Demon King.
‘Those monster bastards must all be expelled.’
Tolga himself had lost his beloved wife and daughter on Judgment Day.
The veteran hunter slowly caressed his anti-materiel sniper rifle.
The bolt of the Cheyenne Tactical M200 Intervention was pulled.
Click-
With a cold metallic sound, a bullet was loaded.
Gunpowder weapons, humanity’s great invention, were outstanding against otherworld monsters.
The power of missile bombardments and nuclear weapon showers was definitely effective.
If those hadn’t existed, humanity would certainly have perished.
The only regret was not obtaining better magic guns due to rushing out at the young master’s urgent request while performing a secret operation.
“Hey, prairie spots. Still no location on the Albino Death Worm?”
Wang Junlin drawled, resting his feet on the glove compartment and leaning back with his arms folded behind his head on the seat’s headrest.
“Currently running monster sensors and mana detectors at full capacity. Tracking its unique bio-wave. Don’t rush me.”
Nerme replied in an annoyed tone.
“Right, keep searching since it’s definitely somewhere around here. Maintain radio contact with the dispatch team waiting at the gate entrance.”
Wang Junlin directed in a languid voice and smirked.
“Don’t worry about the other bug monsters. Currently, I’m like a moving mosquito net. It should be fine up to a radius of 1km.”
The young master from the mainland’s prestigious guild didn’t forget to add a subtle boast.
Borhu, holding the steering wheel, grumbled internally.
‘He’s an annoying bastard but I’ll acknowledge his ability. Hyper-specialized solely in monster taming, he reigns within the world’s top 7 tamers…’
There are cases where someone lacks humanity but possesses exceptional talent.
Wang Junlin before them was such an example.
‘Albino Death Worm… what kind of creature could it be?’
Wang Junlin was busy imagining the target’s appearance.
Indeed, seeing through photos differs from seeing in person.
Just as enthusiasts prefer visual confirmation, so did he.
‘I’ve always been curious about you.’
The Grabadra Sea of the Shahar Great Desert.
The ruler of that place is the Albino Death Worm.
Its officially known code name is the White Sovereign.
A being with numerous aliases such as White Death, Pure White Calamity, Desert Reaper, Roar of Nightmares.
‘They say you’re so powerful.’
An S-class monster that even a large-scale Sino-Russian joint military expedition failed to subjugate five years ago.
Worm-type creatures that dig deep into the ground when threatened are truly troublesome to deal with.
No matter what existing means are employed, their excavation power cannot be matched.
By the time you meet them again, any wounds inflicted would have long regenerated, true to a worm’s characteristics.
For those who fought hard, it’s truly a deflating scene.
Undoubtedly, it would be the most unique creature among collections gathered so far.
‘If I tame the White Sovereign and then the other regional leaders… I could somewhat match my brother’s Dragon King and sister’s Wind Spirit King.’
Monsters that have survived through struggle achieve existential evolution.
They become so powerful that even high-grade hunters cannot guarantee victory.
The Four Great Lords of the Shahar Great Desert met these conditions.
It was fortunate that such beings were located in an S-class gate in the Gobi Desert of northern China.
Although magical beasts and monsters were considered inferior compared to summons loyal to their contractors and spirits that resonate with their contractors…
If you want to bridge the gap, just tame extremely powerful ones.
That was Wang Junlin’s calculation.
‘I won’t lose my temper anymore.’
It was just a randomly occurring idea.
But it couldn’t be more perfect.
No longer would he feel inferior to his brother and sister.
He would emerge as the rising star of Fantasy Paradise Guild, a hidden dark horse.
Wang Junlin had no doubt that his plan would proceed smoothly.
After all, he had never failed at taming even once.
The Blue Wolves mercenary group also had their own circumstances.
‘I’m going to rise as the face of Fantasy Paradise Guild.’
‘My second child is about to be born…’
‘It was too much money to refuse.’
‘Monsters must be expelled.’
Different circumstances, divergent intentions.
As various thoughts crossed the men’s minds.
Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-
The equipment installed in the cargo area of the jeep racing fiercely through the desert suddenly blared.
Nerme’s pupils dilated as he monitored the equipment.
“Target detected! Target detected! Distance 700 meters! It’s swimming at around 30 meters underground from our current position!”
Rumble-rumble-
Suddenly an earthquake occurred.
Specifically, the desert horizon in the distance shook.
Something impossibly huge was revealing itself.
The gazes of all four men concentrated in that direction.
Kussss-
A being emerging to the surface, with sand showering down from its entire body.
A snow-white color like pure snow, with an elongated, sinuous body.
Rocks stuck to various parts of its body like medals of time.
Pale sand flowed from its unique circular-toothed mouth.
“Kurreuk.”
A massive body estimated to be at least 50 meters long.
The lord ruling over the Grabadra Sea.
The White Sovereign had finally revealed itself.
It was like a white building rising from the desert.
“Kyuaaaak-!”
The White Sovereign immediately let out a terrifying roar.
The air around the desert trembled and dust rose.
Wang Junlin’s smile deepened.
“Step on it! Charge forward like a mad horse!”
“Got it!”
Buaaang-!
Borhu floored the accelerator.
The jeep begins racing across the desert, raising dust.
“Kyurrrruk! Shuaaaak-!”
The White Sovereign, roaring ferociously, immediately lay down on the sand.
Kukukukuku-
The White Sovereign slowly began to crawl forward, then.
Kwadddddd-! Kuuuuu─────!
Eventually it began charging at high speed.
An enormous sand storm arose around the desert, threatening to flip everything over.
Wang Junlin shouted loudly.
“Cut off radio contact with the dispatch team!”
Nerme was puzzled by this unusual instruction.
“What?!”
“A huge and magnificent creature like that needs time to be tamed by riding on its head and training various parts of its body, but instead we’re going to return immediately like we’re late for an appointment!? Tell my ever-worrying sister to please stay out of it! I’m sick and tired of it!”
“But we received earnest requests from Fantasy Paradise Guild’s Vice Guild Master Wang Shuran! To watch over and protect you!”
“As if anything would happen to me! I am Wang Junlin!”
“…Understood!”
Click.
Nerme’s finger immediately turned off the radio.
No longer could they hear the dispatch team waiting at the gate entrance.
Instead, he focuses on the remaining detection devices.
“It’s coming! Distance 500 meters!”
Nerme’s powerful voice echoed.
The distance between them rapidly narrowed.
“Distance 350!”
“Get ready to take photos of me coolly riding it with my arms folded! Immediately upload to the SNS accounts I told you about using multiple accounts!”
Wang Junlin flipped his bangs and folded his arms as he stood up from the passenger seat.
He steps up onto the seat he was sitting on.
Hwaryuk-
Suddenly, blue mana shimmer rose from Wang Junlin’s entire body.
Wang Junlin’s feet lightly kicked the passenger seat.
Pat!
At that moment, Wang Junlin’s figure soared high.
He flies toward the White Death Worm rushing toward them.
‘The playboy young master is running wild like an unbridled colt.’
Hwaryuk-
Blue mana also emanated from Tolga’s body in the back seat.
Tolga, with his strength enhanced by mana, lifted the Cheyenne Tactical M200 Intervention with one hand like a pistol.
Originally, it should be properly mounted and fired, but this posed no problem for superhuman hunters who transcended human limitations.
After all, warriors who fight like Rambo with heavy weapons in both hands were common.
‘I’ve been paid, so I should work.’
Tolga positioned the White Death Worm through the sight, looking far away.
He draws on the senses built through countless real combat experiences.
“Inhale, exhale.”
In an instant, the world around Tolga stopped.
Taaaang-!
The bullet from the anti-materiel sniper rifle that could tear down walls flies.
The bullet, fired without proper aiming, flew precisely toward the White Sovereign’s face.
Ting!
Sparks flew from the White Death Worm’s right cheek.
It didn’t even make the slightest scratch.
“Tch, I should have prepared a magic gun after all.”
Tolga clicked his tongue and lamented bitterly.
“Shurrrrrr…”
It was then that the White Sovereign began making strange noises.
Kurrrrr-
The White Sovereign laying on the desert began to accelerate rapidly.
Huuuung-!
The White Sovereign charged, creating ground tremors.
It charged like a sports car despite its enormous body.
The previous action seemed to have angered it.
It was a spectacular sight like a building charging.
“Hmm, it’s certainly no joke seeing it up close…?”
Wang Junlin landed in front of the White Sovereign without making a sound.
“I like it! Become my pet!”
Wang Junlin rejoiced, shaking both arms.
Borhu and Nerme were already at Tolga’s side.
The three anti-materiel sniper rifles simultaneously aimed at the target.
“Begin supporting fire!”
“Pour it on whether it works or not!”
“Die! You giant monster worm!”
Bullets from the Blue Wolves party members flew wildly.
They provide maximum suppressive fire to support Wang Junlin.
Ting! Tiking! Tiiiing!
No bullet could wound the White Sovereign.
Only sparks were created on its surface.
The White Sovereign became even more enraged.
“Kyishaaaak─────!”
The White Sovereign let out a terrible roar.
It was such a loud explosion that it generated sound wave shockwaves accompanied by a snow-white sand storm.
The Blue Wolves party members providing suppressive fire from the jeep stiffened.
“Uh, uhmm!”
“Heok!”
“Kkeuk!”
Their teeth involuntarily clenched and their thighs trembled.
Goosebumps rose sharply and hair roots stood on end.
Even their testicles shrank tightly.
Their minds and bodies froze from the roar containing tremendous killing intent.
The weak-hearted would instantly die of heart attacks.
Only awakened individuals of C-class and above can barely withstand that roar of terror.
Wang Junlin inserted monster-exclusive telepathy to the target.
[Haha! I’ll finally tame the White Sovereign of the Shahar Great Desert! Hey, you mindless, irrational monster! Immediately submit to me, Wang Junlin, the best S-class tamer in Beijing!]
Confident it would submit at once.
Wang Junlin was self-assured.
Kudddddd─────!
The White Sovereign now rushed to point-blank range.
It would arrive within seconds.
Wang Junlin suddenly became confused.
‘What…? If it’s a monster lacking intellect and reason… it should follow the law of submitting to a tamer’s command injection?’
This was the first such experience in his life.
Wang Junlin was engulfed in profound doubt.
“Hoja! Retreat immediately!”
“Wang Junlin! Wake up! You’ll die!”
“Young man! If taming doesn’t work, run away!”
The Blue Wolves party members shouted urgently.
But their voices no longer reached Wang Junlin.
Fear, experienced for the first time in his life, swept over the youngest of Fantasy Paradise Guild.
“Ah.”
The White Sovereign was suddenly rushing right in front of him.
A mouth like seeing an oversized tunnel with its jaws wide open.
Inside were arranged fangs that could pulverize steel.
The moment he saw that, his spirit left his body.
“Kuaaaaa─────!”
The White Sovereign, raising its upper body high, immediately pounced on Wang Junlin.
His figure was buried in the giant mouth in an instant.
Then a terrible flesh-tearing sound echoed.
Chwaaaaak-!
And so Wang Junlin became a soul who would never return.
It was an unbelievable end for a promising S-class hunter.
At the age of 22, his life was as intense as a flame but brief.
[The power of the separated half-soul awakens. You have awakened Hostile Predation.]
[S-class Hostility: Beast Tamer has been acquired.]
Something also appeared in the view of the White Sovereign whose reason had flown away.
‘Oh, Buddha.’
Tolga let out an involuntary sigh.
Someone who had stopped visiting temples after Judgment Day.
It was such a sight that even he, a devout Buddhist, momentarily thought of Buddha again.
Chuwap, chuwap-
The White Death Worm, its mouth stained with blood, began chewing with its circular mouth.
Kwajak, kwajak-
Crimson blood flowed like tomato juice squeezed in a press.
The Death Worm’s teeth extend into the internal structure.
A bite force that crushes tanks like tofu.
Wang Junlin… must certainly be considered dead.
“Kyurut, kyurut.”
The White Sovereign who had consumed Wang Junlin worked its circular teeth.
Was that too blatant a mockery?
Or was it anger of unparalleled purity?
Vengeance against intruders in its territory?
Perhaps both, with no need to distinguish?
Tolga’s complexion was extremely pale.
‘What on earth is it saying…’
Even the Magic Earset, a product of the new century and a universal translator, cannot interpret monster language.
Without any means, it was impossible to know.
The Death Worm raised its head, roaring low.
“Kyi, liririk…!”
The White Sovereign of the desert spotted the remaining targets.
It seemed determined not to forgive the intruders in its territory.
Tolga, leader of the Blue Wolves party, asked the others.
“…Let’s assess the situation coolly. Did anyone bring teleport scrolls?”
“…No. When I tried to bring them, the hoja went crazy, asking if I was disrespecting him, questioning why such things were necessary, throwing punches, cursing, making a huge fuss.”
Borhu muttered with an extremely bitter expression.
Nerme suggested to Tolga in a subdued voice.
“Then, if we all run at full speed from here to the gate?”
“The distance we drove is easily over 15km. This is its backyard. We’d definitely be caught before then.”
“…Then, what will happen to us?”
“We’re dead.”
There was no means of escape for the current survivors.