Devoured everything with an S-rank predation ability

EP.1 Game Start, Awakening! 

Snip, snip. Clip, clip, swish. 

A somewhat old-fashioned hair salon. 

The sound of scissors cutting hair and combs grooming continues. 

I look around through the mirror. 

A large window with bright sunlight streaming in. 

Beyond that window, behind me, stands the owner of two large breasts. 

Backlit by the sunlight like a halo, I see a glamorous woman trimming my hair. 

She doesn't seem aged, but has a mature smile as she focuses on her work, a beauty. 

A pair of breasts that seem about to burst out of her top. 

A slender waist and high-end hips that could easily store twins. 

'It's been a month since I was discharged, still unemployed, but I'm happy whenever I come here. From my late teens until now!' 

Our eyes meet in the mirror. 

Thinking those ocean-blue eyes are gazing at me, I feel a tightening at the base of my cock. On top of that, she subtly touches and caresses my body. Yet she blushes as if embarrassed. 

"Ikhyun, you seem different somehow since coming back from the military?" 

"Do I?" 

"Look at this. You used to speak casually! We were so close." 

"Ah, well, when I was young, you played with me since you were in middle school, noona." 

"You can speak comfortably. What's the point of being childhood friends?" 

My parents were truly the worst, but I did learn something. 

I once learned from my mother that to convey sincerity, use formal speech. 

"You know, noona. To convey sincerity, use formal speech." 

"Hehehe." 

She just laughs brightly, like the sun. 

My childhood friend who unwillingly became a married woman, Hairstylist Yeo Hara noona. Hara carefully observed me and asked. 

"But... how do you feel these days? Empty like before?" 

"No, I'm fine. Haha, it's good to see you after so long. You look bright. Noona, you're married now." "Mmm." 

Hara's face darkens briefly at the mention of marriage. 

I knew something was going on. 

What made me angriest in the military? 

When the useless senior acted up? No. 

When I found out the junior I thought was A-class was actually a serial scammer gay? No. 

It was hearing the news of noona's marriage while in the military. 

I was angry. We weren't dating or in that kind of relationship, but still. 

Noona should have met someone better. 

No, noona should have stayed by my side. That would have been better. 

'Hara noona married early. There was a huge debt at home, and she married one of the gangsters who put that debt on them. Marriage in name only.' 

Should I call it abduction in the old way? 

I sighed involuntarily. 

Yeo Hara, who stood out and was beautiful even when I saw her as a child. 

How much must her inner self be breaking? 

I felt powerless, unable to do anything for her, wilting like a flower. 

I wanted to save her. 

'Because she's my first love.' 

Hara noona smiled again. A smile like sunshine. 

"Nonsense. Anyway, is this how you want your hair trimmed?" 

"Yeah. How is it? Even if my face isn't much, the hairstyle should be good, right?" 

"What are you saying? You look like Captain Woo Shijin from Descendants of the Sun." 

"Hey, that's too much." 

"Don't you know you're handsome? Only you don't realize it?" 

I smirked. 

Anyway, only noona sees me in a good light. 

Then a middle-aged woman reading a magazine on the sofa behind laughed out loud. 

She was a typical plump middle-aged woman. 

"That's right, that's right. The young man is really handsome! Ohoho!" 

"Haha, thank you." 

"I bet young girls these days would be eyeing you, huh? Hoho." 

The middle-aged woman who finished speaking soon sighed and shook her head. 

As if something bad had happened. 

The well-connected Hara noona immediately asked. 

"Unni, what's wrong?" 

"Well, you know. These days, why do young people hate men so much? They even destroyed their own university the other day." 

"I know, right? These days, even for weddings, they make the man take care of all the dowry. And then they force their husbands who come home tired from work to share childcare equally." 

"I don't know why the world has become like this, tsk." 

"That's right. It shouldn't be like that." 

"Those bitches who lived receiving all the benefits, why are they acting like this?" 

"If it were me, I'd be happy just to have a man who sincerely loves me." 

The reason I like Hara noona. 

Of course, I liked her because she's pretty. But more accurately. 

Hara noona was different from women these days. She hated the idea of men paying for all dating expenses, and she used to sing about how she'd support a man even if he had no ability. 

This is why I can't help but like her. 

This is who Yeo Hara is as a woman! 

'She knows how to respect men, and always maintains a rational attitude. That's so like noona.' 

She really hasn't changed. 

I'm so glad. 

After finishing with the shampoo, it was over. My reflection in the mirror looked somewhat human. 

I guess working out and doing martial arts in the military because there was nothing else to do helped. 

Broad shoulders, clear abs visible even through a white t-shirt. 

Of course, I'm not interested. It's not like I'll get idol offers or anything like in novels. 

"Noona, you're really good at this. Amazing." 

"What!" 

"Here, money." 

"No, today's on the house." 

"Come on, you should take the money. Take this unemployed guy's money!" 

Noona refusing to take money for her work. Me trying to give it to her somehow. 

As we were having this back-and-forth. 

Someone burst through the door. 

A middle-aged man with a body as big as a bear, dragon tattoos on both arms. 

Shaved head. 

The man passed by me and glared at noona. 

"Hey, how much did you make today?" 

"Ah, what brings you here..." 

"This bitch." 

The man glared. 

This bastard is Hara noona's husband and gangster, Moon Dujo. 

I hated him just looking at him. 

I saw him briefly once when I was on leave. 

I really wanted to kill him. 

Because there were people watching, Hara noona tried to smooth things over somehow. 

"Honey, let's go outside first..." 

"When your husband is talking, you bitch." 

The bastard reflexively raised his hand but lowered it after looking around. 

At least he's aware of people watching. 

This guy is at most a neighborhood boss in the organization. 

Of course, I don't know much about the organization's hierarchy, so he might be higher than I think. 

"I'll deal with you when we get home. Your husband asks for some pocket money and this is the face you make?" "Honey..." 

"Hey, who paid off your parents' debt?" 

"That was you and your colleagues tricking my parents, wasn't it?" 

"Talking back, makes me want to slap you." 

The bastard who was glaring at Hara like he wanted to kill her clicked his tongue and went outside. 

The heavy atmosphere seemed to lift a little. 

Noona sighed and forced a smile. 

I was angry. Why does she put up with living with a bastard like that? 

"I'm sorry, you saw something unpleasant, didn't you?" 

"Noona, why don't you just get divorced?" 

"Well, my parents still praise my husband and like him..." 

"Haa, noona...!!" 

It was frustrating. 

I wanted to tell her. Just throw out a bastard like that. Noona's life is more precious. 

Then I stopped. 

Do I have the right to say that? 

When such a beautiful and lovable person was entering the pit of hell. 

What did I do? 

'I became a soldier because the fucking country called me.' 

I felt powerless and regretful. 

I left money on the counter and went. 

"Oh my, Ikhyun. Wait a moment!" 

"It's fine. Keep it." 

I ran straight home. 

So that noona couldn't follow me. I didn't want to show my powerless self. 

I ran like hell. 

Until I was out of breath. 

After running like crazy, I finally stopped. 

'I need power. Anything will do, please!' 

Yet reality remained unchanged. This was the world. 

Suddenly putting on a mask, or becoming a hero by putting items in a belt. 

Such things don't exist in reality. 

I arrived home while walking absentmindedly. 

An empty apartment complex facing redevelopment. 

"Haa... damn it. May this shitty world just collapse." 

I sincerely wished for it. 

This world could collapse for all I cared. 

As I was catching my breath near the security office, suddenly the sky darkened. As if clouds had gathered. 

Wondering what was happening, I looked up. 

The sky was completely dyed purple. 

'What is this? Did I run too hard? Have my eyes gone crazy?' 

And then something straight out of a novel happened. 

[The Celestial Horse Demon King 'Mara Power Yasga' announces his arrival.] 

[The Celestial Horse Demon King smiles and says it's time to start the Desire League!] 

A sudden notification. 

I was familiar with this from hunter novels recommended by my junior in the military. 

Isn't this the kind of notification only awakened ones can see? 

'What is this? Is this some kind of web novel?' 

And then more web novel-like things happened. 

Letters chaotically aligned in mid-air. 

『Desire Prologue』 

◆First Blood 

-Objective: Eliminate the summoned 'zombie' to prove yourself. 

-Reward: Awakening of random ability 

A sudden situation. It was truly sudden. 

But I wasn't surprised. Rather, my heart was pounding. 

Just in case, I looked around at community sites. 

[My status window just appeared lol] 

[Screams everywhere around me?] 

[What? Is it martial law again?!] 

My heart, which usually I couldn't tell if it was beating or not, was now beating like crazy. 

'It's sudden, but this is that, right?' 

And then a light flashed before my eyes. 

With a sound like a balloon popping, a thin man appeared. 

His skin was so pale it was dripping like a rag. He was glaring at me while drooling. 

"Grr, grrrr." 

A zombie had appeared. 

My breathing gradually became rough. 

"It's rude to fight without talking first. Hey, did you know I used to aspire to be a pro gamer?" 

"Grrk?" 

"But my family situation was shit. My parents fought with knives every day and never called the police, my older sister left to pursue her dreams. I had to live in PC rooms because we had no computer at home, but I had no money. It was fucking terrible, haa." 

"Grrrr!" 

"You're angry too? But you know why I like games?" 

I spotted a mop leaning against the security office. I grabbed it and lifted it slightly. 

I couldn't help but smile. 

"Usually I feel so empty, you know? Why live, why study, that kind of feeling. But when you play a game, you focus only on your opponent, right? Then the opponent focuses only on you too. That exhilaration, it feels so fucking good." 

"Graaaah!" 

The zombie lunged at me as if to say 'stop talking already'. 

Regardless, I calmly smashed the mop against the security office wall. 

The mop broke in half, its end becoming sharp. 

I stabbed it right into the charging zombie's neck. 

"So thank you, Celestial Horse Demon King. I'll enjoy this Desire game or whatever it is. I'm pretty good at games, you know!" 

I took down the zombie. 

I could see the fallen zombie's life fading away. And then. 

[Victory!] 

[Gained 300 Desire Points (DP)!] 

[Prologue Cleared!] 

[Searching for ability to assign...] 

I didn't want to just wait quietly, so I shouted. 

You have to shout at times like this, right? 

"Status window." 

〖Sung Ikhyun〗 

「Level: 0」 

「Strength: 9」 

「Intelligence: 12」 

「Faith: 5」 

「Agility: 10」 

Having just awakened, I'm not sure if these stats are good or not. But I didn't like them. 

It seems it'll be tough to grow from here on. 

And I wasn't looking forward to what ability I'd be assigned. 

'My life has always been unlucky.' 

An arrow roulette spinning in mid-air. 

The frantically spinning roulette stopped with a loud noise. 

As soon as it stopped, the roulette flashed golden. 

'Huh?' 

Then it changed to rainbow colors and finally a notification appeared. 

It read: 

[EX-grade ability won!] 

[You have awakened 'Supreme Predator'!]