#share a mind with monsters of his own rank or lower + acutely perceive their thoughts/movements

[wovenstarlight]

(some background before we get to the fun stuff. on ao3)

When Yoojin Awakens, he does so with a beast sensing skill. Like the system reached down and said, Congrats, your world has been turned upside down, here's a radar for where it's worst.

He's a celebrity, for those first few weeks, rank aside. The rescue teams and army units are thrilled to be told precisely where they're needed most, and the fact that he can tear apart the monsters with his bare hands for them is a nice bonus.

Then slowly, slowly, the dungeon shock starts to be brought under control. The novelty of being able to fight back fades as the world realizes just what it's lost to what it's fighting against. The responses to his calls become less excited and more despairing, as every new encounter adds to the casualty count. People see his face, and where they'd once brightened in relief, they draw away in fright.

(He would lie awake, that first week, stretching his radar as far as it could go. He'd track the monsters as they disappeared, appeared, converged, grew in strength, grew in number, grew undefeatable—)

(There's a lot of monsters. There's only one Yoojin. And he needs his rest just as much as anyone else.)

Seok Simyeong assures him to hang in there. He says not to worry, that Yoojin will prove himself, that the people will come to love him.

Yoojin doesn't really believe him. Then, twenty levels and one reckless dive into a saturated high-rank dungeon later, he realizes that his new head of HR might have been right.

Because when he watches the massive chimera in front of him smash clear through Kim Sunghan's reflexively-erected stone wall, poison dripping from its bared fangs as it lunges forward, there's a little click in his head, and he knows.

He knows exactly where the chimera's paws are going to land. He knows how its claws will gouge into the rock underneath, joints bending, legs bunching, preparing to launch forward. He can feel every bit of fur on its body bristle in anticipation. He feels its jaws stretch open, threads of saliva snapping and falling, drops sizzling like acid against the ground.

His attention shifts just slightly, and he knows Kim Sunghan's not going to step back fast enough.

There's a little click in his head, and he says, "Stop."

Everything stills.

Kim Sunghan stares, wide-eyed, into the dark maw of the monster. Its open jaws tremble on either side of his head, locked in place. A bit of saliva drips from its teeth, and Sunghan stumbles back. It shrieks when it hits the reshaped rock at his feet.

"Back," Yoojin breathes. The chimera shrieks, jaws still locked open, and takes one twitching step backwards. "Back." Another. And another, and another, and more, shrinking closer to the ground with every jerking movement, until it's huddled down among the shards of stone, staring fearfully at him with its many eyes.

Yoojin walks towards it slowly. He can feel his team's gazes on him like they're physical things. If he strains, some part of him can feel their exact positions, track the precise placements of their limbs.

He ignores that, and opens his mouth. "Mine," he whispers.

On the inhale, they're his. His paws, his claws, his joints, his legs, his fur and his jaws and his fangs and his venom and his many, many, many eyes.

On the exhale—

On the exhale.

They're gone.

Significant achievement! You have singlehandedly killed—

"Guild Leader-nim," Kim Sunghan says from somewhere behind him (4.23 meters to the back and left), his voice shaky (hands shaky footsteps unsteady shoulders tense and—). "Are you— Did you..."

"New skills," Yoojin says lightly, and turns around. "Are you alright?"

Kim Sunghan doesn't answer. Yoojin doesn't follow up.

There's awe in his Shield's eyes. Awe, and a bright, trembling relief.

#han yoojin #kim sunghan #rankswap au #my sranks #my writing #star.txt #hyj current skillset includes: track monsters of any rank #share a mind with monsters of his own rank or lower + acutely perceive their thoughts/movements #command monsters lower than his own rank #and possibly more...?