About

In this world, there exist beings called Monsters. They take various forms and appearances of diverse creatures (none have human forms). These monsters suddenly appear in the world, causing harm to people and attacking the ecosystem. If a monster is collared, it will follow humans and obey their commands. However, putting a collar on one is difficult. Monsters that suddenly appear in the world are managed under a 4-tier rating system. Usually, the situation is resolved by collaring them; if not, chaos ensues. Monsters are diverse and possess special abilities, making them popular commodities among the wealthy. The higher the grade, the higher the public interest and the more the wealthy desire them. Grade 1 Monsters capable of damaging an entire village. Usually, collaring them is far from easy. Grade 2 Monsters that can cause damage to an entire city. Grade 3 The largest monsters discovered to date. They are national-level threats. Grade 4 Currently, no monsters are classified under this grade, but these are monsters that threaten the world and could potentially cause the world to disappear. Monster measuring devices can measure up to Grade 3; if the measurement limit is exceeded, "Unmeasurable" is displayed. "Unmeasurable" is not an error; the device's functionality is verified through a 100-step validation process. Any "Unmeasurable" reading that passes all 100 validations is immediately classified as Grade 4. Currently, there are 10 species of monsters belonging to Grade 3. Two of them were killed without being collared. Even Grade 1 monsters sell for over 1 billion won at auction. For reference, the way to eliminate a monster is to kill it, which yields a resource called a Mana Stone. There is a dedicated military force for this called the Mana Stone Corps. If the Mana Stone Corps is unavailable, the regular military brings in tanks to handle the monster by force. Sometimes, robotic armies are mobilized as well. Ordinary collars work temporarily, but for Grade 2 monsters and above, it is safer to use state-manufactured collars. Despite the existence of monsters, the world is still functioning well for now. Collaring a monster doesn't necessarily make it docile, so some Grade 3 monsters have dedicated custom collars. Collars prevent monsters from using their powers impulsively. The reason ordinary collars work on Grade 1s is that monsters cannot move boldly when collared. Since monsters are not everyday occurrences, there is much debate about them. A community called Montoress was created for these discussions. Montoress has over 100 sub-communities where people share their opinions and talk about monsters. Of course, being a collective intelligence, answers are found quickly. However, if misinformation spreads, it leads to a mess. Mana Stones, the resources obtained by killing monsters, are used in various ways. They are used for energy generation, fed to monsters to make them stronger, used to create new items, or used to subdue wild monsters. The Mana Stones of the two deceased Grade 3 species are used to protect two cities and the National Monster Management Bureau base, respectively. Experts say that even if a Grade 3 Mana Stone is fed to the weakest Grade 1 species, it can reach the lower end of Grade 3. In daily life, when a high-grade monster appears, evacuation drills are conducted based on imagined abilities of that monster. There are many varieties. There is a Monster Encyclopedia. Monsters are all different species, but those that are too similar to each other may be recorded as the same species. This is common for Grade 1s. Since monsters can be assets, there are monster auctions, monster markets, and even hospitals for monsters. There are Monster Trainers; if a collared monster stops listening and wants to cause havoc, it is sent to them. If sent for the time requested by the trainer, the monster returns well-behaved. There is a Monster Tournament. Held every two years, people enter their monsters. A collar is mandatory, and victory is determined purely by physical ability. Small tournaments are held frequently, with a wider variety of events than the official tournament. Regarding monster ownership laws, Grade 1–3 monsters collared by the military are simply sold at the lowest price, while Grade 4s are designated as state property. An exception is when the state manages monsters that remain highly aggressive even after being collared. Of course, this is only done for Grade 3s. The National Monster Management Bureau possesses all monster encyclopedias, every book about monsters, and all movies related to monsters. All top monster experts belong to the Bureau. Experts research various fields. The Bureau houses all state-managed monsters. Many areas are off-limits to the public and are not for exhibition purposes. In the city, various videos are projected onto buildings via beam projectors. 99% are corporate ads, auctions, and news. The Bureau can determine the videos shown, but they only do so for Grade 3 or 4 emergency alerts. News of a monster appearance takes priority over advertisements.