SWNOVELXO Chapter 206: Beast (4)
…The beast falls asleep.
The brain, trapped not in the bones of an elk but within a human skull, continues to remix memories of regret at will.
This dream was not the usual first-person perspective but rather an unusual viewpoint, like peeking through a third-party’s eyes.
Before long, the beast realized that what it was seeing was a married couple.
In the rough, veiny hand of the beast, which swung an axe daily to chop wood, an outsider laughed and slipped a ring onto a finger.
This was the proposal made by the outsider a few years back in February.
And a month later, they held a modest wedding at a small church at the foot of a mountain.
Growing up in a home so dysfunctional that both parents ended up in prison for child abuse, the beast never imagined it would get to experience such a scene. But somehow, against all odds, it found a partner.
The married life was happy.
Having lived alone in a cabin in the mountains, the beast ate less meat than others, unintentionally sticking to a vegetarian-like diet.
On the other hand, its spouse, coming from the city, preferred various processed foods, which sometimes led to disagreements about meals.
“Oh, damn it. I got it, honey. Just put that down for a second. Yes, I agree! I’ve been thinking it’d be healthier to eat organic!”
Fortunately, the beast’s partner was quite understanding.
So even when they argued, they quickly made up and enjoyed a peaceful daily life like any other couple.
Who would have thought this misfit, who never truly belonged to society, would experience such ordinary days?
‘Such pretty eyes.’
Yet amid this married life, the beast would face a harsh reality.
Once, it had seen the saying, “What is easily gained is easily lost,” in a proverb book, but applying that to a person instead of money or possessions felt a bit much.
Moreover, its spouse died under quite absurd circumstances.
To be honest, it was nothing short of a black comedy.
If they hadn’t gone out so early that morning just to get a $12 cheese fish cake sold at the Korean Mart, things might have been different.
This was why the beast had argued so passionately about not eating processed foods.
The death of the beast’s spouse occurred a year after the Dungeon Shock event.
But the victim did not die at the hands of monsters that emerged from the dungeon. The culprit was an unsuspecting middle school boy.
To explain further, the spouse lost their life due to a prank by a young Awakened.
This incident was a wake-up call that Awakening was not mere salvation for humanity.
One day, a boy suddenly acquired psychic powers and, out of curiosity, started to hit people for fun.
Yet his ability was an invisible telekinesis. People unaware of what was happening died in agony, and even the police struggled to identify the culprit.
A “clean” power that left behind no fingerprints or evidence.
Thus, this Awakened had been hunting ordinary people as casually as a squirrel.
It was definitely more stimulating than video games heavy with censorship.
To summarize, that day was just plain bad luck.
The beast’s spouse stepped out onto the street in front of the Korean Mart, and that kid with telekinesis aimed at the bustling human as his next target.
Just like in a city-building strategy game, clicking a button to adjust the population.
“Ugh!”
Someone’s spouse with doe-like eyes met a sudden death by unseen hands that ruptured their liver and spleen.
But the beast remained unaware of this fact for a while.
It had never gotten a driver’s license by that age.
Of course, it had tried to reach out a few times with the old mobile phone its partner had given, but a dead person wasn’t going to answer.
Speaking of which, it didn’t even ask where that Korean Mart was located.
Could it be far away? Or maybe a truck tire blew on the way there?
The beast sat in the room, idly pondering its partner’s last words, “Keep the house safe until I return,” while reading a book.
Then, six hours passed.
By this point, a thought crossed the beast’s mind, “Shouldn’t I report this to the police?” but fortunately, it didn’t have to.
Soon, there was a call from an unknown number on its old mobile phone.
*
The next day.
“2:28 AM…”
Great, perfect.
Checking the time with my smartphone, I hurriedly walked, making sure no one was watching.
Today’s destination was the entrance of the [Mimic City] gate that had appeared in the mountainous area of Gyeonggi Province.
I had already obtained entry permission through the Association in advance.
——————
[Two Months Ago]
00:02 Are you asleep?
00:02 No.
00:05 It’s nothing serious, just a question regarding the dungeon…
[One Month Ago]
01:41 Do you have time?
01:42 No.
01:42 Sorry, I’ll contact you again in the morning.
02:15 Hunter Kang.
03:11 No, it’s resolved, so don’t worry about it.
——————
I had analyzed Kang Chang-ho’s sleep patterns expecting this day would come, so there was nothing to worry about now.
I decided to take advantage of the quiet hours between 2 AM and 6 AM when many Koreans slip into slumber to sneak out the corpse.
Using my identity as an Appraiser, I thought I wouldn’t raise much suspicion while exploring the dungeon alone.
Besides, even if casualties occurred during these early hours… well, I wouldn’t be at a loss.
‘Let’s give it a try.’
Finally, I reached the entrance of [Mimic City].
The restricted area, cordoned off with yellow tape, had several Association employees in suits standing around, and they all bowed and spoke as soon as they saw me.
“Whoa!”
“Hello, Hunter…”
“Shh, shh.”
But I hurriedly silenced their greetings.
What’s there to boast about as a thief? Isn’t it better for the world to not know that Korea’s fourth S-Class Hunter is entering here?
“It’s early morning, so let’s keep it quiet. The mountains around here echo too much as it is.”
“Yes, understood!”
“Anyway, can I go in right away?”
“Yes!”
Being a celebrity definitely has its perks in these situations.
Satisfied by the sight of the staff retreating, I confidently entered the gate.
Inside was overall a unique ambiance with a navy blue hue.
The well-constructed pathways showed the evident touch of an intelligent being, and the maze-like intersections offered a feast of countless possibilities.
‘Just as I heard, it’s a labyrinth.’
Even at this moment, the otherworld that seemed to inflate itself was truly massive, comparable to three or four dungeons combined.
But even in such a wide space, my destination was already set.
‘Shall we get started?’
A place to hide like a rat!
Thus, I utilized my exploration abilities to seek out a nest where I could wait for dawn.
Clang! Thud…!
The sound of metal striking echoed through the dry air of the dungeon.
This was likely the noise from a survey team of some country defeating the local monsters, but it wasn’t a welcome signal for me.
Thud. Plop.
The sounds of the residents of Mimic City stabbing through flesh with their skeletal forms.
Or the sound of bodily fluids oozing out from torn skin.
Well, if blood was running, this would be fine, I guess.
‘Hmm.’
I was curled up in a crouched position, resting my elbows on my knees.
I was nestled behind a collapsed wall in the center of Mimic City.
I didn’t know who did it, but under the shadow of the wreckage—where fragmented structures of the ruined dungeon were entangled—people’s eyes might be averted to some extent.
‘And since I’m F-Class, as long as I remain silent, my presence would be unnoticeable with magic…’
Wait a minute. Did some stone dust get in my eye? Why am I suddenly tearing up?
Swish, I raised the hand that had been resting on my chin and wiped my eyes before refocusing.
I had been keeping my senses at 100% to watch all Awakened in the vicinity since earlier.
However, fresh corpses weren’t coming out so easily.
Appraisers like me are considered rare regardless of the country, so the security was uniformly tight.
‘Based on the levels of magic, there’s probably one A-Class and about three B-Class?’
As I closed my eyelids and concentrated on the Hunters’ magic, their subtle flows filtered into my awareness.
Judging by the atmosphere, it seemed like corpses wouldn’t be revealed after all, but I wasn’t too angry thanks to these little compensations.
‘My senses have sharpened a bit.’
That’s the effect of [Dragon’s Lung].
Since I could now handle more magic power within my body, I had been able to extend the range of detection more than before.
Compared to the time when I could cover half the planet, this was still just a drop in the ocean.
But still, progress mattered.
‘Hmm?’
But then.
I felt a new S-Class Hunter come to be through the edges of my spread-out senses.
Given that sorcerer’s composed nature, it was somewhat unexpected to feel the fierce current of magic.
‘Huh? Is that Jeong Ha-seong?’
I reflexively checked the analog watch I had brought.
The current time was around 4:48 AM, about two hours after I had entered.
But just moments ago, Jeong Ha-seong had stepped into this dungeon.
‘Huh? Has he lost it?’
I thought he had improved his habits after going through a major recovery, but how could someone come to tackle it at such a ridiculous hour!
No, let’s clarify that. To be precise, his purpose here wouldn’t be to tackle.
The dungeon reset time for [Mimic City] is at 6:30 AM.
So if he entered the gate at such an ambiguous hour, it was likely that he aimed for reconnaissance rather than monster extermination.
‘Just as I thought.’
As I quietly tracked the rank one’s magic, I observed he was indeed moving at a noticeably slow pace.
This was clearly the walking speed of an Earthling.
So, all I had to do was steer clear of any encounter with him.
‘But seriously, working at this time of dawn is still a bit excessive, isn’t it?’
I should probably avoid bringing this up in class.
Feeling my legs starting to ache, I changed my seated posture a bit and returned to contemplation.
I wondered if there would be any Hunters dying. And whether Jeong Ha-seong would head in my direction.
“Hm.”
A few minutes later.
My closed eyelids jolted, and my eyes rolled to one side.
In my laid-out senses, something unusual was detected.
Originally, there had been one more S-Class here besides Jeong Ha-seong.
Had that mysterious S-Class developed a sixth sense like me?
The other party suddenly dashed toward Jeong Ha-seong’s location. This sensation, if one didn’t recognize it as internal magic, could very well be mistaken for an arrow shot.
“Hmm?”
The situation escalated rapidly afterward.
As soon as that mysterious S-Class and Jeong Ha-seong met, they explosively released their magic.
This meant both had activated skills.
And those skills were surprisingly aggressive!
“Wait a minute.”
Furthermore, what on earth was happening now?
Seconds passed, and Jeong Ha-seong’s internal magic became incredibly unstable. It looked like the midpoint of a living creature had snapped, showing a gap and barely returning green energy.
“Uh?”
I couldn’t help but be shocked.
This wasn’t just some difficult metaphor I was making.
Jeong Ha-seong had genuinely lost a part of his waist, urgently staunching the wound with healing potions as he continued to fight.
“Wh-wh-what?!”
Surprised by the sensed confrontation, I stood abruptly.
Then, taking the shortcut I had scouted earlier, I hurried to the scene.
Simply celebrating that a high-rank corpse would appear wasn’t right, given who the subject was.
‘There it is!’
Pat pat pat.
Enhancing my legs with magic, I arrived at the scene at the maximum speed possible for an F-Class, already facing an unbelievable situation before my eyes.
‘No! My future national guard that I’ve painstakingly nurtured!’
Agghhh!
There lay Jaegseong, already looking completely tattered, as if he had been ripped apart multiple times, with no part of his gear remaining intact.
Against the backdrop of blood splattered everywhere, a mysterious psionic stood proudly.
The attacker was a beast wearing a grotesque mask made of elk bones on its head.
Beast!
Was this the master of such immense magic?