By Zephyria Yohan, who had been shedding tears at the whispering sounds, opened his eyes. The two black monsters were still lingering without any intention of attacking, just staring blankly. It was when Yohan, thinking he might be hallucinating, was crying his eyes out, wildly tearing at his furry tail with his hands.
[Crying]
[He’s crying his eyes out?]
Only then did Yohan grasp the identity of the voices. They were small monsters huddled near the two large monsters. Were the monsters reproducing? Looking closer, they resembled the larger monsters, as if they were offspring. The small furry-tailed monster and the small tentacle monster giggled.
“Y-you spoke…?”
Yohan doubted his own ears. He muttered to himself, wondering if he, a Purifier, had been corrupted and was hallucinating.
“Monsters can talk?”
Immediately, a response came from the small monsters.
[Not monsters.]
“Oh? Uh, sorry for calling you monsters…”
He apologized, sweating profusely. Fortunately, the small monsters didn’t seem too angry. Yohan still couldn’t believe he was alive and well. He wriggled, trying to escape the tail constricting his body, and thought.
‘Did I purify them and they regained some semblance of reason? Even being this small, were they originally human? …Perhaps, they were children.’
Thinking so, he felt a chill but also pity. And a small hope arose. Being able to converse meant there was a possibility of persuasion.
“Hey, can you please let me go? Please…”
He pleaded earnestly, but the response was utterly resolute.
[Nah]
[AbsolutelyXXXXXXXXXXX]
He didn’t know how, but the small monsters communicated like they were in a chat, and strangely, he could understand their meaning perfectly. Their subsequent replies, fitting for monsters, were even more chilling.
[You are with us forever]
[ForeverOOOOOOOOOO]
“Nooo…. Lee Hyun-muk… H-hyung, Hyun-mook Hyung…”
Yohan struggled and cried again. He hadn’t cried like this since falling into the Abyss, and eventually, he became exhausted. Thanks to that, he was barely able to escape the tail, but he couldn’t even think of running away and was just sobbing.
The monster that had snatched his knife handle earlier approached, lingering. It came closer, breathing heavily, clearly looking like it was feeling hunger. Its long tongue flicked out and licked his cheek, making Yohan scream again. It was then.
With a mournful howl, the furry-tailed monster lunged. It fought fiercely, scattering fur, biting and tearing, and in the end, the furry-tailed monster won. The tentacle monster retreated with a yelp, putting some distance between them, but Yohan’s relief was short-lived. The furry-tailed monster returned and swallowed Yohan whole.
This time, Yohan couldn’t even scream. He was instantly sucked into a pitch-black darkness, and everything, tears and all, was thoroughly slurped away. When he was spat out, dry and clean, he was momentarily stunned.
“Hhhuuuk…”
As he barely regained his senses, tears welled up again. But Yohan, trembling, desperately held them back.
‘I-I mustn’t cry.’
He recalled how the Madman Lee Hyun-muk coveted his tears or blood. It was highly likely that monsters would also favor his tears or blood. This time, only his tears were sucked away, but next time, it could be his flesh. He sat down, putting as much distance as possible between himself and the monsters.
As the monsters sat like silent stone statues, a tediously long time passed. He was tired and sleepy, but Yohan forced his eyes open and endured. He imagined Lee Hyun-muk, who had become a Madman, or Yoon Seung-ryong, forgetting himself and wandering aimlessly before leaving, which kept him from sleeping.
How much time had passed? The monsters, exchanging glances as if in silent conversation, began to move again. They wrapped their furry tails around Yohan once more and moved quickly. The transport was surprisingly comfortable, but his mood was far from it.
Carried along in a state of near-surrender, the movement stopped after a few hours. Yohan’s face darkened further as he confirmed they had entered a more secluded, deeper part of the jungle. He glanced back, hoping Lee Hyun-muk or Yoon Seung-ryong would appear, but only a sinister darkness lurked, occasionally punctuated by the faint, distant glint of unknown monsters’ red eyes before disappearing.
The monsters, after circling and wandering around, finally seemed satisfied and settled down. They then began to create something like a nest. In an instant, they dragged various byproducts, laid them down thickly, and placed him in the center. Yohan, sitting dejectedly, flinched.
Gurgle… He felt intense hunger, perhaps from running and purifying and crying since yesterday. Hearing the sound, the monsters simultaneously turned their gaze to Yohan. Soon, the large tentacle monster and one small tentacle monster moved slowly and left the nest. What remained were the long furry-tailed monsters. Yohan hunched down and watched them cautiously.
‘They won’t hurt me, I guess.’
Yohan felt relieved that they hadn’t harmed him yet, even though they could have easily done so if they intended to. While death was frightening, the thought of him, the sole Purifier, disappearing and leaving Lee Hyun-muk and Yoon Seung-ryong behind was equally worrying. He let out a sigh of relief. After a moment of hesitation, he reached out a trembling hand to the furry-tailed monster. A cluster of bright light flowed from his fingertips.
“Don’t hurt me… Okay?”
He offered purification as a bribe, and its red eyes narrowed as if pleased. Only then could Yohan let go of some of his fear. Glancing around, he looked at its still pitch-black body. How could it be so black? It seemed to stand out more rather than help with concealment. It was a terrifying blackness that seemed to warn him to escape immediately.
Turning his gaze away, Yohan fumbled with his hand. Dressed in the light of purification, he slowly stroked the fur.
“G-good boy…”
Although he was scared, the fur was soft, like satin. It was surprisingly addictive to touch, so he kept stroking it diligently while looking elsewhere. The monster’s body tilted slightly, and it flinched, but it seemed to simply enjoy being petted, lying flat near his legs. Relieved, Yohan’s touch became more active. This time, he gently stroked its head.
He heard the sound of rustling bushes and Yohan flinched. He was wary of another monster attacking, but fortunately, the monster that had left earlier was returning, carrying something on its shoulder. It seemed to have gone hunting.
With a thud, the wriggling prey rolled onto the ground. It was… a yellow grub. And a very large, very disgusting grub! Yohan barely suppressed a scream. As if displeased with his reaction, the monster let out a low, grumbling growl.
Yohan looked down at the prey with trembling eyes. A documentary flashed through his mind. A scene where indigenous people living near the jungle ate disgusting grubs without hesitation and offered them to the film crew. Yohan thought that refusing this offer might anger the monsters.
He took a deep breath and scattered light. He suspected purifying a grub would be futile, but if he had to eat it, he wanted a grub with a neater appearance. Fortunately, after one purification, its bumpy exterior became smooth, and it stopped wriggling.
‘It looks familiar…’
It was when Yohan tilted his head. The monster sliced the grub’s shell with its fingernail, revealing white flesh. Yohan, who had been frowning, suddenly widened his eyes.
“B-banana…?”
Its corrupted form was undeniably a grub, but after purification, it looked like a banana from any angle. As he half-believed it, the monster extended a thick tentacle and pushed it forward as if to say, “Eat.” Yohan carefully picked up a piece of the sliced banana flesh. The scent of banana, which he hadn’t smelled in a long time, wafted strongly.
“Thank you. I’ll eat well…”
Yohan lifted a piece of banana, almost as big as his face. Hesitating, he couldn’t resist his hunger and took a bite.
“……!”
It was surprisingly sweet and delicious, and before he knew it, he had eaten the entire piece. Yohan glanced at the monsters and picked up another piece. Only after eating three pieces did he let out a satisfied sigh.
While filling his hunger was good, his stomach became full, making him even sleepier. But he forced his eyes open and endured, not knowing what the monsters might do while he slept. The furry tail slowly wrapped around Yohan.
“Huk…”
Yohan stiffened, thinking he was being taken somewhere far away again. But instead of being taken anywhere, he was pulled close into its embrace. Fearing it might try to put him in its mouth and swallow him like last time, he was scared, but that wasn’t it either. The monster pressed Yohan close against its infinitely dark body. It even pulled over something soft from the nest and covered him with it.
Yohan’s eyes widened. Wasn’t this behavior like caring for someone sleeping… It seemed purifying it had been a wise decision. He seemed to have gained some favor.
‘That’s a relief… I can somehow hold on until I meet Lee Hyun-muk and Seung-ryong Hyung.’
Still, he shouldn’t fall asleep. He had seen Lee Hyun-muk and Yoon Seung-ryong endure for so long without sleeping, so Yohan believed that he, a High-level Awakener, could do the same. However, the monster’s embrace was so warm and soft that Yohan soon yawned without realizing it and fell into a deep sleep.