By Zephyria Investigation
“Dodge!”
A foot in a flat shoe kicked his stomach with all its might. Thwack! Pow! With a gruesome sound, the kicked body rolled away into a corner. And where he had been standing just moments before—
Bang!
A thick, white tail came flying. The cement wall struck by the tail crumbled and collapsed, raising a cloud of dust. Through the hazy dust, a fluorescent lime green vest was briefly visible. Yang Hye-jin, the one who had kicked him, clicked her tongue and raised her voice.
“Hey, are you okay there?”
“Cough…. I, I’m okay….”
As the dust settled somewhat, the rookie was visible, clutching his stomach and coughing. A slight feeling of guilt rose within her, but she shook it off. Getting hit by her leg would hurt less than getting hit by the tail. Hye-jin reached into the air and pulled out a pair of red hand axes. The heavy weight felt good in her hands.
The Monster in front of her looked like a giant crocodile walking on two legs. Except that even the smallest of its bumpy scales were white. The crocodile opened its long snout wide. Did even the inside of its mouth have to be white?
She tilted her head from side to side, loosening her muscles. Since it was a Monster she was seeing for the first time, she needed to gather information. Yang Hye-jin raised her hand axes and jumped high. The first thing to check was…
‘The Monster’s strength!’
Hye-jin raised both arms high and slammed the axes down on the crocodile’s neck with all her might. Thwack, the hand axes pierced through the scales and flesh, breaking the bone more easily than expected. White liquid splattered. The crocodile roared. Hye-jin put a little more strength into the hands gripping the axes.
‘It’s not as tough as it looks….’
Wasn’t it almost strangely soft? A small question arose. The crocodile swung its tail as if in a final struggle, but Hye-jin’s axes were faster in digging into its neck. Soon, its head fell to the ground with a thud. Hye-jin, who was supporting the giant body with her back as it tilted, shook off the white liquid on her hand axes and clicked her tongue.
“Ah, I should have handled that more cleanly.”
“I-is it over?”
“Yeah, it’s over. Do you have a collection bottle? I think we should have this blood-like stuff analyzed.”
“Just a moment….”
The rookie staggered to his feet and approached. He handed her a small vial and a towel from his Inventory. Hye-jin wiped her hands with the towel, put on her gloves, and then collected the liquid flowing from the Monster’s neck. A white, translucent liquid. A viscosity similar to blood. Hye-jin frowned.
“Hasn’t the frequency of these strange Monsters appearing suddenly increased?”
“Yes! It has definitely increased compared to before. They resemble the Monsters that come out of Invasion Dungeons….”
Yang Hye-jin felt around the Monster’s skeleton with her hand. Hard bones and soft flesh, a Monster that was white from head to toe, even the cut surface, as if covered in white ash. Similar to the characteristics of special Monsters that could only be seen in Invasion Dungeons. The fact that they were wandering the streets meant….
Yang Hye-jin approached the crocodile’s head lying on the ground.
“Any reports of Monsters flowing backward from Invasion Dungeons?”
“Uh…. Probably not. Not probably, there aren’t any!”
“Not even one?”
“Yes! That’s right.”
“Ah, are those Guild guys hiding information again as a group….”
“Surely not… after the fuss last time, would they do that again?”
“If not, why are these things popping up?”
“Could it be that a Rift has formed….”
“If a Rift had formed, would we be standing here like this? We would have been deployed there first. Ha….”
Yang Hye-jin ruffled her hair roughly and then gestured to the rookie Hunter.
“First… let’s pick it up and hand it over. They’ll figure something out.”
“Understood!”
“After handing this over, I’m going to request cooperation from the Guilds that own Invasion Dungeons. Prepare in advance.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
The rookie Hunter began to move busily. Yang Hye-jin was still squatting in front of the Monster’s mouth, which was still open. And then she discovered something she hadn’t noticed before.
“…….”
She took out a small flashlight from her back pocket and shone it into the mouth. Then she felt around the inside of the open mouth with her hand. Yang Hye-jin glanced back.
“Hey… aren’t crocodile teeth supposed to be sharp?”
“Yes? Yes. They’re incredibly sharp! They’re shaped like triangles.”
“Right? That’s what I know too….”
The teeth that touched her fingertips were blunt and square, without any sharp edges. Even the parts that looked like fangs were round compared to a crocodile’s. The shape of these teeth was like….
“…….”
Hye-jin carefully felt around the crocodile’s teeth, running her tongue along the inside of her own teeth. This wasn’t like a crocodile’s but…
Wasn’t it similar to a human’s teeth?
“A request to investigate an Invasion Dungeon?”
Thud, Eui-jae put down his pen and looked up. Bae Won-woo, standing with his hands behind his back in front of the Guild Master’s desk, nodded.
“Yes, it’s an official letter from the Rift Management Bureau. They need detailed information about the Monsters in the Invasion Dungeon.”
“Why all of a sudden?”
“There were rumors that Monsters similar to those only reported within Invasion Dungeons recently have appeared in reality…. Hunter Yang Hye-jin actually encountered one. It seems they need to gather more detailed information.”
Lee Sa-young made a rustling sound. Eui-jae took the tablet that Bae Won-woo handed him and checked it. A photo of a giant Monster with its head and body separated was attached. A Monster that was all white. It had similar characteristics to the Monsters he had seen in the West Sea Rift. Bae Won-woo scratched his head.
“Honeybee asked and said they sent official letters to all the Guilds that own Invasion Dungeons, not just Wave Guild. Well, there’s no reason to refuse, so wouldn’t it be good to investigate….”
“…….”
Eui-jae zoomed in on the photo. The teeth visible inside the open mouth were in the shape of human teeth, only larger. It was attached with the opinion that it was clearly different from the Monster in the form of a crocodile. Eui-jae made a small noise. Bae Won-woo, who was still standing with his hands behind his back, cleared his throat.
“Ahem, ahem. But, well.”
“Yes?”
“Why…. is J sitting at the Guild Master’s desk?”
Eui-jae glanced towards the sofa in the Guild Master’s office. Bae Won-woo, who was following where his gaze was directed, approached the sofa. Lee Sa-young, covered with a checkered microfiber blanket, was lying stretched out on the sofa. Sa-young blinked his eyes and answered shamelessly.
“What are you looking at.”
“…What are you doing here?”
“I’m sick.”
“No, if you’re sick, you should go to the hospital….”
“I’m not sick enough to go to the hospital, but I’m sick.”
“So you gave J your Guild Master’s desk and are lying here?”
Sa-young nodded up and down. Bae Won-woo rubbed his forehead and groaned, and then hesitated as if he had more to say…. But in the end, he didn’t say it out loud.
It’s absurd, right? I’m also at a loss for words.
A stinging gaze was felt above the mask. Eui-jae glanced at the owner of the gaze. Sa-young was looking at him with a languid smile. Damn it. Eui-jae quickly turned his head away. It seemed he didn’t like that he had thrown away the Lee Sa-young, who had no intention of getting up as soon as he heard the knock, and sat in the chair.
‘I must never get caught.’
The fact that he had been lending his lap to Lee Sa-young until just before. Eui-jae pretended not to know and handed over the tablet.
“What are we investigating? The Monster?”
“Yes, that’s right. You can take an investigator from Seowon Guild or the Rift Management Bureau and dissect and investigate it on the spot, or you can capture the Monster alive and bring it back…. They say there are two options. They will compare the Monster they caught with the data.”
“…Neither seems easy.”
“Honeybee said she chose the latter.”
“Then tell them we’ll do the latter too.”
“Yes? Uh….”
Bae Won-woo glanced at Lee Sa-young. Oh, no, was I not supposed to answer? Eui-jae also stared at Sa-young, who was lying stretched out on the sofa. He was sitting with the blanket over his shoulders, yawning widely. And as if telling him to do as he pleased, he waved his hand with his back turned.
“Do as J says.”
“Is that okay?”
“He’s a pro with twice as much experience as me, so I have to entrust it to him, then….”
“O-okay. Well…. Then who are you thinking of sending to investigate? If it’s capture, Hunter Kang Ji-soo would be good….”
“I’ll go myself. I don’t need anyone else.”
“Y-yes?”
“…What?”
Sa-young turned his head sharply to look at Eui-jae. In fact, it was almost a glare. Damn it. Was he going to cause trouble again? Eui-jae quickly raised his hand before Sa-young could drop a bomb.
“Wait! There’s a reason.”
“Aha…. A reason?”
Sa-young tilted his chin slightly. It was a gesture telling him to say it. Eui-jae calmly continued.
“First of all, it’s easier for me to act alone.”
Hmph*, a snort was heard. Sa-young, who had put his arm on the backrest and turned his body towards Eui-jae, twisted his lips.
“How can people live only doing what’s easy…. Don’t you think?”
“Uh, uh? Oh, right. It’s no fun to only do what’s easy.”
However, Eui-jae ignored the voices that were interrupting and continued to speak firmly.
“Capturing it alive is enough for me alone.”
“The way I see it…. You’ll kill it without capturing it, because you can’t control your strength.”
“…….”
This was a bit of a painful point. In fact, killing it was much faster and easier than capturing it alive. Eui-jae knew over 100 ways to efficiently kill the pale Monster, but he didn’t know how to capture it alive….
Just as Eui-jae was about to grab the tablet and retort, Sa-young, who had slowly approached, reached out his arm over Eui-jae’s shoulder. And he easily took the tablet in his hand and handed it to Bae Won-woo.
“Reply that I’m going with him.”
“…Huh?”
A black hand brushed against his neck and fell away. A low voice mixed with laughter whispered.
“Wouldn’t it be faster if we did it together?”
‘I, I don’t want to.’
“Then that’s settled, right?”
“I’ll be relieved if you two go! Please take care of it!”
Bae Won-woo, who had no tact, raised his thumb. Eui-jae closed his eyes tightly. He was going to find out what Hong Ye-seong was talking about this time!
Whether he knew his complicated feelings or not, a hearty laugh and a low laugh echoed in the Guild Master’s office.