Satin had almost forgotten, but he also had a sword. He drew the blade slung across his back, but no matter how he held it, his stance looked awkward.
‘Even though I used a kitchen knife for years, this still feels so clumsy.’
There was no way Cain wouldn’t have noticed what Satin was feeling. He glanced over and immediately frowned.
“Don’t even think about swinging that thing. Just hold it. Got it?”
“…Yeah.”
He knew Cain said it out of concern, but it still left a bitter taste. Still, this wasn’t the time to argue—better to be cautious.
Just then, Rita shouted.
“Something’s falling!”
Everyone looked up at the ceiling. Around the burning brazier, black shadowy shapes were drifting down slowly like feathers. But it wasn’t just one or two. As they neared the ground, their forms became clearer.
“…Monkeys?”
Hearing Cain mutter that, Satin instinctively responded in his head, Huh, he’s right. There was a reason he didn’t say it out loud.
“Rita, look out!”
Because there were more urgent things to say.
The black monkeys that landed on the floor leapt at the group with flea-like speed. Rita, who was standing closest to the brazier, became their first target.
“Gross!”
Shrieking, Rita conjured a fire arrow and hurled it. Ukiik! Kkekkek! The monkeys scattered in a frenzy, flailing to put out the flames that had latched onto their heads and tails.
It was a remarkably accurate shot—enough to make Satin involuntarily think she could’ve been a pitcher.
‘Maybe a last-place team should recruit her.’
No specific team came to mind. Based on posts from baseball fans online, every team seemed to be in last place. There were more people yelling “Disband the team!” than shouting “Let’s go!”
While Rita took down a few monkeys, Edward wasn’t idle either. The monkeys kept raining down without pause, and before long, Edward was surrounded.
“Haaah!”
Edward swung his sword in a rather decent stance. Thankfully, the monkeys lacked any sense of teamwork. If they had rushed him all at once, he would’ve been in serious trouble. But since they attacked one after another, Edward was able to get through it without much difficulty. Swatting monkeys away like a regular at a batting cage, he shouted:
“Mister Satin! Are you alright over there?”
“I’m fine!”
Satin responded without thinking. Compared to Rita and Edward, Cain and Satin were definitely in a better position. Thanks to the fire barrier Cain had erected, their defense was significantly easier. The monkeys flinched at the flames, hesitating to charge in for fear of getting singed.
‘At this rate… maybe I can fight too.’
That overconfident thought slipped into Satin’s mind.
Stepping slightly out from behind Cain’s back, Satin raised his sword. Just ahead, a monkey flinched awkwardly, trying to dodge the flames. It was right in front of him. The moment their eyes met, the creature bared its teeth at Satin in a threatening snarl. Kyaaaak!
‘Disgusting.’
Now he completely understood why Rita had screamed that earlier. The creature’s body looked like a monkey’s—with long arms and short legs—but its face was something else entirely. Its eyes were blood-red, and its teeth were jagged like a saw. Behind its pointed ears, scale-like protrusions sprouted.
Satin turned his revulsion into resolve and gripped his sword tighter.
‘If I put all my strength into a single blow, I can cut through its neck—or whatever else. The sword’s heavy, so it’ll build momentum too.’
“Hup!”
But before he could swing, Cain yanked him back by the shoulder. Satin stumbled, barely managing to stay on his feet. Cain shouted before Satin could even open his mouth.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“What do you mean, I was just—Ah!”
The fire barrier twitched like a living thing. The monkey Satin had targeted screamed and scrambled back in fright.
When Satin looked at Cain with frustration, Cain only snapped even more.
“Don’t do anything. Don’t even think about fighting. Don’t try to save anyone, either.”
“But they’re right in front of me…”
Rita and Edward were still battling the creatures relentlessly. The monkeys kept pouring in, endless and unrelenting.
Cain pushed Satin toward the wall and turned his back. The flames surged high, swallowing the monkeys like a beast baring its jaws to devour its prey.
The monkeys that witnessed the scene screamed and thrashed wildly. Kkieeek! Kyaaaak!
Satin instinctively covered his mouth. His stomach turned. Within the writhing flames, the silhouettes of the monkeys wriggling in agony looked oddly human—like people dancing in torment.
“Ugh…”
Without even needing to look, Cain must have sensed Satin’s condition. He clicked his tongue quietly.
“Don’t look.”
As he spoke, he shifted his body to completely shield Satin from the view.
“You psycho! Are you trying to kill us all?! Take it easy!”
That was Rita’s voice, yelling in distress after being startled by the violent blaze. If she had the composure to complain like that, then at least she wasn’t in immediate danger.
Satin tried to steady his breath. After roughly counting to twenty, he felt a little better. He gripped his sword again and was just about to step forward when—
Thud! Something massive landed with a heavy sound. The monkeys instantly froze. Caught off guard, the group halted their movements as well. As Cain’s fire barrier lowered, Satin was able to get a clear view of the surroundings.
“What was that…?”
Edward scanned the area with a troubled expression. Rita was standing back-to-back with him, and by chance, she was facing toward the center of the hall.
“Uh… the fire’s going out?”
The flames that had once reached the ceiling from the brazier were gradually dying down. The rain of monkeys had stopped. The remaining ones, visibly disheartened, squeaked softly and huddled together. It was clear they instinctively sensed that it was no longer time to rampage.
Cain stepped forward and spoke.
“Let’s finish this while we’ve got the chance.”
The flames that had briefly subsided now flared up again with ferocity. Earlier, they had resembled a beast’s maw—now they looked like waves. The wave of fire surged from behind, chasing down the remaining monkeys.
The monkeys, their will to fight completely shattered, fled to the corners of the hall, only to be reduced to ash one after another.
Those that tried to flee in other directions were taken down one by one by Rita and Edward. Edward used his sword, while Rita—true to form—landed every fire arrow with pinpoint precision.
Though she seemed more composed than earlier, Rita still looked visibly unsettled.
“Ugh… I feel like a mass murderer.”
She muttered as she carefully stepped around the growing piles of monkey corpses.
Satin was about to tell her, Good job, but then he froze.
What was that?
Something had just moved along the wall. But it was so faint he couldn’t be sure. Had it really moved? Staying on alert, Satin anxiously scanned the area.
Soon, he realized what it was that he had seen—tiny particles of light. The light gradually grew denser, and by that point, the others were starting to sense something was off too. A strange presence began to fill the air.
“What the hell is that…?”
Rita murmured in alarm. The fire arrow in her hand fluctuated in size, reflecting her shaken state. Beside her, Edward forced himself to stay calm as he urged her onward.
“Stay focused. We don’t know what’s coming next.”
“Please… just not more monkeys this time…”
While Rita and Edward were straining their senses to locate whatever was coming, Cain immediately closed the distance between himself and Satin. Even though he hadn’t drawn his own sword, he scolded Satin for being careless.
“I told you not to stray from me.”
“What? You’re the one who moved this time. I didn’t do anything.”
Satin protested, clearly offended, but Cain furrowed his brows and bulldozed through with stubbornness.
“Whatever.”
Feeling like he was being babied, Satin responded with logic.
“I’m not a kid who needs your protection. If anything, I’m the older one here. I get it—you probably don’t think I’m reliable—”
“That’s not it.”
“Then what is it?”
Cain didn’t answer. He simply stared at Satin’s face in silence. Satin tried to wait patiently for a response, but the situation didn’t allow for it.
The lights that had once been crawling up the walls were now moving in the opposite direction—descending from the ceiling. Not just along the walls, but taking over the very air itself.
This wasn’t the time to interrogate Cain. Satin swallowed hard and gave a warning.
“Something’s coming… from above.”
And not long after—
“Look at that!”
Rita shouted, pointing toward the ceiling. But it was unnecessary noise. Everyone had already seen it.
Its form was hard to make out, but it was clear—it was enormous. A dark, repulsive mass twisted and writhed above them. It hadn’t even fully revealed itself yet, but the surviving monkeys panicked and scattered in every direction.
Their terror said it all. Satin shivered instinctively.
“What the hell kind of monster is that…?”
Whatever it was that terrified the monstrous monkeys—Satin couldn’t imagine ever being allied with that. Sure, there’s a saying that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” but he highly doubted it applied here. Not that he wanted to be its friend either. Something like that wouldn’t respond to words, gestures, or any form of communication at all.
As the flames from the brazier slowly dwindled, the creature also began to descend. Technically, since it was moving through the air, flying down would be more accurate than crawling.
As the distance closed, its form became clearer. It was a snake.
“A snake? First monkeys, now snakes? Ugh, that’s so disgusting!”
Rita recoiled in horror and darted behind Edward. He yelped and jumped aside.
“I hate snakes too! Don’t hide behind me!”
“Then let’s take turns hiding behind each other. That works, right?”
“Like hell it does!”
The way Rita and Edward bickered looked a little too much like a lovers’ quarrel to Satin—and it rubbed him the wrong way. There was no reason for it to bother him, but it did.
‘The protagonist nearly turned to villainy because life kept screwing him over…’
Casting a sideways glance full of pity, Satin looked at Cain, who immediately furrowed his brow—as if he could instantly tell Satin was thinking something dark.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
