116.
“Yes.”
“…But what if our suspicions are wrong? What if we’re just spying on someone’s private life?”
Hyunsu couldn’t hide his anxiety after Hyunwoo’s answer.
Until now, he had only used his x-ray ability to locate magic stones hidden inside monsters or to examine spaces blocked by walls.
He had once tried to use it to cheat during an exam while attending hunter training with Sehun, but since then, he’d made an effort not to use it in daily life.
He felt anxious – what if the person in the next room wasn’t who they were looking for, but some innocent bystander they wrongly suspected?
“If that’s really the case, we’ll apologize. I’ll take full responsibility, so Hyunsu, don’t worry and just use your x-ray ability.”
Hyunwoo comforted the anxious Hyunsu. His instinct was telling him something. He had a strong sense that the person in the next room was suspicious.
It could just be someone who was sick, but the air in the inn felt strangely heavy. It wasn’t simply due to the mixture of herbal medicine and rotting corpse smells.
Trying to recall where he’d felt a similar sensation before, he remembered dungeons filled with monsters possessing curse-related abilities had exactly this feeling.
“Alright.”
Hyunsu swallowed dryly and used his ability. His eyes, now glowing with blue light, faced the solid wall.
Soon, the internal structure of the wall was exposed, and the view of the room across became visible at once.
“Uh…”
His gaze met directly with a figure sitting cross-legged.
The face staring back intently, as if knowing it was being observed, made Hyunsu feel like his heart had dropped.
No, could it even be called seeing? The man’s eyes were hollowed out. Something worm-like wriggled in the gaping holes.
There was little hair left on the crown of his head, and his body, wearing only pants, was so emaciated that the bone structure was clearly visible through the skin.
Dark spots spread across his face and upper body made it difficult to guess his age. Hyunsu covered his mouth with his palm at the sight that resembled a living ghoul.
“Urgh…”
“Hyunsu, what’s wrong?”
When Hyunsu suddenly dry-heaved, Hyunwoo quickly patted his back. His already pale face was now as white as a sheet.
“He… he knows I’m watching him… He looks exactly like a corpse…”
Despite having no eyes, Hyunsu couldn’t shake the feeling that the man was looking at him. His appearance was terrifying enough to haunt nightmares.
The man was currently rotting alive.
Hyunwoo frowned and made eye contact with Jian. If it wasn’t his imagination, the smell of death had grown stronger than before.
“Bugs.”
Sehun, who had been quietly observing the situation, looked up at the ceiling.
Hundreds of insects were rippling like shadows on the ceiling. Even now, hundreds more were squeezing through the gaps in the door and windows.
The variety of insects was diverse. From those that typically inhabit houses to ones you’d only expect to find deep in the mountains, all clustered together in a chilling sight.
“Sehun…”
Jian gripped Sehun’s arm tightly. His fingertips were trembling.
The countless insects evoked such intense disgust that he thought facing Cerberus would be preferable.
“It’s okay.”
Sehun stretched his arm toward the ceiling. As he closed his fingers that had been spread out, the insects that occupied more than half the ceiling began to cluster into a round ball.
The sound of fluttering wings and scrabbling legs filled the room. Hyunsu buried his head in Hyunwoo’s shoulder and covered his ears with both hands.
Even with his eyes closed, the terrible afterimage of the man staring at him wouldn’t disappear, causing him distress. Despite the man not having launched any specific attack, it felt like his mind was being torn apart.
“This won’t do. Let’s get outside for now.”
Hyunwoo jumped to his feet. Sehun was using his telekinesis to keep the insects at bay, but the black ball was growing larger by the moment.
Moreover, the air in the room was becoming increasingly stale. It was difficult to breathe, as if toxic gas was filling the space.
They seemed to have found a suspicious person, but his abilities were unsettling.
Jian opened the door. He was about to step out unconsciously but bit his lip. The floor was completely covered with insects, like black water flowing.
“Ma’am!”
By this point, they were worried about the old lady who owned the inn. When Jian called out loudly, the elderly woman peeked her head out from the entrance.
Her wrinkled eyes trembled at the sight of the numerous insects. Her lips quivered, turning blue, unable to even scream properly.
“This is insane.”
Hyunwoo also assessed the floor situation. It was such a mess that he didn’t know where to step.
Just then, a path wide enough for one person to walk through formed among the insects. Looking back, they saw Sehun exhaling a long breath.
“Hurry. I don’t think I can hold it much longer.”
Sehun’s complexion was gradually paling. With so many insects, controlling his telekinesis wasn’t easy.
Jian rushed out first to take care of the old lady. Hyunwoo followed, supporting the staggering Hyunsu.
Sehun turned back as he was leaving. The door that had been firmly closed was now wide open.
The man with the horrific appearance that explained why Hyunsu had panicked was smiling at Sehun.
His gums, with teeth missing here and there, were dark and discolored. The aura emanating from him, like that of the dead, sent chills down Sehun’s spine.
Sehun covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve. His head spinning didn’t feel good at all.
“Sehun!”
Jian called out to Sehun from the entrance. Seeing him standing still was worrying. As Jian was about to re-enter the inn, Sehun hurriedly moved his feet.
Countless insects followed behind Sehun. Anxious that Sehun might be engulfed by the bugs at any moment, Jian anxiously reached out his arm.
As soon as Sehun’s arm touched his fingertips, Jian gripped tightly and pulled. Hyunwoo immediately closed the swing door.
The flying insects crashed into the door. The grimy newspaper was instantly soiled by the fluids leaking from the insects.
“Oh my, truly, what is all this?”
The inn owner muttered in a dazed voice. Hyunwoo approached the old lady.
“Ma’am, the person in the inner room. How long has he been staying here?”
“Well, you see…”
The old woman blinked, searching her memory. The man had been in this village for almost half a year already.
In this village where young people had all left for the cities, leaving only elderly residents like herself who had settled here since youth, strangers were unfamiliar but welcome.
However, she said the man had never left his room after nesting in the inn. Even when he first arrived, he wore a black hood pulled down low, so they barely exchanged words.
The man handed the old woman ten million won in cash every month. The condition was that he would stay in the inner room and she would provide three meals a day.
For the old lady, it was an amount too attractive to refuse. But from a certain day, the elderly villagers began to fall ill one by one.
“I also found it getting harder to breathe properly.”
After speaking, the old lady looked around sheepishly. She felt guilty for saying that the villagers were getting sick because of a guest she had accepted out of greed for money.
“Ma’am, is there a village hall or something similar around here? I think it would be best for you and the others to evacuate there temporarily.”
Hyunwoo pointed to the rattling door. Bugs were forcing their way through the gaps, with debris falling to the floor in heaps.
Though they didn’t yet know the opponent’s hunter rank, they estimated it to be at least A-rank or higher. If things went wrong, not only the inn owner but also nearby elderly residents could get caught in the crossfire.
“Yes, the hall is over yonder. I’ll handle it myself, don’t you worry ’bout it.”
The old lady shuffled away with her bent back, taking small, quick steps. Only after confirming that all the elderly villagers had entered the village hall following the old lady did everyone prepare for the real battle.
The suspicious man inside the inn was only sending numerous insects outside the door but had not yet shown himself.
“I’m going to tear down the walls.”
Sehun initiated the battle. The inn, which had withstood the passage of time, shook as if struck by an earthquake, and the roof flew off.
Following that, the structural frames making up the walls rose one by one. As all sides were opened up, the man sitting cross-legged inside raised his head slightly.
A few grubs crawled out from his hollow eyes.
“Do you think dialogue is possible?”
Jian frowned at the horrific sight and turned to Hyunwoo. The man was definitely suspicious. Whether he was the chairperson of the Jeongho Association was still unknown, however.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
