Chapter 10
As soon as Baek Rak’s hand let go, Seo Won sprawled out on the ground spread-eagle. With his throbbing stomach, pounding head, and churning insides, he really felt the worst.
“I’m going crazy, seriously…”
Even the red sky that had been welcome became disgusting to look at, so he closed his eyes.
‘I’d rather just pass out.’
Still, time was medicine, and he quickly felt it getting better. His face that had been flushed red from the blood rushing to it, his shaking brain, and his insides that had been twisted up all returned to normal.
Only then did Seo Won open his eyes and roll his pupils to look for Baek Rak. He was kneeling on one knee in front of Yangjae Stream, which had become a brook, filling a water pouch.
Seo Won propped himself up on his arms and surveyed Yangjae Stream. The waterway hadn’t been very deep originally, but now it was barely flowing enough to maintain its existence. The fortunate thing was that unlike the city becoming ruins, the water looked very clean.
Baek Rak, who had finished filling the water pouch, stood up from his spot. He put the water pouch into a small bag at his waist and gestured with his head while looking at Seo Won.
“Since we’re by the river, want to wash up?”
Earlier he had been forceful, but now he was asking for his opinion again. Seo Won laughed helplessly at how he acted as if nothing had happened. Baek Rak didn’t even care, but he felt like he had gotten heated up all by himself.
The anger that had lost its target evaporated futilely. He didn’t even have the energy left to respond.
Should he say he was fortunate that he could at least wash up? After being covered in dirt and sand and even sweating on top of that, he looked terrible. He had thought he would have to live looking like a beggar during the journey.
Seo Won looked around for a suitable place to wash. Though no people were visible, he needed a somewhat private space.
Fortunately, he found a place where water flowed and three sides were blocked. As he moved toward that place, Baek Rak’s gaze followed.
“I’ll wash up over there and come back.”
Baek Rak, who confirmed the location Seo Won pointed to with his finger, nodded.
He briefly washed his body and shook the dust off his clothes before putting them back on. While he was drying his wet hair with his hands, Baek Rak also approached in a neat appearance, having apparently washed up somewhere else.
But his expression was strange. Baek Rak, who hurriedly approached him, embraced him and leaped up high.
When he looked at him in surprise, Baek Rak was glaring at somewhere. Wondering what was happening, he turned his gaze downward and saw a group of Turncoats approaching the waterside from far away.
Baek Rak and Seo Won, who arrived behind the collapsed bridge with a few leaps, watched the creatures’ actions.
The group of Turncoats gathered at the waterside while loitering around, then began conversing among themselves. Then they bent down and started drinking water. Seo Won’s face turned pale at the sight.
‘They’re drinking water?’
It might be considered nothing special, but the meaning was bigger than expected.
The fact that Creatures drank water meant that water was also an important resource to them. That meant the waterside was a danger zone. It meant the probability of Turncoats and humans encountering each other increased.
They had almost been in big trouble. If they had been just a little later, they would have encountered that group. It was fortunate that Baek Rak was a Hunter and noticed in advance.
However, an unexpected incident occurred.
While he was watching the waterside while hiding his anxiety, suddenly something black whooshed past his face. Startled, he unconsciously stamped his feet, and unfortunately kicked a pile of rocks that was under his feet. At the sound of the pile of rocks crashing down, red eyes turned toward them.
The moment their gazes met with the Turncoats.
“…!”
They tore their mouths wide open and rushed at them.
Baek Rak let out a short sigh and drew one of the long swords tied at his waist. Then he embraced the confused Seo Won with one arm and retreated backward to avoid the rushing Turncoat.
However, they couldn’t escape from them. Long extended claws flew at them from all directions as if scratching. The speed was tremendous.
“Relax your body.”
Baek Rak avoided the sharp attack coming from the front and adjusted his hold on Seo Won.
“Ugh, sorry.”
Seo Won apologized while relaxing his stiffly tensed body. When it wasn’t enough that he should make it easier for Baek Rak to move, he couldn’t drag him down again. Hadn’t they already been discovered by the Turncoats because of his mistake?
What exactly had flown by? He wanted to blame that object for no reason.
However, his thoughts couldn’t continue for long.
Though not as many as yesterday, the number of Turncoats was considerable. Besides the ones rushing with claws extended, there were also those that attacked by transforming their bodies.
The problem was that the Turncoats had sensed that Seo Won was weaker than Baek Rak.
A long extended arm rushed toward Seo Won’s side. From other directions, they simultaneously attacked aiming for his legs and head. Baek Rak tightly embraced Seo Won and raised his sword.
He cut off the arms attacking his waist and head, and kicked the one coming from below. Then he leaped far backward, but the Turncoats rushed at them regardless of losing parts of their bodies.
The creatures’ black blood splattered in all directions and severed limbs flew through the air.
“Ugh.”
Seo Won covered his mouth. When he had watched Baek Rak kill Creatures from afar, it had been fine, but seeing it this close was so horrible that his stomach churned.
At that moment, one Turncoat ambushed Baek Rak from behind.
Seo Won held his breath while looking at the one rushing from the front. The creature with long red eyes and torn mouth corners pulled up was smiling like a human. As if it couldn’t contain its joy.
Its gaze was full of greed and excitement. It extended its arms to grasp the prey in its hands. To claim it before the other companions, to eat more.
Its torn mouth moved up and down. As if saying something, or as if muttering. Then a heavily scratched and cracked voice could be heard.
Seo Won unconsciously muttered along with the Turncoat’s words.
“Tasty… thing?”
At that moment, the Turncoat opened its mouth wide.
While he was staring blankly at the creature baring its teeth as if to devour him, suddenly his vision spun around. After spinning once and returning to its original position, the Turncoat’s neck and waist were severed.
Seo Won couldn’t take his eyes off the collapsing Turncoat. The spilling blood and flowing organs… were strangely similar to those of humans.
Creatures clearly only had flesh, so why were Turncoats similar to humans?
Though they were completely dyed black, their form was clearly that of humans. Moreover, they were definitely using language. Human language at that. He had clearly heard it muttering that he was a tasty thing while looking at him.
“Don’t tell me… mmph!”
His body suddenly swayed greatly and he bit his tongue. Without time to complain about the pain, he bit his rolled-up lips. His mind snapped to attention belatedly.
While Baek Rak was fighting while blocking attacks flying at him from all directions, he had been spacing out alone. Seo Won shook his head and pulled himself together. But he couldn’t stand their stench as well. He covered his nose and mouth and rolled his eyes while holding his breath as much as possible.
Attacks that were difficult to follow even with his eyes struck from the surroundings. When black attacks flew, blue sword blades passed by like afterimages. Then blood and flesh invariably splattered.
“Duck your head.”
“Ugh!”
Rough wind passed sharply over his head. It seemed he had narrowly avoided an attack. Seeing that his hair was grazed, if he had ducked just a little later, it would have been serious.
Unlike himself, Baek Rak avoided attacks with just a light tilt of his head.
If he became a Hunter, would he be able to fight like Baek Rak? Watching the battle right before his eyes like this, the importance of Hunters really hit home.
‘Damn it.’
Instead of trying to see the barely visible attacks, Seo Won was engulfed in worry while listening to the sounds of offense and defense continuing.
If he became a Hunter, he could protect himself. He wouldn’t have to do nothing but read the situation and beg to be protected. However, he couldn’t know what the price for that would be. Seeing how sincere he was about keeping him alive like this, it didn’t seem like it was the kind that threatened his life…
“Yoon Seo Won.”
“Huh?”
His rapidly spinning head suddenly stopped. There was a clear tone of disbelief in Baek Rak’s voice calling him.
“Someone causes trouble and then has other thoughts.”
Baek Rak’s criticism was sharp as an awl.
“Who’s cleaning up the trouble?”
Seo Won couldn’t bring himself to argue back and kept his mouth tightly shut. His insides felt prickly. Hadn’t he been concentrating on the fight?
“Should I let go of your hand? Want to hang on by yourself?”
“No! No!”
He strongly refused, but he could feel the strength leaving the firm arm that was wrapped around his waist. Seo Won hurriedly grabbed Baek Rak’s arm.
“I wasn’t having other thoughts!”
“You weren’t?”
‘I can’t say I was thinking about what your ulterior motive is.’
Seo Won pondered for a moment, then urgently continued speaking.
“Earlier those things, ugh! They were speaking… human language.”
Baek Rak swung his sword to cut another Turncoat’s neck and leaped into the air. Now about ten remained.
“Of course they speak human language.”
“Of course?”
Baek Rak, who confirmed the positions of the ones chasing them, turned his body in midair and swung his sword. Then two of them split apart and crashed to the ground. Even as they died, red anger still remained in their wide-open eyes.
Baek Rak’s eyes froze coldly.
“Because they were human before they changed.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
