Chapter 57
The Alpha let out a low sigh and pulled back slightly. Its blade felt so sharp it seemed almost frenzied, terrifyingly so. It was almost regrettable that its power was diminished during the day. Saliva kept pooling in its mouth from the lingering sweetness.
“I want to eat more. When will I ever taste such a delicacy again? Much more delicious than hunters! Right?”
The grumbling Alpha was so repulsive that Baek Rak’s face contorted deeply in disgust. Acting like a human when it wasn’t even human. Yet its words were unmistakably those of a monster.
This creature had definitely appeared when the meteorite first fell to Earth. It must have remembered someone Yoon Seo Won had encountered 300 years ago and was mimicking them exactly.
Come to think of it, the Alpha had never once properly initiated a conversation with Yoon Seo Won. It had just pretended to know nothing, then combined overheard words to put on a convincing act.
‘Cunning bastard.’
Baek Rak glanced at Seo Won groaning in his arms, then pressed down hard once more on the shoulder where flesh had been torn away. Since he didn’t have the capacity to apply proper hemostasis, he was just pressing as a temporary measure, which must have been quite painful. Yoon Seo Won was unconsciously swallowing the screams that threatened to burst out while breaking into cold sweats.
They needed to return to the shelter quickly, but the Alpha before them was no easy opponent. Though its power was weakened during the day, it was impossible for him to exert his full strength while protecting Yoon Seo Won.
“Ugh… Baek Rak. I’m sorry…”
“…”
“I didn’t… know it was an Alpha.”
Yoon Seo Won was still in the process of awakening as a hunter, so he couldn’t endure like Yu Sol could. Blood continued flowing from his bitten shoulder.
Watching Seo Won’s face gradually lose color, Baek Rak gritted his teeth.
Even though he’d spent his entire life looking at pale faces, strangely he couldn’t get used to seeing Yoon Seo Won like this. No, perhaps it would be more accurate to say he didn’t want to see him this way.
“Be quiet. Don’t waste your energy and stay alert.”
“…Yeah.”
Seo Won buried his face in Baek Rak’s nape and gasped for breath. He desperately wanted to close his eyes, but held back. Between the continuous blood loss and Baek Rak’s rapid movements, his head was spinning. Somehow he felt nauseous.
“Seo Won, I won’t kill you, so come with me.”
In the midst of this, the Alpha resumed its attack while making an absurd proposal. Didn’t those words mean it would keep him barely alive while tearing off his living flesh? What insane nonsense was it spouting?
As Seo Won was about to say something, Baek Rak charged forward first.
As if he couldn’t bear to hear more of the Alpha’s nonsense, he swung his sword toward its face—specifically its mouth. When the creature pulled its head back to dodge, Baek Rak changed the sword’s direction as expected and made a long horizontal slash.
The Alpha’s lips were sliced horizontally, and blood spurted out.
Seeing red blood, not black blood, scattering, Seo Won could understand why they said Alphas were indistinguishable.
Since it had copied human blood and organs exactly, of course they wouldn’t know.
He’d felt it during their conversation too, but there was no sense of incongruity from the creature disguised as a human. At least Baek Rak had found it unsettling—he should have listened to him.
The Alpha seemed to feel no pain, grinning with its tattered mouth as it spoke.
“If you don’t hand him over, I’ll surround the Yeongdeungpo Station shelter day and night.”
“…”
“Humans are creatures who die without water, aren’t they? If you just hand over Yoon Seo Won alone, you can be safe. Additionally, I promise not to touch any humans living in the Yeongdeungpo Station shelter for 10 years. How about it?”
It was a tempting proposal following a terrible threat. It meant they wouldn’t be attacked by creatures for 10 years even without protective energy.
No matter how Seo Won calculated it, handing himself over to the Alpha seemed like the best choice. And during those 10 years of reprieve, they could find another guardian.
If they ran away from the creature now, the water supply would be cut off, and everyone living in the Yeongdeungpo Station shelter would surely die before he could become a guardian.
Seo Won couldn’t hide his anxiety as he studied Baek Rak’s expression. If even he was tempted, there was no way Baek Rak wouldn’t be too.
“…”
But Baek Rak just glared at the Alpha with an unwavering expression. Instead, he swung his sword even more fiercely than before.
He shattered the Alpha’s lower jaw with the flat of his blade, then rode the momentum to slice off the creature’s right arm.
The Alpha caught its own arm flying through the air and used it as a shield to block the following attacks. Each time, red blood and flesh scattered in all directions, but the parties involved paid no attention.
When the severed arm could no longer be used as a shield, dozens of dark red tentacles burst from the Alpha’s bleeding right shoulder. They clustered together to create what could hardly be called a human arm—literally a monster’s arm.
Sharp and pointed shoulders, muscular arms swollen large, palm-sized long claws, and shark fin-like blades positioned on the outer side. Its size was as massive as a person.
Unlike its lively face, the newly created arm was jet black just like a creature’s. Its previously black eyes had likewise turned bright red, and its shattered lower jaw had returned to normal.
The creature charged forward, swinging its massive arm.
“You’re refusing? You’ll abandon everything for just one Yoon Seo Won?”
Instead of answering, Baek Rak pushed away the creature’s no-longer-severable arm and aimed for its neck once more. The creature blocked with its hand and shouted with its torn mouth wide open.
“You’re really abandoning it?”
“Shut up!”
“If you don’t accept this proposal now, there won’t be a later!”
The creature cackled as it spoke in a sharp voice. The metallic, fishy voice was something no human could produce.
Bang! Crack!
As Baek Rak dodged the massive hand swooping down from above, the ground was gouged out. Seemingly irritated, the creature scraped the ground with its long claws and grabbed a handful of building debris.
It hurled what was in its hand at Baek Rak and Seo Won.
As Baek Rak turned to avoid the flying stones and fragments, the Alpha immediately charged after him. Just as it reached out to tear into Baek Rak and Yoon Seo Won’s bodies, Baek Rak spun around and stabbed his sword into the Alpha’s right shoulder. The blood pouring down his back was black like a creature’s this time.
“Hahahaha! How foolish! Refusing such a good proposal.”
“Where does a monster get off acting human?”
“Why? Do you know how many humans are inside this thing? I understand humans better than you do!”
“You’re still just a monster bastard. A promise? You’d make a promise you won’t keep? Why don’t you just claim to be human instead?”
The Alpha laughed madly at something amusing in Baek Rak’s words. Then it licked its lips with its tongue and continued softly.
“Humans originally don’t keep promises anyway, right?”
“…”
“They lie, hide things, betray, and backstab. Every single one does it without exception.”
Baek Rak glared at the Alpha silently.
“Since I’m not human, maybe I’ll try keeping promises.”
The creature that had been laughing while shrugging its shoulders narrowed its eyes long and stretched its hand forward. Then dozens of long tentacles burst from its back and rushed toward the two people.
Baek Rak readjusted his hold on the weakening Seo Won and began running. He tried to dash toward the shelter the moment an opening appeared, but the creature didn’t give him that leisure. Having seemingly abandoned the idea of keeping Yoon Seo Won alive to enjoy slowly, it attacked indiscriminately.
No, it had been a promise it never intended to keep from the start. It had just made it sound plausible.
Baek Rak hesitated at the sudden thought, then immediately furrowed his brow and ran avoiding the tentacles.
The tentacles flying from all directions embedded in the ground then shot up from beneath Baek Rak’s feet. There were limits to cutting them with his sword or leaping. Baek Rak had no choice but to allow some attacks through. Fortunately, he avoided vital spots so there was no difficulty moving.
“…This is really annoying.”
The Alpha frowned watching Baek Rak dodge well. Then it looked around and muttered ominously.
“Come out.”
Then creatures that had been hiding in the ground leaped up. Black smoke gathered even in the empty air, and tens, hundreds of creatures began forming and filling the surroundings.
Baek Rak didn’t miss that momentary opportunity.
Taking advantage of the brief lull in the Alpha’s attacks while it summoned creatures, he ran toward the shelter with all his might.
The Alpha then ordered the appeared creatures to capture Baek Rak.
“Catch him!”
But Baek Rak had no intention of being easily caught by relatively weak lower-tier entities. Rather than needing to focus on killing them, it was easier to just create a path and escape.
Feeling the situation turn unfavorable, the Alpha bared its teeth. If the two people entered the safe zone, pursuit would be impossible, so it had to catch them by any means necessary.
Baek Rak, having entered the open field, continued running while deflecting all projectiles and tentacles flying from behind.
However, the creatures charging under the Alpha’s orders were persistent. The one with massive arms tried to grab them in one hand, while newly appeared creatures in front bared their teeth and reached out their hands.
Baek Rak didn’t engage each one individually, only blocking threatening attacks. If the purpose wasn’t killing but escaping, it was actually easier to deal with. The creatures surrounding them even blocked the Alpha’s attacks, inadvertently helping.
Baek Rak, who had been moving while dodging here and there, escaped through a small gap. Running like that, he was finally able to reach the safe zone.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
