noveldrama
Chapter 255
Chapter 255
“Move!”
A foot in flat shoes slammed into someone’s stomach. *Thud!* *Bam!* With a loud crash, the body was kicked aside, rolling to the corner of the room. And right where they had been standing—
*Boom!*
A massive white tail crashed down. The cement wall shattered upon impact, and dust filled the air. Through the thick dust cloud, a neon-yellow vest came into view. The one responsible for the kick, Yang Hyejin, clicked her tongue and raised her voice.
“Hey, you okay?”
“Cough... I-I'm fine….”
As the dust cleared, a rookie hunter, clutching their stomach and coughing, came into sight. Hyejin felt a slight pang of guilt but shook it off. Better to take a hit from her foot than get crushed by that tail. She reached into the air, summoning a pair of red axes. The heavy weight felt just right in her hands.
The monster in front of her resembled a massive bipedal crocodile, except that its entire body—down to every scale—was pure white. The creature opened its long jaws, revealing an entirely white mouth.
“Is even the inside of its mouth white?”
Hyejin cracked her neck, loosening her muscles. Since this was a new type of monster, she needed to gather some data. She leapt high into the air, gripping her axes tightly. The first thing to check was…
**“The monster’s durability!”**
With both hands, she swung the axes down hard onto the croc’s neck. *Thud!* Her axes sliced through the scales and flesh far more easily than expected, breaking the bone beneath. White liquid spurted out as the crocodile let out a terrible howl. Hyejin pressed her axes in deeper.
**“It’s not as tough as it looks….”**
In fact, it felt strangely soft. The croc swung its tail in one last desperate attempt, but Hyejin’s axes cut through its neck faster. The massive head fell to the ground with a *thud*, and Hyejin, bracing the giant body with her back, shook off the white liquid on her axes, clicking her tongue.
“Ugh, I should have finished it cleaner.”
“Is it over?”
“Yeah, it’s done. Do you have a sample jar? I think we need to analyze this blood.”
“Just a moment….”
The rookie staggered over and handed her a small vial and towel from their inventory. Hyejin wiped her hands, then put on gloves and collected some of the liquid oozing from the monster’s neck. The translucent white liquid resembled blood. Hyejin frowned.
“Hasn’t there been an increase in the appearance of weird monsters like this lately?”
“Yes! There has been a noticeable rise. They resemble the monsters from the Corrupted Dungeons.”
Hyejin ran her hand over the monster's bones. Solid bone, soft flesh, and everything—its head, body, even the severed parts—were covered in white as if coated in ash. These special monsters were usually only found in Corrupted Dungeons. The fact that they were showing up on the streets…
Hyejin approached the fallen crocodile's head.
“Any reports of monsters spilling out of Corrupted Dungeons?”
“Um... no, I don't think so. No reports at all!”
“Not even one?”
“No, none!”
“Ugh, is the guild hiding information again?”
“No way... After the mess last time, they wouldn’t dare, right?”
“Then why are these things showing up here?”
“Could it be a crack in the dimensional barrier?”
“If a crack had opened, we wouldn’t be standing here talking. We’d be in the field already. Ugh….”
Hyejin ruffled her hair in frustration and gestured to the rookie hunter.
“Alright… let’s haul this thing out. Maybe someone will figure it out.”
“Understood!”
“Afterward, get in touch with the guilds managing the Corrupted Dungeons. Request their cooperation.”
“Got it!”
The rookie quickly set to work, while Hyejin crouched in front of the crocodile’s open mouth. She noticed something she hadn’t seen before.
“……”
Pulling a small flashlight from her back pocket, she shone it inside the mouth and ran her fingers over the teeth. She glanced back at the rookie.
“Hey… aren’t crocodile teeth supposed to be sharp?”
“Huh? Yeah, they’re really sharp! They’re triangular.”
“That’s what I thought….”
The teeth she felt were blunt and square. Even what should have been fangs were oddly rounded. These teeth…
“……”
Hyejin cautiously ran her fingers over the crocodile’s dental structure, and then her tongue brushed against her own molars. The teeth were more similar to…
…human teeth?
---
“A request to investigate the Corrupted Dungeons?”
Thud. Uijae set down his pen and looked up. Baewon-woo, standing with his hands behind his back in front of the guildmaster’s desk, nodded.
“Yes, sir. It’s an official notice from the Dimensional Crack Management Bureau. They need detailed information on the monsters from the Corrupted Dungeons.”
“Why the sudden interest?”
“There were rumors about monsters that normally only appeared in Corrupted Dungeons showing up in the real world. Apparently, Hunter Yang Hyejin encountered one herself. They’re asking for more data.”
There was a rustling sound nearby as Lee Sa-young shifted. Uijae accepted the tablet Baewon-woo handed him and reviewed the attached file. It contained a photo of a massive, decapitated monster, entirely white. It bore a striking resemblance to the creatures Uijae had encountered in the western crack. Baewon-woo scratched his head.
“According to Honeybee, the bureau sent this notice to every guild managing Corrupted Dungeons, not just ours. We don’t really have any grounds to refuse, so it might be best to investigate….”
“……”
Uijae zoomed in on the photo. The teeth inside the gaping mouth looked like enlarged human teeth, completely different from a crocodile's. A note accompanied the photo, pointing out how the monster’s dental structure was more human than reptilian. Uijae sighed softly. Baewon-woo cleared his throat.
“Um, but sir…”
“Yes?”
“Why… is J lounging on the guildmaster’s couch?”
Uijae glanced over at the sofa. Following his gaze, Baewon-woo moved closer. Sprawled out under a checkered fleece blanket was Lee Sa-young, blinking lazily. When he noticed Baewon-woo, he answered shamelessly.
“What are you looking at?”
“…Why are you here?”
“I’m sick.”
“If you’re sick, shouldn’t you go to a hospital?”
“I’m not *that* sick, just… sick enough.”
“So, you’re lying on the couch here, making J give up his seat?”
Sa-young nodded nonchalantly. Baewon-woo clutched his head, letting out a pained groan, as though there were more he wanted to say but couldn’t find the words.
It must look absurd, huh? Trust me, I think it’s absurd too.
Through his mask, Uijae could feel a sharp gaze. He glanced over at Sa-young, who was smiling lazily. Damn it. Uijae quickly turned his head away. Sa-young was probably upset that Uijae had thrown him off the couch and taken his seat when the knock came.
*‘This can’t get out.’*
The fact that, just moments earlier, Uijae had let Sa-young rest his head on his lap. Uijae pretended to focus on the tablet.
“What are the investigation options? Are we capturing monsters?”
“Yes, sir. We can either conduct an on-site dissection with investigators from the Dimensional Crack Management Bureau and the Seo-won Guild, or capture the monsters alive for transport. Those are the two options they’ve provided. They’ll compare the data with the creatures they’ve already studied.”
“…Neither of those sound easy.”
“Honeybee opted for the latter—capturing them alive.”
“Then tell them we’ll do the same.”
“Huh? Uh…”
Baewon-woo glanced at Sa-young nervously. Oops. Maybe I shouldn’t have answered so quickly. Uijae also turned to look at Sa-young, who was now sitting up, yawning under his blanket. With a dismissive wave, Sa-young muttered.
“Do whatever J says.”
“Are you sure?”
“He’s got at least twice as much experience as me. Let him handle it.”
“Well… alright. Who do you plan to send for the mission? If we’re capturing monsters, I think Hunter Kang Ji-soo would be a good fit….”
“I’ll go myself. No need to send anyone else.”
“Huh?”
“…What?”
Sa-young suddenly snapped his head toward Uijae, practically glaring. Damn. Is he going to throw a fit again? Uijae quickly raised his hands before Sa-young could explode.
“Wait! I have a reason.”
“Oh… a reason?”
Sa-young tilted his chin up slightly, signaling Uijae to continue. Uijae took a deep breath and calmly explained.
“It’s just more efficient if I go alone
.”
A scoff. Sa-young leaned against the sofa’s backrest, smirking.
“Since when is life about doing only what’s efficient? Right?”
“Oh, uh… yeah. Life’s no fun if you only do what’s easy.”
Ignoring the others chiming in, Uijae pressed on.
“Capturing the monster is something I can handle on my own.”
“From what I’ve seen… you’ll probably end up killing it instead of capturing it. You’re terrible at holding back.”
“……”
That stung. Uijae couldn't deny it. Killing was faster and easier for him. He could think of over a hundred ways to efficiently kill the white monsters, but he didn’t know how to capture them alive….
Just as he was about to argue, Sa-young leisurely walked over and draped an arm around Uijae’s shoulders, snatching the tablet from his hands before handing it to Baewon-woo.
“Tell them I’m going too.”
“…What?”
Sa-young’s fingers brushed lightly against the back of Uijae’s neck before retreating. His voice, low and amused, whispered.
“Two people can finish the job faster, don’t you think?”
*‘No. Absolutely not.’*
“That settles it, right?”
“Two people? Then I can rest easy! I’ll leave it to you both!”
Baewon-woo, oblivious to the tension, gave a thumbs-up. Uijae closed his eyes in frustration. He had planned to investigate whatever Hong Yeseong had mentioned, but now…
Whether Sa-young understood Uijae’s inner turmoil or not, a cheerful laugh and a low chuckle filled the guildmaster’s office.