Chapter Seventeen: A Terrifying Monster
"Let's hurry."
"Yes."
Mary and I left the cave to hunt monsters.
I needed forty points, while Mary only needed twenty to reach class S.
We moved quickly, looking for any F-rank monsters.
Mary searched from the treetops while I followed below.
"Did you find anything?"
I couldn't help but ask.
I felt something strange. An hour had passed since we started searching, and yet we hadn't encountered a single monster.
"No, but let's keep looking."
"Yes."
We headed toward the nearest river — a place monsters might drink from.
When we arrived, we saw an F-rank monster standing in front of the water, but it wasn't drinking.
It looked afraid of something.
As Mary tried to move forward, I grabbed her hand.
Feeling the pressure on her hand, she turned to me, as if asking for an explanation.
"I have a bad feeling."
"What do you mean?"
Mary raised an eyebrow, asking what I meant.
"Don't you think it's strange? The monster is next to the river, but it hasn't taken a sip — as if it's afraid of something inside the river."
"Yes, I see your point. But why should we worry if it's inside the river?"
A logical question.
"Let me explain."
"If you had a house, and one day a fight broke out in front of it, what would you do?"
"I think I'd call the police."
"Right. But what if you were a monster?"
Mary's face turned pale before she responded:
"I'd kill both of them."
Honestly, I was starting to admire her intelligence.
"Yes… Monsters prefer to kill anything that causes noise around their home — even if it's from their own kind. So we should wait to see what kind of monster it is."
The F-rank monster decided to drink from the lake, even though it felt the danger.
As it lowered its head to drink—
"A strike."
Both Mary and I felt an immense gust of wind, as if a powerful blow had landed.
We closed our eyes from the flying dust.
When we opened them, the F-rank monster was still drinking.
It kept drinking for two more seconds… then its head dropped to the ground.
"Damn it."
The monster hadn't realized its head had been severed.
I felt like vomiting.
But Mary held my mouth before I could throw up.
Her face had gone pale.
I understood her reaction.
Imagine dying — without even realizing it.
"Grrr… Grrr…"
We heard a gurgling sound from the headless monster.
Its knees bent, and it fell to the ground, dead.
Then, a hand — no, a clawed paw covered in hair — emerged from the water and pierced the monster's body.
Mary watched the scene in terror, imagining what would've happened if we had attacked.
Even if we survived, it would've been traumatizing.
I didn't want to imagine it.
I picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at the lake.
I didn't want to provoke it, but something about this monster felt… familiar.
I needed to confirm it.
Professional players strive to learn everything about a game.
I couldn't help but remember that phrase.
What if it really was the monster I was thinking of?
Damn it — I want to know.
What reward would I get for killing it?
When Mary saw the look in Kim Hyul's eyes, she couldn't help but shiver.
It was as if he was losing his humanity.
His gaze was filled with madness and possession.
"Is he insane? How can he even think of fighting that thing?"
Mary thought.
"Kim Hyul! Stop! Don't do anything reckless!"
[Bloodlust: 53]
When I heard Mary's voice, I snapped back to my senses.
"Am I really going insane…?"
"Hey, system. Can you explain what's happening?"
[Request confirmed]
[Host suffers mental damage as Bloodlust increases]
[Make sure Bloodlust does not reach 70]
"What do you mean by that?"
"And why can't it reach 70?"
[No comment]
Damn this world.
Every time I find an answer, more mysteries appear.
My thoughts were interrupted by a trembling sound from the river.
Damn this world!
The water began to ripple — as if a huge stone had fallen into it.
The ground near the river shook violently, as if it was being struck.
A hand covered in rough fur and claws rose from the water.
It grabbed a stone and crushed it completely, as if it were jelly.
When the full hand came out, no one could speak.
The hand alone was ten meters long.
Covered in sharp fangs and hair.
I didn't wait to see the full monster.
I grabbed Mary's hand and ran.
Feeling the pull on her arm, she matched my speed.
We ran as fast as we could, away from the river.
I didn't care what monster we encountered —
As long as it wasn't that one.
"Damn it… I hope it didn't notice us."
"Oh God, please…"
It was the first time in my life I ever begged like that.
Because the monster behind us wasn't just strong —
It was insane mentally ill
…To be continued
End of chapter
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