I Became a Monster in a Novel

Chapter 10




I climbed up the tree and reached the highest peak I could find. At the top, I found a rock with some words carved into it. The sign was old and worn, almost crumbling, but the inscription remained legible.

般若峰

반야봉

1732m

Ban-yabong… I still don’t get it. I could understand names like Cheonji or Baengnokdam, but if you’re not a mountain climber, figuring out the location just by the mountain’s name is a stretch.

Moreover, I thought I’d see the city from such a high peak, but all I could see was mountains in every direction. It’s no surprise they call it a national park. It’s so vast that it probably could have let bears roam free. A mountain range where you can only see mountains at 1700m… experiencing it firsthand feels just bleak.

Anyway, if I just keep going in any one direction, I should eventually come across the city… but let’s think a bit more. I’m sure I can figure it out.

Jirisan spans across Gyeongsang-do and Jeolla-do. If I can head north somehow, I should reach Seoul.

I know how to find directions, but I think I need a watch for that. Let’s give it a shot. If the direction the sun rises is east, then the opposite is west, standing in the middle should put north on my right… right?

***

“Team Leader, we just arrived at Chilseonbong.”

[What did you find?]

“Just leftover meat.”

Leftover meat. The Team Leader sounded puzzled over the radio at that.

[Leftover meat?]

“I saw quite a bit on the way… probably…”

[That makes sense]

Unless it was a monster, there’s no way anything would come here to hunt for fun in Jirisan. The only potential culprit would be a moon bear, but even then, it’s rare for them to be hunted.

“…The blood has congealed and the carcass is stiff. There shouldn’t be anything nearby.”

Examining the surroundings, Woo Taek looked around again. But even stretching his magic power wide, he couldn’t sense anything.

[Can you track it?]

“I’ll give it a shot.”

Uncertain yet determined, the Team Leader told him to go ahead, and the radio went silent.

“Understood.”

Woo Taek subconsciously opened his phone to check. A message had just come through.

[The footprints are presumed to belong to a large wolf, but they’re abnormally massive. Estimated height is 2 meters…]

“2 meters?”

That was the result of the footprint analysis. But Woo Taek frowned.

‘Not height but a 2-meter creature?’ …That’s strange. No matter how much of a monster it is, the worgs I know aren’t that big. If it’s 2m tall, it easily surpasses large predators like tigers or lions. As he closed his eyes to try to picture that size, Woo Taek shook his head, thinking this just didn’t add up.

The worg in the footage wasn’t that big, was it…? As a fleeting thought crossed his mind, a chill ran down his spine. Before he could think more about it, Woo Taek hurriedly grabbed the radio.

***

A faint presence… it vanished quickly, but it didn’t seem like anything normal. Euna decided to head that way, thinking it might be the worg they were tracking. It felt like an illusion since it disappeared so quickly, yet the magic detection told her she was still headed in the right direction.

In fact, it gave her more certainty. If the distance wasn’t closing, it meant it was moving faster than she was. If it was a worg, that was definitely possible.

‘If I go any further, I’ll reach Ban-yabong…’ The designated location was long gone. Euna shook her head after a moment of hesitation. She had already come this far, so there was no turning back. When she eventually tried to report back over the radio, all she got was static, and it didn’t work anymore… Seems like she’d passed the usable distance. Although she had her doubts, she thought it best to wrap this up quickly and head back.

After all, it was just a single worg.

“I didn’t plan on using magic…”

Grinding her lips, she summoned up her magic power.

Magic, the force that becomes nearly omnipotent depending on the user’s skills and capabilities. She tapped into the innate magic power that had long been dormant within her. Of course, the way she used it was shocking to anyone else, yet her amazing talent made the impossible possible.

‘Segway. EUC.’

Commonly known as a king-sized scooter. Once she stepped onto the magic-created segway, the wheels began to turn slowly, picking up speed. Today seemed to be a good day; felt like she was going nearly 80 km/h… though whether she could actually catch the worg was debatable, but she decided to go for it.

The presence she felt earlier through magic detection was getting closer. It wasn’t as fast as she thought… Could it possibly not be a worg? In less than a minute, she would arrive at her destination. With just a tad distance left, Euna look around with dazed eyes.

…What the hell is this?

So much red… why? Before long, she realized it was blood. The area was completely drenched in it. All around were horrifying sights of bones, flesh, and carcasses scattered in a grotesque mess… that dreadful scene gnawed at her sanity. Magic, a force based on the user’s mental state. The moment her focus broke, the segway she’d conjured disappeared.

‘…!’ Euna stood frozen for a moment, covering her mouth, forcing herself to suppress the rising nausea.

[—-…—]

The radio crackled. She must have gone beyond the assigned location because the reception was terrible. She tried to adjust it, but her hands trembled and wouldn’t cooperate. Tidik, tidik – biting her lip at the malfunctioning radio, Euna turned her body away.

It’s dangerous here. If I go back now…!

“―――!”

A high-pitched howl pierced her ears.

In that moment, Euna reflexively rolled on the ground.

Turning her head back at the sudden thud, she saw a black wolf that had slammed its head against a tree, looking as if it was licking its lips in disappointment.

It must have hit hard, yet it showed no signs of pain. Truly resilient, a monster…

‘…It’s a worg.’

It was real, truly real. Fixing her gaze on the black wolf, Euna swallowed hard. The thing she had been chasing this whole time really was it… no, actually, this is good. She could just take it down and report back. Taking a deep breath, she focused her mind. She was surprised by the unexpected sight, but if she could stay composed, taking down a single worg was no big deal.

Encouraging herself, Euna spread her palm and mimicked crushing something. The worg, confused by her actions, tilted its head for just a moment. But soon, as she clasped her left hand around her right, the worg’s body went rigid.

Powerful magic exerts force on its own. She merely applied the pressure of the magic seamlessly. “Distort!”

Spatial distortion— the worg tried to resist as much as it could, but as it tightened, it began to crack under the strain. The closer Euna’s hand became to a fist, the more the worg trembled. Crunch, crack. Its bones were pulverized, skin tearing, as the worg let out a silent scream of agony.

[――. …Proceeding. Worgs inhabiting Jirisan are estimated to be over two. Among them, one is presumed to be special breed. C-class hunters and below, please retreat immediately. This is an order…]

Half-clenching her fist, Euna hovered above as the worg’s ribs broke through its skin. From the start, the worg had no chance against her. If any member of the dawn was as expected, then taking down a creature like a worg shouldn’t be hard at all. Just as she thought it was over, the moment she let her guard down—

“――!”

She was hit from behind.

The sudden shock left her in disbelief, spewing blood as she rolled several times. If it hadn’t been for her D-class skill, Magic Armor, she might have died in that one attack.

…What the hell?

That question was answered as the previous radio noise crackled back to life.

[Again, warning. Worgs in Jirisan are estimated to be at least two. One of them is presumed to be special breed. C-class hunters and below, please retreat immediately. This is an order.]

During her rolling, the signal must have gotten closer, as it became clearer.

‘…Two?’

Turning back, she faced a massive wolf with pitch-black fur, seemingly embodying despair of a sort.

The radio’s message—special breed worg. It became evident that the creature before her was just that. Its crazed, blood-red eyes were staring down at her.

“―――.”

The low growl made her heart race like it was about to stop.

Even badly wounded, she gathered her hands, but the monster sneered at her as if mocking her. She strained herself to distort space, yet pain shot through her fingertips.

It wasn’t going to be that easy, just like the earlier worg.

Special breed. A monster possessing a skill beyond just its species.

Not only that, its massive size indicated it was a superior breed that far exceeded the average.

A special breed, and simultaneously a superior breed monster…!

Struggling to hold it off, Euna felt a light dizziness coming on. The phenomenon of excessive magic power misuse that could finally send a user into a coma— the first signs of mental exhaustion.

‘This wasn’t supposed to happen…’

Regret always comes too late.

Euna bit down on her lip.

 

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