NOVEL NEXT Chapter 11
As regret flooded in, Euna still refused to give up.
Sure, her Magic Armor was in tatters, but the shock wasn’t that bad. She could still move, at least for now.
Being a superior species just meant it was a Worg after all.
It wasn’t like she couldn’t fight back. If she stayed calm, perhaps she could manage.
Euna quickly pulled a vial from the side pocket of her backpack and threw it, but the Worg dodged and closed the gap in the blink of an eye. Just as it lunged to bite her, Euna tossed something.
It couldn’t change direction while airborne. Instinctively, the Worg bit at whatever came flying, and in that moment—
‘Got it!’
Smoke billowed from the smoke grenade it had bitten. It took barely a second to cover the area completely, shrouding her vision.
This wasn’t some common civilian-grade weapon, it was a polished smoke grenade from her Clan. Once the visibility was lost, Euna rolled to the ground without hesitation as the Worg bit at her last position.
Magic Detection warned her of its approach, but it was just a ruse. While it could obscure her sight, it couldn’t hide her scent. The Worg would soon pick up on her trail.
At that moment, a spell slipped from Euna’s lips.
“Cover!”
As she rapidly wielded her magic, a dizzying sensation overwhelmed her. Nausea threatened to surface as her depleted stamina and magic made her woozy, but she held it together. Soon, her magic formed a veil that concealed her.
But it wouldn’t last long. She could hide her appearance, but not her scent… Before long, the Worg would track her down. In a frenzy, she rummaged through her backpack.
‘Found it.’
She tore open the cap and chugged it down. The bitter taste made her grimace as she wiped her lips with her wrist and gasped for air. Breathing was tougher than it seemed, and pain shot through her side as she winced, gnawing on her lips.
It seemed she had broken a rib during that earlier clash… A nagging sense of crisis welled up. As she laid out the item from her backpack, the veil of magic shook violently.
‘Already?!’
Before the Worg could strike again, she grabbed a scroll. In a split second, she tore it without hesitation.
A Short-distance Teleportation Scroll. A handy item that would let her move 10 meters in the direction she was facing, but that distance was only a tiny delay.
‘Please…!’
As light enveloped her, the concealment shattered. The Worg’s jaws opened wide as its teeth, from canines to molars, became visible.
Just as she thought she’d be devoured, her form vanished in the light, and the Worg bit into empty air.
‘……!’
She barely escaped, but there was no time to relax. She hopped onto her Segway immediately. At least drinking that potion made breathing a bit easier. Miracles wouldn’t heal her ribs or mend her wounds in an instant, though.
But how long could she keep this up?
The signal from her radio was weak at this distance. Help didn’t seem likely. The commonly known speed of a Worg was around 100km/h. Being a superior species, it was likely faster, not slower.
So, fighting was inevitable. She would have to confront a monster that could only be restrained by space distortion.
‘What if…’
A late regret bubbled up about what might have been if she had continued as a Hunter.
But no matter how remarkable the raw gem, it wouldn’t become a jewel without polishing. Ultimately, it was her choice and no one else’s to blame.
‘……!’
The movement detected by her Magic Detection was closing in fast. Despite the distance she gained on her Segway, it was right on her tail now. A dark line. Just like how an average person couldn’t see a pro pitcher’s ball, the Worg was a swift shadow following her. Alarmed, Euna quickly tossed her backpack behind her.
The Worg showed no fear of the flying bag and chose to leap towards it, tearing it apart in seconds. But that gave her a little time.
……She couldn’t just give up and die. She was determined to struggle and strike back in any way she could.
But she had no usable items left. She had exhausted all possibilities.
She had already thrown the smoke grenade, drank the potion, and tore the scroll.
With resolution, Euna stood still, drawing up her magic.
Her mind conjured up irregular coiled structures and spiral ends. The finest fibers bestowed by nature, tougher than steel of the same weight. As the imagined construct began weaving together with magic instead of protein.
—It took about 2 seconds.
‘It’s coming……!’
The dark line that pursued her finally closed in.
But she was ready. Now, all that remained was to synchronize her timing and manifest the magic.
If she were at her peak, dodging would’ve been simple, but her pace was driven by the scent of blood and a sense of impending struggle that was getting on her nerves. All she could think was to kill and bite. As a result, her moves had become simpler.
――No matter how fast, if it was straightforward.
“—β-Sheet!”
As the dark line lunged, her conjured spell intercepted the Worg. The sudden appearance of the net surprised the Worg, but it struggled to escape, yet β-Sheet. It was a web. The viscous entirety of the net ensnared the chasing Worg.
“―――?!”
If it had been a standard spider web, it would have slipped right through, but this web, crafted from her magic, was far thicker and sturdier than the ordinary kind. Even if it was a superior species, getting loose wouldn’t be easy.
…But if she left it be, it wouldn’t take too long to break free.
“Distort!”
She had to finish this here. While it was caught, she would make sure of it. She distorted the space to bind the sticky web tight around the Worg. Watching it thrash about to free itself made her head spin.
How many more times could she use magic?
The mental exhaustion from the previously healed potion hit back harder than before. Three times? At most two.
“Pile!”
Pointy stakes were conjured above the struggling Worg caught in the web. She suppressed the urge to vomit that rose in her throat.
“Embiggen!”
Another spell. One second. Euna didn’t even register that she had lost consciousness during that brief moment. The manifest stakes grew in size, becoming massive and gleaming with sharpness. With trembling legs barely holding her up, Euna bit her lip and brought her arm down.
This was it.
The immobile Worg was crushed beneath the gigantic stake. Like a chandelier whose rope had frayed, the stake pierced the Worg without a moment’s hesitation. Without a dying cry, without a scream, the Worg was pinned and ceased to move.
Seeing this, her tension released, and she collapsed onto the ground.
…The Worg was down. She did it. She survived, she lived…!
A sense of achievement and joy flooded in. As she sighed in relief of surviving, Euna’s eyes glazed over.
Slowly emerging beyond the fallen Worg was another Worg. Although it looked wounded with exposed ribs and panting heavily, it was still in the fight…
“―――.”
…It was a bigger problem. Yes. There were two Worgs. The one that had ambushed her previously, which she hadn’t been able to finish off due to the space distortion, now hovered over the downed giant Worg.
“……Ah.”
When it turned its gaze to meet hers, Euna swallowed dryly.
‘What if I bring it down with space distortion now?’
It wouldn’t work on the one she just defeated, but this one would be possible. Somehow, someway she figured she could still manage to cast it once more.
After this, she would undoubtedly suffer from mana depletion, but failing to act meant sure death. But… After having encountered her once, the Worg was on high alert.
Could she really hit it while it was wary like that? What if it dodged? What if she had used up her magic and still couldn’t take it down?
Thoughts spiraled, creating an atmosphere of dread. The low growl from the Worg snapped her back to reality, and in that reality, she discovered an even greater despair.
“―――.”
The soft sound of breathing. The Worg, which she had barely taken down, still lived and was catching its breath.
Words failed to come out. She internally chanted spells over and over, but they only echoed back.
Both Worgs were still alive. Even if she miraculously managed to defeat one, within an hour… No, in less than 30 minutes, another Worg would rise and devour her. That was unavoidable.
Her mind fading and her thoughts blanking out. Despite racking her brain for ways to escape death, nothing remained. Crouching and stepping back, she felt her back hit a tree.
A message she couldn’t vocalize echoed: “Don’t come any closer.”
The low, bubbling threat. As the jaws opened and sharp fangs glinted in the light, she grasped reality.
…Whether she defeated it or not, death awaited either way.
Unquestionably. The monster, cloaked as a wolf, approached, grasping her mind and shaking it to its core.
She trembled, murmuring that she wanted to live, begging to be spared. Anyone, just please let her live…!
In that moment when she could retreat no further from the impending death, the magic she summoned surged back, twisting through her befuddled mind.
As her consciousness fragmented—right before she was about to lose herself, Euna pondered absentmindedly.
‘They say you see a light before you die…’
Ah, that was a lie. Even at the moment of certain death, no light appeared. Because the last thing she saw was a green, gooey mass.
***
Who knew running against the wind could feel this exhilarating? There were times when I glanced at motorcycles and wondered if I was losing my mind, but now I somewhat understood. …Although, the idea of risking my life for speed still puzzled me.
Anyway, that rush seemed to blow away all the stress I had built up. Unlike the bikers, I felt secure even if I crashed due to my weak regeneration and physical damage reduction. No pain, either.
Truth be told, I had already crashed twice. They were unavoidable accidents, but at least my level of weak regeneration increased to level 6 thanks to those bumps. Still, I had gotten used to the downhill slope. I now knew that I could avoid trees by effectively using Heat Detection. And best of all.
[You have consumed a wild boar. Experience and fullness have increased.]
There were corpses scattered along the way. I could easily guess who did it. Most likely that black wolf. Despite having smoothly leveled up to 15 by scavenging those discarded corpses, at this rate, the animals in Jirisan would face extinction.
Chicken run. Neither of us would stop.
I had to overtake it while it kept devouring everything. Even in a half-century-old forest, the breeding rate of animals had limits. The speed at which we were both eating far exceeded that limit.
It wouldn’t stop devouring until one of us was dead.
‘…Right. But…’
When I stood still and focused on my senses, I felt another presence.
Firstly, a black wolf. The monster I had felt fear from at the Serpent’s Cave—my target to surpass.
And then, a much larger energy. It reminded me of an explosive bomb, a massive force that now felt incredibly frail for some reason.
And above all—just the sensation itself gave me the chills.
[Your Heat Detection (F) level 7 has reached its maximum level. Heat Detection (F) Lv.7 → Heat Detection (F) Lv.8]
[Your Presence Detection (F) level 6 has reached its maximum level. Presence Detection (F) Lv.6 → Presence Detection (F) Lv.7]
As I sensed that being, my skills shot up dramatically.
[Choose]
‘……?’
Suddenly hearing the system’s voice, I frowned. Choose? What on earth was I meant to choose?
[Whether to move forward or to stop]
…
It was clear what it meant.
To either forge ahead or halt—upon sensing these monsters, that message was undoubtedly worth it.
Suddenly, I let out a snicker.
[Your Weak Intuition (F) level 4 has reached its maximum level. Weak Intuition (F) Lv.4 → Weak Intuition (F) Lv.5]
My instincts confirmed my expectations.
The fear I had felt upon seeing the black wolf back at the Serpent’s Cave. Terror. Death… Those negative emotions swirled together.
My heart, my head, and my intuition screamed to run. But despite the certainty of death, the system pressurized my choice rather than urging escape. Instead, its intent was so clear that it chilled my thoughts.
‘…It wants me to go.’
The system wasn’t waiting for a choice. It had already laid out the options and was inquiring. It was trying to direct my actions.
[Whether to move forward or to stop]
The implication was clear: Did I have the courage to brave forward towards death? That’s exactly what it was asking.
‘…….’
All I could think was that I wanted to live.
So I fought the eel.
To survive against the black wolf, which wouldn’t let me live, I dashed towards the line where I could breathe alive, the master of the Serpent’s Cave.
…So what about now?
Was the black wolf still a point beyond survival?
I sighed.
I felt I could no longer call myself normal.
‘…I’m scared.’
Not because death frightened me, but rather because the thought of it didn’t feel frightening at all.
I genuinely wondered if I could still consider myself normal.