NOVEL NEXT Chapter 24
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“Grrr―”
The cold wind tickled my nose. I woke up feeling good and stretched, staring blankly at the now-vacant sea.
The view of Gwangande Bridge, which I’d only seen in photos, sat above the tranquil night sea below. It was a peaceful and beautiful sight. Similar to a beach, the water wasn’t very deep. To venture deeper into the ocean, I transformed from a wolf into a streamlined shape. Even with detection active, finding it wasn’t easy.
The reasons were endless. The sheer number of creatures underwater limits even D-rank detection. Sure, I could still feel heat and presence like in my E-rank days, but detecting heat underwater is a challenge.
Most fish are ectothermic, meaning they regulate their body temperature according to their environment. It’s possible to find aquatic creatures with body temperatures similar to the water temperature using heat detection, but it’s inefficient.
I filtered out the small presences, like minnows, capturing only the larger ones. Then I further refined the captured presence with my sense of smell.
Aquatic beings have separate gills and noses, which allows them to smell underwater, but mammals can’t because the nose serves both breathing and smelling roles.
But my weak sense of smell was a result of a skill activation. Just because I was underwater didn’t mean I couldn’t use my sense of smell. I wasn’t even a mammal to begin with.
Just thinking about it brought back memories of the fancy name. I tried to recall the lobster I had once tasted. However, I realized I didn’t know the smell of an uncooked one. So, I kept going through trial and error searching for that unique crustacean smell.
[Thousand-Year Lobster]
[Length: 3.09m] [Height: 54.5cm] [Weight: 175kg]
[Strength: 246] [Agility: 196] [Stamina: 311] [Magic Power: 149]
‘No wonder I couldn’t find it.’
A slight portion of a red shell peeked out from underneath a sand pile. Given how it usually hides like that, I’d never have found it unless I was sure there was one like me. It was a lobster (龍蝦), but its ecology was different from regular lobsters.
One thousand years of accumulated know-how. After all, with that size, it couldn’t hide under a rock.
The thousand-year-old lobster.
I was salivating. Technically, it wasn’t a disaster, so it wasn’t a must-kill target. But if we were talking preference rather than necessity, I definitely wanted to eat it. The Thousand-Year Lobster. It was an elixir—one of those special beings.
Originally, it was meant for someone else to consume. A character in a novel would end up getting it. But he would betray them soon after. So it’d be better if I consumed it myself.
Even when I got close, it didn’t budge. As if it were absolutely sure it wouldn’t be caught. It was a special being. After living for a thousand years, had it grown overly confident?
At the very least, its stats were exceptional. It probably never thought it’d be threatened in such shallow waters. Excluding hunters, it was among the strongest I’d seen. With 149 magic power, it might even put up a good fight against a monster wolf.
I quietly increased my magic power.
The 52 points I raised in magic power felt like water filling a kettle. I concentrated the bubbling magic into a singular mass.
The generated magic ball collided with the lobster’s shell, and no matter how hard the shell was, it wouldn’t stop the magic sphere. The magic ball completely shattered its exoskeleton. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the head that got hit but the claw. It seemed the creature had instinctively lifted its claw to block in time.
It was tough. Although I pierced through the claw, that was as far as I could go. The magic ball exhausted itself entirely. That shell was sturdier than I expected. The Thousand-Year Lobster lifted its heavy body from the sand.
Then I spotted another one on the seabed. Two…? No, wait. It wasn’t two… I couldn’t help but grin. What an unexpected stroke of luck.
[Thousand-Year Lobster (Molting): A lobster that survived for a thousand years and became a special being]
It was in the process of molting. It couldn’t even move properly since it hadn’t completely shed its shell. Especially during molting is when a new exoskeleton lacks calcium, making it the most vulnerable.
This meant it was the best time to feast.
***
[You have consumed Thousand-Year Lobster. Experience and fullness have increased.]
[You have consumed Thousand-Year Lobster. Magic power has significantly increased.]
[Experience has reached maximum limit. Lv.17 → Lv.18]
[The proficiency of Gluttony (D) Lv.2 has reached maximum limit. Gluttony (D) Lv.2 → Gluttony (D) Lv.3]
[The proficiency of Hunger (E) Lv.8 has reached maximum limit. Hunger (E) Lv.8 → Hunger (E) Lv.9]
I was quite satisfied to reach level 18, and suddenly my hunger was at D-rank. As I checked my status with a grin, I realized my magic power had risen to 91 from the last time I checked at level 17. Nearly a 40-point increase. It surpassed even the benefit of a 50-year-old ginseng.
I regretted not having taste more than ever. I considered seriously, ‘What if I acquired taste?’ But I didn’t want to waste skill points, so I dropped the idea. However, I could feel the texture of the lobster—its chewy yet tender flesh surpassed most food just with that texture alone.
[Weak Intuition (F) Lv.6 proficiency has reached maximum limit. Weak Intuition (F) Lv.6 → Weak Intuition (F) Lv.7]
Suddenly, my Weak Intuition level jumped. And whenever the level of intuition rises, something absurd tends to happen. With my learned sense of danger, I promptly used stealth and hid back underwater.
“Damn it?”
Silence enveloped the night sea. Then came the curse breaking that silence. A little girl with red hair was having a tantrum.
It was remarkable how well the red hair suited her. She wore an off-shoulder dress. It seemed an odd choice for a child, but why was a kid at the beach at this hour? No, more importantly, I needed to focus on staying hidden.
“Damn, did it already run away?”
The girl looked around as if searching for something. Just then, my presence detection started reacting late. That creature in the sewer, no, it was definitely a hunter.
‘That hunter is this kid? No, is that kid really a hunter?’
I couldn’t believe it, and I unknowingly activated my spying skill.
[Hong Yu-ri (Human)]
[Height: 143.6cm] [Weight: 32.9kg]
[Strength: 219] [Agility: 245] [Stamina: 278] [Magic Power: 640]
‘……?’
Magic power 640? I thought I was reading it wrong, checking it multiple times, but it was the same. Not 64, but 640. My engraved combat power ranking went down a tier in harmony. That girl named Hong Yu-ri was a character from a novel.
So, she must have been part of the second-ranked clan, Dawn of Dawn, if I recalled correctly…
Looking back, I remembered readers fondly referring to her as ‘fire attribute loli’ and ‘spicy legal loli.’ A hunter from the second-ranked clan… it was a miracle she hadn’t been detected in the sewer. But she seemed to notice something was amiss.
‘Came here following an odd vibe, huh?’
It seemed the story was lining up. At that moment, Hong Yu-ri narrowed her eyes.
“—Found you.”
Her cold voice rang in my ears. In an instant, I found myself staring into her crimson eyes.
“Ha. I never thought you were a fish.”
With a sardonic smile, Hong Yu-ri sneered.
The moment her eyes sparkled dangerously, I instinctively turned my body. Dozens of sharp magic projectiles struck the water’s surface, sending up huge sprays. Even with my swimming at level 7, maintaining balance was a task.
‘?!’
Before I could get my bearings, incomprehensible phenomena unfolded. The world turned red. No, that wasn’t it. Her massive magic power started engulfing the night sea.
‘……!’
I couldn’t swim away. It felt like the moon was crashing down.
[Weak Intuition (F) Lv.8 proficiency has reached maximum limit. Weak Intuition (F) Lv.8 → Weak Intuition (F) Lv.9]
Immediately, I slammed my tentacles into the sand. My legs activated, and I leaped high.
Kuagh-!
Her immense magic power crashed into the shore. The waves halted, and the spray rose high. With a deafening roar, a massive whirlpool, like a dragon’s roar, surged into the clouds.
Just as I was about to be sucked in, in one last moment, I propelled off a fish that was airborne, boosting my charge, and unleashed all my remaining magic power.
***
A sound escaped my lips. It happened much faster than I expected. It was a close call, but I never imagined I’d actually escape…
“……”
Having fled underwater, chasing me would be useless, but if I came across her again, I wouldn’t let it slip. Besides, that petty nuisance would eventually turn up dead on its own.
“Ah, crap, Gu Jin-ha is going to nag again…”
The vice team leader, Hong Yu-ri, frantically messed with her hair before reluctantly pulling out her phone.
***
“So you let it go?”
[Damn, it was so fast.]
“You. Can you handle the repercussions? What do you think the Bright Association will say later?”
[Then I’ll just smash their pottery. Didn’t I help them with their work? Why shouldn’t they be grateful?]
“If that’s the case, then why even report? “
[I told you to clean up afterward. Why?]
The team leader sighed deeply. The picture she sent showed a chaotic scene of Gwangalli. The beach was completely turned upside down, with fish flopping around on it. Naturally, people were startled awake… it was a total mess.
Just like the saying, “a violent night.” I got a call saying they wanted me to clean up.
[Are you daydreaming right now?]
“No. Nothing? Anyway, I’ll manage somehow… just come back right away.”
[Okay]
Her phone hung up abruptly. The team leader closed her eyes for a moment while searching for the number of the Bright Association.
“…Still, tomorrow they should catch Alpha’s tail.”
Regardless of her personality, Hong Yu-ri’s eyes represented the name of the search team.
***
That was a close call…….
I used everything I had, nearly getting caught. Even after all that, I lost most of my face. The haste in using magic, bursting my magic beneath my feet to escape was the cause. If it had been on land instead of the sea, I’d have surely died.
I grabbed onto a rock and barely clambered out of the water onto dry land.
From Gwangalli to Dongbaek Island. It wasn’t that far, but it was enough time to regain my dignity with weak regeneration.
[Weak Regeneration (E) Lv.8 proficiency has reached maximum limit. Weak Regeneration (E) Lv.8 → Weak Regeneration (E) Lv.9]
‘Huff—’
I took a deep breath and calmed my mind. But the more I tried to settle down, the more my insides churned.
‘Hong Yu-ri did her job.’
It’s the hunter’s job to deal with monsters when they appear. I know that. I understand it. My head gets it, but… frustration boiled inside me.
Understanding in my mind and feeling in my heart were entirely different. No matter how much I channeled my frustrations inward, it only felt more suffocating.
Suddenly, the thought crossed my mind. Should I just throw it all away?
In truth, I couldn’t count the number of times I faced death, and I’ve had plenty of experiences I despised. Would I have enjoyed eating bugs? Would I have preferred fighting?
I had to do it like that to survive. I had to eat what I didn’t want to eat, do what I didn’t want to do, and see what I didn’t want to see. This damn world always pushed me relentlessly. Just when I thought I could catch my breath, Hong Yu-ri almost killed me.
I was fed up. When would I get to experience a life where I wasn’t constantly fighting for my life? Would such a day ever come? In this crazy world?
I was annoyed. The more I mulled over it, the more irritated I became. Frustration morphed into resentment. All I feel from this life is that I’m not the protagonist of a story.
I was threatened by monsters and targeted by hunters.
It was unreasonable. Even though I had no intention of confronting humanity. My insides boiled over.
Right. They say people change when they face death, right?
So how many times should I have changed until now? How many times should I have given up?
Life is a comedy when seen from afar but a tragedy when observed closely, they say. The situations I read only in texts, stuff that once felt comedic to me turned into tragedy, and every moment of that tragedy felt like hell.
I turned my head and looked up at the sky. A pitch-black night sky with not a single star in sight. That thoughtless black sky only made me feel even more downhearted. My fur, soaked from the water. I could shake it off whenever I wanted, but I didn’t feel like it.
—The fact that I’m sunk in such thoughts makes me miserable.
[Will you stop here?]
A sudden voice echoed. The system asked if I was going to stop here. It always inquired with a flat, emotionless tone.
‘…Seriously, you too.’
The same situation. The same question.
As usual, the system presented choices. Its intent was all too clear. Now I knew it too well; it made me chuckle dryly.
Really. It’s such a clumsy attempt at encouragement. Not even a proper consolation.
I shook off the moisture clinging to me.
0.02%— I might have given up some things, but I also saved others.
I saved Euna, who almost died at the hands of worgs.
I took down Rat Man and the chimera, averting the disaster in the sewer.
As a result, I saved Baek So-yul, who would have become part of the “Witch’s Disaster.”
Even if no one understood. Even if no one acknowledged it, I was definitely leading this world toward the right ending.
…Yeah. That’s enough. Now, what’s so bad about almost dying once again?
It’s nothing new. Life has always been a series of battles. As those thoughts settled, finally, the boiling within me calmed.
Yet, that didn’t mean my emotions vanished. Understanding was understanding; frustration was frustration. —I will have my revenge someday, no doubt.
‘Hong Yu-ri.’
I distinctly remembered her name, once an extra.
[A status of Self-Control is being created]
[Destruction Probability 99.98% -> 99.97%]
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