Chapter 131
If it stretches its neck to follow you, then you might think… why not just cut the neck?
That’s a valid point.
And the creature itself instinctively understood that its neck was its weak point.
So it always searched for prey while keeping its neck as unexposed as possible.
Even while tracking a target, if it heard a sound near where its weak neck or body was, it would immediately retract its neck like a turtle and search for prey again.
In other words, you had to locate the position of its stationary body or its long-stretched neck, then approach silently and cut the neck.
‘Tricky.’
With the light-licker, you could just throw light.
But when you can’t even locate where this thing is… You can’t exactly sweep the entire area blindly like hunting rats.
‘There’s a forest, mountains, nearby apartments… everything.’
And it was dangerous, too.
Its head was abnormally large.
If it got even slightly close to its prey, it would immediately open its mouth and swallow it.
It could easily swallow the upper body of a grown man in one bite.
Since only the head moved, there were no footsteps.
The only sound it made was when it brushed against grass or bushes.
Even that was faint.
So… it was best not to encounter it at all.
‘But that’s a different issue from having to go there.’
I didn’t think I’d be lucky.
I’d definitely run into it.
But spending the entire daytime wandering around looking for an appraiser would also be a waste of time… especially when I already knew where one was.
And there was no guarantee I wouldn’t run into other mutants while searching.
So…
“I’m going.”
Even so.
***
After finishing the meal, I was about to go wash up when Lee Hoin followed me.
Kim Taekjin, who was watching, just shrugged and didn’t bother following.
—
[Oh ho, he seems to know exactly when to step in and when not to.]
—
Only after we were alone did Lee Hoin speak.
“Hey, where are you going? You should at least tell me.”
His tone was slightly sharp.
I answered right away.
“Shin Giyeon told me before. Said she met a strange guy who appraises items. We’ve got quite a few things to appraise too. Using that powder would be a waste. And we only have one.”
It was a lie.
I knew Lee Hoin could cross-check if he wanted.
But Shin Giyeon would probably play along.
That’s just how she was.
Lee Hoin stared at me for a moment, then nodded.
But his expression… he couldn’t hide it at all.
Still full of suspicion and discomfort.
“So, what is it? What do you mean, a strange person?”
“Goat legs, an old man. Wearing a robe. Not sure beyond that. But Shin Giyeon said she knows where he is.”
“Are you sure?”
“About what?”
“That it’s actually something helpful. We don’t even know if it’s a monster or a person. Haven’t we been stabbed in the back enough times already?”
At the sudden remark, I fell silent for a moment.
“It’ll be helpful. I’ve got a feeling. What about you? You’ve got instincts too.”
Lee Hoin went quiet.
Then he let out a long sigh and ran a hand through his hair.
“…Yeah. Feels like it. Still, it’s not certain, so I’m asking. Back at Gaehwasan too…”
“You’re right.”
When I agreed, Lee Hoin paused.
He had a point.
His “instinct” definitely had a high ceiling.
But right now, it was basically at its lowest.
Like at Gaehwasan… if an item interfered with his mind and clouded it, he’d get confused.
So yes… he was right.
“But we still have to try. We need to know what these are if we’re going to use these items. We brought a lot… it’d be a waste not to use them.”
After a moment, Lee Hoin nodded reluctantly.
“…Tonight?”
“Yeah.”
***
Kim Taekjin quickly blended in with everyone.
Especially since it wasn’t a lie that he had spoken with Kim Woohyun…
Woohyun seemed surprisingly glad to see him.
—
[Judging by that reaction, he definitely spilled everything in detail!]
—
When I asked how it went, Kim Woohyun said:
“He took good care of me. He was a good person.”
Judging by how he kept praising him, it seemed true.
After washing up and getting ready to rest, Kim Taekjin approached and asked:
“We’re going there later, right?”
“…Yes.”
As if it were obvious, he lay down nearby.
“I should probably borrow a weapon before we go. I gave all mine to Mr. Do Yoseol. I’m completely unarmed right now.”
Is that something to brag about?
Well… since he chose us now, it wasn’t unexpected that he’d follow.
Still… something felt off.
Maybe it’s because I’ve seen too many betrayal endings involving him.
—
[In a world like this, trusting someone is extremely risky. Whether it’s a high return is uncertain… but it’s definitely high risk.]
—
Ignoring the narrator praising this decision, I let out a sigh.
I was tired.
***
Around evening, we prepared to head out.
Before leaving, I asked Shin Giyeon:
“Have you seen anything that follows light?”
“Follows light?”
“Crawls on all fours, mimics screams.”
“Oh… that? No.”
She genuinely didn’t seem to know.
If she hadn’t seen one so far… There was a good chance there weren’t any around here.
“What is that?”
Lee Hoin asked from beside me.
“You remember when we did that event in Jamsil and got separated? I saw one then. It followed the light. Crawled on all fours.”
“Ah.”
He frowned, remembering.
Without light-eaters around, at least we had some freedom using light.
Better to illuminate the surroundings as we go.
We couldn’t say there were no other mutants… but it was better to deal with known threats first.
We started moving.
Just getting the items appraised and then heading to the story merchants would already take time.
“Remember this.”
I said, turning my back.
Lee Hoin nodded, clicking his flashlight on.
The moon was unusually dim.
Clouds covered the sky beyond the closed windows.
“Stay quiet. Make as little noise as possible. If you need to say something, prioritize contact over sound. Contact means grabbing the right shoulder. Only the right shoulder. Anything else… we assume it’s not one of us.”
As I listed it out, Lee Hoin nodded.
Beside us, Kim Taekjin, who had somehow already borrowed a weapon, adjusted his glasses and said:
“Wouldn’t that slow communication too much? Let’s use signals. Two taps on the right shoulder means ‘something’s wrong,’ ‘help,’ or ‘there’s something strange.’ One tap for everything else.”
That was more efficient.
I nodded.
“I’ll take point. Kim Taekjin is in the middle. Lee Hoin, you’re last.”
“Oh, is this by height order?”
I stopped mid-step.
Is this guy insane?
—
[That smiling provocation… clearly not his first time!]
—
Ignoring him, I continued.
“…We move while watching all directions. If there’s even the slightest sound, shine a light there immediately and confirm. We move quietly.”
We set off.
It shouldn’t take long.
20 minutes walking.
10 if we rushed.
But safety mattered more… so about 30 minutes.
We walked slowly along the forest path.
I kept sweeping the flashlight around… since I was in front.
“Kiieeeek!”
“Kiiee…”
All kinds of cries echoed from beyond the forest.
Our suppressed footsteps.
Other footsteps rustling somewhere.
All blending into a chaotic noise.
It was hard to distinguish threats within it.
So the flashlight beam kept moving toward every sound.
Behind me, beams of light flickered as well.
Sometimes one disappeared… probably checking the rear.
Holding our breath, fully tense, we walked for about 15 minutes.
Slower than expected.
Too many things to check.
Too much tension.
—
[It seems signals are being disrupted from all directions.]
[It would’ve been better if there were no animal sounds. Enough time has passed for surviving pets to turn into wild beasts.]
—
The narrator was right.
From somewhere came barking, cat cries… and what sounded like screams.
The problem was… with wild animals, you couldn’t tell if it was a human scream or a deer’s.
There are always deer in the Korean mountains.
We kept moving, senses on edge… when suddenly… something tapped my shoulder.
A signal.
Without turning,
I raised my sword… and swung my dagger along with the flashlight…toward the side that tapped me.
Someone had tapped my left shoulder.
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