a NE Bul 48 1 86% 1:01 pm <€ Thread gh est® 4 * YOONGIMONTH EY aTnsitchi Ch4pter 16: Th3 Light You C4n't Let GO Of al =- 4 @ “ 4 =X S c be bi t 7 a Pas ERI Rus 7, x ee 1 Jars r } , i Ps ao “y = 2 aes Scanned with CamScannerHaru opened the map of Sin-si. Sin-si was divided into the new city district in the north and the old city district down in the south, with the large river cutting in between the two districts. The Yisal Tower stood tall at the center of the new city district, while the Inwang Mountain was a little more to the north. The old district had 20 districts, with Districts 18 to 20 situated right along the river. They were the nearest to the new city district. Hence, they were the safest. Haru pointed at District 19. @® "The beom's base is right here." "In District 19? No way. That's pretty much the safest place in the old district. It can't be. The security is tight there because getting attacked by beom there would mean danger for the new districts too." @ Do-geon spoke up as Haru cocked his head to the side. His ashen hair got tousled in the wind. +) Scanned with CamScanner“Well, don't you find this strange? Inwang Mountain sits right on the north side of the new city district. Yet more beom appear in the old districts than the new ones. Why is that so?" “Well, the military must..." @ Do-geon did not say anything after that. He knew that the military did not do much harm to the beom. It was the beom hunters who came to bear the mysterious powers that were able to keep up with the beom's speed and strength. Sure, tanks and bombs were lethal enough to kill the beasts, but no one would be mindless enough to blast an explosive right in the middle of the city just to catch one beom. That meant that the military was pretty much useless. Yet the beom gathered in the old city district, rather in the new one that was in the vicinity of the mountain. @ "T've been noticing that as well. It's like the beom made a deal with someone in the new city district to attack only the old districts. And they started attacking from District 1 and onwards. Of course, I'm not saying that the new one is safe and all, but when you compare it with the old city district, it's just so much safer." @ Jooan spoke in his usual soft voice. Scanned with CamScannerZeha frowned. "But... who would make such a deal with the beom? Beom eat people." "Not all beom do that, Zeha." @ Jooan defended, his eyes brimming with tears once again. Zeha was dying to ask him a question that he had been wanting to ask. @ Jooan, why do you look like you're going to cry at any moment? ® But he could not muster up the courage to ask him this question. Just like how Zeha had stories that were difficult for him to tell, Jooan, too, must have his own share of them. @® "Beom are like humans. They love, and they abhor. They live on, hating and liking others, just like we do." "Yes..." @ Zeha was well aware of that. &® After all, his father was a beom, and he fell in love, too. @® Scanned with CamScanner"So what you're saying is, not all beom go and kill people as they please. And there may be beom who are plotting against humans and are growing stronger every day, right?" + Do-geon summarized, and Jooan nodded in response. @ "Yes, it's strange that the base is in the area nearest to the new city district. I'm afraid that some kind of power that we don't know about may be behind all this." @ When Jooan finished speaking, a heavy silence fell upon them. They all understood how difficult things would be if some other power was involved. Right now, they only had the strength and energy to fight a few beom. Something else in the picture simply spelled trouble. It would've been great if we were like the Tiger Butterfly. They're practically a force now. That way, our chances of victory would be higher. Zeha sighed in frustration. Just then, Haru placed his hand on Zeha's shoulder. Haru squeezed Zeha's shoulder softly. + "Sighing doesn't change anything. Well, there's a saying that every crisis is an opportunity. Let's just wait and find out what lies ahead of us." @ Scanned with CamScannerCein bent down a little to check his thigh. He had a scabbard that was connected to the belt on his waist. Each side had daggers that he had bought a few days ago. Cein had gone to the market another time the other day because he wanted to bump into Zeha and the others again. Even though he did not see them, he found the two daggers and simply couldn't pass them up at an affordable price. Technically speaking, it was affordable only to the beom hunters. But to Cein, who had never hunted and received a bounty, it cost him an arm anda leg. The money came from his parents, who were generous when it came to giving him allowances but stingy when it came to love and affection. Instead of spending, Cein ignored the money and let it accumulate in his bank. It was his way of protesting his parents. At that time, of course, he had no idea that this money would come in handy one day. Coupled with the earnings that he had made from tutoring in college, Cein was able to purchase the daggers with the money. @ But I don't have any plans to hunt the beom... @ When Zeha had asked whether he was a hunter, Cein could not help but nod. Scanned with CamScannerMaybe Cein did so because he wanted to spend more time with them. To discover why they all shared the same past life. Or maybe, deep down, he just wanted to belong somewhere. That was probably why Cein almost jumped right when Zeha invited him to join the team. But... @ "We're about to start a big fight soon." @ Those words terrorized him. The terror of himself being eaten alive by a beom. The fear that he had when he was trapped in darkness, inside the beom's stomach. Trauma attacked his soul and suffocated him as though it was a tsunami crashing down onto everything that was standing in its path. It was pure luck that Cein had survived that day. And he was not ready to take another gamble. And so, he ran away. Cein did not want to see the beom ever again, let alone fight them. That was why he could not wrap his head around why he had paid that hefty amount of money to get the daggers. ® Scanned with CamScannerDid they already fight? If so, did they make it out alive? © It has been a week since he ran into them. Cein had been roaming around the market, hoping that they would bump into one another, to no avail. It made him feel pathetic. And so, Cein decided to head towards District 19, which he heard was the safest place among the others in the city district. His plan was to just goof around, watching people's past lives in a safe place far away from the beom. Until... 6 "It's blocked?" "Yes, it seems like it. The roads that lead to District 18 to 20 are all blocked." “Who did that? Why did they block it?" "Soldiers are everywhere. I guess the government decided to contain the situation because everyone is abandoning their homes to get there." "That doesn't make any sense. It's like saying that people in the other districts can just die." Cein overheard other conversations as he trudged his way to his destination. + "It looks like vehicles aren't allowed either. And Scanned with CamScannerthe bus lanes have changed, too..." "Wait, what? Why...? But what about us?" Cein was walking with his head bowed. That was why he only found the road jam-packed with people and cars when he looked up. Cars were parked on the road helplessly as nervous people grouped in threes and fives chattered with one another. Given the many moving trucks and cars on the road, Cein could tell that many people were on their way to District 18. They'd traveled so far only to find that the roads were completely blocked. Cein closed his eyes and listened. Ever since he had been eaten alive by the beom, Cein had developed a sharpened sense of smell and hearing. He was able to pick up the voices of protesters resisting the soldiers that stood in their way from afar. The men in uniform sounded strict and disciplined. It was a stark contrast to the rowdy noise of the people. ® “We're just doing what we're being told to do." @ They did not explain any further. Cein could not understand what was happening here. - Scanned with CamScannerThe old city district was in danger, and the government decided to respond by blocking the road that led to the new district. Moreover, no one told them anything. It was a unilateral decision. Is this really happening now, even in this day and age? ® As he tilted back his head in disbelief, the stinging sunlight shone right into his eyes. @ What's happening to the world? @ Cein looked around the chaos. Their eyes were filled with various emotions - fear, rage, emptiness, and resentment. And their gazes were fixed at whatever it was that caught their attention. Just then, Cein spotted a group of four men boldly charging forward. It was Zeha and his team. Cein instantly forgot all about the protesters and the cars as he started to tail them silently. It was almost as though he was being lured by something. They were heading in the opposite direction. They eventually stopped at a dark alley where hardly anyone passed by. Cein heard Haru as the latter pointed at the © Scanned with CamScannerground. "This is it. They entered right here and walked all the way over there." ® Cein realized that Haru was pointing in his direction. And so, he quickly hid behind a car that was parked nearby. Just then, a man sprinted past the car. He was in joggers and a white jacket. Cein saw Zeha suddenly raise his hand at the man. @ "Hwan, we're here!" @ Zeha and others welcomed this man named Hwan. Haru then passed the bow that he had on his shoulder to him. @ "Use this." @® Hwan took it with a somber expression. They chattered softly among themselves as they removed the cover of the manhole. As soon as it was open, they jumped down one by one without any hesitation. Cein looked around for a while before making his way there. He looked down and saw the dark hole gaping as though it was going to devour him at any second. + Scanned with CamScannerCein was suddenly reminded of the beom that had swallowed him. His heart began to pound furiously. Haru must have been talking about the beom. What should I do? ® There was no point in asking. He had to turn back and go on his own way. Nobody invited him to join, and nobody even knew that he was here. He was not responsible for anything. Besides, Zeha and his friends were complete strangers to him. They had only met and talked once. There was no reason why they should matter to him. But... @ "Okay, whatever happens happens. Let's go." ® Scanned with CamScanner5 iy x ie: Commander Dongcheol grumbled into his phone. It was Kyeongtae. He reported that Zeha and the others had gone into the manhole, and that it looked like they were going after the beom. "What do I do, Commander?" "Do you remember what I said? I told you that they're better off dead." "Y, Yes, but... sir, I've been watching them... and they honestly don't seem that bad. Plus, they're Scanned with CamScannerafter she had enough of his father beating her whenever he felt like it. 'T'll come back for you. Okay, Dongcheol? Be good, and I'll come back for you." @ And so, he made sure to be good. Dongcheol did not cry when his father beat him. He did house chores when he was just seven. For many years, he was a good kid. But as the years went by, his father's beating grew more frequent and serious, and there was no sign of his mother coming back. One day, Dongcheol was hit with an epiphany. You have no one to trust in the world but yourself. Ever since then, he no longer tried hard to be a good kid. And so, he stole, cheated, and robbed people... But he had faith in himself. Dongcheol trusted that there would come a day when he was going to be successful and that no one would be able to take him lightly. He would reach a position where his words would mean power. ® And here Iam. © Dongcheol's eyes flickered. + ma Scanned with CamScannerI climbed all the way up here, to a place no one can steal from me, a place where everyone must bow before me. My words are powerful, and no one dares to challenge them. & As the beom became more and more rampant, the Tiger Butterfly grew. That meant more and more people started to shower Dongcheol with respect. Even the police chief that he had met a few days ago tried his best to win his favor and asked to catch all those beom for them. This was unthinkable to him in the past. And so, Dongcheol became blinded by power. But even when he was blind, a new shaft of light may have entered his view. So bright and glorious that Dongcheol forgot about everything else. As long as he could remain holding the glorious light in his hand, he could do anything for it. Dongcheol ordered in a firm voice. @) "T'll get Seongjin's team to back you up. Work with him and kill all of them." ® Scanned with CamScannerWale -- ESS re YAN’ RP) € ~~ ~‘Thread 5 Ps est® & * YOONGIMONTH F ~ Oy aTesitcyamt Ch4pter 17: Protect M3 Tweet your reply Scanned with CamScannerThe humid air reeked of something foul. Zeha looked around as he clasped his hand over his nose. The tunnel was pitch black, completely devoid of any light. Nevertheless, Do-geon was able to make out the rough outline of the place. It was only after the gate opened that Do-geon was able to see better. Sure, he always had good eyesight, but not to such an extent. {2 "T feel like I got better at seeing in the dark. But it's not from eating a lot of carrots." jf Zeha smiled as he heard Do-geon joke from behind. Zeha was relieved that he had Do-geon on his team. He was intimidated by Do-geon's look at first, but he later learned that this friend was very mature for his age from the way he lightened the mood every time things turned grim and serious. fa Scanned with CamScanner"What's that?" Hwan asked as he pointed at what looked like thick tree roots. It seemed to be made of metal or something else. It was black and red in color and resembled... "Tt looks like a blood vessel." | Jooan murmured. It was just as Jooan had described it. The roots overlapping with one another certainly made it look like one. They stretched far and wide without an end in sight. The blood vessels of Sin-si? Zeha could not help but quiver as chills ran down his spine. Do-geon was brave enough to reach out towards the thing. "Is this like a wire?" Grab-! Before he could lay his hand on it, Haru grabbed Do-geon by the wrist and shook his head. Scanned with CamScanner"You better not touch it for we do not know what it is." "You're right, but... I mean, it's not like it'll be full of germs, right? I reckon it's a wire or something." "Tt looks a little too thick to be one, though. Just look at it. It's even thicker than our arms." "It may be thicker than Haru's, but mine is thicker than that." a Do-geon said as he flexed his muscles. Haru clicked his tongue. a "You area child, Do-geon. That is what you are indeed. A child in a man's body." a While Haru and Do-geon were arguing about their physiques, Zeha heard something. &® Thump... boom... 5 This rhythmical sound playing at a consistent beat sounded very familiar. Just then, Do-geon stopped in his tracks and Scanned with CamScannerraised his right hand. He glanced behind, signaling to everyone that someone was tailing behind them. Zeha and others quietly placed their hands on their weapons. Soon enough, they went back to walking as though everything was fine as they waited patiently for the person to come close enough for them to attack. When the distance between them and the follower narrowed, Zeha immediately flung himself at the person without hesitation. Zeha's sword aimed right at the person's head, while Hwan aimed right at his heart. Just as the sword was about to pierce into the person's head, Zeha realized that he had seen this man before. "Ce." a Swoosh! © Before Zeha could even finish saying his name, a rope shot outwards and tied Cein by the legs. This caused Cein to stumble and fall down onto the ground. Zeha quickly swooped down and pulled him up, bringing him into his embrace. Cein scowled as Zeha wrapped his arms around him. Scanned with CamScannerZeha let go of Cein by reflex, causing the latter to stumble back again. The former immediately jumped to the latter's rescue once again. Once it was finally all over, Cein raised an eyebrow as he removed the ropes that were binding him. | "You invite me to your team, and this is how you welcome me? That was one fanciful welcoming ceremony." "I'm sorry. I thought that you were a beom." [30 Zeha apologized sincerely as he held out his hand. Cein slapped it away. fa "Well, whatever. By the way, where are you guys going? You're not heading to a place full of beom, are you?" "We are." [2 | Do-geon shrugged, and Cein laughed as if he thought that he was joking. [2 | "If you plan to go to the beom's base just like that, you can forget about it. Even the great Tiger Butterfly has failed at their attempt to do so. Do you really think that you can do it, with just the five of you?" "It's six." Scanned with CamScanner"Excuse me?" "It's six." Zeha grinned as he pointed at Cein. Cein's eyes shook slightly before he regained his composure. @ "T'm not going. I don't want to die.” "We aren't going to die there. We're going to live." "That's absurd. What can... we do?" "You've gotten it all wrong..." 4] Do-geon wrapped an arm around Cein's shoulder. [3 | "We aren't going there to fight. We're going to spy on the beom. We're going to take a quick look around the place and run right away if things get ugly. And ifit's all right for us to do so, we'll hunt some beom."” [| They all had the brains to know that they should not barge into the beom's base and fight them. Their main purpose was simply to spy on the base. They planned to find out the exact location, the structure, and the level of security of the base. But since contingencies could happen at any time, they came prepared. Scanned with CamScannerCein, who was initially skeptical, seemed to have been won over as he listened to their plan. His breath, which had been heavy and raspy with fear, started to go back to normal. Finally, he lifted up his chin arrogantly and said, "Fine, I'll join you. But you have to promise me that you'll protect me if things become ugly." gf +4++ [33 | Kyeongtae stood at the manhole with his teammates as he waited for Seongjin's team to arrive. Kyeongtae looked up to Seongjin after his boss Dongcheol. Seongjin was Dongcheol's right-hand man. That was what he called himself. It appeared that Dongcheol thought so as well. And so, Kyeongtae was eager to get closer to their boss, just like Seongjin was. Scanned with CamScannerKyeongtae had first met his commander back in prison. It was all thanks to his boss that he had managed to get used to living there. While everybody was hurling insults at him for being such an idiot, Dongcheol stood by his side. And that's how, in the prison, which was filled with hardened criminals, Kyeongtae was able to avoid becoming the target of serious harassment. Seongjin must have been somewhere nearby as he had shown up in no time. Behind him, the members of the Team 1 stood in formation. Kyeongtae could tell that they were well-disciplined and well-trained. The Team 1 was composed of the strongest and most capable people in the Tiger Butterfly Force. "Kyeongtae, have you been waiting for a while?" "No, sir." "Don't call me that. You and I are the same. We're team captains." "N-No. We're completely different. You're in the Team 1." &® Seongjin must have been pleased to hear the answer. He stroked Kyeongtae's head as he looked down at the manhole. Scanned with CamScannerZeha let go of Cein by reflex, causing the latter to stumble back again. The former immediately jumped to the latter's rescue once again. Once it was finally all over, Cein raised an eyebrow as he removed the ropes that were binding him. | "You invite me to your team, and this is how you welcome me? That was one fanciful welcoming ceremony." "I'm sorry. I thought that you were a beom." [30 Zeha apologized sincerely as he held out his hand. Cein slapped it away. fa "Well, whatever. By the way, where are you guys going? You're not heading to a place full of beom, are you?" "We are." [2 | Do-geon shrugged, and Cein laughed as if he thought that he was joking. [2 | "If you plan to go to the beom's base just like that, you can forget about it. Even the great Tiger Butterfly has failed at their attempt to do so. Do you really think that you can do it, with just the five of you?" "It's six." Scanned with CamScanner"Excuse me?" "It's six." Zeha grinned as he pointed at Cein. Cein's eyes shook slightly before he regained his composure. @ "T'm not going. I don't want to die.” "We aren't going to die there. We're going to live." "That's absurd. What can... we do?" "You've gotten it all wrong..." 4] Do-geon wrapped an arm around Cein's shoulder. [3 | "We aren't going there to fight. We're going to spy on the beom. We're going to take a quick look around the place and run right away if things get ugly. And ifit's all right for us to do so, we'll hunt some beom."” [| They all had the brains to know that they should not barge into the beom's base and fight them. Their main purpose was simply to spy on the base. They planned to find out the exact location, the structure, and the level of security of the base. But since contingencies could happen at any time, they came prepared. Scanned with CamScannerCein, who was initially skeptical, seemed to have been won over as he listened to their plan. His breath, which had been heavy and raspy with fear, started to go back to normal. Finally, he lifted up his chin arrogantly and said, "Fine, I'll join you. But you have to promise me that you'll protect me if things become ugly." gf +4++ [33 | Kyeongtae stood at the manhole with his teammates as he waited for Seongjin's team to arrive. Kyeongtae looked up to Seongjin after his boss Dongcheol. Seongjin was Dongcheol's right-hand man. That was what he called himself. It appeared that Dongcheol thought so as well. And so, Kyeongtae was eager to get closer to their boss, just like Seongjin was. Scanned with CamScannerKyeongtae had first met his commander back in prison. It was all thanks to his boss that he had managed to get used to living there. While everybody was hurling insults at him for being such an idiot, Dongcheol stood by his side. And that's how, in the prison, which was filled with hardened criminals, Kyeongtae was able to avoid becoming the target of serious harassment. Seongjin must have been somewhere nearby as he had shown up in no time. Behind him, the members of the Team 1 stood in formation. Kyeongtae could tell that they were well-disciplined and well-trained. The Team 1 was composed of the strongest and most capable people in the Tiger Butterfly Force. "Kyeongtae, have you been waiting for a while?" "No, sir." "Don't call me that. You and I are the same. We're team captains." "N-No. We're completely different. You're in the Team 1." &® Seongjin must have been pleased to hear the answer. He stroked Kyeongtae's head as he looked down at the manhole. Scanned with CamScannerIt was still open. "So, they went inside?" "Yes, there were five of them before some scrawny-looking fellow followed them inside." "So that makes six of them... Hmm..." fi Seongjin thought for a second as he peered down at the hole. Should I follow them or pretend that I didn't see anything? Seongjin showed up only because Dongcheol ordered him to help Kyeongtae. This was a rather unpleasant job. He still remembered the incident back at the museum clearly. Zeha and the others were seriously under-equipped and lesser in numbers compared to Seongjin's team. Nonetheless, they were strong, so much so that he had the impression that he was going up against the beom. @ So it took him just a second to reach the conclusion that he would not stand a chance against Zeha and his team. Besides, if the others were just as powerful as Zeha was, it was blatantly clear how things would turn out. fe} The commander sent me all the way down here just to help this pathetic team. He probably Scanned with CamScannerwants me to use Kyeongtae as bait. Seongjin figured that he could send Kyeongtae to go up against Zeha's team first before joining later to kill them off easily. fa "Kyeongtae, from the way that I see it, there is nothing more inefficient than all of us heading down there as though we're going on a picnic. Don't you think so?" "Yes, sir. You're right." "So here's what we're going to do. I'll stay here to keep an eye on this place. You guys go ahead and find out where they went. Once you tell me where they are, I'll go over to help. How does that sound?" [5 | jin's offer. Kyeongtae innocently took up Seon; Although Kyeongtae annoyed Seongjin with his incompetence, the latter found the gullible side of the former likable. Besides, he knew what Kyeongtae's team was like. They were all good-for-nothings. There was no way that they could beat Zeha and his team. | 2 | I'lljust sneak in while he's getting completely destroyed by them and kill Zeha. After that, the credit will be all mine. [30 LN Scanned with CamScannerI'll be killing two birds with one stone then. I'll have the best of both worlds. Seongjin smiled meaningfully as he watched Kyeongtae go down the manhole with his team. @ ++ fa Zeha and others stopped when they saw a door in front of them. Although they had passed several of them along their way, all of them had been covered up with the blood vessel-like strands that extended throughout the underground. However, this one was clean and did not have any strands on it. Everyone hesitated as no one knew what would happen if they touched it. Just then, Hwan stepped forward. Do-geon grabbed him by the shoulder. a "There's no need to rush." "My sister might be on the other side." [2 | Hwan's brown eyes were laden with sorrow, Scanned with CamScannerdespair, and madness. Scanned with CamScannerHe was well aware that there was no way that his sister, Juhee, would be alive. But Hwan could not help but cling onto hope. Maybe. Maybe, just maybe. After all, miracles do exist in the world. And so, Hwan did not give up hope. Since everyone understood what he was going through, having lost loved ones and hoping that they were still alive themselves, nobody tried to stop Hwan. Hwan hastily pushed the door open. a Creak. @ It made a creaking noise as it scratched against the floor. Nothing hinted at danger. Instead, they were met with an almost unimaginable sight. & "What is... this? What is this... place?" & It was like an underground dungeon that they would only usually see in video games. Except this underground dungeon was real, and it was filled with mysterious machines that they did not know the purposes of. They made creaking sounds that echoed throughout the halls. The rustic and dark machines were connected Scanned with CamScannerto the nasty roots that they had seen on the way here. They crept up the ceiling, floor, and walls to somewhere that they did not know. "I think we're in the basement of the A Department Store." & Jooan muttered. He then pointed at the little writing on the wall that read "Parking Lot." Underneath it was the words "A Department Store." @ "What? We're at the A Department Store? No way. Was it not still under operation? I searched it up last night on the internet." @ Cein whispered. Do-geon muttered something under his breath as he stepped forward and observed the machines up close. @ "They don't look like they were made recently... What in the world is this place doing under a department store?" Ls | Thump... boom... @ The rhythmic noise of the machines was driving Zeha up the wall. Scanned with CamScannerUnderneath the dim light bulbs that made the whole room look drab and dingy, the machines reminded Zeha of human organs. And this noise sounds like a heartbeat... = Just then, as Zeha was wrinkling his nose at just how repulsive the place was, he spotted something eerie from the corner of his eye. It was a grotesque creature with the face of a mouse and the body of a spider. It quickly slipped away under the machines when it locked eyes with Zeha. ® I've got to catch it! Ee Scanned with CamScannerByveq- ES ree Al YA € ~~ ~Thread Bt est’ & * YOONGIMONTH ar RO asic um Ch4pter 18: A Str4nge Cr3ature Tweet your reply Scanned with CamScannerZeha did not know why, but he felt a strong urge to catch the mysterious creature. Just as he was about to go after it, Cein grabbed him by the wrist. "Wh-Where do you think you're going?" "I just... saw something." "What did you see? Was it a beom? Is there a beom here? What are you doing? Hurry, protect me!" x Cein looked around with fear written all over his face. "No, just..." Zeha looked around, trying to track the creature down. But even his acute sense of hearing could not detect where it had gone off to. It was gone. = "I saw something really strange. It looked like a mouse. Yet it had a spider's body... and it also had wings. The wings of a dragonfly." Scanned with CamScanner“What was that...?" "T have no idea. I just saw it. Didn't you see it?" "No, I didn't. I mean, it's impossible that there would be such a thing," Cein answered in a doubtful voice. While Cein and Zeha were talking, Do-geon, Jooan, and Hwan went closer to them. Zeha told them about the strange creature that he had just seen. "Zeha, I know that you're feeling nervous right now, but you've got to pull yourself together." That was their response. Just then, Hwan, who had been anxiously clutching at his bow again and again, spoke up. (+) "Let's go. Whatever it may be, we still have a job to do." @ Hwan seemed to think that there were survivors locked up here. Even though everyone thought the chance of that being true was slim, they kept it to themselves. fa “All of you, come here." © Haru's voice rang amidst the unpleasant roaring of the machines. They headed there and found the stairs that led Scanned with CamScannerto the emergency exit. Haru pointed at the ceiling. "Look." @ The pipes that were coming out from the machines extended beyond the emergency exit. @ "The door is locked." @ Just as Zeha was about to draw his sword, Cein intercepted. He whipped out a dagger and twirled it once before cutting through the little gap in the door. @ Shnk! @ Just like that, after the sound of metal being cut into half rang in the air, the door was opened. Everyone gaped at Cein with admiration, impressed by what they had just witnessed. Cein himself was shocked by what had just happened. He stared at the dagger resting on his palm in disbelief. @ "Wow, this works!" Cein exclaimed. [3 | It was at that moment when Cein realized that Zeha and the rest were all looking at him. He flashed an embarrassed grin. = Scanned with CamScanner"No, um, I mean... I just had a feeling that it would work." "Good job." Do-geon tapped him on the shoulder. fa Since everyone had quickly entered the door with Zeha taking the lead, nobody noticed Cein as he smiled half-sheepishly and half-joyfully. {Zl +++ fi Seongjin entered the A Department Store with his team. Although nobody was allowed to pass through the road that connected to District 18 and further in, none of the soldiers were foolish enough to stop the beom hunters, especially when it came to the Tiger Butterfly. The building was crowded with people. Seongjin naturally assumed that they were people who were living around here. He could tell from the way that they were Scanned with CamScannerdressed in extravagant and luxurious clothes. The real estate around here was extremely expensive. Yet nobody looked down on Seongjin and the others, who were donned in comfortable sportswear. Everybody knew that they were beom hunters from the fact that they had guns in their hands. Seongjin loved this kind of treatment. Look at me. I was born to a poor family and lived all my life with people telling me that I'm good-for-nothing. But here I am now, being looked up to for being gifted. These days, people respected beom hunters even more than doctors. "It looks pretty clean here, captain." @ One of his teammates remarked. Seongjin was curious as well. Why did they hide under the basement of this building? Awhile ago, Kyeongtae had reported to him that Zeha and the others looked like they were headed to the basement of this department store. @ "But sir, there's something strange-" "Kyeongtae, just keep following them and attack when you get the chance. I'll be there Scanned with CamScannersoon." Seongjin interrupted him mid-sentence because he had a feeling that Kyeongtae would press him to come over quickly to help him. Seongjin had a different plan in mind. He planned to drag things until Kyeongtae and his team completely drained Zeha and the others of their energy. He would then show up at the very last moment, just like a hero. [2 | tet [| The nasty pipe that looked like a root continued to spread down throughout the floor underneath. Unlike the second floor of the basement, the third floor looked like a normal parking lot. But there were no cars in the parking lot. Only some construction materials were piled up all over the place as though there was some kind of construction happening. Scanned with CamScanner"Those construction materials look like a cover- up..." @ Do-geon murmured as he pointed at the door opposite the emergency exit. @ "Looks like that's the base." + A large concrete wall had been built right in the middle of the spacious parking lot. The wall looked artificial and new. A metal door was on the wall, but there was no one protecting the place. Everyone was still inside the emergency stairs and did not go out to the lot. They were looking out for any signs of danger with the door half ajar. a "What do we do?" @ Cein replied as soon as Do-geon asked this. @ "What do you mean by 'What do we do?' Now that we've found out that something is brewing down here, we've got to head up and tell everyone. We've got to tell them that something strange is happening down here." "No." CF With that, Hwan pushed the door open. @ Scanned with CamScanner"I'm going there.” "Hey, where do you think you're going?!" @® Cein clung onto Hwan's arm with both of his hands. @ "Let go." "I can't. If that's really the base, do you think that we can fight them? We don't stand a chance. It'll be better for us to go outside and get help before we come back." "If my sister is in there... I need to save her. I'm already late. What if it's over by the time that we go out and call for help?" Hwan said almost ina plea. "You might die if you go right now, and that'll just make everything that we've done so far worthless." "T don't care." @® Hwan released his arm from Cein's grip. @ "T've got to go and check it out for myself." a Scanned with CamScanner"Okay, let's go then." Do-geon said as he straightened up. Jooan turned to Zeha, unsure about what to do. Everyone was right. Zeha understood where Hwan and Do-geon were coming from. Cein, too, made sense. But there were only six of them here. Rushing into that place was no different from committing suicide. "Haru," said Zeha as he looked at Haru. a Haru nodded as he threw his rope. It flew towards Hwan and Do-geon and wound Scanned with CamScanneraround their arms. When Haru pulled the rope with his hand, Hwan and Do-geon, who were trying to resist, stumbled onto the ground. Haru looked at them and said, "You children, look at how you two cannot even beat me." "I don't care." Hwan gritted his teeth. © © B "T need to save my sister-" Clack! The sound of the metal door opening interrupted Hwan. Everyone gasped as they turned to look at the source. Two beom were walking out of the door. Neither of them was Bulti. Both of them had ears that looked like any typical beom. One had yellow stripes, while the other had gray ones. Upon taking a closer look, their skin was the same color as their ears. [| "It's just downright outrageous, I'm telling you." ® Scanned with CamScannerThe gray one giggled. + "T knew that he had those wild eyes, but who would have imagined that he would actually eat Zahu up? I don't even know who's the boom anymore." "Zahu died of starvation from protecting humans, and there he is, devouring his corpse... He just freaks me out." "Should we just leave him like that? Maybe we should've killed him. He looks dangerous." "He'll die soon anyway. We've already reported. this to Bulti, so he'll figure out a way to deal with him." 3] Do-geon and Jooan grasped their weapons at the mention of Bulti. The beom were walking towards the emergency stairs. Everyone exchanged looks to signal one another. Cein, on the other hand, looked at Zeha and mouthed, + "Protect me." fa I thought that he was kidding, but he's actually for real. Zeha shook his head as he brought his hand on the sword. He then glanced at Haru. Scanned with CamScannerJust then, Haru flung his rope towards the beom, just as Zeha and Jooan were charging right at the incoming beasts. The unexpected ambush caught them off-guard, such that they were unable to react. As the rope tied the ankles of the two beom, Zeha sliced into the gray beom's waist. Jooan's spear penetrated right into the stomach of the yellow one. He then thrust the spear upward with the beom still stuck in it. “Grrrrrrr!" + The yellow beom growled in pain as it swung its arms wildly. Its claws suddenly shot out as it tried to slice off Zeha's head. Zeha dodged quickly and evaded the attack. But some strands of his hair were cut off. a The yellow beom did not stop there as it grabbed the spear with its hands. Veins were popping out on its fists, but it failed to snap the spear into little pieces. It simply did not break. + "Disgusting humans..." a The yellow beom bared its teeth as it reached a Scanned with CamScannerout to strangle Jooan. Just then, Swish! An arrow cut through the air and pierced through its forehead. Jooan turned to find that Hwan had shot it. He drew his bow and was about to shoot another arrow. Hwan, who had been paranoid over his sister all the way here, had regained his composure the moment that the fight began. His eyes rapidly pursued the target as he calculated the exact amount of strength needed to hit the target. Swish! Once again, the arrow left the bow to make one final precise shot - in the beom's forehead. The beom, who had strength despite the first arrow, laid limp at the second one. Jooan turned around to help Zeha as soon as the beom that he was attacking had been killed, only to find that the latter had already killed the other beom as well. The beom that Zeha was fighting against was being maimed badly by Cein and his daggers. Scanned with CamScanner"T'll kill you. Every single one of you. One by one, I'll wipe you out. You vermin, all of you just..." S Cein was straddling the beom as he repeatedly stabbed his heart without showing any signs of stopping. He was the exact opposite to what he had been like just a while ago, when he mouthed at Zeha to protect him with fear in his eyes. Jooan looked at Zeha in surprise. The latter simply shrugged. Do-geon briskly walked up to Cein and touched his shoulder. Cein quivered in shock as he whipped around with a dagger still in his hand. Do-geon grinned. [2 | "Are you going to kill me, too?" "Huh...? Oh..." @ It looked like Cein did not know what he was doing either because he peered at his bloody hands with a confused expression as he squeezed his eyes shut. +r, "No, I..." "You fought really well. You were fast and quick." @ Scanned with CamScannerCein lowered his eyes at the compliment. ® "No, it was nothing. Really." "No, you did well. But please wipe the blood off. You're scary." a] Do-geon wiped the blood off Cein's face with his hand. Cein let Do-geon wipe the stains from his face before he got up. a] "T think that I can fight now." ® Cein was looking at the metal door. ® "What do we do now? Are we going inside there?" "From the way that the other beom aren't coming out even after that commotion, it looks there aren't many inside..." @® Do-geon turned to Zeha. Zeha nodded. ® "Okay, let's go.” ® They opened the metal door without any hesitation. As they entered, all hell broke loose right in front of them. Scanned with CamScanner