Monster Heart (2)

The boss on the second floor is Werewolf. And what I’m facing right now is also a Werewolf.

It might be a coincidence, but it was an interesting coincidence.

But unlike Werewolf that I saw in the boss room, this one was severely hurt.

First of all, there was a large penetrating wound on his abdomen, and he had wounds all over his shoulders, forearms, legs, feet, and head. Flesh, nerves, and bones were almost exposed.

Blood was pouring from all of them.

The only reason he’s still alive was that he had the Werewolf’s incredible vitality.

“Grrr…!”

“Grrr…”

The wolves surrounding him were hostile to me, but he raised his hand weakly to order them to retreat.

“What do you want from me?” he asked

“It depends on what you want.”

It was pretty blunt and idiotic, but he nodded as if he was satisfied with my answer.

“I… … I want to live.”

“And?”

“For my friends who were killed and treated like monsters… revenge!”

What an amazing thing.

As he spoke out with words of pain and anger, his ruined body seemed to recover more quickly.

Has his regeneration skill improved?

I can see that the size of his grave stomach wound shrinking in real-time.

What an amazing resilience!

He also realized it.

He smiled as he raised his hand, with its bones exposed, and watched it gradually get covered with muscles, flesh, and hair.

“Slowly, I am growing stronger…”

“But you cannot survive alone.”

“Yes, definitely not.”

He nodded.

As the blood and phlegm in his throat were clearing, I could hear his voice more clearly.

Because he has a wolf’s head, it was difficult to estimate his exact age, but judging from his voice, he would not have been older than twenty.

He continued speaking.

“I am alone while they are over a hundred. Moreover, as regeneration takes up my stamina, it would be hard to fight them back in my condition…”

“Stop talking,” I cut him off.

I could feel the presence of humans appear one by one 500 meters away.

If we don’t leave this place soon, we will be discovered.

“I want to know more about the Fallen,” I told him.

“… I know about them.”

“I want to hear how the world works now.”

“That’s easy.”

“If you can fulfill those two requests, I will save you.”

He considered for a moment, then he asked me.

“You don’t want the experience, money, and items you can get from me?”

“Are you saying I should kill someone like me just because I could get the money?”

He laughed at my words.

“There are over a hundred people out there who would love to do it.”

I smiled before I replied to him.

“I don’t consider them as ‘people’.”

He looked curious as I continued.

“They are just monsters. Monsters with minds that are more hideous than our appearances.”

He was silent, full of emotions. Soon, he looked up at me with his blue eyes.

“It’s a very nice way of thinking. I like it.”

“Okay?”

“However, I can’t easily trust someone I have just met.”

“Of course.”

It is a mindset that everyone must have in order to survive.

It was really doubtful that someone would protect him from over a hundred people in return for two simple conditions.

“Nevertheless…” he shook his head and laughed. I laughed with him.

“You are the only hope that I have left,” he said.

“So?”

“All in. I’m going all-in with you.”

“Good choice.”

I approached him with silent footsteps.

The wolves snarled some more, but he stopped them.

“You can control wolves?” I asked him.“I can, up to five of them, but it won’t last forever, and it costs mana.”

“So, send them back.”

“Okay.”

He did something I didn’t understand.

The wolves suddenly looked blank; then, each went their own way as if they didn’t recognize our presence.

“It’s done.”

“Good.”

As I brought Blood Shadow to the floor, he saw that it sucked all his blood that had poured down on the ground. He laughed as he watched it.

“That’s a nice sword.”

I lifted him up.

He immediately realized what he was supposed to do now and clung as best as he could.

After nodding to him, I moved forward.

Towards the dark passageway leading to the third floor.

With my Advanced Detection, I was sure that no human or monster would be on our way.

I didn’t know that it could do so before, but Surprise and Fairy Tale seem to take effect on objects or people that I carry.

I passed through the dark passage quickly.

When we arrived at the aisle, his eyes widened.

“You have access to the entrance to the third floor… Are you the First Conqueror on the second floor, then?”

“Right.”

We stepped inside the 3F and was immediately overwhelmed by darkness.

It was the first time that I came in with someone else.

It’s strange to feel another presence other than mine wandering in the nothingness.

“Oh, what? You… … Are you there now?”

He may not be able to perceive my presence. I loosened Surprise and Fairy Tale that I kept active as a habit.

“Can you detect my presence now?” I asked him.

“…Amazing. My Detection ability is intermediate, but…”

“We’re entering the third floor, so we have to be careful. I’ll catch an intermediate monster for you, so you can eat it to restore your health.”

The passage was long, but as I was already accustomed to it, I quickly passed through and reached the third floor in just a few minutes.

When I let him down on the ground, he stood on two feet, looked around with a look of amazement on his face, and took a deep breath.

“I really lived…” he murmured.

“Barely.”

I replied bluntly, then threw Blood Shadow over to a spot.

The sword flew with the power of Advanced Martial Arts and Black Lightning, piercing the head of a huge vampire bat hanging upside down from the ceiling.

Blood Bat, an intermediate monster, lost his life in one hit. It slumped to the floor with Blood Shadow stuck in its head.

[You gained 25,680 experience.]

[You acquired 45 silver.]

I recovered Blood Shadow and threw the Blood Bat’s body at the Werewolf.

“These monsters’ stealth ability is pretty good. If someone is not vigilant because they are just at the 3F’s entrance, these bats will suck all his blood.”

“Yes, yes.”

This was, of course, intended to inform him of how dangerous 3F is; at the same time, however, I also intended to dispel any traitorous thoughts but showing him my force.

Whether he completely understood what I meant or not, he simply nodded carefully as he took the Blood Bat.

Then, he asked me.

“Are you really an intermediate monster? Or are you advanced?”

“Intermediate. Not yet.”

As I turned to go back to the aisle, he urgently called me.

“I haven’t heard your name yet. I am Chan-yoo. Lee Chan-yoo.”

“I am… no.”

I was about to respond with my name but caught myself.

I considered whether to introduce myself as a monster, or as ‘Kang Si-ha’.

The conclusion came quickly.

“Call me ‘Fate’.”

“Fate? Is that your alias?”

“No. That’s my name.”

“Yes, okay. … Pleasure to meet you, Fate.”

I tried not to display emotion as much as possible, but he seemed to have guessed how I felt.

His answer was heavy and sincere.

My heart felt heavy at that moment because, in one simple introduction, I felt like I had to choose between my past and my present.

He had also thought about his past when he introduced himself.

There was nothing different.

It was not wrong. It was normal.In the end, we had a small yet weak connection.

How did this happen? I shouldn’t trust him yet.

It felt good to be with someone who feels the same as you, but I shouldn’t be swayed by it.

“Pleasure is all mine, Lee Chan-yoo. When I return, you can answer the two questions I asked you earlier.”

“I’ll tell you as much as I know. As I said before, I’m all in.”

I nodded.

“And, just in case…”

Before I step on the aisle, I have to check one more thing.

I looked back and asked him.

“For your thirst for revenge to be satisfied, must it be done with your own hands?”

“… if it’s impossible for me, I can leave it to my friend,” he answered.

“I’m not your friend yet.”

“But I think we will be soon.”

Perhaps, since he has been with other Fallen, he was comfortable with me.

Should I feel the same, too?

He has been saved from death, so he trusted me completely.

He already sees me as a friend.

He really meant what he said when he said that he is ‘all in’.

But I do not trust feelings.

It is easily betrayed. It hurts easily and changes easily. It is explosive and instantaneous.

But in the end, it cannot be denied that it is the driving force that makes people move the most.

Feats that weren’t thought possible have been accomplished because of the power of emotion.

No matter what, I can’t simply trust someone I just met.

But I wish I could, someday.

I threw myself into the aisle without answering him, silencing the small and secret expectations in my head.

I went all the way to the middle of the aisle and started training in Surprise and Fairy Tale.

While doing so, I tracked the movements of humans on the second floor.

It wasn’t long before the guild returned.

“We must find him. I’m going to see with my own eyes that his neck is cut off.”

“It’s difficult. First of all, he was able to hide his identity as a Fallen…”

“Damn, did he become the First Conqueror of the second floor? Where did he get the key to break through the second floor?”

Lee Chan-yoo got the key from the first-floor boss room, quickly broke through the Goblin King, and hid in the second floor.

However, he didn’t have the power to overcome the mass appearance on the second floor, and he almost died.

It was then that I found him.

So, there is still a Werewolf King in the boss room of the second floor.

If the guild overcomes the mass appearances over and over again, they will realize the situation.

Eventually, the time came. It took only a few hours.

“It’s impossible! He’s on the third floor?”

“First, let’s get the key to the boss room. Let’s search thoroughly. No one can get out of this dungeon until we catch him!”

It took them a few more days.

I watched them while I trained and helped Lee Chan-yoo recover.

Soon, Lee Chan-yoo was able to hunt on the third floor by himself.

He was quite strong when he fully recovered.

He had good combat sense. His skills are also diligently grown.

He was strong enough to be able to compete with the boss on the second floor in a one-to-one match.

“Too strong, damn it. Beginner monsters on the first floor, Lower on the second floor, and Intermediate on the third? It’s not a joke. Even the best hunters may not be able to keep up with the sudden increase in difficulty.”

“It’s good. You can get stronger faster.”

“Were you a mercenary of the war state when you were human?”

I didn’t answer him and headed back to the aisle.

The only conversation I need to have with him is the one where he answers my two questions.

He sighed, but I didn’t care.

Only

It was on that afternoon that I heard the voice of who seemed to be their guild master.

“I think he found the staircase. It’s a ridiculous probability, but it’s the only possible way he got out.”

“So, what should we do?”

“Defeat the boss and follow him to the third floor.”

The moment I heard it, I moved.

To the second floor, not on the third floor.

Soon, they will find him and kill him.

I cannot keep waiting anymore.