29. Night Flight (4)

A blade was embedded in Oh Haryeong’s forehead.

The dagger had lodged itself between her eyebrows, splitting her skull with a crack-her brain was undoubtedly destroyed.

After all, blood was gushing out, and brain matter was spilling everywhere.

So why wasn’t I getting any points?

Since she was an Awakened, I should’ve gotten at least 30 points, but nothing was coming in.

That could only mean Oh Haryeong wasn’t dead yet.

Just like how Number 1 had faked his death when we first met, this bitch was probably pretending to be dead right now, lying there on purpose.

Was she playing dead because she had no chance of winning?

Well, if I set her body on fire, she’d have to get up whether she wanted to or not.

“Ughh…”

Just as I pulled out my staff to incinerate Oh Haryeong’s body with flame emission, she staggered to her feet.

The way she wobbled unsteadily, almost like a zombie, was bizarre-like a sick chicken twitching.

Thud-

-Clang!

Once fully upright, Oh Haryeong yanked the blade from her forehead and flung it to the ground, then steadied herself with unsteady movements.

It looked as if something else had taken over her body.

What the hell? Why was she acting like this all of a sudden?

“Uh… Aah…”

“…”

She even loosened her neck abruptly. Could it be that the foreign deity she had contracted with had directly possessed her?

If so, I was seriously screwed… I didn’t know much about the entity Oh Haryeong had made a pact with. Even in the original work, when Oh Haryeong died, it only left behind hints that she might return.

“Hoo, hoo, splendid. Keuheok…”

While I was checking my remaining magic points in preparation for a battle against the possessed Oh Haryeong, the thing that was once Oh Haryeong suddenly coughed up blood while trying to speak.

Then, wiping the blood from her lips, she spoke again in a much clearer voice than before.

“Splendid. That was an excellent hunt.”

An excellent hunt? Sudden praise was suspicious. It felt like she was buttering me up before proposing a contract.

This was the exact cliché development of an evil entity-praise first, then offer a contract to make me theirs.

“You there, won’t you make a contract with me?”

Just as I expected. This is why evil beings are so predictable.

“Me? With you? Why?”

“Because an excellent hunter is always welcome.”

“…”

“You’re not so bad yourself. If you make a contract with me, you’ll gain access to various powers. How about it?”

See? There was a reason for the praise.

Since I was expecting a second phase with the resurrected Oh Haryeong, this felt a bit anticlimactic. But if I refused the contract, she’d definitely attack immediately, so I needed to stay alert.

As if I haven’t seen this kind of development a hundred times.

“And if I refuse…?”

If I refused, she’d obviously say she’d kill me.

Before the fight resumed, I discreetly retrieved the blade that had fallen to the ground.

I’d throw it quickly to blind her, then immediately escape the game room.

My magic points were too low for an all-out fight. And if my opponent wasn’t even Oh Haryeong but the foreign deity she had contracted with, I had no chance of winning.

Running like hell was the only answer.

“I see… You refuse the contract…”

The mysterious being nodded meaningfully in response to my indirect refusal.

I swallowed nervously, bracing myself. Any second now, tentacles would come flying, and she’d attack.

It might strain my body, but it seemed like the time had come to use Blood Flow Acceleration again…

“Well, if that’s the case, so be it. Farewell.”

“Huh?”

She was about to leave without hesitation.

What the hell? Wasn’t this the part where she’d insist one more time or attack?

“W-wait? You’re just leaving?”

“Huh? Shouldn’t I? You said no to the contract.”

“Uh… No.”

“What? Did you want me to stop you?”

“No, but in this kind of scenario, the usual development is either a fight or another offer…”

“Listen, human. Why should I bother with all that?”

Why should she? If she asked me that, I wouldn’t have an answer either.

I just assumed it was a cliché, so of course it would play out like that.

Right? A mysterious divine being offering a contract-accepting it would be dangerous, and refusing it would be dangerous too. That’s just how it works.

“Because you approached me for a reason, right? Isn’t that it?”

“Correct.”

“So, it’s only natural to think you have some ulterior motive.”

“I suppose?”

“That’s why I refused your offer. And I thought you’d insist again since you must want something from me.”

“What a complicated way of thinking.”

“Can’t help it. What if you try to take over my body?”

“Take over your body?”

This thing was weird.

The way she asked made it sound like, “Why the hell would I want to steal your pathetic body?”

“You seem to be misunderstanding something. Why would I go through the trouble of stealing such a fragile body? What for? It’s annoying.”

“Uh… No?”

“Absolutely not! No reason to steal it, and if I wanted to hunt directly, I’d just come in my true form. Why would I bother stealing a human body? A pitiful body that can’t even last 100 years. I wouldn’t take it even if you gave it to me.”

A pitiful body that can’t even last 100 years?

Even if she was a god, that was a bit harsh. Though I couldn’t argue because it was true.

“More importantly, the reason I wanted to make a contract with you was… how do I put it in human terms… Ah! To automate my hunting.”

“A-automate hunting?”

Now even automated hunting was mentioned.

Was this something a foreign deity should be saying?

The image of a foreign deity in my mind took a nosedive.

Back when Oh Haryeong was rampaging, I thought the deity was also a chaotic being consumed by madness.

Turns out, it was just a lazy entity that wanted to hole up in a corner and slurp up offerings.

“Wait, then what was up with Oh Haryeong going crazy and acting insane…? Wasn’t that your influence?”

“That was just her being weird. Has nothing to do with me.”

“So Oh Haryeong was just plain crazy?”

“Why would I make her act like some useless lunatic? It’s easier to hunt when you’re rational. Her insanity was all her own doing, not my influence.”

So this was Oh Haryeong’s backstory… She was just a crazy occult fanatic.

She had taken the call of a divine being as some kind of Call of Cthulhu and went off the rails all by herself.

“From the start, I’m just a being who receives prey as offerings and grants appropriate powers in return. Don’t assign me weird images or unnecessary meanings. It’s annoying to respond to each one.”

Eventually, she told me not to judge her arbitrarily. She even clarified that she wasn’t some foreign deity or throne of chaos-just the Hunting God.

She also said she had only contracted with humans whose wavelengths matched hers because they were the easiest and most convenient lifeforms to make contracts with.

“Then why did you contract with this crazy woman in the first place?”

“Back when this planet wasn’t fully open, for some reason, her wavelength matched mine the best.”

“And now…?”

“The barriers have crumbled. Dimensions are mixed, so interference is easier. Now, anyone will do. And you happen to match my wavelength quite well.”

“So if I had refused the contract…”

“I would’ve just found another suitable human. There are plenty of humans who’d want my power now. As long as they offer me the right sacrifices, I don’t care who it is.”

The Hunting God-just a being who wanted a steady supply of offerings to munch on.

“Um, can you only be connected to one person at a time?”

“More than that would be exhausting. I prefer running things efficiently with one. Minimal energy expenditure…”

“In that case… Uh, hey.”

“Hmm?”

“Let’s make a contract.”

Seems I had been under a huge misconception.

The more we talked, the more it became clear that this being wasn’t evil or sinister-just a hungry, lazy entity who happened to be good with tentacles.

‘Am I being mentally manipulated even now…? No, that’s probably going too far.’

At the very least, after fighting Oh Haryeong, I knew firsthand how useful the powers granted by the Hunting God were.

Just the mind control ability alone, which lets you dominate defeated foes, was impressive. The control lasts until the target takes significant damage, like an electric shock to the brain.

Not to mention tentacle summoning, flesh wall creation, oral summoning, and other abilities-all would be handy once mastered.

These were the skills of a main villain in the latter half of the original story. No way they’d be weak.

“Contract complete.”

“Oh…!”

“I’ve granted you the basic power of Corpse Offering. Make sure to offer plenty of sacrifices.”

“Yes…!”

The contract was nothing special. In fact, it seemed even the process was too much trouble-she just shook my hand, and the contract was sealed. Truly a hassle-free contract.

“Well then… I’ll take my leave…”

Soon, the Hunting God left Oh Haryeong’s body.

Immediately, Oh Haryeong’s body collapsed, and I gained the points.

[30 Points Acquired]

After that, I killed all of Oh Haryeong’s immobilized underlings to gather more points.

This brought my total points to 1,079.

“Splendid.”

I took only Oh Haryeong’s corpse and offered the rest to the Hunting God. From now on, instead of discarding useless corpses, I could offer them all to accumulate sacrificial mileage.

“Hehehe.”

I’d gained a lot from taking down a main villain.

Now, all I had to do was wait for the thug villains to return to the game room, confused as the mind control wore off, and kill them all.

‘If I slaughter them all and offer them as sacrifices…’

By the end of today, I might even unlock another power-whether it’s called mind control or domination, I’m not sure.

Somehow, I feel like I’ve become the main villain myself. Or is that just my imagination?