37. The Beast Horde. (2)

“Cat, a cat? That monster those people were talking about?”

I laughed and shoved the bow into my duffel bag.

Saying that, I stood up and drew my sword from my waist.

Shirr-

The monster cat raised its black fur and turned its head toward me.

Its face and one eye had arrows sticking out.

It glared at me with its remaining eye.

“Monster? Is it dangerous? What’s going on now?”

A smile lingered on my lips.

“But what? Should we act?”

The large tree and well in the center of the village.

I held my sword with both hands and slowly walked toward the tree.

The monster cat raised its black fur and moved step by step.

Debris from the wall on its back fell one by one.

…Is it trembling?

“Seong-hun. Is it dead? Is it dead?”

“It’s not dead. Be quiet.”

How annoying.

I never thought fighting would be enjoyable before.

Before the apocalypse, the messages always told me what to do, so I just followed.

After the apocalypse, I struggled to survive.

After gaining my specialization and being covered in blood, I started feeling some excitement, but that soon became routine.

But this…

No one is telling me what to do, and if I lose, I’ll die.

Or be eaten?

Even in the middle of the night, with only the streetlights illuminating the area, my vision is clear.

The colors are vivid.

My heart is pounding.

This might be addictive.

The cat and I are circling each other like gladiators in an arena.

The scattered single-family homes are the audience, and the village square is the Colosseum.

Thinking that makes it more fun.

I smiled and continued walking slowly, locked in a staring contest with the cat.

It stopped.

The cat’s tail lowered.

Its ears folded back.

It crouched low.

Its jaw.

Its lips trembled.

Is that the attack signal?

I couldn’t stop smiling and stood my ground, gritting my teeth.

My hands tightened on the sword.

“Kya-rul-ra-rak!”

It leaped.

Eight sharp claws on its front paws.

A motion filled with the desire to tear me apart.

I stood still.

Waited.

It charged.

Its form expanded in an instant!

[Auto-cast: Acceleration]

Indeed.

The cat was so fast it almost looked like a blur.

Now I can see it clearly.

I quickly glanced around.

Its two front paws, trying to embrace me from above, were coming down.

“Huu.”

I thrust my sword deeply into its torso.

It went in smoothly.

The arm I thrust in, I pulled back with force and jumped.

And pulled out the sword.

Thud.

Landed on its front paw.

Immediately jumped toward its head and thrust the sword in.

Pak, pak!

Nice.

No matter how thick its skull is, the sword goes in.

For a brief moment.

A thought crossed my mind that even this wouldn’t kill it.

How to defeat it?

I crouched on its head, looked around.

…Neck.

…Cut it off.

No time for complicated decisions.

While acceleration is active, I’ll cut off its neck.

“Huep!”

Pulled out the sword and stepped on its jaw, crossing my swords and slashing with all my might.

Swish, swish, splash!

Blood droplets float slowly.

The neck skin is cut and torn.

Muscles are visible.

Like this, its neck bones…!

I hesitated.

Doubted my eyes.

This thing.

Monster beast.

Inside its body, beneath the skin and muscles, it’s not its organs.

What I saw was a human face.

It was in pain, suffering, and screaming.

At that moment, I realized.

These monsters it ate.

Human monsters. Zombies.

Were accumulated in its body.

It doesn’t grow by eating.

It stockpiles them.

Looking at the grotesquely exposed human faces between the torn skin and muscles, I felt both horror and joy.

I swung the sword down.

Pak!

A human face.

Clearly, with a skull too.

I pulled out the sword and turned around, slashing downward with both arms.

The swords pierced its skin, and I felt them go in.

Planted deep, I ran.

Along its body, toward its tail.

Zuzu-zuzu-zuzu-

The skin was torn and ripped.

The unpleasant sound was overwhelmed by the acceleration.

And I smiled.

“Huep!”

When I reached its buttocks, I jumped hard.

And crossed my arms in front.

The two swords appeared before my eyes, splashing blood.

Acceleration ended.

Thud.

Landed on the ground.

Deafening roar.

Monster’s scream.

As I turned back, hearing its death throes, I saw it.

Kwar-rung!

Thunderous sound.

The monster cat, having crashed into the well, writhed in agony.

Debris from the shattered well flew in all directions.

I walked slowly toward the monster.

And thought.

If my expectation is correct.

How to defeat it is…

I threw the sword forward.

At the moment the sword was about to leave my fingers.

From my fingertips.

From my toes, shadows burst out like merging, grabbing the sword.

Swish-whoosh!

My shadow warrior, kneeling forward, leaped out.

I commanded.

“Kill it.”

The shadow warrior, without hesitation, leaped forward and swung the sword at the struggling monster.

Pak, pak, splash!

“Kya-a-a-rak! Kya-ra-ra-rak!”

The shadow warrior knows exactly where to attack.

The materialized form of the Close Combat skill that always targets weaknesses.

The shadow warrior, without delay or hesitation, stabbed and slashed its belly, shoulders, chest, and thighs, sending flesh and blood flying like in a blender.

“Kya-ra-ra-rak! Kya-ra-ra-rak!”

The cat struggled as it was stabbed and slashed.

But it didn’t try to attack the shadow warrior.

It’s of the same kind as the human beasts.

It doesn’t react to non-living targets.

Like how the human beasts died without knowing what hit them, it couldn’t resist as its body was being slashed.

I walked toward the duffel bag I had left behind.

“…Status.”

If my expectation is correct.

I looked at the status window without taking my eyes off the monster cat.

…My expectation was right.

[Strength – 91 / 100]

Its strength is decreasing.

It’s now at 90, 89, 88…

I reached the duffel bag, picked up the bow I had left, and nocked an arrow.

The shadow warrior swung the sword.

Swish, and the monster’s front paw was cut off.

“Kya-rul-aak!”

It collapsed.

I aimed the bow at the monster and pulled the string back.

Paa-a-a-

A transparent circle appeared.

…Visible.

The monster’s condition.

Its body, which had glowed red like a fire.

Its dozens of red LED-like lights, which had spread like pastel.

The lights were quickly fading.

One less with each swing of the shadow warrior’s sword.

Five, four, three.

I released the string.

Ping!

Zhwoo-

The arrow, twisting like a snake in mid-air, precisely pierced the monster’s heart at an angle.

The monster cat convulsed as if electrocuted, stretched its legs, and froze.

And fell silent.

“…Phew.”

…It turned out to be like this.

Shooting its head wouldn’t kill it.

Its head was all over its body.

So, I just had to keep killing until it died.

“…Haha.”

Laughter escaped through my clenched teeth.

Blood splattered on my lips, mixing with the familiar metallic taste.

Kureureuk, kureureuk!

Familiar sounds.

Noises I hadn’t noticed while focusing on the monster.

The human beasts were gathering toward the village.

I looked around.

…Not as many as I thought?

“Kureureuk! Kureureuk!”

Some were quite close.

I didn’t wipe the smile off my face and dropped the bow.

“Kua-a-a-ahk!”

They charged from all sides.

Thud, the bow fell on the duffel bag.

I laughed.

“Haha, haha!”

Acceleration.

[Auto-cast: Acceleration]

Lowered my arms and gripped the Ingrams on my thighs.

Immediately drew them and spread my arms.

Human beasts charging from all sides.

I laughed and pulled the triggers.

Dak, dak, dak, dak.

Bullets slowly flew through the air.

“Ha, haha, kua-ha-ha-ha!”

Couldn’t stop laughing.