episode_0367

A beautiful Milky Way was visible.

A woman nicknamed “Mouse.”

She had never revealed her past or real name,

but that’s precisely why one could say with certainty:

She lived without regrets.

She did what she wanted,

experienced things she couldn’t share with others,

“…….”

Team Leader Ban Harin’s eyes burned with intensity,

though she couldn’t bring herself to show it…

She had even found someone she liked.

Wasn’t this enough?

Wasn’t this a satisfying enough life?

Soft… soft…

A pure white will-o’-the-wisp.

In the slowed-down flow of time, the woman moved forward,

toward the beautiful Milky Way spread before her.

…….

……Snap!

“Wha—?”

『One holds resentment but did not die, and one died but holds no resentment.』

Then, something grabbed her head.

The will-o’-the-wisp jolted in surprise and looked up.

A figure clad entirely in black.

Had they met somewhere before?

『Six inverted crosses. Two regular crosses.』

“……?”

『Balance must be maintained.』

The [Black Figure] pulled ‘something’ from the pitch-black inner pocket of their suit.

Plop—.

Then, the [Black Figure] pinched the will-o’-the-wisp’s cheek between their thumb and forefinger, forcing her mouth open,

and shoved the ‘something’ down her throat.

Gulp.

A bitter taste.

『Time to go back.』

Whoosh!

With those final words, the [Black Figure] carelessly tossed the will-o’-the-wisp away.

What a heartless bastard.

Seems like they wouldn’t even offer a meal to anyone they met.

‘Ah… Am I dying now?’

Falling.

The Milky Way growing distant.

Even if she reached out, she couldn’t touch it.

‘……Come to think of it, I don’t want to die yet.’

A regret she had forgotten resurfaces.

When she was gazing at the Milky Way, she had no such thoughts.

How strange.

Soft. Soft.

And so, the ‘will-o’-the-wisp,’

as she fell into the darkness,

as the shimmering Milky Way grew farther away,

slowly closed her eyes.

“……Ssi…!”

Pitch-black darkness.

Within that darkness.

“Mouse ssi!”

There was the North Star.

…….

…….

Her body felt heavy.

As if her entire being was buried in something soft.

Was it a dream?

‘Mouse’ opened her eyes groggily, like someone waking from a long slumber.

“……?”

Something soft came into view.

Without thinking, she grabbed it with her hand and kneaded it.

Is this heaven?

“Mouse ssi.”

A voice called her name.

The woman with no name… the nameless ‘Mouse’ slowly lifted her head and looked up at the owner of the voice.

“…….”

“How’s your body? Any strange sensations?”

“…This really is heaven.”

“Huh?”

Hug—

Mouse, who had been staring at Eunha’s smiling face, closed her eyes as she sank into the softness.

This is nice.

This must be heaven.

Thud! Thud!

But immediately after, a startled Eunha began patting Mouse’s cheeks to snap her out of it.

“No, wake up. Don’t sleep in the bathroom.”

“Mmm…?”

Mouse opened her eyes again and took in her surroundings.

A pure white ceiling.

Lowering her gaze, she saw familiar partitions, and turning to the side, a large mirror attached to the wall came into view.

A public restroom…?

She looked back at Eunha.

……Nod.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but if you nod while looking at me one more time, I’ll get mad.”

“Why am I buried in your chest?”

“Because I’m holding you.”

A pristine white restroom.

‘Mouse’ was cradled in Eunha’s arms in a blood-soaked bathroom.

Dazed, Mouse blinked as she absentmindedly kneaded the softness in her hand.

“……Why are you naked?”

“Your clothes were ruined, so I dressed you in mine. They wouldn’t fit me anyway.”

At Eunha’s words, Mouse looked down at herself.

A bloodstained suit.

But though it was covered in blood, there were no tears.

The shirt was loose, and the pants were slightly tight around the hips… It must be Ban Harin’s suit.

“……Meow?”

Bloodstained.

Only now did Mouse’s mind begin to clear, and she ran her free hand over her body.

No wounds.

The hole in her stomach, the parts that had been severed—all were intact.

Swish. Swish.

A long mouse tail swayed before her eyes before wrapping around Eunha’s waist.

“What… happened?”

“…….”

A question laden with many things.

Eunha silently hugged Mouse.

The answer she received carried just as much weight.

Whether she heard what she wanted or not, Mouse buried her face in Eunha’s ample chest with a complicated smile.

“……Thank you.”

“Thank you for always protecting me alongside Ban Harin ssi.”

They exchanged praise.

She was alive.

Only now did it feel real.

“You’ll be okay now.”

Someone who had nearly died.

Pretending not to notice Mouse’s trembling hands clutching her body,

Eunha gently patted her back.

…….

…….

“How did you get here?”

“I was being chased and ended up… How about you, Eunha?”

“I was being chased and ended up.”

“I see.”

How much time had passed?

After calming her mind in just a few minutes, Mouse explained the situation.

After completing the promotion test on October 1st.

About two days later… While watching Eunha on her way home as usual, she was ambushed.

The hunters of Team 4 from the [Rare Hunter Protection-Elimination Division].

Currently, only two survivors remained from Team 1—Ban Harin and ‘Mouse’—and since Ban Harin’s whereabouts had been unknown for days,

it seemed they had swarmed in to ensure the only traceable target, ‘Mouse,’ was killed.

“Mouse ssi, weren’t you an A-rank hunter?”

“That’s why I fought nine of them without my right arm, took out five, and ran.”

The opponents were two A-ranks and seven B-ranks.

Frankly, the odds were impossible.

Had she not been lucky enough to be dragged into the ‘world of anomalies,’ she wouldn’t have even been able to flee.

But even after escaping, her injuries and blood loss were severe,

so she had entered a nearby ‘park restroom’ to evade the anomalies and used her [Time Manipulation] skill to slow her own time as much as possible.

Not recovery, but prolonging life.

This was the first time ‘Mouse’ had slowed her time to this extent.

“What’s the date today?”

“October 4th.”

“Wow… Where did my two days go?”

Looking back, it had been an incredibly dangerous situation.

She was lucky to be alive.

Hug—

Eunha embraced Mouse several times, feeling her warmth.

She was warm.

“……By the way, was there someone with pink hair among the attackers?”

“Hmm?…… No, why?”

“If there was, I was going to find and kill them.”

After holding Mouse close for a long time, calming her racing heart,

Eunha quietly surveyed the ‘park restroom.’

Somehow, she had saved ‘Mouse,’ who had been on the verge of death.

Now, only one problem remained.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

5. Restrooms only exist at the park entrance.

– Before your park stroll, be sure to check the last restroom.

– Public urination is prohibited.

6. Things that were there sometimes disappear.

– It happens occasionally. Ignore it and move on.

– Did you notice something disappear?

– Ensure ‘they’ don’t notice that you noticed.

6-1. If your response is delayed and ‘they’ notice you.

– We recommend running into the nearest restroom, not the one at the park entrance.

– The lesser evil is better than the worst.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eunha, who had been fleeing from the ‘Spiderweb Abnormality’ she encountered in the park.

No matter how much she ran, she couldn’t escape [Euncheon Park].

So, to get out of the park.

She had resolved to die once and entered the ‘park restroom.’

And there, she found ‘Mouse,’ who had been dying.

In other words,

this restroom was not somewhere she was supposed to enter.

“There’s good news and bad news.”

“What’s the good news?”

“I’m going to live?”

“……What’s the bad news?”

“Mouse ssi, you’re going to die?”

Squeeze.

Her chest tightened.

A strange feeling.

The restroom was still quiet.

The floor remained bloodstained.

Eunha, annoyed, let Mouse cling to her as she sank into thought.

If you thought about it,

they wouldn’t kill someone who entered the restroom.

Wasn’t the ‘rule’ to enter the restroom in emergencies?

The lesser evil was better than the worst.

And most people would choose the ‘lesser evil’ of entering the restroom to avoid the ‘worst’—death.

Not many, like Eunha, would consider death the ‘lesser evil.’

‘Thinking about it… there are quite a few anomalies that don’t kill you even if you break the rules.’

[Euncheon Restaurant], which takes you to the kitchen and turns you into chicken salad.

The [Mirror Abnormality], which dunks people in bathwater.

The [Red Moon], which plucks out your eyes if you gaze at the night sky.

The [Silhouette], which teleports you if you look up at an apartment…

Anomalies that don’t take your life even if you break their rules.

Perhaps the ‘park restroom’ was similar.

You wouldn’t die.

But you’d suffer enough to wish you had.

“……Are you sure we won’t die? Or is it just my imagination that we’re all about to drop dead?”

“Stop with the weak talk,”

“Weak talk my ass. Was I weak?”

“Ugh. Either shut up or stop groping me. Pick one.”

“…….”

She chose silence.

Eunha, victorious in the argument, continued with a slightly smug expression.

Though they had entered the ‘park restroom,’ there had to be a way out.

At the very least, they couldn’t push ‘Mouse,’ who had just come back from death, any further.

Swish—

Was there anything here that could help?

Eunha turned her head, scanning the bloodstained restroom.

The partitions lining the restroom.

All were closed.

Were the locks engaged?

The ‘occupied’ indicators near the handles caught her eye.

Knock. Knock.

…Knock. Knock.

Just in case, she knocked on one of the partitions, and a knock echoed back from inside.

If someone came in, there’d be nowhere to hide.

‘No place to hide… And before I knew it, I’ve returned to my original form.’

She looked down at herself.

Not ‘Kang Nari,’ who had saved Mouse,

nor ‘Ban Harin,’ whose neck had been snapped by Yang Soa,

but Eunha’s own body.

The ability to take another’s place.

Who knew she could even use others’ ‘skills’?

It was so incredible it was starting to worry her.

‘Is there really no price…?’

Anyway, exploring the restroom came first.

She’d think about the rest later.

Shaking off her thoughts, Eunha examined the restroom entrance.

“Huh.”

And then,

Eunha.

Spotted a suitcase placed at the entrance… one with a painfully familiar appearance,

and before she knew it, she was on her feet.

Thud!

‘Mouse,’ who had been limply cradled in Eunha’s arms, tumbled onto the bloodied floor with a roll.

“Meow…. What? Why’d you do that?”

“My suitcase.”

The suitcase she’d left at the café.

The lightweight artifact ‘1++ Sticker’ was firmly attached to it.

Was this how a mother felt upon finding her lost child in a department store?

Hurrying to the entrance, Eunha hugged the suitcase.

Today, she had realized just how powerless she was without it.

Without the [Black Book], she had to flee from an anomaly she’d never seen before.

Without potions, she had nearly failed to save ‘Mouse.’

Without spare clothes, she had to hold ‘Mouse’ close.

From now on, no matter what, she wouldn’t go anywhere without her suitcase.

“……You… okay?”

Meanwhile, ‘Mouse,’ who had been quietly watching this,

gazed at the restroom mirror and asked Eunha a question.

“What do you mean?”

“Just now…”

Just now,

when Eunha ran toward the suitcase.

Eunha’s reflection hadn’t appeared in the mirror…

Had she hallucinated after dying and coming back?

She didn’t know.

『Shh.』

Someone whispered behind her.

Eunha’s voice.

The large chest of ‘someone’ pressed against Mouse’s back.

『My spot.』

“…….”

‘Mouse’ said nothing.

She brushed off the goosebumps on her arms.

…….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

…….

Pat. Pat.

The suitcase had returned.

Eunha, who had been eagerly tapping her rediscovered suitcase,

soon opened it wide and put on a spare box tee.

If a disappointed sigh was heard from behind, it must have been her imagination.

‘Potions, crosses, prayer beads… The “clay doll” is broken.’

The clay doll, modeled after the security guard, that shattered in place of resentment.

Discovering the ‘clay doll’ in the suitcase had broken, she bit her lip.

She had meant to give it to ‘Mouse’ right away… It seemed the anomaly had tampered with the suitcase.

Nothing to be done.

It was quiet now, but the anomaly could appear at any moment.

Rummaging through the suitcase, Eunha pulled out a bundle of talismans and prayer beads she had bought from a home shopping network long ago and placed them in Mouse’s hands.

“What’s this?”

“It’s comforting.”

“That’s it?”

Accepting the prayer beads, ‘Mouse’ nervously rolled them between her fingers.

Eunha took out the [Black Book] from the wide-open suitcase.

A ‘bookmark’ stained with bloody liquid was inserted into the [Black Book].

A ‘bookmark’ depicting an eyeball peering through a finger-formed window.

The foul stench of blood wafted from the ‘bookmark,’ which pointed to a specific page.

“…….”

A signal that a new guide had appeared.

Perhaps it was about the ‘Spiderweb’ she had encountered in the park earlier.

“……Hmm.”

Her hesitation was brief.

Eunha opened the [Black Book].

“…….”

As she expected,

the rules regarding the ‘Spiderweb’ chasing her were written inside.

Throb…

As Eunha read through the guide,

she unconsciously clutched her chest.

…….

…….

Time passed.

The sunset waited for no one.

Click… Creak…

“Meow?”

While Eunha sat on the floor, scrutinizing the [Black Book],

‘Mouse,’ who had been watching her uneasily, turned her head at the sudden noise.

Creak…

The restroom stalls, which had been locked until now,

began opening one by one.

『Sob… Hic…』

The sound of a woman weeping.

Fingers peeked out from the slightly ajar doors, gripping the partitions.

Corpse-pale hands.

『Ugh… Hic…』

Had something tragic happened?

Like tears overflowing, like toilet water spilling,

a dark liquid seeped out from under the opened stalls.

Thick, black blood.

The blood, flowing like tears, mixed with the blood already pooled on the floor, emitting a foul stench.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

‘Mouse’ frantically rolled the prayer beads Eunha had given her.

Thinking it was one hurdle after another, she stepped back to avoid the blood,

positioning herself protectively in front of Eunha.

‘Tch. My body’s still weak… Do I have no choice?’

Creeeak—

The stalls opened.

Not inward, but outward.

From under the stalls, ‘something’ crawled out—not on feet, but on hands.

Squelch… Squelch…

The sound of walking through blood.

Thud!

Then.

A blood-soaked head fell to the floor,

noticing ‘Mouse’ under the stall.

‘Mouse,’ meeting its gaze, frowned.

『…It’s your fault.』

“Blaming others for real?”

Clatter!!

The ‘things’ hiding in the stalls began crawling out from under the doors.

What was the point of opening them if they were just going to crawl underneath?

Click! Click! Click! Click!

The sound of prayer beads rolling faster than before.

The anomalies crawling across the floor.

This was insane.

‘Mouse’ shouted at Eunha, who was still reading the [Black Book].

“Is there anything written in there?!”

“…….”

“Do we just stay put?!”

No answer came.

What the hell was she reading…?

Creak.

As the ‘things’ crawled out from under the stalls,

approaching ‘Mouse,’ who stood shielding Eunha,

at an alarming speed—

“……’Mouse’ ssi!”

“Meow!”

“Outside! Get out!”

Click!

No hesitation.

The moment Eunha shouted, ‘Mouse’ activated [Time Manipulation],

instantly grabbing Eunha and the suitcase… and kicking down the firmly shut exit door.

“Bang meow!!”

Crash!!!!

The door shattered spectacularly, flying far into the bushes.

Amid the blood’s metallic stench, a refreshing breeze flowed in.

‘Huh… Why did it break?’

‘Mouse’ was stunned.

Because the restroom door had broken far too easily.

Wasn’t the rule that once an anomaly appeared, you couldn’t leave the space?

A sense of dissonance.

Why did the door open?

There had to be another reason…

Clatter!

Then, as ‘Mouse’ held her and stared at the shattered exit,

Eunha looked up at the evening sky of [Euncheon Park],

a sky so dark it seemed the sun would set any moment…

『It’s your fault…!』

Clatter!

The ‘things’ crawling out from the stalls,

scurried lizard-like on all fours, grabbing ‘Mouse’s’ legs as she tried to escape the restroom,

and began climbing up her body—

At that moment.

“Ban Harin ssi!!”

She called her name.

…….

……Crack.

The guide she had just finished reading in the [Black Book].

The rules written there.

It was lucky the suitcase had been placed at the entrance.

Because she had just confirmed the ‘rules,’ and now she had a way out.

……Come to think of it.

Until now, regarding anomalies,

she had never once asked for help from anyone else.

“Help!!”

Crack!!

Immediately after.

From the shattered restroom entrance,

a spider’s leg, sharp as a blade, stretched in,

Swish!!

Grazing Eunha’s cheek,

it severed the arms of the ‘things’ clutching ‘Mouse.’

…….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

# Safe Hunter Life Guide #

– This guide is your story.

– Not the past of others, but the story of now.

– Write it down.

1. The Lying Spider.

– I am a liar.

– Do not be fooled.

– I dislike you.

– If I chase you, you must run.

– If I extend my blade-sharp arms, you must dodge.

– Run until you can no longer see me.

– Even if you call my name, even if you beg for help, I will not appear.

– What is my name?

2. The Mouse That Gnaws the Second Hand

3. ■■■ ■

4. ■■■ ■■ ■

5. ■■■■

6. ■■■ ■

■. ■■ ■■ ■■

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~