Chapter: 943
“What the heck, you punk.”
I looked at the pure white arm draped over my shoulder. Despite resembling human skin, it felt incredibly cold.
He seemed small, making the height of his shoulder awkward.
Should I say it was slung over me forcefully?
He was half a head shorter than me.
I just stared at that guy.
His pupils were a light green, and so was his hair.
It’s a color reminiscent of sugar syrup, though in reality, it’s even lighter.
At first glance, an overwhelming feeling of strangeness radiated from him, but in this world, it was already too late to scrutinize such things.
One.
“This is ridiculous.”
Even considering everything, I had to look at this guy in bewilderment.
“What on earth are you hiding?”
He may appear weak, but he seemed different through my eyes.
My heart raced every time I looked at him.
Not only did my mind spontaneously open, but the ring of magic spun wildly, with threads shooting toward my eyes.
Then, a new world unfolded.
Should I say something sprouted in my senses? A sensation that had never existed before surfaced.
Beyond the broad expanse of my vision, the magic threads drew an intricate line.
It mixed completely with my mind.
Things that shouldn’t be seen were peeking through.
It was the dude’s soul.
The fellow I looked at held something utterly outrageous within that small physique.
Even if he were large, this was too big.
It radiated a suffocating pressure that could trigger an instinctual reaction.
“This…”
Where had I felt this before?
For some reason, it felt familiar.
As I rummaged through my thoughts, it hit me.
“The calf, the one they called the leader.”
That hefty black cow.
I felt that same feeling when I saw that guy.
So that means…
“This guy is on the same level as that guy?”
What a chilling notion.
I narrowed my eyes, maintaining my gaze with the guy without blinking.
His green eyes, then, curled into crescent shapes.
“Why aren’t you answering? Can’t you speak?”
I regained my senses.
Suppressing my emotions without using any energy.
If I were to gamble on this street, I’d get caught immediately.
“I was surprised! Who wouldn’t be startled if someone suddenly approached them?”
smack.
I pulled my arm away.
The arm that had been resting limply dropped.
Feeling the sensation, I pondered.
“I was wondering why I didn’t sense any presence.”
This tiny body I was looking at.
It seemed to require considerable strength to maintain that.
The slip in my awareness happened because it wasn’t strong enough to catch.
“It’s due to me letting my guard down.”
It was also a consequence of my own diminished tension.
“Who are you?”
“Me? I am…”
When asked, the guy tilted his head.
He appeared to be contemplating how to introduce himself.
“Just a passerby?”
“… Then just pass by.”
I casually stepped aside.
“Hey. This is fate. How can I just let it pass?”
The guy just smiled, stiffening his toes as if he had no intention of following suit.
“Damn it.”
It seems I’ve gotten caught up with a bizarre character.
Oh, wait.
“Should I say he noticed something and approached?”
He wouldn’t have just grabbed me out of the blue. There seemed to be a reason for his approach.
What was it?
“Did he discover traces?”
Did something leave a mark when I struck Baekwol? No.
As far as I know, I didn’t leave any traces.
“I’m not sure.”
Since this is a different world, there might be a verification method I’m unaware of.
I can’t let my guard down easily.
I looked at him and raised my spirit. It’s dangerous to elevate my energy, so I just heightened my senses.
I was determined not to miss even the slightest movement.
At that moment.
“So, where are you looking for? Just tell me.”
The guy asked me again about my destination.
What should I do?
I shouldn’t ponder for too long.
Silence shouldn’t stretch excessively.
“What are you going to do if I tell you?”
So I spoke to buy myself some thinking time.
“If you tell me, naturally, I’ll guide you.”
“Why?”
“As I mentioned before, this is fate. You seem lost? Just give it a try.”
The more we talked, the more I felt it.
This guy.
“He’s got no intention of letting me go.”
It felt as though he was determined to grab hold of me by any means.
What would happen if I just walked away and abandoned it?
Should I give it a try?
shakes head.
“Danger lurks now.”
I had no idea how he’d react, and he wasn’t weak, either.
It was dangerous to fight here now.
Making that judgment, I exhaled slowly.
“I had business with the Black House.”
My original destination wasn’t there, but I quickly changed it.
“Oh, the Black one?”
The guy seemed intrigued by my words.
“Yes. I’m a guest there.”
“Aha? I see.”
“Could you guide me?”
“Oh, of course! I know all the paths of this Yowolseong.”
The guy confidently proclaimed this.
He then started walking straight ahead.
As we moved forward, I noticed his green tail swaying.
“Let’s go!”
“…”
I slowly followed behind, keeping an eye on it.
Following him for about half the distance, he walked slowly, so it took a while to reach the destination.
It seemed particularly longer since we weren’t taking the roads I already knew and were navigating through alleys.
“I guess he knows his way around.”
He definitely had knowledge of the geography.
So…
“This must be why we’re taking such an odd detour.”
The distance to our destination was intentionally lengthened.
It meant we were going around in circles.
I narrowed my eyes, gazing at his back.
The odd thing was that despite taking this route, we were gradually approaching our destination.
I stole a glance back at him.
Behind me, Cheonma followed quietly without a word.
Fortunately, his windbreaker concealed his tail, and his ears were still visible.
“So far, so good.”
Unlike the turtle’s, the spell I cast had a relatively short duration, so I needed to remain alert.
This alone was complicated.
“What exactly is this guy?”
What could the figure in front suggest?
Why did they approach me out of the blue?
“The leader from another faction?”
A leader not from the white or black camps.
I wondered if that might be the case.
“I don’t think so.”
It didn’t feel like it, especially.
“That level of strength doesn’t add up.”
Comparing it to the leaders I’d encountered, it was a different tier.
So I hoped it wasn’t the case.
“So.”
What the heck is he?
What is this green lump’s intention in approaching me?
Tension mounting, I followed.
Then suddenly.
“Oh, by the way.”
The guy spoke to me without glancing back.
“Our relationship is fate.”
That fate. What in the world does that mean?
“Should we introduce ourselves to each other?”
“That’s an odd thing to say.”
“Isn’t it worth it after walking this far?”
“And yet, we haven’t even exchanged a word.”
“Well… it seems like you don’t want to talk too much, so I’ll just hang out with you.”
“Ah… I see.”
“So, what’s your name?”
The guy asked with a playful voice.
What’s in a name?
I inquired before he could spit out my name.
“Why don’t you introduce yourself first?”
“Oh, me?”
Yes, it’s you.
“I… um…”
After deep thought, he suddenly came up with something and said,
“Mongmong. Let’s go with Mongmong.”
“…”
Mongmong? Not even “let’s go with my name”?
“Let’s go with Mongmong”, what the heck does that mean?
This crazy kid doesn’t even care to hide it, huh?
It was ridiculous.
And yet, he asks for my name?
I let out a short, hollow laugh and replied.
“My name is Cheol Ji-seon.”
Immediately, Ji-seon sold out the guy. At least selling my name felt acceptable.
“Oh, Cheol Ji-seon. That’s a nice name.”
“It’s not that great of a name.”
“Aha, I see.”
The guy didn’t seem to believe it too much either.
An uncomfortable air washed over us.
Both of us surely knew it was a lie, so no need for further words.
“Well then, what about the lady?”
Mongmong asked Cheonma for her name.
At that question, Cheonma cocked his head, looking at me.
“What’s my name?”
“…”
Why are you asking me that, you crazy…
It was a real double punch.
Upon hearing that, Mongmong burst into laughter.
“Hahahahaha! You don’t even know your own name?”
“…”
The Heavenly Horse frowned at Mongmong’s laughter.
He seemed a bit annoyed.
“Seriously.”
I could see tears forming in the corners of his eyes from laughing so hard.
However.
“It’s entertaining.”
Mongmong, who was laughing, suddenly wiped the smile off his face.
“It’s entertaining. Very entertaining.”
ugh.
In an instant, I felt the air shudder.
Feeling it, I raised my head.
In the distance, I could see the mansion of the Black Family that I had visited last time.
However, the distance was a bit far, and people were scarce.
“Hmmm.”
Is it a trap? As I realized the problem a moment too late.
sshhhhh!
Mongmong’s green tail flicked.
“It seems it’ll take a bit longer to get there. Shall we talk on the way?”
“What are we talking about?”
“Just, rough stories about life?”
Mongmong kept walking.
I focused on the tips of his toes.
crunch!
I spotted something breaking. It was a change occurring within him, not in his body.
“Well, something happened at the castle recently. Did you hear about it?”
“I heard some.”
“Oh, my! How terrifying it was to hear that. Of all things, it hit the noble’s leader!”
“Absolutely absurd!”
“That’s precisely what I’m saying.”
I lowered my gaze.
His walking speed slightly slowed.
“As you’d know, in this world, the ranks assigned by the master are immutable, unchanging laws.”
“…That’s correct.”
What does that mean?
This was information I didn’t know. I perked my ears to listen more intently.
“A mere worthless creature wouldn’t dare touch a noble, but a pure-blooded noble who received the same blessing must have…”
He wouldn’t have touched it.
It was a tone thick with certainty.
“Does this imply that if you’re not a noble, touching another noble isn’t possible?”
If that were true, it’d be one heck of a bizarre law.
The crux of the matter is.
“Then what am I?”
I recalled how I thoroughly beat up the white father and son.
Is there something different, or is it merely a case of existence versus mere words?
“It seems there’s strangely none from your side?”
While picturing various snippets of information in my mind, I tightly focused on Mongmong’s words.
“Well then, in the end, it means there’s someone breaking the rules…”
As Mongmong uttered those words.
“Who could it possibly be? Aren’t you curious?”
Unexpectedly, he stopped speaking.
crack!
“…!”
He reached out, seized my neck, and slammed me against the wall.
The wall collapsed, and my body was crushed.
I had to widen my eyes to look at the guy’s arm while pinned against the wall.
His once delicate arms had thickened, now covered in hair.
It was the arm of a beast.
“…What is this…?”
Holding back my frustration, I asked, and Mongmong, with an unbroken smile, questioned me back.
“What are you? I’ve never seen anyone like you.”
“…What do you mean?”
“It’s downright weird. I’ve been gone for some time, and so much has changed. The tree reacts slowly. I’m so mad I could die.”
A child’s voice and child-like speech.
One full of genuine emotions beneath it.
Is it desire or bloodlust? No, it was entirely different from those two.
What is it?
Hunger?
That insatiable urge.
Such emotions lingered in the guy’s smile and voice.
ugh.
The pressure on my body intensified.
I quickly glanced sideways.
Cheonma observed silently but displayed a hint of hesitation.
Should he leap in or not?
That hesitation was palpable. I blinked slightly at that.
It was a signal to stay still.
Witnessing that, Cheonma’s shoulders sagged a bit.
“Now, I have to ask you a question?”
Mongmong looked at me and declared.
[Answer truthfully.]
In an instant, both his voice and tone drastically shifted.
roarrrrr!
The voice invaded my body. A tingling sensation enveloped my insides.
This is…
“Spell?”
It wasn’t precisely a spell; it was something resembling one.
[Are you the one causing trouble for my family?]
The guy continued speaking with a crazed grin.
clutch!
The pressure on my heart increased.
Feeling that, my mouth slowly opened.
This is, no way.
“I can’t tell a lie?”
Is this power compelling me to answer his words honestly?
Then should I engage in immediate combat?
I was frantic, yet.
“Not really.”
“Huh?”
“Um?”
In stark contrast to my expectations, the lies came out far too easily.
Immediately after I spoke, both Mongmong and I wore identical dumbfounded expressions.
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