Chapter 16: Spider Demon-1
Chapter 16: Spider Demon-1
Vice Squad Leader Na Seo-yu spoke to Squad Leader Seolpung.
"Now, please look directly into my eyes."
But even at those words, the squad leader could not bring himself to look at Miss Na, his gaze darting about restlessly, showing nothing but an inability to settle down.
The men of our squad were watching the scene with gleeful laughter.
I laughed and said,
"Seeing how he can't meet your eyes, isn't it certain he hasn't been soul-possessed?"
Then Bi Sa-yeong chimed in.
"Indeed. He's completely his usual self, Squad Leader. Shouldn't you at least be a little soul-possessed? You do need to get married, don't you?"
At those words, Bae Jong-gwan laughed and interjected.
"Sa-yeong, you can't talk well in front of women either. So does that mean you need to be soul-possessed to get married, too?"
At that, Bi Sa-yeong flared up.
"Wh-what, what nonsense is that?! I don't fail to speak, I simply chose not to! Because there was no need!"
I snorted at his words and countered,
"Oh, really?"
"Of course!"
Just then, Na Seo-yu addressed Bi Sa-yeong.
"That's good. Then you'll be next, Young Master Bi. Come here and look into my eyes."
"Hmph! Do you think I can't?!"
We were now in the barracks, conducting an investigation into whether the male squad members had been soul-possessed.
An official directive had come down from the side of the Flying Dragon Thirteen Squads, ordering that the soul-possessed victim be used to verify the identities of myself and all former Flying Dragon members.
This was how it was on the front lines — occasionally, people who had been soul-possessed by the Blood Cult would appear.
And it was a far more horrific thing than the appearance of demonic beings or demon heads.
Because you lost a trusted comrade and, at the same time, had to kill that comrade with your own hands.
No method for undoing the Blood Cult's soul possession had ever been discovered.
"Now, look directly into my eyes."
"I- I looked."
"Hey, what was that? Don't just glance like that. You have to keep looking."
"That's right, Sa-yeong. You have to keep looking. Where did all that boldness from earlier go?"
"Indeed, you were teasing me so much just a moment ago, but now you look exactly like me."
"O-oh, no! Honestly, isn't it confirmed to this extent that she hasn't been soul-possessed?! Isn't that right, Vice Squad Leader?"
"Well, yes, seeing as he can't meet my eyes, it seems certain that Young Master Bi is perfectly normal as well."
"What! I said I did meet them!"
"Well, you did. Just very, very briefly."
Whether someone had been soul-possessed was usually judged by the look in their eyes.
This was because the light of life disappeared from the eyes of those who had been possessed.
Furthermore, the role of making that judgment was usually the women's responsibility rather than the men's. This was because women were far more sensitive to the subtle changes in their comrades' appearances, and this was, in truth, one of the reasons every squad on the front lines was organized to be mixed-gender.
"Now, it's Young Master Seonu's turn."
At Miss Na's words, I gulped and stepped forward.
Hmm, so I have to maintain eye contact with Miss Na, is that it?
My heart was thumping incessantly.
I felt like I could do it for a brief moment, no, even for an entire hour.
Beside me, Bi Sa-yeong and Bae Jong-gwan said to me,
"Hmph! Let's just see how bold you are, Jin!"
"Hang in there, Jin!"
At my friends' words, a sudden smile touched my lips.
What need was there to steel myself?
This was a chance to meet Miss Na's eyes.
I should take this opportunity to gaze upon Miss Na's face to my heart's content.
But those thoughts vanished the very moment Miss Na smiled brightly and looked at me with gentle eyes.
Her smile bored through my eyes and pierced straight into my heart.
Her gentle, puppy-like eyes, with their downturned outer corners, and a soft smile that seemed capable of understanding and accepting everything in the world.
Though she might not be a transcendent beauty like Miss Dang Yeoeun, she had a kind and pretty face that endlessly lifted one's spirits.
Pop!
In that instant, it felt as though something burst inside me.
My comrades, who had been watching me with faces full of interest, immediately burst into laughter.
"Puhahahaha! What is that?! How can a person's face turn that red?"
"Hahaha! Jin, no matter what, how could you turn so red even before looking at her face?!"
"Sorry, Jin. I should have told you to steel yourself just a little."
Only then did I realize what had happened and touched my own face.
I could feel my body temperature burning as hot as the sun.
Miss Na held back her laughter and spoke to me.
"There's no need to look at your eyes. I never imagined there would be a man worse than the Squad Leader."
Wh-what?! W-wait! No need to look at my eyes!
That cannot be, Miss!
I hastily tried to stop her.
"Ah, no, I am..."
But she smiled gently and said to me,
"Don't push yourself too hard, Young Master Seonu. You must be tired; I'm sorry for teasing you."
"No, what I mean is..."
And just like that, the opportunity to legitimately gaze upon Miss Na's face flew away into the sky.
I felt as if the world had crumbled.
What kind of absurd situation was this...
While I was standing there in despair, Bi Sa-yeong suddenly asked,
"By the way, Vice Squad Leader, have you checked Miss Cheongyeon's eyes as well?"
At that question, even I, who had been wallowing in despair, lifted my head and looked at Miss Na. I, too, was extremely curious.
While Miss Cheongyeon had become much closer with the female squad members, I could still be said to be the one closest to her. Because she always followed me around whenever I did anything.
But even I had never once seen the area above her nose. When asked why she wore her hair down, she had only said she had a scar and could not show it.
A scar...
If that were the truth, it would be something that couldn't be helped.
But somehow, it didn't seem true.
'My name is Cheongyeon. The family name is Cheong, and the given name is Yeon.'
That was what she had said when introducing herself to the squad members.
Judging by the fact that she introduced herself this way despite clearly having a separate family name, and that she was a friend of Miss Jegal Seoyul, the daughter of the Murim Alliance's chief military advisor Jegal Ji-gang, it was obvious she was a daughter of a considerably prestigious family, yet she hid her origins. Seeing this, I suspected her face was also being deliberately concealed.
Thus, whether Miss Cheongyeon had shown her eyes to Miss Na was something I could not help but be intensely curious about.
At the question of whether she had seen Miss Cheongyeon's eyes, Miss Na suddenly seemed to recall something.
She nodded vacantly and murmured,
"Yes, I saw them. That was, truly..."
"Truly?"
As we focused our curious gazes on her, Miss Na, suddenly snapping to her senses, hastily smiled and shook her head.
"Ah, no. I saw them together with Ju-eun, and Yeoni said she had no choice but to cover her face."
"Huh? Why is that?"
"Well... because if she didn't cover it, there would be great confusion?"
"...Excuse me?"
At that incomprehensible statement, we furrowed our brows, but Miss Na did not seem inclined to explain further.
"Well, there's something like that. Anyway, good work, everyone. Ah, Squad Leader, will you be heading out right away?"
At her question, Squad Leader Seolpung smiled gently and nodded.
"I intend to."
Then Miss Na spoke with a worried expression.
"Please be careful. They say the Spider Demon that appeared this time might not be just one."
"Thank you for your concern, Miss. I will be careful not to let my guard down."
Squad Leader Seolpung and the other peak-level masters of the Thirteen Squads were expected to mobilize immediately.
It was to search for the most dangerous demonic being currently in the jungle: the Spider Demon.
The Spider Demon, a demonic being that grew stronger by absorbing people's blood essence, originally possessed abilities at the upper tier of first-rate. But it was known that when they absorbed the blood essence of three or more people, they could grow to the level of a peak master.
'Of course, they don't use energetic force, but their physical abilities actually surpass those of masters at the initial stage of peak.'
Moreover, as they grew, their intelligence improved, making them difficult to even detect. They were, without a doubt, the worst kind of demon creatures.
And this time, intelligence had come in that such a Spider Demon had absorbed the blood essence of at least five people on the side of the Fourteenth Squad, positioned to the east of the Thirteen Squads, and was now moving toward us.
We could not help but be on high alert.
"All the peak-level masters are going, aren't they?"
"Yes, since a Spider Demon that has absorbed five or more essences can only be handled by peak-level masters anyway."
"Please be careful, Squad Leader."
"Right, thank you."
We watched Squad Leader Seolpung's retreating figure with heavy eyes.
Just as in my past life, after the incident of the Liver Demon pack attack, the frequency and danger level of the demonic beings' appearances had increased significantly.
Spider Demons, which originally might have appeared once every few months, now surfaced one or two at a time each month.
So the appearances of Liver Demons or Owl Demons went without saying.
I suddenly asked Miss Na,
"Miss Cheon Ju-eun... no, what do the young ladies plan to do?"
"Us? Given the atmosphere, going into the forest seems inappropriate, so we're planning to train near the barracks."
"Yes, I see."
At her words, I breathed an inward sigh of relief.
Because recalling the memories of my past life, it seemed that it was around this very time that Miss Cheon Ju-eun, who had not been in our squad back then, had died.
Back then, I had been in such a state that I didn't have the presence of mind to pay attention to others, so I didn't remember exactly. But I clearly remembered that she, who had arrived around the same time as me, had been found as a corpse devoured by a pack of Liver Demons in the forest, and that this had made me tremble with even greater fear.
But this time, she was in our squad, and since she was always with Miss Na and Miss Cheongyeon, it seemed such a thing wouldn't happen.
Still, I gave her a warning just in case.
"You must not enter the forest by yourselves or go to dangerous places. If anything happens to you young ladies while the squad leader is away, wouldn't we lose face before him?"
Then Miss Na smiled brightly and answered.
"Don't worry. We have no intention of doing so. And thank you for your concern, Young Master Seonu."
Up until then, I had thought this much would be enough.
But it was only a little while later that I recalled that Cheon Ju-eun had not been the only one to die back then, and that there must have been a separate reason why she, still a rookie at that time, had entered the forest during that dangerous period.
It was afternoon, and I was doing external training with Bi Sa-yeong and Bae Jong-gwan.
Suddenly, the vice squad leader of the Fourth Squad, Miss Mae Yeo-kyeong, was hurriedly passing by, looking around as if searching for something.
I spotted her and could not take my eyes off her.
Because she was one of the people I was keeping an eye on, along with Dang Yeoeun and Ma Yu-gyeom.
In the not-so-distant future, she would be killed by a Spider Demon, becoming the cause that turned Fourth Squad Leader Ma Yu-gyeom into a cripple.
Of course, that was something that would happen after the Blood Essence Summit, not now, but still, I couldn't help but feel a prick of concern.
I roughly threw on my upper garment, approached her, and asked,
"Miss Mae, who are you looking for like that?"
At this, she, who had a somewhat gloomy impression compared to her pretty face, flinched in surprise and answered with a slightly guarded attitude.
"Ah, I'm looking for one of our squad members. Her name is Son Ha-rang. She's been struggling so much lately that it's been worrying me, but I haven't seen her for a while now."
"Ah, I see. Miss Son Ha-rang, you say? If I run into her, I will tell her that Miss Mae is looking for her."
"Yes, thank you."
After she passed by, Bae Jong-gwan suddenly opened his mouth.
"That Miss Son Ha-rang, was she the lover of that Young Master Jeong who was killed by the Twin Sickle Seven Evils last time?"
At those words, Bi Sa-yeong answered with a bitter face.
"That's right. I heard that even since then, she's been struggling a lot, unable to forget her lover."
It was a story I was hearing for the first time, a name I was hearing for the first time.
I hurriedly asked them,
"What does that mean? She lost her lover?"
"Ah, Jin, you probably don't know well. It happened just before you arrived. Miss Son's lover was killed by those demon heads, the Twin Sickle Seven Evils. They were famous as a couple who cherished each other tenderly, and it seems Miss Son has had a very hard time since then."
It was a sad story.
But it was also a story not so rare on the front lines.
Those serving on the front lines lost their lovers countless times, then dated others, and that was how they lived.
So much so that one of the iron rules of dating on the front lines was to never concern oneself with a partner's past lovers.
Whether those past ties were dead or alive.
"I see. A sad story."
I nodded, turning my steps, when a sudden thought made me stop abruptly.
'Wait. In my past life, what squad had Miss Cheon been in?'
I couldn't remember well.
But within my hazy memories, I seemed to have definitely heard such a story.
That she had gone into the forest with a struggling comrade to comfort her and had met with tragedy.
Then... could this be...?
As I was standing stock-still in my spot, thinking about something with a serious expression, Bi Sa-yeong asked,
"What is it, Jin? What's with you all of a sudden again? Making me uneasy?"
"Right. Don't tell me, without even dreaming, a sage told you something again?"
Ever since I told them that a sage had appeared in my dream and informed me during the Liver Demon pack attack incident, they had believed my words as solidly as iron stone.
So persuading them was not difficult.
"I have a bad feeling. I think we should look for that Miss Son."
At that, Bi Sa-yeong and Bae Jong-gwan exchanged glances before asking me,
"Jin-i, if it's your feeling, we can certainly trust it... but where would we go to find Miss Son?"
At that question, I pointed to the western forest and said,
"Let's head to that forest over there."
It was the opposite direction from where the squad leaders had gone to search for the Spider Demon.