Chapter 62
Chapter 62
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Protecting Dust (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A peaceful silence hung over the house after Minjun left.
Dust, hidden in a narrow gap between the clutter, Daeho curled up on the sofa.
And Leo, dozing off with his head nodding on Minjun's bed.
The three animals were spending their morning in their respective territories.
But that peace didn't last long.
Suddenly, the space in the middle of the living room began to shimmer like a heat haze.
With a tinnitus-like whirring sound—whiiing—the space twisted like a mirage, and soon a pitch-black hole appeared.
At that, Daeho and Leo slowly opened their eyes.
The two slowly walked toward the black hole, keeping a slight distance as they blankly stared into it.
Dust, curious to see the two feline predators gazing at something, approached near the hole.
And from within that hole, large wolves with the eyes of starving beasts began to emerge one by one.
Thud, thud. There were five wolves in total. They licked their chops slowly as they fully emerged from the space, then scanned their surroundings, searching for the easiest prey. And their gazes turned to the small cat, Dust, who was cowering in terror closest to them. It was right at the moment the lead wolf lunged toward Dust. Flash! A dazzling white light burst from the little tiger, Daeho. In the spot where the light faded, the small tiger was no more. A tiger comparable in size to the wolves now revealed its majesty. Thump—! Daeho's massive front paw silently pressed down on the nape of the wolf that had tried to pounce on Dust, pinning it to the floor. The wolf let out a short yelp—"Kyeng!"—and slammed into the ground. While the other wolves hesitated in shock at the sudden turn, Daeho growled lowly, "Grrrrowl...," glaring at them threateningly. Creep, creep. Seizing the chance while Daeho pinned another wolf's neck, one sneaked toward Dust, but Daeho swiftly leaped and clamped its jaws on its nape. Crunch! As sharp teeth sank deep into the nape, the wolf dissolved into a stream of light and was absorbed into Daeho.
"Nyaang..." Dust looked up at Daeho with an expression of感動 at his overt protectiveness. 'If Dust gets hurt, you're dead meat.' In the big tiger's mind, a man's voice replayed like a hypnosis. 'If Dust gets hurt, you're all dying by my hand. For real.' It sometimes played back slightly distorted. The wolf pack now completely shifted their attention from Dust. All their hostility and wariness turned to the tiger, Daeho, who had casually subdued their comrade right before their eyes. The air in the house grew taut, ready to snap at any moment. From the black hole, more wolves poured out continuously, as if to reinforce them. The house wasn't small, but it felt packed once the additional wolves entered.
"Grrrr... Woof woof!" The wolves' morale rose again with their numerical superiority. Even though the opponent was a tiger, they seemed ready to overwhelm it with numbers and charge. At that moment, from Minjun's bed, the shadow of the black cat Leo began to rise and grow, like smoke billowing up. It was an impossibly massive and intimidating form for a small cat's shadow, reaching up to the ceiling. The wolf pack's gazes turned to the small black cat, Leo, casting the eerie shadow.
"Grrowl...!" This time, the wolves growled lowly at Leo in unison. But Leo ignored their threats, merely looking down at them with cold, silent eyes. The air in the house grew taut, ready to snap at any moment. Creaaak— And then the shadow bared its jaws.
"...Huh?"
"What's up?"
Park Sunja tilted her head after receiving a call from the support team.
"They said there's a monster phenomenon reaction near our lodging..."
"What? Then...!"
"No, the reaction vanished right away..."
Her heart sank for a moment.
Monster phenomenon—at the lodging where those two guys, no, three including Dust, were left behind. She suddenly grew worried.
It was a relief that the reaction disappeared quickly, but...
'Gotta wrap this up and get back fast.' We, Team 10, stepped into the narrow alley guarded by the police. It looked like just a gap between ordinary buildings from outside, but the air around us felt different the deeper we went. And the further into the alley, the more convinced I became. The space connected to the end of this alley was probably some religious building like a church or cathedral. I'd never actually been to one, but the atmosphere matched exactly what I'd seen countless times in dramas and movies. Sacred, yet somehow oppressively so.
"As expected..."
When we reached the end of the alley, my guess proved spot on. Before our eyes stretched the interior of a massive cathedral. Long rows of neat wooden pews extended endlessly, and the dizzyingly high ceiling inspired awe. The windows were all adorned with vibrant stained glass, casting colorful light from outside into the interior. And far ahead, a massive table—likely the altar—anchored the center of the space. As soon as we entered the cathedral, a faint choral hymn began to echo dreamily from somewhere. The other team members who followed me all looked around in wonder, entranced by the surreal sight.
"...Never seen a place like this in my life."
"...Wow."
Even Bora, raised in the deep countryside, and Hanbit, from a shaman family his whole life, couldn't hide their amazement. In contrast, Shun and Park Sunja calmly and meticulously surveyed the terrain. After scanning the surroundings briefly, Shun spoke in a low voice.
"Search quick and get out."
We all agreed. No one knew when this beautiful, sacred space might turn into a threatening monster phenomenon. Without lowering our guards, we began searching the vast cathedral for the missing suspect. At Shun's suggestion, we swiftly started searching the wide, empty cathedral. We first checked obvious hiding spots for people. Under the long rows of pews, behind the large table on what seemed like the preaching platform, and even behind the altar at the very back.
"...Nothing here?"
"It's true."
But contrary to our expectations, there wasn't a single person or even a monster anywhere. Just the empty space, our footsteps, and the faint choral hymn echoing through the cathedral.
"It's weird. No bathrooms or confessionals—nothing like small rooms in a cathedral."
Park Sunja said, looking around. She was right. In this massive place, no other doors or passages were visible. Maybe certain conditions had to be met to open paths to other areas. The suspect was surely hiding somewhere inside.
"The singing is getting louder."
At Bora's words, I suddenly tuned into the sound. The longer we spent searching the cathedral interior, the more the initially faint choral hymn gradually, ever so slightly, grew in volume. None of us knew where this song was coming from, but in this empty space without a single speaker, its clear, majestic resonance felt deeply strange and eerie. Just then, I spotted Hanbit engrossed by a small cabinet against one wall of the cathedral. He was opening the tiny drawers one by one, rummaging through them thoroughly.
"What are you looking for?"
At my question, Hanbit answered as if it were the most obvious thing.
"Huh? Looking for the suspect. He might be hiding in here..."
I asked incredulously.
"No way a person fits in those tiny drawers."
Only then did Hanbit check the size of the drawer he was peering into, muttering "Huh?" as he realized how absurd his actions were, his face turning embarrassed. He shook his head, unsure why he'd done it. At that moment, Park Sunja also frowned deeply and removed her earphone-style radio.
"...Damn."
"What happened?"
When I asked, she replied with a grave expression.
"The support team said something weird just now, then the comms cut out suddenly."
Even communication with the support team glitching...
"...If it's affecting the support team, isn't it this singing?"
At Bora's words, Park Sunja nodded. Among the elements here, only the singing could impact the support team.
"...We need to revise the plan first."
At Park Sunja's words, we gathered in the center of the cathedral and huddled to discuss. Continuing the search like this was too risky.
"From now on, if you think yourself or any teammate is acting even slightly off, report it immediately. The moment anything seems wrong, we retreat to the alley entrance we came in. Better not to push it. We don't even know what effect this is having yet."
We all agreed to her proposal. Then, Hanbit raised his hand first with an apologetic look.
"...I think I've already been affected once, so I'll head out first. Can't risk bothering the rest of you."
His decision to acknowledge his state and step out was wise. We nodded, and Hanbit gave us a sorry look before walking toward the alley alone. Now, what to do with the rest of us. Continuing to listen to this song was dangerous. Suddenly, Bora pulled out several yellow talismans from her waist, crumpled them roughly, and stuffed them into both her ears. Then she offered some to us.
"...Good idea."
With no proper earplugs available, this was just emergency first aid—physically blocking our ears amid suspicions about the singing. Even if just scraps of paper, it was better than nothing. With talismans crammed into both ears, we cautiously began scanning the bizarre cathedral once more. After the singing grew louder, doors we hadn't seen before appeared—two of them. One labeled "Convent," the other "Dining Hall."