The Silent Island
"Die! Die! Die! Die!"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Beyond the alleyway,
"Urgh...! Ack...!"
Two Kappa were brutally beating a human to a pulp.
"Die! Die! Die! Die!"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"..."
The person went limp, unable to make another sound.
Wait, that's...
Blood-soaked white hair, and an outfit that looked familiar.
"...!"
It was a Japanese hunter.
Was his name Shinya?
The barrier hunter from Nakamura Ryohei's Team 1.
Why is he getting attacked by Kappa here?
He was completely alone, without any of his teammates.
Splat!
Shinya collapsed onto the slimy, viscous fluid.
He was already dead, his eyes wide open.
"Die! Die! Die! Die!"
The two Kappa chanted in unison, continuing to pummel the lifeless Shinya.
Crack!
Thwack!
To be precise, they were targeting only the crown of his head, caving in his skull.
Then, grabbing him by the hair,
Rrrriiiip...!
The Kappa peeled the skin right off Shinya's skull.
I glanced over.
My eyes met Choi Muryeong's at the exact same time.
We have to kill them before they infect him.
If Shinya got infected, the number of Kappa would increase to three.
Obviously, it was better to kill them while there were only two.
Shring.
Choi Muryeong and I drew our swords simultaneously.
And then,
Whoosh!
We lunged forward at the exact same moment.
Slash!
Slice!
Our blades severed the Kappa's necks in perfect unison.
"Kie...!"
Before they could even let out a proper shriek, their two heads fell, rolling across the slime-covered ground.
Thud!
Thud!
Their bodies collapsed.
We quietly scanned our surroundings.
Checking if there were any other Kappa nearby.
The alley was silent.
"Ugh, blaargh!"
Except for Maeng Juim, who was still dry-heaving.
"...Something is strange," Choi Muryeong said, frowning as he examined the corpses.
"What is it?"
When I asked, Choi Muryeong pointed at the fallen bodies.
"These two... it looks like they haven't been Kappa for very long."
"Huh?"
What was he talking about?
Tsushima Island had been quarantined for a long time, so the Kappa here should have already...
"Wait a minute."
Looking back at the corpses, something was indeed off, just as Choi Muryeong had said.
I had assumed they were normal Kappa just because their scalps were peeled, but looking closely, their clothes were different.
Their clothes weren't dirty or worn out yet.
Though wet and stained with blood, it was clear the stains were fresh.
Which meant...
"...I think they were hunters from Team 2," Choi Muryeong said.
"What?"
"I recognize both of their faces."
Of course, I didn't remember them.
I hadn't paid much attention to them in the first place.
There was no one particularly memorable in Team 2 anyway.
But Choi Muryeong seemed to know all the faces of the Japanese Team 2, as his voice was filled with certainty.
"Are you serious? They've already turned into Kappa?"
"I don't know what happened, but it seems so."
"Didn't you say the coast would be safe because it's breeding season?"
"...There are always exceptions to every rule."
Slide.
Choi Muryeong used the tip of his sword to pull their clothing over the faces of the dead Kappa—no, the two Japanese hunters.
"Don't tell me... the fact that they were saying 'die' was also..."
At Maeng Juim's words, Choi Muryeong nodded.
"Since they were infected recently, it seems they still retained some of their human consciousness."
Choi Muryeong's face darkened with despair.
He looked utterly grief-stricken.
"Hey."
I tapped Choi Muryeong on the shoulder.
"You're not thinking 'I just killed a human,' are you?"
"..."
"The moment they're infected, they aren't human. They're Kappa."
"It's not that simple of a problem..."
"It is that simple," I said firmly.
If I didn't set things straight right now, things would only get more complicated later.
"Once infected, they are Kappa, not humans."
"..."
"Engrave that into your head."
"..."
"Let me make this clear. If even you get infected, I will kill you on the spot."
"..."
"And you can do the same to me if I get infected."
If we had time to agonize over this, we'd be better off killing one more Kappa.
What if we lost our minds, hesitated, and got infected ourselves?
That would be a total shitshow.
Do you think we'd have time for moral dilemmas then?
In a crisis like this, you have to act on instinct.
Why?
Because the enemy is acting on instinct, too.
"Answer me if you understand."
"...Yes," Choi Muryeong replied, surprisingly submissive.
Man.
Is he actually a bit soft-hearted?
I shook my head and looked at Maeng Juim.
"You too, Hyung..."
"Hey! I'd rather kill myself!"
"As expected, I love how straightforward you are, Maeng-hyung."
Except for his weak stomach.
"Hmm..."
I looked down at the dead Shinya.
The fact that Shinya was here meant that Team 1 had landed on Tsushima Island after all.
Though I don't know what happened to them...
The strange thing was, why was Shinya here all by himself?
Team 1 had Nakamura, Kenji, and Kurosawa.
There were three others.
Surely they wouldn't have used Shinya, who possessed the 'barrier' ability, as bait.
Did something happen to them?
Or...
"...For now, let's keep moving."
I gestured to Choi Muryeong, who was covering Shinya's face with his clothes, and Maeng Juim, who was intentionally looking away.
Right now, the most important thing wasn't finding the missing Japanese Team 1.
Finding the Kappa breeding ground was our top priority.
We had to wipe out the Kappa first to even have a chance of leaving Tsushima Island.
"Haa, haa..."
"Pant, pant..."
Japanese Hunter Team 1 had successfully landed on the beach.
However, the infected Team 2 had quickly pursued them.
Nakamura, Kenji, Kurosawa, and Shinya.
The four hunters were left completely helpless against the unexpected attack from their former allies.
Although Nakamura and Kenji managed to kill the swarm of Kappa that attacked their boat, the newly turned Kappa—who were once their colleagues and hunters—were far stronger than ordinary Kappa.
Furthermore, as the commotion on the beach drew more Kappa, Team 1 chose to flee.
But in the process, Shinya, the barrier hunter, was caught by the hunter-Kappa.
Ironically, thanks to Shinya, the other three managed to escape the Kappa swarm safely.
They fled frantically toward the interior of the island to avoid the monsters.
And now...
"..."
"..."
"..."
Nakamura, Kenji, and Kurosawa.
Though they had survived by abandoning their comrade, the faces of the three hunters were filled with unprecedented despair.
"What... is this?"
Kurosawa swallowed hard, barely managing to speak. Her face was deathly pale.
"...It's a Kappa breeding ground," Kenji replied, his voice much calmer than Kurosawa's.
Kenji began to walk, deftly avoiding the egg sacs.
"Why are we going deeper?" Kurosawa asked.
"Because that's the only way we won't get caught," Kenji replied nonchalantly.
"..."
Nakamura merely followed Kenji with a pale face.
"Follow me. As long as the eggs don't hatch, this place is safer than the outside."
At Kenji's words, Kurosawa stared at him, speechless.
Safe?
What on earth did that mean?
There was no such thing as a 'safe' place on Tsushima Island.
If anything, this breeding ground was likely the most dangerous place on the entire island.
The Kappa would be guarding this place with their lives.
And yet...
"Are you saying we're going to hide here?" Kurosawa asked.
"..."
"..."
Kenji and Nakamura stared at her without a word.
Their silence was their answer.
"At the very least, shouldn't we destroy these eggs...!"
"Shut up."
Kenji cut Kurosawa off.
"The eggs are fine. So don't do anything stupid, Kurosawa."
The eggs are fine?
What did that mean?
Kurosawa looked at Kenji, unable to comprehend.
"What do you mean by..."
"As long as the eggs are safe, the Kappa have no reason to attack this place."
"But..."
"I take it you're confident you can survive if a swarm of Kappa attacks us?"
At Kenji's retort, Kurosawa shut her mouth.
Kurosawa Rei was a powerful exorcist.
She was indeed exceptionally strong against undead-type monsters.
But against these kinds of beasts...
Kurosawa bit her lip.
"Hmph."
Kenji scoffed at Kurosawa and began inspecting the surrounding eggs.
"We just need these eggs to remain safe."
If even a single egg broke, at that very moment...
Every single Kappa on Tsushima Island would rush here.
Could we handle that? Kenji's eyes seemed to ask.
"...Let's wait," Nakamura said.
"We just have to wait. The Korean hunters said they would enter through the mountains, so they probably faced fewer Kappa attacks."
"..."
Kurosawa remained silent.
"We wait until the Korean team finds us..."
"..."
"And then, we join forces with them and kill all these filthy Kappa bastards..."
Nakamura's voice was thick with resentment.
Twitch.
As if reacting to his voice, a light green egg squirmed.
"Quiet down. There's nothing to gain from agitating the eggs," Kenji said firmly, looking around.
"..."
Kurosawa thought to herself.
As Nakamura said, it would be ideal if the Korean hunters found them.
But...
...What if no one finds us?
What would happen then?
Would they be trapped among these horrific Kappa eggs, waiting only for death?
"..."
Kurosawa looked at the vengeful spirits floating around them.
The souls of those devoured by the Kappa, unable to move on, wandering Tsushima Island.
Gwoooooo...
The spirits couldn't speak, but Kurosawa already knew what they were trying to say.
...Escaping this hell won't be easy.
Twitch.
Twitch!
In the end, I have no choice but to trust that man.
"Are you sure there even is a Kappa breeding ground?"
"Since a significant amount of time has passed since the Demonic Outbreak began, the breeding season must have already started."
Choi Muryeong was certain.
The data supported it.
The only problem was where exactly the breeding ground was located.
There was no signal from Team 1 either.
No, actually...
The breeding ground wasn't the main issue.
Strangely enough, we hadn't seen any Kappa at all.
Wasn't Tsushima Island supposed to be completely overrun by Kappa?
So why couldn't we find a single one of those bastards?
The only ones we had encountered were the two infected hunters who had killed Shinya.
This is definitely weird.
It was too quiet.
It didn't fit the description of a Demonic Outbreak.
Why were the monsters, who had gone out of their way to hang people from telephone poles as a warning, being so quiet?
It wasn't like they had all died on their own.
"We should reach the fish farm soon. Let's check up to there and..."
"Shh."
I cut Choi Muryeong off and scanned our surroundings.
A thick fog hung in the air.
There was nothing around us.
Nothing but wet paddy fields...
"...?"
Choi Muryeong looked at me with a puzzled expression.
And just as he was about to open his mouth,
Whoosh!
I threw my sword right between Choi Muryeong's legs.
"Kieeeeeek!"