A Feast Interrupted
The French Hunter Bureau.
Marian and the French hunters had arrived early and were waiting for me.
"..."
Arnaud kept his head low, not saying a word.
"..."
"..."
The other two were the same, silently reading the room.
They looked exactly like children who had just been scolded.
"Hunter Lee Taepyeong, here is the data on the 50th floor we are raiding today."
Perhaps acting on behalf of the silent trio, Marian stepped forward and offered me a tablet.
"I already know what appears on the 50th floor."
"Ah..."
"And how to kill them."
I didn't take the tablet she offered.
"I think that data is more suited for the French hunters."
"Ah, I see..."
Marian pulled the tablet back, her expression awkward.
"As I've already mentioned, I won't guarantee their safety. You understand that, right?"
"...Yes, we are aware."
Marian glanced at the three hunters and nodded.
"France will take full responsibility for any accidents that occur on the 50th floor. So, please, Hunter Lee, just focus on clearing the floor..."
"Understood."
I cut Marian off before she could finish.
I had already heard this enough to grow calluses on my ears.
"Just tell them not to get in my way."
"..."
Instead of replying, Marian simply bowed her head.
I walked past her and entered the gate station.
Since most gate stations around the world were modeled after the ones in the United States, they were all virtually identical, save for minor regional differences.
France was no exception.
I glanced back.
Outside, Kang Mina, the other Hunter Bureau staff, and Choi Muryeong were waiting.
It was highly unlikely anything unexpected would happen.
I sat down, feeling completely at ease.
I had already cleared the 50th floor several times, so today wouldn't be any different.
Assuming those three don't get in my way, that is.
Well, at least I had France's written guarantee that they would take full responsibility.
"Enter Babel Tower."
Whoosh!
With a familiar wave of nausea, the scenery shifted.
Whoooooosh!
The 50th floor.
The biting wind unique to rocky mountains whipped against my face.
"Pah."
I spat out the sand that had gotten into my mouth and looked up.
Screeech!
Kyahahaha!
I saw nests clinging to the cliffs, and harpies perched inside them, staring down at us.
Shring!
As I drew the Sword of Calamity, a flurry of motion erupted.
Flap! Flap! Flutter!
The flock of harpies took flight all at once.
The sky was practically blotted out by the sheer number of beating wings.
"Just stay back until this is over."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Perhaps because of what had happened two days ago, Arnaud didn't open his mouth once.
The other two hesitated, taking a few steps back.
It was convenient when my teammates gathered the mobs for me.
But still, it wasn't like I couldn't do this alone.
I would just treat it as a slightly intense workout.
If things got too annoying, I could always summon Cerberus and Imir.
But that would have to wait.
I want to have some fun first.
Shring.
As I lightly swung the Sword of Calamity, the screams of the thousand harpies I had already slain echoed from the Void Stone.
Screeech...
Kyahaha...
Perhaps hearing those cries, the harpies hesitated.
Scree?
Kyahaha...?!
Their movements faltered, unable to charge easily.
They tilted their heads, spinning them around as they stared at me.
It was as if they were trying to figure out what kind of monster I was.
Flap! Flap!
The harpies soared higher.
Because this floor hadn't been cleared in a long time, their numbers had grown, but their attack patterns remained the same.
They began to fly in a massive circle, generating a vortex.
Whirrrrrrrr!
The only difference was that the scale had increased to the point where it felt like a literal typhoon.
But since the pattern was the same, the solution was also the same.
"Imir."
Sssssss...
The freezing chill of the snowy mountains began to pour out from the Void Stone.
Kyahahaha!
I lightly dodged the harpies lunging at me from all directions.
Slash!
I began to slice through the air currents with my freezing blade.
As the frost rode the vortex upward, the harpies' wings began to stiffen.
Screeech?!
The rest was easy.
Just like always, all I had to do was slaughter the frozen chickens falling from the sky.
Slash!
Slice!
Splurt!
I swung the Sword of Calamity without hesitation.
Weighed down by the concentrated terror radiating from the Void Stone, the harpies' cries began to warp into a discordant mess.
...Kya!
Screeech...!
Splurt!
Boom!
Blood sprayed.
Feathers scattered.
Bodies exploded.
The 50th floor had truly become a slaughterhouse.
About an hour passed like this.
"Phew..."
Drenched in blood, I looked up at the cliffs.
Fewer than ten harpies remained, and they had all fled back to their nests.
...It's times like this I miss having Choi Muryeong around.
Scouring the nests was such a chore.
I glanced back.
Maybe I should just make these guys do it.
I turned to the three hunters, who were standing back with pale, exhausted faces.
"There are less than ten left. Go up to the nests and finish them off."
At my words, the three of them exchanged glances.
"U-Um..."
Chloe, the healer, stepped toward me.
"L-Let me heal you..."
"I'm fine."
I didn't need healing in the first place. Thanks to the Vampire's Ring and the Vampire's Bracelet, both my health and mana had already recovered.
"B-But just in case...!"
"..."
Hmm.
Is she doing this because she feels guilty for doing nothing?
"Sure, go ahead."
I was a bit out of breath anyway.
Might as well accept it.
When I held out my hand, Chloe quickly grabbed it.
Flash!
A barrier of light erupted from Chloe's hand and began to wrap around my body.
Just as she had done to Arnaud, she bound me tightly, like a cocoon.
It does feel refreshing.
It was a different sensation from drinking a potion when thirsty.
Not bad.
"This is enough."
"..."
However, Chloe gripped my hand even tighter.
Then,
"I-I'm sorry...!"
Her voice trembled, on the verge of tears.
Huh?
As I stared at her in confusion, she cried out.
"N-Now...!!!"
Step.
At that moment, a man stepped forward.
"..."
It was Arnaud, his face completely expressionless.
Right, I forgot about this bastard.
His presence was so faint I hadn't even noticed him.
Step. Step. Step.
Arnaud walked toward me.
"..."
Wait.
His eyes look completely out of it.
"So you're today's menu."
What kind of nonsense is that?
Grin.
Arnaud smiled as he came right up to my face.
Or rather, he tried to smile.
The corners of his mouth twitched bizarrely, as if his face were paralyzed.
After twitching a few more times, he suddenly grabbed his own mouth with both hands.
And then,
Riiiiiiip...
Arnaud began to tear his own mouth open.
The skin of his face ripped in half, and a strange fluid dripped down.
"Since it's been a while since my last meal, I think I'll take my time and enjoy this."
As the skin of his face peeled away, his voice gradually changed.
And beneath the torn flesh, a new 'face' was revealed.
"...!"
It wasn't Arnaud.
It was a completely different face.
Yet, it was a face that felt strangely familiar.
"...Lucien Moreau."
I quietly muttered his name.
"How did you do this?"
"It's an item crafted from the skin of a shapeshifter. A French artisan made it for me."
"Wow. Is it really okay to tear up such a precious item like that?"
"It gets in the way of eating."
Lucien Moreau's grin stretched all the way to his ears.
"So France really was in league with you."
"Oh? You already knew about me?"
"I have a pretty competent ally."
"I'd love to taste that ally of yours too."
"His meat is probably too tough for you."
Lucien Moreau stared at me with an intrigued expression.
Right, come a little closer.
Just a little closer, and I'll pierce your heart...
Step.
One step.
The moment Lucien Moreau took that single step closer,
Rip!
I tore through the barrier of light and thrust the Sword of Calamity straight toward Lucien Moreau's heart—
Clang!!!
With a sharp metallic screech, the Sword of Calamity bounced off.
"...!!"
The moment I saw the torn fabric of his clothes, I realized.
Heinrich Kraus.
The hunter with the superalloy body transformation ability!
"So this is it?"
He wasn't stealing levels; he was stealing traits.
"You don't seem surprised."
Lucien Moreau smiled down at me.
"Extracting his heart was incredibly difficult because of that superalloy body."
"..."
"But even he had a weakness."
"..."
"His eyes. He couldn't transform his eyes into superalloy."
A low chuckle escaped his throat.
"After poking his eye sockets a few times, he deactivated the transformation on his own."
"You crazy bastard."
"Cooking him was actually the harder part. Even after taking out his heart and boiling it for a very long time with bay leaves and thyme, it was still tough."
Lucien Moreau closed his eyes and smacked his lips, as if recalling the taste.
"I hope your heart is tender..."
I couldn't stand listening to any more of this nonsense.
However,
The fact that his eyes couldn't undergo the superalloy transformation...
That probably wasn't a lie.
Swish!
I immediately shifted my trajectory.
Stab!!!
I drove the tip of my sword straight into Lucien Moreau's eye.
"Ah."
With a short gasp,
Pop!!!
Lucien's eyeball burst.
But,
It's not blood...?
What burst from Lucien's eye wasn't blood, but a bright yellow powder.
"...Ugh!"
I reflexively held my breath, but I had already inhaled some of it.
Suddenly, an overwhelming drowsiness washed over me.
M-Mental defense...
Right.
Sleep isn't classified as a mental attack!
The Quiet Eira Forest's Earring couldn't block it...
Damn it...
I let my guard down.
To think he had an ability like this...
My eyelids grew heavier and heavier.
"This is the trait I obtained after eating Amelie's heart, Noir Papillon. It's a powerful sleep-inducing agent that can even grant eternal rest."
"..."
"There will be no pain."
Lucien Moreau's soft laughter echoed in my ears.
And just like that, my eyes closed.
Lucien Moreau.
The world called him 'The Devourer,' but he preferred to call himself a 'gourmet.'
Therefore,
Scritch, scratch.
Lucien was sharpening a culinary chef's knife, not a weapon meant for the tower.
"C-Can't you just finish it quickly?"
"..."
"You saw with your own eyes how strong that guy is!"
"Mia."
"We don't know when he'll wake up! We have to kill him before then!"
"Please do not interrupt my sacred mealtime."
"What?"
"Or I might just eat you first."
"...!"
Scritch, scratch...
Lucien poured his heart and soul into sharpening the blade.
The sleep effect of Noir Papillon was potent enough to keep even an Ice Bear asleep for hours.
An ordinary human would take days to wake up.
Even if it was Lee Taepyeong, it would probably take about two hours.
At the absolute fastest, an hour.
That was more than enough time to extract the heart and cook it.
"Juniper berries, thyme, bay leaves, red wine..."
Only after perfectly preparing the ingredients to accompany Lee Taepyeong's heart did Lucien stand before him, chef's knife in hand.
Shring...
The tip of the knife stopped precisely over Lee Taepyeong's heart.
Just as Lucien, wearing an expectant smile, was about to gently plunge the knife in—
Crack.
The sound of something breaking echoed.
"...Aaaaargh!!!"
The thing that had broken was none other than Lucien's wrist.
Lucien screamed, dropping the knife.
*Catch.*
Before the knife could hit the ground, a hand snatched it out of the air.
"H-How...!"
Lucien stumbled backward, clutching his broken wrist.
Standing before him was Lee Taepyeong, holding the finely sharpened chef's knife.
"How dare a mere human..."
His voice was completely devoid of emotion.
His eyes, unlike their usual color, glowed with a brilliant golden light.
"...attempt to slay the successor of the Founder?"
It was Alteon.