#41 Before Neverland
#41 Before Neverland
[Experience Points at maximum. Lv.19 → Lv.20]
A week had passed. After a relentless chase of pursuer and pursued, Wolf had finally reached Level 20.
'I couldn't kill every single one, though.'
Still, the condition to root them out had been satisfied. Hunters had gone missing from every clan.
'To be more precise.'
The Prodigal Sons had recalled the turncoats they'd infiltrated. With Overwhelm at my disposal, I could keep following the trail from one lead to the next, chasing them indefinitely. They must have realized that too.
[On the disappearance of hunters ahead of Neverland...]
The breaking news ticker continued. Clans like Dawn probably knew the full story, but they hadn't made it public yet. They'd have their own reasons, I was sure.
[Regarding the incident on Ganghwado Island a week ago. Dawn's hunter Hong Yuri and a mysterious Wolf monster...]
[Hunter Hong Yuri has yet to regain consciousness, so the exact circumstances remain unclear. Daybreak's Dawn is currently focusing its efforts on assessing the situation. Meanwhile, some experts suspect a link to the Skull Wolf that caused a stir on NewTube not long ago...]
Another thing that had changed was that my existence had finally been exposed to the public eye. Hong Yuri's grand magic had lit up the sky—there was no way it could've gone unnoticed. The small news screen zoomed in, playing a grainy CCTV clip that had captured a vague image of me.
'A shame, really.'
I'd wanted to stay hidden longer, but that was no longer possible.
'Doesn't change much, though.'
The Prodigal Sons had already set a trap. Whether or not they'd been targeting me specifically, they'd certainly sensed my presence. Nothing was going to change now. Things would get a little more annoying, but overall, it felt like I'd closed one chapter.
'Turncoats.'
I'd completely rooted out every turncoat in every clan. The Prodigal Sons had been dealt a heavy blow, and now it'd be difficult to find any trace of them in Korea. No matter how much they prepared or planned, their reduced numbers meant they'd reached their limit.
'Besides.'
Truth was, I had a firm conviction by now that no matter how many tails they sicced on me, none of them could beat me. It depended on who the tail was, of course, but unless it was a ranking officer, the Prodigal Sons were no longer a threat.
'The problem is those very officers.'
I'd only beaten Brocken Finger because I had the advantage. If he'd been in a place where he could freely use his false immortality, winning would've been impossible. And that probably wouldn't have changed even now.
But to put it another way, it also meant I could take them down under the right circumstances. And I, knowing the story's original plot—
'I do know who they really are and what their weaknesses are.'
It wasn't going to be easy, but I figured preventing the destruction wasn't impossible anymore. I'd grown a lot by now, after all.
The ironic thing was that barely three months had passed since I was a slime. Winter would be here before long, but even so, there was still a little over a year left before the original novel's timeline. If I took care of things one by one, I'd definitely be able to stop the end someday.
'Right now, though.'
Neverland. I needed to return to the Illusion Realm and grow just a little bit more to prepare for the day that was fast approaching.
***
The mood at Dawn was grim. Hong Yuri was stubborn and reckless, but few people truly despised her. She had the skill to back up her high-handed attitude, and she took her responsibilities as a hunter seriously. People might not have liked her personally, but as a hunter, she deserved respect. More than anything, she was someone who'd turned her back on the chance to become the heir of a Square.
—Her personality was absolute garbage, admittedly.
"What're you staring at?"
Hong Yuri frowned, clearly displeased by the worried looks around her.
"Are you feeling any better?"
"Aside from this."
She lifted her cast-bound hand. Her wrist still hadn't healed. No—it wasn't that it hadn't healed; it wasn't there. They'd found someone with a recovery skill, but with no wrist left to regenerate, it would take time. Yet Neverland was looming right in front of them. They'd sooner halt the entire raid than proceed without her. With Square refusing to participate, taking Hong Yuri out of the picture was out of the question.
"Fuck."
Kang Tae-ho, who'd taken a hardline stance on the raid, hadn't said a word to Hong Yuri, but she could guess how he must've felt. The fact that she'd become an obstacle weighed heavily on her mind.
"If only it was just my wrist..."
Listening nearby, Lee Eun-ha shook her head slowly. It wasn't just her wrist—her entire body was covered in bruises, burns, fractures, and abrasions. The injuries were too numerous to count. A spike had driven into her flank, requiring dozens of stitches, six ribs had been fractured, and her chest had been caved in so badly that blood had pooled inside her lungs. The fact that she was still alive was a miracle.
'Alpha (Jirisan Warg).'
To make matters worse, Alpha (Jirisan Warg) had cruelly thrown seawater over Hong Yuri while she was down. It had complicated her treatment, and she'd nearly died. No doubt it was a warning to stop pursuing him. Lee Eun-ha gazed at her for a long moment, then gave a small nod. Like it or not, Hong Yuri was her teacher now.
"Please call me if you need anything else. Okay?"
"There are nurses here, why are you hovering? Ugh, fine! I heard you—now get out and go train!"
As Lee Eun-ha left the room and her footsteps faded down the corridor, Gu Jin-ha, who'd been sitting silently the whole time, rose to his feet. Hong Yuri snapped at him under his gaze.
"What?"
"About this raid. Let's call it off."
"Are you insane? Because of this?"
She waved the stump of her wrist around in circles.
"I'll strap on a prosthetic or patch it up with magic. Quit worrying over nothing."
"......."
"What? You think I can't manage? This is nothing. I could do it right now if I—!"
Gu Jin-ha sighed as he watched a deep crimson shade seep into her scarlet eyes. She seemed like her usual self at first glance. But the moment he picked up the remote and flipped the channel on the TV to Animal Farm—
"——!"
All her earlier bravado vanished. Horrified, Hong Yuri yanked the blanket over her head and started trembling uncontrollably. Her face went pale, and her breathing accelerated. Hyperventilation from sheer terror. It wasn't until tears had welled up at the corners of her eyes that Gu Jin-ha finally pressed the power button.
"Haa. This is exactly why you shouldn't have been so stubborn."
Once the screen went dark, her trembling gradually subsided. Still, her complexion remained chalky, and she was drenched in cold sweat. Looking at her on the verge of tears, Gu Jin-ha shook his head. Cynophobia. A pathological fear of dogs. That was the name of the psychological condition that had come for her after her defeat at the hands of Alpha (Jirisan Warg). If she were only terrified of Alpha (Jirisan Warg) itself, that might've been manageable. But as he'd just witnessed, she was now petrified by even a tiny puppy on a TV screen. It took nearly ten minutes for the panicking Hong Yuri to stop shivering enough to even move her lips.
"Gu... Gu Jin-ha, you son of a bitch, you fucking bastard...!"
Her mind had shattered completely, the terror etched into her like a brand. Nothing of her usual confident self remained. Her wrist had been severed, but most of her other wounds had been treated. And yet, this was the reason she couldn't leave the hospital room. They'd kept it secret out of consideration for her, but until she overcame this phobia, she couldn't function as a hunter—hell, she could barely manage daily life. Watching Hong Yuri quiver like a small animal, Gu Jin-ha let out a long, weighted sigh.
"Hong Yuri. You're telling me you want to go to Neverland in this state?"
"I-I'm going! I said I'm going...!"
What if she faced Alpha (Jirisan Warg) again instead of a puppy? She might never be able to recover a second time. It could even take longer to mend her psyche than to regenerate her wrist. With her mentality in ruins and her spirit completely broken, she could no longer be called a hunter. Gu Jin-ha drew a cold line with his gaze.
"What difference would it make if you came along now? Give up on Neverland."
"But without me...!"
"Don't you realize you'd be a liability? Hong Yuri. This is an order from your superior. Focus on getting treatment. Or do you actually want the others to see you like this?"
"......!"
Gu Jin-ha let out another long breath. He'd been sighing a lot these past few days.
"...I'm heading out, so get some rest."
The reality of his words hit her. Hong Yuri bit down on her lip. The tears that had been gathering refused to fall—that must've been the last scrap of her pride. When Gu Jin-ha glanced back, she was still trembling. At the sight of his fallen comrade, he walked blankly up to the hospital roof. Without thinking, he pulled out a cigarette, then remembered where he was and tucked it back into his pocket.
"Damn it..."
***
"You've grown quite large."
I nodded at Baekrok's remark.
"I've grown a lot."
Over the past week, Perry's weight had finally exceeded one kilogram. Her growth showed no signs of stopping—if anything, it felt like she was accelerating. As a result, there wasn't much of the flesh chunks left. I was starting to worry about where to get her food next. Baekrok shook his head at my words.
"I am not speaking solely of the Young Dragon, but of you as well."
"......."
At that, I looked down at myself. Baekrok was right—Perry wasn't the only one who'd grown.
[Tyrant (Shadow Wolf) Lv.20] [EXP 0 / 327,658] [Karma 7.24%] [Spiritual Field 904.77 cm³] [Body Length 3.01 m] [Height 1.25 m] [Weight 266.3 kg] [STR 254] [AGI 288] [VIT 324] [MP 316] [Willpower 15] [Skill List] Devouring (C) Lv.5, Spike Tentacle (D) Lv.2, Detection (D) Lv.9, Regeneration (D) Lv.6, Superior Stealth (C) Lv.6, Insight (D) Lv.7, Superior Hearing (D) Lv.2, Faint Sixth Sense (E) Lv.5, Superior Sight (D) Lv.2, All Damage Reduction (D) Lv.9, Hardening (D) Lv.8, Transformation (E) Lv.9, Faint Poison Resistance (E) Lv.1, Overwhelm (E) Lv.8, Satiety (C) Lv.2, Amphibious (D), Superior Elasticity (D) Lv.6, Superior Perception (D) Lv.2, Gust (C) Lv.7, Superior Olfaction (D) Lv.3, Superior Intuition (D) Lv.7, Clairvoyance (E) Lv.1, Mana Regeneration (D) Lv.6, Ghost Flame (C) Lv.5, Pain Nullification (D), Fairy Language (F), Stowage (E) Lv.3, Shadow Domination (B), Great Magic Power (B) Lv.1 [Remaining Skill Points: 14]
Thanks to all the shadows I'd consumed, the volume of my Spiritual Field had increased, and my physique had grown to something surpassing even a tiger—no longer just a wolf. My stats had also seen tremendous growth, of course.
'If I factor in the effects of Satiety.'
Thanks to Evil Devouring, I could maintain Satiety at all times, meaning I now had ability scores that wouldn't be out of place in B Class. 316. The first time I'd sensed Lee Eun-ha's presence, her MP had reminded me of a nuclear bomb. Now, with Great Magic Power factored in, I basically possessed magic power exceeding even that.
'It's touching, but...'
I'd used Great Magic Power quite a lot, yet it was still Level 1. It hit me all over again just how slowly B-rank skills increased. C-rank ones seemed to level up at a reasonable pace, at least...
'Nothing to be done—I'll just need time.'
For now, the immediate priority was leveling up in preparation for Neverland. Not much time remained. I stared pointedly at Baekrok's face, and the old dragon shook his head as if he was sick of it.
"You truly are a terminal case."
And with that, we set off toward the dungeon.