Chapter 6
Chapter 6
But the Monster Is Me
I used to be human once.
That was before I got dragged into a novel I didn’t even know existed.
It was roughly a year and three months ago. I couldn’t remember the exact date.
In truth, even the memories of being human had started to blur.
The longer I stayed as a monster, the more the memories of my previous life faded away.
It felt like the more I adapted to my current senses, the duller my human ones became.
Things I once had were scattering and disappearing.
My emotions were thinner than before. That was why I always felt empty inside.
If I had never had them in the first place, I wouldn’t know what I was missing. But because I lost what I once had, the absence felt even larger.
That was probably why I kept trying to return to my original world.
I didn’t have much time left.
If time kept passing like this. If everything inside me kept fading away.
“….”
Then maybe I wouldn’t even want to become human again.
Surprisingly, the security in the underground prison wasn’t as tight as expected.
Maybe it was because the mercenaries who sold me off were the ones handling security now.
Either way, they weren’t strong opponents. Most of them collapsed with a single casual swing.
Silver hair swayed through the damp, dark corridor.
I walked leisurely, holding a small dagger in one hand.
There was no need to hide myself. I was confident in my strength. Besides, they would forget me by tomorrow anyway.
“….”
“….”
Silence spread through the corridor that had briefly been chaotic after my escape.
There were still plenty of people left here, yet it felt strangely empty.
Some mercenaries had foolishly challenged me and lost consciousness.
Others had simply given up fighting after witnessing it.
To them, I looked small. A girl.
But that “small girl” felt enormous.
Cold pressure filled the space.
It was fortunate that I hadn’t attacked first.
The monster in white had simply crushed those who attacked her, and lost interest in the rest.
She scanned the fallen bodies briefly.
There was no emotion on her face. Only something cold, detached.
A gaze that looked down on something insignificant.
“Nothing special.”
After a moment, she turned away.
There was no one she was looking for here.
And then—
A man reached out toward her back.
He was a mercenary who had woken up after being knocked out earlier.
Adrian, 2nd rank.
A mage and one of the group’s key members.
His pride was shattered. He couldn’t accept being beaten so easily by someone smaller than him.
So he unleashed his spell toward her back.
“Monster bitch…”
Mana gathered in his hand.
An advanced military-grade spell formed in midair.
Blue flames ignited.
A lethal technique designed to maximize output by burning through all available mana.
If it hit directly, nothing would remain.
“Die…!”
The spell erupted.
BOOOOM!
Blue flames swallowed the corridor.
There was no way to dodge. The space was too narrow.
He was certain of victory.
A monster or not, no one could survive that head-on.
But when the flames faded—
She was gone.
The corridor was empty.
“…Ha. Good riddance.”
Adrian laughed weakly.
And then he realized something was wrong.
Sshk.
His vision rotated.
The world tilted.
His body fell.
Only after his face hit the ground did pain arrive.
His head had been severed.
He never even saw when it happened.
The last thing reflected in his fading vision was silver hair and red eyes.
“I told you. You’d die.”
The white-haired girl muttered, slightly frowning at the blood on her clothes.
It was annoying.
Blood didn’t wash out easily.
She sighed and walked past the broken corridor.
Then she stopped.
A cracked mirror lay there.
Inside it, she saw herself.
“….”
A terrible sight.
White hair stained red with blood.
Crimson eyes glowing faintly in the dark.
A girl walking through a collapsed prison corridor, drenched in blood, holding a dagger.
“…I’m insane.”
She said it plainly.
No hesitation.
Because it was true.
But strangely enough, she thought it suited her.
Maybe that was what a monster looked like.
She smiled faintly and kept walking.
After that, the guards were gone.
They must have fled.
That made things easier.
If they had stepped aside earlier, it would have saved trouble.
Unlike common monsters, I wasn’t particularly hostile toward humans.
I had intelligence.
If they had just let me pass quietly, none of this bloodshed would have happened.
Money really was convenient.
Even I needed it.
The man I killed at the end—Adrian—was still puzzling.
Why did he try to stop me?
I gave up thinking about it.
Human emotions weren’t something I could easily understand.
I climbed the stairs.
Almost outside now.
And then I stopped.
Killing intent.
I sensed it before I saw it.
A blade was already flying toward my neck.
I raised my dagger.
CLANG!!
Metal screamed.
I stepped back, absorbing the impact.
Then I swung.
A clean arc.
But nothing was cut.
He had already retreated.
Fast.
Good instincts.
The man was middle-aged.
Scars covered his body.
A veteran.
At least 1st rank or higher.
“….”
We stared at each other.
Then I asked.
“Why?”
He answered immediately.
“Money.”
“…Ah.”
That made sense.
A stupid reason, but still a reason.
He thought he could win.
Or he just didn’t care if he died.
Either way.
I understood him.
And from that moment, I decided I wouldn’t let him live.
“Beorn.”
That was his name.
I pointed my dagger at him.
“I’ll play with you.”
I didn’t like fighting.
But this one was an exception.
Because he was useful.
I smiled faintly.
Today was a lucky day.
—
Beorn had just found what he was looking for.
And the monster had found him too.