Day 30: First Blood

Day 30 of survival.

In the dead of night, transitioning from day 29 to 30, I quietly opened my eyes inside the burrow I'd expanded once to accommodate my growing size.

The forest, usually so still and silent, felt unusually rowdy tonight.

Awooooo───

The pack howling of the Silent Wolves echoed across the vast woods, reaching all the way to my lair and filling the air with noise.

If it had been just that, it would've been nothing unusual—something that happened occasionally—so I wouldn't have paid it much mind. But tonight, it nagged at me more than usual.

I slipped out of the burrow, and the entire 18th floor was shrouded in thick darkness.

I flicked my tongue once, sensing the nearby information.

The whole forest felt chaotic.

Not just the Silent Wolves—nearly every monster living in these woods was in a heightened state of excitement.

...Did the Lizardmen launch a group raid or something?

This area was Silent Wolf territory, but not far off was a Lizardman village, so it was possible they'd encroached on the wolves' domain.

In fact, I'd found traces of clashes between Silent Wolves and Lizardmen in a nearby patch of woods, so it was a plausible guess.

But even Lizardmen weren't enough to stir up this level of commotion across the forest.

Lizardmen were fairly strong monsters on the 18th floor, but they didn't have the influence to make every forest dweller tremble.

...Unless it was the floor boss, maybe.

I raised my head slightly, peering beyond the trees.

The Silent Wolves let out another long howl.

Their cries ringing through the forest piqued my curiosity.

What could be causing all this racket?

Should I take a quick look? With my Stealth, there's no risk of getting spotted.

Having reached D-rank, I really didn't have to worry about detection.

The moment I reached the forest, I immediately understood the source of the uproar.

-Shiii───

My evolved tongue's detection range now picked up information from quite a distance away. The new scent riding the tip of my tongue made me freeze for a moment.

Blind hostility pouring from the frenzied monsters—viscous malice that bordered on mindless—and, faintly threading through it all, the presence of humans.

Hunters have arrived.

They seemed to be the culprits behind the tension that had kept me on edge these past few days—and now the chaos tonight.

What to do...?

-Shiii───

I stared blankly into the distance.

The occasional Silent Wolf howls mixed with the intermittent scent of blood.

It was a fierce standoff.

After a moment's thought, I slithered forward.

In a nearby thicket, four burly men and women were battling a pack of Silent Wolves.

I coiled up quietly at a spot where I could see them with my own eyes and watched the fight unfold.

My vision was usually hazy and indistinct, but it sharpened remarkably when I focused on something.

Even from this distance, observing them was no trouble.

"Damn it! Why are there so many?!"

One man bellowed.

Two or three Silent Wolves lunged at him in unison as his voice boomed.

He didn't go down immediately, but his stumbling retreat looked precarious.

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠others, who seemed to be his comrades, weren't faring much better.

I watched them briefly and clicked my tongue inwardly.

Fighting Silent Wolves in the dead of night... Are they idiots?

Unlike me, who was active only during the day, Silent Wolves were nocturnal.

They moved sporadically in daylight, but their prime time was midnight.

Encounter them during the day when most were asleep, and you'd only face a patrolling few.

But at night, when they were all awake? Run for your life.

Otherwise, they'd summon the pack, just like now.

Awooooo───

As the long howl reverberated under the night sky, another responded from no great distance away.

Calling their kin.

Only about five or six were visible right now, but if every Silent Wolf in the area gathered, thirty wouldn't be an exaggeration.

My tongue had already picked up over a dozen more heading this way.

...Impressive as always. Can't beat even one head-on... but swarming like a pack? No contest.

The hunters fought decently, but they were outnumbered.

How much longer could they hold against the reinforcements?

If one was overwhelmingly strong, maybe they'd turn it around—but from what I'd seen so far, no chance.

"These bastards! They're still coming!"

"Should we run? If this keeps up...!"

"Kyaaak!"

"Damn it! Soyoung!"

The raid team's sole female hunter had her shoulder torn into by a wolf from behind.

A nearby hunter swung his sword desperately, but she was already badly hurt.

Her agonized scream tore from her lips.

That broke the fragile formation ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠they'd been holding.

"Ngh...! Damn it! Retreat! Run!"

The man who seemed to be the raid leader shouted urgently as their lines collapsed, but from my detached viewpoint, it was too late.

His sudden call to fall back shattered the already crumbling formation in an instant.

One hunter went down under attacks from wolves on all sides.

"Kuaaaak!"

"Jingyu! Damn it! Damn iiiit!"

The raid leader roared in fury.

But as if mocking him, the wolves swarmed the fallen hunter like piranhas.

Blood sprayed everywhere in seconds.

"You bastards...! I won't forgive you! Leave Jingyu alone!"

"No! Leader!"

"Fuck! Let's just save ourselves and run!"

The raid leader lost his reason and charged the wolves.

The remaining man and woman seized the moment to flee together.

A few lingering wolves gave chase.

A moonlit pursuit unfolded.

...Predictable.

Whether from ignorance or overconfidence, raid teams that underestimated the labyrinth and got wiped out were a dime a dozen.

I'd been luckier than most, but as a porter, I'd faced death multiple times.

Hell, I'd actually died once.

I watched it all impassively, flicking my tongue once more.

By coincidence, the fleeing pair was heading my way.

"It hurts... Munseong... My shoulder... it hurts so much..."

"Huff... huff...! Heuk...!"

Blood streamed from the woman's shoulder, torn so deep the bone was visible.

The man supporting her wasn't in great shape either—just relatively better; his body was a mess of wounds.

And in situations like this, there was only one outcome.

The man dragging the woman glanced back.

The wolves pursuing them looked terrifying.

At this rate, both would be caught soon.

His gaze shifted to the woman.

And then...

"Sorry... I'm sorry, Soyoung!"

"...Huh?"

Thud.

The woman's body hit the ground.

Her dazed eyes, failing to grasp the situation, stared blankly at the man's retreating back as he bolted away.

Before she could even open her mouth, three or four wolves pounced on her.

A horrific scream rang out, followed by sprays of blood and flesh.

The man bit his lip and ran onward, eyes fixed ahead.

Losing the leader, losing comrades, then abandoning one himself—surviving alone.

The typical end for a labyrinth raid team.

If I hadn't intervened.

-Shaa───

"Guhk...!"

I lunged at the man fleeing blindly.

I'd already made up my mind watching the scene.

I wrapped my long body around his neck, tensing every muscle to constrict tightly.

A motion I'd repeated dozens of times against monsters.

Only the target had changed—no hesitation.

"G... guaak...!"

-Shiii───

His hands slapped frantically at my body.

He thrashed to escape, but with my grip locked firm, it was futile.

Kill.

I glanced at his eyes, now filling with terror.

What was he thinking right now?

Guilt over his abandoned comrade? Rage at my sudden attack? Pure fear of death?

None of it mattered.

Kill.

The sight of him shoving his comrade aside to flee stirred old memories.

Shin Jae-jun's back as he pushed me away and ran.

The others, apologizing as they left me behind.

Kill.

I felt no regrets toward this man.

Without me, he might have survived.

Escaped the dungeon unscathed, drowned the day's events in booze, buried it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠forever.

And tomorrow, he'd act like nothing happened.

I just couldn't let that slide.

Merely venting—and his luck for crossing my path.

Just like his abandoned comrade.

"Kk... kuhuk...! Kk...!"

The man's convulsing body went limp.

His ashen face had cooled.

Only when his faint heartbeat stopped did I release my grip.

His body slumped.

-Shiii───

I stared at the man's cooling corpse.

Killing a living human, yet I felt strangely nothing.

If anything, a faint pleasure.

Just like hunting other monsters.

Before guilt or disgust could surface, another question dominated my mind.

...What was that voice in the middle?

When I spotted him charging toward me, I heard it.

Not the mechanical system alerts I'd grown used to, but a voice with clear intent.

Kill, whispering endlessly.

I'd have killed him anyway, but that voice had played a big part.

...More importantly, can I swallow this?

Pushing aside the mystery, I eyed the cold corpse.

After multiple sheds, my body had grown huge.

About two meters, give or take—but gulping down a human at this size might be a stretch.

A bit of a waste, but...

-Shiii───

I flicked my tongue and turned.

Silent Wolves were sauntering into view.

Crisis Detection blared urgently.

Three of them...? A few more not far off...

I couldn't guarantee victory against even one, let alone this many.

With fresh prey stolen away, I had to prioritize my own neck.

I retreated quietly. Fortunately, the wolves showed little interest in me.

As I withdrew, they swarmed the body one by one.

...For now, satisfied with the stat and skill boosts?

I watched them tear into the feast briefly, then slipped back to my lair.

And at dawn that day, I evolved.

Day 30 concludes.