Chapter 125

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 125

Chapter Title: Hunter in the Darkness

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'The presence vanished.'

The moment I tried to give chase, it disappeared without a trace.

The scent of blood had been swept away by the sea breeze blowing in from the ocean, and the only sounds were the leaves rustling in the wind.

'Hmm.'

I gazed at the mansion, larger than Jamsil Stadium. Searching every inch of such a vast place would be foolish. So, I quietly levitated into the air.

'Looking down from above should reveal something.'

Cool night air wrapped around my floating body. The higher I rose, the stronger the wind grew, buffeting me from side to side instead of the gentle breeze below.

But I pressed on with telekinesis, ascending until I had a full view of the area.

Finally.

When even the eight-story main building was beneath my feet, I could take in the entire estate at a glance.

'No people in sight.'

It was eerily silent, as if the whole mansion had been engulfed in death. Bloodstains dotted the grounds here and there.

Yet I could sense some kind of presence.

Whoosh.

I pulled an item from my inventory. [Magic Engineering Binoculars K711]. Picked up at auction, it allowed clear observation of distant objects up close.

'The soldiers are already gathered, huh?'

Beyond the wrought-iron main gate, hundreds of soldiers waited with tense faces.

They huddled in the darkness without a single torch, looking like they were hiding from something.

'Waiting for something?'

The thought sparked another realization.

'Come to think of it, they couldn't catch the Minotaur with just that force.'

Not even with thousands of soldiers. Its recovery was insane. They were probably holding out until someone from the royal family arrived with the [Blood Incense Burner].

'Maybe I should eavesdrop on their conversation.'

Up in the high air, only the roaring wind filled my ears. That's when I quietly descended toward the mansion's gate.

Rustle—

The presence I'd missed earlier returned. A stealthy movement was detected from the building right beside me. I immediately turned and slipped through a second-floor window.

Creeeak.

A corridor.

The passage, bathed in soft moonlight from the windows, was wrapped in an eerie silence.

The faint moonlight was dreamlike in its beauty, yet it concealed something sinister beneath its surface. I sensed it not with my eyes, but with other instincts.

'Blood. The smell.'

A thick, nauseating stench of blood lingered heavily in the corridor.

I followed it, my footsteps clicking softly. The scent grew sharper and stronger with each step forward. At some point, it became so overpowering it made my head throb.

'Here?'

I'd arrived at a door. I quietly pushed it open.

"Ha."

Blood dripped from the ceiling in steady streams. Like a burst pipe upstairs, it poured through cracks in the wooden beams.

I spun around and leaped out the window behind me, landing on the floor above. Unlike below, this corridor floor was soaked in blood, and one room was piled high with hundreds of corpses.

'This doesn't make sense. Leaving the bodies uneaten and stacked? Why?'

I'd never heard of Minotaurs stockpiling food. They devoured everything in sight. Of course, there could be info I didn't know...

'Wait, no way.'

A chill crawled into my mind. I quietly slipped out of the corpse-filled room.

Rustle—

The presence returned. The suspicious aura that had led me here now came from outside again. I jumped out the window and landed on the ground, pursuing it immediately.

Thud thud thud.

Bloody beast footprints marked the stone path, as if inviting me to follow. But suddenly, they vanished without a trace.

In the open space between three buildings, not even bloodstains remained. Just desolate silence.

'Did I lose it?'

No way. I definitely felt it luring me here. I slowly advanced to the center of the clearing, scanning around.

The space, surrounded by tall buildings, was shrouded in shadow where moonlight couldn't reach.

'It definitely came in here.'

Then it vanished in an instant. How? Simple.

Suddenly.

The presence reappeared—right behind me.

Whoosh.

A massive exhalation blew against my back. That breath alone conveyed an enormous presence.

This is why I hate beasts. Beast-type monsters hide their presence too well.

I let out a short sigh and said,

"Eliana, Lilliana. How about we drop the prank?"

As I slowly turned, a massive wolf came into view.

Wow, her stats had improved since last time. Must've been gobbling up stat shards.

"Where's the other one?"

Grrrr.

Ah, behind me. Glancing back, there was another massive wolf—five meters long, nearly two meters tall.

Not normal size at all. Then it suddenly raised a front paw over my head.

"...Eliana? What are you doing?"

Whoosh!

I swiftly raised my sword to block the descending paw. Boom! The heavy strike landed, and the two wolves vanished from sight in perfect sync.

'...Troublesome.'

Most monsters have abilities. Usually one, up to dozens.

'Shadow Wolves' ability is [Shadow Stealth].'

[Shadow Stealth: Hide your body in shadows. The denser the shadow, the more perfect the stealth.]

In other words, at night in a shaded spot like this—surrounded by buildings on three sides—they could stealth as perfectly as Ysera.

Whoosh!

Crack!

Of course, [Full Appraisal] revealed them clearly to me, but their size and agility made them a real pain.

Especially since two were attacking together?

Swish swish swish—

Between the hit-and-run attacks of the two wolves, I dodged one and blocked the other with my sword, clicking my tongue.

'They want to play around with me... Ugh. What do they expect with that kind of power?'

If it were anyone else, they wouldn't last five seconds against that combo. But since it's me, I played along.

Boom—!

They weren't trying to kill anyway—just playful taps. Easy to handle.

"Eliana, Lilliana. Since it's the two of you, how about reverting to your original forms?"

As I stood firm, effortlessly blocking the twins' attacks, they seemed satisfied and shed their wolf forms, returning to normal.

"What's with the sudden formality? Just call me Eliana."

"Call me Lilliana."

The shroud of darkness melted away, revealing beautiful twins like mirror images.

Sapphire-blue eyes and golden hair.

White horses sure are pretty.

Especially blondes among them—total cheat items. Even under faint moonlight in the shadows, their superior bloodline and beauty shone through.

An air of haughty arrogance flowed naturally.

Though the mischievous grins on their faces nearly ruined the mystique.

"How'd you know it was us?"

"No one else noticed."

The monster turned out to be the twin sisters. Heirs to Novacrest, one of America's top ten conglomerates, and the White family's two little devils.

I shrugged.

"Chasing your backs, I sensed elegance. Knew right away it was the White young ladies."

The twins cleared their throats dramatically, hands on hips, striking poses.

"This commoner knows his people. Right, Lili?"

"Yeah, sis. Best eye among the commoners I've seen."

"But what brings you here?"

"When'd you cross over?"

Then they clung to me like glue. Acting all familiar, petting my head, fighting over who got to stroke it first.

I chuckled and pulled out gifts first.

"Eek."

"That's..."

Their mouths widened at the snacks and sodas.

Affection skyrocketed immediately. Not mildly, but greatly. Simple sisters, as expected.

"For real? For us?"

"Yeah. I said I'd bring snacks if you came to find me."

Their eyes sparkled like puppies'. Wolves would've wagged tails furiously.

"Heh, this commoner keeps promises and knows the basics. Right, sis?"

"Yeah, Lili. I like you a lot. Brag you helped Eliana."

"Brag you helped Lilliana."

They tore into the snacks and soda right away.

"Tasty?"

Nod nod nod nod.

The two white horses nodded happily, cheeks puffed out from eating so fast. Their youthful beauty made it adorable.

"Seriously, food here is so bland. Been suffering."

"Yeah, thought it was diet food."

"Ha, that's exactly what I was gonna say, Lili. No sugar selection here."

"Can't eat this crap."

Once hooked on processed flavors, natural food tastes dull.

We relied on these for most meals ourselves, though we ate rice properly too.

"Where's So-hee? Didn't come?"

Only after devouring the snacks did they remember their rival(?).

Not sure if rival fits, but their glaring eyes suggested at least that.

I nodded.

"With the others at the treasure warehouse. But hey—did you kill everyone here?"

"Yup. They rudely shoved weapons at us first. Taught 'em a lesson, right Lili?"

"Yeah, we just wanted tasty food. Even offered money, but they picked a fight."

Ah, so they came hungry, asked for food, got attacked, and fought back? Very kid-like reason.

Still, they looted well—fingers, wrists, clothes, necks loaded with new accessories.

'Not amazing options.'

Just pretty styles. On a whim, I asked,

"How many noble houses have you raided?"

They crossed over before us, so probably skipped lower areas for upper fun.

Sure enough, they tilted heads identically.

"Hmm, this is the seventh?"

"Eighth, Lili. Count today."

Quite a few.

"What about those players shredded in the alley recently?"

"Recently?"

"Those guys, Lili. The ones who flirted after seeing our faces."

"Oh, the idiots?"

"Hmph, we get why they stare, we're pretty. But charging to assault? No mercy."

"Yeah, played with 'em."

Got it. They'd roamed all of Haran, from upper to lower, causing beast rumors among players.

Even knew the corpse piles fueled the rumors.

"Hiding bodies scares them."

"Yeah, they think monsters appeared and stay inside. Total idiots."

Exploiting that. Sometimes creatively.

"Mornings, soldiers push in."

"We transform, bang walls from inside—they flee screaming. You should've seen. Hilarious."

Everyone thought Minotaur, getting toyed by the twins. Like me earlier.

'All the chaos in Haran so far— these twins' doing.'

Made sense.

Minotaur rampages in the city when tributes drop as fewer humans cross over.

Royals sacrifice civilians to appease, but after bingeing, it's not enough.

It breaks out, city wrecked. That's ten days before area deletion—too early for us.

'Safe till morning then.'

Curiosity satisfied thanks to the twins, I started walking.

"Where?"

"To the group. Gotta tell 'em not to worry."

The white horse twins followed bouncily. Trailing naturally, I felt awkward.

'Nothing good from So-hee meeting them.'

Bad blood between them. So-hee seemed indifferent, but...

Even without that, I hadn't decided to officially bring them along.

If they begged to join our party, headache.

Personalities too.

'Reckless, accident-prone.'

Looked the type, and Haran's mess proved it. White devils' antics trended on YouTube often.

"Don't you have stuff to do?"

Trying to shake them, but

"Nah, totally free. Right, Lili?"

"Yeah, sis. Bored stiff."

They stuck close. Failed to ditch, so curiosity struck.

"Why the bad blood with So-hee?"

"What, you don't know?"

Seeing it was me, they puffed up.

"Some things commoners can't grasp. Right, sis?"

"Yeah, Lili."

"Can't tell me? We're not ordinary."

"Huh? What beef?"

Another snack bag, and they grinned.

"We're not ordinary with you."

"Yeah, first commoner we adore this much. Be honored—Eliana's approval."

"Lilliana's approval."

Then they smacked my butt. So cheerful and simple. I chuckled softly.

"So why the bad blood?"

They shrugged in sync.

"No biggie. She's just annoying."

"Yeah. Annoying since kids. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Copies everything we do."

"Copies?"

Han So-hee?

"Yup. Tennis, golf, swimming, surfing, scuba. Whatever we tried, she followed."

"Started later but better. Infuriating."

"Yeah, vixens like her need a beating."

Listening, the sisters hated So-hee for excelling in sports, studies, business despite inferior house. Built up since childhood.

"Make her regret big time."

"Yeah, sis. Let her rue messing with us."

"How? Not in sports or studies."

Hmm, pondering, they eyed me.

"...What?"

Not planning round two as wolves now?

...Too normal. They flanked me, linking arms.

"Ditch So-hee, be ours instead."

"We'll spoil you lots. Right, sis?"

"Yeah, Lili. Like our Pomeranian at home."

...That famous White Pomeranian lived better than commoners, per news. Their version of spoiling.

Problem: dog treatment.

I unlinked arms.

"Sorry, pass."

"Why?"

"Better treatment by So-hee. No reason to follow you as a Pomeranian."

They huddled, whispering.

"Seems legit."

"Yeah, he's So-hee's boyfriend. No other way a commoner rejects Pomeranian status."

"My thoughts, sis."

Then leered slyly.

"......"

Pretty faces, devilish grins. Now scheming evil plans openly.

"So-hee's at the treasure warehouse, right?"

"Yeah, alone now."

"Steal her boyfriend in the gap?"

"Great idea, sis."

......?

"She'll cry snot bubbles if we take him."

"Hehe. Fun just thinking."

They grabbed my arms, pressing soft breasts, winking, licking lips seductively.

Nipples hard too. My dick stirred.

"Still no interest?"

"Be true to your desires. Come on."

Pretty girls openly offering—who could resist?

I grabbed the asses of the two white horses clinging to me.

"!!"

Wow, soft yet firm-packed. Petite frames, but wide hips and big butts—true to white horse form.

They widened eyes, yelling.

"Y-you! What're you doing?!"

"C-commoner groping our asses?!"

Huh?

"What? You said let's do it."

"Huh? What nonsense!"

"When did we?!"

I was baffled as they were.

"Steal me from So-hee."

"Eek!"

"Seduce with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠beauty, be true to desire."

Nod nod. They nodded.

"Isn't that sex?"

"No! We planned to enchant with our beauty."

???

"No main course?"

"Obviously not!"

"Why do that? Dumb? Right, Lili!"

"Yeah, sis! One smile and commoners grant every wish!"

...More your background than looks.

Who refuses conglomerate heirs?

They'd comply reluctantly.

"Let go, pervert."

"Where's that finger going?"

I watched them wriggle. Maybe I misread. Ten years in this fucked world warped my brain.

But dick's hard, fingers in panties already.

...No harm continuing?

Not Earth anyway.

So I kissed Eliana on the left first.

"?!"

"Eh? S-sis?!"

Eliana's eyes bulged, face flushing crimson. Tongue in, she pulled away shocked.

"Wh-what! Commoner so bold!"

"No big deal. Just a kiss."

"Just a kiss?!"

"Not like virgin no experience, drop the prude act..."

Then I noticed something off.

"......"

Eliana blushing, avoiding eyes. Beside her, Lilliana yelling 'Let sis go, pervert!' punching my chest.

No way.

"You two virgins?"

"V-virgin what?"

Better check. Probes in both holes.

"Ahk?!"

"Y-you what?!"

Yup. Virgins.