Chapter 309: The Glutton
Chapter 309: The Glutton
It has been quite some time since we began making our way through the fog-shrouded forest, yet I don’t get the feeling that the woods will ever end.
No, rather, a different thought is beginning to take root.
The thought that this forest might be the maw of some enemy.
And a foreboding premonition that the further we advance, the closer we are venturing toward its throat.
“Poyooo. This feels incredibly unsettling, doesn't it?”
“I wonder... what would happen if we stepped out of the car?”
“…Just stay quiet, Si-hyun.”
Un-ho, whom I’d woken up because of this ominous feeling, and my disciples, who remained inside the car, were all gripped by the same sense of dread.
…This is a first for me.
To think I could feel that a car—something far more fragile than my own body—is a safety zone.
To think I could entrust my safety to such a clumsy metal box.
After witnessing houses and pillboxes crumble under the feet of monsters, I’d come to believe there was nothing to trust but my own strength.
And yet, at this stage, having reached the pinnacle of power, I find myself feeling that this tiny sheet of iron is a secure barrier.
Fear.
I didn't expect to feel even a glimpse of it from a mere situation, rather than from some mighty entity.
However, one question arises.
Why am I feeling this way?
If it were something terrifying and bizarre, there was Happiness Drop.
If it were something despairing and vast, there was the filth of Nanjido.
If it were an insurmountable wall, there was the barrier of the Demon Train.
There is the incomprehensible Queen.
And if it were a shock that upends one's very foundations, there was the Underground.
Compared to those, the current situation is far too ordinary for me to be feeling fear.
And yet, why? Why does my heart, which even I don’t fully understand, feel the emotion of fear from the chill of this fog?
Hmm.
Of course, the feeling isn't so overwhelming that it dictates my actions, so I haven't fundamentally changed my behavior.
At the very least, I can act with a bit more caution.
Normally, I would have abandoned the car and run ahead.
But even now, I am carefully pressing the accelerator, following the path slowly.
And so, the car—treated as a sanctuary by everyone, including myself—
Vroom.
It moved along the dirt path with a quiet hum, as if boasting its status as a luxury vehicle.
Inside the car, it was silent.
Save for the occasional conversation that leaked out—an attempt to overcome the internal fear born from the inability to endure this silence and chill.
But even those conversations were soon swallowed by the fog that seeped bit by bit into the car.
Thus, except for those occasional flickers of conversation, nothing changed in the chilly forest.
By the time everyone had stopped mentioning how much time had passed—
“…It’s a Fork in the Road.”
I finally spoke.
Something new had appeared before us.
“Huh?”
“A fork?”
The others, who had been staring blankly to the left and right, seemed to snap back to attention at my words.
They looked straight ahead.
“Mmm? Are we there yet?”
Baek Si-hyun, who had been sleeping through it all, sensed the car stopping and woke up to look forward.
What was reflected in the windshield wasn't a particularly special sight.
It was just a path splitting left and right, the kind commonly seen while wandering mountain trails.
And yet, it felt like a choice from which there was no turning back.
Perhaps it was because we had traveled such a long dirt path to get here.
This was the first choice we had been given in this strange space.
Everyone likely felt the same.
They stared at the two paths in silence.
There was no difference between them.
Both were shrouded in thick fog; both were bumpy dirt paths with protruding tree roots, just like the one we had been traveling; and both were flanked by dense trees.
The only difference was whether the path stretched to the left or the right.
If there had been even a slight difference, we could have staked our choice on it.
We could have said this path looked dangerous for some reason, or that path looked smoother and more traveled.
Looking back, such logic would have been empty and meaningless.
But in that moment, it certainly would have helped in making a choice.
Since everything was identical, everyone hesitated.
After about a minute had passed—
“Can’t be helped.”
I scratched my head and pulled a coin out of my bag.
“…A coin?”
Han A-bin spoke in a low voice, as if she had anticipated what I was about to do.
“It’s not like we have any other options. Let’s just go. If it’s wrong, we can just come back.”
Though I didn't yet know if returning to this fork would even be possible.
“…….”
At my words, A-bin fell silent.
She probably couldn't think of another way either.
And so, I flipped the coin.
* * *
Not much time had passed since we chose the left path and drove forward.
I still couldn't tell if our choice at the fork was the right one.
But the forest began to change.
Beyond the thick fog, past where the car’s headlights reached.
I saw a four-legged shadow flit by. …Actually, it looked like it had five, but that was probably a tail.
Anyway, I saw a four-legged shadow pass once.
The disciples and Un-ho, who were watching the forest lined up like curtains on either side, also mentioned seeing a pair of mysterious lights shining from within the woods.
Those lights were likely the glow of a beast's eyes.
Just like that, something began to change in the forest that had previously been empty.
The trees, which had been soaring straight toward the sky, now bent toward the road as if bowing their heads.
Between the trees, something resembling mistletoe began to entwine.
It wasn't difficult to notice these gradual changes.
It was only natural to notice it getting darker as we moved forward, and it was impossible not to realize that the forest path had turned into a dark tunnel.
A tunnel made of trees, its end nowhere in sight.
The moment we faced it, we stopped the car for a moment.
But no one voiced an objection to entering.
And so, we entered that tunnel.
Even now, we are moving forward, submerged in that darkness.
It hasn't been that long.
Perhaps five minutes have passed.
Yet, the long tunnel felt interminable.
Just as we were getting used to the darkness—
“…Is that light?”
“Looks like it.”
The wooden tunnel revealed a light at the far end, signaling its conclusion.
Though it was still dim and shrouded in fog.
Compared to the pitch-black tunnel, the other side shone brightly.
Eager to greet that welcome light, I pressed down a bit harder on the accelerator.
Passing through the tunnel, we emerged into a clearing where the light shone.
“…It’s a dead end.”
The place we arrived at was a circular clearing.
Dense trees formed a circular wall around the sunlit space.
However, there was one peculiar thing.
“…Why is there a house in a place like this?”
“My thoughts exactly.”
A Log Cabin sat abruptly in the middle of the clearing.
It was suspicious enough for a Log Cabin to be sitting all alone in such a place, but it even had solar panels and a satellite dish on the roof.
…The fact that it strangely feels lived-in makes it even more sinister.
“A horror mov—”
Baek Si-hyun, sitting in the back seat, started to utter the words that had been coming up all day.
But A-bin, seemingly tired of hearing it, covered Baek Si-hyun’s mouth before she could finish.
I wanted to say, ‘Good job, A-bin,’ but the atmosphere wasn't right for such comments.
I stared intently at the Log Cabin.
Normally, I would expand my senses to detect if there were any biological signatures inside.
…But I can’t sense anything because of this fog.
This fog isn't normal; it blocks my information gathering, preventing even my enhanced senses from penetrating it.
Should we go in?
This was the first major change to appear on this long forest path.
What would happen if we missed this?
A horror movie, huh.
If that were the case, the changes would start with whatever happens in that house.
No, if this were a horror game, even the way back would have been blocked.
Just to make something begin.
With that thought, I turned my head and looked behind us.
My two disciples bickering as they tried to cover each other's mouths entered my vision, but that wasn't important.
Beyond the car’s rear window, in the corner of the forest we had just exited.
The black tunnel we had emerged from was still there, unvanquished.
Like a hollow forest tunnel beckoning to us, slowly sucking in the fog-laden light.
…Does that mean we can go back?
I pondered for a moment but soon made a decision.
“Let’s try going inside the house first. Any objections?”
“None.”
“I don’t mind!”
“It’s scary, but… we don’t have any other choice right now. Poyo.”
Unanimous.
And so, we held each other’s hands.
I held Han A-bin’s hand.
Un-ho gripped my ear.
Baek Si-hyun gripped Han A-bin’s hand.
Linked together, we stepped out of the car.
It wasn't that we did this for any specific reason.
It was just that the moment I tried to step out of the car alone, a chill ran down my spine.
Having exited the car, we approached the front of the house.
The Log Cabin was perfectly ordinary.
No sound leaked out, and from the outside, it was a simple house made of logs.
I tried to check the interior through the windows, but because they were covered by thick curtains, the only thing I could tell was that light was shining from within.
Really, no other way.
We quietly knocked on the door of the Log Cabin.
Knock. Knock.
The sound of the knocking echoed through the house.
We waited.
There was no reaction.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
I knocked louder and more frequently.
No response came back.
No sign of presence, no sound. Nothing changed.
Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Bang. Bang. Bang.
The knocking became strong enough to break the door, and the frequency increased.
But still, nothing changed.
A-bin, who would normally have stopped me from acting like this, bit her lip hard and looked around as if she were afraid of something.
“Can’t be helped.”
Uttering the phrase for the umpteenth time today.
I grabbed the doorknob with my free hand and twisted it hard.
Creeak.
The sound of the metal lock snapping echoed.
The quietly locked door of the Log Cabin swung open.
I didn't think anyone would actually be living in a place like this, but if there is an owner, I’ll apologize later.
With that thought, the four of us entered the house.
The inside of the house was ordinary.
The thick fog that had swallowed the exterior was nowhere to be found inside.
The interior, brightly lit by lamps, didn't feel chilly at all.
Rather, it felt warm.
The source of that heat was a fireplace.
As soon as we opened the door and entered, the fireplace—still burning even now—caught all of our eyes.
In front of it were a carpeted floor and two sofas.
There were several other pieces of furniture, but other than being crudely made of wood, there was nothing suspicious about them.
We kept our hands joined as we blankly looked around at various things.
But there was nothing special.
Therefore, we moved beyond this room.
Toward another room with a closed door.
When I grabbed the doorknob of that room and turned it.
Fortunately, it didn't seem to be locked this time; the knob turned quietly.
The newly opened room must have had its lights on as well, as new light seeped through the opening door.
And so, we entered the new room.
And we saw a certain sight.
“Hic.”
“…What is that?”
“…Huh?”
Han A-bin let out a short shriek.
Un-ho, already in a combat stance, turned sharp.
Baek Si-hyun let out a dazed sound.
Seeing the phenomenon before our eyes, we each had different reactions.
But there was one clear commonality.
Including myself, who showed no outward reaction, the four of us were bewildered by the sight unfolding before us.
The place was a Dining Hall.
Not an old-fashioned dining room one might expect in a Log Cabin, but a modern one.
And in the center sat a rectangular table.
On each side of the rectangular table.
A chair was placed at every single spot.
It was an ordinary setup.
But the strangeness began from there.
On the table sat dishes with steam rising from them.
A cooked chicken and soup.
Salad and glasses filled with red wine.
And even macaroni pasta, seemingly seasoned with tomato sauce, perhaps to add some carbohydrates.
It could be called a well-set table.
But the owners of the food who were supposed to eat it.
Those sitting in the chairs before the food would never be able to taste it.
Two skeletons, holding utensils in their hands, sat in the chairs.
Facing each other.
The two skeletons, each with a hole pierced through their forehead, were wearing clothes that looked very familiar.
One skeleton wore a pink Magical Girl outfit—Han A-bin’s clothes.
One skeleton wore a black Magical Girl outfit—Baek Si-hyun’s clothes.
On one of the remaining two seats, the one closest to the door, sat a skeleton that looked like a rodent.
And on the very last seat, nothing sat at all.
“…….”
In this situation.
What am I even supposed to say?