Chapter 272
Chapter 272
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 273
Chapter Title: Predators in the Night
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After parting ways with Russen and heading north for about ten hours,
we were still wandering far from our destination.
We had the map Russen gave us, so we hadn’t taken a wrong turn. It was just that the distance was too great.
“Hoo...”
I stopped for a moment to catch my breath and stared blankly up at the sky.
The pitch-black darkness had already swallowed the red sunset. Night was falling.
“...Tch.”
A sudden wave of pointless regret washed over me.
If I’d known it would be like this, I should’ve brought Lee Hyun-joo along as in the original story.
In the original, they flew on her summoned beast and arrived at the city around this time.
But because of my intervention, there was no one to handle the flying summon, so we were running way behind schedule.
If only I could control a flying summon...
Why couldn’t Gretel fly? Couldn’t we add a flight option?
Choi Seo-yoon, who had been looking up at the sky, turned her gaze to me.
“Shouldn’t we start looking for a place to hide soon?”
“Yeah, we should.”
When night falls, monsters awaken from their slumber and begin their hunt.
Boundary monsters generally possess stronger magic power than those from the living world,
so we had to be even more cautious.
Of course, they weren’t beyond our level to handle.
But there were the ‘Boundary Predators,’ the superior specimens, and I had no idea what would happen if we ran into them.
I pointed to a nearby forest.
“Let’s head there for now. I’ll take the lead.”
With that, we moved into the forest together.
Kieeeek—!
As soon as we entered, a bizarre scream echoed from somewhere.
At the same time, a chilling wind brushed against our skin, sending shivers down our spines.
“...That was a monster scream just now, right?”
“Yeah, sounds like one monster got hunted.”
“Is it safe here? Feels like there are a lot of monsters around.”
Lee Seo-jun muttered with a tense expression.
“No choice with night falling. It’s safer than out there. At least there are plenty of places to hide here.”
“That’s true, but...”
Right then, a rustling sound came from nearby, like footsteps crushing fallen leaves.
We froze and hid behind a tree.
Turning our gaze, we saw a bipedal monster over 2 meters tall passing by. It held a long spear in one hand and wore only a cloak over its bare body.
Its overall appearance was like a mix of lizard and fish.
A grotesque form that reminded us of lizardmen from fantasy tales.
That thing was the Boundary Predator Russen had warned us about.
It matched the description from the original perfectly, so I recognized it immediately.
“It’s a Boundary Predator.”
I whispered softly, and Lee Seo-jun and Choi Seo-yoon tensed up.
“I heard they travel in packs, so it’s good it’s alone.”
“...Should we just stay hidden?”
I shook my head at Lee Seo-jun’s question.
“No, we’ll get spotted here soon enough.”
“Then what do we do? If we attack recklessly, the others will come.”
Boundary Predators have a habit of swarming if they sense the magic of their kin.
If we messed up, we could end up fighting dozens of them.
Their individual strengths varied wildly, so who knew what powerhouses might be mixed in.
Fighting a pack of Predators was a gamble.
“I’ll handle it.”
“...What?”
“Sunbae?”
I channeled magic into the Moonstone Pendant hidden in my clothes.
[Using ‘Haven of the Moon.’]
[Your presence and aura vanish under the moonlight.]
All traces of my presence vanished from my body. I drew the ‘Paralysis Dagger’ from my waist and gripped it in a reverse hold.
Paat!
I charged straight at the creature.
It was sensitive to presences, but with Haven of the Moon, there was no way it could detect me.
I closed in silently behind its back.
At the same time, Outsider’s Boon activated, revealing its weak point.
The weak spot was the back of its neck.
I infused magic into my right hand holding the dagger and stabbed.
Pooook—
—Kieeeek!
It let out a short scream. But Boundary Predators were at least B-Grade monsters.
An attack like this wouldn’t kill it easily.
To stop it from screaming, I kept stabbing its neck.
At some point, the paralysis poison spread, and its body stiffened before it breathed its last.
[Achievement: ‘Boundary Predator Hunt’ completed.]
[Reward: 3,000 points acquired.]
“Hoo.”
By completely concealing my presence and striking the weak point, I took it down easily.
It must’ve been one of the weaker Predators.
I was lucky in several ways.
I deactivated Haven of the Moon and said,
“It’s done. You can come out now.”
At my words, Lee Seo-jun and Choi Seo-yoon emerged from behind the tree. Choi Seo-yoon’s eyes sparkled as she asked me,
“Wow, sunbae, what was that just now? I couldn’t sense your presence at all.”
Then Lee Seo-jun chimed in.
“Yeah, presence aside, how did you make your footsteps silent? How’d you do it?”
I met their expectant gazes.
A way to completely hide presence and footsteps...
I couldn’t honestly say it was the Moonstone Pendant’s effect.
It wasn’t something I bought myself—it was a gift from Han Se-yeon.
No need to stir up suspicions about my relationship with Kim Sun-woo and Kim Jin-woo.
I had no choice but to fall back on the universal excuse.
“It’s a trait.”
Ten minutes later.
Rustle rustle. The sound of footsteps on fallen leaves echoed through the pitch-black Boundary Forest.
—Grrr.
A pack of seven Predators hunting for prey halted.
And they discovered the cold corpse lying before them.
—...It’s a comrade’s body.
The lead Predator muttered quietly.
—...What killed it, grk...?
At one Predator’s question, another approached and checked the wound on the neck.
—Sharp, short blade... A human weapon...
_Human...?_
—...Yes, and faint magic lingers on the wound. Grrrk.
Slurp.
A Predator watching from behind licked around its mouth.
It was savoring the taste.
One Predator drooled heavily.
—...A living human who entered the Boundary. One skilled in magic, no less. ...Looks like our kin died without resistance. Probably quite strong...
—A human who uses magic... Dangerous prey has come to the Boundary. Grk.
Tension rippled through the Predators.
They recalled the black-haired human wizard who had massacred countless Predators in the past and stolen treasures before fleeing.
—Grk... We must eliminate the root of danger now... Report to the king immediately.
The next day, 1 PM.
After twists and turns, we finally arrived at the City of the Living.
We stared blankly at the scene before us.
Towering walls made of special magic materials blocked invasions from monsters and Predators.
A powerful barrier spell enveloped the main gate, but Outsider’s Boon revealed it was harmless to humans.
“Ooh, visitors after so long!”
“What year are you from?”
“How’s the outside world?”
As we passed the barrier and entered the city, crowds swarmed us.
There were more people inside than expected—maybe around 500 in population.
Of course, most weren’t living humans like us.
The city’s residents fell into three main categories:
Those like Gwak Mu-jin who arrived alive for some reason.
Those like us, Russen, or Jin Cheon-woo who came via Gwak Mu-jin’s mystery.
And finally, souls who died in the living world but couldn’t pass on and lingered in the Boundary.
Most residents were the last type.
For a living person to enter this world between the living realm and the afterlife was impossible without something special.
As we walked toward Wolcheon Inn, the gathered residents kept peppering us with questions.
“You folks wizards? It’s dangerous out there, but you look unharmed—must be no ordinary skill.”
“Dunno about skill, but yeah, we’re wizards.”
Exclamations erupted at Lee Seo-jun’s words.
“Ooh! Wizards! They’re wizards!”
“What? Wizards?”
Everyone looked shocked. Lee Seo-jun and Choi Seo-yoon seemed embarrassed by the unexpected welcome.
“So, what’s your magic rank?”
“Can you help us?”
“Ever faced Predators?”
Once they learned we were wizards, the questions multiplied.
Unlike me, the friendly Lee Seo-jun didn’t seem annoyed and answered them all.
“What kind of help? Oh, magic rank—we’re students, so it hasn’t been assigned yet.”
“What? Students? ...Tch. You looked young.”
Some showed disappointment.
Then an elderly man watching from behind spoke up.
“What’s age got to do with it? Forgot Jin Cheon-woo? He was 21 back then!”
Lee Seo-jun stopped in his tracks.
“...Jin Cheon-woo?”
“You know Jin Cheon-woo?”
“...Yes, I do.”
“Oh ho. How’s he doing out there? Must be up to great things.”
“...”
Lee Seo-jun trailed off and didn’t answer.
Seeing that, Choi Seo-yoon approached and whispered in my ear.
“Sunbae, why’s Seo-jun sunbae so obsessed with that guy?”
She meant Jin Cheon-woo.
Even she, who didn’t pry into secrets, couldn’t help being curious after seeing Lee Seo-jun lately.
“I’ll tell you later.”
“...Okay.”
That’s how we reached Wolcheon Inn as Russen had directed.
We asked the followers to give us some space, and surprisingly, many waited outside obediently.
“Welcome.”
The innkeeper greeted us as we entered. He was a middle-aged man in his 50s.
“I wondered what the commotion outside was—visitors via the mystery after so long.”
“...How’d you know?”
Lee Seo-jun asked, and the man chuckled.
“Because this world is frozen.”
“Huh?”
“This is a virtual world created by Gwak Mu-jin. Time is partially fixed, so no new souls from the dead reach the Boundary.”
In short, like a game that stopped updating—no new NPCs, only new players.
Lee Seo-jun and Choi Seo-yoon nodded in understanding.
“So you came via Gwak Mu-jin’s mystery too.”
“Yes, I’m Jeong Cheong-ho. Gwak Mu-jin’s junior and a mystery scholar who helped create this world.”
Muttering that, Jeong Cheong-ho stared at Lee Seo-jun and spoke.
“...Hmm. Wait, something’s off?”
Lee Seo-jun tilted his head at the sudden remark.
“You’re a living human, right?”
“...What do you mean?”
“I sense unusual magic from you. How to put it... It’s like the magic of Boundary residents who’ve experienced death.”
Oh.
Jeong Cheong-ho’s expression changed as if realizing something.
“Oh dear.”
Then he started chuckling to himself, shoulders shaking.
Once calmed, he leaned in and said,
“Now I get it. You’re the apostle sent by Jin Cheon-woo.”
“What do you...”
Right then.
A huge commotion erupted outside.
—E-Everyone, big trouble! O-Outside!
—What’s wrong?
—The Predators are leading an army this way!
I whipped around in shock.
...A Predator legion was coming?
This wasn’t in the original story?