Chapter 31
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Monster Tale Specialist Office: Centipede's Child (11)
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‘I’ve been had.’
That was the thought that hit Woli just as she reached the edge of the perimeter and was about to head back.
“You crazy bastard!”
Woli hadn’t worried about getting lost on the way out. She’d broken branches along the path on the way in for markers. Taeju had even joked that she was like Hansel and Gretel.
And maybe that was the foreshadowing. The markers had been destroyed.
“Where the hell am I supposed to go now?”
Branches that hadn’t been broken before were snapped all over the place.
Woli was already the type to get lost even with a map app open on her phone. Finding her way in the mountains was damn near impossible.
“This is driving me insane. When did they even do this?”
It was a thorough job.
They hadn’t been messed up on the way out, but when she turned back to leave, there they were.
Unless it was deliberate, this couldn’t have happened. It was a blatant trap, meant to keep her from linking up with Taeju.
Something dangerous might have already gone down.
Woli ground her teeth with a crunch.
“This pisses me off so much.”
She was furious at falling for the scheme, and even more so that it happened while she was separated.
If she didn’t act, something irreversible could happen.
Anger surged across Woli’s face. And with it, subtle changes rippled through her body.
Her eyes gradually turned red. Her hair turned ashen, her teeth sharper.
Perfect timing—night had fallen.
Not a full moon, but this was more than enough.
“You underestimated me.”
Grinding her teeth, Woli leaped straight up to the largest tree nearby.
Her eyes sharpened in the darkness, her sense of smell grew keener.
Luckily, she already had what she needed in hand. She scanned for where Taeju might be.
“Please don’t be too late….”
Praying the worst hadn’t happened, Woli took off with the moon at her back.
* * *
“Wahk!”
Taeju slipped and tumbled down the slope, yelling out. It felt just like riding a roller coaster—head going blank, chills racing up his spine. Not as fast as a coaster, but no safety harness made it terrifying.
Clack-clack—clack-clack—
For all his tough talk earlier, all Taeju could do was run.
“Where’d that cocky attitude go…? Ugh.”
Ignoring Okbun’s incredulous voice from afar, Taeju bolted away from the centipede’s direction. Of course, the distance closed quickly.
Okbun’s shout carried from a distance.
“If you surrendered right now, I was gonna tell it to stop and let’s talk.”
Taeju was too winded to reply. But his glare said he’d never take the offer.
“You’re not gonna like what happens if it catches you.”
Taeju ignored that and kept fleeing as far as he could.
He’d dodged the centipede’s assaults multiple times already. Sometimes using terrain, other times psyching it out, he’d escaped several crises.
But he’d hit his limit. Stamina was shot, and the same tricks weren’t working anymore.
Without Woli showing up, there was no escaping this.
Clack-clack—clack-clack!
“Wahk!”
Right behind Taeju as he sprang away came the snap of jaws colliding.
Lucky or not, the centipede didn’t seem intent on killing him. Not many reasons came to mind.
‘It needs a hostage to counter Woli.’
The centipede was slower and weaker than Woli, no doubt. Even if it was once god-like, time had eroded its power.
So a hostage was essential.
But not aiming to kill didn’t mean getting caught was fine.
‘It might lop off a leg or two. Or since it wants to take me out alive, maybe an arm?’
Taeju was confident Woli could beat it even if he got nabbed.
That didn’t make his body any less precious, though.
Kiiii!
The centipede let out a shriek.
More friction screech than voice, the piercing ring made Taeju’s ears hurt. The sudden tinnitus threw him off balance; he stumbled and rolled down the incline.
Branches whipped past Taeju’s eyes. This was it, for real.
Then he remembered the bell Sia had slipped into his pocket. Right, this thing.
“Ugh!”
His body slammed into a tree and stopped.
Hidden by other trees, the centipede was out of sight—the perfect moment for the bell.
Taeju hurled it far away and ducked behind a nearby rock.
The bell was said to ring for non-humans. The centipede had probably heard it all this time.
If things went to plan, it’d chase the bell. That’d buy him about ten minutes.
The bell rolled and tumbled downhill.
Ssssh—clack, clack.
The centipede slithered past the rock where Taeju hid.
Taeju peeked out, confirming it headed down.
‘Nice!’
He circled the rock quietly, climbing back up without a sound.
Kiiiiiiii!!!!
After about five minutes, the centipede’s roar echoed. It’d realized the trick faster than expected.
“Shit.”
He’d bought time, but way less than hoped. The chase resumed, and soon Taeju was backed against a wall. Nowhere left to run.
The centipede chittered, blocking his retreat. He couldn’t understand it, but the gestures screamed anger.
It snapped its jaws threateningly with a loud clack that echoed.
Unless a miracle happened, Taeju was done for.
“Uh, no interest in talking this out…?”
He tried anyway.
The centipede snapped its jaws with a clack.
“Damn, we’re screwed.”
It lunged, jaws working. Taeju glared, refusing to give up, dodging desperately.
That’s when he witnessed the miracle.
Clang!!!
A metallic crash rang out.
Woli had dropped from above, smashing the centipede’s side. It happened in an instant.
“…Damn it, I knew you’d make it…”
Grinning a bit mischievously, Taeju muttered.
A timing straight out of a miracle.
Woli gripped a bent road sign—her weapon for this fight.
“Not late, am I?”
After landing a solid hit, she extended an arm to Taeju. Her red eyes and gray hair gleamed demonically in the moonlight.
“A little early, actually.”
Saying the line he’d always wanted to, Taeju grabbed her hand. Woli yanked him up effortlessly.
His ankle throbbed a bit. Not serious, but he’d need ice later.
No time to rest now.
Taeju stood on both feet, ignoring the pain.
“How’d you find me?”
Grateful she’d come quick, but how?
He’d run so far from the start he figured she couldn’t track him.
“Heard the sound.”
“Sound?”
“Yeah. The bell. Carried from a distance.”
Woli spun the sign in her hands with a whoosh, flicking off centipede fluids.
Since checking Taeju first, she hadn’t taken her eyes off it once.
She’d struck hard, but it was tough. Her killing blow had only severed a few front legs.
No fatal wound.
“Tough bastard.”
Woli glared with red eyes.
Using the triangular head of the fluid-smeared sign like a spear blade, she poised to charge again.
“You, that thing…”
Taeju didn’t finish. Woli had already lunged without listening.
“…Be careful.”
He knew reasoning with her in this state was pointless. She’d calm once the fight wrapped.
Woli rarely got this furious. Second time Taeju had seen it firsthand.
She was reliable.
Didn’t they say men speak with their backs? Woli was proving it with hers.
One arm brandishing the sign like a spear against the giant centipede.
Her swing whooshed through the air, aimed horizontally at its head.
The centipede flattened and dodged low, then charged.
The iron bar was too far; Woli couldn’t block.
“Gah, you—!”
She stabbed down with the sign’s end. Too late—the centipede had pulled back, and it stuck into the ground.
It bit the embedded sign.
Woli sensed it and tried kicking its head, but it wouldn’t release.
As intended, the sign’s length shrank by a quarter.
The centipede stayed patient. Acknowledging Woli’s strength, it played it cautious.
The opposite of Woli’s rush-in style.
“Don’t go for the head. And forget one-shotting it.”
Taeju yelled from afar.
Against a mindless beast, you could time a headshot. But this was a veteran. No openings that sloppy.
“Guess you’re right.”
Woli gripped the shortened sign and fell back.
Originally longer than her height, now it barely reached knee.
She didn’t charge first now. No clear opening, no entry.
The centipede wouldn’t risk it either. And it had ranged attacks.
It coiled briefly. Woli braced for a lunge—but no.
Kwaaaa!
Fire erupted from its mouth like a flamethrower.
“Jump up!”
Taeju called it.
Woli had been set for counter; Taeju spotted it from behind and directed.
She leaped hastily.
“See?! Giant centipedes are fire-types after all!!”
But it wasn’t over. Seeing Woli airborne meters up, it reared to spray her.
“Grab the branch above and kick the trunk!”
Woli snatched the thick branch overhead and kicked the trunk.
The tree where she’d stood burst into flames.
“Throw it like a spear! Down!”
Taeju yelled as Woli shot toward its body to evade fire.
The centipede was right below; she hurled the sign hard enough to impale the ground.
Mid-pose change for fire, it couldn’t react.
Crunch—a gruesome sound.
But it didn’t quit. Weaponless now, Woli was exposed—it prepped to lunge.
Exactly as Taeju predicted.
He yelled one last time.
“Han Seol-ah, now!”
The centipede whipped its head at the call. The name created an opening.
It scanned around—no Han Seol anywhere.
Too late when it realized the ruse.
Woli had yanked the sign free and swung at the wounded spot.
Simple trick, but that name was impossible to ignore.
The fight was decided. The centipede slumped, accepting defeat.
A razor-thin victory.
Woli pulled the sign from its body. Yellow fluid oozed out.
Tension drained from her.
Then ash and poison stench hit. Acrid and repulsive.
She absentmindedly licked fluid off her lips.
“Blech.”
“H-Hey, what’s wrong?”
The fishy bitterness made her eyes water; she retched. No time for victory’s glow.
Taeju shook his head. Better to win and puke than lose.
* * *
After heaving her guts out, Woli staggered up. She looked like a zombie.
“Still wanna hurl.”
A tear rolled down her cheek.
Taeju didn’t get it at first, but after hearing what got in her mouth, he just patted her back silently.
Anyway, she gripped the sign again. Nasty stuff caked it, but better than bare hands.
Her eyes and hair were back to normal.
Puking must’ve calmed her—splitting “centipede” into “cen-ti-pede” in her head, maybe. She looked way more composed.
It was still alive. Parts severed, but twitching.
It could escape and live, but exhausted, it just lay there.
“I’m gonna kill it.”
Woli jabbed the sign’s tip at what passed for its neck.
“Don’t.”
Even at Taeju’s words, she didn’t pull back.
“It tried to kill you. If I hadn’t come, you’d be dead!”
She hadn’t stabbed yet, but was poised to anytime.
Taeju limped over.
“Still, stop.”
“Stop? Why?”
He gently pressed down on her sign arm.
“Because to help Sia, we can’t kill the centipede.”