Beeeeeeep!
Bang!
A single white flare shot high into the sky from somewhere. Almost immediately, it exploded loudly, scattering sparks in all directions.
The scene was breathtakingly beautiful, like watching fireworks—but there was no time to admire it.
That flare was a signal fired by the sentries. Judging by the distance, it seemed to have been launched from the very edge of the campsite. In other words, the situation was dire, and urgent reinforcements were being requested.
“…You mentioned in the meeting earlier that the monsters would launch a night raid. We should be able to secure a sample by tonight.”
Seon Yuwon looked up at the sky quietly as he pulled out his crossbow. After strapping it to his right arm, the soft sound of him loading an arrow followed. Once he was ready, he wiped his mouth and looked at me.
“I wanted to ask if you were really confident, but I guess that’s unnecessary now.”
“I wasn’t certain. Just hopeful. There’s precedent, after all.”
I shrugged. Seon Yuwon smiled softly and turned his gaze toward the direction the signal had come from. He bent his body slightly, as if about to run, but I stopped him immediately.
“Wait a moment, Seon Yuwon. You can’t go just yet.”
“Huh? Why not? The situation’s urgent.”
“Didn’t I say we anticipated this? We’ve already taken measures to buy some time.”
“Measures?”
“You’ll find out soon enough. For now, gather the mercenary clan members first. We need at least a minimal team before we move out. Most of them have probably detected the signal by now, so it won’t take long.”
“…Understood. I’ll head out right away, then.”
Seon Yuwon nodded silently, accepting my words. He started to turn, but suddenly stopped and looked back at me.
“So, Clan Lord… what about you?”
“I’ll go ahead.”
I gave him a quiet smile as he hesitated. Then I added,
“I have other business to attend to.”
Thud!
A man collapsed weakly to his knees. Dirty tentacles wrapped tightly around his arms, and a massive shadow loomed over him, covering his entire body.
Had he sensed what was about to happen? Or perhaps his fate?
His face was blank, utterly stunned. But the trembling of his body and the terror reflected in his eyes revealed his true state of mind. His gaze was fixed on one thing, unblinking.
The monster.
It was exactly that—a monster. About two meters tall, with grimy, sallow skin streaked with grime, and a vaguely humanoid form with two arms and two legs.
But its elongated head, reminiscent of an anteater, its protruding snout, and the long, tentacle-like limbs left no doubt it was a creature of nightmare. Another striking feature: it had no eyes or ears. Only a nose and a long mouth were visible.
The man’s body, bound by the tentacles, slowly lifted off the ground. The monster opened its mouth sluggishly, revealing dozens of tightly packed, razor-sharp teeth gleaming in the dim light. The man closed his eyes gently.
Then, from his head, he was swallowed whole into the monster’s gaping maw, which snapped shut behind him.
Crunch!
A brutal tearing sound echoed. The man’s body convulsed violently once. The monster’s cheeks bulged as a gush of bright red blood spilled from its mouth. Then, in an instant, it devoured the man’s neck, torso, arms, and legs with terrifying speed—almost as if it was sucking him in.
“Ahhhhhh!”
Just as the monster finished its meal and licked its lips, a piercing scream rang out nearby. From a thicket, another monster—identical to the first—stumbled out.
This one’s tentacles were also tightly wrapped around a woman’s torso.
That’s right. The man wasn’t alone. Another person was hiding nearby—a woman. She had her hands clamped tightly over her mouth, trying desperately to stay silent, but the monster had found and captured her.
“N-no! Nooo!”
The woman struggled, flailing her arms and legs, but the monster held firm. It even stuck out a spiked tongue, licking her smooth neck as if savoring the taste. The woman shuddered violently, goosebumps breaking out all over her.
A single tear rolled down her cheek. How had it come to this? She hadn’t sensed their approach, but the monsters had openly revealed themselves. She’d fired the signal and fled, only to be caught before she could get far.
Then, the monster that had just eaten the man suddenly crouched low and stared at the woman.
A strange transformation began.
Tiny protrusions all over its body swelled rapidly, covering it completely. The bumps expanded until they burst, oozing thick, viscous fluid.
But the fluid didn’t drip away. Instead, it was reabsorbed into the monster’s body.
Its form rippled and shifted. The creature shrank, its limbs shortened, its head became smaller, and its snout retracted. Finally, hair sprouted on the now reduced head, completing the transformation.
No longer a monster—at least, not in appearance. The creature now looked exactly like the man from before, even wearing the same clothes.
The woman stared in stunned horror, mouth agape, at the creature that had once been her captor. She didn’t even notice it opening its mouth wide and moving toward her.
Then, the man spoke softly.
“Stop. Don’t eat her.”
The monster’s jaws froze mid-close. Droplets of saliva fell onto the woman’s hair.
“She’s female. Don’t eat females—take them instead. That’s Papa’s order.”
The creature’s head turned sharply toward the man. Though it had no eyes, and thus no visible expression, there was an unmistakable aura of displeasure—as if saying, “You ate, so why can’t I?” The man’s eyes narrowed, as if they shared some unspoken understanding.
“We need a human female right now. Are you going to defy Papa’s orders?”
After a tense moment, the man spoke again.
“When you hunt the next male, I’ll give him to you first.”
Finally convinced, the creature withdrew its head and closed its mouth. The man nodded in satisfaction, while the woman looked between them in confusion.
So, for now, she was safe?
Just as relief began to settle, the man’s voice cut through the silence.
“Now, be gentle and keep her well.”
The woman’s eyes widened in terror. Before she could even process what “be gentle” meant, she felt a strange sensation probing her lower abdomen.
It was a tentacle—one of the monster’s arms, covered in rounded protrusions, writhing mercilessly as it explored her body, as if searching for something.
A thought flashed through her mind.
“W-what are you doing…!”
But she couldn’t finish her sentence. Before the words left her lips, something thick and soft began to penetrate her most precious place. She instinctively squeezed her legs shut.
But it wasn’t over.
Vrrrrrrrrrrr!
A violent vibration shook the tentacle’s surface. The appendage inside her began to tremble wildly.
The woman’s reaction was immediate.
“Ahhhhhh!”
Her scream was almost a cry of agony. At first, it had only hurt, but as the vibrations intensified, an overwhelming sensation surged through her.
It was an intense pleasure—an indescribable, powerful orgasm. Starting from deep within, the sensation rapidly spread, flooding her entire body.
“Ah! Ah! Ahhhhhh!”
The vibrations grew stronger by the second, and so did her response. Her head tilted back, tears and snot streaming uncontrollably, while a milky fluid sprayed from her most intimate place like a fountain.
And then, after a moment…
By the time the woman’s eyes rolled back and her tongue lolled out, the noise finally died down. Slowly, the slick tentacles slipped out, and her body went limp. Though occasional spasms suggested she was still alive, her eyes had already lost all focus.
“Good. Then…”
The man who had been watching the whole scene carefully confirmed the monster slinging the woman over its shoulder. He slowly pressed his palm to his forehead, furrowing his brow as if searching for something. Then, pointing decisively in one direction, he spoke.
“This way. This side is the least guarded.”
At that moment, hundreds of monsters suddenly emerged from the thicket behind the man and the creature, who were standing back to back. The monster carrying the woman flattened itself to the ground and twitched its tentacles eagerly, as if hungry for its next meal.
“Let’s go. Time to hunt.”
As the man glided forward smoothly, the monsters all advanced silently in unison. Despite the sheer number of them, not a single sound or sign of movement betrayed their approach.
Meanwhile, at the same time—
“Hmph~ I am~ Hooho~ A genius alchemist~ Hehehe~ And a beautiful girl~”
From somewhere near the edge of the camp, a soft, youthful voice sang. The lyrics made no sense, but the melody was surprisingly cheerful.
Yet, no one could be seen singing. Only a guess could be made. The bright moon hung in the sky, casting a pale glow over the area—except for one spot it failed to reach.
Near a makeshift fence, a strange dark mist lingered. Perhaps if Kim Soo-hyun were to focus his energy, he might catch sight of a woman perched on the fence, swinging her legs playfully. Or maybe not…
The stillness was broken by a sudden ominous gust of wind from one direction. The graceful mist shuddered and froze, and the continuous singing abruptly stopped.
“Hm? They’re coming this way?”
“Eh? Already almost here? So soon?”
Who was she talking to?
Just then, as the woman’s voice echoed alone, something began to emerge slowly from the south. Flattened like a spider, flowing like water, the creatures that had devoured the sentries appeared.
“Wow. It’s real. Seriously, Kim Soo-hyun, you’re a master at this. How do you even get the direction right every time?”
The woman muttered with a hint of annoyance.
Meanwhile, the hundreds of monsters had already pressed close to the fence.
“Heh~ So these are the guys. Kinda cuter than I expected.”
Her voice remained calm, almost indifferent.
“Stop.”
The relentless monsters halted abruptly, unable to cross the fence. More precisely, they stopped about thirty meters short of the dark mist—the area untouched by moonlight. The man at the front seemed to sense something strange in the pervasive darkness nearby and urgently ordered them to hold their ground.
“Why? Why not just come in? Come on in~ Come on, come on~”
“Prey. Right?”
“Prey, my ass. Hey, did you hear that? They said you’re the prey. Yohohoho~”
“…Crazy female?”
The man tilted his head in confusion.
“What, you punk?!”
The response came instantly.
“If their mind is unstable, their evolution might be flawed. So don’t eat them—just kill them. That’s better.”
Ignoring him, the man stared at the monsters and spoke again.
Krrrrrrrrrrr!
A fierce rumbling rose, and the dark mist began to swirl violently. Within it, a magical circle etched with metaphysical symbols started to glow brightly. The man stopped speaking and fixed his gaze into the air.
But the woman was already fully prepared.
“Come forth! Pierre! Mad jester of the Fourth Legion’s blazing flames!”
The swirling mist gathered tightly at the center, then suddenly split apart to the left and right.
—Hooheh… hoohehe… hoohehehe…
A chilling laugh echoed, as if rising from a deep underground abyss, filling the surroundings with a faintly sinister aura. From the parted mist, hundreds of demonic beasts gradually appeared.
The woman was Vivian. Against the monstrous horde numbering in the hundreds, she had summoned an equally vast legion of demonic beasts.
Among them, a nearly two-meter-tall man with eyes gently closed appeared first. Around him, various humanoid demons bowed their heads. Their appearance was so absurdly comical that anyone unaware of the situation might have thought a circus troupe had arrived.
But—
“What are you waiting for? Just standing there?”
No sooner had she spoken than the demons raised their heads in unison. At the same time, Pierre’s eyes, which had been quietly shut, snapped open wide, glowing with a murderous red intensity.
At that moment, a cruel smile spread across Vivian’s lips.
“Devour them all!”
As if waiting for that command, Pierre’s head swung side to side like a pendulum. His eyes curved like crescent moons, fixed on the opposing monsters.
Then his mouth, painted bright red, stretched wide up to his ears.
—Kyaaaaaaak!
A grotesque scream rang out, becoming a signal for the Fourth Legion’s demons to charge forward.
“Kreeeeaaak!”
Of course, the man was not idle either. Barin his sharp teeth, he pointed at the frenziedly charging legion of demons.
Their eerie cries clashed violently in the center.
Thus began the brutal battle of monsters devouring monsters.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
While writing today’s chapter, I wanted to share the background music I was listening to with you all, but unfortunately, I couldn’t find a link online. That’s a bit disappointing. Haha.
Also, I’m curious how you felt about the intensity of today’s content. This was just a little teaser before the main story unfolds. If you’re okay with it, I’d appreciate hearing your thoughts.
P.S. To Oxxx19,
I’m sorry I couldn’t check your comments carefully yesterday as promised. I planned to catch up after a day off, so I was glued to writing until midnight. I was able to read your comments later, and rather than replying hastily, I wanted to formally congratulate you here, even if late. Happy birthday! I hope you weren’t too upset.