NOVEL WEB Chapter 33
“`html
“If I open this, won’t I get caught?”
Leaving behind the gigantic and imposing door, I circled the temple. Then, I discovered an emergency exit.
“A fire is unavoidable.”
It’s legally mandated for large buildings to have emergency exits. Thankfully, it seems that hasn’t changed in the novel. Without overthinking, I placed my toe against the keyhole.
“Transformation.”
I morphed my claw to fit the keyhole, and with a creak, the door opened. Has it really been that long? Inside was already dim, plunging into darkness. Having the stealth skill, it shouldn’t be a problem.
“No one seems to have noticed.”
Considering the temple was bigger than a regular church, I needed to move quickly before dawn arrived.
“…Where might the list be?”
Let’s look for the office. Starting from the side door, searching every corner and passing through the kitchen.
“Hmm?”
Someone is approaching. I hid in the kitchen’s corner to avoid being noticed as the person began rummaging through the refrigerator. The lack of footsteps told me they were no ordinary person.
“……”
He soon left, but surprisingly, the fridge was almost empty. The weight of the food he took was no joke.
“…You plan to eat all of that?”
Does he have the predation skill? Anyway, once he went outside, I immediately resumed my actions.
“Where could the office be?”
Since this is the temple, let’s compare it to a church…
“It shouldn’t be on a high floor. The worshippers need to stop by.”
This thought confirmed that the candidates likely resided on the first or second floor. I used stealth to carefully examine the first floor. However, after searching thoroughly, I couldn’t find anything. It seems to be on the second floor. I saw the elevator, but using it would give me away.
“…Let’s take the stairs.”
The wide central staircase was adorned with many decorations, leading up with red carpet toward a second-floor corridor. And in the middle…
“Truly insane fanatics.”
A giant painting hung on the wall. It depicted Jesus raising a cross high, a bizarre scene indeed.
“It’s not a cross.”
It looked more like a sword shaped like one. Plus, Jesus was shedding tears of blood, screaming something.
“What a lunatic.”
Though I’m not religious, this was incomprehensible from a modern perspective. Thankfully, knowing the background of how the war temple was established helped me make sense of it. Most bizarre was the image of people seemingly trying to take the cross away? …Oh. Were they zombies instead?
“Regardless, let’s quickly find Gu Ma-jun and get out.”
Upon reaching the second floor, I could spot the office. But I sensed someone inside. It’s quite late; are they still working?
“Ah, brother. You’re showing up now? But it’s rather… late.”
A man’s voice. Given that I couldn’t hear the other person’s reply, it seemed he was on a call.
“Hmm… understood. If that’s the case, I’ll notify the priest.”
As I perked up my ears, the call promptly ended. The man scratched his head in annoyance and descended the central staircase.
“Why scratch your head when you have none?”
Maybe it’s itchy? Regardless, the man didn’t notice me.
“…Guess hiding in the dark makes it hard to detect.”
[Stealth (D) Lv.6 has reached maximum proficiency. Stealth (D) Lv.7]
Looks like stealth will reach C rank before predation does. Well, I’ve used it all day, so that makes sense. Anyway, once inside, the office was quite spacious.
“Is it big because the scale is large? It must be hard to find.”
It must be here somewhere. I started rifling through the office’s bookshelves instead of the personal desk.
“If I look for a computer, it should pop up.”
But there would likely be a password. Plus, I might get caught due to noise. There must also be a physical list hidden somewhere. Regardless of how good the tech is, books are still used for record-keeping, like attendance logs.
“…2067. 2068. 2069. This should be it.”
[2069 Attendance Record]
Flipping through the attendance, it was divided by department. However—
“Not here?”
Even after looking three times, Gu Ma-jun’s name was missing.
“Has he not infiltrated yet? Is it not the right time?”
While I was putting the list back, a specific book caught my eye.
[2069 First-Class Believer Registration Log]
“No way?”
Thinking this abruptly, I started digging through the log. More like a resume, these first-class believers were likely people hoping to join the War Temple. Since the War Temple isn’t much different from a clan, I couldn’t help but think that, considering how the registered believers were all hunters.
“Lee Hyun-sik… Kim Jeok-bae… Dang Woo-jin…”
And then there was Gu Ma-jun. His name, gender, age, experience, and detailed information were all carefully noted.
“Even his home address is here!”
After memorizing Gu Ma-jun’s information for about three minutes, I quickly returned it to the shelf. I carefully closed the office door and was about to head down the central staircase when…
“So, the believer is coming, huh?”
“Ah, yeah. I don’t know why he’s in such a hurry, but he insists on meeting the priest right now?”
“What can we do?”
On the surface, they were a religious organization. Even at this hour, it would be off-putting to refuse visitors. If it was truly urgent—
“I should have just told him to stay away. The priest was fine with it.”
“Then that’s fine. What a hassle.”
As the two men grumbled, I resumed my actions, exiting towards the emergency exit corridor and locking the door behind me.
“Fortunately, it seems I wasn’t caught.”
—Then, I broke into a broad smile.
***
Now, I was nearing the temple.
“Coming here every time is a hassle.”
If I could infiltrate the temple quickly, it would be more convenient. That way, I wouldn’t have to visit the temple or blackmail the priest to get work done. Although I submitted the recommendation letter, I still hadn’t heard anything back. Gu Ma-jun stuffed his hands in his pockets.
“The world is indeed coming to an end, with a priest addicted to gambling.”
It was good to be able to utilize that weakness, though.
“…But.”
For some reason, I felt eyes on me since a while ago. Is it paranoia? Feeling uneasy, Gu Ma-jun quickly entered the temple and was soon guided to the priest’s room.
“Yes, the priest is inside. You can go in right away.”
“Thank you for the guidance.”
“It’s urgent, after all. We aren’t strangers.”
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, as he moved away, Gu Ma-jun wiped the smile off his face. Turning the doorknob to the priest’s room, he was greeted by the priest’s voice.
“You’ve arrived?”
“Yes. Without any further ado, let’s get straight to the point. How far along are we?”
“Uh, how far do you mean?”
“I don’t think you’d ask if you didn’t already know.”
Gu Ma-jun, who had carelessly pulled out a chair and sat down, scanned the priest’s room with his eyes.
“How much have you copied?”
“It’s just shy of half. Almost done. If you could give me a bit more time!”
‘Useless fool.’
The deadline was today. Indeed, I should get into the temple quickly to avoid this mess. Regardless, I had to continue utilizing the priest until then. Gu Ma-jun maintained a nonchalant smile.
“Well, good. Your wrist must be hurting. What matters is seeing it through to the end. By the way, how’s the recommendation going?”
“The bishop is supportive of it. You should be able to enter the temple…”
While Gu Ma-jun continued discussing, he glanced at his watch. Four in the morning. It had taken longer than expected.
“So you’ll finish by next month, right?”
“Of course.”
“I’ll be taking the copies. And have you recorded the internal personnel list?”
“Yes. Should I hand it over with this?”
“Phew. Not bad. If you could do this much, that’d be great.”
“Um… when will I receive the payment?”
“Once the job is done, naturally I’ll take care of it. So don’t worry too much.”
Gu Ma-jun left the priest’s room with a sly smile. While walking to the main entrance, he met the monk who had guided him earlier.
“Are you heading back now?”
“Sorry for dropping by unannounced. I’ve received good news from the priest. Thanks to you, I’ve found peace on this late night.”
“Haha! We might meet again soon at the temple?”
“I appreciate the kind words. I’ll take my leave now.”
“Hehe. Looking forward to the day we tear through a dungeon together.”
Once outside, Gu Ma-jun adjusted the documents hidden in his coat again.
‘Nothing’s missing.’
Now it’s just a matter of contacting the organization upon return. While walking for a while, Gu Ma-jun sensed the ominous gaze he had felt before.
‘…Is it just me?’
Looking back, there was no one there. Then again, who would be out in this alley at four in the morning?
“Grrr!”
‘A dog?’
Frowning, Gu Ma-jun turned his head towards the source of the sound. In the dark alley, a small puppy was cocking its head in curiosity.
‘This is ridiculous.’
Getting insulted by a mere puppy…
Gu Ma-jun flicked his wrist. It was just a small motion, but the hunter’s power whirled into a gust, overwhelming the little dog. He couldn’t help but smirk at that.
‘Am I getting too sensitive these days?’
Upon reflection, he hadn’t slept well in days. After returning, he thought he really needed a good night’s sleep.
“Grrrr…”
The sound of whimpering made Gu Ma-jun stop in his tracks.
‘…Am I that tired?’
Why is it still alive? I could have sworn I killed it. How did it hold on? It definitely felt more satisfying to just kill it. The moment he turned around—
“Kraaa!”
—Gu Ma-jun saw the eyes of a monster filled with malice.
***
[Gu Ma-jun (Human)]
[Height 181.6cm] [Weight 77.4kg]
[Strength 217] [Agility 241] [Stamina 209] [Magic Power 256]
He quickly shut his wide-open jaw, but it swiftly escaped. ‘How?’ that thought shifted to ‘Oh, right.’ Pretty sure it had the D-rank acceleration skill.
‘I spaced out for a moment.’
It wasn’t my fault; he wasn’t that significant of a character. If I had to assign blame, it would be on the writer.
“Why is the Skull Wolf here?!”
It tried to escape through acceleration, but once I stepped in closer, it paled in horror.
“……?!”
It drew a dagger, claiming to be a hunter, but rather than cut me, it snapped in two. I was starkly reminded of how much the hardening skill could withstand.
“Crazy!”
As Gu Ma-jun tried to back away, a mass of tentacles suddenly tripped him over.
“Cough! Damn it!”
He activated hardening to crush the wrapped leg, twisting his ankle in an unnatural direction. The moment he thought it was over—
‘……?!’
Light gathered from somewhere, slowly enveloping him. I hastily clawed at its left chest but—
‘Missed.’
I couldn’t kill it. Shredded pieces of paper lay scattered where it had vanished. When did that happen? Was there a moment to do that? Looking closely, it wasn’t just paper scraps.
‘Insane.’
It must have torn the scroll while drawing the dagger and its pouch from the very beginning.
‘Dammit.’
Realizing it was ambushed, it planned to flee immediately. I underestimated it, but it was clearly more seasoned than I thought. However, that didn’t mean it could escape.
‘—Found you.’
My senses and scent quickly locked onto its position.
A mere 500m away. If I sprinted at full speed, I could reach there in fewer than 30 seconds. I leapt and dashed between the rooftops of buildings.
***
My broken ankle throbbed.
“Dammit… Why is there a monster like that in the city!”
It was right to tear the scroll in advance. Setting aside the question of how it got through all the way here, fleeing was my top priority now. Despite this, it was heading in the opposite direction of home. Even if I ran home, I’m not so sure it wouldn’t pursue.
‘…To the temple?’
Going to the temple was probably best. Getting farther from home meant getting closer to the temple. As long as I reached the temple, I should be safe from the Skull Wolf. And it was only 500m to the temple.
‘That wolf is definitely not normal!’
Its speed was beyond what a Skull Wolf should possess. The initial ambush might’ve caught me off guard, but since then, it was always a step ahead.
‘A special breed? Just how much of a monster is it?’
A monster faster than me in acceleration. Not to mention it seemed to have skills too. Thinking it over again, it was a ridiculously strong creature.
‘…You want me to run 500m with a broken ankle?’
Impossible.
Gu Ma-jun bit his lip. No matter how well I hid, the Skull Wolf could surely find me. Should I scream to call for help? That would be a last resort. If even a chance remains of my documents being discovered, it wouldn’t just end with my head on the line.
‘Damn it.’
Gu Ma-jun took out a potion from his pocket, wavering in thought. But his deliberation was short-lived, and he uncorked it, downing it in one go.
“Ugh!”
Gritting his teeth through the nausea, a viscous substance oozed from the wound on his chest. The flowing mucus wriggled and began to fabricate flesh.
“Ugh!”
He struggled to stifle a second wave of nausea at the grotesque sight. But the effect was unmistakable; his once-wounded leg returned to its original state.
‘Where the hell do they produce this stuff?’
He vaguely recalled someone hinting at ‘a certain rat’s’ significant help before, but…
‘I’ll think about that later; I need to run now!’
It was extremely unlikely he’d win against that monster. —Until now, Gu Ma-jun remained cool-headed, never overestimating himself.
Had he ever run this fast? He sprinted hard without holding back, using every skill he had.
And yet.
‘Damn it!’
He had barely run half the distance. I just created some distance with the scroll! Feeling the coldness creeping into his chest, Gu Ma-jun shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Aaaaah!”
***
‘This time, I won’t escape.’
Surrounded by little bursts of wind, I dashed forward. The place where it finally stopped was a park.
‘Does it mean it won’t ambush me?’
Though trees were planted, the place it occupied was crucially open. What’s incredible is that amidst all this, it seemed to have healed its wounds and its broken leg!
‘…Does Gu Ma-jun have any regeneration or recovery skills?’
No, that wouldn’t be the case. All Gu Ma-jun had was acceleration. He had a few other small skills, but none that were useful in combat. No matter how many potions he drank, recovering this quickly was unrealistic.
[Gu Ma-jun (Transforming)]
[Height 181.6cm] [Weight 80.9kg]
[Strength 217] [Agility 241] [Stamina 267] [Magic Power 206]
Another look at the monster showed changes in some stats.
‘Transforming?’
A fleeting thought of ‘could it be that?’ crossed my mind.
[The Rebels of Heresy]—they were conducting several experiments to create certain items, and a by-product of that experimentation had been born. Gu Ma-jun had probably consumed one of these incomplete products.
‘Why does it have that?’
Perhaps the rebels initially planned to use Gu Ma-jun as a test subject. It was an unfounded suspicion, but it felt oddly plausible. There was no time to dwell on it longer. The more time elapsed, the more unfavorable the situation became.
“Kraaa!”
I closed the distance. Though it tried to endure, Gu Ma-jun’s skin was quickly getting shredded. Normally, he would’ve died here…
‘Damn it.’
It would heal instantly. To kill it would require more than light attacks.
‘—I can’t use embers here.’
Setting the whole park on fire wouldn’t be wise. If I had plenty of time, I’d deal with it slowly, but the clock was ticking.
“Khuh, khuh!”
The monster threw its head back, laughing maniacally.
“This is something! I truly don’t feel like dying!”
Like a low-tier villain from a story, as it laughed, Gu Ma-jun jabbed his eyes. What was even more shocking was how the ruptured eyes quickly regenerated.
“Haaah. I wonder why I didn’t drink this sooner.”
With an ecstatic gaze, blood and crystals poured from Gu Ma-jun’s eyes as he charged forward.
‘Dimwit.’
Simple and straightforward. He was so engrossed in his regeneration that he had no intention of controlling his actions. He had fallen from being a hunter to a mere beast. And beasts like that.
“……!”
Gu Ma-jun had hunted countless times.
With its back pinned down, he made it submit and bit down on its neck. The beast screeched with all its might.
“Kyaaaaa!”
Hearing that soul-piercing shriek, he stomped on its rolling head. Those wide-open, terrified eyes were met with added strength.
‘This is tough.’
He had planned to crush it, but quickly realized he couldn’t. Before he knew it, the creature’s stamina had exceeded 300, and conversely, its magic power fell below 150. Thinking he was growing stronger, he didn’t realize the cost of all strength.
‘If I drain all its magic…’
It couldn’t regenerate. The effects of predation kicked in, and its magic power continuously dwindled in real-time. The creature beneath him desperately struggled to escape, yet its head twisted grotesquely, and Gua Ma-jun taunted it.
“Krah!”
Simultaneously, the headless body charged forward. In an instant, it was hacked apart, and as a result, it regained its head. The neck twisted and turned as it worked back into place.
‘Damn it.’
It wouldn’t be hard to kill it. A maximum of two times would suffice. That was how many times it could regenerate. But there was an unforeseen interruption.
“Gu Ma-jun! Are you okay?”
A man rushed over, full of concern. No doubt a hunter… no, affiliated with the War Temple.
[Park Yo-han (Human)]
[Height 175.6cm] [Weight 59.9kg]
[Strength 311] [Agility 318] [Stamina 307] [Magic Power 290]
A buzz-cut monk. He was that guy I saw at the temple office earlier.
‘What a headache.’
While he wasn’t as problematic as Aranea, he was also not someone I could easily defeat. More troublesome was the fact that I had no clue what skills he might possess. The worst-case scenario was for Gu Ma-jun to expose himself while fighting Park Yo-han.
‘It’d be bad if my identity gets revealed right now.’
I wanted to act without being discovered by the rebels as much as possible. For that reason, I couldn’t leave Gu Ma-jun alive—but…
‘The War Temple is not the sort to back down against monsters.’
Grinding my teeth, I faced a bad situation. Not just Park Yo-han; I sensed at least two more presences approaching us, as detected by [Perception].
‘Chances of winning are slim.’
—It was impossible to wrap this up swiftly against Gu Ma-jun and Park Yo-han. Just as I was about to escape using the wind, Park Yo-han’s magic power latched onto my ankle.
‘When?’
I couldn’t tell. Did he possess a skill like that? His 290 magic power clung steadfastly to my ankle. I struggled to sever it with predation, but by then, it was already too late.
‘Damn it.’
Could I break through? No, that would be impossible. Just as that thought crossed my mind, a thunderous sound shook the ground beneath me.
‘Who is it?’
No, wait. It wasn’t someone—!
“E-earthquake!”
“No, it’s not an earthquake! This is… a dungeon!”
—The entire park was beginning to transform into a dungeon!
“`