NOVEL WEB Chapter 57
“Finally, the news I’ve been waiting for!”
How long has it been since I last evolved? Wait, when was that?
‘Feels like it was ages ago.’
It must have been during the battle with Aranea. Though it was only a few days, it felt like I’d been a Skull Wolf for a long time.
‘…But, I haven’t evolved yet, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves.’
Holding back my racing heart, I checked the evolution route.
[Evolution Route]
[Path of Illusions (幻影)] – Conditions Not Met (Lv. 30)
[Path of Uncertainty (不定)] – Conditions Not Met (Lv. 30)
‘Two options again, huh.’
Binary choice. The two evolution paths presented by the system. The first one that caught my eye was the Path of Uncertainty.
‘Given how long I’ve been like this.’
Uncertainty. Amorphous. Since reincarnating, I’ve spent a long time as an amorphous blob, from slime to worg.
‘It’s been comfortable, sure…’
I gained pain nullification and transformation, but why would I go back now? This gives me pause.
‘Let’s start with the Path of Illusions.’
When I think of illusions, Agail is the first one that pops into my head. With excitement, I used my insight.
[Path of Illusions: Evolves into a Marang Wrapped in Shadows]
‘A Marang wrapped in shadows, huh.’
Isn’t it leaning more towards shadow (影) than illusion (幻)? It feels a bit different from the illusions at the Purple Square. Next, I checked the Path of Uncertainty.
[Path of Uncertainty: Evolves into a Marang Made of Mountains and Poisons]
‘Mountains and poisons?!’
A Marang composed of scattering (散) and poison (毒)?
‘The only thing I can think of is…’
Even in the first evolution, instead of an amorphous gel, there was a Poison Slime. Now that I’ve entered the path of Marang, it seems I can’t escape the wolf.
‘Path. It must have branches.’
That thought crossed my mind.
As the path continues, branches split off from it. Maybe the outcome was decided the moment I entered the path of Marang instead of a human one. I didn’t have any particular thoughts; instead, I looked back on the path I had traveled.
‘Starting as a slime, amorphous gel, worg, Skull Wolf.’
Realizing just how far I’d come, I checked my status.
[Dungeon’s Horror (Skull Wolf) Lv. 20] [EXP 101406 / 142455]
[Up 1.97%]
[Length 2.71m] [Height 1.02m] [Weight 174kg]
[Strength 196] [Agility 220] [Stamina 275] [Magic Power 207] [Resilience 10]
[Skill List]
Devour (D) Lv. 9, Tentacle Multiplicity (E) Lv. 8, Detection (D) Lv. 6, Regeneration (D) Lv. 3, Superior Stealth (C) Lv. 3, Insight (D) Lv. 3, Weak Hearing (E) Lv. 8, Weak Intuition (E) Lv. 2, Weak Vision (E) Lv. 7, All Damage Reduction (D) Lv. 6, Hardening (D) Lv. 6, Transformation (E) Lv. 7, Weak Poison Resistance (E) Lv. 1, Intimidation (E) Lv. 2, Gluttony (D) Lv. 6, Swimming (F) Lv. 8, Diving (F) Lv. 8, Superior Elasticity (D) Lv. 3, Pervasion (E) Lv. 8, Gale (C) Lv. 3, Weak Smell (E) Lv. 6, Superior Instinct (D) Lv. 5, Induction (F) Lv. 8, Magic Regeneration (D) Lv. 3, Transformation (C) Lv. 2, Pain Nullification (D), Fairy Language (F), Storage (E) Lv. 1
[Remaining Skill Points 1]
Upon reaching level 20, I not only grew in size but my overall status significantly increased.
‘Especially my magic power.’
It was just 180 when I was at level 17, but in only three levels it rose by 27!
‘Learning in the fantasy world really paid off.’
Moreover, the skills saw even greater improvement than the status.
‘Transformation.’
I did spend a skill point, but the D-grade Ash Embers upgraded to a C-grade Transformation. Plus, it won’t be long before Devour also climbs to C-grade.
‘I can’t help but wonder what abilities I’ll gain.’
To evolve, I need to reach level 30… I started pondering my next steps. I had initially planned to go to the Academy, but my thoughts shifted slightly.
‘With the path of evolution now open.’
Now that I can see my goal. Honestly, without the dungeon, getting experience points is going to be tough. After hitting level 20, even exchanging satiety for experience makes it hard to gain 1000 a day. Then I glanced up at my Fairy Dragon.
“Kyu-ruk?”
The little guy tilted its head, as if asking what’s up, and I recalled what the White Deer said.
[You cannot return to the fantasy world]
[But… hmm. Never mind]
Looking back now, it feels like it was hinting at the Fairy Dragon. I could have just said that.
‘Anyway, together, it means we could return to the fantasy world.’
In the fantasy world, there are dungeons purposely left untouched. Dungeons transmitting magic power to the physical realm to prevent excessive magic from harming beings.
‘If I have to clear these dungeons anyway.’
If others are going to handle it, wouldn’t it be better for me to deal with it myself and earn the experience?
‘Stopping by the fantasy world first wouldn’t be a bad idea.’
Heading to the Academy might make me miss some dungeons in the meantime.
‘Besides, it’s actually more convenient to move to the fantasy world.’
As I gently stroked it with my tentacle, the little creature smiled brightly.
***
“What’s this? Weren’t you bedridden?”
“Oh come on, mind your own business.”
Hong Yu-ri snapped back, rubbing her side at Geohan’s comment. Geohan, having pricked by something, glanced away awkwardly. As he looked around the venue, he saw a woman, and Hong Yu-ri squinted her eyes, then spat out.
“Hey, isn’t that Anela?”
“Did you know?”
Gu Jin-ha asked, surprised, and Hong Yu-ri scoffed.
“Of course, I’m from the Square.”
Speaking as though it were obvious, she snuck glances at Anela. She, looking a bit awkward, said:
“Ah, yes. Hong Yu-ri?”
See? Nodding with a smirk, Hong Yu-ri took a seat, and Gu Jin-ha couldn’t help but chuckle. It was clear her reaction was unfamiliar to them.
“Sorry for being late. I thought everyone would know the situation.”
At the clan leader’s words, Geohan nodded.
“You’re suspicious whether Gohwon is with another pocket, right?”
“You put it succinctly. Yeah, that’s it.”
There were many branches, but the core of it was just that. The clan leader nodded, and Gu Jin-ha stood up, guiding two people waiting outside. One was armored, the other had no hair.
“Oh, hyung!”
Geohan greeted warmly, and the knight gave an awkward smile.
“It’s been a while.”
“Let’s catch up later. Can I ask for introductions first?”
With a matter-of-fact tone, he answered with a nod.
“I’m Seong Dae-woon. Knight of the Temple, and this friend is Park Yo-han. He’s a monk.”
The clan leader quickly explained the situation.
“To put it simply, we found a person deemed to be a bottom feeder of the sinful knights in the Temple of War.”
“Bottom feeders? What’s that?”
Hong Yu-ri responded, seemingly clueless, and the clan leader gave Gu Jin-ha a knowing look, prompting him to facepalm.
He thought it was best not to mention it, knowing she would find out anyway, allowing her to concentrate on recovery. Gu Jin-ha called over Hong Yu-ri to explain.
“So… let’s keep this brief while I update you.”
Meanwhile, the briefing continued.
“We’ve found something concerning a first-class priest named Gu Ma-jun, who was in collusion with our temple’s priest.”
“Hmm. So what happened to that priest?”
Geohan asked, and the knight silently smiled.
“Ha. Same as ever.”
After a brief silence, the clan leader continued talking.
“I strongly suspect that Gu Ma-jun was part of that bottom-feeding group.”
“Why? Did you find something?”
At Geohan’s question, the knight shook his head.
“Found nothing. Absolutely nothing. Aside from copies containing internal information of the temple, it was suspiciously clean.”
Everyone nodded. If they were an already uncovered group, it made sense to take such precautions.
“No further clues were found there. But this brother…”
The knight patted the monk’s back, and he stepped forward.
“I… umm. Hello, brothers. I’m Park Yo-han.”
“Don’t be nervous. We’re not here to eat you.”
“Uh, right. I know that, but still, a bit nervous.”
The knight next to him couldn’t help but nod. Everyone there was extraordinary. Taking a deep breath, Park Yo-han continued.
“As unbelievable as it might sound… I was saved by the Skull Wolf.”
“Saved?”
Geohan tilted his head.
“At the dungeon in Ihyeon Park’s forest, there was a meat monster. When Gu Ma-jun transformed into such a creature, the Skull Wolf saved me.”
Park Yo-han rolled up his sleeve, revealing scars on his wrist like something pierced it… like a mark from a beast.
“Ha. A monster saved you.”
It was hard to believe. But if it was the Skull Wolf… if it’s as intelligent as Alpha to speak, then maybe it could be possible. But then the question arose, ‘Why?’ All my queries focused on that.
“Embarrassingly, I fell into a delusion.”
Being saved by a monster brought doubts he shouldn’t have as a person of the temple. Monsters are beings that should be eradicated. Evils that shouldn’t exist and must disappear for humanity to reclaim its former glory… Why on earth did such a beast save him?
Contemplating, Park Yo-han eventually confessed to the bishop.
“Listening to my story, the bishop told me that the monster was the Skeleton Wolf, known as ‘Alpha’ whom Dawn is pursuing.”
Gu Jin-ha and Geohan exchanged glances and nodded. The rumors had already spread, and they had even personally requested the bishop to pursue Alpha at the dungeon in Ihyeon Park.
“Thus, I tried to find out more about that monster by seeking Dawn. There I met the Team Leader.”
Gu Jin-ha nodded.
“It was an accidental meeting. After some exchanges, we suspected that the organization Gu Ma-jun belonged to was the elusive group called ‘The Offspring’ mentioned by Alpha.”
In the dungeon in Ihyeon Park, Alpha had first mentioned the name ‘Offspring’ to Kang Tae-ho.
“So is there proof that this ‘Offspring’ exists?”
Hearing just a monster’s words isn’t enough to act. The clan leader’s question possessing that meaning drew Gu Jin-ha’s gaze toward Anela, who cleared her throat.
“I’m Anela. As you may have heard, I’m the daughter of Amelia Morest, the master of the Purple Square.”
Anela stood up, looking sheepish as she bowed her head suddenly.
“I’m sorry for using the Team Leader against his will. I’d like to take this opportunity to apologize.”
“Anela.”
It was just a trade. As Gu Jin-ha attempted to mitigate, she shook her head.
“No. I knew you were going to come. I waited for you. I wanted to apologize one last time before leaving.”
“……”
“I’m sorry for dragging this out. As for the existence of the ‘Offspring’ organization, I can vouch for it.”
“You vouch for it?”
“My brother, who was expelled from the Purple Square, formed an organization called the ‘Blind Spot.’ They committed unbelievable acts that can never be forgiven.”
“Agail Morest.”
In the midst of the night of war, those who recalled the horrific events from a little while ago nodded.
“Agail… I chased him according to my mother’s words. During that pursuit, I learned that my brother’s organization partnered with another group.”
“And that is?”
“Yes. The Offspring of the Heretics. I chased them for a long time but didn’t reveal much. But it’s undeniable that they exist.”
Gu Jin-ha then turned his gaze away.
“Why?”
Geohan asked back with slight disinterest.
“You mentioned that Alpha said something. You also said you found a scale from a dragon.”
“The scale belongs to Seong-hoon. But why?”
“Because here. Someone else has seen what Alpha said.”
Silently, Euna parted her lips.
“This is Euna. I don’t think this is our first meeting, so no need for lengthy pleasantries.”
Geohan’s expression stayed indifferent. The clan leader signaled for attention, as he scratched his head, distracted.
“No. What I’m saying is, didn’t we already know?”
“No, it’s a bit different. Alpha handed me the dead body of Agail.”
Everyone’s hints, all coming together to create a path. The pieces of the puzzle were dwindling. Euna placed a phone on the table.
“This is the phone of Lee Baek-seom, a former clan member.”
“Hmm. So?”
“Lee Baek-seom is suspected to have been killed by Alpha, the wolf. That’s the context, and above all, this phone was found in the chest pocket of Agail Morest’s corpse.”
Anela’s expression darkened slightly. Ignoring her, Euna continued.
“The problem is.”
She started laying out various items one by one on the table. When the numbers exceeded ten, people’s expressions turned incredulous.
“You can’t be serious, is that everything?”
“Yep. I scoured the clan thoroughly for these. And let me tell you, it was an absolute pain to crack them too. They all had different security, codes, and types, and each phone only had one contact.”
“That’s insane.”
It went beyond thoroughness to pathological obsession. With an unpleasant look, Euna sighed. There was a mole in her clan, and she was oblivious to it. Who wouldn’t find that fact unsettling?
“That’s clearly suspicious. Every last one of them was missing. I believe Lee Baek-seom was part of the Offspring.”
Euna’s words, revealing the clan’s ugly truths, drew silence from the group.
“It was also present in the Forest of Euna…”
The Temple of War. The Forest of Euna.
The temple outwardly posed as a religion but was practically the representative clan of Daegu, while the Forest of Euna under Euna’s guidance was like the second unit of the Plateau.
When every place was guarded, having a mole there meant something serious.
“There may be more. They will be on guard and cautious. It will become harder to find.”
Everyone nodded at Euna’s statement.
“The important thing is they might be hiding among us. And all keys are clearly…”
The clan leader’s eyes flared with light.
If all the people the wolf killed were just part of the mole, that wolf knows who the organization’s members are.
“Alpha. It means he is holding the key.”
“Indeed. The reason Alpha is pursuing the Offspring. Moreover, how he knows about them and the Fairy-type monster’s aid… There are still questions. But one thing is certain: he is actively hunting the Offspring.”
Attention returned to Euna.
“And when she visited her master, Chang-seon…”
“…she was told it was not allowed.”
The Plateau, which had anonymously passed on the Alpha’s information, ultimately led her to be here.
Gu Jin-ha’s statement piqued her suspicion toward the Plateau, and she sought out her master, only to return with the answer of ‘not allowed.’
“She would have said she couldn’t tell you if she didn’t know.”
“She said she couldn’t tell even her apprentices.”
Geohan crossed his arms, displeased.
“I didn’t hear anything from her.”
This seemed to frustrate Euna, who clenched her fist. The clan leader nodded.
“We cannot fully trust you. However, I want to believe in your character. Based on the Plateau’s ongoing actions, it seems clear there’s some different truth out there.”
Also, since Alpha had handed her a body, there’s some foolish threat of certainty that she at least could be trusted.
It was that hope that allowed those who would never have gathered to unite in one place. Here, among each other, their deductions converged. The ones Alpha killed were all members of the Offspring. And the warning given to Kang Tae-ho and Euna. Alpha is evidently pursuing the Offspring.
‘And how does Plateau know about Alpha.’
Many puzzles loosened, but many questions remained.
As the meeting continued, the clan leader expelled the outsiders. With the puzzle imperfectly pieced, he rubbed his forehead with intertwined fingers.
“First, let’s set the course of action. Team 3 Leader Gu Jin-ha.”
“Yes.”
“You’re to keep pursuing Alpha. Team 3 Vice Leader, Hong Yu-ri. Join him as soon as you’ve healed. No one but you can follow the traces of Alpha.”
“Understood.”
Both of them without dissent. The clan leader turned to the next.
“Team 2 Leader Kang Tae-ho.”
“What?”
“Prepare for an assault on Neverland. This time, we’ll clear it completely.”
“Time really flies, huh?”
“I can’t predict the exact time. It could be tomorrow or next year. But I suspect it will reopen soon… Yeah. It’s been quite a while. This time, we really need to prepare thoroughly.”
“Leave it to me.”
As the clan leader scanned the room, his voice lowered.
“The highest priority is Alpha. He holds the key. We must capture him. Is that clear?”
After the meeting concluded, as they all dispersed, the clan leader whispered.
“Ha Yeon. See if there’s a traitor among us.”
“Do you really think there’s a traitor?”
“I can’t be sure of anything. There are in the temple and the Forest of Euna. There’s no guarantee we don’t have their moles.”
“……”
“Certainly, we need to comb through the entire clan.”
“Leave it to me.”
With that answer, the clan leader was left alone. As he looked up briefly, he closed his eyes.
‘Chang-seon.’
The face that surfaced in his mind belonged to him.
The leader of the Seven Heroes and a comrade of his deceased father. And a hunter leading the best clan of Plateau…
‘Surely you wouldn’t…’
The clan leader shook his head with a grim expression.
He hoped desperately that this thought was wrong.