Free Web NovelYang Yohan opened his eyes at the sound of whispering, tears still streaming down his face. The two large, pitch-black monsters still °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° made no move to attack, only loitering sluggishly and staring blankly at him. Wondering if he had imagined the voices, Yohan gripped the furry tail wrapped around him and yanked at it wildly, sobbing all over again.
[It’s crying]
[It’s bawling?]
Only then did Yohan realize the source of the voices—it was the small monsters huddled near the two large ones. Was this some kind of breeding behavior? Now that he looked closely, they resembled the bigger ones—maybe offspring. The little fur-tailed one and the little tentacled one giggled.
“Y-you talked...?”
Yohan doubted his ears. Was he, a Purifier, already contaminated enough to hallucinate voices? He muttered to himself.
“Monsters can talk?”
The small monsters immediately reacted.
[We’re not monsters.]
“Oh? Oh, sorry for calling you that....”
He apologized, sweating profusely. Thankfully, the little monsters didn’t seem too upset. Yohan still couldn’t believe he was alive. Struggling to slip out of the tail that bound him, he thought,
‘Did I Purify them enough for them to regain some sanity? Were they originally human? ...Maybe children?’
The thought made his skin crawl and yet stirred pity. And with it came a flicker of hope—if they could talk, maybe he could persuade them.
“Hey, can you let me go? Please....”
But the answer came back firm and unyielding.
[Nope]
[NeverXXXXXXXXXXX] fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
However they were doing it, the small monsters “spoke” like they were chatting online, and somehow he could clearly understand them. As if to prove they weren’t normal, their next words were even more chilling.
[You will be with us forever]
[ForeverOOOOOOOOOO]
“Nooo... Lee Hyunmook... h-heoong, Hyunmook hyuuung....”
Kicking and flailing, Yohan cried again. He hadn’t cried this hard since falling into the Abyss, and by the time he was drained of strength, he finally slipped free of the tail—though he didn’t even think of running, sitting there sniffling instead.
The monster that had taken his knife earlier shuffled toward him. Its heavy breathing made it seem unmistakably hungry. A long tongue slid out and licked his cheek, making Yohan scream again—just then, the fur-tailed monster lunged with a menacing howl. Fur flying, it bit and clawed viciously, until finally it was the victor. The tentacled monster slunk back with a whimper, but Yohan’s relief was short-lived—the fur-tailed one suddenly scooped him up and swallowed him whole.
This time, Yohan didn’t even scream. He was sucked into utter darkness in an instant, all his tears and everything else sucked clean out of him. When he was spat back out, bone-dry and soft, he sat there in a daze.
“Hhhuuuh....”
Barely regaining his senses, he felt tears threaten again—but he shivered violently and forced himself to hold them back.
‘D-don’t cry.’
He remembered the mad Lee Hyunmook’s taste for his tears and blood. If monsters liked those too, the next time it might not just be tears they took—it might be flesh. He sat as far from them as he could.
Time dragged on endlessly as the monsters sat still like silent stone statues. Exhausted and sleepy, Yohan forced his eyes to stay open. The thought of Hyunmook or Yoon Seungryong forgetting about him and wandering away aimlessly like lunatics kept him from dozing.
He didn’t know how much time had passed before the monsters exchanged a glance, as if in silent communication, and moved again. The fur-tailed one wrapped him up and carried him off quickly. It was surprisingly comfortable, but in no way comforting.
Half resigned, he was carried for hours until they stopped. When he realized they’d gone deeper into a shadowy, dense jungle, his expression darkened. He glanced back, hoping Hyunmook or Seungryong might appear, but saw only oppressive darkness and the occasional, faint, vanishing glint of a nameless monster’s red eyes.
The monsters prowled the area, then settled down and began to make some kind of nest. In short order, they piled various scraps thickly, then sat him right in the middle. Sitting gloomily, Yohan flinched.
Grrrrrr... His stomach growled. Between running, Purifying, and crying since yesterday, he was starving. The sound made the monsters turn to look at him. Soon, the large tentacled monster and a smaller one left the nest at a slow pace, leaving only the long fur-tailed monsters. Yohan shrank back, watching them warily.
‘Looks like they won’t hurt me.’
They’d had every chance to harm him already, yet hadn’t. Death scared him, but so did the thought of the only Purifier disappearing, leaving Hyunmook and Seungryong behind. Relieved, he reached a trembling hand toward the fur-tailed one. Light bloomed faintly from his fingertips.
“Don’t hurt me... okay?”
Offering the Purification felt like bribery. The monster’s red eyes narrowed pleasantly, and Yohan was able to relax a little. Still eyeing it warily, he took in its unnervingly black body—so dark it stood out instead of blending in, like a warning.
He turned his gaze away and tentatively reached out again, running a Purified hand slowly over the fur.
“G-good boy....”
Though terrifying, the fur was silky-smooth, almost satin-like. Stroking it became unexpectedly addictive, and he kept petting while looking elsewhere. The monster’s body tilted toward him, making him flinch, but it only flattened itself near his legs as if enjoying it. Encouraged, Yohan grew bolder, gently patting its head.
A rustle in the bushes made him freeze. Afraid it was another monster attack, he was relieved to see it was the one that had left earlier—returning with something slung over its shoulder.
Thud—the prey hit the ground, still squirming. It was... a yellow caterpillar. A huge, revolting one. Yohan barely stifled a scream. The monster growled low, clearly displeased with his reaction.
He eyed the prey with trembling eyes. A documentary came to mind—jungle tribes eating fat grubs without a second thought, even offering them to the film crew. Refusing such “hospitality” might anger these monsters.
Taking a deep breath, Yohan released a spray of light. It was still a caterpillar, but if he had to eat it, he’d rather it look cleaner. Thankfully, the knobby exterior smoothed out and it stopped moving after a single Purification.
‘Looks familiar somehow....’
Before he could place it, the monster slit the skin with a claw, revealing pale flesh inside. Yohan grimaced—then blinked wide-eyed.
“B-banana...?”
Contaminated, it had looked exactly like a grub—but after Purification, it was unmistakably a banana. The monster pushed a thick tentacle toward him, offering it. Yohan cautiously picked up the chunk. The smell of banana hit him for the first time in ages.
“Thanks. I’ll eat it....”
He lifted the banana piece—nearly the size of his face—hesitated, then, driven by hunger, took a bite.
“......!”
Sweet and delicious beyond belief. Before he knew it, the whole piece was gone. Watching the monsters, he grabbed another. By the time he’d eaten three, he sighed in contentment.
Full now, he felt drowsier than ever. But sleeping was dangerous—who knew what they might do while he was out? He forced his eyes open, only to feel the furry tail slide around him again.
“Ah....”
Thinking they might carry him off again, he tensed—but instead, they pulled him in close. He feared they might swallow him again, but no—the monster pressed him against its ink-black body and even dragged something soft from the nest to cover him.
Yohan’s eyes went wide. This was like being tucked in for bed. Maybe Purifying them really had been the right call—he might have earned a bit of goodwill.
‘Thank goodness... I think I can last until I find Lee Hyunmook and Seungryong.’
Still—he shouldn’t sleep. He’d seen Hyunmook and Yoon Seungryong go without rest for days, and as a high-level Awakener, he believed he could do the same. But the monster’s body was so warm and soft that, before he realized it, Yohan yawned and drifted into a deep, exhausted sleep.
