I started the mission, and the allotted time was only half an hour.
Voices rose everywhere—some people screamed, others argued pointlessly—and panic devoured their faces like fire devours dry paper.
As for my sister, she remained standing in place; she didn't move for a moment. It wasn't fear of the monsters or the mission that froze her, but a single memory that struck my mind hard.
I remembered Bojin's elder sister—the one hardly anyone mentioned in the story because she's supposed to die in this incident—unless I intervene now and save her.
Her images passed slowly through my head… her smile, the way she spoke, even the proud look in her eyes.
I realized time was running out, and hesitation would bring nothing but regret.
I moved suddenly and started running with everything I had left.
I heard Clyde's deep voice behind me, surprised:
"What's happening? This never happened to me before… or maybe that doesn't matter now."
But his words didn't stop me.
While Clyde looked around, a strange-looking young man suddenly appeared in front of him—hair as white as untouched ash, and eyes with inverted colors that made looking into them unsettling and eerie.
The young man said nothing; he lunged at Clyde with a speed I didn't think he could possess.
Clyde, who had been calm at first, sighed faintly and said with obvious sarcasm:
"How ridiculous… a hundred monsters trying to kill me?" Yet despite the sarcasm, there was a hint of awareness of danger in his voice.
He added in a sterner tone:
"This is a problem… in the end, it's impossible to defeat him without a weapon."
At that moment a dagger flashed in the young man's hand.
Without hesitation he moved in a blur, snatched the dagger from his opponent's fingers, then in a single motion ripped his body to pieces that fell across the ground, leaving nothing but dark, bloody stains.
A glowing notification appeared before Clyde in the air, reading:
[The Emerald-Eye Gang liked you]
Clyde stared at the notification with an unreadable look, though he didn't hide his mild annoyance at the unwanted praise.
Meanwhile events shifted to…
Me—Yujin—running with all the energy I had left.
My feet hurt, my breath was ragged, and my chest felt like it would burst from the sprint.
"How exhausting…" I muttered, clenching my teeth.
The road to the mansion was long, and the sky above was reddening as sunset approached, giving the scene the sense that the end was near.
Finally… I saw the mansion in the distance, gleaming in the landscape as if it did not belong to this chaotic world.
I felt a momentary relief, but I knew whatever awaited me inside might be worse than what I'd left behind.
I rushed into the mansion, still out of breath from running, but what I saw made me stop suddenly.
My sister was on the floor to the side, curled over her head as if trying to shield herself from an invisible danger; her face was pale, her eyes shining with fearful tears.
She was hiding under the large table in the middle of the hall, with the maid I had seen in the morning.
The atmosphere in the mansion was stifling…
The power was out and darkness enveloped the place, save for pale slivers of light leaking through the windows. Everything felt suspiciously silent—the sound of my footsteps echoed loudly, as if striking an empty house.
When my sister saw me she crawled out from under the table as if she had found a lifeline after drowning, and threw herself into my arms, sobbing bitterly, her shoulders shaking with each gasp.
The maid followed, pressing her hand to her mouth in an attempt to stifle her sobs and voice.
I tried to keep my voice steady even though my heart was racing:
"There's no need to be afraid… my sister, is there anyone else in the house besides you two? Or has everyone fled?"
The maid and my sister exchanged a quick look before my sister said in a trembling voice:
"There's another maid… and Victor."
When I heard his name I clenched my fist and decided to check—Victor might still be alive.
I motioned for them to stay behind me, and we began walking slowly down the long corridor.
The air in the hallway was heavier, and the strange smell that filled my nose made my stomach churn…
It smelled of blood, mixed with something rotten, as if death itself had settled here.
When we reached the end of the corridor, a cold shock pierced me.
The driver, Victor, lay stretched out on the floor, his face turned to the side, eyes wide open but empty of life.
His body was motionless… still.
I stood frozen for a moment, trying to convince myself what I saw wasn't real, but it was real—more real than I wanted to believe.
Before I could gather myself, a sound came from one of the nearby rooms…
It wasn't human; it was a mix of gnawing, tearing and wet chewing, punctuated by faint moans. Someone was taking their last breaths.
I approached cautiously, each step making me feel like the floor might give way beneath me at any moment.
I pushed the door open slowly…
And everything inside stopped me cold.
There was a monster—its body matted with dirty dark fur, its fur dripping with blood, its eyes glowing red.
All the hellish malice seemed to live in them.
It was bent over the body of the other maid, tearing her flesh with its sharp teeth and chewing pieces of her as if it were an ordinary meal.
My sister and the maid who had been behind me could not bear it…
We screamed in unison, a single long, piercing shout that cut through the mansion's stillness—a cry born of fear and shock.
The beast lifted its head, blood dripping from its jaws and teeth, and stared straight at us…
And in that look was one clear meaning: our turn at the feast had not yet come.
The monster gave us no time to think…
As soon as my sister and the maid rose, it lunged at us in a blur of motion, a mass of darkness sweeping across the floor.
Its steps were heavy, and every leap it took closed the distance between us while making the ground tremble beneath its feet.
But I didn't wait for it to reach us…
I grabbed the heavy table in front of me by its edge and heaved with all my strength, feeling every tendon in my arms strain until I thought they would burst.
I shoved it toward the beast with the last of my energy, tilting one leg of the table off the floor as it slammed forward.
The table hit the monster's body, knocking it back a bit, but it didn't stop.
Its whole body was as hard as a stone wall, and I knew that wouldn't be enough to halt it… but at least I bought a few seconds.
At that moment a quick thought flashed through my head…
This monster, despite its strength and speed, had not spoken a single word.
I remembered what I had read in the story… Monsters that could speak were many times stronger than these creatures, and were nearly impossible to defeat without special abilities.
These ones, originally human, had turned into rabid beasts—mere engines of death and destruction.
I turned to my sister and the maid and said in a sharp voice mixed with pressure and fear:
"Get a knife… or any weapon… quickly!"
The maid didn't hesitate; she ran as fast as she could toward the kitchen, her steps echoing on the mansion floor as she grabbed and rifled through drawers, desperate to find anything that could save our lives.
At that moment the monster roared… a deep, guttural sound like it came up from a bottomless pit.
I saw its long claws scratch at the table, trying to pry it away, and with each moment it succeeded a little more in pushing it backwards.
The maid cried from the kitchen:
"I found a knife!"
She rushed toward us, clutching the knife with both hands, her fingers trembling, her eyes shining with fear and tears.
I took the knife from her immediately, my grip steady despite the cold sweat running down my pocket.
I remembered from the story… these monsters had a fatal spot on their bodies: if you struck it hard enough, they would die on the spot; if you hit elsewhere or your blow was weak, they would get up and keep fighting.
The spot was small and precise; it required a steady nerve and true courage. But… could my sister or the maid, who had never handled a weapon in their lives, stab such a monster to death?
I lunged at the beast, and at the moment it finally pushed the table completely aside, I drove the knife with all my might into that vulnerable spot I recalled…
I felt the metal pierce flesh and resistance, then the creature's broad body convulsed, and it let out a choked cry—a mix of pain and fury.
Yet… even then, it didn't fall.
It staggered, swinging its massive arms in the air as if trying to grab me before I could pull away.
It was a do-or-die moment: either finish the attack now or we would be the next victims.
But the real problem loomed before me…
How could I make my sister or the maid—neither of whom had ever held a weapon—face such a fear and stab it to death?