NOVEL NEXT Chapter 30
Stepping on the sticky floor, I moved forward.
No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t make sense of this environment.
Did gargantuan blood-spewing monstrosities even exist in the first place?
And if there’s this much blood, where are the bodies from which it spilled?
“This doesn’t feel right.”
“…You’re telling me this now?”
numerous bloody handprints marred the walls.
Even on the ceiling, there were crimson footprints…
“Are you really thinking of going further?”
“No. We should turn back. The supply room isn’t worth the risk.”
There were some horror spots in this game, yes.
The sacrificial sites of the Rebuilt Church were infamous for their gruesome sights—flayed human skins, dismembered corpses, scenes left by cannibals or looters.
The survivors who made it out of such environments usually either went insane and attacked or committed suicide right in front of you.
Though we shouldn’t have noticed, based on how nauseous we were feeling, it was quite apparent that our mental resilience was taking a significant hit.
No, scratch that—this wasn’t a game. This was reality.
This smell of blood.
The slightly warm, unpleasant heat in the air.
Heat?
“Let’s go back, Sarah—”
“Shh.”
Sarah, her face deathly pale, clamped a hand over my mouth.
Then she silently pointed at what the flashlight was illuminating on the wall.
—Drip. Drip.
It was a hand.
And it was a fresh red one at that.
The problem is…
“Gulp.”
The problem was that it wasn’t just one hand that was feeling along the ceiling.
If the ceiling had been low enough to be traversed by something human-sized.
If we were in a narrow corridor where two people could barely squeeze through, it wouldn’t be so odd.
However, where we were had a ceiling higher than the combined height of two people.
And even side by side, there was still a good amount of space, big enough for a compact car to pass through without issue.
So the hand…
No, the hands…
No, the dogfoot legs—what?
“Keeeee, kiiiiik…”
—Clack.
The scraping sound of claws came from ahead.
Simultaneously, the ghastly sound of flesh slurping and sticking together.
Only then did I realize it.
I realized it far too late.
—Drip. Drip drip.
The bloody hands were feeling along the ceiling.
The mangled feet slithered against the walls, propelling the body forward.
“Grrr, eeeeee—”
“Keeeeeek, keeee—al, vaal, vaal!”
Countless heads, grafted together awkwardly, each emitting its own voice, turned their blood-soaked eyes toward us.
It came to me now, why it was so important to dispose of corpses.
Apart from disease and contamination, there were a variety of flesh-eating monsters. And among these dangerous creatures, the most notorious were the Nibblers.
In English, they’re called Nibblers. “Nibble” means to bite off a tiny bit or gnaw.
For this reason, the community often nicknamed them “Nibblers.”
However, under normal circumstances, they weren’t such a big deal.
True to their nickname as “Nibblers,” a few bullets could take them down, and after spilling copious amounts of blood, they’d die. Their sluggish speed often made them snacks for hungrier creatures.
Most importantly, when zombies moved in large groups, the reason they could survive even despite their slow movement was because of the Nibblers.
But.
Very rarely.
And by very rarely.
When a Nibbler lands in a pile of corpses.
When prolonged combat leaves behind bodies because there’s no time for recovery and cleanup.
Like the saying “a pin thief becomes a cattle thief,” what started as nibbling soon turned into the swallowing of entire arms and legs.
Soon afterward, it turns into a creature that devours whole bodies, becoming a monster.
That’s the RatKing.
The King of Rats.
And it was standing right before me now.
“Eeeeee, eeee!!!”
The tangled faces opened wide.
It was so revolting that I wanted to block my ears.
“…Hm.”
But I had to snap out of it.
I needed to regain focus.
If one of us could regain composure, we wouldn’t become a snack for this sluggish lump of flesh.
“Sarah. Sarah!”
Damn it. I didn’t expect Sarah to enter a mental breakdown.
The person who never hesitated to use her daggers to slaughter.
“Damn it, grab my hand!”
Despite her being a woman, her calloused hand gripped mine tightly.
At that moment, her eyes met mine with some movement.
Her eyes, red and about to burst into tears.
But she responded to me, returning the grip.
“I’ll help you escape, don’t let go.”
To those words, Sarah squeezed my fingers until it hurt and nodded.
So then, I pulled her with all my might.
“───!!!”
Tearing away her foot that refused to leave, step by step.
And I aimed my shotgun at those endlessly stretching arms.
Without a stock, there was no need to hold it with both hands.
-Bang.
“Ugh!?”
I should have anticipated injuring my hand from the recoil.
The shot seemed to have only grazed the thing.
“Ah, eeeeeeee!!!”
“With dozens of arms, it’s complaining about pain…?”
Because of the gunfire, Sarah seemed slightly more alert, as the formerly sluggish feet now moved a little more and kicked harder.
If we could inject some adrenaline now, she’d be able to run faster, but we don’t have any.
“You’re doing well, just a little more!”
“Hmph, ugh, ugh!”
Is it tough just to move her legs?
Squinting her eyebrows, Sarah mustered her strength to move.
Still, she hasn’t collapsed with her legs going limp or sticking to those around her, so it’s fortunate her mental fortitude hasn’t completely given way.
“AAAAH!”
Finally, with a shout, Sarah lunged forward.
Her body, which seemed ready to topple over, managed to maintain balance and ultimately rose holding onto me.
“Let’s go back to the settlement, quickly!”
“EEEEEEEK!!!”
That thing seemed furious at losing its prey, but it couldn’t move fast enough to chase us.
…However, my stomach kept feeling unsettled.
Was it from seeing too much blood?
My vision turned green.
“…Xuan Woo? Xuan Woo!”
*
“Ugh!?”
I opened my eyes.
And I started to feel my body.
Thankfully, my body was still mine…?
My arm… It doesn’t move-
“Suuh.”
Huh.
Why am I sleeping here?
“…”
When I moved my field of vision toward a sound, Curtis was there with a finger to his lips.
Smiling faintly.
“Uh-huh.”
When I tried to move, his arm instantly pressed down on my chest.
…It’s heavy.
And also, he’s too close.
“Ho-ho.”
Curtis’s face cracked into a grin.
He must find my awkward situation amusing.
Still, I should get up.
“Huh-uhgh!?”
Struggling to push him away, my legs were covered next.
“…Should I help you get up?”
“You both were exhausted. How about resting a bit longer?”
This old geezer.
“RatKing… the lump of flesh monster—”
“I’ve heard the story. Also, it can’t leave its territorial range.”
Did I say that?
My last memory is just falling forward while running…
“While the thing was writhing, Sarah carried you back on her back. And then we ended up here.”
The cold sweat sticking to my face and legs with Sarah’s skin was uncomfortable.
Still, the scent, different from a man’s, slightly… stimulating.
“So, are you saying you can’t rest anymore?”
“I was considering building a flamethrower.”
“Ah. Flamethrower. I remember the torch-wielding guys who bravely sprayed fire at the encampment. I’d like to try one out sometime.”
“To build that— you know it, right?”
Curtis’s eyes sparkled a little, but he showed no sign of getting up or waking Sarah.
He just leaned leisurely on the chair, humming a tune.
“Curtis?”
“Let her rest. I’ve rarely seen Sarah this frightened. She likely encountered something down there as terrible as the ground bats.”
“…Is that right?”
“You can’t prepare unless you’ve rested properly. Let her rest longer.”
“But Sarah—”
“Ummm-hmm.”
As if not wanting to be disturbed from sleep, she buried her head further into my neck and hugged me tighter.
If the strength had been moderate, it would’ve been okay, but it’s almost like she’s choking me…
“One of those who fall asleep, don’t wake up easily. Also, she has bad sleeping habits since she didn’t receive much affection from her mother.”
“If that’s the case, at least—”
“You can be trusted, so she’s like this. Consider it an honor, and take care of my granddaughter tonight.”
“Hold on, Curtis, sir, sir!?”
Leaving me with a choking neck, Curtis opened the door and disappeared.
Wait, my chest, my chest is touching.
Uh…
“Let her rest. Sarah, who almost never shows fear, seems to have encountered something truly horrifying down there. It probably was something as terrifying as those ground bats residing underground.”
“You’re right…”
“You cannot fortify your resolve without proper rest. So, rest a little longer.”
“But Sarah—”
“Uh-hmm.”
As if not wanting to be disturbed from sleep, she buried her head deeper into my neck and hugged me tighter.
If the strength had been moderate, it would have been fine, but it’s almost like she’s choking me…
“One of those who fall asleep, don’t wake up easily. Also, she has bad sleeping habits since she didn’t receive much affection from her mother.”
“If that’s the case, at least—”
“You can be trusted, so she’s like this. Consider it an honor, and take care of my granddaughter tonight.”
“Hold on, Curtis, sir, sir!?”
Leaving me with a choking neck, Curtis opened the door and disappeared.
Wait, my chest—it’s touching.
Uh…