Chapter 94: I found that bastard |
After escaping the cave, Kim Cheonsu felt that his body was too heavy for some reason.
He paused for a moment to figure out the cause and thought it was because the backpack he was carrying was too heavy.
Then.
’If I put this down and go, wouldn’t that be okay?;
As Kim Cheonsu blankly thought that and tried to take off his backpack, he blinked his eyes.
What was I just thinking?
Leaving this here… would be no different than resigning myself to death.
Wandering around in an unknown place without even the minimum preparation.
At that moment, his thoughts were about to continue.
He heard Han Seori’s voice, which seemed to have a sense of joy from somewhere.
Right.
I was following Doctor Han’s voice.
This is not the time for this. I have to hurry and follow that voice.
Hopefully, the doctor will be there.
*Swoosh…* *Swoosh…*
Kim Cheonsu, who had become dazed again, dragged his trailing backpack and took a step toward the voice.
Behind him, slowly walking, traces were left as if someone was being dragged.
The blowing snowstorm tried to erase those traces, but due to the backpack being so heavy, it seemed like it would take quite some time for the traces to be erased.
Kim Cheonsu advances, ignoring the fiercely blowing snowstorm that erases the traces.
Snow piled up on his body, but it could not divert his attention.
*Plop…* *Thud*
Eventually, the pile of snow collapsed, and his reddened ears and nose slowly turned blue.
Nevertheless.
Like someone who could not feel the cold, Kim Cheonsu dragged his trailing backpack, going *swoosh…* *swoosh…* as he advanced towards the voice.
We're almost there now.
He blindly moved forward.
Suddenly.
Such a thought abruptly came to him.
‘Would Doctor Han really be somewhere like this… in such weather?’
A deep sense of discomfort was palpable.
At first, he thought she had come to help him, but upon reflecting on it, it was strange.
Him showing interest in her is a personal matter.
No matter how much they’ve become like partners, thinking about their official relationship, there’s no reason for Han Seori to face a threat to save him.
She seemed to have a strange soft spot for 7496-KR, but… fundamentally, she wasn’t a very warm person.
Oh.
The voice I’m hearing now.
Is it really Doctor Han’s voice?
Noticing the subtle sense of discomfort, life returned to Kim Cheonsu’s dazed eyes.
He abruptly shrank his body at the sudden feeling of the cold tearing at his skin.
“Kuk!”
What found him next was pain.
A feeling as if his ears and nose were freezing.
Because he had been dragging his backpack, his arms felt stiff.
Having come to his senses, he hurriedly pulled his backpack and rummaged through it for something to warm his body.
The fiercely blowing wind mercilessly erased his options.
As he felt his body gradually stiffening, he saw the hot packs he had stuffed in just in case.
It would be like peeing on frozen feet, but it would be much better than nothing.
He took out the hot packs, tore off the packaging, and rubbed them haphazardly.
Hoping the reaction would quickly occur and warm his body.
Even while shaking the hot packs, Kim Cheonsu did not forget to look around.
After all, he thought going back to the cave-like before would be more effective than these hot packs.
However… all he saw was a world of pure white.
So the only thing he could choose was…
‘I should go back to that cave from before after all.’
If he followed the faintly remaining traces, he could somehow get there.
He didn’t know if doing that would allow him to escape this situation.
‘…But I’m not someone who will do nothing.’
If he waited there, wouldn’t Doctor Han somehow help him?
In the first place, going outside while sensing something suspicious…
Just a little more and you'll be there... Why aren't you coming?
Then, the whispers began again.
Kim Cheonsu, who had now realized the voice was strange, shouted angrily.
“Wh-Whatever you are, go away!”
If it wasn’t Han Seori moving farther away and teasing him, then that voice had clearly gone beyond suspicious to strange.
He tried to resist the voice by flailing his arms haphazardly.
How long had it been since Kim Cheonsu screamed and flailed his arms, trying to go back the way he came?
In the pure white space, it was difficult to even gauge time, so it was unknown how long he had flailed his arms and screamed.
But in the end.
He walks with dazed eyes again.
The backpack dragged behind him.
From the hot pack that had somehow torn, black and red, mottled iron powder *plopped* down.
Around him as he walked vacantly.
Come quickly. You've really... almost arrived.
A strange voice that was hard to tell whose it was echoed.
At this point, wouldn’t it be okay to take my clothes off?
It seems like that would also help with looking around.
…But remembering the people I met a little while ago, I couldn’t take my clothes off in the end.
Saying this makes me sound like I have some exhibitionist kink, but I don’t have those kinds of sexual preferences and tastes.
It’s simply a matter of efficiency.
Having my vision obscured is stuffy, and it’s true that it’s hard to thoroughly look around?
If I had taken off this suffocating hood, I might have already found Kim Cheonsu.
Anyway.
Walking on the snow with somewhat tottering steps felt quite strange.
The piled-up snow seems to be quite a bit, but walking on it ever so lightly makes me feel like I’ve become some incredible being?
It feels like I’ve become a master from a martial arts novel.
…In reality, it’s probably just because of my bizarre weight.
Where do the things I eat even get stored?
It’s a question I’ve been curious about for a long time but haven’t gotten an answer to, so I focused on my wobbling jelly and moved again.
In front of me, I could still see traces of something being dragged on the ground.
Maybe because my steps were fast, the more I chased, the more distinct the traces seemed to become.
And.
…My knowledge pouch kept twitching outward, pointing towards that area.
At this point, I can’t help but be sure.
Kim Cheonsu wasn’t simply stranded but had gotten caught up in an anomaly that suddenly appeared.
This is troublesome...
Han Seori’s uneasy voice proved it.
Those guys who were chasing me a little while ago should be grateful to me… no, to Han Seori.
Otherwise, they would have ended up like Kim Cheonsu.
…Well, it’s not like Kim Cheonsu faced any immediate danger.
I don’t want anything bad to happen to him, either.
I guess you could say I’ve grown fond of him in my own way.
And.
…Daesik seems to have gotten really close with Kim Cheonsu lately.
If something were to happen to Kim Cheonsu, Daesik would be sad, too.
So.
I hope he’s safe.
With that wish, as I moved forward.
In the snowy field, where only traces of something being dragged remained, a trace that was clearly different from before appeared.
Huh?
As I lightly approached that spot with Han Seori’s voice, the dragging traces were nowhere to be seen, and traces that seemed like a bag had been swung around were left.
Kim Cheonsu probably wasn’t dragged… but came all the way here dragging something.
Or maybe he came to his senses here while being dragged.
Following that, I saw something black dropped on the snowy field.
Without much thought, I reached out my hand and put it in my body, and tasted the flavor of sucking on metal pieces.
What is this?
Looking at the spots of red powder, it seems... a hot pack burst or something.
…Wow.
Is Han Seori looking at the same thing as me right now?
Anyway.
Seeing these traces, I feel hopeful that Kim Cheonsu is still alive.
I diligently walked, following the black traces and the dragging traces that began to appear again.
Along with the thought of how long it had been since I moved this diligently.
The good thing is that the slime’s body doesn’t feel tired easily.
I wonder if it’s because of the weight accumulated somewhere or if it’s a characteristic of this body, but it’s a big help.
…If that energy runs out, will I become a frozen slime, too?
A terrifying question remained, but I tried hard to ignore it since it wasn’t something that would happen right away.
After walking for who knows how long.
At the end of the dragging marks.
I saw a cave that was much larger than the one I saw earlier.
It looked like a monster opening its maw.
But the dragging traces continued towards it.
And the knowledge pouch was pointing towards it.
So there was no choice but to go.
...Be careful. We don't know what's inside.
I coolly nodded at Han Seori’s concern and hurriedly entered the cave.
The inside was unexpectedly clean…
No, the inside looked narrower than the outside size.
Because.
As soon as I entered, I saw Kim Cheonsu tottering and walking ahead.
I couldn’t tell if he had just entered or if the cave was short.
But at the thought of finding him, my jelly wobbles.
As I happily approached.
I saw something strange.
...What is that?
In front of Kim Cheonsu, who was tottering as if possessed by something.
There was a bizarre-looking monster.
And from that monster’s mouth.
“Just a little more walking and we’ll finally meet.”
I heard a strange voice.
This is... me?
Is this?
The thought crossed my mind, but there was no time to dwell on it.
Because.
Kim Cheonsu was pushing his head towards that monstrous maw lined with razor-sharp fangs.
