Chapter 31

Chapter 031 : Night Stalker

‘Combat comes first for now…!’

I fought back without even having time to judge the source of that strange feeling.

When I blocked its claws with the flat of my blade, crimson sparks flew, and for one instant, the body of a black jaguar optimized for ambush revealed itself.

“Ghk…!”

I fell back under its weight, immediately kicked the bastard in the abdomen, and righted my stance.

I swiftly swung my sword in a counterattack, but the jaguar vanished without a trace, leaving only its bright yellow eye-glow behind.

｢[Night Stalker] has hidden in the shadows!｣

｢This monster can freely conceal and reveal itself through the ‘Dark Leap’ Skill. Use caution!｣

Just as I was chasing the monster’s presence, a low growl came from a corner of the spacious tent.

“There!!”

I immediately thrust my longsword, but the bastard vanished into the darkness again as if toying with me.

The blade that lost its target merely cut through an innocent candlestick.

At the same time, the light behind my back flickered and went out with a pfft—.

The moment I realized its true intent, chills dug through my entire body.

‘It’s putting out the lights inside the tent…!’

I couldn’t understand it.

A [Night Stalker] shouldn’t have this kind of intelligence.

For a brief moment, I was flustered by the abnormal phenomenon unfolding before my eyes and the candles going out one after another. Then a burst of agony surged through my left arm.

“Ghk―?!”

Clutching my blood-soaked forearm, I used my wits to slice open the tent with my blade and burst outside.

‘I have to light up the area…!’

I had placed lanterns with ignition stones all over the clearing, so if I activated them according to plan, I should be able to seal off the bastard’s ability.

But the moment the moonlight fell over the grassland, I had no choice but to stare in shock.

Every single lantern had been smashed as if they had taken a direct hit from a typhoon.

‘Did it see through and disable all my traps in that short time…?!’

“Goddamn it─!!”

─Grrrrr....

A leopard pattern so bewitching it was almost cruel faintly reflected the moonlight, then slid out of sight.

I clenched my teeth without even having time to feel the pain and chased the enemy that had hidden in the darkness.

‘Damn it… where is it…?’

My heart thundered under the extreme tension.

It felt as if death itself had me in its sights.

As I desperately tracked the enemy’s presence, one fact came to mind.

‘Feline predators have a habit of aiming for their prey’s back…!’

Then where would the bastard appear?

“Here!!”

The moment I heard a rustle, I swung my sword behind me.

But an instant before that, agony crashed through my shoulder.

“Ghk…!”

What the hell was wrong? Was my timing late?

I desperately endured the pain and sharpened my senses.

Each time I whipped around, I met a bright yellow eye-glow circling the clearing at ease, waiting for an opportunity.

The moment that glow vanished, the Night Stalker appeared within arm’s reach, raked my limbs, and disappeared again.

Even while staggering, I thrust my blade with all my might.

But the Night Stalker melted back into the darkness like a mirage.

Before I could even catch my breath, agony flared from my left calf this time.

Once again, the Night Stalker leisurely vanished into the shadows as if laughing at me.

‘It’s too fast…!’

It was already agile to begin with, and with stealth on top of that, I couldn’t possibly keep up with my speed.

No, it wasn’t simply fast.

Rustle―!

“There!!”

In that instant, at the sound of grass being stepped on, I turned and swung my sword.

But when I realized the true source of the sound, I had no choice but to go pale.

A bundle of candles I had left in the tent was rolling on the ground.

“Fuck!!”

The moment I realized it was a trap, I instinctively threw myself aside to dodge.

But I was one step too late, and its claws tore through my robe and dug into my side.

I clenched my teeth and thrust my sword in the direction the attack had come from, but the blade only cut through empty air.

─Grrrrr....

The Night Stalker stared at me as if mocking me, then vanished into the darkness again.

“Damn it….”

Its Agility surpassed my stats, and it was even intelligent, which made it twice as troublesome.

At this rate, I was obviously going to die while being played with.

I needed a trump card to turn this situation around.

For a moment, the thought of transforming into an undead crossed my mind, but I bit my lip as I staunched the blood from my side.

‘No… I can’t do that….’

If I transformed here, it might work for the moment, but it would cause problems later.

If the fight dragged on, witnesses would inevitably appear.

But if I tried to run, it would immediately bite through my nape and kill me.

‘Damn it… if I could raise my Agility stat even a little more, I think I could somehow manage.’

The Night Stalker was a monster with a weak body. If I could somehow land a single blow, I had a chance to win.

Radi should be watching for a sniping chance by now too.

The moment I thought that far, my body was already moving.

I kicked over the brazier I had lit at the tent entrance and shouted.

“Fire!!”

｢The brazier’s flames engulf the tent!｣

｢The villages near Medaollinum are extremely dry due to the recent stretch of arid weather! Beware of a large fire!｣

｢If the flames grow larger, nearby merchants will gather.｣

‘Good! It’s burning well…!’

At this point, it was all or nothing.

If I was worried about witnesses, then I might as well make the stage bigger.

In front of the flustered Night Stalker, I started breaking every piece of furniture and equipment inside the tent that I could reach and shouted again.

“Fire!!”

｢The flames are burning even more fiercely!｣

｢The merchants who sensed something strange wake from sleep! Bleary-eyed, they shout about what the guards were doing while the fire grew this large!｣

｢The merchants are running over with baskets of water!｣

｢Strength and Agility increase by 3 each!｣

─Grrrrk…?!

When the great blaze rose, the Night Stalker hesitated and stared with bewildered eyes.

The tent just so happened to be full of straw beds and wooden furniture prepared to disguise it as an ordinary dwelling.

I would have to compensate them later, but with my life on the line, what did a few silver coins matter?

‘The flames erased the shadows, so it won’t be able to ambush me from behind anymore.’

It was different from my original plan, but I had sealed off its ability either way, so wasn’t that good enough?

I didn’t stop there. I kicked burning firewood in every direction and shouted like a madman.

“Hehe!! It burns well, it burns! Let it all burn down!!”

The grass everywhere just happened to be soaked with oil spilled from the broken lanterns, so the moment the embers touched it, it blazed up fiercely.

The merchants who came rushing over in a panic saw me, dropped their baskets of water, and immediately shouted.

“O-oh no!! That crazy arsonist is setting the field on fire!! Drag him out right now!”

“But… isn’t he fighting something? Could that be the monster from the rumors?”

“Black fur… a sleek body… That’s right! That’s the monster!!”

｢The merchants are horrified after seeing you setting fires everywhere!｣

｢They are furious at your incomprehensible bizarre conduct, but they cannot easily approach.｣

｢If you defeat that detestable monster, the merchants will not hold you responsible for the arson!｣

｢Strength and Agility increase by 6 each!｣

The flames that had fed on dry wood stained the sky red, and the crimson blood streaming down my arms and legs painted over the grass.

Each time the merchants who had seen the fire arrived in groups of three and five, cries of shock rang out, and I felt my stats rise.

The Night Stalker, growing impatient at the spectators gathering on the hill, unleashed a furious assault, but I calmly held it off with the flat of my blade.

Once Dark Leap was sealed off and my Agility stat caught up somewhat, I felt its combat power drop sharply.

“Haha! You’ve suddenly gotten slow. Did you sprain a leg or something?!”

─Grrrrk!!

With the flames at my back, I answered savagely.

The more violently I swung my sword, the more intense our exchange became.

But at the same time, I felt my limit.

‘Damn it, the blood loss…!’

The damage that had accumulated in the previous fight was too severe.

I was still running around without properly staunching the bleeding, so I could feel my wounds opening wider and wider.

At this rate, hemorrhagic shock would come before long.

‘I need one decisive blow.’

I had to overturn this situation one more time somehow.

Coincidentally, I still had one more card left in my hand.

I had wanted to avoid using this method if possible….

“To hell with it… Hey, you shit-for-brains beast bastard!!”

When the Night Stalker looked back, I abruptly hurled my longsword at it.

The longsword spun through the night and flew.

The bastard lightly jumped over it and looked at me with contempt, but a small silver object that hadn’t been in my hand before was now clenched in my grip.

A crude blade, a Monster Dismantling Dagger.

I reversed my grip and seized it ice-pick style, then—

“…Everyone, watch closely.”

With a bitter curl of my lips, I drove it straight into my own abdomen.

“──────!!!!!!”

The sensation of the blade cutting through skin and digging in struck with vivid clarity.

Every cell in my body screamed and rang an alarm.

But I didn’t stop at once. I drove the dagger down again and again.

Once. Twice. Three times.

Each time I dug through my abdomen with the blade in succession, blood sprayed, and my vision flashed red.

Shing— Each time the chilling blade, barely ten centimeters long, pulled out of the wound, blood gushed out with it.

“Cough─!”

｢The Night Stalker opens its bright yellow eyes wide!｣

｢The merchants are horrified by your incomprehensible self-harm!｣

｢Radi lets out a grief-stricken scream! The blood drains from his face!｣

｢Strength increases by 3, Agility by 9!!｣

｢Intelligence increases by 2, Agility by 7!!｣

｢Agility increases by 4, Luck by 3!!｣

The moment everyone froze at my madness, I was already charging forward.

With the explosive stat increase fueling my sprint, the surrounding scenery streamed behind me like a single shooting star.

The Night Stalker realized it had been deceived and reflexively twisted its body, but it was already too late.

“Leap Forward!!”

I erased the distance in an instant, seized the bastard by the scruff of its neck, and drove the dagger down without hesitation.

When the blade pierced its pelt, blood surged up, and a foul reek stabbed my nose.

Clinging to the back of the bastard as it thrashed like a wild horse, I obsessively tore through its flesh like a madman.

Rip, dig, twist!

Once, then again. Too shallow. Deeper!

I grabbed its lower jaw and stabbed the blade into its head!

It was a primal slaughter with no room for reason to intervene.

Each time the blade sliced through muscle and tendon like a beast’s fangs, the Night Stalker howled in pain.

When the bastard desperately rolled across the ground, dirt forced its way into my mouth, and blood and screams that I could no longer tell belonged to whom mixed together and obscured my sight.

For an instant, the Night Stalker cleverly leaped into the fire in an attempt to shake me off, but—

“Fuck you!!!”

I was used to being burned.

I choked off my breath and endured the searing pain, then sliced through the bastard’s leg and dragged it out of the flames.

When I swiftly stabbed its eyeball with the blade, the jaguar screamed.

─Grrrrrrrr!!!

The bastard slammed its body into the burning wreckage to get away, then swung its claws at me, but I was already one step ahead.

I drove my Agility stat to the limit and charged. I added rotation through my planted foot and dug in even deeper.

When the dagger I had clenched tight pierced through a vital point, bone and muscle split apart with a spine-chilling sound.

I didn’t stop there. After braking, I gouged into the bastard’s chest with the tip of the dagger.

An unquestionably effective hit.

“Cough…! It’s over now.”

Vomiting blood, I approached the Night Stalker from behind. Its movements were clearly slower than before.

But just before I cut its carotid artery, the creature opened its powerful jaws and lunged at my throat.

Warm, lukewarm breath wafted over me as white fangs descended toward the nape of my neck.

A beast’s tenacious final struggle.

‘Ghk…! Was the dagger not enough after all?!’

Just before its jaws closed, my vision turned black.

The moment strength drained from my hand, a streak of silver light split the darkness and arrived.

｢Your companion ‘Radi’ has successfully sniped the target!｣

｢[Night Stalker] has died!｣

｢This feat was possible because you pinned it down!｣

SQUELCH─! At the powerful sound of flesh being pierced, I opened my eyes and saw the beast, already dead, with a bolt lodged in its neck.

With those same eyes that had glared at me hatefully until the final moment, the bastard slowly collapsed.

“D-did we get it…?”

I groaned and sank down.

But before I could even fully lie down on the grass, I felt something soft beneath my head.

When I looked up, Radi, who had run over in a single bound, was holding my head.

“Doran-nim!! Are you alri─?!”

“Ugh… don’t shout in my ear. I thought my eardrum was going to burst….”

“F-first, I have to check your wounds!!”

Radi roughly lifted my shirt.

Between the claw marks left by the beast, clear, unmistakable stab wounds were revealed.

“Why… would you do something like this…?”

“Because it was the surest method.”

“…Pardon?”

“After the second one, I was mostly just pretending to stab. I-it’s fine… More importantly, we need to dismantle this quickly….”

“You’re bleeding everywhere. What nonsense are you talking about!! Right now, you need treatment at the temple…!”

“No, even if we go, we still have to check what needs checking.”

I picked up a piece of burning firewood and stood with the kid supporting me.

In Velheim, monsters never appear for no reason.

If this bastard had appeared here, there had to be a reason.

If it had been driven out by a territorial dispute, it might be a sign that a powerful boss had appeared in the nearby forest.

But as I staunched my wound and shone the firelight over the jaguar’s corpse, I was soon seized by a strong sense that something was off.

“Wait… why is it covered in so many wounds?”

When I examined it closely, the bastard’s pelt was covered all over in scars.

Its claws had been ripped out here and there, and patches of fur were missing, to the point that it could not possibly be used as a specimen or pelt.

As I turned the corpse over here and there with disappointment mixed into my face, Radi spoke quietly.

“…Aren’t those wounds you made, Doran-nim?”

“No. Look carefully. Old scars are mixed in with reopened wounds.”

The injuries weren’t only cuts from swords either. There were fractures, missing claws, self-inflicted injuries, and all sorts of other marks.

I felt like I had definitely seen this kind of scarring somewhere before….

“…Could it have escaped after being locked in a cage?”

“Escaped after being locked up?”

“Yes. I once saw fighting dogs, and its condition is similar to what I saw then. Eye socket fractures from ramming its head against an iron cage, claws ripped out from clawing at the floor… and most decisively, there are scrape marks on its neck. These are chain marks, right?”

“You’re right… Then was it really a monster raised for fighting?”

Compared to Earth, entertainment was less developed here, and monster arenas were very common.

Hadn’t I watched a Monster Circus with Radi today too?

“…But that makes it even stranger, doesn’t it?”

“Pardon? Why…?”

“That means someone captured this bastard and treated it roughly. If they offered it to a king or a noble, this rare monster would easily sell for dozens of gold coins. But they used it in a place like that?”

With a pale face, Radi drew his dismantling dagger.

“D-dozens of gold coins…? It was that rare of a monster?! W-we need to dismantle it quickly, even now…!”

“Don’t. The pelt is too badly damaged, so even if we dismantle it now, we won’t get that kind of money.”

“That cannot be… But now that I hear it, it certainly is strange. There is no way a rare monster arena would exist near a place like this.”

“Exactly. Something doesn’t add up. It’s almost as if it wasn’t raised for money from the beginning….”

…Wait.

Money wasn’t the objective?

“There’s something I need to check.”

I grabbed the hem of my robe and covered the flames.

And then I saw it clearly.

From the body of the Night Stalker, which I had been certain was dead, faint light like snowflakes rose and began to gather in its claws.

“Wh-what is this…?!”

“…….”

Without a word, I watched the phenomenon unfolding before my eyes.

It was such a wondrous sight that I could hardly believe it even while seeing it with my own eyes.

‘…I never imagined I’d actually see this.’

｢You have witnessed the formation process of [Night Stalker’s Rune]!｣

｢This is a sight so rare that even seeing it once in a lifetime is difficult! If you absorb this rune, you can use the Night Stalker’s exclusive Skill [Dark Leap]!｣

The process of a rune forming from a monster’s corpse, of a part of its soul from life being placed into its body.

Unless a being with power on the level of a god fragments their own power, ordinary monster runes commonly form like this.

After the cluster of light subsided, I handled the claw I had taken from the corpse and opened my mouth.

“…Have you heard it before? The story that runes are crystals of obsession and consciousness, and that the more combat a bastard experienced in life, the higher the chance a rune will form.”

“W-wasn’t that a superstition? I heard whether a rune is completely random… and because the probability is so atrocious, research related to it is lacking too.”

“Random… I’m not so sure.”

At least in my experience, having defeated hundreds of thousands, even millions, of monsters, it wasn’t just a simple superstition.

In other words, someone had intentionally raised a Night Stalker in order to extract a rune.

Radi, who had been shocked, brightened as if he had realized something.

“M-more importantly, a rune from such a rare monster! I cannot even guess how much this would go for if we put it up at an auction…!”

“…No. We can’t do anything with this.”

I felt sorry to throw cold water on his joy, but I spoke calmly and collected [Night Stalker’s Rune].

‘Because this rune has a very serious defect.’

Separate from its rarity, it was a so-called suicide rune that killed its user.

That made it all the stranger.

Who would raise a Night Stalker while giving up a fortune for a rune with a low formation probability that couldn’t even be used properly?

No matter how I thought about it, no suitable person came to mind.

…No, there was one target that did come to mind.

In my experience, when something this hopelessly bizarre happened, it usually wasn’t a human, but….

“…To hell with it. It’s not like I can ask directly.”

“Doran-nim?”

“I need to rest now. The rest… I’m leaving it to you.”

I flopped down on the grass and closed my eyes.

I had been holding out through sheer mental strength, but I was nearing my limit.

“Doran-nim?! W-wait…! Doran-nim!! Stay with me! I-if you sleep now, you’ll die!!”

With Radi’s urgent voice calling my name in the background, I quickly lost consciousness.