Chapter 178

“Impressive. Have you already found and eliminated the master of the flute?”

“They used a very peculiar ability, but their innate strength wasn’t that great. And my bullets are exceptionally effective against enemies like that.”

As Katia playfully drew the revolver from her waist and spun it, the slightly stiff atmosphere among the group softened.

“By the way, you said the Headless Prisoner’s true identity…?”

“To be precise, the ‘prisoner’ was merely a wraith born from being drawn to that entity. We had misunderstood the true meaning of the rumors from the start.”

“If that bizarre entity is as powerful as you say… it might be dangerous to provoke it recklessly,” Mary murmured, her expression hardening with worry, and Taewoon gave a light nod in agreement.

“Although a new headache has been added, we have achieved our immediate goal of eliminating the three Aberrations. I’m thinking of expanding our radius of activity; what are your thoughts on this?”

“I agree. We can’t stay near this mansion forever. The problems in the Tehesa region aren’t the kind that can be solved by dealing with just one or two Aberrations.”

That night, having finished preparations for the journey, Taewoon took out the Nameless Mask he had obtained upon entering the Theater to check its condition.

‘…As I thought, the color has changed slightly.’

At first, he thought it was just his imagination, but looking at it now, there was definitely a change.

However, he still had no clue how to utilize it.

‘An entity that lost its body, leaving only the head.’

To face that immense being he had glimpsed, what kind of future would he have to envision?

Honestly, Taewoon knew all too well that this was an absurd, forced situation.

But he had to succeed. Otherwise, everything would be over.

“…….”

Perhaps the situation Taewoon found himself in was not much different from this ‘Dawn’s Daybreak’ Theater.

The world was racing toward a foretold end, and the situation in South Korea outside the Theater was no different.

In a way, this was a kind of rehearsal. Thinking of it that way actually put his mind at ease.

‘The next place to head is Chesa Village in the mountainous region?’

The rumors circulating there seemed ordinary at first glance.

Stories about a man-eating anomaly living in the forest, or the appearance of a strange bird that brings misfortune.

However, now that the world had become like this, there was no guarantee that those things were simple or insignificant Aberrations.

Even the slightest lapse in vigilance could easily lead to a great disaster.

“We’ve traveled quite a distance… but I don’t see any traces of beasts.”

“Animals are more sensitive to sinister energy than humans are, so they would have moved their dwellings long ago or become victims.”

As they headed toward the village entrance, an old man with a dark complexion spotted Taewoon’s group and reacted ambiguously—neither welcoming nor rejecting them.

Perhaps, with the ominous rumors spreading, he hadn’t expected people to visit such a remote mountain village.

After a moment, the old man called over a middle-aged man who seemed to be the village representative, and the man cautiously spoke to Taewoon’s group.

“It’s been a long time since outsiders have visited. However… the village is currently not in a position to entertain you.”

“We are not travelers, but Solvers of the Dawn Assembly who have come with the goal of stabilizing the Tehesa region. You can rest assured that we have no intention of burdening you.”

“Solvers… Could it be that the Duke sent a commission?”

In fact, the Duke’s private soldiers used to visit this village occasionally to solve various problems, but it seemed those visits had ceased several months ago.

‘The Duke’s forces lost half their strength in the fight against the anomalies… they probably didn’t have the leisure to care for the residents of these outlying villages.’

Regardless, since they had come to solve the problems, there was no reason for the villagers to not welcome Taewoon’s group.

The man provided Taewoon’s group with two small log cabins and handed over some food, asking them for their help.

“The forest is vast… but if we scatter, I feel the probability of our paths diverging unnecessarily will only increase.”

“I agree. Given the previous incident with the Headless Prisoner, it would be better to act together this time.”

Taewoon’s group spent a day preparing and discussing which direction to start exploring the forest from. As soon as the next morning arrived, they entered the forest and began searching the entrance thoroughly.

“There doesn’t seem to be anything noteworthy.”

“That’s only natural, right? No matter what anomaly it is, it wouldn’t boldly roam the forest in broad daylight.”

However, they had established the necessary foundation and mapped the forest’s geography in their minds.

Even when night fell, they would be able to track the movements of the anomalies more efficiently.

The cries of birds, which had been absent until now, began to echo, and soon the dark night arrived as the sun set.

“Let’s… start moving.”

Having analyzed the residents’ testimonies and the terrain, they had narrowed down several locations where the creatures were likely to appear.

Taewoon’s group explored the forest meticulously, leaving no stone unturned, and did not neglect to check on the state of the village.

But.

‘There are no particular traces?’

This time, the situation was different from when they chased the Headless Prisoner.

The prisoner had used a special ability to hide its location and Presence, but now, they couldn’t find any trace that the creatures had even existed.

“What happened?”

Mary tilted her head in confusion, and Katia fell into thought with a grim expression.

Frederick, who had been staring intently at something for a long time, began to share what he had discovered with the group.

“These are human traces. I heard the villagers haven’t entered the forest recently… so there’s a high possibility they are outsiders.”

“If that’s the case…”

“Followers of the Apocalypse Society might be in this forest.”

Indeed, Frederick had previously testified that he was chased by them in the Hisham Forest.

Although the location was different, it was possible that they preferred to set up base in secluded forests like this.

‘Then is one of their goals also to make contact with the Aberrations of the Tehesa region?’

If these were truly their traces, it seemed unlikely they had come to this Tigram Forest for no reason.

And what else would they be interested in other than the anomalies from the rumors?

“It seems… we might have to change our objective slightly.”

“Would it be better to track their traces as they are?”

“Yes. If we can’t find traces of the Aberrations, it’ll just be a waste of time. It’s better to track them and uncover the truth of the situation.”

Thus, Taewoon’s group changed their objective and tracked the traces of the humans who had entered the forest. Before dawn, they managed to find a man in a robe heading secretly toward a certain location.

“That specific pattern… he is definitely a Follower of the Apocalypse Society.”

“If we follow him, we might be able to find their hideout.”

Taewoon’s group followed the man without hesitation and soon witnessed a mysterious cave hidden deep in the mountains.

“If we enter further, there might be a clash. What should we do?”

“Since things have turned out this way… we can’t afford not to check. It would be wise to be prepared to subdue them in case of emergency.”

Taewoon’s group prepared for combat and approached the entrance of the cave, following the man.

“The door is hidden. Can you break through?”

“Leave this to me.”

Frederick held up the lantern he had used previously, casting a bright light, and soon the hidden secret door of the cave began to reveal itself to reality.

“They will likely notice our approach soon. Let’s enter without delay.”

Taewoon’s group quickly traversed the cave and ran deeper inside, and as expected, they clashed with several Apocalypse Society Followers who were on guard.

“Who are you!”

“Could it be, the dogs of the Assembly?”

Before they could even realize it, Katia’s bullets, fired swiftly, drew lines in the air, which soon transformed into glowing threads, perfectly sealing their bodies and mouths.

“Mmph!”

“Mmmph! Mmph!”

“Is it okay to just leave them like this?”

“Well, if we kill them all, there’s no room for negotiation… so let’s observe the situation first.”

Mary gave an awkward smile at Katia’s bloodthirsty words, and soon Taewoon’s group was able to enter the depths of the cave, which had grown even larger.

“This is…”

“Quite a sight. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they’ve set up an entire laboratory.”

Frederick muttered in disbelief, and soon a group of people appeared from the inner part of the cave, blocking Taewoon’s group’s path.

“Uninvited guests have arrived. To think you’d sneakily rummage through someone’s home in the middle of the night.”

“What on earth are you doing here? If you don’t reveal your secrets obediently, we will have no choice but to take necessary measures.”

“Ha! What have you done until now? You left the forest monsters and the bird of misfortune that tormented the residents here completely alone. Are you pretending to be Saints now?”

A white-haired old man clicked his tongue repeatedly with an utterly brazen attitude and began to criticize the Assembly’s Solvers.

“Despite refusing the end, you possess neither the correct solution nor a sense of responsibility. There are none more full of vanity than the idiots of your Assembly.”

“Cut the nonsense. Do you think such an excuse can justify your actions?”

“When the end arrives, everyone in the world will know. Exactly whose choice was correct.”

Having finished his words, the old man struck the ground with his staff, generating a wave of unknown power.

And deep within the cave, in an area that had not yet reached Taewoon’s detection range, something with an ominous gaze opened its eyes.

That intense gaze began to pierce through Taewoon’s group, whose expressions had hardened.