Chapter 84

Meanwhile, Cho-i, who was inside the room, had now half-succeeded in molting. The sight of the shell, exactly like her, breaking into pieces was disgusting to look at, but she endured the pain and began to pull her body out of the shell. Enduring the sensation of her skin being peeled, Cho-i squinted her eyes tightly.

“Gasp— Haa.”

Rip— Crack— The shed skin behind her split in half once more, and Cho-i was slowly pushing her body out through the gap. Why am I going through this pain? While others are living successful lives with normal items, why only me? Such despair and hatred writhed like hundreds of snakes coiled in her stomach. It’s unfair, this is unfair. She felt her head spinning as she endured the molting, which was twice as painful due to her skill. Rip— And with another burst of strength, she pushed her body out of the shell.

“Haaa… haha, hahaha, damn it!”

Now half of her was completely out of the shell. Cho-i endured the pain, which felt like a knife deeply embedded, and started to pull out her lower body, gripping the sheet. Tear— The sensation of the shed skin detaching from her skin was the pain of her skin being carved out. She used all her strength to get out of the shell.

“Ugh—! Hah! Aaah!”

It was almost the end. She felt the sensation of her flesh being peeled from her fingertips and pulled her body out with all her might. And before long, with a light click, her body came out of the shell. Even so, the pain did not stop. Her newly formed skin was so delicate that even a slight brush against the sheet felt like a blade cutting her. She immediately deactivated her skill and shouted.

“Taehyeok Sa! Taehyeok Sa!”

She curled up and called for Taehyeok Sa. And as soon as she called, the door burst open. She reached out her hand towards him and said.

“Pain, painkiller! Give me painkillers!” “Just a moment, Myeongok Shin!” “Are you okay now?”

Myeongok Shin, the only S-Rank healer of the Paehyeok Guild. She rushed into the room, out of breath. She was surprised once at the shed skin on the bed and then looked at Cho-i Hyeon. Cho-i Hyeon was grimacing in the excruciating pain.

“Quickly, ah, aaah! It hurts!” “Wait, just a moment…”

Even without fully grasping the situation, she immediately cast a skill for Cho-i Hyeon.

[Casting skill Pain Control!]

As Myeongok Shin used the skill, the pain was reduced by about half. The pain alone became bearable for Cho-i. This was because the pain she had felt until now was too immense. As Cho-i was curled up sobbing, Taehyeok Sa soon brought a large blanket-like object and wrapped it around her body. Cho-i Hyeon knew that this was the best option for now, even though even brushing against the blanket was painful, so she quietly gritted her teeth.

“What in the world is that?”

Myeongok Shin pointed at the shed skin that Cho-i Hyeon had cast off. The shed skin looked like a reptile’s shed skin, or perhaps an insect’s. It was cracking and breaking, but the shape of a person having shed it was still preserved. Cho-i Hyeon shouted,

“Burn it!”

But Taehyeok Sa had a different idea.

“…How about sending it to the materials research institute?”

Cho-i frowned. Taehyeok Sa sat on the bed, wrapped Cho-i snugly in a blanket, and placed her on his lap. For once, Cho-i Hyeon was still, as if struggling was painful.

“The materials research institute?”

“Yes. Most materials from dungeons go there to be researched and then sold. Some are consumed for research there too.”

“…That’s not a material.”

“But right now, the only place that can research that is the materials research institute. You’re curious about your condition, aren’t you? And what that thing is.”

Cho-i seemed to agree and fell silent. The pain was gradually subsiding. Her sticky skin also seemed to be drying. When Cho-i became unusually quiet, Taehyeok Sa sighed and asked,

“Where did you go and what did you do?”

“…Nothing.”

“Don’t lie.”

“……”

Cho-i pouted and looked away, but Taehyeok Sa didn’t let it slide. So Cho-i finally opened her mouth. With Yeonhan Kim, Myeongok Shin, and Taehyeok Sa’s gazes fixed on her, she had no choice.

“I went to an illegal dungeon at my sister’s request.”

“An illegal dungeon?”

“Even illegal dungeons are all C-Rank or below…”

“S-Rank.”

“What?”

Yeonhan Kim’s eyes widened.

“There’s such a high-ranked illegal dungeon?”

“My sister said it was related to Chinese gangsters, but anyway, she said it wasn’t originally S-Rank. The rank suddenly increased this time, so they needed more S-Rank hunters. And I was called in for that.”

“You went without saying anything?”

Taehyeok Sa stared intently at Cho-i Hyeon, but Cho-i Hyeon nodded as if she felt no guilt at all.

“They said they’d give me a sword if I went there.”

“A sword? The sword you lost at the auction back then?”

Yeonhan Kim asked, and Cho-i Hyeon affirmed.

“Yes.”

“So, did you get it?”

“I got it.”

“Did you go alone?”

“No, I was with another hunter from China.”

“Which Chinese hunter?”

“Zhu Rui?”

Yeonhan Kim frowned, as if he knew something. China had a policy of forced conscription for Hunters, so most Hunters were resorting to illegal routes. And that became the catalyst for the Black Society’s growth. Zhu Rui was quite a celebrity among them. Not globally, but someone whose name you might hear through word of mouth.

“So, nothing else happened?”

When Taehyeok Sa asked in a very anxious tone, Cho-i avoided his gaze. Taehyeok Sa’s gaze immediately followed her. So she looked away in another direction again. Taehyeok Sa finally pressed his forehead against Cho-i’s and asked again.

“Was there anything else?”

“…Well, Zhu Rui died.”

“Died? In the dungeon?”

“Hmm… In a very small, cozy country house?”

Yeonhan Kim briefly held his forehead.

“Did you kill him?”

“Well, he started the fight first.”

“You kill someone for starting a fight?”

Myeongok Shin exclaimed in surprise. Then Cho-i Hyeon added, as if making an excuse,

“To be precise, he tried to kill me first!”

“Why?”

“He said I killed all his subordinates.”

“Why ‘he said I killed’?”

“Because I don’t remember.”

At those words, Taehyeok Sa frowned intensely.

“Did you use ‘that skill’?”

“That’s a bit strange. I never used that skill.”

“You never used it?”

“Yeah, a strange alarm popped up, and soon…”

Cho-i recalled the notification window that had appeared before her eyes then.

[□□□□□’s □ has □□ □!] [□□□□□’s □ is □□!]

That unreadable notification window… Wait, was it really unreadable? Cho-i began to recall the memory more closely. The blanks in her mind soon became letters. Perhaps she could read it because something had changed. Cho-i looked at the shed skin she had cast off. And she murmured the contents of the notification window that came to mind.

“The Queen Mantis Egg has cracked….”

When Cho-i spoke aloud, everyone looked at her as if asking what she was talking about. Cho-i continued, her face pale.

“The Queen Mantis Egg is hatching.”

Unconsciously, she clutched her lower abdomen. Something inside her had finally hatched. Her eyes widened. That shed skin was proof that something had hatched and grown. She suddenly began to retch from the nausea that welled up.

“Ugh, ugh.”

“Cho-i Hyeon!”

As her condition changed again, Taehyeok Sa supported her and headed to the bathroom. Cho-i Hyeon broke free from his embrace and began to vomit into the toilet. Since she hadn’t eaten anything, only bile came up, and she panted as she lifted her head.

“Damn, why is my life so messed up?”

“…First, let’s find out what that shed skin is.”

“You shut up for a moment. You also played a part in making my life messed up.”

At those words, Taehyeok Sa fell silent. Yeonhan Kim, who had followed them, asked,

“Should we keep an eye on the Black Society’s movements?”

“That would be good.”

Yeonhan Kim nodded and left Taehyeok Sa’s house. Myeongok Shin was waiting as Cho-i Hyeon, wrapped in a blanket, stumbled out of the bathroom.

“So, what’s going on?”

Only then did Taehyeok Sa realize that he hadn’t explained anything to Myeongok Shin. Taehyeok Sa looked at Cho-i Hyeon as if asking if he could explain, and Cho-i nodded. She then immediately went to the sofa and lay down on her stomach. Taehyeok Sa went and sat next to where Cho-i Hyeon was crumpled up.

“First, come and sit here.”

“Alright.”

Myeongok Shin sat opposite Taehyeok Sa and looked at Cho-i Hyeon. Her face was pale, and she didn’t seem to be in good condition. Myeongok Shin asked Taehyeok Sa,

“So, what exactly is this situation?”

“First, let me tell you just one thing.”

“What is it?”

“You know that high-grade items come out of hidden dungeons, right?”

“That’s right?”

“The item that Hunter Cho-i Hyeon got from the hidden dungeon is a bit peculiar.”

“How is it peculiar?”

“It doesn’t die.”

Then Myeongok Shin frowned deeply.

“What did you say?”

“As soon as she equipped that item, something entered Hunter Cho-i Hyeon’s body. And because of that, Hunter Cho-i Hyeon doesn’t die, even if her head is cut off or her heart stops.”

“Such…”

Myeongok Shin covered her mouth, as if unable to believe it. Taehyeok Sa glanced at Cho-i Hyeon, who was still wrapped in a blanket and groaning.

“And it seems something has hatched in her stomach. I think this molting is also related to that.”

“A human molting…”

“First, I’ll have to send that shed skin to the materials research institute. We’ll have to hide that it’s human shed skin, but…”

“I understand for now. More importantly, then that hunter doesn’t need a healer, right?”

“That’s right.”

Myeongok Shin looked at Cho-i Hyeon with a strange expression.

“It’s a good thing I’m about to retire.”

“Retire? What retirement? Hunters don’t retire.”

“Anyway, always making people work.”

Myeongok Shin said that and stood up. Taehyeok Sa followed her out.

“Don’t see me off. I’ll get attached.”

“I’m already attached. Go carefully.”

“If anything happens, call me again. I know that hunter doesn’t need a healer, but it seems she needs pain medication.”

“…Alright.”