The creature—no, the abomination—lowered its grotesque head into the remains of Sang-Woo.
Wet, meaty crunches filled the alleyway.
Its metallic jaw clamped, ground, and chewed, spraying red across the cracked pavement like a butcher's gutter. One of its mouths—splitting like a five-petaled flower—twitched with delight, each tooth a chainsaw working in tandem.
Seo-Yeon dropped to her knees.
No scream. No sobbing. Just silence.
Tears streamed quietly down her blank face, cutting trails through the dust on her cheeks. Her arms hung limply at her sides, her fingers twitching as if they were trying to hold on to something—*someone*—already gone.
Then, violently, she vomited.
"Se...Seo-Yeon!" In-Ji was shouting, gripping her shoulders. "Snap out of it! Look at me!"
But her eyes stared past him. Wide. Glassy. Empty. Like she was watching a memory on repeat—and couldn't stop it.
Ye-Rin clutched her mouth. Pale. Frozen. Her coat slid off one shoulder, but she didn't move to catch it. Her eyes were locked on the monster, the thing that had just eaten someone who was alive a moment ago.
And the beast... didn't even notice us.
It just kept eating.
Grinding flesh. Sucking marrow. Its many tails—hundreds of wire-like appendages—slithered across the alley floor, twitching as if they had minds of their own.
It didn't see us as threats. That is the most horrifying feeling I have ever had in my life.
I looked down. The tiny spider monkey clung to my hand—barely the size of a melon, trembling. Its black eyes locked onto mine like it *knew* what was coming.
A faint notification hovered just behind my vision:
[Do you accept this as your pet?]
[Yes] / [No]
I didn't hesitate.
[Yes]
[Do you want to start Beastification?]
[Yes] / [No]
Bang. Bang. Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang!
Gunfire shattered the stillness. Seven shots rang through the alley, echoing like thunder.
In-Ji stood in the middle of the road, arms extended, eyes blazing. The bullets sparked off the creature's metallic joints—some pierced the flesh between its plated armor. The beast screeched, a horrible blend of a horse's cry and a machine's wail.
It stopped eating.
And turned.
Blue light flashed in my vision:
Name:[None]
Race:Chalybotaur Age:3 Days
Nature: Gluttony
Title: (Candidate for Boss)
Level:12
Strength: 320
HP: 280
Agility:280
Stamina:180
Mana:50
Nature : Gluttony
Can steal the ability of prey. Usable once.
Its head twisted in sharp mechanical ticks. Steam hissed from vents behind its ears. Its wire tails rose—like spears ready to strike.
I didn't wait.
My bones cracked.
My vision doubled.
My body shrank, warped, split—and reformed. Fur erupted across my skin. My spine stretched. My arms doubled. My tail swelled until it trailed behind me like a whip.
[Beastification: Spider Monkey Variant – Activated]
"Let's go," I hissed through gritted teeth.
A sticky strand launched from my tail gland, catching a rooftop. I swung hard, fast, slamming a kick into the Chalybotaur's jaw. Its heads barely budged.
It turned toward me, mouth opening—
"Curse of Slowness!"
Mi-Sun's voice echoed. A faint blue shimmer wrapped around the monster. Its movements faltered.The air around the beast shimmered like heatwaves. Its movements became sluggish, as if the world were pushing against it.
I jabbed my staff between its jaws—SNAP!—wedged it open.
And finally, Ye-Rin blinked.
She stood up, trembling. Her hand reached out and, without knowing why,With a scream, she flew through the air, crashing her knee into the beast's gut. The impact sent it skidding backward, slamming into the wall.
I webbed its limbs and torso down in a flurry of thwips. "Pin it!" I shouted.
In-Ji reloaded. Fired again. Seven more shots slammed into its chest and shoulder.
Nothing.
It tore the webbing free like paper.
It crushed my staff between its teeth—splinters of obsidian scattered across the ground.
I fired webs again, pinning its legs to the walls, swung under its chest, slashing with claws, ducked a tail swipe, and climbed up its side like a feral cat.
Then the horse roared, its tails snapping all at once.
Before I could retreat, its tails lashed.
CRACK!
One caught my leg midair.
It whipped me like a toy.
I was thrown into the wall. Cracked concrete.. Something popped in my side.
~Warning: HP below 20%
~Your tamed pet is attempting to take over control.
Pain blinded me. Blood ran from my mouth.
But I felt something warm—a pulse.
[Shin Mi-Sun is using: False Healing]
~ HP Restored: +50%
I gasped.
Then screamed."WATCH OUT!". A tail slammed into Mother's chest and sent her flying through a storefront window.
"Mom!" Ye-Rin shouted.running toward her.
But more tails came.She dashed forward—only for more tails to whip through the air.
In-Ji pushed forward,in rage. Shot. Reload. Shot again. The last bullet scraped the Chalybotaur's eye. It shrieked.
A tail lashed out-faster than thought-and coiled around In-Ji's ankle. One tug. CRASH! His body slammed against the concrete like a doll. He didn't scream. Just groaned. Bleeding.
Ye-Rin tried to leap onto its back—only to get kicked by its hind legs. Her body slammed into a tower frame across the street.
Blood trailed down her head.
I rose. Shaky. My webs fired fast—looping around the beast's neck, trying to choke it out. I swung in hard with a flying punch.
It didn't even flinch.
It grabbed me again. Threw me like trash.
I hit the ground and skidded.
~ Warning: HP below 10%
~ Beastification is being forcefully removed.
The baby monkey stumbled next to me. Bleeding. Breathing heavy.
My arms were broken. Ribs shattered. Muscles torn.
The Chalybotaur looked down at me.
It laughed.
Then—it turned.
Toward Seo-Yeon.
She hadn't moved since Sang-Woo died.
But now… her eyes were glowing.
A faint red circle expanded under her feet. The wind went still. The concrete beneath her cracked.
I stared.
"What..."
[New System Function Unlocked: Hidden Nature Awakening]
[Seo-Yeon – Nature: Telekinetic Berserker (LOCKED)]
[Trigger Condition: Psychological Overload – Severe Emotional Trauma]
[Temporary Access Granted]
She stepped forward.
The air around her warped. Streetlamps shattered. The beast froze.
For the first time—it backed away.
Her voice was a whisper.
"I told him I'd stay close… I told him I'd make it..."
Then—
She screamed.
BOOM.
The world broke.
The ground heaved. Street tiles shattered like glass, cars flipped into the air like leaves in a storm. A wave of invisible pressure burst outward, folding metal and cracking bone. The Chalybotaur was lifted off its hooves, slammed into a building so hard the wall caved in.
Metal cracked. Bone shattered.
The beast screeched.
And Seo-Yeon—collapsed.
Unconscious.
But before silence returned, a final system message flickered in purple:
~ Nature: Gluttony
~ [STALKER] has been used