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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Blood-Soaked Return
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The Lizardman's movements were frantic.
Because it couldn't see properly out of its eyes.
Claws slicing through empty air.
A tail swaying unsteadily.
-Whish!
-Whish!
-Whish!
Dodging was way too easy.
A Ratman might actually be harder to deal with.
Those things were blind to begin with.
-Puuk!!!
Oh.
The blade felt amazing in my hand.
Nothing like the crude junk from the Ratmen.
It clung perfectly to my grip!
Sank in deep and heavy!
"Kraaaak!!!"
The moment its claws missed, I rammed the sword into its shoulder, and a scream exploded out.
Blood trickled down between the scales.
The scales kept it from bursting out like with the Ratmen.
-Shrash!
This time, the tail.
The Lizardman whipped around its thick, solid tail—thicker and tougher-looking than an adult man's thigh.
I jumped straight over it to dodge, yanking the sword free from its shoulder.
-Pushuk!
Ah.
So that's why no blood was spraying—with the sword plugging the wound.
The instant I pulled it out, blood erupted.
Way slimier than Ratman blood.
'Gotta be careful.'
Right after dodging the tail, I plunged the blade into its other shoulder for good measure.
-Puuk!
"Krak! Kraaaak!!!"
It swung its tail again.
-Whish!
Dodge and yank.
-Puk!
Stab again.
-Whish!
Dodge and yank.
-Puk!
Stab again.
Whish, puk, whish, puk, whish, puk, whish, puk.
Eventually, it turned into a nonstop barrage of puk-puk-puk-puk-puk.
After all those sword strikes, it couldn't even swing its arms anymore.
Just shedding bloody tears, sluggishly wagging its tail.
"You a dog or something? Wagging that tail all over?"
Now I even had the spare breath to crack jokes at a man-eating lizard.
Of course I did.
This was pure, one-sided butchery.
"Kraaak, k-kill, shik, shik, shiik...!"
Suddenly, the Lizardman started backing away.
Even though it knew how humiliating that was.
The terror of being hunted.
By the very prey it had sized up.
Its instincts kicked in before that fear.
Run!
...That primal urge.
"Shiik, shiiiik..."
Through its gooey, blinded eyes and bloody tears, the Lizardman scanned for an escape.
The moment I clocked it.
"..."
For some reason, a deep disappointment washed over me.
'Just this much?'
Before I could pinpoint why.
"Yeah. Time to finish this."
I charged right into the Lizardman's guard.
And jammed the sword into its neck at the same time.
The scales right below the neck were extra thick—the blade barely bit in.
Way tougher than the Ratman.
Had to force it hard to feel it slice.
"Gek...!"
"Aigoo."
Still couldn't drop it in one go.
I knew exactly where to stab.
Just lacked the strength and finesse.
Well, that'd improve with levels, right?
Still just the tutorial, after all...
-Thud!!
The Lizardman's bulk toppled backward.
Its tail twitched—still alive.
One step. Another. I approached the Lizardman.
"Sorry."
"...!"
"I'll make it quick."
Its neck bones were way thicker than a human's or Ratman's.
Took more force to snap.
I planted my foot on the hilt protruding from its neck.
My battered old sneakers pressed down firm.
Leaned my weight in.
-Crack.
Neck bones shattering.
That once-proud tail.
Now mangled and trembling pitifully.
Did every creature feel that crushing dread before death?
'So why am I okay?'
Heavenly Murder Star.
Because of the trait?
How deep did a trait's influence run? How far?
I could barely stomach horror flicks before.
Blood-drenched slashers gave me nightmares that same night.
Now I was offing Lizardmen without batting an eye.
Was I turning psychopath for real?!
'Don't wanna go there...'
The thought didn't last.
I seized the Lizardman's thrashing head.
If you're ending it, make it stick.
I gripped tight the sharp horn sprouting from its skull.
-Rrrrip!
Tore the head clean off.
-Spluuurt!!!
Slimy blood gushed like a waterfall.
Total victory.
Soaked head to toe in the spray, I burst out laughing without thinking.
"Haha, hahaha..."
Relief at still breathing?
Nah, not quite.
Couldn't name the feeling.
Like checking off a must-do.
Refreshing? Cathartic?
"Haha.... Ha. Ha. Ha."
Wow.
I'd lost it for real.
Lizardman blood shower and calling it refreshing?
Straight-up insane.
Cuckoo.
Heavenly Murder Star, whatever.
Guess I was a psycho now.
'But...'
To survive this place, maybe losing it was the play?
Someone said it once.
To make it in a mad world.
You gotta get mad right back.
Did I need to?
Might as well...
-Zzzt!
Then.
-Kieee!
Like it was backing my thoughts.
-Kiiiiik!
Ratman shrieks echoing from afar.
Another pack, no doubt.
Stumbled on their dead kin along my trail.
Scent would lead 'em right here soon.
-Kiiiiii!
-Kik! Kick!
Ratmen emerging one after another.
I readjusted my grip on the sword, dropped into stance.
Battle high still buzzing?
Laughter bubbled up with the thrill.
Good.
Let's see how many I could one-shot this round.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Entry lounge.
Chairs sat empty after all the aspirants filed into the tutorial.
Enforcers stood by out front.
Enforcers.
New role born from the incident where Park Jung-bae—successful tutorial returnee—slaughtered the entire Babel Tower Climber Management Bureau crew waiting for him.
Mental shocks or god complexes from the tower spilling into reality? Not uncommon.
Enforcers protected hunters themselves, and civilians, from fallout like that.
Essential everywhere—not just Korea, but Japan, China, the US, Europe, too.
Minimum level 10 hunters only.
Level 1 to 10 was a chasm; a level 10 enforcer could handle any fresh tutorial returnee easy.
Up till now.
"How many coming back this time?"
"Dunno. One'd be a miracle."
Truth was, enforcer gigs were cushy as hell.
Handful ever crawled back from tutorial alive.
One a month, tops.
Maybe two.
Whole lot of months with zip.
Ten a year? Jackpot.
So the enforcers bullshitting without a care? Made sense.
"Six hours to go?"
"Yeah. If it's a survival war."
Survival war? Odds dropped even lower.
No phones allowed in the entry lounge anyway.
Enforcers just watched the countdown tick down, slow as molasses.
Fastest tutorial clear on record: three hours.
Under two hours passed now.
Lounge stayed dead quiet.
Or it should've.
-Tssstss...
-Tssstss...
Weird static from the empty chairs. The two enforcers whipped around, startled.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Enforcers, prepare for suppression. -3. -2. -1.
And then.
-Pop!
-Pop!
Tutorial returnees materialized.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
-Puk!
The instant the sword pierced the Ratman's neck.
Nausea slammed me like a truck.
Dizzy as hell.
Air curtain. Skyscraper elevator. Roller coaster.
All three on loop.
Exact same as tutorial entry.
'Ah, over already?'
No clue how many I bagged.
Figured wiping 'em all out was the ticket home, so I did.
Ratmen and...
Whatever else like 'em.
Who knows.
Midway through, I went full trance-mode slaughter.
Anyway.
All dead, so back I came?
Least a hundred, two hundred maybe...
Quit counting somewhere along the line.
Monsters kept popping like it was extermination war.
Just blanked out and hacked away.
Whatever.
Bit queasy aside, holding up fine.
Think so?
"Ughhh..."
Returning hurt worse than monster-slaying.
Squeezed my eyes shut till the churn settled.
Felt okay-ish, so I cracked 'em open and scanned around.
"Uh..."
Outta five chairs, the end one.
One other soul besides me.
A woman.
No idea who.
Never crossed paths, never chatted.
Anyway.
Didn't look like the cafeteria-complainer uncle type.
Who bailed on entry and hung back.
So she survived and returned too, huh.
She stared right back at me.
Frowning a touch, nausea probably, like me.
"..."
"..."
Silence hung a beat.
What do you even say here?
Hello?
Nice to meet ya?
Congrats?
"...You made it."
Solid, neutral line.
She nodded, seemed so.
"Even tumbling through dogshit fields, this world's still better."
"..."
"Pay off debts."
"..."
"Nice. Real nice."
I flashed a big grin.
My version of aspirant-to-aspirant warmth.
Not my usual MO to chat up strangers.
Why this?
Heavenly Murder Star tweaking my personality too?
Whatever. She flinched at the smile.
"...!"
Oh yeah.
Blood-soaked head to toe right now.
"Ah, this? Uh, circumstances..."
Trying to laugh it off and explain.
-Bzzz!
The sealed entry lounge door slid open.
Combat-ready agents with drawn blades filed in, steps cautious.
"Freeze!"
Huh?
I ain't done shit?
Raised both hands sky-high first thing.
Agents trained blades on me, radioed in.
"Two returnees. Survivors confirmed."
"One looks bad off. Check for frenzy first."
Injured? Her?
Why they eyeballing me?
Staring blank at the agents, nametags finally registered.
[Enforcer]
Right. Pre-entry briefing.
Enforcers rushed in first post-return, thanks to that old murder case.
Hands still up.
Plastered on my most harmless smile.
"I'm good!"
Two enforcers eyed me, baffled.
"This ain't my blood!"
Now they looked straight-up dubious.
"Ratmen! Lizardmen! Vampire blood!"
Finally, pure disbelief.
Enforcers swapped looks.
"..."
"..."
Radioed up pronto.
"Director. Frenzy confirmed."