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Chapter 480: The Butcher [6]

“…..”

I came to a stop.

Turning my wrist and checking the time, I frowned.

“I’ve been here for more than two hours.”

Time flew by before I knew it.

’No, it’s more like I never had enough to think about how much time has passed.’

I spent the entire time fighting anomalies while also chasing the ’boss’. And yet, this very ’boss’ appeared to be hiding from me. This was despite using the glasses in order to attract its attention.

“In the end… You haunt me, and yet, you don’t even bother doing anything to me when I show up in front of you.”

It may seem like two hours wasn’t much, but there was no guarantee the Gate didn’t have some kind of time dilation. Did time inside the gate flow the same as outside?

I didn’t know, and as such, I needed to be as fast as possible to make sure unexpected situations wouldn’t occur.

’Then again, I’m sure the Guild Master will back me up if I really take too long.’

Still, I had already grown sick of this place.

I wanted to go back as fast as possible.

“I guess this is of no use to me.”

Putting the compass away, I decided to head for the next area.

Clank!

Moving past the next door, I expected to see the same layout I’d encountered the previous times, but the moment I stepped into the new room, I was met with a warm and damp air that contrasted sharply with what I’d encountered before.

I paused dead in my tracks.

’…Something is different.’

TAK! TAK!

A sharp cleaving sound echoed.

The sound rang out loudly, each strike cutting through the air with the force and clarity of a bolt of lightning.

TAK!

I felt the floor shiver faintly under the repeated impacts.

Warmth pressed against my face, humid enough to make the skin under my eyes prickle.

I looked up.

Rows of hooks hung from the ceiling. They swayed ever so slightly, their sharp tips brushing against one another. A dim glow pulsed near the hooks, not quite flickering but twitching, almost as if the light itself was uncomfortable being here. The light filtered through the numerous hooks, casting weird shapes around the walls and floor.

’…I can’t see beyond the hooks.’

Just the number of hooks hanging from the ceiling was enough to cover my entire vision. Almost as if they had created a sort of veil that blocked my path.

Clank! Clank!

Brushing past the first row of hooks, I took a step forward.

The smell hit me then.

It was different compared to the iron-like scent from before. This was heavier, and it coated the inside of my throat, making each breath uncomfortable.

Just ahead, the room opened wider.

And there they were.

“…..”

TAK!

Several figures stood in a loose half circle, their backs turned as their broad shoulders hunched over towards the work desk before them. They moved with an awful rhythm. Shoulders lifting. Elbows rising. Blades coming down in the same repeated motion.

TAK!

Then another.

TAK!

The wet squelch beneath each blow filled the air, gnawing at my chest.

But the sound was not what made me still.

I shifted slightly to the side to get a clearer view of what they were working on, and the moment the full shape came into view, a shiver ran down my spine.

There were carcasses, just like the other rooms.

But these…

Something about these carcasses felt familiar. Their limbs and parts were longer and thinner than the ones I was used to, the shape extremely familiar to me.

’…Humans.’

And not just regular humans.

But… ones that had an identical body shape to mine.

“Haaa…”

TAK! TAK!

The butchers eventually came to a stop, a heavy and suffocating silence settling over the surroundings as I kept my gaze firmly locked on them. I tried to gauge their strength while gripping my knife, ready to strike the moment they made a move.

Perhaps…

They were the ones I was looking for.

The ’boss’ that I needed to clear in order to escape this Gate.

I got myself ready, my nodes churning at the same time.

But then—

“….”

As if they all took notice of my presence, they froze mid-movement, their bodies stiffening as their heads began to turn, slowly, until they faced me. One by one, their features revealed right before my eyes. A cow. A pig…. Something that might’ve once been a horse, its jaw hanging loose, swinging slightly as if the tendons had already given up.

’…How fitting.’

It almost felt amusing when thinking about my current outfit.

But staring down at the enormous blades they were carrying, the amusement barely lasted a few moments before I tightened my grip on the knife as I scanned the group. I could tell from just a glance that they were a lot stronger than anything that I had faced before, but despite this, I still had a nagging feeling that the ’boss’ or the one that was haunting me had yet to make a move.

…It was probably still watching.

Waiting for me to show an opening.

’Unfortunately, I don’t have much time to play along.’

I needed to get this done quickly.

But…

“Hmm.”

Staring at the ’butchers’ in front of me, my hand tingled. I realized rather quickly that the more I held onto the blade, the more it seemed to ’corrupt’ me.

The corruption didn’t seem permanent, only there in the moments when I held the knife. But the longer my fingers stayed wrapped around its handle, the more something subtle pressed in at the edges of my thoughts, nudging them, shifting them, as if trying to let out my inner thoughts.

Normally, I’d be able to suppress the hidden part of me, but…

“Haa… Haa…”

Perhaps I had killed a little too much today, but staring at the anomalies standing in front of me, I didn’t step back or act with the caution I knew I should. Instead, something else crept in, different thoughts, quieter and more sadistic.

’Let me kill them.’

I could tell that they were a lot stronger than anything that I had faced thus far. There was also the potential ambush coming from the anomaly that was haunting me, but such thoughts appeared to fly out the window as I took a step forward, moving towards the anomalies.

Swooosh!

As I took a step forward, a black film began to slide over my skin from beneath my clothes. My body felt lighter, almost hollow, and I started to feel a surge of power.

[Trait Transfer]

Using [Trait Transfer] and connecting it to the Realmwalker, I was able to enhance my physical abilities. I was now more confident in dealing with the anomalies.

But as I moved forward, I felt a sudden twitch come from the back of my mind.

’Let me out.’

’…It’s been a while since I’ve been out. Let me fight them.’

’I can take care of them for you. I’ve gotten stronger since before.’

’Let me out.’

The Conductor’s voice continued to ring inside my head, but I ignored it. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to rely on the Conductor or that I thought he was useless. Quite the opposite. With him present, I’d have no real worries.

But I wanted to do this alone.

’No, that’s not quite right.’

While it was true that I wanted to do this alone, that wasn’t the real reason.

The truth was…

I… just didn’t want it to touch my prey.

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