Chapter 34

I can’t believe I’m thinking this but… I miss you, Necros.

Never in my life did I expect to long for a dark mage with half his face rotten off.

Getting treated like a VIP on Floor 49 suddenly feels like a dream.

I spotted a centaur passing by and quickly tried to approach him.

“Hey, I’m a merchant—do you need any items by chance…?”

“Get lost.”

So much for that.

That was the fifth emotional scar I collected today. I slumped back to the side of the road.

Honestly, except for the irregular dimensional market, this is the first time I’ve seen beastfolk so directly. I’d been a little excited entering the village. Beastfolk villages are supposed to look like something out of a fairy tale.

But the atmosphere was closer to a war documentary.

Everyone’s faces were full of exhaustion and suspicion, and the looks they gave me were all cold.

And when I tried selling potions, they literally kicked me out.

The grumpy bear gatekeeper had been the nicest one so far. That’s how bad it was.

The openly hostile stares bothered me, but at least nobody cursed at my face.

—Or so I thought.

“Tch. Disgusting.”

…Okay, spitting is crossing a line.

I glanced over. Two water-buffalo-headed beastfolk were chewing grass with murderous expressions.

Yeah… I’ll just look away.

Can’t expect everyone to behave decently all the time.

As I walked deeper into the village, I saw even more kinds of beastfolk.

A young dog-eared kid running frantically. Wolf-headed adults quietly polishing their swords. Horse-tailed beastfolk carrying supplies. Rabbit-eared crafters trembling while hammering something.

But what stood out most were the injured.

So many limping on crutches, or wrapped in bandages still soaked with blood.

Is this place… at war?

If they are, their hostility toward a random human like me makes sense.

But I didn’t even know where I was. I didn’t know the story, the goal, nothing.

If only I knew the scenario at least…

But Korea is not a “kind” country that shares full scenario information globally. Wonderful.

I kept walking between homes built around giant tree trunks, toward a watchtower up ahead.

That’s when—

“…Mm…”

A tiny sound, so soft it was easy to miss.

I turned my head without thinking.

There, in the corner, was a tiny figure—a little beastfolk child with cat ears and a fluffy tail, curled up holding their stomach.

They looked about seven in human age, and their face was deathly pale.

And yet… no beastfolk passing by bothered to look at them.

“Hey, kid… are you okay?”

The child flinched and looked up.

Then came the reaction I was honestly expecting by now.

“H-human…!”

Their yellow eyes filled not with hatred, but pure fear.

Kind of… pitiful.

I’m just a weak E-rank human who’d get ripped apart by a single bear paw. Why so scared?

I crouched down and spoke gently.

“Yeah, I’m human. But I don’t have weapons, I’m weak, and I just wanted to know if you’re alright. There are lots of adults walking around. If I look suspicious, you can scream—they’ll come running.”

Extremely kind of me, if I do say so myself.

And it seemed to work—the child’s puffed-up tail slowly relaxed.

Tail-puff gone = safe sign.

I carefully sat beside them.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

The child peeked at me, then muttered timidly:

“My stomach hurts…”

Ah.

Not what I expected.

I blinked. Sure, people go hungry during wartime, but even kids like this?

What the hell is happening in this place?

I clicked my tongue softly and opened my Inventory.

Inside were two sandwiches I’d bought for lunch after standing in line for an hour.

I pulled them out along with a couple of Vita100 drinks and handed them over.

“Do you want something to eat?”

The child stared at the sandwich… then their eyes filled with joy.

They snatched it and devoured it instantly.

The wrapper turned into confetti in seconds.

“Slow down. Here—drink something too.”

“T-thank you…”

How hungry was this kid?

They inhaled both sandwiches and even licked the sauce off their fingers.

Finally, they bowed their head shyly.

“Thank you… It was really good.”

Of course it was good! I waited an hour for those!

Well, they ate well. Time to get some answers.

“Good. I’m Haewon, a wandering merchant. What’s your name?”

“I’m Echo. I’m from the Meow tribe.”

“Echo? Do you… happen to know time-jumping or cloning skills?”

“…There are beastfolk who can do that?”

Right. That was probably a weird question. I fixed my expression.

“Okay then… where are we?”

“This is Kona Village, inside the Ganacia Continent. It’s the last beastfolk village left. They say there used to be a lot, but now only here remains.”

“So it was Kona. No one would tell me.”

“Ah… that’s probably because… um… because you’re human.”

“Why? I came from far away. I don’t know anything.”

My innocent question shocked Echo.

Their ears shot straight up.

“Because we’ve been at war with humans for ten years… over the last sanctuary, Prorolvel.”

So the war enemy was… humans.

I’d suspected something from the hostility, but hearing it confirmed really hit hard.

And yet this kid ate food from a human stranger without hesitation. So trusting.

But wait—sanctuary?

Scenario keyword?

“Sanctuary?”

Echo looked even more shocked.

“You don’t know… Agemor?”

“I know amore fati.”

“…What’s that?”

Right. Dad jokes don’t translate across species.

“Anyway, I don’t know much. Could you explain what’s going on here?”

“O-okay. Um… I used to live in a village called Rotopoham in the north. It’s two months from here. But a black fog appeared and swallowed the land and sky.”

“Black fog?”

I instinctively glanced up. The sky looked normal.

“It hasn’t come down here yet. But it’s getting closer. I heard it’s the same for the humans.”

“When did it appear?”

“Um… the adults said around ten years ago. At first it was only at the edge of the continent, but now almost all the livable land is gone. Here is also dangerous.”

So this village is the last safe zone.

“And the sanctuary, Prorolvel… is it safe from the black fog?”

“Yes. The black fog hasn’t touched it. The adults say if we take that place, we’ll survive.”

“So it’s not that the fog hasn’t reached it—it’s that it doesn’t corrupt it?”

“I-I don’t know… The adults just said so…”

Echo drooped their ears in anxiety.

I quietly watched the wilted ears as I gathered my thoughts.

So…

This is the Ganacia Continent, Kona Village.
A mysterious black fog is swallowing the world.
Beastfolk and humans are at war over the last safe place.

And the floor scenario likely revolves around that.

Is the goal defeating the fog?

No way. If it were that simple, Seo Jaehyuk wouldn’t have begged for a 7-Guild Alliance.

Maybe the goal is ending the war itself.

Or both.

Babel never makes things easy.

Echo hesitated and whispered:

“When the black fog swallows you… your skin turns black and hard, like frostbite. Then you shatter, like breaking ice. We—”

Echo didn’t finish.

Because—

DANG—! DANG—! DANG—!

A deafening bell rang across the village.

Echo and I jumped to our feet.

“It’s the alarm!”

Unlike my panic, Echo reacted like it was routine and grabbed my hand.

“We have to run! This is the outer area—we need to go inside!”

“Where do we go!?”

“The humans are coming!”

Who would expect anything else from a cat beastfolk—Echo sprinted lightly while pulling me through obstacles.

Around us, voices shouted:

“Take up arms!”
“They’re approaching from the east wall!”
“Get the children to safety!”

The peaceful scene vanished instantly. Beastfolk became warriors in a heartbeat, all running toward the direction I’d come from.

I tried to keep up, analyzing the path.

The village layout was a maze. Echo’s ability to navigate it instantly was impressive.

Maybe that forest of sap-tapped trees earlier was close to the battlefront.

Just as I thought that—

“There! A beast!”

What?!

That was a downright racist insult. I snapped my head up.

A human archer stood on the high wooden wall to the left—pointing straight at us.

“W-what do we do!?”

Echo stumbled, terrified.

I scooped the kid into my arms and kept running.

“U-unnie…”

“Echo, don’t panic. Just tell me the directions.”

“R-right from here… hic…”

The brave little kid from earlier was gone—now just a frightened child clinging to my neck.

I held Echo more securely and sprinted harder.

Then—

“Wipe out every filthy beast!”

“Prorolvel belongs to humans!”

“Animals belong in cages!”

Echo trembled violently and hugged me tighter.

There are things you can say, and there are things you just don’t.

Even though I’d only known this kid for minutes, imagining how many times Echo heard those words made me sick.

A switch flipped in me.

Before I realized it, I’d spun around and screamed:

“YOU RACIST PIECES OF SH—!”

I… did not expect my voice to be that loud.

“WHERE THE HELL DO YOU GET OFF—! ”

It was a roar from the diaphragm.

And in that exact moment—

“Unnie—!”

A straight arrow flew down and hit me dead-center in the chest.

If you want Chapter 35 translated next, just tell me!