“The Great Rift has occurred up to the second time… and Hunters in the dungeons? The world has certainly changed a lot.”
“There are many who returned after going to another world during the first Great Rift.”
After that, Returnee Shia and A-rank Hunter Yeonhwa roasted the Black Minotaur’s ribs on a stone plate without anyone’s interference.
Once the stone plate became useless due to the fat and oil extracted from the meat, they searched for a new thin and usable stone plate, then found a nearby valley to wash it and ignited the campfire again to roast their food.
Yeonhwa was already at the brink of bursting when she finished the first piece of the Black Minotaur’s ribs.
“Ugh, I’m full… I can’t eat anymore.”
“Really? Just take a break.”
“…Are you going to eat more??”
“Sorry, I don’t feel full at all…”
But Shia was different.
She meticulously gathered every last bit of the Black Minotaur’s corpse, even the meat clinging to the bones and ribs, and roasted it again on the grill. Occasionally, the bizarre tentacles sprouting from her lower back would chew on the leftover bones like they were raw meat.
Crunch, crunch, gulp!
Shia couldn’t help but express her satisfaction internally with “Delicious!” as she continued to eat and eat.
Even though Shia had devoured numerous malicious entities in the ‘other world’, this was her first time consuming such extreme malice and flesh.
The moment Yeonhwa, who had overeaten for the first time in a dungeon, sighed while rubbing her slightly protruding belly, she glanced at Shia, who was still roasting the Black Minotaur’s meat.
“…Um, I know it’s a bit late, but thank you.”
Gulp, “Huh? For what?”
“For saving me.”
“…”
At that, Shia stopped chewing the meat and looked at Yeonhwa.
“…I’ll confess something.”
“What is it?”
“…You almost died earlier.”
“Huh? Oh, you mean the Black Minotaur? Yes… that’s right. The dungeon boss here is much stronger than my abilities…”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
Suddenly, it seemed like Shia lost her appetite, and even the tentacles that were chewing on the bones receded as she sat down.
With a shadow casting over her face, Yeonhwa began to wonder if she had unintentionally ruined Shia’s mood.
“I’m saying I almost died because of you.”
“What?”
“…You think I saved you, Yeonhwa?”
“Of course, um, I mean… you are my sister, right? Can I call you sister?”
Shia nodded slightly, and then she used a miracle of purification on her oil-stained face.
Finally, Shia’s smeared body became immaculate, and the remnants of meat scraps, oil, and dust were washed away in one go. Yeonhwa was able to see Shia’s true appearance for the first time.
Her appearance hadn’t changed much.
She was quite tall for a woman, with noticeable toned thighs and arms, a tremendous bust size, and… pale white skin reminiscent of a vampire, along with silvery hair that looked well-maintained and even whiter than her skin.
“What do you think when you see me?”
Looking at her, Yeonhwa felt a strange sense of discomfort.
‘What’s this…? Why do I feel so strange? Although her appearance stands out, she must be human…’
“I am not human.”
“Huh? Then… does that mean you’re a different race?”
“No.”
At that moment, Shia grabbed her own neck with one hand.
“Don’t be surprised.”
“Huh? What are you doing…?!”
Crack!
“AAAH?!”
And then she twisted her own neck.
Yeonhwa jumped in shock at Shia’s sudden action, but the broken neck twisted in a grotesque direction.
Self-harm? Suicide? No, what on earth is she doing….?
“Uh, sis…s-i…”
“It’s okay.”
“…Ah…!?”
Shia, with her neck grotesquely twisted, was still speaking normally.
For a person to have their neck twisted that much would guarantee death.
Even a Hunter wouldn’t be an exception.
If a Hunter’s body is strong or full of mana, it just makes it difficult to break their neck, but if their neck turns 180 degrees, it’s natural for the spine and brainstem to rupture and death to ensue.
But Shia was talking without any pain whatsoever, with her neck still turned.
“I showed you a hideous sight. I’m sorry.”
Crack!
“AH!?”
And with the hand that had twisted her neck, Shia grasped her head and began to align it back to its original position.
The sound of shattered bones realigning was far more horrifying than one could imagine.
“Um, um… what do you think?”
“………..”
“Right, I understand. You get it. It must be scary. It must be horrifying. You might think I’m some kind of monster.”
Casually re-adjusting her head, Shia wore a self-deprecating smile.
“Let me introduce myself again. I am Mangja Seongnyeo Shia. Not the Seongnyeo of the dead, but the Mangja Seongnyeo.”
“….Are you saying you’re not human?”
“Yeah, other returnees might have been to a much harsher world… but I’m somewhat different.”
Snap!
As Shia spoke while putting her neck back in place, she continued, “….What tormented me wasn’t magic, nor was it the Demon King or monsters. It wasn’t a tough power structure. Not arrogant nobles or privileged classes either. What truly pushed me was the wretched existence that is myself.”
In that moment, Yeonhwa realized that the shadow cast over Shia was not just a shadow on her face.
“So how would we describe a dead person in our terms… zombie, undead, a being that moves even after death… Oh, is there a dungeon with undead in it?”
“…Yes. There are liches that command skeleton soldiers. While liches have hatred for humans and living beings, they’re rational and can communicate.”
“Then I guess I’m a more evolved undead compared to a lich.”
Saying that, Shia brought out her tentacles again and began tearing at the corpse of the Black Minotaur.
“I’m hungry, always hungry. No matter how much I eat, I’ll still feel hungry.”
“…Yeah.”
“This body of the Mangja Seongnyeo is quite strong, right? As you saw earlier, I rarely face death. Even though I’m an undead, I can use healing powers like a saint. With my divine power, I can perform a variety of miracles. But….. I’m eternally hungry. That’s my curse.”
“Does that hunger mean you want to eat humans…?”
“Yeah. To be precise, I need to consume malicious entities.”
“Malicious entities?”
Shia opened her mouth wide and began to tear into the Black Minotaur’s ribs raw.
While roasted meat is delicious, it was probably because if the dungeon boss is dead, the dungeon could collapse soon.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t explain the exact definition of a malicious entity well either. Teresa was excellent at explaining…”
“Teresa?”
“Oh, that’s from the other world… it’s meaningless now. Anyway, generally, demons or monsters, and this Black Minotaur, all carry dark elements of malice, hatred, or intent to kill. Humans also carry this to a very small extent. What I consume is those things. The meat is important, but ultimately, it’s those malicious entities that quench my hunger.”
“……..”
The more Yeonhwa listened, the deeper and darker she realized the experiences Shia had gone through were.
To be treated as less than human, yet wearing a self-deprecating smile as if it were natural.
“The reason I said I almost killed you earlier… is because of that. I didn’t save you. I simply attacked and devoured the Black Minotaur, which happened to be the closest to me….”
“I see.”
“…Yeah, that’s how it is. I can’t withstand the hunger. No matter how much I endure it… eventually, hunger erodes my reason and morals, turning my soul into an insatiable glutton. In the end, like a beast, I devour everything I can catch.”
Shia no longer caught Yeonhwa’s gaze.
She lowered her head and tore at the meat.
Whether she was truly hungry or not, it was unclear.
She was just stuffing it into her mouth without checking if it was cooked.
At first, it seemed like she was enjoying the taste, but now it looked as if she was eating something to avoid being hungry. She didn’t want to lose her sanity, so she just munched away, dispassionately.
From Yeonhwa’s perspective, it seemed as if Shia wanted to forget something and was terrified of the gazes of those who looked at her.
“At least I’m relieved. That I didn’t kill again.”
As if she had already killed someone before.
“…What will you do now?”
“Well, I don’t know if my home is still there. I don’t know if my parents are alive…”
“Sorry to say, but you disappeared during the first Great Rift in 2024. It’s now 2088. It’s been over 60 years, so it’s highly likely…”
“Yeah, my home and my parents are probably gone… Then, I’ll just quietly hide in some mountain. Fortunately, these monsters carry malice. If I devour monsters, it’ll somehow work out.”
Despite her strength and extraordinary capabilities, Yeonhwa felt that Shia looked fragile, as if she would collapse at any moment.
In truth, who would define who is fragile?
Since the death of her older sister Yeona, Yeonhwa had developed extreme trauma about relying on anyone.
“Hey, sis. Do you remember what you said about saving my life earlier?”
“You don’t have to be thankful. If the Black Minotaur hadn’t been there, I might have eaten you instead… I’m truly afraid of hunger, you know.”
“The possibilities don’t matter. If this happened… or that happened… what’s done is done and can’t be changed. Speculation is meaningless with the established facts. In your current state, do you want to eat me?”
“What…?! Are you crazy?!”
Shia’s shocked reaction relieved Yeonhwa.
It was proof that there was still humanity and ethics embedded in Shia’s heart.
“Sis, regardless of the process or cause, if you weren’t there, I would have been eaten by the Black Minotaur. You, by any chance, saved me.”
“…..That’s true.”
“Is your cycle of hunger less than an hour? Are you about to eat me even after devouring the Black Minotaur?”
“I…I don’t know, but still… When I ate similar malicious entities in the other world… I could hold out for at least a month…”
“Then you don’t have to be afraid that you would eat me. And in this world, there are more ‘malicious entities’ than you might think. You don’t have to worry that you’ll lose your sanity.”
“…..”
Shia stopped eating again.
And she glanced at Yeonhwa intermittently, her face still sunken.
Could something like me truly return to humanity?
I am not human. I am the terrifying Mangja Seongnyeo.
What I thought was okay was not okay.
The belief and bonds I thought would last forever eventually came to an end.
I am that existence.
All I have eternally is hunger, seizures, and longing.
Is it really okay for me to return to humanity again?
“So, after this dungeon disappears… do you have a home waiting for you? No, right?”
“…That’s correct.”
“No home, no money, no identity. Do you know about the procedures for returnees who vanished during the Great Rift? If there are no relatives or family, proving your identity will be arduous.”
“…..”
When the realistic aspects were pointed out abruptly, Shia felt her heart sink.
Right, this Korea had a tight administrative system even before the Great Rift.
If procedures for identity verification and various regulations had become stricter after the Great Rift, there was no chance it would be any looser.
“It will be hard for you. Re-establishing will be exhausting even before you stand up, everything will make you want to give up, grow weary, and become tough. So, sis, come with me.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Yeon Family never forgets a favor.”
Grandma used to say that.
Repay your enemies doubly.
Repay your favors absolutely.
Yeonhwa had not forgotten her grandmother Yeonseo’s words.
Despite their relationship becoming strained lately, Yeonseo was still her idol. Having received lessons from Yeonseo, Yeonhwa did not want to let go of the precarious Mangja Seongnyeo before her.
Sister Shia, the Mangja Seongnyeo, has already saved me.
Although it was a close accident of fate, Yeonhwa was reminded of her older sister ‘Yeona’ in Shia.
Not wanting to rely on anyone again, the dungeon addict Yeonhwa had serendipitously been saved by Shia, and now it was Yeonhwa’s turn to help her.
“Sis, let’s go together. This world isn’t as scary as you think.”
“…Even so.”
“There are many returnees who aren’t human either. Some have returned as Skeleton Knights!”
“…..Huh, really?”
A Skeleton Knight? That must be rare.
Imagining the skeletal knight made entirely of bones, receiving everyone’s gaze, Shia felt reassured about her own state.
Yeah, compared to a Skeleton Knight… doesn’t this body look quite pretty and normal?
“Alright, let’s go.”
Just then, the dungeon began to dissolve.
Once the dungeon boss is defeated, it can dissipate within an hour, or in some cases, up to 24 hours before completely disappearing from reality.
As the dungeon gradually faded, Yeonhwa reached out her hand to Shia.
And oddly enough, Shia wanted to grasp the hand of someone she wished to distance herself from more than anything else.
Because she still had a human soul.
She wanted to live with humans.
Her ethics and reason remained, and she was deeply terrified of being alone.
“….Alright.”
Shia took the hand once more.
Menelapie, Teresa, and this girl Yeonhwa too.
Yes, it wasn’t difficult to hold hands.
And every person who took her hand had never betrayed her.
Perhaps Yeonhwa would not know.
That day, Shia was once again saved, whether in the other world… or upon her return to this world.
