Arena Chapter 36:
Chapter 36 Lycanthrope (Part 2)
The four lycanthropes, with their silver fur, speed through the forest .
Within their clan, scores of their brothers and sisters are teeming . But even amongst them all, these four brothers have the same mother, and have a special relationship with each other .
The eldest son Helgi, born with strength and poise, was distinguished as the next leader of the clan . But Helgi was not overconfident and always held himself lower, and this was enough to earn his father’s confidence .
‘Because I saw, clearly, how hyung died . ’
Originally, there were five brothers born to their mother . There was a brother that was three years older than Helgi .
He was a hyung that was very strong .
It was always said that he inherited the most of his father’s blood .
A story spread amongst the clan that the leader would change in a short while . It was said that father’s long time rule was soon to be broken .
But he opened the lid and what did he find .
The overconfident hyung, against his mother’s dissuading, challenged his father . He was engulfed with the desire to hold his father’s position and his wives . He died instantly with a blow to his neck .
“I know . ”
Holding the hyung’s smashed neck with one hand, father spoke to everyone .
“I wish that all of you possess the same ambition that rests ablaze in my own heart . ”
The brothers looked at their father with awe . The mothers and sisters too looked on at father with envy .
“But right now is not the time . Do not challenge me . Wait a little longer and I will show you a new world . Then, I will welcome any and all challenges . ”
A body bigger than anyone else .
A beautiful silver fur coat that shines in the moonlight more than anyone else’s .
He smashed the strongest of challengers with one blow and so, his father continued to reign over clan .
And Helgi realized it .
‘Father has some grand plan . ’
A plan far grander than any power struggles within the clan .
Helgi decided to side with his father’s plan . Helgi, like his dead brother, desired for his father’s power and women, but deemed it unfeasible through strength .
Helgi’s decision was right .
After that, all the brothers that challenged their father lost their lives . Father defeated the challengers without a scratch to himself .
As the brothers who revealed their desires with their challenges kept dying, Helgi earned his father’s trust and climbed the ranks in the clan . As a prize, he even earned two sisters from a different mother as wives .
And then other brothers followed in Helgi’s footsteps, and began pledging allegiance to their father, but Helgi was already firmly in place as the second in command .
Helgi’s three brothers from the same mother followed their eldest brother . The followed Helgi, trying to distinguish themselves and looking for an opportunity to earn a prize from father .
How far did they run?
They pick up the enemy’s scent .
“It’s this way!”
“This smell is human!”
As the learn their opponent is human, the lycanthropes grow confident .
To the brothers, an elf is a dubious opponent, but a human is merely food . They know the taste of human blood and lean meat very well .
“Don’t underestimate it . It is said that there are strong ones amongst humans . ”
Helgi warns them but the dongsaengs don’t hear it and run even harder .
Their eagerness shines bright in their eyes, competing with each other to make the first contribution .
But then .
Tang-
A weird noise rings from far away .
Puk!
And the dongsaeng that ran ahead, his skull blows up .
Helgi and his group are completely surprised and abruptly stop .
“Wha, what?!”
“What did you just do?”
Having just lost a brother and not knowing how, the dongsaengs fall into chaos .
‘It felt like something flew by . ’
Helgi stays composed and thinks .
It felt like something small flew by and then his dongsaeng’s head blew up .
He doesn’t know what it is, but he is sure that it is a new weapon that the human has .
Tang- pajik!
Another brother’s head blows up and Helgi is sure this time .
“Hide!”
Helgi shouts as he quickly hides behind a tree . The only dongsaeng left hides his body into the woods .
As they hide, the unknown attacks stop .
‘Every time there is a loud noise, one dies . ’
The inside of Helgi’s head becomes complicated .
‘Between the first and second attack, there was some time . It must not be able to consecutively shoot . ’
If a rapid consecutive attack was possible, all the brothers would be dead .
‘Then…’
Helgi looks at his dongsaeng behind the trees, shaking in fear . Helgi’s eyes become sharp .
“Listen to me carefully . ”
As Helgi opens his mouth, the dongsaeng looks at him .
“On one, two, three, let’s jump out at the same time . ”
“To fight?”
“You idiot . How would we fight against a **** with a weapon like this? We’re making a run for it . ”
“Oh, okay . ”
“Count . One, two…”
On the count of three the dongsaeng jumps out from behind the woods . But Helgi doesn’t move a muscle and stays hidden behind the tree .
Tang- puk!
The dongsaeng’s head blows up and his life is futilely lost .
‘Now!’
At last, Helgi jumps out from behind his tree . He rushes for his dead brother and takes his corpse onto his back .
Tang!
A sharp sound is heard again but whatever it is that flew by violently lodges itself into his brother’s corpse, carried on his back .
Using his dead brother as a shield, Helgi keeps running . He runs desperately, so hard that his tail may fall out .
***
We blankly stare at Sylph, coolly sniping with the Mosin-Nagant .
Sylph is so cute to begin with but now that she’s holding a rifle that’s bigger than herself and shooting it, Hye-su is completely charmed by it . Cha Ji-hye was too, Sylph holding a gun is a real woman trap .
Four rounds of shooting .
And then Sylph shakes her head and hands over the Mosin-Nagant to me .
“How did it go?”
Sylph makes a number 3 with her tail .
“You lost one?”
-Meow…
With a neck like a limp weed, Sylph nods her head . I pick up Sylph and place her on my shoulder and console her .
“That’s okay, you still did great . ”
We walk to where the lycanthropes lay dead .
We only saw the lycanthropes as illustrations at the research center, and seeing them in person is a bit of a shock .
With a big build that is a head taller than humans, its hard body is covered in silver fur, with long and sharp nails .
How do you think it feels to come face to face with a monster that seems like it came out of a fantasy movie? I’m completely flustered as to if this is reality or fantasy .
But the stench of blood that stings my nostrils wakes me to this reality .
“Ugh!”
Hye-su’s face grimaces at seeing the exploded head . But her stomach must have gotten stronger since last time because she doesn’t vomit .
“Uh, it really is a wolf human . ”
Says Joon-ho as he carefully taps the lycanthrope corpse with his foot .
“Where did one go?”
Kang Chun-seong asks the question .
Then we realize that there are but only two corpses . Surprised at seeing lycanthropes for the first time, we hadn’t thought of it .
-Meow .
With her front paw, Sylph points ahead . It must be the direction the surviving one took off in .
‘Ah!’
I finally realize the situation .
“The remaining one must have used a corpse as a shield and run off . ”
“It’s intelligent . ”
Says Kang Chun-seong . I agree with his words .
From a lycanthrope’s point of view, a weapon like a gun will have been the first exposure of its kind to it . To think of using a corpse as a shield in that situation, it is a decision that would be impossible unless it was intelligent .
“Oppa, now what do we do?”
“Hm…”
I am quiet in my thoughts .
Since one got away, there is a high chance it will return with its group for revenge . They said lycanthropes are good at combat .
But the **** that made it out alive will have fully recognized the power of the rifle . It won’t be able to just barge on us . Considering its senses are like a wolfs…
At the end of my pondering, I make a decision .
“Let’s keep going . We have to go through their territory anyway . ”
“Okay . ”
“Okay, hyung . ”
“After suffering from the gun, they won’t be able to hastily attack us . But as it gets darker there is a high chance they may attack in the night, so for now let’s hurry and find a safe location . ”
Our footsteps become faster than usual .
I use Sylph to scout and search for a safe location like a cave .
But a location doesn’t turn up and after wandering for a long while, we discover a marshy swamp . It looks like it started as a small lake and developed into a swamp .
“The day is getting dark so let’s spend the night here . ”
“Will this be okay?”
Asks Hye-su with an anxious expression .
I point to the swamp and speak .
“The **** won’t be able to cross the swamp, so we’ll back up towards it and look at the other directions . ”
“But we won’t be able to run through it either . ”
As Joon-ho points this out, I reply .
“Even if we run, don’t you think they’ll catch up to us quickly?”
“Ah…”
“We have to let go of the notion of making a run for it from the get go . Only think of winning the fight . ”
“Yes, hyung . ”
We set up a fire and arrange sentry duty, but I am nervous and cannot fall asleep . Without Sylph, we won’t know the **** are near until they are close .
I eventually end up falling asleep and waking up from the anxiety, repeatedly .
In the midst of it, every time I awoke, I summoned Sylph to scout and fell back asleep, and not a while later, woke up again and repeated the same thing again .
I was doing so when a thought pops into my head .
‘Ah, majeong!’
They said all the organisms in Arena have majeong within their bodies . That should include lycanthropes .
I had completely forgotten .
‘How could I forget that . I could’ve have gotten money and sold it, what a waste . ’
But at this point, I don’t have the intention to return to where the corpses are to collect the majeong .
‘Next time, I won’t forget, and I’ll collect it for sure . ’
***
Atop a hill where the moonlight shined bright, a hundred and some lycanthropes are assembled .
In the middle of a round circle of the gathered swarm, one lycanthrope was on his knees .
It’s Helgi .
Beside Helgi is the corpse of the dongsaeng who had his head blown off .
Not knowing what, the men and the women gather around, and Helgi has his head held low, keeping his silence .
“What happened?”
“The Maria brothers died . They all died except for Helgi . ”
“Really? By who?”
“A human . ”
“A human? Really?”
“Haha, if that’s the truth, that Helgi **** won’t have any honor to speak of . ”
“You saying the brothers all suffered at the hands of a prey like humans? That Helgi, now that I see him, was he just pretending to be strong but he really isn’t that much at all?”
From here and there, come in the criticisms and ridicules . There is no way Helgi, with his sensitive lycanthrope senses, is not hearing all this .
But Helgi doesn’t get up in anger and instead remains sitting quietly .
But then,
“Shh, quiet . ”
“He’s here . ”
At the appearance of one lycanthrope, the whole group falls silent .
A beast that boasts the grandest build, walking erect .
From his shining silver fur that covers his body, there are scars printed in like medals .
He is Helgi’s father and leader of the clan .
The father strides to the edge of the cliff and sits atop a boulder . Everyone respects and fears him . He is the monarch on his throne .
The father opens his mouth .
“What has happened?”
Helgi shuts his eyes and grits his teeth and answers .
“My brothers lost to a human . ”