The Hunter’s Plight and the Abyss’s Gaze

“Clang.”

That was the sound of hard objects colliding. Amidst the maiden’s fervent pleas, Yao Jing finally arrived on the battlefield.

“You’re far too slow.”

Complaining under her breath, Xiu Lan swiftly retreated to the edge of the arena, seizing the moment while Huang Siying was entangled by the descending Greatsword Hero with the shrimp head. “Quick, it’s your turn to fight Sukuna!”

With that, she tossed the shield in her hand to Yao Jing, then bolted, fleeing the battlefield.

“Give… me… the medicine!”

Abruptly deprived of its target, the monster plunged into a frenzy, its serpentine body coiling and writhing incessantly, driven by an insatiable craving for the medicine, as it lunged towards Xiu Lan.

Yet, it was clear that a certain Greatsword Hero had no intention of letting it have its way.

Intercepting Huang Siying, Yao Jing took a deep breath, the icy air rushing from his nostrils into his throat. Empowered by the [Mighty Gauntlets], he swung his greatsword, which then collided thunderously with the monster’s serpentine form.

“Ah—”

It was Huang Siying’s muffled roar, the inhuman monster, in a clash of brute force, utterly toppled by a mere human. For a moment, it failed to comprehend that it was *itself* that had fallen.

‘What an opportunity.’

Seizing upon the enemy’s misstep, Yao Jing leapt onto the monster’s massive body, quickly reaching the juncture where head met torso. He stomped down with amplified force onto the serpentine form, ignoring the myriad arms that furiously battered his shield.

He raised his greatsword, channeling power towards the monster’s head…

Then, like a hero from ancient legends executing a demon…

He brought the greatsword down.

****

The next moment, head and body parted!

“I… I…”

These were Huang Siying’s final words, his unwillingness and resentment vanishing from the street with his death.

‘That ended quickly. Is this the true power of a Hunter?’

Watching the nightmare in her mind finally lose its head, Xiu Lan, who had been observing from the sidelines for what felt like an eternity, at last let go of the anxiety gripping her heart. From a distance, she called out, “Senior, now that it’s over, I’m heading home to sleep. Don’t look for me, no matter what.”

Yao Jing watched his junior, who was cowering at the edge of the battlefield, with a wry smile. After waving her off, he gazed at the monster’s corpse beneath his feet, contemplating how to transport it.

‘…Ah, perhaps the Order Preservation Squad members still at the blockade can figure this out. He was truly powerless in this regard.’

****

“Thump-thump-thump.”

Footsteps echoed on the quiet street.

Yao Jing watched Xiu Lan approaching, a flicker of curiosity in his eyes.

‘Huh, didn’t she say she was going home? Why is she coming this way?’

With that thought, he called out, “Is there anything else? Do you need my help?”

“Uh… uh… uh…”

All he received was a string of unintelligible sounds.

‘What’s happening?’

Just as Yao Jing was about to check on his junior, an icy AI voice disrupted his plans.

[Shield value remaining 60%.]

‘This thing is still alive?’

The Hunter stared in astonishment at the constantly writhing monster beneath his feet. The corpse, which should have been lifeless, had reanimated, its myriad arms furiously attacking his shield, desperate to break free from his grasp.

“Uh-uh… Senior, I… I…”

A hoarse, restrained voice drifted from the distance. The figure, shrouded in a black coat, moved with difficulty, the maiden’s silhouette stretching into an inhuman shadow under the moonlight and streetlamps.

‘What… is this… Thirsty… Hungry…’

Her body was beyond her control; every cell urged her forward, compelling her towards the monster’s corpse.

Moreover, a persistent roar echoed in her ears: ‘Eat it! Eat it! Eat it!’

The sound grew louder, more distorted, until it finally transformed into the furious howl of some unknown creature.

She yearned to halt her steps, yet her brain issued the command to press onward. It was her own body, yet it felt like a puppet controlled by another.

‘Could this be an onset of [Bloodthirst Syndrome]?’

‘But it wasn’t this severe last time, and… I’ve been taking suppressants all along…’

However, there was no time for idle speculation now. Through Xiu Lan’s blurry vision, the monster, which had fallen, was once again active, its grotesque serpentine body relentlessly entwined with Yao Jing, who wielded his greatsword.

‘If she were to get caught in their battle now… she would surely be torn to shreds.’

“Ha…”

Reaching into the broken opening of the safe, Xiu Lan pulled out a suppressant. The glass casing, illuminated by the moonlight, revealed the maiden’s pallid face, etched with terror and dread.

‘Should I really drink this…?’

[Shut up, don’t think I don’t know what your Mutual Aid Society does!]

Huang Siying’s furious roar from last night echoed in her mind. Right or wrong, he had indeed transformed into the monster before her because of the suppressant.

‘…To drink or not to drink.’

Xiu Lan felt as though she stood on a precarious log bridge over a chasm, where a single misstep could send her plummeting to her demise.

“Crack!”

The suppressant slipped from her grasp.

‘Perhaps it’s better to give up after all,’ Xiu Lan mused. ‘If I were to turn into a monster again, Senior would be caught between two enemies.’

Though she resented being dragged into this, there was no room for regret now. Rather than crying out in shameful desperation, it was better to face her impending fate with composure.

‘She could only hope Senior would be strong enough to dispatch that monster quickly.’

“Shatter.”

It was the sound of glass shattering underfoot, and as the liquid seeped out, the shadows clinging to Xiu Lan’s body seemed to come alive, flowing down towards her feet.

‘What… is… happening…?’

After consuming the liquid beneath her feet, the shadows remained unsatisfied. As if endowed with a perverse intelligence, they streamed into the broken opening of the safe.

‘It’s completely unresponsive to commands now…’

Her consciousness grew even hazier.

But Xiu Lan no longer possessed the energy to ponder the reason why…

The last thing she witnessed was her own shadow transforming into something utterly unrecognizable.

Her consciousness plunged into darkness.

The maiden closed her eyes.

****

‘This thing is really tough.’

Wielding his greatsword, attacks capable of effortlessly cleaving alloy could only leave mere scratches on the serpent’s body. To kill it before Xiu Lan arrived seemed an utter fantasy.

‘A change of plans is in order.’

Unable to breach its defenses head-on, Yao Jing abandoned his futile suppression and leapt away from the monster’s body.

Seizing this opportunity, the headless monster did not remain passive. From the spot where its head had fallen, liquid gurgled forth, and a new serpent’s head gradually emerged, though this one bore no trace of “Huang Siying.”

It opened its gaping maw towards the man.

‘Perfect. If the outside won’t work, then I’ll try the inside.’

Facing the man-eating monster, Yao Jing did not retreat but advanced, and propelled by his anti-gravity boots, he plunged straight into its maw.

…

…

‘…Is this… a consciousness space?’

****

A black sky.

A black earth.

Black… light.

Though nothing could be seen, everything was simultaneously visible.

“Oh ho ho ho…”

Suddenly, laughter drifted to her ears.

Unbeknownst to her, a charmingly smiling, grey-haired maiden abruptly appeared directly in Xiu Lan’s line of sight, her identical face mirroring Xiu Lan’s own.

‘Who is she?’

“Hello.”

Xiu Lan trotted over, scrutinizing the maiden before her, then cautiously inquired, “Excuse me, are you…?”

“Oh ho ho.”

The maiden giggled, her entire body shaking, and the unrestrained ‘sin’ at her chest bounced rhythmically with her laughter, drawing Xiu Lan’s gaze.

‘Uh… that big?’

Xiu Lan instinctively touched her own chest. It seemed, indeed, to be rather large.

Setting aside such inappropriate thoughts for the moment, her attention returned to the unfolding events.

“Heh heh heh heh.”

The maiden’s laughter grew louder, more resonant, as an incessant stream of black mist emanated from her body, engulfing her form.

“Roar!”

Amidst a soul-stirring roar, the delicate figure vanished, replaced by a colossal monster that stood in its stead.

[It] lay prostrate on the ground, possessing a tiger-like head with a single, tightly closed eye on its face. Six legs were distributed along its sides, and three tails, like tentacles, writhed and floated in the air.

As if sensing Xiu Lan’s gaze, [it] opened its eye, its crimson orb locking onto the small maiden.

‘Th-th-this is utterly terrifying!’

That eye was nothing short of death itself.

‘Run! Run! Run! Run!’

An endless tide of terror engulfed Xiu Lan’s reason. She whirled around, fleeing heedlessly behind her.

However, this action seemed to enrage the monster. [It] rose to its feet and opened its mouth.

What a mouth it was—devoid of teeth, of tongue, of anything at all; merely a gaping void. If one were to describe that cavernous maw…

The sensation was that of an endless… abyss.

‘Am I… going to die?’

The monster swallowed the maiden, who then dissolved into shadow.