Chapter 69: Awakening the Predator Within

Rumors of Lee Taesung’s descent into madness began circulating among his fans.

However, those who truly knew him were already aware it was no revelation.

The friendly persona he had showcased was nothing but an elaborate performance.

In truth, Lee Taesung had always been an unhinged individual.

“Damn it!”

Bang!

His fist slammed onto his office desk, splitting the solid wood as papers and photos of Jinhyang and Harang fluttered in the air.

‘All because of that cursed woman.’

The image of Jinhyang, which he had worked tirelessly to tarnish over the years,

was now surging back into prominence, fueled by the influence of that wretched “cat-girl” by her side.

‘Her name was suspicious from the start.’

Kang Harang.

It was the same name as the pest who had dared challenge him in the past. A name he despised.

Their uncanny resemblance every gesture, every expression only made the situation more unnerving.

Yet, he couldn’t believe they were the same person. After all, no man could transform entirely into a woman.

It was a ridiculous coincidence, nothing more.

Shaking off the thought of the male Harang, Lee Taesung resolved to take matters into his own hands.

‘I need to end this myself.’

He had heard that Jinhyang and her team had been dispatched to the Choro Mountain.

It was an isolated place, where the interference of magic rendered all communications useless.

Perfect for a crime without witnesses.

The perfect opportunity for a clean slate.

Meanwhile, Harang had vanished, throwing the twins, Yoon Bora and Raxy Bora, into despair.

“We locked the door last night, didn’t we…?”

Yoon Bora’s trembling hands clutched the doorknob as she stared at the open doorway.

“Maybe she jumped out the window?” suggested Delphine, pointing hesitantly.

“But Harang’s terrified of heights…”

The idea of Harang, who froze even at the thought of looking down from a high place, leaping out a window was unthinkable.

“She could have been so overwhelmed that her fears disappeared,” Delphine offered.

“Maybe…”

Yoon Bora nodded absentmindedly, while Jinhyang sighed heavily beside her.

“This is a big problem.”

Despite her words, Jinhyang appeared calm.

Her ability “intuition” had not issued any warnings.

According to her gut feeling, Harang was safe.

‘But how far could she have gone?’

The real challenge lay in finding her.

Harang, in her overwhelmed state, was unlikely to move on two feet.

She would crawl and leap like an animal, making her movements unpredictable and swift.

‘This will be troublesome.’

The Choro Mountain was notoriously vast, its magical properties warping space to make it feel endless.

Even GPS signals were useless here.

“Can you track her device?” Jinhyang asked Yoon Bora.

“No. The interference is too strong,” Yoon Bora replied, her head drooping as she tapped fruitlessly on her phone.

Standing nearby, Delphine shivered at the conversation.

‘A tracking device? How extreme are these people?’

She couldn’t help but feel a strange admiration for their dedication.

“I-I could send an SOS to the Association,” Delphine volunteered hesitantly.

“Can you reach them?” Jinhyang asked, startled.

“Yes, through Morse code.”

“Alright, please do.”

“Yes!” Delphine nodded enthusiastically, thrilled to be of help.

She dashed off to her room, ready to establish contact.

Meanwhile, Harang curled up on a cool rock near the flowing stream,

letting the soothing sounds of chirping birds and babbling water lull her into a haze.

“Hmm…”

Her tail flicked lazily against the stone as she drifted in and out of sleep.

But something felt off.

Startled, she opened her eyes.

‘Why am I here?’

The unfamiliar forest stretched out before her, and she couldn’t recall how she had arrived.

Groggy and disoriented, she stumbled to her feet, only to find herself crawling on all fours.

It felt oddly natural.

‘I need to wake up first.’

Without hesitation, she plunged her face into the cold, clear stream, hoping the shock would help her regain clarity.

Whoosh!

The icy streamwater cascaded over Harang’s face, as if massaging away the remnants of sleep.

The chilling sensation jolted her awake.

After holding her face underwater for a few more seconds, she finally surfaced, gasping for air.

“Phew!”

Using the back of her hand, she wiped the droplets away.

Ever since her body had changed, she found it easier to clean her face with the back of her hand rather than her palm.

“Ughhh!”

Stretching her arms forward, she groaned, still lying prone on the ground.

Memories of the previous night began to trickle back.

‘Hmm…’

She vaguely recalled searching for someone in the dark.

That was the only clear fragment in her mind.

‘But who was I looking for…?’

She mulled it over briefly, but the answer came quickly.

There wasn’t anyone else she could have been searching for except the others from the lodge.

‘They must’ve gotten lost in the forest.’

They hadn’t returned late into the night, prompting her to go out and look for them.

She must have failed to find them and ended up falling asleep on a rock.

‘Honestly.’

She sighed.

The group’s lack of caution annoyed her.

While Jinhyang and the twins could handle themselves, Delphine was likely in tears by now.

‘I need to find them quickly.’

Growl.

But first, her rumbling stomach demanded attention.

‘And I’m thirsty too.’

Fortunately, there was a source of drinking water right in front of her.

She recalled hearing that abyssal stream fish only thrived in pristine waters, which reassured her.

Lowering herself, she lapped at the streamwater.

It felt a bit undignified, like she was drinking as an animal would, but with no cup, there was little choice.

It was surprisingly easy, though.

“Phew.”

With her thirst quenched, the hunger pangs became more prominent.

Without hesitation, she dipped her tail into the water, preparing to fish for food.

She had realized the effectiveness of her tail the previous night.

Its sheer strength had allowed her to catch an abyssal stream fish in no time.

“This… this is it!”

Flop! Flop!

An abyssal stream fish clung to her tail, thrashing wildly as it flopped onto the ground.

The creature, as large as her forearm, startled her with its violent movements.

Its sheer size and vigor made it seem more intimidating than expected.

‘Now, how do I deal with this?’

She needed to remove the fish from her tail first.

Picking up a hefty rock nearby, she readied herself.

A quick, strong blow to the fish’s head would end it instantly.

There was no guilt in her actions.

The wild was a place where survival followed the law of the jungle.

The only mercy a predator could offer was a swift and painless death for its prey.

Keeping her eyes open, Harang swung the rock at the fish.

Closing her eyes in fear might lead to a miss, only prolonging the fish’s suffering.

Thud!

“Yaaaah!”

The rock landed with a sickening crunch on the fish’s head,

but it also pressed down on her tail, still trapped in the fish’s grip.

It didn’t cause serious harm, but the pain was sharp and stinging.

Harang cradled her tail, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

“Huff… huff…”

She had underestimated the abyssal stream fish.

To think a mere creature like this would dare retaliate against her, the apex of the food chain.

Her opinion of the fish shifted dramatically.

It wasn’t just prey—it was a formidable opponent.

Bowing her head slightly, she paid respect to the now lifeless fish.

After five seconds of silence, she looked down at it once more.

‘How am I supposed to eat this?’

The lack of basic tools to start a fire left her with only one option: eating it raw.

The thought alone churned her stomach.

While eating raw fish wasn’t unheard of, ripping it apart with her teeth felt barbaric and unsettling.

Still, not eating what she had killed seemed even worse an affront to the respect owed to a life taken.

‘Fine. I’ll eat it raw.’

Without hesitation, she grabbed the fish.

However, it proved too heavy to lift all the way to her mouth.

Resigned, she settled into a prone position, preparing to eat it on the ground.

“Ugh…”

The situation felt oddly demeaning, as if she had truly become a wild animal.

‘This must be part of the journey to becoming a tiger.’

She consoled herself. A true predator wasn’t defined by appearances but by actions.

With determination, she sunk her sharp canines into the fish’s thick belly.

Crunch!

“…”

The flavor overwhelmed her senses, momentarily rendering her thoughtless.

If someone asked her to choose her last meal, there was no doubt this abyssal stream fish would be it.

‘This… this is unreal.’

Blood dripped down her fangs, a rich and heady aroma filling the air.

The intensity sent shivers through her body, her arms trembling uncontrollably.

It was then something primal awakened within her, flipping an internal switch.

“Raaaargh!”

Tilting her head to the sky, Harang let out a triumphant roar.

In that moment, she felt untethered and alive a soul unbound by convention or constraint.

She was the fiercest and most majestic predator in the world.

And no one could convince her otherwise.

For today, she was the ruler of all she surveyed.