Chapter 77: The Monster Lookout Tower

Entering the dungeon, I thought I’d just watch them fight,

but there was a surprising amount of prep work involved.

They were taking pictures, writing reports, recording the location,

and doing other tasks I couldn’t understand.

The process turned out to be more tedious than I’d imagined, so I sprawled out on the grass.

‘When will they finish?’

I glanced at them sideways, but it seemed like there was still a long way to go before we could enter.

It was a bit boring, but I understood it was something they had to do.

Deciding to be patient, I resolved to wait a little longer.

“Grrr.”

Rolling left and right on the grass, I eventually noticed a small figure under a distant tree.

“Huh?”

Squinting, I focused on it and realized it was a squirrel about the size of my fist.

The squirrel was stuffing a tiny acorn into its mouth.

Thump, thump

Watching it made my heart race.

Rising within me was the instinct of a predator.

I had to hunt it.

“Grrrr.”

I crouched on all fours, lowering my head.

Taking one cautious step at a time toward the squirrel, I waited until I was sure I could catch it.

Then, I dashed at full speed toward it.

Tap, tap, tap!

When I reached the squirrel’s vicinity, it seemed to notice me, startled, and scurried up the tree.

But it was still near the base of the trunk.

Close enough for me to reach if I stretched my arm.

‘There!’

Predicting its path, I extended my hand toward a spot about midway up the tree.

I was sure I had it this time.

As I imagined how I’d prepare the squirrel, a voice interrupted me.

“Harang!”

“Hmm?”

Yoon Bora’s voice called from behind, distracting me for just a moment.

That was enough time for the squirrel to escape.

Thud!

“Ah!”

Still in mid-jump, I slammed face-first into the tree.

Like a scene from a cartoon, I slid down the trunk and plopped onto the ground.

“Ow…”

Grabbing my face, I let out tears.

It wasn’t because my face hurt.

It was the frustration of losing prey I was sure I’d catch.

After all, it was a hunt I couldn’t possibly fail.

“Oh no, Harang!”

Yoon Bora ran over, placing a hand on my back.

“Are you okay, Harang?”

“No, I’m not okay.”

“Does it hurt a lot?”

“Yes.”

More than my face, my pride was hurting.

A tiger losing to a mere squirrel it would be a mark of shame and a scar on my soul for life.

‘Hmph.’

But that was all there was to it.

I was a lone tiger of the wild.

After brushing my face off with my hand, I got up from the ground.

“Oh no, Harang.”

Yoon Bora looked at my face and widened her eyes in shock.

“Huh?”

What’s with that reaction?

Feeling curious, I rubbed my nose where her gaze was fixed.

Rub, rub

After lightly rubbing it, I glanced at my hand and saw it covered in red blood.

“Huh?”

Blinking at the sight of the blood, I turned to Yoon Bora, confused.

It was then I noticed the warm liquid trickling from my nose.

It was a nosebleed.

“Blood… it’s bleeding!”

“Harang, are you okay?”

No, I wasn’t okay.

“Waaah!”

I wailed like a child, louder than I ever had since my transformation.

I didn’t even have time to feel embarrassed.

The sight of blood coming from my body was terrifying.

“Harang, are you alright?”

Yoon Bora pulled out a tissue and gently wiped my nose.

Even with a light touch, the tissue came back stained with red.

“Yeah… I’m okay.”

Sniffling, I wiped the tears from my eyes with the back of my hand.

Only then did it hit me I had just cried like a child.

Embarrassed, my face turned red, and I bowed my head in shame.

“Do you want to go back and rest?”

Jinhyang gently stroked my cheek, her concern clear.

The warmth of her touch made me feel a little better.

“No, I still want to see the dungeon.”

“Alright, but don’t push yourself too hard.”

“Okay.”

After wiping my nose one last time, I clung to Jinhyang.

Since I didn’t know what would happen in the dungeon, I needed her to act as my protector.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Guided by Jinhyang’s hand, I stepped into the dungeon.

Though it was my second visit to a dungeon, the sensation of crossing dimensions still felt unfamiliar.

Just by opening a door, a completely different world unfolded before me.

‘Wow.’

Beyond the portal lay a forest that resembled the one we had just left, but with a significant difference.

Most of the plants weren’t green they shimmered with a blue hue.

“What kind of dungeon is this?”

“The Blue Forest Dungeon.”

“Blue Forest?”

I guessed it was named for the blue hue of the dungeon,

and as I was speculating, Jinhyang placed a hand on my head and continued.

“In this dungeon, not just the plants but even the monsters have blue coloring. It’s known for being tricky because of their camouflage.”

“…”

At her words, I looked around.

As she said, every plant here had a blue tint, but each seemed to have a slightly different shade.

The differences in brightness, saturation, and hue were subtle but noticeable.

‘It’s not like they’re indistinguishable.’

Was this place really as annoying as they said?

While I was pondering, something hanging from a tree branch caught my eye.

“Boss, what’s that?”

I raised my hand and pointed at the creature dangling from the branch.

It looked like some sort of ape a monkey or perhaps a chimpanzee.

“That’s…”

Jinhyang frowned as she gazed at the creature I pointed to.

Then she motioned for Yoon Bora with a flick of her finger.

“Hm.”

Yoon Bora drew the revolver from her waist and aimed at the wriggling creature.

The moment her finger rested on the trigger

Bang!

“Ah!”

Startled by the loud gunshot, I instinctively leapt toward Jinhyang, burying my face in her chest.

I covered my ears as if to block out the sound.

The sudden noise, when I wasn’t prepared, made the fur on my tail stand on end.

“Ugh…”

Huddled against Jinhyang and trembling, I heard Yoon Bora’s voice nearby.

“Harang, are you really scared?”

“Y-yeah. I forgot Bora had a gun.”

“Sorry, I forgot your ears are sensitive.”

With that, Yoon Bora pulled a cylindrical object from her pocket.

“Bora, what’s that?”

“A silencer. It’s disposable, so I don’t use it often.”

“Oh.”

Relief washed over me.

I was relieved that I wouldn’t have to keep hearing the loud gunshots.

‘Phew.’

Letting out a sigh of relief, I watched Yoon Bora attach the silencer to her revolver.

There was something cool about someone who handled firearms skillfully.

As I admired her with a glimmer of awe, like any man would, I felt a light tap on my shoulder.

“How did you notice that thing in the tree?” Jinhyang asked.

“What thing?”

“That Blue Monkey.”

She tilted her head toward the branch where a blue-tinted monkey now lay, bleeding out and lifeless.

“Ugh…”

The sight hit me differently than seeing a dead fish.

It was a mammal an ape, something closer to me.

Feeling nauseous, I quickly averted my eyes.

That’s when I noticed Silver darting toward the Blue Monkey.

Crunch, crunch

The sound of chewing followed, and it became clear that Silver was devouring the corpse.

‘Well… at least it’s cleaning up the mess.’

Resigning myself, I nodded lightly and looked up at Jinhyang.

“I just saw it,” I said.

“You saw it?”

“Yes, if you look carefully, it’s all visible.”

“Hm…”

Jinhyang scanned her surroundings, as if trying to spot something herself.

But no matter how much she looked around, it seemed like she couldn’t see anything.

‘Is it really that hard to see?’

Even now, I could spot at least three more monkeys.

I could even hear them gripping the branches.

“…I can’t see anything with my eyes.”

“Then what do you use to see them?”

“It’s not about seeing. I sense them with mana.”

“Oh.”

I remembered hearing that skilled hunters used mana as a sixth sense.

It was far more useful than relying solely on vision.

They wouldn’t even need to move their eyes.

‘That’s amazing.’

I wondered what it would feel like to sense creatures through mana.

Just as I was lost in thought, something began to radiate from Jinhyang.

‘It’s warm… and comforting.’

It was so soothing that I felt like I could live in her embrace forever.

I knew exactly what it was—mana.

“Three…”

She muttered to herself, and I instinctively nodded.

“Yes, there are two over there and one in that direction.”

“You found them? With your eyes?”

“No, I heard one of them.”

As I spoke, I flicked my ears playfully.

“Really? That’s impressive.”

Jinhyang ruffled my hair with a proud smile, and I couldn’t help but wag my tail enthusiastically.

Feeling even happier, I hugged her tighter.

“I’ll stay like this and let you know if any monsters come near.”

“Sure, that would be a big help.”

“From now on, I’m the Monster Lookout Tower. You can count on me!”

Giggling, I wrapped my tail around her body, holding the tip of it in my mouth to secure myself.

It was my way of showing that I wasn’t letting go.

“If you get scared, just close your eyes tight.”

“Okay. But I’m not scared of anything, so I’ll be fine.”

“Is that so?”

Jinhyang chuckled softly and gave my cheek a gentle tug.

“Boss.”

“Yes?”

“How long will it take to clear this dungeon?”

At my question, Jinhyang rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

After a brief moment, she held up five fingers.

“About five minutes, maybe?”

“…Huh?”

Was that even possible?

I’d heard that defeating a dungeon boss alone could take over an hour.

Even the preparations at the entrance had taken more than twenty minutes.

I was skeptical, but since she said it was possible, I had no reason to doubt her.

‘I should just focus on myself.’

Instead of questioning her, I decided to concentrate on my role as the lookout.

With my tail still clenched in my mouth, I scanned the area thoroughly.

I wasn’t planning to miss even a single monster.