Necromancer Survival

Chapter 414

"Hyung-nim…?"

Dawon looked puzzled, his shoulders flinching, but once I tasted the sweetness, I found it hard to stop. Only at that moment I realized I was incredibly hungry. Saliva kept filling my mouth, and I couldn't stop licking Dawon's wrist.

Dawon seemed flustered, but he didn't stop me from hungrily slobbering over his skin.

"It's ticklish…" However, his hands didn’t flinch.

At those words, I returned to my senses and quickly tore my lips away. "Hnnrk! I-I'm sorry…!"

"It's alright."

Dawon said everything was fine, but the area I had sucked was already glistening red. I felt a sense of shame at that sight.

‘What on earth have I done…?'

‘Just what kind of memory have I entered this time?'

I was inwardly astonished. Despite my feelings, though, my stomach continued to growl. I was so embarrassed I couldn't even raise my head.

‘And why, of all people, does it have to be Dawon…?'

I would feel better if my appetite was aroused for some human trash rolling about on the streets. It would have already been embarrassing to have sucked Dawon's flesh when he's an adult…but because he's assumed the form of a child…

I pushed Dawon's hand away, even though Dawon had been holding his wrist in front of my eyes as if to indicate everything was fine.

"I'm sorry I did something so strange," I bowed my flushed face and apologized.

However, Dawon seemed happy with whatever I did. The child pushed his wrist in front of my face, seemingly unaware of why I was apologizing. "It's seriously alright. You can have more."

"…No. I won't." I quickly retreated. The sweet scent wafted and spread into the air the more he approached. Now that I was aware of that scent, it now seemed that Dawon's entire body–as well as his wrist–smelled sweet. I shook my head clear when I caught myself staring at the back of his neck.

"D-Dawon-ah… Hyung has some work to do… Why don't you stay here for a while."

"I want to come with you."

"No. I'll come back soon."

Dawon jumped out of his chair to try and follow me, but I hurriedly dissuaded him. At this rate, I was worried that I might bite off his flesh.

Dawon looked sullen at my rejection, but he soon obediently sat down on his chair again. "Come back soon."

"Yeah…"

I exited the restaurant almost as if I were running away.

* * *

"Gasp… Gasp…" As I gradually moved away from the restaurant, the sweet scent that had plagued me gradually disappeared; my mind began to clear. However, there was no guarantee that this wouldn't happen again if I were to return and see Dawon again.

‘If I hurt Dawon… Dawon is too defenseless right now.'

It would have been better if I were against Dawon's adult self. I sighed deeply when I thought about how he was currently like a baby duckling. "Sigh…"

In any case, I should put exploring this mansion with Dawon on hold in the future. If I become hungry again, I might bite or harm him.

‘Then, should I explore by myself for now?'

I looked at the hallway near the dining area that looked particularly dark and long. A chill passed by the back of my neck, but I had no choice. I needed to be on my own for Dawon's sake.

Jingle–! Jingle–!

Suddenly, I heard the sound of bells behind me. Startled, I turned around to see a servant standing a short distance away, bowing their head as if waiting for me.

"…Is Dawon-ie calling for me?"

The servant said nothing. I felt a little uncomfortable with their sudden appearance, so I took a tiny step back and gave them an order, "Please tell Dawon-ie that I'll see him later."

"……"

"I… I have some work to do on my own. Then, I'll be off."

However, the servant didn't respond to my words. They didn't move, and instead stood in one place… like a doll.

"…Don't follow me, please." I, for some reason, felt inexplicable anxiety, so I once again reinforced my instructions towards the servant, turned around, and walked down the hallway. Then, as I walked, I felt something strange, so I looked back…

"Argh!"

Unbeknownst to me, the servant was following me closely. Startled, I pressed my back against the corridor wall, staring at them. The servant approached me expressionlessly…

"W-What are you…!"

Cre-ea-eak–!

They unhinged their mouth wide open and showed me inside.

I froze at the sight. The servant's mouth was filled with what looked like crumpled, blood-soaked paper. There was nothing else inside, not even a tongue.

"W-What are you doing?" I was paralyzed with fear, and pushed them away. But the servant didn't even stumble as they retreated. They kept staring at me with their mouth wide open. Their expression belied no resentment or pain, but I wondered if they had filled their mouth with paper because of me.

"…Is this something Jo Chan-young wants to show me?"

"……"

Once again, the servant approached without hesitation. They kept holding their head aloft, as if they were asking me to pull out the piece of paper. Though this was all too gruesome, I was forced to insert my fingers inside their mouth.

"Ugh…."

The soggy, crumpled paper was finally secure in my hands. Only then did the servant close their mouth and slowly walk away in the opposite direction. I noticed that this servant didn't have a bell on their collar, and that realization made me feel even more scared.

I stood frozen, watching them disappear, and then reluctantly unfolded the dubious piece of paper in my hand.

"This is…"

It was a map. The floor plan of this very mansion. At first, I didn't recognize what was on the paper, but I had noticed a small black dot on the map that read [Choi Lee-kyung]. The dot indicated my location.

"What?" As I moved while looking at the map, I realized the small black dot moved with me, confirming that it was tracking my position. Of course I was shocked at the method by which I was handed this map, and I couldn't 100% trust it either, but I decided to go with my gut.

"Then… Where should I go?"

Could I meet Jo Chan-young in this mansion somewhere? I looked down at the map and contemplated.

"Huh?"

I noticed something strange as I glanced over the floor plan.

[Monster — In the middle of Awakening]

There was a rather ominously marked dot near the restaurant–much larger and more wriggly than my own. Additionally, the dot was marked [Monster–In the Middle of Awakening]; it was constantly changing shape and moving. Naturally, I couldn't help but think of Dawon, who I had left at the dining room.

‘What Monster? What does it mean by ‘Awakening…?'

I felt an ominous sense of foreboding for some reason. I carefully tucked the map into my chest and ran towards the dining room.

At that moment, I spotted something unsettling about one of the servants in the middle of the corridor. The servant slowly turned around as if sensing my presence.

"What…"

At first, I tried to check the dining hall and go past the servant, but the servant's body gradually began to vibrate… Then, they suddenly whipped their head around.

Cr-r-r-runch–!

The servant’s neck cracked loudly as they alternated between turning it from side to side and letting out a grotesque groan.

"Grrrrr…."

"Oh my g… Dawon-ah! Seo Dawon!" I couldn't approach the threatening figure anymore and shouted at the dining room's interior, but, unfortunately, there was no response.

Moreover, in the meantime, the servant's body began to turn monstrous. I backed away once I saw the servant's eyes flashing bright red.

"Grr, Grrrr…."

‘…Something's off.'

I hastily reopened the map, and unlike before, the [Monster — In the Middle of Awakening] label was right in front of me. The moment I saw those words, I immediately stepped back. It was an instinctive reaction borne from the various experiences I had faced over the past few months.

Boom–!

And I judged correctly.

"Creakk…. Kehe…."

The servant completed his monstrous change and began to chase me.

The servant looked like… a giant cave cricket/pacific bottlenose dolphin with a human face. In that grotesque form, it raised its massive foot to strike me. Fortunately, it missed, but seeing the hole it made in the marble floor where I had just stood sent chills down my spine.

‘If I get hit, I'll die…'

Motivated by the fear of death, I ran like crazy through the hallway. At the very least, I had drawn this monster's attention, so it didn't enter the room where Dawon-ie was.

‘It's better for that thing to chase me.'

Resolve steeled, I pushed myself even harder, running faster than before.

Whoosh–!

Fortunately, I was able to narrowly avoid another attack by speeding up. I was wary of the eerie noises following me from behind, but I focused quickly and glanced at the map I was holding.

‘A place where I can hide… Quickly!!!'

The map began to change as if it were responding to my heart's desperate cry. Suddenly, as if to show me where I needed to go, the map began to draw and emphasize a room over and over again. As if ink was being pumped into that area.

I ran in the direction indicated by the map. I didn't know if I could trust it, but it was all I had.

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TL: I love seeing all the theorizing in the comments. I do think there's a lot of merit to the role reversal theory, though. It's interesting to have Choi Lee-kyung feel what it's like to want to eat the person you love.

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