Chapter 326
With one arm now rendered useless, the monster glared at me as it breathed roughly. I was scared that it might suddenly rush at me, but I didnât intend to let it continue hurting me.
When I lifted [Sylphâs Fall] and brandished the blade, its momentum slowed. Its hand was lost; my previous attack seemed to have dealt a severe blow.
âGet away from me!â I shouted with all my might, swinging the dagger from side to side.
The monster then tried to copy Seo Dawonâs face once more, with its head rippling. But when I saw that, I shouted even louder, âArgh! Stop trying to imitate him!â
Only then did the quivering features calm down. However, I couldnât rest on my laurels.
The monster paused for a moment before suddenly opening its mouth wide. Its open mouth was vastâas if there were a passage behind it that exceeded the bounds of its face; the situation was so bizarre I had almost forgotten the urgency of my circumstances and stared blankly at it. Google search đđżeđđđđđođeđĄ. cđđ
Furthermore, there was something inside the monsterâs mouth, wriggling grossly. Goosebumps naturally rose all over my skin.
âWhat on earth is thatâŠâ The subtle light that leaked from [Sylphâs Fall] allowed me to just barely see inside. The mouth appeared as if it were crammed full of something that looked like elongated, haphazardly tangled threads.
I mumbled to myself, hoping that my guess was wrong, ââŠSnakes?â
[Kyaaaaaaaaaaghh!]
Unfortunately though, as soon I finished mumbling, the snakes opened their bright yellow eyes in unison.
The countless snakes raised their heads simultaneously and began to approach me. I faltered and retreated; when the snakes began to speed up, I screamed. âAHHHHHHH!â
I ran towards the corner of the room, but I couldnât outrun the snakes that continued to pour out of his mouth like a waterfall. There was nothing for me to climb, either.
âHaah, haahâŠ.â Eventually, after being driven into the corner, I leaned my back against the wall and, once more, gripped [Sylphâs Fall] tightly.
Before I knew it, the black snakes had surrounded me, hissing and making all sorts of unpleasant sounds. However, they could only threaten me with their poised heads; perhaps they were cautious of [Sylphâs Fall].
âWhat should I doâŠ?!â
[Stupid Hamster!]
Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice ring from the ceiling.
Startled, I looked up; a cat covered in cute pink fur stood, shouting over a hole she had pierced through with her claws.
âBang Eunji!â Though I was relieved by her appearance, I still grimaced as I couldnât reach her from my spot, surrounded by snakes.
Silly of me to think that, however; Bang Eunji jumped straight down as soon as we made eye contact. She gracefully trampled the snakesâ heads. A jaw-dropping landing.
[Ke-e-e-e-ek!]
Of course, the snakes didnât stay still. Posing with its poisonous, black fangs outwards, they tried to snap at the young girlâs heels. Bang Eunji was faster, though.
The pink cat approached me, stomping on the snakeâs heads and torsos and avoiding their attacks with fluid, seamless movementsâI wanted to ask how she could dodge without even seeing the attacks. The snakes actually bit each other while trying to attack Bang Eunji, and twisted their bodies into a tangled mass.
[What are you doing, staring so vacantly like that!]
Thanks to Bang Eunji creating pandemonium (?), the snakes were shaken; their formation was disrupted. There was space for me to move. As soon as she shouted, I ran towards her, brandishing [Sylphâs Fall] wildly.
When the snakes faltered and created some space, Ban Eunji leaped high into the air before landing near me; she bit me painlessly on the scruff of the neck and leaped once more.
I could hear a furious hissing sound coming from behind, but even that noise calmed down after a few jumps. We had escaped from that bloody, death-trap of a room.
ââŠH-How did you get here? Also, whatâs with that appearance?â
[Itâs not the time to ask that. We need to run quickly to a place where we can sign the contractâŠ]
As I listened to her, a sudden thought forced my mouth open, âYou canât do anything even though this is your [Vengeful Ghost Memory]?â
An unexpected response fell from her lipsâ
[Those guys⊠Eunji canât get rid of them because theyâre connected to Hamster-ssi.]
âWhat?â
[Why are you surprised? Hamster-ssi brought them all inside.]
âNo⊠What do you mean by that? I donât have anything to do with that guy! Rather, itâs chasing me one-sidedlyâand itâs not like we share a body.â
[Hmmm.]
But, Bang Eunji didnât seem to be interested in my argument. She looked at me as if she had not an ounce of conviction in my statementsâas if she found all this troublesome. She tilted her head and saidâ
[But, from Eunjiâs perspective, they all look similar to Hamster-ssi.]
âWhat? What are you saying! Those things look like snakes, donât they?â
[Eunji isnât talking about oneâs outer appearance. Eunji looks like a cat right now, right?]
âThenâŠâ
[If you donât understand, Eunji doesnât particularly want to explain. Eunji doesnât think youâll understand even if she explains.]
âWhat?â
[More than that, thereâs no time to explain and itâsâŠexhausting.]
âW-Wait a minute⊠What am I supposed to do when youâre being so evasiveâŠ!â
However, instead of answering, Bang Eunji kept walking, still biting my scruff, and ignoring my complaints.
I tried to organize my complicated thoughts using what she had said. That monster was trying to trap me in these [Vengeful Ghost Memories] by imitating Seo Dawon. Furthermore, Bang Eunji stated that the monster and I were connected. Therefore, she couldnât get rid of himâŠ
ââŠYouâre saying Iâm just like that monster?â I grumbled, not bothering to hide my displeasure. Then, Bang Eunji made a tactless remarkâ
[Youâre similar.]
âWhat exactly makes us so similar!â
[The obsession with Guildmaster-nimâŠ]
âWhat?â I looked at her, surprised by her unexpected response. However, Bang Eunji only calmly looked around at our surroundings, as if she hadnât dropped a bomb on me.
[Hmm⊠Will this place be okay? Hamster-ssi, please take out the contract.]
ââŠâŠâ There were one or two more things I wanted to argue, but I couldnât afford to air all my grievances now. I suppressed my complaints; the contract came first.
Staring at my deeply displeased face, she licked her paws languidlyâdespicably. Then, she placed her pawâstill damp and scented from her spitâon my head, patting and stroking my hair.
[Hamster-ssi. No matter how kindhearted you may be, itâs not healthy to be obsessed.]
I took out the contract, floated it in front of me, and looked back at the cat. I still didnât understand what she had meantâbefore and nowâbut I felt choked up for some reason. ââŠI said I donât know. Iâve never made anything like that. That thing always gets in my way.â
[âŠâŠ]
âMoreover, what âobsessionâ are you talking aboutâŠâ
This time, Bang Eunji didnât even pretend to listen to my complaints; she merely placed her paw on the contractâright where she should sign her name. I frowned but also added my own signature; it was better to finalize this contract anyway.
[Oooooooâ-]
As soon as we were finished signing, a long, terrible roar echoed bitterly from where we fled.
I looked back; a strange mood washed over me. However, a sharp tongue licked the back of my head, and I was forced to turn around and look at Bang Eunji again. âW-What was that!â
[Hamster-ssi. You havenât forgotten our other contract, have you? Regarding Eunji and Garam-kunâs future.]
Actually, I had forgotten a littleâa needle of guilt poked my heart. But, when Bang Eunji squinted her eyes, I nodded hastily despite the cold sweat that ran down my back. âO-Of courseâŠâ
[Hmm⊠What an untrustworthy expressionâŠ]
As she spoke, Bang Eunji pressed my cheeks with her soft, jelly-like paw pads. It seemed that this was one way she expressed familiarity, so I didnât want to push her away. Suddenly, her body began to slowly shine.
We raised our heads as one; then, light rose spread and unfurled from our feet. Fortunately, it seemed our contract had been completed properly.
âHaahâŠâ I really thought this was my biggest ordeal yet. I couldnât help the sigh that tumbled out of my lips.
Still, I felt as if I had completed my trial successfully. The relief that I had done well made all strength seep out of my body. Meanwhile, the light continued to rise until it reached a point where I found that it was no longer possible to open my eyes.
But, just before I closed my eyes, I saw something black and gargantuan collapse over the horizon as it tried to rush towards me. I tried to open my eyes again to see what it was, butâŠ
[Once againâdonât be too obsessive.]
I shut my eyes tight, flinching at Bang Eunjiâs firm words.
Just like that, we were plunged into white.
ââŠHagh!â I stood up, breathless.
ButâŠ
ââŠW-What happened?â
When I opened my eyes, I was greeted by chaos in my home.
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TL: Sometimes Bang Eunji uses strange words, so I wonder if âobsessionâ is what she meant here. Either way, Itâs interesting to learn that Bang Eunji canât control these Vengeful Ghost Memories.
Also, I mentioned this in the discord, but Iâm going on a break guys for next week. To take care of the new cat and myself >.<