11. The Beom are Coming

The man wore jeans and a tight black shirt that stretched over his muscles. There was also a butterfly tattoo on his arm.

"Are you Zeha? Boss Dongcheol wants to see you."

Zeha couldn't help but notice how ill-mannered he was for a man who was asking him a favor.

Dongcheol...?

While the name rang a bell to Zeha, he couldn't remember it right away. A few seconds later, he realized that it was the name of the Tiger Butterfly's commander.

Zeha instantly sensed the man's arrogant demeanor. He must have assumed that Zeha would not turn down the opportunity of meeting the commander of the biggest hunting team in the city.

"I don't have any reason to see him."

Zeha refused. Zeha didn't like the Tiger Butterfly, not even the slightest bit.

"What did you just say?"

The man frowned. As he spoke, the veins in his thick arms began to pop out conspicuously.

Naturally, Zeha understood what that meant. The man was growing impatient.

Can't the Tiger Butterfly recruit anyone with a personality that's different from their members?

The Tiger Butterfly has grown so big that they're more of a force than a team now. Zeha shuddered at the idea of the force teeming with punks like

him.

"I said no.”

"You punk. It looks like you've really gotten yourself up on a high horse. You'd better shut your mouth and do as I say before I take you down, you hear me?"

"Let's go."

Zeha ignored him and suggested that Do-geon take his leave. Do-geon, who was watching them intently, nodded.

By now, the guy had grown flushed and was visibly enraged by their nonchalant attitude. The man lunged forward and grabbed Zeha by the shoulder as though he'd reached his breaking point. Just then, however, something happened.

Swoosh.

Thwack!

Just like that, the man was hurled into the air and thrown against the ground.

The man lay sprawled out on the ground, his eyes wide as he stared up at the sky and tried to comprehend what had just occurred.

It was Zeha who had flung him over his shoulder.

The former was staring down at the man as he lay spread out on the road.

"It looks like you got taken down first."

"You...! Ouch!"

Zeha immediately stepped forward and stomped onto the man's chest.

"I thought it was courteous for the person with the business to pay the visit and not the other way around. However, you see, it wouldn't change a thing even if that boss of yours were to show up. I don't intend to waste my time on people like you."

Dongcheol flew into a flurry as he listened to Kyeongtae's report about what had happened with Zeha.

"Are you telling me that he dared to go against my words?" Are you sure?"

"Yes, boss."

"Ha!"

I initially intended to make him something with the Tiger Butterfly. Well... not anymore.

His cockiness is only going to harm all of us.

Dongcheol considered the possibility of Zeha joining him, only to ultimately plot against the whole group by teaming up with his friends. More competition in the hunting game made things way too complicated.

"Well, I guess we have to get rid of him soon then. Don't you think so?"

Maro and his group were walking through the underground tunnel.

They were carrying the humans they had kidnapped during the day.

The hostages shrilled and screamed in panic. But their cries were nothing but noise to the beom.

"This place gets me all the time."

Bulti grumbled as he walked beside Maro.

The underground tunnel emitted an obnoxious noise which sounded at a fixed interval. Something that resembled blood vessels was also spread throughout the tunnel in all directions.

"So what if it's an unpleasant place?”

Maro paused in his tracks and opened a door located in the middle of the tunnel before heading inside. It led to a huge underground prison.

"No one will ever find out that a prison stands underneath the building.”

The spacious area was divided into numerous prison cells. Groups of people were locked up in each of them.

The newcomers in the cells struggled to find their way out of here. Their cries of despair drew a stark contrast against those who had arrived here earlier.

Their limp bodies were spread out on the floor as though they were completely drained of the energy to even whisper for help.

Just then, one of the beom shoved one of their games of the day into a cell.

"S, Save me! Please save me!"

"I have a daughter. Please get me out of here. I won't tell anybody about this place. Please!"

"I, I'm a senator! Let me out, and I, I'll give you money. I'll give you as much as you want!"

"I, I'll help you out. I can help you guys catch more humans."

Those who still clung onto the faint hope for their lives listed out everything that they could offer the beom.

Maro loved watching them.

He recalled how his tribe had to live in the world of shadows at Inwang Mountain, how they could only roam free once a year because of these pesky humans. They had spent so many years locked up that they lost track.

And now, these very people who doomed his tribe to that disgusting place were begging for mercy.

Oh, how the tables have turned. Maro had no intention of setting them free.

"You must resent humans. Am I right?”

That was what the strange man Maro had met in the abandoned building had asked him.

"I'll get all of you a wonderful place. And I'm asking for just one thing in return.”

"Ha! Why should I work for you? I can just- Argh!"

Maro stood completely helpless in front of him.

Maro had mustered all of his power to subdue this stranger, only to find that he wasn't even able to leave a scratch on him.

The man, whose face was concealed by a black fan save for his eyes, did not seem human.

He was not a beom either.

What is he...?

Fear bit at Maro's heart for the first time in his life.

It suffocated him such that he felt like he was stuck under a wrecking ball.

"Your anger is understandable. After all, the defeat by the gom brought suffering to your tribe for countless years... I tear up every time that I think about it.”

Maro widened his eyes.

How does he know this?

Thousands of years have passed ever since. Every human who had lived through the event had passed away due to old age.

Only the beom, who had suffered in the timeless world of shadows, remembered being crushed during the battle, the blood that their brothers and sisters had shed.

The man squinted his eyes as he looked down at Maro, who appeared visibly surprised.

"I just want peace. That's all."

The man only asked for one thing.

He wanted the beom to fill up the place with human blood in exchange for the safehouse.

Maro welcomed the suggestion since he planned to kill humans anyway.

Although he had always respected Hupo, he did not agree with his ways.

Killing just bad guys but not the children? Not for the world! They're all evil, regardless of age!

Maro sauntered along the prison tunnel, basking in the cries of despair.

Just then, he stopped in front of one of the cells.

There was a man in this cage who was unlike the others. He did not cry out in despair, nor did he clutch at the bars and beg Maro for mercy.

He merely stared at the wall with sharp eyes.

Maro knew who the man was since he had been held captive for a while now.

"Hosu."

Maro called out to him, only for him to be unresponsive.

Hosu was just like the rest initially. He was weak and despairing. However, after relentless torture, rather than becoming weak, he became resilient.

The cries that he had initially made were now replaced with a mere grunt. Now, Hosu simply endured the pain with his teeth gritted.

Unlike many of the people here, Hosu has managed to survive in this musty place for months now.

Maro was intrigued by Hosu. He wondered how long he would last.

"Come out. You'd better come out. Or else-"

Just then, Maro pointed a claw at a little girl.

She was dying from starvation and torture.

Hosu knew that it was only a matter of time before she would pass away. Nevertheless, he silently stood up and approached Maro.

Despite knowing what was coming, his face remained vacant and void of emotions.

Meanwhile, it was just another day for the Morning Star Preschool in District 7.

It was all because of Hwanwoong, whom people treated as the king of Sin-si. He reassured people, saying that hope exists only when they go about their daily lives, and promised generous support and assistance to them until this chaos was all over.

Everyone was grateful towards him because the government failed to do anything amid these times of disruption.

Hwanwoong had personally hired private guards to ensure Safety in the areas filled with children and teenagers, mostly where preschools and schools were. There was at least one beom hunter in each team of deployed guards.

There were also guards and hunters patrolling busy areas, such as shopping malls and small shops.

Thanks to Hwanwoong, people were able to go about their daily lives.

"It looks like the beom have started showing up in District 5."

Hae-yeong, a preschool teacher, remarked as she watched the TV. She was taking a break since her young students were taking their afternoon nap.

"I heard about that too. It looks like the beom kidnapped ten people...”

"Haven't you heard that more and more people are getting kidnapped these days and that more of them end up getting kidnapped than dead?"

"I'm so scared about the kidnappings. Where do you think they take them? And who knows what happens to them thereafter...?"

"Yeah, if I have to choose, I would rather get killed right there and then."

Jihye, a fellow teacher, replied as she sighed.

"Do you really think that it's a good idea for us to do this? They say that they're doing their best to catch the beom, but look at all of the old districts.

They're getting destroyed one by one. It looks like people in District 6 are already getting ready to move out. However, I think that the military is stopping them from moving."

"Why do you think the government is stopping people from moving? I mean, isn't it an obvious thing to do when there's danger?"

"How are we supposed to read the minds of the higher-ups? At least we have Hwanwoong to look after us.”

"I know, right. Sin-si would be in shambles if it weren't for him... phew."

Just then, they heard a fearful shriek.

"It's a beom!"

"Stop it!"

"Th, There...! Arghhh!"

"No! There... Oh, nooooo!"

There was a commotion outside.

Bang!

Bang!

Shots were fired, the sound of clanging metal banged from outside.

The teachers inside immediately shot up from their seats.

"Waah!!!"

"Mommmmm!"

"Waaaah!"

The children started to sob as the noise outside had woken them up.

Some of the teachers ran for their lives and left the children behind while others immediately rushed into the classrooms to protect them.

Hae-yeong was one of the teachers who had come back for her young students.

Her young students ran into her embrace as soon as she entered. They were all crying, confused, and afraid as to what was happening. Screaming and clashing continued to be heard from outside.

Hae-yeong shuddered in fear as she hugged the children.

"I, It's okay. Everything's fine. The police officers will protect us. It's okay."

"Waaaah! Mommy... mommy!!"

"Waah!"

The children continued to cry and did not show any signs of stopping. Hae-yeong felt like crying as well.

Clink!

Just then, the window of the classroom shattered to reveal a slim figure charging into the room.

Hae-yeong could instantly tell that it wasn't human.

It had pointed ears on its head, long claws and razor-sharp fangs which appeared as soon as it saw the children. It smirked.

It's a beom...!

Hae-yeong didn't even have the time to properly absorb the presence of the beast.

She quickly opened her arms wide to bring as many children as she could into her embrace.

"It's too noisy in here.”

The beom growled as it walked closer.

"P, Please don't...!"

Hae-young stepped forward and stretched her arms to her sides to protect the children behind her.

"Th, They're just kids. They... they're just kids."

"Hmph! "

The beom scoffed.

It didn't notice a man sneaking into the room through the broken window.