NAPE - 58

The hunting dogs that revealed themselves in the darkness were quite bizarre. Their pupils had a milky white sheen, like cooked fish, and their bodies were so pale they were almost gray. One might doubt if blood even flowed through them.

It wasn’t just their appearance that was strange. Their movements… were like something in between a beast and a person. They writhed across the ground like worms, but they were so fast that it was hard to follow them with the eye.

Judging by their beast-like appearance and the atmosphere they exuded, they were definitely not purebloods. Bibi didn’t know why they were attacking in a pack, but it didn’t seem like it could be resolved through conversation. She had never seen this kind of hybrid before.

“They seem to have been injected with drugs.”

There were about six of them.

Doyoon’s eyes flashed coldly. He put his hand inside his coat, shielding Bibi with his back.

“We are the hunting dogs.”

One of the vampire pack revealed their identity in a hissing voice. At the word ‘hunting dogs’, Bibi’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Jack is angry because of you.”

“You made the forest noisy.”

“Jack will kill you.”

The hunting dogs, who had been muttering incoherently, lowered their bodies and spread out to the sides like a fan, slowly approaching.

This was… the attack posture the trainer had taught her when hunting prey. While she couldn’t fathom what was happening, Bibi glared fiercely. She adopted an attack stance, growling in her throat. It was a kind of warning. The moment you attack, I will also attack with all my might.

“Bibi. Stay back.”

Doyoon whispered lowly. He gestured behind him, signaling her to take out the gun.

“Why should I stay back?”

Bibi nodded but asked in a low voice.

“Because you could get hurt.”

“I won’t get hurt. I fight well too.”

“...Still, there’s no need for you to step forward right now.”

“Then what do I do?”

“Want to play with my phone or something?”

While Doyoon and Bibi were whispering, the hunting dogs seized the opportunity and rushed towards them in an instant.

Bang!

A silver bullet accurately pierced the head of one of them. Doyoon pushed Bibi behind him and quickly pulled the trigger. In mid-air, the hunting dogs’ bodies turned to ash and burst apart.

“Kyaaaak!”

A hunting dog, seizing an opening, quickly lunged towards Bibi’s back. Bibi, who hadn’t even thought of using the gun, hissed sharply before Doyoon could even turn his body and bit down hard on the creature’s neck.

Crack!

Even though she hadn’t put much force into her jaw, the sound of bones breaking was followed by the creature’s pained scream. Bibi didn’t miss the opportunity, grabbed the opponent’s head, and twisted it in one swift motion.

“Keuheok…!”

The hybrid vampire’s neck snapped like a broken branch. It couldn’t stand any longer, staggered, and collapsed to the ground.

Bibi stared with wide eyes at her palm. She had such strength. It was incredibly surprising. Bibi clenched and unclenched her hand as if using it for the first time in her life, then looked at Doyoon.

He confirmed that Bibi was safe and then aimed his gun to finish off the hunting dog that was kneeling before him.

The last remaining hunting dog had no expression, like a doll, even as death approached. Bibi felt chills as that appearance overlapped with her own face from the past. An unknown unpleasantness made her step back slightly, and then the hunting dog tilted its head upwards. And it gathered its lips and made a loud sound.

“Woo-oo-oo!”

It was a howl similar to that of a wolf. Doyoon and Bibi blinked and looked at the hunting dog.

“Woo-oo-oo-oong!”

It was a sound so loud it echoed throughout the field. Was it a death cry just before dying? The hunting dog, which had been howling its fill, suddenly thrust its head into the muzzle of Doyoon’s gun. Reflexively, Doyoon’s finger pulled the trigger.

Bang!

A silver bullet was fired, and the last remaining hunting dog instantly turned to white bones and collapsed to the ground. Whoosh, as the wind blew, even those ashes disappeared without a trace. Doyoon and Bibi looked down at the ground with dazed expressions.

Bibi was a little disappointed that she couldn’t have a proper conversation with the hunting dogs. They seemed to have been trained in the same way as her…. Wait, then that howling just now… did it mean what she thought it meant?

“Doyoon!”

Bibi urgently grabbed Doyoon’s arm and pulled him. They had to leave this place. That howling just now was a distress signal. It was trying to gather its comrades!

“Yeah. I’m guessing the same thing.”

Click-clack, thunk. Doyoon nodded and reloaded his gun. He gazed at the forest visible beyond the arched window and raised his arm.

“But my opinion is different.”

Small dots of light began to appear one by one in the darkness that filled the spaces between the trees. They were like the glint of a beast’s eyes. Doyoon took a proper stance and carefully aimed the muzzle of his gun.

“There’s no need to run away.”

Bang!

“Kyaaaak!”

A scream rang out. As if receiving a signal at the same time, dozens of hunting dogs rushed out of the forest. Facing the fiercely approaching enemies, Doyoon stood unwavering and fired his gun without pause. Bone dust burst and scattered like a barrage over the field. One by one, the hunting dogs falling like arrows were eliminated.

Doyoon accurately took down his targets without a single error. At this moment, he was the natural enemy of vampires, a hunter. Bibi also ran to his side with her gun, ready to join the fight.

It was when she stepped on the patterned brick that Doyoon had been looking at closely earlier. The floor she had been standing on suddenly disappeared.

“Huh…?”

Her body seemed to float in the air for a moment, then she fell downwards into the darkness as if being sucked in. Bibi quickly bent her waist, covered her head with her arms, and braced for impact.

Thump!

“Ugh!”

The pit, or the underground space, didn’t seem very deep. Her body soon hit a hard surface. Since she had fallen legs first, she didn’t suffer any fractures or major injuries, but the impact was still there. Her buttocks hurt terribly. Bibi, sprawled on the floor, rubbed her tailbone and tried to pull herself together.

When she raised her head, she could see the moon in the night sky through the large hole above.

“Bibi!”

Doyoon’s shout echoed down. Bibi took a breath to answer, but she swallowed a lump of dust and coughed roughly.

“Doyoon, I’m okay!”

She managed to answer in a hoarse voice.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No!”

“Can you climb up by yourself?”

Bibi estimated the distance between the hole above her head and her current position and said she could.

Bang bang!

Judging by the continuous gunshots from above, Doyoon was still dealing with the pouring-out hunting dogs. He didn’t sound particularly threatened, but she could hear curses, indicating they were annoying due to their numbers.

First, Bibi widened her eyes and looked around. This pit she had fallen into… wasn’t a случайно opened hole, but a spacious underground space that had been artificially created.

Walls made of the same stone as the monastery’s framework, shelves for holding candlesticks, a structure that looked like an altar, an old tombstone, and a wooden coffin came into view one after another. This was probably an underground burial chamber. The weakened ground, due to the fierce fighting above, must have collapsed, revealing it.

Could someone related to this monastery be buried here?

Bibi cautiously approached the coffin. A large name was written on the old, crumbling coffin.

Loer Jack

Loer Jack…

Jack…

Wait, if it’s Jack… isn’t that the name of the ghost said to live in the forest?

A cold wind stirred from all directions. Goosebumps rose all over her neck. She could feel something with negative energy approaching from far away at a terrifying speed. Sensing the strangeness, Bibi quickly tried to evade.

“Ugh…!”

A strong grip flew in from behind and forcefully grabbed her neck, slamming her straight down to the floor. Her cheek hit the cold ground. Bibi was flattened like a squashed frog.

“What are you?”

A chilling male voice spoke from above her head. Goosebumps prickled all over her neck. She twisted her head to see his face, but it was forced back down. The man pressed his foot hard on her back from above.

Bibi couldn’t move under the immense pressure. No matter how much she gathered her strength and struggled, it was useless. It was as if a huge gravity was determined to crush her.

Amid this, she felt a murderous intent. He wanted to kill her. This person definitely intended to eliminate her. Feeling a sense of crisis, Bibi barely managed to wriggle and reach for her waist. The gun Doyoon had given her…. If she used this, she might be able to get out of this situation somehow. Just a little more, just a little more. More…!

“Looking for this?”

The man noticed the hunter’s gun in Bibi’s holster and pulled it out. A chill ran down her spine. All her movements froze, and even her thoughts seemed to be read. Bibi momentarily lost her will to fight. He chuckled with a wind-like sound.

“Bringing something like this into my home. You insolent things…. You’ve angered me, so you won’t be leaving here alive.”

At the crazed voice, Bibi squeezed her eyes shut. Isabel’s voice, saying she was weak, echoed in her mind. She was right. She… had no experience and no know-how. If only she had been more vigilant in the darkness, if only she had taken out the gun beforehand… if only she had been more alert, she wouldn’t have been caught so helplessly…!