“Guildmaster, aren’t you curious what might happen if an Outsider is consumed by the Corruption?”
“I... I am curious, yeah...”
Kim Junhwan gave a vague response as he carefully reached for his weapon.
“Then shall we try it?”
Chun Gyuri smiled brightly.
The moment Kim Junhwan drew his sword and twisted his body—
A massive surge of mana surged.
[Activating skill ‘Red Shoes.’]
–Forces the target to move according to the caster’s will.
Clang!
The weapon slipped from Kim Junhwan’s hand and clattered to the ground.
“Wh...?”
His legs twisted unnaturally as he moved forward.
My feet...!
His body wouldn’t obey. He was moving against his will.
And the direction he was heading in... was the [Blood Clot].
The [Blood Clot] throbbed like a living thing.
“Urgh!”
The closer he got, the harder it was to breathe through the Corruption.
His exposed cheek burned as if scalded. It felt like his body was being set on fire.
Terrified, he shook his head violently.
“Stop, stop it!”
But regardless of his will, Kim Junhwan stretched his arms wide—then wrapped them around the [Blood Clot].
Ssssssssssssh—!
“AAAGGHHHHHHHHHH!”
Like a man being burned alive, Kim Junhwan’s body was consumed.
His grotesque scream never made it out of the swamp.
A barrier had already been deployed to block the sound.
Irina squatted next to the collapsed Kim Junhwan, curling her body into a ball.
“Mmm...”
She narrowed her eyes and pressed a finger firmly to her lower lip.
For Outsiders, the Corruption seemed to function like an intense acid.
“Are Outsiders immune to it... or is there some special condition?”
She tilted her head in mild confusion.
She was still considering whether she should experiment on a few more once they left the swamp—
“Irina.”
A low, familiar voice rang out.
Irina turned instinctively toward the sound.
A black Glock was aimed directly at her.
Then, suddenly, Irina’s face lit up with recognition and warmth.
“Zenya?”
Bang!
Sunlight trickled through the leaves as the baby flying squirrel blinked awake.
It’s morning!
Sitting on a branch, the baby squirrel stretched its tiny arms.
“HaaAAaaAAmmm!”
After yawning so wide it nearly tore her cheeks, she rubbed her face like a cat and blinked around groggily.
Where is dis pwace?
After sipping dew off a leaf, she looked around. No matter how hard she rubbed her eyes, all she could see was forest in every direction.
Gwuu... how did dis happen...
Guru slowly tried to recall last night’s events.
“I’m a Gnosis.”
The moment Serhi said those words, it felt like her whole vision turned white.
Really? Oppaw’s a Gnosis?
She didn’t know what to do. Didn’t know what to say.
She was hesitating, unable to speak—
And then Serhi had lifted his hand from her eyes, his face twisted with anguish.
“So run. Now.”
That was the signal.
She couldn’t think.
A siren blared in her mind, alerting her to danger. Her body responded first.
As if pushed from behind, Guru transformed into a tiny flying squirrel and leapt from the train.
Serhi didn’t chase after her.
Even though she was just a baby squirrel—easy to catch—he didn’t follow on purpose.
After jumping from the train, she’d run all through the night. Now she’d just woken up from a nap on a tree branch.
Guru shot up on the branch, stretched her little arms, and leapt off.
“Hyachaaa!”
The baby flying squirrel glided through the air and landed stylishly on the ground.
In a superhero landing pose, Guru trembled with excitement.
Havin’ a fwyin’ squiwwew wife... kinda fun.
If she couldn’t transform, she never would’ve had the courage to jump off that train.
When she’d spread her arms and leapt, the wind had caught her light little body, sending her soaring. For a moment, she’d forgotten she was fleeing.
She sparkled as she glided through the air.
Dis is... weawwy fweedom?
Though, it only lasted a moment.
Kyii?!
She’d soon fallen and rolled across the ground like a tumbleweed.
After that, she just kept running after the train.
Guru now returned to her human form and let out a deep sigh.
Oppaw’s... weawwy a Gnosis.
The squirrel farm, where oak leaves rustled in the breeze.
The peaches, bursting with juice when you bit into them.
The sweet, grainy red carrot candy.
We’d spent all that time together.
I believed it was a misunderstanding.
Tears welled up. Guru’s ears and tail drooped.
Was he just twyin’ to twick me fwom da stawt...?
To steal the [Special Acorn]? Her chest ached sharply.
Why did he tell her to run?
She dragged her feet and took a few slow steps—then violently shook her head.
Her chest still prickled like a nest of hedgehogs was rolling around inside.
Sniff. She wiped at her tingling nose.
Tears felt dangerously close to falling, so she opened her eyes wide.
Gwuu got a job to do!
If she didn’t purify the swamp with her [Acorn], the mission would fail.
Mission faiwuwe = Dungeon bweak = Big scawy twagedy!
To clear this dungeon, she had to stop Serhi and help Mastuh Uncwe.
Is Mastuh Uncwe okay...
Just in case, she’d left a note under her bag saying she thought Serhi might be a Gnosis.
Did he see it?
If so, maybe they’d fought...
Mastuh Uncwe was reawwy stwong, and now dat Gwuu wasn’t awound, he couwd fight without pwayin’ babysittew, so maybe dat’s good...
Still... someone could get hurt. In the worst case...
Lost in worry, she kept walking in silence—
[The flying squirrel senses Corruption.]
[‘Flying Squirrel’s Immunity (Special)’ activates.]
[The Corruption cannot infect the flying squirrel.]
Oh!
Corruption detection? That meant—
Ahead of her was a sign warning of a contaminated zone and a rope dividing the area.
Dis is it!
Guru hopped over the rope and started running.
Gwuu gotta get dewe in time!
They’d need her [Acorn] to purify the swamp!
Just then, the crow perched on the sign flapped its wings and took off.
Meanwhile, Naohyeong, who had been tailing Serhi, came to a halt.
Found her!
A crow carrying his gaze had spotted a small child.
He began to slow his steps as Serhi walked deeper into the forest toward the swamp.
Whatever Serhi was thinking now, it clearly didn’t /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ involve him.
That kid had always been weird—but after he came back, he was a complete mystery.
Naohyeong recalled how his right arm had crumbled into sand.
His chest tightened coldly.
If it hadn’t been reversible, I’d be...
He’d only survived because he was a skilled Hunter. Otherwise, his whole body would’ve turned to sand and vanished.
He stifled the breath of fury and humiliation hissing through his teeth.
It was dangerous to stay near Serhi. But was staying close really safe?
If he had to take risks anyway, then it was better to choose the path with more power.
And that path was... over there.
Naohyeong cautiously began to widen the distance between himself and Serhi.
“Ow.”
Irina rubbed the spot where the bullet had grazed her cheek. A line of blood ran down her face.
She looked down at her blood-stained fingers and smiled faintly.
“We meet again after so long, and this is how you say hi?”
Jin Siwon kept his gun trained on her with a cold, sharp gaze.
“Where is Guru?”
“Guru? What’s that?”
Irina blinked, feigning genuine ignorance.
Siwon lowered the gun—then immediately pulled the trigger.
Bang!
“Ow!”
The bullet tore through Irina’s arm, carving it open so wide the bone was exposed.
Even so, Irina smiled calmly and playfully.
“This isn’t enough to kill me...”
Just like she said, her arm began regenerating rapidly.
A mannequin?
Was this her real body, modified...? Or had she transferred her consciousness into a mannequin shaped like Chun Gyuri?
Doesn’t matter.
Siwon thought coldly as he raised the gun again without emotion. One thing was certain from the biometric readout—
“You can feel pain.”
Bang!
He shot the regenerating arm again, then said coldly:
“Next is your head. Where is the four-year-old girl you took?”

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