‘No, when did this thing get all the way here?!’
The moment I saw the dot stuck right next to us, my heart nearly jumped out of my chest!
I was so shocked that my heart pounded so hard it felt like my surrounding muscles were tightening and aching.
Trying to calm my racing heart, I shifted my gaze to the other side.
Unlike me, who was completely freaked out, Kang Dohee remained still, staring only at the door.
When did that get so close? Is it a person? It has to be, right?
If it wasn’t a person, it wouldn’t be knocking on the door like that or just standing there, waiting for a response.
It wasn’t just because of the map I looked at earlier.
A strange, indescribable energy—one that sent chills down my spine and filled me with an eerie discomfort—was seeping into the container.
What the hell is that thing?
Even after checking the map again, all I could see was the same unmoving black dot. There was no additional information.
Should I at least check what’s outside?
Or should I just hold my breath and stay hidden until morning?
‘Waiting here until morning without returning or accidentally attracting more black dots would be a problem too…’
I needed to figure out what was wandering outside to think things through more clearly.
But looking through the window was not an option—the rust was so bad that even the slightest touch would make noise.
The surroundings were eerily silent, not even the usual sounds of insects.
That meant I couldn’t even discuss this rashly with Kang Dohee.
The only relief was that there was just one black dot nearby.
‘Do they move alone and in groups? Status window.’
After hesitating, I called up the status window again.
I searched through various menus, hoping to find anything new, but there were only the usual: my information, inventory, and the map icon.
So then…
‘Menu. Information. Profile. Opponent’s information. Profile view. Information view. Monster information. Monster guide. Guide. Opponent’s information view. Hmm… nothing?’
I tried every word that could possibly bring up an opponent’s information, but nothing appeared.
The black dot was still standing there, separated from me by just the thin container wall.
Desperate, I mentally pleaded with the status window.
‘Status window, can you show me any information on that thing?’
Since it had been hesitantly implementing my requests so far, maybe this would work too?
Please, let it work.
Of course, I couldn’t afford to be pushy.
If this status window was an entity with intelligence, like in the many stories I had read, then I needed to appear as cooperative as possible.
‘You created the quest notifications and the map because I asked, right? Thanks to you, I found a place to stay. But… um, I really need to know what that thing outside is. I’m sorry for asking for so much, but it’s urgent.’
I sincerely requested its help and waited.
…Nothing.
My throat felt dry. I wanted to swallow, but my mouth was parched, making my throat feel cracked.
I couldn’t just sit here doing nothing. So, as a last-ditch effort, I carefully continued.
‘Status window, I won’t ask you to explain everything immediately—where we are, what’s going on, or how I can return home. I mean, I’d love it if you did, but if you could, you probably would have already.’
If the status window wasn’t on my side, it had no obligation to explain anything.
But given how it had responded to my earlier requests, I figured it wasn’t hostile either.
And considering how many stories involve things like causality, taboos, or restrictions, getting frustrated for a lack of answers would be foolish.
In a world like this, making an enemy out of the status window was absolutely not an option—whether there were higher beings called “constellations” or “gods” or whatever else lurking beyond.
‘Since you easily created a map, couldn’t you also make some kind of character information system? I’m really sorry for asking so much. But I’m not alone—there are others here too. Please, help us.’
I took back my earlier thought about the status window being pathetic.
Now, I was just grateful for the simple and easy-to-read map it had given me.
Hoping for some kind of sympathy, I turned my gaze toward my sleeping younger sibling.
Ha-yul was completely knocked out, unaware of the situation.
Next to him, Kang Do-jin was lying still as well… No, wait. Why wasn’t he sleeping?
Kang Do-jin lay quietly, but his eyes were wide open, staring at the ceiling.
What the—was he sleeping with his eyes open?
But his gaze was way too intense for that.
Like siblings, like brother and sister.
Both of them had such piercing eyes that they looked ready to shoot lasers at any moment.
And then—
Thud, thud—scrape—scrape—thud, thud—scrape—hiss—hiss—
A chilling, unsettling sound echoed.
Something was being dragged.
And the sound stopped—right behind the wall I was leaning against.
Gulp.
I swallowed dryly and gripped the sturdy wooden stick I had picked up earlier, taking a deep breath.
Tick—tick-tick—tick—
It sounded like fingernails tapping against the container wall, irregularly.
Even a small noise like that sent shivers down my spine.
Tick—tick-tick—tick-tick-tick—tick—tick—
The sound moved. It drifted sideways, grew distant, then got closer again.
It circled the container, tapping the wall repeatedly.
Was it doing this on purpose? Or was it just naturally slow?
I held my breath to calm my growing unease, but then—
Kang Do-jin, who had sat up without a sound, looked at me and shook his head.
“?”
I blinked in confusion.
As I stared at him, trying to understand, Kang Do-jin whispered so quietly that I barely heard him.
“Don’t move. Stay completely still.”
“…..”
I wasn’t planning to move anyway, but okay.
Just as I was about to respond, I decided against it. The sound was still lingering nearby, and I didn’t want to risk making a noise.
Instead, I nodded silently.
For now, all we could do was stay still and hope it left on its own.
Judging by how Kang Dohee was also sitting still, only moving his eyes to track the noise, he must have agreed with the plan.
The movement that had been circling outside and tapping on the walls stopped at the wall where Kang Do-hee was sitting.
At that moment, Kang Do-jin suddenly grabbed the wooden stick I was holding and sprang to his feet.
“!?”
Wait, no, hold on.
The stick is still in my hand, isn’t it?
Then where did he get that from?
Before I could even process what was happening, Kang Do-jin, without hesitation, opened the container door and stepped outside.
“…!!”
Everything happened so fast that my mind went blank.
Without thinking, I jumped to my feet and followed him, calling out in a hushed voice.
“Ka-Kang Do-jin! Hey! Ah, noona, don’t come out! Ha-yul, stay with—”
I was so startled that I couldn’t even finish my sentence properly.
For a brief moment, Kang Do-hee reached out as if to grab me, but I slipped away and hurriedly shut the door.
Because of that, I didn’t see what kind of expression she was making. There was no time for that right now.
“Grrrrk—!”
A strange, unnatural noise—something no human should be able to make—echoed from behind the container.
Rushing around the corner, I froze at the sight beyond Kang Do-jin’s shoulder.
Someone was lying in front of him.
No—more accurately, something that used to be human.
It was lying in an unnatural position, with its stomach facing up, limbs bent at grotesque angles to touch the ground.
“Krrrk? Kik?”
Click—click-click—click-click-click!
Every time it moved its jaw, shaking its head from side to side, there was a sickening sound of bones grinding together.
Its lips were torn open at the edges, revealing jagged, beast-like teeth.
It had no eyes.
Two long, spider-like legs protruded from its stomach, pressing against the ground along with its limbs as it swayed its body from side to side in a disturbing manner.
It was… It was just too horrifying.
“H-huff… W-what… is that…?”
“I told you to stay inside.”
Kang Do-jin muttered irritably, as if completely unfazed by the thing in front of us.
But how could I, as an adult, just stand by while a kid ran out alone?!
I wanted to scold him, but my jaw was trembling so much that the words wouldn’t come out.
Honestly, just standing was a miracle—I had barely any strength left in my legs after seeing that thing.
“Hyung. Stay calm. See how that thing doesn’t have eyes? It can’t see.
And there’s only one of them.”
“Ugh…”
It made sense, but my brain was still struggling to process it.
Kang Do-jin, however, continued to speak calmly.
“We might as well take care of it while we’re here.
Its limbs don’t look very strong, so as long as we avoid those spider legs, we should be fine.”
Take care of it? This thing?
I mean… Sure, I could tell it wasn’t friendly.
It kept clicking its teeth like it was hungry.
But how? How were we supposed to fight it?
[Monster Information Accessed]
Name: Failed Amalgamation
Rank: F
Traits: The host body’s bones and muscles have degenerated, making it slow and weak. However, its jaw strength rivals that of a crocodile. Once it bites down, it never lets go, and it can easily sever fingers. It is blind but has exceptional hearing. It is frightened by loud noises. Its claws are venomous—exercise caution.
A status window appeared out of nowhere, displaying an explanation of the creature.
As I hurriedly read through the information, Kang Do-jin tightened his grip on his stick.
Now that I could finally see it clearly, I realized that the stick in his hand wasn’t wood at all—it looked like metal.
‘Where did he even get that…?’
I had a vague idea, but now wasn’t the time to think about it.
‘It’s scared of loud noises?’
I double-checked the information and quickly glanced at the map.
The other black dots on the map were still far away.
At this distance, they probably wouldn’t hear the noise we made.
Even on a quiet night like this.
“Do-jin, you—you make a loud noise to distract it.
I’ll, um… I’ll…”
I’ll what?
What was I supposed to do?
Attack its head, like in movies?
“Krik?”
The thing twitched, its grotesque, human-yet-inhuman form swaying.
I tightened my grip on my stick and tried to push Kang Do-jin behind me—
But he was faster.
He swung his metal rod and slammed it against the container wall.
BANG!
“Kiiiiiik!?”
BANG!
“Kiiiiiik!!”
That was definitely loud enough.
But instead of running away, the monster twitched violently and began thrashing its head and body in agitation.
It looked furious.
And it didn’t give us a chance to analyze further.
With all four limbs and its spider legs moving at once, it suddenly lunged at Kang Do-jin.
“Ah—No! Agh!!”
The moment I saw it move, pure terror overtook me.
I wanted to run.
I wanted to scream.
And before I knew it, I was already bolting forward, a panicked cry ripping from my throat.