Chapter 5 : Corpse Hill (5)

After finishing the meal, quite a bit of time had passed.

Of course, in this hill of corpses, distinguishing between day and night or tracking the passage of time was impossible.

But at the very least, Hans judged it to be so.

Since his body had recovered once thanks to the saint’s power, he was still in good shape, but it was best not to push himself too hard.

After all, he had no idea how long he would have to stay in this place.

‘Maybe…’Hans shook his head, brushing away the ominous thought.

The ground was soft, yet far from comfortable.

As he lay down after organizing his belongings, Hans was acutely aware that he was buried in a pile of corpses.

Yet, the reason he remained mentally intact was, paradoxically, because he was so familiar with corpses.

The coldness, the stickiness, the stillness after the pulse had stopped and breath had ceased the eerie sensation of warmth dissipating from something that had been alive just moments ago.

The silence after the writhing ceased.

Compared to that, these corpses felt as light and fragile as cotton or paper.

No matter how much he knew they were corpses, they simply didn’t feel terrifying.‘…’Still, even he thought that hopping around on top of them was a bit much.

“Yahoo!”

While Hans had overcome his fear through experience, Alje seemed to lack the concept of death being something to be feared in the first place.

Every time the girl’s bare, white feet bounced, someone’s face or torso was crushed beneath them with a crisp, cracking sound.

Hans didn’t bother to stop her—he had also been stepping on corpses to get around.

It couldn’t be helped.

There wasn’t a single patch of ground here that wasn’t covered in the dead.

“Hey, mister!”

Alje was reckless not just for a monster but even by human standards.

Perhaps that was the personality of the original “girl” whose body, strength, and maybe even name had been stolen by the monster.

Hans decided not to think about it too much.

Regardless, he had made up his mind to protect Alje.

It wasn’t because of her charming appearance or affectionate personality.

It was purely a matter of survival.

And now that he had seen the true form of the mimic monster, he congratulated himself on making a wise decision.

‘Thank goodness.’

If he had drawn his sword too hastily, that cute little girl might have transformed into a big, burly man by now.

And after all, he was still a man.

If he was being completely honest, he hadn’t been entirely unaffected by that disguise.

Alje, covering the gaping hole in her chest with her clothing, was simply too defenseless.

‘Gulp.’

Hans found himself staring at her back before quickly whipping his head away.

At the very least, he had enough self-control not to step into an obvious trap.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have survived this long.

“Hey, mister!”

“Call me ‘big brother’ instead.”

Replying to her playful tone with equal mischief, Hans smirked.

Alje stuck out her tongue.

“You have to be handsome for that. Otherwise, you’re just a mister.”

“Don’t I look decent enough?”

Her reaction was fitting for a girl her age perhaps a bit naive, but pure and untainted.

Alje furrowed her brow in deep thought before nodding.

“Fine, I admit it!”

“Then “

“But your gaze is way too suspicious. Disqualified, mister!”

It was a strangely peaceful conversation for two people in a hill of corpses.

Observing Alje’s human-like behavior, Hans silently nodded.

The rumors were true.

If they had met somewhere else, if she didn’t have that hole in her chest, he never would have suspected she was a monster.

Even now, knowing the truth, he found it difficult to fully grasp.

Had Alje looked like a true monster, they wouldn’t be exchanging playful banter.

People tend to judge based on appearances more than they realize.

“So.”

“Hm?”

“Why were you calling me?”

“Ah!”

As if only just remembering, Alje let out a small exclamation before running off.

Hans, watching her go with mild amusement, sighed and got up from the corpse he had been lying on.

His weight had left a deep impression in the pile, as if he had been resting in snow.

If he had moved his arms, he might have made an angel shape.

“What is it?”

“Hehe , Guess what I found?”

The corpses in this place were all dried-up husks, as if they had been uniformly drained of life.

Even decomposition follows stages there should have been some that were fresher than others.

Yet here, every single body crumbled at the slightest touch.

And from among those remains, as if she were a dog digging up a yard, Alje had uncovered .

“Tada!”

She lifted it high, as if she had just drawn a legendary sword.

It was an arm.

An arm that, unlike the others, was still full of life.

Not only was it not shriveled up, but it seemed vibrant.

No, more than just looking alive it was moving.

“Get down!”

“Huh?”

Hans immediately snatched the arm from Alje’s grasp and flung it away.

Just before he threw it, the fingers twitched as if awakening from a deep slumber.

Then, as if it had come to its senses, it straightened and pointed at Alje,Fwoooosh!

A beam of light sliced through the darkness, barely missing them.

Had Hans not acted on instinct, the blast would have obliterated Alje and likely taken him along with her.

“Whoa!”

“…A witch?”

One of the two great powers that ruled the world alongside the Saints.

While the Saints’ miracles healed wounds, cured diseases, and fed the hungry,Witches did the opposite.

They could not create anything of their own.

They only destroyed, crushed, burned, and tore things apart then stitched them back together however they pleased.

Their work was so unnatural, so twisted, that people called it magic.

Unlike Saints, who were revered, Witches were feared and despised.

Hans knew this firsthand he had been one of their victims.

The Labyrinth itself was a creation of Witches, who threw humans and monsters together for their amusement.

Yet, they remained one of the dominant forces in the world for one simple reason.

They were strong.

“Get down! Stop staring and move!”

Hans forced Alje’s head down as another blast of light swept across them, disintegrating countless corpses.

Even after two attacks, the number of bodies had hardly decreased.

The world could be torn apart with a mere gesture from a Witch.

Not even monsters were safe.

Only the largest, most resilient creatures might have a chance but certainly not a clueless girl who wasn’t even taking this seriously.

Especially if the opponent was a Grand Witch.

“What the heck was that?”

“You’ll die if you don’t move!”

Even if it was just an arm Hans clenched his sword as the fingers of the severed limb twitched once more.

A third blast was coming.

Without hesitation, Hans grabbed Alje and threw her as far as he could.

“Ahhh!”

For someone who had devoured an entire Giant, she was surprisingly light.

Perhaps because she lacked a heart.

No time for distractions.

Hans sprinted forward.

Fwoooosh!

The third blast was weaker, but still broad enough to be difficult to dodge.

If not for the faint warning signs, the first attack would have killed him instantly.

He slid under it, then sprang up as soon as the light faded.

The distance was closing.

He swung his sword at the pulsating, lively arm—’It’ll be fine.

Witches are powerful, but this is just an arm, after all—’But in the next instant.

‘Huh?’

The fingers twitched.

And from their tips.

CRACK.

A sudden blue lightning bolt swallowed Hans’s vision whole.