Choice

In just a few seconds, the young men had transformed into bear-like monsters. Lynch's cane struck the monsters' bulging muscles as if hitting rubber tires.

The four monsters had almost completely blocked off the narrow alleyway. The space was instantly filled with the distinct, rancid stench of wild beasts, and their sharp claws scraped against the walls, leaving shocking gashes and producing a screeching sound that set one's teeth on edge.

“Ahhh!”

Only then did the middle-aged Luke realize what was happening. Belatedly letting out a miserable shriek, his legs went weak, and he collapsed onto the ground, instantly wetting his pants.

However, the alleyway was dark and deep. The scream not only failed to attract any passersby, but instead drew the gaze of all four monsters directly onto him.

Saliva dripping, the red-eyed monsters quickly closed in. But by this time, Lynch had already recovered from the recoil of his strike. Rushing to Luke's side before the four monsters could reach him, he grabbed Luke by the arm. With a few twists of his body, he slipped through the gaps between the monsters as agilely as a cat, and in the blink of an eye, he dashed out of the alleyway like the wind.

“Roar!”

Subdued roars echoed from behind, yet the creatures never left the alleyway. Ignoring the astonished looks of passersby, Lynch dragged Luke by the arm all the way to the main road and leaped onto a waiting carriage.

“Follow the main road first, quickly!”

Looking back, the monsters seemed to be wary of the people outside and did not give chase. Lynch let out a soft sigh. Why did actual monsters pop up? The client didn't say anything about this.

No, she's a monster herself. Did she even need to say it? Whatever. At least this guy's life is saved for now. As long as I can trick him into leading me to his home, everything will be fine.

He looked at the rescued Luke, who was currently deathly pale, clutching his head, and panting heavily. His eyes were glazed over, and he kept muttering to himself, “Monsters... there are monsters...”

“Hey, buddy, wake up.”

Seeing that the man had fallen into a semi-frenzied state from sheer panic, Lynch resorted directly to a physical calming method. He slapped him across the face. With a sharp crack, it proved effective, and some color immediately returned to the pale face.

I'm just using the most effective way to calm him down. It's not that I'm impatient with men because of gender differences.

【Hehe.】

“Calm the hell down! Didn't you already know there were monsters? Why are you acting like you've lost your mind?”

“They... they really exist? I-I've never seen one with my own eyes before.”

“Of course they do. Tsk, so you were just repeating what you heard from others.”

A wave of irritation washed over Lynch. He realized this matter was far more troublesome than he had anticipated. There was definitely another story behind this man, and understanding it would probably take some time. However, he was currently steeped in the mysterious filth, and his condition was deteriorating. Time was the one thing he lacked most.

Aside from Walker and the others, I'm not the first to activate the file, and I'm certainly not the first to survive the initial wave of erosion and enter this place. They probably didn't encounter such a troublesome situation, right?

No, they all went mad. Perhaps what they encountered was even more troublesome—or rather, what I'm facing is more troublesome than I thought.

Whatever. Time waits for no one. I need to trick him into going home quickly and finish the task.

“Stop trembling. First, tell me exactly how... Driver, where are you going?”

Lynch looked up and suddenly realized the surroundings were wrong. He had told the driver to keep to the main road, but the carriage had already turned into a deserted side street. It was getting quieter and darker.

Upon hearing the question, the coachman suddenly let go of the reins and leaped into the air. His body exploded into a cloud of blood mist in midair, and eight spider-like appendages burst from his back. His head split open to both sides, revealing a spider-like mouthpart as he lunged down at the two inside the carriage.

Damn it, next time I'm choosing a closed hired carriage.

Lynch was already numb to this. With a calm mind, he kicked Luke off the carriage. Rolling out toward the other side, he drew his revolver and fired three consecutive shots, then immediately lashed out with his segmented whip, striking the coachman squarely in the face.

Didn't expect that, did you? The bullets were just a decoy. I missed on purpose.

Bang.

The whip struck its target, halting the coachman in midair. Losing his balance, the creature crashed down beside Lynch, its dozen or so limbs thrashing wildly on the ground. At the same time, Lynch brushed past it, rushing toward Luke, who was rolling on the ground.

Yet, just as Lynch brushed past the monster, a soft female voice suddenly whispered in his ear, “I've helped you this far. Quickly complete the task.”

Thud. In the next moment, Lynch had already leapt over the coachman, landing beside Luke and hoisting him up.

Damn it, so it was controlled by those swelling monsters. No wonder these monsters appeared at such a convenient time.

Lynch covertly gave the coachman a cross-world friendly gesture. Then, dragging Luke, he quickly ran back to the main road. Slamming the completely dazed Luke onto the ground, he delivered another physical wake-up call, restoring color to his face once more.

“Stop spacing out here! Pull yourself together!”

“W-Who are you?” Luke finally realized this question.

“A monster hunter. Cut the crap. Do you have any family? Do they know about the things you just mentioned? They'd better not. If they do, the monsters will find them soon. Once they do, they can trace your bloodline to find you, and you won't be able to escape either.”

“Clara... Nara.”

The panicked and bewildered Luke finally regained a shred of sanity. He didn't have time to ponder who Lynch was; looking around, he picked a direction and bolted toward his home.

Looks like it worked.

Lynch watched Luke's fleeing figure from behind, but there was no joy on his face.

It's understandable for them to send a few monsters as a backup, but was there really a need to strike so hastily? It's almost as if they were terrified I wouldn't be able to find their home. If they were really that anxious, wouldn't it be safer for them to just do it themselves?

Something feels off. Besides, slaughtering an entire family... do I really have to do this?

Pursing his lips, Lynch hesitated for a few seconds. In the end, he gritted his teeth, caught up with quick strides, and shouted as he ran alongside Luke:

“Hurry up! Whatever happens, let's get back and save them first. I'll help you!”

Since he had only gone out at night to drown his sorrows, his home naturally wasn't too far away. After less than ten minutes of hurried walking, they arrived at his apartment building.

Looking up from below, a row of windows glowed with dim yellow light, filled with the warmth of everyday life. However, Lynch was in no mood to appreciate any of it. Without a word, he followed closely behind Luke, heading straight up to the second floor and bursting into his home.

“Ah!”

The screams of two women echoed from inside, but they cut off abruptly.

Lynch let out a sigh of relief. Looks like all three of them are here.

Then this will be easy.

With an expressionless face, he walked through the door, loading his revolver as he went, before carefully shutting the front door behind him.

Inside the room was a middle-aged woman and a young girl of seven or eight. Their clothing was as simple as the room's furnishings. Currently, the three of them were huddled together as Luke stammered out what had just occurred.

However, before he could say more than a few sentences, he suddenly felt his wife trembling in his arms. He then noticed her staring past his shoulder, her face pale with fright.

Turning around, he finally realized that the stranger who claimed to be a monster hunter had already closed the door, and a dark muzzle was pointed straight at the three of them.

Two adults and one child—the family of three huddled together, their eyes wide with terror, not daring to make a sound as they stared blankly at the cold barrel of the gun.

“My apologies. I was entrusted by someone to clean up those who know too much. If you must blame someone, blame yourselves for knowing too much. For the sake of my own way out, I can only send you on yours.”

With that, before the three of them could scream, Lynch squeezed his finger, pulling the... Damn it, I can't bring myself to do it.

Anyone who killed regularly knew that taking a life for the first time was never that easy. Moreover, the nature of this situation was highly peculiar. It was equivalent to killing three innocent people just to save his own skin—like hunting his own kind just to fill his stomach.

To a wild beast, this might be perfectly normal, but I am human. Do I really want to go against my own will, breach the bottom line of being human, and turn myself into a beast?

A strong, wave-like sensation of agitation rose in his chest. A faint crimson mist seemed to emanate from his body, but Lynch did not notice it. He simply pursed his lips tightly, keeping his gun aimed at the family of three.

He was no saint; relatively speaking, he preferred to survive. Thus, an intense conflict raged in his mind, and his finger tensed on the trigger several times.

They're just a bunch of NPCs. It's not like I haven't killed them in video games before.

Even if they seem human, even if they are real people, it's every man for himself, and the devil take the hindmost.

The problem can be solved so easily, so why am I hesitating? Am I planning to look for trouble? I... Huh? Easy?

The hesitating Lynch frowned. He recalled that before he left, the monster girl had mentioned it quite casually.

They could easily have done this themselves. The only reason they handed this task to Lynch was to please them and put on a good show for them.

The question was, would following them and gunning down their entire family really count as a “good show”? Especially when they had actively intervened to facilitate it several times.

Who would look forward to such an outcome? Unless... the real show hadn't even begun yet, and pulling this trigger was what would actually start it.

That was close.

Lynch finally realized he had almost stepped into a trap. For a moment, he felt an endless malice sweeping in from all directions, his entire body turning ice-cold as if he had plunged into an icy cavern. Only then did he discover that a crimson mist was diffusing from his body—a classic sign that the filth within his soul was beginning to destabilize.

He was only a single step away from his defensive line collapsing.

Those entities were so insidious; who knew what would happen once he fired. Lynch sighed, lowered his gun slightly, and softened his voice.

“Knowing more isn't always better; sometimes, it only brings disaster. What you said in the bar earlier was clearly not a visual description, but a narrative statement. It sounded more like someone told you rather than you seeing it with your own eyes. So, if you don't want to die, tell me the whole story. Maybe we can still find a way to resolve this.”

You did say I could refuse, monsters. In that case, I beg to decline. I will show you that I can find a way out using my own method.

“It... it was last week when I was drinking in a bar. A woman holding a black fan asked me if I wanted to change my life.” The man looked around his simple home. “I said yes, and she gave me a book to read on the spot.”

“What book?”

“《Goddess of the Black Fan》. I didn't really understand it, but after reading it, when I went to sleep that night, I dreamed of a place with beautiful scenery. A few days ago, I took Clara and Nara there for a picnic.”

Fuck, are the people in this world all this brave?