Chapter 17: Inside the Ruined Town (1)

Four days passed in the blink of an eye.

With our newly repaired and reinforced gear, we set out once more.

Our first expedition had given us a taste of real combat, and after four days of rest and intense training, we were clearly much sharper than before.

“Fuck! You!!”

Thud!

Booker slammed his full weight behind his medium shield, knocking aside the lizardman’s claws. With a roar, he swung his straight sword down at its head. The blade flashed, the lizardman recoiled violently—and before it could recover, Booker struck again, finishing it off.

“Watch out!”

“Whoa—!”

Another lizardman lunged from behind, but Mizan was already there, slamming into it with a shoulder charge. He didn’t just deflect the claws; he launched the entire creature. His shield techniques had improved considerably, and paired with his gym-honed physique and the weight of his leather-covered tower shield, he now hit like a freight train. No lizardman could withstand that impact.

As for Jelena—

“Honestly, you two really need to finish them off.”

With both hands on her spear, she moved swiftly between fallen foes, jabbing clean through the skulls of those still twitching. Her movements were quick, clinical.

“Yo, yo, nice work, Jelena! That’s my girl!”

“Alright, shut it, loudmouth. Hey!”

Jelena suddenly jabbed sideways, catching a mid-air lizardman in the ribs. But the strike was too shallow. Mizan stepped in again, bashing it off-balance with his shield, and Booker lunged in from a blind spot to finish it with a slash.

“Ahaha! Did you see that? I’m a beast!” Booker crowed.

“Pfft, if it weren’t for me, you’d be toast,” Jelena scoffed.

“Yeah, yeah, teamwork makes the dream work,” Mizan said, playing peacekeeper as always.

“Hah? Who needs to team up with this muscle-brained tomboy? Hey, hey, Yuhong! Look at that! I’m totally better than those two, right?”

“Uh… yeah, very impressive.”

I answered with a wry smile.

“In just a few minutes, I’ve taken down five! How many’ve you got?” Booker looked smug.

“As for me…”

I glanced behind me.

“Wait, Yuhong, all of these… don’t tell me you did this?”

“Uh, not all of them. Also—”

Shff!

The sharp sound of a blade cutting through air—another lizardman went down, its skull pierced clean through. Felice moved like a leaping antelope, dancing between four—no, now three—lizardmen. She’d just skewered another.

But we should probably finish this quickly.

“Hey!”

I hurled a rock at one of the lizardmen harassing Felice. It turned toward me with a snarl and lunged. I was used to their leaping attacks by now. They looked ferocious, but were easy to sidestep, and the landing left a massive opening—like they were begging to be countered.

“Heh…”

Parry! I knocked its claws aside with my buckler, slashed a shallow but solid line across its head, then followed up with a heavy kick to its chest. The body toppled backward, right into another lizardman, blocking its path. Its dull brain couldn’t react fast enough. That moment of hesitation was all I needed.

The usual move would be a clean decapitation?

Not this time. I wanted to test something new.

When Booker had shouted earlier, I’d already completed the incantation. Turns out, real spells didn’t need to be chanted aloud like in books or games—silent focus worked even better.

Aether Infusion—

A faint shimmer appeared around my dagger—not colored light, but a translucent ripple, like molten glass catching firelight. If I had to describe it, it was like watching a flame with the texture of crystal.

“Haaah!”

I lunged. This time, I aimed for the lizardman’s chest. The moment the tip of my blade struck its scales, I felt a jarring resistance—then, in the next instant, the aether-charged point pierced through.

Just a little.

But a little was all I needed.

Now.

I pushed with all my strength. The blade plunged in deep, then tore out again. The lizardman gave a strangled cry and collapsed. That was my first kill through the heart instead of the head. I took a deep breath to calm my racing pulse.

Aether Infusion was incredible. Choosing it first had been the right call.

“Hey, Felice.”

“You’re slow, Yuhong.”

“Ugh…”

While I’d been testing my new spell, Felice had already finished off two more. She was now wiping her rapier with that same quiet focus, looking at me like I was performing tricks for her amusement. Her technique had improved rapidly. ‘Elegant’ was the word for it. Her fencing resembled a graceful dance, turning a weapon ill-suited for chaotic melee into something almost artful.

“Sorry for making you wait.”

“Didn’t you say ‘finish it quickly’ yourself?”

“Yeah, well… had to try the new technique. Alright, let’s keep moving. Booker?”

“Fine. Shit. You guys are crazy. We’re not the same.”

“??”

He seemed oddly deflated and slumped forward, mumbling. Jelena said something teasing beside him, and the two were bickering again.

They really do get along.

***

We pressed forward.

Step by step.

Beyond this point…

“Divine envoy, sirs… we…”

“Thanks, Jols. We’ll handle it from here.”

“Please… be careful!”

“Don’t worry.”

I offered reassuring words to the rotted-face people who had accompanied us, but I couldn’t shake the tension in my chest.

Up ahead was the threshold—what we’d decided to call the line where mist pressure spiked and the locals could no longer pass. Last time, we’d turned back after fighting a few acid-spitting lizardmen near that line. This time, we were crossing it. Jols and the others would remain behind, ready to receive us if we retreated.

We exchanged glances—me, Felice, Booker, Jelena, Mizan, Rena.

Though we hadn’t known each other long, somehow, we’d already become comrades, bound by shared risk and trust.

When I came to, I realized they were all looking at me, waiting for me to say something.

What was I supposed to say?

Words rose to my lips, but none seemed right. The usual speeches about fighting together or pressing forward felt hollow.

“Everyone, check your gear and physical condition. If anything feels off, say so immediately.”

In the end, I said something utterly mundane.

But everyone followed the instruction without complaint—checking their equipment, inspecting armor and shield wear, cleaning their weapons, stretching their limbs. Rena cast Durability Maintenance on us, reinforcing our gear against unexpected damage—especially useful if we encountered more acid-spitters.

Everything was ready.

Except for one decision.

The route.

We were still following the outer perimeter of the Ruined Town. Having crossed the threshold, we could either continue along the perimeter or cut inward. The outer path was getting harder—dry riverbeds, scattered rocks, unstable footing. But cutting inside meant a higher chance of encountering monsters and more opportunities to be surrounded. Worse—

“We absolutely have to avoid a direct encounter with that spring-legged monster.”

My voice was grim.

“…”

Felice, Booker, and Jelena silently nodded. They’d all seen what that thing did to Vaclav. The memory of it was brutal—Jelena even hugged herself.

Mizan and Rena hadn’t seen it firsthand, but from our descriptions, they understood how terrifying it was.

Given that—

“Let’s stick to the perimeter. The terrain will be tough, but what do you think?”

““““No objections!””””

They answered in unison.

***

—Right. Meeting adjourned.

They’d all answered in unison—No objections. And I agreed it was the better choice.

But then, the abnormalities started to appear.

First, the atmosphere.

“Feels like… How do I put it?” Booker muttered, frowning.

“There’s this creepy prickling feeling,” Rena added, glancing around uneasily.

“It really does. It’s like walking into the ruins of Little Lund.” Jelena’s face had gone pale.

“The scenery hasn’t changed at all, but…” Mizan also looked uneasy.

Once we crossed into the back half of the Ruined Town, the atmosphere had shifted. The mist was still thin. The scenery still unchanged, just a crumbling town. But an intangible pressure had thickened. Just being here made goosebumps crawl across my skin.

I felt deeply uncomfortable. 

I glanced at Felice, who walked beside me. She was surprisingly calm. She wasn’t some expressionless, emotionless girl trope either; her face had its share of subtle expressions. It was just that the movement of her facial muscles was always faint. Still, I could tell she wasn’t particularly afraid. That helped ease my tension just a little.

We continued forward, eventually running into acid-spitting lizardmen.

“Everyone, be careful! The enemies in the second half will definitely be tougher.”

Jelena shouted, probably drawing on some game logic. It wasn’t exactly realistic, but in this moment, it felt oddly persuasive.

Only three acid-spitters this time, but we went all in. And—

The battle lasted barely ten seconds.

Mizan stood firm at the front, using his leather-covered shield to block the venom. Rena cast protective miracles on our gear. We moved in behind him, though we never got the chance to attack. Mizan bashed the acid-spitters aside with his shield, and Booker and Jelena moved in for the finish.

So it turned out, just because we were deeper in, it didn’t mean the enemies were stronger.

But the sense of unease didn’t lessen.

It only grew stronger.

“Yuhong…”

“Hmm?”

Felice tugged on my sleeve. I turned to her in confusion, and she pointed ahead.

“Over there… I think something’s behind that.”

“Huh?”

I followed her gesture. It was a small, long-abandoned shack. The door hung ajar. And through the crack—

“Everyone, stop!”

I shouted and sprinted forward, grabbing the back of Mizan’s collar and yanking him away from the doorway just in time—because something pale and massive suddenly lunged out. 

Rena and Jelena gasped behind me.

What was it? What was this new monster?

I didn’t have time to look.

Reflexively, I swung my blade.

“Nggh—!”

“Yyaaaaahhh!!!”

It shrieked in a horrible, twisted voice. Then something—what looked like a human leg—kicked at me. Mizan recovered and stepped forward, shield raised. 

Thud!

The blow sent Mizan stumbling. His shield nearly flew from his hands, but he managed to stay upright and pull back with me.

Only then did I finally see what we were dealing with.

Oh. My. God.

In short, it was a person.

Or rather, made of people.

Its skin was a sickly, corpse-white. It was three times the length of a normal human, because it was literally three humans fused end to end. The third person’s head was attached to the second person’s pelvis, and the second’s head to the first’s lower back. The junctions were covered in tumor-like masses of flesh, unnaturally fused. Its ‘head’ was the first person’s—grotesquely mutated. The face was twisted, with enormous eyes, no nose, and a mouth shaped like insect mandibles.

This was—

“Fuck! It’s a goddamn realistic human centipede.”

Booker stood frozen, muttering the only phrase that seemed to fit. I vaguely remembered there was a movie by that name. ‘Human Centipede’—yes, that’s exactly what it looked like. The torsos of the three bodies made up the segmented insect, with a total of twelve limbs serving as its many legs.

There’s no way this thing formed naturally. Absolutely no way.

No matter how you looked at it—

==========

First-generation alchemical bioweapon, created after Ian’s descent into madness.

==========

—!?

Wait—what!?

For a split second, a line of text—or rather, some unknown information—flashed through my mind.

“Hey, Yuhong! Snap out of it!”

“Ah? Ah—”

Booker’s voice snapped me back to reality just as a powerful impact slammed into me. 

“Watch out!”

Mizan stepped between me and the creature, taking the hit from one of its central limbs square on his shield. Even with his strength, the blow knocked him back several steps. 

I had fully come to my senses. I reversed my grip on the dagger and darted around Mizan, slashing hard at one of the centipede’s arms.

The feel of slicing through it was nothing like a lizardman. I’ve never cut a person before, but this… this had to be what it felt like.

“Haah!!”

I stabbed upward with the reverse grip, using speed to my advantage. The blade punched clean through the nearest limb. Blood—bright red, unmistakably human—splashed everywhere. I gagged. Lizardman fluids never triggered a reaction, but this thing… it was just like cutting a real person.

“Skreeeee!”

The creature shrieked in pain and began to roll. Its long, twisted body flailed so violently that none of us could get close. Its twelve limbs flailed wildly, and while the muscle strength wasn’t superhuman, the power behind the movements was monstrous, like its brain had completely removed the limiters from its body.

It gouged a deep trench in the earth, and as it surged toward us, we scattered to avoid being crushed.

“What are we supposed to do about this thing?!” Jelena shouted, panicked.

“Maintain distance!” I yelled back.

“Is anyone hurt?!” Rena cried out anxiously.

“Rena, stay back!”

“I’ll try to hold it off with my shield!”

“Don’t be stupid, fuck!”

“Stay calm, everyone! Wait… Felice? Where’s—”

Suddenly, I realized I couldn’t see Felice. Panic shot through me. I looked around frantically, only to see her crouched atop the roof of a nearby building, meeting my gaze.

She held up a finger to her lips—shh.

That woman!

“Skreeeee!”

The rolling centipede crashed into a stone wall at the village’s edge, reducing it to rubble on impact. Then it stopped, skidding in a grotesque arc like a drifting car, and turned back toward us.

We readied to scatter again.

But this time, it didn’t roll.

It crouched low—its twisted face pointed our way. 

“∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞——!”

What!?

The space around its mouth warped for an instant.

I dropped my weapon and slammed my hands over my ears.

“Ggh!!”

Even so, I was blown back several steps. My ears rang with pain, and my head swam with vertigo.

A sonic attack!? In real life!?

“Ggh—wha—”

“Shit—!”

“Ughhh!!”

The others fared worse. Booker dropped to his knees and vomited on the spot. Rena, the youngest, rolled her eyes back and collapsed unconscious. Our best support member was out from one surprise attack.

The centipede screeched triumphantly, then lunged.

“Shi—”

Adrenaline surged.

Time slowed.

“—eld!”

I dove toward the shield Mizan had dropped and hoisted it up with all my strength, placing it between us just as the monster slammed into it. 

Thud!

The impact sent shockwaves through my chest. My arms went numb with pain. The shield was dented deep. My hands were bleeding. I probably got launched.

But that was fine.

That was enough.

Even as I flew, I saw the centipede stop. It didn’t move. Didn’t roll. Didn’t scream.

That pause—that moment—was all we needed.

“Felice! Now!!!”

I roared, and a slim figure dropped from the rooftop like a falling petal.

Felice.

Light as a feather, deadly as thunder.

She plunged downward, rapier aimed like a lightning bolt. The centipede’s warped anatomy made it hard for it to look upward. Its blind spot.

By the time it sensed her—

Shhhk!

—The blade punched straight through its deformed skull. Blood—or maybe brain matter—sprayed into the air. It twitched violently. 

And went still.

I stood, arms shaking.

Felice straddled the corpse, still frozen in her final pose, breathing heavily.

“You okay, Felice?”

“…Y-yeah. I think so.”

She pulled her rapier free, wobbling slightly as she dismounted. Even her always-composed face showed a rare flicker of shock.

“Cough… cough…”

“God…”

“What even was that thing? Wait, this girl—”

The others were slowly recovering. Rena had passed out cold, but Jelena checked—she was still breathing. Just knocked out. Her vestibular system couldn’t handle the sonic assault.

We exhaled in relief.

And then—

==========

Constructed by Ian from randomly chosen human base forms, fused in clusters of three to ten.

Muscle limiters are removed via chemical agents to increase strength. The head-body unit undergoes extreme remodeling, with vocal systems altered by runes to emit ultrasonic attacks for prey suppression.

Due to brute-force modifications and unrestricted muscle output, physical integrity is low, and subjects typically break down after extended combat.

==========

Another piece of information surfaced in my mind.

Felice flinched. She looked at me.

She sensed it too.

“Hey, did you guys just now… see or hear something?” Mizan asked, his voice low.

We all had.

No doubt about it now.

As we fought fog fiends, we were starting to receive… what? Their origins? Their stories? Some background knowledge?

Was this a ‘gift’ from the gods that kidnapped us?

No time to think about that now.

“Everyone, stay alert! Mizan, keep that shield up! Booker, grab Rena. We’re surrounded!”

Three more human centipedes emerged, closing in from three different directions.