# 130. Mother

The subjugation team’s campsite was located a short distance away from the forest.

The area was dotted with several large boulders, and the ground was strewn with rocks of all sizes.

Campfires made from scavenged branches were scattered here and there. Near the fires, nets lay ready on the ground, prepared to be deployed at a moment's notice.

"It’s almost here. Get ready."

At Juhwan’s voice, the men moved hurriedly. Though momentarily flustered by the magic beast’s imminent arrival, they were all veteran adventurers accustomed to unexpected situations. Once the threat was upon them, they regained their composure quickly.

The adventurers lined up, unfurling the nets they had prepared.

Some held torches, keeping a sharp eye on their surroundings. In the darkness, the torches bobbed back and forth like will-o'-the-wisps.

Gwen and a few others armed themselves with bows and arrows. Their arrowheads were coated in resin.

The crackle of burning torches mingled with the sound of the men’s tense breathing and the heavy swallowing of dry throats.

While tracking the mother, Juhwan had devised his own method for dealing with the creature.

Of course, he didn't know how to kill the undead. No one in this world likely did. The people here seemed entirely unaware of their existence, and the most Juhwan knew was the mere word 'necromancer.'

In movies, zombies died if you cut off their heads or destroyed their brains, but he doubted this magic beast would be that simple.

"...."

Juhwan glanced briefly at the pup.

The pup’s appearance had changed significantly in a short time. When he first saw it, it had the look of a beast with rotting flesh, but now there were more bones visible than meat.

The soft tissues had been the first to decay away, followed by the crumbling muscles. The only parts that remained relatively intact were the tougher patches of hide.

Yet, even with its muscles gone and nothing left to support its skeleton, the pup’s body moved normally. It still seemed to feel pain. The principles governing its movement were fundamentally different from those of a living creature.

"Phew."

Juhwan took a light breath.

No matter how abnormally its body could move, it would surely die if everything was burnt to ash. Dust couldn't gather itself back into a form once it was gone.

Juhwan caught the adventurers' attention and spoke in a low voice.

"Once you throw the nets, pull back immediately. If you're not careful, you'll get caught in the aftermath."

"Understood."

"Got it."

Responses came from all sides.

The nets held by the adventurers were soaked in oil and resin.

This was for Juhwan’s fire magic. His plan was to have them throw the nets and then use his magic to incinerate the beast in an instant.

'The shorter it takes, the less time it has to suffer.'

It would require considerable firepower to turn it to ash, but with Juhwan’s mana capacity, it would be easy.

Juhwan turned his gaze toward the forest a short distance away. His body tensed slightly.

The mother, which had been running through the heart of the forest just moments ago, had reached the edge in the blink of an eye.

Juhwan gathered mana in his hands and narrowed the range of his Mana Detection toward the front.

"It's here."

As soon as the words left Juhwan’s mouth, the mother burst out from the entrance of the forest.

Gwen and the adventurers, who had been aiming toward the woods, shifted their aim toward the beast.

Arrows flew toward the mother immediately, but by the time they struck the ground, the magic beast was already running elsewhere.

"It’s too fast!" someone shouted.

Juhwan caught his breath. He had known it was fast from his Mana Detection. However, seeing it with his own eyes made him realize just how incredible its speed truly was. It was difficult for the human eye to even track.

The darkness also favored the magic beast over the humans.

The pup’s fur had been a dull yellow, but the mother’s appeared to be a deep chestnut brown. He couldn't be sure, but that was how it looked in the flickering torchlight.

The dark fur allowed the creature to melt into the black void, making it even harder for human eyes to follow. It looked like a shadow dancing through the dark.

Occasionally, parts of the mother’s dark form turned white as they caught the torchlight.

This was because the mother was also decaying, her bones exposed.

However, the glint of bone under torchlight and moonlight wasn't enough for human eyes and reflexes to keep up with her.

Several arrows flew toward her, but they only clawed fruitlessly at the air before falling to the earth.

The adventurers shifted the direction and position of their nets according to the beast’s movements. But she was too fast. The adventurers' movements became disorganized and chaotic.

A few adventurers continued to fire arrows in pursuit, but every single one of them missed.

As if mocking them, the mother avoided the arrows and pounced on the first person at the edge of the formation.

A scream erupted.

The magic beast caught the adventurer in its mouth, shook him a few times, and tossed him into the air.

The nearby adventurers threw their nets, but they were too late. The beast was already heading in another direction.

Juhwan stood in front of the cart holding the pup. He forced himself to stay put, fighting the instinct to run over and help.

'It's trying to lure me away.'

Juhwan gritted his teeth. The creature was deliberately circling the outskirts, toyed with the humans. It likely sensed that Juhwan was the strongest presence there.

'I can't move.'

Even if Juhwan was strong, he wasn't faster than that magic beast. It was a hundred times better to wait than to chase after it. Since the mother’s ultimate goal was to rescue her pup, she would eventually have to face him if he stood his ground. She was a cunning creature.

'Yeonhwa, Oz! Be on guard. This thing is fast and strong. It's smart, too. It might realize that Riji and Dorothy are my weaknesses. Do not leave their side under any circumstances.'

Juhwan whispered urgently in his mind.

The carriage carrying Riji and Dorothy was parked far from the cart. He had kept them at a distance to ensure they wouldn't be in danger when the mother appeared.

Perhaps having heard Juhwan’s voice, Yeonhwa let out a cry from near the carriage.

Then, a tremendous sound echoed from that direction. *Thump, thump*—a series of explosive sounds followed.

Wondering what was happening, Juhwan glanced over to check. Yeonhwa was smashing a boulder near the carriage with her hooves. It seemed she was clearing it away in advance, thinking it might hinder a potential escape.

Oz was perched on the roof of the carriage. His small body was puffed up as if he were trying to look threatening.

Perhaps because he was a magic beast himself, or perhaps because he was a rabbit, Oz’s reaction to the undead mother was remarkably sharp.

His twitching ears and nose moved incessantly in the torchlight. Each time, they pointed exactly toward the undead creature. He was like a living radar.

"...."

It seemed he didn't need to worry about Riji and Dorothy. Feeling slightly more at ease, Juhwan coated his hands in mana.

Juhwan limited his Mana Detection to a narrow range around him and tracked the mother’s movements.

While it was hard to see with his eyes, his detection allowed him to intuitively sense the creature's location before his brain could even process it. In this situation, it was far more helpful than sight. It felt as if he were equipped with a sensory radar.

When Juhwan refused to move no matter what, the mother seemed to change her tactics. She let out a long howl toward the sky and charged straight for the cart.

Before she could reach it, the adventurers ran forward with their nets and threw them at her. However, the nets only grazed her; she lowered her body and slipped beneath them.

Juhwan stood with his weight centered in his lower body, holding a torch in one hand.

As the mother bore down on him, Juhwan swung the torch, imbuing it with mana. A massive flame merged with the mana and struck the magic beast’s body.

The mother took the fire head-on and was sent flying.

The moment she hit the ground, arrows from Gwen and Jack flew toward her.

They had apparently been waiting for the perfect timing to strike.

The arrows, strengthened by wind mana, hit the mother with pinpoint accuracy.

Juhwan’s torch swung toward the beast again. A brilliant flare of fire engulfed her, spreading into the dark void.

It was at that moment.

Something burst out from the forest.

It charged rapidly toward them.

It was difficult to maintain a wide range of Mana Detection while fighting. Because he had narrowed the range to deal with the mother, he was late to notice.

As Juhwan turned, he saw a magic beast racing toward the carriage.

It was likely one of the two pups. It looked identical to the one trapped in the cart, though slightly larger. This one also had its bones mostly exposed. Its decay seemed even more advanced than that of the mother or the pup in the cart.

Enveloped in flames, the mother let out a long howl.

As if responding to that cry, the larger pup barked ferociously and closed in on the carriage.

'I see. That howl right before she attacked me was to call the pup in.'

Gwen was right; this magic beast was cunning.

Just as Juhwan was about to move in a panic, the horn on Oz’s head, atop the carriage, glowed bright red.

As the small horn sparkled in the darkness, the large pup suddenly tripped mid-sprint and tumbled over itself in front of the carriage.

"!"

Juhwan’s eyes widened.

If his eyes weren't deceiving him, the magic beast’s front leg had just bent in a strange direction.

Until recently, Oz had been doing nothing more than gathering and snapping branches with Dorothy. When had he gained the skill to attack a charging magic beast?

However, that seemed to be his limit. Almost as soon as the beast tumbled, Oz’s horn lost its light. Exhausted, Oz flattened himself against the roof, panting heavily.

The magic beast scrambled to its feet. Its front and back heights were uneven; its front leg was indeed broken. Yet, it seemed intent on attacking again. It growled and lunged toward the carriage once more.

*Neigh!* Yeonhwa let out a loud cry and reared up against the large pup. Her white legs flashed in the air before coming down, mercilessly battering the creature.

A piteous shriek erupted from the magic beast. After trampling it a few more times, Yeonhwa spun around and delivered a powerful kick with her hind legs. She showed absolutely no mercy.

The large pup was bigger than a human, but under Yeonhwa’s kick, it was sent flying like a helpless puppy.

Seeing this, the mother—now a ball of fire—began to move. She seemed to be trying to run toward her pup.

Juhwan turned to face the mother. It was time to finish this. It was time to end this tragedy for both the beasts and the humans.

Just then, the adventurers threw their nets over the mother. The nets covering her body ignited fiercely, as if fueled by the flames. The fire grew even larger, illuminating the night sky.

Even in that state, the mother did not die. She continued to walk, letting out a sorrowful wail.

The pup in the cart and the one beaten by Yeonhwa wailed back at her.

"Pull!"

Juhwan drew up the mana within his body and gathered it in both hands.

"Everyone, get back!"

At Juhwan’s shout, the adventurers let go of the nets and retreated all at once.

Juhwan released the mana he had gathered in his hands in a single burst. A massive wave of mana washed over the mother.

The flames intensified several times over, and the mother’s body writhed within the fire. The beast’s pitiful screams grew louder before fading away, and its body slowly crumbled and shrank.

The mother’s ankles, which had stood firm upon the earth, burned to ash, and her massive body slowly sank like a sandcastle collapsing into the sea.

Juhwan approached the large pup, which was staggering toward them with whimpering cries. Another team had already ensnared it in nets.

Though stronger than a human, the pup was much weaker than its mother. The mana-infused flames Juhwan unleashed turned the pup to ash in an instant.

Watching its mother and sibling die at the hands of humans one after another, the pup trapped in the cart began to throw its body against the bars.

It didn't look like it was trying to escape; it looked as if it were trying to kill itself by the force of the impact.

As Juhwan drew closer, the pup’s struggles against the cart intensified. Its eyes, which were little more than sockets, were filled with hatred.

In a somber mood, Juhwan burned the pup’s body until it was completely gone.

Juhwan stared for a moment at the flames that continued to light the night even after the beasts were gone, then he turned away.

Today, it had been magic beasts. But a necromancer would surely use humans as targets for their magic as well.

If that happened—if the undead retained consciousness and felt pain like these creatures did—if those who were already dead felt the agony of their past lives upon being resurrected, then what would he do? When that time came, would he be able to turn a blind eye just for the sake of his family?

The thought of his mother and father suddenly crossed his mind. If those two were ever brought back to such a state.... The mere thought was horrifying.

The idea haunted Juhwan’s mind as he gathered the injured to treat them with healing magic and waited for the fires to completely burn out.