Translator: Nox

Chapter 4

Once a person is bitten by the virus monster, they become infected and transform into the same kind of beast.

‘To kill it, I have to aim for the head.’

The novel described infected humans as transforming into grotesque monstrosities.

Dealing with those who had turned was a bit tricky. Depending on their physical condition before infection, some monsters boasted massive statures, while others possessed unnaturally high speed.

‘But they still had weaknesses.’

Their eyesight was poor, but their hearing was keen. This meant they could be easily lured using loud noises.

Furthermore, they were weak against intense heat, like fire.

Recalling methods I’d seen in movies, I had prepared Molotov cocktails. I made them by filling wine bottles with kerosene, stuffing cloth inside to act as a wick, and plugging the opening.

As my main weapon, I had purchased an axe. I didn’t forget to tuck it into the holster on my back and conceal it under a voluminous robe.

‘When the thing appears, I’ll throw a Molotov cocktail to distract it, then go for the head with the axe.’

It was a perfect plan.

As I was thinking this, I spotted a figure in the distance and held my breath.

At a glance, it was the silhouette of a woman. Clad in a robe and scanning her surroundings, she looked just as suspicious as I did.

‘Is that Aurora?’

The reason Aurora had come to No. 61 in the novel was because of an anonymous letter she had received.

[Come to 61 Notium Street. If you do, I will tell you the secret of your birth.]

I remembered it being something like that.

The heroine, Aurora, was an adopted daughter of the Lancaster Ducal family, having been taken in at the age of fifteen with no memory of her past.

Although Duke Lancaster and her brother, Eden, showered her with love, it was only natural to be curious about the secret of one’s birth. It was a classic heroine’s narrative.

However, because the novel had been discontinued, the secret was never revealed, nor was the identity of the person who sent the letter.

“Eek!”

A light yelp snapped me out of my thoughts. The robed woman, who had been approaching with quick, short steps, had accidentally tripped.

She nearly went face-first into the street but managed to catch her balance and looked around. She was likely checking to see if anyone had witnessed her clumsy display.

‘She’s surprisingly a bit of a klutz. Cute.’

It seemed certain that she was Aurora, considering she was loitering in front of the mansion at No. 61.

‘It looks dangerous.’

She was the protagonist, so she probably wouldn’t die or get seriously hurt, but you never knew. The virus monster was going to appear right there, of all places.

After a moment’s hesitation, I decided it would be better for me to enter the mansion myself. The Elpinus herb was supposed to be kept inside anyway.

‘Let’s jump the wall.’

As soon as I made up my mind, I lowered my posture and slipped into the alley beside the mansion, staying out of sight as much as possible.

The wall wasn’t high, and the mansion was completely dark, making it look uninhabited.

I placed the Molotov cocktails upright in my belt bag so they wouldn’t spill, then hopped over the wall.

Landing safely in the yard, I checked the bottles. Fortunately, none were broken.

The mansion, devoid of light and any sign of life, was deathly silent. That was all the more reason to be careful. A monster might strike the moment I let my guard down.

I slowly approached the front door. The tightly shut entrance felt like the mouth of a tiger’s den.

‘No, a monster’s den is scarier than a tiger’s.’

My lips felt dry, and sweat pooled in my palms. I slowly placed my hand on the doorknob.

I prayed that someone might have already taken care of the monster, but no such miracle occurred. I turned the knob myself.

Click.

The unlocked knob turned, and soon the rusted hinges groaned with an ominous creeeak.

The first-floor lobby visible through the cracked door was pitch black. The space was filled with nothing but cold air, looking as if it had been abandoned for quite some time.

‘No. I can’t be sure.’

If I recalled correctly, the infected person had survived alone in this mansion for several days. The novel never explained where or how they had been infected.

‘Why did this get discontinued without revealing anything?’

I grumbled to myself as I scanned the area again.

Regardless, the monster was now starving after days without human flesh.

‘I have to stay sharp.’

Gripping a Molotov cocktail, I stood ready to pull the oil lighter from my belt bag and ignite it at any moment.

I was glad the setting was 19th-century European style with developed industry. If it had been the 18th century, I might have been fumbling with matches in this situation.

‘Right. It wouldn’t make sense for a world facing zombie-like creatures to not have guns.’

I indulged in such pointless thoughts to shake off the nerves as I walked inside.

In the lobby, two staircases led to the second floor. I stood before them for a moment, wondering where the Elpinus herb might be and where I should start looking—

Thud.

A small box dropped at my feet.

My heart nearly leaped out of my chest from the shock.

The surface of the box was decorated with an illustration of a plant that looked like an insect.

An insect-like plant—this was it!

It matched the description in the novel. It was the box of Elpinus herbs I had been searching for.

‘What? Where did this fall from?’

I grabbed the box and tucked it into my belt bag. When I looked up, my eyes met those of a man staring down at me from the dark second-floor railing.

Holy shit, you scared me!

The man’s eyes widened.

“W-Wait! Wait!”

The man screamed and came running down the stairs. He must have lost his footing halfway, as he tumbled and rolled the rest of the way down.

Thump!

He eventually collapsed right in front of me.

What… what is this…!?

“Help me. Please save me, save me!”

The man quickly scrambled to his upper body. His right leg seemed broken; even after managing to stand, he continued to limp. Fortunately, he didn’t appear to have been bitten. There wasn’t a single trace of blood.

I first moved the man behind my back to protect him. Just as I pulled the oil lighter from my belt bag to light the Molotov cocktail—

Boom—

The floor shook for a moment.

Holding the cocktail, I scanned my surroundings. It was hard to tell where the sound had come from, as the entire mansion seemed to vibrate.

Then, a thick green liquid dripped onto the floor in front of the toe of my shoe.

Drip— drop.

‘Shit.’

I forced my stiff neck to move, slowly looking up at the ceiling like a broken robot.

Only then did I see three large eyes staring down at me, clinging to the ceiling.

The thing hanging from the chandelier had long, spindly limbs like a spider. Its torso was bloated as if soaked in water, and its head was twice the size of a normal human’s.

Even the pincer-like fangs visible between its parted lips were spider-like. Green saliva oozed between them. It was a sight that made me instinctively grimace.

‘Disgusting.’

Was I going to have to keep dealing with things like this once the world ended? The sheer disbelief of the situation left me frozen from head to toe, unable to move.

The monster didn’t move immediately.

Hiss— hiss—

It merely let out strange noises, maintaining a guarded stance.

Clutching the Molotov cocktail, I whispered to the man hiding behind me.

“Are you bitten anywhere?”

“W-What? Uh…”

“Answer me clearly. I’m going to help you. Did that thing bite you?”

“N-No. When I came to this mansion, that monster was tied up in a room. My sister hadn’t been in touch for days, so I came to check, and then this monster…”

Tied up in a room? That meant someone had tied it up.

“What about other people? Is there anyone else here?”

“T-There wasn’t. There’s no one.”

Watching the monster slowly move its legs while eyeing us, I lit the wick of the Molotov cocktail.

At that exact moment, the monster lunged at us. I calmly threw the burning bottle at it.

Whoosh—!

The creature, its body now ablaze, let out a piercing shriek and collapsed to the floor.

Skreeee! It continued to thrash in agony.

“Save me!”

In the meantime, the man kicked open the front door and fled on his limping leg.

‘Fine. Just run away. You were in the way anyway.’

I drew the axe from my back and approached to take off the monster’s head. But the quick-witted creature immediately bolted out through the open front door.

“Damn it! No!”

I ran like mad after the thing as it dashed across the yard toward the main gate. That was exactly where Aurora was.

“It’s dangerous! Get out of the way!”

I shouted at the top of my lungs, hoping Aurora would hear, as I ran until I was out of breath.

And just as the monster smashed through the gate—

I swung the axe at it.

Thwack.

I missed the head, but the blade buried itself deep into its torso.

Gah!

The creature let out a hideous shriek and collapsed to the ground.

“Kyaaaa!”

The woman, presumably Aurora, screamed and sank to the ground in front of the gate.

I’m screwed.