This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 217

Fortunately, the start was not bad at all.

When a person suddenly popped out from a corner, I could tell the monsters were caught off guard, as their reactions were delayed by a few seconds.

Thanks to that, I was able to create more distance than I had initially thought.

If I were to pick out a slight concern from the mix, it was the possibility that the distance I had created might divert their attention away from me to somewhere else…

—Kiru-kiruk!

Just as I reached the escalator leading to the upper floor, I was struck by the ear-splitting screech that echoed through the space.

In that instant, I realized my worries were, as the saying goes, just unnecessary fears.

Perhaps the more immediate prey in sight was something they couldn’t let slip away, more than any hidden snacks lurking nearby.

The piercing cry I had just heard could be translated to “Get that bastard!” in human terms, and soon, the monsters stationed throughout the floor where Bora and I were hiding, including the one that looked like the commander, began rushing towards me.

This meant I didn’t even need to yell to attract their attention.

Every single one of them, with eyes crazed, charged at me, leaving me with no choice but to run without worrying about anything else.

Could it be that they were truly hunting me down?

Such thoughts naturally arose as their relentless pursuit continued.

Moreover, they were slightly quicker than I had expected.

Still, the one silver lining amidst it all was the realization that the intelligence of the monsters chasing me wasn’t all that impressive.

If their wits had been on par with a wolf, I would have been surrounded by now and stuck with no escape.

With the occasional use of pillars and obstacles around, I managed to maintain a safe distance between us.

—Kiru-kiruk!

I was simply trying to survive, but from the perspective of the monsters chasing me, it probably felt maddening to be unable to catch the prey that seemed just within reach.

Honestly, at this point, I could have easily shouted, “Forget it, I’m too disgusted to eat!” and headed somewhere else, yet I couldn’t find any signs of such thoughts among the monsters chasing me.

So I started to feel a bit anxious.

Up until now, thanks to my consistent jogging, I had managed to run without stopping.

But would that still hold true moving forward?

Could I keep it up?

To be honest, I felt uncertain.

And rightly so, as I was nearing my limits.

The labored breath rising to my throat and my tense legs, which had become unusually taut, confirmed that fact.

That’s why… even though I knew I shouldn’t be thinking such thoughts, I found myself hoping for someone to appear.

Someone to divert the attention of the monsters that had been fixated on me, even just a little bit.

I couldn’t help but curse the heartless bastards or scumbags, but at that moment, I was far too preoccupied with my own dire situation.

If I suddenly cramped up and fell, it would be the end for “Dogun,” and I hardly had time to worry about morals.

In truth, I needed to cling to some desperate hope, even if it was as flimsy as a straw.

However, the wish I held never saw the light of day.

It seemed people in the upper parts of the building had long since evacuated, for no matter how much I ran, I couldn’t spot anyone, not even a shadow.

So I kept running.

Every time my breath, heavy from exhaustion, forced its way out, I felt my shaky legs were about to give out, but I still had no choice but to keep going.

How long had I been running?

Where were the heroes who would come to take down those monsters?

No, had they even set out at all?

If I had known it would come to this, when Bora asked me to keep her outing a secret, I would have sent a text to either my senior or Chae-rim, stating that I understood.

Or at least, if I had texted while I was hidden in the changing room with Bora earlier…

Late regrets and negative thoughts swirled in my mind.

“You idiots…”

Why was there food overflowing in the food court, yet they had to eat people to feel satisfied?

And did they not say there was no paradise to be found in fleeing?

Amazingly, my situation was just that.

When I first dashed out of the changing room, I thought fleeing upward would lead to more escape routes, so I took that path… but now, as I regained my senses, I found myself almost on the rooftop.

And what awaited me upon reaching the rooftop?

I could no longer run away.

At this point, I couldn’t help but feel like a fool for making such a choice, but there was no time to think about it.

I had no better alternative, and at the time, fleeing upwards seemed like the better option.

After all that running, only to reach a dead-end.

Even so, I had to go on.

It seemed the monsters weren’t completely dim-witted; whether due to learning from the lengthy chase or otherwise, they had already figured out that there were no other routes left.

I couldn’t just stop and be caught by them.

Until the very end, it wasn’t over, and I had to do whatever I could to survive.

Therefore, I threw myself towards the path leading to the rooftop.

I dashed up the stairs, nearly throwing my body up each step.

At the end of it all, what greeted me was… an empty rooftop, devoid of any person, unlike the image stored in my memory.

Normally, after finishing a meal in the food court below, people would come up to enjoy dessert and the sounds of arcade games would fill the air.

But the only sounds echoing on the rooftop were my ragged breaths.

In the midst of it all, I couldn’t help but notice the sky, which was annoyingly clear, causing me to let out a wry laugh.

The scenery surrounding me felt wildly out of place with my current predicament, making it feel as if I were caught in a dream.

—Kiru-rut!

And just like that, the monsters arrived.

I had to move again.

But perhaps due to having paused for a moment, my legs seemed unwilling to respond.

Did my struggle appear amusing to the one who had been chasing me all this time?

—Kiru-rut! Kiru-kiruk!

The monsters tore apart every decoration along the path to the rooftop, and the one who emerged first let out an incomprehensible sound of mockery.

“Is that funny? Dammit…”

Did it intend to ascertain whether I was weak enough to be captured?

Perhaps it deemed that before dragging me back to its commander, it should incapacitate me.

Before I knew it, something sharp, whether a claw or something else, was flying at me.

It seemed intent on piercing through my collarbone.

Miraculously, I avoided the attack by sheer luck.

In that instant, my legs gave way, causing me to stagger, thankfully allowing the monster’s attack to narrowly miss my left forearm.

The problem was… in exchange, the bandage around my arm and the skin beneath it came off as well.

As the pressure I had been feeling around my arm vanished, the blood began to flow freely where the bandage had been.

—Kiru?

The reaction of the monster standing before me changed bizarrely right after that.

It had looked determined to drag me away just moments ago, but now it seemed to be confused.

Thanks to its reaction, I was able to back away and create some distance.

Of course, there was a limit to how much distance I could create.

After a while of stealthily retreating in the confusion of the first monster that had chased me, I felt the fence surrounding the rooftop pressing firmly against my back.

In that moment, having lost even the option to escape, others—who had been following closely behind—began to appear.

Among them was the monster I had presumed to be the commander.

As it stepped onto the rooftop, the first reaction it showed upon spotting me was—

—Kiru-kiruk!

A roar.

It was a roar filled with pleasure characteristic of a monster.

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—

Yoonseo’s POV

I had no recollection of how I had arrived here, nor what state of mind I was in.

All I knew was that my legs felt ready to give out at any moment.

But what mattered now wasn’t that.

I had to find Dogun, I needed to locate him.

If I didn’t want to lose him again, I had to act quickly.

So… I forced my trembling legs to move.

And just as I reached the rooftop… I saw it.

The bandages that had been wrapped around him were gone, revealing his left arm, which was gushing blood from his forearm.

And surrounding Dogun were those hateful monsters.

Had he lost a lot of blood?

Dogun stood in a small pool of blood, looking as if even standing was a struggle for him.

His appearance seemed so close to collapsing that it left a sting in my eyes.

Even more so since my body had just heated up from all the running, it began to boil at that very moment.

The circuits in my brain buzzed with urgency.

Just as I reached out towards Dogun standing far away, I heard the sickening sound of flesh tearing.

Accompanying that sound was something small that struck my cheek with a dull thud.