Chapter 73

Chapter 73

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Chapter 73

A picture resembling a bird with its wings spread wide was drawn.

It was a strange bird with three heads, three pairs of wings, and six legs.

It was more like a chimera than a bird.

That much was fine.

The taste of the person who drew the picture could just be peculiar.

The problem was that the picture was drawn not with paint, but with human blood. And where the bird’s head should have been, there were actual human faces.

At the ends of the three pairs of wings were human arms, and human legs were placed like ornaments on the six legs of the bird.

So someone killed people, drew the picture with their blood, and decorated it with their bodies.

“Sadistic hobbyists.”

It was a world where people killing other people wasn’t strange.

Even now, somewhere, someone must be dying. But the massacre unfolded before Zeon’s eyes was different from those.

It was clear that they were killed not for survival, but to fulfill the killer’s own pleasure and desire.

“Tsk!”

Zeon clicked his tongue.

The foul smell stimulated his sense of smell.

The smell of monsters and human blood was different.

Although both emitted a foul smell, human blood was much more stimulating. That’s why Zeon didn’t know if that’s why monsters crave human blood so much.

The victims seemed to be all from the same family.

The head of a middle-aged woman, and the heads of a boy and a girl who seemed to be her children.

Their wide-open eyes and gaping mouths vividly conveyed how much fear they felt before they died.

“It must be the work of that psychopath.”

Zeon sensed that it was the act of the person old man Klexi had mentioned.

While he was away for a while, a massacre was committed three floors below his house.

The more he thought about it, the worse he felt.

It felt like his territory had been violated.

That’s when it happened.

“Uh, Mom? Kids!”

A voice from behind was heard.

As Zeon turned his head, he saw a bewildered boy standing there.

Zeon recognized his face immediately.

“Levin! No way....”

It was Levin, the boy he had met just before leaving the house.

It occurred to him that Levin had said his house was the house at the end of the fifteenth floor, right here.

Levin came in looking pale.

The horrifying scene inside the house was beyond belief.

When despair reaches its peak, the mind becomes empty.

Like Levin right now.

Levin couldn’t think at all.

Until just a while ago, his mother and siblings were fine. He had fought with his mother since morning and said unpleasant things he did not mean, but he didn’t wish for them to die like this.

“No!”

Levin, who belatedly regained his senses, cried out.

“Ugh!”

“What’s going on?”

The people who had been watching shook their heads in disbelief.

They were originally indifferent to other people’s affairs, but this time they couldn’t ignore it.

Because it happened right in front of their house.

If they had made a single mistake, they could have been the victims instead.

They shivered at the thought of it.

“Ugh!”

Levin cried out loudly, holding the severed heads of his mother and siblings.

But no one came forward to console him, even after seeing his plight.

“Well, I only feel sorry for the dead.”

“The smell is going to come to my house.”

“I hope they clean up properly so that it doesn’t stick, but I don’t know if that kid even has the mind to do that.”

What they were worried about was that the corpses weren’t cleaned up properly, bugs would infest them, and the smell would spread to their own house.

Zeon looked at them indifferently.

Levin, holding the severed heads and sobbing, couldn’t even gather strength.

His entire body was stained red with his family’s blood.

Perhaps this sight was what the psychopath who committed this atrocity wanted.

“It can’t be helped.”

Bang!

Zeon closed the door, blocking the view of the people.

“Some bastard took my family... I’m going to kill you. I will definitely find you and kill you.”

Blood dripped from Levin’s eyes as he hugged the severed head and sobbed.

His tear ducts were torn, causing blood to flow.

Not all monsters had strong bodies.

There were forms like parasites that attached to other monsters and controlled them, like the Ghost Worm Zeon had obtained recently, and there were also monsters that took the form of liquid that could change according to the situation without a fixed body.

Slime was the representative of such monsters.

Specter was one of these unique entities.

It floated like a ghost without a solid form and attacked the mind.

Those with weak minds would lose their will or be controlled by the Specter.

“And the energy emission.”

If he had to classify, it was close to electric energy.

So Levin clearly possessed two characteristics at once.

Although he had heard stories of Awakened individuals possessing two characteristics, it was the first time he had seen it in person.

It was clear that Levin was an irregular like himself.

He didn’t know where Levin’s limits were, but if he grew well, he would undoubtedly become a tremendous force.

Levin fell into a deep sleep, exhausted after consuming tremendous energy immediately after awakening.

Zeon left Levin behind and looked out the window.

The cheap neon sign outside was blurring his vision.

* * *

Three days had passed since the incident when Levin woke up.

Levin’s demeanor had changed a lot since he regained his senses.

Sunken cheeks, sunken eye sockets, and deep-set eyes.

It seemed like he had gone through ten years in just a few days.

Levin, who had been sitting blankly for a moment, looked at Zeon.

“Is this your house, Hyung?”

“Yeah.”

“It looks nice.”

“I spent some money on it.”

“No wonder, it looks like it.”

“At least enough to live comfortably.”

“Is that a mana power generator?”

“That’s right!”

“Wow! I’ve only heard stories about it, but this is my first time seeing it in person.”

“It’s the first time I’ve bought one myself.”

“As expected of you, rich Hyung! Let’s be friends, Hyung.”

Levin flashed a bright smile.

Zeon looked at his face for a moment and picked up the glass bottle that had been left by the window.

“What’s this?”

“Take it!”

“....”

“It’s your family. I cremated them without your permission.”

“Ah... Th-Thank you.”

A crack appeared on Levin’s face, which had been trying to appear nonchalant.

Levin hugged the bottle tightly to his chest and bowed his head.

Zeon silently watched him.

Sometimes, silently watching was better than hasty comfort.

Levin raised his head again after a while.

He forced a smile and said,

“Thank you, Hyung!”

“What are you going to do now?”

“I have to go home. If I leave it alone, someone else will take over.”

“And then?”

“I have to find the guy who killed my mom and siblings.”

Levin’s voice was eerily cold.

Revenge was his natural right.

Zeon had no intention of stopping him.

But there was something he wanted to advise.

“You know that you’ve awakened, right?”

“Yes!”

It would be impossible for him not to know.

The moment one awakens, they learn about their abilities even without anyone telling them.

Zeon knew better than anyone else, having already experienced it.

“And you know that your awakened ability isn’t ordinary, correct?”

“Yes!”

“It’s better to keep it hidden. It could be dangerous if it attracts attention.”

“I’ll do that.”

Levin nodded.

Zeon didn’t say anything more.

No matter how much of his words Levin would accept, the decision and responsibility were entirely Levin’s own.

[Translator – Peptobismol]