Voices echoed faintly in the distance.
At first they were blurred and indistinct, like sounds heard through water. My mind drifted through the darkness slowly, unable to tell whether I was awake or still trapped somewhere inside a dream.
Then the voices became clearer.
Laughter.
Cruel laughter.
"Look at him."
"Seriously, what kind of person reads novels on WebNovel all day?"
"Ugh… an otaku."
I kept my head lowered, my fingers tightening around the phone in my hands.
The classroom felt too bright.
Too loud.
My desk suddenly shook as someone kicked the chair from behind.
"Hey, Otaku," another voice said mockingly. "What are you reading this time?"
More laughter followed.
"Let me guess."
"Another fantasy novel?"
"Maybe he thinks he's going to get reincarnated or something."
Someone suddenly snatched the phone from my hands.
I stood up instinctively.
"Give it back."
But the boy holding it only smirked as he looked at the screen.
"Wow. You actually read this stuff?"
"Shadow Slave?"
"You want to be a Slave if you reincarnate?"
He laughed loudly.
"Man, this guy is really hopeless."
My hands trembled.
I hated this.
The mocking.
The staring.
The feeling of being surrounded.
Then suddenly—
A hand slammed down onto the desk between us.
The sound cut through the laughter instantly.
"That's enough."
The classroom fell silent.
The boy holding my phone froze.
Standing beside the desk was a girl with long silver hair tied neatly behind her back. Her uniform was perfectly tidy, and her calm eyes carried the kind of quiet authority that made people instinctively step back.
The class president.
Anna Isabelle.
She crossed her arms and looked at the boys in front of me.
"Bullying someone because of what they like?" she said coolly. "That's very pathetic."
One of the boys scoffed.
"He's an otaku."
Anna shrugged.
"So?"
Her gaze shifted briefly toward me.
"Being an otaku doesn't mean he deserves to be bullied."
The boys looked at each other awkwardly before one of them placed my phone back on the desk.
"Whatever," he muttered.
They returned to their seats.
The classroom slowly returned to normal.
Anna turned toward me.
For a moment she simply stared.
Then she smiled.
A bright, teasing smile.
"So… you really like reading those stories, huh?"
I hesitated, unsure how to respond.
She laughed lightly.
"Relax. I'm not judging you."
Anna leaned casually against the desk.
"Though I guess that does make you a bit of an otaku."
I looked away awkwardly.
"…Maybe."
She tilted her head.
"But being an otaku isn't a crime."
Her voice softened slightly.
"Oh right," she said suddenly.
"We haven't introduced ourselves properly yet."
She extended her hand.
"My name is Anna Isabelle."
"The class president."
Her eyes sparkled with quiet amusement.
"So… what's your name?"
My throat tightened.
For a moment the world felt strangely quiet.
"My name is—"
CRASH.
The sound shattered the memory like broken glass.
My eyes snapped open.
The laboratory returned around me in an instant.
Velmorth stood nearby, staring down at a shattered vial on the floor. Pale blue liquid slowly spread across the stone tiles while fragments of glass glimmered under the lantern light.
He sighed softly.
"Ah…"
Velmorth adjusted his glasses.
"How careless of me."
Then he looked toward me again.
A faint smile slowly returned to his lips.
---
Vein slowly lowered his gaze to the floor.
A bitter laugh escaped his lips.
"…It's always like this."
Velmorth paused slightly, watching him with mild curiosity.
"I'm always the one being saved," Vein continued quietly.
His voice sounded hollow.
"Never the one saving anyone."
His fingers twitched weakly against the cold metal of the chair.
"Saving others?" he muttered. "I can't even save myself."
He let out a quiet breath.
"Not even twenty-four hours…"
Vein slowly lifted his head.
"It hasn't even been twenty-four hours since I was isekai'd into this world."
His voice trembled faintly.
"And I'm already someone's experiment."
Velmorth's lips curled upward slightly.
But before he could respond—
A faint memory surfaced inside Vein's mind.
A voice.
Soft.
Warm.
A voice he had never forgotten.
Anna.
Her words echoed clearly in his memory.
"If you're ever in danger…
Just call my name.
Vein's lips trembled."
"…Anna."
The word escaped quietly.
Velmorth tilted his head slightly.
"…Anna."
Vein repeated it.
Louder.
"Anna."
His voice rose.
"Anna!"
Then suddenly—
"ANNA!!"
The scream echoed through the laboratory.
Vein shouted her name again.
And again.
And again.
"ANNA!!"
"ANNA!!!"
His voice cracked as he screamed louder and louder, the sound filling the stone chamber like a desperate prayer.
For a moment—
Even Velmorth looked surprised.
Then slowly…
A smile spread across his face.
And suddenly—
He began laughing.
A quiet chuckle at first.
Then louder.
Soon the two of them were laughing in the same room.
Vein laughed weakly.
Velmorth laughed in amusement.
"…It's useless," Vein said finally, his voice hoarse.
"She won't come."
Velmorth adjusted his glasses.
"I like you," he said calmly.
His tone was almost friendly.
"Let's have a toast."
He walked toward a nearby table and picked up two glasses.
From a kettle beside the lantern he poured steaming water into one of them.
Then he turned back toward Vein.
"What would you like to drink?" Velmorth asked politely.
Vein stared at him for a moment.
"…Water."
Velmorth raised an eyebrow.
"Just water?"
Vein nodded weakly.
"Yes."
Then he added quietly,
"But make it very hot."
Velmorth tilted his head.
"How hot?"
Vein's lips curled slightly.
"Hot enough to burn the skin."
For a moment—
Velmorth stared at him.
Then suddenly he burst into loud laughter.
"Hahaha!"
"How fascinating!"
He walked closer, holding the glass carefully.
"Your taste is exactly the same as mine."
His eyes gleamed behind the lenses of his glasses.
"How is it possible that we are this similar?"
Vein looked at him tiredly.
"…Maybe we're brothers."
Velmorth froze for a second.
Then he laughed even harder.
"Hahahahaha!"
"That's a very amusing thought."
He extended the glass toward Vein.
Steam rose from the water violently.
Even before touching it, the heat radiating from the glass could be felt in the air.
Vein slowly wrapped his fingers around the cup.
The heat immediately bit into his skin.
Pain shot through his hand.
But he didn't let go.
Instead—
He lowered his gaze.
And looked into the surface of the water.
Inside the trembling reflection—
He saw a face.
A weak face.
A powerless face.
A coward.
Someone who was always saved by others.
Someone who had never been able to save anyone.
A face he never wanted to see again.
But there it was.
Staring back at him.
---
Vein stared at the reflection trembling on the surface of the hot water.
His jaw tightened.
Slowly, he bit down on his lower lip.
Hard.
The sharp pain spread through his mouth as the skin tore open. The taste of iron filled his tongue as blood began to drip from the corner of his lips.
"…Enough."
The word escaped his mouth in a low whisper.
"I don't want to keep living like this."
Velmorth watched him with mild curiosity, his head slightly tilted.
Vein lifted the glass slowly.
"Come on," he said quietly. "Let's have that toast."
Velmorth smiled.
"Yes."
"You're right."
He raised his own glass calmly.
The two glasses moved closer.
Just before they touched—
Vein moved.
In a single sudden motion, he threw the contents of the glass straight into Velmorth's face.
The scalding water splashed violently across his skin.
"AAH—!"
Velmorth staggered backward as steam rose from his burned face.
"You bastard!"
But Vein was already moving.
He turned and ran as fast as his weakened body could manage.
Behind him Velmorth's furious voice roared through the laboratory.
"YOU LITTLE BASTARD!"
Vein's eyes scanned the tables around him desperately.
Then he saw it.
A vial.
Without thinking, he grabbed it and hurled it toward Velmorth.
The glass shattered the moment it struck the floor near him.
BOOM.
Flames erupted violently from the broken vial.
Fire exploded outward, swallowing Velmorth in a burst of blazing heat.
His white coat instantly caught fire, bright flames wrapping around his entire body.
The laboratory filled with burning light.
Vein didn't stop.
His gaze immediately shifted toward the iron cage nearby.
Inside it—
The Nightbound Beast.
Its glowing red eyes stared back at him from the darkness.
Vein rushed toward the cage and forced the door open.
The iron bars screeched loudly as they swung aside.
The creature leapt out immediately.
For a moment Vein braced himself—
But instead of attacking—
The beast grabbed the edge of Vein's torn clothing between its sharp teeth.
It pulled him.
As if urging him to follow.
As if it knew the way out.
Vein blinked in surprise.
"…You're helping me?"
The creature growled softly, already tugging him toward the corridor.
"Fine," Vein muttered.
Before leaving, his eyes caught sight of something glowing on a nearby table.
A vial.
Its liquid shone with a bright green light, glowing softly like a lantern trapped inside glass.
Without hesitation, Vein grabbed it and shoved it into his pocket.
Behind him the flames continued to roar.
Velmorth's furious voice echoed through the burning laboratory.
"VEIN!!"
But Vein didn't look back.
Together with the Nightbound Beast, he ran through the dark corridor, their footsteps echoing through the underground prison.
Leaving behind the laboratory.
Leaving behind the burning figure of Velmorth.
And disappearing into the darkness.
—
The corridor twisted endlessly through the underground prison as Vein ran.
His lungs burned with every breath. His legs felt heavy, still weakened by the sedative Velmorth had forced down his throat, yet stopping was not an option.
Beside him the Nightbound Beast ran silently, its claws scraping against the stone floor as it guided him deeper into the maze of corridors.
Then suddenly—
The beast growled.
Low.
Sharp.
Vein glanced back.
At first he saw nothing.
Only darkness swallowing the hallway behind them.
Then a figure stepped out of the shadows.
Vein's breath caught in his throat.
The creature was tall and unnaturally thin, its body stretched like dried bone wrapped in pale green skin. Its flesh looked cold and corpse-like, almost translucent under the dim light of the torches lining the walls.
Long strands of pale hair hung down from its head like wet threads.
Its face…
Its face looked like a dead man's.
Sunken eyes stared forward without blinking, and its mouth stretched into a twisted expression that looked halfway between a grin and a snarl.
In its hands it carried a crude weapon—something like a jagged spear made from dark bone or rusted metal.
The creature tilted its head slowly.
Then it began running.
Fast.
"Damn it!" Vein gasped.
Before it could reach him, the Nightbound Beast lunged forward with a furious roar.
Its massive body slammed into the creature, knocking it sideways into the stone wall. The monster swung its weapon wildly, but the beast was faster.
Its jaws closed around the creature's shoulder.
CRACK.
Bone snapped loudly.
The monster struggled for only a moment before collapsing to the floor, its body twitching violently before going still.
Vein barely had time to breathe.
Because more footsteps echoed in the corridor.
Slow.
Dragging.
He looked up.
More figures stepped out of the darkness.
The same creatures.
Tall.
Pale.
Dead-eyed.
One after another they appeared from the shadows of the hallway.
Vein swallowed.
"…One… two… three…"
More kept coming.
"…five… six…"
His voice grew quieter.
"…ten…?"
He wasn't even sure anymore.
The corridor behind them was filling with those corpse-like hunters.
The Nightbound Beast growled again, lowering its body defensively.
But Vein knew the truth immediately.
There were too many.
"Run!" he shouted.
The beast didn't hesitate.
They turned and sprinted down another corridor as the creatures began chasing them, their long limbs moving with disturbing speed.
The hallway twisted sharply.
Then suddenly—
It ended.
Vein skidded to a stop.
"…No."
A dead end.
Solid stone blocked the path forward.
At the end of the narrow corridor something lay slumped against the wall.
A body.
Vein stepped closer, his stomach tightening.
It was the same creature he had seen earlier in the dungeon.
The slime-like monster.
Its body had collapsed into a half-melted mass, its gelatinous flesh spread across the floor like rotting jelly. Dark liquid leaked from the remains, and the stench of decay filled the air.
Behind them—
The sound of footsteps grew closer.
Vein slowly turned around.
The corridor entrance was now filled with those pale creatures.
Their hollow eyes stared forward.
Their bone weapons raised.
The Nightbound Beast stepped in front of him, growling deeply.
But Vein already understood.
There was nowhere left to run.
His back pressed against the cold stone wall.
The dead slime creature lay beside them.
And the monsters slowly closed in.
"…We're trapped."
—
The corridor fell into a suffocating silence.
The corpse-like creatures that had surrounded us suddenly froze in place. Their twisted bodies trembled faintly, as if something deep inside them had awakened. For a moment nothing happened, yet the stillness pressing against the narrow corridor felt heavy enough to crush the air from my lungs.
Then a sharp cracking sound echoed through the hall.
One of the creatures jerked violently. Its chest bulged outward in a grotesque shape before splitting open with a wet tearing sound. Something inside forced its way out through the shattered ribcage.
My heart skipped.
A hand appeared first.
Long fingers slid through the torn flesh—thin, unnaturally long, and shaped in a way that no human hand should ever look. Slowly, the rest of the figure stepped out from the ruined corpse, as if the creature's body had been nothing more than a discarded cloak.
At the same moment, the other monsters collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
Their bodies fell like empty shells.
Standing among the fallen remains was a figure that resembled a woman.
But something about her was deeply wrong.
Her skin carried a deep bluish-purple hue, smooth and cold like polished stone beneath the dim torchlight. Long silver hair flowed down her back like strands of pale moonlight spilling into the darkness.
Her eyes glowed with an eerie violet light.
Sharp.
Cold.
Hungry.
Dark armor covered parts of her body, but it didn't look like something she had worn. It looked as if it had grown directly from her flesh, twisting across her chest, waist, and limbs like living metal vines. Thorn-like protrusions curved from her shoulders and spine, giving her silhouette an unsettling elegance.
Her fingers ended in razor-thin black claws.
A chill crawled slowly down my spine.
Every instinct in my body screamed the same warning.
Something was terribly wrong.
Then the woman laughed.
At first the sound was soft, almost playful. But it quickly grew louder, echoing through the corridor like something that had waited far too long to be released.
Her glowing violet eyes locked onto me.
"Ah… Vein."
Her smile widened slowly.
"You are very interesting."
Before I could react, her expression suddenly twisted with excitement.
"I WILL MAKE YOU MY MOST PRECIOUS COLLECTION!"
But instead of attacking me—
she suddenly turned her claws toward herself.
Her hands flashed through the air, and in the next moment she drove her claws into her own body.
The sound of tearing flesh echoed through the corridor.
Blood sprayed across the stone floor as she ripped into her own chest, dragging her claws deeper as if she were opening something hidden inside her body. She tore through her own flesh again and again, laughing with a strange, ecstatic delight as though pain meant nothing to her.
I could only stare in horror.
But then something impossible happened.
The torn flesh began to move.
Muscles shifted.
Skin crawled across the wounds.
Before my eyes, the shredded parts of her body began to knit themselves back together. Flesh regenerated with unnatural speed until her body was whole again, the wounds disappearing as if they had never existed.
Her violet eyes widened with fascination as she admired her restored limbs.
"Ah… how wonderful…"
My breathing became uneven.
That laugh.
That voice.
Realization struck me like lightning.
"Y-you…"
My voice trembled.
"You're… Velmorth?"
The woman blinked.
Then she burst into laughter.
"Oh?"
She brushed her silver hair back with casual elegance.
"Ah… forgive me."
Her glowing eyes studied me with quiet amusement.
"Because you burned my previous body… I was forced to return to my original form."
Her lips curved into a strange, unsettling smile.
"I apologize if this body frightens you. To be honest, I don't particularly like it either."
Her claws traced slowly along her own arm.
"Usually… I prefer to take the bodies of others."
Then she leaned closer.
Very close.
"How about… I take your body instead, and we become one?"
Her violet eyes gleamed with twisted excitement as she leaned closer to me. Slowly, she extended her tongue and licked her lips. A thin strand of saliva slipped from her mouth and dripped onto the cold stone floor with a faint sound.
For a moment the corridor was silent again.
I stared at her.
Then I sighed quietly.
"…Sorry," I said.
Velmorth blinked.
"I already have someone I like."
For a brief second, her expression froze.
"…Huh?"
Her head tilted slightly to the side as if she was trying to understand what she had just heard.
"So…" I continued weakly, lifting my hand.
"I reject you."
Velmorth stared at me in disbelief.
"…Did I just get rejected?" she asked slowly.
"Yes," I answered.
Between my fingers, the faint green glow of a potion flickered.
Her glowing eyes immediately shifted toward the vial.
"What are you—"
But I had already thrown it.
The green potion spun through the air and shattered against the corpse of the melted slime creature lying beside the wall.
CRASH.
Glass scattered across the floor.
For a moment…
Nothing happened.
Velmorth chuckled.
"…That was pointless."
Then the ground trembled.
A deep vibration rolled through the stone corridor, shaking the walls and sending dust falling from the ceiling.
Velmorth's smile faded.
The slime corpse twitched.
At first it was barely noticeable.
Then the mass of gelatinous flesh suddenly began to move.
Dark slime expanded outward, swallowing the shattered glass and spreading across the floor like a living tide. The surrounding remains—rotting flesh, broken limbs, and fragments of dead creatures—were slowly pulled into the slime as if invisible hands were kneading them together.
The mass swelled.
Expanded.
Compressed.
Like slime being crushed between enormous fingers.
Velmorth's eyes widened slightly.
Then the slime attacked.
A thick tendril shot forward and wrapped around her body, pulling her backward as the entire mass surged toward her.
The corridor erupted into chaos as the slime twisted and folded over itself, dragging Velmorth into the expanding gelatinous body.
I didn't hesitate.
"Run!"
The Nightbound Beast beside me was already moving. It grabbed the edge of my torn clothing between its sharp teeth and pulled me down the corridor.
We ran.
Behind us the monstrous slime continued to grow, swallowing everything around it.
And from somewhere inside that writhing mass—
Velmorth began laughing.
A loud, manic laugh that echoed through the underground tunnels.
"VEEEEIIIIN!"
Her voice rang through the corridor like a curse.
"You cannot escape me!"
Her laughter grew louder, echoing endlessly through the darkness.
"No matter where you go…"
Her voice dropped into a chilling whisper that still carried through the tunnels.
"I will always be there."