novelraw Chapter 157 : Chapter 157
Chapter 157 : Chapter 157
Chapter 157: Repayment
“Kyahhh! What do you think you are doing?!”
“Move! Get out of the way! D-do you know who I am?!”
“Ugh…… I thought I was going to die.”
The first-floor lobby of Lovely Pet, a massive pet shop located in Seongsu-dong in the heart of Seoul, had descended into complete chaos.
VIP customers who would normally sip coffee with elegant poise while waiting for their pets’ grooming had turned pale and were screaming.
Ordinary visitors who had come to see rare animals and phantasmal beasts were likewise crying out in confusion as crowds suddenly poured out from deeper inside the store.
At the moment when their peaceful daily lives were shattered, another group entered the shop.
“Everyone, freeze! Police!”
“From this moment on, we will be conducting a seizure and search of this building on suspicion of violating the Special Law. Please cooperate!”
Men clad in dark blue uniforms, bulletproof vests, and protective special equipment began securing the premises.
They were Patrol—the police unit specializing in Awakened crimes.
Their appearance stirred the area into an uproar once more.
“P-patrol? Which idiot reported this?”
“Shh! If we slip out quietly…….”
Just as two men were whispering to each other—
“Slipping out quietly sounds nice. After the investigation. Then you can go.”
A middle-aged man in a trench coat stepped forward through the heavily armed personnel.
Graying hair, deep wrinkles, and a ferocious face that looked as though it had weathered every hardship imaginable.
He was Ma Seokdae, Team Leader of Special Crimes Investigation Team 3 at the Seoul Branch.
“Hii—”
“D-did he hear us?”
At his sharp remark, the two VIP customers snapped their mouths shut in shock.
“Team Leader, the first-floor lobby is secured. Employees are currently detained.”
“Secure all customers who rushed out as well. Tell them it is necessary for the investigation.”
Chewing gum loudly, Ma Seokdae scanned the area and clicked his tongue.
“Tsk. The stench of money is thick. Smells like blood too.”
“The customers are pushing back. We do not have a warrant yet. Will the fallout be manageable?”
“Quiet. We do what we are told. And besides…….”
Ma Seokdae’s eyes gleamed sharply.
“Just looking at this mess tells me enough. This is no wild goose chase. It matches the tip we received.”
Earlier that afternoon, multiple reports had been filed on the Patrol server.
People were fleeing a pet shop covered in blood, terrified.
One anonymous report even claimed there was an underground arena and that freaks were trying to kill them.
There were far too many suspicious details for it to be dismissed as a simple accident.
“Did you find any holes those rats could crawl through?”
“Yes, this way.”
Following his subordinate’s guidance, Ma Seokdae entered the VIP consultation room.
When a luxurious bookshelf was pushed aside, a metal panel hidden in the wall was revealed.
“Bingo.”
The corner of Ma Seokdae’s mouth lifted.
Running a business with facilities like this.
It stank. The greasy stench of criminals.
“Prepare to enter.”
At his command, heavily armed officers gathered in front of the device.
At the lead, one officer inserted a master key with a tense expression.
“Underground depth is fifty meters. The space is quite large. Multiple hostiles are likely.”
“Do not let your guard down. These are people who ran an illegal expansion and an underground arena. We do not know what they have prepared.”
Quietly warning them, Ma Seokdae drew a large-caliber revolver from his coat.
“If they resist, fire immediately. Move in.”
Thud.
At his signal, the button was pressed.
With a heavy mechanical rumble, the entire room they were standing in began descending underground.
WOOOONG—!
After some time—
ZZZING—!
One side of the room finally split open, sliding apart.
Red laser pointers shot straight into the thick darkness beyond.
“Front secured. Watching left and right.”
“Move in! Move in!”
The officers poured out like a receding tide, securing the area.
But only moments later, a bewildered exclamation burst from the mouth of the officer at the front.
“W-what is this…….”
Ma Seokdae himself could not help but stop short the moment he stepped out underground.
A horrific scene spread out before his eyes.
Corpses in black suits carpeted the floor.
Walls, pillars, even human bones bore smooth, tofu-like cuts.
Examining the bodies strewn about, Ma Seokdae furrowed his brow.
‘This is absurd skill.’
His gaze slowly swept over the corpses.
‘All the wounds are identical. One person did this.’
It was hard to even call it a battle.
Anyone could tell at a glance that it had been one-sided slaughter.
A searching officer shouted urgently.
“Team Leader! Life signs detected at eleven o’clock!”
“Life signs?”
Ma Seokdae’s head snapped around.
Someone was alive.
Possibly the culprit behind all of this.
“Surround it.”
The officers raised their weapons in unison and closed in on the transparent cage where the signal was detected.
Beyond the shattered reinforced glass, a low, chilling growl echoed from the darkness.
“Grrr……!”
Revealed under the lights was a massive silver wolf.
A phantasmal beast species—Silver Wolf.
Bloodied, it desperately shielded something behind its back while glaring at Patrol.
“A Demonic Beast?”
“No, it is a phantasmal beast species. Looks like an illegally captured specimen. And behind it…… damn, pups?”
Ma Seokdae snorted.
“A blood-soaked Silver Wolf in a cage. With pups, no less.”
“Were they forced into the arena together?”
“Obviously. Well, we can get the details from the customers and staff upstairs.”
No other life signs remained.
Which meant the vicious culprit had already escaped.
“Rescue the Silver Wolf separately. Approach slowly. The rest of you continue searching.”
“Team Leader?”
An officer checking the radar called out.
“What?”
“……There is one more life sign.”
One more?
Ma Seokdae tightened his grip on the revolver.
“Lead the way.”
They moved carefully through the darkness.
In a secluded corner room, a faint life signal was emanating.
“…….”
Exchanging glances, Ma Seokdae nodded.
Move in. The officer kicked the door open.
BAM—!
Inside was a storage room.
Chains and various restraint devices lined the walls.
But no one was there. The source of the life signal was nowhere to be seen.
“An invisible person, perhaps?”
“Then it would have shown up on the Magic Power sensor. Keep searching. Thoroughly.”
They continued their search on high alert.
Finally, one officer let out a startled sound.
“Team Leader?”
“Did you find something?”
“Th-that…… you should see it yourself.”
“What is it?”
What could it be that required him to see it personally?
Ma Seokdae approached the officer standing by the wall.
Something beneath was wriggling.
And that something was—
“A cat.”
“A cat, sir.”
Blue eyes stared back at them from a black cat.
It tilted its head, eyes wide, as if asking who they were.
Staring blankly at the cat, Ma Seokdae and his subordinate murmured to each other.
“Why is it here?”
“Why indeed?”
In response to their puzzled questions—
“Meow?”
The cat cried.
***
‘……I got past it, for now.’
Cradled in a Patrol officer’s arms, I was carried out of the storage room.
My Mimicry had not been exposed. Of course not.
[You are mimicking ‘Cat’.]
[Physical transformation: 100%]
I was now a perfect cat. Inside and out.
The moment Patrol found me, they ran scans with radio detectors and Magic Power sensors, but nothing registered.
“It is okay~ it is okay~ let us get you outside~”
The officer held me gently, soothing me like a child.
If he knew I was actually a human male, he would probably scream.
“Given how well-groomed it is, it must be related to the pet shop somehow.”
Even Team Leader Ma Seokdae showed no suspicion.
I relaxed slightly in the officer’s arms.
‘The problem is the time limit.’
Choosing a cat was a masterstroke, considering this was a pet shop.
A cat would not seem out of place.
But my maximum Mimicry time was about one hour.
Before that ran out, I needed to get outside and slip from Patrol’s grasp naturally.
“Meoow!”
I complained as if uncomfortable, wriggling in his arms.
Put me down!
I can walk myself, human!
That was the intent, anyway.
“Ah, sorry, sorry. The floor is dangerous. Blood everywhere. You will get hurt.”
“Meeow!”
“Team Leader? Would it not be better to take this one up to the first floor?”
Yes.
That was it.
Using Patrol, who were supposed to arrest me, as my transport.
That was the escape plan I had envisioned.
I kept whining to make the officer even more flustered.
“Tsk, noisy little thing.”
“It does not seem to like being handled. I will take it upstairs and come back.”
“Bring a transport cage. Secure it as evidence.”
Ma Seokdae replied curtly, glancing at me.
Wait, what?
‘Evidence? A cage?’
That meant…… he was going to lock me up?
‘Is he insane?’
You could just let me go outside!
Panicking, I struggled harder in the officer’s arms.
“Meow! Meow! Mraow!”
“Hey—whoa, stay still! It is okay, it is okay!”
As I twisted violently, the officer panicked and held me even tighter.
He was ridiculously strong. Someone who trained regularly, perhaps.
As a cat, I was helpless.
“Would it not be better to send it up to the lobby first? I will be quick.”
“No.”
Ma Seokdae’s firm refusal crushed my hope.
“That cat is also evidence.”
“Yes?”
“We do not know what clues might be on its fur. Its owner could be connected to this arena. The staff are upstairs. They might smuggle it out or destroy evidence. We secure it here.”
A chill ran through me.
It was a perfectly valid argument.
If someone had handled the cat, fingerprints might remain. A detailed examination could even detect a specific Magic Power pattern.
The sharp instincts of a veteran detective.
But to me, those instincts were a death sentence.
‘……Ha.’
At this rate, I would be locked in a cage.
And when Mimicry wore off an hour later, a miracle magic show would occur—a high school boy popping out of a small box.
‘Caught with Mimicry ability included.’
I was done for. Completely done for.
My mind went blank as discussions about my fate continued.
CRASH!
“Ugh! Careful!”
“Bring capture equipment!”
“Calm down, slowly—!”
A loud commotion erupted from the cage area.
The officers attempting to rescue the Silver Wolf were retreating in disarray.
“Grrrr……!”
Its wariness was at its peak.
Understandably so. It had just been forced into an arena with its pups and nearly fed to a Lycan.
Just seeing a human silhouette would be enough to make it seethe.
“RAAWR!”
With a threatening roar, it turned its gaze toward me.
“H-hey! It is charging!”
“Damn it, should we fire?”
It leapt.
With explosive leg strength, it hurled itself forward, easily breaking through the encirclement.
“W-what—?”
The officer holding me gasped in shock.
The massive silver wolf was right in front of him.
Step.
The Silver Wolf stopped directly before us.
Its golden eyes passed the officer and fixed precisely on me.
‘……?’
Me? Why?
I did not even have time to question it.
Its fangs flashed.
“N-no!”
The officer screamed and tried to shield me, but the beast was faster.
The Silver Wolf lunged, jaws wide.
‘I am getting bitten!’
I squeezed my eyes shut.
Chomp.
Something warm and damp touched my skin.
But there was no crushing pain.
“…….”
A floating sensation.
Opening my eyes slightly, I saw that I was dangling from the Silver Wolf’s mouth, held by the scruff of my neck.
Careful. Gentle. Like a mother carrying her young.
“Huh?”
“What is this…….”
Ma Seokdae and the officers froze, dumbfounded.
With me in its mouth, the Silver Wolf calmly turned and walked back to its pups.
It carefully set me down beside them.
Lick. Lick.
Even as it tended to its pups, it meticulously licked my fur with its rough tongue.
‘Huh?’
I froze in confusion.
The Patrol officers were no different.
A beast that had been radiating killing intent moments ago had suddenly become docile after bringing over a cat.
“Heh.”
Watching the scene, Ma Seokdae let out a hollow laugh.
“They look used to being together.”
“I-it seems so. They look acquainted.”
“They were probably kept in the same cage. Must have relied on each other.”
Scratching his forehead, Ma Seokdae continued.
“……Solidarity among animals abused by humans. Shameful, really.”
Having assumed I might be a cat raised by the arena operators, Ma Seokdae’s suspicion had completely vanished.
In its place was a poignant sense of emotion at the cross-species bond before him.
The Silver Wolf continued licking my fur.
Then, it withdrew its tongue and pressed its snout firmly against my forehead.
Hot, damp breath washed over my head.
‘Ugh, I cannot breathe.’
As I tried to pull away—
[Remain still. It is expressing gratitude.]
The voice of the White Deer echoed in my mind.
Even in cat form, our internal connection had not been severed.
‘Gratitude?’
[It is attempting to part with a piece of itself and share it with you. This is a phantasmal beast’s repayment. Do not refuse. Relax your entire body.]
At the explanation, I looked up at the Silver Wolf again.
Sharing itself?
Half doubtful, I slowly exhaled and relaxed.
Whoosh—!
Through the point where our foreheads touched, a clear, refreshing energy flowed into my head.
It felt as if I had inhaled mint-scented air, my entire body becoming lighter.
A message appeared.
Ding!
[The scent of the phantasmal beast ‘Silver Wolf’ lingers.]
[Affinity with phantasmal beast species increases.]
[You have obtained stats. (Agility +1, Dexterity +1)]
[Your physical senses sharpen, and your movements become swifter.]
‘Oh?’
An unexpected reward.
Agility and Dexterity, one point each. Two in total.
For free?
And enhanced senses and speed applied separately.
‘Sharing its vitality…….’
Had it really been that grateful? I felt oddly embarrassed.
After that, the Silver Wolf continued to look after me for a while.
‘But soon…….’
As much as I wanted to rest longer in this warm presence, I had a time limit.
It felt like a ticking second hand echoing inside my stomach. One hour. After that, I would revert to human form.
Just as I started shifting cautiously—
Chomp.
It gently took hold of my scruff again and began walking without hesitation.
“Ah.”
“Move aside. Clear a path.”
As if mesmerized, the Patrol officers stepped back and parted.
No one tried to stop it.
Its stride was too dignified.
No longer a beast to be abused, it looked like a noble phantasmal creature.
The place it carried me to was a secluded wall.
A small ventilation duct was there.
Slash—
With one swipe of its paw, the Silver Wolf sliced off the cover.
The motor inside shattered easily as well.
“Woo.”
The Silver Wolf let out a low sound.
It knew I had to leave.
“Meow…….”
I looked at it, let out a small cry of thanks, and jumped into the duct.
An escape.
A strange escape.