Chapter 19 : Find You

By the time I realized that we had yet to find the boss, it was already 7 am in the morning. I came out in the lobby. A faint breeze whistled through the broken balcony window.The pale morning light filtered through cracked windows. The city outside was unnervingly quiet. Ye-Rin lay unconscious, her body still glowing faintly from the dragon pact.The others were gathered in the common room—tired, battered, emotionally drained—but aware that time was running out. The tiny dragon curled at her side—eyes shut, horns twitching occasionally in sleep. Its breath matched hers. Slow. Deep. Bound by pact. Mother sips from a metal cup, her voice hoarse"...It’s too quiet."She sets the cup down. "Day one, the streets screamed. Today, there is stillness outside" In-Ji, leaning against the wall, pistol resting on his lap "I haven’t seen a shadow move in two hours. Feels like the monsters either fled... or are waiting." Seo-Yeon ,adjusting the wet cloth on Ye-Rin’s forehead,"...Or the boss has already eaten them all." I nodded, watching from the window with Junior curled around his shoulder. Down below, the city was still. No monsters. No movement. Empty streets. "Why didn’t you guys woke me up?" I asked turning towards them and pouring a cup of coffee for myself. "I tried."In-ji continued, "But you had the same glow like how Ye-Rin have currently." I was little amazed by it but I changed the topic. "We need the find the boss. We have only 17 hours left before the day 7 ends. In-Ji clicked open his pistol magazine. Two bullets. That was it."If I go out like this, I’m just dead weight." "You’re not dead weight." Seo-yeon spoke gently. In-Ji shaking his head said, "Not this time. Not without gear.I’ll stay. She can’t be left alone, and I’m basically decoration without ammo. If any thing comes here, she’s not gonna be defenseless like this." In-ji had a good point there. He used almost all of his bullets during dragon fight and Ye-Rin is basically defenseless here if we all leave. Seo-yeon wanted to protest but she also knew it was a logical decision made by In-ji. "Okay. Then it’s us three.We’ll find the boss," mother straightening her coat."Before the clock runs out," Her voice was soft but firm. Seo-Yeon, now more focused spoke, "There has to be a trail. Something it left behind." Mi-Sun confidently answer, "Then we follow it. But we have to split. If we search together, we’ll miss too much ground." Seo-yeon asked "And if one of us finds it?" "Don’t engage. Signal. Survive. We do this together—or we don’t do it at all. Let’s meet at building X after 5 hours."I lay out my plan. I activated my beastification instantly.This will help me cover more ground. "What’s your beast-sense telling you? Anything?" In-ji asked me. "Nothing" I answered instantly. "That means we are safe here", he sighed in relief. "Let’s leave." Mother said, while gentle strolling her hand through Ye-Rin sleeping face and kissed her forehead gently. "Keep her safe. I trust you." Mother said to In-ji who just nodded his head. "Stay safe. Alright", seo-yeon worriedly spoke to In-ji who shows same concerns for her as well. Ye-Junlooking at the sleeping dragonling"...That thing still feel weird to look at. How can his three heads rest while placing on top of each other." Mother half smiling spoke,"That’s how you know it’s a good pet." We gear up silently. Mi-Sun sharpens her scythe. Seo-Yeon adjusts her telekinetic ring. I pulls my cloak tighter. [Midday] Location: Rooftops, Markets, Streets, Underground Lanes The city felt... wrong. For the first time since the beginning of the apocalypse, the streets weren’t full of growls, shrieks, or monsters skittering over concrete. They were empty. Dead air. Open roads. Not a single corpse or clawprint. Just long shadows from half-fallen towers and dust drifting lazily in the sunlight Seo-Yeon – Rooftops, Eastern Blocks She glided between rooftops using short-burst telekinesis, eyes scanning alleyways, parks, and intersections. No movement. Only a shattered supermarket where a boy and his grandmother quietly filled a cart with whatever expired food they could find. A shattered can rolled across the floor. Seo-Yeon nearly attacked—until she saw their hands trembling. They weren’t monsters. They were scared. Hungry. Quiet. She didn’t say a word. She just flew on. [Mi-Sun – Underground Lanes & Subways] Her scythe dragged sparks across rusted rail tracks as she moved through the city’s forgotten underbelly. Still no beasts. Silence. She pressed her back against a wall. Her voice shook. "...Where are you hiding?" [Ye-Jun – District North] I moved alone—beastified for speed but keeping low, silent.I passed an overturned truck. Empty. No monsters. No blood. Then a rustle. I whipped around—only to find a man and his teenage daughter, hunched behind a counter.For the first time in days, Ye-Jun saw signs of life. A rusted grocery store door creaked open. A man in his fifties, gaunt with hunger and wide-eyed from trauma, peeked out. A small child clung to his leg, silent. Behind them, two other strangers slinked in the shadows of collapsed storefronts, grabbing what little was left on shelves. I didn’t approach. I simply walked. But I wasn’t... normal. Not anymore. His body was still wrapped in coarse, white fur. My four limbs were too long, too powerful. My eight red beast-eyes flickered beneath a thick brow ridge. Claws clicked against pavement with every step. My tail swayed behind me with coiled tension. And my breath steamed from my nostrils like a walking furnace. A mother across the store gasped. Clutched her child. The boy screamed. Someone whispered:"It’s a monster—!" Someone else backed away into the alley, knocking over a can of beans that clattered to the pavement. I paused mid-step. I turned slightly—only slightly—and they flinched. He wasn’t roaring. He wasn’t attacking. But his presence screamed danger. For the first time I realized that I wasn’t looking like a human being but a monster that has killed their loved ones. The old man who had peeked out earlier now stood frozen in place, holding a dented can of powdered milk. "Please..." he muttered. "We—we have nothing left. Please don’t—" I blinked. Junior inside stirred, unsure how to react. I raised my hands—slowly—palms open. A gesture of peace. My clawed fingers curled awkwardly, trying to seem... less than what they were. "It’s okay," I rasped. "I’m not here to hurt you." But the words did little. They didn’t know if monsters could speak. They didn’t know if tamers existed. All they saw was a predator walking upright, golden eyes reflecting the setting sun."You have already taken everything from me." The old man screamed. Bursting into tears. My jaw tensed. I gave a short nod. And leapt upward—webbing onto a nearby rooftop with a soft thwip, disappearing from view. Only after he was gone did the old man finally exhale. Behind him, the little girl asked, "Was that one of the good monsters?" "...I don’t know," the old man said. Hugging his daughter in a tight embrace. [7 pm. 2nd Regrouping] We tried again. Searched everything. Rooftops. Alleys. Parking garages. Still nothing. By the time we returned to the apartment—sweat-soaked and drained—the sky was blood-orange. Timer: 5 hours until District Collapse Penalty: Instant Death "This doesn’t make sense!" I screamed. "It’s Day 7. There has to be a boss!" "What if it never spawned? What if the system glitched?" Seo-Yeon asked. "Are we sure the system isn’t testing us?" Mother said coldly. "I’ve scoured every inch of this district... but—" I paused. A chill crept down my spine. Something was wrong. I felt it—deep in my beast-blood. It was coming from the apartment. I bolted. The thought of Ye-Rin in danger made my stomach turn. I burst into the lobby, still beastified. My tail lashed. My claws twitched. Mother and Seo-Yeon followed behind me, fast. [The Lobby] The lobby was darker than it should have been. The evening sun didn’t reach this far. The only light came from flickering motion-sensors. Flick. Flick. Flick. One after another blinked on. Dust floated in still air. Then— Clank. Clank. Whrrr-click. Something had been waiting. From the cracked marble center of the lobby—it rose. A towering figure. Eight feet tall. Wide shoulders like steel beams. Digitigrade rabbit legs locked into place. What fur remained was scorched into metal seams. Where a horn once was—broken, jagged bone. Fangs protruded beneath a plated muzzle. Not flesh. Not armor. Something in between. Five claws scraped the floor. And over its chest—still glowing— A scythe-shaped scar. It looked up. Red eyes. Reflective. Flickering like broken memories. Its voice crackled, mechanical and broken. A child imitating speech. "Miiiii...Sun." It tilted its head. "Yeh...Juhhn." My hand clenched. "It knows your names," Seo-Yeon whispered. Mother didn’t speak.Her scythe was already in her hand. The beast took a step. The marble cracked. "...Find...You..." Its arms opened wide—like a hug. But its shoulders twitched. "...Game...End." It was about to lunge.