Chapter 9 : New Obstacles

After the trade was over, the creature still stood there, silently extending its hand toward me. Did it want to continue trading?

Since we were already satisfied with what we had received, I decided to try communicating.

"For now, we're done trading," I said softly, though I wasn't sure whether the creature would understand me.

But to my surprise, it nodded—as if it did understand. Then, without a word, it slowly turned and walked away, its small frame disappearing into the darkness of the corridor. Only the faint scraping sound of its large bag dragging across the floor marked its departure.

I stood still for a moment, thinking. Could we actually communicate with other creatures in this world? Did that mean human language was somehow understood here? Or was it just that particular being?

I had no answers. But one thing was certain: not every creature here was hostile. That alone was a valuable discovery, and one we wouldn't forget.

I returned to our temporary rest spot and handed the traded items to Hyunsuk and Olivia. Their faces immediately lit up, especially when they saw the medical supplies—bandage rolls and a cooling spray. With these, Olivia's recovery would be much faster.

I picked up the cooling spray and gently applied it to the large bruise on Olivia's leg. She winced slightly, then nodded to me. Afterward, I rubbed some balm onto the same spot.

"Does it hurt?" I asked quietly, watching her face.

"Not too much," Olivia murmured, her cheeks tinged pink.

I quickly realized that my hand had lingered on her leg longer than necessary. Flustered, I pulled it away in a hurry.

"W-well, looks like your bruise will heal quickly," I said awkwardly.

"Y-yeah," she replied, turning her face away.

An awkward silence fell between us, but it didn't last long. We knew we couldn't stay out in the open for too long—who knew what kind of creature might appear next?

Because her leg was still injured, I carried Olivia in my arms. She resisted at first, but after trying to stand and nearly falling over, she gave in with an embarrassed nod. Hyunsuk offered to carry her bag, and I carried her close to my chest.

Honestly, it felt strange. This wasn't just about practicality—there was a warmth in my chest that I couldn't ignore. Still, I forced myself to focus. We had to keep moving.

Under Hyunsuk's teasing voice—"Hyung, don't enjoy it too much~"—we laughed for the first time in a while.

With me carrying Olivia, Hyunsuk took the lead, machete in hand—the one I had given him earlier.

According to the antique watch we had received from the masked trader, it was now 4:00 p.m. That meant it was already late afternoon, if we were comparing to Earth time. I wasn't sure exactly when we'd woken up in that white room, but it felt like we had spent an entire day just surviving and exploring this place.

Day two, maybe? I wasn't sure. What mattered was—we were still alive.

We continued down the long, dark corridors, occasionally stopping to conserve our energy. Each branching hallway felt like a puzzle we couldn't solve, and we were slowly starting to lose our sense of direction.

Still, we had been lucky so far. We hadn't encountered any more monsters—just the two from earlier. Along the way, we found random supplies scattered across the floor. Canned food, long strips of white cloth, and even a fire axe.

I decided to keep the axe. Though Hyunsuk refused to use it, I felt it was far more practical and versatile than the katana or machete in many situations.

Then, as we passed by a large ventilation shaft, we saw it.

At the end of the dimly lit hallway stood a red door—tall and imposing.

It should've been a moment of hope. A door meant change—either an exit, or another room to explore.

But the smile on my face faded the moment I saw what was standing in front of it.

A creature that resembled a dog—or at least, that was the closest thing I could compare it to—blocked our path. It was large, maybe waist-high on an adult. Its tongue lolled out, dragging on the floor, and its skin was a horrifying mix of red and black, as if scorched or melted. Its muscles bulged grotesquely, like a bodybuilder grown through unnatural means.

It had no eyes—just a smooth, shiny surface where its face should have been. Yet somehow, I knew it was aware of us.

A deep, raspy growl echoed from its throat, like burning coals grinding against metal. The sound vibrated down the hallway, and every hair on my body stood on end.

"Hyung..." Hyunsuk whispered, slowly backing away.

I held my breath and gently lowered Olivia to the ground, resting her safely against the wall.

My hand reached for the katana. The hilt felt cold, slick with sweat. My heartbeat pounded in my chest, threatening to burst free.

The creature didn't move. It just stood there, tongue swaying slightly, as if waiting.

"Well... looks like getting to that door won't be easy," I muttered, shifting into a defensive stance.

Silence.

All of us froze—too far away to attack, but too close to retreat safely.

A dozen thoughts rushed through my head. Should we run? But Olivia couldn't walk yet. Or should I fight it alone and buy them time to escape?

Damn it...

One thing was clear: there was no avoiding this fight. And this time... it wasn't a creature that wanted to trade.

This was a predator.

And what came next... would be a battle between life and death.