Search Party

He stayed hidden behind the broken shed.

Hours passed.

The village grew restless.

He watched from the shadows as people gathered near the main road. Voices rose and fell in worried tones.

Someone had realized the hunters were missing.

A man with a gray beard was shouting instructions. His voice was louder than the others. People listened when he spoke.

Leader, Seo Hae-jin thought.

He studied the man's face, memorizing every line and scar. Leaders always thought they could stop what was coming.

They never could.

The old man waved for four others to join him. Together, they began preparing to search the woods.

One woman clutched the edge of her apron. "They wouldn't just vanish," she said, voice shaking.

"Tracks go south," the leader told her. "Probably hurt or lost."

"They've never been gone overnight."

"They're grown men. Stay calm."

He tried to sound confident, but his eyes kept drifting to the treeline.

Seo Hae-jin could hear every word.

He rested one hand on the dirt, feeling the Symbol warm against his skin.

> > [Deploy One Larva.]

A small black shape shimmered into his palm.

"Follow them," he whispered.

The larva crawled away, slipping through a gap in the fence.

He could see through its senses—feel the vibrations in the earth, taste the faint heat trails left by boots.

He watched as the search party crossed the road and vanished into the woods.

The woman who had been crying wiped her eyes. She turned and walked back toward the nearest house.

Seo Hae-jin leaned back against the boards.

Time to test their courage, he thought.

He lifted his hand again.

> > [Deploy One Larva.]

A second larva appeared, smooth and silent.

"Find a target," he murmured. "Make it clean."

The larva crawled into the grass.

He settled in to wait.

---

Minutes stretched into an hour.

The villagers moved around the square, pretending to work. But their eyes kept drifting to the road.

He felt the moment the larva found a target.

A boy, no more than twelve. He was carrying a bundle of firewood toward a shed behind his house.

Seo Hae-jin focused on the link.

Strike.

The larva moved fast. It slipped beneath the boy's trouser leg.

The child felt it immediately. He stumbled, dropping the wood.

"What—"

He slapped at his calf, confused.

Then the venom spread.

The boy went stiff. His eyes widened. His mouth opened, but no sound came out.

He toppled sideways into the grass.

> > [Unit Consumed Prey.]

[Growth: +1 Level.]

[Current Level: 5.]

A woman ran out of the house. When she saw him on the ground, she screamed.

People came running from every direction.

Seo Hae-jin watched from his hiding place as they surrounded the body.

"He's not breathing!"

"Help him—someone—"

"Fetch the healer!"

Voices overlapped. Some angry. Some afraid.

No one looked toward the fence.

The larva crawled back, slipping under a stack of firewood.

He could feel its hunger. Its quiet triumph.

---

The search party reappeared at sunset.

They carried two bodies wrapped in cloaks.

The villagers fell silent.

Someone began to cry.

The old leader dropped to one knee. His hands trembled as he lifted the edge of one cloak.

"No marks," he whispered.

Another man shook his head. "Then what killed them?"

Seo Hae-jin knew the answer.

Everything in this place was soft. Fragile.

All it took was a single bite to shatter their illusions.

---

He waited until darkness settled over the village.

Then he stood and stepped out from the shed.

No one saw him cross the road.

He moved through the grass to the body of the boy.

The villagers had left it there in their panic.

He crouched beside the small form, studying the stillness of the face.

It was no different than any other prey.

He placed one hand over the boy's chest.

> > [Absorb Biomass Directly.]

A ripple of cold energy spread through his arm.

The body withered as the system drew out every trace of life.

When he lifted his hand, only a husk remained.

> > [Biomass +2 Units.]

He straightened.

He could hear voices coming from the houses—soft arguments, frightened prayers.

None o

f it mattered.

He turned and walked into the darkness.

Soon, he would bring all of them the same quiet end.

But for now, he would let their fear grow.

That was always the most useful part.