Chapter 4
Once a human is bitten by a virus monster, they become infected—and eventually transform into the same kind of monster.
‘To kill it, you have to strike the head.’
The novel explained that infected humans twisted into grotesque, inhuman forms.
Dealing with monsters that used to be human was particularly tricky. Depending on their physical condition before infection, some became monstrously large, while others gained absurd, almost unnatural speed.
‘Still, they all had weaknesses.’
Their eyesight was poor, but their hearing was extremely sensitive. Which meant that if you made enough noise, you could easily lure them.
On top of that, they were vulnerable to intense heat.
That was why I’d recalled a method I’d seen in movies and prepared Molotov cocktails. I poured kerosene into wine bottles, stuffed cloth inside to act as a wick, sealed the opening, and once lit—voilà. A firebomb.
As my main weapon, I bought an axe. I slotted it into the holster strapped across my back and made sure to conceal it beneath a loose robe.
‘When it appears, I’ll throw the Molotov to scatter it, then go for the head with the axe.’
By my standards, it was a perfect plan.
While I was thinking that, I spotted a figure in the distance and immediately held my breath.
Just one glance told me it was a woman. She was wearing a robe and cautiously scanning her surroundings—just as suspicious-looking as I probably was.
‘Is that Aurora?’
In the novel, the reason Aurora specifically came to 61 Nottingham Street was because she had received an anonymous letter.
Come to 61 Nottingham Street. If you do, I will tell you the truth about your birth.
That was the gist of it.
Aurora, the heroine, had lost her memories at the age of fifteen and was adopted by the Duke of Lancaster’s family.
The duke and her brother Eden wrapped her in love, but even so, anyone would be curious about their origins. A classic heroine’s backstory.
However, because the novel was discontinued, her true origins were never revealed—and neither was the identity of the person who sent the letter.
“Ah!”
A small yelp snapped me out of my thoughts.
The robed woman approaching the mansion had misstepped.
She nearly face-planted into the road but barely managed to steady herself, then hurriedly scanned her surroundings—probably checking to see if anyone had witnessed her embarrassing stumble.
‘She’s kind of a klutz. Cute.’
Judging by the way she was hovering around the 61st residence, she really did seem to be Aurora.
‘This is dangerous.’
She was the protagonist, so she probably wouldn’t die or get hurt—but still. A virus monster was about to appear right there of all places.
After a brief moment of hesitation, I decided it would be better if I went into the mansion myself. After all, the Elpinus herb was supposedly stored inside.
‘I’ll climb the wall.’
The moment I made up my mind, I lowered my posture and slipped into the alley beside the mansion, doing my best not to attract attention.
The wall wasn’t very high, and all the lights in the mansion were off—there was no sign of anyone inside.
I carefully placed the Molotov cocktails upright inside my belt bag so they wouldn’t spill, then vaulted over the wall.
Landing safely in the yard, I took out the bottles to check them. Thankfully, not a single one had broken.
The mansion was eerily quiet, with no lights or signs of movement—which meant I needed to be even more careful. A monster could attack the moment I let my guard down.
Slowly, I approached the front door.
The tightly shut door felt like the entrance to a tiger’s den.
‘No—worse. A monster’s lair.’
My lips were dry, my palms slick with sweat. I slowly placed my hand on the doorknob.
I desperately hoped that someone else had already taken care of the monster while I was hesitating—but no such miracle occurred.
I turned the knob myself.
Click.
The unlocked door gave way, and the rusty hinges creaked with an unpleasant screech.
The first-floor lobby visible through the crack was pitch-dark. Only cold air filled the space, making it feel as though no one had been there for quite some time.
‘No. You don’t actually know that.’
If I remembered correctly, the infected person had survived alone in this mansion for several days. The novel never explained where or how they got infected.
‘How did it end up getting discontinued with nothing explained?’
Grumbling internally, I scanned my surroundings again.
Anyway, the monster hadn’t eaten in days—it would be starving.
‘Stay sharp.’
I gripped a Molotov in one hand, ready to pull out the oil lighter from my belt bag at a moment’s notice.
At least this was a 19th-century, industrialized European-style setting. If it were the 18th century, I might’ve been fumbling with matches right now.
‘Seriously, a zombie apocalypse without guns is ridiculous.’
I distracted myself with such pointless thoughts as I cautiously moved forward.
The first-floor lobby had two staircases leading to the second floor. I paused there, trying to figure out where the Elpinus herb might be stored and where I should search first—
Thud.
A small box dropped right at my feet.
I was so startled my heart nearly leapt out of my chest.
On the surface of the fallen box was an illustration of a plant that looked eerily like an insect.
An insect-like plant—
This was it.
It matched the description from the novel perfectly. The Elpinus herb box I’d been searching for all along.
‘What? Where did this fall from?’
I quickly picked it up and stuffed it into my belt bag. Then I lifted my head—
And locked eyes with a man staring down at me from the second-floor railing in the darkness.
Holy—!
The man’s eyes widened in shock.
“W-Wait! Please, wait!”
He screamed and bolted down the stairs—then missed a step halfway down and went tumbling forward.
Thud!
He crashed to the floor right in front of me.
Wh—what…?!
“Help me! Please, save me!”
The man hurriedly pushed himself up. His right leg seemed broken—he could barely stand and limped badly—but thankfully, he didn’t look like he’d been bitten. There were no bloodstains either.
I immediately moved him behind me to shield him. Then, as I pulled out my oil lighter and moved to ignite the Molotov—
Boom.
The floor shook violently.
Holding the Molotov, I scanned my surroundings, unable to tell where the sound had come from. The entire mansion seemed to vibrate.
Then—
A thick green liquid dripped onto the floor right in front of my shoe.
Drip. Drip.
‘Shit.’
Moving my stiff neck like a malfunctioning machine, I slowly looked up at the ceiling.
That’s when I saw it.
Three massive eyes staring straight down at me.
The monster was clinging to the chandelier, its arms and legs stretched long like a spider’s. Its torso was bloated, as if swollen with water, and its head was twice the size of a normal human’s.
Even the pincer-like fangs visible between its gaping lips resembled a spider’s—and thick green saliva dripped steadily from them.
Disgusting.
‘So this is what I’ll have to face over and over if the world really ends?’
The sheer unreality of the situation locked my entire body stiff, from head to toe.
The monster didn’t attack right away.
Hiss—hiss—
It merely emitted an unknown sound, remaining in a guarded stance.
Clutching the Molotov, I quietly asked the man hiding behind me,
“Were you bitten anywhere?”
“W-What? Uh…”
“Answer me properly. I’ll help you. Did that thing bite you?”
“N-No. When I came here, that monster was tied up in a room. I came because I couldn’t reach my younger sister for days, and then that thing—”
Tied up?
That meant someone had restrained it.
“Is there anyone else here? Anyone at all?”
“N-No. There was no one. Nobody.”
As I watched the monster slowly shift its legs, I lit the Molotov’s wick.
At the same time, the monster lunged toward us.
I calmly hurled the burning bottle.
Whoosh!
The creature burst into flames and crashed to the floor, shrieking.
Screeeech!
It thrashed wildly in agony.
“Help me!”
In the chaos, the man kicked open the front door and fled, limping as fast as he could.
‘Good. Just run. You’d only get in the way.’
I pulled the axe from my back and stepped forward to finish it by crushing its head.
But the perceptive bastard bolted straight for the open front door instead.
“Damn it—no!”
I sprinted after it across the yard, chasing the monster as it barreled toward the gate.
Unfortunately—
That was exactly the direction Aurora was in.
“It’s dangerous! Get out of the way!”
I screamed at the top of my lungs, hoping Aurora would hear, and ran until my lungs burned.
The moment the monster smashed through the gate—
I swung my axe.
Thud.
I missed its head, but the blade sank cleanly into its torso.
Screeech!
The monster collapsed, letting out a final, piercing shriek.
“Aaah!”
The woman—presumably Aurora—screamed and collapsed in front of the gate.
…We’re screwed.
