Chapter 50

The group, having confirmed that Gia caught the dragon and entered the cave, breathed a sigh of relief. 

It seemed like they had completed their task. The members’ bodies crumbled to the ground one by one as if they had barely endured until now.

Some members, who had already taken their last breaths, and others with limbs severed, were visible. 

Suddenly, the sound of Gia’s teeth grinding was heard. 

Gia, burdened by the heavy responsibility of ensuring that the sacrifices of the members were not in vain, looked at Morrison, who stood numb in a corner.

“You, you!”

Morrison exclaimed as if he had seen a ghost.

“How, why!”

His blood-stained fingernails trembled unbelievably.

“I came to catch you.”

“That can’t be… How did you get here?”

“Let’s just die now.”

As Gia skillfully swung the sword, blood flowed and splattered on the ground.

“Ha, hahaha…”

Morrison, with an unbelievably pathetic laughter, stopped, and his eyes narrowed.

“Me? Why? I will survive. I have in the past, and I will in the future.”

“Insane.”

“I will survive. Always.”

Gia’s eyes, filled with anger, met Morrison’s gaze.

“Do you think you can kill me with your petty actions?”

Morrison lifted a corpse from the ground. 

Thud, thud. Gia’s eyes were disgusted as he watched Morrison shove the body into his mouth as if possessed.

“Even if it weren’t because of your father, the world wouldn’t have become like this.”

Gia’s arms trembled in anger. How dare he speak of her father like that?

Regardless of whether Gia’s body was trembling with anger or not, Morrison pulled out his blood-red tongue and licked his fingers.

“You’re not a match for me.”

“Nonsense.”

She briefly got angry at her father’s story, but she couldn’t let such words shake her. For the sake of those remaining behind her.

Gia carefully examined Morrison, who was eating human flesh. It was repulsive, but Gia’s eyes widened as he looked at him. The blood vessels, wriggling as if alive, rapidly spread throughout his body. 

What’s going on? He’s turned into a monster. Gia lowered her body and scrutinized Morrison.

“I’m going to tear you apart today.”

Blood, whose origin was unknown, flowed from Morrison’s mouth, staining his clothes. 

“And I’ll eat you from head to toe.” 

Morrison spat out the cliché villain line, but instead of what he was chewing, several fingernails fell out.

“You’re insane. You are a zombie.”

“Kwaaack! A zombie? Me?” 

Morrison, in disbelief, charged at Gia.

Gia, who had thought the duel with Morrison would be easy, was taken aback by his rapid speed, swallowing hard as she twisted her body to avoid the attack. 

Morrison seemed stronger than before. 

Why? Gia couldn’t fathom the reason for Morrison’s inexplicable increase in combat strength.

She has to stop him here before more damage occurs. Gia met Morrison’s crazed gaze and raised her sword.

“Why am I a zombie? I’m human!”

“Look at your face. Heh.”

Morrison’s movements became so fast that it was difficult to follow with the eyes. What has he done?

Gia tried to avoid Morrison’s attacks and find openings to strike, but Morrison anticipated and blocked each move with surprising speed.

Thunk. The sound of hand and blade clashing was unnaturally loud. Gia’s palm tore, and bones felt a sharp pain as if hitting a piece of iron.

“Heh, hehe.”

Morrison, with a manic demeanor, launched another attack, extending sharp fingertips. Gia, breathing calmly, evaded Morrison’s intensified assault, reflecting on the absence of a gun.

“If only I had a gun.”

Swoosh. At the sharp sound slicing through the air, Gia instinctively turned her body.

Thunk. Morrison’s hand dug into the space where Gia’s head had been just moments ago. Even the sound of the wind cutting through was enough to send shivers down her spine. If she hadn’t dodged, it might have caused at least a fracture.

“Hup.”

Gia held her breath and opened her eyes wide to concentrate as much as possible. Though struggling to evade Morrison’s swift attacks, Gia managed to lift her sword to block the continuous strikes.

Thunk. It wasn’t a fatal blow, but at least Gia thought she could land a minimal hit. Gia looked at Morrison, who stood there defiantly, his five fingers neatly severed as the sword passed.

“You… What on earth…”

As the sword swept by, Morrison’s five fingers were cleanly cut off. 

Yet, to Gia’s disbelief, the blood vessels rushed to the area, and new fingers instantly grew.

It happened in the blink of an eye. 

‘Wha… What’s this? It can’t be possible.’

Faced with the unprecedented sight, Gia bit her lips. 

Even with the healing power gained from the zombie virus, it didn’t make sense for someone to regenerate at such a rate.

“What on earth… This is insane…”

The astonishment didn’t end there. As if showing off, the nails, sharp and elongated, soon began to congeal into a lump.

‘That is…’

What grew on both hands resembled a spear. 

Were those nails? It could only be assumed that the cellular tissues had transformed. Nails like those had never been seen before.

The exterior seemed as sturdy as if it had been beaten with solid iron, sharp enough to easily tear through flesh with a single strike.

Is that a human? Can that be considered a human? Could one alter their own body so freely? In the face of something unheard of during her lifetime, Gia’s mouth opened wide in shock.

“Kahaha.”

Seeing Gia frozen in surprise, Morrison folded his stomach and laughed.

“How is it? This body of mine.”

“…Insane.”

Gia stared at Morrison with disgust. It was unclear whether Morrison didn’t notice or considered Gia’s gaze irrelevant. Morrison casually looked at his hand, extended as if to touch the ground.

“Ha… I need more blood.”

What is he saying? Despite trying to act nonchalant in the face of Morrison’s madness, Gia’s body trembled instinctively with fear.

‘What is that? It’s neither human nor zombie. Just…’

Thunk. 

Morrison, who had been gazing at the weapon that had sprouted in his hand for a while, kicked the severed leg of a corpse lying on the ground.

A torn leg, whose owner was unknown. Morrison precisely pierced the Achilles tendon of the leg with his sharp nails, resembling the act of picking up meat with a fork.

Morrison effortlessly bent his arms to the sides and pushed the flesh into his mouth, akin to someone devouring a chicken leg.

“Hehehe.”

Chewing and tearing at the chicken leg, Morrison’s actions seemed to snap something within Gia’s mind. 

‘That’s… a monster.’

Morrison was no longer human. There was no hesitation in him as he devoured a human being without a shred of remorse. Witnessing this, fear surged through Gia’s veins.

Morrison’s teeth, grinding against the tough meat, were growing sharper and more pointed. The teeth, irregular and layered like a shark’s no longer resembled the form of a human.

“Monster…”

“Huh?”

“You’re a monster.”

Gia’s voice made Morrison stop chewing the leg, his canine teeth still buried in it.

“Monster?”

“Yes, a monster.”

As if a person with regressed intelligence, Morrison’s hands, which had been mimicking Gia’s words, dropped to the ground.

“Mon, ster. Mon… ster. Am I a monster?”

For a moment, Morrison seemed to have stopped thinking, but the question he asked again wasn’t directed at Gia. He looked perplexed, glancing at his own changed hands.

“I’m not a monster. Not a mons… ter. I, I am…”

His trembling body abruptly ceased as if he had stopped thinking.

“I’m not a monster!”

A scream echoed in the cave as an enraged Morrison, unable to control his anger, convulsively shook his body as if someone had been electrocuted.

Blood flowing from his mouth, inhuman limbs – Morrison had already become a monster.

“Monster!”

Morrison shouted, rushing towards Gia. The transformed, deadly nails at the end of his fingers struck the spot where Gia had been standing just moments ago.

“Srp.”

Instinctively stepping back, if Gia hadn’t moved, what was pierced deeply might not have been the broken ground, but Gia’s vital organs.

Morrison’s relentless attacks were more ruthless and powerful than ever. A single blow could easily tear Gia apart. Looking at the shattered ground, Gia bit her lips even harder.

‘What should I do? How on earth can I deal with Morrison now?’

She struggled to imagine a way to win while suppressing her emotions. Comparing Morrison’s combat ability to her own, the sounds of agony echoed as she skillfully dodged incoming attacks.

“Huh, hup.”

The chance of defeating the transformed Morrison without a gun seemed slim. No matter which direction she turned, the outcome was clear.

“Darn it. Hup.”

Gasping for breath, Gia narrowly avoided Morrison’s attack. The struggle was evident as Gia’s resolve wavered.

Thunk. Thunk.

The clash of nails and the blade, perhaps. Soon, the teeth were missing, and the sword looked pitifully damaged.

“Humph.”

Gasping for breath, Gia pushed the sword’s handle harder. Blood flowed from the torn palm, dripping down the blade.

Thud.

The once-flat ground was now scattered and desolate. The gray stones greedily absorbed Gia’s blood.

How long could she endure? Morrison, playing with Gia, chuckled and took a break, circling.

Normally, she would have silenced Morrison’s boastful mouth, but Gia had neither the strength nor the leisure to do so.

“Haah, huff.”

Catching their breath, Gia confirmed that all the subordinates had left. Only Morrison and Gia remained in the cave.

Perhaps Kalion had sent the unhelpful members away. Knowing that, and feeling alone, Gia couldn’t understand why it was so painful.

It wasn’t like she was having this kind of fight for the first or second time, and the subordinates weren’t going to be helpful anyway. 

Even trying to comfort herself, Gia felt increasingly pathetic, and her shoulders hunched.

‘Since when… was I not alone?’