Chapter 5

The building from which the smell of blood was emanating seemed to be an abandoned factory. The ceiling was half torn away, and there were no intact windows to be seen. It was an ordinary derelict building, but as he approached, Kyunghoon was reminded of the ruins of the city he had seen not long ago. He realized he needed more weapons. Fortunately, before entering the building, he found a broom lying around. It was as sturdy as anything he could have hoped for.

Holding the broom, he walked as quietly as possible. As he got closer to the building, the slurping sounds grew louder. Kyunghoon peered through the half-collapsed door. Inside, it was dark, but his eyes could see everything clearly. However, from outside the door, he couldn't see everything due to the abandoned equipment blocking his view. The slurping sounds were coming from beyond the scattered equipment.

Kyunghoon cautiously entered the building. The interior was open and column-free, as one would expect in a factory. He carefully moved around the abandoned items, heading towards the source of the sound. The slurping was coming from behind a stack of pallets. Kyunghoon covered his nose with the back of his hand; the smell of blood had intensified.

When he reached the pallets, he cautiously looked inside. Instantly, he turned pale. Behind the pallets, there were numerous half-eaten dog carcasses. There were Shih Tzus, Dobermans, and mixed breeds, all piled up. The walls and floor were drenched in blood, but he barely noticed.

In the center of the pile of dog carcasses, a creature was still moving. A black-furred beast was buried in the remains.

Slurp, Crunch, Slurp

A large black beast was tearing into the carcasses. The sounds he had been hearing were from this creature devouring the bodies.

'Damn, were those barks I heard earlier actually the dying screams of the dogs?'

Kyunghoon stepped back, his face pale. He hadn't expected such a scene.

Adventures and satisfying curiosity are one thing, but he hadn't wanted to see this.

He took a step back, then another, carefully. Fortunately, the beast didn't seem to notice him retreating.

After putting some distance between them, Kyunghoon turned his head to check the exit. The exit was blocked.

"Damn, I'm trapped."

Behind the broken door he had entered through, cats were gathered. Dozens of cats stood silently at the door, watching him.

Crunch

The sound suddenly stopped. The beast, which had been buried in the carcass, lifted its head.

'A black leopard?'

The large black beast glared at him.

"No, it looks more like a cat."

He had mistaken it for a large animal, but it was actually a black cat.

'Last time it was a rat... No, wait, this is reality. Does this make sense?'

Kyunghoon was thoroughly confused about where he was.

Rrrr

As if mocking him...

The cats, having heard the growl, began to approach him in unison, like a well-organized unit following the black cat's command.

"Hey, can't I just turn back? I came in without knowing, can't you let me go just this once?"

He tried speaking to the cats, but they ignored him.

"Damn."

He was definitely trapped, but he wasn't going to give in easily. Kyunghoon pulled out a dagger from his waist. It was a military-grade dagger with a beautiful pattern engraved on it.

'This feels like a higher difficulty level.'

Last time he had a pistol, but now he only had this dagger and the broom.

He couldn't walk around with a long sword or a pistol in normal Korea.

'I have to fight.'

Kyunghoon glanced at the pattern on the dagger. If it was the same as the pistol, it would definitely be effective.

'Otherwise, I won't stand a chance.'

The black cat growling behind him was not an ordinary cat. It was something strange, like the monstrous rats he had seen in the other world.

'Just like me.'

Kyunghoon tightened his grip on the broom. His muscles tensed.

Perhaps it was because he felt stronger, but he could feel his breathing steady.

"Come on!"

Was Kyunghoon's voice a signal? The cats launched themselves at him.

It wasn't just one or two; dozens of cats leaped at him simultaneously, filling the area around him.

Thump.

Thump.

His heart beat slowly. Sweat dripped from his hair. The cats seemed to move very slowly as they leaped at him.

Wide-open mouths, sharp teeth, and motionless claws filled his vision.

The world slowed down.

No, the world didn't slow down; he had entered a world that was moving faster.

A world where he could see the seams of a baseball as it was thrown by a pitcher. A world where he could see the blood on a fist swung at him.

In this new world, he swung the broom.

Whoosh.

His arm, which he swung, felt very slow. But in a world that was still, only his arm and the broom moved.

The moment the broom collided with the leaping cats, the world returned to normal.

Whoosh!

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Meow!

The cats' screams echoed through the factory, and the cats hit by the broom flew into the air.

The attacking cats were ordinary. As the broom hit them, their bodies bent and they were flung in all directions.

From the air, the ground, and from behind and the sides, the cats attacked simultaneously, but Kyunghoon didn't miss a single one.

His movements, swinging left and right, created afterimages.

The cats were quickly dispatched. The cats scattered around the room groaned and moaned, unable to move.

Meow, cough.

The quiet factory was filled with the cries of injured cats.

Rrrr

The black cat, which had been watching, stood up. It seemed very surprised.

Kyunghoon was equally surprised.

He knew his body had become stronger, but he hadn't expected such power.

His senses had also changed.

'So, hitting the target with the gun wasn't just luck.'

Kyunghoon felt a surge of confidence. In his current state, he felt he could handle an alien with just the broom.

Kyunghoon raised the broom towards the large black cat, which was glaring at him.

Roar!

The black cat let out a roar and charged at him.

"Damn, why do all these monsters have such weird voices! Cats should meow like cats!"

Kyunghoon swung the broom at the charging black cat.

Despite its incredible speed, Kyunghoon didn't miss. The broom struck the black cat's head.

Clang!

The sound of metal hitting an animal's head was like metal hitting metal.

The black cat was flung to the side, and Kyunghoon, holding the vibrating broom, frowned.

It felt like hitting a thick metal plate. Moreover, he hadn't even hit the head. As he swung, a translucent barrier appeared above the black cat's head, blocking the broom.

The broom bent, and his arm continued to tremble. If he hadn't become stronger, he might have been injured himself.

Rrrr

The black cat, which had been flung aside, stood up unharmed.

"What the hell is going on?"

The surreal had invaded reality. The events from the destroyed city were happening here as well.

But this wasn't the time to ponder. Kyunghoon bit his lip to regain his composure.

Roar!

The black cat charged again.

Kyunghoon swung the broom with all his might.

Thud

This time, the broom stopped in the middle. The black cat had bitten it. It didn't stop there.

Thump!

"Shit!"

The black cat rammed into Kyunghoon, pinning him down.

Rrrr

The black cat's saliva dripped onto Kyunghoon's face. Its open mouth filled his vision.

"Gah!"

Kyunghoon desperately pushed the broom upward.

If the broom hadn't been there, his head would have been in the black cat's mouth instead.

Unfortunately, the broom was being pushed down. Despite his enhanced strength, it was no match for the enlarged cat. The broom bent and slowly slipped out of the black cat's mouth.

In the meantime, Kyunghoon desperately swung his other hand.

Thud, thud, thud.

The hand not holding the broom struck the black cat's body. He hit its legs, sides, and neck.

Gasp.

The moment Kyunghoon's hand struck the black cat's neck, a groan escaped its mouth.

Kyunghoon felt an unknown energy draining through his hand as he forcefully pushed the dagger he held in his other hand upward.

Thrust!

The sound of muscles tearing was heard, and blood gushed from the black cat's neck.

Roar!

The black cat let out a scream and tried to pull back.

"Go to hell!"

Kyunghoon, holding the broom, grabbed the back of the black cat's head.

The situation had reversed. The black cat, trying to escape, and Kyunghoon, trying to hold on, engaged in a physical struggle.

The black cat's claws tore Kyunghoon's clothes and kicked up dust.

After a moment, the struggling black cat collapsed on top of Kyunghoon, finally breathing its last.

"Damn, it's incredibly heavy!"

Kyunghoon pushed the black cat to the side.

Thump.

"Huff, huff, huff."

Kyunghoon lay there, panting. He raised the blood-soaked dagger in front of his eyes. A faint blue pattern was visible on the blood-soaked blade.

Fortunately, the dagger was effective. He didn't know how the pattern caused this, but objects with the pattern could penetrate the monsters' defenses.

Kyunghoon, still panting, stood up. Fortunately, his body recovered quickly.

Kyunghoon sighed as he looked at his body.

The clothes he had worn were now rags. His skin was covered with scratches. Fortunately, there were no major injuries, but it was clear he had been in a big fight.

Surprisingly, considering the chaos caused by the monstrous cat, the scratches were relatively minor. It seemed the cat had swung its claws wildly, but the cuts were only superficial.

"Thankfully, it's not too bad."

Shaking his head, he looked around with a perplexed expression.

On one side, there was a mountain of half-eaten dog carcasses. Injured cats were groaning all around, and next to them lay the body of a cat as large as a leopard.

"I can't sneak out looking like this, can I?"

As he examined his ragged clothes, he pulled out his phone from the front pocket of his pants. It was his original phone, not something from the other world.

He needed to call for help. Normally, he would have called the police, but now he needed assistance.

Kyunghoon dialed a number and made the call.

- "Hey, Captain, or rather, Brother. It's been a long time. Why haven't you been in touch?"

Fortunately, the other person answered quickly, and a welcoming voice came through.

"I need your help. You know this area the best."

- "What's going on?"

The other person knew Kyunghoon's personality well. The tone immediately became serious, and Kyunghoon began to explain the situation.

A mist-like aura rose behind Kyunghoon as he spoke on the phone. It was the energy that had flowed from the dead monstrous cat.

This energy, later known as mana, seeped into Kyunghoon's body, while the rest spread out into the world.