The appearance of the Ghostgroom threw the entire unit into chaos.
It wasn’t just us who had seen it that day. Beta Platoon and Gamma Platoon also reported sightings of the colossal Ghostgroom from their outposts.
Everyone was desperately hoping the Ghostgroom would lose interest in the border and return to its territory, but a few days later, sightings were reported from Company 17, and not long after that, Company 16.
This meant that the Ghostgroom could step into the border at any time.
“A first-tier monster of that size doesn’t just appear naturally. It’s likely the result of a black magician casting a large-scale spell recently. That would’ve been the price for summoning it,” Winter speculated about the origin of the Ghostgroom.
“Ah... Black magicians again, huh.”
How many times had we suffered because of black magicians? Damn it, I swear I’ll kill them all.
“Winter, I have a question.”
“Go ahead.”
“If you’re swallowed by the Ghostgroom, is it possible to survive inside its mouth and escape once it opens again?”
“You should take a look at the monster compendium at the company headquarters. Ghostgrooms swallow living creatures whole and have a special membrane in their mouths to ensure that nothing they’ve swallowed can come back out.”
“Ah... Thank you.”
So escaping back through its mouth isn’t an option, huh? Damn it.
“If you want, we can head to the headquarters now and check together.”
“Yes... I think I need to do some reading as well.”
Winter’s face lit up slightly at my response. Wow, this book addict. How can he be so excited about books?
Afterward, I followed Winter to the headquarters and scoured every book related to monsters. As expected, there was no mention of how to escape once swallowed by the Ghostgroom. Well, it’s not like anyone has lived to tell that tale.
And when Company 17 finally discovered border wire fencing torn apart, presumably by the Ghostgroom, the decision for a battalion-wide extermination was made.
“The company commander is disappointed in the fencing...”
Perhaps shocked by the intrusion of a monster as dangerous as a dragon, the commander started muttering nonsensical things.
“All right, hurry up and prepare for the extermination!”
Under the platoon leader’s orders, we began gathering supplies for the mission.
“Benny, can you help Angel pack their gear?”
“Yes, sir!”
Damn, this feels like déjà vu.
News of the reappearance of a first-tier monster after three years had turned not only the company but the entire battalion into a mess. Our platoon looked like it had been hit by a bomb. Walking through the halls, I kept tripping over random pieces of gear and clothing scattered everywhere.
“Move faster! Hurry it up!”
...And now here I was, rushing Benny and Angel to get ready.
Damn it, I was literally packing to walk into my own grave. Actually, considering I was going to die anyway, maybe saying I wanted to die was redundant.
‘No, I need to stay calm...’
One of my biggest flaws, as I well knew, was that I wasn’t very good at staying calm.
But the more dire the situation, the more composure I needed. I’d survived countless crises before.
During my first extermination mission, I’d barely made it out alive after falling off a waterfall in the Dragon Incident.
To prevent Altair’s death, I’d even injured myself while killing a Skarper.
And there were countless other monsters I’d taken down over the years.
‘So I just need to recall the original novel and prepare carefully.’
In the original story, Salvia was swallowed by the Ghostgroom. And then, its highly acidic stomach fluids... well, let’s just say it was a grotesque way to go.
Foll𝑜w current novℯls on ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm.
‘That means I need to prepare for two possible scenarios.’
First, avoid getting swallowed by the Ghostgroom in the first place by staying vigilant.
Second, find a way to survive if I do get swallowed.
Not long ago, I had poured over the monster compendium with Winter at the company headquarters, memorizing every detail about the Ghostgroom. I could confidently say that no one in this unit knew more about it than I did... except for Winter, of course.
Still, the point was that I was as prepared as I could be for the Ghostgroom.
‘It’s fine. I just need to stick to the plan if the worst happens...’
***
Shortly after, the extermination mission began.
“Company 17 has already picked up the trail and started the pursuit! Let’s move quickly!”
“Yes, sir!”
Under the captain’s orders, we quickened our pace.
‘Ah, so this is why we practiced marching so much.’
At least the relentless training had given us some capability to cover long distances.
The highest-ranking members from each platoon, including Deer, stayed behind to guard the outposts. Meanwhile, the rest of us, carrying our gear, began trekking swiftly across the mountainous terrain.
Dust rose in clouds around us as we stomped forward, but no one had the luxury to care about stinging eyes.
“Hah, hah...”
Of course, everyone else looked exhausted too, but I was certain my face was the worst of all. After all, I was essentially walking myself to my grave.
‘What if the main plot of the original novel hasn’t changed after all?’
There had been some deviations, but it was possible that the core events necessary to the story’s progression hadn’t altered.
The critical element for the original story was this: a significant figure tied to the male leads must die. Only then would they turn their attention to Dalin, the heroine, once she enters the story later.
Aquila had a special bond of camaraderie with me. Karon followed me around like an overzealous puppy. And Winter... well, he sometimes seemed like he’d given up on me, but he still showed concern in his own way. In short, they all regarded me as a memorable figure in their lives.
The fact that the male leads considered me special hadn’t changed, so the next logical step in the story was...
My death.
Everything about this situation, including the appearance of the Ghostgroom, was progressing just like in the original novel. How could I not feel uneasy?
I had no way of knowing if my preparations would be enough to save me.
‘My life is nothing but a string of death flags.’
And from my past experiences, I knew one thing: in this hellish apocalypse, avoiding a death flag doesn’t mean you won’t die. And not avoiding it? Well, that guarantees death too. Damn it.
When we arrived at Company 17’s headquarters, we began the search.
Each platoon split up to look for signs of the Ghostgroom, but since Company 17 had already moved to the most promising locations, we were essentially stuck waiting for updates.
The senior soldiers were already sitting on the ground, resting. Taking a cue from them, I quietly lowered myself to the floor. Aquila and Karon sat nearby.
“Salvia.”
Aquila called my name, and I reflexively looked up.
“What?”
“You said you’d tell me. When are you going to do it?”
“Oh, uh...”
Judging by his tone, it seemed like he couldn’t hold back anymore after noticing how dark my expression was. But how was I supposed to explain my current situation?
“I just... feel a bit off.”
Aquila didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he stared at me in silence before placing one hand gently on my shoulder.
“Am I useless to you now?”
“Huh?”
“Are you saying I can’t help you anymore?”
When I looked up to meet his gaze, Aquila’s reddish-orange eyes had taken on an unsettling sharpness.
Oh, great. I’d pressed another one of his buttons.
This was the classic setup where the male lead, haunted by the deaths of all his comrades, clings desperately to his sole surviving peer—me.
This time, though, Aquila seemed genuinely more sensitive than usual.
Now that I thought about it, I had been so preoccupied with my own anxieties that I hadn’t paid much attention to Aquila or Karon.
“You promised to tell me everything. So why haven’t you?”
Aquila stopped there, but his words left me feeling increasingly anxious.
“Oh, no, no... I still need you.”
“Then why do you keep running away from me?”
“Uh... just give me a second.”
I faltered, meeting his eyes.
Aquila’s gaze, as always, burned with an intense, smoldering light when he looked at me.
Even though his face might appear stoic to others, I could tell that Aquila, just like me, was feeling anxious and unsettled.
“...Fine. Listen.”
While I couldn’t bring myself to say outright that I thought I might die, maybe I could brush it off the way I had with Ishina.
“If I die...”
Aquila’s expression instantly hardened.
“Why are you talking about dying, Salvia?”
“...I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die, damn it! I’m not going to die!!! Just thinking about it pisses me off. This goddamn apocalypse! I’m not dying, you hear me?!”
“...Calm down and talk it out,” Aquila replied, startled by my sudden outburst. His confusion seemed to snap me out of my rant.
“...I’m scared of dying.”
“Why all of a sudden? Why would you die?”
It seemed like he hated even the mention of the word “death.”
“Listen. I’m afraid of two things: First, the fact that I could die at any moment.”
“...Go on.”
“And second... that even if I die, everyone else will just move on with their lives, perfectly fine.”
“What?”
“Just like how we’ve buried the memories of the soldiers who’ve died so far, people will bury me too, and life will keep going. The world will keep turning without me.”
Saying it out loud made me feel even sadder.
“The thought of everyone living well without me drives me insane.”
Yes, I was selfish. Yes, it was a self-centered thought. But damn it, I was furious.
Granted, in this world, I was furious 364 out of 365 days a year. But imagining the novel’s world continuing peacefully after my death just made me even angrier.
Surprisingly, it was Karon who spoke first.
“No, Salvia! That’s absolutely not true!”
Karon was so frantic that he scrambled to meet my gaze. I stared into his brown eyes.
“Really...”
“I don’t know why you’d think that, but I could never forget you! Maybe others would, but I swear, I never would...!”
As Karon’s voice began to tremble, he looked like he was on the verge of tears. Startled, I reached out to pat his back awkwardly.
“Uh, okay...”
“I mean it! I really mean it!”
“Alright, calm down...”
Karon’s overreaction was so extreme that it made me feel oddly composed. While I was busy consoling him, Aquila called my name in a low voice.
“Salvia.”
“Yeah.”
“How could you even think that?”
Each word was deliberate, carrying a weight that made me pause.
“You know I have no one but you. So how could you imagine a future without yourself in it?”
“It’s not like I want to die, damn it. I’m just scared that I might—”
“No, you can’t die.”
“Do you think I’m planning to die, damn it?”
My reflexive, exasperated response didn’t faze him.
“That’s a future that can’t happen.”
Aquila gently brushed my hair behind my ear and whispered.
“The idea of a future without you? It doesn’t exist. So don’t even think about it.”
The warmth in his voice seemed to radiate from every word he spoke.
“No matter where you go, no matter what it takes, I’ll bring you back. So don’t worry.”
As he said this, Aquila’s eyes burned with a heat that felt like it could melt everything in its path.
“Whatever it takes, I’ll bring you back to my side...”