Turncoat.
When Ganesha Tripathi heard that word, his lips felt parched, as if all moisture had been sucked out.
What did I just hear?
It felt almost like an auditory hallucination, and Ganesha looked at the man in front of him once more.
The first thing that caught his eye was the bone mask that completely covered his face.
Bone mask, bone tentacles, bone parasite, bone armor, bone, bone...
Like fitting together pieces of a complex puzzle, a single word inevitably slipped from Ganesha's mouth.
"Skull Turncoat..."
As a council member of the Rose Line, Ganesha Tripathi knew all too well about the monstrous entity known as the Skull Turncoat.
After all, the Rose Line had been the most proactive in deploying Skull Knights, so it was impossible for him not to know.
"The Skull Knights are all monstrous beings, but the Skull Turncoats are fundamentally different. They are real monsters."
That's what his secretary had once said.
Just as the words implied, Skull Turncoats were very similar to Skull Knights but fundamentally different.
Among them, only a select few, recognized and named by the Ark, were designated as Turncoats.
Their threat grade was at least Grade-2 or higher.
Moreover, if this man called himself Pawn, it meant that the previously vacant spot had finally been filled.
But that wasn't the most pressing issue right now.
The real problem was that the man in front of him might not even be human but a monster.
Unable to hold back any longer, Ganesha spoke up.
"Are you... a monster?"
In response to his squeezed-out question, the masked man chuckled—or at least it sounded like he did.
"Do I look like a monster to you?"
"That's..."
'Yes, you do. I saw you drink that blood with my own eyes. You looked like you were parched, but drinking blood is way too much. There were plenty of other drinks in the bunker.'
Ganesha almost blurted that out but held his tongue.
A single reckless word could seal his fate.
But that wasn't the only reason he hesitated.
'Is he really a monster?'
Even after witnessing that scene firsthand, he found it difficult to label the masked man as purely monstrous.
It wasn't just that the man spoke human language—high-ranking monsters capable of speech existed, after all.
It was more about the atmosphere.
Something about his entire demeanor made it hard to conclude that he was simply a monster.
"To be honest, I'm not sure. What are you?"
But when the man answered, Ganesha was rendered speechless.
"Just an ordinary human."
"...."
"Do I really look like a monster to you?"
A brief silence fell, and Ganesha slowly shook his head.
"No... not necessarily. There are some questionable aspects, but I'm not certain."
"Good. Because I'm not a monster. Not even a Skull Knight, for that matter."
Ganesha's eyes widened in surprise.
If he wasn't a Skull Turncoat, then the logical conclusion was that he was a Skull Knight.
But now he was denying that too?
"What... what do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what I said. Now go to sleep. It's late. We leave in three hours."
"Th-Three hours...."
Ganesha had often pulled all-nighters in his capacity as a Rose Line council member, but that was always within the safe confines of the Ark.
Today had been particularly exhausting, and the sheer intensity of the day had left him drained.
Yet, with only three hours of rest before resuming the grueling march, Ganesha had no choice but to lie down, despite his desire to ask countless questions.
'I'll just ask tomorrow...'
Thoughts swirled endlessly in his mind, but soon enough, exhaustion pulled him into a deep sleep.
* * *
After confirming that Ganesha Tripathi had fallen asleep, I paused to think.
'What should I do...'
The dilemma was obvious—whether or not to kill Ganesha Tripathi.
So far, his reactions had been just as I expected—shocked, confused, and overwhelmed.
That alone assured me of one thing—his words and actions up to this point weren't just an act.
'I guess I'll watch him a bit longer.'
I lay down, deciding to rest.
With both Esther and Janus on guard, I didn't really need to stay awake.
'Keep a close watch.'
["...You're such a heartless master. Can you really sleep right now?"]
'Thanks to you.'
["...You're truly awful."]
Rrrah!
Janus barked softly as if voicing his own complaint, but I simply lay back and stared at the night sky.
Since my ether sensitivity had exceeded a certain level, the whispering voices that usually invaded my sleep had significantly quieted down.
["He's sleeping..."]
With that much peace and quiet, I closed my eyes.
.
.
.
["Master!"]
How long had I been asleep?
I instinctively jolted awake at Esther's urgent voice in my ear.
'How many?'
["At least three hundred—no, five hundred...."]
'What level?'
["A pack of Grade-9 to 10 Beast Class monsters."]
Unfortunately, the beasts didn't care whether it was time to sleep or not.
Of course, it made sense—this was the wild outside the Ark, where anything could happen at any moment.
'Hmm.'
Looking back, I regretted not choosing a more secure campsite, but it was too late for that now.
'At least the beasts aren't particularly high-level.'
Had they been a bit stronger, I might have had to use Ankelenth's Domain for Ganesha's safety, which would have blown my cover.
'I'd rather not reveal my abilities to the Ark if I can help it.'
Ankelenth's Domain was a unique power I gained after Janus devoured the sacred Mot Totem.
It would appear as a major anomaly from the Ark's perspective, so there was no point giving away unnecessary information.
'I've slept enough, anyway.'
Though I'd only managed about an hour of sleep, it was enough for now.
In this situation, oversleeping and getting bitten to death by beasts wasn't an option.
"Get up."
"Ugh!"
I shook Ganesha Tripathi awake, and he shot up with a startled yelp.
What could I say... It was like watching a freshly enlisted private on his first night watch duty—utterly bewildered and panicked.
"Has... has it already been three hours?"
"No. It's the beasts."
"...What?"
Instead of a detailed explanation, I answered by firmly gripping the Ark-15 automatic conversion rifle.
Only then did Ganesha Tripathi realize the severity of the situation and hastily grabbed his handgun.
"Don't engage aggressively—just focus on protecting yourself."
"...Understood."
Outside the Ark, no one is responsible for your survival but yourself. You must secure your own life and safety.
"They're coming."
The beasts creeping through the darkness slowly began to surround us.
Rather than charging in recklessly, they were trying to form an encirclement, suggesting that there was a fairly competent leader among them.
'Not that it matters.'
If the leader made one mistake, it was assuming that they held the initiative.
Did they really think I would just sit back and let them surround us?
Click—
The Ark-15, now switched to shotgun mode, roared, marking the start of the battle.
Screeeech!
The loaded ammunition was A-985 explosive rounds, custom-fitted to the shotgun shells.
Perfect for blowing away the foolish beasts that dared to charge at me.
Boom—!!!
Screeeech!
Screeech!
The howls of the beasts marked the beginning of the battle in earnest.
Normally, I didn't use the shotgun mode of the Ark-15, preferring the anti-materiel sniper mode for long-range sniping or the automatic rifle mode for versatile engagements.
The shotgun mode was only effective in close combat, making it situational.
But that didn't mean it was weak.
When the situation called for it, its power surpassed any other mode.
Like right now.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—!!!
The explosive rounds scattered like deadly flowers of flame, carving dozens of fiery paths through the darkness.
Beasts caught in the blast were engulfed in flames, writhing and screaming.
Screeeech!
Gyaaao!
Despite the chaos, their leader still didn't reveal itself, staying hidden from my view.
'Not that it matters.'
The beast pack numbered around five hundred.
If their levels were any higher, it might have been a problem, but these were only Grade-9 to 10 beasts. They posed no real threat to me.
Of course, there was still one variable.
"Aaaah!"
Ganesha Tripathi screamed as he was chased by a group of beasts.
I had told him to take care of himself, but realistically, there was no way he could manage that in this situation.
'No choice.'
I adjusted my aim.
If I left him to fend for himself, he'd be torn apart by those monsters, so I didn't hesitate.
BOOM!
"Hiek!"
Startled by the explosion, Ganesha flinched without even realizing it.
In the meantime, the beasts' attention shifted toward me, charging straight at my position.
If I were alone, I would never have given the beasts any opening, but the moment I turned my gun toward Ganesha, they pounced.
"...Ah."
Realizing that I had saved him, Ganesha stared at me in a daze.
Then he shouted.
"Behind you!"
Just as he warned, beasts lunged at me from all sides.
What should have been a crisis was nothing of the sort.
Without bothering to use Janus' power, I simply smashed the closest beast with my bare fist.
Bam!
One down.
Screeech!
Two down.
Crack!
Three down...
My reinforced physical abilities were beyond human, thanks to the Alpha, Sigma, and Omega enhancement serums. My body's strength and durability far surpassed that of a normal person.
"W-What the...?"
Seeing me take down beasts barehanded, Ganesha couldn't hide his shock.
A natural reaction, really.
"Get a grip."
"Ah."
Finally coming to his senses, Ganesha refocused on the situation.
There was no time to be surprised or impressed right now.
Screeeech!
The battle continued.
* * *
Throughout the fierce fight in the dead of night, Ganesha Tripathi found himself saved by the masked man, Pawn, countless times.
And each time, Pawn himself seemed to fall into danger—only to shrug it off with raw strength, taking down threats with his bare hands as if it were nothing.
'...And yet he still expects me to believe he's human?'
As a Rose Line council member, Ganesha Tripathi had seen many monsters—men who had pushed beyond human limits after surviving countless life-and-death struggles on the Ark's frontlines.
But those people were an exception to the rule.
And yet, in this unfamiliar masked man, Ganesha saw the same monstrous presence he had witnessed in those Rose Line warriors.
It made no sense.
Even so, he tried to analyze what was happening during the fight.
'The beasts attacked him.'
Usually, beasts and monsters don't attack each other.
Of course, that's primarily during waves—outside of those events, they do fight over territory and hierarchy, as the Ark's research had confirmed.
Moreover, since Skull Turncoats weren't typical monsters, it wasn't particularly surprising that beasts would attack them.
But what caught Ganesha's attention was how effortlessly Pawn fought the beasts.
'It's not just about being strong. He knows exactly how to handle them.'
Although Ganesha wasn't a soldier, he had enough insight to gauge someone's strength, having seen countless Rose Line elites.
That's why he could tell—
Pawn's combat style was undeniably human.
He wasn't just relying on brute force; he was using calculated techniques and precise movements—everything about his fighting was systematic and deliberate.
It was as if he had trained specifically to fight beasts.
'He's not just a strong fighter—he's a hunter.'
Ganesha couldn't wrap his head around it.
How could someone so monstrous still feel so distinctly human?