49 - Chapter 47: Succubus
The female monster's pupils were slit vertically like a reptile's, glowing amber.
Where her ears should have been, curved horns reminiscent of a mouflon protruded, and a sleek, black tail with a heart-shaped tip extended from her tailbone.
A succubus.
The monster before my eyes matched almost every characteristic of a succubus I had seen in textbooks.
Natalia seemed to recognize it too, shifting her position to stand between the succubus and me.
"If anything happens, scream."
Without even looking back, Natalia spat the words and fired the rifle slung over her shoulder at the succubus.
A deafening burst of gunfire echoed through the room.
"Tch."
After unleashing a barrage of bullets, Natalia clicked her tongue. The succubus had already vanished from the throne.
Most of her bullets had riddled the throne. Confirming it was empty, Natalia scanned the room, her eyes darting from side to side.
Natalia was the one to break the brief, tense standoff. She suddenly spun around and thrust her hand out.
"Ah-hah."
A soft laugh floated through the air. Natalia's outstretched hand clamped shut, as if grabbing something out of empty space.
The air rippled, taking on a human shape. Color bled back into the silhouette, and the vanished succubus reappeared.
Invisibility, huh.
As the succubus's invisibility faded, bloodstains came into view on the shattered throne. Natalia smirked.
"You reek of blood."
With that, Natalia aimed her rifle with her free hand, shoving the muzzle right into the succubus's voluptuous chest.
Just then, the limp tail slithered like a snake. Its arrow-shaped tip crept toward Natalia.
Shit.
Seeing this, I quickly drew my pistol to stop the tail.
"Where do you think you're going, you bitch?"
But Natalia reacted before I could, stomping down hard on the tail.
I suppose if I could see it coming, there was no way Natalia would miss it.
It had been a pointless worry, an unnecessary distraction.
Having completely pinned the succubus, Natalia squeezed the trigger of her rifle, which was still set to full auto.
Or, rather, she tried to.
"...?"
Natalia's face twisted. Her body went rigid, her trembling finger unable to pull the trigger.
Behind her, the air rippled once more, and a second succubus materialized.
Another... one...?
The new succubus's tail was already buried deep in Natalia's back. It pulsed like a hose, sucking something out of her with a sickening, wet gurgle.
We're fucked.
There's a common belief that succubi are only dangerous to men, and that's only half true.
It's true that most of their magic, including their aphrodisiac spells, only works on men.
But if you look at actual survival statistics, men have a much higher survival rate than women.
And one of the main reasons for that is their tail.
Through their tails, succubi drain essence and desire from men, but they drain pure life force from women.
"You fuuucking biiitch..."
Natalia spat out a venomous curse and locked eyes with me, giving me a sharp look.
Forcing her barely responsive fingers to move, she finally squeezed the trigger.
Gunfire erupted once more.
Taking the cue, I fired my pistol at the second succubus draining Natalia's life force.
The two gunshots overlapped, crossing paths in the air.
Bullet holes tore through the chest of the succubus Natalia was holding by the neck.
Startled, the second succubus dodged backward, ripping her tail free.
"Ah."
The second succubus realized her mistake a beat too late, a look of regret crossing her face, but the damage was done.
If she had absorbed a man's essence, she could have used it to heal her wounds. But to a succubus, a woman's life force is like konjac jelly—it fills them up but offers no real sustenance. She had no choice but to retreat.
"Phew...! Gasp...! You fucking bitches...! I almost fucking died...!"
Freed from the tail, Natalia gasped for air, coughing out curses.
We severed the connection, but we're still in deep shit.
Despite her spirited cursing, Natalia looked terrible. She had already lost a massive amount of life force.
"Fucking shit..."
Fortunately, Natalia was reckless, not stupid. Realizing she was in no condition to fight, she turned her back on the succubi.
"Hey, we're running."
She bolted toward me, scooping me up with a bronze-skinned arm. Suddenly, my feet left the ground.
Natalia carried me as she sprinted.
"Kyahahahahaha!"
The second succubus chased us, letting out a shrill laugh. Her voice echoed down the corridor, sounding terrifyingly close and sending chills down my spine.
It wasn't just my imagination; she was gaining on us.
Natalia roughly yanked the massive, heavy bag off my back and threw it onto the floor.
Without the extra weight holding her back, Natalia's speed surged, and the sound of laughter began to fade.
"Fuck..., fuck..., fuck..., fuck...."
I had never seen Natalia this tense before.
Staggering but pushing herself to the absolute limit, she managed to put some distance between us and the succubus. She threw open a door along the corridor and ducked inside.
"Huff..., huff...."
She was panting heavily after such a short run. Seeing her this weak was completely unimaginable under normal circumstances.
"Are... are you okay?"
"You're a D-rank. Why the hell are you worrying about me?"
Natalia grunted, throwing open a wooden crate in the room.
"Good, it's not a Mimic. Get in and wait."
"...What about you?"
"I'll handle myself."
Her grim words made me tremble.
Fuck, I'd been living in peace for too long.
I had grown complacent, assuming Natalia would always handle everything.
Overwhelmed by a sudden wave of fear, I did as I was told and climbed into the crate.
Natalia whispered as she closed the lid over me.
"Don't come out, no matter what. If you don't hear from me within twenty-four hours, a rescue team will automatically be sent. You won't even need to signal them. Just hold out until then. Got it?"
She offered a tight, awkward smile—probably because she'd rarely had to force one in her life.
Seeing her vulnerable for the first time, that strained smile, and the sudden, terrifying threat to my life...
It all pressed down on me, suffocating me.
The realization that we were truly fucked hit me with brutal clarity.
If everything I'd experienced so far was the glamorous side of being an S-rank Hunter, this was the grim reality—the reason why many people with high mana ranks chose never to step foot in a dungeon.
The old wooden lid didn't shut completely, leaving a narrow, misaligned gap. I peered through it to watch the room.
"Sigh... things really went to shit..."
After hiding me, Natalia muttered to herself and drew a pistol from her pocket. She had abandoned her rifle earlier to carry me.
I can't remember if she clicked off the safety first, or if the succubus burst through the door first.
My view through the narrow gap was too limited to make out exactly what happened next.
I only remember hearing a few sharp gunshots.
Ultimately, there was no way Natalia, drained of her life force, could defeat a fully healthy succubus.
Watching the tail creep toward the fallen Natalia, I steeled myself.
Natalia told me to stay hidden. And honestly, it's not like we're close. Saying I don't feel guilty would be a lie, but... it's still safer to just stay put...
I gritted my teeth as my mind raced to rationalize it.
But even through my desperate excuses, there was one truth I couldn't deny.
The lie that I would be useless if I went out there.
Even if I was only D-rank, I was still a man. There were things I could do against a succubus.
Assuming what I had learned in school was true.
"Fuck it."
Before I even realized what I was doing, I had pushed the lid open and stepped out of the crate.
I must be out of my fucking mind.
When the crate she assumed was empty suddenly burst open and a male prey appeared, the tail creeping toward Natalia instinctively paused.
"Hmm?"
The moment our eyes met, I pressed a knife against my own throat.
The succubus's eyes widened in surprise at my sudden action.