The cargo hold erupted into chaos.

The roar of a massive beast jolted everything to life, sending wolves howling, tigers growling, chickens clucking, and birds shrieking.

"Hah... Hah..."

I gasped for air, clutching the severed whisker in my trembling hand. My heart was racing.

The two siren that were just here moments ago—gone, just like that.

I'd guessed this monster was dangerous, but I didn't expect it to be this terrifying.

Blocking their escape first, then doubling back to kill them?

What kind of ordinary predator behaves like that? This creature clearly has intelligence.

This is bad.

Dropping the whisker from my hand, I held my breath and cautiously began to retreat.

The cargo hold was deafeningly loud. The cacophony of sounds made my ears ring, but at least it masked my movements.

How on earth did it find me?

I kept my eyes locked on the long-whiskered beast, carefully gauging its every move while silently cursing the peril of being so close.

I should've retreated to a safer distance before plucking the whisker.

But who could've predicted that, in the pitch-black darkness, one of the siren would charge straight toward me as if it knew exactly where I was?

Could it have night vision?

No, that doesn't add up—they wouldn't need to light lanterns if that were the case.

Which means... they must have some kind of sensory ability.

Buzzing.

My ears filled with an ominous hum, and I froze mid-thought, my steps halting instinctively.

Silence.

Suddenly, an eerie quiet blanketed the space.

A cold chill ran down my spine as I turned to look toward the massive beast.

Thud! Gulp...

A severed siren's skull rolled to the ground, spat out by the monster.

Crunch!

"Roar... Roar..."

The beast let out a guttural growl and stomped on a lantern, snuffing out its faint glow.

"... Woof!"

A dog's bark came from behind me.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!" "Roar! Roar!"

And then the cages around me erupted with noise—howls, snarls, and growls filled the air as the trapped beasts banged against their enclosures.

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They weren't just making noise—they were communicating:

-The one who pulled your whisker is right here.

Run!

I bolted, sprinting as fast as my legs could carry me.

"Roar!"

Behind me, the beast roared furiously, shaking the entire hold.

Run! Run for your life!

"Hah! Hah! Hah!"

Adrenaline surged through my veins as the narrow pathways between cages seemed to collapse inward.

I gasped for breath, each stride pounding the floor with desperate force.

What is this?

As I fled, I noticed that every time I passed a cage, the beasts inside barked and howled, seemingly signaling my location.

Is this monster a leader or something? It's got these animals playing lookout for it!

"Fxck!"

I growled in frustration, biting back a string of curses.

I had unlocked their cages, given them a chance to escape, and yet here they were, teaming up to hunt me instead.

All for a single whisker? Really?!

There was no reasoning with them—no room for negotiation with creatures like this.

Hide in a cage? That would be suicide in a place full of beasts.

Keep running deeper? There's no way I can outrun this thing forever, not in my current state.

Wait a minute...

Clang!

Gripping the edge of a cage for support, I swung around a corner, metal screeching under my weight.

I kept sprinting, stealing glances at the beast now trailing behind me at a slightly greater distance.

The cargo hold was a maze of narrow paths. Sometimes it seemed the monster was just around the corner, but the convoluted layout forced it to take longer routes.

"Hah... Hah..."

My lungs burned as I pushed myself forward, each step heavier than the last.

There's a chance.

If I can use the terrain to my advantage and make it back to the slave area, I might just survive this—

Crash!