I’ve seen strange things since I was little.

“What? A person?”

“Yeah, over there. Can’t you see it?”

“…What are you talking about? It’s just an empty lot.”

“…….”

“Did you see a monster?”

“It’s not a monster….”

Sometimes it took on a human-like form.

“…Sorry, I must have misunderstood.”

“Are you sure you’re okay, oppa?”

“Is it because you’re not fully awake?”

Like a squirrel or a stray cat, its tail would hang long in the bushes, or it would stand like a tree and emit a strange scent, or it would float leisurely up in the sky like a cloud… .

I knew it was fundamentally different from the plants and animals I knew. Sometimes it was quite similar, but sometimes it was strangely sloppy.

“You might be overdoing it these days. Why don’t you take a break?”

“I can still do it.”

Like most wild animals, they didn’t show any sign of knowing me.

“You should do it when you can.”

So Cha Eun-hyeok also pretended not to see me.

‘Can’t anyone else see it besides me?’

I pondered hard about their identity.

‘… Are they ghosts? But if they were ghosts, they would look like normal people, but they definitely look like animals. Sometimes they only imitate parts like ears or tails. So are they hallucinations? They leave traces, so it’s hard to call them hallucinations. So are they monsters? But monsters don’t usually show up that indifferent to people.’

They sometimes danced. They sang songs, admired flowers, or floated on water. Cha Eun-hyeok had a feeling that they wouldn’t harm him as long as he didn’t touch them.

However, very occasionally, dangerous guys would show up.

“I heard there was a fire at the house.”

“For some reason, the lady of that house has been absent-minded lately….”

“The whole family burned to death in that house.”

The townspeople attributed the cause of a certain fire to a housewife with dementia. That may be true, but Cha Eun-hyeok knew that there was another fundamental problem.

“…….”

That thing used to follow the lady of that house around with a bundle.

‘Oh, that’s right.’

That thing must have killed the lady.

I don’t know exactly what it did. However, Cha Eun-hyeok realized that there could be dangerous guys among them since then.

They didn’t seem to have any ill will toward him, but their mere presence could be threatening to people.

‘Is it some kind of monster?’

Cha Eun-hyeok defined it that way.

“Are you going to keep selling bungeoppang, oppa?”

“They sell pretty well.”

“Don’t the city people say anything? That place has a particularly severe discrimination against citizen classes….”

“Everyone is kind. I haven’t seen anyone say anything about being a third-class citizen yet.”

In fact, he didn’t have the time or energy to worry about monsters or anything else that he didn’t know about.

“Of course, there are people who notice, but the youngest should have an initiation ceremony soon.”

“…….”

“I have to buy him a priest’s uniform, pay for his dormitory, and give him some money to spend while he’s living there.”

“…He just happened to awaken as a priest.”

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“I have two hunters at home, so I’m really safe and secure.”

His two younger brothers were both awakened.

His younger sister was an F-class, the lowest rank, so she could only do porter work. Not only was the pay not very good, but he had to buy her equipment to increase her chances of survival when entering a dungeon.

His youngest brother awakened as a ‘priest,’ but it was a useless job unless he made a contract with a god. However, it was nearly impossible to worship the god on one’s own, and he said that he could only receive grace with the help of the temple.

“Still, we were lucky. The Sun Church in Seoul called the youngest.”

“…….”

“Our youngest will soon be a second-class citizen. Above all, you work too, so what if I rest? I have to save face as the eldest son.”

“Well, I’m an awakened one… and I have better stamina than my brother, right?”

“Okay, so don’t worry and rest.”

“…Should I go work with you? If the people in Seoul try to harm you, I can stop you….”

“I need someone to look after the youngest at home.”

They didn’t have enough money.

“Don’t worry.”

So they didn’t have time to worry about the unknown guys.

‘If we don’t keep them close, there’s no danger.’

Those guys probably had their own lives. Just as you don’t get hurt if you don’t touch the poisonous toads on the roadside, those who are playing around on their own are harmless as long as you don’t cause trouble.

‘It’s not like I can’t avoid them because they’re invisible, and since they can see me clearly, there’s no way I’ll get into trouble. It’s okay because there’s no problem.’

However, if there’s a problem.

“…….”

“…….”

There comes a moment when avoiding them isn’t everything.

I didn’t know it would be when I was trying to sell all the bungeoppang and clean up.

“…….”

What should I do?

‘I’ve been looking at the bungeoppang all this time.’

‘That thing’ who came at an unexpected time was a man wearing a pitch-black cloak.

He was very tall, and the clothes he was wearing were luxurious. However, because he was all black, he looked like a guest at a funeral. The air around him suddenly became heavy and dead, sending a chill down my spine.

It didn’t feel like a grim reaper or a reaper. It seemed much closer to nature than those who have egos and collect souls… .

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

He could definitely tell that it was ‘that’.

“…….”

Should I talk to them or not?

‘I’ve never seen anything good happen to me by interfering with these guys.’

However, I was afraid that if I ignored them when they were so obvious, there would be repercussions.

‘I want to see the youngest.’

I tried to act calm, not wanting to provoke them, but cold sweat was running down my back.

Cha Eun-hyeok had guessed that these guys were some kind of monster. They were generally gentle compared to the guys he saw.

However, it was creepy to see them occasionally destroying a person without any ill intentions.

‘… They just keep looking at the bungeoppang… .’

Will it disappear if I give them this?

That was when.

“How much for a bag?”

“…….”

Talking?

‘A monster?’

He didn’t show it, but he was surprised.

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I’ve seen guys in human form often. They often imitate human life, but their actions are not only ineffective, but there has never been a single one that actually talks.

‘And you asked how much?’

They’re imitating humans this seriously?

“Ah….”

But I couldn’t ignore the question.

“Five thousand won for ten.”

“Do you only accept cash?”

“Cash would be fine.”

“…….”

The black cloak, who had been silent while carrying a load on his back, put his hand inside his hood. I wondered what he was doing, but soon I saw a jewel shining with a transparent light in his hand.

Even Cha Eun-hyeok, a local, knew that the beautifully crafted thing was worth more than ten bungeoppang.

“Can’t this do?”

“…….”

It was scary to think that it was a pretty good imitation of a human, but it was to the point where he was resentful that he would do such an outrageous thing.

‘Who gives a jewel to buy bungeoppang?’

Cha Eun-hyeok felt a chill down his spine.

It was like trying to barter, and it was like not knowing the conventional value of the thing you wanted to get, and no matter how much the other person was imitating a human, it was just uncomfortable.

‘But it’s even more disturbing because I definitely think they’re human.’

He barely answered.

“…That’s too much.”

“There’s nothing else in kind.”

“Don’t you have a card…?”

“Can I use a card?”

“Uh… yes.”

“I see.”

I couldn’t believe it, but he really did hand me the card.

“…….”

“…….”

“…I was just cleaning up, so I have to bake a new one. Is that okay?”

“It’s okay.”

“It’ll take a while.”

Cha Eun-hyeok quickly gave up and started making bungeoppang.

‘There’s no such thing as a disaster.’

Because business was going so well today, he didn’t even make it to the terminal until the last train left.

Since he had already gotten permission, he didn’t have to worry about being caught. He was going to sleep out today, but a new customer showed up.

And it was a monster customer of unknown identity.

“…….”

Dal-geurak.

His hand trembled a little as he closed the bungeoppang mold.

‘… He wouldn’t kill me all of a sudden, would he?’

Like most monsters, these guys seemed to have their own rules.

Open your eyes only when the sun is up, stay with the blind person for the rest of your life, and only step on white stones.

There were many childish rules, but some of these rules were threatening to humans.

‘But this is the first time I’ve seen someone who ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) can talk, so I can’t judge.’

This is the first time I’ve seen someone who imitates humans so well.

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The problem is that there’s a sense of discomfort here and there, but aside from the strangely cool atmosphere, their words and actions were quite similar to those of humans.

‘They even have a card.’

Cha Eunhyuk suddenly realized.

‘…If they didn’t steal someone else’s stuff, they must have lent it to someone else.’

Then, isn’t this guy’s guardian somewhere?

“…Are there any other people with you?”

“There were, but they’re not there right now.”

“…….”

“They must be sleeping right now.”

For a moment, I thought it meant that he had killed them.

‘This is the first time I’ve felt so resentful of someone I don’t even know.’

In a world where you can’t even walk a dog without a leash, what’s the point of letting a dangerous thing like this, no matter how human-like it is, loose?

“…….”

No, wait a minute.

‘If you gave me a card, that means you thought I could use it.’

There was no way a monster that no one else could see could use a card.

So was the person in front of me a human, not a monster?

“…In Seoul….”

Cha Eun-hyeok carefully opened his mouth.

“Is this your first time?”

“It’s not your first time. But it’s true that I’m sightseeing.”

“Oh, sightseeing. Did you visit Gyeongbokgung Palace?”

“Yes, there was a lot of food, so it was fun.”

The conversation was a bit choppy, but he got enough information.

‘Other people can see it too?’

Then really.

Was it just an ordinary person with an eerie atmosphere?

Or maybe it was a humanoid monster that was essential in textbooks… .

“…….”

“Gulp.”

Cha Eun-hyeok was startled.

‘Bird?’

A faintly glowing bird jumped out from between the hood of the black cloak.

“Honey, get in.”

“Gulp….”

“I’ll give it to you later, so get in.”

“Kuk-kung.”

“Okay.”

The way he gave orders to the small monster was the image of a ‘trainer’ commonly known to the world, but strangely, Cha Eun-hyeok didn’t think that the black cloak and the bird in front of him were a pair of a human and a monster.

The incongruity became clearer the moment his eyes met the bird’s.

“…….”

“Gulp.”

“…….”

Cha Eun-hyeok lowered his head, unable to meet her gaze.

‘… Dangerous.’

My hands and feet felt cold, as if they were sweating.

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‘That guy is really dangerous.’

The bird, with its sweet color and small body, would be pretty and cute to anyone who saw it. However, to Cha Eun-hyeok, who could vaguely sense its true nature, it was no different from a ridiculous deception.

The bird, called ‘Honey’, whose true nature was like a storm-like wave, was perhaps named by its owner. It was spontaneous, rough, and strong. Nevertheless, the reason it took on that fragile form was probably because its owner wanted it to be.

“…….”

Then what kind of being was its owner, Black Cloak?

‘Damn, I didn’t know it would turn out like this.’

Among the guys that Cha Eun-hyeok could see, there were definitely some who were interested in human food. They savored the rice that the villagers had left for the ghosts to eat, or stole the side dishes from the restaurant one by one.

But no one ordered food so openly. Most of them just took on human form and imitated everyday life, and they didn’t actually try to interact with humans like this.

‘I let my guard down.’

I should have been more careful.

‘That bird doesn’t even seem to like me that much…’

The bird that was watching me from deep inside the hood of the black cloak was intimidating.

“…Here, here are 10 bungeoppang.”

“Thank you.”

Black cloak paused for a moment after receiving the bungeoppang.

“…….”

“It’s a gift.”

“Yes?”

“Thank you for your hard work in the early morning.”

“No, wait a minute….”

Black cloak continued speaking to Cha Eunhyuk who was about to refuse.

“I’m sorry if I scared you. I came here because of the smell of bungeoppang, but I stopped cleaning up and made a mess again, so I apologize and thank you.”

“It’s okay.”

“Thank you.”

He put down one of the blue gems he had just seen and leisurely disappeared.

“…….”

Cha Eunhyuk stared at the black cloak until his back was out of sight, and soon collapsed when even the end of the cloak was no longer visible.

“…Ha, haha….”

Shit.

I’m alive.

‘I thought I was going to die.’

I had a gut feeling that that would be the end of it ever since I learned that I could see beings that others couldn’t. I thought I would die so strangely that others wouldn’t even be able to guess the cause of death. That’s what I thought.

But no matter what, I wouldn’t die selling bungeoppang.

“Wow….”

Cha Eunhyuk rubbed his face with both hands.

“I was terrified.”

I still don’t know the identity of the black cloak.

If others could see it, was it a person? But its essence was too distant and vicious to be that. Then was it the same kind as the ones I usually saw? But the communication was too smooth to be that kind. A humanoid monster? There’s no dungeon nearby.

If it’s neither this nor that, then it’s a kind of monster I don’t know.

“…….”

And either way, it was horrible.

‘How can you survive after meeting a humanoid monster?’

That’s when I thought that.

“Gulp?”

“…….”

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That’s the sound I heard earlier.

“Gulp….”

“…….”

“Gulp, gulp, gulp gulp gulp.”

“…uh….”

“Gur.”

When I raised my head, I saw a large beak. I could see the teeth beyond my Adam’s apple. I could see a pitch-black tongue.

“Kung.”

The beak, as hard as metal, swallowed Cha Eun-hyeok’s head halfway.

“…….”

Knock, thump.

It pretended to bite a few times and then spat it out.

“Kurung.”

“…What, what….”

“Kkuk.”

When he regained his sight, ‘Honey’ had the same petite figure he had seen earlier.

“…….”

It looked like such a disgustingly pretentious gesture.

“What the hell is that.”

The bird flew away.

“What the hell was it….”

He really didn’t know anything, but one thing he was sure of was that he had just almost died.

The bird, as sweet as honey, seemed to be saying this.

‘This much is okay.’

“…….”

It seemed to be saying that he had passed.

He got goosebumps.

“…We should move tomorrow….”

I hope we never meet again.

And the next day at 2pm.

“Do you sell bungeoppang?”

Cha Eunhyuk met the ghostly black cloak again.

“…Yes….”

“Please give me 10.”

“Understood.”

What should I do if the world is this small?