After organizing his thoughts, Chi-Woo raised his head.

“What are you going to do?” Apoline asked as if she had been wanting to ask all along; judging by how she was wiggling her hands, she seemed ready to cast a spell and swept away everything in her path.

“Let’s move closer for now.”

“Move closer…?” Apoline tilted her head and asked, but Chi-Woo did not repeat himself. Since they didn’t know what kind of hidden traps there might be, Apoline’s method wasn’t a bad idea, but it was not a feasible plan since he didn’t know if the person he was looking for was among the tetris-like pile of humans. Moreover, it didn’t matter if there was a trap.

‘I can just crush everything in my path.’ Chi-Woo currently had the power to do so.

Apoline didn’t say anything else. The leader of this expedition was Chi-Woo; since she knew this fact better than anyone else, she had no intention of acting outside her authority.

* * *

The expedition team resumed their march until they stopped again in front of what looked like fences weaved with humans. Pained groans came out from all over; it was even more grotesque up close, and no matter how many times they looked at it, it left a bad aftertaste in their mouths. However, it seemed as if a few humans were still conscious as they struggled to stare at the expedition members with bleary eyes. Meeting their protruding eyeballs that seemed ready to pop out, Chi-Woo felt his hope that the person he was looking for might still be alive died somewhat. Could he still consider these people alive? The members also seemed befuddled whether to see them as victims to be rescued or monsters to be eliminated.

“Ugh…uh…” Then one of the humans glancing at the expedition members groaned.

“Uh…Are you all right…?” Purupuru, who...