Unable to reach a mutual understanding with Cheon Areum, the white rabbit lifted its head, mimicking the posture of a wolf about to howl, and produced a low, trembling growl that vibrated from its throat. The rabbit's red eyes pierced through him as it doubled in size in front of him. Its body swelled abruptly, bones stretching with sickening cracks beneath its skin. The rabbit doubled in size, then tripled, its growth continuing unchecked.
Fur split and regrew unevenly, patchy clumps clinging to an overinflated, grotesquely rounded body. Shadows poured outward as it expanded, blotting out the sky above until the shadow of the robust rabbit gloomed over Cheon Areum, swallowing his whole body. The fluffy fur was distributed poorly among the puffed body, making it absolutely....
"Ugly."
Cheon Areum commented on its appearance with a frown, to think he was just about to pet this thing. Sitting under the shade, he immediately trapped the rabbit—if he could even call it that anymore—with his energy. Failing to move anymore, the monstrosity of a rabbit croaked out weird noises in rebellion, but that's all it could do.
"Kakta, I didn't kill it. You can eat it."
Standing behind Cheon Areum, Han Kakta nodded and took out one of his hands from his jacket's pocket, walking towards it. Cheon Areum shifted his position on the sand as he spoke out.
"Would this be enough for you?"
He backed away a bit to watch the live eating show, expecting Han Kakta to bite into the muscles and chew on that monster meat, but Han Kakta stopped a few inches away and held out his palm open toward the monster. From its center, dark blue energy began to gather, dense and heavy, condensing into a compact sphere. The ball stabilized almost instantly, then began to spin in place, rotating faster and faster without drifting an inch.
"For now, yes."
Han Kakta answered him just as the dark blue sphere swelled violently, bursting outward from his palm into something far larger. Cheon Areum's curiosity spiked instantly; he stood up and decided to see it from the front to get a better view. From behind, it looked deceptively simple—just a massive, rounded mass of condensed energy, smooth and chaotic. But when Cheon Areum shifted to the front, his steps slowed.
The sphere wasn't a sphere at all.
A mouth split open across its surface, impossibly wide, edges slick and glistening. Thick saliva dripped from within, stringing down in slow, hungry strands. There were no teeth—just a cavernous, devouring void that radiated a voracious intent. Before the rabbit monster could even react, the mouth opened wider—far wider than its shape suggested—and, in a single, sweeping motion, it swallowed the towering, muscular creature whole. One gulp.
The mouth closed again, the surface smoothing over as if nothing had ever existed there at all.
"I was expecting more... not even a drop of blood."
Cheon Areum pouted when the spectacle ended far too quickly for his liking. He kicked at the sand with his foot in mild irritation, grains scattering before he flopped back down and rolled in it again. No new rabbits appeared—no movement, no red eyes peering out from the dunes. The vast stretch of sand remained surprisingly quiet. Han Kakta eventually lowered himself to the ground as well, sitting on the sand to process the massive influx of energy he'd just absorbed. His breathing was slow and steady, posture relaxed but focused.
"How do you digest it? Don't you think I can do it too?"
Cheon Areum rolled onto his side, propping himself up slightly as he faced Han Kakta. His expression shifted from playful to curious as he spoke, the question lingering between them in the muffled, sunless daylight. Han Kakta took some time to respond, perhaps thinking if it was possible for Cheon Areum to do the same.
"It's cuz my digestion game is strong."
"Are you saying I'm weak?"
"Not the same."
Cheon Areum narrowed his eyes at him. He had infused souls with himself—how hard could it be to digest energy and store it? But where did Han Kakta store it? There was a limit to how much energy his core could store unlike Han Kakta who probably possessed more convertible energy than everyone in this dungeon, and that much wasn't enough for him right now. Pondering over the matter, Cheon Areum rolled backwards into the sand and warned Han Kakta to move too.
"The sand is slowly going to pull you in, so you better move before that happens. Just keep changing your position every minute or so..."
Just as he was speaking, suddenly his face hit the sand and it got into his eyes instantly. Screaming lightly, Cheon Areum sat up and shook his head to shake off the sand.
"What's the matter with you?"
"My eyes...."
Speaking in an unusually soft tone, Cheon Areum blinked rapidly at Han Kakta, irritation pricking at his eyes. Han Kakta immediately reached out and held his face up. He brushed gently along Cheon Areum's cheeks, then leaned in and blew softly at his eyes, holding them open with careful fingers. Tears welled up despite the gentleness, gathering at the corners of Cheon Areum's eyes, his lashes damp. Han Kakta worked quickly, outing the grains of sand free one by one. By the time he pulled his hands away, the irritation had eased, though Cheon Areum's eyes were still faintly red, glossy from the lingering sting.
"Haven't you played enough?"
"I'm waiting for Yoon Seoyul and the others. I won't be able to come to their rescue if I start exploring this side."
Despite saying so, Cheon Areum did leave the sand, getting back on his feet by using his wings, sensing a rather different amount of energy than the monsters that were fighting against the other hunters or that rabbit. Those had been small fries that Cheon Areum had to detect intentionally with his energy, but although he hadn't spread out his energy to the whole desert, he felt a strong pull from energy comparable to him—an S+ Class.
"The boss?"