Episode 2
The Immortal Murder Maniac
Silence hung in the air.
‘…Huh?’
After a moment, I let out a dry laugh.
His strange answer had completely wiped away my fear and tension. I stood up and looked at him with a more relaxed expression.
His messy, ashy-purple hair hung over his forehead and neck. His sharp, bright red eyes looked wild—like raw, bleeding flesh. His pale blue skin looked unnatural, like a walking corpse.
He wore a ripped robe that looked worse than a worn-out mat. Through the tears, I could see a glimpse of his muscles, casting dark shadows. His stomach was covered in scars, deep cuts, and bruises.
‘…He really does look like a crazy person.’
My eyes moved over his black pants, the chain used as a belt, and the red-stained tips of his shoes. Only one thought came to mind.
‘I’m screwed.’
My instincts—which had already led me the wrong way—kicked in again.
What should I do? Run? Of course I should! But… if I tried to run, wouldn’t he just kill me? And I’m way too tired. But if I stayed here, he might cut my head off!
‘I don’t know anymore. I’m just screwed!’
I had been running all night, shot by arrows, in pain from something I didn’t even understand—I was totally drained.
I panicked, unsure what to do, but then the man suddenly grabbed his stomach and started laughing. He chuckled like he couldn’t breathe, then wiped the smile off his face.
“I didn’t think we’d meet like this, out of nowhere. God must be insane.”
He walked toward me quickly. Up close, he was much taller than I expected. I had to crane my neck to look at him like a child.
“You look like you’d die from a single choke. I can’t believe someone like you has control over me… How annoying. Should I just kill you?”
He tapped my neck with his finger. His cold touch made my skin tighten.
“Well, I’ll hold back—for now. I need to break the curse first.”
He mumbled some strange words and suddenly tore off his robe. He stretched his arms and casually showed his chest.
“Look at this.”
Wh-What a creep! I stared at him in shock… until I saw it.
“It’s just like yours.”
A bright white mark stretched across his left chest, collarbone, and forearm—the exact same pattern as the one on my arm.
‘That can’t be true.’
My mind went blank. I thought I was the only one with this mark.
‘…You mean, I’m not the only one?’
For a moment, I smiled without meaning to. My lips twitched and I stood there with my mouth hanging open like an idiot. A wave of excitement exploded in my chest.
Just like no one questions why they breathe, I believed him immediately. Was there anything more shocking than this? I wasn’t alone.
I placed my hand on his chest. The beating under his skin tickled my palm. To be sure it wasn’t just a heartbeat, I touched his forearm. The same pulse.
His mark was moving—just like mine. It felt like they were reacting to each other.
And I didn’t just think of the word ‘resonating’ randomly. The moment I saw his mark, I felt a strange pull. My senses were drawn to him—like we were connected.
“Stop poking me. It’s annoying.”
“…Ah.”
His sharp tone snapped me out of it. I quickly pulled my hand back.
“Wh-Why was I touching you? No, uh, I-I’m sorry!”
“It’s fine. Just stop stuttering. Don’t make a big deal out of it.”
He didn’t look ‘fine’ at all, but I glanced at his cold expression and forced myself to stay calm.
I asked as steadily as I could.
“H-How do you have the same mark as me? Also… what’s your name?”
Crack. His knuckles made a scary sound.
“I can’t tell you. Sorry.”
“You didn’t have to apologize… Then why do we have the same mark?”
He pointed at me with his chin.
“Because you’re the key to breaking my curse.”
“…Curse?”
Another bone-cracking sound. He was about to explain when he suddenly frowned.
“Those rats…”
“What?”
He clicked his tongue and suddenly stepped closer. I could smell blood. I held my breath—then the world flipped upside down. Something sharp pressed into my stomach.
‘Huh?’
Before I knew it, I was thrown over his shoulder.
He climbed the garbage mountain like it was nothing. Crunch, thud, clang. Trash tumbled under his feet as he walked, and I finally got over the shock.
“Wait! What are you doing?!”
“If you don’t want to die, shut up.”
I gave up.
I slumped against him and quietly swallowed my frustration.
‘Damn it, I want to escape! I want to be free!’
I glared at his back, struggling not to scream.
‘Should I fight him?’
I wanted to punch him so badly—but no. If I fought this guy, I’d die in a second. I sighed and let it go. No—I surrendered.
‘I ran from the village… just to run into a lunatic.’
Who said, “After the storm comes the calm”? This storm just kept getting worse. I buried my face in my hands and screamed inside my head.
‘Why is there someone else like me?!’
I shook my head, refusing to sit still.
I had to escape somehow.
I gripped the dagger tightly. I raised my arm to stab him in the neck—but his shoulder was too hard. My hand hurt instead.
‘…If I stabbed him, I’d be a murderer.’
Murderer. My body flinched just thinking about that word.
I shook my head and gritted my teeth.
‘No. Don’t hesitate!’
I had to survive. No—I would survive. If I had to become a monster to be free, I’d kill a hundred times.
Determined, I opened my eyes and lifted the dagger.
“H-Huzga Dias?!”
Someone shouted suddenly.
Just before the blade touched his neck, I froze.
‘…Huzga Dias?’
For a second, I thought I misheard.
The man kept walking down the garbage hill, holding me with his left arm. His eyes were forward.
“Did you think I wouldn’t notice you hiding?”
Three people who had been hiding turned pale.
“H-How did you know…?”
“If you didn’t want me to find you, don’t breathe.”
He threw his robe over me.
“You were panting like pigs. Hard to miss.”
As my vision turned purple under the robe, a horrible sound rang out. I didn’t even need to look—I knew what that sound was.
Everything went quiet as he kept walking. Six steps later, I heard blood splashing beneath us.
I shut my eyes and covered my ears.
‘I think I’m going to throw up.’
He didn’t hesitate at all. He killed them like it was nothing.
In fact, he was so fast and smooth, it was like he’d done it hundreds of times.
‘Where is he taking me?’
He said I was the key to breaking his curse. So he probably wasn’t planning to sell me off.
Still, he might keep me prisoner until the curse was gone.
‘What should I do?’
My head hurt just thinking about it. First, I needed answers.
“H-Hey, can I ask something?”
I pulled off the robe and asked politely. His voice was cold.
“If it’s a dumb question, I’ll kill you.”
…I was scared. Should I just shut up?
No. I had to ask. Depending on the answer, I might have to use the dagger again.
“What’s your name…?”
“Huzga Dias.”
His answer hit me like lightning. I froze and stared at him.
That name—I couldn’t possibly forget it. Was he really that person?
“Why? Are you scared?”
Obviously!! I wanted to scream.
Huzga Dias. A killer unlike any other. Half-immortal, half-human.
About 400 years ago, at just five years old, he showed up out of nowhere and wiped out Anarchia, a massive criminal group that had existed for ages.
Kings and nobles from all over tried to win him over with gold, silver, and fancy words.
But Huzga didn’t care about money. He liked people—specifically, killing them.
He started murdering everyone, starting with the person who offered him gold.
Eventually, the Empire saw him as a threat and placed a billion-coin bounty on him.
But no one could stop him—not even the commander of the Imperial Knights.
At 12, he invaded a small kingdom alone, killed the king, and vanished. By 14, he wiped out the army sent to stop him.
After so many failed attempts, people gave up. They thought he’d die of old age.
But he never aged.
Year after year, he stayed young—and kept killing.
People said the immortal murder maniac had returned.
Huzga was the third one. The first was Arc Rodfell. The second, Catema Antonio.
They weren’t blood relatives, but they passed their immortality to the next killer when they died. All of them were insane murderers.
Now, the curse had passed to Huzga.
When I first heard the story, I laughed.
‘There’s no way someone like that’s real. They’re nothing like me.’
But as the villagers kept gossiping, the truth came out.
The immortal murder maniac was real.
I believed it—quietly, from a distance.
‘But I didn’t want to meet him like this!’
