Home/Precious Little Hell-spawn, Evilyn/ch 4

Chapter 4

I moved forward step by step, gripping the railing, encouraged by Lilith's applause.

By now, my limbs were obeying me—more or less. I still stumbled now and then, but compared to that first day, this was more than satisfactory progress.

Gripping the railing, I took a few firm strides before plopping down right where the axe was embedded. My hands still weren't coordinated enough to do much else—I needed more practice.

"Hnngh—!"

The little axe Mammon had left me was actually proving useful. I swung it around to build arm strength, then used it to push myself back up off the floor.

Muscle is power, after all!

I recalled that bit of wisdom I'd once overheard from some gym fanatic and tightened my grip on the axe.

"Bwaah!" (I did it!)

"I'm truly moved. To think you're already handling the axe so freely. I sincerely look forward to the day we go hunting together."

"Pit." (No way.)

"The Princess agrees with me, does she? Oh, how delightful."

I still needed more practice with my babbling. I flicked my tongue around, trying to strengthen the muscles in my mouth.

Today had been a particularly grueling session. Moving just my arms and legs was one thing, but keeping my entire body upright was a whole different challenge. Exhausted, I drooled shamelessly and flopped onto my back.

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Then came the seventh day.

While Lilith was away for a moment, I decided to test the fruits of all my intense training on the carpeted floor.

"Hrrrgh—!"

Sweat poured down my face. Pressing my hands against the ground, I gritted my newly sprouted front teeth. And then—finally!

"Kyaaah!" (I did it!)

A surge of exhilaration flooded through me. I'd finally done it!

It felt like I'd just won an Olympic gold medal. I—I had managed to stand up all on my own!

But the joy was short-lived. Clenching my fists with a swell of pride, I caught my reflection in the window—and immediately deflated.

Here I was, someone who'd once run a hundred meters in thirteen seconds, practically weeping with joy over managing to stand on solid ground. For a moment, I wondered what I was even doing with my life.

I plopped back down onto the floor, my stubby little three-head-tall body reflected in the glass.

But I didn't have time to wallow in despair. Lilith was away—this was my chance.

I'd been reincarnated into hell against my will. Unfortunately, my body was still that of a baby who was better at rolling than walking. Where could I even go like this? Escaping this hellish place seemed impossible under these conditions.

Still, I couldn't give up. Right now, this one room was my entire world.

Stagnant water breeds decay. I had no intention of rotting away in this comfortable room. Somehow, I had to actively expand my horizons and look for a way out of this hell.

Just as I was scanning my surroundings with sharp eyes, I spotted a faint crack in the door at the eleven o'clock direction.

There was a balcony beyond that door—the one Lilith always shut tight, so I'd never even dared to dream of it.

That's it!

Even if I couldn't act on it now, there was no harm in mapping out a future escape route. Wandering around inside a building without a map and getting caught would be far worse than just heading straight outside from the balcony.

I looked around and perked up my ears. Still no sign of Lilith.

Now!

Gritting my teeth, I planted both hands firmly on the floor. Keeping low like a spy on a covert mission, I crawled rapidly toward the open door.

Lilith never came back—not until I'd slipped through the gap. Just a little further! A little more!

I pushed forward toward the balcony—and there, a completely unexpected obstacle awaited me.

"Huh!" (Gasp!)

For the first time in a while, my inner voice and my babbling matched perfectly. Before my eyes lay a sight so terrifying it defied belief.

Good heavens, what is that?!

Beyond the balcony, a monster I'd never seen before stared right back at me. Sure, I'd seen my fair share of demons already, and they'd all looked strange enough—but this was something else entirely.

An eagle's head, a lion's body, a dragon's tail...?

I froze in place right in front of the balcony railing.

Clutching my pounding heart, I barely managed to swallow my breath—and then, with a low whoosh, the creature's paw came flying toward the balcony.

Oh crap, I'm dead! This time there's no way I'm even getting my bones back!

Convinced I was done for, I squeezed my eyes shut, cursing under my breath.

And then—

Swoosh.

Something felt off. Trembling with fear, I cracked one eye open.

The paw that had been right in front of my nose was now neatly settled back under the monster's body, far away.

And my body—which had crept all the way to the railing—was now somehow pushed back inside. Confused, I tilted my head.

Why am I here? I was definitely right up there!

It wasn't like I'd suddenly developed teleportation powers. I tried not to meet the creature's eyes as I slowly crept forward again.

Just as I reached the railing once more, the paw swooped in again.

Swoosh.

This time, the claw—curved like a massive scythe—pushed me back inside even more gently than before.

Why?

I couldn't understand its behavior. I was small, weak, and utterly insignificant—clearly an easy snack that wouldn't even register as a meal. So why?

I stared at the monster with suspicious eyes.

If you're just going to toy with me and then kill me anyway, just get it over with now!

In my experience, the only way to make sense of the unbelievable was to keep testing it. Koreans believe in trying three times! So I planted my hands on the floor again. And then—

"Huff—!"

A sudden gust from the monster's nostrils sent me tumbling backward. Fortunately, thanks to my days of grueling training, I instinctively executed a perfect breakfall and rolled several times in a flawless series of somersaults.

Ten out of ten!

The landing was perfect, but the world was spinning.

Ugh, dizzy. I blinked rapidly to steady my vision, and through the blur, I saw the monster again.

It looked pretty startled, honestly. Its eyes darted around, scanning the area, then it flattened itself even lower than before, looking subdued. Its whining reminded me of Bonggu, the dog next door used to have.

"Kihya." (Huh, it's kinda cute?)

I caught myself smiling at the creature—and then snapped back to my senses.

Crazy, I've lost it. I'm not even a mouthful to that thing, and I'm calling it cute?! Get a grip, you idiot!

I wanted to slap my own cheeks to wake myself up, but I failed miserably—I'd severely underestimated the length of my arms.

Why are these arms so damn short?!

I huffed, let out a tiny puff of air, and got back on my feet.

See? Keep looking at something long enough, and you get used to it. The terror I'd felt upon first seeing the monster had vanished. Now, I put my newly learned skill—walking—to the test, stepping forward one stride at a time.

The monster watched me wobble precariously, shifting restlessly, unsure what to do. Its wide eyes rolled nervously with every step I took.

I didn't fall once. About twenty steps later, I stood before the balcony railing.

One small step for a baby—one giant leap for me!

To have made it this far without any help... I was deeply moved.

With a proud expression, I grabbed the railing and looked at the monster. Throughout it all, it had been watching me with turbulent thoughts and anxious eyes.

Leaving it so unsettled felt cruel, so I plopped down on the spot.

Man, my character is something else. Even toward a monster, I'm full of consideration and kindness—Seong Juyeon, everyone. And yet I ended up in hell. Unbelievable.

I sat still, exchanging intense eye contact with the creature. In any first meeting, it's all about asserting dominance. Then, carefully so as not to startle it, I raised my hand.

Hello.

I waved gently, and the monster blinked repeatedly. Not stopping there, I drew on my old amusement park experience and waved both hands enthusiastically.

Hello, hello, how do you do? Welcome to the Land of Dreams and Hope—Hell Edition!

Fwoosh, fwoosh.

The monster, which had been blinking, let out a soft, bashful snort and gave its long tail a faint little flick.

"AAAH! HELP!"

"STOP! No tail-wagging!"

Okay, I take back "faint little flick." From a distance, perspective made it look small—but that dragon tail was absolutely not fluttering like a butterfly.

Watching buildings get demolished by that wildly swinging tail in the distance, I held my head. Well, roughly where my head would be.

Ugh, when are these stupid arms going to grow?!

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