The group, though exhausted, kept their bodies tensed. If an unknown Singularity had appeared, this might not just be fatigue—it could very well be the last scene they’d ever witness.
In the past, they wouldn’t have been this anxious. Machines breaking down happened all the time, right? And that should apply to the Singularity Electric Scent as well, shouldn’t it?
Perhaps that would have been the case before she was named “Electric Scent.” But Yang Ha-na’s influence had imbued Electric Scent with a sense of inevitability when things went wrong, making it impossible to let her guard down. If they told her outright about these thoughts, it seemed Electric Scent might not react favorably, though this was how it was.
Furthermore, the appearances of Singularities had increased recently.
Considering that a new Singularity had emerged nearby, it would be strange not to be on edge.
Perhaps the Singularity they dismantled when reclaiming this place had resurrected. Who could say that the fans they’d tied up in the warehouse hadn’t fused into something incomprehensible?
It was a truly ominous world where at any moment a monster could claim their lives, but what could they do? As mere humans, all they could do was adapt. Any preparations they made before sudden danger struck fell under the category of that adaptation.
Thus, they had no choice but to survive, even if it felt grievously unfair. It was too tragic to die without having the chance to do anything after spending so much time pondering.
Han Seori felt her body dampening with sweat. Even she, who had lifted Lime with ease, couldn’t help but perspire cold sweat when sensing a lurking threat. At the time, there was some assurance that Lime wouldn’t harm people, but now… that assurance was gone.
Eventually, she leaned back against Electric Scent and whispered cautiously, asking if there was a solution to this situation.
A Singularity is stopped by another Singularity.
Isn’t that common sense?!
“Um… Gyaak?!”
“Wh-What is the matter?!”
“Something appeared!”
“Damn!”
Perhaps Han Seori’s special sauce of quick thinking amidst exhaustion wasn’t appreciated. Whatever unknown thing it was seemed to judge her, sending a cold sensation to her ankle.
“My… my ankle!”
She felt goosebumps all over her body. The moment she cried out, whatever was clinging to her ankle moved upward as if it understood her words. It quickly climbed her body and lingered softly on her neck.
‘Uh…’
Shaken, Han Seori felt an odd sensation.
One thing was how familiar the sensation of the thing touching her was.
Another was the strange change in the worried faces of the others as they turned to her. Their expressions carried confusion, awkwardness, and… absurdity?
Only Electric Scent’s face wasn’t relaxed. She might’ve known something already. Han Seori tried to carefully guess, but there was no way for her to know.
As Han Seori caught on to what was attached to her from the looks on her companions’ faces, she sighed and glanced at the thing clinging to her neck.
“What in the world is this?”
Her body, which had cooled down, began to heat up again. She looked to see Lime hanging from her neck with an awkward expression.
It seemed that the supposed threat was indeed Lime.
Had Lime been bored glued to the TV recently and wanted to create some excitement? Was he longing to go out and deal with other Singularities? Had it finally come time to deal with something they’d been postponing because of the complications of the current situation?
Han Seori, who had been treating Lime like a younger sibling and doting on him aside from missions, couldn’t hold back this time.
She reached out and yelled as she pulled Lime off her body.
“Why the heck are you doing that?! Did you do it on purpose!? Did your body feel so itchy you wanted to go crazy or something?!”
Han Seori held the small Lime in her hand and scolded him. Despite his diminutive size, Lime was quite light and easily swung around. In the grip of Han Seori’s pale, thin hand, he had no choice but to endure her barrage of complaints.
Lime looked quite flustered.
After all, he had come by to play when he noticed an unfamiliar face while wandering into the control room. Even though it may not have been necessary, it was an instinctive reaction.
Ducking out of sight from human eyes was as easy as chewing gum for a Singularity that devoured so many others.
However… when he hid, things unexpectedly took a bizarre turn. It was as if something dangerous had appeared, judging by the strange reactions.
Hearing her complaints, Lime decided to own up to his mistake. Perhaps he was wrong.
But who could blame him for playing a prank in such a situation? Granted, he wasn’t human, but still…
Lime didn’t intend to play a harsh prank. The fact that he revealed himself in such a mild way proved that. If he had planned to really prank them, it wouldn’t have ended here. With tendrils, he might’ve terrified people into losing their souls or even wetting themselves.
Despite these thoughts, as he glanced at the somewhat pitiful expressions, Lime set aside his playful urges due to Han Seori’s rapid-fire complaints.
Lime was a jelly that knew how to read the room. Han Seori was angry now, and this wasn’t the time to joke around, even for an unpredictable jelly.
Being shaken and scolded by Han Seori gave Lime an odd feeling.
‘When was the last time I heard this kind of scolding?’
His human days felt so distant now that it was hard to recall. Even back then, such occurrences were rare, so he had to go far back in memory.
Needless to say, revisiting such emotions didn’t bring nostalgia—especially for an adult. It also seemed absurd to find positive emotions while being scolded. If it had been from someone who was dead, it might’ve felt different, but the person was likely still alive.
On the other hand, Han Seori’s scolding… how should it be described? It felt somewhat alright in its own way. Maybe it had to do with her beautiful face, but that was the feeling.
In any case, after a lengthy lecture, Han Seori finally put down Lime, her face looking like stress had vanished. It was possible she’d simply vented on him. After all, Lime’s lack of entertainment likely reflected her lack of stress relief.
With her energy and stress gone, Han Seori slouched into a chair like a deflated doll. She looked completely devoid of energy. Seeing her that way, others nearby, who had been watching silently, also slumped into their own chairs. Among them, one who remained curious and watchful was a man.
“Why didn’t you tell me if you knew?”
“…I didn’t.”
Electric Scent faced Yang Ha-na’s mild complaints.
“Oooh…”
One person who had never seen Lime in person before was Kang Cheol-su. He carefully approached Lime with a timid step.
Admittedly, thinking about how Lime was held and shaken by a woman earlier made it somewhat funny. But the Lime he had read about in texts was undoubtedly a Singularity.
A Singularity friendly towards humans.
A Singularity that fought other Singularities on behalf of humanity.
A Singularity that brought others here, including Kang Cheol-su, for a significant reason.
And encountering such a Singularity directly left what impression…?
“Small.”
Small. Considering Kang Cheol-su was quite tall to begin with, Lime looked like a nephew to him. If Lime had started playing around right then, Kang Cheol-su might have torn his empty pockets to give him some pocket money.
Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Did Lime lose his mind and start playing? No, both he and Kang Cheol-su simply stared at each other.
Lime looked at him and wondered if he was Han Seori’s new slave. Meanwhile, Kang Cheol-su began to idealize Lime.
It wasn’t a creepy infatuation transcending species. After all, Kang Cheol-su was not a pervert.
Instead, his admiration was like that of a believer toward a deity.
Knowing all too well the dangers of underestimating the appearance of a Singularity, Kang Cheol-su instinctively felt awe in Lime’s presence.
Even though Lime had been shaken earlier by a woman, wasn’t that proof that he was on the side of humans? Thinking that he demonstrated this through his actions filled Kang Cheol-su with chills.
While Kang Cheol-su admired Lime internally, Lime glanced over the vague town plans on the monitor.
It seemed intriguing, though Lime didn’t know what the plans specifically were.
Had they omitted him while creating a village-like structure?
Previously, Lime had relatively more time to indulge in personal projects, and this felt like building a town in a game.
Looking at the atmosphere and content, it seemed like they were struggling.
Could he perhaps help?
It’s time to show off my refined skills!
Buoyed by high spirits, Lime confidently tapped on Electric Scent’s wrist.
