Spin. Spin.
The bag of knowledge quivered and began to spin like a helicopter propeller.
Kim Cheon-soo and Han Seori, following close behind, stared at it with eyes full of wonder.
In particular, Han Seori’s eyes sparkled with anticipation, as if silently asking what it was going to show them next.
Unfortunately, though…
…I don’t know why this thing is spinning around like this either.
I suspect it detects singularities, but why is it behaving this way?
All I wanted was to find out where that thing that attacked the room we were just in is located.
It’s not broken… or at least not entirely. Perhaps there’s another explanation.
For instance, the thing that made a massive hole in the ceiling might be so large that it’s being detected from all around.
That must be it.
If it’s colossal even at close range, it makes sense that the bag would react this way.
Honestly, I wish I could ask the bag of knowledge to settle down, but it’s impossible, which is a bit frustrating.
I wonder if this is how Han Seori and Kim Cheon-soo feel toward me.
Meanwhile, Han Seori watched with an expression that silently urged the bag, “Show us something already!” Kim Cheon-soo had also joined in on the anticipation.
Is this what it feels like to be a genius under pressure?
Their stares made me feel like the bag of knowledge would need to ascend into the sky with this spinning motion, though if I were to do so now, it would only result in Jelly being wildly splattered everywhere.
And…
Expressing my frustration to the two of them doesn’t seem like a great idea.
The condition of the two, having lost the warmth of the campfire, was slowly but surely deteriorating.
Their movements were getting sluggish, and their rosy noses and faces were gradually turning pale.
…We need to reach the control room as soon as possible and raise the temperature. I’ve got to preserve their lives.
Even Daesik appeared to be struggling with fatigue.
Judging by my current state, there seems to be no issue with Daesik himself, but the problem lies with Ellis.
Watching the doll’s body stiffen makes me feel uneasy.
The only consolation is that Jung-sik and Sosik seem fine.
Then, just as we were observing this…
I spotted a familiar door ahead.
The entrance to the control room.
Han Seori and Kim Cheon-soo noticed it too, and their faces visibly brightened, their interest in the bag’s spinning now waning.
What was once burdensome now seemed strangely off with their attention gone.
…What do I do with this?
Anyway…
Though the issue won’t be solved, at least knowing we can save their lives is somewhat relieving—
The floor trembled.
Along with the sound of “Rumble-rumble,” the bag of knowledge began spinning even more violently.
The feeling was different from when it appeared from the ceiling.
This time, it’s not the ceiling—it’s the floor.
Of all places, right in front of the control room.
Han Seori murmured with a tense expression as she felt the vibrations.
“If that thing gets into the control room, it’ll be a disaster. Why is it following us here?”
“That’s the problem, isn’t it…?”
“Urgh…”
How could they expect me to know when they themselves don’t?
Though I wanted to interject in their conversation, it was currently impossible.
As the tremors grew stronger, I became lost in thought.
Why is this thing coming here?
Reviewing their dialogue so far—it seems this singularity has been nearby all along.
Probably kept at bay by that fan.
But why is it suddenly charging here?
There wasn’t much time to ponder. The growing noise meant the singularity was nearly upon us.
“…Let’s retreat for now. We’ve got a general idea of its location, so finding it again won’t be difficult. If we stay here and the control room gets damaged…”
Han Seori’s voice trailed off, but both Kim Cheon-soo and I understood the unspoken conclusion.
True, I might be fine…
…but I don’t want either of them to go through that.
Han Seori led the way, and we began moving away from the control room.
Rumble-rumble-rumble!
It didn’t take long.
A hard-to-bear vibration shook the floor. Then, like a volcano, the intact floor erupted.
“Hwaaah!”
“Hng…”
A huge something burst out of the cracked floor. Breaking through, it shattered the ceiling and disappeared somewhere with a loud noise.
I hadn’t noticed its immense length when we fled from the fire earlier.
The creature’s body seemed extraordinarily long as it vanished into the ceiling.
I guessed why it was breaking through the floor to reach the ceiling.
It was probably too large and thick to move otherwise.
There was another thing.
The creature, which we had assumed to be biological, seemed unnervingly solid.
It didn’t appear to be made of flesh and blood.
Though it disappeared too quickly to confirm, it seemed unlikely to be a living organism.
Thus… a giant mechanical snake?
As bizarre as it sounds, I’ve reached a point where I’m oddly calm about such things.
While still amazed and intrigued by the sight, the surprise of such creatures existing has grown tiresome.
Anyway.
Lastly…
The spot where the creature emerged wasn’t near Han Seori, Kim Cheon-soo, or the others.
It was beside me.
Jelly, unable to dodge in time, got slashed off, though such an injury meant nothing to me.
Han Seori and Kim Cheon-soo, however, rushed to me with ashen faces.
“Uh, I’m… fine, as you can see.”
“…Feels like I fretted for nothing.”
Even as I felt regret, the target of the steel snake seemed clear.
It was undoubtedly after me.
Great.
Since gaining this body, I’ve become so popular it’s ridiculous.
But this much attention? I didn’t ask for it.
While muttering to myself, I glanced at Han Seori and Kim Cheon-soo.
The blue tint of their faces was now quite noticeable.
How much longer could they hold on in this situation, unable to reach the control room, not knowing when the steel snake would strike?
Probably not long.
Having reached this conclusion, I placed Jung-sik atop Kim Cheon-soo’s head, delivered Daesik into Han Seori’s arms, and secured Sosik on her back.
Then, I pointed in the direction of the control room.
“…You’re offering yourself as bait?”
In response, I nodded silently, prompting Han Seori to sigh but say nothing.
After all, they were going to ask me to handle it anyway, so there was no point in arguing.
Still, their expressions weren’t reassuring.
But…
With no other options, the two of them quietly nodded and started moving toward the control room.
Before the creature arrived.
“We’ll fix the facility and come back to help right away!”
With that, I watched them slowly retreat, and the jelly inside me bubbled.
Though I didn’t feel like a hero…
Honestly…
Wasn’t this… kind of cool?
Perhaps it stemmed from a confident belief that I wouldn’t die.
Still, taking action beats doing nothing, right?
Smiling mischievously with my jelly form, I grabbed a nearby metal pipe.
Clang! Crash!
Banging away around the area, I moved in the opposite direction from the control room.
Come on, steel snake, or whatever you are—bring it!
For some reason, an unwarranted confidence surged within me.
And in response…
Rumble-rumble…
This time, the ceiling began to shake.
—
[…Amid rising military tensions, the Ministry of National Defense announced retaliatory firing following an artillery provocation from the North…]
At a Korean rice-bowl restaurant somewhere in Seoul, a man eating his meal clicked his tongue at the broadcaster’s voice on the TV.
“The North’s been quiet lately—why this sudden move?”
“Dunno. Maybe they’re out of rice, huh?”
“This keeps happening, seriously.”
Footage of a large explosion somewhere near the border rolled on the TV, but quickly transitioned to the next news segment.
The restaurant, accustomed to such reports, buzzed with lively chitchat rather than panic.
The man pouring radish kimchi into his rice smirked and muttered.
“They’re firing artillery, and we’re here eating rice bowls peacefully.”
“Yeah, it’s nothing new. The ones guarding the front lines have it harder than us.”
“That’s true… Let’s hope nothing bad happens.”
As the two men buried their faces in their bowls, a brief explosion scene flickered on the screen before the broadcast moved on.
The other patrons in the restaurant tossed in comments here and there, but none seemed overly concerned about the situation.
Thus…
Seoul carried on safely, at least in their eyes.
