Kim Cheon-soo hid his body at the entrance of the cave, blankly watching the collision of Singularities.
He had been absorbed, partly due to his recent concerns over the realm of 7496 – KR.
…But the larger reason seemed to be the fact that Singularities were fighting each other.
It was only natural.
While working in the place he was involved with, he rarely witnessed such a scene.
Even when he had the luck to observe the ‘Danger Level Test,’ it seemed rather monotonous.
The current clash, where a Jelly Girl was pitted against a Singularity – things that, once they start to cause problems or go berserk, become nearly uncontrollable – didn’t have a separate test for them.
This was likely the first time Kim Cheon-soo had witnessed a proper clash between Singularities.
Bang! Boom!
A scene reminiscent of the cartoons he watched in his childhood unfolded.
As the mysterious Singularity moved its massive body, the cave trembled and the ground caved in.
Kim Cheon-soo’s heart raced with the heat of the moment.
At the same time, he felt a strange sense of relief.
At first, he had trembled with anxiety, worried if the Jelly Girl had returned and would get hurt again.
…Of course, part of that was because his own injuries would make it impossible to move, and he would be the one to die if that happened.
In any case.
Because memories of the Jelly Girl’s lower half disappearing came to mind every time the mysterious Singularity swung its body,
Kim Cheon-soo had anxiously watched the battle.
But.
[How is your condition? Can you walk?]
“Yes… I’m feeling a little better now.”
[That’s good.]
The two conversed as if her return was a certainty.
Since clashes between Singularities were so rare, it was difficult to judge the winner or loser; however,
To both of them, the battle between the Jelly Girl and the mysterious Singularity seemed already decided.
The Singularity, whose mouth was covered in mucus, had its strongest weapon, its teeth, sealed off, and had lost one of its eyes, limiting its vision.
No matter how incomprehensible a power a Singularity might wield,
If it had a physical form, it was bound to struggle in such a situation.
The Singularity, whose teeth had been sealed, now seemed less like it was fighting and more like it was desperately trying to fend off the Jelly Girl as she hovered around the corner.
Through the tiny gaps between its teeth, it emitted incomprehensible screams, and violently slammed its body against the cave floor and walls in an attempt to shake the Jelly Girl off.
Every time it did so, the Jelly Girl would retreat into a hole as if to say, “Never,”
And when it poked its head out to assess the situation, the unknown Singularity, or monster, would turn strongly to shake her off again.
And each time, the girl would retreat through the hole, only to reappear once the monster caught its breath.
…Though the reason for her continued reappearance wasn’t clear,
Every time she emerged from the hole, more wounds appeared on the monster’s body, and its blood poured out.
Seeing this, Kim Cheon-soo felt a sudden sense of strangeness.
‘What in the world is she doing inside?’
Even while enduring such painful resistance, why was it wriggling this much?
Upon reflection, it seemed too extreme if the goal was merely to drive her off.
“Gulp.”
Kim Cheon-soo, contemplating this, recalled the usual 7496 – KR.
Always appearing harmless, and fond of play — somewhat cute yet a little irritating like a nephew.
But now, it seemed more like the dangerous Singularity he had heard whispers about.
Indeed, it seemed all Singularities shared this nature, one thought that came to him,
Along with the memory of how it had disregarded its own body for his sake, making a corner of his heart feel strangely warm.
He recalled the education he had received from the place he was involved with.
Not to try and understand Singularities too much, and above all, not to grow attached.
These incomprehensible beings could perhaps be utilized,
But coexisting with them was far too dangerous.
…Is that really true?
The previous him wouldn’t have even considered such thoughts.
Even aiding Han Seori out of personal feelings, he would still not delve into anything related to Singularities.
But now, his mind was extremely complex.
Images of the doll that had once helped him fluttered through his mind.
Though its main body was blue mucus, the impression it left was somewhat cute as the first derivative entity.
“Hmph.”
…Perhaps it was temporary sentimentality brought on by his poor physical condition.
Then, he sighed deeply.
“I don’t know.”
After all, no matter what he thought as someone close to the bottom rung, things likely wouldn’t change.
Perhaps a Doctor Han would be different.
…If she happened to think the same as him…
What should I do?
While he pondered this,
Boom!
[It seems to be over.]
“…Yes.”
The Singularity, which had desperately struggled to break free from the Jelly Girl, now lay on the cavern floor with its once pristine white body.
It would not move again.
As Kim Cheon-soo pinched his nose at the wafting smell of blood,
“Ah.”
[Is something the matter? Are you saying it revived?]
“No, it’s not that…,”
He stared absentmindedly outside the cave.
“The snowstorm has stopped.”
[Is that so?]
The clouds of snow that had darkened the surroundings had receded, revealing a dark but blue sky.
“It seems this Singularity was the cause of the snowstorm.”
[It does indeed seem so. It’s too coincidental to be anything else.]
As Han Seori conversed with him, Kim Cheon-soo caught sight of a bag rolling around and quickly reached out.
Fortunately, except for the toy he discarded, everything inside was unharmed.
…Though the bag itself was drenched with snow.
While the remaining items were thoroughly frozen, thinking of it as a freeze was not unpleasant.
With a sigh of relief, Kim Cheon-soo gathered the bag and dragged it back to the cave’s entrance.
Then.
A foreboding voice reached his ears.
“Cheon-soo.”
“…Yes?”
Upon hearing Han Seori’s voice, Kim Cheon-soo quickly mulled it over in his mind.
…When Doctor Han called him by name,
One occasion was when she was in a particularly good mood.
Though recently, they had grown familiar enough that she occasionally called him by name — still, it was a rare event,
Primarily.
[Do you… have a little bit of strength left?]
…When asking for something awkward or difficult.
After inwardly sighing, Kim Cheon-soo cleared his throat and responded.
“…Why do you ask?”
Though his body throbbed with pain, he wanted to reply that he was tired.
However, considering this as a chance to earn points, he felt the approaching pain dissipate.
Instead, Han Seori’s voice turned somewhat sour.
“Uh… Your state doesn’t look too good… Are you really okay?”
“Of course. Thanks to 7496 – KR, I’ve had a decent rest.”
[You don’t have to push yourself.]
“No, I’m fine.”
[…Hmm.]
As Kim Cheon-soo’s lips quivered, it didn’t take long for regret to set in.
—
What would it feel like to ride a wild horse?
Although he had never ridden a horse himself, it felt like this.
The struggle of the unknown being was both rough and powerful.
Still,
No matter how much it struggled, it couldn’t reach me.
…Frankly, when I pushed Kim Cheon-soo away, I could feel Jelly contracting.
Because the protruding teeth had bitten a large chunk out of my Jelly.
Its mouth was so big that not only was my face cut off, but my entire upper body was severed.
I quickly moved my precious parts downward and made my severed body viscous.
If I had such a reaction speed, it would have been a perfect play to air “Grieving at the Funeral Home.”
…I don’t know if my funeral will be held, but regardless.
After sealing the creature’s mouth, it was easy.
While it was distracted by Kim Cheon-soo, I suppressed regeneration of my severed lower body.
The sensation of being cut wasn’t exactly pleasant, but nonetheless, it had to be done.
So, having reduced myself in size, I infiltrated the creature’s orifice and gnawed away at it from the inside.
The highly excited creature didn’t realize I had entered its body and was just blowing winds.
As a result,
It paid the price for eating my upper body.
Unfortunately, I had to taste its flesh, which was flavorless.
Then I realized,
Every time the creature screamed, I faintly heard some strange sound, but I was too distracted attacking to pay attention.
…Could it have been Han Seori’s voice imitating another’s plea for help?
Had I heard it, I might have flinched for a moment.
Thinking about it now, it was probably better that I was too busy to hear.
As I contemplated my victory, Kim Cheon-soo, who had gone outside the cave, trudged back in.
Seeing him alive made me glad for the effort I put in to save him.
At this point, the bump on the back of his head should be considered settled, right?
I gurgled my Jelly while looking at him, and he smiled faintly, waving at me as he walked in.
Though feeling slightly awkward, I waved back.
Now, should we go back?
…It seems I have to wait a bit longer.
Since there’s nothing urgent for me to do right now.
[Is it really dead?]
“Yes, it seems so.”
[Good. Let’s get a little data, not sure if it’ll be meaningful.]
“…Understood.”
…Looks like we’ll be here a bit longer.
Since there doesn’t seem to be anything urgent for me to do,
I observed Kim Cheon-soo and Han Seori as Kim Cheon-soo paced about and shoved snacks from my bag into my stomach.
Mmm.
Long time no see, this sweet taste.
It’s incredible.
Eating secretly while the others in the facility wait makes it taste even better.
As I was melting chocolate in my Jelly,
Kim Cheon-soo, who had spent quite a while rummaging through the monster’s corpse, approached me with a mechanical device in his blood-soaked hands.
Puzzled by his actions, I tilted my head.
Han Seori’s voice reached me.
[Sorry, but could you eat all of this? It seems we can’t collect it ourselves.]
Huh?
As I gurgled my Jelly in surprise,
It felt like Kim Cheon-soo was smiling.
No, he’s definitely holding back laughter.
The traitorous bastard.
…As I savored the chocolate taste in my Jelly,
I had to swallow the monster.
