Sawon switched off the sound suppressor at the same moment he issued the order.“Nine.”“Kkii!”“You little troublemaker. Stay quiet and wait with hyung.”“Kki?”“Over there. You see that pretty hyung?”“Kkii-i!”At Sawon’s words, the wrist guard transformed into a full little spider monkey. Nine slid down Sawon’s back, scrambled up Ji Hayeon’s leg, and latched onto his chest. Giving the command to Nine, Sawon immediately turned the sound suppressor back on.Crackle.– What is this thing. It won’t come off!Ji Hayeon’s panicked voice filled the comm. He was struggling to pry Nine off. The Deater roared and charged toward the three of them.Thud, thud, thud, thud—!Sawon shifted his grip on the sword’s handle, holding it like a spear.– Just so you know beforehand, he’s powerless in that form. Chief, you have to protect him.Sawon filled the sword with Metena and hurled it at the Deater. The blade lodged itself right between the creature’s brows, dragging its whole body backward until it slammed into the wall. The Deater stuck there like a specimen. Ji was still wrestling with Nine.“Kkii-i, kkii.”Nine whined in Ji’s arms as if terrified. Even while whining, he clung to Ji like a leech. Following Sawon’s orders, Nine’s objective was to trigger Ji’s sympathy so he wouldn’t join the fight.The wall where the sword had struck melted from the Deater’s ichor. The blade that had acted as an anchor loosened and wobbled. Sawon stretched out [N O V E L I G H T] his hand.– Mok Geonho, move.– Yes. On it.Mok Geonho stepped forward and cracked his whip. The Metena-filled whip writhed like a snake, shooting out endlessly until it wrapped around the Deater’s neck. One pull, and the creature’s head dropped to the floor. The molten body fluid spilling from its neck seeped into the ground and carved out a wide hole. Mok Geonho flicked his wrist once more; the whip curled neatly and reeled back in. He tugged the curled whip with both hands and snapped it clean. His combat suit and gloves didn’t melt or corrode; they evaporated the ichor. Mok Geonho jerked his chin forward.– Grab your sword yourself.– Cheap bastard. You could at least bring it here.Grumbling, Sawon walked over at a leisurely pace. He picked up the fallen sword and infused it with Metena. Blue light traveled up the blade, vaporizing the clinging residue. Just as he was about to sheath it, he looked down at the floor.– Hm… maybe going down here would be faster.A hole big enough for two grown men to pass through had opened up. Below, it looked like an office. Mok Geonho and Ji, who had come closer, looked down as well. Stepping toward the hole, Sawon spoke playfully.– Want to try the shortcut?Ji frowned at the suggestion. Nine was still cradled tightly in his arms. Sawon and Nine locked eyes.Nine. Good job. Keep hanging on just like that.Kki.Nine’s eyes hardened with determination as he hugged Ji even tighter, as if he had read Sawon’s mind. Sawon felt a rush of affection for him in moments like these. Even knowing what that creature truly was, the cute things he did still looked adorable to Sawon. When his thoughts reached that point, Nine and Ji overlapped in his mind. Sawon looked up at Ji holding Nine.…Comparing a full-grown man to that thing, seriously.Startled by his own line of thought, Sawon gave his head a small shake.– Gu Sawon. Are you actually going?– Dunno.– If you really are, I’ll dig a shortcut to B4 myself.– You will?– Yeah.Sawon hesitated for a moment, then nodded. He had a good guess why.– I’ll go first.Ji didn’t even have time to stop him. Sawon didn’t give him the chance to ask any questions either, jumping straight through the hole. He landed steadily and rose to his feet, scanning his surroundings. One wall held clusters of small monitors. Several desks were lined up in rows.Some kind of control room?There were no threats. Looking up, he saw a pale, displeased face peering down. Holding back a laugh, Sawon said,– Chief, descend!Even while making it obvious he hated the idea, Ji climbed down. Nine was still in his arms. Sawon gave Nine a tiny thumbs-up. Nine’s black eyes sparkled at the encouragement.Crackle––– Both of you, step back a bit.With Mok Geonho’s voice came the sound of something dragging.Shff, shff––The dragging continued. Sensing danger, Ji took a few steps back and looked up.– …Hunter Mok Geonho. What are you doing?But before Ji could see what Mok Geonho was attempting, Sawon grabbed him by the arm and dragged him away.– This way. Get as far from that bastard as possible. When Mok Geonho does this stuff, he’s no better than me.– No better in what wa—At the same moment Ji asked, Mok Geonho announced:– Shortcut descent!A headless Deater’s body came down through the hole, tied to the whip. The ichor dripping from its neck melted the floor. Sawon pointed upward with a look that said well, there you go.– Director Kwon still hasn’t figured it out, but he causes a ton of accidents too.A bitter laugh slipped out of Ji.Sawon drew his sword and sliced through the drying cross-section of the Deater’s neck. Fresh ichor gushed out and began eating into the floor again. From Ji’s perspective, it was an absurd method. But in a way, it was the safest tactic. To reach the lower floors, they would’ve had to use the central elevator or stairs. Traveling all the way there was a detour, and vertical descent was unquestionably faster. Their chances of running into a Deater dropped just as drastically.By tacit agreement, the three carved their own shortcut and arrived at basement level four. They hadn’t encountered any Deaters on the way down. Conveniently, the melt-type Deater’s body fluid had punched through the ceiling of B4 at just the right timing before giving out. With his boots touching the floor, Sawon asked:– Where are we? Is the records room close?Ji looked around. The spacious room was lined wall-to-wall with shelves like a library. Inside them, Deater-related specimens were packed in like books.– This is the specimen room. The records room is the last room to the right once we exit. And can you please tell him to get off me already?Ji pointed at Nine. Unable to forcibly remove the clinging creature, he continued carrying him. Sawon walked toward the exit and laughed.– Nine. Show him some affection too.“Kkii-ing.”Even though the command would only be heard over comms, Nine whimpered softly and clutched Ji’s clothes as if he’d understood Sawon perfectly. Sawon’s eyes curved faintly, while Ji looked down at his chest in confusion.– He’s like my totem, so treat him with care.Sawon placed his hand on the door handle.– You told him to do this on purpose, didn’t you.– Maybe.Sawon had every intention of making sure Ji didn’t use any Metena in this space.Creak— Sawon carefully opened the door. But the moment the gap widened, a strong surge of Metena hit him. The hairs on his arms rose.Deater!As he tried to slam the door shut, a big, fur-covered hand shoved through the gap.Thud—!Screeeeech—!Sawon swung his sword in a flash and severed the arm.Kkieeeek—!With a scream, the arm fell, and the door slammed shut. But the Deater’s weight warped the frame, leaving a gap. Bracing the door with his back, Sawon looked toward Mok Geonho.– Hey. What the hell? How was it this close and we didn’t sense it?Ji snapped his fingers, remembering.– Oh, right. The basement rooms all have wave-blockers.Just like soundproofing in a music room, the major facilities in the research center were equipped with wave-blockers that cut off Metena signatures and vibrations. The only reason they’d reached the basement safely was because the blockers had hidden the three of them as well. Mok Geonho rotated his shoulder and adjusted his grip on the whip.– Looks like they’re useless now.The Deater had already detected humans. From the opening in the crushed door, the creature’s presence flared wildly. It slammed its body against the door over and over, roaring. Every impact shook Sawon’s upper body as he held it shut. Sawon and Mok Geonho exchanged looks. The presence approaching them grew more complex. One, two, three. The number of approaching signatures kept rising.Thought this would be easy…Crackle––– You said rightmost room?Ji answered.– Yeah.Sawon looked at Mok Geonho.– No other choice. Mok Geonho—let’s break through.Mok Geonho nodded and signaled him. Sawon kept his back against the door and drew his sword. The countdown was Mok Geonho’s job.Crackle––– Three seconds to charge.Ji tried to draw his own sword, but Nine clung harder and stopped him.– Two seconds.Sawon gestured at Ji.Get ready.– One second… countdown zero!At Mok Geonho’s signal, Sawon shot toward Ji like a bullet.Boom—!At the same moment, the door they’d been holding burst open, and a thunderous gorilla-like roar filled the hall.– Move!Sawon grabbed Ji’s hand and sprinted straight toward the gorilla-type Deater.“U-uu!”Nine looked up at the ape that resembled him and let out an awestruck gasp.

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