The Abyss Stares Back

Teacher, it's time to settle up. What? The tentacle monster was actually a blonde real mamang? Kyaaah! She approached me ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with her beautiful face leading the way? Kyaa... hmm. Yaah!

But wait, huh? Her joints are a bit too freewheeling. Just like when activating the balloons at the front of the shop for the first time—crack... crunch! The body coiled at the end of the tentacle slowly unfurled as her form rose. Ki? Bbi? The smooth tentacles without suckers evoked the image of long snakes. At their tips hung the upper body of a human—a half-human, half-beast monster. That was the true form of the tentacle creature called mamang.

"GRRRAAHH!"

"No! Escape! We can't log out of the server...!"

The starlights screamed as they fell. Endless tentacles multiplied over the deep sea, scooping up the fallen stars one by one. But her head and gaze remained fixed on me.

While sending the message, she let out an awkward vocalization: "TIARAAA-?" And then...

"KYAAAAAH!"

I couldn't hold back my scream and hurriedly crawled into the pitch-black passage. Only then did I realize what I'd done.

Imagine a massive aquarium. Really huge and vast. Filled with ocean predators like sharks... and unidentified deep-sea monsters. The starlights near the surface had been sightseeing the deep-sea monster aquarium all this time. From behind the safety of the 'Tier' glass wall.

They were probably messing around like that. But they didn't know. That when starlight gazes at the deep sea, the deep sea gazes back at the starlight. When they look down, it's an aquarium... but what does it feel like when the deep-sea monster looks up?

Feeding. Predation. Hunting. I don't know exactly, but... wasn't it like a buffet beyond the glass? Then some lunatic shatters the glass with a rock. What happens then?

"Answer—me."

What happens? What else? Now it's the starlights' turn to get eaten.

"...Hello."

Mamang nodded, gathering her freely swimming blonde hair like tentacles into a bundle.

Who wouldn't be shocked seeing Mastermind doing 3D origami with her limbs? Even bound by tentacles, I kept shoving my feet into the pitch-black passage.

"Where—keep—going—to—?"

But Mamang yanked my body with a tentacle. Halfway escaped through Felix's My Room, my body was now fully submerged in the Outernet. The pitch-black passage snapped shut the moment my body slipped out.

Because of that, my wasteland-side consciousness cut off completely. The last scene transmitted was Dorothy's frantic face as she caught my collapsing body.

"Ah..."

Mamang stretched languidly, shoving her expressionless face toward mine.

"Ti—ara?"

Under her drowsy gaze flickered obsession and madness. My menhera radar, honed from decades beside them, blared nonstop.

"A starlight this fun is a first for me."

Mamang's finger—or tentacle?—brushed my cheek. Hard to tell. I quickly opened my inner menhera wiki.

Q. What do you do if a menhera gets obsessive?

The trusty menhera wiki blared a massive menhera alert and replied.

"Ah..."

I hung my head and voiced the question that had filled my mind these past few days.

"Why?"

Why does everything always go to shit? Am I asking for too much? Nah, doesn't feel like it.

"Hmm—?"

I ignored Mamang's questioning hum. My personal server, now 81 times larger, swiftly latched onto the question like an open floodgate.

Born into a world where all humanity suffered amnesia. A grim dystopia where without a brain chip, you'd live forever in the past. And I was an expendable lab experiment. Back then, I wanted just one thing: to save the one kid who tugged at my heart.

"Dorothy."

Yeah. Dorothy. The sweet girl with red hair.

'Tiara is a happy person.'

I wanted to make her words true. To fulfill the dream she awakened in me.

"I just... want to make games."

I lifted my head and met Mamang's eyes. In her expressionless pupils, a navy-haired girl stared back with equally vacant eyes gleaming.

"Game—?"

Yeah. Games. The original game. That damn original game whose story I skipped. If I'd savored every bit without skipping, I wouldn't have misunderstood Theia. If I'd known all of Outernet's lore, I wouldn't have stuck my foot in recklessly. Half-assed knowledge led to half-assed screw-ups. Then bigger messes to fix them. Hurting Dorothy. Being a burden to Theia.

Why did it end up like this? I don't want much. Just live happily with Dorothy... making games...

"...Ah."

My now 81-times sharper mind reached a conclusion in an instant.

Menhera are emotional shackles. More. More. More. Craving affection from those around them, dragging them into the mire.

Dorothy probably just wanted escape from pain and violence at first. But playing with me made her crave more. Head pats. More stories. Survival. Happiness.

Theia too. She came for her Netdiver catalyst at first. She'd have recognized me as her clone right away. Curiosity first. Then interest. Then attachment. Deep enough to follow to Outernet and offer sacrifice.

And Mamang?

[Personal server on the line for a duel?]

'Yeah. Isn't it common in Outernet?'

The fearless girl who dipped into the sea proposed to Jane-Mamang, bored and twitching in the depths.

[No security?]

'That's why more people will come watch, right?'

Starlight. Ahh... longed-for starlight. To the deep-sea isolate, the offer was too sweet. Aside from Theia who named her, she'd never chatted this much. Curiosity turned to doubt.

[Why bother?]

'Just leaving would be a loss.'

Maybe a bit crazy? Scratching her true head with tentacles under layers of 'Tiers,' Mamang thought so sincerely. Entering without security... then picking a fight over her empty personal server getting 'raided'? No wonder sharp ones like Ellie saw the girl as part of a huge conspiracy. Mamang herself thought so. Plus, didn't she have those damn 'scubas'' catalysts she'd scavenged somewhere?

'Is it possible?'

[...It is.]

Unable to resist, she accepted. What was she planning?

[Victory!]

[Victory!]

[Victory!]

But doubt soon... turned to deep fondness.

Thousands of unseen starlights. The shiniest star drawing others to this wasteland server no one needed unless creep-hunting or secretly dunking someone. So excited she polluted the depths briefly.

Crunch... fizz! The 20th District battlefield shattered back to data.

...'

'A bit too polluted, huh.'

Mamang scratched her head with a tentacle, fixing her gaze on Tiara again. Vacant pupils. Blank expression. Twitching fingers.

Yeah. Fingers. Tiara's fingers slowly reached for Mamang's nape.

Mamang didn't resist. Familiar. Routine. Everything sunk in the depths had that gaze. Just... pity this fondness-sparked kid sinking too.

A bit more... something more... she thought she could do.

But all Mamang could offer was a quick, painless end from the deep abyss...

Clear. This monster will crave more from me too.

"Yeah."

Pretending not to be Dorothy or Theia, craving more love. And not just that. Resistance will hunt me, City gov after smashing the tower. As a Netdiver... ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠story-wise, megacorps too.

More and more. The whole world craving from me.

I gripped Mamang's nape with both hands, her face still blank.

Shut up, useless menhera wiki. Don't talk like I'm the menhera. Finally, a convincing answer.

"This world is one giant menhera."

Now I see it: the whole world itching to devour me.

"Me—ne-ra?"

Mamang echoed. Yeah. No word 'menhera' here. Of course. Everyone's infected. Here, 'menhera' means 'human'—shackles craving joy, affection, all good things from each other. How long can normal me last?

My grip on her nape tightened. What would she do? Resist? Kill me?

Theia fled after the 5th match. PVP 5-rounds is the rule.

Then... a snag in my grip.

I brought my hands to my eyes.

"Ah."

The ring on my finger caught my eye. Theia slipped it on before vanishing through the passage.

"Hoo."

I absentmindedly breathed on the ring. Community function activated, opening my My Room behind me.

Mamang, gazing sunken-eyed, finally showed interest, peering back.

"What's this place?"

Mamang casually toured my pad. No issue with the choke? Well, it was just a tentacle branch. Deeper for the core?

"Lab? And... wasteland. Connected from the wasteland tower, huh."

What? My My Room was definitely my old one-room...

The place from my past life. Where I poured my soul into game dev with A-hyun noona after body-swapping...

I turned instinctively.

"Ah...?"

From 2-pyeong one-room to 162-pyeong wasteland. Tower interior. White lab.

My inner landscapes had changed. And in every place, red hair clumsily scattered—like marking someone's stay. Or beckoning to follow the path.

"Dorothy."

I snatched the tentacle heading to My Room. Hated the tentacle monster touching Dorothy's traces.

But stepping into my jumbled space wasn't easy. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠My Room turning from one-room to lab/wasteland meant I'd chosen to live in this world—and ditched past-life regrets in under a week.

I... hadn't even adapted to this woman's body yet.

Chest tight, I clawed at my clothes, but Dorothy's loose dress stayed baggy.

Yeah. Back then too. Not the tied clothes making it tight.

The fact I couldn't do shit. Nothing going my way.

That choked me.

Q. What did Dorothy do then?

"That thing."

"..."

I released Mamang's tentacle stretching to My Room. A slender one picked up a clump of red hair and placed it in my hand.

Surprisingly obedient, Mamang. I clutched the red locks.

Then... Dorothy's tight hug resurfaced. Those thoughts. Feelings. Sensations. Helplessness choking my breath, her embrace squeezing till I couldn't.

A faint game-like epiphany hit.

Aha. This is how you 'save'.

Memories like this...

I closed my eyes, reliving Dorothy's arms. My heart slowly calmed.

My grip on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her nape loosened, sliding away.

"Mamang."

Surprise flashed in her blank golden eyes. The starlight that should sink, darkness dangling from sharp eye-ends, stared straight back and spoke.

"Fifth duel. I win."

Theia fled, so my victory. Without waiting, Tiara continued.

"I want proper payment."

That lame match? Just us two flailing till escape? Ah... not heated.

Her newborn human-flesh couldn't express fine nuance, staying blank. But her lip twitched at Tiara's next words.

"Here. Give me the whole wasteland server."

Mamang felt intrigue at the mad demand. No intent to comply, but Tiara's eyes and voice changed—like someone else.

"For just this much fun?"

Tiara met blank eyes and spoke.

"I promise. I'll fill it with the world's most fun stuff. So addictive everyone loses days, can't escape. Till the server bursts with crowds."

Mad demand, mad vow. But what Mamang craved deeply.

A slender tentacle brushed Tiara's cheek. A smile finally bloomed on blank Mamang.

"Probability again."

Trust Tiara. VS secure last toy.

Same choice. But she sensed rice-grain stars packed in her bosom—long-lost toys, proof Tiara kept promise.

Why not.

'Believe once.'

Haa...! A sigh escaped.

Almost fell into menhera! But overcame it!

I swallowed, bracing for the aftermath of claiming a whole regional server. Head splitting? Or literally?

"Urgh...!"

Tensed, Mamang's human-form slithered close. And...

Mwah!

"Eh?"

A light kiss on my cheek. Huh?

Dazed, stroking my cheek, the tentacles around my waist uncoiled.

And...

With the translucent message, the waist tentacles shoved me hard. I flew into My Room.

"Oof! Uwaaaaah!"

My body hurtled through 162-pyeong wasteland, piercing the crumbled tower interior, splashing into the lab's glass wall...

A reddish glow over my eyelids. Piercing headache, damp cheeks.

"Ti, ara?"

Familiar voice.

"Dorothy."

From my raspy throat and the rough bobbed red hair of the big red dog squeezing it, I finally... finally sensed the tutorial of this cyberpunk-menhera world was over.