Fragment of Cthulhu
I opened my eyes to the sight of the oil-scented elevator again. Ugh. So this is the bitter, stinging taste of reality. Still, thinking about the pizza in my bag makes my heart feel a bit more secure. Han Yujin's lips curved up just a little. Yoo Se-rin, watching her, slightly misunderstood.
She's... really a woman who enjoys these horror stories.
She hasn't even escaped the horror yet, and she's beaming like that? Now I get why Kim Jah-ha went around calling her a crazy bitch. Does she have some kind of ability? How can someone be so brazen? And just a moment ago, when she bossed around that guy who seemed like the leader of the work anomalies, I nearly screamed. How massive are her guts?
"Yoo Se-rin."
Han Yujin suddenly spoke to her, startling Yoo Se-rin.
"Y-Yes?! "
"Why so jumpy?"
"Oh, it's nothing, hehe."
Han Yujin's eyes narrowed. With a skeptical look, she opened her mouth.
"I brought you along thinking you'd know since you're from Unique Company."
"...Pardon?"
"Unlike Kim Jah-ha, you seemed cooperative, so that's why."
Han Yujin was explaining why she'd shared the work clothes, but Yoo Se-rin took it the wrong way.
If I don't help, she'll turn me into a hotteok like Kim Jah-ha? In a pretty terrifying direction.
Gulp. Yoo Se-rin swallowed hard and nodded frantically.
"Of course. Just trust and follow me. I know where to go. I know the floor with the safe zone."
—Screeech!
How far had it gone up? The elevator stopped. The scene before them was completely different from the damp waste disposal area of Basement 13. It was a space with a stark white background.
"...What the hell is this place?"
Han Yujin muttered without thinking. Countless robotic arms were busily moving boxes. On closer inspection, they looked less like robots and more like human or creature arms severed and attached...
Hmm. Best not to look too closely.
"This is the floor. The safe zone's here. But..."
Yoo Se-rin glanced around nervously. Her movements screamed unease. She clapped her hands sharply.
"Aha!"
Yoo Se-rin tapped her chin. A few strands of red hair fell over her furrowed brow, twitching with deep thought. After a moment.
"Looks like we came in through the wrong entrance. I don't remember passing through that."
She pointed at the moving hands. Yeah. It looked exactly like something you shouldn't pass carelessly.
Then she pointed to one corner with her finger. Beyond where the countless hands were coming and going.
"...So we have to go through those weird masses of hands?"
"Yes. But it seems impossible. Sorry. I couldn't help."
Yoo Se-rin hung her head dejectedly. Han Yujin shook hers.
"No, it's fine."
"Wow, you're even comforting me?"
"No, not that."
Thud, thud. Han Yujin started walking.
"What are you all doing? Let's go."
The other three—well, two people and one anomaly—stood stunned for a moment. Among them, the most normal one, the middle-aged woman, spoke up.
"Um, miss."
"Yes?"
"I-I'm not trying to stop you, but those look super dangerous... C-Can we just walk through?"
The other two nodded vigorously. Han Yujin shook her head at them.
"We're wearing work clothes."
"...?"
"What do you think when you see someone walking around in work clothes?"
"They're fixing something... or working?"
"Exactly. Workers don't raise suspicion. From the previous rulebook of this horror, these kinds of stereotypes should apply well. Let's go. Just walk naturally."
With that, Han Yujin turned and strode off. If they don't come, I'll go alone. So the others had no choice but to follow the woman with her absurd boldness.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Their four sets of footsteps echoed unusually loud and anxious. They brushed past the piles of countless hands.
—Thump-thump!
The grotesque sight of countless hands piled up from the wrists upward, wriggling away, was beyond description.
—Click-clack.
As Han Yujin predicted, they ignored the group of humans (+ anomaly) passing through. They reached the other side smoothly. Yoo Se-rin, eyes wide, muttered.
"Cr-Crazy. We just passed that so easily?"
To be honest, no need to say it, but this logistics center horror was extremely dangerous outside the safe zones. Unique Company employees were rigorously trained to stick only to guaranteed safe areas. Yet Han Yujin had strolled through like it was nothing.
Maybe she's a real veteran. Yoo Se-rin's spirit deflated even more.
"Th-This way."
She led the group for a bit.
"Here it is."
She pointed to a door in the pristine white hallway and opened it.
"This is the safe zone managed by Unique Company... Eek!"
A short scream cut off. A tall man held a stun gun to Yoo Se-rin's neck, staring at them.
"Everyone, come in. Quietly. No noise."
◆ Han Yujin quietly observed the man threatening them. First off, the black suit of Unique Company, which she'd seen enough to recognize. But his appearance was far from ordinary. Half his face was covered in horrific burn scars. One eye seemed prosthetic, unfocused.
"Yoo Se-rin. Newbie. Right?"
"Ugh... Ahh..."
"Snap out of it or I'll dispose of you here. Field Team 13, Yoo Se-rin?"
The stun gun pressed firmly against Yoo Se-rin's neck.
"...Ack! Yes! Who! F-Field Team 3!!"
Yoo Se-rin shot up like she'd never drooled, bowing 90 degrees.
"Greetings to Section Chief Lee Kanghyeok, Unique Company's hope! Unique Company's light! The elite of Field Teams!"
"One more cheesy greeting like that, and you're really dead."
"S-Sorry!"
The man called Section Chief Lee Kanghyeok pressed his temple.
"Don't you know we're on a top-secret op? What are you doing here?"
"Th-That!"
Yoo Se-rin's eyes spun wildly, audible from here.
"S-Senior Kim Jah-ha brought us!"
"That trash?"
"Yes!"
You're no better, trash!... Han Yujin caught Yoo Se-rin's lips moving. Anyway. What's going on here? Han Yujin gauged their reactions. First, the threat: Lee Kanghyeok. Tall, muscular build. Overwhelming presence like he'd cleared countless horrors. Honestly, not someone who looked friendly. Might have to fight depending on the situation. Han Yujin's eyes gleamed as she scanned him.
Prosthetic left eye. His head tilted slightly left to check it, body center of gravity subtly shifted left too.
Trying to cover his blind spot.
And it seemed like a long habit. Left leg and calf muscles thicker than the right.
Means he's had the eye loss for a while.
Every time his hand went to his head, he instinctively covered the left eye—clear trauma related to it. Which means.
Just chuck something sharp at the left eye, slip into his right blind spot, and slash.
Han Yujin shifted one step right, pretending to loosen up. Still sneaking glances. Right then.
Lee Kanghyeok pointed at Han Yujin.
... This jerk pointing at people? Barely holding back, she stared at him and Yoo Se-rin with a near-expressionless face.
"One of those has the outer god fragment, right?"
Outer god fragment? What's that? Whatever it is, if this guy wants it, it's gotta be valuable. Yoo Se-rin stammered.
"Pr-Probably not."
"What? Probably? Then why drag them around?"
Han Yujin swallowed secretly. Wrong answer, and she sends the giant flying first, then subdues Yoo Se-rin. As she steeled herself, Yoo Se-rin spoke.
"Locally procured... temporary collaborators!"
Yoo Se-rin grinned slyly. Despite the pause, that grin hid everything. Maybe that eye smile was her weapon. Suspicious as hell, but calling her out would make the caller look pathetic. Lee Kanghyeok glared for 10 seconds, then sighed.
"...Whatever. Get lost."
"Pardon?"
Lee Kanghyeok growled irritably.
"I'm sparing you 'cause dealing with you and writing reports is a hassle. Just paperwork. Remember that."
Hoh. Han Yujin mentally noted: Unique Company folks hate paperwork.
"One more time pulling monster attention like this, and you're done."
"Y-Yes! Section Chief! As expected of Unique Company's top ace and heartthrob..."
Whiiish! Ping! Something embedded in the wall, grazing Yoo Se-rin's cheek, rattling violently.
...A pen?
"Y-Yes! Loyalty! W-We’ll vanish!"
Yoo Se-rin saluted unnecessarily, trembling, and dragged Han Yujin by the arm.
"Let's go, collaborator."
The back door shut, cutting off the noise perfectly. Yoo Se-rin leaned against the hallway wall, sighing in relief.
"Phew... We lived. Of all people, why him."
"Who's that guy?"
Han Yujin, now casually dropping formalities, asked.
"Unique Company Field Team 3, Section Chief Lee Kanghyeok."
"Heard the name."
Haha. Yoo Se-rin scratched her head, chuckling.
"Sorry. In the company, 'Field Team 3' is like a business card."
"Why?"
"Field Teams 1, 2, 3. Unique Company's top talents. Total monsters."
Monsters in personality too. Yoo Se-rin muttered lowly.
"Monsters?"
"Yeah. Some have abilities, some like him have insane physicals. Others half-turned anomaly from rolling in horrors."
Han Yujin's eyes narrowed. Unique Company's top aces.
"What are those guys doing here?"
Yoo Se-rin glanced around, leaned close to Han Yujin, lowering her voice. Her eyes sparkled suspiciously.
"This is top secret... Cthulhu's fragment."
"...Cthulhu?"
Han Yujin involuntarily looked at Kruru beside her. Kruru's eyes rolled too.
"Yeah. From the Lovecraft mythos. Not the real name, just borrowed from old novels. This world has tons of anomalies, but some are on another level. Overwhelming existences humans can only pray to. Gallery calls 'em named anomalies?"
"Named anomalies."
"Yep. Cthulhu's one of the reps. Even other anomalies fear it!"
"Anomalies do?"
"Yes! So terrifying, even fragments make others flee! And right now 'Cthulhu' is fragmented... If those pieces merge,"
Yoo Se-rin paused. Han Yujin scowled.
"Finish your sentence?"
"Hehe... No record after Cthulhu's fragments fully merge. Not from any horror or anomaly. Even conditional future-seers confirm it."
In short, Cthulhu merging brings world's end or whatever. Makes sense. With all horrors existing, why not cosmic ones?
"Anyway, I said it dramatically, but Cthulhu fragments are pretty famous among survivors."
"Why famous?"
"Rumor is, absorb one..."
Yoo Se-rin tapped her arm.
"You get very, very, very strong."
Han Yujin recalled Lee Kanghyeok stabbing a pen into the wall.
"Like that guy earlier?"
"Nah, he's probably just muscle-trained."
...How do you muscle-train to embed pens in walls?
"Anyway, that's why Team 3's aces are here. Logistics has all sorts wandering."
Han Yujin glanced sideways. Kruru desperately played dumb, eyes rolling.
So this one's the scary-yet-beneficial Cthulhu fragment.
"By the way, why does Unique Company hunt Cthulhu fragments? Catch 'em and what?"
Yoo Se-rin tilted her head like it was obvious.
"Duh?"
She mimed tearing something apart with both hands.
"Tear into pieces and experiment."
Eek...! Kruru clung to Han Yujin's leg in terror. Her yellow eyes filled with fear. Yoo Se-rin blinked at it.
"Oh? Why's that one so scared? No talking. Since earlier."
Kruru sweated bullets. Yet, habitually, she opened her mouth.
"F-Fear... ful..."
She froze. Voice trembling like a goat, cut off.
"Pardon?"
Kruru's sweat poured. Probably from hearing Cthulhu traits earlier. Then, lowly.
"F-Frightening... Th-These humans."
Silence. Yoo Se-rin eyed Kruru suspiciously. Tension of possible exposure? Kruru tugged Han Yujin's sleeve desperately, teary-eyed.
Save me! They'll dissect me! Clear plea.
Han Yujin pondered briefly. She smiled kindly, petting Kruru's head.
"Oh, this is 'Lulu'. Met her earlier, can't talk well. Probably homebound hikikomori, scared of people."
Hmm. Yoo Se-rin, who'd looked thoughtful, clapped.
"Total nerd shut-in!"
For some reason, a tear seemed to roll from Kruru's eye.