What God Desires (4)

The variant we had jokingly called Snake-Daddy—the Serpent of Eden. Its agility and intelligence were on the lower side, but still far above mine. Relatively lower, that is; they were still clearly superhuman compared to me. Yet that wasn’t what shocked me most.

The remaining stats were the real problem. Strength: 276. Perception: 126. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what that level meant. My own strength was only 9, and I’d recently seen exactly what happened when someone with that much power swung at a person. If 9 could do that, then what about 276? And if the Preacher had tanked multiple hits from a monster like that, just how strong had he been?

I stared at the status window with a hollow laugh, and another line appeared beneath it.

[※ Variant traits can now be viewed!]

Variant traits? I tapped the status window, and two new lines materialized.

I looked up again at the Serpent of Eden prowling the underground parking lot. The more it ate, the bigger it got. Now that I read the description, it really did seem larger than before. At the same time, the realization hit me: it hadn’t always been that size.

My original plan was scrapped on the spot. Using the cultists as offerings to buy time, or trying to convince the serpent that coexistence was possible—none of it would work. Its intelligence was 11. I’d never raised my own intelligence stat, so I couldn’t be sure, but it was very likely smarter than me. If I fed it every last cultist, it might grow larger than the apartment building itself. Once that happened, hiding anywhere would be pointless. We’d be completely screwed.

“…Fuck. What do I do?”

I tried to picture the strongest version of myself, yet no matter how I imagined it, I couldn’t see myself winning. At first I thought maybe bringing a tank would work, but that 276 strength stat only conjured images of the creature crushing armored plating like dried squid. Or maybe my imagination was just too limited.

I ran a hand through my hair and left the window, heading for the kitchen. There were three kitchens in this penthouse. I went to the smallest one. The largest was probably stocked to the ceiling with ingredients.

My guess was right. The fridge was filled with nothing but expensive bottled water. I still didn’t understand why it cost so much, but I grabbed one anyway, took a fancy-looking glass from the cupboard, and poured myself some tap water. I’d considered trying the bottled stuff, but… just in case. That idiot sister of mine loved water, after all.

…Come to think of it, it had been a while since I’d seen a quest. Thinking back, quests seemed tied to my own perception. The Preacher had triggered one because I wasn’t sure whether I could kill him or not, so the options had been “Eliminate” or “Escape.” I’d seen the serpent multiple times, yet no quest had ever appeared—probably because its size made the idea of killing it feel impossible. Even now I knew I’d have to deal with it eventually, but I had no idea when.

When I returned to the bathroom, my sister was—

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

“Ung, uung, um.”

“…What the hell are you doing?”

“Hik?!”

For some reason she had a condom stretched over her finger and was licking and sucking on it.

“Uh, I, that, that’s, um…”

“Why are you sucking on that, you crazy bitch?”

“Th-that, uh, no, I wasn’t…”

I wasn’t stupid enough to hear that lie and go “Oh, okay then.”

“Tell me the truth.”

“…Ah, right! I remembered that people who do survival stuff said you could store water in these… and then I was wondering what to do about the oil, so I was trying to lick it clean…”

“Huh. Really?”

I hadn’t known that. Using a condom? It seemed like it would tear like a water balloon, but it wasn’t completely implausible—condoms could hold a ridiculous amount of liquid.

“Where the hell did you even hear about that?”

“…The internet?”

Lie. I knew it, but I didn’t press. It was obviously from some dirty manga. Probably.

I clicked my tongue and handed her the bottled water.

“Drink this instead.”

“…Ung.”

She took the bottle with unusually flushed cheeks and started drinking, gripping it with both hands and gulping it down noisily. I wondered what it tasted like to her.

“…Let me try some too.”

“Huh? Ung.”

I took the bottle, pressed my lips to the rim, and tilted my head. For some reason I could faintly taste her lips on the opening. And the water itself…

“It’s… kind of weird.”

“Right? I think it tastes good, though…”

“Yeah? You’re something else… There’s more in the fridge. Grab some later if you want.”

“Which fridge?”

“Ah, right. The, uh, small one.”

“Small one…?”

“You’ll know when you see it.”

She muttered “Got it~” and I didn’t say anything more. Yeah, I could put off worrying for now. It wasn’t like thinking harder would suddenly give me an answer, and my body ached from all the exercise I’d done while whipping the cultists into shape. A day or two of proper rest sounded good. It wasn’t like we had a way to kill the serpent right now anyway. Maybe resting would help something come to mind.

“I’m gonna take a shower.”

“Oh, me too!”

Kang Ahyeon shot up like I was about to run away.

“No, I mean, this isn’t even our house, so there’s no need to save on water bills, right?”

“Showering with Oppa is the best, though.”

When we were kids I used to smack her because it felt awkward, but I didn’t do that anymore now that we were grown. Besides, she had a status window too. Whether I liked it or not, she was the only ally I could truly trust.

I sighed.

“Fine, do what you want.”

When I took off my swimsuit, she took hers off too. The two of us stepped into the same shower stall.

“Whoa, the water comes from every direction in here.”

“Oppa, I’ll wash your hair for you!”

“It’s fine. What are you…”

“Nooo…?”

“Ugh, just this once, okay?”

It wasn’t bad, honestly. She washed my hair, I washed hers. I stopped her from trying to wash the rest of me and ended up letting her scrub my back instead. I returned the favor, running my hands over her soft back. Small, simple pleasures.

“Ah, where are you touching?! You perverted freak!”

“You have to clean everywhere properly. It’s dirty otherwise.”

“No, I’ll wash it myself, so don’t touch!”

“Hng, but I can do it more thoroughly.”

“What the hell are you even saying, fuck…”

After washing with the pleasantly scented body wash—probably some luxury brand—we stepped out of the shower together.

“I’m gonna rest for a bit. What about you?”

“I’m gonna soak in the tub some more.”

“Don’t stay in so long you get dizzy. Come out when you’re done.”

“Got it~”

“I’ll get the bed ready.”

I dried myself with a towel that felt several times softer than any blanket I’d ever used in my life. Damn, I kind of wanted to take this with me. I enjoyed the texture for a moment longer, then made sure I was completely dry before stepping out.

Walking around the penthouse naked felt strangely liberating. It wasn’t just the freedom of being bare—more than that, if the world hadn’t gone to shit, would I ever have been able to come to a place like this? Well, maybe I could have, but only if I’d lived as some sycophant licking the cult leader’s boots.

Suppressing the faint dizziness and nausea, I wandered until I found the bedroom. The penthouse really was an incredible place. I tried to enjoy it, using it to push away the shock I’d felt from seeing the serpent’s stats. Fortunately, the penthouse was more than capable of distracting me. There was even a private theater, and now that I thought about it, there was a sky garden right above us that probably got plenty of wind. And that wasn’t all—every bedroom had a TV, though they probably wouldn’t show much even if I turned them on.

The most notable room, though, was the one that had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠clearly belonged to the cult leader.

“Yeah, this is definitely it.”

It was the largest bedroom by far. In the center stood a massive circular bed separated from the rest of the room by what looked like curtains. It was big enough for an entire family to sleep in with room to spare. The sheer size reeked of the leader’s debauchery. My sister would probably be disappointed she couldn’t pin me down as easily here, but that enormous bed filled me with excitement. It gave me the same feeling as freshly laundered bedding hung out to dry—the gut instinct that tonight’s sleep was going to be incredible.

I barely managed to suppress the upward twitch of my lips. There were plenty of things to enjoy while we stayed here. I could even walk around without clothes on. The sense of freedom was overwhelming.

I approached the bed.

…And then my eyes were drawn to the bookshelf built into the wall. What was that? Something about it bothered me. Looking closer, I noticed a seam in the wall—not wide enough for fingers, but clearly artificial. In front of it was what I’d first mistaken for a control panel for lights, air conditioning, or heating.

What the hell?

I walked over and pressed the button.

With a low mechanical hum, the bookshelf slid sideways. The wall followed, revealing a hidden ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠space behind it.

It was—

“…An elevator?”

And lying neatly on the elevator floor was a rifle.

[Korean Army Standard Assault Rifle]

Why the hell was this here?

Two points. The same amount I would have gotten for escaping or killing the Preacher. To me, it meant that whatever waited down there wouldn’t be easy.

Yet for some reason, my heart was pounding. Anticipation coiled inside me.

The magazine wasn’t inserted, but the rifle lay there all by itself. It made me wonder if there might be more below—maybe even better gear. But…

“…Maybe I should rest first.”

That could wait until after I’d rested. I operated the panel and closed the wall again. I’d explore in two days, once the looting cooldown had passed and my body had fully recovered.

I threw myself onto the plush bed.

“…Holy shit, this is insane.”

I fell asleep without realizing it, only to wake up with my sister burrowing underneath me. The bed felt so good that even her naked body pressed against mine didn’t bother me.

*

Two days passed.

Together with my sister, I stepped into the elevator that would take us down into the bunker.