140
Ch.140 Sagugu and Pipikung
It doesn’t seem like he’s expecting an answer from me, so I silently watch as Ui continues speaking.
“If it were simply about filling their stomachs, they wouldn’t necessarily have to eat humans. Even ordinary monsters—not test subjects—sometimes devour other monsters or wild animals to satisfy their hunger.”
The reason monsters eat humans is to grow stronger quickly.
Driven by the instinct to become even more powerful, they are lured by the scent of humans and, the moment they chew and swallow them, they realize,
For monsters, there is no food more delicious or satisfying than this.
“Why does eating humans make them stronger? Of course, eating other monsters also makes them stronger, but why are humans so much more effective?”
The digestive system of a monster, which breaks down and consumes the memories and thoughts of living beings, distinctly perceives the difference between humans and monsters.
If humans are like a 120% fruit juice cocktail, carefully crafted with concentrated nutrients, then monsters are like dumplings made by mixing pork with cardboard.
Just eating a single human is enough to make a seed that had been curled up in barren soil sprout and grow rapidly.
“Monsters can digest the intangible power of a living being’s thoughts. Human thoughts are far more complex and intricate than those of other creatures. But… What exactly are memories and thoughts that they grant such power to monsters?”
Ui picked up the bottle containing the few remaining drops of water I had left.
“Unus, thoughts are the very power of existence.”
Gently shaking the bottle, the droplets inside fell onto the cement floor.
“Monsters do not originally belong to this world. Spores of monsters from somewhere else arrived, transformed this world, and took root here.”
The droplets either vanished as they were absorbed into the cement or settled on the dust, maintaining their form as tiny beads of water.
“To exist in this world, things that are unreal and unstable require a force of existence compatible with this world. This force constitutes the physical form of monsters in this world and lends persuasiveness to the anomalous powers they possess.”
“This explanation is too complicated.”
“Monsters are unstable, and their desire to grow stronger is closer to a survival instinct than a mere craving for power. Just as someone adrift on a shaking boat would yearn to stand on stable ground, a monster’s instincts recognize their own instability and are drawn to the force of existence that humans possess. Do you understand?”
“Explain it more simply.”
“I can’t think of a simpler way to put it…”
“Say it again, just once.”
I sighed and tapped my forehead again.
“What I want to know is how to use this and what this is. Not what a monster is.”
“This explanation is necessary for that. Let me elaborate a bit more.”
“Keep it short.”
“Do you know the principle behind how anomalous powers activate?”
“Through thought and imagery, core output, and computational processing. Right?”
“That’s correct, but that’s more of the manifestation process than the underlying principle.”
As I answered by recalling Yeo Woon-jae’s memories, Ui annoyingly added an even more convoluted explanation.
“Hmm… If we compare a living being’s existence to a drop of water, then this world is like a cup filled with such droplets. Anomalous powers are like coffee grounds mixed into the water. The compressed power within a monster’s core dissolves like powder spreading through the water, staining its surroundings. But because the water in this cup is constantly circulating, the farther the powder spreads, the more diluted its color becomes until it vanishes.”
“Are you saying anomalous powers weaken with distance?”
“The reason anomalous powers—already an unrealistic force—weaken over distance is because they are inherently unstable, just like monsters. There’s a limit to how much influence they can exert within the surface tension of reality’s collective existence.”
“Fine, I get it.”
I stood up and stretched my shoulders.
“If you’re not going to explain this right now, then this is a waste of time. Simplify your explanation and come back.”
“…The thing in your head is a crystallized accumulation of the force of existence obtained by eating humans. The research lab referred to it as a ‘Crystal’.”
Just as I was about to leave, thinking the explanation was getting too weird, Ui finally brought up the subject of the thing in my head.
“After all I’ve said, I think you’ll understand. Monsters are unstable beings that don’t belong to this world. They eat humans to extract the force of existence from their thoughts and memories, stabilizing themselves. So, what do you think? After reaching the Annihilation-class, hasn’t it become easier to resist the urge to eat humans?”
Hearing that, I recalled the time I met Yoo Hyena after becoming an Annihilation-class.
Yoo Hyena, who always gave off a faintly delicious scent—like soft bread filled with sweet chocolate fondue—no longer seemed as appetizing as before.
But the difference wasn’t that significant.
“So, this thing only slightly reduces my appetite?”
“Slightly…? Didn’t it decrease quite a bit?”
“Only slightly.”
“Hmm…”
Ui looked puzzled at my response and offered his own thoughts.
“Since you’ve already been suppressing your monstrous instincts, you might not feel a big difference…”
“Are other monsters different?”
“Yes. Ordinary monsters, upon reaching Annihilation-class and forming this Crystal, gain the ability to use the intellect of all the humans they’ve consumed. Even if their cores handle anomalous powers, they were nothing more than beasts before—but now, they establish themselves as higher beings. They still grow stronger by eating humans, but they no longer lose their reason and mindlessly attack humans like they did in their unstable state. However… To maintain this Crystal, they must consume sufficient nourishment.”
“So, they still have to eat humans?”
“For monsters, yes. Test subjects don’t need to. The intelligence and reason of test subjects existed before they became test subjects—they weren’t acquired upon reaching Annihilation-class.”
The thing in my head enhances a monster’s intelligence.
No matter how clever they were, monsters were ultimately just beasts—but the moment they reached Annihilation-class, they evolved into highly intelligent hunters.
So, in the end, does this thing mean nothing to me, a test subject?
“Now, regarding how to use the Crystal…”
At that moment, my ears perked up at Ui’s words.
“Test subjects possess intelligence independent of the Crystal, so they aren’t consciously aware of what the Crystal instinctively knows. Therefore, to utilize it properly, you must first understand what kind of power the Crystal holds.”
“What can I do with it?”
“Are you sure you want me to explain?”
“Go ahead.”
Ui used his anomalous power to gather the droplets of water and moisture from the floor into his hand, forming about a cup’s worth of water.
Did he have a water-manipulation ability?
“Earlier, I mentioned that the force of existence is like surface tension—what keeps this water gathered in one place. And the power of monsters, of anomalous abilities, is like foreign substances mixed into this water. For now, let’s use this dust.”
Ui dipped his cement-dusted hand into the water and pulled it out, slightly dirtying the clear liquid.
“This water—this world—has a force that keeps it gathered, maintaining its original form, and it pushes away anything foreign. That’s why anomalous powers weaken over distance.”
Inside the water, tiny fragments of stone sank due to their weight, eventually separating from the water.
“In this way, even though anomalous powers defy reality, they still fade or weaken according to reality’s laws. Compared to reality, anomalous powers are too alien and weak… But the Crystal can supplement that lack of existential force.”
Ui picked up a small piece of cement from the floor.
“This is what happens when the earlier dust clumps together, right? Similarly, the Crystal can coalesce anomalous powers and foreign entities that couldn’t properly bind before.”
“What can I do with that?”
“You can completely ignore the laws of reality. To put it simply, it can amplify your anomalous powers. Fire abilities that burn water, electricity abilities that electrify the ground…”
“Wouldn’t that just happen naturally if the output is strong enough?”
“It’s a little different. Hmm… Maybe this wasn’t the best example.”
As I grew disappointed at the vague explanation, Ui plunged the cement fragment straight into the water.
“The key is that the Crystal can manipulate the force of existence itself. Normally, foreign powers are swept along by reality, but with the support of a core, they can establish their own domain within reality.”
“Domain?”
“Using the Crystal, within this domain, Unus’s anomalous powers can activate while ignoring reality’s laws. No matter where you are inside the domain, your powers will manifest at maximum output. It’s the declaration of a territory where your laws take precedence over the world’s.”
Ui’s eyes widened, unable to hide his faint excitement as his voice trembled slightly.
“With the right ability, you could turn the entire domain into an inferno, a land where lightning never ceases to strike, or a place where the sun never rises.”
“You’re saying I can apply my powers across the entire area my presence covers?”
“It’s the power to create a space completely dominated by Unus.”
I rubbed my forehead, overwhelmed by the sheer strength of this ability.
A power that could instantly create what would take monsters years to build—their nests—but even stronger.
“However, there are a few unbreakable rules even for this domain.”
Then, Ui explained the absolute laws that even the domain couldn’t defy.
“First, the longer a domain is maintained, the stronger it becomes. Additionally, areas already tainted by a domain will be corrupted even faster the next time a domain is declared.”
“Sounds no different from a nest.”
“Yes. Second, to expand the domain, you must consume humans or powerful monsters.”
I nodded, thinking that even after reaching Annihilation-class, not much had changed.
Seeing my reaction, Ui’s eyes gleamed with a strange anticipation.
“Lastly, the third rule—this is the most important. The Crystal formed upon reaching Annihilation-class takes shape based on the monster’s fundamental anomalous power.”
“Huh?”
“A core aligned with flame abilities can create an endlessly burning wasteland, while one aligned with wind can forge a grassland where the gales never cease. Other domains are possible, but they wouldn’t truly deserve the name. They’d also face severe rejection.”
I had assumed I could manifest countless domains with my many abilities, but disappointed, I flattened my ears against my head.
“The experiences and time accumulated as a monster stabilize into a Crystal optimized for the ability you’ve used the longest and most frequently.”
“Hmm…”
Hearing that, I wondered which ability I had used the most since becoming a monster.
Lightning, flame, flight, telekinesis… Though I could wield many abilities, in the end, the one I relied on most was clear.
“…A domain that devours all anomalous powers.”
As I muttered my conclusion, Ui beamed.
“Isn’t it incredible? Unus, you possess the power to bring an end to this era of monsters and anomalous abilities!”
His excitement spilled over uncontrollably. Watching Ui, brimming with anticipation, I had many thoughts.
Was the reason he felt favorably toward me because he believed I could erase all monsters and anomalous powers from this world?
Perhaps even the research lab’s goal in creating test subjects was…
I disliked the research lab, but if that was their purpose, did that mean their actions weren’t entirely evil?
“By using the domain, you can extract human abilities without killing them. Unus, there’s no need to hesitate.”
Misinterpreting my silence, Ui urged me on, assuring me that humans wouldn’t die if I expanded my domain.
“Would you like to try it? Since it’s your first time, it’ll be difficult to make it large.”
“…Hah.”
I sighed, calming my conflicted thoughts.
Either way, if this domain was real, it was an incredibly powerful ability.
Now that I was already an Annihilation-class, it’d be best to learn how to wield it properly.
The moment I understood what the domain and the Crystal were, I instinctively grasped how to activate them.
Unlike manipulating my core—where it felt like shouting, Do This!—this was like spreading my body wide and seizing control of the space itself.
The first domain I manifested was about half the size of this concrete building.
Seeing Ui pressed against the wall inside it, I activated my core simultaneously.
Applying my power across the entire domain—a domain that devoured anomalous abilities.
After testing it briefly, I immediately deactivated the domain.
Clapping, Ui approached me from the corner.
“Well done, Unus. You did excellently in manifesting the domain.”
“…Hn.”
“You’re not in your monstrous form, and you were trying to manipulate both the Crystal and your core at once—there was too much to focus on, so you failed to properly apply your ability. Maintaining the domain is quite exhausting, and Awakened might sense something off, so it’s best not to keep it active for too long. Next time, when you’re in your monstrous form, I’ll teach you the tricks—”
“I’m going to work.”
Leaving Ui mid-sentence, I exited the building when my break had ended.
Heading toward the next building, I signaled a nearby drone to approach and grabbed a water bottle hanging from it, gulping the contents down.
I felt a little more alive.