141
Ch.141 Dizzy
After several Yarikiri, and more rounds of yarikiri, followed by a fulfilling meal and sleep in the closed-off zone.
Amid the repetitive daily routine, I practiced expanding my territory every day while working at the construction site.
By inflating the very range of sensory perception, my invisible body could dominate the surroundings.
I heightened and widened the density of my presence, driving away other monsters in the area.
"Huu…"
A headache as if my brain was being stretched out.
Forcing my mind to expand didn’t feel good.
After retracting my territory, I lifted a wooden box full of bricks again, Ui, who had been watching me from the stairs, remarked,
"It seems the sensation of expanding your territory isn’t very pleasant for you."
After explaining the existence and usage of the Crystal in my mind, Ui began following me around the construction site.
Though several days had passed since I learned about territory and the Crystal, I still struggled with just inflating my presence.
On top of that, adding supernatural abilities to it felt nearly impossible.
"Since you have focused more on reducing your presence rather than increasing it, it might be harder for you to adapt."
"You mean hiding one’s traces?"
"How about trying the sensation of fluffing up your fur a bit more?"
Following Ui’s advice, I tried various methods.
Each time, there was slight improvement, but no major breakthrough.
"It’s surprising that you’re struggling this much from the very first step of opening a territory. I heard Unus ignores a monster’s instincts almost perfectly—perhaps that’s why. Using the Crystal is quite instinctive, after all."
"Your explanation isn’t helpful."
"Hmm… That’s about the extent of my explanation. Still, you seem to have grasped the gist, so keep at it."
From the corner, Ui fiddled with a Pipikung doll and glanced at me with slightly less intensity than when we first met.
"Unexpected."
"What’s sudden about it?"
"I thought Unus was good at everything. I heard you were the ‘miracle test subject’, after all."
"What exactly do you think of me?"
"Hmm? An idol, a goal, an ideal… No matter what I accomplished, the researchers always compared me to Unus, saying I fell short. I thought you were the absolute test subject."
"How foolish to be fooled by the researchers."
At my response, Ui let out a stifled laugh.
"Well, if Unus had truly been the absolute and perfect test subject, they wouldn’t have even attempted to discard you as a failure."
With a hop, Ui descended the stairs and approached me as I finished today’s yarikiri and called a drone to report the end of my shift.
"Good work. You’re done for the day. Does that mean territory practice in human form ends here too?"
"Yes."
"Then, are you heading to the park to eat now?"
"Yeah, after washing up."
"Hmm… Can I come along again today?"
"Do as you like."
After glancing down at Ui, who was still fiddling with the Pipikung doll, I signaled for him to follow.
Having finished my yarikiri, I walked toward the city’s outer wall as workers passing by greeted me one by one.
"Good work! See you tomorrow!"
"Ugh, without that guy, the construction would’ve taken twice as long."
After washing off the dust in the shower, I headed to the park with Ui, who had somehow stayed clean despite not showering.
Upon arrival, Ui looked around cautiously.
Then, from inside the park, Sagugu—wearing a cap pulled low—rushed out with gleaming eyes.
"Unyanyanyanya!"
Spotting Ui and me first, Sagugu dashed over and clung to me.
"It’s brother! What did brother do? Work again today? Sagugu bought lunchboxes with Mommy today too!"
"Sagugu."
"Nya? Ui!"
Noticing Ui, Sagugu kicked off my body and lunged at Ui.
"What did Ui do? Did Ui pick up rocks too? Is the construction site fun? Sagugu wants to go too!"
As Sagugu grabbed Ui’s head and shook it vigorously, Ui answered with an expressionless face, swaying under the force.
"You’re not adept at controlling your strength, so no. I heard there’s a special law punishing those who destroy Cat Towers."
"Ui talks just like Mommy!"
"You’re here? Sweetie?"
Gu Seo-ryong, walking over belatedly from the park, lowered her sunglasses slightly and held up two lunchbox bags.
Lately, District 3 has been running a lunchbox discount event for workers busy with Cat Tower construction.
Ui wasn’t particularly hungry, and Sagugu had already eaten, so only Gu Seo-ryong and I had lunch.
Sitting on a bench, I ate the lunchbox Gu Seo-ryong had grabbed from the store.
"So, you practiced territory while working again today?"
"Yes."
"And Ui checked the problems you had while opening your territory and gave you tips?"
When I nodded, Gu Seo-ryong sighed and looked toward one side of the park.
There, Ui sat with Sagugu, holding a Pipikung doll.
"That’s… No matter how I look at it, it’s weird."
"Mhm."
Gu Seo-ryong found it strange how well Ui knew about Annihilation-class monsters and the Crystal.
It wasn’t just because Ui had eaten researchers—his knowledge was far too detailed.
It wasn’t just knowing that Annihilation-class had certain abilities; Ui could give specific advice tailored to my struggles.
There were only two possibilities, either the research facility had studied Annihilation-class monsters before, or Ui was an Annihilation-class monster.
To study Annihilation-class monsters, they’d need to capture and neutralize one.
No matter how advanced the research facility was, humans subduing an Annihilation-class was impossible.
Even if the facility had created Ui as an Annihilation-class for research, too many questions remained.
Ui was an escaped test subject—a monster hostile to the facility.
Neutralizing a hostile Annihilation-class should be impossible, so how could they have researched something as intrinsic as the Crystal and its structure?
If Ui was cooperative with the facility, why had he eaten the researchers?
Why teach me about territory?
After hearing about my experiences with Ui, Gu Seo-ryong’s hypothesis was this,
If the facility’s ultimate goal was to nurture a territory that could devour supernatural abilities and end the age of monsters worldwide—
Then they might have sent Ui, a child I wouldn’t immediately oppose, to teach me about territory.
The facility was, after all, created by humans. Their methods might have been flawed, but their goal could have been for humanity’s sake.
In the end, Ui was a puppet moving as the devoured researchers desired.
For this hole-riddled hypothesis to hold, Ui would at least need to clearly act according to the facility’s intentions.
"But if that’s the case, that scene makes no sense…"
Right now, Ui was happily playing some incomprehensible game with Sagugu.
Sagugu, holding a Pipikung doll in one hand, dragged it along the ground while running, and Ui followed behind with an intact doll.
"Unyanyanya! Pipikung drift!"
"Pipikung has racing elements?"
"It’s from the Pipikung Happy Racing episode!"
"Don’t tell me there’s a separate Pipikung toy for kart racing, like the water play and luxury palace sets?"
"You mean the Pipikung Happy Rider?"
"The merchandising is insane."
Ui joined Sagugu and Gu Seo-ryong’s mealtime daily to play with Sagugu.
If Ui had come to fulfill the facility’s goals, this was a pointless waste of time.
"What is the facility really after…? Or maybe they’re not after anything, and I’m just overthinking?"
Gu Seo-ryong sighed deeply as her gaze followed Ui, who was being dragged away by Sagugu gripping her wrist.
"If this is all to lower our guard, he's way too into playing with Sagugu."
After work, Ui always asked if I was going to the park.
When Sagugu approached, Ui didn’t show excitement or change expressions but never pushed Sagugu away and played along until the end.
When playtime ended and Sagugu left with Gu Seo-ryong, Ui would pretend not to care but kept waving, clearly reluctant.
Ui playing with Sagugu just seemed like a shy, peculiar child.
"Maybe he really just admired you after hearing about you at the facility and came to see you? Just wanted to help by sharing the researchers’ memories?"
"Based on what we’ve seen so far, that seems closer to the truth."
"He hasn't caused any trouble, after all."
"Sigh." Gu Seo-ryong picked up her chopsticks and ate her lunchbox.
Since she wasn’t eating with Sagugu, she could savor the meal leisurely.
She said it was nice to eat in peace but still wore a conflicted expression.
"Rather than thinking the facility sent some incomprehensible danger, it’s easier on my mind to just consider it as gaining one more weird kid."
Just then, the arm of Sagugu’s Pipikung doll fell off.
Sagugu picked it up and threw it at Ui.
"Pipikung missile, fire!"
"Pipikung has missiles too?"
"Nyaa? It’s from the special episode where Pipikung becomes a robot!"
"Wait, is there a robot Pipikung toy?"
"Sagugu wants robot Pipikung! Sagugu doesn’t have one!"
"Hmm…? I’ve been wondering—why does Sagugu only have the same basic Pipikung?"
"Mommy only buys Pipikung Basics."
"Gu Seo-ryul won’t buy the others?"
A moment later, Ui walked over to Gu Seo-ryong with Sagugu in tow.
"Gu Seo-ryul, you call yourself Sagugu’s mom, right? Why won’t you buy anything but the basic Pipikung? Is it because it’s the cheapest and most ordinary model?"
"Pipikung broke."
"Sagugu says she wants the Pipikung Gorgeous Hotel set. Buy it for her."
"Give new Pipikung."
"And also… Ui-kung? She says she wants one named after me because it sounds similar. Buy it for her."
"Give Ui-kung too!"
"Sagugu? Didn’t we promise only Pipikung with Mommy?"
Snap. When Gu Seo-ryong broke her wooden chopsticks, Ui shot her a cold glare.
"You’re not actually stingy about spending money on Sagugu, are you? Calling her your partner yet treating her like a tool. Isn’t this child abuse? The very thing you hate most."
"You brat…"
"Let me say this one more time. Buy Sagugu the Pipikung Gorgeous Hotel set. Isn’t it pitiful? Even that refugee kid over there has a Luxury Palace set, albeit old and partly broken."
"You, meddling in someone else’s parenting?"
Ui and Gu Seo-ryong exchanged razor-sharp words.
"If you want to give Sagugu something, use your own money. Since when do you get to tell me what to buy? You’re already rotten—no way you’ll ever be a good man."
"Oh my, Gu Seo-ryul takes money even from a child like me? I guess it’s because of where you were born, huh?"
"You brat, did eating a few researchers go to your head?"
"Hmm… Sagugu is amazing, growing up so well under a woman like this."
The atmosphere grew so tense it felt like supernatural abilities might fly any second. Meanwhile, Sagugu quietly came to sit beside me and opened another lunchbox.
It was the pork cutlet chicken nugget lunchbox—my favorite.
"Brother! This is delicious!"
"Unbelievable! Seriously, I get that you’re cute, Sagugu. What, do you think if you beg for this and that, she’ll like you more than me? Is it because you’re inexperienced? Your delusions are wild. No matter what you do, Sagugu will always love her mommy more than you."
"Ah, you mean her real mommy, not a fake like Gu Seo-ryul, right?"
I watched Gu Seo-ryong and Ui argue while Sagugu and I ate from the same lunchbox.
"You don’t have a mom, do you? Talking like that, you definitely don’t."
"Well, no. Unlike someone, I didn’t personally kill mine."
"Hah? Haa~? Look at this attitude! Sagugu, don’t play with him."
"You’re interfering with who Sagugu plays with now? Isn’t this what they call ‘monster parenting’? Oh, but Gu Seo-ryul is already a monster, so it fits!"
"Oh dear! That was just an offhand comment earlier, but you’re really hopeless, huh? Don’t you dare rub off on our Sagugu!"
"Unyangnya… What’s ‘bad influence’?"
Sagugu and I crunched on the fried food in sync.
Hmm, this is delicious.