42
Ch.42 It's a Snake
"I did say you could eat until you're full, but you have to follow the rules."
The moment the dream of unlimited refills became reality, Yoo Hyena set a few conditions in exchange for providing me with meals.
First, don’t take food too quickly so others can eat too.
Second, even while eating, if a villain appears, prioritize protecting the citizens and fight.
Lastly, don’t go around whispering weird things or egging people on to cheer for you.
If I followed those rules, I could eat as much as I wanted, whenever I wanted.
"You can do that, right?"
"Mm."
After agreeing to the conditions, I ate until I was full and let out a satisfied yawn.
Who would’ve thought the lost utopia would return… This place is sacred ground blessed with unlimited refills, and Yoo Hyena is the Director who protects it.
Even after finishing my meal as promised, I didn’t leave the park. Overcome by drowsiness, I searched for a place to nap. Since the weather was nice, I lay down in a corner of the park, on the playground sand, and closed my eyes. The warm sand was like a natural electric blanket.
"Ahahaha! Ahahahaha!"
"Wahaha! Ahahaha!"
As I slept, children gathered around me, playing and covering my body with sand. I listened to the murmurs of the residents while being lightly patted by their tiny hands.
"These days, villains are running wild. It’s such a mess."
"That villain boss, Gu Seo-ryong or whatever, still hasn’t been caught, right? Maybe she’s already fled to another city?"
"That Black Cat guy doesn’t even bother catching villains."
"I really don’t like him. He’s still a monster, right? If left alone, who knows when he’ll destroy a house?"
"But he does eat a lot of monsters, right? Like spiders on window sills in summer."
Talk about me, monsters, villains, and the emotions of living in the present. The voices of the residents, lying in the sand, tickled my ears like a news broadcast in a restaurant.
Clang, clang, clang, clang… The sound of utensils hitting plates echoed widely.
"Starlight has it tough—looking after the poor, catching monsters, gauging public sentiment."
"Seems like she does more work than the mayor. Though, the government does handle some welfare stuff."
"Here in District 4, Starlight takes better care of us than the government. Even this food comes from Starlight’s pocket."
"But Starlight is still a government hero. And has she ever even come here? She just sends her little sister, the foundation director."
"Hey, you shouldn’t eat then. You think sending her sister is easy?"
Hmm… So this free meal service is funded by Starlight, and the foundation director sent here is Starlight’s younger sister.
Nodding blankly, I opened my eyes slightly and glanced at Yoo Hyena.
So, that woman is Starlight’s sister.
Now that I think about it, they do look alike.
The scent… Starlight always smells like mineral eggs, but this woman carries the aroma of boiled beef and rich beef fat. Both are delicious in their own way.
I see… Starlight’s sister…
Lost in thought, I yawned and warned,
"Move your hand."
"Ah, you knew?"
When the sound waves spread unnaturally wide, I sensed the presence of Gu Seo-ryong’s ability.
Just before she could drive her fingers into my neck, Gu Seo-ryong stopped and raised her hands in surrender. Beside her, children blinked at her.
"Pretty lady!"
"Where’d you come from, lady?"
"When did you get here? Did you eat? If you’re hungry, eat! It’s delicious!"
"Oh? These kids have better eyes than some kittens I know."
Glancing over, I saw Gu Seo-ryong huff and stroke the children’s heads.
Already sensing that her confusion ability didn’t affect the kids, I looked around at the oblivious residents and said,
"You didn’t use your ability on the children."
"Of course not? If little kids like this got hit by a confusion ability, it’d be bad for their brains."
"Fair point."
The sensory confusion ability doesn’t create illusions in reality—it affects the brains of living beings exposed to it. If children with still-developing brains were hit, side effects, big or small, could occur.
"Plus, if I mess with kids, I know exactly what you’d do. You’re not soft like Starlight, are you?"
"Is that the only reason?"
"Heh, only reason? We’re both test subjects, aren’t we?"
Gu Seo-ryong chuckled at the shared understanding.
All test subjects were orphans sold from orphanages to labs.
That’s why we don’t harm children.
Not because of any promise, but because, after realizing we’d become monsters, we instinctively felt it was right.
"I really hate this. The monster who ruined four years of my life is napping leisurely in the sand. And in that short time, you’ve even become the Cerberus guarding her last card."
"You mean Yoo Hyena."
"Oh? So you were listening to people’s conversations while lying here."
Yoo Hyena is Starlight’s sister. Gu Seo-ryong came here to take her hostage.
Crouching, Gu Seo-ryong rested her chin on her hand as the children tugged at her hair.
"Just one more year, and W-City would’ve been mine. I’d already started working on the mayor, and with the right plan, even Starlight was within reach… Then some damn kitten had to ruin everything~"
"Bad luck."
"Ugh, if I had that girl in my grasp, even Starlight wouldn’t act recklessly… This time, with experience, I could’ve restored my nest in just a year. And she’s Starlight’s weak point, so I came prepared… That cat is seriously no help. Ugh, so annoying."
"Give up."
"Yeah, give up, give up. I’m a smart woman. I don’t fight lose battles."
"Wow! So tall!"
"Lady, your boobs are huge!"
"Oh my, kid, you’re gonna grow up to be a villain, huh?"
As one child climbed onto Gu Seo-ryong’s shoulders using her hair as a rope, she sighed and plucked them off, only for another to start scaling her back.
One little boy tried to climb up by grabbing her chest, but she stopped him off and looked down at me.
"So? You’ve fully become Starlight’s dog—no, cat?"
"Not a cat."
"Whatever. Why are you siding with Starlight so much? Heroes are our natural enemies. Or are you planning to be a monster-hero or something?"
"Not doing the hero thing."
"You know what you’re doing isn’t much different from heroes, right?"
"Is that so?"
Even if I worked hard every day, I’d just get cursed at. And yet, heroes have to keep going. My situation feels different.
I just eat what I want and do what I want.
"Well, not exactly. But why help humans? Why help heroes?"
"Because I feel like it."
"What a monster-like, splendid reason…"
"Why do you do it?"
Why, as a monster, do you try to stand above humans, mimicking them among their kind?
Gu Seo-ryong gave a monster-like answer to my layered question.
"It’s much more efficient this way. They say women are gatherers, not hunters, right? If I build a proper nest, I won’t even need to hunt—food will overflow."
"Just that?"
Sensing a lie, I pressed further. She smirked and continued.
"There’s more. I want to succeed, be pretty, be admired. I want men to beg me to bear their children. Isn’t that every woman’s dream? If I make my nest magnificent, I can have it all."
"I see."
This time, she sighed sincerely.
"So, you’re really going to keep siding with Starlight? Just because you want to?"
"Mm."
"Then you and I are enemies. I want to kill that girl."
"Any grudge?"
"No? I just want to eat her. She looks delicious. A hero that strong… If I eat her, I’ll become stronger than you."
"If you wanted to eat her that badly, why not monsterize?"
Gu Seo-ryong is a monster.
Monsterization makes you stronger than partial transformation, where you only extract what you need.
But she refused to monsterize to the end.
"I told you, monsterizing makes me ugly. I hate it."
"At least monsterizing would give you a fighting chance."
"Even if I did, that freak wouldn’t take much damage. So I went for psychological warfare. Humans crack under pressure."
"Did she crack?"
"Ugh, no! Damn bitch… If I just killed some humans, her mental state would’ve shattered. It was obvious."
"Would things change if Starlight broke?"
"Hmph, not immediately… But it’d create an opening. Mind control needs slow, steady erosion."
Tsk. She coated her fingertip with venom and licked it.
"My ability, Venom Alchemist, lets me make medicine inside my body—not liquids with any ability I want. It’s tricky. I have to research which mixtures work. To brainwash with mind-control drugs, I need to addict them first. Takes time… Heroes panic and are always screaming, we have to catch her now! No time! She’s manipulating people!—so it’s hard to move."
"I’ve noticed this before, but you talk a lot."
"Oh? So you don’t like it?"
"I can’t sleep when I want to."
"Hehe, you know what? You’re talking a lot too."
"...I suppose."
Now that I thought about it, because we were both test subjects, I spoke more freely than usual.
Admitting I was being unusually talkative, Gu Seo-ryong giggled.
"Well, anyway… Since things turned out like this, I’m going with Plan C."
"The future-seeing ability?"
"No, the third plan—pretend to flee to another city and hide in plain sight. But you know what? Sometimes, you seem kinda dumb. Wanna have a baby with me? A kid with my brains and your strength would be perfect."
"No."
"Really? I’ll settle somewhere in District 4. If you change your mind, come find me. I’ll answer anytime~"
Bzz, bzz. She vibrated her monster core like a whisper. Frowning, I voiced a sudden question.
"Why are you telling me all this? Your weaknesses, your hideout—things you shouldn’t reveal?"
"Huh? Isn’t it obvious? I’m courting you. I’m harmless, I won’t hurt you, so let’s make a baby. That stuff’s important for monsters like us, right? Never know when someone might bite your neck or target your core."
"You told me to wait and see."
"A woman’s revenge is making the man who rejected her regret it. Things like ‘Should’ve had my baby~ She’s so much better than that girl~ Have my baby~ More~’ Seeing you beg would be the ultimate revenge."
"Is that how it works…? I don’t get it."
"You really don’t understand women, do you? Bet you don’t even know why I showed myself to talk to you."
"Why did you talk to me?"
"Heh, what female passes by a male she likes?"
At some point, the children resumed covering me with sand. Crouched on the sand, Gu Seo-ryong spat a long, sticky strand of saliva and began slathering mud on me.
"What kind of poison is this?"
"You think I’d spit poison where kids play? Pure saliva. Just coating you."
"Lady, you spit so much!"
"Do you have a water dispenser in your mouth?"
"Bleh~"
"Ahaha! Gross!"
Gu Seo-ryong gathered another mouthful spit and dumped it on the sand. The children happily smeared the mud on me.
Then, in one smooth motion, she leaped onto the park wall.
"Well, see you later, Deun-deun. Don’t go wagging your tail at other girls."
"Bye, lady~!"
"See you, sis~!"
"Oh my… Bye-bye~♥"
The children waved as Gu Seo-ryong slithered away like a snake, disappearing into the distance.
After she left, Yoo Hyena approached, puzzled.
"Was someone on the wall just now?"
"A snake."
"A—a snake? Oh no! Kids, come here quick!"
"Already gone."
Worried the children might get bitten, Yoo Hyena pulled them close, then paused when she saw me.
"Is it okay to keep lying there? If a villain causes trouble, you have to protect us."
"Doesn’t matter. They won’t come."
"How can you be so sure?"
I vibrated my core, sending out faint waves.
Far away, still in District 4, I sensed Gu Seo-ryong hunting down any villains foolish enough to cause trouble.
Before settling in, cleaning up around the nest is a monster’s instinct.
"They can’t come."
Corpses don’t cause trouble.