Job Hunting
Entity Name: King of Flies
Management Rank:Defect (Albedo) (Danger Level 2)
Affinity: Neutral
Current Status: Missing
This entity was previously recorded as isolated in the ■■ Lab. Following an attack by the Cult of the High Sea, numerous entities within the lab were released. However, the 'King of Flies' did not leave the premises and remained inside the lab. This is presumed to be due to its habit of feeding on corpses, as the lab interior contained a large number of bodies.
Immediately after the incident, a special team was formed to re-isolate or eliminate the released entities. The 'King of Flies' was classified as the lowest priority due to its low danger level and the unlikelihood of it moving outward as long as corpses were present. As a result, no dedicated personnel were initially deployed.
Later, when support units joined, isolation measures for this entity were planned. Contrary to expectations, however, the 'King of Flies' had already escaped the lab exterior. On-site investigation revealed new footprints inside the lab, leading to the presumption that someone had transported and captured the entity. The special team immediately attempted pursuit, but heavy rain erased the tracks, resulting in failure.
Subsequently, the individual who took the entity was temporarily designated 'MS-001,' and the formation of a dedicated team to search for 'MS-001' was decided.
File 001. [Defect] "King of Flies" ( Complete)
◇ 1st Codex Reward achieved: 1/2
Such a message appeared before my eyes. It was a system I'd never seen while playing this monster game. That meant it wasn't part of the game's internal system—it had to be an add-on feature from the mod itself.
I recalled the time I'd installed the Cute Girl Mod.
(Incomplete) Cute Girl Mod
- This mod is incomplete.
- You will play as a cute girl protagonist.
- Other cute girl characters must be applied manually.
- Additional collection elements are included.
"...Now that I think about it, there wasn't a single lie in the description."
I regretted not reading the mod details more carefully, since I hadn't expected to get possessed by it. So this codex must be one of those collection elements. You register monsters you encounter, and based on your codex progress, you get rewards? That seemed to be the structure.
I tapped the section labeled 'File 001.'
[Defect] King of Flies ( Complete)
- This entity is fullyed.
- You can summon this entity at any time.
- Name it to bind it to you.
- Through bonds with the entity, you can borrow its power and unlock its potential.
"...Bonds?"
What was this, some dating sim? I was dumbfounded. meant that kind of? Anyway, several lines caught my eye, but 'Name it to bind it' stood out the most.
Come to think of it, that wasn't so strange. In yokai and ghost stories, names held immense power. Giving a yokai a name fixed its form, nature, and identity. Names served as mediums for observation, binding, and control. But it worked both ways—revealing your name to a monster was dangerous.
"A name... a name, huh..."
A quick wiki search showed there was a Korean surname 'Po.' Apparently, only a few dozen people in Korea had it. I'd never met one in over twenty years of living. Though there was that famous cute girl from a wuxia game with the surname Po.
Anyway, I gave her a name.
"Poari."
"?"
"From now on, your name is Poari."
Fitting for something born from flies, easy to remember. The message updated slightly.
File 001. [Defect] "King of Flies" Poari ( Complete)
◇ Next Codex Reward: 1/2 achieved
"...Even the codex registered her name."
It didn't sit right with me. It felt like I'd picked up a stray alley cat and accidentally become its official owner. I'd never once wanted a pet.
'This goes beyond just bringing home a stray cat...'
Where in the world was there a cat taller than me...?
It was like adopting and raising a whole person. Even I thought it sounded ridiculous. And this one was a monster inside a pretty face, no less.
But there was no helping it.
'The King of Flies... was one of the Foundation's monsters, right?'
This monster game world had four major factions: the Foundation, the Special Task Force, the cults, and the deep web. (Though the deep web barely qualified as a faction.) Those were the core powers managing monsters. The Abandoned Lab was likely a Foundation subsidiary.
Foundation agents were probably out hunting escapees right now. They'd left the King of Flies alone due to limited manpower, but now that she'd wandered out... they might be looking for her.
At this point, it was best to hide her completely. If things went wrong, I could get dragged in too.
'They might mistake me for a monster...'
'The monster that turns monsters into cute girls.' They could misunderstand it that way. I might end up locked in a lab, poked and prodded for life.
So, hide the Cute Girl Mod's power for now, and keep Poari with me awhile longer.
"Hungry. Feed me."
...And I regretted it after just one day.
First off, she ate well. Too well. My own finances were shaky enough without covering her food bill too—my head was already heating up thinking about it.
Next, she hated baths.
"...Soap water bad."
She already reeked of rotting corpses, and after camping out, the stench was no joke. Yet she refused to wash. True to her fly nature, she despised soap water. Bathing her was a nightmare.
It felt like raising a talking cat bigger than me. Especially since only her face was cute.
If she weren't cute, she'd be dead already—just like with real cats. Poari was the same.
'...She's useless.'
Could she clean? Cook? Do laundry? Take out trash? She was a beast in girl skin. All she did was drain my wallet—no help whatsoever.
Well, there was one useful thing.
"Hello. I came to check something. You signed the lease as a single occupant, but it seems there's someone else living here now."
...The landlord showed up.
Turns out, this rundown villa wasn't even mine. It was a jeonse lease on someone else's place.
"Oh, uh... My little sister came to visit..."
"Little sister...?"
The landlord eyed me like, You're the little sister? ...Ouch, that hurt.
I'm the one feeding and housing her, you know?
"Is she really your sister?"
"Y-Yes... She's just staying temporarily. Right...?"
"......"
Poari glanced at the landlord, then reached out. A tiny fly buzzed in from somewhere and stuck to the landlord's face with a plop.
"Oh, right, you did mention a sister. You don't look much alike, but there's a vague resemblance?"
"...Pardon?"
"If she's your blood sister, no problem then."
The fly had barely touched him before he left like nothing happened.
Come to think of it, the King of Flies could control flies to lower human perception. Even as a human, she seemed to retain some of that power.
"Good job?"
"...Good job."
She was beast-like, but sharp enough. She'd noticed my distress and used her power on purpose.
Hmm... If I used this right, she might actually be useful.
'...Nah. Let's just live normally.'
I considered using Poari to make money but dropped it. Misusing monster powers could tip off the Foundation or other factions.
"Anyway..."
Her food bill was becoming unmanageable. Time to get a real job.
I checked various part-time gigs, but kept getting rejected.
"Are you a student? You look so young..."
"I'm an adult..."
"W-Well, our restaurant is busy. Lots of work—do you have stamina?"
"......"
No, I don't...
My height was the issue. Even convenience store jobs turned me down, saying it looked bad to leave a minor in charge...
...Youthful looks really screw you over sometimes.
"Poari."
"?"
"...Never mind."
I wanted to say earn your own keep, but what could this socially inept beast do?
Poari's life was monotonous: Sleep. Wake. Breakfast. TV. Lunch. TV. Dinner. TV. Sleep. Repeat.
If I thought of her as a pet instead of a roommate, she might be top-tier. She used the bathroom herself, never scratched walls, ate anything...
...As long as I covered food, she was tolerable.
'Maybe make her unload cargo.'
She seemed to recognize her feeder and obeyed well. Heavy labor might earn some cash?
But then I remembered: ex-monster Poari had no ID. Illegal immigrant status.
She probably couldn't earn anyway, and jobs were impossible without papers.
"Argh... So how the hell am I supposed to survive...?"
Flat broke and no gigs. Dying here.
'...If worst comes to worst, tangle with monsters.'
This was the monster game world—dealing with them paid well.
...If you survived.
Not yet. Better prepare first.
My last resort:
"Panel discussion gigs."
These were exactly what they sounded like: get paid to attend discussions. Like this:
[20-30s Women]: Cosmetics Evaluation Panel
[30-50s Housewives]: Frying Pan Buyer Interview
[20-30s Men]: FPS Game Discussion
Basically, companies gather people pre-launch to collect data. Best cost-performance: 2 hours for 50-100k won.
But not sustainable—just day labor. From experience, apply to five, maybe land one. Can't live off it forever.
'Still, better than nothing...'
No rejections for looking young here. 100k could buy time for the next gig.
With a sigh, I applied to a few.
Age/Gender Open: Food Tasting Evaluation Panel Participants Wanted / Compensation: 666,000 won
"......Huh?"
I blinked. Nearly 700k won for tasting? Not even live acting. No way...
Despite the suspicion, I clicked.
1. Name & Contact
[Mayuri. 010-XXXX-XXXX]
2. Age & Gender
[20s Female]
3. Residence
[Seoul]
4. Most Recent Food Eaten?
[Fried Rice]
5. Preferred Foods?
[Pork Bone Soup]
6. Common Delivery Orders (Details)?
[Charcoal Grilled Chicken (Any Brand)]
7. Favorite Ingredients?
[Pork, Chicken]
8. Eaten Rare/Special Meats?
[Rat, City Pigeon, Imported Primate, Bat, Deer]
9. Eaten Human Meat?
[Never tried, but I'd like to once]
10. Best Way to Cook Human Meat?
[Low heat so the blood doesn't dry out]
11. Tastiest Human Meat Part?
[Thigh, Liver, Tongue]
12. Willing to Be Used as Ingredient?
I realized midway I'd messed up by lying. Backspace 'None,' re-enter truth: rat, pigeon, primate, bat, deer. Vague memories, but I'd tasted them. A gamey aftertaste lingered down my throat.
9. Human meat? I meant to say no, but laughed first. Something tore in my head?
Smirking, I typed: Never tried, but I'd like to once.
10. Best cooking? Low heat so the blood doesn't dry out.
My mouth warmed. The PC's hum flipped to sizzling fat.
11. Tastiest part? Pulse in my wrist synced with keystrokes. Thigh, liver, tongue.
Thigh: thick, springy chew—liver: melts but oily on the tongue— Thoughts raced ahead.
Saliva pooled, rolled like rice grains. Air thickened stickily. Elbows stuck to desk, fingers trembled, eyes heated. Cursor blinked with my pulse. Blink, blink...
Drool escaped unwittingly.
Last question:
12. Willing to be ingredient?
Not a bad deal.