Special Entity Report
“……The report is unusual, Director Ugo.”
[Yeah, to encounter another calamity-grade entity so soon after Tortuga—you must have had it rough.]
“No, sir. The Infiltration Core's abilities themselves weren't a threat to me. It's just……that I couldn't save even a few more of the platoon members swept up in it that weighs on my mind.”
[What are you saying? Once they fell into that trap, they were as good as lost. Isn't it thanks to you that the 1st Platoon Inspectorate is still holding together?]
“You're putting me in a difficult position, Director Ugo. You just heard the report. In the end, it was Abyss who saved the platoon members, not me. It was due to that thing's whim.”
[And that only happened because you discovered it, didn't it?]
Butterfly effect. That tiny difference of Carlos spotting Abyss—who knows what influence it had on the creature's whims. That's probably what Director Ugo meant to imply.
But Carlos, having faced Abyss directly, couldn't entertain such optimistic notions.
“Director Ugo.”
[Yes?]
“Cadavers are monsters. They live only to devour, and they never hesitate when it comes to predation.”
[That's right.]
“But Abyss is different. It doesn't act solely for the sake of feeding.”
In the dimly glowing cave, Abyss had looked at him and sneered.
“It observes, assigns its own meaning to things, and moves accordingly. It might be a natural process for a living being, but for a Cadaver, it's utterly unimaginable. There have been intelligent specimens before, even ones that could speak a language, but all of it was just a tool in service of their instinct to devour.”
Cadavers never feel amusement. They are purely dark entities of this world, craving only blood and flesh.
That grinning laugh was a signal that it had transcended the Cadaver species.
Carlos had seen the moment Abyss wiped the smile from its face. The tentacles extending from its back went limp, and the grotesque laughter it had been producing sank into the sagging flesh mask.
Ironically, in that instant, Carlos felt a chill run down his spine. His antibodies, which killed only the P.V. virus, reacted for the first time with something akin to a warning.
[……I know what you're getting at. Yes, it's dangerous. Especially because it doesn't fixate solely on predation, making it unpredictable—that's the most terrifying part. So tell me, what do you think its true nature is?]
“Have you heard the rumors that Dr. Licht created an Overlord?”
[Of course. But I never thought you'd believe such absurd rumors.]
“Naturally, I don't believe baseless rumors either. But……Abyss is truly peculiar. It's appeared three times so far, and all three incidents happened right in front of 1st Platoon. I don't think that's coincidence.”
[They say three times makes a pattern.]
“Yes. There must be clear intent behind it. In my view, that intent……might have been a kind of test.”
[A test?]
“The Guardian Project—you know of it, Director Ugo.”
[Of course I do. Don't tell me you're suggesting……that everything that's happened so far was the doctor's experiment?]
“Controlled Cadavers with activation indices exceeding the average. Who else but the doctor could make that possible? Moreover, we've already witnessed such a case.”
[The parasitic Cadaver……]
“Exactly. I admit my claim is a leap. I've skipped over all the circumstances to reach a conclusion. But paradoxically, there's only one person who can explain all of this.”
[……I can't accept that easily. But I can't ignore it either. Very well, keep meticulous records of Abyss's movements from now on. That concludes today's briefing.]
“Understood, sir.”
Director Ugo left the meeting room with a furrowed brow and a grave expression.
Carlos still stared at the computer screen.
The screen had gone dark by now. But Carlos's gaze remained fixed in space, unmoving. He sank into deep contemplation, maintaining his silence.
In the end, the mission had left only questions unanswered.
Abyss had whimsically saved everyone out of nowhere, leaving him powerless, able only to suck on his thumb in front of it.
What, then, was Abyss's true identity?
He had confirmed its death before and spent a week searching for any trace, haunted by unease.
But it was as if it had been erased from the world—no sign of it anywhere.
If it had gone beyond the surveillance net encircling the Sector, it should have been detected.
That left the possibility it had formed inside. Yet no traces were found within the net either.
Though a corner of his mind remained uneasy, he had no choice but to conclude Abyss was dead.
But Abyss had reappeared. With that creepy, giggling expression, no less.
The sight of it collapsing dead before his eyes had been nothing more than a 'show' to it. It must have hidden its body and watched him with that smug face, mocking him.
Now Carlos considered another possibility. If not outside, nor further out, only one place remained.
'It's staying inside the Sector.'
It might be holed up in Dr. Licht's lab. Or disguised as a human, constantly observing him.
'Someone close by……'
Suddenly, a certain girl came to mind.
A small, fragile body. An emotionless face that betrayed nothing. The only time that expression cracked was when he drew near.
He could see her struggling not to react.
But he had witnessed it multiple times: her lips twitching, the corners of her eyes trembling at each of his words.
'No, it can't be.'
Nera's build was vaguely similar to Abyss's, which made him think of her for a moment, but fundamentally, they were different.
The only similarity was their unpredictability. Abyss carried a sinister undercurrent of emotion, while Nera never showed any at all. If Abyss moved purely for amusement, Nera only deviated within fixed rules.
This delusion was the real leap—a ridiculous speculation that skipped process and conclusion alike.
Carlos pressed his hand to his forehead. The slap of flesh echoed loudly in the room. A stinging sensation bloomed on his brow—perfect intensity to snap him back to reality.
……'Hungry.'
It was a hazy thought in its foggy mind.
'Hungry. Hungry. Hungry.'
Hunger alone dominated its consciousness.
Following the scent of blood wafting through the air, it simply moved its body.
A sluggish motion like a snail's antennae. It had formed a shape, but it was hardly worthy of being called a living form—just a grotesquely mashed lump of flesh.
Moving alone consumed blood. A long trail of gore marked its path.
Along with a scrap of intelligence, its last remaining memory was of white frost.
Devouring virus grants power. It was an immutable truth for all Cadavers.
But that bullet was different. It had definitely carried a sweet, enticing aroma—condensed ultimate delicacy within.
It had been hit. And assimilated.
The frost crept up its tentacles. Every cell screamed in agony.
Death. Can't eat. Being eaten.
Terror it felt for the first time since mutation.
To survive, it buried its body core deep underground. It discarded everything sustaining its flesh, clinging desperately to life.
Thus, it survived. But that was the end.
With the faint remnants of mutation power, it desperately gathered its scattered flesh. It sacrificed all sensory organs, forging new ones solely to track scents and signals.
After that, it moved ceaselessly.
Following blood scents, scavenging flesh left after fierce battles. That alone was its sole sustenance.
It desperately avoided signals from other entities, now only faintly perceptible.
A miraculous feat. No matter how sluggishly it moved, any other entity detecting it would have devoured it effortlessly.
But it survived.
And then an even greater miracle arrived.
'Meat. Meat. Meat. Meat. Meat. Meat.'
An odd place.
A space brimming with flesh masses far larger than itself, yet met with no resistance. The signals emanating were suspiciously faint. It had mistaken them for those of already-dead entities.
That wasn't important.
What mattered was finding food in overflowing abundance.
Here, it could reclaim its lost body. No—evolve even further.
It knew instinctively.
Chewing and swallowing flesh, it swelled its body. For more efficient predation, it forged sharp teeth.
It recreated limbs reminiscent of before.
Finally, even the form from its final memory.
But something was off.
It had become a monster, yet this wasn't its true form. These massive, twisted limbs didn't suit it—that vague sense lingered.
'One more……'
Its memories held another meat.
Besides the unpleasant frost meat, there was another.
That meat had been frail. Yet the scent leaking from its wounds was far more alluring than the frost meat.
Yes. That meat.
It wanted to eat it. But then, the other frost meat had blocked the way.
The memory sharpened.
Yet no anger stirred.
Must cut through the frost meat. Only by clearing it could it devour that bright red meat.
That thought became truth. A goal, deeply etched into its hazy mind.
Its form began to change slowly.
Black hair. Red eyes. Tiny stature.
The form of the meat it must never forget.
-Zzzt!
A sharp signal pierced it.
The heart of the flesh-covered city.
Instinct drew it toward the center. The other massive meats no longer held its interest.
A massive hole gaped at the center. But its gaze was caught elsewhere.
'Here……'
A mountain of enormous meat piled beside the huge hole.
A signal emanated from within.
It forged sharp claws. Raised its arm, digging in without hesitation.
Tentacles sprouted from surrounding flesh to impede it, but it was feeble resistance. Such slow interference couldn't halt it.
Finally, a massive core emerged from the meat mountain.
Yellow, blue, green, red—flesh mingled in vivid chaos.
It opened its maw wide.
And bit into the core.
-Kieeeek!
A scream erupted.
But it didn't stop.
Chewing, tearing, crushing—it devoured the core to the end.