One Step Closer to Becoming a Dog
The sound of landing gear echoed as the transport ship in the lead opened its ramp. A red-haired woman stepped out, sprinting toward us.
Scarlet.
The once-boisterous, loud-mouthed Scarlet was gone.
She ran at me with the face of someone ready to burst into tears, hugging me tight the moment she reached me.
“Ugh!”
My body rocked from the unexpected weight, pushed back a step.
“You… you really…!”
Scarlet couldn’t finish her sentence, her shoulders trembling.
I felt every shiver running through her slender frame.
“Why are you like this?”
“Why would I know?!”
“Oh ho, is this a lovers’ quarrel?”
Nyx’s lips curled in amusement as she let out a light chuckle.
Her gaze landed straight on me, crude and unashamed.
I ignored her stare and tried to comfort Scarlet.
“Scarlet, calm down. Look at me—I’m not hurt that badly… at least nothing serious. I got banged up a little, that’s all.”
“A little? Let me look at your damn mecha! And your face is a bloody mess! How much have I worried?!”
She lifted her head to meet my eyes.
I forced a smile and tried to change the subject.
“By the way, why send only one transport ship? This is a little much, isn’t it?”
Her anger flared at my flippant question; she swung her fist into my chest with real force.
Boom!
The punch packed a punch.
“Oh ho, a lovers’ spat?”
Nyx still grinning, crossed her arms and sneered.
That woman was clearly enjoying herself.
Scarlet didn’t even hear Nyx’s words; she kept going, voice cracking.
“Your voice… it sounded like you were on the verge of death! I thought I wouldn’t make it in time on my own, so I contacted Kaien.”
As she spoke, Kaien stepped out from the second transport ship and gave us a casual wave.
I nodded back in thanks.
“If it weren’t for Kaien, I wouldn’t even have dreamed of all these mechanics and transport ships. Anyway… I’m just so glad you’re safe.”
Scarlet buried her face in my chest again and let out a shaky sob.
I stood frozen, unsure what to do, when Nyx jabbed her elbow into my side.
“Pat her back or something, what are you doing?”
I awkwardly patted Scarlet’s back a few times.
Her tremors slowly eased.
A moment later, she pulled back just enough to glare at me.
“So, what exactly have you been doing? You weren’t supposed to go to Valentine, were you? Explain properly.”
Her voice still carried worry and suspicion.
If I told the truth, she’d bombard me with nonstop scolding.
“Damn idiot, don’t you know your own life is precious?!” followed by a torrent of foul language.
“I- I’m dying! Scarlet, my whole body hurts so much, I think I’m about to die! My head feels like it’s cracking, I can’t breathe… ugh…”
I twisted my face into the most pitiful expression possible and started moaning dramatically.
My shameless act worked; Scarlet’s eyes widened in panic.
The doubt vanished from her face, replaced by fresh worry.
“W-what? J-Jinwoo, are you okay? G-get the medical team! Now! The patient’s condition isn’t good!”
Her urgent cry sent the waiting medics running in an instant. They loaded me onto the stretcher and rushed me into the nearest transport ship.
Even as we moved, I felt Nyx’s incredulous stare, but I closed my eyes and pretended not to notice.
‘Speaking of which… the skill enhancement token. I completely forgot about it.’
Lying on the makeshift bed inside the transport ship, I opened my inventory and checked the reward from moments ago.
A shimmering icon caught my eye.
[Skill Enhancement Token x1]
Description: Choose one skill you currently possess and permanently enhance its effect.
‘Skill enhancement… I wonder how it’ll work.’
Full of anticipation, I selected the token without hesitation.
[Available Skills for Enhancement]
[Kinetic Flow]
Additional effect on enhancement:
Optimizes mecha energy flow to minimize reactor load.
Drives energy efficiency to its absolute limit during explosive maneuvers.
[Data Ghost]
Additional effect on enhancement:
Enables deep analysis and modification of extracted data.
Grants permanent deletion authority under specific conditions.
“Hoo…”
At first, the Kinetic Flow enhancement stood out.
Minimizing reactor load and boosting energy efficiency—clearly a core upgrade for operating the machine.
But the second effect of Data Ghost soon grabbed my attention even more.
‘Permanently delete?’
Beyond simple extraction and analysis, it could outright erase data. That sounded stronger than any strategic advantage.
Of course, the “under specific conditions” clause bothered me, but erasing an enemy’s vital data, my own unfavorable logs, or even their existence itself could be an ultimate weapon.
For example, I could wipe every trace of my actions here today and cut off Nesis’s pursuit at the root.
There was no reason to hesitate.
[Enhance Data Ghost skill?]
“Yeah.”
I confirmed without a second thought.
[Data Ghost skill enhanced successfully!]
[Special conditions met!]
Condition 1: All hostile forces’ core power within the area eliminated.
Condition 2: All key cooperating individuals within the area confirmed alive.
[Do you wish to permanently delete all activity data within the area?]
‘Is it really this simple?’
One click and I could erase every trace I left, even the events that happened here.
This was absurdly convenient and powerful.
But I needed to understand the conditions perfectly to use it effectively later.
‘Eliminate core power of hostile forces in the area… that would include the Nesis special mechs I just destroyed. And confirm key cooperating individuals alive?’
Nyx? Or the mercenaries including Detch?
Given how they’d snarled at me until just now, but were likely to be entangled somehow in the future, Nyx’s survival fit the bill.
Her combat prowess and information value made her more than worthy of being a key figure.
‘Conditions… wipe out the hostile forces in the area and save the important people.’
I thought it through quickly and nodded once more.
“Yeah.”
[All recorded data within the area will be permanently deleted.]
******
Nyx stared at the overwhelming support forces arrayed before her, feeling more unreal than a dream.
Detch and the remaining mercenaries followed Scarlet’s side’s instructions, carrying the wounded and moving busily.
“…What the hell is going on…”
Kang Jinwoo. Who the hell was this guy? He had no idea what to make of him.
His forces were way beyond what a free mercenary should command.
Then, a figure approached Nyx.
“I never thought the new mercenary leader was a woman. Not bad.”
Bright blonde hair reaching her shoulders and a black eyepatch over her right eye—the striking woman was Kaien.
She scanned Nyx top to bottom with curious eyes.
Nyx frowned at the blatant stare and stared her down.
Her first impression wasn’t pleasant. No, it was downright unpleasant.
“Mind your own business, old lady.”
Nyx snapped rudely and turned toward the nearest transport ship.
In this chaotic situation, she had zero desire to chat nonsense with a stranger.
Even with Nyx’s impolite attitude, Kaien didn’t blink.
A faint smile even lifted the corner of her mouth.
“I haven’t heard someone speak to me that way in a long time. It’s refreshing.”
“I was only cooperating with Kang Jinwoo. The guy inside there. As soon as I board this transport, that cooperation ends. If you want to say I owe you or anything, get lost right now.”
Nyx growled low, warning.
“Pretty sharp. Just like a real Nyx Lieutenant.”
Kaien whispered softly.
Nyx’s steps halted abruptly.
Her whole body went ice-cold, visible from a distance.
Slowly, very slowly, Nyx turned her head. Her gaze was far more lethal than before.
“…How do you know me?”
In a flash, Nyx closed the distance and grabbed Kaien’s collar roughly.
A vein bulged on her hand’s back.
But Kaien showed no panic. Instead, she met Nyx’s eyes steadily, almost amused, and continued.
“Still got that temper, huh? Or did it get worse after… that incident? After all, the shining Union Regular Army ace lost everything in a day and ended up here in some backwater… makes sense.”
“You… who are you? Regular army intelligence is top secret…”
Nyx’s eyes widened in shock; she instinctively released Kaien’s collar and took an involuntary step back.
Instinctive fear prickled her skin.
“Curious about my identity, Lieutenant Nyx?”
The faint smile on Kaien’s lips deepened.
She spoke to Nyx with the gentle yet firm tone one uses for a longtime friend or a lost child.
“Of course I’m curious. You could be a spy leaking information to the outside.”
Nyx raised her hand to the knife handle at her waist and glared sharply at Kaien.
She looked ready to draw at any moment.
Ignoring Nyx’s vigilance, Kaien waved her hand at her own soldiers crowding around, signaling everything was fine.
“What matters isn’t who I am, Nyx. It’s how much I know about you—and how deeply.”
Kaien’s calm voice sliced through the air.
“For example, the real reason the Union army was dismantled so easily. How you were framed and fled, and what you’re really doing as leader of some third-rate mercenary band in this backwater…”
“How could you possibly know anything about me?! Stop spouting nonsense like you do!”
Nyx’s shout trembled with denial.
Her defensive mechanisms were working overtime.
“I’m guiding lost sheep back to the right path. Sometimes I give new chances to those poor souls trapped by ghosts of the past.”
Kaien stepped one pace closer to Nyx.
Her movement carried no intimidation, yet Nyx couldn’t retreat.
“Lieutenant Nyx, seeing a talent like you rotting away nameless in a place like this pains me deeply.”
“…What do you want to say?”
Nyx swallowed hard and asked.
“It’s simple. Let’s work together.”
“With what? A woman who knows classified information no one else should?”
Nyx let out a disbelieving laugh.
“What makes you think I’d trust you?”
“If you don’t like it, say so. I have no intention of forcing it. The choice is always yours.”
Kaien shrugged casually.
Nyx stared at Kaien for a moment, then spoke.
“Fine. I’ll set one condition.”
“What?”
Kaien looked at her curiously.
“Fight me one-on-one. Hand-to-hand.”
“Eh?”
Kaien let out a short, mocking laugh.
“Suddenly? Tell me why I should.”
“If I lose, I’ll become your dog. No arguments.”
Nyx’s eyes burned with intensity.
“Hoo.”
One of Kaien’s eyebrows twitched, and the corner of her mouth lifted slightly.
“Instead, if I win, I’ll explain everything—the real reason the Union Regular Army was dismantled, why I had to take all those false accusations, everything you want to know.”
Kaien gave a self-deprecating smile.
“Hmm, that’s a condition with no reason for me to accept…”
She fell silent for a moment, then darted her tongue out and licked her lips.
At that instant, her atmosphere shifted subtly.
“Becoming a dog if I lose… hehe, that sounds interesting. I like it. I accept the condition.”
From Kaien’s perspective, she had nothing to risk by accepting the fight, yet Nyx’s audacity and gaze stirred the long-dormant competitive instinct in her heart.
The first to notice the change was one of Kaien’s soldiers.
He gazed at Kaien with eyes mixing fear and awe and muttered softly.
“Kaien-nim sticking her tongue out really pisses her off…”