Chapter 17: Two Busty Ladies and Forming the Survivor Party

Lael shook the water off her wings.

'Should I head toward where I heard Lee Shin's voice?'

Click.

The moment she took a step, a Containment Special Task Force member popped out from around the corner, rifle at the ready.

"SIN-077! Halt!"

"Hm?"

They'd already come looking for her from the Management Bureau? Pretty competent, huh?

Well, she hadn't meant to, but she'd escaped her containment cell. They might've classified it as a containment failure.

Still, trying to subdue her with just one gun? Hilarious.

"Fine. I'll cooperate. Take me back to the Management Bureau."

"SIN-077? I said halt. Don't come any closer."

"...Hey. I'm saying I'll cooperate. But you're just barking orders."

Starting to piss her off a little.

As Lael showed her irritation, the task force member yelled aggressively.

"I said—"

"Shut it!"

Eek!

Lael carefully adjusted her strength and flicked his helmet with a knuckle rap.

"Urk."

Trained or not, he was just a regular human without any anomaly.

The gap with Lael, a born Beta-class entity, was too vast.

"Why are kids these days so damn noisy? My ears hurt."

Anyway.

If her guess was right, this was the Backrooms. A gap between worlds.

Didn't entities—fungal colonies—live here?

Leave this guy knocked out, and an entity would sniff him out quick. He'd die.

"...Ugh. What a pain."

Lael reluctantly twirled her finger.

Blood extracted from thin air twisted into a spherical net.

She stuffed the unconscious task force member inside and floated it upward.

'This should keep him from getting eaten. I left it openable from inside... and there's a pool right below, so even if he falls, he'll be fine.'

She could've just killed him or drained his blood and ditched him, but that felt wrong.

The humanity of the top 1% of anomalies.

Yet the Management Bureau obsessively fixated on containing her.

'...Well, if ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she can't drink blood, it's a big problem.'

How many hours left? Eight?

If she didn't get enough blood in that time, a wide-area miracle disaster would hit. An entire small country—its whole population—would die at once.

Yeah, she didn't want that.

In this situation, only one way to prevent a containment breach.

Meet Lee Shin and drink his blood.

"Um, excuse me..."

"Hm?"

A frail voice came from above.

Looking up, a black-haired, red-eyed woman averted her gaze, trembling in fear.

"C-Could you let me down, please...?"

"..."

Who was this again?

One of the assistant researchers?

How the hell did she end up stuck at the top of a water slide?

'...Hm.'

Lael spread her wings.

***

H-How did I no-clip!? I was just heading home!

Yoo Seoa recalled the no-clip moment again.

No warning at all. Slipped into the Backrooms smooth as if someone planned it.

'Trying to cause a containment breach?'

And the spot? Top of a stairless water slide.

Just dive into the pool, right?

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Over 11 meters high—way too scary for a natural scaredy-cat like Yoo Seoa.

Luckily, someone passing by helped, but it was SIN-077.

"Aww. Thirsty."

"W-Water!?"

"What? No, water's useless. And why the formal talk?"

"S-Sorry if it's weird... Eek!!"

Scary!

Why a Beta-class of all things!?

Why help me? Planning to carry me like a blood pouch snack and drain me later?

Shivering.

Powerless normal human Yoo Seoa jumped every time Lael met her eyes.

"Hey."

"Y-Yes! Yesyesyes!! ...Please don't kill me."

"You gonna keep that up? Sorry, but it's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠getting annoying."

Sh-She's the one who massacred hundreds of thousands! Pissed for some reason!

'Miss Oppa so much...'

At her obvious fear, Lael finally sighed.

"...Sigh. You. What's your name?"

Sudden introductions? Names food too?

She blurted it out.

"Y-Yoo Seoa."

"Nice to meet ya. Lael."

Lael's expression softened a bit. First time in nearly a decade hearing someone's name.

In short, Lael took a liking to Yoo Seoa.

First impression score: 80 points.

'Hweh?'

Yoo Seoa, clueless, sniffled.

After walking about ten minutes, they ran into familiar faces.

"...Huh? Oppa!"

"Prey spotted."

Lee Shin, in his orange jumpsuit, posed victoriously with his dagger.

A few entities lay scattered around.

"Pukjjik-i! Three more kills on the count!"

Who’s he talking to? Head hurt?

Unfamiliar with Lee Shin's antics, Lael narrowed her eyes.

"...! ...!!"

The dagger hummed and vibrated.

Then she realized something was possessing it.

Lael had lived thousands of years. At that age, she could sense presences even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠invisible.

Ewww... Hate fungi... D-Don't stuff me in holes!!

Manners-less Azazel thrashed wildly inside the dagger!

"Pfft."

Lael covered her mouth and giggled.

Fun situation—no need to tell Lee Shin. Yoo Seoa looked confused too.

"Why're you laughing...?"

"Nah. Let's go say hi to that hot guy."

"Huh? Oh, Oppa."

Oppa?

A shadow crossed Lael's face.

"You know him?"

"Yeah. Friends since kids."

".........Hm."

Something irked her.

First impression score: 80 (-30 points).

After twists and turns, the Backrooms squad formed: one guy, two girls, one dagger.

***

Whoa!

I spun the dagger a few times and sheathed it.

Dizzyyy...

Pukjjik-i silenced.

Time to greet these two suspiciously busty women.

"Lee Shin. Found you."

"O-Oppa! You okay? Hurt anywhere?"

Lael smiled seductively like last time.

Seoa's... sleeveless shirt soaked through, everything visible.

"Seoa. Aren't you cold?"

"Huh? Uh... Kinda chilly, maybe."

Hinted, but she didn't get it.

Yoo Seoa glanced at her upper body, tilted her head.

"Hm?"

It's totally see-through right now.

Pink bra plain as day.

No matter how I think, Seoa has zero awareness of her killer body.

Finally, Lael grabbed her.

"You. Flaunting it on purpose?"

"Huh? Me? W-What!?"

"...Just wear this."

Whoosh.

Lael flicked her finger; a red cloak from blood scraps appeared.

"Whoa. How'd you do that?"

"My power. Made it from blood..."

"Th-That's the setting! Right, Lael!!"

Seoa desperately cut her off.

The two whispered so I couldn't hear. After a minute, Lael burst out laughing.

"This is fun. Okay, I'll play along. Lee Shin, as you see, my... setting is blood manipulation!"

"Old cliché."

But clichés work because they do.

Bought the setting.

Anyway, goal of this Backrooms attraction is escape, but no clear way out.

Maybe Seoa, playing Management Bureau staff, knows something?

"Seoa. How do we get out?"

"Huh? Uh, I'm not Phenomenology, so I don't know glitches well... Ah!"

Yoo Seoa clapped.

"The Management Bureau will rescue us! You're Delta-class, Lael's Beta-plus!"

"Aha. Re-containing escapees."

"Yeah! So just wait here—higher-ups will figure it out!"

Solid logic.

And super passive!

I patted Seoa gently.

"Good idea, but it's all just setting, right?"

"Huh? Uh... Yeah... setting...?"

Got a better idea.

This is an attraction. Exists to entertain guests like me with fun and dopamine.

So, claim my own REWARD?

I drew Pukjjik-i, pointed to a Backrooms corner. Narrow path between cliffs, dangerously thin.

Beyond: blackened space.

Fungus blanketed walls and ceiling, writhing alive. Black blobs plopped to the floor; entities stirred in cocoons.

Entity nest, looks like.

"Let's go. Time to slaughter."

I said casually; the women stiffened.

"Oppa, please. That looks insanely dangerous."

"You're way crazier than I thought. Yoo Seoa, forget settings—this is all real..."

"N-No! Council orders!"

Convincing acting! +35 points!!

Pleaseee... Stop alreadyyy...

Ego sword Pukjjik-i method acting too.

'Management Bureau anomaly attraction is the best!!!'

I know full well. With Seoa's klutz bod, even wrestling entity puppets would be tough.

So she cheers from back; I do the slashing.

Wait. Lael has blood manipulation setting too?'

This attraction keeps settings tight, whatever tech.

She'd fight well?

Easily convinced Lael.

"Lael. Join up. Best fight of our lives, you and me."

"Crazy? Why would I."

"Let you suck blood."

"Lead on."

Persuasion roll: critical success.

EASY!

Now infinite fun till Management Bureau rescue!!

***

Site-277, Command Center.

The usually calm Site Overseer looked flustered.

"We pinpointed coordinates. Reality Piercer will crack the Backrooms soon."

"Yes, sir."

"Then why's he rampaging?"

"Overseer. Don't expect common sense from 998."

Tatiana muttered with deadpan eyes.

Screen showed Azazel's view, shaky like handheld horror flick from dagger possession.

"Whoa. Like watching found footage horror. So immersive."

"Senior Ju Eunseong. Joking now?"

"Fits him. That's my friend."

"Enough. If 998 dies, or Yoo Seoa—if they die in front of us, you'll joke then?"

Tatiana got serious.

Watching people die live—what does this jerk know?

But Ju Eunseong said confidently.

"Die? Lee Shin? Chief, I guarantee. He'll come back fine. Bring the others alive too."

Basis?

Before asking, Tatiana subconsciously agreed.

SIN-998 .

Thinks it's all an attraction, but anomaly danger unchanged.

Yet Lee Shin unscathed.

Not just survived—beat anomalies from start. Delta to Gamma .

Hand-to-hand rivaling Pentagon Head.

Always chill mentality.

Kindness cradling kids.

'...Like Father's prime.'

Tatiana swallowed high praise inwardly.

So, pray 998 returns.

Then screen filled with black blobs. Lee Shin crossed cliff path into entity nest.

But Tatiana didn't know.

Not just site staff watching.

Unknown office.

Red-haired woman sipped tea. Anti-aging halted her at mid-20s.

Actual age: top secret.

"Director. I expect great things. How far can you go?"

Anomalies, hostile groups, heretic cults lurking behind.

Put Director at forefront of shadow war.

All for humanity.

Yeah, time to meet him personally.

"You're already in our—my—plans."

Council Chairwoman propped her chin, smirking.

Survive this, grant him unprecedented perks.