Chapter 2

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 2

Chapter Title: A Dangerous Guest

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It was the sound of something crashing.

I forgot all about crying and instinctively curled up.

"Wh-what...?"

The noise had come from the entrance. A burglar? Or had the loan sharks finally come knocking?

But if it were the loan sharks, they wouldn't bash the door like this—they'd politely ring the bell first and then start with the threats.

Silence fell.

Clouds had started gathering on my way home from work, and now only the sound of heavy rain poured down outside.

With trembling hands, I grabbed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a baseball bat. A dented aluminum one I'd picked up from the dump.

Wh-who's there...?

No answer.

Instead, a fishy stench seeped in through the door crack, mingled with the rain.

This was a familiar smell. The monster blood I'd been steeped in all day.

Creaaaaak—

I cautiously opened the front door.

The old iron door screeched open like a scream.

And I froze, breath caught in my throat.

"Huh..."

My jaw dropped.

There, sprawled at the bottom of the narrow, filthy stairs leading to the semi-basement entrance.

Something utterly unreal lay there.

A person? No, far too massive for that.

The dim sensor light flickered, illuminating her (if you could call it that).

The first thing that caught my eye was the color.

Black hair that seemed to swallow all the world's light, soaked and splayed across the floor.

Peeking through those strands, skin so pale it glowed an icy blue—like it had been carved from ice, inhuman flesh.

She lay prone, heaving ragged breaths.

Bloodied.

A gruesome hole pierced her abdomen, oozing not red but fluorescent purple blood.

"Urgh... grrr..."

A pained groan escaped her.

She slowly lifted her head.

Our eyes met.

My heart felt like it stopped.

Not human eyes.

Golden pupils slit vertically.

Mysterious irises that glowed on their own in the darkness.

Beautiful.

That was my first thought, even before the fear.

A colossal frame nearly two meters tall, filling the narrow hallway.

But it wasn't grotesque or terrifying. Instead, I was overwhelmed by the sheer sculptural perfection—flawless proportions and voluptuous curves.

"Haa... haa..."

Her gaze swept over me. Contempt, irritation... and pain.

She opened her mouth. Human words, but laced with an eerie resonance, like an echo from a cavern.

"Where... is this, you lowly worm."

She writhed. Black tentacles sprouted from her back, groping the wall as she tried to lift her upper body. But the wound was too deep—she collapsed back to the floor.

Thud.

The impact sent her ample breasts jiggling. Smooth yet firm abs and hips laid bare in stark relief.

Overwhelming physical beauty. Like a fallen goddess from ancient myth.

"Grrrh..."

She let out an agonized groan. Smoke rose from the wound.

At the same time, my eyes widened.

It was an unforgettable fragrance.

The afterscent of magic.

'Run.'

My mind screamed. Reason begged. That's a monster. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Maybe an Aberration the Bureau's hunting. Report it now.

But my feet wouldn't budge.

Not just fear.

That magic scent was awakening... whatever it was I'd killed.

That was when it happened.

Danger ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Class A!

Beyond what packs of Hunters could handle—an existence outside the norm.

The nightmare of humanity, opposed only by those called Magical Girls.

The moment I realized what the woman before me was, my heart went into a frenzy.

"Haa... haa..."

As if reading my mind, she panted heavily.

Then, forcing her wounded body upright, she glared at me. Black tentacles bristled from her back, radiating murderous intent.

"Don't... make a sound... or I'll kill you... cough—"

But her tentacles couldn't even properly aim at me.

She hacked violently, shoulders trembling.

Even a nobody like me could tell.

...She was terribly anxious right now. And... afraid.

Did even an A-Rank Aberration fear death?

Like me?

"......"

I glanced up the stairs, then back down.

I had to choose.

Scream for help?

Or... this monster...

But my body was already moving.

Reason screamed I was insane, but my hands flung the door wide open.

"Come... in. Quick."

I approached the stumbling Aberration and slipped my arm under her armpit.

Heavy. And hot. Heat pulsed beneath the cold skin.

Grunting, I dragged that massive body into my cramped room.

Bang.

As the front door slammed shut,

I'd crossed a river of no return.

"Huff... heok..."

Bringing an A-Rank Aberration into my semi-basement room.

I wasn't right in the head. I was clearly insane.

For a barely-170cm guy like me, laying out a woman over two meters tall in the narrow entrance was backbreaking labor. Her body filled the space completely.

The fishy stench mixed with the musty mold, thick in the air.

She was nearly unconscious. Her golden eyes stared blankly at the ceiling, unfocused.

"Water... water..."

She murmured weakly.

With shaking hands, I grabbed a bottled water from the fridge. Unscrewed the cap and held ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it to her lips.

She gulped it down like a beast—no, sucked it in. The bottle crumpled in seconds.

"Haa..."

A bit revived by the water, she looked at me again.

Eyes full of wariness.

But mingled with questions.

'Why didn't you run?'

'Why didn't you report me?'

Those were written in her gaze.

Of course, I had no answer. I couldn't even understand myself.

Because of that damned magic scent from her wound?

Or because her eyes looked just like mine in the mirror?

That was when it happened.

BOOM—!!!

A thunderous roar exploded right overhead, from ground level.

Not mere thunder. The sound of a heavy impact—a tremendously heavy something, or something with immense power, landing.

"Ah, shit. You missed it? What the hell's the Bureau doing?!"

A sharp voice pierced through the window.

My heart plummeted.

I could never forget. Three years ago, the voice that sneered "Stepped in shit" over my family's corpses.

Shining Ruby.

"Sis, the signal vanished around here? She hiding?"

"Ugh, whatever. This is annoying as hell. Hey, should we just sweep the whole area? No one's gonna care if a few filthy humans bite it."

"Ehh~ Again? But the suits were flipping out about capturing that Aberration alive? Said it's super important, and killing it casually means disciplinary action or whatever."

"Disciplinary action? Ahaha! Hey, you're hilarious. Who'd dare touch Lady Ruby?"

Giggling laughter.

Tinnitus rang in my ears.

They were the same as three years ago. Lives or collapsing buildings—didn't matter.

For their records and popularity, wiping this rundown neighborhood off the map was fine by them.

"...F-fuck."

The curse slipped out unbidden.

My knees shook. Fear? Sure. But not just that.

Three years of bottled rage was surging up my throat, ready to erupt.

That was when I noticed the Aberration propping up her upper body.

She glared at the ceiling too. Golden eyes blazed with fury. Tentacles bristled, killing intent thick.

But she didn't move. She knew going out now meant getting hunted by those hypocrites.

Just like me.

Powerless, injured, forced to cower in fear.

"Listen..."

As I spoke, her gaze turned to me.

In a trembling voice—but for the first time in three years, infused with my own will—I said,

"We have to stay quiet. If they find us... we're both dead."

Her eyes narrowed.

Meeting that gaze, I stood and turned off the light. The room plunged into pitch darkness.

Only the streetlamp outside filtered in.

I squatted beside her. With a trembling hand, I pressed a finger to my lips.

She stared silently.

In the dark, only her golden eyes pierced me.

"Hey! Anyone in there?"

A shout, and a shadow fell across the window. A floating silhouette. One of the Magical Girls was peeking in.

Hairs stood on end all over my body; my teeth chattered uncontrollably.

"Semi-basement, huh? Figures in a shithole like this—everyone's hiding like rats."

"Ugh... look at the cobwebs. Ruby sis, let's just bail? It's not our fault anyway. Bureau's the one who lost it, it's pouring rain, super muggy... and I gotta watch my drama tonight. Can't miss the satisfying part this episode."

The shadow receded.

The drone hum faded too.

"Hoo..."

Only then did I exhale the breath I'd held. Cold sweat trickled down my back.

We'd survived. And... I'd protected her.

Couldn't save my family, but at least I'd shielded my enemy's enemy.

"Heh heh..."

Laughter echoed in the dark.

Not mine—hers.

The Aberration was chuckling lowly.

"You're an interesting one, you."

Her voice clung to my ear, sticky and intimate.

In the darkness, a single black tentacle slithered up my cheek. Cold, slick texture sent chills down my spine.

"Shaking like you're about to piss yourself in fear... yet that killing intent toward those bitches is real."

The tentacle lifted my chin.

In the dark, her golden eyes loomed right before me.

"What's your name, human?"

She asked.

I swallowed hard and answered.

"K-Kang Min-woo..."

"Kang Min-woo..."

She rolled the name on her tongue, savoring it.

Then her red lips twisted into a grotesque yet alluring smile.

"Good, Kang Min-woo. You've made an excellent choice today."

"Y-yes...?"

"You hid me, didn't you? That's as good as declaring yourself their enemy."

Her hand—no, her sharp claw—trailed down my chest.

Her eyes no longer saw me as 'prey' or a 'lowly worm.'

More like... a child who'd found a promising new toy.

"I'll reward you, human. I'll grant you the honor of serving this body—the Empress Ap-hos."

A faint purple glow emanated from her form.

That light bathed my moldy walls in fantastic, ominous hues.