Misplaced Spawn
The Black Hole at the dungeon entrance had the peculiar trait of teleporting adventurers to a random sector within the White Zone, the dungeon's designated safe area. Our party's destination was the Green Zone, a paradise for mid-tier adventurers who had finally outgrown their newbie status. Spawning at the head of the White Zone's tenth floor, where the Green Zone lay just a short walk away, would have been ideal. Yes, the very same place where I had once turned the monsters into barbecue chops with a thermal pressure round. But life rarely unfolds according to plan. Nothing is quite as uncertain as gacha rates in a game—or my own future. Predictably, the spawn gacha had gone catastrophically wrong, just like everything in Terraforming.
"Nyang! Of all the sectors, why the farthest one on the first floor! This is ridiculous, nyang! I even prayed to the goddess to drop us on the tenth floor before that damn crow could throw me! She betrayed my expectations, nyang! I hate the goddess, nyang!"
After punishing me with a flurry of nyang-nyang punches for launching her ahead and entering late, Sion had wandered off to scout the surroundings. She returned moments later and immediately began rolling across the pale, moss-covered gray-white ground, venting her frustrations at the goddess.
"...."
"...."
Yuri and I stared in silence at the sight, which resembled a child throwing a tantrum in the toy aisle. Startled by Sion's wailing, a flock of white light creatures that had been resting nearby took flight like a swarm of locusts and scattered elsewhere. I think they were called Flights. Sorry for disturbing your rest. I'll quiet her down.
"...I hear something that sounds like a dying pig somewhere."
"A new species of magical creature, perhaps?"
"Whatever it is, it's ominous. Let's move along quickly before we catch any bad luck."
Miners passing by with pickaxes and sacks slung over their shoulders quickened their pace in alarm, so unnerved by the noise that I had to forcibly clamp Sion's mouth shut. Yuri's voice reached me through the chaos.
"...This is the first floor? That means...?"
"Puhaha! We have to walk all the way to the tenth floor from here, nyang! We still need to cross nine more sectors the size of the dungeon city! Even if we run at full speed without sleeping, it'll take more than two days, nyang!"
Sion wrenched my hand away with her entire body and sprang up before Yuri could finish, words tumbling out in a frantic rush. Her golden eyes gleamed with the manic desperation of an office worker who had just missed the morning bus. It was a little terrifying.
"Nyaang... Suddenly I feel dizzy, nyang. I don't want to do anything, nyang."
Overwhelmed by the thought of wasting time and resources, she pressed a hand to her forehead and collapsed limply among the glowing white moss. Just as I had feared, the worst-case scenario had come to pass. I had rolled the dice hoping for a six, only to get a one. The logical next step would be to keep rolling until another six appeared—but apparently that wasn't an option.
"Ugh. Once you leave the dungeon, it takes about eight hours to re-enter, nyang. Our only choices are to overcome this trial and push forward, nyang, or return empty-handed and drink ourselves into a stupor, nyang!"
Because of the eight-hour cooldown on re-entry, another attempt was impossible. I hadn't known the dungeon enforced such a rule. Still, it didn't matter. We still had alternatives.
"...What do you mean by 'it doesn't matter,' Crow?"
At my words, Sion lowered her hand slightly and looked up at me with a mixture of hope and exhaustion.
"...."
Instead of answering, I turned my gaze to Yuri. She gave a quiet nod, understanding my intent. Then our voices rang out together.
"Deploy."
"Kkachi."
"Kkyu."
"Nyang?"
The activation phrase, reminiscent of a transforming hero, echoed across the first floor of the White Zone. With a rapid shrrrk-shrrrk, a pair of black wings erupted from both my back and Yuri's.
"Wings... nyang?"
Sion's golden pupils swelled like a cat beholding the cosmos as she took in the twisted demonic wings and the alluring fallen-angel wings. Half-risen from the ground, she watched as I extended a hand toward her.
"Let's go, rogue. Estimated arrival at the Green Zone is roughly thirty minutes—if the dungeon guide's directions are accurate."
"Seriously, I don't even know what to say anymore, nyang. Just how far are you planning to surprise me, nyang?"
Sion let out a hollow laugh and placed her hand over mine. The jelly-like texture felt pleasantly soft after so long.
***
"Just keep going straight and enter the canyon that appears up ahead, nyang!"
"Got it."
Clinging to my neck and waist like a living sticker, Sion diligently performed her role as a biological navigation system. Unlike a certain someone who couldn't even open her eyes out of fear, her directions were remarkably precise.
"Uahaha! Crow! Fly faster, nyang!"
Apparently this was her first time flying, yet she showed no fear. Sion released her grip on my neck, balanced herself with her legs locked around my waist, and leaned out into the wind like a dog with its head out a car window. Thanks to the skill 【Courage】 she had acquired at the temple recently, she seemed to have lost all sense of caution.
Should I instill a fear of falling in her? It wasn't a phobia I currently possessed, but acrophobia was primal and common enough that I could probably obtain it quickly if I tried. Alternatively, I could simply grab some suitable scoundrel and drop him from the sky a few times to manufacture the effect on the spot.
"Wind! Come to me, nyang!"
"You're going to fall. Stay still, rogue."
I grabbed Sion by the collar and pulled her back into my arms as she dangled with limbs spread like the heroine from Titanic. For a brief moment, her soft chest pressed against me, radiating warmth and a rapid heartbeat. I had heard that cats had higher heart rates than humans, but I hadn't expected it to be this intense. Fascinating.
"...Unyang. It's stuffy, Crow!"
"If you don't want to die, stay still."
"Ugh, seriously...."
Only after I pressed a firm hand against her back to discourage any more reckless behavior did Sion finally settle down. She wasn't a child anymore. I wished she would exercise a little more self-restraint. I glanced back at Yuri following behind us.
"...."
How composed she was. Though her gaze seemed oddly sharp, she was probably just staying alert to our surroundings. As expected of my contractor.
Thud. Thud.
While I admired Yuri's steady demeanor, Sion's gray hair whipped by the wind kept tapping annoyingly against my mask. I briefly worried about cat fur clogging the Plague Doctor Mask's filter.
This scent... is it mint? Though I hadn't been particularly curious, a cool, grassy aroma emanated from Sion—similar to mint, yet blended with hints of grass and earth. For reference, Yuri smelled like a wet dog. I should ask Sion later if she used some kind of perfume.
. . .
My demon. My familiar. My teacher. Raven is....
Supposed to be mine. So why—
Are you looking at Raven with those eyes, Sion?
Don't tell me you've developed feelings for him. Are you, a lowly human, harboring affection for the great Demon of Terror? The thought made my teeth grind.
Anything else is fine, but....
I won't yield Raven's attention to anyone.
Mana surged into Yuri's crimson pupils, tinting them with an unnatural hue as they glowed fiercely. The tower of anxiety that had been building since Mamon's clingy behavior toward Raven came crashing down, setting her emotions ablaze.
Yuri, who had recently begun receiving the affection and attention she had lacked in childhood—all concentrated on Raven—now saw him as more than a parent. He was the precious existence who filled the void within her. Yet lately, more and more people seemed to covet him. It was truly irritating.
"...I need to do better."
To prevent anyone from stealing his attention. To make him look only at her. She had to shine brighter than anyone else. Brilliant light possessed the power to captivate every gaze.
Having once witnessed a meteor shower illuminate the night sky in her youth, Yuri—the mage who had awakened her magic at a young age in order to recreate that radiant miracle—believed this with all her heart.
To achieve that, she could not remain stagnant. A falling star trailing light drew more eyes than one that merely twinkled in place. Just as she had taken a step toward Raven despite her fears that day, she would advance to claim her happiness. She would experience, absorb, and grow stronger.
This time, she would shine so brightly that everyone would see her—so that he would see only her. Like the dazzling cluster of stars that night. Yuri stared coldly at Raven's twitching shoulders and quietly reaffirmed her resolve. Fueled by jealousy, she burned with determination. Perhaps it was this peculiar temperament that had led to her selection as the Contractor of Calamity.
Meanwhile, Kkachi, who was controlling Yuri's flight, sensed her emotions and sighed inwardly.
Father....
Please, show a little more awareness.