The Creepy Lab Rat
"Ah, it's here."
Kwon Yooseok, confirming through his skill that the civilians had linked up with the extra hunters dispatched for rescue, flashed Seoya an okay sign.
"So now we just gotta go kill monsters?"
"Yeah. I already told them I'm in here."
"What about me?"
"I figured you didn't wanna be announced since you seemed like you didn't want the hassle, but if you feel like you're getting robbed of credit and hate that, should I just route all the merit to you?"
"I'm not trying to rack up merits."
Seoya replied in a flat tone and lifted her head to eye the monster's torso from behind. Compared to her height, the thing towered at least ten times taller, its body width five times broader.
"Then let's go."
With a spirited voice, Seoya took the lead ahead of Kwon Yooseok—then abruptly halted in her tracks.
"Hold up."
"Something wrong?"
Seoya wore an expression of unprecedented gravity Kwon Yooseok had never seen before, glaring down at her own wrist.
"What's this?"
Kwon Yooseok peered intently at Seoya's wrist. One spot was red and swollen—clear as day, a mosquito bite.
"Oh, mosquito, probably. Jungle-type dungeons are full of 'em. No poison, just itchy."
"This is a mosquito? And it itches?"
After hearing his explanation, the itch really set in. Seoya grimaced fiercely and scratched around her wrist. Coming from Toda, where the cold kept mosquitoes at bay, this was her first bite—and her verdict?
'This is absolute hell.'
It itched like mad, but scratching brought no relief. Pure torture.
Kwon Yooseok flinched at the sight of Seoya's aura suddenly blazing to life. Her earlier nonchalance vanished; now she looked ready to tear into the monster bare-handed.
"From here on, we're rushing the boss and getting the hell out of this dungeon."
"Mosquitoes are that bad for you?"
"Keep up."
"Huh?"
Whoosh—
Seoya blasted mana forward and shot off. The surge shredded branches and brush in her path. Trusting pure instinct without any guidance, she blazed ahead while Kwon Yooseok struggled to keep pace behind.
"Huff... slow down a bit?"
"This dungeon is the worst!"
"Hah, no, normal people can't match that speed!"
"I can carry you if you want. Or y'know, princess carry like this."
"You mean a princess carry?"
Kwon Yooseok paled and shook his head frantically. Seoya's face was dead serious.
"I'll... try to keep up."
"Good. You can do it if you try, right?"
"Probably not, but yeah, do whatever you want..."
Tasting blood rising in his throat, Kwon Yooseok forced his sagging lips upward, his original pace shattered.
Seoya glanced back and asked out of nowhere.
"Why didn't you trash-talk? You went at Yena unnie without holding back earlier."
"No interest in beating you."
"Hm..."
Kwon Yooseok bit his lip hard, chasing Seoya's back to avoid falling behind.
'Yeah, no interest in beating her...'
Wanting to win meant drawing a line of superiority—and placing yourself above. Kwon Yooseok had two reasons for not bothering.
First, he was always great at knowing his place.
Second...
'She's a predator.'
He'd never even wanted to beat Seoya in the first place. Life throws opponents at you who make victory feel pointless... and this was Kwon Yooseok's first encounter with one.
"By the way, doesn't that monster seem a bit off~?"
With Seoya's mosquito rage cooling and her speed dipping, Kwon Yooseok seized the chance to voice his nagging doubt.
"Why? How so?"
"You ever seen an animal that looks like that?"
"Obviously not?"
"Exactly. That's what's weird..."
"Oh, hold up. Legs over there."
As they closed in on the torso, Seoya spotted long tentacles sprouting from the ground and thrust out an arm to block Kwon Yooseok. Whatever they were—legs or tentacles—they stretched endlessly, even up into the jungle canopy.
"Huge..."
Seoya stifled her presence and crept silently closer. From the front, the torso matched the rear: green blotches, bumpy fur, and a pair of grotesquely huge eyes. Blood-red, staring in different directions—pure uncanny valley.
"Hold."
Right behind her, Kwon Yooseok whispered so the monster wouldn't hear.
"Theoretically speaking as a total noob here... monsters are usually based on animals, bugs, plants—y'know, real-life stuff."
"Yeah?"
Seoya mentally reviewed monsters she'd fought. Acid-Tail Fire Bear, Red Water Buffalo, Serrated Mantis... Mutants aside, they were all animal or insect shaped.
"Right. You've probably seen a few, but they're Earth lifeforms mixed with some threat element. Like a boa big enough to swallow an elephant, or a monkey that freezes anything it touches..."
"So what's this?"
Seoya eyed the monster suspiciously. If Kwon Yooseok was right, what explained this? Octopus legs? Slug? Squid? Nope. And that furry, weirdly colored orb body? Forget it.
"Guess the reward bumped to S-grade, so the monster evolved too... No mental drain even this close, so not full S-rank."
"Hm..."
Pondering the thing's origins, Seoya finally decided.
"Kill it first, think later!"
Not "let's think"—just "think." Puzzles weren't her job anyway.
"I'll take it down!"
That was Seoya's style. Before Kwon Yooseok could respond, she revealed her presence, stepped in front of it, and met its freakish eyes calmly.
"Hang on. It'll be quick."
She planted a foot on a nearby tree trunk. Using raw power and spring, she bounded up the trunk like someone defying gravity.
"Whew!"
She alighted lightly at the treetop, sighing at the ache in her waist from the strain.
"Yeah, better view up here."
From the canopy, she peered into the monster's eyes. It stood stock-still, gaze locked on her.
'But how does it attack?'
No arms to swing. Lift those spindly legs, and the round body would topple backward...
'The mouth, probably?'
Yeah—gaping that massive crimson maw to chomp her seemed the only option.
Resolved to end it fast, Seoya wrapped herself in mana and crouched to leap straight at it.
Then its huge mouth split open.
"Kyaaak!"
A scarlet tongue lashed out like a viper, lunging for Seoya. Shocked by the horror, she let out a rare shriek and leaped aside.
"What the hell is this!"
For the first time, she genuinely resented Ibin. Why make monsters this gross knowing she'd fight them?
'Mutants would've been fine—I'm used to those...'
Dodging the tongue once, Seoya's moves accelerated. Never wanting direct contact, she hurled mana overhead.
"Dome!"
Blue mana formed a dome like the one that'd smothered the serrated mantis swarm, slamming down on the monster.
"And electric shock."
No way she'd let that tongue poke out again. Infusing her strongest intent, the compressed mana crackled with current. Inside the dome, the monster convulsed like it was electrocuted, then slumped limp.
"Ugh..."
Its twitching was so grotesque Seoya wrinkled her nose and dropped to the ground.
"Hate that thing."
She pouted at Kwon Yooseok, who turned from his own sour expression on the monster.
"...You hate that?"
"Yeah, hate it..."
A system window popped up before the shuddering Seoya.
B-rank monster 'Experimental Animal' defeated!
Boss monster defeated!
Contribution reward: S-grade Magic Stone
Distributing rewards...
Due to special effect of Achievement , all rewards allocated to <0 │ - │ Seoya >!
"So it was a B-rank. Makes sense—no mental drain despite the looks."
Kwon Yooseok nodded at the system's verdict, but Seoya couldn't hide her doubt.
"Experimental Animal?"
"Yeah, weird name. Like a botched lab experiment concept."
"Hmm..."
Unable to buy the name, Seoya tilted her head but gripped the S-grade Magic Stone reward tight and prepped to exit the dungeon.
Kwon Yooseok stared at her intently.
"You hate gross ones?"
"Pretty much."
"Picky predator type, got it."
"What?"
Seoya eyed him suspiciously. He'd seemed off since she saved him from those B-ranks—now grinning creepily and spouting nonsense.
"Nah, just noting your hunting tastes."
"Hunting tastes? Weird way to put it."
"Can't help that you were born a beast."
Kwon Yooseok murmured meaningfully.