Chapter 291
Chapter 291
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Etched into the Genes
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-Rrrrip!
I didn't think Yoo Daon would win. I'd seen and experienced things myself, and with an ordinary person's durability and agility, beating that monster was next to impossible.
...
...
After the bomb went off, amid the cloud of dust, I drew my gun, feeling the illusion that the monster was staring right at me.
What the hell had it seen to target me like this? What event was about to happen?
I ran through various scenarios in my head, but none of them fit that worst-case situation.
In other words, it was a future event I didn't know about.
...
In that instant, an image flashed by of Kang Ajeon's people lying dead in front of me,
"What...?"
Song Arin's puzzled voice snapped my mind back to reality.
"Why'd you suddenly stop?"
At her words, I hurriedly scanned our surroundings.
All the monsters had frozen, staring at us.
Most of their gazes were fixed on that androgynous monster, but a few were aimed at me and Yoo Daon.
"Urgh..."
At the same time, Yoo Daon staggered to her feet.
I won't go into where she'd been or what had happened to her before.
"Uh, uh..."
The awakened Yoo Daon looked bewildered as she alternated her gaze between me, her teammates, and the monsters.
That bewilderment lasted only a moment,
-Ahhh...
As the thing that had been silent until now opened its mouth, a startled yelp escaped,
...!
An excruciating headache slammed into my skull.
"Urk...!"
"What is it? You okay?"
"What happened...?"
"What the hell's that thing doing?"
The others looked at me worriedly as I clutched my head and staggered.
Amid the horrific pain, questions flooded my mind.
Was it singling me out for a mental attack while sparing everyone else? If not...
"Urgh...!"
Before I could test my hypothesis, another wave of agony crashed over me.
Jang Chaeyeon hurriedly stepped in front of me like a shield, and the others moved to my side.
"You okay?"
"Urgh... By any chance... are you seeing or hearing anything?"
"Seeing or... hearing anything..."
At my question, everyone else closed their eyes and furrowed their brows, with Song Arin speaking for the group as she looked at me.
"...It might sound scary, but I don't feel a thing."
...
I recalled my earlier thoughts.
My rising understanding of the unknown, and what I'd been thinking.
This Butterfly's Dream was foreseeing a future event—or at the very least, instinctively detecting the threat.
Like rats fleeing a sinking ship, or birds scattering before an earthquake.
If only it could talk, I'd love to know more.
I stared at it while suppressing the throbbing pain.
...
It stared back at me without a word.
To be honest.
I couldn't see a way out of this.
I had Critical. But I had no idea when to use it.
These days, Critical was living up to its name ironically—bouncing off or fumbling against invisible enemies more often than not.
Hell, if only there was some Critical enhancement that let it pierce anything guaranteed.
"For now... let's not fight."
The fact that it wasn't attacking us meant it had found some other use for us, at least.
Even if that use seemed mostly aimed at my body.
"You weren't about to say, 'If things go south, you can have my body,' were you?"
"Am I crazy? I'd die. Do you see me as some parasite host who just hands over their body, Arin?"
"...Unbelievable..."
Song Arin stared at me in disbelief, but otherwise said nothing, just watching what I would do.
...
I stared at it while fighting off the headache.
...Hoo.
I let out a small breath and stepped toward it.
For now, let's pretend to cooperate.
If push comes to shove, I'll shoot.
When it feels dangerous, fire with Critical. No need to play by the rules against a monster that doesn't.
Fortunately, as I moved, the monsters parted to make way.
They'd been swarming me earlier—what wind had changed?
"Jaeheon...?"
Yoo Daon watched me with a puzzled expression as I passed her and stared straight at it.
Its face was still androgynous.
Sleepy-looking eyes, lips curved in what might be a smile or just blank—hard to tell.
As I stared, the monster met my eyes and held out a scrap of cloth.
This was communication.
"...What is this?"
-Ah...
It replied in that horrific voice, extending the cloth scrap toward me again. With no choice, I took it and unfolded it.
"...A suit scrap."
I wasn't sure if it was from my suit, but the fabric and what looked like a pocket attachment suggested it was.
"That's yours, Jaeheon."
Yoo Daon nodded.
"I can smell you on it."
"...Thanks."
Did she have a sense of smell on par with Butterfly's Dream?
No translucent panel popped up, though.
I stared at the cloth scrap it had given me, then back at it.
It stared at me.
A translucent panel appeared again.
[Name: Butterfly's Mother]
[Age: Created 20 Years Ago]
[Specialty: Parasitism]
[Talent: Parasitism]
[Background: It is proposing to a new source of food. Let's work together for survival. It says you'll understand what it wants to convey.]
[Weakness: Right now, having awakened reason that transcends instinct and become the most human-like, this may be the greatest opportunity.]
Background and weakness had changed.
It'd been a while since I'd seen an enemy this adaptable.
A few had tried communicating through translucent panels before. Rare, but it happened.
Looking at it now reminded me of the otherworldly monsters that had messaged me via my panels—usually aesthetic obsessives or shadows from the Management Bureau.
Clumsy, but some level of communication was possible.
Hard to explain instinctively, but monsters that could interfere with my panels felt like they were forcibly writing on them. This one felt like it'd learned to coax my panel open with effort.
Probably because we'd fought before.
It knew as much about me as I did about it.
...
But the weakness: having awakened reason transcending instinct, now the most human-like—this was our chance.
What did that mean?
Was it saying it was rationally trying to talk to me now? Whereas before, it had just instinctively devoured?
Or...
...
A thought flashed through my mind.
Humans aren't stronger than containment objects.
That's why the Management Bureau always struggled so hard against these monsters.
Some don't communicate, and even if they do, no common sense or real conversation happens—so we lose.
But what if communication works?
No harm in testing it.
[Using Method.]
[Method: 1->0]
A purple thread poked out from above Song Arin's head.
I unhesitatingly jabbed it into my own body.
"Hik!"
"...What."
Song Arin flinched and let out a weird noise, and Jang Chaeyeon eyed her curiously.
"Oh, it's nothing."
"...Nothing?"
Jang Chaeyeon narrowed her eyes at Song Arin's unnatural speech, but said nothing and turned back to us.
Please think with me here, Song Arin.
"We can assume communication works?"
-...
It tilted its head, then pointed at the suit scrap on my palm again.
Then nodded once more.
"Yeah. Communication works, got it."
"...I'm going."
"Where to."
"Don't grab me."
I tuned out Song Arin and Jang Chaeyeon's chatter and fell silent for a moment.
"And you're proposing a deal to me."
-...
It nodded again.
"But what do I get out of it?"
-...
It pointed above its own head.
This thing knew I could see the translucent panels.
I checked the panel.
[Name: Butterfly's Mother]
[Age: Created 20 Years Ago]
[Specialty: Parasitism]
[Talent: Parasitism]
[Background: When the world ends, it declares you the new king.]
[Weakness: Having awakened reason that transcends instinct and become the most human-like, this may be the greatest opportunity.]
Declaring me the new king.
...
"What's going on?"
Song Arin sidled up beside me, cool as a cucumber.
"Arin, your speech..."
"Shut it, black hair. Heh."
Song Arin cut off Yoo Daon and looked at me.
Our eyes met.
Good.
She knew what I was planning.
She glanced worriedly at the monster in front of me, but since it said nothing, it probably hadn't noticed her odd speech.
"Arin. I've seen the world end."
"What... heh...?"
Song Arin covered her mouth in dramatic shock, and I nodded solemnly.
"That's why I'll stay until the end for humanity."
Becoming human-like meant its thought process was similar to ours.
Right now, at its most human, it would listen.
Human culture has records of deception on clay tablets from around 3000 BCE.
In other words, humans have been scamming for about five thousand years. Probably longer.
Against an animal with scams and cons etched into its genes across millennia, this monster didn't stand a chance.
"Sacrifice for me."
"Oh, nooo!"
Song Arin put on a theatrical expression.
Perfect. Let's see how human you really are.