The Monster's Demands
The grotesque mass of flesh and tentacles shuddered violently. From between its twisted limbs came a hoarse, metallic rasp.
“I watched your heart stop beating with my own eyes. How did you end up moving around like this?”
The voice dripped with pure, bewildered confusion.
Well, from the monster’s perspective, the poor ghost had it rough.
That thing which had clearly died was now alive and kicking, chatting away with quite the arrogant swagger.
“You’re right. She died back then. Or maybe she… suicide? Anyway, I remember her death was quite miserable.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“Because I found this empty house that was perfect for a dead person, I slipped right inside and took over this body.”
The monster looked utterly baffled by my words.
His reaction suggested he had no idea what I was even saying. The air around us thickened with suspicion and alarm.
“An empty house? What nonsense is this? Who the hell are you, really?”
“Why? Haven’t you heard this story before? It was all the rage once upon a time.”
“What story?”
“The Receptor.”
At the word, the torn flesh and thick tentacles of the monster writhed.
“Receptor…?”
I narrowed my crimson eyes until they were slits. Blood had already begun to trickle from them.
“……Ah. A Receptor.”
The monster’s voice now carried a metallic edge, as if he had finally figured it out.
“We all thought the species had gone extinct long ago. The seed had dried up completely.”
“I’m still here.”
I shrugged nonchalantly.
“Lucky me. I’m the only one left.”
The torn mouth split into a wet, raspy laugh.
“Hahaha… That host of yours was quite the catch.”
“……What are you even talking about?”
The monster’s tentacles slithered deeper into the corpse of the refugee.
“Receptors were supposed to spread their seed through mating, right? To enjoy the act to the fullest, the quality of the host has to be perfect.”
“……Hah.”
“This woman was… more impressive than I expected.”
I didn’t bother asking which part had been so impressive. Whether it was her looks, her body, or the sweetness of her blood—it was none of my concern.
As I gave him a cold stare, the monster added in a sinister whisper, “Honestly, I’m a little jealous of you.”
“Jealous?”
“If I were you, I would’ve just followed my instincts and scattered my seed everywhere like a horny dog. But you’ve managed to keep your head on straight.”
“My head?”
“I’m quite an attractive creature. So many viruses lined up to mate with me.”
Though I already knew exactly what kind of being he was, that didn’t stop me from finding the thought revolting.
“……I’m not into tentacles.”
“Oh? So the virus that once held herself so high and mighty ended up squirming under my tentacles?”
“Hey, do you really have to be that crude?”
“What’s the big deal?”
Oh, I already regretted opening my mouth.
I’d assumed we could talk, but the gap in our levels was huge.
Still, I’d decided to use him. So I might as well ride this out.
“Then what should I call you?”
“I don’t have a name.”
True. Being a virus, it made sense there’d be no name. No secret code name either.
“So who exactly are you?”
“I am the materialized fusion of the Ebola virus and Cordyceps. In other words, the Chimera virus.”
He raised his tentacles in a grand declaration.
“Seriously? You think I don’t know what you are?”
Some kind of backstory, a grudge-filled history? Instead of that, he was just listing his specs like a walking cheat sheet. Boring.
Whatever. Fine.
“Then, since we’re mixing Ebola and Cordyceps… how about Ebolacho?”
The monster looked stunned.
“Why the sudden name?”
“I’m giving you the nickname I came up with while we competed for this body. Consider it a small kindness.”
I continued with a cocky grin.
“Every time I call you something, it’s ‘hey,’ ‘you,’ or ‘you disgusting tentacle freak.’ Come on. You’re a top-tier Chimera virus, not some slob.”
“Disgusting…? Do we really need ‘affection’ between us?”
Us?
I’d just spoken to him, and now he wanted to be friendly?
“Affection? Come on. We’re both parasites living off other people’s bodies.”
The monster’s tentacles twitched at the absurd suggestion.
“……Do as you like.”
“Alright. Ebolacho.”
Ebolacho shook his massive body in refusal.
“I may have a bad temper, but you’re just plain unlucky.”
“Luck? What do you mean by ‘luck’?”
“Our species has existed naturally for a very long time. Unlike you, who was just cobbled together in a lab like some cheap artificial virus. Ruling the world for centuries, this behavior is only natural.”
“So you’re saying you still have dignity left while the rest of your kind died out and you’re the only one standing?”
“……”
Oh. He actually had a sharp tongue.
I’d been testing him on purpose, and he’d taken it straight to the chin without blinking.
When he stayed silent for a moment, Ebolacho let out a disgusting, victorious laugh.
“Khehe… What? Cat got your tongue because I hit the nerve?”
“Well, it’s not exactly wrong.”
“If you’re that desperate, you should be spreading your seed and making more of your kind. Want me to help?”
“……Help with what?”
I was already irritated from dealing with the king earlier. Now I had to listen to breeding advice from a materialized tentacle monster?
“I can help in the most spectacular way. My tentacles are dripping with goo—you’ll feel great.”
Oh, heavens above, please no.
No, wait. I knew this would happen.
The slime he produced was meant to paralyze or arouse viruses.
I was a Receptor.
I was a virus…
‘Since I came in as the “Last Receptor,” I should probably play weak and helpless here.’
But how the hell was I supposed to act ashamed in front of this disgusting slab of rotting meat?
Ugh. Hold it together.
“……No. Don’t come closer.”
I looked away in what I hoped looked like embarrassment.
I’d been pretending to be a Receptor for a while, but this moment felt the most terrifying and painful yet.
“Khehe, what? Embarrassed?”
“If you don’t want to, then don’t. You talk too much.”
“Hmph. It doesn’t matter. Your kind who act so high and mighty usually tastes sweeter when you break.”
Hold it.
I was holding back the urge to just carve him up right now.
For the sake of the plan, I had to hold back.
Ebolacho blinked his oily eyes.
I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
“T-That kind of thing is what ignorant animals do. If you’re a thinking being, you should at least talk first and slowly build a relationship.”
“Why not? Forcing it is easier.”
Was he planning to mind-control me with tentacles?
Typical virus garbage brain.
Ebolacho writhed his massive tentacles with an ugly metallic sound, scanning my body from top to bottom.
“Truth be told, I wanted to make your host completely mine.”
“Me? Ah… the original owner, Elia? This body?”
“You know better than anyone, right? Infinite energy. A host overflowing with power far beyond any human.”
“Hmm. Well, I appreciate the compliment.”
“Back then, I could have taken it first…”
Ebolacho licked his torn lips with obvious regret.
I would never let that happen. The very thought was revolting.
Even pretending to be a Receptor, I had no intention of playing along that far.
The tentacles pulsed with excitement.
“Well, maybe this is actually a better chance. A living body is always better than a rotting corpse. Even if a virus is already inside.”
His disgusting, meaty mass seemed ready to pounce, releasing a sticky, bloody aura.
“If you resist, there’s nothing I can do. I’ll just have to rape you.”
Hah. My brain short-circuited.
He wanted to rape a Receptor?
At this point, I couldn’t even tell if he was craving the real me or some nonexistent Receptor. I didn’t even flinch.
I simply smirked and lazily grabbed the hilt of the sword at my waist.
“Sorry, but you won’t beat me.”
I drew the silver blade and pointed it straight at his grotesque face.
“Let’s see if your mouth is just for show or if your skills are still as good as before.”
“Fine. I’ll show you how I killed Elia.”
Before the words even left his mouth, countless tentacles shot forward like living whips from his blood-red flesh.
If any of those tentacles latched on… it was all over.
‘Extreme Body Vision.’
The tentacles that had been hurtling toward me slowed to a crawl, as if moving through water.
Every trajectory was crystal clear. I could see exactly where each one was coming from and where it would strike before it even moved. It was like having the answer sheet in advance.
I twisted my body and casually swung my silver sword.
“……!”
The tentacles sliced through like tofu, falling in thick chunks to the floor.
“W-What the—?! Why are you so strong?! She wasn’t like this back then!”
I flicked the sticky fluid off my blade.
“Ever since I first met you, this body has been overflowing with strength.”
I wasn’t weak enough to be preyed upon by parasites.
I was simply playing with you on my turf and getting used.
I turned my gaze toward the two humans Ebolacho had been draining of their life force. They were the refugee men from before.
“First, get those bowls out of the way.”
I severed the disgusting tentacles wrapped around their necks in a single stroke.
Using the snap of my wrist, I twisted the sword upward.
The two men’s heads shot into the air.
When dealing with infected zombies, blowing their heads off was the fastest and surest way to end them.
Two heads rolled across the muddy ground.
With no tentacles left and their hosts gone, their food supply vanished instantly.
“T-This is the end, right?”
“……”
No way.
There had only been three refugees in this area to begin with. But the two bodies in front of me were the only ones left.
So where was the third hiding?
I didn’t need to look for him.
“Since my plan is already in motion, I’ll use him to his fullest potential.”
Starting with the Administrator, who was already suffering so much.