[Raccoon Man Beginning]
[Raccoon Man Beginning]
Baek-ri felt gravity multiply several times over for a split second, only to feel the exact opposite—weightlessness—immediately after.
For those few seconds spent suspended in mid-air, the fleeting sense of freedom from gravity was short-lived; soon, he would plummet to the ground.
The height of over a dozen meters was higher than he had thought. It wasn't just a matter of falling from the height of a few apartment floors; something weighing several tons was coming down. The impact was unimaginable.
The Original Species frog might be fine, but Baek-ri was not. Under normal circumstances, he would be okay, but his physical condition wasn't great because he had been crushed by the thing earlier. Even though he had strengthened his durability through Reinforcement, there was no guarantee he could withstand falling from this height while being crushed by the monster.
"Let's see who falls!"
Only a few seconds until they hit the ground. Baek-ri grabbed the pipe, released his Force, and spun in mid-air. Now the positions were reversed; the monster landed on its back on the ground.
The monster, its vision flipped in an instant, thrashed about in confusion. Baek-ri curled his body to avoid getting caught up in it. And he braced himself for the impending impact.
"Ugh!!"
Kuuuung!!!
The monster's body slammed into the ground, and the impact vibrated through the earth, making one wonder if an earthquake had occurred.
Thanks to the Original Species landing on its back, Baek-ri, who was on its stomach, was safe.
However, even though he had cushioned the impact, a shockwave that couldn't be ignored washed over him. The pipe was ripped out by the impact, and he was thrown off along with it.
"Kweeeek!!!"
"What should I do......!"
Not much time had passed. A few minutes at most. The Original Species Disposal Team hadn't arrived yet. If they dragged this out any longer, they might show up, but there was no guarantee they would be safe until then.
"Trash its brain!"
"......?"
"No matter how much it regenerates, unless it's a Transcendent, once you trash its brain, it's dead in an instant!"
Ruri's advice came from behind. Baek-ri frowned and glared straight at the monster.
It flipped its body back over, steadied its stance, and glared at Baek-ri with a croak. And just like before, he could see the muscles in its legs swelling up.
".....Alright."
Baek-ri gathered all his remaining Force. It was only a handful, but it was enough to stack one more Reinforcement.
This was the last chance. There wasn't a drop of Gaia Force left. If he missed this, the chances of taking the monster down would drop to zero.
"Kweek!!"
Kuuung!
The Original Species kicked off the ground with such force that the asphalt road shattered, shooting straight at Baek-ri. It opened its mouth wide, intending to swallow him in one bite.
Baek-ri planted one end of the iron pipe he was holding into the ground and held it up diagonally toward the monster.
If he just held it up, it would likely bounce off the monster's elastic body. But if he braced it like this, it wouldn't be easily knocked back.
And that choice was correct.
Puuuuk!!
"Kweeeoooook!!!"
The sound of something scraping, the feeling of piercing, and the heavy, incoming impact followed in sequence.
But Baek-ri's plan succeeded. The iron pipe, fixed by being braced against the ground, pierced through the roof of the monster's mouth.
The monster's elastic body became a weapon against itself due to its own charge. Its weight and speed became power, and the iron pipe became a spear.
"Kweeeek!"
"Still too shallow.....!"
But it still wasn't enough to reach the monster's brain. If it went in just a little bit more, it would do it, but he was just slightly lacking in power.
"Look at my brother reenacting a movie! Though I'll be the one to land the final blow!!!"
Right then, Ruri jumped, using Baek-ri's shoulder as a stepping stone. She climbed onto the Original Species' head and stomped down on it.
Kung!
"Once!"
Kuuung!!
"Twice!!"
Kuuuung!!!
"Three times!!!"
As she stomped down with all her might on the monster's head, the iron pipe that had pierced the roof of its mouth dug in further. And it was able to reach the monster's brain.
The brain is the center that stores memories. No matter how much it regenerates, unless it's a Transcendent, once the brain is destroyed, it doesn't return to its original state even if it regenerates.
Because there are no memories in a brain that has already been destroyed.
Would the memories of the past really exist in a brain created from scratch? And even if they did, would it be the same as its past self?
Even if it performed basic metabolism, a creature whose brain had regenerated could never be the same as before.
Skewered on the iron pipe, the monster hung limp, looking just as it had before, but something was different. It was still breathing, but it wasn't moving.
It looked as if he were looking at a living vegetable, its brain gone. Baek-ri looked at the sight with trembling hands, then gripped the iron pipe again.
"D-did we win?"
Baek-ri asked, full of doubt. Just in case, he twisted the iron pipe like Ruri had done earlier to crush the brain one more time.
"This time, we really won."
"Phew....."
Baek-ri let out a sigh and sat down on the spot, his trembling legs giving out.
The Original Species was alive, but it wasn't moving. It was obvious who had won.
"Showing up after all the work is done is a cliché of incompetent public authorities."
"Tell me about it."
Watching the Original Species Disposal Team arriving late in a helicopter, Ruri and Baek-ri complained.
Strangely, the Original Species Disposal Team members aimed their guns and stood on guard, seeing the frog Original Species that was still breathing but not moving.
However, the thing didn't move. Even if they launched an attack capable of actually killing it, it wouldn't move.
Since the brain that processed everything, including its instincts, had been crushed and then regenerated, it was no different from an empty vessel with nothing inside. Just like a newborn baby.
No, at least a newborn baby knows to cry when hungry and move its hands and feet; compared to that, the thing did nothing but breathe.
"I'm Team Leader Kang-jin of the Seoul Original Species Disposal Team. Did you students do this?"
"Ah, yes."
"Are you both Force Users?"
"Yes....."
Baek-ri was so exhausted that he answered the questions vaguely. Team Leader Kang-jin seemed to understand his attitude and didn't scold him for it.
"Team Leader! This thing has no reaction! It's strange for something that's alive, isn't it?"
"Did it die because the pipe got stuck in its brain? It's breathing, though..."
"That thing has a Regeneration Trait. That's why it's still alive even though its internal organs were crushed and its brain was smashed."
"Is that true?"
Baek-ri nodded instead of answering.
Various reactions could be heard. Amidst emotions like cheers, suspicion, and astonishment, Baek-ri didn't pay attention to any of it.
The Regeneration Trait is rare. There are often people with the Recovery Trait, but people with the Regeneration Trait were as rare as those with the Precognition Trait.
If one were to ask what the difference between regeneration and recovery is, it lies in the limits of the organism.
Recovery refers to wounds that can heal over time being treated quickly, whereas regeneration refers to recovering regardless of such things, even if there is loss of body parts or damage to vital organs.
"My brother worked hard today. What are we doing out here just to play?"
"Tell me about it."
"But Mr. Team Leader. We caught this thing, is there any cut for us?"
"Well..... It's not often that an Original Species, let alone an Enemy Species, is caught by civilians. Besides, if that thing really possesses a Regeneration Trait, the value of the corpse alone will be no joke."
Gaia Force is still an unknown supernatural ability. They have figured out that it's a power that comes from Earth, but they don't know in detail why it appeared 20 years ago, or what kind of effects it has.
That was why the price of materials for research was rising as time went on.
Everything necessary, from the corpses of Enemy Species to experiments using Force Users (legal ones, of course), and analyzing the corpses of Original Species to secure data, was worth money.
A living corpse of an Original Species. No, since it's alive, you can't call it a corpse, but if it's an Original Species with a Regeneration Trait that can be studied indefinitely, the price is whatever you name it.
"It would be better to discuss that separately. I don't think either of you is in a situation to talk about that right now."
Ruri aside, Baek-ri was exhausted. Not a single handful of Gaia Force was left in his body, and a sense of powerlessness was washing over him.
At the very least, it would be better to talk about it later than to talk about it now.
"But this is strange. This area is under our jurisdiction, so if there had been an Original Species like this, there's no way we wouldn't have known......"
"Couldn't it have appeared recently?"
"It's too big for that. Original Species do grow much larger than their original animal counterparts, but that requires time. Amphibians might be different from mammals, but it seems like there was at least some other influence involved....."
Team Leader Kang-jin had a somewhat doubtful expression. Indeed, it made no sense for an Original Species that eats humans to appear out of nowhere. There must have been something that influenced it.
"Ah, come to think of it, that thing threw up otters earlier. Sob, the otters died!"
"Otters?"
"I remember seeing an article that the otters that returned to the Han River were near Cheonho Bridge. Thinking about that, I think this thing's territory is around there or further upstream."
Team Leader Kang-jin nodded as if Ruri's opinion made sense.
Since otters are natural monuments, they are rare, and among the places in the Han River where the frog Original Species lived, places where otters could inhabit were even rarer.
"If it's Cheonho Bridge.... I'll have to request help from Guri City to search that area. Thank you for your opinion."
"Oh, it's nothing."
Ruri gave her opinion on what she had seen earlier. Having done her part, she stepped back, took out her phone, and took pictures of the Original Species' corpse.
Baek-ri watched Ruri and gave a hollow laugh.
"Wait, I'm on Facebook, let me post this."
"Wasting your life even here?"
"It's better to leave evidence, right? Besides, the spread of SNS is fast, so no matter how much they try to bury it, they won't be able to. Then, no matter how much they try to skim off the top, they won't be able to."
If they had caught it in some remote mountain village, that would be one thing, but if the government just tried to wipe their mouths clean after civilians caught it, they would find themselves in an awkward position, including their public image.
Force Users cannot belong to the military, but that doesn't mean they don't have the freedom to choose their nationality.
With even North Korean Force Users who defected and naturalized in other countries, if they did something like that, they would end up watching valuable human resources like Force Users escape overseas.
"Then we'll go take a rest. Please handle the rest of the work."
"You students must be tired too. The media will probably be talking about this for a while."
"I've already experienced things more spectacular than this."
"A student suffering is just part of life."
"....Ruri, I feel like you would have done well if you went into liberal arts instead of science?"
"What are you talking about? Even if I have the talent, I'm a natural science person through and through."
The two decided to step back and rest for a while. As they sat down, breathing slowly, their muscles started screaming and fatigue rushed in.
Even if you're a Force User, your recovery is fast, but that doesn't mean you don't feel the pain right now.
"We're not going to be able to hang out, so let's just rest, eat, and go home. Is that okay?"
"Okie dokie. I didn't have the heart to play anymore anyway. Well, the stress is gone, though."
Opportunities for Force Users to move to their heart's content usually follow when dealing with Enemy Species or Original Species, but it's rare for a civilian Force User who doesn't belong to those two to have such a chance.
"But Ruri. How did you know that earlier?"
"What?"
"You said that if it's not a Transcendent, you can win if you crush its brain."
Baek-ri understood the meaning of the concept of a Transcendent to some extent.
Choi Ak had told him about being a Reincarnator and mentioned it in passing as small talk, so even if Baek-ri didn't know the details, he knew what the concept of a Transcendent was.
But it was a separate issue that Ruri knew about it. Ruri didn't even know that Choi Ak was a Reincarnator or that Sion was an alien.
Where did she hear the word Transcendent?
".....? Did I say that?"
"You did."
"My memory of that time is fuzzy, so I can't recall it."
"Are you pretending not to know, or do you really not know?"
"I really don't remember."
".......?"
Baek-ri stared straight into Ruri's eyes. As a younger sister he had lived with for a long time, it was obvious when she lied.
However, Ruri had an expression that suggested she really didn't know. It was too much of a coincidence to dismiss, and the word 'Transcendent' that came out of Ruri's mouth bothered him too much.
Baek-ri frowned and asked Ruri.
"Who are you?"
"What, do you want to be stuck eating nothing but fried dumplings for 15 years?"
"If you're going to do that, make it chicken instead of fried dumplings."
Judging by the way she talked, it was the usual Ruri. There was nothing particularly strange about her.
However, the sense of incongruity that had formed in Baek-ri's heart did not disappear.
He had thought Ruri was ordinary.
She was a little pretty, but as an older brother who had grown up with her since childhood, he never saw her as the opposite sex, and although they fought often, they were close enough to come out and hang out like this.
He still thought of her as family, but he couldn't help but feel suspicious.
"........"
Baek-ri watched Ruri silently.