Gyroscope - Unshakable Perception
Gyroscope
Maintains cognition regardless of any physical laws.
She understood its meaning. Not with her head, but with her body.
Yeonwoo spread her arms wide with all her might.
Bang! The whip unfurled, striking the air with ferocious force.
'Look at that. Not a single wobble!'
The sensation of slicing through empty space felt exhilarating. The whip's recoil vibrating through her hands was just as satisfying.
Even as her body spun wildly through the air of its own accord, Yeonwoo's gaze remained locked on one spot.
Flap-flap— rustle! A winged ant flying higher up. It was positioned exactly midway between Yeonwoo and the queen ant rising to its feet.
Even as her body twisted in rotation, she never tore her eyes from that perfect spot.
Using the recoil, Yeonwoo swung her arm with everything she had.
Whip— bang! The whip lashed out viciously, smashing into the winged ant's body.
"Now!"
Yeonwoo twisted her body midair and yanked her wrist hard.
Shrrk! The whip's tip coiled around the ant.
In an instant, the whip went taut. Yeonwoo's fall shifted direction.
'Good thing I picked up a few tricks!'
It was all thanks to the ingrained muscle memory of whip handling. Like a Viking plummeting and soaring at tremendous speed, Yeonwoo's body rocketed back into the sky.
At the peak of the pendulum swing, she yanked the whip with all her strength.
Whoosh! Her body shot upward. And kept spinning.
"I'll smash every last one of you bastards who caused this—!"
She surrendered to the ferocious momentum. One rotation. Two. Three, four, five. Six.
Yeonwoo spun without pause. In that time, the whip morphed into a greatsword.
She locked into position simultaneously.
'Look.'
The world shook at the speed of her spin, landscapes flashing by in blurs. Floor. Ant swarm. Queen ant. Iron chains.
Back to camp. Floor. Queen ant. Iron chains.
Back to floor. Queen ant.
Back to queen ant. Again queen ant. Queen ant.
Only the queen ant! She filled her vision with nothing else.
The gyroscope's cognition aided her in that.
And so, amid the furious spin, queen ant. Nearby queen ant. Finally, the yellowish bulk of the queen ant right in front of her eyes!
"Hraaah!"
Yeonwoo gathered all her power. Rotation, slashing, weight, sharpness, acceleration, elasticity, focused slash.
Layers of options stacked atop the weapon's power, swelling to immense size.
Splurt! There was no resistance at all.
Yeonwoo plunged straight into the queen ant's body.
"……."
"……Hng."
It all happened in a flash.
Those who had retreated to camp held their breath, waiting for Yeonwoo's fate.
-Keeeaak.
-Gigik.
-Grkiii—
The ants surrounding the queen ant reacted similarly.
It was so sudden that it plunged every being in the Ant Nest into chaos.
And then.
The long-awaited result.
Puk. The greatsword burst out through the queen ant's yellowish body.
A flash of red glow leaked from the gap.
"Hng, graaah—!"
With a wild shout, the greatsword thrashed.
It charged across the queen ant's massive body.
Sploooosh!
-Kiik!
Kraaaaa—!
The queen ant wailed amid violent tremors, but no matter how it flailed, it had no way to deal with the enemy inside.
Kwaak! Finally, the greatsword's rampage halted.
"Hoo!"
Yeonwoo hurled the queen ant's upper half away.
Like opening a treasure chest, the severed top flipped backward.
-Kigik, ka, ga, gik.
-Grr, gruuu—
The ants shuddered violently.
The winged ants in the sky all plummeted to the ground.
The moment the queen ant died, the entire colony fell into panic.
"Whoa, whoa, aaah."
"She... survived...?"
The hunters' reactions were no different. Caught in their own panic, they just scanned around wildly.
There hadn't even been time to process the sudden queen ant threat.
Yeonwoo's acrobatic stunt bordering on madness had forcibly shattered the situation.
It was incredible. Impressively so, beyond words.
But amid the daze, they lacked even the strength to express it.
"Ptooey, ptuh! Urk!"
The very one who had silenced everyone was retching, covered head to toe in the queen ant's fluids.
Absurdly enough, even that sight was beautiful.
"……Huh?"
But Yeonwoo saw something slightly different.
Shrrk— A sound rang out.
The source was the camp.
Thud.
Shraaak! A massive iron chain shot into the sky.
One of the chains blocking the camp's center had moved.
"What now?!"
"Damn it, leave us alone already!"
The hunters overreacted, grinding their teeth.
It was the strain of back-to-back anomalies.
"……Huh?"
"No way!"
But soon, their eyes glazed over as they turned to follow the chain's movement.
Shrrk.
Shrak! The massive chain sliced through the red sky as if being sucked in.
And finally, it reached the number.
The massive status window in the sky had changed its number.
"Ah."
Everyone wore similar expressions, murmuring the same thing.
Their gazes converged on one spot as if by agreement.
Naturally, it was Yeonwoo.
"Ah!"
Yeonwoo's reaction was no different.
She immediately lowered her head to inspect the queen ant's lower fragments.
So.
"This... so there were 11 more?"
Queen ants. Beings that exerted overwhelming influence over the ants—and there had been twelve of them.
That's why the endless ant swarms had appeared, filling the Ant Nest wasteland.
Finally, it all clicked.
The anomaly. Its true nature was the mass emergence of queen ants.
* * *
"This way."
Mikael led Yeonwoo ahead.
Yeonwoo followed, glancing around restlessly.
"This place looks like this, huh. Super clean."
The Ant Nest was a must-visit for every hunter.
With its village-like camp unmatched by any other gate, some hunters even handled all their food, clothing, and shelter here.
Eden's massive group was no exception.
Inside the volunteer tent open to all, there was a private space reserved for Eden members.
The Eden hunters dispatched here stayed and continued their volunteer work.
The reason Yeonwoo sought out Eden's space was simple: to wash up.
Bursting into the queen ant's body with gusto had been great, but it left her covered in filth.
There were makeshift showers for other hunters, but using those felt awkward.
Being seen or seeing others—both were uncomfortable.
Or more than that...
'Feels like committing a sin.'
She had a little sister, after all. She couldn't just strut around carelessly.
'Good thing he offered first.'
Even if it was a privilege just for her.
Honestly, her conscience didn't prick.
'I did it all, after all.'
It was just recompense for her efforts. Compensation for rolling like a dog since her second day as a hunter.
Thinking that way lightened her steps.
Maybe too much.
"Eut."
Her side stabbed sharply.
"Wh-what was that sound all of a sudden?!"
Mikael, walking ahead, yelped in alarm. He quickly backpedaled, putting distance between them.
'Future Numbers material, alright.'
Even his evasion skills were precise and swift.
"My side... kinda hurts."
Of course, she had no intention of being shameless, so she stated the facts.
But realizing it hurt made it throb more, crumpling her expression a bit.
"...I'll check."
Mikael closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, then steeled himself and approached with firm steps.
"You okay?"
"She's a patient! Just someone to care for!"
"Good kid."
Mikael immediately examined Yeonwoo's side. Unable to see externally, he lifted her clothes slightly, revealing a dark bruise between her smooth waistline. And it was fairly large.
"Ah. So that's how bad it was."
Yeonwoo recalled. Probably from when the first winged ant appeared, crashing down with the ant swarm.
'Pain of Loss is seriously effective.'
The trait that dulled pain perception. Experiencing it firsthand, it was even better than expected.
"Haha."
Yeonwoo chuckled slyly. Satisfied with picking only the solid traits.
But to the oblivious Mikael, that laugh looked different.
"You...! Why do you push yourself until you're this hurt?!"
"What can I do? Gotta fight."
Mikael closed his eyes, shoulders trembling. Her nonchalant attitude even made him bite his lip.
She'd taken such wounds yet kept moving for others without rest. Without a hint of pain or fatigue.
Awe welled up in his heart alongside a surge of emotion.
"That uncomfortable, huh? Silly."
Of course, Yeonwoo thought nothing of it.
Hunters and injuries were inseparable. It was no big deal.
She just figured Mikael was trembling from discomfort at seeing a woman's bare skin.
"It's uncomfortable! But how can I just ignore this?!"
"Why yell?"
"……."
Mikael clamped his mouth shut. He glared resentfully at Yeonwoo before focusing on the healing.
As holy light seeped in, the pain in her side melted away. The dark bruise vanished just as quickly.
"Please be careful."
Mikael murmured softly as he withdrew his hand. It sounded more reproachful than upset.
'That uncomfortable for him.'
Yeonwoo still fixated only on his gynophobia.
That's why guiding her to the bath and healing her diligently seemed commendable.
"Kinda cute."
It slipped out casually. No deep meaning. He just seemed like a prickly but obedient little brother.
"Wh-what, what do you...?!"
Mikael shot backward in an instant. He kicked off the ground, landing low in a stylish crouch.
"Why."
Mikael pressed his forehead, muttering softly.
Thinking back, it was odd. Even briefly. Sure, for treatment. But to converse properly so close to a woman.
Even if it wasn't much of a conversation.
Maybe.
Something else?
The thought wriggled in Mikael's mind.
"No. No."
Mikael glanced sideways at Yeonwoo. Still uncomfortable. Unbearably so.
"This is! I mean...!"
Unable to bear the frustration, his words sped up.
"You received freely, so give freely!"
"Huh? What? Because of the calorie bar? Roll more to make up for eating it?"
"No! Matthew 10:8. So this is just... gratitude! Repaying what I received. Nothing more, nothing less... just thanks."
Mikael lowered his gaze. Unable to meet Yeonwoo's eyes anymore.
"If you're that grateful, give me a weapon or something."
Yeonwoo still thought nothing of it. Half her thoughts were weapons anyway.
"Haa."
Mikael finally pinched his brow and sighed.
Before that materialistic, brazen attitude, his discomfort, complaints, even the surging emotion—all surrendered helplessly.
"Really. I already prepared one without you asking."
"Huh. For real?"
Now Yeonwoo's eyes lit up instead.