The entity collapsed with the exaggerated limpness of a plush doll, without letting out a final scream, without delivering a final blow, and without making any noise when it hit the ground. In fact, it was as if this thing literally weighed no more than a simple toy.
"Aaaah… Aaac."
I was exhausted. My body trembled from all the accumulated fatigue, and I barely had the strength to remain standing.
"Aaag… son of a bitch."
And there was also the pain… from almost all of my bones and nearly all of my muscles.
"MmmP…!"
[I would recommend not forcing your body any further in that condition.]
"Whatever you say… Argh!"
A sharp pain tormented every part of my body the moment I tried to take a single step.
[I told you.]
"Ju—just… aaag… j-just tell me how many of my bones aren't broken."
[Right away.]
BEEEP
[According to my scanner, you currently have exactly 179 bones intact. Even so, several of them are severely damaged, to the point that it would hardly matter if they were considered broken.]
The cube's words didn't sound reassuring at all, and to make matters worse…
BOOM!
The ground trembled again. But this time, due to my miserable condition, I was unable to keep my balance against the violent shaking, and I almost immediately fell.
"…Shit!"
Just like a small child frightened by an earthquake, I hugged my knees and hid my head between them, lying on the ground in a fetal position while trembling in pain.
CRASH
Crack!
Cr… crac!
But then the shaking began to weaken. Soon, the tremors that had knocked me down lost intensity to the point where the vibrations in the floor were barely noticeable.
"Eh…? But… what's happening?"
[It appears the Sundrel has stopped.]
"Huh? What do you mean it stopped? Just like that?"
[Yes. The magical waves have ceased to flow, and the sonic waves have stopped as well.]
"Then… what happened to the Sundrel?"
[I estimate two possibilities:
The Sundrel managed to free itself from whatever was restraining it, which is why it stopped screaming and releasing magical waves.
It fainted.]
"Eh… what if it simply escaped the building?"
[Nah, I highly doubt it could have escaped.]
"Why?"
[Let's say that… in simple terms, people who are not like you—an exterminator—perceive entities, Ka'lis, and other dimensional anomalies differently than you do.]
"Ah… I see…"
That was good news, right? The fact that the Sundrel had gone silent—regardless of the reason or the means that forced it to stop—greatly improved my chances of surviving this nightmare.
"…"
—Shit… I don't feel good about this…
I sighed.
"I have to keep going… I can't waste any more tiiime…"
That was when I realized I had completely forgotten one of the most important aspects of the mission.
"Time… the mission time. Cube! How much time do I have left?!"
Beep.
[Mission time limit: 22 minutes and 30 seconds.]
"Only 22… Aaarg…!"
The shock of realizing how little time I had left made me force my body too much while trying to stand up.
"AAAUCH! DAMN IT!"
The pain my body felt was so intense that I started writhing on the ground while cursing.
"AAAAAAH…!"
I couldn't endure it anymore. I released all the pain I had been holding back since arriving at the building in the form of an agonizing scream.
But I couldn't give up. I had to stand up and keep fighting. And even though the situation I was in seemed to have no solution, I still had one last hope.
"…Cube."
[Yes?]
"I can't stand up…"
[That is quite unfortunate, sir.]
"I need your help… I know you can… make me walk again…"
"Mmm… perhaps the shop can help…"
"The shop…?"
"Yes. It will certainly be useful."
BEEP
The cube projected a new hologram in front of me. It displayed a large variety of strange products and weapons I had never seen before.
"What is this?"
"Oh wait… yes, yes, yes, it's this one."
[Karnian Adrenaline:
A chemical substance created from elements extracted from the depths of Kardan. When injected into the bloodstream, it grants the user an energetic surge that allows them to move perfectly without feeling pain. It also provides a stimulus that accelerates the body's self-repair of minor wounds by 15%.
Warning: Do not use as a healing method. The injection's effect is temporary, lasting on average between 20 and 30 minutes. Once the effect ends, the body will experience all accumulated damage along with extreme exhaustion.]
"Karnian…?"
The cube used words I didn't understand to describe an injection I knew nothing about. Under normal circumstances I would have rejected it without hesitation, but now…
"That… will work… yes, it definitely will. Cube, please, give it to me…"
I stretched out my hand, trying to reach the cube, begging for what I believed would be my salvation.
[I cannot.]
"What…?"
[The item's price exceeds 500 Relish.]
"I have to pay for that…?"
[Yes.]
"You're joking, right…? I don't have any money."
[I'm sorry, sir.]
"Wha… you… why would you show me a solution I can't use…?"
My voice might have sounded too broken to notice, but my words carried a hint of anger directed at the cube and its stupid solution.
[…]
Instead of answering my question, the cube remained silent for a few seconds that felt eternal.
—What is it thinking?
I wondered, even though I knew the cube could hear my internal thoughts.
[The injection can be acquired if you agree to incur a debt.]
"A debt of 500 Relish…"
—That's almost half my apartment rent.
"I accept. I accept the debt…"
[I must warn you. If you fail to repay your debt, there will be severe consequences.]
"I don't think those consequences could leave me in worse shape than I already am…"
[I assure you, Mr. Robert, that you will suffer a punishment worse than anything you can imagine if you fail to repay that debt. And if you die during this mission, you will still be forced to settle it.]
"What…? But how could I?"
[Confidential information.]
"Eh… what a strange job."
[Then…]
"Give me the injection."
[Are you sure?]
"Yes… I… I want to finish this mission."
I had noticed it recently. Since the end of the fight with that entity, my mind had undergone a sort of change. I'm not sure how to describe it, but I am sure that, because of it, I felt a little more motivated to keep fighting. Or at least, that's how it felt to me.
[Very well. If that is your decision.]
Beep.
Something appeared in my left hand. Like every object given by the cube, it materialized accompanied by a brief flash of light.
[I will cease interfering with your objectives.]
The injection had a thick, cylindrical shape with metallic colors covering its entire structure, except for one of its ends, which had a soft green surface. On that part there was also a label with the word "Inject" written on it.
"Alright… here we go."
I stabbed the cylinder into my thigh, letting the green end press against the fabric of my pants.
CLICK
Suddenly, the sharp pain of a needle piercing my skin made me grunt.
"MPH!"
After a few seconds, an intense heat spread throughout my entire body.
"AG… WHAT THE HELL?!"
I was shouting, but not because of pain. I simply felt full of energy.
"DAMN!"
And thanks to that, my body gathered enough strength to stand up again.
"Ha… haha."
[Well?]
"Haha… yeah, I don't feel pain anymore. At least not as much as before."
[Good.]
BEEEEP
"…?"
[Notice:
Exterminator Robert K Demigurus has incurred a debt.
If the amount of 700 Relish is not paid within 7 days, the exterminator will be subjected to the sanction known as Payment by Sacrifice.]
"I suppose that's the consequence you were talking about, right?"
[Yes.]
"It says I owe 700 Relish, but the injection only cost 500."
[That is an additional incentive.]
"Fine. I'll deal with that later."
[Wait.]
I was abruptly stopped by the cube.
"What is it?"
And it turned out that, since I no longer felt pain, I had forgotten something quite important.
[Your arm.]
"…?!"
[I believe you should reposition it before continuing.]
My right arm—the same one I had used earlier to protect the rest of my body—now lay in an unnatural position. One glance was enough to realize it had been dislocated.
"Oh, right. I almost forgot."
As if it were something routine, I grabbed my forearm and pulled with enough force to snap my bones back into place.
Crack.
"Mmm…!"
Thanks to the adrenaline injection, I didn't feel the pain I normally would have in a situation like this. Instead, I felt a strange tingling sensation in the area, something that completely caught me off guard.
"So… how does it look…?"
[Surprisingly good.]
I must admit I have plenty of experience dealing with this kind of injury. Besides, fixing an arm that's practically numb isn't much of a problem.
"Alright… now let's keep going."
Now back on my feet, I prepared to retrieve my weapons, which were still embedded in the corpse of the beast that had tried to kill me.
Sigh.
[Is everything alright, sir?]
"That thing is dead, right?"
[No, it is not dead, because it was never alive to begin with.]
"Mmm…"
[Do not worry. The entity will not rise again. Its lights have completely gone out.]
"…"
"What exactly is an entity? Is it like a Ka'li?"
[No. An entity is similar to a Ka'li, but also different.]
"Right…"
I would have liked to keep asking the cube more questions, because that monstrous deformity fascinated me, just like everything related to this job. But I couldn't right now. First I had to get out of this situation.
I walked toward the motionless corpse of the entity, careful not to step on any of the massive cracks spreading across the floor, which threatened to break it apart even further.
"Eh…?"
Soon I came across one of those cracks. But this one was particularly large and so deep that, if you looked down from above, you could see the floor below as if you were looking at a pleasant park from the balcony of a building.
Except what you could see here was anything but pleasant.
"Eh… this… they…"
I couldn't even finish a sentence from the sheer shock of seeing it. Seeing them all.
"Those… those things are…"
[Yes. Entities.]
Through the crack I could see a sea of pale, deformed creatures writhing grotesquely as they filled every space on the first floor.
"There are… so many…"
[Yes, it appears so.]
Groooaaaark!
"They can't climb up here, right?"
[The stairs of the lower sublevels were destroyed along with… the lower sublevels themselves. So they have nothing to climb.]
[Unless they decide to climb the walls.]
"…Great."
[But do not worry, Mr. Robert. The entities appear to be quite busy with their new prey.]
"What? What are you talking about?"
[Look carefully. Toward the center, where the entities are piling on top of one another.]
It didn't take long for me to find the place the cube described. I only had to look at where the largest number of entities had gathered.
"Wait… is that a person down there?"
[Yes.]
That person lay on the ground, surrounded by dozens of entities pulling at his body like a toy fought over by a group of children.
"That green cape…"
"…!"
"That's the hero… the hero from the park whose face I blew up with a bomb."
[Grenade.]
"Right… so he was the Sundrel causing all this chaos."
[Correct.]
"And… they…"
"…What are they doing to him? Don't tell me they're eating him."
[No. Entities do not need to eat to survive, nor do they possess a predatory instinct toward other species.]
"Then what exactly am I looking at?"
[The entities are assimilating him.]
"Assimilating? I don't understand."
[They use his body and all of his magical energy as a method to evolve.]
"Eh…?!"
—Evolve…?! What the hell does that mean?!
[It means they will become stronger and more dangerous once they finish assimilating all of the Sundrel's power, which I estimate will take approximately 20 minutes.]
"20 minutes…"
—That's about the same time the mission has left. Could it be a coincidence?
[Mr. Robert, please do not waste any more time.]
"I'm going, I'm going."
I was about to move forward, but I couldn't take a single step without the idea gnawing at my conscience.
"Damn it…"
Once again, I looked at the hero. He seemed to be unconscious, unaware of everything that was happening to him and of what those beasts were doing to him.
"Do you think I could help him, Cube?"
[…]
[Are you thinking of risking your life for him, sir?]
"I didn't say that. I only asked if I could help him from here."
[I'm afraid not.]
"…"
[Any kind of intervention on your part will lead to the same result:
You being torn apart by a swarm of entities.]
"…"
"If I used one of those grenades, I could kill all those entities…"
[And you could also cause the entire building to collapse.]
"…"
"Twenty minutes…"
[…]
"Answer me just one more thing."
"If the building collapses, could the hero survive?"
[He is a Sundrel with enough potential to become a hero. Even in a weakened state, he could withstand the full force of an atomic bomb and come out unharmed.]
"Mmm…"
"Alright. I'll solve everything one thing at a time."
[What do you intend to do?]
Tap… tap.
After a couple of steps, I stopped in front of the entity's corpse.
"I'm going to finish the mission."
I placed my foot on its neck and, with my left hand, firmly grabbed the hilt of my sword, still buried deep inside its skull.
My mind was being flooded by dozens of thoughts crashing into one another, making me hesitate about what I should do next.
I was afraid of dying here. But there was also a small part of me that wanted to keep going. And deep down, I was enjoying this. The danger, the pain, and the feeling of victory were things I had never experienced simultaneously in my entire life, and that was what made me feel alive.
—That's how I survived in that cave. But now it's different.
According to what the cube said, if I failed here, innocent people outside would pay the consequences. Thinking about that made a knot form in my stomach. And to make matters worse, the very hero who stopped me in the park got himself into trouble just for chasing after me.
—Back then… he tried to help me…
I was no longer trying to feel alive, because I couldn't afford to cling to such a vague purpose anymore. I had to choose a different path, one that could be summarized in the single word that had echoed within me ever since the moment I accepted this job.
With a smooth motion, I pulled my sword out of the entity's skull. It was as easy as pulling a stick out of a pile of sand.
Tac… tac.
When I did, the wolf mask split into two halves that fell to the ground with the help of a gentle breeze.
The entity's face was revealed, and when I saw it, I experienced a strange sense of déjà vu.
Unnaturally pale skin, four large gray eyes resembling perfectly spherical orbs, and no other facial features except for the large vertical wound in the center of its face.
"Mmm…"
[Mr. Robert?]
Before I could reach any conclusion about its face, the cube floated in front of my eyes, interrupting my thoughts.
[Your heart and your mind are now in sync.]
"Ah… yeah, I think they are."
I said as I pulled the knife from its chest with my right hand, then the axe from its abdomen.
"Store these two."
From now on, I'll only use the sword. I'm more familiar with it than with the other weapons, except for the revolver.
[Then what has your purpose become?]
"Eh…? I'm still not completely sure…"
That whole "synchronization between heart and mind" thing was still something I didn't fully understand. Maybe it referred to the relationship between logic and emotions, or something like that.
"I'm just following a caprice."
***
"Pfffft."
Inside a dark room illuminated only by the light of a large television, a group of people watched every detail of the video playing in front of them.
"Hahahahaha."
"Mr. Zairus, would you kindly keep quiet?"
"Hahaha, sorry. That brat is just too funny. What do you think, Sam?"
"The boy himself doesn't seem like much, but he's one step away from discovering the secret and activating the stigma."
"Haha, oh, that sounds impressive, doesn't it, Cronos?"
"…"
In the darkness, a group of shadowy figures laughed and discussed the fate of a poor boy who was walking straight into a danger unimaginable to the inhabitants of this plane.
"Lucius…"
When that name was mentioned, silence filled the room.
"He was the one who recruited him. Why isn't he here?"
"Heh, who knows. That lump of coal doesn't seem to care what happens to the rookie."
"…Either that, or maybe he trusts the boy will succeed."
"Mmm, that doesn't sound like Lucius."
"Anyway, if the boy succeeds, good for him. But if he fails, we'll proceed with the original plan and detonate Explosive X."
"Wow…"
"Yeah… it seems that rookie is about to experience quite a shock."