The shadow moved slowly. Its legs were long and thin, like living twigs. Its body was human-like, but too tall, too thin, and its head was covered by a large, dark purple fungal crown.
Its eyes,three glowing green eyes, stared at them without blinking.
Shun nearly fell.
"I-is that...what is that?!"
Mei answered in a soft but tense voice.
"A Spore Warden.Class-B. A long-distance hunter. It can control the spore mist to limit our movement."
"Class-B?!"Akira looked at Mei in panic. "We've only been in here thirty minutes and we already meet a Class-B?!"
"This is a simulation,"Jian answered while raising his machete. "They must have deliberately placed strong Mycelites to test us."
The Warden didn't move.Just stood there, staring at them.
Then slowly...it raised its hand.
The mist around them began to move,as if alive. The mist formed a circle, slowly tightening, trapping them.
"It's making a cage,"Kai muttered. Her voice trembled.
Rin felt her chest tighten,not from the mist, but because the vibration grew stronger.
As if a voice was speaking directly into her mind,but not in words. Just intent.
"You will not escape."
Rin shook her head hard,trying to focus. But this time the voice didn't fade. Instead, it grew clearer, as if something was trying to enter her mind.
"Stop resisting.Join us."
Rin squeezed her eyes shut,biting her lower lip until it hurt. The pain helped. The voice weakened slightly.
"Rin!"Akira shook her shoulder. "Are you okay?!"
Rin opened her eyes,gasping for breath.
"I-I'm fine.We have to get out of this circle before the mist gets too thick."
"How?!"Akira asked.
Rin looked at the Warden.The monster still stood motionless, controlling the mist with its hand.
If we kill it, the mist will disappear.
But the monster was Class-B,far stronger than the Fungal Hound Rin faced in the selection.
"Jian,"Rin said quickly. "You and Akira need to distract it. Make it focus on you."
"What's the plan?"Jian asked.
"Mei and I will approach from the side.If we can sever its arm, it can't control the mist anymore."
Mei glanced at Rin,then nodded.
"I'm in."
Jian smiled faintly,but the smile didn't reach his eyes.
"Okay.But if this fails, I'll make your grave in Sector-7."
"Deal,"Rin answered.
Kai and Shun retreated to the back,taking cover behind a large fungus.
Jian and Akira moved forward.Jian with his machete, Akira with his stun rod.
The Warden watched them.
Then with a swift motion,it threw something.
Not a weapon.
Dense spores.
Like small purple balls that exploded upon hitting the ground.
POOF!
Thick mist instantly spread.Jian and Akira were forced back, gasping for breath. Akira coughed hard, inhaling some of the spores.
"Damn!I can't see anything!" Akira yelled, rubbing his eyes.
Rin and Mei moved quickly to the side,using the mist as cover.
The Warden didn't notice them.
Or...it pretended not to.
Rin and Mei were almost at the Warden's left side.Five meters away.
Mei whispered very softly.
"I'll approach from the left.You from the right. We attack simultaneously."
Rin nodded.
They moved.
Four meters.
Three meters.
Two meters.
The Warden suddenly turned.
Its head rotated 180 degrees,like an owl.
All three eyes stared directly at Rin and Mei.
Then it smiled.
"Shit!"
Mei immediately jumped sideways.
The Warden swung its arm.A long whip shot out from its arm, made of hard fungal roots.
WHIP!
The whip nearly hit Rin.Rin rolled backward. The whip struck the ground hard, leaving a deep crack.
Mei counterattacked.Her knife hit the Warden's arm, but only left a shallow scratch. The monster's skin was hard as wood.
The Warden attacked again.Its hand moved fast, almost grabbing Mei.
But suddenly...
ZZZTTT!
Akira emerged from the mist.His stun rod struck the Warden's back.
The monster howled.A strange sound like a scream and a hiss combined.
Jian appeared from another direction.His machete swung hard, hitting the Warden's right leg.
CRACK!
The leg partially broke,but didn't sever completely. The Warden still stood. Its body swayed, but didn't fall.
Rin got up,breathing heavily. This isn't enough. We have to be faster.
And then...she felt something.
The green pattern on her palm suddenly grew hot.
Like burning from within.
And the voice came again,but this time stronger.
"Use us.Let us help."
Rin shook her head hard.No. I can't.
"If you don't use us,your friends will die."
Rin looked at the Warden.The monster was rising again, its arm ready to attack Akira who was still gasping.
Akira wouldn't be able to dodge in time.
Rin had no choice.
She closed her eyes and let the voice in.
Just a little.Just enough to...
The green pattern on her hand glowed brightly.
And from her palm...
Out came small green roots.
The roots moved quickly,like living whips, lashing towards the Warden.
SLASH!
The green roots wrapped around the Warden's broken leg,then pulled hard.
CRACK!
The leg severed completely.
The Warden fell.Its body hit the ground with a loud thud.
Rin didn't waste time.She ran fast, her raised rod striking the Warden's head with all her strength.
ZZZTTT!CRACK!
Electricity surged.The fungal crown on the Warden's head shattered.
The monster fell and didn't move again.
The mist around them slowly began to thin.
Everyone stood panting.Their breaths were heavy.
Jian stared at the motionless Warden body.
"Did we...win?"
Kai whispered from behind.Her voice trembled.
"I-I think so..."
But Mei wasn't sure.She stared at the monster with a sharp gaze.
"Rin,"she called softly. "Back away."
"Why-"
The Warden's body suddenly shuddered.
From the cracks in its body came thousands of tiny purple spores.
"RUN!"Mei shouted.
They all immediately ran.The spores exploded in the air, spreading like toxic mist.
Rin felt her chest tighten.She inhaled a little of the spores.
The world spun.
Sounds grew faint.
And the last thing she saw before her vision darkened...
Mei catching her falling body.
Rin woke up with a throbbing head.
She was lying on the soft ground,surrounded by her team. Their faces looked blurry, like looking through water.
"Rin!Rin! Wake up!" Akira shook her shoulder.
Rin coughed hard,expelling some spores from her lungs. It felt like something alive was in her throat.
Mei knelt beside her.Her hand checked Rin's pulse.
"She got direct exposure.But not as severe as I thought."
Jian stood a few meters away,looking at Rin with an unreadable expression. A mix of relief and suspicion.
"Rin,"Jian said in a serious tone. "What did you just do?"
Rin looked at her hand.The green pattern on her palm was now far more distinct than before. Even without Mei's gel, the pattern looked like a network of small roots moving under her skin.
And what was more terrifying...
She could still feel the remnants of the connection with the green roots she had unleashed.
As if a pathway had been opened,and now couldn't be fully closed.
"I don't know,"Rin answered softly. Her voice was hoarse.
"Don't lie,"Jian said coldly. "You released something from your hand. I saw it."
Silence.
Akira looked at Jian with a disapproving gaze.
"Jian,now's not the time."
"When is the time?!"Jian snapped, his voice rising. "We almost died! And the only reason we're alive is because Rin did something abnormal!"
Kai sat huddled next to Shun,looking at Rin with a fearful gaze, as if seeing something that shouldn't exist.
Mei finally spoke up.Her tone was cold but firm.
"Jian.Shut your mouth."
Jian looked at Mei sharply.
"Why?You saw it too, didn't you? You know something's wrong with her!"
Mei stood up and looked Jian directly in the eye.
"Yes,I know. But if it weren't for Rin, Akira would be dead. And all of us too. So shut your mouth and say thank you because she saved us."
Jian tensed,then finally looked down. His jaw tightened.
But his gaze towards Rin didn't change.
A suspicious gaze.A fearful gaze.
Rin felt a coldness creeping into her chest.
They're starting to be afraid of me.
Mei helped Rin stand.
"Can you walk?"
Rin nodded,though her body felt heavy.
"I can."
"Good.We have to move. Evacuation Point is still two kilometers away. And we've already lost an hour."
They started moving again,but this time the atmosphere had changed.
No one spoke.
Jian walked ahead,not looking back.
Kai and Shun walked farther from Rin,as if afraid to approach.
Akira walked beside Rin,but he wasn't looking at her. As if he was confused about what to say.
And Mei walked slightly ahead of Rin,occasionally glancing back, as if making sure Rin could still walk.
Rin felt her chest tighten,not from spores, but from loneliness.
I saved them.
But now they're afraid of me.
In the observation room, far above the simulation arena.
Commissioner Lian Shu stood before a large screen displaying the recording of Team 07's battle with the Spore Warden.
Beside her stood Dr.Hayato Gin, head of the dome's biological research division. An old man with white hair, thick glasses, and a serious expression.
Lian replayed the recording.Focusing on the moment Rin released the green roots from her hand.
"This is faster than I predicted,"Lian said softly.
Dr.Gin zoomed in on the image of Rin's hand. The green pattern on her palm was clearly visible, even through the screen.
"She has already entered stage two synchronization.Responsive has become manipulative."
"What does that mean?"Lian asked.
"It means she doesn't just sense Mycelites.Now she can use the mycelial network inside her body as a weapon." Dr. Gin stared at the screen seriously. "But there are consequences."
"What?"
"Every time she uses that ability,the mycelial network inside her body grows faster. That green pattern will spread. From the hand, to the arm, to the chest, then to the whole body."
Lian tensed.
"How long before she completely changes?"
Dr.Gin was silent for a long time.
Then he answered in a tone that offered no hope.
"If she keeps using that ability,one month. Maybe less."
Lian looked at the screen.Focused on Rin's face which looked tired and confused.
"We have to make sure she remains under observation,"Lian said. "And we have to make sure she doesn't know how dangerous she is."
Dr.Gin nodded.
"I've prepared an observation protocol.But there's one thing."
"What?"
"If she loses control in the middle of a real expedition,we can't stop her. We'll have to eliminate her."
Lian was silent for a long time,then nodded slowly.
"Do what you must.But don't let the other teams know."
Meanwhile, inside the simulation.
Team 07 had walked for more than another hour.The mist began to thin, a sign they were nearing the Evacuation Point.
But Rin felt something was wrong.
The green pattern on her hand was still moving.
Even after she stopped using it.
As if something alive was inside her body,and now refused to be still.
Rin closed her eyes,trying to suppress the sensation.
But the voice came again.Softer this time, but still there.
"Thank you...you opened the door... now we can grow faster..."
Rin opened her eyes with a gasp.
What have I done?