The outside world was different from the simulation.
Not because of the visuals. The greenish-gray mist, the giant fungi, the soft ground, all were the same. But there was something that could not be replicated in a simulation.
The sensation.
The air felt alive. Every breath carried the smell of damp earth, old fungi, and something sweet like rotting fruit. Not just a smell, but a taste on the tongue. Like chewing something that shouldn't be there.
The ground beneath their feet breathed. Every step made the soil shift slightly, like walking on the skin of a slumbering giant creature.
And most disturbing.
The sounds.
Not sounds heard with the ears, but sounds felt in the bones. Like a low vibration that kept echoing, like the heartbeat of a giant pulsating underground.
Rin felt all of this with an intensity far greater than the others.
The green pattern on her arm vibrated constantly since they entered.
As if something out there recognized her.
The first hour passed in silence.
Team 07 moved in tight formation. Jian in front, Mei and Akira on the sides, Rin in the middle with Shun, and Kai at the back.
No one spoke. Everyone focused on their steps, on the sounds around them, on the shadows within the mist.
Shun checked his tablet every few minutes, ensuring they were still on the right path.
"First sample location… still 2 kilometers away," he whispered softly.
"Spore concentration?" Mei asked without turning.
"Twenty-five percent. Rising slowly. Still safe for the next six hours."
Kai walked beside Rin. Very close. Too close.
"Rin," she whispered suddenly. "Do you… feel something?"
Rin tensed. "Feel what?"
"Like… something is calling."
Rin looked quickly at Kai, and saw something in Kai's eyes. No longer an empty gaze.
But a gaze of… knowing.
"No," Rin answered quickly, too quickly. "I don't feel anything."
Kai looked at Rin longer, then smiled thinly. A smile that made Rin uncomfortable.
"Okay. If you say so."
Two hours later, they arrived at the First Sample Location.
An open area with a large fungal colony growing in a circular pattern, like a giant ring about 20 meters in diameter. The fungi were dark blue with faintly glowing white spots.
"This is it," Shun said while checking his tablet. "A Fairy Ring Formation. A fungal colony growing in a symmetrical pattern. Suitable for ecosystem analysis samples."
Mei approached carefully, kneeling at the edge of the colony. "It's… still active. Look, spores are coming from the gills under the fungal cap. We must be careful."
Jian stood at the outer edge, his machete raised. "I'll guard the perimeter. You take the samples quickly."
Mei and Shun began taking samples, using special equipment provided by the Dome Council. A small tube with a special filter to capture spores without contamination.
Meanwhile, Rin stood a few meters back, staring at the fungal colony with a strange feeling.
The vibration grew stronger.
And then… she heard something.
Not a voice with words.
But intent.
"Do not disturb… this is our place…"
Rin stepped back. Her breath caught.
The fungal colony was alive. And aware.
"Rin?" Akira looked at Rin anxiously. "Are you okay?"
Rin nodded quickly, but her hands trembled.
I have to stay calm. I can't make them suspicious.
But the vibration didn't stop.
Instead… it grew stronger.
And then.
The ground in the center of the fungal colony suddenly moved.
"FALL BACK!" Mei shouted.
Everyone immediately retreated, but it was too late.
The ground in the center of the colony exploded.
BOOM!
From the explosion emerged something.
A creature like a giant worm with a body covered in thick dark blue fungi, the same color as the colony. It was about 5 meters long, with a mouth full of sharp teeth and compound eyes glowing green.
A Mycelian Tunneler. Class-C.
"DAMN!" Jian immediately advanced, his machete raised.
The Tunneler roared, a sound like a scream and a hiss combined, then attacked Jian with surprising speed.
Jian swung his machete. SLASH! It hit the Tunneler's body, but only left a shallow scratch. The creature's skin was hard as stone.
The Tunneler counterattacked. Its body wrapped around Jian's leg, trying to pull him into the ground.
"JIAN!" Akira ran, his rod glowing. ZZZTTT! It struck the Tunneler's body.
The creature howled, its body convulsing, but didn't let go.
Mei ran from the side, her knife slashing the part of the Tunneler wrapped around Jian. SLASH! Deeper this time.
Green blood flowed out. The Tunneler released Jian and retreated into the ground.
"It's escaping underground!" Shun yelled. "Careful! It can appear from anywhere!"
Everyone stood alert, watching the ground around them.
Silence for a moment.
Then.
The ground beneath Shun suddenly exploded.
The Tunneler appeared. Its mouth wide open, ready to grab Shun.
"SHUN!" Rin ran without thinking. Her rod raised.
But she was too late.
The Tunneler was too close.
And then.
Kai suddenly appeared between Shun and the Tunneler.
Without weapons. Without protection.
Just standing there.
The Tunneler stopped. Its mouth still open, but not attacking.
Just looking at Kai.
As if recognizing something.
Kai looked directly at the Tunneler. An eerily empty gaze. Then spoke in a flat tone.
"Leave."
And the Tunneler.
Retreated.
Slowly. Its body pulled back into the ground.
Then disappeared.
Complete silence.
No one moved.
Everyone looked at Kai with an indescribable gaze. A mix of awe, confusion, and fear.
"Kai…" Akira spoke in a trembling voice. "What… what did you just do?"
Kai turned. Her face still flat, but there was something in her eyes. Something cold.
"I don't know," she answered in a mechanical tone. "I just… felt it wouldn't attack if I stood there."
Jian looked at Kai sharply. "You 'felt' it? Like… Rin?"
Kai looked at Jian, then glanced at Rin.
"Maybe."
Rin felt her chest tighten.
Kai can do that too.
That means they did change her.
They made her like me.
Mei spoke up quickly, cutting the tension. "We'll discuss this later. Now we have to go before that Tunneler comes back with its friends."
Everyone nodded, although their gazes towards Kai and Rin were now different.
They took the samples quickly, then left that location as fast as possible.
Three hours later, they stopped to rest.
Finding a relatively safe area, a small clearing under a giant fungal tree with thick roots forming a kind of natural wall.
Jian sat while checking his wound, a shallow scratch on his leg from the Tunneler's grip earlier. Mei helped him bandage it.
Shun sat in a corner, hugging his tablet. His face still pale from the earlier incident.
Akira sat next to Rin. Didn't speak, but occasionally glanced at Rin with a worried look.
Kai sat alone at the other end, staring into the mist with an empty gaze.
And Rin.
Felt the green pattern on her arm moving faster than ever.
As if responding to something out there.
The network's voice whispered again, clearer this time.
"You see… you are not the only one…"
"There are others like you… that they made…"
"But she is different… she does not fight… she accepts…"
Rin shook her head slowly, trying to suppress the voice.
Mei sat next to Rin, close enough to whisper without being heard by the others.
"Kai can do that," she whispered. "Just like you. But her way is different."
"What do you mean?" Rin whispered back.
"You still fight. You still try to be human. But Kai…" Mei glanced towards Kai. "She is no longer fighting. She accepts. And that is more dangerous."
Rin looked at Kai and felt a chill creep up her spine.
Kai is no longer Kai.
And one day… I might become like her.
Before Rin could answer.
Shun suddenly screamed.
"A LARGE SIGNAL ON THE SCREEN! VERY CLOSE!"
Everyone immediately became alert.
Shun stared at his tablet with a pale face. His hands trembled. "T-this… this isn't a normal Mycelite! The signal is too large! It's…"
Mei grabbed the tablet, then her face changed.
"A Fungal King," she whispered.
Silence.
"What?!" Jian stood up quickly. "Why is there a Fungal King in the Yellow Zone?! They're supposed to be in the Black Zone!"
"They sometimes come out," Mei answered coldly. "To hunt. Or for something else."
Rin looked in the direction the signal came from and felt a very strong vibration. Stronger than anything she had ever felt.
Not a vibration of hunger.
Not a vibration of aggression.
But a vibration.
A call.
As if something out there was calling for her.
"Rin?" Mei looked at Rin with a worried gaze. "Do you feel something?"
Rin nodded slowly. Couldn't lie.
"Yes. There's… something out there. Something calling me."
Mei tensed. "Don't listen. It's a trap."
"Or," Rin said softly, "it's the answer we're looking for."
Jian looked at Rin in disbelief. "Are you crazy? You want us to approach a Fungal King?!"
"No," Rin answered. "But I have to know."
Akira pulled Rin's arm. "Rin, this is too dangerous!"
Rin looked at Akira, then looked at the entire team.
"You don't have to come. But I… I have to know."
Silence for a moment.
Then Jian cursed softly. "Damn. I've come this far. Can't back out now, can I?"
Akira nodded. "I'm coming. You're not alone anymore, Rin."
Shun raised his tablet with trembling hands. "I-I'll come too…"
Kai was silent for a long time, then finally nodded. "I'll come."
And Mei just looked at Rin with a serious gaze.
"If we die… I'll haunt you."
Rin smiled faintly, for the first time in a long while.
"Deal."
They walked towards the signal.
The mist grew thicker. Strange sounds began to be heard. Whispers, faint laughter, footsteps with no source.
The vibration in Rin's arm grew stronger, until she had to bite her lower lip to keep from screaming.
And then.
They arrived at an open clearing.
In the center of that clearing.
Stood a giant figure.
It stood 10 meters tall, with a body like a human but made of black fungi and intertwined roots. Its head had no face, only a large hole emitting thick green spore mist.
From its back grew a large, dark purple fungal crown, like a king's crown.
And on its chest.
Three red light points shone brightly.
A Fungal King.
MOROK, The Spore Tyrant.
The figure stood motionless, just looking at them.
Then slowly.
It raised its hand.
And spoke, with a voice that echoed like thousands of voices at once.
"Finally… you have come… child of Asakura…"
Rin froze.
It knows who I am.
It was waiting for me.