Chapter 42: My First… Mission?

Chapter 42: My First... Mission?

Han Seori, are you perhaps... abandoning me? No, did I do something wrong?

Maybe I misunderstood something.

I see a dark passage in my view. Compared to a sewer, there was no sewage, and it wasn’t musty, so you could say it was a better environment.

But judging from the corpses of monster-like things scattered around that I saw a little while ago outside, it seems it may be more dangerous than a sewer.

If those things are lying around, it means there are a bunch of alligator-like creatures roaming around.

...Why the hell did you bring me to a place like this?

Is this how it feels to be given a cold shoulder?

The bag on my back is empty, too, isn’t it?

Han Seori, why...

...Well, it’s probably not like that.

Considering how she cherished me in her own way until now... she might think I can survive here, rather than abandoning me.

Thinking that way, I pondered the words Han Seori said to me before entering here.

Did she say I’d be able to come out when the time comes?

...So I, who couldn’t ask when that would be, silently looked at her, and she pushed me in here with a bitter smile.

Still, I wasn’t lonely.

Daesik came with me and...

Sosik is wriggling towards the unidentified lump of meat... yeah, he has a name now, too.

Since he seems to have a big appetite, I named him Sosik, meaning to eat a little less.

Despite his name, Sosik approaches the unidentified lump of meat and pushes a piece of meat into his body.

I thought it was a bit repulsive.

...But I thought it would be better to eat it for now. Considering what I’ve experienced so far, it seemed like if I ate it, it would somehow become my energy or something.

So Daesik, who was jiggling his jelly, and I approached next to Sosik.

While putting the lump of meat into Daesik, I also picked up a lump of meat and put it in my mouth.

I was worried about what kind of strange taste it would have, but guess what?

It tasted better than I thought.

Hmm, yeah, it’s like... the taste of steak tartare that’s slightly past its prime.

Ah. Since steak tartare refers to the seasoned one... maybe raw beef slices would be more appropriate.

...Of course, it’s a bit concerning that the taste is starting to fade, but it was better than I expected.

It had a bitter taste that I assumed to be gunpowder, so maybe it’s right to call it steak tartare...?

Then.

As I was consuming the meat with enthusiasm, the lumps of meat suddenly began to sink into the floor.

Startled by the somehow familiar yet game-like scene, I grabbed Daesik and Sosik and stepped back.

Soon, the melted things returned to where they originally were, as if saying they were going back.

They disappeared without a trace. Everything that was nearby vanished.

Seeing that bizarre sight, it hits me that I’ve entered an anomalous zone.

...Wait a minute.

Come to think of it, that alligator in the sewers also melted like that and reappeared, right?

I shivered and hugged the two blobs of jelly, looking around frantically.

I sharpened my vision and raised my senses, wondering if monsters would suddenly surge up from the floor like that thing.

But contrary to my brilliant deduction, a monster suddenly popping out didn’t happen.

922-KR.

An anomalous zone commonly known as the Labyrinth of Crete.

If you ask why an anomalous zone in Korea is called something like the ‘Labyrinth of Crete,’ the answer would be that this name reflects the characteristics of the anomalous zone in a way.

That cursed space begins with a maze from where the slime girl is setting foot now.

I don’t know if it was just a maze continuing on... but there are traps that are difficult for humans to approach in many ways lying in wait everywhere.

That’s why it was tested on the slime girl, too.

Anyway.

The labyrinth would have been fine if it only existed, but it periodically spewed out monsters.

But even now, only the cycle has been found, and it hasn’t been revealed why the monsters pop out.

Still, why is it called the Labyrinth of Crete?

...Simply because those who explored the deepest heard the cry of a cow.

The popularity of Greek and Roman mythology comics in Korea also had an influence.

If it weren’t for that, well... wouldn’t it have been called something like a barn?

Han Seori also thought the Labyrinth of Crete was better than something like a barn maze.

In fact, since the search party went missing after that report, the reality of what’s inside is unknown.

Whether there really is a monster like the ‘Minotaur’ inside the Labyrinth of Crete.

Or if there’s just... something that makes a sound similar to that is unknown. Considering it’s an anomalous zone, there might just be a recording device that makes cow cries.

In that situation, the reason she sent the slime girl down was simple.

About 95% desire to understand the internal structure through her, who seems to have excellent survival skills.

...The remaining 5% is a slim hope that the slime girl might stumble upon a way to shut down 922-KR during her exploration.

Honestly, Han Seori tried not to get her hopes up too much for the latter possibility.

Her main goal was for the slime girl, who seemed better equipped for this than humans, to map out more of the anomalous zone’s interior before returning safely.

The path the slime girl moves is recorded in the device hanging on the slime girl’s neck and transmitted to her.

It won’t be difficult for the slime girl to get out, either.

‘When would be good?’

When the time comes, the ‘necklace’ on the slime girl’s neck will indicate the way for her to return.

She easily followed the arrows engraved on the floor in the previous test, so coming back won’t be a problem.

Han Seori looked at the screen again.

The slime girl seems to hesitate a bit, but she enters the labyrinth with the blob of slime presumed to have been born from her.

The bouncing blob of slime leading the way is quite... a relaxing sight.

It was like watching a puppy being followed.

Han Seori couldn’t tell what kind of face the slime girl was making...

But seeing the bouncing slime leading the way... maybe she’s enjoying it.

Han Seori, who had that thought, felt a bit peckish and ordered a meal.

Coming out for a moment, the corpses of monsters that she couldn’t handle in time caught her eye.

‘...She ate that, right?’

Recalling the slime girl eating that, a thought crossed Han Seori’s mind.

‘...Does that taste good?’

But she quickly shook her head and sighed.

‘No matter what, that’s a bit...’