The person who would guide us in Ha-yu’s place, as per the commander grandfather’s suggestion.
The group’s reactions to seeing him were mixed.
Two of them stared in curiosity, while Amelia frowned.
And then there was me, wondering just who the hell he was to make that kind of face.
"Hey there, kids. From now on, I’ll be your guide instead of Ha-yu. Sound good?"
"…Why is Dad here?"
Dad?
…Now that she mentioned it, they did look a little alike.
Not in appearance. It was more about the distinctive features and the aura.
Amelia’s signature golden, silk-like hair and blue eyes—he had the same.
His face was different, his expression was different.
But that unmistakable presence of hers lingered around him too.
Once I realized that, it was obvious to anyone—father and daughter, no question.
"Why am I here? My lovely daughter’s in town. Who else would come but me?"
"Ugh."
"That stings a little…"
…Though their faces *and* personalities seemed completely opposite.
"Well, it’s not a joke. Figured it’d be easier if someone you know showed you around, so here I am."
"Oh? …I guess if that’s the case, it’s fine."
Amelia had never once mentioned disliking her father or anything like that to us.
So what was with this reaction?
It felt like watching a father awkwardly forcing himself into his angsty teenage daughter’s life.
"Come on, kids. It’s not far. Let’s take it slow and chat on the way."
"Ah, yes."
At first, everyone was stiff around him.
But before we knew it—
He’d naturally woven himself into our group, striking up conversations about this and that.
Our abilities, how the world was these days…
He smoothly steered the talk, picking up on every thread.
"Really? That’s impressive. Pretty rare ability you’ve got there."
"Hehe, is it?"
"With that, you’ll get treated well here for sure. Since it’s a support ability, you’ll be in the rear—less danger. …Not that I’d *recommend* it."
"Why not?"
"Even if it’s *less* dangerous, a battlefield’s still a battlefield. You never know when you’ll die. Isn’t that why you’re all here?"
"…Ah. That villain?"
"Exactly."
Finally, were we going to hear about the target?
When I’d asked Siwoo before, he’d said the details were classified—even he didn’t know much.
Apparently, we’d only get the full story once we arrived.
Just who *was* this guy that warranted all this secrecy?
"Right. You still don’t know much about the target, do you? Fine, since you’re here now, I can explain."
"An explanation?"
"Here, take a look at this."
"…What’s this?"
He pulled something from his pocket and handed it to Siwoo.
What in the world was it?
In Siwoo’s hand was a small, pitch-black, mechanical device.
"Everyone working here has one of these. Custom-made, expensive gear—pretty sturdy high-end stuff. …Ah, right. You should each take one too."
"Ah, thank you."
"…But what *is* it?"
I asked as he suddenly remembered and handed us each one as well.
What was this tiny thing for?
"Oh, right, I forgot. It’s like a mini camera."
"A camera?"
"If you touch it like this… There, see?"
I squinted at the tiny device, rolling it between my fingers, skeptical about where the controls even were.
But that was only for a moment. Before long, a light emerging from the small hole began projecting an image onto the wall in front of them.
"Wow, that’s amazing…"
"Like I said earlier, this place is dangerous. It’s convenient to have something that automatically records when something happens, even if you don’t do it yourself."
"…"
When something happens.
At those words, everyone who had been gaping in awe suddenly closed their mouths.
And at the same time, they realized why he had given them this device earlier.
In case something happened to them, so the cause could be clearly identified.
And the device that had been given to them first—the one now playing this footage—must have belonged to someone.
"Seems like you’ve figured it out. That’s right. This is a recording from one of the Team 2 members who was killed by a villain. Luckily, it survived."
"…Luckily?"
"No matter how sturdy it is, it has its limits because of its size. If it was on a body part that got hit by a beast, it would’ve been destroyed, obviously."
The mood of the group turned somber at the realization that this device was someone’s last legacy.
"Now, look. That’s the target we need to chase."
And that somber mood vanished in an instant.
It had to. Everyone was overwhelmed by the sight of the villain in the footage.
"…What the hell is that?"
-Hey, what are you doing there?
-What are you doing?
CRUNCH.
The girl in the footage was grotesque beyond belief.
While the presumed owner of the device was struggling to alert everyone to the strange situation,
a girl who had quietly approached and was petting the beast’s leg…
was too monstrous to be called human.
"Is that… even human…?"
"Well, that’s what we’ve been debating."
"Whether it’s human or a beast?"
"Yeah. It takes a human form and can speak, so we’ve classified it as a villain for now."
Could they really call that thing a person?
That thought lingered in everyone’s minds.
Because the girl’s appearance was simply grotesque.
Maybe she had been an ordinary girl before whatever horrific thing had attached itself to her.
But the girl they were seeing now…
It was like a doll abandoned after a child’s clay-play session.
When she removed the hoodie that had been obscuring her silhouette, the sight was nothing short of horrifying.
Her arms were covered in grotesque teeth and eyes.
Where her chest should have been, something bright red was constantly moving… Probably a heart.
Her legs were not human—they were covered in sharp, jagged spikes.
Overall, it was hard to see her as human.
She had the form of a monster straight out of a horror movie.
"It’s not quite human since it can communicate with beasts, but it’s not quite a beast since it can communicate with humans."
"…Sounds dangerous."
"Doesn’t it?"
Everyone understood.
Why the Association had only shown this to Yu Siwoo after he arrived on the scene.
A being that could communicate with both beasts and humans, yet was neither clearly one nor the other.
If word of this ever got out, it was impossible to predict what kind of chaos would erupt.
"I didn’t want to have to rely on your help… but I’m truly sorry."
"…I heard the Exploration-class Abilities are suffering from a sudden shortage of personnel."
"Yeah. That’s how it is."
He sighed and grumbled,
"I tried to call back a colleague who was on vacation, but he said there was a serial killing spree in the area and he was helping out. The other Exploration-class superhumans are in similar situations. Our luck’s just been terrible."
…Luck? No, that can’t be it.
Everyone seems to think it’s just bad luck because it happened in reality, but I knew the truth.
This was the Author’s doing.
I tilted my head slightly to look up at the ceiling.
"I’m really sorry. But I’ll make sure to protect you properly."
"…It’s fine. If it’s something we have to do eventually, doing it early is better, I guess."
"Ooooh… Hey, kid. You’ve got a pretty cool friend here. Wanna try to snag him?"
"Absolutely not! Are you insane?!"
Whoosh.
I turned my head toward the voice.
"…What’s wrong? Did I do something…?"
"It’s nothing."
"Uh, okay?"
He gave an awkward laugh, seemingly flustered by my tone.
After a brief silence, we arrived at the lodging.
He handed us the keys.
"Here you go. Get some rest today. I think the Commander has already sent the detailed schedule to Hayul."
"Ah, thank you."
"Kid, you come with me for a sec."
"…Huh? Me? Why?"
"Why not?"
He was still smiling.
But sensing something off, Amelia began preparing to bolt.
"I checked all the posts you put up on SNS."
"…?!"
"Now, now, daughter. Trying to run away already?"
"Since when?!"
But just as she was about to take off—
He, who had already been ready to catch her, dashed to her side in an instant, grabbed her cheek, and grinned triumphantly.
"I-I can’t breaaaathe…!"
"Tsk, tsk. Such a naughty girl. How dare you expose your father’s hobbies to the world? I didn’t raise you like that."
"L-let gooooo—!"
"As punishment, you and I are going to have some *fun* together today."
"Nooooo, Dad—! Save me!"
There wasn’t much we could do.
Honestly, it *was* Amelia’s fault.
Broadcasting someone’s secrets to the entire world was kind of a dick move, wasn’t it?
Realizing we had no intention of helping, Amelia let out a pitiful scream.
"Oh dear, just like her father—even her screams are something else…"
"…Have a good time?"
"Get some rest. …It’s been a while since we’ve had a fun little race through hell, daughter. Remember, the second I catch you, it’s straight to hellish sparring?"
"Uh, D-Dad…?"
"Don’t worry. If your skills haven’t rusted, even I won’t be able to catch you. But if I *do* catch you… well, you’ll have to fight me in that tough spot, won’t you?"
"J-just go a little easy on me…?"
"Tsk. Training is just like the real thing. And what’s our family motto again?"
"…Use any means necessary."
"That’s right. So use any means necessary to escape me. Simple, isn’t it?"
That look on her face said it all—*impossible*. Amelia’s expression was pure resignation.
Last time, she’d apparently been so fast even her father couldn’t catch her.
That might’ve been true, but it seemed she needed a bit of speed to pull it off.
If she got caught before building up momentum, this was what happened.
"Alright, go!"
"SAVE MEEEEEEEE—!"
"Ahahaha, too slow, daughter! Run faster!"
"I HATE THIS—!"
"…Sigh."
Like father, like daughter, huh.