Chapter 35: Protein comes to you on its own

[Scan Result: Sand Worm]

[Classification: Insectoid Aberration]

[Grade: Look-class]

[Threat Level: Medium]

[Notable Traits: Vibration-sensitive ambush / Hardened exoskeleton / Piercing head structure]

[Additional Info:]

· Contains partial infected core reaction tissue

· Inactive absorption-type core decomposition organ present inside

· Potential to evolve into Night-class under certain conditions

[Analysis Accuracy: 67%]

[Warning: Structure mixed with infected signals. Analysis error possible.]

‘This thing never even appeared in the original work…?’

The Sand Worm burst through the ground like a giant earthworm.

The fact that it was active in broad daylight suggested its habitat was the dark underground, rendering typical daylight weaknesses ineffective.

But the most grotesque part was its head.

Dozens of rows of tightly interlocked teeth inside its circular mouth gnashed together with a bone-chilling screech.

“Don’t tell me this thing was right beneath the ground we were standing on…?”

Serika immediately drew her sniper rifle and took aim.

But after a moment, she lowered the barrel with a cold sweat.

“No good! Levi’s too close! There’s a risk of misfire!”

“Then just stay still, Serika.”

“…Huh?”

Serika turned to me in disbelief, my calm response clearly catching her off guard.

“Chanwoo… aren’t you worried about Levi?”

I shook my head briefly.

“Nope. Not worried.”

“What?”

“That low-level daylight aberration doesn’t stand a chance against Levi.”

“Kyaaaaah!”

The Sand Worm let out a frenzied shriek and charged.

Its gaping maw loomed over Lila on her horse, as if ready to swallow her whole.

“Kyaaah! L-Levi unni! What do we do?!”

“Hmm…”

Unlike Lila, who was screaming at the top of her lungs, Levi closed her eyes briefly, as if calculating.

And then—

Swish.

The blade in her hand traced a silver arc through the air.

She walked toward the Sand Worm as casually as if she were out for a stroll.

And the moment the monster tried to lunge at her—

Schlick.

“Screeeech?!”

The Sand Worm’s face split clean in half before it collapsed on the spot.

“Whoaaa…”

Serika’s eyes widened, her mouth hanging open.

“I can’t believe it… Did Levi really just do that…?”

“You saw it. She took down those human hunters last time too.”

“But back then… I thought it was only possible because you were controlling her!”

Serika’s voice was a mix of shock and excitement.

But I slowly shook my head.

“Nah. I just gave her a little push. Levi’s always been capable of this.”

“……”

Serika stared at Levi in silence.

The girl who had just sliced apart a Look-class aberration sheathed her blade and turned back to me.

I gave her a thumbs-up.

Levi stood motionless, but the slight tremor in her fingertips betrayed her happiness.

“Good job, Levi. Normally, we’d have to scour every shadowy building to find aberrations, but you just made our work a whole lot easier.”

“…Thank you for the praise, Chanwoo-nim.”

Her face remained expressionless, but a faint hint of pride tinged her voice.

“But… will one of these things be enough to gather all the materials we need to repair the circuit?”

I shrugged.

“Nope. We’ll need at least ten more.”

Levi’s eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly.

Amused, I grinned.

Because—

“Keeek!”

“Kikik! Kikik!”

“Gagagak!”

“Eek! Chanwoo oppa! They just keep coming out of the ground!”

Sand Worms—they never travel alone.

Underground aberrations like these usually move in packs.

That much was proven even in the original work.

“Lila. Stay by my side while Levi fights for now.”

“Okay… got it. Chanwoo… oppa.”

Lila, who had been cheering loudly on her horse earlier, nodded quietly, her earlier energy gone.

She hesitantly climbed down from Levi’s shoulder and shuffled over to me.

I held out my hand naturally.

***

After a moment’s hesitation, Lila took it tightly.

A warmth that wasn’t cold or frightening.

A touch that carried trust.

Her words no longer sounded stiff or awkward.

Instead, for the first time, “Levi unni” and “Chanwoo oppa” flowed naturally from her lips.

As if she had truly become one of us.

The roars of the surrounding aberrations grew louder, but strangely, I didn’t feel tense.

“Levi, Serika. Need help?”

“No! I can handle this much on my own!”

“Same here! Chanwoo-nim, just focus on playing word chains with Lila!”

At the confident declarations of the two androids, I nodded lightly.

“Alright. Then… let’s hunt nine more to your heart’s content.”

Surprisingly, the repeated appearances of the sandworms made it feel like we’d stepped into some kind of experience dungeon.

In less than 30 minutes, we’d already taken down all ten of our targets.

But hunting was just the beginning.

The real challenge was dismantling the grotesque lifeforms’ bodies to farm the hidden parts inside.

It took far more time to dissect the insect carcasses and extract the tissue needed for circuit repairs.

By the time the sun began to dip below the horizon, we’d finally finished all our work.

Crackle, crackle.

We stepped inside a nearby abandoned building and lit a campfire.

The faint warmth helped maintain our body heat as we all took a moment to rest our exhausted bodies.

“Good work today. Thanks to you, we’ve perfectly achieved our goal.”

“Not at all. You’re the one who did most of the dismantling, Chanwoo.”

“Right! Even in R.P.M., dismantling is supposed to be ridiculously hard, but you made it look so clean… Human dexterity really is something else!”

“Haha… Well, let’s just say I’ve got some experience.”

The days I spent slicing up 200 monster corpses a day for achievements, refusing to stop even at 100% fatigue.

The hundreds of hours I endured in extreme mode, where a single mistake meant game over, relying on nothing but precise finger control over brute strength.

All that grueling effort had paid off in this moment—real-world application.

As we exchanged satisfied laughter—

Sniff, sniff.

“Hey… don’t you think we all reek of blood?”

“Hehe… Yeah. I’m feeling a little nauseous myself…”

“Agreed. Immediate cleansing is necessary. My desire to wash is currently at critical levels.”

Sigh.

I leaned against the wall and let out a tired breath.

I knew where we were.

Humanity was extinct, and we were walking through the ruins of the apocalypse.

‘A sauna? That was just a fantasy, a luxury, practically delusional.’

But right at that moment—

As if a dream were bleeding into reality, words that should’ve been impossible slipped out far too naturally.

“Um…”

When we turned in surprise, Lila was standing there, timidly raising her hand.

“Our village… has a sauna.”

“…What?!”

“Seriously?!”

“You mean a real sauna? From before the apocalypse?!”

“I go to the hot springs sometimes too. It makes me feel better… I think you’d all like it, unnie… and Chanwoo oppa too…”

‘Hot. Springs.’

For a moment, I was speechless.

In Starborn, saunas did exist—but they were purely late-game luxuries, completely unrelated to survival.

The construction requirements were absurd, and hardly anyone bothered building them.

“But… this underground village has a hot spring?”

I tilted my head at Lila’s words, then quickly found myself lost in imagined scenery.

And just like that, a fatal calculation began running through my mind.

Underground village.

All-female population.

Communal bath structure.

= Mixed bathing.

‘…Which meant there was a 99.9% chance the hot spring was mixed.’

“There’s an old saying that you should always go to the sauna with women… Turns out the ancestors were right.”

“Is a sauna really that great, Chanwoo?”

“Of course. When we get back, I’ll show you—very thoroughly.”

“Chanwoo! Then let me scrub your back for you! I’ve always wanted to try that… And the front too.”

Serika laughed shyly, leaning slightly against my arm.

Levi, who’d been silent the whole time, quietly placed her hand on my other arm.

“…I’ll join too. If it’s about scrubbing Chanwoo, I can do it more gently than Serika.”

‘If we really go in, this isn’t ending at just shoulders, is it?’

“Lila, you wanna come too?”

“Huh? M-me too…?”

“Of course. A clean girl is the prettiest.”

“Agreed. Poor hygiene generally reduces likability.”

Levi’s tone was mechanical, but her eyes flickered unnaturally.

Normally, she’d never say something like this first.

But right now, the idea of bathing together was clearly getting to her.

Heh… I’m looking forward to when we get back.

A soft laugh escaped from across the campfire.

Even in the apocalypse, this moment felt peaceful and warm.

But then—

Sniff… Sob…

“…Huh?”

“Lila?”

“Why are you crying? Are you hurt?”

The girl hung her head, trembling quietly.

Tears welled in her eyes, her expression full of hesitation—before a single, quiet sentence spilled out.

“I’m… I’m sorry… Chanwoo oppa, unnies… I’m so sorry…”

A sudden collapse of emotion.

It was a sob that sounded like she could no longer hold back everything she’d been hiding.