Ch.142Doubting

# Enhanced Translation

Yari-kiri, yari-kiri, and after another yari-kiri, a fulfilling meal, then sleep in the restricted zone.

In this repetitive daily routine, I practiced expanding my domain while going to work at the construction site every day.

I inflated my sensory perception range itself, allowing my invisible body to dominate the surroundings.

I increased and expanded the density of the presence that had been driving away other monsters in the area.

“Phew…”

A headache like my brain was being forcibly stretched.

Forcibly extending my mind didn’t feel particularly pleasant.

After I retracted my domain and picked up a wooden box full of bricks, Ui, who had been watching me from the stairs, made a comment.

“It seems you don’t find the sensation of expanding your domain very pleasant.”

After explaining the existence and usage of the crystal in my head, Ui had started following me around the construction site.

Although several days had passed since I learned about domains and crystals, I was still struggling just to inflate my presence.

Adding special abilities to that seemed nearly impossible.

“Perhaps Unus is having more difficulty adapting because you’ve focused on reducing your presence rather than increasing it.”

“You mean concealing my presence.”

“What if you try thinking of it as fluffing up your fur?”

I tried various methods following Ui’s advice.

There was slight improvement each time, but no significant change.

“It’s surprising that you’re struggling so much with the first step of opening a domain. I heard Unus could perfectly ignore monster instincts, but perhaps that’s why. The sensation of using crystals is quite instinctual.”

“Your explanation isn’t helpful.”

“Hmm… that’s the best explanation I can offer. But it seems you’re getting the hang of it, so let’s continue.”

Ui fiddled with a Pipi-kung doll in the corner, glancing at me occasionally with eyes that had cooled somewhat since our first meeting.

“This is unexpected.”

“What suddenly?”

“I thought Unus would be good at everything. I heard you were the miracle experiment.”

“What exactly do you think I am?”

“Well? An idol, a goal, an ideal… No matter what I accomplished, researchers always used Unus as an example to tell me I was lacking. I thought you were that absolute of an experiment.”

“You were foolishly deceived by the researchers.”

Ui chuckled at my response.

“I suppose if Unus had truly been an absolute and perfect experiment, they wouldn’t have even attempted to discard you as a failure.”

Hop! Ui came down from the stairs and approached me as I was finishing up my yari-kiri for the day and calling a drone to report the end of work.

“Good work. You’re done for the day. I suppose that’s it for practicing your domain in human form today?”

“That’s right.”

“Then are you going to the park to eat now?”

“Yes, after I wash up.”

“Hmm… may I join you again today?”

“Do as you please.”

I looked down at Ui fiddling with the Pipi-kung doll, then gestured for her to follow.

As I walked toward the city wall after finishing my work, workers heading to where I had been working passed by, greeting me.

“Good work~! See you tomorrow!”

“Phew, without that guy, construction would’ve taken twice as long.”

After washing off the dust in the shower room, I headed to the park with Ui, who had somehow become clean without entering the shower.

Upon arriving, Ui looked around the area in front of the park.

Just then, Sa Gu-gu, wearing a deeply pulled-down hat, came running from inside the park with sparkling eyes.

“Wunyanyanya!”

Sa Gu-gu, who had spotted Ui and me in the park first, jumped and clung to me.

“It’s oppa! What did oppa do? Did you work today too? Gu-gu bought lunch boxes with mommy today!”

“Gu-gu.”

“Nya? It’s Ui!”

After noticing Ui, Sa Gu-gu kicked against my body to break free and ran to Ui as well.

“What did Ui do? Did Ui pick up stones too? Is the construction site fun? Gu-gu wants to go too!”

As Sa Gu-gu grabbed Ui’s head and shook it vigorously, Ui answered with an expressionless face while her head was being shaken.

“You’re not skilled at controlling your strength, so that’s not possible. I heard those who destroy cat towers are punished under special laws.”

“Ui says the same thing as mommy.”

“You’re here, honey?”

Gu Seo-ryong, who had belatedly walked from the park, slightly lowered her sunglasses and showed the lunch bags in both hands.

Recently, Zone 3 had been offering discounted lunch boxes for workers busy with cat tower construction.

Since Ui said she wasn’t very hungry and Sa Gu-gu had already eaten, only Gu Seo-ryong and I were eating.

Sitting on the bench, I ate the lunch box that Gu Seo-ryong had brought from the store.

“So, did you practice your domain while working today too?”

“Yes.”

“And Ui observed the problems you had while opening this domain thing and gave you tips again today?”

When I nodded, Gu Seo-ryong sighed and looked at one side of the park.

There, Ui was sitting with Sa Gu-gu, holding a Pipi-kung doll.

“That’s just strange no matter how I look at it.”

“Mm.”

Gu Seo-ryong found it suspicious that Ui knew too much about Annihilation-rank monsters and crystals.

It seemed too detailed to simply be knowledge gained from eating researchers.

Her knowledge wasn’t just general information like “Annihilation-rank monsters have these abilities,” but she could continuously advise on the difficulties I was experiencing.

This meant one of two things: either the laboratory had researched Annihilation-rank monsters, or Ui herself was an Annihilation-rank monster.

To research Annihilation-rank monsters, one would need to capture and neutralize them.

Even for a laboratory, it’s impossible for humans to subdue an Annihilation-rank monster.

Even if the laboratory had created and researched an Annihilation-rank monster like Ui, too many questions remained.

Ui was an escaped experiment, meaning she was hostile to the laboratory.

It would be impossible to completely neutralize an Annihilation-rank monster that was hostile to them, so how could they have researched the crystal, which was essentially its internal organ, and its structure?

If Ui had been cooperative with the laboratory, why would she have eaten the researchers?

Why was she teaching me about domains?

The hypothesis Gu Seo-ryong had formed after hearing about my interactions with Ui was this:

If the laboratory’s ultimate goal was to develop a domain that could devour special abilities and end the monster era worldwide,

Then the laboratory sent Ui, a child I wouldn’t immediately be hostile toward, to teach me about domains.

The laboratory was ultimately created by humans, and while their methods might have been wrong, their purpose might have been for humanity’s benefit.

In the end, Ui was a puppet moving according to the wishes of the laboratory she had devoured.

For this hole-filled hypothesis to be correct, we needed to see clear evidence that Ui was acting according to the laboratory’s intentions.

“But if that’s the case, that behavior doesn’t make sense…”

That Ui was now playing some incomprehensible game with Sa Gu-gu.

Sa Gu-gu, holding a Pipi-kung doll in one hand, dragged it along the ground as she ran, with Ui following behind holding an intact doll.

“Wunyanyanya! Pipi-kung drift!”

“Did Pipi-kung have racing elements?”

“It appeared in the Pipi-kung exciting kart racing episode!”

“Don’t tell me kart racing has separate toys like Pipi-kung’s water play and luxury palace?”

“You mean Pipi-kung Happy Rider?”

“The commercialism is incredible.”

Ui had been joining Sa Gu-gu and Gu Seo-ryong’s meal times every day, playing with Sa Gu-gu.

If Ui had come to find me to fulfill the laboratory’s purpose, this would be a waste of time.

“What could the laboratory be aiming for… or am I just worrying about nothing?”

Gu Seo-ryong sighed deeply, her gaze following Ui being dragged away by Sa Gu-gu who had grabbed her wrist.

“If the goal was to make me and you let our guard down, she seems to enjoy playing with Gu-gu too much.”

After finishing work at the construction site, Ui always asks if I’m going to the park.

When Sa Gu-gu approaches, she doesn’t get excited and her expression doesn’t change—she remains emotionless—but she doesn’t push her away and plays with Sa Gu-gu until the end.

When playtime is over and Sa Gu-gu leaves with Gu Seo-ryong, Ui pretends to be nonchalant while continuously waving her hand, showing signs of reluctance.

Ui playing with Sa Gu-gu just looks like a peculiar child with severe shyness.

“Could it really be that she just heard about you at the laboratory, came to admire you, and came to see you? Just wanting to help you by passing on the researchers’ memories?”

“Based on what we’ve seen so far, that seems more likely.”

“She hasn’t caused any trouble, after all.”

Haah, Gu Seo-ryong sighed and moved her spoon to eat the lunch box.

Perhaps because she wasn’t eating with Sa Gu-gu, Gu Seo-ryong was savoring her lunch box leisurely.

She said she enjoyed being able to eat calmly thanks to this, but still wore a disgruntled expression.

“It’s easier for me to think that we just gained one more strange kid with unclear motives, rather than the laboratory sending something dangerously unknown our way.”

Just then, an arm fell off the Pipi-kung doll Sa Gu-gu was playing with.

Sa Gu-gu picked up the arm and threw it toward Ui.

“Pipi-kung missile launch!”

“Does Pipi-kung launch missiles too?”

“Nyaa? It was in the Pipi-kung special episode where Pipi-kung becomes a robot.”

“Is there a robot Pipi-kung too?”

“Gu-gu wants robot Pipi-kung! Gu-gu doesn’t have it!”

“Hmm…? I’ve been wondering, why does Gu-gu only have the same Pipi-kung?”

“Mommy only buys Pipi-kung Basic.”

“Doesn’t Gu Seo-ryong buy you others?”

A moment later, Ui walked up to Gu Seo-ryong with Sa Gu-gu.

“Gu Seo-ryong, didn’t you say you were Sa Gu-gu’s mother? Why do you only buy her Pipi-kung Basic? Is it because it’s the cheapest and most ordinary model?”

“Pipi-kung broke.”

“Sa Gu-gu says she wants the Pipi-kung Gorgeous Hotel set. Buy it for her.”

“Give new Pipi-kung.”

“And Ui-kung? She says she wants to give me something called Ui-kung because it’s similar to my name. Buy it for her.”

“Give Ui-kung too!”

“Gu-gu? Didn’t you promise mommy to only have Pipi-kung?”

Crack! As Gu Seo-ryong snapped the wooden chopsticks in her hand, Ui gave her a cold look.

“Surely you’re not being stingy about spending money on Sa Gu-gu? While claiming to be her partner, you’re treating her no better than a tool. Isn’t this child abuse? The very thing you hate most.”

“This brat…”

“I’ll say it once more. Buy Sa Gu-gu the Pipi-kung Gorgeous Hotel. Don’t you feel sorry for her? Even that refugee child over there has a luxury palace, though it’s old and partially broken.”

“You, who are you to interfere with someone else’s parenting?”

Ui and Gu Seo-ryong hurled sharp words at each other like blades.

“If you want to give something to Sa Gu-gu, you should use your own money. How dare you tell me to buy things? You’re showing bad signs already. You’ll never make a good man.”

“My, it seems Gu Seo-ryong takes money even from a child like me. I wonder if it’s because of where you were born?”

“You little brat, did eating a few researchers make you lose all respect?”

“Hmm… Sa Gu-gu is really amazing, growing up so kind under a woman like this.”

In an atmosphere where special abilities seemed about to be fired at each other at any moment, Sa Gu-gu quietly came to my side and opened a lunch box.

It was the donkatsu chicken nugget lunch box that I also liked.

“Oppa! This is delicious!”

“This is ridiculous! Really, you little thing, you know our Gu-gu is cute. Do you think if you tell me to do this and that, and I do it, Gu-gu will like you? Are you inexperienced? Your delusions are severe. No matter what you do, our Gu-gu will always love her mother more than you.”

“Ah, you mean her real mother, not a fake mother like Gu Seo-ryong?”

I watched Gu Seo-ryong and Ui argue while taking out a lunch box identical to Sa Gu-gu’s from the bag.

“You don’t have a mother, do you? From the way you talk, I can tell you don’t. Right?”

“Of course I don’t. Unlike someone, I didn’t kill mine directly.”

“What? What? Look at how this brat talks! Gu-gu, don’t play with this kid.”

“Are you even dictating who Sa Gu-gu plays with? I heard this is called monster parenting. Oh! But Gu Seo-ryong is already a monster, so that’s accurate.”

“Oh my! I was just saying things before, but this really won’t do! Could you please stop being a bad influence on our Gu-gu?”

“Ungnyang… what’s a bad influence?”

Sa Gu-gu and I simultaneously bit into the fried food with a crunch.

Mm, this is delicious.