Chapter 18 : Operation Failed

Click, click, click.

Dr. Im Hyorin’s heels echoed faintly through the corridor of the anomaly containment wing.

A space lined with stark white walls and metallic floors stretched out before us.

Despite the numerous anomalies supposedly confined here, the silence was strangely profound.

That silence brought with it a peculiar sense of tension.

Dr. Im, walking beside me, asked,

“Have you thought of an anomaly to choose?”

“Yes… One of B-grade or higher.”

“Hmm… That should be fine. The anomalies are contained anyway, so it’s safe. And with your capabilities, Min-woo, a B-grade should be manageable. Let’s go take a look.”

She hesitated slightly but soon resumed walking as if it didn’t matter.

We passed the end of the C-grade wing and moved deeper inside.

“From B-grade and above, we have to approach with extra caution. Unfortunately, the entire containment team is out on assignment today…”

Though her words carried a hint of concern, we had already arrived at the B-grade containment zone.

Dr. Im operated the touch panel on the wall.

But the door didn’t respond.

“…That’s strange. The system’s unresponsive.”

And then—

Bang!

Something from inside slammed against the steel door.

Immediately after, an unidentifiable sound came through the speakers.

…@#$@#@···!

A distorted, mechanical-sounding voice—

A bizarre sound I had never heard before.

“You heard that, right?”

Dr. Im’s voice trembled slightly.

One of the agents clutched his radio and backed away.

And again,

It came through clearly.

#$@HH….. #f#$#@—!

A voice filled with hunger.

Someone… angry.

“Did it say it’s hungry?… This isn’t just static. That was definitely the anomaly speaking.”

One of the agents shouted.

Everyone’s expression grew stiff.

Dr. Im immediately activated the emergency protocol.

A red warning message lit up at the end of the hallway.

[B-2 Containment Zone]

[Sacrifice Not Supplied]

[Delay Time: 16 hours 31 minutes]

“…Sacrifice? They didn’t offer the sacrifice? That important thing?”

Someone muttered under their breath,

But before we could process what it meant—

Thud!

The steel door at the end of the corridor shook again.

And then… it opened.

Red warning lights flashed, and a massive, writhing shadow slithered out.

A mouth…?

One single mouth.

But an enormous one.

A mouth with no end tore through the ceiling and floor.

“Run!!”

A short-lived shout from an agent.

One person was instantly caught—

Crunch.

Blood and bone fragments splattered. His upper body was gone.

Even as screams and sirens filled the corridor, that voice came through clearly once more.

$%#$···@#$@#—!

“…A sacrifice?”

I muttered without thinking.

And then, the memory surfaced.

The Manual of the Azure Boy.

“The entity demands Zero Cola as an offering.”

Come to think of it, that massive mouth belonged to the Colossus Anomaly.

And conveniently, I had two cans of Zero Cola in my bag.

‘…Maybe this could solve the problem.’

But the issue was—the creature devours any human it sees on sight.

How was I supposed to approach it?

I quickly opened the manual.

Entity Name: Colossus Anomaly

Threat Level: B-Class

Characteristics

• The interior of its mouth is connected to multiple dimensions.
• Some internal regions are inhabited by an A-class anomaly: Azure Boy.
• To enter Azure Boy’s space, a respectful attitude is required.
• Knock on the lips three times and say, “This is an offering.”
  Unauthorized entry may result in unpredictable consequences.

‘…This is it.’

I was instantly certain.

This whole incident was caused by the offering not being made.

I stopped running and stood before the Colossus Anomaly.

Dr. Im shouted,

“Min-woo, no! It’s too dangerous!”

She grabbed my sleeve, but I slowly reached out toward the Colossus.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

I knocked on its lips three times.

“This is an offering.”

The moment I said those words—

Creeeeak—

The mouth of the Colossus slowly opened.

Inside, it was deep and dark, a bizarre space that looked like one could fall forever.

Without turning back,

I carefully stepped inside.

“Min-woo!”

Dr. Im’s shout was drowned out by the sound of the mouth closing shut.

For a moment, I felt like I was falling— and then, I found myself standing on something.

“…Where am I?”

The view before me was unfamiliar and strange.

A room with a wide red velvet carpet.

Both walls were lined with antique picture frames, and a golden chandelier slowly rotated from the ceiling.

…A mansion? Or a luxury hotel?

I had clearly entered the mouth of a monster, but the place looked like a VIP room in a five-star hotel.

Still, my body said otherwise.

The lights in view responded a half-second too late.

Sound followed my movement just a bit behind.

It looked vivid, but my sense of space felt distorted…

A realm beyond logic.

“…You’ve finally arrived.”

A voice came from very close by.

When I turned my head, someone was lounging leisurely on a crimson sofa.

Pale skin, long hair falling carelessly, legs crossed with a book in hand—a young man. Or rather, an anomaly.

“You brought the offering, right?”

He spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

It even felt like he had been expecting me.

“…Azure Boy?”

“What took you so long? Ever heard of express delivery?”

His tone was cynical, but the moment our eyes met, a chill ran down my spine.

There was no doubt—he was an anomaly.

I quickly opened my bag and pulled out two cans of Zero Cola.

That was why his eyes kept drifting toward my bag.

“Zero Cola? …That’s not the contracted offering, is it?”

“…What?”

That was odd…

Didn’t the manual clearly say he wanted Zero Cola?

Azure Boy chuckled.

“Well, I do like this much better. That glutton kept bragging about it, and I’ve been curious… How’d you know my taste so well?”

He swiftly snatched the two cans of cola.

“Ooh, a 1+1 deal? Nice touch. I like it.”

He popped them open, sniffed, and smiled in satisfaction.

Then, in an instant, he finished both cans.

‘One of those was mine…’

I couldn’t bring myself to say it aloud.

“To think such a flavor existed…
Humans really are… fascinating.”

Azure Boy patted his belly with a blissful look.

Then, his gaze turned to me.

Our eyes met.

“You… your eyes… they look a bit fierce.”

“Huh?”

A sudden comment on my appearance?

I already get told I look scary often, so that stung a bit.

The Child of the Blue Robe casually flicked the last drop from the can and said,

“If your eyes start to hurt… look for a Kigyeong person. I’m telling you this because I’m in a good mood. Service.”

Kigyeong person? What’s that?

Before I could ask, he smiled and continued,

“By the way, this offering… someone snatched it, you know? It was right at the door. But someone took it in the middle. Hah… how dare they snatch an offering. If they take the offering and… then…”

“… Who snatched it? A spy?”

“Yeah. That’s what you’d call it in human terms.”

The Child of the Blue Robe tapped the table with his fingers.

“Those guys keep showing up, talking nonsense. I wish the management department would clean it up. They used to do a good job, but now… well, why’s it like this?”

“…What did you say?”

I narrowed my eyes.

The Child of the Blue Robe didn’t continue.

Instead, he turned his attention to the book he was holding.

“… When those guys are done cleaning up, call me.”

“…?”

“I really liked Zero Cola. It’s better than the offerings I used to get. This is the contract on my side.”

His words were lightly spoken, but there was an odd weight to them.

It felt like a joke, but somewhere cold.

At that moment, the surroundings began to shake.

“…Are they sending me back?”

There were still many things I needed to ask.

I absentmindedly reached my hand out towards the Child of the Blue Robe.

The last words I heard were,

“The ones who snatched the offering. They know the answer you want. And… they might be closer than you think?”

The corners of his lips curled slightly upwards.

“Was it the Future Anomaly Research Institute? The name was a bit long. Oh! And take Pamyoh with you. His nose is sharp.”

At the same time, I was thrown out of the space.

“How much time has passed?”

“Two hours.”

Dr. Lim Hyo-rin briefly answered the agent’s question.

It had been two hours since Kim Min-woo entered the Giguu Monster’s mouth.

In the meantime, the containment team arrived and set up, but the Giguu Monster was no longer moving.

At first, the monster was roaring and devouring agents like snacks.

But since swallowing Min-woo, it had closed its mouth and remained silent, like a beast who had finished a satisfying meal.

“Isn’t this dangerous? We should contain it immediately, Team Leader.”

An agent’s anxious words made Team Leader Seo Gang-il shake his head.

“Let’s wait a bit longer.”

If containment measures were taken, Kim Min-woo would also be contained inside.

Then, it might be impossible to confirm his life or death.

And the one who proposed the contract with the Child of the Blue Robe was none other than himself.

‘As expected… was it too much?’

Thinking back, it was natural.

The opponent was not a C, B, or even an A-level monster.

It was a national disaster-level threat.

Attempting a contract with such an entity…

It was too greedy.

‘Damn….’

Still, he wanted to monitor the situation.

“Did he really enter alive?”

One agent murmured.

“He even went in on his own. Isn’t he out of his mind?”

“But it’s strange. The monster’s not attacking. It’s weird that it’s staying still.”

“Even so, at this rate… we need to follow the containment procedure.”

Creeeak-

At that moment,

The silent Giguu Monster began to move.

Slowly, it cautiously lifted its head.

And opened its mouth.

Thud.

A person stepped out of the giant mouth, as if falling.

“Min-woo?!”

It was Kim Min-woo.

He was spotless, not a drop of blood on him, and his face was expressionless. He was alternating his gaze between two empty cola cans in his hands.

“I was kind of curious about the taste…”

One of the agents pointed to his arm with trembling hands.

…Wait. His hand…!”

Through the gap in his sleeve, a glowing blue symbol appeared.

A strange, irregularly twisted shape formed by lines.

It resembled a curse but was something else.

It was proof that he could wield the monster’s power.

“It’s a contract.”

“Could it be… the Child of the Blue Robe’s?”

At that moment, the Giguu Monster quietly lowered its head.

It was like a salute, or perhaps like submission.

One agent swallowed hard and murmured,

“Where do you ever see a monster saluting a human?”

Another mumbled,

“What kind of price did he pay for the monster to react like that?”

All eyes were on him.

Originally, the planned offerings were 66 pigs and 66 cows.

How did he calm the monster’s anger without any offerings?

It was an unbelievable outcome.

Looking at him, Dr. Lim Hyo-rin seemed to be facing something she couldn’t understand.

“Min-woo, what… are you?”

She stared at him, lost in thought, then slowly raised the corners of her lips, whispering softly,

“This is interesting. I wonder what the next one will be like.”

Soon after, she pulled out her phone and typed a brief message.

[Message sent]

Giguu Monster application failed.

Please proceed with the next operation.

Recipient: Future Anomaly Research Institute – Chief Lee Ha-neul.

To be continued.