Chapter 55: IF-017-1 Part 8

I anxiously spread my senses in every direction.

Throb, throb.

The more I did, the more my head ached, but I couldn’t stop.

My lake.

It didn’t make sense that my precious lake was gone.

“Ancestor, I’m telling you, it’s really not there…”

I smacked Nessho on the head for spouting nonsense.

“Be quiet! I need to focus!”

“Gyaah!”

With Nessho writhing on the floor holding her head in the background, I continued spreading my senses.

I started hearing sounds I didn’t recognize, but somehow felt familiar.

The sound of moving pictures.

The blaring horns of iron carriages.

The sound of boiling water rising from a massive chimney.

All kinds of noises were jumbled together—I couldn’t make them out clearly.

But one thing was certain…

My human memories recognized these sounds as familiar.

And that’s when I realized.

My senses had already reached the ends of the earth.

Even so, I couldn’t feel the lake.

No way.

That can’t be right.

‘There’s no way it’s really gone… right?’

Cold sweat began to trickle down my back.

I must’ve just missed it because I’m tired.

‘If I focus again and search properly, I’m sure I’ll find it.’

I will find it.

I swept through the world with my senses once more.

‘Please… let it be there…’

‘Maybe I just overlooked it.’

I started rechecking places I’d already seen in case I missed it.

That’s when I heard a cautious mental voice calling from below.

‘…Ancestor.’

It was Kwangcheol.

‘What? Why are you calling me?’

‘I’m incredibly busy right now, so don’t talk to me unless it’s important.’

Just as I was about to send that message and turn my attention back—

I heard something I couldn’t ignore.

‘Ancestor… we can’t go back to the city anymore… The entrance is closed…’

‘The entrance is closed?’

‘What is he talking about?’

I locked eyes with Kwangcheol and sent him a thought: explain properly.

Kwangcheol started rambling as he confessed.

‘I sensed it earlier… the city just vanished… Lady Marble can’t cross over anymore either… And since I’m tied to the city’s fate as its artifact… I felt it instantly…’

‘The city disappeared?’

‘That’s ridiculous.’

‘Mna clearly said the city would remain forever. Why is Kwangcheol spreading weird rumors now?’

‘If something like that had happened, I would’ve sensed it first—why would I be hearing about it secondhand?’

‘N-no, I’m serious…! I only know because I’m directly bound to the city… But you, Ancestor, are far greater than the city itself, so maybe that’s why you didn’t notice…’

Still not making any sense and even talking back—so I smacked Kwangcheol.

“Gyaaah!”

Kwangcheol clutched his head and rolled on the ground next to Nessho.

Nearby, the round belly of the snake, Tongtong, trembled with fear.

“Squeeeak!”

“Comrades… all gone… horror… despair…!!”

Hmph. Serves you right.

There are some things you just don’t say, no matter what.

You both had it coming, daring to spout such nonsense at the same time.

Having dealt with my cheeky descendants, I focused again on finding the lake.

My senses blanketed the world.

I was seeing, hearing, and feeling everything in this world right now.

‘Ugh. So noisy.’

I thought only this building was unusually loud, but no—everything was chaotic.

‘Where did all the plants and nature go?’

‘Why is everything so cramped?’

‘And why are there so many buildings filled with those free-spirited-looking humans?’

‘Have people developed a hobby of gathering wildly designed folks or something?’

Really, the state of the world these days is a mess.

Total mess.

Yet despite all that, a smile formed on my lips.

I found it.

It’s a familiar place.

I could feel a ruin I’d seen before.

Just beyond that ruin—

That’s where I’d find my beloved Mna Lake and the city waiting for me…

…They were supposed to be there.

They should’ve been.

But my smile disappeared.

“Gyao…?”

They weren’t.

The area near the entrance was hazy and dreamlike, exactly as I remembered—

But the entrance was closed.

Mna’s city should’ve been right there.

Beyond that, my precious Mna Lake should’ve stretched out wide…

But just like Kwangcheol said, it was gone.

The entrance, always wide open—

So much so that I never even considered the idea it could close—

Was tightly shut.

Darkness fell over my vision.

No.

I have to get back to the lake.

‘Who closed it…?!’

The shock was too much—I collapsed between Kwangcheol and Nessho.

“Uwaaaah! See? I told you it was gone! Why’d you hit my head…!!”

“Don’t be rude to the Dragon God…!”

Nessho pounced on me, smacking my body, while Kwangcheol tried to pull her away.

But none of it registered in my mind.

I shut my eyes, and a single tear rolled down.

Sniff…

Memories of Mna floated in front of my eyes.

***

What was it again…

‘Oh great ancient being, please grant me the ruins of the Golden City.’

‘Gyao?’

‘The Golden City only ever chased prosperity and never understood what truly mattered. And so it perished.’

‘On its ruins, by the lakeside, I shall build the Gray City. A city that lives for only the truly important things, and will endure forever.’

‘Gyao…?’

‘And if you ask me what truly matters… Of course, what could be more important than serving you?’

I remembered Mna’s smiling face as she said that.

‘Yes.’

That was when the city was first created.

Ever since then, I’d never once felt hunger.

‘So why—why am I suffering like this now?’

I pounded the ground and slowly stood up, wobbling.

“GyaaAAAH…!”

I’m hungry.

I’m tired.

And I’m so uncomfortable.

My limbs were trembling.

Ah.

I’m… ‘ten breaths’ angry.

The moment I realized that, flames of fury boiled inside me.

‘Was it time for judgment?’

‘Time to unleash divine punishment?’

Just as I was about to explode—

***

Whoosh.

A soft warmth wrapped around my back.

My strength suddenly drained, and when I turned to see what it was—

Kang Hana was hugging me.

“Lulu looked like something was wrong. Are you okay?”

Her thought reached me as she gently patted my back.

And to my surprise, it didn’t feel all that bad.

Right.

I can’t let this go.

I have to do something to release this frustration and injustice.

I shouted in frustration.

“Graaaah…!!”

“Let’s just fuse right here!”

‘Huh? Do what…?’

‘What? What?’

The startled voices of the spirits echoed in confusion at my sudden declaration, but I ignored them.

First, the bed.

I grabbed the plump snake and placed it on Kang Hana’s chest.

A confused peeep? sound came out.

“Huh?”

Kang Hana, caught off guard, instinctively accepted the squishy snake.

Next.

‘You. Come here.’

I swiftly wrapped Kwangchul up with my tail.

‘Ancestorrrr…???’

Before Kwangchul could even regain his senses—

I dashed forward, jumped, and—

Launched myself at Kang Hana.

“Wh-What?!”

Kang Hana managed to catch me in her arms, but couldn’t avoid falling backward.

I burrowed into Kang Hana’s embrace and squished the plump snake in the process.

“Ow—ouch! Lulu, wait a sec! It’s poking me—your armor…!”

Cueeeng.

Kang Hana and the plump snake struggled violently, but I didn’t care.

Now’s the time.

‘Hurry up and turn on the air conditioner!’

I smacked my tail against the floor, urging Nessho.

‘Ack, I’m getting dizzy…!’

Kwangchul, still caught by my tail, was flailing around as he was swung left and right, but again—I didn’t care.

‘Huh? Uh, okay… ah, got it…!’

Bzzzzzzzz.

The only one not caught in my grasp, Nessho, panicked as she opened the passage.

Cold air rushed in.

Good.

Now I can finally relax.

I closed my eyes.

‘Ahhh… Lulu’s cuddling me, which is great, but it’s so uncomfortable ‘cause of the armor…!!’

‘Crushed! I’m being crushed! Help!’

‘Ack, Ancestorrrr…! It’s freezing…!!’

‘Whew, thank goodness she knew how to open the passage…’

Everyone except me was buzzing with noisy spirit energy.

But no matter how noisy spirits were, they didn’t interfere with my rest—so I didn’t mind.

And so, I began to relax.

If only it were a lake instead.

It would’ve been even more comfortable.

No matter how I think about it, I’m not satisfied.

Tch…

***

Giselle woke up feeling refreshed.

Even a short nap used to be plagued with nightmares for years.

But this time, it was the first genuinely restful sleep she’d had in a while.

With a soft smile forming on her lips, Giselle opened her eyes.

“…You awake?”

The first thing she saw upon opening them was Weilan’s face, right in front of hers.

Startled, Giselle gasped and pulled back in shock.

“???!!!”

Thrown off by the uncomfortably close proximity, she tried to calm her racing heart.

Weilan sighed as she watched her flustered reaction.

“…Don’t get the wrong idea. I was just checking your condition. You’re the one who came clinging to me.”

“R-Really…?”

Giselle replied awkwardly and slumped back down.

At that moment, someone nearby burst into laughter.

***

“Researcher Unnie’s sleeping habits are the worst. That woman kept trying to push her away, but she just kept clinging and going ‘Ehehe~’ because it was warm. I nearly died laughing.”

The girl floating midair had a Gamma-class badge marked G-6022.

However, her semi-transparent body made it obvious she wasn’t human anymore.

Giselle flared up.

“You’re dead—what do you mean you ‘nearly died laughing’?!”

She swatted at the air, trying to drive the ghost away.

It was completely ineffective.

All it did was earn her a pitying look from Weilan.

“…What are you doing?”

“A-Ah… I’m sorry.”

Since Weilan clearly couldn’t see the ghost, Giselle felt too embarrassed to lift her head.

That ‘What the hell happened to her…?’ look in her eyes stung.

But Giselle herself had no idea how she’d ended up this way either.

So she could only offer a bitter smile.

Next to her, the ghost kept chatting away.

“By the way, Researcher Unnie, do you know who that cute one is? Could she be an IF too?”

Following the ghost’s finger, Giselle turned to look.

There was a cluster of bodies—Kang Hana, IF-017, IF-098, IF-108, and a strange red entity all huddled together.

“She’s got white clothes, horns, wings, and a tail… I feel like I’ve seen her before.”

Judging by the description, she was referring to IF-017.

It made sense that G-6022 didn’t recognize her.

Gamma-class personnel were only given information on IFs when it was necessary for their experiments.

And IF-017 had never been used in any Gamma-level experiments.

Giselle waved her hand dismissively.

“Yeah, that’s an unidentified phenomenon. IF-017, ‘Dragon.’ It’s a top-tier classified anomaly. So… hmm.”

She was about to say: “So don’t go near her.”

But the moment she tried to speak negatively about IF-017, something felt off.

Her words got stuck in her throat.

A sudden chill stabbed through her heart.

Regardless, G-6022 kept rambling on happily.

“She’s really a top-tier anomaly? But look how cutely she’s cuddled up! That researcher unnie is so lucky. I wanna hug her too.”

Such a dangerously naïve comment.

Giselle had never seen someone speak like that and live to tell the tale.

And now a dead girl was saying it, which made it all the more ridiculous.

She opened her mouth with a scolding tone.

She meant to criticize the ghost.

But right after hearing IF-017 described as ‘cute’—

A strange warmth blossomed in her chest, as if she had been complimented herself.

Before she knew it, she found herself wanting to hug IF-017 too.

“…Yeah, she is cute.”

Her head nodded on its own.

It wasn’t something Giselle had planned at all.

Two seconds later—

Her eyes widened.

“…Huh?”

A clear sign of abnormality.

Pale-faced, Giselle clung to Weilan’s body and shouted.

“Wait, wait! Weilan! Please run a mental contamination scan! Hurry!”

“What—what the hell? Get off me, you crazy woman!”

Flustered, Weilan used her mechanical arm to scan her.

And the result—

Zero signs of mental contamination.

“Huh? That… that can’t be right?”

“The reading says you’re fine. What’s your problem?”

Weilan adjusted her disheveled uniform, clearly annoyed.

Giselle pointed down at the intern trapped beneath IF-017, her expression still dazed.

“Weilan… is it normal to feel jealous of that intern under her…?”

To which Weilan bluntly replied—

“You lunatic.”