Chapter 9 : IF-098 ‘Tsuchinoko’ Part 1

A bright blue sky with the glaring sun, visible beyond the dazzling lights and the pure white ceiling.

Up to this point, it was the same as the day before yesterday.

Beyond the sun and the blue sky, I could see the twinkling Milky Way.

That was where things became different.

Today, the scenery was clearer than ever before.

I wondered if my eyesight had returned because I was maintaining my ‘god mode,’ where I revealed my horns, wings, and tail.

No, that couldn’t be it.

My usual ‘pajama mode’ effectively dulls my hearing and sense of touch, but I have no idea how to reduce my eyesight.

My vision had always remained the same.

Right now… it was as if a veil of darkness that had always been blocking my sight had been lifted, revealing an open view.

‘Yes.’

I was looking with my own eyes.

For no reason at all!

Ever since I woke up in this place, I had been drowning in endless fatigue.

But today was different.

Having taken even a brief moment of ‘proper rest,’ I was invincible.

Merely opening my eyes wide to see my surroundings didn’t tire me at all.

Heh.

The weirdo who had given me this rest waved their hand at me.

“Huff! IF-017 just waved at me…!”

Thump, thump.

Kang Hana’s heartbeat suddenly sped up like crazy.

‘Why?’

‘That was the problem.’

‘Honestly, if it were up to me, I would have clung to Kang Hana and rested for much longer.’

I hadn’t gotten nearly enough rest.

But her heart was pounding way too fast, so I had no choice but to let her go.

Just thinking about it makes my chest ache.

‘My bed…’

‘How can her heart be so weak, yet her body develop so well?’

‘What a mystery.’

‘Well, whatever.’

Thanks to that fragile heart, I was able to recover even a tiny bit of my energy, so that’s good enough.

I can use Kang Hana again later.

However.

There was something I couldn’t just dismiss with a “whatever.”

I was hungry.

Not very hungry, just enough to want a little snack.

But I could feel the hunger.

This was bad.

Without a doubt, this wasn’t the kind of hunger that could be easily satisfied with ordinary food.

I thought I’d never feel hunger again.

How sad.

“Gyao.”

I was still in god mode.

There were things I couldn’t perceive in pajama mode.

Thump, thump.

Even through the thick glass, I could clearly hear Kang Hana’s heartbeat.

And in this state.

I focused on the noisy masses that had always overwhelmed my entire body, even in pajama mode.

With my hand on the floor, I closed my eyes.

***

Thump, thump, thump.

Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump.

Tens of thousands of heartbeats, tens of thousands of footsteps, tens of thousands of breaths.

Every single noise was becoming a part of this place’s information, flowing fully into my senses.

I was seeing, hearing, and feeling this place.

As expected.

The more I saw, the more I heard, the more I felt—

It was unbearably uncomfortable.

To a ridiculous degree.

I frowned.

‘Why was I receiving the concept of “cute” from Kang Hana?’

‘Go away.’

‘Hmm…’

It didn’t make sense for those free-spirited creatures to be gathered in such a cramped space like this.

They were the type to slap each other in greeting, the ones who would sneak over to nibble on my head the moment I closed my eyes.

Someone must have gathered them here on purpose.

Since this seemed to be a human-made building, did that mean humans had gathered them?

No, even just one of them would be complete chaos—so gathering this many together was bound to be unbearably loud!

Ugh.

I can’t live like this.

‘I call myself a dragon, yet I didn’t even check where I was sleeping before settling down?’

‘And I even tried to rest in this pathetic place while in pajama mode?’

‘How frustrating.’

Hey.

Hana?

‘I’m this exhausted and struggling, yet I have to rest in a place like this?’

‘Isn’t this a bit much?’

‘Can’t you do something about it?’

I stared at Kang Hana.

“Gyao.”

I sent her a message.

A message saying I didn’t want to be here and that we should return to my lake immediately.

I sent it with the strongest intent I could muster.

‘But…’

“Ugh, w-why do I suddenly feel chills…?”

‘She didn’t understand.’

‘No, why?’

‘Why didn’t she understand?’

That prayer from before… and everything else—Kang Hana seems to handle intent quite freely.

‘Yet, why is it that only at times like this she can’t understand me…?’

I stared at her with suspicion, but all I got in return was a stupid intent like, “I don’t know why I’m getting chills, but that cute expression is adorable!”

‘How does it make sense that she can control intent so well but can’t understand mine…?’

Kang Hana, you insane human!

I was just about to confront her about it.

Then, I suddenly remembered something from my human days—something about how, to achieve eternal happiness, one should never argue with fools.

That memory came back just now.

I immediately stopped this useless battle of wills that would only cost me.

Yes.

That’s the way.

Good.

“Hing…”

‘What are you whining about as if you did something right?’

‘Damn it.’

‘Alright.’

‘Kang Hana is a crazy human, so I’ll just ignore her.’

‘But maybe, just maybe, the other humans here are more reasonable?’

‘Hmm…’

‘It’s possible.’

I sent out my intent in all directions, letting it spread over the various noises in the space.

That ‘Emily Harper’ or whatever from a few days ago—these modern humans seem to have no manners when it comes to resting, always chattering away.

To get a proper response, I needed to send a warning they couldn’t ignore.

There was always one method that worked.

If they kept me in this place any longer…

I’d just blast straight through it.

That’s the message I sent.

I made sure no one could use the excuse that they didn’t understand intent.

Every single person in this place received it, without exception.

…I’ll endure this to the very end out of respect for the High Priest.

But, just in case.

But the result was shocking.

Not a single person.

Not one person responded to my intent.

‘Ugh.’

‘Do they have any idea how many of their lives I’ve spared?’

‘Such ungrateful humans…’

‘Fine.’

Let’s see who wins this.

There has to be at least one more person besides Kang Hana who can read intent.

My intent spread outward, piercing through the floor, walls, and ceiling, stretching in all directions.

I’ll keep doing this until someone responds.

I warned them.

Shwick shwick.

But it wasn’t going as well as I’d hoped.

Even if someone just whispered the tiniest response, I would’ve heard it instantly.

Yet, unbelievably, not one person answered.

All I could sense was an ear-splitting cacophony.

“GYAAAH…!”

The wider I spread my senses, the louder it became.

‘Kill me now.’

Sob.

My head was pounding, and my motivation was dropping fast.

I was just about to give up—

Then, something responded.

…Huh?

‘Wait.’

Something about this felt different.

It was overall vague and unclear—nothing like the intent from the humans who worshiped me.

It felt raw, unrefined.

This was a kind of intent I had never experienced before.

I was intrigued.

I focused my mind to hear it more clearly.

It seemed to be coming from below.

‘Was it over there?’

I turned toward the direction the intent had come from.

It was quite unexpected.

The one who had sent intent to me wasn’t human.

Help.

One of those free-spirited creatures.

They usually did one of two things when they saw me: either run away as fast as they could or foolishly try to attack me.

That’s what they should have done.

Yet, this one was sending me intent as naturally as if it were human.

Its presence was weak.

If it had recognized me, it should have fled immediately.

This was a little interesting.

[I sent it a message: Aren’t you afraid of me?]

‘Ancestor… help…’

‘Hmm.’

It’s hard to understand.

Human intent was clear and refined, but this one’s was frustratingly vague.

Like a four-year-old with a mountain of things to say but barely any vocabulary.

From the scattered pieces I managed to catch, it didn’t seem to fear me.

If anything, it felt familiar toward me.

But that was the extent of what I could infer.

It kept cutting in and out, which was frustrating.

If only I could see its eyes—it would be easier to communicate.

But the angle wasn’t great.

[I sent a message: Can you look up for just a moment?]

About 47 degrees horizontally, 36 degrees vertically?

…Difficult…

Tsk.

No matter how much I instructed it through intent, it seemed impossible to make direct eye contact.

And honestly, this thing was really hard to understand.

This half-baked attempt at communication wasn’t going to get us anywhere.

[I sent a message: Wait for a moment.]

‘…Confirm… help.’

Then, it fell silent.

Oh…

It listens well.

Those free-spirited creatures usually never listen, no matter how much you scold them.

Interesting.

***

A few days ago, when I was exhausted beyond belief, I wouldn’t have cared.

‘But now?’

‘I was holding up well enough… and I was curious.’

‘I wanted to see it up close.’

‘Even if Kang Hana was a mentally deranged idiot, surely, she could handle this much?’

The one who had sent me intent was a small, powerless, and docile creature.

Even with Kang Hana’s fragile heart, it wouldn’t be dangerous for her.

I looked at Kang Hana with high expectations.

“Gyao!”

Bring it here.

Now!

I smacked my tail against the ground, urging her.

“Hana?”

“Hana?”

“Whoa, kya, heck, look at that tail…! Gotta record this. I’ll send this to the higher-ups, and this one’s going in my personal folder…”

“…Hana?”

“Hey. Kang Hana.”

“GYAAAAH…!”

This isn’t working.

I guess I’ll have to go get it myself.

Trying to communicate with Kang Hana through intent was driving me mad.

‘If I kept this up, I might actually snap.’

Sigh…

Just thinking about it was already exhausting.

‘I really had to go all the way down there myself, through all that noise, just to pick up a tiny, squishy snake?’

‘I had to do this myself?’

‘Even after all this time, how had the world come to this?’

‘Ah. This was making me three breaths angry…’