"So it really does exist in the real world," Shaden murmured.
This wasn't a story he had found in the fairy tale book his father had given him, but around the time he was nine years old, his father once told him about a dream he had—seeing people transform into a species no longer human after accidentally swallowing a mysterious pill they found.
Back then, Shaden never believed something like that could actually happen, even in a world as broken as this one. After all, if it was a pill or some sort of drug, it wouldn't just appear out of nowhere. He assumed it must have been created by humans, and his father's dream had always sounded absurd.
But now, he saw it with his own eyes—someone who had been completely human suddenly transformed into... whatever that was. Shaden wasn't even sure what kind of creature he was looking at.
"That crazy bastard! He didn't throw away the pill!" the man Shaden had fought earlier shouted in shock.
From that, it became clear that the man who had transformed had hidden the pill—even from his own companion.
"GRRR—"
A low growl echoed, something between a wolf and a vampire. Shaden became alert. He knew that in his current state, he stood no chance against the creature.
"AAAH!"
The woman from earlier screamed as another man threw her toward the creature, using her as bait. It was clear the creature had lost its mind—it wouldn't even recognize its own friends anymore.
"THWIP!"
Shaden flinched. Out of nowhere, an arrow whizzed through the air and struck the creature's shoulder, forcing it to release its grip on the woman. One of the remaining men fled the scene, abandoning his mutated friend.
Shaden scanned the area, looking for the archer.
"Move, unless you want a hole in your head!" came a woman's voice.
Shaden spotted the archer on the second floor of a nearby shop. A second arrow was loosed just as he dove for cover. It struck the target, bursting into flames upon impact, making the creature howl in agony. The volley didn't stop until the creature was riddled with arrows and collapsed, badly wounded.
Eventually, it returned to human form—dead.
Shaden stood frozen. This was all new to him, and it piqued his curiosity. Slowly, he walked toward the corpse. But suddenly, someone grabbed his arm. When he turned around, the archer was standing right beside him—he had no idea when she got there.
"Its body is already contaminated," the woman said. "Even in death, it releases toxins into the air. We need to leave now."
Shaden nodded. He turned away, but then a voice called out behind him.
"E-excuse me... May I come with you?" It was the woman who had been used as bait.
Shaden was about to respond when the archer cut in first.
"Survive on your own. We only saved you by chance. From here on out, you need to protect yourself. Find ways to earn more coins and use them to strengthen your body. You can try joining a powerful group if you find one kind enough to take you in—but be careful who you trust. That doesn't include me, though. I don't take care of others," she added with a side glance at Shaden. "You want to bring her along?"
Shaden was silent for a moment before shaking his head.
"But I can tell you to head south. The third mission will start later there, so you'll have more time to find a group. The people there still have some compassion. If they see you're weak, they might help."
The woman brightened and thanked him before heading off in the direction he indicated.
"Where'd you get that kind of info?" the archer asked.
Shaden glanced at her as they walked. "I overheard some people talking." He paused, then added, "Do you have a place to stay tonight?"
The archer stopped and gave him a teasing smile.
"What's this? Are you trying to hit on me? You turned down bringing the girl, but now you're asking me about a place to stay? Are you saying I'm prettier than her?"
Shaden sighed. "I was going to offer you a place, but not because you're pretty—because you're useful."
She clicked her tongue. "How disappointing. I am pretty, you know!"
*
"What were you doing while you were gone? Was your 'business' just to find and bring a woman here?"
Shaden could only roll his eyes at Leah's accusation. How did she always assume the worst the moment he showed up?
"This is Tery. I ran into her on my way back—there was an incident, and we got involved."
Leah eyed Tery with suspicion as the woman smiled warmly and offered her hand.
"Tery Fort. I saw this kid trying to save someone and almost die doing it. So, as a responsible adult, I decided to step in."
Shaden shook his head at her comment. They were only two years apart, yet Tery was already acting like a grown-up.
"What?!" Leah gasped and rushed to Shaden, inspecting him for injuries. "Are you hurt? What happened? Where did you go that nearly got you killed?"
Tery leaned in and whispered, "Is she your sister?"
"I'm an only child," Shaden replied, then looked at Leah with a small smile. He was surprised by her reaction, but also touched—her concern felt deeply sincere. "I didn't do anything dangerous," he lied. He'd nearly been killed by a giant mutated insect, but he wasn't going to tell her that. "I just got caught up in something I never expected."
Then Shaden and Tery took turns explaining what had happened during their encounter. Judging by Leah's expression, she was clearly shocked.
"I know anything can happen in this world, but I never imagined hearing something like that. Isn't that the kind of thing you only see in movies? How can a human just suddenly become a monster?"
Shaden simply shook his head. He didn't know either.
Then Tery, quietly fiddling with her bow, spoke up. "Actually… I was already looking into all of this before the world changed."
Her words stunned not just Shaden, but Leah as well.
"What do you mean?" Leah asked, half-demanding.
With a hesitant expression, Tery took a deep breath before starting.
"One of my uncles was a scientist working for the biggest pharmaceutical company in the city."
She smiled faintly when Shaden's eyes widened.
"Yes, that lab. The one everyone knows. I thought they only made medicine for known diseases. But since I planned to join them after college, I visited the place using my uncle's clearance. When I got there, he was missing. One of his coworkers said he hadn't left. So I searched the building secretly, trying to find him."
Her voice grew quieter, as if unsure whether to continue.
Leah, sensing that, jumped to the conclusion.
"Your uncle created the drug that turns people into monsters?"
Tery nodded once. "And when he realized I'd discovered his secret, he tried to use me in his experiments. Doesn't this already sound like a movie plot—even before the world fell apart? Eventually, we got trapped in the facility with some failed human test subjects. I began to think maybe God brought disaster on the world because my uncle violated nature's rules. That's why I started searching for samples that escaped into the sewers during the first mission."
Shaden was speechless.
"So that guy earlier found one of those samples? But how did he know what it did? He told me I'd die before swallowing it. And his friend who ran off seemed to know something too."
Tery shook her head. "That part I don't know. I just happened to find you and realized he'd taken one of my uncle's drugs because his body had similar signs to the corpses in the lab's basement."
"Does that pharmaceutical company still exist?" Leah asked.
Tery paused, then shook her head. "I destroyed it. Or more precisely, I destroyed the basement. The structure was designed so the whole building could collapse if you triggered certain hidden panels—probably in case the illegal research was discovered."
Shaden was stunned. Something he thought only existed in fiction had been real all along—even before the world changed.
"But Tery, how can we be sure you're telling the truth?"
Leah's question took Shaden by surprise. He turned to her as she clicked her tongue.
"You brought a stranger into our cube. She's had plenty of chances to stab us, hasn't she?"
Shaden didn't reply. He had only brought Tery along because she seemed useful.
Tery just laughed at Leah's suspicion.
"Honestly, I could've found another place to sleep tonight. But I followed Shad because I'm interested in him. Look at him! Isn't he handsome?"
Shaden looked away with a groan. Oddly enough, Leah instantly dropped her suspicion and agreed.
"Look at that! Shad's blushing. So cute!" Leah teased gleefully.
**