"Left!"
"I know!"
"Just making sure, Ha-Yoonie!"
The sickening squelch of monster flesh being torn apart echoed through the tunnel. A blur of mint-green hair darted past Hexin, sword arcing through the air and slicing clean through the beast's torso. Its roar turned into a wet gurgle as its massive form crashed to the ground behind them.
Hexin's body flopped like jelly onto the wall to avoid the spray of black blood.
"Gross," he muttered, flicking goo off himself. "That one had way too many eyeballs."
"You didn't even fight it."
"I distracted it with my stunning good looks and witty banter. That counts."
Ha-Yoon gave him a sideways look that was somewhere between Why do I put up with this and That's fair.
---
The mission had started off simple: descend into a newly-formed D-class rift, collect rare stones, come back. In and out. Clean. Controlled.
But of course, this was them.
Three turns in, they'd found a collapsed route. Five turns in, they'd stumbled into an abandoned corridor where a group of terrified lower-ranked experiments were huddled, surrounded by twisted monsters.
Now?
They were two zones deeper than authorized, caked in blood, adrenaline-high, and laughing like lunatics.
"Did you see that guy's face?" Hexin grinned, goo-body rippling excitedly as he formed a jagged blade-like limb. "He was like 'raaaarghh!' and I was like fwoooosh!" He mimicked a dramatic slash. "Very heroic. Ten outta ten."
"You literally just flung your arm at it and missed."
"It was a feint! I was building suspense!"
"...You're ridiculous."
"I know."
As they pushed forward, the tunnels grew darker and more unstable. Something skittered across the ceiling. Another creature lunged from the side — only to get punched mid-air by a shifting spike of Hexin's hardened form.
The monster hit the wall with a satisfying crunch.
From deeper ahead, came a faint, terrified scream.
Ha-Yoon's eyes sharpened. "More survivors."
They ran.
----
Three younger experiments were trapped against a wall, cornered by a massive, gorilla-like beast covered in plated scales. Its arms slammed the ground, cracking stone, roaring as it readied to pounce.
"I got this one!" Hexin chirped.
"You're bait."
"I volunteer as tribute!"
Without waiting, Hexin lunged forward — body stretching wide and wiggling like a sentient tarp. The monster turned, confused, and roared again. Then Hexin exploded in size, wrapping the creature in a sticky, gelatinous mass.
"Yoonie, now!"
Ha-Yoon surged forward, leapt up, and drove his sword straight into the exposed eye socket.
The beast shrieked once, then collapsed.
Hexin peeled off dramatically. "Ewwwwww."
The rescued kids stared at them in awe.
Ha-Yoon didn't say anything. Just handed one of them his spare water flask.
---
"Why are you two even down here?" one of the boys asked, wide-eyed.
Ha-Yoon shrugged. "Overachieving."
Hexin chuckled, ruffling one of their heads. "We're just sightseeing. You know, team bonding."
"W-We thought we were going to die..."
"Please," Hexin said cheerfully, "death is way too boring for us. Stick with me, and you'll be laughing in no time."
---
By the time they got back to the exit point, they'd saved five experiments total and taken down at least seven monsters between the two of them. Their collars were stained, their boots a mess, but neither looked fazed.
In fact, Hexin was humming.
"Think they'll reward us?" he asked Ha-Yoon.
"They'll be mad we went off route."
"Oh well."
"But they can't say we're weak."
Hexin smirked. "Exactly."
For now, they walked side by side — half-monster, slime, and sword — not as anomalies, but as forces to be reckoned with.
★ｏ☆ｏ★ｏ☆ｏ★ｏ☆★ｏ☆ｏ★ｏ☆ｏ★
"Your reflexes are better," Min-Hwan said between breaths as he sheathed his curved dagger. "You almost didn't get scratched this time."
Min-Seo smiled, wiping dust from her cheek with the back of her hand. "And you didn't sprain your ankle this time. Progress."
"I did not sprain it last time!"
"You fell down a flight of dungeon stairs."
"Because you pushed me—"
Before their bickering could escalate into full-blown teasing, a delighted squeal broke their focus.
"Min-Hwan! Min-Seo!"
Eun-joo's tiny arms flung around Min-Seo's waist. Min-Hwan crouched down just in time to catch her grinning face.
"You're supposed to be resting!" Min-Seo said in mock scolding.
Eun-joo stuck her tongue out. "I'm allowed to go to the cafeteria, remember? And guess what—!"
Min-Seo knelt, brushing some hair from her face. "What is it, little flower?"
Eun-joo beamed. "The doctors said… my body's stabilizing. A little! They don't know why, but my blood tests look better!"
Min-Hwan blinked. "...Wait, what?"
"They think it's something to do with my recent mental spikes. I think it's because I've been happier!"
"Or maybe," said a voice behind them, "because bacon is a magical cure-all."
Hexin strolled up (well, squished and slithered up), holding out a small warm container.
"You put food in yourself again?" Min-Hwan asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Willingly. Painfully. For this kiddo right here," Hexin said proudly.
Eun-joo clapped with joy. "Eggs and bacon again!! You're the best cousin-goo ever!"
Min-Seo and Min-Hwan watched as the eight-year-old happily munched on her secret breakfast while Hexin told her a goofy story about a cat that married a coffee mug and had spoon children.
They couldn't help but smile. Even Min-Hwan's usual grim demeanor softened.
Later, in one of the upper rooms where older experiments rested, Min-Hwan and Min-Seo went over their progress charts.
"Your mana control's more stable," Min-Hwan said. "And my speed ranked up."
"We're close to a C-rank. Maybe even borderline B if we get another few boss-level cores."
Min-Seo tapped a glowing crystal embedded in her palm. "Protocol's tracking us closely. That's both good and bad."
"...Think they'll separate us eventually?"
Min-Seo stiffened. "Not if I can help it."
A knock came at the door. Eun-joo's small face peeked in. "Can I show you guys something?"
They followed her down to the training wing, where Hexin had somehow managed to tape together a long paper scroll. He'd drawn a colorful comic featuring them all as a fantasy adventuring party.
Min-Hwan was the silent rogue. Min-Seo, a glittering battle mage. Hexin was a goo knight with a cape made of jelly. And Eun-joo?
A tiny sorceress with a giant sunflower staff.
Then the walls shook.
Alarms blared—just for a second—before the corridor lights flickered and dimmed.
"Was that… a rift quake?" Min-Hwan asked, instinctively stepping in front of Eun-joo.
"I didn't see a warning," Hexin murmured.
They turned back toward the main path—and found that it wasn't there anymore.
The hallway behind them twisted. Shifted. Stone walls reshaped into obsidian ridges, pulsing faintly with red runes.
Hexin's eyes widened.
"This isn't the base anymore," he said.
The temperature dropped. Ahead, a massive door loomed, ancient and locked with glowing chains.
Eun-joo trembled, clinging to Min-Seo's side. "Where… are we?"
Min-Hwan's hand hovered over his blade. "This wasn't here before."
Hexin stepped forward, scanning the strange symbols. "We're in a secret boss dungeon."
To be continued…