When I closed my eyes, my heightened hearing picked up everything.
The murmuring of people, the growls of the monster, the sound of my own breathing.
“Be careful.”
Click. Equipment Team Leader Choi fastened the final piece of my protective suit. I opened my eyes and looked at him. His face was full of worry. I shifted my now heavier body within the suit, nodding slightly to let him know there was no need for concern.
“Then go on.”
Choi stepped aside to clear the path for me. I began walking toward the enormous cage that entered my line of sight.
Shhhk… The only door on the cage slid open.
And I stepped into the monster’s domain—beyond the threshold where no humans belonged.
Grrr…
The massive form covered in pitch-black fur, the long tail, the sharply tapered triangular face. The beast that resembled a black panther with piercing yellow eyes turned to look at me.
It was S8A152, the star of today’s demonstration.
Still restrained, with its fur bristling from head to toe, it seemed extremely agitated by the numerous presences beyond the barrier. I glanced at the observation seats as well. The people filling the seats outside the cage had spotted me entering, each one showing tension or curiosity in their expressions.
I turned my gaze back to the monster. Right now, I needed to focus solely on S8A152.
“……”
Without bothering to hide my presence, I approached it with steady steps. The eerie growling gradually faded. S8A152, sniffing the air as it stared straight at me, quickly began to calm down as it recognized me—the one who had been with it since it was a cub at the lab.
“Hey, Cat.”
Grrng!
As I called its nickname and stopped a short distance away, S8A152 began shaking its body violently. It looked eager to leap at me, happy to see me. To others, though, it probably looked like a predator desperate to snatch its prey.
“You’ll hurt yourself like that. Stay still.”
I warned it clearly and firmly. The cable wrapped around S8A152 was a control device that could only be released through the controller embedded in my protective suit. It was impossible to break with force alone.
“Stay still.”
I repeated the command sternly from about three or four steps away.
Cat froze in place. The way it looked at me with wide eyes stirred a faint sense of pity, but I had no choice. Its earlier thrashing had caused the cable to dig into its flesh and leave wounds. They weren’t deep, but it didn’t sit right with me.
“I’ll undo it soon. Just wait a little.”
…Grrrk.
“That’s right. Wait.”
I nodded and slowly circled around Cat. Though clearly displeased, it simply rolled its eyes to track my movement, signaling it would bear with it.
Once I was sure the observers had gotten a good enough look at its behavior, I moved in even closer.
I could feel the heat of its ragged breathing. If I hadn’t been wearing a helmet, its snorting would’ve whipped my hair around. Even dressed head to toe in this sealed suit, Cat had caught my scent and recognized me instantly—it made me feel oddly proud.
I reached out and stroked its fur. The ink-black hair was pressed flat beneath the thick gauntlet. I regretted not being able to feel it directly on my skin.
I kept brushing it, as though grooming, and could faintly sense Cat’s tense muscles beginning to relax. Its fur, once raised like a hedgehog’s spines, gradually settled down. The eyes watching me looked gentle now.
I carefully rubbed the top of its head, where short, coarse fur stuck out. Cat closed its eyes softly. Its bent front paw nearly touched me, but the chances of its claws suddenly springing out were low. And even if they did, the protective suit would keep me from getting seriously hurt.
Grrrr.
Noticing the time, I glanced at Equipment Team Leader Choi beyond the transparent wall of the cage. He met my gaze and nodded. Then his lips moved—probably giving instructions via comms.
Rrrrrumble…
Soon, the floor beneath us began to shake. Cat perked its ears and snapped its head up. I withdrew my hand and stepped back.
We were positioned on the eastern side of the cage, and the tremors were strongest toward the west. Specifically, from the part of the floor that opened downward. From that hidden passage, something began to rise.
SKREEEEEE!
With a piercing shriek full of rage, another restrained monster emerged from the floor—B32C97. Its eyes, bloodshot with fury, and its thrashing limbs made it seem like it might snap the cables at any moment.
Some of the spectators, already nervous from just Cat’s presence, turned ghostly pale. I couldn’t hear them clearly from inside the cage, but I was sure they were screaming. I caught a glimpse of people covering their faces as if unable to bear the sight and then checked Cat’s condition.
GRRRRRR…!
Though still restrained, Cat’s gleaming eyes radiated threat. Its mouth opened wide enough to tear its cheeks, baring razor-sharp fangs—a textbook image of a savage beast.
B32C97 faltered in the face of Cat’s savage aura. For a brief moment, a flicker of fear crossed the monkey-like creature’s face. It had realized that Cat was the stronger one.
Monsters are categorized by their physical abilities and intelligence. Their assigned names indicate their classification. In the case of S8A152—Cat—it was a monster ranked somewhere between level 8 of the S-grade and level 152 of the A-grade, which placed it above B32C97 in the hierarchy.
However, regardless of status or strength, monsters generally didn’t attack each other.
…Kyak.
Soon, B32C97 turned its gaze from Cat to me. Untrained and clearly starving, it needed prey—immediately.
I tapped the hidden compartment on my protective suit that housed the controller. When prompted to select which of the two creatures to release, I chose B32C97. The cables that had bound its entire body unraveled with a slithering sound.
Crunch. B32C97 stepped over the fallen cable with its hind foot and threw its head back.
Screee! SKREEEEEEEEE!
A deafening roar that seemed to split the air. It whipped its head downward and locked eyes on me.
Thud. THUD THUD THUD THUD!
With force enough to shatter the floor, B32C97 began charging. It ran in a bipedal gait, its front limbs dangling while it powered forward with its hind legs.
I waited calmly, controlling my breathing, until the enormous mass was nearly upon me. There wasn’t much time to wait anyway—its long strides closed the gap in the blink of an eye.
KRAAAAAH!
Perhaps thinking it already had me, B32C97 screamed with premature triumph. It was close enough to graze me. Just then, I launched my body low and slid right between its legs.
Kyack?
B32C97 clawed at empty air, bewildered. It twisted around belatedly to find me behind it.
“……”
I met its eyes with a blank, deliberate stare. When it saw that I was still standing unscathed, the monster—as expected—flared with rage.
CRASH! It stomped its foot violently.
SCREE! SKREEEEK!
It howled again, then lunged forward to chase me down.
“…! Ngh!”
Thanks to the shock-absorbing design of the suit, I managed to roll across the floor and evade the attack without much trouble. But when B32C97 suddenly flipped backward mid-chase, I had to quickly dodge to the side. I had just been thinking that the creature might not be as unintelligent as I had assumed. A second slower, and I would’ve been crushed under its massive weight, suit and all.
…And at that moment—
ROOOOOAAAAAR!
Cat suddenly let out a roar so thunderous it felt like it rattled my skull. For a second, I even thought the sound echoed in every direction.
Both I, who had been lying on the ground, and B32C97, who had been poised to pursue me again, froze on instinct.
We turned our heads toward Cat.
It had apparently thrashed against its restraints again. This time, it had torn open its own flesh, and now blood dripped from the deep gashes worn into its body. Hhhhhh—hhhfff. It was showing signs of open-mouth breathing, a symptom of extreme stress. Those yellow eyes were locked directly onto B32C97.
As I took in the sight of the beast, trembling with rage…
…I quietly ran my hand across the surface of my suit.
Keeeek…
B32C97, staring at Cat with a confused expression—as if wondering why it kept being threatened—seemed to decide there was no real danger from the creature still restrained. Its gaze shifted back to me.
SKREEEEE!
With a leap that left no room for escape, B32C97 launched itself at me. Its gaping jaws spread wide, ready to tear into my body.
The roles of predator and prey were clearly defined.
And at that precise moment—
I released the restraints on Cat.
