Some people just come into the world a certain way. They might be born as natural right-handers, stand head and shoulders above the rest like living giants or have wild, curly hair and captivating green eyes. Some are extraordinarily perceptive — as if they possess their own kind of magic.
Obviously Seojun, known for his prickly attitude, wasn’t suddenly overcome with compassion. He idly played with the binoculars slung around his waist, lost in thought.
Seojun’s gaze was locked onto the raging inferno before him, his eyes stinging from the intensity of the blaze. The heat scorched their skin, but he and his group couldn’t bring themselves to leave.
Airi’s eyes flew open, replacing the view of the ground below with the vast night sky above.
As her body soared, the cool night breeze caressed her skin, leaving behind the earthy scent that had lingered just moments before.
A distant rumble echoed through the shadowy kitchen, causing Christina’s hand to freeze mid-reach.
“Christina? What’s wrong?”
“Oh, it’s just...” Christina’s voice wavered, lost in thought.
It had to be Christina, no one else. The decisive role in defeating the monster was meant for her. Johan’s eyebrows sagged a bit at Seojun’s unwavering response, almost sounding defeated as he quietly mumbled.
“….Beware the damp, many-legged creature that emerges from the spot where a pig narrowly escaped death. In that instance, hurl a yellow fruit.”
The tentacles felt deceptively soft as they began wrapping Gas Mask’s leg in their unyielding grip. Each suction cup clung and tightened with slow, mounting force, morphing from gentle caresses to implements of agony.
Thankfully, Seojun managed to keep his composure, avoiding the embarrassment of staining his worn-out jeans. The reason behind it was as clear as day.
Seojun barely had time to process the soldier’s gruesome end. His golden ratio appearance was like a fleeting work of art. Monster X, the man-eating alien, shook the ex-soldier so violently with its tentacles that his limbs were ripped off. The force was too much - his neck couldn’t withstand the strain and tore off.
In the chaos of battle, Golden emerged as an unexpected trump card.
Even if Brass had been captured, killed, or interrogated, Gas Mask could have only known about Golden fleeing the Hamon campsite following Richard’s death. But surprisingly, Golden returned for some reason. Maybe his judgement was a bit off thanks to his drug use.
As Seojun hurtled downwards in that spinning, dizzying descent, a pang of regret hit him. His mind raced, replaying the confrontation with Gas Mask, filled with what-ifs and second thoughts.