[Inside A Corp]
[Clerk]: Name.
[Eridius]: Eridius.
A small device wired into Eridius's arm suddenly flashed yellow.
[Clerk]: Tell the truth.
[Eridius]: Eridiuslessd ka Jelled Romero da Fallheart.
The device immediately turned green.
The clerk stared at the screen.
Then at Eridius.
Then back at the screen.
[Clerk]: ...Why would you name yourself that?
[Eridius]: My dad did it, apparently.
He shrugged.
[Eridius]: Apparently, every member of the Fallheart family has to have a long and complicated name.
A pause.
[Eridius]: He was called Loki De Pape Long Fallheart.
Silence.
The clerk slowly looked up.
Eridius stared back.
The device remained stubbornly green.
[Clerk]: I suddenly understand why you shortened your name.
[Eridius]: You have no idea.
The clerk sighed and slowly stamped the form.
[Clerk]: I don't get paid enough for this.
[Eridius]: Neither do I.
The clerk paused.
He slowly raised his head.
[Clerk]: You're not employed here.
[Eridius]: That's probably why I don't get paid.
The clerk stared at him for several seconds.
[Clerk]: ...You know what?
He stamped another document.
[Clerk]: I'm not asking any more questions.
[Eridius]: Wise decision.
The device immediately turned red.
Both of them looked down at it.
Silence.
[Clerk]: Did you just lie?
He slowly looked back at Eridius.
[Clerk]: And I thought we had something going on.
[Eridius]: Something going on?!
Eridius pointed accusingly at the device.
[Eridius]: You people kidnapped me, dragged me into this building, and put me through half an hour of waterboarding!
A beat.
[Eridius]: Then you sent me to a laboratory where I'm fairly certain your scientists are all insane!
He paused, visibly remembering something unpleasant.
[Eridius]: They kept poking me with weird instruments while making the strangest pink faces I've ever seen.
The clerk stared at him.
[Eridius]: They also took notes.
[Clerk]: That's standard procedure.
[Eridius]: One of them drew a smiley face next to my blood pressure.
[Eridius]: Another one asked if I screamed differently when they poked my ribs.
The clerk slowly lowered his stamp.
A pause.
[Clerk]: That's actually concerning.
[Eridius]: Thank you.
The clerk glanced toward the nearby security camera.
Then back at Eridius.
His expression slowly became more uncomfortable.
[Clerk]: Well... looks like my time is almost up.
He gave Eridius a tired smile.
[Clerk]: It was nice meeting you. I really wish we'd met somewhere else.
Eridius stared at him.
A strange feeling settled in his stomach.
[Eridius]: I'm going to die, right?
[Clerk]: No, you're not.
The device immediately flashed red.
Silence.
Both of them looked down at it.
Then slowly looked back at each other.
[Clerk]: Maybe you will live.
The device immediately turned yellow.
Eridius's eye twitched.
[Eridius]: You're really bad at this.
[Clerk]: I'm trying to be optimistic.
[Eridius]: You're doing a terrible job.
The clerk sighed and rubbed his forehead.
[Clerk]: Okay. Let me be completely honest with you.
He glanced toward the security camera again.
Then lowered his voice.
[Clerk]: With the number of taboos you've already broken...
A pause.
[Clerk]: You'd need a miracle to survive this.
Eridius's expression became serious.
The clerk continued.
He hesitated.
[Clerk]: Someone considerably higher-ranking would have to decide that you're worth keeping alive.
The device immediately turned green.
Silence.
Eridius stared at the device.
Then at the clerk.
Then back at the device.
[Eridius]: So I'm either blessed by a miracle...
A beat.
[Eridius]: ...or I'm someone's paperwork now.
[Clerk]: That's one way of putting it.
[Eridius]: And you sound way too calm about this.
[Clerk]: I've worked here for twelve years.
He picked up his stamp.
[Clerk]: At some point, you stop being surprised.
Eridius slowly nodded.
[Eridius]: Fair enough.
The clerk stamped the final document.
[Clerk]: Good luck, Eridius.
A pause.
[Eridius]: I think I'll need it.
The clerk looked toward the security camera one last time.
[Clerk]: More than you realize.
The clerk exited the room, leaving Eridius alone with the strange list of newly revealed items.
His eyes moved down the screen.
[63. Kaslana Bloodline Lv.1]
[64. Flashlight Lv.2]
[65. Black Tea Bags ×55]
[66... Loading]
Eridius stared at the list.
Then at the empty room.
[Eridius]: Good thing I have more tea.
A pause.
[Eridius]: Unfortunately, they robbed me of every tea bag I had in the café before dragging me here.
He sighed.
Then summoned a tea bag from his inventory.
He grabbed the water heater sitting beside the table and began brewing.
The familiar aroma of black tea slowly filled the room.
[Eridius]: Hope I don't meet her.
He poured the tea into a cup and placed it carefully on the table.
He looked away for approximately two seconds.
When he looked back—
The cup was gone.
Eridius stared at the empty spot.
Silence.
He slowly looked around the room.
Nothing.
[Eridius]: Is that cursed skill acting up now?
A pause.
[Eridius]: I don't want to be inhuman.
He sighed.
Then brewed another cup.
This time, he held it firmly in both hands.
He raised it toward his mouth.
A hand suddenly reached into his field of vision...
And took the cup from him.
Eridius froze.
Slowly...
Very slowly...
He followed the hand upward.
There stood Garion.
Behind her were three other individuals, all wearing identical black coats bearing the yellow A Corp marking.
Garion smiled pleasantly.
Eridius's expression became completely blank.
He stared at the four of them.
Then at his missing cup.
Then back at them.
Without saying a word, he summoned four more tea bags.
He filled the kettle.
Started brewing.
And began pouring tea into four additional cups.
[Garion]: Thank you for the tea.
Garion took a sip.
Her expression brightened slightly.
[Garion]: You know, the tea in your storage room was consumed very quickly.
Eridius stopped pouring.
His hand twitched.
[Garion]: It was quite good.
A pause.
She glanced toward the empty table.
[Garion]: It would be even better if we had something to go with it.
Eridius slowly raised his eyes.
[Eridius]: Something to go with it?
She smiled.
[Garion]: Perhaps some cake.
Another woman beside her nodded.
[???]: Or biscuits.
The third raised her cup.
[???]: Maybe sandwiches.
The fourth calmly added—
[???]: Cheesecake would be preferable.
Eridius stared at them.
Four A Corp employees.
On the outside, he remained perfectly calm.
His expression was blank.
His posture was steady.
His hands didn't shake.
But inside...
His heart would have either stopped beating or exploded from sheer panic if Inhuman hadn't already traded away a portion of his humanity in exchange for strength and an increasingly abnormal ability to endure things no normal human should be able to endure.
His instincts were screaming.
His survival instincts were screaming louder.
And somewhere deep inside his mind, a much simpler thought had emerged:
Run.
Eridius took a slow sip of tea.
[Eridius]: ...I see.
Garion smiled.
[Garion]: You seem unusually calm.
[Eridius]: I'm very good at remaining calm under pressure.
The faintest tremor appeared in his hand.
Garion's smile widened.
[Garion]: How admirable.
Eridius remained perfectly still.
On the outside.
Inside, however, every instinct he possessed was screaming at him to run.
He silently cursed [Inhuman Lv.5] for making him capable of sitting through this conversation without immediately collapsing from fear.
Garion took another sip of tea.
[Garion]: Now, kid, I'll be honest with you.
She placed the cup down gently.
[Garion]: You only have two options left.
Eridius's eyes narrowed.
[Garion]: You leave the City.
A pause.
[Garion]: Not just the Nest. Not just the Backstreets.
Her smile disappeared.
[Garion]: You aren't even allowed to remain in the outskirts.
Eridius's expression hardened.
She tapped one finger against the table.
[Garion]: We kill you here.
Silence filled the room.
Eridius stared at her.
Then slowly lowered his gaze toward his hands.
[Eridius]: Is there really no way to bring my humanity back?
Garion was quiet for several seconds.
Then she sighed.
[Garion]: There are ways.
A faint glimmer of hope appeared in Eridius's eyes.
It vanished almost immediately.
[Garion]: But none of them are easy.
She leaned back in her chair.
[Garion]: And before you get your hopes up, kid...
A pause.
[Garion]: Only ten percent of you are still human.
Eridius froze.
Garion continued calmly.
[Garion]: When we first met, you were at fifty-five percent.
She raised one finger.
[Garion]: Fifty-five percent human.
Another finger.
[Garion]: Your soul was around eighty percent human.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
[Garion]: That's the only reason I didn't kill you in that café.
Eridius's throat tightened.
[Garion]: Your body was already becoming something else, but your soul still anchored you to humanity.
She picked up her tea again.
A pause.
[Garion]: Your body is only ten percent human.
Eridius's fingers slowly curled into fists.
[Garion]: And your soul...
She smiled faintly.
[Garion]: Thirty-five percent.
Silence.
Eridius stared at the tea in front of him.
For the first time since entering A Corp...
He genuinely didn't know what to say.
Garion took another sip.
[Garion]: You're running out of time, Eridius.
[Garion]: Whatever that thing inside you is becoming...
A pause.
[Garion]: It isn't waiting for your permission.
[Eridius]: Can we skip all the playing around, please?
Garion raised an eyebrow.
[Eridius]: If you actually wanted me dead—or simply wanted me out of the City—you wouldn't have spent more than two hours experimenting on me.
He leaned back in his chair.
[Eridius]: Which means I have something you want.
A pause.
[Eridius]: Something valuable enough to make you consider keeping me around.
Garion's smile disappeared.
She placed her cup down.
[Garion]: But if you speak to me like that again...
Her eyes sharpened.
[Garion]: I may take that head off your shoulders.
Eridius stared at her.
For some reason, he didn't feel particularly afraid.
He should have been terrified.
He was sitting in a room with four A Corp employees, one of whom was Garion herself.
Instead, his mind was strangely calm.
Too calm.
[Eridius]: I think [Inhuman Lv.5] took all the fear out of my veins...
A pause.
[Eridius]: ...and made me dumber.
Garion blinked.
[Eridius]: Because right now, I'm genuinely wondering what would happen if I stabbed myself...
He glanced toward Garion.
[Eridius]: ...then stabbed you.
Silence.
The three other A Corp employees slowly looked at one another.
Garion stared at Eridius for several seconds.
Then—
[Garion]: That's weird even for me.
A pause.
Garion picked up her tea again.
[Garion]: Do you have something that could kill a Star?
Eridius's expression remained blank.
[Garion]: If you do...
Her smile slowly returned.
[Garion]: We could have an interesting conversation.
Eridius thought for a moment.
[Eridius]: I may have one.
Garion stopped drinking.
[Garion]: You may?
Eridius opened his inventory.
He scrolled through the list of rewards until he found the item.
[One-Use Truck-Kun Coupon]
He equipped the [Appraisal Monocle] and examined it.
The description appeared immediately.
{One-Use Truck-Kun Coupon}
{Description: A ticket that summons Truck-Kun to kill the person or god you are thinking of.}
Silence.
Eridius stared at the description.
Then slowly looked toward Garion.
Garion stared back.
One of the A Corp employees quietly leaned toward another.
[A Corp Employee]: Did he just say he has a weapon capable of killing a Star?
The other employee whispered back.
[A Corp Employee]: I think so.
He raised the coupon between two fingers.
[Eridius]: It's a truck.
Garion's eye twitched.
[Garion]: A truck.
A long silence followed.
Garion slowly extended her hand.
[Garion]: Give me that.
Eridius pulled the coupon back.
[Eridius]: Can you make me human again first?
Garion smiled.
She set her teacup aside and stood.
[Garion]: I can't destroy whatever is inside you completely.
A pause.
[Garion]: But I can remove a portion of it without causing permanent damage. That's what the white coats told me.
Eridius narrowed his eyes.
[Eridius]: That sounds suspiciously reassuring.
[Garion]: It is.
Before Eridius could respond—
Garion's hand shot forward.
THUD!
Her fist punched straight through his chest.
Eridius's eyes widened.
For one horrifying second, he couldn't breathe.
Garion's hand was buried inside his chest, fingers wrapped around something that shouldn't have been there.
Then she pulled.
A small, pale-white tentacle emerged from Eridius's heart.
It writhed violently between her fingers.
Eridius stared at it.
Then—
Garion crushed it.
CRACK.
The moment it broke apart, unimaginable pain erupted through Eridius's entire body.
His vision went white.
Every nerve in his body screamed simultaneously.
His knees nearly buckled.
His teeth clenched so hard that he bit through his lower lip.
Blood ran down his chin.
He refused to scream.
He refused to give them the satisfaction.
Instead, with trembling fingers, Eridius opened his System.
The skill list appeared.
[Inhuman Lv.5]
Eridius stared at it.
Then smiled.
[Inhuman Lv.3]
The pain was still there.
But it was bearable now.
Barely.
Eridius slowly straightened himself.
Garion looked at the System.
Then at Eridius.
A faint smile crossed her face.
She wiped the strange white residue from her fingers.
[Garion]: Your body is now approximately forty percent human.
Eridius took a shaky breath.
[Garion]: And your soul is around sixty percent human.
A pause.
[Garion]: That's enough.
Eridius raised an eyebrow.
[Eridius]: Enough for what?
Garion picked up her tea again as though she hadn't just punched through someone's heart.
[Garion]: Enough for the City to recognize you as human.
She took a sip.
[Garion]: Provided that percentage never drops below the required threshold.
Eridius stared at her.
[Eridius]: So I'm allowed to stay?
[Garion]: For now.
She smiled.
[Garion]: Don't make me regret it.
Eridius looked down at his hands.
Human hands.
Then at the System.
[Inhuman Lv.3]
A small smile appeared on his face.
[Eridius]: I'll take it.
Garion raised her teacup.
A pause.
[Garion]: Now, about that truck, tell me how to use it.
Eridius's smile immediately disappeared.
[Eridius]: ...I knew there was a catch.
[Chapter end]
[Notes]
[Inhuman] is a corrupted evolutionary branch of the normal [Human] skill.
It is not inherently evil—but it is dangerous. The further it develops, the more the distinction between human being and something wearing a human shape begins to disappear.
At sufficient levels, [Inhuman] may evolve into:
[Human] — The mutation is purified, restoring the original human branch.
[Humanoid Beast] — Instinct begins overriding reason. The body adapts faster than the mind can accept.
[Humanoid Monster] — Humanity becomes little more than a memory. The body continues to resemble a person, but only superficially.
[Outer God Spawn] — The final mutation. Whatever remains of the original human is no longer considered relevant.
In the City, this distinction would hardly matter to most people.
A Wing would call it an abnormality.
A researcher would call it a successful mutation.
A Fixer would simply call it a job.
And the City would continue moving.
Eridius reaching [Inhuman Lv.5] meant he was already walking down one of those paths.
Garion lowering it to Lv.3 didn't merely weaken him.
It pulled him back from the edge.