“Shit.”Jin Muhae spat the curse out slowly.The Stone Carver was an Anomaly rarely seen for thousands of kilometers north of here. True to its Grade 1 ranking, it was cunning, fast, and strong—more than one mercenary could handle.No matter how many Anomalies filled the world, lately it felt like too much had crossed his path. By now, Muhae was probably wondering if destiny had it in for him.But there was nothing to worry about. It was still Chapter 1. Early on, no trial was insurmountable for Muhae. This Anomaly wasn’t fighting at full Grade 1 power.What that meant was…“Tastes like bad blood.”Though it had the nerve to chase them with all that fuss, in reality the Stone Carver was badly wounded.Naturally—there’d been a skirmish not long ago, and there was no way that a few mercenaries hadn’t at least hurt it.A long bolt was embedded in its third hind thigh—a spear-like chunk of metal hurled from a ballista-class weapon.“Looks hurt.”Joo-o licked his lips, dropping another hint. Of course, that was the Stone Carver’s major weakness—and this battle’s guaranteed win condition.“And it’s still running us down. Funny, huh?”He paused at his own words. “Funny” might be off, he realized.Muhae, scanning every direction, tilted his head and looked at Joo-o.“Hmmm.”But no other words came to mind. Since he’d caught the scent of blood, his body had warmed up. Joo-o’s instinctive senses were expanding.Ha… he shouldn’t laugh. As his senses sharpened, human thoughts blurred.Strange vigor coursed through his veins, priming every joint.Inch by inch, Joo-o reined in his fleeting reason and shook his head. With each shake, the influx of smells, wind direction, tiny sounds, and ticklish sensations produced different signals, narrowing down the Anomaly’s location.“If it seems off, toss a grenade first.”Muhae’s order drifted past Joo-o’s ear. Normally he’d pick up every bit of Muhae’s annoyance, but this scent was too intriguing, scattering his focus.At last, Muhae’s face held silent conviction. Only after hearing the Anomaly was wounded did he glimpse victory’s possibility.“Jin Muhae.”Jiriit. A signal pricked Joo-o’s ears, and he gripped his club.“It’s coming.”With that regressive warning, from somewhere to their upper left the beast pounced.Hiaaaak-!Twice the size of Muhae’s bike, its skin showcased grotesque muscles.Taang!A massive firearm spat fire at the Stone Carver hurtling overhead. The recoil nearly shoved Muhae back as a thick slug tore through the Anomaly’s foreleg.Knowing Muhae’s fighting style, he’d aim for its head—but even wounded, a Grade 1 wouldn’t take that quietly.Hahaak-!Kwaang!The failed shot cost them—Muhae’s barricade-bike was slammed by the powerful foreleg and flung away.The Stone Carver had targeted it from the start, as if knowing humans would clamber on steel and flee.“Fuck.”“Bastard.”As if Joo-o’s mutter reached it, a grating cry echoed again.Hiaaaak-!A grotesque creature with pulsing red-and-blue flesh, reveling in toying with humans, gaped wide. Its teeth, packed tight to the throat, resembled human molars—both ironic and chilling.Yet Joo-o showed not a flicker of fear—only a tilted head, as if puzzled.“Hmm.”He usually left the bike untouched. Joo-o muttered silently, then sighed softly.“Once you take one strike, the other runs away, right?”Right… This battle was supposed to be Muhae’s alone, but Joo-o’s involvement had subtly shifted the story. He’d guessed the narrative might change if he interfered, but not that it’d extend to the fight itself.Squeak- Kwaak!Taang-! Tang!The wounded Anomaly launched skirmish attacks. Muhae deftly evaded and landed retaliatory shots. A true protagonist—even though his jacket was shredded, he scored clean hits without major injury.Finally, after circling and avoiding fire, the Stone Carver bounded up to a higher ledge and vanished with a leap.The same attack pattern would follow again. This time, the target would be Muhae himself.“Muhae. Its leg…”Joo-o started to advise, then snapped his mouth shut. He’d already rearmed perfectly. The cylindrical plasma round clicked as it activated.Vrrrr…Kwaang!A shockwave struck the Anomaly’s leg as it lunged like the wind. No need for pinpoint accuracy—the powerful wave twisted that long bolt through muscle and bone.Kiaaak-!Only now did the creature scream in true agony and writhe on the ground.But that wasn’t all—the scattered mines around them detonated in sequence, electrifying the massive flesh.Taang! Tang!Raining heavy fire, Muhae’s arsenal didn’t let up. Hit after hit, the battered Stone Carver bled dark red and slunk off into cover once more.‘Next pattern.’Before Joo-o could sift memory for clues, whoosh- Kwaang! A boulder the size of a human head shot past Muhae. From now on, warning.For the next three minutes, it’d be a bullet-hell. In Joo-o’s own playthrough, the ground would glow to telegraph, but this world of La Vida Blue wasn’t a game.How would Muhae predict attacks now? Could he even see the Anomaly?Leering around in fascination, Joo-o abruptly straightened and stretched out an arm.Kwaang!“Ugh…!”A jagged rock smashed into the spot Muhae had occupied. Joo-o yanked him clear just in time—otherwise Muhae would’ve been pulverized.‘…What?’As Muhae winced, righting himself, Joo-o’s eyes darted everywhere. His heartbeat thundered in his ears.‘There’s no…’No glow. No hint on the ground. Nothing but Joo-o’s senses signalling the rock’s path and position.“Damn… you, stay back.”Meanwhile Muhae concern­lessly fretted over Joo-o, oblivious to more rocks coming.This was a side quest for a jacket, not the main story. Unfair balance shouldn’t maim Muhae. What to do? He couldn’t become minced meat, forcing Joo-o to hunt him down through the wild again.“Unbelievable.”Could a non-game character’s body regenerate again? No. It wouldn’t. Then in this unre­settable hellgame world, how long would they wander?Kwaang!“Ugh…!”Muhae thudded to the ground under a brutal shove, another rock embedding where he’d stood.Only then did he realize this insane barrage wasn’t one-off—it was targeting him exclusively.With no time to get up, he flung himself along the ground. Rocks grazed him by inches.“No—…”He couldn’t even finish the word as his pupils dilated into black.What if—just hypothetically—this rampaging Anomaly, with its terrifying speed and power, had been engineered under a city’s authority?“Don’t want to.”How strong would such a being be?“Don’t want to.”What horrific process birthed it?Kwaang!Kiaaaak-!Red eyes unlike anything seen before gleamed expressionlessly on its face like jewels.Muhae, frozen like a statue, reached out to pull the repeating “human” into his arms.Taang-!The final bullet pierced its head. With a convulsion, the Anomaly stilled.As the echo of gunfire faded, Muhae lowered his muzzle into the silence.…The perilous fight was over. His twisted ankle throbbed and every scraped joint would bruise, but he was alive.He exhaled in a long sigh, wiping the flushed blood from his temple. The pulse in his temple still throbbed.“That’s enough.”As he whispered with bowed head, tension drained from his body.His vacant gaze drifted up and met Muhae’s eyes. Yet his clenched jaw showed no sign of relaxation—white veins stood out on ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) his brow as if restraining something with all his might.“It’s okay. Thanks to you, I’m not hurt.”Muhae repeated, waiting, but the body in his arms didn’t move.He could hear another’s heartbeat pounding with uncanny clarity.This being—who’d shattered rocks with a club and torn apart the Anomaly’s leg barehanded—stood perfectly still.From that moment on, Joo-o remained in that state, rooted to the spot, enduring something wordlessly.

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