Chapter 118 – Star Fall (1)

The next morning, waking up with a severe headache and hangover, Gyosu found his friends huddled together in the living room.

“Ughhhh, I’m dying. Koduro, water… get me water…”

Koduro, who had been scurrying around busily, noticed his scruffy owner and was just handing out a cup he had prepared…

“Here, everyone else was drinking… Gasp! Master!”

Crash!

“There’s blood on your head!!!”

…but dropped the cup.

“Oh… I used my left hand without thinking. It’s just a scratch.”

After living in the Wastelands in a not-so wealthy situation, at some point, my eyes always started to open at 6 in the morning. What is the first thing a person with a hangover does when they wake up? It’s to go, ‘Ughhh, my head…’ and press your hand against your head. The problem was that with my current hand, I could genuinely crush my head like a tomato if I did that.

[That could have gotten rid of the headache you have. Making your head into tomato juice would definitely reduce the pain you feel, idiot.]

’…I’m not going to thank you for that. Just turn it back already.’

He would have been badly hurt if Hyde hadn’t stopped his hand.

This left arm. The moment blood started to trickle out of the scratch, he regained his senses and immediately told Hyde to turn it back.

‘You said it’s your body! Shouldn’t you at least know how to use it if you take it?’

[Hohohoho. It might be hard for an amateur like you, who doesn’t know how to properly use their body even with over 90% control over it, but altering the body is not just some technical function but closer to a piece of art that depends on imagination and…]

‘Alright, so the conclusion?’

[Dunno how, lol. Sorry!]

…Was what he said. Until either Hyde or I figured out how, I was going to live with this weird, monstrous arm for a long time, or perhaps forever.

‘I’ll need to make sure I don’t move my left arm for the time being. I might accidentally make a hole in the shelter.’

A lot of inconveniences came with the arm, but it has some good parts too. Like how he could sweep up the glass with his bare hands. He’ll need to find out its utilities one by one from now on.

“But what are you guys doing out here?”

After roughly cleaning up the broken cup, he asked the others as he drank from the new glass that Koduro gave him.

It was because the guys who would have fussed about his arm and his new scratch merely took one look at his state, then turned back to the kitchen with a dumb grin on their faces.

“Why, is there something in the kitche—aahhhhh!”

“Shhhh! Don’t bother her!”

Ian, who looked like he was a little flustered and unsure what to do, making the tragic story of last night feel like a fever dream, grabbed Gyosu’s shoulder and stopped him from entering the kitchen, then pressed him down behind the sofa where the rest of them were hiding.

“Wait a minute, Vex, you too? You’re still hurt, why’re you out—”

“The kid, Synthia, is in the kitchen! I think she’s trying to make us breakfast!”

“What? Why? Were you busy this morning, Koduro?”

“No! There’s nothing more important than tending to the Masters! I went to the kitchen so I could make a stew with the rest of the ingredients we had, but the new Miss was already in the kitchen!”

Zzzzng—

To Gyosu’s question, Koduro vigorously shook his lens and showed him a video recording of this morning.

‘M-Miss Synthia? Did you not sleep well?’

‘I usually wake up at this time.’

‘I see. But why… Oh my! You shouldn’t touch that! I know it’s all shiny and pretty, but that’s a knife, not a toy! It’ll give you an ouchie if you touch it…!’

‘Are you stupid?’

‘Huh?’

‘If there’s a person in the kitchen with ingredients, a cutting board, and a knife, what are they doing?’

‘T-they’re… cooking?’

‘Yeah. People say it’s bad to steal other people’s things, but food is really precious. Leaving the cooking to a stupid person like you is wasting food, so I’ll take it from here. You understand?’

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Zzzzng— Twt!

“…Is what happened.”

“Aw, isn’t she just the sweetest? The kid’s smart for her age!”

“Do you hear that consistent cutting sound? She knows what she’s doing! I can feel that the way she’s holding the knife is correct just by listening to that!”

“…So that’s what you three were doing behind the sofa with those dumb expressions on your faces.”

No wonder the guys who should have been as dead as he was after last night were all wide awake and oddly excited. It’s because that kid gave them a reason to be.

[But isn’t what Koduro makes a lot tastier? It’s the drone that’s talking, but technically, this entire shelter is his body. There’s an automatic cooking system in the kitchen, isn’t there?]

‘Leave her be. They said she’s been turned down by all of the homes she was adopted into. Imagine how many times that little girl was kicked out after losing her parents. How do you think she would feel?’

As a child who lost both of her parents at an age where she should have still been clinging and complaining to her parents, she somehow found her own way to survive.

“Ahem. That’s good news. Back when I was that age, I volunteered to do chores around my new home because I liked it. That kid must have liked this place.”

“You idiot! If she’s in a similar state to Jaw back then, it means she’s been hurt to the point that she became a sociopath!”

“God f—ing dammit! How could I not have thought of that? We have to go right now…”

Clench!

This time, Gyosu grabbed Ian by the back and shoved him back behind the sofa.

“Just go to the table and wait for her. Our job is to gobble up whatever she makes like it’s the most delicious food we’ve ever had. That should make the kid feel better too. Proving one’s worth is the easiest way to be recognized as a member in an organization.”

“Hepburn! But we don’t want to take in Synthia in that sort of—!”

“It’s not us, but that kid that’s understanding it in that way. It’s not something we can solve overnight. She’s just a kid. 10 years old. Rather than forcefully telling her that ‘You’ll be happy here’, it’ll be easier to let her fit in naturally and get used to this place. From how she’s talking, she doesn’t seem that young either. The kids of the Wastelands grow fast after all.”

Saying that, Gyosu took a peek over the sofa. Wearing a T-shirt with the word KILL! written on the back that came down to her ankles, she was enthusiastically fidgeting around while standing on top of the chair.

Looking at her cute, concentrated expression, Gyosu could feel the hangover melt away. That kid. She is definitely cute.

“Let’s give her a change of clothes later. Why’s she wearing something like that when there are all the nice clothes the Dome sent? Isn’t that yours, Ian? The one that was on the drying rack.”

“I think the Miss took it. Actually… she has a lot more things hidden away aside from that. While everyone else was asleep, she went around and collected things and hid them under the bed. She also neatly wrapped up the clothes she wore here and put them with the others.”

In the video that Koduro showed them, they could see all sorts of knickknacks neatly arranged under the sofa in the connection pod room.

“Thievery… There were quite a bit of those in the orphanage too.”

“Does she plan on leaving? Did we do something that she didn’t…?”

“Shh! She’s coming!”

The four men that had been staring at Koduro’s screen with a serious expression instantly got up from the back of the sofa with bright smiles at Ezel’s signal. There was a problem, but the most important thing right now was to eat the breakfast that the kid had been making all morning.

What the kid made, surprisingly, actually looked like food.

It was a stew with an assortment of chopped vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and onions boiled together with meat.

“Ahhh! It’s so good! I can feel my stomach getting settled already! Isn’t that right, Vex?”

“M-mhm! All of the ingredients are fully cooked!”

“In the Dome, when you’re sick, they make stew like this with nice and mushy ingredients that’s easy to digest!”

Thanks to their planning beforehand, the three men had their faces in their bowls, like it really was the most delicious thing they ate in the world. And watching those three, Synthia had a very pleased expression on her face.

“Mom said… you can eat all of the nutrients that you can get out of the food when you make it into a stew like this…”

“Mhmm! That’s right! You’ve learned well!”

“Wow! I can just feel the strength flowing back into me!”

First, the food definitely did look like a stew. Although it didn’t have any spices included in it, and she put in every last single piece of the ingredients that she prepared. Looking closely, there were a lot of small, weird vegetable pieces inside the stew. It seemed like she re-cut the chunks of vegetables that she left out the first time and put them in too.

Vex, Ian, and Ezel had their noses deep in their bowls as they scooped up every last drop of the stew that smelled of pork and grass. And Synthia, who had an innocent smile on her face as she watched the three.

[She’s a foxy one.]

‘Yeah. You can’t get any foxier than that.’

A little slurred speech. Movement that displayed her as a weak and helpless creature. It was completely different from the snappy attitude that he saw in Koduro’s video.

‘Like how she takes care of her stuff and the way she utilizes her status as a young girl. She must have gone through a lot more houses than we expected. She’s a sly one, alright.’

[She must not be the innocent angel we thought she was. But… Why do you look like you’re enjoying this?]

‘Heheheheh, does it?’

It was only natural. The stepparents in the Dome that adopted Synthia up until now wanted the pure image of a young girl who regained her happiness in a new family, but I’m different.

Tap tap.

When he looked down after sensing a small pecking feeling on his left hand, I saw that the kid had approached me at some point and was drumming her fingers on the back of my hand.

“Dad… Aren’t you going to eat?”

“I’ve had my share. And call me Mister, not Daddy. Gyosu Park. That’s my name. You can call me whatever you want, but not Dad.”

Seeing Synthia’s face slightly scrunch up at his calm reaction, unlike the other three who responded positively to whatever she said, Gyosu snickered internally.

‘Even within the 14 Special Ops Squad, this kid’s dad, Lewil, specialized in assassination and infiltration. Her dad would be so proud of her right now.’

She was the child of a comrade who died because of him, but he didn’t plan on raising her like a princess. If she came out in the Wastelands, she needs to follow the Wasteland rules. To be hiding her true intentions and planning to suck out the blood of the adults at such a young age, mhm! That’s a great start! It’ll be worthwhile raising this kid!

[…Synthia, it might have been better for you to have gone to the orphanage.]

And so, exchanging glances between his three friends scouring down boiled vegetables and the now slightly pouting Synthia, Gyosu drank up the rest of the broth in his bowl. It did taste a little too much like pork, but he liked the feeling of the warm soup that coated his stomach.

After breakfast. As if they had planned it out beforehand, the four were sitting together on the sofa in the living room.

“Ezel, don’t you need to go back?”

“The Director gave me a vacation with the drinks.”

“Keheheh, that’s one nice schedule.”

“That’s how important the Inspection Bureau is, considering their relationship with BDSM. Look right here. Even the Community’s blowing up right now.”

All four of them were participating in Gyosu’s morning routine now, which was to browse the Community for any new information. There were about 20 to 30 new posts up every morning, and that small amount of information helped to create a bigger picture when collected together.

Although, of course, it was a lot different this time.

==========

[Popular Posts] – Changes in Area 47 Info and Safe Zones due to large-scale battle between Dome and Raptors. New group BDSM, who are they? By Tim Hermes (1058)

*****Type 3 Mutants, Information and Traits revealed. In a world where everyone is infected, who is human and who is mutant? (49)

*****Must See! Raptor’s Defeat and Territory Changes of major mowers in the Wastelands (Guesses) (52)

*Deleted Post

*****The time has come! Humanity takes a new step forward! Human Gyosu Park evolves to a higher level! Identity revealed! (287)

*****Who is this Park guy? Isn’t this just fake news? (1285)

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“It’s a mess.”

“Sure is.”

Looking at the Community full of posts about the Dome, Raptors, BDSM, and Gyosu Park, no matter how much he scrolled down, Gyosu felt another headache starting to form.

“Koduro, can you summarize it?”

“I’m organizing the information right now, but… there are new posts being uploaded even at this moment, so it’s difficult to give a clear answer.”

“Then just a brief summary?”

“Mmm… 685 posts related to information about this war, 7320 speculative news posts, 2 posts revealing personal information and activities of all BDSM members, and about 2400 inaccurate news posts.”

“Woah…”

“It’s the first time there’s been this many posts uploaded on the Community in the past two years. The post-uploading speed is probably faster than when the Dome in Area 53 was destroyed.”

“What kind of superhuman is that? Is it from Marvel?”

“Hepburn! You have a fan club now!”

“Eughh, don’t show me that. I feel like puking.”

Eventually, the four gave up trying to find proper information among the ocean of false and exaggerated news. The only thing that Gyosu managed to get out of the flood of information that was only getting larger by the second…

…was that his face was now revealed to the entire world.

…That Gyosu’s current state was the center of everyone’s attention, to the point where every single post had a picture of Gyosu and his left arm included in it.

And, if he didn’t set the growing vines of fake news straight soon, they were going to spread beyond control into an absurd rumor.

The third was the most important of them all. Just from looking at the new posts, he saw all sorts of rumors about how the BDSM organization already took over Area 47, or how they already had 30 thousand new members and ordered thousands of new shelters that the Dome was working to produce.

“Hey, I think I need to log in right now. Do you need me for anything? Are you going anywhere dangerous?”

“Don’t worry about us and do your job. At this rate, we’re going to be considered some sort of gods by the end of tomorrow. We won’t go far, just stopping by the Dome, then taking a stroll around Area 47. We’ve managed to become famous, and it’d be foolish not to use this opportunity. I had a bunch of messages on my account too, saying that they saw the video and were interested in buying the guns I used in battle. Even the Life and Murder Co. contacted me, so I’m planning on finding a way to arrange a distribution system with them.”

After checking out the Community, they were starting to get a basic idea of what they had to do. Vex, who still needs some rest, will stay at home and teach Synthia about the Wastelands. (She jumped from excitement.)

Ian, to the Dome for a business-related meeting.

And me, to the Area 47 chatroom to announce an official statement as the BDSM caravan.

“When are you coming out?”

“Around dinner time? I’m going to talk for a bit, then play GG.”

Creak— Kkcreek!

“Argh, for goodness’ sake!”

Gyosu responded as he forced his left arm into the game pod. It somehow managed to fit since it was a free size, but he was going to need to either contact the Dome to alter the machine or find another means.

“The game… Can you really solve that? The thing with Hyde?”

“That’s my only hope at the moment. So it doesn’t hurt to try.”

Until now, only his arm had changed, so he could still say that it was a pretty useful tool that he could utilize. But what if the area that Hyde had control over continued to get larger?

Not too long ago, it was just an uncertain fear that his body was going to be taken over by another consciousness, but now that change was actually starting to feel real. The fear that my body was slowly becoming a monster against my will. He tried to act calm, but he was anxious. He needed to find a solution as quickly as possible. To return to my original body, or at least separate Hyde from me so that he couldn’t take any more control over my body.

Skkkkkgk— clack!

With the sound of his sharp claws scratching the lid, the game pod closed up. The neural-sensors connected to his nape delivered the information, and a familiar screen filled up his vision.

[Area 47 Chatroom : 3245]

“Damn. I’m famous now.”

In the chatroom that recently reached about 500 users thanks to his stream’s rising popularity, there are now over 3000 users. Since you couldn’t access Area chat rooms if the signal was too weak, it was basically like half of the people near Area 47 were in this chat room.

Gyosu had nerves of steel, or maybe diamonds, but even he was feeling a little nervous this time.

When he carefully pressed the button to enter the chatroom…

“My goodness…”

The chat was racing up the screen like the green code on a black screen.

– PapuaNewType : How many times do I need to repeat myself for to get it through your thick skull! It’s a new type of equipment! Removable! A symbiosis! Don’t you know what that is! It’s impossible for it to move like that unless it is!

– arms5275 : Stop acting like you know everything when you don’t even know how what a mutant looks like. Mutants are a virus! If I shove a handful of lead bullets through your fat stomach, a mutant can’t cure it! It can only take over the dead body and move it! It can’t do anything fancy like create a symbiosis!

– Call_of_the_Mild : Indeed. The fact that Mister Gyosu Park was able to reach a new stage of evolution called ‘Mutation’ was a miracle, a call from the heavens. We all should bow down and worship him. A new world is coming. Hurry, before the door to salvation closes—

+ Call_of_the_Mild has been kicked out of the chatroom.

– D.Asset3315 : Excessive spamming and instigation are subject to banning. The Area 47 chatroom is under the management of the Dome’s Streamer Support Department, and will announce chatroom rules after discussing the matter with Gyosu Park.

– Udnam_undam : This aint a dream is it?

– takealook : i knew that the guy would become something someday…. but who knew he’d would become this epic all the sudden? And his name’s Gyosu Park too. That means ‘professor’ is his real name?

– Whitesmith : Guy? Why don’t you go cut off all your fingers! Is sir Gyosu your friend! Huh! Address him politely! Gyosu Sir! The savior!

– takealook : whatcha say you bastard?! i’ve been buddies with prof for over years before you guys started to treat him like some god and you want me to call him what? Sir?? f— off!

– Holli : I saw Mister professor at the hospital! He was running around and yelling, and didn’t notice me even when I called out to him! I heard that Rabbit unnie even got to talk to him!

– Whitesmith : Oooh! To have the honor of meeting him in person!

– aiosye2222 : Is his arm really that black and big?

– LifeisDeath : Does he really shoot lasers out of his eyes?

– soeor732 : They say that the Savior’s Holy Hand is able to move even when he is asleep, is that really true!

– Insaint : The hospital?! Is he severely wounded?!! Is the reason why he has yet to reveal himself….?

– Holli : I, I don’t know eitherrr!!! I just heard from a unnie I know that likes to cosplay!

– Noru_is_druig : Mister Speed. You know something? I’ll pay you if you want.

– Speedwagon : Incredibly. F—ing. Busy. Dontalktome.

+ Player ‘professor’ has entered the chatroom.

Eveyrthing stopped. The countless letters that had been roaring down the waterfall of messages stopped instantly, almost like the screen itself froze.

‘F**k! I’m getting hella nervous! Just act normal, normal…’

– professor : Hello, Gyosu Park here….

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Silence. In the chatroom that had been burning with activity until just a moment ago but was now completely silent…

– Noru_is_druig : Ah, prof, you’re here.

– professor : uhh, mmm… yeah. been a while.

– Noru_is_druig : Pay up. You remember right? 500 Shilling if you mess up the chatroom.

As if proving who I was, our normal conversation continued under the supervision of thousands of others—

– asdklj223 : WOAAHHH!!!!

– upoxui : WOAHHHHH!!!!

– AlchleicAsid : He’s here! It’s really him!

– Insaint : Savior! Savior! Savior! Savior! Savior! Savior! Savior! Savior! Savior! Savior! Savior! Savior! Savior! Savior! Savior! Savior! Savior! Savior! Savior! Savior! Savior! Savior!

– LifeisDeath : Gyosu Park sir! Please tell us the secrets of the Type 3 mutants!

– aiosye2222 : My husband! My dead husband turned into a Type 3 mutant! I have him locked up in our shelter, is there a way to save him!

– Gorillo : Is it true that you singlehandedly destroyed the Raptor’s main tank line!

– ubabababa : Please accept me into BDSM sir! I’m confident that my strength can be useful to you! I’m in Area 44!

– hidden_masterbaiter : There are rumors that you prepare to attack the Raptor’s Nest! Is this true!

– omniman : Please tell us!

– eir213 : Mister Gyosu Park!

– 78784343 : professor sir! A word, please!

– Jarnis_t99 : Gyosu Park sir!

Quite literally, the chat exploded.