I Became a Monster in a T*ash Game

To Jin Muhae, parents were beings he could live with or without.
Of course, when his father died when he was twelve, he felt a bit uneasy. After all, the one real guardian he had was gone forever.
But he soon realized: he had always fed himself and fallen asleep alone.
Since his environment hadn’t changed, he hardly noticed his father’s absence. And his mother—who had never existed—felt the same.
Life as an orphan in the slums was fierce and busy. Even with Boss Gil and Teacher Jung watching over him, it remained so.
Thanks to that, Muhae never spent long on thoughts of blood ties. Sleeping was far more useful for survival.
‘She really did look like that woman.’
His interest in his mother had come only after noticing the strange link between her and the Returners.
No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t believe someone like Jin Seongjo had a wife. But unless he’d somehow sprouted a child through asexual reproduction, he couldn’t deny the existence of the woman who’d given birth to Muhae.
So maybe she’d been a Returner too. Dead by now, or still alive—his curiosity peaked just at that level.
He was even a bit intrigued by what role she might have played.
“Jin Muhae. Buy that too.”
“Still got money left?”
“Only this much. I’ll haggle the rest.”
Jang’s words from yesterday evening still echoed in his ears. He’d definitely been talking about Muhae’s mother.
By now, she was likely a Returner member. Her husband was a Returners’ overseer, and everyone who knew her had once been involved.
She must have been dragged in against her will, like Joo-o, who’d stepped in without knowing better.
Or maybe she’d joined willingly, like Joo-o. Anyone remembered by all couldn’t have had a minor role.
“Hmm. Jin Muhae.”
“What did you buy?”
“They won’t knock off twenty deals.”
“How much is it?”
“Twenty-eight deals.”
Hearing that robbery-level discount snapped his drifting mind back. When Muhae wheeled around, Joo-o scraped the tip of his shoe against the floor in annoyance.
He’d been wandering around for ages, inspecting every trinket.
Muhae had told him to look around before leaving Central, and it had already been two hours. He’d milked it thoroughly.
“You drove too hard a bargain.”
“That’s why I said I’d throw in a few meat skewers.”
“That’s currency to you.”
“They said they’d go down to twenty-five deals.”
What on earth was he buying? Following Joo-o, Muhae spotted a vintage shop. All kinds of ornaments were arranged neatly in the display.
Joo-o pointed at a deer figurine tagged with a seventy-percent discount. Calling it a figurine was generous—it was smaller than a palm, more decoration than toy.
Below the sale price were tags for twenty, thirty, fifty percent. It seemed like dead stock—and not very pretty.
Especially that weird blotchy pattern on its head. Strictly speaking, it looked less like a deer and more like a feral beast among °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° deer.
“A deer?”
As a courtesy to cheer him up, Muhae asked,

“It’s a baby beast.”
Joo-o immediately dismissed his concern and shook his head.
He couldn’t understand why anyone would make or want a beast doll.
“If you’d scrounged fewer damn meat skewers, we’d’ve bought it ages ago.”
“I hate meat-fried sandwiches too.”
“…When did you buy that? You still have any left?”
Oops. Trying to meet his mood, he’d unintentionally pressed too hard. The “haw” sound Joo-o made as he turned away left Muhae feeling uneasy.
He’d taken Joo-o out that evening to satisfy his old needs. Even if Joo-o had been the one to latch on first, touching him left Muhae feeling indebted for a while.
“Stay there. Don’t go wandering off and vanish.”
Only after buying an unnecessary item and handing it over did the atmosphere soften again.
“Okay to go now.”
“Even if you don’t want to go, I will. I decide.”
They sparred needlessly as Muhae led Joo-o back to the station. Once on the train out of Central, Returners’ business would start again.
He’d begun investigating Solar City without Cloud’s involvement or her orders. The returners’ clandestine intel started flowing in.
“Did you buy clothes for Jin Muhae too?”
“Why would you buy my clothes?”
“But I’m going to wear them. They’re just Jin Muhae’s clothes.”
Joo-o babbled oddly and stuck close. Muhae had thought he’d improved, but he was still crazy.
Whoooosh—
There were more expenses in the end. Though they claimed it was a contract from Seogyeong City Company, it was only surface-level.
Without plane or vehicle support, they had only Muhae’s bike to travel on. After charging the blue energy and adding extra thrust, Boss Gil’s funding for this month was halved in no time.
“But it’s faster now. Right?”
The bike had always looked cobbled together, but its power output alone was satisfying. Its speed along the road was terrifying.
Thanks to that, they reached a shelter with plenty of daylight left. It was about 380 kilometers from Seogyeong City.
He’d deliberately skipped closer sites, so this was the first.
“Seems people don’t come here much.”
Inside the shelter, time felt frozen—mercenary traces were scarce. Muhae brushed the dust off his hood and pushed Joo-o inside.
“This route isn’t used much by road. There are quite a few areas without roads.”
Satisfied by the friendly explanation, Joo-o’s face brightened. He must’ve already known. Muhae didn’t know where he’d heard it, though.
“But this place is a bust.”
“We’ll rest a bit, then head to the next spot.”
He didn’t expect to be sated on the first try. The next shelter was another hundred kilometers away.
He couldn’t be sure, but it’d probably be similar. He’d be lucky if it worked properly.
Except for Goryeo City, every route between cities was guarded by high, rugged mountains. There was a reason most Seogyeong City goods flew by airways.
“Even if we scour everywhere, don’t know if anything’s really here.”
Hearing Muhae’s mutter, Joo-o averted his gaze. He took four substitute pills from his bag and swallowed them at once.
“I wish Boss Gil was rich. Then the difficulty would be lower.”
Muhae caught the meaning even though the subject was missing. He was talking about digging into Returners. If Gil had money to spare, even if he just watched, his support would’ve been different.
Come to think of it, Cloud and Jang lived wealthy lives. Even Shin Daesu had built a normal home in an official residential area.
He had no idea how other “participants” fared, but he felt Jin Seongjo and his circle had been forced into harsh conditions.
Was it because they were the core of Returners? It made sense in a rough way.
Still, considering Goryeo City’s strict order, letting them eat and sleep decently in a ragged environment was exceptionally generous treatment.
‘Seems more Central people joined Returners than I thought.’
By now, they’d probably dismissed their failed uprising as childish folly. If just one or two powerholders remained stubborn like Cloud, Goryeo City’s regime would’ve been a huge obstacle.
“Let’s go for now.”
Beyond that was territory even Muhae hadn’t yet learned. Since Teacher Jung wanted him to judge and understand everything himself, he was learning how the world worked slower than his own stubborn nature.
“All set?”
Joo-o adjusted his now-clean boots. Since Muhae had made sure they were good leather, he took every chance to polish even the soles.
Grrr…
The old mechanism ground as the shelter door shut completely, and Muhae started the engine with Joo-o in the back.
Swoooosh—the wind roared past their ears. At this speed, they’d reach the next shelter before darkness fell.
―Breaking news. On May 22 of this year, jijikjik declared jijik– chiiiii–
―In response, international organizations announced urgent chiiik– zzzzz measures, but…
The ground on the monitor flipped, and rain of fire fell from the sky.
The sun rose, set, rose, set again in a blink, like fast-forwarded footage across the screen.
When he opened his eyes again, the man sat alone. No more TV.
The radio was also silent. No signal could invade this quiet, barren space.
New Game
Load
Settings
Exit
New Game
Ding–!
Inspecting the city skies…⧖
The cutscene played, a panorama of a ravaged Earth and suffering people.
Then brilliant blue crystals shot up amid human cities.
One scene later, filthy alleys transformed into dazzling forests of skyscrapers.
Trains and vehicles darted through the air, machines aiding humans in a futuristic city.
And in a corner of the crystal zone, bizarre monsters appeared.
―♪♩♬
Screams and shouts wove into the music like sound effects. The eerie melody faded into a new OST.
A quiet, unique title track filled with unease and hope for the future.
As vast dome cities emerged here and there, the game title appeared.
[LA VIDA BLUE]
Multicolored neon rippled over the man’s face.
When the mysterious, dangerous OST flowed through the speakers, the overly spacious hall itself became a giant echo chamber…
Flash.
Joo-o opened his eyes on a metal bed smelling musty.
In the pitch-black darkness, the fingertips that were always warm had stiffened cold, shaking uncontrollably.