I Became a Monster in a T*ash Game

“Siiiiing-!”
The hover car pushed its speed to the max, skirting obstacles by mere inches.
Muhae’s heart pounded as veins stood out on his forehead from the sheer velocity.
Yet on his radar the red dot grew closer, not farther away.
It brushed past boulders and trees as if they posed no barrier. At this rate, it would overtake them.
“Joo-o! Get the pad from my bag.”
“Okay, okay.”
“Put it in my hand.”
“Here.”
Muhae unlocked the pad with a palm-print, activated his mounted weapon.
Vrrrr- Krang!
Kaaaak-!
The weapon on the roof discharged a burst of electricity.
The speeding hover car couldn’t handle the shock, tumbling halfway over before righting itself.
“Uhnngh! Huff!”
The spinning chassis regained balance. Luckily they hadn’t crashed—but it was a reckless move.
Still, the red dot on the radar streaked backward. He’d landed a hit.
Without looking away from the radar, Muhae raised his voice.
“Remember what I told you?”
“Huff! Wha—what did you say?”
“I said don’t leave the vehicle. No matter what!”
Their Class-3 vehicle was built more for endurance than sprinting.
They’d bought some distance, but the pursuer would catch up soon.
Even a beast might falter under that shock, but not “that thing.”
A fight seemed inevitable. Muhae’s instincts kicked in as he sought cover.
“You too! Stay down!”
He’d meant Joo-o, but there was no reply—Joo-o was silent, as if he’d never chatted at all.
Was he going to bolt out in front of the enemy again? Burning with irritation, Muhae glared at him.
“I’m good at fighting.”
“You serious?”
“I’m not lying.”
Their eyes met briefly—Joo-o’s too-red irises seemed to glow, pulling Muhae in.
The anger that had flared vanished like a ghost. Ignoring the clinging dread, Muhae refocused ahead.
Thud. Thud.
His heart, poised to leap from his chest, fell into a steady, weighty beat.
Blood raced through his veins, a rush so electric it raised his hair.
In that moment, Muhae recalled the urban legend of the Solar City experiments—
the ruined metropolis that’d tried to create “evolved humans”…

to harness Blue energy and control anomalies…
Siiiiing-.
“Eeek, huff!”
As the car decelerated, the client gasped.
Muhae checked the spinal pack on his back, then yanked open the door.
“Don’t goof around.”
Perhaps sensing the conditional permission, Joo-o nodded vigorously and gripped the passenger door.
“Got it!”
On the silent, desolate ground, Joo-o’s bright voice rang out.
Kiaaaak-.
The grotesque scream that had receded began to draw near again.
Muhae stepped away from the car, setting decoy lights around him.
Kiaaak-!
As the shriek scraped like tortured vocal cords, he was almost grateful for the noise—it warned them of its approach. A silent predator could’ve struck unawares and disabled their transport.
“It’s excited.”
Joo-o spoke suddenly.
“It’s been a while since it could hunt.”
As if reading his thoughts, Joo-o whispered that it was coming deliberately with sound.
Even knowing Joo-o often babbled nonsense, Muhae couldn’t dismiss it. If he’d mocked him, he’d only hear “I just know.” Every time Joo-o said that, Muhae felt drawn into a dangerous place. The unfounded suggestion triggered his instincts.
“Damn it.”
Those creatures didn’t always make noise when approaching. Anomalies—monstrous lifeforms spawned by Crystal Blue—could be more cunning than beasts. Wild predators shriek toying with prey; this thing wanted more than a meal.
Splash-.
Suddenly the night fell eerily silent. Only the harsh wind brushed his ears.
Rather than relief, chills crawled over him. A bugless, starry night… an intentional hush. The anomaly lay in wait nearby.
Muhae shouldered his rifle and pressed his back against the jagged stone wall.
Fortuitously, a rocky knoll loomed close by. With tree cover to one side, he estimated it couldn’t charge him from more than a 120° arc.
“Move left.”
He nodded toward the trees. Though Joo-o’s bizarre sense cried “safe,” reason dictated he protect Joo-o.
“No.”
Of course, Joo-o shook his head. His clear-eyed face tilted slightly, as if pondering.
“No. Not left or right…”
He suddenly lifted his gaze.
“Up.”
A chill raced over Muhae. He snapped his head upward—and locked eyes with the anomaly creeping down the wall. Its glowing yellow eyes sent shivers down his neck.
“Damn.”
Kiki- Kiaaaak-!
Its scream, uncannily like a human’s scream, echoed off the stones.
A four-legged monster, bristling with hair, lunged at Muhae.
Bang-!
He fired—but the shot missed as the creature twisted aside.
Its lithe movement, that uncanny shriek, its stealthy approach—it was a Grade 4 anomaly: the “Twilight Tiger.”
Bang! Krang-!
Calm as ever, Muhae re-aimed and fired again. The final round ripped through its flank.
Kaaaak!
Blood spurted, staining the earth dark.
Predicting its lunge, Muhae tossed a cylindrical flash bomb into the thrashing mass.
“Eyes!”
As Joo-o shut his own eyes, a blinding flare burst forth.
Kiaaaak-!
Blinded, the Twilight Tiger thrashed wildly, snapping its maw in the air.
Muhae narrowly dodged each strike, stepping back until, with a leap, he vaulted away in a smooth arc.
“Haah, damn bastard.”
Shlaaak!
He pressed his wrist device—above, a net dropped over the charging creature from a branch-mounted trap.
Zzzzt! Electricity crackled, burning fur and protein into a foul stench.
Kahak-!
The Twilight Tiger tore at a corner of the net, devouring it. Muhae cursed at the repair costs.
As it clawed the gap, Joo-o—who’d been watching—suddenly kicked it in the snout.
Bang, bang, bang! Three shots rang out into its dangling neck.
Eeeek…!
Its terrifying scream subsided to gurgles of frothy blood. The defiant creature slumped and died, its eyes rolling back.
Despite the furious struggle, the fight ended almost as soon as it began.
“Phew, phew…”
Wiping sweat from his brow, Muhae looked at Joo-o. He’d shattered the anomaly’s bones with a single boot.
He’d been worried Joo-o might be hurt, but the young man simply examined his boot for scuffs and scratches, expression calm.
“You…”
At Muhae’s call, Joo-o turned his attention back.
“How did you know?”
“What?”
“You said an anomaly would appear. Not idle talk—what did you know?”
Joo-o stared blankly, then suddenly his eyes lit up.
“Oh! I get it.”
He smiled, then added,
“I’m hungry.”
“Stop changing the subject.”
“Want me to pack up the net?”
Muhae gave up questioning him further, gathering his gear. There’d be time to probe later. Now that they’d made a scene—and drawn more attention—they needed to leave.
While Muhae checked his weapon’s safety and switched off the lights, Joo-o tidied the net and watched him.
Crackle…
When the anomaly twitched one last time, Joo-o’s red eyes flicked down.
Muttering under his breath, he reached out his pale hand and pressed the creature’s spine.
Crack.
Silence returned to the desolate {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} night.