Chapter 3

Hmm.

If you were to describe the appearance of the monster that broke through the door, it was exactly the same as the monster shown on the screen, almost like a carbon copy.

Except it was much smaller.

“Uh, unnieee…”

“Shh, stay still. If you provoke it, it might charge.”

Even without provocation, it looked like it was about to charge.

True to its not-so-cute appearance, the monster was, well, a monster.

If it were at least a beast, maybe it’d be different.

But a regular person probably wouldn’t stand a chance against such an unexpected creature.

*Tatatatadang!!!*

“Hey! Run! Hurry! I’ll hold the monster off!”

It’s that person from earlier.

They were shooting at the monster while running toward us, but their gaze was fixed on us, not the monster. They seemed really worried.

‘Should I run?’

Even though it’s a monster, it didn’t feel like it would harm me.

It wasn’t a certainty, just a vague feeling, but still.

“What are you standing around for? Run!”

“Let’s go. It’s dangerous to stay here.”

“Uh, okay… Huh?!”

My legs gave out, so I picked up the child leaning on me and started moving as fast as I could.

They seemed like a good person. I hope they’ll be okay.

I wanted to help, but if I used my powers inside the shelter, this place might become my grave.

‘If the news spreads that a monster appeared in the shelter, the Magical Girl will surely come…’

Monsters that look somewhat human do exist, so if they see me, they’ll quickly figure out I’m a monster.

I don’t know what kind of Magical Girl Peridot is, but if she’s the type sensitive to despair energy, she’ll notice me the moment she sees me.

“Do you know where the deepest part of the shelter is?”

“Uh, yeah! They said the 5th floor is the safest!”

“The 5th floor, huh…”

The elevator had stopped working, probably because of the monster’s intrusion.

That meant we’d have to take the stairs to get to the 5th floor—

‘…Should I just break through the ceiling and go up?’

Using the stairs wasn’t particularly hard, but it was just annoying.

Still, it’s better than making holes for the monster to come in more easily.

I quickened my pace, thinking I was putting in too much effort for a kid I just met.

[Attention, citizens inside the shelter. A monster has breached the shelter. Repeat. A monster has breached the shelter— Bzzzt— Bzzzt— Bzzzzzt—]

“Great.”

As soon as the announcement played, chaos erupted inside the shelter.

People started running in every direction, pushing, pulling, trampling, falling, and screaming.

I could understand their panic, but it wasn’t a good sight for the child.

“Uh, unnie…”

“Don’t look at that, it’s not good for you.”

I covered the child’s eyes as people mindlessly trampled over those who had fallen.

The scenes of people being crushed by the monster in animations were brutal, but this was just as horrifying.

The sight of humans being trampled was pretty gruesome.

“The shelter was supposed to be safe! How does this make sense?! Explain this, explain!”

“P-please calm down! This place is safe! The 5th floor can withstand even Gamma-level monsters!”

“And what if it breaks through?! Are we all just supposed to die here?! Huh?!”

When we reached the 5th floor, the situation wasn’t much different from the floors below.

The only difference was that people here were somewhat relieved, thinking they were in the safest part of the shelter.

But the despair hidden beneath that relief was all too visible to me.

“Unnie, I’m scared…”

“It’s okay. Everyone’s just anxious.”

People were shouting at each other, some even demanding to be let outside.

They’d rather take their chances outside than be trapped here as monster food.

“If you open that door and the monster gets in, will you take responsibility?! Will you?!”

“If the monster breaks through the door, what then?! It already broke through the shelter door! Can you guarantee it won’t break through here?! Can you?!”

The sight of humans in dire straits wasn’t exactly pleasant.

There’s mourning, so why are they fighting like this?

I didn’t have the courage to say it out loud, but I said it in my mind.

“Shh, it’s okay. You’ll be safe here.”

“Is Mom okay?”

“If you’re worried, should we look for her?”

Since everyone from the lower floors had come up, there was a chance the child’s mom was here too.

She might still be downstairs, but this was the most likely place to find her.

‘She’s probably here. Maybe.’

“Mom! Mom, are you here? Mom!!”

The child’s desperate cries seemed to calm the chaos around us.

Kids are like cheat codes in situations like this.

…I wish I could help find the mom, though.

“Aya!”

“Mom!!”

Luckily, the child’s mom was on the 5th floor.

I wondered why she hadn’t come with the child earlier, but I decided to feel proud for a moment.

It was like a family reunion scene.

The heartfelt hug between the child and their mom was touching enough to bring tears to even the driest eyes.

“Thank you, student. Thank you so much.”

“It’s nothing. I just did what I had to.”

I felt proud, but the hope blooming before my eyes wasn’t exactly appetizing.

I mean, it’s a bit funny to talk about appetite in front of a mother reunited with her child.

‘Maybe the mind really does follow the body.’

Even if I look human, I’m still a monster.

Feeling nauseous at human hope and craving their despair might just be inevitable.

I wish I could at least fill my stomach with something.

‘Even the despair of ordinary humans doesn’t do much for me.’

If they were going to make me, they could’ve at least made me more efficient.

Then again, if they thought of that, they wouldn’t have put a light switch in my room, knowing light is my weakness.

Genius and idiocy are separated by a thin line, and the Doctor seemed to fit that perfectly.

*Boom!! Boom! Boom!!*

“W-what’s that? Is it breaking through?!”

But that hope didn’t last long before it turned to despair.

The monster, having dealt with everyone on the lower floors, had now reached the 5th floor and was pounding on the door.

“E-everyone, stay calm! The 5th floor is safe even from Gamma-level monsters!”

“C-can we trust that? And what are the Magical Girls doing? The monster broke into the shelter, and they’re still not here?!”

The guide trying to reassure everyone was the one radiating the most despair energy.

Then again, they probably didn’t expect the shelter to be breached, so it’s understandable they’re anxious.

*Thud…! Thud….! Thud…..!*

“I-it seems like it can’t break through. Look, the pounding is getting slower.”

“Y-yeah. It doesn’t seem like it can get through.”

“By the way, what happened to the people downstairs?”

“How should I know? Let’s just hope they’re safe.”

Since the monster reached the 5th floor so quickly, there was still some hope.

Even if the small monster was fast, it couldn’t have wiped out all the humans that quickly.

‘…That’s what the humans— er, people here seem to think.’

I was hoping for a hopeful situation too, but unfortunately, things weren’t looking good.

If someone could read my mind, they’d probably ask how I knew while sitting here.

But this body of mine is a bit different from a regular human’s.

It has the ability to sense human despair.

‘I can’t feel any despair from the people downstairs anymore.’

If they had survived, there’d be at least a bit of hope, but I felt nothing—no hope, no despair.

That could only mean one thing.

Everyone who didn’t make it to the 5th floor had already been taken by the monster.

How unfortunate.