(POV – Protagonist)

After taking down that thing, I looked around. Even though I could sense everything without moving my head, I figured that looking directly at them would have a more intimidating effect. Not that my appearance was particularly menacing—actually, I’d have to admit that I’m quite cute, which gives me 0% power to scare others.

Speaking of which, the same forest scene repeated itself. As soon as one of the monsters was defeated, the others began to flee from me. Am I really that terrifying? Honestly, I don’t see myself as scary. On the contrary, my body is somewhat squishy, so I imagine I’d be great for hugs.

(The situation seems to have stabilized… but, for some reason, I’m starting to feel a bit sleepy)

I tried rubbing my eyes to shake off the drowsiness, but that only made me feel even more tired. Anyway, the monsters had already fled, so I could sleep, right? There was no one to stop me, and, to be honest, I couldn’t speak. In the end, I went back to the tank and lay down as comfortably as possible.

After that, I only remember Victor telling Laura and Emily that they needed to get out of there, while Laura expressed her fear. Also, it seems Laura thinks I saved them. Well, if she wants to think that, fine. In reality, I just took out the monster that tried to eat me, and the others simply ran away.

After that, my mind slipped into the world of dreams. However, I couldn’t even dream. My situation was strange: although I knew I was sleeping, it felt like my mind was only partially asleep. I knew this because I could sense, to some extent, what was happening around me.

Victor, Emily, and Laura met outside with the team Victor had called. I could feel the stares on me, but I didn’t pay attention to what they were saying; honestly, I wasn’t interested. Then, I was placed in the back of a van. Although spacious, the van wasn’t big enough to be like a truck.

From that moment, I decided to block my perception to try to enter a sleep-like state. My mind shut off as if it had been unplugged. I don’t know how much time passed, but eventually, I opened my golden eyes again.

The first thing I noticed was that everything around me was bathed in a soft, comforting white that didn’t dazzle but conveyed a sense of peace, tranquility, and cleanliness. To my surprise, I was no longer inside the tank; I was now lying on the floor as if I were sleeping peacefully.

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(Where am I?)

No matter how much I looked around, there were no windows or doors, just immaculate white. Had I died? Was I in heaven? I had many questions, but unfortunately, there was no one to answer them.

At that moment, something suddenly became transparent a few steps from where I was. I tilted my head, trying to understand what it was, and soon realized: it was a huge pane of glass. On the other side, several people, including Laura and Emily, were watching me.

From where I was, it seemed like they were talking about something. Strangely, even with my sensitive hearing, I couldn’t hear what they were saying. I decided to get closer and, with slow steps, walked up to the glass.

(I guess this is how zoo animals must feel)

The eyes of the humans on the other side watched me with great interest. I felt like an animal in a zoo. Although I wasn’t really an animal, the feeling was similar. When I got close enough to the glass, I began to think about what exactly I should do.

While pondering the situation, something opened a little further away but still near the glass. It looked like a door, although I hadn’t seen anything like it before it opened. From there, something entered. I say “something” because the figure was dressed in a strange outfit.

I couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman, and I wondered if it was even human. The figure was completely covered from head to toe in an outfit that resembled a radiation suit. The purpose of this person was still unclear, so almost instantly, I became alert. Moreover, the suit was not at all welcoming; if I had to describe it, the words that would come to mind were “scary”.

However, there was a way to find out what it was. I focused my attention on the new visitor, and soon my field of vision expanded. Specific points glowing with rainbow colors appeared, and I realized these points were aligned with the positions of the humans behind the glass. Whoever was wearing that suit stepped back a few steps as I observed.

The scientists behind the glass also seemed scared, with some even turning away to avoid my gaze. It seemed they somehow felt I was watching their vital points. That was the impression I got, although I wasn’t sure.

Anyway, I blinked my eyes, making the vital points disappear. Then, I tilted my head and approached the person in the strange outfit in front of me. I was still perplexed by the reason behind that bizarre attire. Was my body emitting radiation or something? Honestly, I didn’t feel like I was emitting radiation.

Speaking of which, the person in the suit still seemed frightened, visibly trembling. Since I was right in front of them, they were probably unsure whether to back away or not, like a bear. Seriously, were they perceiving me as an animal? I really didn’t know how to react to that.

In the end, it seemed the person couldn’t move, perhaps too terrified of me to even breathe. I decided to ignore them and started exploring my surroundings. Honestly, I was bored waiting for any action from them and preferred to make use of the little space I had to move around.

Not that I had many complaints, but the place seemed a bit cramped. As the man behind me ran back through the passage he came from, only one thought crossed my mind.

(I wonder if, if I ask, they’ll move me to a bigger room?)