--Door Guard POV--

The room is quiet. It wasn’t long ago we were told to expect some kind of attack on the research facility. Doctor Wright ran out screaming about being assaulted, and then something started beeping in his pocket. It was then he started yelling for us to take up a position here while everyone else goes after that veterinarian from earlier.

At first, no one took it very seriously, but that was before the sounds of gunfire and heavy footsteps came echoing from the hallways. A scout was able to catch sight of the assailants without getting caught. Presumably, it’s those giant things that have been wandering the upper hallways. Still, they’ve never been inherently hostile before; from what I have heard, they’ve only ever attacked when provoked.

Glancing around at the dozen or so other men as well as the two turrets, I can’t help but shake my head.

‘I can’t believe there are so few of us here. What happened to everyone? Have they been getting killed in the upper part of the facility, or are they off doing other things?’

Suddenly, a voice plays through my earpiece, “Maintain positions. We are certain they’re still behind the corner.”

I prop my arm on one of our shield generators, which are state of the art Consortium tech. Their presence gives me enough comfort that I allow my mind to wander a bit.

‘Damn, this sucks. Where did Leslie go, man? First, he takes that veterinarian against regulations, now this shit. And what was with that mirror from earlier? Certainly not something a giant would use, plus it looked like it was mounted on the end of something.

“Movement!” The sound of someone shouting into the earpiece snaps me back into reality.

From around the corner, one of those giant mutant things steps out. I’d only ever heard about these fuckers, so for a moment, I’m a bit slack-jawed.

‘That thing has gotta be at least twelve feet tall! It can’t even stand upright in the halls!’

Instantly the turrets lock onto the giant as everyone raises their rifles. “Hold your fire. Do not provoke it. Once these things get going, it can be nearly impossible to stop them. If it moves another inch forward, then everyone has permission to open fire.”

‘Are they really so strong? I mean, we have two turrets and a dozen men with high-powered rifles. How long could it actually last under that kind of firepower?’

I take one more look at the men around and realize something. ‘Wait? None of the people here have the exoskeletons. Why the hell not? Where could they be needed more than here!? Surely not to chase after that stupid Vet.’

Abruptly, the giant grunts noisily, yanking my attention back to it. It stands there with a menacing look on its face, staring at something just out of our sight. It just keeps grunting, pointing, grinning, and making a thumbs-up as if ridiculing us for doing nothing. Yet, it doesn’t seem like its actions follow any logic; it seems more like it’s just performing random movements.

Finally, it breaks from its routine, bending down to pick up two objects from behind the wall.

“Bodies! It’s carrying bodies!” one of the men shouts.

“Guh?” the giant grunts swinging the two bodies around in its grip, splattering the walls around it.

“Moron! Be careful with those!” I hear a girlish voice yell.

‘What? It’s talking to a girl? Is she the one that used the mirror?’

The giant doesn’t seem to understand what it’s supposed to be doing. However, it steps forward, and as we were ordered, all of us open fire against the giant immediately.

The sounds of the high-powered rifles and turrets are almost deafening, but despite that, I can still clearly hear roars resound from the hidden hallway.

“““Naht guh!”””

Several giants abruptly storm from behind the wall, confusing both the turrets and my fellow men. The ground shakes as the initial giant lifts the two bodies and hurls them toward our line. With astonishing power, the two bodies splatter against the wall with a sickening crunch. Yet, everyone ignores it, realizing our lives are now in jeopardy.

However, something completely unexpected happens. **Bang!**

An explosion from behind us causes viscera to rain down upon us. At the same time, I feel pain shoot through my body. Stunned, I cease firing and struggle to lift my arm to find it riddled with red-crystalline spikes, resembling toothpicks made of ruby.

‘What the hell!? What kind of explosive does this!’

In shock, I look back at the carriage in time for a second explosion to occur. **Bang!**

I immediately lose my vision as one of my eyes is pierced by one of the ruby toothpicks.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“God! Fuck!” I find myself unwittingly crying out, “I-I’m going to die here!”

I drop my weapon staring at my body now covered in dozens of ruby toothpicks. The burning is terrible, and bending my muscles makes the pain unbearable. With my body shaking uncontrollably, I glance up to witness a breathtaking sight. A young, astonishingly beautiful girl with white hair lazily strolling down the hallway. Behind her walks a second girl, a bit taller with golden hair. They both look entirely out of place, surrounded by the gore and viscera stuck to the walls. The giants avoid them as if knowing to keep their distance.

‘Are they real? Are they here to pick me up? To whisk me away to the afterlife?’

The celestial girl glances at me as if looking into my very soul, but suddenly a figure moves in front of me, blocking my view.

‘No… no, if she doesn’t see me… she may forget to take me away from here.’

Lifting my head higher, I see a bullet-riddled giant standing in front of me.

“Naht guh!” it roars with a mocking-smile and a thumbs-up.

‘...’

It raises its brawny, oversized leg, and the last thing I hear is the crunch of my own body.

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--Eira POV--

The Brutes stomp around like mad, kicking or punching anything that moves, all while shouting and grunting excitedly. Meanwhile, I manipulate the blood that now coats the room sending it through a nearby man’s chest.

[‘Lv.1 Human’ Slain - 8 Essence Acquired]

Another man screams in pain, drawing my attention. His body is covered in crystallized blood fragments, courtesy of the Blood Bombs buried in the two corpses. However, even though he is shrieking, strangely, he seems to be ogling me at the same time.

‘It seems he doesn’t even realize he’s screaming. Must not be particularly seasoned if he let’s this much break him.’

At that time, Goliath approaches him, crushing him beneath his heel with a thumbs-up and a stupid-grin. A notification of Essence appears, but I push it away.

Distracted, I accidentally kick the severed leg of one of the corpse bombs I had Goliath throw at the guards.

‘Glad I kept those bodies from the hospital. I knew they’d eventually come in handy. Still, I’m lucky Goliath didn’t let the things explode in his hands like an idiot. Oh, and I got a good chunk of Essence from all the collateral damage too.’

With the number of guards dropping, some of the Brutes run through the doors, hunting for more targets to satiate their never-ending urge to fight. The shrieks of the researchers reverberate from the white halls on the other side of the door as the Brutes pour through.

I glance at Eden, who stares at the numerous surrounding bodies. “Let’s go, Eden. Leave the Brutes to their own devices. We’ll gather them back up again later if necessary.”

She turns to me, wiping some drool from the side of her mouth. “S-sorry, it just smells so... sweet.”

“Mhm, I agree, but we can’t get distracted,” I say with a chuckle, “Let’s see what secrets this place holds.”

Dodging the haphazard swings and stomps of the Brutes, Eden and I step through the door. The researchers sprint every which way screaming, hiding, and pleading for help. A guard rounds the corner at the end of the hall. Manipulating some nearby blood, I fire a spike at the guard piercing their abdomen. They crumple to the floor instantly.

[‘Lv.1 Human’ Slain - 7 Essence Acquired]

A few of the Brutes see this and dash in the direction the guard came from, seemingly searching for more guards to challenge. I take a moment to check my status finding myself, forty-seven Essence short of my next level.

‘I should be able to get that last bit of Essence here soon.’

Motioning toward the direction the Brutes ran, I say, “Come on, Eden, we’ll follow in their trail of destruction.”

“Okay, wherever you wish to go, I’ll follow,” she answers curiously.

We round the corner finding broken office windows and dead, possibly unconscious, guards. A few researchers seem to have gotten caught in the Brutes rampage, but for the most part, they seem to have been able to hide away under the desks.

‘All in all, the Brutes don’t seem that interested in things that don’t offer them a challenge. Maybe, they’re just overstimulated with so many humans around them.’

A female researcher pokes her head out from a desk in a nearby office. “W-who are you!? You aren’t human, are you?!”

I stare at the terrified, shivering woman, coldly. “Don’t talk to me,” I reply curtly.

Walking away, the woman yells, “Wait! You brought those giants with you, didn’t you!? I can help you find what you’re looking for if you… if you protect me!”

“...Why should I take you?” I say, while noticing her grasping something in one of her coat pockets, “I could just take anyone here, so why you?”

“I know my way around better than anyone! Trust me!” she accidentally screeches.

The woman is so hysterical that she doesn’t notice when I wrap a blood-collar around her neck.

“Fine. Come on,” I say, waving lazily, “Lead us to the room where they take all the test subjects, guinea pigs, or whatever you call them here.”

She nods enthusiastically, jumping from beneath the table. “This way, follow me! J-just protect me, okay!?”

“Yeah, whatever,” I respond.

The woman, who appears to have broken under the stress of what’s happening around her, commences running forward, still gripping something in her coat tightly. A few minutes later, the woman stops and points at a door with a trembling hand.

“I-it’s just through that d-door!” she states with a forced smile.

I nod, stepping toward the door. “Hmm, you aren’t a veterinarian, are you?” I inquire plainly.

“N-no?” she stutters.

“Okay, just checking.”

Eden and I continue forward a few steps. Behind me, I hear the sounds of the woman struggling with the thing in her jacket pocket. Suddenly, a bit of blood stains my cheeks.

[‘Lv.1 Human’ Slain - 6 Essence Acquired]

Taking a quick glance back, I roll my eyes at the headless corpse of the woman gripping a familiar-looking dart gun with a blue serum loaded within it.

‘Well, I will say it was admirable that she tried to attack me despite being so frightened. It was surprisingly deceitful, though. Perhaps, there’s a lot of that around here. I’ll have to be careful interacting with the people down here. They probably aren’t all as bad at deceit as she was.’

Eden walks over and picks up the dart gun. “I’m going to take this. Is that okay?” she asks.

“Sure, it’s all yours.”

We proceed forward.