I Wanted to Make a Friend
“…….”
“…….”
Uh… what now?
I already went and yelled it out, but…
Cha Ah-ra’s legs were trembling like a newborn fawn’s.
Damn it.
Her knees, which always caved into abject submission before the strong without ever knowing their own limits, were already braced to kneel—but in any situation where life and death hung in the balance, most human knees were never valuable enough to guarantee their owner’s survival.
Especially when the other party isn’t human.
She could tell that much at least. No—she had no choice but to tell. Even though his face was merely hidden in the dark, the sense of wrongness was so vast and bottomless that it felt as if the face itself simply did not exist. How could anyone miss a dissonance that profound?
…Shit, shit, what do I do? Still, the fact that we’re talking means he’s willing to talk to me, right? Of course he could just kill me in one hit if I piss him off… but for now…
Cha Ah-ra was not what anyone would call an “educated hunter.” She had received only the Association’s most basic training; she knew nothing about the precise ecology of monsters or how to handle them.
Even so, even someone like her knew just how dangerous a humanoid monster could be.
They always said if you meet a humanoid monster and you’re C-rank or below, just pray it kills you painlessly…
Back home a pig of an older brother and a rabbit of a youngest brother were waiting for her. Cha Ah-ra could not simply die on them, so she decided to try praying first.
Language works, and he seems willing to talk… he does, right? He does?
Still shaking, she forced her mouth open.
“I-I’m… I’m a porter. You wouldn’t happen to need a slave or anything…?”
“…A porter?”
“Ah.”
Not every humanoid monster was well-versed in human culture. She realized that a beat too late, but the fact that he had shown interest in her words was still good news.
Cha Ah-ra answered brightly. A faint path to survival had appeared.
“Someone who carries luggage. Th-there’s a lot of other things I can do too. I’m good at cleaning, good at cooking, I can run errands like a champ—if you’ll just spare me this once I’ll give it everything I’ve got—”
“I am also quite skilled.”
“…What?”
“At cooking and cleaning.”
“…….”
What kind of mindset made a creature look at a human desperately listing their own usefulness and reply, “I’m useful too”? Cha Ah-ra felt like coughing up blood.
What the hell is this conversational style even aiming for? Is he saying he won’t spare me? That I’m useless? Or, or…
In her long career as a porter she had always believed she had a talent for reading people and buttering them up, but in front of a monster even max-level social skills were worthless.
…N-no, it’s too early to give up. We’re speaking the same language and he’s showing a will to communicate, so I can definitely figure out what this monster wants from the words he just spat out. I can do this… humanity will triumph…
Then something clicked.
…Is he trying to find common ground with me right now?
The introductions earlier, the things he was saying now—it was painfully obvious he was trying to make her feel goodwill or familiarity toward him.
“…….”
It was so awkward that the sense of wrongness only grew stronger.
“Uh, th-that…”
She swallowed the automatic retort that rose in her head and simply surrendered to the overwhelming power in front of her.
“…I see! That’s amazing!”
“Thank you.”
“Cooking and cleaning aren’t things just anyone can do! You must be really skilled! So cool!”
“The same is true of you, Cha Ah-ra.”
“…….”
Words failed her.
I just ended up praising myself in front of a humanoid monster famous for its pride.
She desperately wanted a return stone right now.
Oppa, little brother, I’m going first.
Bracing for a painful death, she hesitated—and a soft rustling sound came from the other side. Judging by the black cloak, he had probably tilted his head.
So he does have a head.
A strange mix of relief and terror hit her at the same time. Then the monster spoke.
“I’m sorry, but I do not require a slave.”
“…….”
Sorry, little brother. Love you, you pig of an oppa. Cha Ah-ra steeled herself once more for a truly gruesome death.
Ah-ra dies here.
Please let the bastards who abandoned me show up on the nine o’clock news, get absolutely destroyed by the entire country, and never be able to show their faces in this industry again.
Get so filthy famous that you can’t even go to the convenience store for snacks without covering your face or you’ll get eggs thrown at you, you sons of bitches.
While she poured love and curses into her heart and cold sweat ran down her face like tears, the other party continued.
“Is your profession that of a slave?”
“…No…?”
She had only meant it as “Please just work me like a dog if you want, just spare my life, hehe.” What kind of slave existed in a modern nation under the rule of law?
“Ah, of course, well… I’ve heard rumors that rich people quietly, under the table… buy and sell slaves illegally, but…”
“How dreadful.”
“Y-yeah. Dreadful. Ugh, those bad people, just awful.”
“It is frightening.”
“…….”
The perfectly polite, refined “It is frightening” that carried not a single grain of actual fear left Cha Ah-ra truly speechless.
But she was starting to get a feel for it.
…Is he doing all this to imitate a human right now? Is he pretending to be scared?
It was such an unexpected possibility that she only realized it late, but thinking about it… yes.
The greeting earlier, the introductions, the way he keeps trying to find common ground with me…
It was so textbook that she couldn’t even tell what he was aiming for and it just felt weird, but—
Maybe he’s been trying, in his own way, to act human?
No, wait—
This is so unfair??
Even if it’s an imitation, it should at least be a little human so I can go “Ah, shit, is that so” and pretend to buy it…!
This isn’t even a variation of a past exam question. At least imitate it so I can figure out the test-maker’s intent. Who the hell falls for this?
Even the party leader who abandoned her threw jokes that were easier to parse than this.
If he’s standing there feeling proud of himself for pulling off an amazing human impression right now, I honestly wouldn’t know what to do with myself.
Filled with a bizarre sense of grievance she had rarely felt in her life, Cha Ah-ra fumbled her mouth open again.
“Y-yeah, th-that’s right. Yeah, it’s scary.”
Once she understood he was imitating a human, the situation became roughly clear.
The way he kept repeating himself or refusing to answer until I returned the greeting earlier… that was probably the same feeling. Like learning how to use a machine…
He knew that when humans greet each other they return the same greeting, but Cha Ah-ra hadn’t reacted that way.
Is it like smacking a broken TV until it starts working again…? Or repeating the same question to an AI that won’t reply…?
When she thought it through like that she almost felt sorry—he seemed to have studied humans diligently and tried hard to imitate them—but honestly she still didn’t understand a single thing.
Whether or not he noticed the flustered girl who had no idea how to respond, the monster, still cradling the Anti-cat against his chest and stroking it, opened his mouth again.
“I will not kill you, Cha Ah-ra.”
“…….”
“I will not hurt you, nor will I make you sad.”
“Uh…”
“I also did not wish to frighten you.”
The black-cloaked monster continued.
“I wanted to make a friend.”
“…A friend?”
What?
Does that mean he’s looking for a sacrificial companion to drag down to the underworld with him?
The word itself was gentle, but the atmosphere around him was anything but, so suspicion rose on its own.
If this heavy, overwhelming presence that made it hard to breathe and felt like it could stop her heart even when she could barely see him wanted a “friend,” it clearly did not mean ordinary companionship.
He even looks a bit like a funeral host or a grim reaper… wait, is he actually looking for a companion for the road to the afterlife…? Something like that…?
Before her suspicion could fully form, the monster went on.
“To make you my friend, Cha Ah-ra… you are still too young.”
“…….”
Too young? So he really was looking for an underworld buddy after all.
…No, more than that.
The way he seemed to treat “young” and “weak” as synonyms made Cha Ah-ra’s brow furrow faintly.
I’m not that young, but I guess since he’s not human he doesn’t really get it.
At eighteen, Cha Ah-ra was old enough that marriage would not have been strange. She was already treated as an adult, yet he saw her as nothing but a child—and that only made the sense of otherness stronger.
…Still, he said he won’t hurt me, so…
Trusting a monster’s words was foolish, but she couldn’t help the small measure of relief that settled in her chest.
“Are you here alone?”
“…Ah, ah, yes. I’m alone.”
Please don’t kill me just because I said I’m alone. Cha Ah-ra tensed.
Every hunter in the world knew that monsters had their own rules. From a human perspective those rules often seemed capricious and cruel.
And they say humanoid monsters are even stricter about those rules…
What if it was a monster that only killed hunters who were alone?
“I see.”
Thankfully that did not seem to be the case.
“I was under the impression that people in dungeons usually move in groups. Was I mistaken?”
“Uh…”
He just described people like a pack of dogs.
It was a thoroughly monster-like way of speaking, but Cha Ah-ra’s survival instincts were razor-sharp. Beneath that excessively polite, alien voice she could sense a faint goodwill.
It was not directed at Cha Ah-ra personally so much as a broad, impartial goodwill toward the entire human species, but still—
So he isn’t completely without emotion.
Her heart eased a little. Facing a monster that had feelings was far less terrifying than facing one that had none.
“…No, you’re right. It’s just… I wasn’t alone originally, but… somehow my party abandoned me and left. I didn’t have the strength to leave the dungeon by myself, so I was just wandering around, and then…”
“…….”
“…I saw the Anti-cat…”
Ah, shit. So that’s it.
That… that black cloak wanted a friend or a sacrifice, so the Anti-cat brought a human—me—to him.
Then was this humanoid monster an unknown boss of the dungeon?
Monsters cooperating isn’t that rare, but…
Obeying one-sided commands wasn’t exactly common.
I never studied this crap so I can’t even define what the hell it is. I never thought I’d see a humanoid monster in my lifetime, ah shit. I just want to go home.
She was sinking into automatic gloom when—
Gurgle—!
“…….”
An obscenely loud stomach alarm.
“…I’m sorry.”
“You appear to be hungry.”
“I’m sorry…!!”
Cha Ah-ra learned for the first time that shame and terror could arrive at the exact same moment. Because the other party was trying so hard to match human standards, she somehow had room to feel embarrassed on top of being scared.
“I haven’t eaten in three days…”
“Three days?”
“Yes. It’s only been a little over thirteen hours since I was abandoned, but the last meal was from before that…”
“Three days?”
“…….”
Wh-what is this?
Did I touch a nerve somehow?
Humanoid monsters were not the kind of simple creatures that showed up in Association textbooks.
Their rules differed by individual, so no one could know what strange rule the invisible monster in front of her might possess.
Fortunately, he did not seem angry at her.
“What terrible people.”
“Kkureuk.”
Cha Ah-ra jumped at the new voice.
“Hiek— wh-what…?”
“My son.”
“What?”
“…….”
The monster was silent for a moment, then lifted the Anti-cat with one hand and moved the other behind his head. The darkness made it hard to see clearly, but—
Cha Ah-ra soon realized where the cry had come from.
“Honey.”
Huh? What?
“Say hello.”
“Kkung.”
“What a good student.”
“…….”
Before the absurd words “good student” could even register, something else entered Cha Ah-ra’s eyes.
Resting on the monster’s pale hand was a tiny bird the color of sweet honey, filled to the brim with every kind of gem.
“…….”
…C-cute.
“…Its name is… Honey?”
“Yes. It bites.”
“It bites?!”
It didn’t look like that at all—was it a guard dog or something?
“But since I do not wish it, it will not bite.”
“Uh… okay…”
“Honey, let’s go home now.”
In that instant—
Whoosh—!
“……!”
The little bird’s body blazed with light and illuminated everything inside the cave.
“…W-wow…”
The jewel cavern revealed itself in full.
It’s beautiful.
It was fantastical.
Faced with a sight so beautiful she might never see its like again in her life, Cha Ah-ra forgot she was even supposed to be terrified and simply marveled.
So this is what the Vein of Gems really looks like.
Gems of every size were fused together as if into a single body, and the tunnels of the cave wound through them like ant nests. It was a space full of beauty and disorder at once—a dreamlike, chaotic confusion.
Cha Ah-ra was seeing the true face of the Vein of Gems for the first time.
“…….”
And thanks to that, she also realized just how much of a monster “Honey” was.
…It just pushed out every single Dark Woodworm living in the Vein of Gems.
The Dark Woodworms that did not attack physically yet were impossible to purge unless you were a priest of A-rank or higher—the ones that absorbed every light except the glow of certain luminous gems—had been banished in an instant by that tiny bird.
It felt as if a great sun had come to rest inside the cave.
“…….”
“Cha Ah-ra.”
“…Yeah.”
Only then could she see the monster’s face.
“We have met before, have we not?”
“…Y-yeah…!”
Just as he said, she had seen him once.
“Back then—the jewel…! The portrait…!”
“I am glad you remember.”
“…You were a monster?!”
“I am human.”
“Th-that’s… well, maybe, but…!”
Not wanting to offend the monster’s mood, Cha Ah-ra hastily agreed. He clearly wanted to be seen as human, and she had no desire to die arguing “Don’t bullshit me, what kind of human are you?”
“…….”
Hesitating, she asked,
“…S-so… am I going to die now…?”
“You will not die.”
“…….”
“Good people must be repaid.”
“Th-that…”
Cha Ah-ra suddenly understood.
This monster… he’s trying to treat good humans well.
The earlier “good student,” the way he called the party that abandoned her “terrible people”—even someone as uneducated as Cha Ah-ra could tell he was sensitive to good and evil.
“I apologize for startling you last time.”
“Uh…”
“It had been a very long time since I saw a virtuous student like yourself, Cha Ah-ra, so I ended up following you without realizing it. You must have been displeased. Please allow me to take this opportunity to apologize.”
“Ah, no, you don’t have to…”
“I had no intention of startling you this time either. Yet people seem unusually frightened of me. In truth, I have never met anyone as frightened of me as you are, so I did not know how to respond. I also apologize for any discomfort my confusion may have caused you.”
“…….”
What an absurdly polite monster.
Doesn’t he realize that being this courteous just makes me feel guilty instead?
It was a strange feeling.
The appearance of the monster who had introduced himself as “Seo Ji-oh” looked like that of an ordinary human.
No.
An extremely handsome human.
But the oppressive weight and bottomless depth wrapped in the black cloak were so great that even that barely registered.
How could a mouse standing before a giant possibly praise the giant’s looks? No matter how fragrant the scent, a mere speck of life had no mental space left to evaluate it.
“…….”
He was exceedingly gentlemanly.
And at the same time, because he was so vast, he was an alien existence.
…It feels like the universe is trying to imitate a person…
She truly had no idea how to deal with him.
Then Seo Ji-oh adjusted his hold on the small monsters in his arms and spoke to her.
“I intend to return home.”
“…Ah, yes, r-right. Home…”
Wait.
He has a separate home?
Isn’t this place his home?
The gift he gave me last time was a jewel too… and the Anti-cat is following him so obediently… I thought he might be the true master of this dungeon.
Or did he mean he had another den somewhere deeper in these ant tunnels?
“…….”
“If it is all right with you, Cha Ah-ra.”
“Yes?”
“Would you grant me the honor of an invitation?”
An invitation?
“Invitation? What do you mean…?”
“You are young, Cha Ah-ra. This place is dark, and there is nothing to eat. You look exhausted and starved, and I do not wish to simply walk past you. I would be grateful if you would allow me to offer you a meal.”
“…I-I… um…”
“I swear I will not harm you, and I promise that after one meal I will return you to Seoul. I stake this vow on my child Honey, so I hope you will not doubt me.”
“Ah.”
“Does that put you a little more at ease?”
It was not that she trusted the monster.
“…….”
But she was still, just as Seo Ji-oh had said, young and weak enough that she could not bring herself to openly reject the kindness being shown to her.
“…Please take care of me.”
She was simply too tired of being left alone.
(To be continued)