Red hair in a bob that just barely touched the shoulders and black eyes.
She appeared to be around middle school age, slightly taller than Leo but shorter than Lasty.
She was wearing armor made of red carapace, but the shoulder sections were quite large, making her small frame seem even tinier.
Flash!
“?!”
“So cute.”
“Th-that’s a relief…”
[Ha ha ha ha ha!]
[So freaking adorable! LOL!]
[Didn’t they say crab?]
[It’s a crab, right?]
[???]
[Crab meat is usually soft, isn’t it?]
[What’s with this human transformation? LMAO!]
[Eh, not as cute as Leo though.]
[I was expecting a crab, thanks a lot.]
[Nah, I can’t eat that.]
[?]
Dwoooosh.
The Celestial, One Wearing a Carapace, was placed back down.
For a moment, she wobbled as if she couldn’t find her balance, but being a Celestial, she quickly regained her composure and sat down.
Soft.
“Uh?”
“Surprisingly soft.”
“If you need blood…”
The One Wearing a Carapace raised her head for me to feel more comfortable touching her.
Yet, she kept turning her gaze away shyly but didn’t pull her head back.
[Ha ha ha ha ha!]
[Insane!]
[So ridiculously adorable! LOL!]
[Wasn’t she a dog, not a crab?]
[Barker!]
[Cheeks +1]
[Cheek get!]
[Wait, instead of a Celestial, she’s like a pet!]
Soft soft.
“What’s your name?”
“Eh? I-I can’t really say…”
“Why? Is a contractor like you too lowly to name a Celestial…?”
“N-no! That’s not it!”
The One Wearing a Carapace shook her head furiously, removing her soft cheeks from my touch.
While her softness definitely couldn’t rival Leo, she seemed to be about as soft as Jeokhye.
“If you ‘recognize’ the Celestial’s True Name, it could cause trouble for your mind or body…”
“Do you think it looks like I’d have trouble?”
“…Uh oh.”
I’m the one who uses low-level divine powers at the level of a god.
Knowing one more True Name would hardly be a problem.
The One Wearing a Carapace thought for a moment, clenched her fist, and raised her head.
“…Gapwoo. It’s Gapwoo.”
“Gapwoo.”
That’s a really simple name.
I thought she would have a special name like Karabus or Crabnius.
Leaving the still-confused Gapwoo behind, I turned and sat down at the opposite side of the table.
The surroundings resembled the universe, and between the spaces, on a white table, Gapwoo and I faced each other.
“Then let’s have a serious talk now.”
“…! I will listen.”
[Listening?]
[Ha ha ha!]
[Hey, Gapwoo, you’re the Celestial! LOL!]
[Celestial reverses the world!]
Dwoooosh.
A small fragment was placed on the table.
A small fragment lies down.
It’s similar to the fragment of Gapwoo’s ability “Carapace,” but in a slightly different form.
Gapwoo’s gaze turned serious as he looked at the fragment.
“This isn’t… mine. I can feel a completely different power.”
“That’s right. This isn’t your fragment.”
“Does that mean all the abilities you’ve used so far were powered by this person?”
“Not all, but…”
This fragment is a piece of the ancient monster Karabus.
Sealed within the Red Predator, Karabus has returned to my soul, allowing me to use its abilities.
Karabus is the god of crabs and the creature that has reached the highest realm of what I have seen as ‘crab.’
Its power allows it to defend against attacks from intermediate level beings, surpassing lower angels and demon races, up to a certain extent.
“The fact that it has entered my soul means it’s useful.”
I’ve defeated countless monsters in the past, but not all of them have been sealed within me.
Most of them were obliterated by my hammer, and only a tiny fraction have been sealed.
The criteria for sealing isn’t based on the sins committed or their severity, but rather on one thing.
“Value.”
“This is a fragment of someone who has reached the ‘end’ on your path. If you grow stronger than what Gapwoo has given you, you’ll become like this being.”
“My future…”
Clatter.
Gapwoo’s soft hand touched the red fragment.
In an instant, the red aura intertwined as Gapwoo’s eyes widened and he threw the fragment away.
“…Huh! What was that just now…?”
“It’s not the future.”
“Huh?”
“While the power and rank are useful, that being used their strength for destruction and chaos. Strength is acknowledged, but it’s not a good nature.”
I picked up the fragment Gapwoo had thrown away and raised its holy essence.
To Gapwoo, it might have just seemed like a radiant light, but Karabus associated with the fragment was screaming.
“Stop doing useless things.”
It seemed like a waste to teach a much younger junior and show them something unnecessary.
Right now, in the Space of Despair, there isn’t anyone Karabus can recklessly handle, so it must be happy thinking a newcomer has entered.
After all, there are two drill sergeants who used to command the past monsters’ discipline.
Thud.
“Alright, that should do it. It won’t be able to do anything now.”
“…Did this person do something wrong?”
“Well, a little? But after a bit of ‘education,’ it’ll be nice for a moment, so right now it will kindly show you.”
[?]
[LOL]
[Education?]
[Kindness (physical)]
Gapwoo tilted his head, looking puzzled, but he caught the fragments with both hands.
Once again, the energy resonated as before, but he didn’t throw the fragments like he did earlier.
“Um… something’s coming in. Knowledge? Rank? I don’t know what it is, but it seems incredibly useful…”
Gapwoo quickly pulled out his shell fragment and started scribbling furiously.
He wouldn’t forget what the Celestial said, so did Karabus tell him to write?
Karabus didn’t like it at all and wanted to say another word, but since the military base chief was around, he decided to let it slide.
“I want to help you, but it’s most effective for someone of the same race to teach. It will be a good learning experience.”
“B-but, I’m the Celestial, is it okay for me to just receive like this…”
“There’s no rule saying a Celestial can’t receive from a contractor. As the Celestial grows stronger, so does the contractor.”
“But still…”
“And it’s not like you received nothing.”
I casually extended my hand.
In an instant, Gapwoo’s eyes went blank, but then he seemed to catch on, stopped what he was doing, and bowed to me.
Soft and squishy.
[LOL]
[Why are you treating the Celestial like a pet?]
[Leo in a crisis situation;;]
[HAHAHA]
[Who is raising whom?]
[Leo and the others don’t like being touched, but this one is totally fine with it ㅋㅋㅋ]
[Things are getting weirder by the minute.]
“If you learn well, I’ll give you something even better. Got it?”
“Yay! I’ll do my best!”
I gently rubbed his cheeks before getting up.
After being touched for a long time, Gapwoo finally seemed embarrassed and blushed, backing away quickly.
“Ugh…”
“By the way, that guy will call for you soon.”
“H-he’ll call?”
“Yes. When that happens, don’t be nervous; just think of it as learning from your senior grandpa. He might be a bit grumpy with a bad past, but he’s still useful…”
Buzz!
The fragment Gapwoo was holding shook.
It was a very dissatisfied reaction, but as I released the Holy energy, it calmed down again.
“…Ah, got it. I’ll try my best…”
‘And if he ever threatens you, just say this.’
“?”
—
After the contractor left, I had a longer conversation with this ‘Fragment.’
Mr. Fragment was a great being, the ruler of the deep sea, the sky-piercing claw ‘Karabus’—a magnificent figure.
Of course, the contractor said Karabus had a bad past…
“I hear high-ranking Celestials are usually like that…”
In reality, it was strange for Gapwoo to be trapped in this room, struggling at the contractor’s feet; original Celestials tend to have a wicked side.
They enjoy their stories as ‘games,’ indifferent to the deaths of countless contractors. They wouldn’t even blink an eye if thousands or tens of thousands perished.
Enjoying the tale as ‘play.’ Entities that don’t bat an eye even when thousands or tens of thousands perish.
In fact, considering that, the anecdote about Lord Karabus only killing ‘his own enemies’ didn’t seem all that cruel or bad.
“Of course, that’s what Lord Karabus said.”
Since he said it himself, it’s a tale that can’t be 100% trusted.
But if he was truly a bad god to the point of causing harm, the contractor wouldn’t have introduced him!
So, while momentarily delaying my viewing of the contractor’s ascent, I was in the midst of receiving teachings in a space where the flow of time was slow, just as Lord Karabus had said.
—…Is it about time for this to wrap up?
“What? You’re already done teaching…”
—No, no. I haven’t taught everything yet. This is more like a ‘special advanced course.’
“Advanced course?”
Crash! Before I could even hear the answer, a crack appeared in the air, and a door made of red carapace manifested.
A space only the god of crabs could enter.
Panic momentarily hit me, but I recalled what the contractor had said as I moved my body.
As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw the vast deep sea.
A place where even the god of crabs was gasping for breath, and the overwhelming mass was crushing everything about me.
Like a creature standing before a god.
Even gods cannot withstand the existence of a greater god.
“Ah… ahh…”
“Hahahaha! A chance to escape this hellish space has finally come! Silly girl. You didn’t think this would happen, did you?”
“L-lord Karabus…”
“God of crabs, huh? Do you think a mere insect like you is my equal? Just because I taught you a little, you’re getting cocky.”
“S-same…”
“Kid, you and I are different from the very start.”
That’s enough!
“Surrender your body! I will use you to leave this place!”
The glowing red eyes in the depths slowly approached.
I couldn’t withstand it.
That mighty god surpassed even the Lord.
Perhaps even stronger than the contractor I had seen then.
As I felt the unbearable pain and my consciousness began to fade, I recalled the words the contractor had secretly said to me.
‘Las…’
“Lasity, sister!!!”
Crack!!
The deep sea split in half.
The seemingly formidable Lord Karabus was split vertically, and from between the gaps, a girl with pale skin appeared.
So pretty, like a doll…
“Ah. It’d be easier to eat if it was split horizontally.”
“…Huh?”
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