Chương 6: Chapter 2 The First Gate Contractor(Part 1)

The spear racing toward me was moving far too fast to dodge. Unfortunately, I didn't have any kind of acceleration device hidden in my molars, so all I could do was watch as time seemed to stretch endlessly around me. As death approached, memories surfaced one after another. A flashback. I'd once heard a theory that a flashback wasn't your life replaying before your eyes. Rather, it was your brain desperately overturning every memory and piece of knowledge it possessed, searching for any possible path to survival.

I didn't want to die. At the very least, I wanted to see my child reach adulthood. Better yet, I wanted to celebrate my twentieth wedding anniversary. And if I was being greedy, I'd like to spend more time flirting with my wife. Eat good food. Drink good alcohol. Actually, my throat was dry, so water would be fine. And... damn, I wanted a cigarette.

"... Huh?" This flashback was taking awfully long. Maybe. I wouldn't know. This was my first time dying. The spearhead remained frozen right in front of my eyes. No movement. Nothing. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Then again, if time itself had slowed down, I probably wouldn't be able to move either. If I could move in this state, I would've dominated every sport that required explosive reflexes.

"@5: d2t4@wx57x8162p" Something echoed through the air. I heard it clearly. I just had no idea what it was. Did flashbacks come with sound effects? I wasn't a scientist, so I couldn't say. Maybe it was just another fragment of memory.

"2@mugap521ympa'pg:. d_1-pm" How long would I have to stay like this before the spear finally reached me? Maybe I was already dead. Maybe I was trapped in the instant of my death, reliving it over and over. A limbo before death. Or perhaps a limbo after death. Neither option sounded appealing. (Can I blink?)" [email protected] @-m-dj" The incomprehensible noise continued. I blinked. So I could move. Carefully, I tried releasing my grip on the cargo container I'd been holding. No luck.

Apparently I'd been clutching it harder than I'd realized. After yanking my arms backward with all my strength, my hands finally slipped free and I tumbled onto my backside. The spear remained frozen. The three-eyed monster remained frozen. Looking from this angle, I realized something. It hadn't actually stopped the container. It had grabbed it with both hands to keep it from getting away from me. Evidence? Its feet were floating off the ground. The monster, the container, everything was suspended in midair.

Apparently, things could fly here—as long as they stayed frozen. With death no longer inches from my face, I found enough composure to inspect the creature. Walking around it, I studied it from every angle. It definitely wasn't any living thing I recognized. The face I'd assumed was a mask appeared to be part of its body. No seams. No joints. It grew directly from its neck. The tentacle-like appendages protruding from its back were the same. They weren't equipment. They were limbs.

Its entire body glistened as though coated in slime. I had absolutely no desire to touch it.

"ajmwp@'wm2pg9m@'eo@j'apmw@atgwat_gx@mpg@""Could you shut up already? Can't you speak in a way people understand?" The bizarre sounds weren't part of my flashback. That much was obvious now. I could still hear them after moving around. Even if someone suddenly informed me I was already dead, I'd refuse to accept it. Not after being given this much hope. No way. While looking around for the source of the voice, I realized I had no idea how much time had passed.

"Word... understanding... beginning..."

"... What?" When I glanced at my wristwatch, I noticed something strange. My body was glowing faintly. Sparkling. Translucent. Thinking back to the half-transparent cigarette butt I'd seen earlier, a horrifying possibility crossed my mind. Was I disappearing?

"No! Don't kill me after getting my hopes up!"

"Not die. You. Defeat. Garbage. Cleaning. Request. Job. Choose." The meaningless noise suddenly transformed into words. Broken words. But words nonetheless. I understood them. Sort of. Not die? Was that referring to me? Or the monster? Request? Job? I didn't have enough information. The three-eyed creature had tried to kill me on sight, but maybe this voice was willing to talk.

"Do you understand individual words now? Grammar?"

"Scan. Learn. Dialogue. Permission?" I understood more than before. Not everything, but more. Scan. Learn. Dialogue. Permission. Was it asking to study my language? Scan what, exactly? Either way, it sounded like it wanted my approval.

"... Permission granted." The glow around my body intensified once again.