Riven's hands trembled as he stared at the orange panel. His breath came in shallow, uneven bursts.
"She… really did... didn't she."
"...I've… I've become a father of monsters."
His chest tightened, a cold pit forming in his stomach. No… this can't be right. This can't be happening.
"If anyone finds out about this…" His voice cracked. "The Union will lock me up. They'll finally have a reason to cut me open—experiment on me like some freak... my life will be ruined."
His jaw clenched.
No… No, there has to be a way out of this. Think, Riven, think!
Suddenly his eyes widened with realization.
I just have to… get rid of them.
The thought came dark and heavy, sinking into him like lead.
"All I have to do… is tip off a guild." His eyes narrowed, distant. "They raid the Hive, wipe it out, and none of this will come back to me. No Hive. No monsters. No connection to me."
He swallowed hard.
"It's better this way," he muttered under his breath, trying to convince himself.
"They're monsters. They deserve it…"
For a moment, a memory flashed before his eyes—a burning home, the figures of a man and woman desperately calling for his help, but he was too scared to run in and save them.
They were his parents.
They had lost their lives in a fire caused by explosions from a monster attack.
They were all the family he had.
And he lost them that day, too powerless and cowardly to act.
And that was the beginning of his spiral.
He had been an upcoming Monstrabiologist college student before he lost them.
Maybe that was why he was so incompetent. Maybe that was why he didn't have the guts to do anything.
All he had was knowledge but no real strength to speak of.
So he wanted to change.
He gave up Monstrabiology and wanted to become an Esper, one who hunted down monsters. Perhaps this was his way of trying to attain the courage he never possessed. But he awakened a useless skill.
So he became a cleaner, stepping into monster corpses, stepping into hell to show he wasn't afraid, but the fear never truly left, so he used humor to cope with it.
And yet this happened...
It was as if the more he involved himself with monsters, the more misfortune came his way.
But he had a new chance now. With this new place, debts cleared, he could perhaps start a new life.
All he had to do was leave it all behind.
It wasn't exactly courageous, but it was all he had left.
Finally, his gaze hardened.
"…Hive system," he said slowly, voice flat. "Where are they?"
The panel pulsed in quiet response.
❖ [All hive spawn are currently located in a concealed underground nesting chamber.]
❖ [Location: 132 kilometers southwest of current host location.]
Riven's heart pounded. The panel continued:
❖ [The Queen—your Broodmate—has instinctively secured a deep subterranean environment optimal for spawning, development, and concealment.]
❖ [The Hive remains dormant but self-sufficient, feeding off harvested monster biomass.]
His hand tightened against the bedsheet. Perfect…
The orange panel pulsed again, its glow shifting as new text appeared.
❖ [Additional Note: The Hive is also essential for the Hive Lord's long-term survival.]
Riven blinked. "…What?"
❖ [Without a functioning Hive, the Hive Lord's growth, defenses, and overall power progression are severely limited.]
❖ [Male members of the Adaptive Parasitic Sovereign species are inherently weaker than their female counterparts.]
His brows furrowed. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
❖ [As your species name implies, you are a parasite. Hive Lords rely on the Hive for long-term survival and power evolution. Without it, you will never grow to match a matured Queen or advanced spawn.]
❖ [Furthermore, members of your species can only sustain themselves by consuming the bodily fluids of creatures with more stable mana signatures than their own.]
❖ [Solid foods such as flesh and meat remain digestible, but they provide minimal nourishment. Conventional food will taste utterly repulsive to the host and cannot support Hive Lord evolution.]
Riven stared at the screen, his face slowly paling as the words etched themselves in.
"…You're kidding me."
The panel pulsed again.
❖ [No.]
His breath hitched.
He stood abruptly, muttering, "No. No, no, no—hell no."
He rushed to the kitchen, throwing open the fridge with a desperate yank. His eyes darted wildly across the shelves until he grabbed the carton of milk, some cereal, and a bowl.
"Yeah, screw you, System. Watch me."
He dumped the cereal into the bowl, poured milk on top, and shoved a spoonful into his mouth—
The moment it touched his tongue, his stomach revolted.
His gag reflex kicked in instantly. Riven spat it out with a violent cough, shuddering as bile clawed up his throat. He turned, stumbled, and vomited into the sink, his arms shaking as he heaved until his stomach was empty.
On reflex, his flailing arm knocked the bowl to the floor. CRASH! It shattered, milk and soggy cereal splattering across the tiles.
He stared at the mess, chest heaving.
"…No way…"
Eyes wide, sweat beading down his forehead, he stumbled to the fridge again, yanking it open.
His hand found a small tub of ice cream. He tore it open, scooped a spoonful, and shoved it into his mouth.
Two seconds later, he spat it out just as violently, coughing, gagging, eyes wide with disbelief.
"No… no, no, no…" His voice cracked. "You've got to be kidding me… I love ice cream!"
Panic set in. He grabbed anything he could reach—cold juice, bread, some random packet of snacks. Every single attempt ended the same—retching, gagging, vomit pooling in the sink or on the floor.
By the time he stopped, his kitchen looked like a mess. Milk pooled with bits of cereal on the floor, splashes of juice stained the counter, and shattered glass crunched under his bare feet. His shirt was soaked, clinging to him from sweat and flecks of vomit.
Riven stood there, breathing hard, hands trembling as he gripped the edge of the fridge door.
"No way... No fucking way..." he whispered again, voice breaking.
His eyes drifted lower—toward a pack of raw steak, faint traces of frozen blood still glistening on the surface.
He stared at it.
His throat bobbed.
His hand twitched.
Slowly, he reached out—
Knock. Knock.
Riven froze.
Someone was at the door.