Both Aster and Kali stared at the hand, thin as a stick and as pale as ivory. From a nce, they could tell that whoever was the hand''s owner wasn''t in excellent health... If it was attached to a body, that is.


    "EEEK!"


    Kali, figuring out that the hand was cut off right around the middle of the arm part, raised a cute shriek before grabbing Aster''s jacket. She nted her face inside it and trembled like a kitten left out in the open on a cold, rainy night.


    "G-Gho-Gho-Gho—!" She stuttered, her teeth ttering.


    Despite feeling primal fear toward the bodiless hand, Aster didn''t let his gaze stray from it. It''s not that he''s scared it would jump toward him if he blinked, of course. Rather, it was because, beside the hand, bloody letters started appearing midair, spelling words for him to read.


    [Aster, right? I''ve heard of you from Fay. Come in.]


    ''Fay?'' Aster frowned, wondering if it was referring to Faeloria.


    Despite his lingering suspicion, he cautiously advanced, tugging the frightened cat that was clinging to him. Just as he was about to reach the door, the hand suddenly jumped, causing his body to jolt.


    "...!"


    Thankfully, it didn''t jump towards him, but instead, it headed towards the interior of the dpidated structure. Aster took a deep breath, wrapping his right arm around Kali''s back as support, before pushing the door open.


    The inside was no different than the outside—dpidated and almost about to rot away. However, as he inspected the ce, he became confused about one particr aspect. Despite the apparent possibility of dust entering through the gaps in the walls and roofs, he found no dust anywhere.


    [Over here...]


    Once again, the bloody letters appeared in front of his face, apanied by a bloody arrow that pointed toward another set of dpidated doors located a short distance away. Kali, just like a baby, kept a tight hold on Aster''s body, refusing to let go. Having no choice, he simply walked forward, Kali in tow, and reached for the door.


    "OW!"


    But Kali''s nails—or rather, her ws—were digging into his back, causing not a small amount of pain to assault his senses.


    "K-Kali, loosen up the hold for a bit...!"


    Aster pleaded, trying to pull the cat away, but as if she had undergone rigor mortis, her arms didn''t even budge!


    "Ugh...!"


    Just as Aster was nearing his limit, the bloody text appeared once more, writing words for him to see.


    [Is it fine if she fainted?]


    The question was straightforward, but the intent behind it wasn''t clear. Still, Aster nodded his head in affirmation, giving the mysterious "other party" the green light.


    *Tap!*


    "...!"


    Aster almost screamed like a little girl when a cut-off handnded on his left shoulder. However, he quickly gathered his wits, taking deep breaths to calm himself. With slight fear in his eyes, mixed with a hint of curiosity, he watched as the hand crawled down his jacket and toward Kali''s head.


    Then it skillfully moved, patting her head gently, as if a mother was trying to soothe her crying child. Strangely, Kali''s trembling, stiff shoulders gradually rxed. Whatever the hand was doing was working!


    "..."


    But then, Aster realized something.


    "Kali?"


    He called, just to check, but she didn''t even jump in surprise anymore. He slowly leaned back, tilting her head a short distance away from his body, only to realize that the whites of her eyes were visible—she had fainted!


    Aster was wondering what the hand did but didn''t bother asking. Instead, he slowly unwrapped her arms and legs, closing her eyes and mouth, before lifting her up in a princess carry.


    "Alright, this should do." He nodded and made his way to the door.


    However, as he entered inside, he was in for a different kind of surprise. The inside of the room had a familiar style, one that Aster had seen before. It looked the same as the secret hiding ce for spies in Juviel City!


    Computers were lined up neatly here and there, with video feeds on multiple monitors, showing live events in specific areas of the 100th floor. Inside this futuristic control room, the dpidated look of the building vanishedpletely.


    "Hmm, not so fearless, but bold. I like that~!"


    Right then, a figure sitting on a pivot chair turned around and grinned. Her young-sounding voice, high-pitched and fresh, was music to Aster''s ears.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "I''m Natalie, the Information Collection Agent referred by Fay."


    She introduced herself as she walked away from the darkness. As she did, Aster''s eyes opened wide. She had clear purple eyes,rge and enticing, with her body wearing nothing but a single piece of whiteboratory robe.


    She was naked, with all her parts—thoughcking in volume—in in view. But what caught Aster''s eyes weren''t her private parts, but rather the weird stitches and discolored areas around her body. It was as if she was arge jigsaw puzzle, stitched together roughly with bloody thread through a clumsy needlework.


    "Are you... a zombie?" Aster asked, unable to contain his curiosity.


    The girl let out a soft breath before smiling widely. "Close! I''m a Flesh Golem!" She proudly announced. "Although I may look like this, I''m way older than you, so pay some respect, ok?"


    "Oh," Aster couldn''t distinguish the difference between a Flesh Golem and a Zombie, but he still slowly closed his eyes and smiled. "Then, pardon me, senior, but you''repletely exposed."


    "Huh?"


    She quickly nced down, observing her t ins and the smooth area below. Then, she turned left and right, only to see her clothes bundled together in a heap on top of the table.


    "...!" Find your next adventure on empire


    If she had blood running through her body, her face would''ve turnedpletely red by then. She was speaking in a pompous manner,pletely unaware of her nakedness! Worse, she only had aboratory robe hanging loosely on her shoulders, making her look even more deranged—like a pervert!


    *Snap!*


    With a singlemand from her, suddenly dozens of hands came to life, rushing toward her clothes and helping her change into them. It all happened so fast that all Aster heard was the extremely diforting sound of fingers tapping the solid metal ground in unison. He was tempted to open his eyes and see, but quickly changed his mind. He didn''t want the events unfolding before him to cause him trauma.


    After a while, the noise faded, and only a small voice, asking shyly, echoed.


    "D-Did you see...?"


    "..."


    Aster knew that at times like this, honesty would just backfire. However, he wasn''t close enough to the other person to sugarcoat things anyway.


    "Yes, I respectfully saw everything, senior." He answered tly. "Don''t worry, there''s nothing wrong with your body. Rather, it''s beautiful in its own right, in my opinion."


    The Flesh Golem, Natalia, stomped her feet in embarrassment before shouting at Aster. "From now on, you''ll be Mr. Pervert! Voyeur! Lolicon!"


    "Hey, thest one isn''t true!"


    "So you admit the first two?!"


    "That..."


    Aster scratched the back of his neck, feeling conflicted. Either way, he was sure that their meeting was already off to a bumpy start.