Chapter 29: Cave Crawlers and Closet Crises
"Hiss!!"
"Well, that’s not good.. very not good," Yuki muttered as a giant, glowing salamander crawled its way out of the darkness toward him.
"Vee! Are you done yet?!" Yuki shouted into the depths of the cave.
"Noo! There’s a whole bunch of them down here too! I don’t think I can avoid fighting them! Are you going to be okay?!" her worried voice echoed back through the stone tunnels.
"Yeah, it’s just one oversized lizard. I’ve got this, easy ---chump."
"Eep!!!"
"You okay up there?!" Vee called out nervously.
"Yeah! This bastard tried to bite me! I’ll deal with it, then meet you at the honeybee nest entrance!"
"No promises!"
The moment Yuki turned his attention back to the salamander, its massive tail swung violently toward his face. He ducked, his high agility allowing him to slide underneath the strike, bringing him dangerously close to its gaping maw filled with jagged razor-sharp teeth.
The creature’s slitted eyes darted downward, locking onto Yuki with pure hunger. Raising its heavy, clawed hand, it slammed it down like a hammer.
Bang!!
The deafening sound reverberated through the cavern, shattering the loose stone and kicking up a thick cloud of dust and sending out fragments of stones in every direction like a frag grenade went off. But Yuki was already gone. Using the dust cloud as a perfect screen, he slipped away.
The lizard turned frantically, trying to spot its prey, but Yuki was far too agile. Capitalizing on its confusion, Yuki bared his claws. With a swift, lethal arc, he slashed a large chunk out of the creature’s flank.
"Hiss!!!"
Blinded by immense pain, the salamander angrily swung its tail in a massive, sweeping arc, crushing every stalagmite in its path. Yet, Yuki was nowhere to be found.
The lizard stopped, freezing in place as it waited for him to move, to make a single sound so it could pinpoint his location. But the cavern remained completely silent. Too silent. Yuki was long gone. Growling in pure annoyance, the salamander gave up and began squeezing its way through the winding, narrow exit tunnels. As the pathway became tighter and more compacted, the lizard lowered its head and tucked its limbs close to its body to slide through.
Unbeknownst to the large beast, Yuki was watching from below, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. The exact second the lizard squeezed directly over Yuki’s hiding spot, it froze, sensing a sudden spike of danger—but it was already too late.
Yuki’s clawed fingers shot outward, impaling the salamander straight through the throat. A torrent of hot, red blood erupted from the wound as the heavy, lifeless body of the lizard collapsed directly on top of him.
"Oh, shit—"
Thud!
...
[ You really are something else, aren’t you? ]the System’s voice echoed inside his head, sounding profoundly disappointed.
"..." Yuki groaned from beneath the scaly mass. "I didn’t think it would fall like that."
[ Gravity is a real concept, Yuki. Just hurry up and crawl out of there before the scent of blood brings more of them. ]
"K."
[ And don’t you dare start butchering it. We don’t have the time for that, got it? ]
"Yes, I got it," Yuki pouted, finally wriggling his way out from under the corpse, completely drenched in monster blood. "Wait a minute... I thought you said you didn’t have a personality?"
[ ...I don’t, ]the System replied casually. [ How can a flat holographic screen have a personality? ]
"Wha—?! Don’t you try that innocent bullshit with me!" Yuki snapped angrily.
[ Yeah, yeah, whatever, Femboy, ]the System text scrolled, almost manifesting a visible image of it rolling its non-existent eyes.
"I’m not a Femboy!!" Yuki yelled back. "I’m just a feminine person, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that!"
[ Well, not according to the Earth database information. You are not just a twin-androgynous male. You are a Femboy. The physical evidence doesn’t lie. ]
Yuki’s eyes narrowed. "What exactly are you typing on your screen over there?"
[ ...Nothing. Nothing at all. ]
"Tsk. I’m going to go change. My gown is completely ruined," Yuki muttered, looking down at his blood-soaked clothes. "Tell Vee that I’m going to be a bit late... and stay over there! I don’t want to talk to you anymore."
[ ...You do realize that I am your System, right? I am bound to your soul forever. You cannot get rid of me. ]
"Oh, I know. I know that I can’t get rid of the core System," Yuki said, a smug, wicked grin spreading across his face as he rested his hands on his hips. "But I can get rid of ’you.’ As you stated before, you are an experimental system interface, entirely separate from the main core. So while you’re temporarily gone, I’ll still have my interface. Enjoy your mute button."
There was a heavy, digital pause.
[ Fine. Very well. If that is what you want. Not that i care if you care, asshole... screw you Yuki!! Goodbye. ]
The text box vanished abruptly, leaving behind a faint aura of digital resentment.
Yuki blinked. "...Was it actually mad? It definitely has a personality, I’m not going insane."
Shaking his head, he sighed. "I’ll deal with that later. Right now, I need to change."
Opening his Lifestyle Shop interface, Yuki browsed the catalog and bought a comfortable, high-quality white sweater and a pair of short white pants. He spent the next thirty-five minutes actively modifying them to fit his specific tastes. He altered the fabric, cutting the collar to drape elegantly off his shoulders, and seamlessly woven gold armor plating into the sleeves and waist—creating the perfect balance between high-tier defense and his cozy, stylish preferences.
With the most smug, confident smile he could muster, Yuki dusted himself off and swiped his map interface to head toward Vee’s location.
Unbeknownst to him, the interface silently rippled in the corner of his vision. The System had quietly returned from its forced timeout, staring at his newly tailored, tight-waisted outfit with absolute, silent judgment.
[ Humph. ’Not a Femboy,’ my foot. ]
