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5.43% Reincarnated as a Grunt No. 703 / Chapter 4: Waking Up Inside a Tube

章節 4: Waking Up Inside a Tube

"... full... stable... vital..."

"... what... status... enchantment..."

I heard... voices....

I heard... people... talking....

I slowly opened my eyes, my consciousness gradually returning. The world before me was a blur of sounds and shadows. Slowly, shapes began to form in the dimness. Figures loomed over me, their features obscured by darkness.

A group of people stood before me, their appearances indistinct. Neither age nor gender could be discerned clearly, as the scant light sources only allowed vague glimpses of their figures. But... even in my dimmed vision, one thing stood out: 'White...' I thought to myself, noticing that they were all clad in pristine white lab jackets or coats.

Turning my gaze to another point of interest within my dimmed vision, I discerned the source of the scarce light: dim illuminations emanating from the sparse ceiling lights and high-tech equipment. These machines softly glowed in the gloomy darkness.

'Am I inside a laboratory...?' I thought to myself as I connected the two pieces of the puzzle. I witnessed what I presumed to be scientists working and discussing with each other. I didn't have much of a clue about what they were doing right now, nor could I actually hear what they were saying. But... with that being said... they sometimes glanced at me, as if they were checking on me...

Then, I surveyed my surroundings even more. I tried looking to the left... and found another person beside me. In fact, there were not just one person, but a bunch of others, creating a long row of people.

'What...?' I thought to myself, dumbfounded and surprised. I was surprised not just by the existence of this row of people, but also by what they were. These people... while indeed they were lined up in a perfect row, they all stood motionless, as if they were sleeping while standing. Each of them was encased within glass tubes, resembling something straight out of a Sci-Fi laboratory experiment.

The other thing that really stood out from them... was that they were all dressed in dark gray to black attire. No... they were not exactly attire either, but... they all looked like skin-tight suits, covering them from their fully-covered heads to most likely the edges of their toes.

These were something you would mostly see in fictional comic book characters. But for these people... their skin-tight dark gray or black suits made them look like the villains from a superhero comic. No... to be precise... they looked like the goons or grunts of the supervillain.

'Grunt...?' That single word stood out in my mind. Then suddenly... The memory of a voice from a certain 'Witch' crossed my mind.

"Oh...! A Grunt, you say?"

Followed after that, flashes of memories flooded my mind.

Public Park, kids, Heroes vs. Villain, grunt, alleyway, the "fortune teller" lady, dark flame, the searing pains, running, being run over...

Wicked smile.

The sudden flood of memories washed over me like a relentless tide, each one hitting me with a force that felt like physical blows. I clutched my head instinctively, hoping to quell the mounting pain that accompanied each memory. In particular... the last one... The wicked smile of the Witch. Remembering that smile... caused the most pain in my head.

"Hey! Subject No. 703 is exhibiting abnormal behavior!" I heard a shout, likely from one of the white-coated scientists. Soon after, hurried footsteps approached, presumably from other scientists gathering around the caller.

"What's the problem?" asked the first scientist to arrive, addressing the one who had shouted. Still wincing from the massive headache caused by memories flooding my brain, I could make out several white-coated individuals now gathered before me.

"Look! Subject No. 703! He has awoken!" exclaimed the scientist who had first alerted the others. 'Subject... 703'? I vaguely recalled hearing that number shouted just before. Who were they referring to?

'Is it me...? Am I... one of their subjects...? Am I... Subject No... 703...?' I pondered while still enduring the headache, trying to grasp why I was here in this dim laboratory, surrounded by scientists and possibly other 'subjects' like me. I also realized I wasn't breathing normally; I was inside some sort of clear watery liquid in a tube, similar to the other subject beside me.

"That's absurd! Our enchantment hasn't finished yet, and they should all still be in a deep trance," declared one of the scientists to the others. They began discussing among themselves, likely deliberating on what to do with me.

'Enchantment'...? What had these scientists done to me...? Then, I noticed my arm, which I had been using to quell the headache; it was covered entirely in a dark gray, almost black material, just like the other 'subjects' beside me.

It felt... odd. It seemed like I was wearing a skin-tight suit, but simultaneously, I could feel my own skin directly touching the liquid substance I was submerged in. Shifting my attention to my other arm, I found it also covered in the same material.

As I examined my body further, I realized my entire body was enveloped in this dark material, from my torso to the tips of my toes. If I had to guess, my head was likely covered too, like the other 'subjects' beside me. This dark material hugged my skin tightly, giving me the sensation of being a character from a comic book, clad in a skin-tight suit.

Not to mention... I seemed to have abs now. It felt... odd, a complex mix of emotions flooding through me. I had been fairly thin with little muscle definition, but now my body appeared toned, as if I had been hitting the gym regularly for 1 to 2 years. I also noticed numbers labeled onto the dark material on my left chest, presumably indicating the subject number. '703...' I read the upside-down number with a mix of bewilderment and unease.

Out of curiosity, I attempted to touch and feel my newfound muscle mass, but as soon as I touched my chest... 

"Now, now, I'm just going to give you a little 'token' to help you on your journey."

Dark flame. Searing pain on my chest.

Wicked smile.

Flashes of memories suddenly flooded my mind again, reminding me of my encounter with that 'Witch' of a woman. She had "branded" me with her so-called "token". As soon as those memories began to flood into my head, the painful headache returned again, halting any further thought inside my head. Not only that... My chest started to feel the same burning sensation of that dreaded memory of mine.

I clutched both of my head and also my chest, to suppress the hollow pain that I felt because of that memory. I couldn't talk nor scream in pain in this watery-filled tube. The only thing that came out from my mouth was just bubbles going upward.

The scientists that had been discussing in front of my tube had also noticed my pained reaction. "Quick! Check his status!" One of them urged their fellow scientists to check on my... status? I couldn't see clearly what they were doing right now, especially when I was in this agonizing pained state, but I could somewhat vaguely see that one of them pulled out a tablet gadget and began fiddling with it.

"Look here. High level of pain indicators on the area of his head and torso," the scientist holding the tablet stated to their fellow scientist. The few of the scientists also peered through the tablet that most likely showed my 'status'. They soon began to discuss with each other again.

"What should we do about him? Up his anesthesia dose?" One of them suggested. I didn't really want to get knocked out again and kept getting experimented on by these white-coated scientists... but being relieved of this painful agony was starting to get tempting.

"Hold it." A commanding voice suddenly interjected through the scientists' discussion, denying me of my salvation. The scientists fell into silence, then turned and directed their attention to an approaching figure. This figure was also obscured by the dim darkness of the room, but... *clack, click, clack*, the sound of heels' clacking could be heard, even from inside my tube.

"Ms. Victoria, ma'am." Many of the scientists addressed the approaching figure with respect, revealing the name of said figure. I tried to force open my eyes to see the approaching figure. While still basked in the darkness of the room, the figure was clearly wearing the same pristine white coat that the other scientists were wearing, indicating that this figure was one of them as well.

Slowly but surely, the figure's silhouette began to look clearer with each step she took, revealing the feminine and ladylike figure of the approaching woman. Her white coat hugged her well-endowed figure quite nicely, that even I was a bit mesmerized by it... but the hollow pain that I was still experiencing in both my head and chest interrupted any further thought about this woman's charm.

As the woman scientist approached the scientist group, they all stood up straight in her presence. The scientist who had been holding the tablet then offered it to the woman. She began to examine and fiddle with the tablet.

"Interesting..." The woman scientist commented on what she was seeing on the tablet. Then, she began to walk closer to the tube where I was submerged. The other scientists made way for her to approach me, signifying her importance. As she came closer, her visage became clearer to me: A beautiful, bespectacled blonde woman.

"Good morning, Subject... No... Grunt No. 703." The beautiful blonde scientist addressed me with a mischievous smile.


HIATUS

HIATUS. Not much to say here other than it's not working out.

章節 5: Waking Up Surrounded by Other Grunts

"Good morning, Subject... No... Grunt No. 703."

In front of the large test tube in which I was currently submerged stood a female scientist. She was a beautiful blonde-haired woman, to be precise, as I strained to force my eyes open while enduring the hollow pain in both my head and chest.

This beautiful scientist exuded confidence, standing tall in the dimly lit laboratory with her heels. Her fair skin glowed slightly under the dim light source of the laboratory, complemented by her blonde hair tied into a large bun behind her head.

A square pair of spectacles framed her lovely yet confident face. Her buttoned-up long lab coat hugged her well-endowed figure quite nicely. She embodied the image one might conjure when imagining a sexy female scientist.

Unfortunately, the malicious and mischievous expression that she was showing me placed her firmly in the mad scientist category.

I wished I could gawk and appreciate her somewhat alluring charms, but I was too preoccupied with trying to suppress my pain. I had hoped for the dose of anesthesia that her underling scientists had nearly given me, but this woman was withholding it, which irked me to no end as I shot her a glare. Judging by the mischievous look on her face, she knew it too and was purposefully toying with me.

'Damn it... What is it with me and mischievous and malicious-looking women recently...?' I thought to myself with annoyance. That 'Witch' had also worn a wicked expression to me as she branded me with her so-called "token". If I knew any better, I'd believe I was becoming a defective chick magnet that was only capable of attracting troublesome women.

This scientist woman, Victoria or something, then started to get closer to my test tube. Her eyes turned serious as she used those same eyes to carefully observe me, submerged in this test tube, as if I were a piece of meat hanging in a butcher shop. I wasn't sure how to respond nor did I know why the sudden interest from her, as I was still fighting through the pain emanating from both my head and chest.

As if satisfied with whatever she observed, she showed me another mischievous smile. "Grunt No. 703," she suddenly called me out with the title matching the number label on my chest. I could only muster another glare in response, which seemed to further amuse her. "You are quite an enigma, I'll say," she commented on me.

'Enigma...?' I pondered her words with confusion. I wasn't sure why she was suddenly calling me an 'enigma.' Seeing my confused state, she giggled, further adding to my confusion.

"Yes. An enigma," she affirmed, as if she knew what I was thinking. "Well... we'll leave it at that. You can try to figure it out yourself. But for now..." She then fiddled with the tablet in her hand. Immediately, some sort of new liquid began to flow into my test tube from the top. I panicked a bit as this unknown liquid started to enter my "breathing," but... the pain in my head and chest started to disappear... and I began to feel sleepy...

"Good night, Grunt No. 703." Scientist Victoria bid me 'good night' as my eyes grew heavier and heavier. The last thing I saw before my eyes shut tight was the same mischievous smile she had shown me.

Then... I lost consciousness once again...

< | X | >

"... should we wake him up?" A feminine voice could be heard...

"I don't know... He looks pretty mean..." Another voice chimed in. This one belonged to a man, but he sounded quite meek...

"We are grunts, idiot! We are supposed to look mean," another man's voice chastised the previous meek one.

I heard the sound of people talking... Slowly, I was regaining consciousness... I opened my eyes... and the first thing I saw... was three people with dark gray full-face masks looking down at me.

"Ah, he woke up himself," the feminine voice of the three stated casually. I could only stare back at them as they also stared back at me. There was a silent pause between us...

Then I quickly sat up in a panic, surprising the three of them.

"Woah! Big guy! Calm down, man!" One of them, the guy who had chastised the meek one, tried to calm me down.

My heart was beating fast, and I was breathing heavily. I tried to feel my lungs, vividly recalling how I had been "breathing" inside a liquid-filled test tube.

"Hey, man. You okay?" The meek guy asked me with genuine concern. I didn't answer his question, focusing instead on scanning my surroundings.

I was inside a large and elongated room. The room itself was quite... futuristic. The walls were clean, simple metallic structures with a few markings indicating its high-tech nature. One of the most distinct markings was a large letter 'M' painted in black on a few of the walls.

However, the inside of the room and its inhabitants presented a stark contrast.

I saw two lengthy rows of futuristic "beds" neatly lining the walls. Each row was positioned facing the other, resembling the layout of a mass bedroom in a hospital ward, but larger and with more beds packed closely together, leaving almost no room for privacy. Of course, I was currently sitting on one of these beds.

There were a lot of people here in this room, though I found it hard to call them normal. They all wore skin-tight suits ranging in color from dark gray to black. The suits covered them from head to toe, much like the people in the dimly lit laboratory. But, now that I could see them quite vividly, I saw that many of them had a few unique white to light gray markings on each of their suits, creating a distinct appearance for each of them, especially around their eyes.

One thing for sure though was that every one of them had a number label on the left side of their chest, most likely indicating the subject numbers that were assigned to them. Just like mine...

They were scattered around the room, some standing around, some sitting on the white beds, some engaged in discussions. Some even watched me with curiosity, but they all averted their eyes when I looked back at them.

Then I directed my attention towards the three persons who had woken me up. When they received my attention though, they all got startled and backed away a bit. These people's reactions toward me were confusing. 'Do I look scary or something?' I thought to myself, wondering if there might be something wrong with my appearance.

These three people were also wearing dark gray skin-tight suits like everyone else. Since their faces were fully covered by the dark gray material, I couldn't exactly see how they looked. However, they all had pretty distinct body characteristics that I could at least differentiate between them. Of course, I could also tell them apart by the number label on the left side of their chest.

Two of them were males. They were quite normal-looking guys (except, of course, for the whole skin-tight suit thing) and both of them looked pretty athletic. They also had white or light gray markings on their dark-gray skin-tight suits that were unique to each other. Another thing that differentiated them was their demeanor.

The meek-looking guy was No. 702, while the other guy who was acting cautious towards me was No. 704. Now that I think about it... Weren't these two guys that were beside me in that same laboratory?

On the other hand, I then directed my attention to the only woman among the three, which startled her even more. She was also wearing a dark gray skin-tight suit that hugged her lean but athletic figure quite nicely. Again, I couldn't see her actual appearance other than the unique white marking on her skin-tight suit and around her eyes, and of course, the number label of '711' on the left side of her moderate chest.

Though I gotta say... the way this skin-tight suit was hugging her figure made her look almost completely naked. Without me realizing it, the woman in question started to feel conscious of my intense staring, and she tried to shield and hide her figure from my "preying" eyes.

"Hey..." I tried calling out to them, but they all got startled instead. They even began to slowly back away from me. This was getting kind of annoying... So better just go straight to the point with these people.

Before they all retreated from me, I immediately threw a question at them. "Can you guys tell me what's going on here?" I inquired. I was still confused about this whole 'grunt' thing, and from what I vaguely heard from their earlier conversation, it seemed that they would know more about this than me.

All three of them looked at each other, seemingly trying to confirm whether they should answer my question or not. 'Seriously... do I really look scary?' I thought to myself with annoyance.

Soon after, they all nodded at each other and then returned their attention to me. The No. 704 guy then stepped forward, volunteering himself to answer my question.

"Haha, yeah, man. I could fill you in..."


創作者的想法
DemonKingAkuma DemonKingAkuma

A pretty slow chapter for today. Stay tuned for more.

HIATUS

HIATUS. Not much to say here other than it's not working out.

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