Chapter 829 |
Scrraape. My claws raked long lines through the vines. But I couldn’t hold on, and a moment later I was flung off. The sky spun in a dizzying circle, every inch of it smothered in leaves. A butterfly fluttered between them.
– Do you think you can run?
I righted myself in midair. But beneath my feet, the ground was a seething mass of vines. Goose bumps rose all over me. It wasn’t fear. It was revulsion, something crawling cold across my skin.
– Go on, then. Run.
Laughter drifted to me. I shifted into human form and pulled out the Lynx Gun. Right before I hit the ground, bang – I fired hard downward. The recoil launched me back up, and a swarm of butterflies came chasing after me. Everything was buried beneath waves of plants; I couldn’t see Seong Hyunjae or Chief Song anywhere. The thunder sounded impossibly far away.
– Chased and chased, and that is all you can do.
I let go of the gun and gripped my spear. Flames rose. Black Flame burned through the vines, and I landed on a stretch of scorched black earth. But from between the charred soil, sprouts immediately pushed up and flowers bloomed. Layers and layers of white petals looked hideous.
– Perhaps you could keep running like this and return to your world.
I kicked off the ground. Tree trunks lunged toward me, and vines crawled viciously like snakes. Fruit swelled on every side, then burst one after another with wet pops, spraying watery juice. Every time the liquid touched me, the flames protecting me guttered lower.
– Without even knowing where you are going.
Their mocking laughter kept clinging to my heels. Rustle, rustle – a thick branch thrust itself right in front of my nose, scattering leaves. I ducked low just before impact and slid across the ground. At the same time, roots shot up from beneath the soil. They tangled toward me like traps meant for a beast, and I shook them off by detonating a bomb.
‘I need to regroup with Seong Hyunjae.’
Just as the Gardener had said, there was no answer if I was alone. If I was alone. My teeth clenched on their own.
– Not that way.
– You have even lost the path.
The Teacher skill had already been cut off. The one bit of luck in all this was that my memory of Seong Hyunjae still remained, but if I kept getting farther away, there was no telling when it might blur.
“…Ugh!”
Tree roots surged up all along the path I ran, and branches stabbed at me from the side. Vines slid down like nooses. Black Flame was barely clearing the way in front of me. Even that kept dying out weakly, then flaring back to life again.
– If that is all you have.
– How shabby.
– This is nothing more than a careless flick of the hand, not even a game.
The dense leaves sealed off the sky. The ground was full of nothing but grass, trees, flowers, and vines. Even underground, roots wove together like a net. Gasping for breath, I tried to sharpen my senses somehow and find the way. But the path had vanished long ago, and I couldn’t even tell which direction I was facing.
Trees and trees and more indistinguishable trees stretched on, a maze that wasn’t even a maze. Even the faint sound of thunder disappeared completely. A silent forest remained, filled only with the whispering of butterflies. Flowers bloomed one after another. Red, blue, yellow, white – colors scattered everywhere, dizzying my sight.
– Without even being able to choose the direction you want to go.
– You simply run blindly.
Whenever the flames died down, the world in front of me went pitch-black. There had to be a sun in the sky, but the layered shadows of the trees had already turned this place into deep night.
– Running and running.
– Then, by luck, finding a road.
My toes struck something again and again. My arms, legs, hands, waist – every part of me had to be bruised by now. If I kept running like this, I would only exhaust myself and collapse. But I couldn’t stop, either. Monsters would have been better. A specific enemy I could face, even at the risk of my life, would have been easier. An enemy I could at least think my way around.
– And mistaking that for something you accomplished.
There’s no road. I can’t see. A butterfly flew into my face. The spear shaft I swung shattered its red wings, and powder burst outward like an explosion. Even the flames didn’t melt it all before it reached my eyes.
“Nh–.”
Both my eyes stung sharply for an instant. I squeezed them shut on reflex, and the next moment, my leg caught. My body lurched hard. I hurriedly braced myself against the ground and rolled. Ssssk, ssssk – I heard vines crawling toward me. As I tried to get back up, something wrapped around my arm. By the time I realized what was happening—
“No!”
The spear was ripped from my hand. My heart dropped with it. I forced my aching eyes open. I could see vines seizing the white spear. I almost screamed. In front of me, as I struggled, the spear heated. Its black markings became pitch-black fire and burned the vines away. I threw myself toward the spear as it fell to the ground. The instant my hand touched it, ragged breath burst out of me.
“Haaah, hhk.”
The spear’s binding effect. It had grown even stronger, making it impossible for anyone else to use, or even touch. But if I lost it, that was the end. I fumbled it into my inventory.
The fire vanished.
– You do not even have anywhere to run.
I thought of the King of Harmless’s drawer. But this was the Gardener’s territory. Even if I used it safely, I would be dragged right back out.
– What will you do now?
Crunch! I brought my knife down at the approaching vines. Using the stabbing skill, I cut one away, but twice as many grew, then twice as many again. In the end, my arms and legs were bound. I glared at the butterfly flying around me.
“…What about you? What do you think you’re going to do?”
You caught me like this, so what? Are you going to kill me? The butterfly laughed. A little sunlight seeped in, just enough for me to see around me, and a black butterfly flew from somewhere.
“Hyung.”
…
The black butterfly transformed into Yuhyun. That thing was a fake.
“You’re really going to be this blatant?”
– I moved him, and he is still my contractor. Are you so sure he is fake?
The thing shaped like Yuhyun approached me. My entire body tensed on its own.
“Of course you’re fake! If you were my brother, you would have set these damn vines on fire first!”
The butterfly laughed, as if amused. A white hand stretched toward me. It began examining my arms first. No way.
– I gave you a chance.
Its hands groped over my entire arm. Then it checked my ankles.
– I offered you a contract while you were whole. What I needed was you alone, so I was courteous and kind.
My shins and knees.
– The Crescent Moon and the pseudo-Origin can no longer escape anyway.
Then something higher up.
– You should have run from the garden.
With a harsh rrrip, it tore away my pant leg along with what had been hidden there.
– Peeep!
The bluebird burst out and cried desperately. Grace, whom I had hidden in advance while searching the garden with Seong Hyunjae. A cord threaded with blue jewels dangled from the fake Yuhyun’s hand. His black eyes looked at me.
– Peep! Peep!
Grace was thrown into the grass.
– It is already too late, but.
– You should have run away, even if alone.
“…How could I?”
– How?
– Even if you stayed, like this.
The hand that had been above my knee slid down. The motion of it gripping my leg sent a chilling sensation crawling down my spine. I immediately transformed into a Delroux juvenile. My body shrank in an instant, freeing me, and I kicked away from the limp vines to retreat. I shifted back into human form and pulled out my gun, and in that instant—
Crunch!
“…!”
My leg burned hot. A smooth tree branch had pierced through my thigh.
– You cannot do anything.
– Except be trampled.
Amid the stench of blood, I turned and pulled the trigger. Magic bullets hammered into the thing wearing Yuhyun’s shape, and it scattered into black butterflies. Immediately after—
Thud!
Someone kicked me. My body rolled and slammed into the base of a tree. I planted my hands on the ground and tried to get up quickly. The grass blades brushing my palms were sharp as knives. Wherever my skin touched them, long cuts opened.
– Show me what you can do.
– Go on.
“But there isn’t anything, is there?”
It was Seong Hyunjae’s voice. Obviously fake. There was no way it was real. Without even looking toward the direction of the voice, I fired. I leaned my back against a tree trunk and stood. From above, a vine dropped with a light tap and wrapped around my neck.
“Ghk!”
– Your fire is with me.
– And you, too, are helpless like this.
I cut away the vine. The Gardener left me alone as I staggered, full of openings. As though there was no need to bother attacking with care.
– Would you like to try running again?
I dragged my foot forward with effort. But I had no idea where to go. Everywhere I looked was forest. The world spun round and round, with no direction to grasp.
– What meaning is there in refusing to give up?
– Nothing changes.
– No matter what happens to you here.
– No matter what you do.
“And yet!”
I shouted, trying desperately to clear my muddled head, my vision.
“Why are you talking at me for so damn long?”
– Ah. Then.
– Shall I simply kill you?
The butterfly laughed. A sharp sound cut through the air. My senses bristled, and I threw myself aside at once. Something like a whip lashed deep across my waist. My body was flung away and rolled over the razor-sharp grass. Blood left a long trail behind me.
– It is not that I have no interest in the nurturer.
– I merely caught hold of the fire because of White Bird’s prophecy, and turned some attention to you as well.
– My original goal was the pseudo-Origin.
A large hand clamped down on my throat. Through my blurred vision, I glimpsed Chief Song’s form. Yuhyun, Seong Hyunjae, and Chief Song were all connected to the Gardener. So this had to be fake, too. My body was lifted and dragged along.
– Even if you die, I can still use the abilities of your body.
– Yes. Let us do that.
I couldn’t breathe. Thrashing, I pulled out the God-Slaying Spear. Flames flared up, and the hand around my throat fell away. The smell of damp soil. The smell of blood. The smell of iron. My arm was torn open in a long gash. I hugged the spear I had almost dropped and tumbled across the ground. Black fire wrapped around me. But it wasn’t enough to protect me completely.
Crunch. The moment something grabbed my ankle, it crushed it. I heard water. Splash! My head and upper body were shoved into it. Long, swaying water weeds twined around me.
I couldn’t hear the butterfly’s voice. It cut off completely. As if there was no longer any need to persuade me. Underwater, fire could not rise. I put the spear into my inventory and cut away the water weeds. I couldn’t breathe. Bubbles leaked from my nose and mouth. The water weeds wrapped endlessly around my arms and legs. Their slick texture brushed and scratched over my skin. I couldn’t breathe. Delroux, skill.
– Ghhk, cough! Cough, cough!
Thanks to the body that grew all at once, my head broke above the water. But the thick trees were taller than my head. Flowers bloomed on every branch, scattering powder. Red, ripe fruit burst open.
– Agh!
Powder and seeds covered in thorns drove into my enlarged eyes and body. The seeds scraped all over me and tangled in my fur, refusing to fall off. I scrambled onto the bank and returned to human form. I couldn’t see. The hand I used to pull out a potion was stomped on. I was kicked and fell back into the water with another splash.
It was silent. I flailed and barely managed to grab hold of something. Thorns sprouted from the thing I held. Fresh blood joined the smell on my hands and arms.
“…Gardener!”
Say something. Talk, at least. Gasping, I clung to the branch that stabbed and sliced into me. From below, the water weeds wrapped around my legs. The forest remained silent. Even the sound of flowing water had stopped. Not even the leaves brushed against the wind. It felt like I had been abandoned. Like I was dying in a place where no one existed, unable to do anything, with no one ever knowing.
“…I, I…”
…
There’s nothing I can do. Yuhyun.
Faintly, I heard the flutter of butterfly wings. Butterflies settled on my body. One by one, their almost weightless presence multiplied. In my hair, on the bridge of my nose, over my lips. On my broken nails, on the back of my torn hand, on my dislocated shoulder.
My slightly recovered vision caught sight of a butterfly. It sat there, slowly folding and unfolding its wings as it circled. I stared at it blankly. Thin insect legs crawled across my skin.
– You are so very exhausted.
The butterfly whispered.
– And your mind is in shreds.
Ah… I guess it would be. Sleepiness washed over me. My eyes kept sliding shut.
‘Now… what I can do is…’
Nothing came to mind. So I could be this powerless. I had been helpless many times before, but even then, yes, at least there had been someone to fight. Even if it was impossible, there had been something I could try.
But this was different. I had been abandoned. The Gardener didn’t even have to treat me as an enemy and could simply leave me behind. I would keep hanging here, unable to do anything… and die as if it were truly nothing at all…
Boom–!…
A sound reached me. My eyes flew open.
Kraaaash!
Thunder. I could breathe. My ice-cold body jolted. In the wake of spreading golden light, shadows like black mist wrapped around the butterflies. Someone splashed into the water and lifted me up.
“Han Yujin-ssi!”
I heard a familiar voice, but I couldn’t remember it. Something approached my blankly blinking eyes. A flower smiled brightly, it was… smiling… Seong Hyunjae placed a flower headband on my head. At the same time, my mind lit up all at once.
– Hyung! Yujin-hyung!
Park Hayul’s bright voice rang out.
– I remembered what Rookie told me! Not all of it, though. He said I could protect you and the Crescent Moon! That’s why I turned into a headband, but I totally forgot! Oh, everything went fine with Yerim!
When I turned my head, I saw Chief Song holding me. A colorful flower crown sat on his head. Was that something like Park Hayul’s clone? He could’ve made mine a flower crown, too. It looked good on Chief Song.
“It seemed as though it would be difficult to find Han Yujin-gun, so we stepped outside the garden.”
Seong Hyunjae spoke, his clothes torn and disheveled in several places. Chief Song wasn’t in perfect condition, either.
“Asking whether you are all right would be meaningless, I suppose.”
“The Gardener’s influence is growing stronger.”
After carrying me out of the water, Chief Song cast a black shadow across the ground and set me down on it. On top of my head, Park Hayul fussed and shook around.
– S-Ranks should still be safe for now, but Rookie said you’re in danger because you’re F-Rank and you’ve been invaded before by the Crescent Moon and the King of Harmless and stuff, and the Crescent Moon is deeply connected to the Gardener! Waaah, hyung, you’re really badly hurt!…
It was true that I had nearly been bewitched. I still hadn’t recovered completely. For now, I pulled out a potion and healed my injuries. Golden chains circled around us.
“…I’m sorry. But I really couldn’t do anything.”
That much was definitely true. I was powerless. Even now, I couldn’t do anything. There was no way out. Even after healing my leg with a potion, I couldn’t put strength into it. I was tired.
“How many times must I say it?”
Seong Hyunjae stood in front of me, blocking the way, and glanced back as he spoke.
“That I will trust and follow Han Yujin-gun.”
“…I can’t accept that right now. I couldn’t think of anything. Nothing at all.”
“Then Han Yujin-gun should do the same.”
“…What?”
Me, too?
“Pass it on.”
“What are you…”
“Yes, Han Yujin-ssi. Even if there is no way, I believe you will be all right.”
Chief Song said so as well. Wh-what. The forest shook. It poured down like a wave. Greenery and light collided.
– Yujin-hyung is amazing! But that doesn’t mean you have to do everything yourself, does it?
Park Hayul’s leaves slapped lightly against my forehead. Chief Song ran through the light. From somewhere, I heard a desperate peep!
– Hyung, you’re allowed to be saved, too.
Jingle. Chief Song’s hand extended in front of me. A blue jewel glittered in his palm. Grace peeped happily.
“I know why you try so hard not to let anyone get hold of your weaknesses, Han Yujin-ssi. And given your environment, you must have had to shoulder everything alone.”
“Also, because as an F-Rank, he is easy to look down on.”
“Hunter Seong Hyunjae is likely one of the reasons as well.”
“Which is why I told him first that I would follow him.”
“Explain it properly.”
Chief Song stepped forward again. With the support of the raging current, he swung the sword wreathed in black shadow and stomped down the roots that burst up from the ground. Seong Hyunjae gave a small shrug.
“I am an S-Rank, appearances aside.”
– And there are other people, too!
“They must be moving even now.”
– Anyway, hyung, you try way too hard to do everything perfectly. Of course, there are lots of people who bad-mouth you! But I fought really hard! Who do they think they are, insulting you like that?
“If you do not know, it is fine to entrust it to someone else.”
I looked at Seong Hyunjae and Chief Song’s backs. Over them, I could see other people. The first one who came to mind was Moon Hyunah.
‘…She told me to wait.’
She said she would come back. And she absolutely would.
“There’s no way Hyunah-ssi would do nothing.”
The people I had sent back, too. Rookie, who had tried so hard to help me through Park Hayul. Myungwoo and Young Chaos, too.
“I really don’t have any way to fix this.”
I used the Teacher skill on Seong Hyunjae and Chief Song.
“And I’m out of skills, so I can’t use anything except this.”
“That is enough.”
“Enduring is not exactly difficult.”
“…Is it really okay for me to do nothing and just wait?”
“Wrong.”
Seong Hyunjae spoke firmly.
“You are waiting for the things Han Yujin-gun has done.”
– Hardworking Yujin-hyung! Take a break!
A dry laugh slipped out of me. I got to my feet. I pulled out the God-Slaying Spear and drove it into the ground. Flames spread around us in a circle, blocking the plants that reached toward us. I gripped the gun in my hand.
“Then let’s hold out until the very end and wait.”
Believing in the people who would surely come to help me.
–TL Notes–
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