Chapter 129
Chapter 129
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: What Each Desires
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The word "escape" that suddenly burst from Rophuk's mouth lingered in my ears for a long time before fading away.
It was something I'd wished for relentlessly without a single lapse until now, but it was also not something I wanted to hear from the man who'd been deceiving me and secretly plotting behind my back all this time.
"Cut the crap. You'll help me escape? How the hell am I supposed to trust you? If I get fooled again here, I'd be a goddamn idiot."
"It's true. Trust me and lower your weapon first. I'll explain everything step by step. Sure, there've been plenty of misunderstandings between us, but we've had some damn good synergy too, haven't we?"
I don't want to hear any more of this nonsense, so I grip the door cutter tighter and crank it up.
The power it draws from that ominous gem I encountered underground—even a rough estimate tells me it packs serious destructive force.
At the very least, it could blow this entire room to hell. I know full well just how incredible and dangerous this weapon is.
And that's what sparks the one burning question.
Why the hell did Rophuk give me the door cutter?
"Joo-ho, calm down. If I meant to screw you over, why would I hand you a weapon like that as a gift? Just give me a little more time. I can explain."
"Fine. Explain. Why'd you hide that the succubus and Jenny were here?"
Setting aside the rotting guide for the moment,
I start firing rage-fueled questions at Rophuk.
"I had no choice! Just look at how you're reacting now. If I'd tipped you off ahead of time, you'd have gone off and done something insane with your unhealed body and shattered mind. Now that we're finally in a spot where we can talk, let's hash this out slowly and find common ground..."
Rophuk speaks like he's genuinely worried about me, inching closer step by step.
I press my back against the rotting wall and retreat from him.
"One more step and I fire. Talk from there."
"…Fine, got it. No need for us to turn on each other. Joo-ho, I'm already beat to hell too. In a situation this dicey, the fact that I rushed here for you—please see that it means I truly want to help."
Just like he says, sparks fly vividly from Rophuk's body parts, accompanied by ominous grinding noises.
I have no idea how he wrapped up the fight with those demons,
but judging by his condition, it's clear he pushed himself hard to break away from the battlefield and bolt straight to this basement.
"What were you doing down here?"
"Research. As you know, escaping this planet the normal way is impossible. You've seen those ships from other civilizations crashing down at intervals of months or years. That moon drags all those men here, and if anyone even thinks about leaving, it whips out its tentacles to sabotage them."
Now Rophuk starts spilling everything, no filter on the info's quality or importance.
No telling how many years it took him to gather it all,
but his knowledge blows past anything I can comprehend.
"…Joo-ho, your enemy isn't me. And you're not mine either. That moon up there, this whole foul planet—they're the real enemies."
"Then what's this gem?"
I keep the door cutter trained on Rophuk without letting up. He stays cool as ice, but when I bring up the bizarre gem crystallizing from the Finger, he hesitates like he's choked up for a second.
But he lays it all bare in the end.
He explains everything he'd researched himself,
everything he'd planned to put into action.
"Joo-ho, I'm sorry for what I did to your comrades. But extracting Ember from those healthy specimens let me forge your weapon—and finally hit the collection target I'd been aiming for. Now we just need a little more time, and we can end it all. Everything!"
"…From your angle, it was practically a gift. Since I brought Jenny and the succubus along."
"Spot on. I've always been grateful to you for that. I see you as special, Joo-ho. So we need to shelve those petty old grudges you're nursing right now and talk this out."
What is Ember?
This mystery substance Rophuk's been hunkered down in this basement researching day in, day out—what's its origin, and what does it enable?
"Listen up. Ember is a discovery and invention that'll echo through cosmic history."
We both stare at the dazzling source of life steadily extruding from the Finger.
It flows into the transparent tube at the room's center,
undergoing an electric fusion process before crystallizing into the exquisite substance known as Ember.
"Put simply, it's pulling together everything inherent in living beings—even the stuff you can't see with the naked eye—and rebuilding it into a tangible material structure."
Rophuk's explanation even conjures the word soul. With wildly dangerous notions and sheer guts, he's somehow tapped into this hellish planet's most vital resource.
Living beings.
Every soul I've crossed paths with on this planet boasts insane physical prowess. Hell, with life from across the universe converging here, their genes and traits get amplified even further.
To put it another way, the toughness and adaptability of the planet's inhabitants—that's its deadliest weapon.
All the bullshit pain and tragedy I've endured? It all boils down to the natives' superior physiques and off-the-charts biological quirks.
In crash-landing hell and survival scenarios, you can't hang with the locals.
Struggle all you want, but the law of the jungle turns castaway guys into lifelong prisoners who never see home again.
But Rophuk? He's on another level.
He found his answer right here in this temple.
"Joo-ho, why do you think I swapped my whole body for this machine? We can't beat the natives head-on. Innate limits are a brick wall."
Rophuk thumps his solid frame, pleading his case. I get where he's coming from, at least somewhat.
"I toughed out the agony, so now I don't fold in close-quarters brawls anymore. But kid—are you really okay settling for that?"
Objectively?
Rophuk might outclass me entirely.
Solo in this godforsaken nowhere, no backup, he sharpened himself into a solution machine.
Hell, right here in this nasty basement,
he birthed Ember—a peril so wild it's hard to buy at a glance.
"Nah, I'm not satisfied. Joo-ho, my plan is to wipe out every tragedy tied to this planet for good."
Rophuk throws his arms wide in a warm, inviting gesture.
He's wide open. Lower the door cutter now, and he'd welcome me aboard as a partner in crime—or victory, whatever.
"Eh, even so, that target amount you set for Ember feels suspiciously sky-high."
But I keep my doubts locked on Rophuk, unwavering.
"…What're you getting at, kid?"
"Even if it's enough to smash that moon and bail from this planet, you've got Ember coming out your ears. Way too much."
The Finger, quietly observing our back-and-forth, whispers straight into my head.
"Finger, you shut it too. I don't trust either of you. I'm here now—I want the full story."
Only then does Rophuk clock that I'm chatting with the Finger and lets out a startled guffaw.
"No way, Joo-ho! You can talk to that monster? What a skill! Yeah, I kinda suspected when I checked out that eye. Figured there had to be some link between you two. But Joo-ho, you have any idea how dangerous and repulsive that thing is?"
His glitching finger components point right at the rotting guide's mug. No longer flesh and blood, Rophuk can move pretty freely even in front of this hazardous ancient horror.
"Hell no. Joo-ho, that's no ordinary lifeform. A monster—a godlike thing that treats us like flies and happily feeds us to the grinder?"
They both yell at me at once.
"That thing's just gonna sacrifice you! How do I know? I got lured here same as you. All it wants is one thing: a dumbass scapegoat to replace its long-dead sun!"
I can see it plain as day.
My blackened eyes lay bare their raw emotions, their honest voices in full.
Not a shred of deceit—pure truth from both.
Rophuk bellows.
"You know it too! Every damn tragedy on this planet!"
His right hand stretches toward me. Just grab it.
"I can put it all to rest. Then I'll get you home! Ember makes it doable. Trust me."
Vile tears trickle from its rotten eyes.
I have to choose.
But,
no denying it—Rophuk's voice tugs at me hard.
"…Still waiting on a real answer. Why's your Ember target higher than moon-busting levels?"
The door cutter dips lower, inch by inch. Drained of strength? Starting to buy into Rophuk? Hell if I know.
"Joo-ho, I know you'll get it. Come with me—let's save the universe."
Seeing my edge soften, Rophuk exhales in relief, slipping back into his smug ease. He fans out his palm and lays out his vision of the future.
"We obliterate that moon. This planet too. All of it. No more tragedies. Ever."