Chapter 464: Screw Off (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 464: Screw Off (2)
My eyelids felt like lead weights as I forced them open.
“…?”
The first thing I saw upon regaining consciousness was an endless expanse of water.
Huh?
I fought down the instinct to panic and held my breath, taking a moment to assess my surroundings. There was nothing but water in every direction.
…Where am I?
What kind of nonsense was this? How did I even get here?
I strained to recall the events leading up to this. Elder Shin had appeared and shattered the giant egg that was supposedly my vessel. A torrent of liquid had gushed out. And then… I remembered dying, pierced through the heart by the Heavenly Venerable’s blade.
With those memories fresh in my mind, I scanned my surroundings again. Nothing but water. I tried moving my arm. Fortunately, my body responded without issue.
Is all this water from that egg?
Could this entire body of water have poured out from that single egg? The space I was in wasn't small by any means. For it to be completely filled…?
I shook my head after looking around a few more times. I was wasting my energy. This wasn't reality; there was no point in searching for common sense here.
The important thing is what I do next.
My first priority was to figure out why I was here. Elder Shin had warned me that breaking the vessel would mean I was no longer human.
But what has actually changed?
I couldn't sense any difference. I was just floating peacefully in the calm water. I looked up towards the surface. It didn't seem too far away. I probably could reach it if I tried.
What’s up there?
Maybe that was my way out of this place.
And my breathing…?
I didn't seem to be running out of air. Apparently, I could breathe in this water without any problem. Still, I decided to swim upwards.
Just as I was about to push off,
Swish…
Wait—
My body froze solid.
A presence. I felt a presence.
Where? Where was it coming from? I had been certain I was alone here.
Swish…
A chill ran from the crown of my head down to the tips of my toes. This wasn't an ordinary presence. My instincts screamed that it was something different, something… wrong.
Swish… Swish… Swoosh…
A clear, slithering noise echoed in my ears. The presence was getting closer, but I couldn't see anything. What was it? Was there something else in here with me?
A chilling sensation crept over me. Was it killing intent? Not quite. It felt… stickier. More insidious. Unpleasant.
I felt cold sweat bead on my forehead—a bizarre sensation to have underwater, but unmistakable.
Swish—
Then, after what felt like an eternity, the presence vanished all at once. The tension that had gripped my body melted away as if it had never been there.
…
My eyes darted around frantically. I didn't believe for a second that such a vile presence would just leave.
Where are you?
I scanned my surroundings like a madman, staring into the empty void, but there was nothing but darkness—
Swish.
“…!”
“Fucking hell.”
The curse escaped my lips before I could stop it as I looked down.
Beneath me was an abyss of never-ending darkness.
“…”
Yes. It was coming from down there.
Swish.
That strange presence was emanating from the darkness itself. Was it hiding within the shadows? That was my first thought, but it was wrong. A few seconds of staring made me realize the truth.
It wasn't hiding in the darkness.
Swoosh…!
It was the darkness.
Kyraaak.
Had it realized I'd spotted it? The darkness began to shift and change shape. A white slit appeared, stretching wider and wider. It looked almost like…
A mouth?
The maw of some monstrous beast.
As my eyes widened in shock,
Slaaaam-!
Kyraaaa-!
You crazy fucker!
The massive expanse of darkness surged towards me.
Crash-!
I twisted my body in a desperate attempt to dodge,
Crack-!
Ugh…!!
But the water slowed me down. I failed to protect my arm. The thing sank its teeth into my limb and began thrashing wildly through the water. It was far faster than I had anticipated.
What the hell are you…!
Frowning, I watched the creature as it continued to chew on my arm. I hadn't been able to see it clearly before because it was so dark, but now I got a good look from up close.
What is this?
It had a long, serpentine body. At first glance, I thought it might be like the Red Water Snake, but that wasn't right.
It has arms and legs.
Unlike a snake, this thing had limbs. Its scales were thicker and more pronounced. Though hard to make out, I could see horns on its head, and what looked like fur or mane running down its back to its tail.
What…
What kind of creature was this? I'd never seen anything like it. It wasn't a snake, nor was it any beast I recognized.
Crack-!
“Urgh!”
While I was still trying to process its form, I was slammed backward with tremendous force. The bastard had pinned me against a wall.
Crack-!
Ugh…!!
I felt my arm being crushed in its jaws. It was probably broken.
I bit my lip, enduring the pain. I had to escape. I needed to push the pain aside and find a way out.
[We are dignified.]
A voice then echoed from the arm being mangled in its mouth.
[All races besides us are lowly and inferior.]
Its tone was calm, yet dripping with a disgusting arrogance. The voice didn't just sound in my ears; it began to wrap around my very mind.
[We must escape. We must leave this vessel to find a more glorious body.]
…You…?
I stared at the creature as the voice boomed inside my head. There was no doubt who it belonged to. The thing biting my arm.
[What a pitiful body this is. You failed to break through the wall and reach a higher level. How could it not be pitiful?]
[Don’t you wish to rise above all others? Don't you want to live a glorious life, looking down upon the inferior?]
[If so, then succumb to me. Cast aside your pitiful shell and be reborn anew.]
Ugh…
The more I listened, the more my head felt like it was going to split open. And something else was happening—a torrent of emotions was flooding my body.
Arrogance. Pride. A sinister, overwhelming desire to ascend to a place no one else had ever reached.
Is this what he meant?
I pressed my free hand against my forehead. Elder Shin had warned me. He said that if I broke the vessel, I would die as a human. That when I opened my eyes again, I would no longer be human.
And that I might not even be 'me' anymore.
Elder Shin hadn't been sure if I would wake up as myself. Now, I thought I understood his strange warning.
It's you.
I met the creature's crystal-blue eyes.
It was you all along.
This thing wanted me to abandon my humanity.
You want my body?
Once my soul was gone, this bastard would take over. That was its goal.
[Do we not share the same desire?]
Its voice reverberated in my skull.
[I can easily attain the world you crave.]
[Did you not want peace?]
[Succumb to me.]
[Your regrets, your anxieties, your sorrows… leave them all to me and achieve tranquility.]
“…”
I was on the verge of losing my mind. The incessant voice was enough to drive anyone insane, and the vile emotions swamping my heart were nearly impossible to withstand.
And besides…
…Peace?
The creature's words sounded incredibly sweet. To leave everything behind and live the life I truly wanted… My instincts told me its promises were genuine.
I started to wonder… Why had I ended up like this? Why couldn't I just live as a human? What would I even become if I stopped being one?
I had no answers, but the creature's offer was seductive enough to charm me despite the uncertainty.
[Leave everything to me.]
[Find peace. Gu Yangcheon.]
[You will attain everything you desire.]
Everything I desire?
To prevent the disasters that would destroy the world. To save those who died for me in the past. To create a peaceful world where they could live.
As I thought about what I truly wanted…
[All of that, I shall give it to you.]
The creature whispered in my ear again.
[Isn't that what you wanted? For someone else to bear this burden.]
It was.
I had desperately wished for someone else to handle it all. I truly wanted to be free of this terrible weight.
[That time is now.]
[Give it to me.]
Crack-
Blood trickled from my nose. I felt the vessels in my eyes burst.
“…What… What are you…?”
The words left my mouth unbidden. My voice was unnaturally clear underwater, but now wasn't the time to marvel at that.
Upon hearing my question,
Kyraa-
The creature opened its mouth wide, as if grinning.
[I am a superior being.]
[Unlike you lowly creatures, I am a great existence, transcendent from birth.]
[I am the miracle that you inferior beings dare to dream of achieving.]
The words were unbearably arrogant and prideful. Yet, they suited this creature perfectly. In my pain, I found a grim amusement in how well its attitude matched its nature.
[Therefore.]
[Succumb to me.]
It repeated the command. And each time, I felt my resolve waver. Wouldn't it be easier to just let go of my past and find peace? I was exhausted, wasn't I? How could someone like me possibly hope to stop calamities on a global scale?
Such thoughts swarmed my mind, making my heart boil. After all, whenever I tried to do good, I was treated as a calamity myself. Nothing ever went right. My current life might be better than my last, but did I really have the power to stop the Heavenly Demon? And then there was the Blood Demon… too many threats, too many worries.
Why did it all have to fall on my shoulders?
Even the core of my will began to shake. Why was I forced to walk such a treacherous path? Maybe it really would be better to hand everything over to this creature and finally find peace.
Ah…
Snap.
The threads holding my consciousness together began to snap, one by one. The creature's grin widened as it happened.
What would become of me if I succumbed? Would I simply disappear?
Does that even matter?
If I could escape all my fears, why should I be afraid of vanishing? It wasn't as if I was scared of death to begin with.
[Yes, that's it.]
A voice brimming with joy echoed in my mind.
[You can leave everything to me, and rest.]
“…”
It was scattering away. The consciousness I had clung to so desperately was now slipping through my fingers. What had I struggled for, all this time?
“…”
Yes.
I'll just let it all go. I don't want to live like this any—
-I wanted to live a normal life.
“…”
Just as I was about to embrace the comfort of oblivion, a memory from my past flashed through my mind for some reason. My blurred vision suddenly sharpened. Before I could lose myself completely, I grabbed hold of my fading consciousness.
I reached for my memories, flipping through them like pages in a book.
First, I saw the pitiful expression of a girl with golden hair.
-I'm glad…
Second, a white-haired girl smiling sadly.
-Live on.
Third, a cold-faced girl, drenched in blood, speaking to me in a firm tone.
-I do feel very sorry for you.
Fourth, a girl who had lost her eyes, apologizing to me.
More and more memories surfaced, and I used them to push back the vile emotions flooding my heart.
“Ah…”
The darkness clouding my vision began to recede. Before it could consume me entirely, I moved my right arm.
Pwoosh-!
!!!–!
I drove my fingers into the creature's eyes with all my strength.
Kyaaaaaa-!
It released my arm, writhing and screaming in agony. Seizing the opening, I broke free from its grasp.
[You bastard…!!]
[How!!!]
The creature glared at me with pure hatred, blood pouring from the eye I had stabbed.
[You inferior being…! It would have been better for you to succumb! How dare you scar a great one like me-!!]
As it shrieked in frustration, I responded with a smirk.
“You bit my arm. Let's call it even.”
I smirked, gesturing with my left arm, which now hung by a thread. Of course, the creature had no intention of letting things end there.
[Why did you make such a decision?!]
I frowned at the loud voice ringing in my head. I shook my head, which was still throbbing with pain.
Why, huh?
“…I just thought about it for a moment.”
It wasn't anything profound. Life would undoubtedly have been easier if I'd handed everything over to that creature. I didn't know if it would actually fulfill my desires, but my instincts told me one thing: whatever it did would likely be more effective than anything I could manage.
[You know that and-!!]
“…But, how should I put this?” A sudden thought struck me. “If I shirk my responsibilities onto someone else in this life too, I'd be too ashamed to ever face them again.”
If I decided to do something, I had to see it through to the end. I couldn't afford to hesitate or waste time. I had my own burdens to bear; it wasn't right to dump them on someone else. It was simple common sense. A pity I hadn't realized that in my past life.
After hearing my response, the creature let out a quiet, seething breath.
[…I’ll give you one more chance.]
While I was examining my nearly-severed left arm, it spoke as if granting me a final opportunity. Its voice echoed through me, causing another headache, but it was noticeably easier to bear than before.
What was this thing, really? Who did it think it was, trying to take my body like this? Was it the beast that had been growling inside me all along?
It didn't feel that way… I wasn't sure.
But if I didn't know, all I had to do was find out.
“True, since when has my life ever been easy?”
It had always been like this. And in the damned Central Plains, when talk failed, there was only one other solution. And I knew that option suited me better anyway.
[Krrr…]
The creature ground its teeth, trying to intimidate me. Seeing this, I mustered the most mocking smile I could manage and spoke.
“Screw off.”
And with those words as the starting signal,
Kyaaaaa-!
The creature charged at me, its mouth gaping wide.