Chapter 76
Staggering to his feet like a marionette with its severed strings hastily reconnected, Nam Hae-su rose. I was shocked, "Kyaa?!" His wife, who had calmly accepted her husband's death, was shocked too, and even the rapid gunfire from the traitors and snipers lurking on the yacht—bang! bang! bang...!—couldn't hide their agitation.
The most astonishing part? This bizarre phenomenon was just the beginning.
"......"
Nam Hae-su's face twisted in agony as he gaped his mouth in a silent scream. Tick, tick, tick... Like tapping on thick steel plating, changes came to his body, where bullets no longer embedded as deeply as before.
Shrivel— His hands and feet withered like dried-up flowers, shrinking away, the fat melting from his flesh until skin clung tight to bone. Then it flattened out, thinning like a blade.
No matter how I looked at it, "Sword Demon…?"
But not yet. He still only had two arms like a human—
Pierce! Pierce! Ribs protruded from under his armpits, sprouting a new pair of blade-like arms. Now four arms total. He had every feature of a Sword Demon.
"D-dear?!"
"......"
Nam Hae-su's indifferent gaze, having healed the bullet hole through his head, turned to his traitorous wife.
"I was wrong...!"
"......"
"Forgive me, for the sake of your child! This baby is genetically your true heir...!"
"......"
The Sword Demon that was once Nam Hae-su swung its arms. Snap! His wife's head tumbled as her neck was severed mid-plea for mercy amid sobs.
And then, "This is insane...!"
"Waaah~!"
I scooped up the newborn from the stroller and leaped away. Slash— The stroller split in half. If I hadn't saved it, even this tiny life would have been taken.
"......"
Nam Hae-su stared at me blankly, mouth slightly agape. No need to guess who the next target was.
Bang—! If not for the third party's interference, it surely would have been me. A bullet from the yacht hammered into Nam Hae-su's body.
Wobble~ Odd dents multiplied, like poking sharp objects into thin sheet metal. The recoil from the gunfire's physical force was a bonus. Did that annoy him? Or did he judge it a threat?
"......"
Nam Hae-su shifted his gaze from me to the yacht on the sea. Then he charged in a straight line.
...For real?!
Leaping from the luxury villa into the ocean, he skimmed across the churning waves like a skate. Only his razor-sharp toes dipped into the water as he raced toward the yacht like a speed skater! Ignoring gravity and surface tension with ease. And insanely fast, too?
Bang! Bang! Bang...! Suppressive fire tried to halt him, and the yacht, which had stayed put until now, finally moved to widen the distance.
"What the hell is...?"
The villa was a wreck—severed-head corpse of the woman, merciless bullet holes everywhere. With the yacht's traitors dealt with, Nam Hae-su might circle back. Escaping this place was top priority to shake off his pursuit.
"Kang Moon-soo."
I froze. A familiar woman's voice called me.
"...You again? Witch."
Witch. A nickname I'd slapped on her since I didn't know her name, but her outfit screamed female sorceress to anyone. Sure enough, the witch in her wide-brimmed black pointed hat sat on the villa sofa, legs crossed.
"Witch, huh... Should I call you Shaman then?"
"Doesn't matter."
"...Didn't expect someone who hated their own aptitude to snap back like that."
"What's this about?"
"I told you before. This is a world I created. The homeowner's just come back home."
"This is Swimming Emperor Nam Hae-su's dream."
"I created that dream. Hard to grasp?"
"......"
Deep wrinkles creased my forehead at being treated like an idiot.
"Nam Hae-su found happiness in the world he wanted. Why interfere?"
"This world isn't reality."
"What's your definition of reality?"
"...The real world."
"Proof that the world you believe in is real? That it wasn't created by someone, like this place?"
"......"
Her sharp question hit home. She smirked as I faltered without an instant rebuttal.
"Kang Moon-soo."
"...What?"
"Admit it."
"......"
"That you're just another human living in a dream, like Nam Hae-su."
* * *
As virtual reality and AI advanced, intellectuals despaired.
Why? "The probability that our world is also a simulation is about 99%."
Because AIs in VR worlds believe "We're human," just as their creators (humans) do. What if creators have creators too? Like machines building other machines!
No solid proof we're "real humans" anywhere.
"Look at Nam Hae-su."
"......"
"He wanted to change the past but failed, betrayed and killed by his wife and subordinates."
"My fault?"
"Yes. Your tip-off landed all his inner circle in prison, right? Even the private army commander got taken down by you on a plane."
"Hm..."
She was right—I'd interfered with Nam Hae-su.
To make him give up the dream...
Like Kim Eun-jeong possessing the beautiful protagonist of the romance fantasy novel I Became the Youngest Daughter of a Count. Guide them to rock bottom, shatter the dream world—that was the plan.
"His transformation is your fault."
"Transformation?"
"...We've wasted enough time on nonsense."
"Witch. Do you know why Nam Hae-su turned from human to Sword Demon?"
"Of course."
"......"
She blamed me. Was it true? Confusing.
"Nam Hae-su won't stop the massacre until this world he loved is utterly destroyed. Love-hate, I suppose."
"...Really?"
"Why would I lie to an intruder?"
"Who knows."
"Don't believe me? Watch from now on."
"Hm..."
If she said that much, probably true. But so what? Once Nam Hae-su destroys his own dream, he'll wake up. Good outcome.
"Aha! I get it now."
"What?"
I realized why the witch appeared "again" before me.
"No. If that were it, I'd have killed you on sight. Look down."
"Down? Uh...?"
Swish— A noose had looped around my neck unnoticed, and the floor had turned to transparent glass overlooking the sea.
Hanging. A method of execution strangling the condemned—here, the drop-style, removing supports to let them dangle to death.
Anyway, When the hell...?!
I hadn't noticed until she pointed it out.
"Get it now? If I wanted, I could kill you anytime."
"...What's your goal?"
"Guess. Wrong, and... you know."
The glass under my feet would vanish.
The witch's goal. If not revenge, only one possibility.
"...Don't interfere with others' happiness?"
"Correct."
A smile curved the lips half-hidden by her pointed hat.
"One question."
"Ask."
"Before I interfered, was Nam Hae-su happy?"
"Obviously."
"Even married to a woman he didn't love?"
"Shaman. Wasn't it one question?"
Her voice unwavering. No room for persuasion.
Fine then. "Witch. Let me say this clearly too."
"A question?"
"No."
"Then what?"
"The dreams you create are drugs—luring people into pleasure, slowly destroying them."
"......"
No counterargument.
Clunk. But suddenly the floor vanished, buoyancy and gravity surging over me.
Her answer.
Ruthless!
But if she meant to kill me for sure, she'd have bound my arms.
"Waaah~?!"
I tossed the baby gently onto the bed, then grab! seized the noose before it fully tightened around my neck. Yanked my head free.
"Hey! When we meet in reality, you're dead meat—huh?!"
Snap.
Hanging in midair, gripping the rope tied to the villa roof, I froze in shock. What I'd thought was sturdy was a "rotten rope"! About to break.
"Told you. No intention to kill you."
"Damn it! You'll see~!"
Splash!
I plummeted from the villa into the sea.
That witch...!
Next time, I'd rip every hair from her head so she couldn't wear that hat!
Splash—!
A guy who'd swum 10km marathon swims without breaking a sweat wouldn't drown on a beach. I swam ashore in no time.
"Moon-soo!"
A girl spotted me drying my wet clothes on the beach and ran over, slamming into my chest.
"H-Han-hee?"
"Sob sob!"
Park Han-hee hugged me tight, crying her eyes out.
"I'm fine."
"Idiot! I was worried sick! You should've called first if you're safe...!"
"......"
No words for that.
"Everyone else made it to the Olympics opening ceremony safe. But I'm not on the national team."
"I see."
"I stayed behind, searching hard for you."
Looked like Nam Hae-su hadn't touched her.
"Sorry."
"Where've you been?"
"On this island..."
Seemed like he'd schemed a bit to keep us apart! Petty to the bitter end.
"No more dangerous stuff from now on!"
"Not up to me—"
"Don't!"
"...Okay."
"Promise here! Who am I supposed to marry without you?!"
"Marry...?"
"Hurry!"
Felt like she was naturally strong-arming me into marriage.
* * *
"...Ruining such a touching reunion."
The scenery shifted in a blink. Hollow.
All a dream! I knew from the start, but the mental blow was real.
"Finally awake."
"Manager Seo Hye-ju?"
"That's me. Brain cells seem intact."
Seo Hye-ju, my business partner, gave a joking diagnosis.
So this was reality. I'd woken mid-dream with Park Han-hee sobbing into my soaked chest.
Left a pretty awkward aftertaste! No proper goodbye again.
"How long was I out?"
"62 days, 9 hours. Way longer than expected. Nam Hae-su really turned into a dolphin?"
"No. He was human. Completely different from Nam Hae-su."
"Still, you found him."
"Tough job."
Got to experience some old-school twisted politics and society too.
"Good work."
"And Nam Hae-su?"
"Woke first, video-called his family."
"Ah...!"
Thank goodness! Nam Hae-su, killed by wife and subordinates' betrayal, turned Sword Demon. Thought it'd gone wrong with that unexpected mess.
Patient death. Song Seon-yeong made suicide routine, so I'd been iffy, but dying in the dream seemed to wake them anyway.
Wasted effort last time!
Couldn't beat Earth-strong Magic Boy Choi Kang-min with my power, but Kim Eun-jeong as the count's youngest daughter had plenty of kill chances: assassination, framing, war, poison... If I'd known killing worked, no need to sweat persuasion.
I'll kill from now on.
Not great for mental health, but saves my time on convincing. And death experiences? Priceless, can't buy in reality.
"Good work."
"You too, Manager."
"Nam Hae-su talked inheritance right away. Thanks to your dream prep, probably."
"Yeah."
Must've accepted reality on waking.
"Asked to liquidate all assets for Korea's cultural heritage preservation."
"...Family?"
"Total chaos, obviously. His fortune's massive."
"Figured."
Shocked family probably rushing to talk him down.
"Oh! He had a message for you."
"I'll hear it from him."
"......"
Seo Hye-ju's expression turned subtle.
"What?"
"He's already passed."
"Pardon?"
"Cause: heart attack. Right as his family got the sudden death notice and rushed over, you woke."
"......"
The dream didn't end as just a dream.
My fault...?
The witch's warning—don't interfere—stabbed my heart like a dagger.