Chapter 388: Heaven and Hell
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 388: Heaven and Hell
“They’re really living lives just like ours. A little different, maybe… Jeong Ji-young’s become a gigolo and Ha Yuri’s living at rock bottom…”
“Right?”
“Yeah, that bitch has really mellowed out. A lot. It’s definitely because of that Jeong Ji-young guy, isn’t it?”
“I’d guess so.”
“Damn, the power of love is fucking incredible. This is what love is all about.”
After we entered the room, Choi Seulgi’s expression was genuinely refreshed. I thought she’d stopped caring about them after what happened, but it seems she was still a little hung up on it. She looked incredibly satisfied that the revenge she’d wanted was now perfectly complete. To be honest, I didn’t feel that same sense of satisfaction. I couldn’t pinpoint the emotion, but it would be right to say it was incredibly complex.
“Anyway, when are you going back up?”
“As soon as I’ve gathered enough emotions. I don’t plan on staying long, but since I’m down here, I might as well do some Customization. When I’m in other places, the emotions that flow in feel… scattered. Like some of it is just dissipating into thin air. But here, it feels like it’s all flowing directly to me. Since I came all this way, I want to make the most of it.”
“Hmm… you going to get wings again this time?”
“I’ll see what I can gather… I’m interested in something else this time. Why? You don’t want the cute Kim Taesung from before to come back?”
“Well… th-the current you isn’t bad, either.”
Seeing Choi Seulgi’s hesitant expression made me laugh for some reason. It reminded me of how she’d thrown a fit before.
It wasn’t that emotions didn’t gather when I was elsewhere, but the amount that collected while I was staying here was on a completely different level. I had originally planned to just take a quick look around and head back up, but after feeling the sheer volume of emotions accumulating in just a short time, I decided it wouldn’t be so bad to stay a little longer.
“But are you really not going to do anything more to Ha Yuri?”
“I was going to say something just in case, but no, I’m not going to do anything else stupid.”
“I know, I know. That our revenge ended back then… It’s just so satisfying, you know? They looked pretty happy, in their own way.”
“We were happy once, too.”
“Is Ha Yuri still pretty to you?”
“You’re the prettiest.”
As I finished speaking, Choi Seulgi subtly leaned into my arms. Lee Wanyong, of course, was watching us, listening to our conversation. He was probably trying desperately to let it go in one ear and out the other. Seeing him quietly close the door and leave, I had to admit his ability to read the room was outstanding.
“So, what do you say? Should we try to recreate the old atmosphere?”
“Not here. Are you confident you won’t curse or scream?”
“……”
Choi Seulgi didn’t answer. She probably wasn’t confident. I chuckled and lay back on the bed, and the night passed.
Dong!
Dong!
Dong!
In the morning, a loud bell woke Choi Seulgi and me at the same time. They were probably having their meal up above and sending the scraps down to the bottom.
I had no desire to participate in the mad scramble, but I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to see the morning spectacle. Leaving the still-sleeping Choi Seulgi behind, I stepped out of the house. The first thing I saw was Lee Wanyong, shivering outside.
“……”
“What are you doing out here?”
“Ah… It was a bit awkward to go inside, so I was waiting for you here, Lord Blood Dagger.”
It seemed he felt burdened by the thought of entering the room where Choi Seulgi and I were. I couldn’t tell if he was being loyal or foolish, but it didn’t leave a bad impression. He was probably protecting his body with magic, so he wouldn’t have gotten sick.
I glanced up at the sky, and sure enough, the scene from the surface world began to appear above.
“You can really see it.”
“Yes, you can. Lord Isaac gave us special assistance. He said it’s a principle that uses the refraction of light, but how would a magic layman like me know? It’s truly amazing to see things like this.”
“Hmm…”
This kind of magic, rather than attack spells, was Isaac’s specialty. It might have been a simple trick, but seeing the surface projected onto the sky was incredibly hard to get used to.
The elves and the cultists were chatting happily, gathering to eat calmly or sing songs. It was a scene that could truly be called a utopia. Many of the people down here were staring blankly at the world above. They were in hell, looking up at heaven. They were probably imagining that one day, they too could go up and be happy. Of course, it was no exaggeration to say that the probability of that dream being realized was practically zero.
An unattainable dream makes humans sad, desperate, and miserable. I could feel the emotions piling up in an instant.
“This is truly cruel…”
“Yes, it is. But they brought it on themselves. If they hadn’t ended up like this, wouldn’t the elves be in their place? It would have been worse, not better.”
I nodded at his words. Even without seeing that scene, the situation was incredibly cruel for those who lived off food scraps. The image of the surface world projected in the sky above delivered a considerable amount of despair to them.
“It’s starting,” Lee Wanyong muttered, and people in rags began to gather.
“Fuck off!”
“Get your brats out of the way! You all want to die?”
“You sons of bitches! You think you’re the only ones with mouths to feed?!”
“Please follow the controls!”
“Still spouting that bullshit? Fuck off, you bastards!”
“Controls, my ass! What fucking controls?!”
The guards managing the city were trying to control the crowd, but it was impossible. Those who figured it was the same whether they starved to death or died by the sword began to surge forward, and soon, curses and arguments erupted from all sides.
“Don’t push!!”
“Don’t push, you bastard!!!”
“Put your weapon away! You want me to call an Inquisitor?”
“We’re about to starve to death, what the hell is an Inquisitor going to do, you son of a bitch!”
What I saw was, quite literally, a pack of hungry ghosts. An incredible number of humans were screaming and shrieking, reaching their hands toward the food falling from the sky.
“You…!! Bast…!! Aaaaargh!!!”
The voices began to blend together until it was impossible to distinguish what anyone was saying. It was as if a single, giant monster was letting out a scream. I had a rough idea of the situation below from my time up above, but it looked more dangerous than I’d thought.
It wouldn’t be strange at all if someone was trampled or crushed to death.
It was then that a loud noise echoed.
Clank!
With that sound, food began to pour down from the sky.
“……!!!!”
The beings there could no longer be called human; they were beasts. I could see the expressions of the elves on the ceiling above. It was a look of contempt. They were undoubtedly enjoying the sight of their former tormentors turning into animals.
But the people of the underground were no longer concerned with the expressions of those in the sky. Eating and surviving was all that mattered. Everyone was probably thinking the same thing.
“What are you thinking about?”
I turned my head at the sound of the voice and saw Ha Yuri watching the scene. Sensing her approach, Lee Wanyong had already blended in with the masses, preparing to catch the falling food. His skill at catching food amidst the chaos was truly top-notch. Moreover…
‘Why does he look like he’s enjoying this?’
His will to survive was truly on another level. I wanted to keep watching Lee Wanyong, but I couldn’t ignore Ha Yuri, who had asked me a question. I gave a slight nod and muttered.
“Nothing, really…”
“It feels like their dignity is collapsing, doesn’t it?”
“……”
“Aren’t you going?”
“If I’m truly out of food, I’ll be in there too. But I don’t prefer to go every time.”
“Is there any other way to get food here?”
“No. Other than hunting monsters… We’ve tried, but farming is out of the question… Sometimes you can find edible fruits in the forest, but they’re not easy to get. Still, I don’t like being over there. When I see those bitches smiling on the surface, it reminds me of the old days… and thinking about it just pisses me off.”
Ha Yuri’s expression looked incredibly complicated.
“In the old days…”
“I don’t really want to remember… but you probably wouldn’t believe anything I said anyway.”
If I were truly a rookie who had just fallen into this place, I wouldn’t have believed whatever she was about to say.
She must have seen her old self in the expressions of the elves looking down on the humans below. Whether she had reformed or not was none of my business, but something about her seemed to have changed. As I continued to stare blankly at the tangled mass of people, Ha Yuri muttered quietly.
“It’s funny for me to say this, but I’m a little on the strong side. The monsters here may be weak, but they’re not weak enough for a human who can’t use magic to catch. For someone like you, it would probably be easier to eat the food that falls from over there. Of course, I’m not saying the people over there are stupid. I respect the humans who struggle to survive in that mess.”
“You do?”
“Of course. It can’t be easy to live like that while enduring the gazes from above. I didn’t know before, but I think I understand a little now.”
“……”
“It’s just that.”
“Just that?”
“I don’t prefer to feed my husband someone else’s leftovers.”
For a moment, I couldn’t help but think she was a little cool. After she finished speaking, Ha Yuri tapped her sword against her shoulder and began to pack her things.
“Are you going out to hunt?”
“That’s right.”
“Alone?”
“My husband is sick right now. He was weak up on the surface, too. He can’t do anything without me.”
“May I go with you?”
As I spoke, Ha Yuri turned her head slightly to look at me.
“You look pretty frail…”
“I can protect myself.”
I didn’t know how I looked to Ha Yuri right now, but her expression was clearly one of distrust. I must have looked incredibly weak. It was only natural that the current Ha Yuri couldn’t gauge my strength, so her reaction wasn’t unreasonable.
But with a small sigh, Ha Yuri nodded and began to mutter.
“You could die. And I won’t protect you. My life is precious to me, too… You still want to go?”
“Yes. I don’t think I want to feed my wife that stuff, either.”
Ha Yuri smiled slightly at my words. The expression was so similar to the one she’d had when she first handed me a gold coin that it was both irritating and made me think of other things.
I never imagined I would be setting off on a journey with that Ha Yuri, but it wasn’t so bad. When Choi Seulgi woke up and found me gone, she would probably be furious, but I didn’t think a trip with Ha Yuri would be a bad thing.
Leaving the city, we came upon the forest we had walked through before.
“First time hunting monsters?”
“Here, yes. I have some experience outside.”
“Then that’s fine. It’s easier for me with two people than one. Just hold their aggro. I’ll make sure you don’t get hurt, so don’t be scared. The one we’re hunting is…”
I gave a perfunctory nod to Ha Yuri, who was chattering away next to me. Not long after we left the city, I had started to sense several presences.
‘Can she not feel it?’
Ha Yuri, who was so earnestly giving me a briefing, hadn’t sensed that they were following us.
They weren’t a threat to me, but it might be different for the current Ha Yuri. For now, it seemed best to remain silent.
‘Pieces of shit.’
“Hey, are you listening to me?”
“Of course.”
Irritation surged through me. The situation was so damn similar to what had happened before.