Chapter 9
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: 8. Escaping Reality
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It was truly the worst nightmare.
I died hundreds of times over.
The problem was how real it felt. Probably because of the original story. Having read the original content, it manifested in my illusion just like that.
But there were a few things that didn't add up.
Why did that dream repeat hundreds of times, each one embedding a monster's core into my body in a different way?
And starting from the second or third time, it was like it knew—hiding away before killing me.
What the hell? Was it an illusion different from the one I knew from the original story?
Yeah, it's just a dream. Dreams have weird developments like that.
Hahaha. Of course. It's only a dream.
I tried comforting myself like that, but this gloomy ghost was obliviously staggering around beside me.
I wish it'd just vanish.
"Awake now, Cadet Yoo Eun-ha?"
Rebecca was standing in front of me as I woke up in the infirmary.
"Yes. As you can see, I nearly died thanks to you, Professor."
"For now, I apologize. Honestly, I didn't expect it to be this bad."
Rebecca looked genuinely troubled.
"Pardon?"
"Anyway, let me ask—have you ever nearly died before? Or do you have any innate abilities related to death or illusions?"
"None of that applies."
I've never died, and I don't have any abilities tied to illusions or death.
"The illusion I cast on you all is just one type. It drags out the most horrific memory from your life and turns it into an illusion."
"You're kidding, right?"
I had to play dumb here.
"When you were suffering, I used mental interference to peek into your illusion directly. Even I was shocked by what I saw. The best I could do was hold your mind together so it wouldn't shatter."
Wait, no. Hold on—this is a dream, isn't it? Why am I taking this seriously? It was just an illusion within a dream. I'd imagined Yoo Eun-ha dying multiple times while reading the original, so that's why.
"Hm, I haven't died before, but I think I know why it happened, so don't worry about it."
"It's nagging at me, but if you say so, then fine. Got it."
What am I supposed to do if the people in my dream feel uneasy? That gloomy Black Man standing by the infirmary door isn't even visible to them.
This won't do.
This is a dream. I need to keep that straight. Kissing that flame spear bitch was a mistake too.
Alright. Time to look for a way to ditch the academy while I'm at it.
"Um, Professor."
"Yes?"
Rebecca had grown a bit timid after what she'd done to me.
That's how she was originally. Strict on the surface, but the type to immediately spiral into self-reflection after messing up.
"Could I take some time off from school? The shock's hitting me pretty hard."
"It's only the start of the semester."
So what?
"How should I explain today's events so my brother won't get mad?"
"A-alright. Got it. Just do that!"
Quick explanation: Rebecca's a heroine from the previous work too.
She and Kim Ji-hye both still seem to like Yoo Jin-seok, so I figured I'd exploit that.
Yoo Eun-ha, currently on enthusiastically self-imposed leave, let out a wail.
"Gaaahhh!"
Even playing around isn't something a person should do.
No helping it. Time to mess with that gloomy ghost twitching against the wall like it was one with it.
What could I do with that ghost? As I pondered, I threw a knife.
Thuk!
Unfortunately, it passed right through the ghost and embedded in the wall.
"Tch."
I'd repainted the whole room white to make that ghost more visible. Even magic seemed useless against it.
I pulled the knife out from the wall, visible beyond the vanished ghost.
"Rolling around doing nothing will just make you fat."
Honestly, this body never gained weight no matter what I ate, and I never got hungry if I skipped meals.
But isn't the point of being human to not live that lazily?
My living expenses were running dry, and before I screwed up as a person, the slave-work ethic of Hell Joseon civilians kicked in.
No work? Make some work.
No choice. Time to earn money.
I shoved aside the ghost pretending to type on a keyboard in the chair and sat down to browse nearby part-time jobs online.
—Location: New Seoul Gangnam Tower Building B1.
—Positions: 5
—Job: Cleaning monster and hunter corpses. Mint tablets provided.
—Pay: 500,000 won
Not bad, but not appealing. "Cleaning" means old, dried-up monster and hunter corpses stuck to the basement floor. The smell's gotta be brutal. Can mint tablets fix that?
—Location: New Seoul Cloud Dungeon
—Positions: 2
—Job: Scout floors 1-5 with Bbeom-mi Jang.
—Pay: Fair share of dungeon rewards. Artifacts and cores belong to whoever gets them.
Bbeom-mi Jang? Gives me the creeps.
Still, partying up to clear a dungeon is a solid idea. Rewards are divvied up like in any normal party.
Dreams are heavily influenced by your own mind, after all.
Did my subconscious think of Bbeom-mi Jang?
"Lord have mercy."
I skipped to the next one.
—Location: GC Convenience Store across from Hansung Academy.
—Positions: 2 (women preferred)
—Job: Standard convenience store part-time.
—Pay: 12,000 won per hour.
Hm, unlike the real world, job sites in this world seem way too straightforward?
I thought that at first, but now I get it—it's tailored for hunters, so they keep it simple.
Hours negotiable. I'm not exactly flush enough for convenience store work right now, so Bbeom-mi Jang might be better.
Cloud Dungeon
"Hogok! You're too pretty! I love that silver-white hair!"
Should I just leave? I seriously considered it.
"Hawawa. My name's Kim Bbeom-mi, D-rank hunter, and I'm the party leader for tackling the Cloud Dungeon this time. Call me Bbeom-mi Jang or just Bbeom-mi. I mainly handle magic."
What a handful.
"I'm Shinohara Mariko. From Japan's famous ninja clan, the Shinohara family. My bestie Bbeom-mi asked for help, so I came to Korea for a visit. Graduated from Tokyo Hunter Academy last year, D-rank hunter. I use fire illusion techniques."
Shinohara family. In the story, one of Japan's top hunter clans. Their head is a woman who later falls into a hellgate during Japan's crisis and gets saved by the dispatched Choi Si-woo.
Yeah. No point saying more.
The clan head's a sub-heroine too.
If she's from that family, there might be connections, but I don't want to get tangled up. She's not even in the original, so I can ignore her.
"I'm Geum Tae-yang. Currently attending Seoul Hunter Academy. Here to earn pocket money. I'm just a cadet, but I've got a D-rank hunter contract lined up with the Black Wolf Guild after graduation. Close-combat specialist using Body Enhancement. And yeah, I'm a sweet guy despite the looks."
Next up, Geum Tae-yang. One of the big three in NTR, NTL, and female corruption adult novels/manga—right after squinting muscle guys and hypnosis app pigs.
Tanned skin like he'd been baked somewhere, blond hair. Decent build.
The name Geum Tae-yang instinctively drew my eyes to his lower half, and sure enough, one side of his pants was bulging.
Way bigger than what I lost becoming Yoo Eun-ha.
Gulp.
Damn bastard. You're my enemy.
"I'm Yoo Eun-ha. Attending Hansung Academy. Ability is speed combat using Acceleration. Nice to work with you today."
"Whoa~ Silver-haired beauty gotcha."
The NTR specialist leered at me lewdly. No way, right? Nothing'll happen?
He won't try anything, will he?
The Cloud Dungeon had gloomy storm clouds inside, occasionally raining poison.
Monsters were these squishy, slimy beasts. Like slimes?
The actual slimes had no real weight to them.
Just human-sized puddings, basically.
Slime strategy is simple. Magic shreds them. Reina's Spirit Arrows could one-shot them. Weak to greatswords too—hit the core, and they're done.
I just used knives, stabbing for the cores.
Splurt!
The slime didn't even resist—burst like a water balloon, liquid splattering everywhere.
If I hadn't dodged, my uniform would've been soaked, giving Geum Tae-yang a nice show.
"Hawawa! Poison rain's coming that way!"
"Fire Illusion! Fireball!"
Kim Bbeom-mi Jang flashed weird lights to mark no-go zones, while Mariko lit up torches scattered around the dungeon.
Wait, isn't fire illusion a ninja art? Does it mix with magic like fireball? Wouldn't it be more fitting for a ninja clan to use something like those comic exploding fireballs?
"Slime core GET!"
Geum Tae-yang was more diligent than expected.
Unlike that quirky duo, I just used Acceleration to pop slime cores.
Easier than thought.
But one thing bugged me. Scout up to floor 5, right?
"Bbeom-mi."
"Hawawa, call me Bbeom-mi Jang!"
What a pain.
"Bb-Bbeom-mi Jang."
"Hawawa?"
"Isn't this dungeon already cleared? Why bother going to floor 5?"
"Hawawa hawawa. After conquest, floor 5 has a monster flood—tons of trash mobs! Perfect for farming cores!"
"Ah, so we're sweeping them up?"
D-rank cores might be small change, but pennies make a mountain. 50,000 won each? Split after collecting, it'd be huge.
This is basically a gold mine.
"Hoeeng! I pulled strings with my brother to rent it out exclusively. Too tough solo—need everyone's help!"
"Can we handle it just us?"
Surprisingly honest question from Geum Tae-yang.
That bulge over his pants still nagged at me. He really that type? Body Enhancement is basic with effort—anyone can do it. He didn't mention other abilities.
"This Bbeom-mi Jang ain't weak! It's just guild rules need four, but I could solo it!"
She's got real skill, for sure.
Scouting magic, cleaning spells, and her bestie playing torch villain lighting fires everywhere.
Even without them, Geum Tae-yang's melee was solid.
Floor 5 came quick.
It was already cleared by a guild, so lower difficulty helped.
"Wait, isn't this too easy?"
"Hawawa. Oppa, you guys lucked out thanks to me! Be grateful!"
Bbeom-mi Jang puffed out her nonexistent chest proudly.
Yeah, core farming could match corpse-cleaning pay easy.
Smooth sailing up to then.
"Uh, ladies. There's a button here."
Until Geum Tae-yang spotted that obviously suspicious button on the wall.
"That's a trap, right?"
"Huh? Already pressed it."
"You fucking idiot."
Boom!
No time to curse him out—Bbeom-mi Jang's party tumbled into somewhere.