Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Liar (2)
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'Where... am I...'
She looked around. She couldn't see a thing.
It was so pitch-black that for a moment, she wondered if her eyes were closed.
Her eyes narrowed reflexively. She had no idea exactly where she was, but it wasn't a place she wanted to stay long.
She hated the dark, after all.
If she couldn't rely on her sight, she had only one option.
Jin Seohyun slowly drew up her mana.
A transparent force field enveloped her, extending out in layers.
The field distorted in various shapes where it touched the terrain, and based on that feedback, she began mapping her surroundings.
An advanced application that no other force field user would dare attempt.
It was a feat born from vast mana reserves and precise control.
Rugged rocks, sticky mud, and scattered everywhere... bones?
Not just one or two. Corpses littered every direction the force field reached.
Soon, the field bumped into an unfamiliar source of mana.
— Kirrik, kirirrik.
It was hard to tell if it was a lizard or a crocodile, but one thing was clear: it was a monster. No regular animal had two heads.
And it sensed the force field, turning toward her.
It charged straight at Jin Seohyun's position.
Without hesitation, as it closed in fast, the mana she released formed a massive force field.
Kwuduk!
A horrific rupture echoed through the void. The force field above the monster slammed it into the ground.
She dispatched it easily, but... Jin Seohyun's expression darkened.
Three more movements registered beyond the expanded field.
All heading straight for her.
Hoo.
After a light breath, she created multiple force fields.
Then swung both hands.
The fields moved differently at her command, batting away, crushing, and bursting the approaching foes.
Masterful multi-control, each field performing independently.
But it was a mistake. The commotion drew more monsters.
Jin Seohyun's face paled.
A dozen enemies within the field's range. And the number was growing.
Felling the horde only brought more.
Realization hit too late.
Movements from every direction. The encirclement was tightening.
— Grrr.
— Hooooung.
— Whii, whiiiik.
"Tch..."
She pulled her mana to its limit, focusing the force field into a single point. Sharp as a spear, piercing as an awl.
Then she charged.
Kwaaaang!
A deafening roar tore through the darkness.
Obstacles in her path exploded into chunks of flesh.
A single breakthrough to pierce the siege.
She blocked claws and teeth flying from both sides with her force field.
But one particularly sharp claw pierced through, grazing her.
Her side burned like it was branded. Gritting her teeth, she kept running.
Her lungs burned at her throat. Her heart felt ready to burst.
She ran and ran to shake the pursuit.
How much time passed?
No more enemies registered in the field.
Jin Seohyun's legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground.
"Hahk, hahk, heuk..."
Ragged breaths scraped her lungs. The taste of blood filled her throat.
With trembling hands, she felt her body.
Her side was wet. The claw wound was deep. Her left ankle throbbed, probably sprained.
Where the hell did I end up?
*
Thirsty.
She tilted the canteen she'd groped for. Drip. A single drop from the rim hit her tongue. That was it.
Her thirst wasn't quenched—it only sharpened.
She regretted drinking it at all.
When I get back, I need a bigger canteen.
She recalled her teammate's nagging. Something about how using a small one because it's lighter would bite her later.
Who knew she'd learn it the hard way.
Thinking of the guys' reactions made her lips twitch up. They'd probably make a huge fuss, saying she'd finally come to her senses.
Jin Seohyun's reverie didn't last.
Kiiiieee!
A grotesque screech shattered her thoughts. The harsh reality brooked no respite, dragging up the one idea she'd been avoiding.
Can I make it back?
She already knew the answer—she'd just ignored it.
A chill ran through her. She couldn't look away anymore.
It's so dark...
She clamped her hands over her ears. But the screams pierced through. They weren't coming from outside.
A voice that hadn't faded after over a decade. Her parents' final cries.
The darkness of the present dredged up the darkness of memory.
That night over ten years ago.
After a family trip, a quick stop at a roadside rest area.
A sudden roar. Screams tearing the air.
Fleeing, fleeing, until they reached their last stand.
Her parents hurriedly shoved her and her little sister into a rickety cabinet in the corner. Cramped and suffocating. Rusty metal stench.
"Seohyun-ah, hold Seoa tight. No matter what, don't come out. Don't make a sound."
Kkiiik.
The creaking hinges shut the door, and the world went black.
Sounds came.
Heavy footsteps, splintering barricades, her parents' defiant shouts.
Trembling little shoulders. A sob threatening to burst.
She hugged her sister tight. To stifle the cries. So the monsters wouldn't hear.
And covered her sister's ears with her own hands.
She had to protect her sister. That was her parents' final plea.
But the price was that Jin Seohyun couldn't cover her own ears.
Sounds came.
The tragedy unfolding on the other side of that thin metal sheet.
Pak, eudeuduk.
Flesh ripping wetly.
Sturdy bones crunching like snacks in a beast's jaws.
Smacking lips. Licking the floor. Dragging something.
She heard it all.
She had to hear it all.
"Euh, euuuh..."
The memories flickered like worn film, jumbling her mind.
The end of what she'd thought was an eternal childhood.
That day changed Jin Seohyun's life. The ten-year-old girl stopped whining. She couldn't throw tantrums anymore.
She had a much younger sister. Her only family, depending on her.
She couldn't cry even when sad. Her sister would cry too.
She had to smile even when she didn't want to. So her sister would smile.
Always smiling. Never serious. Always upbeat.
When the grief overwhelmed her, she'd sob quietly in the bathroom. She couldn't show weakness to her sister, so she'd paste on a smile when she came out—those false moments of routine.
The tragedy didn't last forever. Hope entered her daily life.
A sudden awakening, without warning. Jin Seohyun's talent was unparalleled.
It didn't take long to become independent. No more freeloading off relatives. Around then, her sister's face started lighting up more.
She joined one of the top four guilds. Earned enough money for life without regrets. The world already called her the youngest S-rank hunter.
No more forced smiles. Life was perfect, and she could smile genuinely.
But she couldn't forget.
Alone in the dark, those memories always returned.
Her kind mother's gaze, smiling to the end. The rusty hinges' groan. Her father's shout against the monster.
And the screams.
Something breaking. Tearing tough flesh. Greedy munching.
The girl who could only tremble in that cramped space until rescuers arrived.
The utterly powerless version of herself resurfaced.
"No..."
Jin Seohyun had grown strong. The monsters that killed her parents were no threat anymore.
Dozens charging at her? She'd crush them in an instant.
Now, she was confident she could protect against any attack.
However,
She couldn't protect her parents.
Even as the monsters devoured them, all Jin Seohyun did was tremble.
That truth never changed.
"I'm sorry..."
Sorry my awakening came too late.
Sorry I couldn't save you.
With the mask shattered, only the ten-year-old girl remained.
Powerless, fragile. A nightmare from that day.
In the cabinet, trembling, her one desperate wish.
Someone, please...
"...Help me."
— Bam!
"Eek!"
Something pounded her force field. The monster from her nightmare had finally found her.
Tears welled up, ready to spill.
— Bam!
It hammered relentlessly. She squeezed her eyes shut. Hands over her ears. But the sounds wouldn't fade.
"———!"
A shout reached her. A monster. A beast.
But the voice grew clearer.
"——hyun!"
Taking distinct form. A familiar voice. Her hands loosened slightly over her ears.
"Jin Seohyun!"
Someone calling her name. A voice she knew. Which made it all the harder to believe.
"...Uncle?"
She dropped the force field and managed a voice.
Still nothing visible. Had she heard right? Was it hallucination from losing her mind?
It extended something that touched her. A hand.
A hand reached out to her, crouched on the ground.
Warm. A familiar warmth.
A soft chuckle.
"Princess? I've come to rescue you."