Chapter 112
Chapter 112
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: Witch's Cabin (2)
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-Giggle.
-Giggle giggle.
"......"
What a creepy space.
I pushed through the empty darkness, forming a few hypotheses.
First.
What if I've been going around in circles in this room without realizing it?
Second.
What if the cabin is connected to somewhere else? What if I've fallen into some kind of 'dark space'?
Third.
"......"
No idea.
If it was the first case, the odds were high I'd fallen under 'mental magic.' In that scenario, I'd either snap out of it from an external shock or suffer under the spell until I starved to death.
If it was the second, things got complicated. A mage or witch's personal 'dark space' required the owner's power—or someone even stronger—to access.
'Maybe Kallid could save me.'
But that wasn't something to rely on casually. If the cabin's owner, the witch, was stronger than Kallid, it was pointless from the start.
So, how do I get out of here?
"......Keep walking, I guess."
Waiting for an external shock or hunting for a 'dark space' rift. Those were my only options, and searching for a rift seemed far more productive.
'All my senses feel blocked off.'
No cold, no heat, no pain, no fatigue. Even my basic human senses weren't working. It just felt like mechanically moving my legs.
'In movies or dramas, this is where people lose their minds.'
Solitary confinement in prison or a white room in a psych ward. Protagonists trapped there, losing track of time until they went insane. What if that happened to me?
......That was the thought crossing my mind.
"Whoa!"
Far off, I spotted a glimmering light. Was that the 'rift'? I hurried toward it. It seemed to draw closer then pull away, flickering faintly at an unreachable distance. Like it was teasing me. Furious, I broke into a run. Huff, huff, huff—my breath came quick.
How long did I run?
'It feels like at least twenty minutes.'
Not just a feeling—the light really wasn't getting closer. Damn it! Even cursing and running until my heart felt like bursting, it stayed just out of reach. This was maddening. Exhausted, I collapsed and lay flat on my back without getting up. Whatever. Rest first.
'Mind thinking positive?'
When walking through the dark, I felt nothing, but now my pounding heart and aching legs were vivid. I lay there blankly, catching my breath for a long while.
"I don't know......"
No clue how to escape.
Dark spaces seemed trivial in games...... But experiencing it for real was utter hell. I stared blankly into the darkness, then slowly closed my eyes. The same darkness greeted me when I opened them.
'Exhausted......'
Might as well sleep to conserve energy. Hoo, haa, hoo, haa...... I did slow, meditative breathing. Strength ebbed from my body as drowsiness crept in. Even in this situation, feeling sleepy—humans are weird......
-Zzzz......
And just like that, I drifted off peacefully.
* * *
"Kang Tae-oh!"
A familiar, shrill voice rang out, somehow nostalgic. Then a bang! like a door slamming. A dream? I rolled away from the sound. The sweet grip of sleep dominated my body—I just wanted to sleep more, no matter what. Not a thought, but instinct.
"It's the weekend, sure, but you have to get up before lunch!"
-Swish!
The cozy blanket wrapped around me was yanked away with firm force. The momentum left me dangling precariously off the bed's edge.
"Ah, seriously! What the......"
......Hold on. Bed?
Weekend? Lunch?
'Kang Tae-oh'?
I jolted upright in shock...... only to tumble right off the bed onto the familiar floorboards. My cheek hit the wood, snapping me awake. I shot to my feet again.
"Huh......"
A familiar sight.
One I'd missed like crazy.
My room, used as storage since I moved out, the door with my childhood scribbles still there, and standing in front of it......
"......M-Mom?"
Mom.
How long since I'd said that word aloud? I stared at her in a daze. The permed hair, the frayed apron, the angry face—it was definitely Mom.
"You come home drunk like that yesterday, and you're still out of it. I can't live like this—you can't either. Obsessed with booze just like your dad!"
-Smack!
-Smack! Smack!
"Ow! Ow! It hurts!"
A barrage on my back. Even orc hits didn't sting this much. Screaming, I fled to the living room.
Dad lay on the sofa, eyes half-closed, watching some ancient singing contest show. Remote in hand. Was he asleep or not?
"D-Dad?"
"Dad's not asleep."
Same old line. I stood dumbfounded in the living room center, staring. That balding head...... Definitely my dad.
'What the hell is this?'
Faced with the perfect Sunday afternoon scene, my legs gave out and I plopped down. Thud. Dad opened his eyes, and Mom started nagging, "Look at him, look. How much did he drink last night......"
"Lunch is ready—sit down already! You too, get up!"
At that, Dad slowly rose and shuffled past me to the table. I stared blankly, then stumbled over and sat.
-Gulp.
Man, Korean home cooking after so long......
Glossy white rice, savory gim seaweed with salt crystals, egg rolls stuffed with carrots and chives next to it. And that's not all—fried SPAM piled high, golden and greasy. Anchovy stir-fry in soy and corn syrup, spicy dried squid, and finally......
The crown jewel: kimchi jjigae, loaded with thick pork belly slices! Brought to the table in the pot, brimming with abundance. Drool...... Kimchi jjigae, how long? I cautiously lifted my spoon. Saliva pooled in my mouth.
"What's wrong with you?"
"I-It looks so good......"
"Fine, fine. Last time you threw a fit about skipping lunch......"
She said it, but Mom smirked, pleased.
"Eat before it gets cold."
"I'll dig in."
Kimchi jjigae! I scooped it up hastily. Perfectly stewed kimchi, tender chunks of pork, soft tofu, spicy broth!
"Urgh......"
Tears-to-my-eyes delicious.
"Mom's kimchi jjigae is the best."
Mom's touch.
-Chomp, chomp, chomp!
I shoveled it in like a possessed man. Wrapped anchovies and rice in gim for a bite, dipped egg roll in ketchup, chased with jjigae, then rice and SPAM!
"Mashtersh......"
"Don't talk with food in your mouth."
Even Dad's stern nagging sounded like trot music now. Made me want to dance with my spoon.
I polished off three bowls. Mom, surprised but delighted, refilled me. Bowls and sides nearly empty, I patted my full belly contentedly.
'Wait a sec......'
Isn't something off?
Why am I eating with my parents at home?
"......"
In this peaceful Sunday afternoon, a strange sense of déjà vu washed over me as I looked around.
Just my parents' ordinary house.
Yeah, I'd come over weekends sometimes. Crash Saturday night, eat Sunday lunch, head back to my place. Then work, waiting for the next weekend......
'......That was my daily life.'
Peaceful, ordinary days.
No monsters or humans after my life.
Knights, mages, elves, dwarves—fiction only.
'Of course, no druids either.'
I examined my hand. No mana flow. Just a normal hand for keyboard and mouse.
"......"
Was it all just a dream?
Becoming a druid, completing mercenary quests, conquering dungeons, clearing quests, beating demons, slaying hydra, saving the elf queen......
'......All of it, just a dream?'
But so vivid. I clenched my fist hard, trying to use [Breath of the Forest] like breathing.
"......Haa."
As expected, nothing. Of course—no mana flow.
'Silly......'
A grown man clenching his fist for mana or skills.
'Really just a dream?'
Before I could dwell, Mom tapped my shoulder, handing me a fork.
"Tae-oh."
"Yeah?"
"Eat some apple too."
"Huh? Oh, yeah."
I speared one of Mom's bluntly cut apples and glanced at the TV. A famous trot singer belted it out.
-Everything~ was a dream~.
-Short~ and~ long~ dream~~~~.
"Guryong's got killer pipes."
"I like Samjung better."
Listening to Mom and Dad's casual chat, I lost interest in Theodor or druids. I scratched my head, ate another apple.
"......Nice song."
Probably a dream. Yeah, a dream.