Chapter 297
Chapter 297
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 297
Chapter Title: Hello! Hello! Bye Bye!
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Time stop was released.
Crash!
That was the sound of me slamming into the floor.
A shock like my body was shattering.
The ceiling, walls, and floor spun wildly, pounding me.
No, had I just rolled several times because I couldn't handle the recoil?
Dizzying shifts in perspective and dizzying pain.
“Ugh…… Damn it.”
Where was this? Who was I?
“Kim Shin-hwa!”
Park Kwang-rim’s voice.
Ah, right. My name was Kim Shin-hwa. And I was……
“Huh? That guy’s the wizard?!”
Jang Hyun-deok’s dumbfounded voice.
Yeah, I was also a mage who’d fallen into this hellish world.
I had failed.
I’d thought from the start that I couldn’t inflict any real damage on it.
But I’d hoped to at least jolt it enough to disrupt the influence it was projecting around here.
I failed. Now that bastard would start the insane antics it had declared in advance.
“You’re really the wizard?”
“Yeah, and are you okay?”
“Of course, I’m fine.”
Jang Hyun-deok was completely unharmed.
To the point where it felt a bit unfair after all that ordeal.
“Park Kwang-rim, you?”
“I’m—okay now too.”
At that moment, a message window covered my vision.
[The Jang Hyun-deok you were looking for has returned. Due to unstable play conditions, some events have been skipped.]
“Ah, really?”
What got skipped?
No idea. That wasn’t important right now.
“This is your oversight as managers, so cough up the compensation and get lost!”
I swiped the message away, but to the other two, it must’ve looked like the ravings of a madman lost in delusion.
“Wizard?”
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine! So get ready to run right now!”
“Run away?” “Wizard?”
“I tried to stop it but failed! We have to get out of here now!”
This place—this layout was the third floor I’d stepped into earlier.
A vast space that felt desolate.
A few cabinets and desks lined against the walls. Chairs scattered about, having lost their places.
The arrangement of cabinets and desks seemed like it was meant to invite investigation, but now wasn’t the time to waste on that.
“Let’s go! You idiots!”
I hurriedly drew up mana to secure my detection.
Eeeee……
Damn, I’d almost depleted my mana.
The price of rampaging with absurd improvised spells in an unstable space. I’d burned through so much that I couldn’t even form proper magic anymore.
[System: ‘Enhanced Vigilance’ activates.]
“Kim Shin-hwa! Outside!”
Looking out the window, I saw shadows of people swarming in the darkness, enveloping Hope Ward.
“Damn. They escaped from there.”
Jang Hyun-deok’s relatives, buried along with Healing Ward. They were closing in.
“Wizard, it’s fine! They’re not coming to fight!”
Jang Hyun-deok’s innocent voice.
Damn it all.
Just as he said, the people with faces similar to Jang Hyun-deok all wore utterly serene expressions.
“Kim Shin-hwa. Earlier, I spoke with someone called the director.”
Park Kwang-rim grabbing me.
“And?”
“He said he’d let us go just like that. I don’t fully believe it, but maybe…… maybe……”
That it’d be okay?
Yeah, it probably would be.
[During your time outside the management zone, untransmitted achievement info and rewards are now retroactively delivered.]
A message window suddenly popped up again, blocking my view.
“Ah— what now……”
[Legendary achievement accomplished! You inflicted a minor wound on the ‘Abyssal Being – Source of Life.’
You have obtained the ‘Legendary Achievement: Wound of Life.’
As achievement reward, your relationship with the ‘Abyssal Being – Source of Life’ advances, and you gain additional experience.]
I couldn’t help but grimace at the absurd notice.
Relationship advanced?
With an Abyssal Being?
[System: Relationship with ‘Abyssal Being – Source of Life’ changes to ‘Affection.’]
Chills ran down my spine.
“What!? I don’t want it! You crazy bastard!”
I recoiled and screamed hysterically.
[System: Penalty trait ‘Feast’s Sacrifice’ activates.]
At that moment, footsteps echoed from the stairs.
“Wait!”
A cute voice from the stairs.
Footsteps too light for an adult.
“Huh? Hyun-ji? And kids?”
Jang Hyun-deok’s dumbfounded voice.
Hyun-ji.
And the kids from Hope Ward. The tiny, cute ones Jang Hyun-deok had called his siblings.
The children bounding up the stairs wore happy, joyful expressions, beaming innocently—and Hyun-ji, at the front, spoke to me.
“I get why the others went so far for you, wizard.”
“Hyun-ji? The others?”
Jang Hyun-deok’s question.
Hyun-ji nodded with a grotesquely twisted smile.
Eeeeeeeng—
Terrifying mana detected from all directions.
Kikikikik—
Precarious bursting sounds from the entire building—no, the space itself.
That wasn’t Hyun-ji.
Right now, the [Source of Life] was speaking to me through the children’s bodies.
“Yellow, darkness, flame. And even hunger, which isn’t here now. No wonder those little ones liked you so much—”
He referred to them—the Abyssal Beings [King in Yellow Robes], [One Who Comes from Darkness], [Living Flame], and [Mountain Predator]—as little ones.
“Kids? What’s wrong with you guys?”
Jang Hyun-deok still hadn’t grasped the situation, keep questioning the children.
But ignoring his questions, the kids approached me.
Just like in the stopped time, they smiled at me, danced toward me—and began speaking in singsong voices.
“Yeah, seeing you again here, you really do suit my taste.” “Yeah, exactly.” “I like you so much.” “Adorable.” “Come to think of it, you’re pretty cute.” “Wizard. We really like you after all.”
“So let’s have some fun.”
Hyun-ji said with a smile.
I carefully gathered mana as I replied.
“Fun?”
“The most fun part of this game, right?”
“Stopping destruction.”
“I’m going to start destroying this world from now on.”
“So try stopping this world’s destruction. Wizard.”
“Hmm, you don’t look so great right now, so I’ll give you a week. Get more prepared and come to Busan.”
“Wizard, you got this! You can do it!”
Lalala— hahaha— teeheehee—
Ah, damn it all.
This wasn’t the abstract, vague space from before, and the children’s bodies weren’t arbitrary illusions.
And these kids had no traits as spirit mediums.
That madman had forcibly descended into their bodies just to say this much—
‘And I went all out with that desperate attack precisely to prevent this situation.’
My worst fears had come true.
“Park Kwang-rim! Knock out Jang Hyun-deok!”
“Huh? What did you say, Kim Shin-hwa?”
“Knock that bastard out!”
[Lightning Bolt]
Zzzzap!
I fired lightning at Jang Hyun-deok—but Hyun-ji, who’d been dancing with a grotesquely twisted smile, caught it with one hand—
A ten-year-old kid grabbed the flying lightning and twisted it away.
“Uwaaah! Hyun-ji!?”
“Wizard, so cute. This might even be an opportunity. Are you really using it just to blind your friend?”
“Shut up! Say your piece and get lost!”
I felt pitch-black blood pouring from my mouth. I’d depleted too much mana.
In the cosmic horror genre of [Cthulhu World], what role does the protagonist play?
‘Resisting, resisting, and resisting the power of an absolute being they can’t possibly defy, only to ultimately despair or perish.’
That’s the protagonist’s role in cosmic horror.
The part where they resist until they finally break and fall.
“Yeah! Then I’ll be off! Bye! Bye now! Take good care of Hyun-deok oppa!”
Hyun-ji waved at me with a laugh.
“Bye! Bye! Hyun-deok oppa, bye too!”
And to Jang Hyun-deok as well.
“Bye, Hyun-deok hyung! Let’s go abroad together later!”
“Bye-bye! Hyun-deok oppa! Become an even more special being!”
“Bye, Hyun-deok hyung, bye!”
“Bye!”
“Bye-bye!”
“Bye-bye!”
“Bye!”
“Let’s play again!”
“Love you!”
“See you later!”
“Bye-bye!”
The children’s bright, cheerful farewells.
“Kids? Kids? What are you saying? Wizard? Wizard?”
“Jang Hyun-deok, you idiot! Close your eyes and cover your ears! Run!”
The people gathered outside, resembling Jang Hyun-deok, all simultaneously wore serene, happy expressions and made the exact same gesture.
One hand raised high, waving side to side.
Bye-bye.
[System: Penalty trait ‘Feast’s Sacrifice’ activates.]
Boom—
With an enormous explosion—
The children’s bodies burst into thousands of vibrant—
flowers of every color, scattering everywhere.
“Ah.”
Jang Hyun-deok’s short sigh.
A beautiful flurry of petals scattering everywhere my gaze touched.
The clothes the kids had worn lay strewn on the floor amid the colorful flowers.
A sticky, nauseating fragrance enveloped everything.
Boom boom boom—
Explosions sounded from outside too.
The gathered people bursting apart.
Flowers soared up to the third-floor height, splattering thickly against the windows like slimy brains and guts.
* * *
Now there was no danger.
Everything that could cause danger had burst into flowers.
I had plenty of time to check the cabinets and desks, and I even grabbed the documents there before escaping the building.
The documents I found contained various records and data, but they mostly just elaborated on what I’d seen, heard, and experienced in this House of Healing so far.
That the [House of Healing] was operated with sponsorship from Cure Medical Care.
That they ran this facility to cultivate artificial superhumans—ability users.
And personnel records of people who had stayed at this [House of Healing].
“What does it say about me?”
Jang Hyun-deok asked me in a listless voice.
I’d found info on him in their list too.
[Minimal results in reflex response and spatial perception abilities.] [Confirmed aptitude as driving specialist.] <Failure>
<Discharged>
The brainwashing on Jang Hyun-deok wasn’t even worth calling proper brainwashing. It wasn’t magical or ritualistic. If it were, I’d have noticed long ago.
What they did to Jang Hyun-deok was love and education.
‘We love you.’ ‘Your siblings love you.’ ‘The teachers love you.’ ‘The volunteers love you.’ ‘Your friends love you.’ ‘Your brothers love you.’ ‘The director loves you.’
Gentle, warm, kind love.
‘Don’t you love us too?’
‘You have to love us as much as we cherish and love you.’
Sticky, cloying. Sickeningly sweet whispers.
‘So it’s not weird.’ ‘So there’s no problem.’ ‘Someday we’ll make money and go abroad.’ ‘Don’t worry. Abroad is safe.’ ‘Let’s go abroad with the siblings.’ ‘Let’s live happily in safe abroad.’ ‘It’s okay, you’ll make it someday.’
‘So go earn money for us.’
‘So put yourself in danger.’
‘So work in a place where dying anytime wouldn’t be strange.’
Like the other siblings here, Jang Hyun-deok loved the House of Healing.
He loved his siblings, loved these eerily similar people.
Because they loved each other, Jang Hyun-deok and the others could clearly distinguish one another.
Because they loved, they felt nothing strange in this bizarre place.
“Wizard, what did I do wrong?”
Jang Hyun-deok asked while clutching a tiny shoe small enough for a child or a doll.
“No. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Then why did this happen to me?”
I briefly recalled what the [Source of Life] had said to me.
[“You turned Jang Hyun-deok into a special being.”]
The sun was rising outside the window.
And quietly basking in the rising sunlight were the thousands of flowers blanketing the House of Healing.
I watched the scene for a moment, then swapped my mask.
A mask with four eyes emitting golden light.
With a face incapable of expressing emotion, I said to Jang Hyun-deok,
“For now, let’s head home and eat first.”