Chapter 335
Chapter 335
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 335
Chapter Title: Tuberose
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“Do not get too close.”
A third-party voice, neither Gong Isu nor Gapurum. It must be a hospital staff member who guided Gapurum here.
A vast space devoid of any furniture. Inner walls made of soft material. Corners rounded off into strange curves.
A room prepared solely for one type of patient—for those afflicted with the disease known as [Time Travel].
Even someone with a sound mind might go insane if confined to that monotonous, stimulus-free room. Yet Gong Isu had spent a long time there alone.
“Yes. It’s interesting, isn’t it?”
Gapurum squats down, knees together, to meet the gaze of Gong Isu, who sits cross-legged.
I, too, have no choice but to face Gong Isu, as I must peek into her memories through Gapurum’s eyes.
“…….”
Gone is the clock from last time, replaced by a metal helmet. Why does it change shape every now and then?
It turned into a clock when time traveling.
Now?
Perhaps it reflects her will to reject outside interference.
“I’ve heard similar stories here and there up until now. About someone named Kim Shin-hwa. Hmm~ Not sure if ‘person’ is the right word. Everyone remembers Kim Shin-hwa’s appearance differently, and their sense of his age varies wildly too. Uh, from 18 to 23. 26. 34. 39. Most said twenties, but wow, look at this! Someone even said forties. Anyway, this bizarre entity wanders the world, granting people’s wishes.”
Gapurum rests her arms on her knees and props her chin, chattering on about things beyond her own control.
“But according to my investigation, everyone whose wish Kim Shin-hwa granted lost what they cherished most.”
Invisible threads tug at Gapurum’s facial muscles.
“And then, before they knew it—”
An artificially crafted, sinister smile.
“They start saying Kim Shin-hwa is the most precious and important person to them.”
Gapurum whispers to Gong Isu with a grotesque, writhing evil grin.
“What did you lose to Kim Shin-hwa?”
“Wolha…….”
Just as Gong Isu starts to respond, other memories flood in, and the scene shifts.
* * *
Wolha?
Not a word I associate with Gong Isu, from what I know.
Wolha…….
As I ponder the meaning of that word from Gong Isu— I’m hurled into another of Gapurum’s memories.
Images flash by in an instant.
I have no right even to blink— forced to experience an overwhelming flood of memories all at once.
“Huh? Hyunji is…… No, Wizard…….”
Jang Hyun-deok scratches his head, looking perplexed.
Yang Seo-ho frowns in displeasure.
Heo Sang-hyun wants to cry but can’t shed tears.
Park Kwang-rim searches for Nirvana in terror.
Countless other scenes pass by.
Yeom Cheol-min, who lost an arm because of me. Gu Jin-cheol, half-crippled and confined to his home. Ko Kyung-su, lying in the hospital wrapped head to toe in bandages. Jeong Bok-ja sitting blankly in Bongam-dang. Mun Kyung-nam’s funeral. Delinquents with permanent limb damage. Cultists wandering the streets chanting my name. Gangsters from Bongilcheon who became unwanted ability users. The Three Heads Association, trapped in my scheme, locked in an endless fight. Yeon still lurking around Jang Hyun-deok’s old house. People still delirious from the chaos I caused. The motel destroyed while I hunted Lee Chang-hyuk. Sejong City’s gymnasium, collapsed with only ruins left. The Great Wall of Daebang, still under repair. The ruined apartment complex in Paju. The fallen Seoraksan Mountain. The vanished Sirangsan Mountain. The desertified Gi-jang County in Busan City.
All familiar faces, familiar places.
Thanks to my Intelligence stat of 30, I forget nothing—not their changing expressions, speech patterns, actions, or even their thoughts. I remember everything.
Memories handpicked for blame toward me and misfortune tied to those around me crash in like waves.
Amid the chaotic, unpleasant audiovisual torment—
‘Huh? Wait, what’s that?’
For a brief moment, something odd catches my eye. That—? Huh? That—? Thaaat!? What the hell did that guy just do?
Why didn’t Gapurum show that properly?
Just as my consciousness focuses on that distant memory—
“Bang!”
Gapurum suddenly appears and points a finger gun at me.
‘So the memory games are over?’
No matter what, she can’t keep watching herself from a third-person view, so time for the main topic.
“Oh my~!” “Caught?” “You saw—” “The plan—” “—huh?”
“No?!” “……It happened.”
“Don’t stooop~!”
Gapurum, who had been laughing cheerfully for a moment, shifts into appearances from different times, piecing together fragmented words.
“You.” “Come in!” “What~’s up?” “Thanks to you.”
“Wow! So fun!” “I lost…….”
“Now—” “Waaah, what—” “—are you gonna do?”
This is inside Gapurum’s memories, her unconscious, her dream.
In a way, like the dream chatroom where I often converse with my other personalities.
Normally, I’d be a dream character with no right to speak independently—
Zzzzzzap!!
I seize control by force with my magic power.
『Done already? Kinda pisses me off, but whatever. They’re just game NPCs anyway. Who cares what those bastards yap about?』
A message conveyed not by voice, but by will.
“Hmmph—”
Gapurum pouts like a cat.
“Could you tell me more details?” “What really happened?” “If it’s not important.” “Oh, so I can use it freely?” “This is so fun!”
A devilish dilemma.
[Precious? I’ll ruin it.]
[Not precious? I’ll ruin it.]
Damn, annoying.
If I lose my cool here, it plays into their hands.
So I send my will to the sinister presence behind Gapurum, laced with nonchalance, mockery, leisure, boredom, and irritation.
『Yeah~ Do whatever. But there was something fun in the memories you showed. Remember when it was getting exciting and you switched channels? Let’s watch just that one first, then talk. Cool?』
No need to wait for a reply.
I’m an 8th-circle mage now.
Rumble rumble—crackle crackle—
『You thought this puny trick could hold me?』
My magic warps and expands the space of memories, unconscious, and dreams.
Zap! Zap! Zzzzzap!
“Kyahaha! You’re hilarious!” “Bluffing—” “Won’t work!”
[System: The trait ‘Sacrifice of the Feast’ activates.]
“This place!” “Is where I can shine—” “More?” “Wow~” “You?” “Can’t do as you please!”
Gapurum moves awkwardly like a puppet on strings, trying to suppress me.
Shrrrrrr!
[System: The shadow of the Abyss Being – ‘Weaver of Dreams’ draws near to your side.]
‘Finally showing your true colors.’
[Weaver of Dreams].
A colossal spider that traverses human unconscious minds, weaving webs connecting [Dreamlands] and [Reality].
The most beloved daughter of the Abyss Being [Blind Weaver]—and at the same time, itself, and its shadow.
A complex setup reminiscent of the Christian Trinity, but simply an incarnation of the [Blind Weaver].
Tzzzzzzzz—
A low-rank incarnation, yet still an Abyss Being.
As it begins drawing power in earnest, my magic shrinks back instantly.
Four hands sprout from its back. Six hands in total weave threads of memory that ensnare my mind.
Crack— skin splits with a sound. Grotesque eyeballs peek from the fissures.
Crimson eyes swell unnaturally. Massive fangs rip through its lips.
No trace of human form remains.
But this is a dream.
Sanity checks are waived, and anyway, I have no arachnophobia.
『Yeah, cute. Adorable. So, you’ve given up imitating Gapurum?』
“Chrrrrrrk—?”
The [Weaver of Dreams] voices awkward doubt through its fang-filled maw.
『I’m still synced with Gapurum’s mind, get it?』
Bound hand and foot, I cast a spell. Not one affecting the outside—this one targets myself.
[Shape Absorption]
[Vague Identity]
[Memory Thief]
Whirrrrr—
The [Infi Mask] reflects the absorbed identity, altering my appearance.
Limbs shorten drastically—chest, head, face, and all sorts of things—
In an instant, I become identical to Gapurum—and words she’d say spill from my mouth against my will.
“Yap! Gapurum’s here!”
Ah, damn it.
That’s Gapurum’s real personality. Kinda embarrassing.
“Hey, hey, hey—get it? This dumb system can’t tell me and Gapurum apart now?”
If it was just about checking info, no need to dig through her head. Hehe— I came in planning to grab as much as possible from Gapurum’s mind before leaving.
As Gapurum—robe of the [Night Veil] hanging loose on my smaller frame—I swing the [Sword of the Flesh]. Whoa! This magic power is thrilling!
[Narcissus’s Sigh]
Narcissus fragrance scatters everywhere.
The spell inducing powerful narcissism stirs Gapurum’s memories.
“Yeah, Gapurum! It’s me! You! Not that weird spider sis! Look at me!”
[System: ‘Enhanced Vigilance’ activates.]
“Chrrrrrrk!!”
The [Weaver of Dreams], realizing what’s happening, charges at me—but I greet it with Gapurum’s voice, tone, and expression.
“Time to change channels. Bye~ Spider sis! See ya!”
Zzzzzzap!!
Among Gapurum’s chaotically flowing memories—yeah, that one!
Not Gapurum, me—I’m curious about what comes next in that interview.
Fizzle crackle!!
In an instant—the background changes.
Leaving the [Weaver of Dreams] behind, I—or Gapurum—flee into another memory.
* * *
The round room at Paju Central Hospital.
Gong Isu sits cross-legged, facing Gapurum.
I want to hear what Gong Isu said earlier. It was so out of left field.
Plus, amid those images flashing by at breakneck speed, I saw something weird. Super alluring and cool.
“Wolha Fragrance.”
Yeah, that. Oh, it was ‘Wolha Fragrance’?
I channel Gapurum like a pro actor and say her line.
“Huh? Wolha…… fragrance?”
“Yeah. That’s what they call tuberose’s scent. Flower meaning is false pleasure. Or dangerous pleasure? It’s been a while; my memory’s fuzzy.”
Gapurum momentarily forgets the [Weaver of Dreams]’ influence and questions Gong Isu’s odd remark.
“Eh? Pleasure? Is that tuberose’s flower meaning?”
“Kim Shin-hwa taught me a few years ago. Power to enhance spiritual abilities. Confidence. Dreamy illusions. Obsession. A fragrance to seduce others.”
Gong Isu rises.
Ugh, from this angle, I only see Gong Isu’s chest. Her shoulders tower above Gapurum’s head.
Gong Isu kindly bends down to meet my—no, Gapurum’s—eyes. (Not that it matters; the helmet holes are pitch-black voids.) And says,
“I wondered why he told me this. Turns out it was for this. Kim Shin-hwa, you watching? You’re a real son of a bitch.”