#24 Chasing the Tail
#24 Chasing the Tail
"Do you have anything you'd like to say?"
"......."
Under Ju-gyo's questioning, the priest could only tremble.
"Sigh. So you have nothing?"
"Ju, Ju-gyo-nim, there seems to have been some misunderstanding. I merely...!"
"The evidence is crystal clear."
Ju-gyo rattled the papers. Documents discovered during the search of First-Rank Believer Gu Ma-jun's residence. Strictly speaking, the Shrine had no obligation to investigate that far, but they had joined the inquiry to find the slightest clue as to how Gu Ma-jun had become a Flesh Heap Monster.
And what they found was a set of documents, the handwriting undeniably the priest's. On top of that, evidence uncovered in the priest's own room. It was an airtight case.
"Leaking the Shrine's records... You've been keeping yourself busy."
The old woman's gentle smile—but to the priest, it felt as chilling as Death itself.
"I, I only needed the money! Please, Ju-gyo-nim, please!"
"A shepherd who is supposed to guide the lambs fell into gambling? Do you have any idea how shameful that is?"
A sharp rebuke, as though questioning his sanity. Under the cold stares of the assembly, the priest swallowed hard.
'I never imagined things would go this badly.'
Hiding the materials in the priest's office so carelessly had been a mistake. Just imagining the punishment to come made everything go dark before his eyes. He belonged to this place, but the War Shrine was...
"Yet the Lord has always taught us to forgive."
At Ju-gyo's sudden shift, the priest looked up at the old woman with a dazed expression.
"Not seven times, but seventy-seven times."
"Oh, oh! Ju-gyo-nim! Ju-gyo-nim!"
In that moment, to the priest, Ju-gyo seemed like a ray of light—as if a beam were descending from the heavens. Watching the priest weep, Ju-gyo spoke soothingly.
"So, will you tell me? About Believer Gu Ma-jun. And everything you know."
"O-of course."
Before the entire assembly, the priest confessed everything. How Gu Ma-jun had approached him when he was short on money because of his gambling. That Gu Ma-jun had demanded the Shrine's records—and that he had wanted to be admitted as a member of the Shrine.
"So you do not know whom he belonged to?"
"I, I merely did as I was told! O-of course I asked, but he wouldn't answer!"
Well, that was only to be expected. As Ju-gyo nodded as if satisfied, the priest went on in a trembling voice. Before long, his story ended, and a suffocating silence filled the prayer room.
"......."
After a long moment of contemplation, Ju-gyo's eyes slowly opened.
"A-are you forgiving me?"
"Of course."
With a kindly touch, Ju-gyo took the priest's hand and raised him up. Beneath the Lord's statue in the prayer room, the priest became a lamb, weeping ceaselessly.
"Ooh! O Lord! Thank you. Thank you!"
He vowed to become a new person. To right the wrongs of the past. A priest's prayer, crying out to God with oaths. As if moved by it, every believer rose from their seats.
"Now I shall repent of my sins...?"
Noticing something strange, the priest looked bewildered.
"...Brothers?"
Clank. Clank.
The priest's prayers were interrupted by a heavy noise, and he turned toward the prayer room entrance.
A shaven-headed monk was wrapping chains around the handle of the door.
"I will forgive you."
While Ju-gyo's gentle voice resounded through the prayer room, cold sweat ran down the priest's forehead.
Ju-gyo's voice had been unmistakably gentle... yet for some reason it sounded frigid.
"However."
After a short pause, Ju-gyo smiled radiantly.
"I cannot guarantee that will be the kind of forgiveness you were hoping for."
***
[Destruction Probability 99.8% → 99.78%]
[Karma 0.02% acquired.]
'Clearing a Phantom World dungeon changes the destruction probability?'
With the additional 0.02%, I now held 0.12% Karma. It counted as a dungeon clear, but wasn't that separate from the End? The Phantom World couldn't affect the Reality World, could it?
"Kyururuk!"
Lost in thought for a moment, I turned my gaze as the Fairy Dragon tugged at me—and spotted a strange hole.
'What's this?'
An inexplicable hole... not a cave, but as if a hole had opened in space itself.
As I watched, part of the dungeon's dense mana was being sucked through the hole, like osmosis.
"No way..."
"That's right. It's the Reality World."
"You're telling me the Phantom World and Reality World are connected?"
"How much do you know about dungeons?"
Baekrok's question made me recall. The novel never explained why dungeons appeared, but simply put, a dungeon is...
"Erosion."
"Ho. You knew?"
Erosion. The very existence of a dungeon means the world is being eaten away.
Think back to Ihyeon Park. It had been transformed into a circular dungeon over 30 km in diameter—far larger than the original park. In other words, space had been distorted. Until the dungeon's mana ran out and it collapsed, the space that should have been there might as well have vanished.
"Precisely. So what is the Phantom World?"
"A mirror?"
"You know your material. It is a world of illusions and falsehoods. Normally, what happens in the Phantom World cannot affect the Reality World."
That was exactly what I had thought.
But if Phantom World events cannot affect the Reality World, why had the destruction probability dropped? —Instinctively grasping the answer, I looked at the hole.
The fairy blinked and asked, "What are you talking about?" but Baekrok and I ignored her and kept talking.
"An illusion, yet a connected world. What do you think happens when a dungeon—erosion—appears in the Phantom World?"
"It affects the Reality World?"
"Correct."
Two connected worlds. If a dungeon appeared in the Phantom World, it would create a hole that led to the Reality World. If more dungeons appeared—if more holes opened—
"The boundaries disappear?"
"Full marks. I'm almost doubtful whether you're really a monster."
So that was why the destruction probability had dropped.
I felt a sting under Baekrok's gaze, but outwardly I played it cool. If having a skull for a face had any advantage, it was that my expressions didn't show.
Then my thoughts naturally turned to staring hard at Baekrok.
"You're something else."
"...Explain yourself."
Baekrok shook his head slowly.
"Letting a dungeon linger isn't always a bad thing."
"......."
"The dense mana of a dungeon might not bother phantom beasts, but it would be a burden on spiritual creatures."
Before I knew it, the hole—the erosion—had vanished.
If the dungeon collapsed, naturally its mana would remain in the Phantom World. Mana so intense it had pressed down even on me—what if weaker monsters, no, spiritual creatures like the dragon bugs were exposed to it?
"...You were regulating it?"
"Yes."
He meant he had deliberately left the dungeon alone to control the Phantom World's mana.
"Is the misunderstanding cleared up?"
"Yeah."
I had jumped to the wrong conclusion.
I'd thought he was ignoring it even knowing the world would collapse—but there was a plausible reason. Feeling awkward, I quickened my pace.
"Huh? Wolf! Wait for me!"
By the time we stepped out of the dungeon with the fairy on my back, the dungeon was slowly beginning to collapse.
"The dungeon..."
Mana was flooding out, strong enough to be felt from beyond the boundary. The distorted space was slowly returning to its proper form.
"Is it your first time seeing a dungeon collapse?"
"...Yeah."
I'd cleared dungeons before, but this was the first time I'd seen one collapse. Soon, just as Baekrok had said, the dungeon's dense mana spilled out into the Phantom World.
'Mana...'
Following Baekrok's advice, I accepted the mana without resistance.
[Mana increases by 2.]
Seeing that message stirred my greed a little.
'Could I get a bit more?'
What had the Queen been trying to show me? The dungeon's erosion? Something else? I didn't know. But...
'Either way, there's still time before the novel's timeline begins.'
I'd already given them a warning. Whether Dawn had taken it seriously was questionable, but at the very least they would make an attempt to investigate.
'That's good enough.'
At minimum, that would keep the Prodigal Sons in check—so spending some time getting stronger in the Phantom World sounded like a good idea... And right as I thought that, a message appeared, as if my thoughts had been read.
[Lv.20 Achievement Condition: Escape the Phantom World.]
'.......'
I let out a quiet sigh. For a Level 20 condition, it was almost too simple—because the System's intention was far too obvious.
【The entity you call the System is not part of the Truth.】
I didn't know what the Truth the Queen had spoken of was, but at the very least, the System did not want me staying in the Phantom World.
'Did it not overhear my conversation with the Queen?'
If it had, it wouldn't have slapped on such a rash condition that only aroused unnecessary suspicion.
'I still don't know which side to trust.'
The Queen, or the System. For all I knew, both might be untrustworthy.
'I still need more clues.'
But for now, I had no choice. Even if the System was malevolent, I still needed it.
'...I need to return to the Reality World.'
I steadied my breathing and organized my thoughts. It left a bad taste in my mouth, but this wasn't a choice I could avoid.
"Baekrok. How do I return to the Reality World?"
"Hmm. You're going?"
"...Yeah."
"Wish strongly to return."
So it sounded like I could leave just by thinking about it. I let out a dry laugh at how much simpler the method was than I'd expected.
"What? You're going already?"
At Baekrok's words, the fairy's voice grew teary.
"Don't go! Can't you stay here with us?"
"......."
"Huh? Wolf~! Stay here with us..."
When I pushed the whining fairy away, her eyes widened. Her hurt expression stung, but there are times when you have to push people away.
'Because I have no choice.'
I couldn't take the fairy with me.
Not because of the difference between a fairy and a monster—but because I wasn't confident I could protect her. Baekrok nodded, as if he agreed.
"When will you go?"
"In a little while."
Still, for the journey—I intended to head all the way to Daejeon, and traveling through the Phantom World would be more convenient than going straight to the Reality World. So partly to soothe the teary-eyed fairy, and partly grasping at straws, I asked,
"Is there any way to come back?"
"You cannot return to the Phantom World."
I'd expected it, but the answer was final.
As the name implied, the Phantom World was a world of fairies and phantom beasts—not a place where monsters belonged. Even if it were possible, it wasn't where I belonged.
'At least the System got that one thing right.'
There was a mountain of things to do outside. I couldn't keep spending time here forever.
"Still... Hmm. It's nothing."
Baekrok's gaze was heavy with meaning. He seemed to have had something to say but stopped short.
"Why are you leaving~! Whyyyy! Are you unhappy with the Phantom World? Have you gotten sick of us?! Take me with you!"
'That's going too far.'
As if understanding my feelings, Baekrok called the tantrum-throwing fairy over.
"Child of the Third Winter."
As if refusing to listen, the fairy shook her head wildly.
"Don't make this hard for him."
In just one day, I'd gotten surprisingly attached. As over-the-top as she could be, I didn't mind the innocent, vivacious fairy.
'Though she is a bit loud.'
Pure goodwill—I shook my head firmly. Still, some things just couldn't happen.
'This time, too.'
If Baekrok hadn't been there, the fairy and the Fairy Dragon would have been dead. No, I probably wouldn't have brought them along in the first place.
'Tch.'
As Baekrok had said, the fairy was pure. That was probably why she could offer affection so quickly. After a long effort placating her with Baekrok's help—
"Then how many nights until you come back?"
'She's definitely a child.'
When I shot Baekrok that kind of look, he coughed awkwardly.
"Ahem. At any rate, I'm glad she seems to understand."
If Baekrok had carried us, it would have been quick, but instead we walked slowly toward Daejeon.
"This is far enough."
"Is it? Take care."
"Right."
I shook the Fairy Dragon off my head. I'd feared she might throw a fit, too, but—
"Kyuruk?"
After a moment of tilting her head, she hopped over onto Baekrok's head.
'Bittersweet.'
As if seeing me off, the fairy and the Fairy Dragon took flight, and I stared blankly at the falling light powder for a moment.
'He told me to try trusting him.'
"Kyuruk~"
"Wolf! You have to come back!"
To the very end, Baekrok said nothing. But his eyes seemed to say, 'Do not forget.'
I knew well what I was meant not to forget. I gave a small nod.
'Now, let's return to the Reality World.'
It had been a short time, but in the Phantom World I had gained—no, received—something more valuable than anything else.
'And.'
I had gained certainty.
The certainty that I was no longer just a slime cowering in the forest.
I was strong. I had the power to do whatever I set my mind to.
'So.'
Now it was time to act.
Chasing the Prodigal Sons' tail—I strongly wished from my heart, 'I will return to the Reality World.'
***
"Hmm. You're a little late, aren't you~?"
A woman let out a nasal hum with an enigmatic smile. Draped in a robe with her face veiled in silk, she had the look of a fortune-teller. The Team Leader studied her briefly, comparing her to a photograph.
"Are you 'Tail Hair'?"
"That's right~ A humble information broker. So, what brings the Three Swordsman here?"
As expected. It wasn't surprising that she knew. His face was well known in many circles.
'...Strange.'
He could definitely sense mana, but he couldn't pinpoint its origin. The Team Leader shook his head. That wasn't what mattered.
"As a broker, I trust you understand the principle of confidentiality."
"Oh my. I'm quite fond of staying alive, you know?"
Even under pressure to keep secrets, Tail Hair smiled brightly.
"Truth be told, I have a guess. Is it Gowon?"
"How much do you already know?"
When he had first arrived, she'd said he was "late." That meant she'd expected him to come.
'Did the broker leak it?'
It was hard to imagine otherwise. But she lifted the corner of her lip as if she'd read his thoughts.
"Don't worry. There's no connection. I simply thought—what else could bring Dawn's Team Leader 3 all the way here, if not something involving Gowon?"
'She's sharp.'
Unlike Ju-gyo, he couldn't read her.
Her hundred-percent success rate was no empty reputation. Moreover, he couldn't gauge how much information she was sitting on.
"Let's get to the point. Yes. Gowon. How deep can you dig?"
"How deep do you want me to dig?"
As the woman tilted her head and asked with deliberate slowness, the Team Leader lowered his voice.
"As deep as possible."
"You're coming on strong, aren't you? Fine. I'll do it."
"?"
The answer came so readily that he, who had made the request, was momentarily thrown off. He found himself glaring at her.
"What are you staring at~? You're making me blush."
"Don't play games."
"Games?"
"I'm talking about the High Gowon."
"Oh my~ What a coincidence. So am I."
The Team Leader's brow furrowed. He couldn't fathom her supreme confidence.
"Are you saying you have a way to evade Gwanghwi's eyes?"
"Why would you think I don't? Gwanghwi is only human~"
"...Are you serious?"
"Absolutely. Gwanghwi is Gowon. You are Dawn."
Tail Hair smiled coyly and pointed at herself.
"So, what am I?"
***
'I'm back.'
I could tell just by the mana density. Once I confirmed I was in the Reality World, I immediately activated Stealth.
'...Level 20 feels a bit out of reach.'
Should I have cleared one more dungeon in the Phantom World? I'd needed the experience anyway.
[EXP 90216 / 112455]
'Not much left.'
The male Cave Predator had given far more experience than I'd expected.
'With C-rank Stealth.'
I was unlikely to be discovered under most circumstances now, but just in case, I shrank myself down to the size of a small dog.
'The representative clan of Daejeon.'
The tail who had given Gu Ma-jun his orders had infiltrated that very clan.
'The Hermit's Forest.'
Daejeon's representative clan, ranked 19th. I knew full well what kind of clan it was. A system concentrated on the Clan Leader—so as long as I was careful around her alone, chasing the tail, Lee Baek-seom, shouldn't be too difficult.
'Let's do it.'
Gu Sang-seop, truth be told, had been a fool who never even realized he was being used. And Gu Ma-jun had been the lowest of the low—hardly worth calling a tail. But Lee Baek-seom was a true member of the Prodigal Sons, so it wouldn't be a walk in the park. Still, I was certain that as I was now, I could beat him.
'Night is falling.'
Dusk was settling in.
Soon, a silent night would arrive.
—Yes. It was time to chase the hiding tail.
***
"You're going?"
"......."
"I thought you would."
"......."
"You don't need to worry. The Child of the Third Winter will remain."
"......."
"Who knows."
Baekrok lifted his head and gazed up at the sky.
What filled the view instead of the sky was an emerald sea. And fairies and phantom beasts frolicking in it.
A beautiful scene, beyond compare.
Baekrok loved the sea as seen from the Phantom World.
—He wanted to protect this landscape forever.
But surely, it was not the same for the Young Dragon.
The Young Dragon's wish could not be fulfilled in the Phantom World.
Understanding that heart, Baekrok spoke as calmly as he always did.
"Go where you wish to go."