Chapter 269
Chapter 269
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 269
Chapter Title: Despair Stained with Blood
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***
While everyone else went about their days, lost in their own thoughts, that day came to a close.
Time simply flowed on, aloof. It could not be held back, nor could it be hurried. It just passed.
And the more time passed…
The more Han Cheon-seong’s heart filled with anxiety.
“...”
At some point, I found myself in a forest.
We had used a portal to arrive in a monster-infested forest as part of a practical combat lecture. Even after meeting the required monster quota for the class, I couldn’t bring myself to rest.
“Han Cheon-seong.”
“...Oh. Karite.”
“I think we should take a short break. Let’s rest. It’s just that I want to.”
I turned my head toward the calm voice beside me.
Karite was standing there.
We were in a joint lecture with the other C-Class, and I had partnered with her.
There was no particular reason for it. Class C1 and Class C2. We were to choose our own partners, and Karite was the only person I knew.
“Right. Let’s do that. Sorry, Karite. I guess I got ahead of myself.”
At her suggestion, I slowly lowered my spear and offered a faint smile.
My heart was too anxious to produce a genuine smile, but I didn’t want to show my tension on the outside.
“Yes. I understand, but I think we’re working a bit too hard. We’ve already collected nearly twice as many gargoyle index fingers as the other students.”
*Clank!*
As she spoke, Karite shook the pouch she was holding, and the clear sound of countless gargoyle fingers clattering against each other filled the air.
"You're right."
Acknowledging her point, I slowly sat down on a nearby rock.
*Thump.*
As Karite took a seat right next to me, I recalled my spear as well.
“...We haven’t had many lectures together recently, so I didn’t realize, but you really work hard.”
“It’s not so much about working hard as it is doing what I can.”
“What… That’s what working hard is.”
Karite chuckled and shook her head, and I found myself smiling along with her.
‘Working hard…’
Normally, I would have just met the required quota.
There was no extra reward for killing more monsters. But lately, I couldn’t bring myself to stop.
The third episode, Despair Stained with Blood. I didn’t know when the disaster would strike. That was why I had become much more conscious about killing monsters.
Even if it meant I would exceed my quota several times over. If I didn’t, my mind wouldn’t be at ease.
“By the way, Karite. Your elemental trait is truly incredible. You’ve been a huge help.”
“Me? I was just supporting you.”
“That support lets me kill with one swing of my spear what would normally take three. Anyone partnered with you would have found it easy to deal with the gargoyles.”
“I’m glad I was as helpful as you say.”
Gargoyles, with bodies as hard as iron, were nearly impossible to pierce completely with a spear, even one wreathed in Spiral Mana. But when Karite’s water destabilized them, they became much easier to handle.
It made me realize just how useful the elements were for overwhelming living creatures.
Seeing Karite’s newfound confidence also helped me relax a little.
‘Everyone is getting stronger.’
Time wasn’t just passing for me. I wasn’t the only one growing.
The people I knew were steadily growing stronger as well, and in Karite’s case, her growth rate was nothing short of abnormal.
I could feel her getting stronger day by day.
While I was glad for that, my thoughts returned to the forest we were in.
‘Teryul Forest.’
It was a forest whose name had never appeared in the original story.
Come to think of it, the story had often glossed over the names of places and forests.
So even though we were here in Teryul Forest, I didn’t know if the incident would happen here or not.
However, Teryul Forest was unique in that gargoyle-type monsters appeared frequently. Considering that gargoyles were normally rare on the ground, the unique nature of this forest meant the probability of the incident occurring here was low.
‘Gargoyles didn’t really appear much in the story.’
…I thought it was unlikely that the incident would happen today, but I had a strange feeling.
A tension that wouldn’t let me completely relax. The anxiety in my heart grew with each passing moment.
*Grasp.*
…Suddenly, a hand took mine, startling me.
“What on earth are you so worried about?”
It was Karite who had taken my hand.
“...No, I’m not really worried about anything.”
“For someone who says that, you’re clearly worried about something. I know because I’ve been watching you. You seem relaxed, but strangely, I can feel your anxiety too.”
Karite spoke calmly, her eyes fixed on mine.
Her gaze was clear, as if she were simply stating a fact… I unconsciously brushed my cheek.
‘Are my emotions showing on my face?’
I thought for a moment before shaking my head.
“It’s just that when I face monsters… I’ve been getting more tense lately.”
“Really? If that’s the case… well, I guess it can’t be helped.”
At my half-true answer, Karite carefully let go of my hand.
*Slip.*
I watched her pale hand slip away from mine… and a small smile escaped my lips.
*Grasp.*
This time, I was the one who caught her retreating hand.
“...Ah?”
Seeing Karite’s surprised reaction, I squeezed her hand a little tighter.
“Still, thank you for worrying about me.”
“No, I… I just felt that way. I didn’t actually do anything for you.”
Seeing her react so noticeably to my words, I gently caressed her hand.
A pale white hand.
As I stroked her hand, feeling a softness different from my own… I decided to cautiously express my own feelings.
If I had made up my mind, I needed to be more forward with Karite. And in truth… the more time I spent with her, the more I became aware of how much larger she loomed in my thoughts.
“...”
Karite accepted my touch without a word, seeming not to know what to do.
But the emotion in her eyes was plain for me to see.
She was happy.
It was clear that my gesture was bringing her joy.
After caressing her hand for a moment, I slowly let it go.
“...You could have done it a little longer.”
Her words, filled with disappointment, made me chuckle.
“Longer?”
“N-No.”
Seeing her flustered, I found my mood had honestly shifted.
Just her words, just thinking about her for a moment, seemed to have eased the tension in my heart.
‘And maybe I’m being overly conscious of it.’
The third episode would definitely happen.
I knew there would be victims, that I would have to face a horrific scene.
I was on edge because I didn’t know when or where it would happen, but being too tense and worried felt like it was just eating away at me.
“Hah.”
I let out a soft breath, as if exhaling my worries, and glanced around.
The vast forest vegetation, which seemed damper and darker in color compared to other forests, made me change my perspective.
'Being anxious and tense won't change anything.'
If anything, I should be wary of my body stiffening from the tension.
A moderate amount of tension was best.
With that in mind, I found myself repeating the words I had recently been telling those around me.
“Hey, Karite.”
“Yes?”
“I know this is sudden, but I don’t think there’s any harm in being careful.”
“...Yeah, I think so too.”
I nodded slightly at her immediate agreement.
And.
‘If it’s Karite.’
She would surely be fine.
When the third episode occurred, the main victims were students with low-level traits. Most of the top-ranking students managed to survive one way or another.
So, she would be okay.
…And the danger would come from the monsters going berserk. For now, reducing the number of monsters was the best I could do.
“Shall we get up again, then? I want to thin out as many monsters as I can. I think it’s best to reduce their numbers, at least in the area we’re in.”
I said this as I stood up, not even five minutes after we had sat down to rest.
My words might have been unwelcome, but…
“Okay. I understand.”
Karite followed my lead without protest.
I found myself liking her a little more for that, and strangely, my heart seemed to calm down.
Her power made the battles easier, which in turn eased my mind.
*Glance.*
As I watched Karite walk beside me… I could feel how much we had changed.
Back when we faced Leteia’s doppelganger, we had acted together, much like now.
But back then, it was as if I was acting alone. Karite had no confidence in herself and was constantly worried about being a burden to me.
Yet, in just a few months, she had completely changed.
“……”
Karite, who had been tormented by Leteia’s lingering thoughts for years, had now rediscovered her bright self.
As if sensing my gaze, she met my eyes, and hers were now shining brightly.
Seeing that as a good change, I smiled and nodded.
‘Right.’
I shouldn’t be afraid of what was to come.
I would just do what I could.
It was at that moment.
—!
Suddenly, a light flashed in my vision, as if it were blinking on and off.
“……!”
*Thud.*
The sudden anomaly made me stop in my tracks and cover my face.
No actual light had flashed, nor had anything physically happened. Yet, the momentary strange phenomenon made me instinctively cover my face.
“Han Cheon-seong?”
Even as I heard Karite’s voice, the light that had spread across my vision slowly faded, and suddenly, countless images flooded my sight.
-A view stained red with blood.
-The corpses of numerous different monsters.
-The ground littered with torn and mangled human limbs, organs, and even heads.
-The moment the vile stench of blood permeated the entire forest.
Horrific scenes that had suddenly taken over my retinas.
“...”
I swallowed a dry breath and blinked my eyes.
‘Why are these images suddenly…’
My good mood from moments before plummeted, and my eyes narrowed.
Yet, I wasn’t overwhelmed by these gruesome images.
I had seen this sight before.
It was a dream, but one that felt nothing like a dream. I had seen it countless times in the first lucid dream I ever had.
And it was a lucid dream I had remained in for a long time, not waking up on my own.
With a heavy heart, I numbly opened my mouth.
“……Sorry, just a moment.”
I knew Karite was looking at me with alarm. That was why I had to say something.
“...O-Okay.”
As Karite replied awkwardly, I slowly lowered my hands and looked at the forest with my now-clear vision.
'It's definitely not this forest.'
The forest I saw in my lucid dream was completely different from this one.
This forest was too damp to be engulfed in such a massive inferno; it was unlikely a fire would even start here.
‘Why?’
Then why did such a vivid image suddenly appear before my eyes?
——————————!!
Suddenly, a bizarre wave, strong enough to make the very air tremble, washed over my entire body.
“...!”
Goosebumps broke out all over me. The wave rustled my hair as it passed us, seeming to spread deeper into the vast forest.
“...What in the world was that?”
“Han Cheon-seong. What was that just now!?”
As Karite and I exchanged words, I instantly drew my spear.
The bizarre wave, it was like a strange cry.
An incredibly faint cry, but a sound so horrifying it made my skin crawl.
And in that instant, one word clearly came to mind.
‘Howling…?’
The moment the perfect word to describe it surfaced in my mind, I was already speaking urgently.
“Karite! From now on, don’t you dare leave my side!”