Isn't There Any Clue?
Isn't There Any Clue?
Originally, the land around Gwanghwamun and Jongno was expensive.
That didn't differ much between the original novel and reality.
However, with the appearance of the Tower, rent and land prices plummeted, and the surrounding land came to be occupied by existing government agencies, the Association, and guild buildings.
The guild tower of [Hellfire] was also built nearby.
The setting specified that the protagonist's house was an old residence located not far from that guild tower.
Because it was an area that didn't get much sunlight due to the massive Tower created right in the middle of Gwanghwamun Square, moving around posed no problem at all.
I avoided people's eyes as much as possible.
Just looking at my physical description broadcasted in real time, people would be able to recognize me, and if that happened, there was a possibility a commotion would break out.
Just in case, I swept my hair back and took off the mask.
In my current state without brakes, if I ran into people and a commotion broke out...
...there was no guarantee I could handle it well and move past it like just before.
'...Honestly, I was lucky.'
It sent a chill down my spine.
It was a place where such a huge crowd had gathered.
When I first witnessed that scene, honestly, I felt a sudden surge of fear.
Because in my entire life up to this point, I had never experienced standing in front of so many people.
That's why I desperately thought and thought before acting.
Right now, that was the absolute best I could do.
"Haa..."
Sighs had been spilling out of me non-stop for a while now.
Because I felt suffocated and utterly lost.
'Could there be any clues?'
They wouldn't have just thrown me into this world without rhyme or reason.
If not, then they truly had a sick sense of humor.
The protagonist in the original novel carried the story forward in an infinitely weakened state due to the betrayal of those he trusted.
However, the current me possessed his full power intact.
Did they throw me in without even factoring in this situation, telling me to just do whatever I want?
Drag me into this world without any purpose whatsoever?
'There's no way.'
Everything must have a purpose.
Therefore, I desperately needed any clue right now.
That was why I was currently heading toward the protagonist's house, which I deemed to have the highest probability of holding answers right now.
I also had an intuition that it was the only place where I could think deeply by myself while avoiding people's gazes.
At first, it was a vague feeling.
Because it was only described in text in the original novel, and I didn't know its exact location.
Fortunately, however, despite being a place I had never visited before, I could naturally sense which direction the protagonist's house was in.
It felt as if the protagonist's memories remained inside this body.
Though I didn't know if that was the exact cause.
The more I tried to recall, the more strangely awkward and nauseating it felt.
Was it because, while strictly speaking it was my body now, it wasn't originally mine?
I felt like I had a bit of a headache now too.
'It's probably the effect of receiving too much stress.'
My head was a complete mess right now.
Honestly speaking, everything was unfamiliar, and irritation welled up inside me.
To possess me into the body of a novel's protagonist without any warning or consent!
They couldn't do this to me just because I posted a complaint comment!
"Damn it...!"
As I moved, my emotions easily wavered with the thoughts that kept popping up over time.
I exhaled a deep sigh once more as if taking a deep breath.
'Calm down... Let's calm down.'
I am not an ordinary human right now.
I was a monster in human form.
The protagonist in a novel was cool to read about and imagine, and I had even admired him.
It was a precious escape that allowed me to briefly forget reality during an unremarkable daily routine and experience a different world.
However, once that entered the domain of reality, it inevitably became something I wanted to distance myself from immediately.
And my current situation could be considered the absolute worst among them.
"...Is it here?"
Before my eyes stood an old house with an exterior that bore the heavy marks of time.
It looked like a house built in South Korea back in the 70s or 80s.
Weeds grew thickly through cracks in the cement ground, and the door handle was heavily rusted.
The exterior walls, cracked in various places, looked ready to collapse at any second, failing to fulfill their basic purpose.
'When the protagonist returned 10 years after being trapped in the Rift... this place was already gone.'
After betraying the protagonist, [Hellfire] had concentrated all their power on erasing all traces of him.
The one at the forefront of that effort, in particular, was Guild Master Seo Yeram.
Because as his childhood friend, she was the only person who knew all of the protagonist's past.
The reason behind such actions stemmed directly from the feelings of powerlessness and inferiority that permeated all of [Hellfire].
Since they were all S-class powerhouses, their pride was immense.
On top of that, due to their anger toward the protagonist—whom they believed had hidden his strength—they ended up crossing the line.
They had framed him.
Framed him as a traitor to humanity.
It was also a measure to thoroughly prevent even the slightest truth from being revealed.
Because the S-classes in [Hellfire] used the protagonist as a scapegoat out of inferiority toward him and a desire to elevate their own positions, they systematically erased those traces.
The narrative arc and scene where the protagonist returned from the Rift, realized that truth, and wept tears of rage were still engraved in my mind.
That was why I believed there would be a clue here.
'If there's no clue here... what do I do?'
I bit my lip until it bled.
Such a thing must never happen.
The world I originally lived in wasn't a great environment either.
I was overwhelmed by work, exhausted, and went through so much hardship.
While I couldn't say I lived abundantly, it was strictly my own life built step by step, a world I was creating with my own hands.
Yet, it was stolen from me overnight.
And what was handed to me was the life of a novel's protagonist.
Could a person who was living normally accept that fact at face value?
At least, I couldn't.
"...Let's go in."
I opened the old iron gate.
It wasn't locked.
There seemed to be no sign of life.
The protagonist possessed exceptional senses as well as strength, but I didn't try to use them carelessly.
Because since I currently lacked control, I had an intuition that if an excessive rush of sensory information washed over me, I would end up unable to even move.
Come to think of it, the fact that I could act calmly without falling into chaos even after being possessed was also surprising.
It was to the point where I wondered if I had always been this type of person.
If this was also an effect of transmigration, it really was giving poison and then offering the remedy.
And so, I came to stand before the door leading into the house.
Grabbing the doorknob, I took a deep breath.
"Please."
Filled with desperation.
I opened the door and stepped inside.
Until entering the boss room, the morale of [Hellfire] was sky-high.
Not a single person thought this raid would fail.
Although there was an unexpected occurrence along the way and everyone felt a considerable sense of unease, that was true.
In particular, Guild Master Seo Yeram stared intently in the direction where Mumyeong had disappeared for quite a while.
However, right now they faced a crucial matter right before their eyes.
The identity of that sense of unease was something they could check later.
It was certainly not a matter that would pose a major problem right at this moment.
'S-class Rank 1 Mumyeong.'
Even without him, [Hellfire] was strong.
It was no exaggeration to say they were the strongest guild in the world, going beyond South Korea.
A group that certainly should have been so was now being thoroughly brutalized in front of the boss standing at the top of the Tower right before their eyes.
Climbing up to this point, [Hellfire] had dealt with overwhelming and powerful bosses.
Death Knight Perion.
Lich Karnin.
Vampire Vlad.
Even Red Dragon Kaelas.
They were monsters of the Tower that had once been deemed impossible to clear.
Since they were the hunters of [Hellfire] who had overcome such formidable foes to climb all the way up here...
...they couldn't help but feel quite disappointed by the sight before their eyes.
Unlike the monsters that had each displayed a massive presence and overwhelming destructive power...
'Is that seriously the final boss?'
It was a sight that made all their tension feel silly.
That was the emotion everyone felt when they witnessed the final floor's boss.
Because the final boss reigning at the very top of the Tower looked far too pitiful.
There was merely a figure standing there, hiding its form while wearing nothing more than a worn-out rag.
Just in case, they thoroughly checked the surroundings.
No particular gimmicks, traps, or minions could be seen.
It was also confirmed that the boss itself was bare-handed, holding no weapons whatsoever.
Normally, when a boss appeared, text would be written in midair as if the Tower itself was revealing the boss's identity, but this time, no such thing existed at all.
They should have noticed something strange from that point on, but...
...everyone couldn't help but underestimate that utterly pathetic boss, from whom not even a trace of a presence could be felt.
And the price for that was horrific.
"Kyaaaaah!"
A desperate scream echoed out.
It simply crushed, broke, and destroyed.
It was an exceedingly simple action.
It merely ripped apart human flesh with its bare hands, stomped on them, and crushed them.
However, it was far too fast.
Not a single one of their attacks hit.
Even when everyone gave their all to seal its movements, it was useless.
Neither magic nor swordsmanship could reach the boss at all.
Even the tanks standing on the frontlines failed to become a wall; tossed left and right, their crumpled shields tumbled across the floor.
The sight of top-tier armor being shattered before mere bare fists was a sight that could not possibly be accepted as reality.
"F-ucking bastard...!"
Shin Yuri, the lightning user ranked 3rd among S-classes who boasted formidable attack power and rapid speed, was taken down without even being able to react.
She was currently rolling on the floor with both of her legs broken.
"Ugh... Uuuugh...!"
Even Cha Yujin, who had been in the rear to heal [Hellfire]'s party members, collapsed to her knees, suffering from mana exhaustion.
The speed at which [Hellfire]'s S-classes collapsed was so fast that healing was utterly meaningless.
"Kugh!"
Seo Yeram seized an opportunity and swung her greatsword of fire with all her strength.
It was the moment the boss was grabbing a guild member by the collar.
The greatsword of fire she swung—intending to slash through the guild member along with it—was caught easily in the boss's hand without making a sound.
"How...!?"
Whether Seo Yeram was astonished or not...
...it threw aside the guild member it was holding, clenched its fist, and swung hard.
With a deafening roar, the greatsword of fire, the very symbol of [Hellfire], shattered to pieces completely.
"Ah."
She thought it was an impossibility.
However, whether Seo Yeram accepted that reality or not...
Kwang! The boss's fist slammed directly into her face, sending her flying all the way to the corner alongside an earth-shaking roar.