Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Shh. Infiltrating
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Shh. Infiltrating.
"..."
This is a dream. An illusion. A stupid trick.
I can't fall for it. I can't get swept up in it. Snap out of it!
Seo Ha-eun shook her head violently, trying to ignore the scene before her eyes.
But she couldn't. There was no way she could.
"Ha-eun!"
"Seo Ha-eun, our daughter. What are you doing?"
A scene she'd dreamed of even in her sleep. A memory she'd cherish for life.
There she was, Seo Ha-eun herself, happily laughing in her parents' embrace.
It's real. No matter how much she rubbed her eyes, it was definitely her.
No. It's not.
She shook her head. She slapped her own face, trying to drive it away.
This was a sight she'd never see again. They were gone.
Because of the villains. Because of those bastards even more vicious than monsters!
"Aaaah!"
"It hurts! It hurts! Save me! Please save us!"
Then the scene before her eyes flipped 180 degrees, painting a different picture.
A burning world. A city center crumpled in ruin, everything in chaos.
Her parents were there, bleeding, screaming for help.
And behind them, those sneering creeps closing in—they had to be villains.
Of course, it was an illusion. A phantasm. She couldn't fall for it.
Seo Ha-eun bit her lip until it bled, trying to endure.
But her endurance didn't last long. She couldn't hold out from the start.
Those she hated so much, forcing her to relive what she most wanted to forget.
How could she ignore it, pretending it was nothing?
"You fucking bastards!!"
Give them back. My parents. My dream and hope. My life.
Give them back, you demons. Why did you have to take them like that?
Did it have to be so cruel? Really?
There were other ways. They could have accepted an honorable end.
Did you have to mock them so viciously and shatter my soul too!?
"Uwaaaaaah!!"
The moment Seo Ha-eun lunged at the villains harming her parents.
The world spun again, unfolding yet another scene.
"..."
The horrific sights from moments ago vanished without a trace.
Instead, filling her view was an antique bedroom.
A bed that looked incredibly plush at a glance.
She wanted to lie down there. To rest. The thought crept in.
"Ha-eun."
The one who appeared before her was none other than the Holy Knight.
In his usual white suit, approaching her.
And then he led her to the bed, suggesting she rest a bit.
That she'd worked hard. That it must have been tough. He knew everything.
Things would get busier ahead, so a short break would be fine.
"Lie down. It'll be so comfortable."
At the Holy Knight's words, her legs moved on their own.
She couldn't go. She couldn't lie down. She couldn't rest.
She still had so much to do, yet she drew closer to the Holy Knight.
"That's it. Come lie beside me."
As if entranced, the moment Seo Ha-eun was about to collapse.
The moment a smile crept across the Holy Knight's lips.
Thud!-
A large hand caught her falling body.
And gently—not too strong, not too weak—lifted her back up.
"Cadet Seo Ha-eun. No, Hero Seo Ha-eun."
A strange voice tickled her ear from behind.
"You're not thinking of crumbling here, are you?"
Seo Ha-eun snapped back to her senses and hurriedly stood straight.
Then the smiling Holy Knight's face twisted into a demon's.
In an instant, it contorted viciously, grabbing her by the throat.
"Guhk?!"
At the same time, the surroundings changed. Not the bedroom, but back to that carnage.
The whole world burning, everything around in ruins and debris.
"Because of you! I died because of you!"
No. Uncle, no. You didn't die because of me.
I didn't know anything. It's not my fault. It's not my wrong.
If anything, you were the one trying to do something to me.
I don't remember. I don't know what happened, but I know!
Seo Ha-eun grabbed the Holy Knight's wrist choking her.
She tried to pry it off, but she lacked the strength. Just a bit short.
She needed help, but no one came to mind to ask.
Her parents were gone, and she couldn't drag her brother into this.
She was alone. That fact made her unbearably lonely and terrified, tears welling up.
She'd never thought it before. Never wanted it.
But this time, she desperately wished. For someone to help her.
For someone to just once grab her hand in this hell.
...
......
"Just this once."
She opened her eyes to a hazy voice.
Suddenly, she felt incredibly short of breath.
"...Hah! Cough, cough!!"
Seo Ha-eun gulped in air, regulating her breathing.
Her heart pounded as if it would burst—she'd been on the brink.
A little later, and she might never have woken up.
What the hell is this situation? What happened?
"That was close. You nearly had a disaster."
"You...!"
The voice belonged to the janitor she'd rescued earlier.
A civilian completely uninvolved in this fight.
She'd told him to go somewhere safe and confirmed he'd left.
Why had this man come back here?
"The other three are over there. You're the first to wake up."
"...Ah!"
Seo Ha-eun first checked Kang Yuna's condition.
Somehow, she'd become her first friend and sole confidante.
Fortunately, she was breathing. No major injuries visible.
The same for Jin Seo-ah and Louise.
They'd been dragged into the golem, but rescued in time.
The problem was that the rescuer was none other than this janitor.
"What remains at the end of revenge is nothing but emptiness."
What are you, really? Are you truly just a civilian?
As she was about to ask, strange words came from the man's mouth.
Revenge. A word Seo Ha-eun could never forget, even in death.
Why was that word coming from this janitor? This man's mouth?
"I don't know who, but they all say things like that."
"You...."
"Isn't it utterly foolish? Emptiness after revenge? I guarantee—anyone saying that is either a fool who couldn't even properly avenge themselves, or some blabbermouth who's never been through anything like it."
Squinted eyes behind glasses. A bizarre smile on his lips.
For a moment, someone came to mind, but Seo Ha-eun dismissed it as impossible.
He looked completely different. 'That man' didn't have that appearance.
Besides, if it really were him, why would he help them?
"What remains at the end of revenge is an indescribable sweetness and an exhilarating refreshment beyond words."
"Sweetness...? Exhilaration...?"
"Yes. That's what true 'revenge' is called."
The janitor spread his arms wide and spun in place.
Like dancing, or mocking someone.
A scene utterly out of place in this dire situation.
"They also say this: The perfect revenge is forgiveness."
"..."
She'd heard it. Once, from someone passing by who said it to her.
She'd gritted her teeth, vowing to repay the villains who killed her parents.
Vowing revenge, and they'd said no, something like that.
"What do you think, Cadet Seo Ha-eun? Do you really believe that's true?"
"...No."
How could perfect revenge be forgiveness?
Forgiveness is something to consider only after the debt is fully paid.
Even that might not be necessary. Revenge or forgiveness—both are mine to choose.
If she had to pick, revenge would feel more refreshing than forgiveness.
"Exactly. That's it. Cadet Seo Ha-eun, perfect revenge is only one thing. Making the one who caused this grudge realize what living hell truly is."
The janitor approached her side and extended a hand.
"So, don't crumble until revenge is done. Even if it feels like dying, don't give up."
"You, exactly... who..."
"As one spectator enjoying that delightful journey, nothing's more regrettable than a great movie cutting off midway. Hahaha!"
Daring to compare her desperate revenge to a mere movie.
She should be angry. Rage should boil. She should.
But unwittingly, Seo Ha-eun grasped the hand he offered.
Because those words felt not like mockery, but encouragement.
And she realized it. This large hand felt familiar somehow.
It was like the one that caught her as she fell in the dream.
Shhhh!-
From afar, translucent threads swarmed again.
Far more than before—impossible to block.
Even if the others were fine, she was the only one left.
Yet as Seo Ha-eun stepped forward to protect the three.
"Ah. And one more thing."
The man blocked her path, whispering 'one more.'
"If you give up on that splendid revenge before achieving it."
The man lightly stomped his foot.
"I'll kill you myself."
Mana Threads
Hundreds, thousands of strands form a massive barrier wall!
Kwaaaaah!!-
With Seo Ha-eun and the other three at the center.
Only then did Seo Ha-eun realize who this man before her was.
It made no sense. Completely different. But definitely the Smiling Man!
"Smiling Man...!"
"Greetings later. I'm a bit busy right now."
As the man faced them head-on, the threads hesitated and retreated.
They'd realized this opponent wasn't to be trifled with.
Unlike the humans they'd toyed with and drained of life force.
"Oh. The boss graces us with their presence?"
Part of the building crumbled as a massive moth-shaped monster approached.
The power it emanated from absorbed life force was no joke.
Even Seo Ha-eun was overwhelmed, gasping for breath.
"Monster dear? I have a proposal. Will you hear it?"
Yet the man showed no intimidation before the giant beast.
He even laughed. So leisurely. As if it were laughable.
"Those behind me there. Appetizing, right? I get it. You want them? Understood. But yielding them is tough. So if you withdraw here...."
Kwang!-
A lump of rebar and concrete launched by the monster smashed right before the man.
Brushing off his hands, the man continued his interrupted words.
"Let me say it again. Back off here. You've eaten plenty already. Don't be greedy for those over there. If you persist any further...."
This time, acidic liquid sprayed out. A building melted in seconds.
"Monster dear."
At some point, the man perched atop the monster, shaking his head not to do that.
The monster roared, swatting at him with its massive wings.
A chilling boom reached Seo Ha-eun's ears.
A blow that even a high-rank hero couldn't walk away from unscathed.
Yet the Smiling Man wasn't hurt—not even a scratch.
Except one thing. His glasses broke and fell with a clunk.
"...Monster dear."
The man picked up the fallen glasses, his smile fading.
"I."
Clenched his fist. The glasses shattered to pieces.
"Am speaking."
Thwuck!!-
At that instant, the monster's wings were sliced into dozens of pieces.