Chapter 117: Nightmare. (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 117: Nightmare. (3)
I cut away my Innate True Qi without hesitation.
As the price for severing the very source of his life, the child’s body surpasses its limits and enters the realm of superhumans.
A pain far too intense for a child to bear coiled around my entire body, but ‘I’ took a stance as if it were nothing, staring at the beast that had lost its reason.
As if responding to me, the creature stared back.
For the first time in his life, consumed by instinct, he smiled joyfully at the appearance of a new toy—one far more interesting than the ones he had been playing with.
“Hey, Cheon Yu-hak. You’re not that kind of guy.”
The words felt as if I were the one saying them.
The beast lunged at me with all its might.
It was an ignorant swing, but its power was by no means something to be taken lightly.
Then again, it was only natural.
A predator does not doubt the claws that clear away enemies with a single swipe, nor the teeth that claim prey with a single bite.
Technique is something created by those who need to apply themselves because they cannot win by mere swinging alone; it is devised by the weak to resist the strong.
To one who has lost his reason and mistakenly believes himself to be the ultimate predator, it must feel unnecessary.
But I am different from the things you were playing with just a moment ago.
You can’t catch me with such linear movements.
“Why are you swinging your fist from so far away? Your movements are so big I can see them coming a mile away.”
The moment I dodged the punch, he seemed flustered and widened the distance.
Growling, he lunged again as if determined not to miss this time, but dodging was effortless.
When I tripped him, he couldn’t handle his own momentum and tumbled over, his face crumpling into a pout.
“I told you, you can’t do it like that. You learned martial arts. What are you keeping that for if not to use it?”
…No, hey, just hurry up and subdue him. Why are you provoking him?
“Ugh… Ah…!!!”
Little Yu-hak took a stance.
The boy, who had previously crushed enemies naturally without needing to think, had encountered an opponent he couldn’t easily handle for the first time and began to strategize.
The fist he swung was much stronger than before.
It was only natural, now that a beast in human form was utilizing technique.
“Oh, not bad. Let’s see more.”
The moment a bit more Innate True Qi drained from my body and my internal gears shifted up a notch, the world slowed down even further.
“Do you think you can save the world like that later? If you don’t want to lose everything and regret it, you’d better learn to control yourself better.”
…Huh?
“…Aaaaah!!!”
The fists that had been swinging wildly turned into focused straight punches, and the feet he hadn’t even known how to utilize began to trace the arcs of kicking techniques, however clumsily.
The situation, which had been a one-sided game, slowly began to find its balance.
“Yeah, even if it’s a pain, it’s better to swing each strike accurately. Keep the hits concise and fast, and the target clear.”
Hmm? Looking behind Cheon Yu-hak, I saw a terrified man pulling out some kind of switch.
I probably could have stopped him, but ‘I’ didn’t even think about it, just watching with a smirk.
“Die, you monsters…!”
The explosion of a Mana Bomb shook the building.
Yes, it merely shook it.
“…Huh?”
…What era do you think this is? Did you really think a Cheonhwa Group hotel wouldn’t have anti-terror measures? You moron.
He probably put in a lot of effort to infiltrate and plant the bombs, but they wouldn’t be a major threat.
However, the same couldn’t be said for me and Cheon Yu-hak. Perhaps because there were more bombs on the second floor, we were caught in the blast and blown out the window.
Well, even if it was a problem, it didn’t mean that we, as superhumans, would be injured just by being tossed by a shockwave.
The real problem was that all eyes were on us after we landed.
“…Ah.”
“…Grrr!”
“This is a bit of a problem.”
Suddenly exposed to the public eye, the beast began to act out.
“Hey! You crazy bastard, calm down!”
I had avoided a head-on collision until now, but if he started attacking other people, I couldn’t just let him be.
Boom…!
Superhuman clashed with superhuman, and a roar erupted that sounded nothing like two small children colliding.
Would it sound like this if two trucks crashed into each other?
I was the one pushed back.
It seemed that even with reinforcement, a body that wasn’t very healthy to begin with couldn’t become stronger than Cheon Yu-hak, who had been consumed by his talent.
Besides, back then, I wouldn’t have had as much Innate True Qi as I do now.
“Ah, you little brat. For a shrimp, your punches are damn spicy.”
He continued to run wild, attacking others, and I blocked every single strike with my body.
Screams erupted as the surroundings turned into a chaotic mess.
Regardless, the boy seemed puzzled that the prey he couldn’t catch was now lunging at him of its own accord. But did he think the result was good enough?
He began to laugh.
He looked exactly like a child bragging about winning a game, which made me chuckle.
I guess I have no choice.
Should I try using my trump card?
“Right here…!”
But before my body could do anything.
Every gaze in the vicinity shifted to one spot.
A child held in her parents’ arms awakened her talent at that very moment.
Kim Ga-eul.
Her talent was trivial. C-rank Agitator.
A talent that made one slightly better at speaking and allowed them to draw attention using mana.
It might seem decent, but ultimately, it was at the bottom tier of aggro-type talents. It wasn’t difficult to resist, and even if one did draw aggro, they were likely to be killed if they lacked defensive abilities.
However, at this moment.
The monster who had been overwhelming me and rejoicing was a beast that had lost its reason, and he was in a state where he had abandoned himself to instinct enough to be drawn in by even such a talent.
A very brief moment was all I needed.
The moment his attention was stolen by Kim Ga-eul, I concentrated my reinforcement into a single point.
From the stepping foot to the ankle, from the ankle up the leg to the waist, from the rotating waist to the shoulder, and from the shoulder to the fist.
He seemed to notice the fist flying toward him, but it was already too late.
Who told you to look away in the middle of a fight, you little shit?
To forcibly stop his talent, he either needed to lose consciousness or be reset with a divine spell.
“Clench your teeth.”
Wait, these are still baby teeth, so it’s fine if they fall out, right?
“You little troublemaker.”
With a sickening crunch, Cheon Yu-hak’s jaw and my fist shattered simultaneously.
Ah, fuck. That hurts like hell… How is his jaw so damn hard…!
However, since I used my fist and he took the hit directly to the jaw, he inevitably took more impact. Because of that, he was the one sent flying into the air.
After that, perhaps because Cheon Yu-hak’s memory was blurry, things became a bit vague.
The person who approached with a worried expression and scooped Yu-hak up was likely Cheon Mu-jin, and he began to say something to me.
— Reward, friend, please.
“I’m fine.”
— Thank you. First. Treatment.
“Ah, I’m really okay. I’m not hurt that much.”
Perhaps because I said that while hiding my mangled fist, he bowed his head and disappeared with Cheon Yu-hak.
And ‘I,’ who had been grinning, pulled out a glowing necklace from my shirt and injected mana into it.
“Ah, seriously. Playing the part of a transmigrator is damn exhausting.”
After ‘I’ muttered that, having instantly recovered my Innate True Qi using the artifact, the scenery changed once again.
This time, a young Cheon Yu-hak stood alone.
There was no one around him, only a continuous white space where one couldn’t tell the floor from the ceiling. The sight of the little boy sobbing alone felt more frustrated than sad.
Something black wavered around him, unsettling him.
My body walked toward him of its own accord.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
“…Is it you? Don’t come closer. I have no right to take anyone as a subordinate.”
“Oh, why the sudden loss of spirit?”
“I was incompetent. I was a fool who couldn’t even handle what was given to me. I even heard that I was helped by you, whom I considered a subordinate, and by something I thought was useless.”
“I was right, wasn’t I? I told you jewels are sometimes hidden among stones.”
“…Perhaps. But that’s a story that has nothing to do with me anymore.”
“Why doesn’t it have anything to do with you, man? So what if you failed? You just have to do better next time, right? No one got hurt, so why so serious?”
“…You were hurt. My father, my mother, and even the household servants avoid me. They’re disappointed in me. Or maybe they’re scared. Because I showed them such a monstrous side.”
“Haha, quit bullshitting. You, a monster?”
“…Are you not afraid of me?”
It would be easy to reach out to the kid who looked like he’d seen a glimmer of hope.
But I shouldn’t do that. Because he has to become a hero.
“What are you talking about! You got totally wrecked by me! Pfft.”
“…What?”
“You got your ass handed to you and passed out, so why would I be scared of you?”
“Don’t make me laugh. I only lost because I lost my reason. If I fought properly, there’s no way I’d lose.”
“Oh, I don’t think so. I think I’d win even if we did it again.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! Father said so! That I have talent! That I can become anything! He said I could become a hero even stronger than himself…!”
Yes, as I’ve said before, to a child, parents are gods.
Even if they are anxious, even if they think they are hated, they have no choice but to believe.
“You know it well, then.”
“…Huh?”
“The person who told you that is avoiding you? Scared of you? Stop talking nonsense and go ask him yourself. Ask him if he’s scared of you. He’ll probably scold the hell out of you for talking such crap.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I guarantee it.”
“…You act as if you know the future. How can you act so without hesitation?”
Looking into the child’s eyes, which were filled with questions, I burst into laughter.
“That’s right. I’ve seen the future. So rest easy and go act like a spoiled brat. Young Master.”
“Who’s acting like a spoiled brat?”
“You. Don’t try to act like an adult when you’re so young. Honestly, it doesn’t suit you at all.”
“…Can I take that as an insult?”
“You even know the word ‘insult’?”
“…You…!”
“Ah, hey. I gotta go. Looks like my time is up.”
“…Mark my words. You. You are no longer my subordinate. The next time we meet, I will surely repay all of this humiliation.”
“Yeah, yeah, not scared~ You got totally wrecked by me~”
“…Thank you… will definitely… repay the favor…”
“Huh? I can’t hear you over the sound of a loser muttering.”
“I told you to get lost if you’re busy…!”
“Sure, sure, I’m going, so don’t worry. See you next time.”
The black thing surrounding him vanished, and the blurry scenery began to return bit by bit.
This place seemed to be Cheon Yu-hak’s room.
Is it because he’s a kid? He uses such cute wallpaper.
As I turned to leave, I spun back around as if I’d forgotten something and looked at Cheon Yu-hak.
“Ah, right.”
“What now?”
“No need to be thankful~ And no need to repay any favors.”
And after I closed the door with a thud and ran away.
[I heard everything…!!! I’m definitely not going to let you off the next time we meet!]
Cheon Yu-hak’s joyful voice echoed from behind the door.
Yeah, yeah~ People who say ‘just you wait’ aren’t scary at all!
* * *
“Ugh.”
Ah, I was kicked out of the dream.
The fact that the world was shaken seemed like a good sign, but seeing as I was still alone, it appeared I hadn’t fully woken them up yet.
— Indeed, it seems the density of this world is too high to wake them just by contact. Still, looking at the state of things, if you continue to interfere as you just did, you should be able to wake the others as well.
“Ah, what. You didn’t say anything, so I thought you’d disappeared. Were you watching the whole time?”
— If you had regained control using that Power of the Heart, we would have been able to move more freely. Well, I suppose you did it because you wanted to know about your forgotten memories, but honestly, I think it was reckless.
“…Oh? You knew?”
— Did you think I only read webnovels in your head through synchronization? I am at least aware that there are gaps in your memory.
“Aha.”
— …Anyway, it seems the next entrance has appeared. This time, do not hesitate if you feel it is dangerous.
“Um, but is it okay to just change things like this?”
— No, it will likely become corrupted over time even if you do not touch it.
“…Pardon?”
— Dreams tend to distort and turn into nightmares as they age. It is better to wake them as quickly as possible.
“…Right, well, as long as it’s not a dream too closely related to me, I’ll try to resolve it as quickly as possible.”
— Yes, and keep this in mind. This is a dream; you must not be swallowed by the emotions within it.
“…Of course.”
Not being swallowed by the emotions within the dream, huh.
I’ll try my best, but I’m not sure if it’ll work.
My appearance in Cheon Yu-hak’s dream was, no matter how I looked at it, hard to see as just a child or a simple character.
Hadn’t I said it myself?
That playing the part of a transmigrator was damn hard.
Memories beyond the noise.
Memories of my original self that were far too blurry to be considered eroded by a mere two months.
And to say something like that in a memory that was clearly from the past.
I wondered if it was because that figure was truly ‘me,’ or if the original setting for the character So-hyun was simply like that.
“Let’s see, maybe looking at another dream will make things clearer.”
It was time to move on to the next dream.