Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Practical Training (3)
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I'd seen a movie like that when I was a kid. A gloomy voice echoed from inside a dark cave. The voice was incredibly raspy and chilling. Its owner let out a scream like it was being torn apart, while the protagonist shook like a leaf.
👹 GROAN 👹 [Grrraaaaa...]
The protagonist, huddled in the corner of the cave, asked the voice,
"Wh-who are you?"
My friend, who was as cynical as they come, griped at that scene,
"Fuck that, if you hear a voice like that, you run. Why the hell are you even responding? I'd be out of there."
That's what I thought back then. But it wasn't like that at all. When humans face a situation so urgent and terrifying it's beyond comprehension, we become calmer and more polite than anyone else. Clutching my hands together tightly, I asked the voice's owner in the most courteous tone,
"Wh-who are you?"
🗣️ OMNIPOTENT FRAGMENT 🗣️ Come hither. For thousands of years, I have waited for a righteous soul to free me from this underground prison.
The voice turned seductive, like the strum of a biwa, carrying an aristocratic elegance without a hint of frivolity. I backed away little by little and said,
"Wh-who might you be?"
🗣️ OMNIPOTENT FRAGMENT 🗣️ I am a fragment of the one once called the Omnipotent Being, now without a name. You... what is your name?
I didn't answer. I started frantically searching for a way out. They said all sorts of bizarre shit happened inside gates because of the fucked-up creatures living there. This could be one of those malicious phenomena or a hallucination. I figured it was more likely than an actual fragment of the Omnipotent Being appearing before me.
I kept groping around everywhere. But even in the darkness, I could tell clearly. There was no way out here, and the only path leading anywhere was toward the voice. The voice kept speaking to me in a very kind, gentle tone.
🗣️ OMNIPOTENT FRAGMENT 🗣️ You... are you dead? You mustn't die. You're the first righteous soul to reach this place in thousands of years. Won't you answer me? If you fear me, just talk to me here. But please... don't die.
I couldn't bear the fragment's pitiful tone. I awkwardly offered a greeting.
"Uh... hello?"
The fragment was overjoyed at just that one word from me. The raw emotion pouring from its voice even buoyed me for a moment.
🗣️ OMNIPOTENT FRAGMENT 🗣️ Ooooooh! You're alive! Yes... If you don't wish to free me, let us talk. Tell me of the world outside. What has happened while I was sealed away? "Well, um..."
I hunkered down quietly again. Thinking rationally, this was a dead end. If that thing in the darkness meant harm, it'd be faster to just bash my head in than impersonate a fragment of the Omnipotent Being.
Even if it was a hallucination, there was no way out from here. I decided to play along and believe this voice was truly a fragment of the Omnipotent Being. I said,
"If I free you, can I get out of here?"
🗣️ OMNIPOTENT FRAGMENT 🗣️ Free me? Truly? Aaaah! At last, I am to be liberated! At last, I shall behold the outside world! You... if you free me, I shall lift you to the surface as well. Believe in me!
The fragment's voice reverberated through the underground chamber. I felt dirt crumbling down. I decided to trust its words. After all, I had to get out of here somehow. Though our forms differed, our will to survive was the same. I stood up. Planting my feet firmly on the soft earthen floor, I cautiously stepped forward.
The closer I got, the more my darkness-adjusted eyes made out something pitch-black. It looked like pudding floating in zero gravity. If I'd seen it outside, I'd have sworn it was a slime and torched it on the spot.
🗣️ OMNIPOTENT FRAGMENT 🗣️ You! Touch me! We can escape! We... can do it!
The fragment was trembling and shouting. I hesitated once more about touching it, but it felt like there was no other way out. I squeezed my eyes shut and reached out toward the fragment. A squelching, disgusting texture wrapped around my hand.
"Eugh...!"
💥 ABSORPTION 💥 [Wuuoooooo!]
My head spun. Was this punishment for touching something I shouldn't have? Clutching my temples, which throbbed like they'd been stabbed with needles, I tried to steady myself. I felt the fragment creeping up my arm, seeping into my body.
💥 ABSORPTION 💥 [Wuuoooooo! Wuuoooooo!]
The fragment screamed as it fully absorbed into my body. I felt my heart pounding wildly. My breathing grew ragged, my muscles twitching. When I looked up, faint light entered my eyes. A voice echoed from within my chest.
🗣️ INNER VOICE 🗣️ You. Trust me and climb the wall.
The wall was made of dirt. It crumbled at the slightest touch. I looked around anxiously. The voice rang out again.
🗣️ INNER VOICE 🗣️ Trust me. You freed me. I shall use all my power to free you in turn.
No choices left. Stand here like an idiot or climb for survival. I slammed my hands into the dirt wall with all my strength. With every push, dirt cascaded down like a waterfall. Overcoming the crumbling wall, I forcibly began to climb.
In the torrent of collapsing earth, only the Omnipotent Being's encouragement reached me.
🗣️ INNER VOICE 🗣️ Trust me.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Aaaargh!"
When I came to, I was lying in the infirmary. Kim Yu-jeong sunbae, who had just entered the room, looked at me with a startled face. She blinked, took a deep breath, and asked,
"Su-hyeon, are you okay?"
Was this a dream? Had I failed to escape and died? Or was meeting the Omnipotent Being the dream, and I'd just been rescued by the workers? Unthinkingly, I touched the area around my chest. My body felt normal. No black marks on my hands, muscles the same as always.
It felt just like waking from a dream. As I prodded myself here and there, I noticed Yu-jeong sunbae staring and cleared my throat.
"Ah, uh... yeah. I'm okay. Seems fine."
"Wait here a sec. I'll get the doctor."
Yu-jeong sunbae set down her paper cup on the desk and headed out again. Only then could I take stock of my surroundings and calm my mind. Looked like I'd dreamed it all. Since I couldn't clearly remember the rescue, it must've been a nightmare from being buried in the dirt.
"What kinda bullshit dream was that?"
🗣️ INNER VOICE 🗣️ I would have been saddened if you had died. "Fuck!"
I jumped up at the seductive voice ringing in my head, hopping in place. Confirming no one was around, I whispered,
"Wh-who are you?"
🗣️ INNER VOICE 🗣️ I am a fragment of the one once called the Omnipotent Being, now without a name.
The voice was still claiming to be from the Omnipotent Being. I glanced around once more, bowed my head, and whispered,
"Did you save me?"
🗣️ INNER VOICE 🗣️ You saved yourself. I merely lent my power; the feat was yours. I praise your will that clenched its teeth and climbed to the surface even amidst the dirt.
So it had saved me after all. Everything I'd seen in the darkness wasn't a dream. Realizing that, I had to check my body again. It felt weaker than usual, more fatigued.
The voice said,
🗣️ INNER VOICE 🗣️ In lending you my power, I have exhausted all my remaining strength. I require a long rest, and your body shall be my sanctuary. "Then, uh... that bulging muscle thing from the cave earlier, can you not do it again?"
🗣️ INNER VOICE 🗣️ If you grow stronger than now, I can. You can become strong enough. I do not wish to see you rely on my power and squander your potential.
I felt a twinge of regret, but he was right, so I shut my mouth. The voice continued,
🗣️ INNER VOICE 🗣️ I am weary, so I shall rest now. I will slumber deeply, but if you call, I shall answer anytime. You... I hope you are stronger when next we meet.
The voice faded. I still couldn't quite believe it. Had I really absorbed a fragment of the Omnipotent Being? Moving my body, I felt nothing changed except overwhelming fatigue.
"Su-hyeon, coming in."
There was a knock. Yu-jeong sunbae entered again, followed by the doctor. The doctor was an elderly man with a wrinkled face and kind eyes. Seeing me unscathed, he stroked his beard in admiration. Flipping through my chart, he asked,
"Did you happen to touch any unusual creatures or plants inside the gate? Nothing showed up in the tests, but some cause delayed side effects, so I'm asking."
I hesitated for a moment. Should I tell him about the Omnipotent Being's fragment?
📰 TV BROADCAST 📰 We express our deepest condolences for the late broadcaster A.
At that moment, the TV showed Diamond Club's guild master mourning broadcaster A's death. Seeing it, a thought struck me. This was a world where even revealing part of a guild's awakening secrets got you killed without a trace. If word got out that I'd absorbed the Omnipotent Being's fragment, would there really be no one trying to kill me quietly?
Would the Black Dragon Clan's lord let me live? Wouldn't he try to kill me somehow?
I had to keep it secret. That I had the Omnipotent Being's fragment inside me had to remain my secret until I grew strong. I shook my head and said,
"Nothing special. Just dirt."
Yu-jeong sunbae visibly relaxed at my words. I truly appreciated how much she worried about me.