Chapter 129
Chapter 129
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 129
Chapter Title: Betrayal
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"Han Min-oh?"
"The chaebol's youngest son?"
"Why'd the rich kid come here, ditching his bodyguards?"
The crowd began to murmur.
It was because Han Min-oh had suddenly walked right into their midst.
But he'd been under tight protection by his bodyguards for a full day.
So it was only natural to wonder why he'd ditched them to join this group alone.
'Who knows how many Incarnations are mixed in among the bodyguards.'
But for Han Min-oh, it was a choice he had no option but to make.
He'd overheard the conversation of the group that kidnapped him.
—Yeah. Better to kill a thousand. No point in us Incarnations turning on each other.
They'd clearly mentioned "splitting up."
All five of those kidnappers had been his bodyguards, and "a thousand" could only refer to the civilians gathered here, no matter how you dressed it up.
In other words, most of the other Incarnations were likely among the bodyguards.
Or maybe...
'Possibly all of them.'
There were too many suspicious signs.
His father, the head of Han Yeon Group, had assembled a powerful bodyguard team to protect Han Shin.
He'd paid top dollar to bring in some of the strongest players from the Abyss.
But these weren't them.
'These are bodyguards I've never seen before. They must have all been replaced in that one moment.'
The switch had happened all at once.
Maybe the grieving chairman had overhauled the team after Han Shin's death. But the fact that so many of them were Incarnations only fueled the doubts.
This couldn't all be coincidence.
There had to be an agenda.
'What are they after?'
It didn't seem to be his life, at least not right away.
Their options had clearly included sparing Han Min-oh.
Was it Han Yeon Group?
Were they planning to kill the chairman and take him hostage to swallow the whole conglomerate?
'But if they're targeting the group, this infiltration is way too sloppy.'
If they were after the group, all the Incarnations would need to be united.
But they weren't.
Instead, infighting had broken out, and one faction had kidnapped him solo.
If a passerby — Park Chan-woo — hadn't intervened, he'd have been done for.
"Hello. Mind if I stick with you all?"
Han Min-oh said firmly as he joined the civilian group.
The others regarded him warily.
To them, he was an outsider.
A noble who'd been pampered under heavy guard, separate from the rest.
His bodyguards even had emergency rations and drinking water.
"Why'd you leave your bodyguards and come here?"
Soon, a sturdy man stepped up and blocked Han Min-oh's path.
Han Min-oh hesitated.
Should he tell the truth or not?
Speaking up might just stir up needless panic.
But deep down, he shook his head and spoke anyway.
"There are Incarnations among the bodyguards."
"...Incarnations?"
"Yes. Five of my bodyguards kidnapped me, and I confirmed they were Incarnations. I barely escaped, but there could be more."
"So? Why should we risk our necks to take you in? This Abyss only popped up because of people like you."
The resentment was thick.
And it wasn't just the man.
The looks directed at Han Min-oh weren't friendly.
...It was understandable.
They'd been dragged into the Abyss out of nowhere.
Just walking down the street, minding their own business — of course they'd hold a grudge.
"I'm truly sorry about that. I have no excuse, but I need your help."
Han Min-oh bowed his head.
He couldn't bring himself to say, "The Incarnations might slaughter you all."
Mentioning a massacre implied they had the firepower for it.
That the Incarnations numbered enough to pull it off if they wanted.
Of course, there were probably Incarnations among the civilians too.
But blending into the crowd felt safer than trembling in fear amid the bodyguards.
"What a shameless guy."
"Wouldn't this Abyss end if you just died?"
"My kid's sick. We need to get to a hospital now!"
Jeers came from all sides.
Even though it had only been a day, it felt like an eternity to them.
They'd huddled outside the building to prepare for any emergencies.
Over 24 hours exposed to the elements had frayed their nerves.
And this was the Abyss.
A hell where anything could happen.
They took turns napping lightly while standing guard, tense as could be.
All they wanted was for it to end.
Of course, their idea of "ending" aligned perfectly with "even if Han Min-oh dies."
'I wish he'd just die.'
'Why hasn't he croaked yet?'
'Someone kill him already.'
Eyes filled with resentment and distrust.
They treated him with cold, ruthless indifference.
The second son of Han Yeon Group?
That title meant nothing in the Abyss.
"...Please."
Han Min-oh bowed at a perfect ninety degrees.
Honestly, he felt like he was going insane from frustration.
He had no idea why this "targeted Abyss" had opened on him specifically.
It felt like the whole world was conspiring to torment him.
It had been that way since birth.
His brilliant older brother.
Always compared, always belittled.
Some might envy him as the chaebol's youngest son, but to Han Min-oh, that family was a living hell.
The rock bottom of a pit with nowhere left to fall.
In Han Yeon Group, Han Min-oh was a "non-entity."
He had to live quietly, like he didn't exist.
And that was just the start.
After the Abyss hit, he'd barely survived near-death crises, and now he was facing unexplained sniping and the people's wrath.
'What the hell did I do wrong?'
Nothing had been his choice.
He hadn't asked to be born, and he'd tried hard but just lacked the talent to catch up to Han Shin.
If not for the Han Yeon Group background — if he'd grown up in an ordinary family — Han Min-oh would have been happy.
He wouldn't have endured this sniping, the kidnapping, or the sharp resentment from strangers.
'What did I do to deserve this?!'
He resented the world.
"Get lost!"
"Before we beat you to death!"
"Go back! Go back!"
Emotions amplify.
Especially negative ones, which spread even faster.
Tap.
That was when it happened.
A kind-faced grandmother approached and gently wrapped her arm around Han Min-oh's shoulder.
"Young folks, don't be like that. Let him in. He looks so pitiful. He's still young, isn't he? Must've been terrified after getting kidnapped."
"Granny, it's because of him we're trapped here like this!"
"Don't think so harshly. And what's with all you grown adults acting like this? Even if the world's gone mad, we haven't yet, have we? Look at the poor kid shaking. It must've taken guts to come here. How scary it must've been. Tsk tsk."
The grandmother gently stroked Han Min-oh's back.
Drip, drip.
Tears suddenly welled up in Han Min-oh's eyes and fell.
He'd tried to play it cool, but denying the injustice would be a lie.
Claiming he wasn't scared would be a lie.
He'd spoken calmly, but having no one on his side hurt deeply.
As the grandmother defended him, the jeers gradually died down.
Just one person.
But one was enough.
To bring everyone back to their senses.
"...He does look kinda pitiful."
"Yeah. What's the harm in letting him stay?"
"We just gotta tough it out together for two days, right?"
Even to them, Han Min-oh was a victim.
The Abyss was opened by Creators and demons.
The demons had unleashed Incarnations to kill Han Min-oh.
It went without saying how much resolve it took for him to escape and come here.
Public opinion flipped.
"...Thank you."
Han Min-oh said quietly, voice choked with emotion.
The man in front of him then asked,
"He's pitiful, sure, but we need reasons. Why'd they target you?"
"I don't know."
"Hm... Because you're Han Yeon Group's heir? Come to think of it, I heard the eldest son went missing recently..."
"......"
"If bodyguards kidnapped you, there must be a connection. Alright. Come on in."
The man stepped aside.
Not knowing the reason, he'd accepted Han Min-oh by piecing together his own story.
As soon as Han Min-oh joined the group, the man spoke again.
"Looks like we need to keep an eye on those bodyguards too. In this Abyss, humans seem to be the scariest threat."
"Should we increase the watch shifts?"
"Yeah. Any volunteers?"
Their response was swift.
If most bodyguards were Incarnations, they were now threats too.
Half a day passed since Han Min-oh joined the group.
Dusk fell, darkness settling over the sky.
Thankfully, nothing unfortunate happened.
The people welcomed him warmer than expected.
'Even if the world's gone mad, people haven't yet.'
Han Min-oh mulled over the grandmother's words.
Only the world had lost its mind.
People still had warmth, compassion...
...I want to protect these people.
Han Min-oh volunteered for watch duty.
'Incarnations are insane.'
Incarnations weren't human.
Demons in human skin.
Couldn't think of them on the same level.
With the people on guard, an attack wouldn't be easy, but who knew what those bastards might try.
'If they're coming, it'll be tonight.'
One thing was certain: the Incarnations didn't have much time either.
If they were after him or a massacre, tonight was prime time.
The problem was not knowing how many there were.
"Not sleepy? You must've gone nearly two days without sleep after the kidnapping."
The sturdy, burly man approached.
The same one who'd initially blocked Han Min-oh — this group's de facto leader.
Han Min-oh replied,
"I'm managing."
"Sorry about earlier."
"No, it's fine."
"Thanks for understanding."
Han Min-oh knew it had been unavoidable given the situation.
—Caw!
—Caw!
In the distance, eerie cries from corpse crows echoed mournfully.
The man tilted his head.
"Suddenly so noisy."
"What's over there?"
"Dunno... Might need to check it out. Wanna come?"
"Sure. Let's go."
"We'll scout it out, so everyone else stay put."
The man called out to the others on watch.
Then the two set off down the dark road.
To figure out why the corpse crows were suddenly crying out.
Once they reached a spot where the others' silhouettes had completely vanished,
Han Min-oh tilted his head.
"...Nothing. It sounded like it came from around here."
"Of course not. That wasn't a corpse crow."
"...?"
"Tch. Should've just stayed put. Why'd you have to join and make trouble."
Stab!
It happened in that instant.
The man drove a blade into Han Min-oh's back.
—Caw!
—Caw!
Soon, the Incarnations who'd been mimicking the corpse crows began gathering one by one around them.