Chapter 133
Chapter 133
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 133
Chapter Title: No Hyoman's Past
-----------------------------------------------------------------
[By watching ‘No Hyoman’s’ past, you can learn the reason the Land of Ruin began.]
[Please choose carefully.]
My finger, about to select ‘NO’, froze in place.
I could learn the reason the Land of Ruin began from No Hyoman’s past?
I couldn’t make sense of what that meant. The warning to choose carefully implied this scene couldn’t be viewed again.
I hesitated for a moment.
Should I waste time watching his past, or just skip it and deal with No Hyoman?
Either way, No Hyoman would end up dead.
‘Fine.’
Since the outcome was the same either way, it wouldn’t hurt to take a peek at his past.
Especially a story I didn’t know about.
[YES]
I pressed the hologram button on the left. Suddenly, the space warped, and a white fog curtain draped over everything again.
[You will now continue watching ‘No Hyoman’s’ past.]
[From now on, the scenes unfolding are the reason ‘Land of Ruin’ began, so please watch closely.]
“……Got it.”
Whoosh!
The fog curtain parted sharply, revealing No Hyoman with a stern expression. His epaulet had changed from lieutenant to captain.
In this scene, he no longer seemed like the naive fool from before.
“Unit—attention!”
At his shout, the Goblin Unit members snapped to attention, tense and rigid.
Then Kim Juncheol stepped down from the podium and looked them over.
“You all did great in this training exercise. Thanks to you capturing the opposition force, the brigade commander gave us high praise.”
-Thank you, sir!
“Operations officer, you did well too. You prepared for this training very thoroughly.”
No Hyoman shouted back with a joyful expression.
“Sir! Yes, sir!”
Returning the salute, Kim Juncheol inspected the troops one by one as he walked across the parade ground.
Everyone gazed at him with eyes full of respect. No Hyoman, too, now showed clear loyalty toward Kim Juncheol, unlike before.
Of course, it was all an act.
The unit began to disperse.
I flew over to No Hyoman’s side and listened to his inner monologue.
“Phew…. That was tough. Time to wash up and crash.”
He seemed exhausted from the grueling training—sweat beaded on his forehead after removing his helmet. Seeing his proud expression, it really felt like the man had changed.
Back at the barracks, No Hyoman picked up the microphone in the command center and announced.
“All personnel, ramen is authorized until 2300 hours today. Tell the cooks to make rice, and anyone who needs it can help themselves from the pot.”
Cheers erupted.
-Woooh!
“You all did great in this training too. Get some good rest, and I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
No Hyoman turned off the mic button and asked the duty soldier.
“Who’s the duty officer tonight?”
“It’s Master Sergeant Joo.”
“Master Sergeant Joo is on duty officer?”
“Yes, sir. I heard the battalion commander ordered it himself.”
“……I see.”
No Hyoman made a surprised face, tilting his head. He stared at the duty soldier with a hardened expression for a moment, then slowly relaxed and flashed a bright smile.
“Got it. Then I’ll head back to my quarters.”
“Have a good rest, sir!”
Finishing the conversation, No Hyoman stepped out of the barracks. He walked lightly through the pine forest path to the officers’ apartments.
Several gray apartment buildings shrouded in darkness—one of the newer ones at the very end. No Hyoman entered it.
The walls looked quite worn for new construction; he clearly hadn’t gotten a prime spot.
Click.
No Hyoman turned the key and opened the door. The entryway light flicked on, illuminating him.
He slowly shed his fatigues as he entered, tossing all his clothes in front of the washing machine.
“Phew.”
He flopped straight onto the sofa.
He turned on the TV, and YTM News came on, reporting the day’s incidents as usual.
No Hyoman draped one arm over his eyes and whispered softly.
“Damn it.”
Huh?
His face, which had looked pleased just moments ago, twisted like a sheet of paper.
As if another personality had taken over his body.
“I told you to push that bastard off the hill earlier, didn’t I? Why didn’t you?”
“No…. It’s not that….”
“There was no one around to see anyway. If you’d killed him, I could’ve come here. Why? Why?! Why!! Why don’t you ever listen to me, you idiot!”
“……”
What the hell?
Had he finally lost it completely?
No Hyoman was talking to himself and answering himself like he was in a play.
The questioning voice sounded familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it.
‘Who is that….’
“Phew…. No Hyoman, didn’t I help you get all the way to operations officer?”
“Yeah….”
“Then you need to help me too, right? Don’t you want to climb higher? Past operations officer to battalion commander, regiment commander, division commander! Don’t you want to become a general? Or do you want to stay stuck as operations officer forever?”
No Hyoman bowed his head.
“No….”
“Then next time, do what I say. Kill the guy I’ve marked so I can come here.”
“……”
“No answer?”
After a long hesitation, No Hyoman’s meek personality finally replied.
“Got it….”
I clapped as I watched them.
‘I see!’
One of the two personalities inside No Hyoman right now was Lucifer. The voice was all No Hyoman, making it hard to tell, but I recognized him from that furious, distinctive tone.
The conversation ended, and the fog curtain closed again. This was already the third one—who knew how many more of these scenes they’d show.
Swish—the fog curtain parted once more. The screen transition was so fast this time, there was no room for other thoughts.
‘……Hmm.’
Pitch-black night in a forest, faintly lit by moonlight. I didn’t know exactly which mountain it was, but one thing was clear.
No Hyoman
was a murderer.
“Operations officer, sir, are you sure insurgents appeared around here?”
Two soldiers walked slowly, scanning both sides.
“Sergeant Kim Jinwon.”
“Yes?”
The moment Sergeant Kim Jinwon turned his head,
Bang!
A gunshot rang out.
The other NCO who’d followed him looked at No Hyoman in shock.
“Wh-what—”
Bang!
Another gunshot.
No Hyoman took slow, deep breaths as he stared at the two fallen men.
“Haa…. Haa….”
He alternated between crying and laughing, his face a complex mix of emotions.
“You did well, No Hyoman.”
“Wh-what now?”
“First, dip your finger in that Kim Jinwon guy’s blood and draw a circle on the ground.”
No Hyoman drew a circle on the ground.
“And?”
“Inside it, draw two triangles. One inverted to make a star.”
“……Then?”
“Put his body on top.”
From the conversation, it seemed Lucifer couldn’t directly control No Hyoman’s body.
“Haa…. Haa…. Done.”
“Good job. Now…. Place both hands on his head. After that, I’ll take care of it.”
No Hyoman swallowed hard. He didn’t even seem to fully grasp what he was doing.
After a moment’s hesitation, he slowly extended his hands and placed them on Kim Jinwon’s forehead.
Once ready, the one with Lucifer’s tone chanted in a low voice.
“I swear here. Savior of the radiant sanctuary, creator of pitch-black darkness. Show darkness to all foolish ones blocking your path….”
Whoooosh—
A fierce wind whipped around them. No Hyoman’s face twisted into something sinister as he continued the chant. A dark aura began devouring the surroundings.
Suddenly, an intense darkness enveloped everything, blotting out all sight.
In the pitch black where nothing was visible, only No Hyoman and Kim Jinwon remained.
As time passed, the darkness gradually faded, and moonlight illuminated the area again.
“……Good work, No Hyoman.”
Kim Jinwon, who’d been shot dead, grinned and rose to his feet.
No Hyoman stared at him, stammering.
“Wh…. What!”
“Thanks to you, I could come to this world.”
“You—you’re—”
“That’s right, it’s me. Lucifer.”
Kim Jinwon picked up the rifle from the ground and aimed it at No Hyoman. No Hyoman waved his hands frantically, trembling in fear.
“Please don’t.”
“This is all for you. I have to disappear now for you to live.”
“What do you—”
“The murders that happened today were all my doing. You had nothing to do with it. Consider it my last gift to you.”
Bang!
“Argh!”
With No Hyoman’s scream from the gunshot, the surrounding space shattered and collapsed.
In an instant, a new scene appeared.
In a white room, Dr. Oh and No Hyoman sat facing each other, both looking anxious.
Dr. Oh sipped slowly from his mug of coffee and spoke to No Hyoman.
“It’s too dangerous.”
“Please, Doctor.”
“As you know, Major Kim Juncheol opposes this research. If we proceed and he finds out, not only I but you will die too.”
From the conversation, this seemed to be just before research on modified zombies began.
Even I, a high-level player in this game, didn’t know this—it was turning out more interesting than expected.
“……I don’t care if I die. If anything goes wrong, I’ll take full responsibility.”
Dr. Oh looked troubled at No Hyoman’s resolute attitude. Defying Kim Juncheol now was basically forfeiting their right to live.
“What’s your reason for risking your life to continue this research?”
“……To atone for my sins.”
“Atone?”
“Yes…. The culprit behind this virus. The one who brought that guy into this world… it was me.”
Dr. Oh clapped in shock.
“Y-you’re saying you created this Z Virus?”
“No, that’s not it. But I’m the one who let the true culprit emerge into this world….”
Suddenly, the surroundings darkened.
Their voices faded, and their figures were obscured.
‘……So that’s how it is.’
It differed a bit from the No Hyoman story I knew. Of course, I wouldn’t have known without seeing this scene today.
To think No Hyoman and Dr. Oh created the X Virus and modified zombies to catch Lucifer.
I’d assumed they were just making an counter to the Z Virus to seize power for themselves. This was an unexpected twist.
[‘No Hyoman’s Hidden Story Video’ has ended.]
The screen gradually brightened.
We were about to return to the video’s main scene.
Ares was one step away from finishing No Hyoman. Spotting them, I shouted.
“Stop!”
Whoosh—
The tip of Ares’s spear, slicing through the air,
halted.
Right in front of No Hyoman’s forehead.
“……Why?”
Ares turned to look at me.
“Hold on. I need to talk to him.”
“……”
“No Hyoman, get up.”
No Hyoman, transformed into a modified zombie, spat blood-mixed saliva and said to me.
“I don’t need your pity.”
“It’s not pity. There’s something I really want to ask you.”
No Hyoman and I glared at each other. His eyes burned with hatred toward me. I softened my gaze and extended my hand to him.
“Get up.”
“……”
No Hyoman took my hand and stood.
And so, the conversation about the Land of Ruin’s past began.
With No Hyoman, soon to become a corpse.