Chapter 154: The Cave of Screams (2)
Chapter 154: The Cave of Screams (2)
When did it start? Looking back, I think it began when I graduated top of my class at the User Academy and received offers from various clans. I always taught the others and took the lead as if I were superior, but beneath it all, an insidious arrogance had taken root in my heart.
After all, I was a User who had been active in the Hall Plain for over ten years. The one and only User who had seen the end.
My successes in the Alchemist Vivian's Dungeon and the Ruined Laboratory only fed that arrogance, and it finally erupted here, in the Cave of Screams—a place I thought I knew.
I had gained power incomparable to my first run, and I wielded it as I pleased. But in reality, I wasn't the one in control; the power was controlling me. I accepted Eternal Flame, thinking I could handle her power. I knew the burden it carried, yet I used it to the point of abuse. And I completely ignored Seraph’s advice when she pointed it out.
All this time, I had been justifying my actions with the convenient excuse of saving Yoohyun-hyung and Han Soyoung.
At some point, the cigarette had stopped smoking. I pushed my thoughts aside and cleared my mind. In a way, I felt it was a relief to have been caught in the Unconscious Reveal magic.
I needed to return to my roots.
“Mmm.”
As the cigarette fell from my lips, a faint groan reached my ears. Among the carefully laid-out Users, a figure with a bob of shimmering hair sat up. Clear eyes, neat features. She looked around with a dazed expression before shaking her head with a start. Seeing Hayeon like this, I spoke to her in a quiet voice.
“It's all right. The magic circle has been broken, and there are no undead monsters nearby. You can rest a little longer.”
“S-Soohyun. Haaah. You scared me.”
Startled by my sudden voice, Hayeon clutched her chest and closed the distance between us with slightly unsteady steps. As she approached, her eyes fell on our fallen comrades scattered about, and she seemed at a loss for words.
Finally, she sat down lightly in front of me. She tapped her forehead gently, seemingly still suffering from the aftereffects of having her subconscious forcibly revealed.
“I'm sorry. I remember following you in here, but after a flash of white light, I can't recall anything. I just have this incredibly sad and heavy feeling. The others, too... Can you tell me what happened?”
As she spoke, I thought I saw her glance at Ko Yeonju, who was resting her head on my lap, but I decided it was best to ignore it. I nodded once or twice at her question and slowly recounted what had transpired.
Listening to my story, I could tell Hayeon was a mage through and through. She showed great interest in the forgotten ancient magic, letting out a sigh of disappointment when I told her the magic circle had been shattered and was on the ceiling anyway, so she wouldn't have been able to see it. Ancient spells were often powerful, so it was obvious that learning one would be a great boon to her skills. And since improving one's skills increased the probability of survival in the Hall Plain, it wasn't something to be faulted.
After I finished, Hayeon opened her mouth cautiously, her face slightly flushed.
“By any chance... could you tell me what my subconscious was like?”
“It would be better not to hear it.”
“No. I really want to know. It's okay, please tell me.”
Despite my warning, she insisted. I sighed and told her some of the things she had said. (I deliberately left out the part where she begged me not to abandon her.) But even with just that, she seemed to get the gist of what she'd said and what had happened. I could see a shadow fall sharply across her face. It seemed she hadn't completely moved on from what she'd experienced back in the Golden Lion Clan.
An awkward silence fell between us. As if sensing my gaze, she quickly wiped the expression from her face and offered a sad smile. “I'm sorry,” she murmured. “I'm sorry, too,” I replied. My answer seemed to surprise her; her eyes widened as she slowly searched my face.
I was about to take out another cigarette. Hayeon, who had already regained her composure, opened her delicate lips and spoke in a clear voice.
“Soohyun. You're blaming yourself right now.”
“...”
“You don't need to blame yourself. When you're exploring a dungeon, falling into a trap is unavoidable. And in the end, you saved all of us, didn't you? I'm grateful to you.”
I didn't respond to her words. It was true I felt guilty, but it seemed she was missing the point. Perhaps sensing my silence was frustration, she continued.
“It couldn't be helped. Before we went down, you clearly gave the signal to stop. I saw it. Everyone stopped when they saw the signal. But Ahn Sol missed her footing and bumped into someone, and before she could regain her balance, she tumbled down. If you have to assign blame, the moral responsibility lies with her, not you.”
I slowly shook my head.
“No. I'm the one leading this caravan. You can't put me and Ahn Sol on the same level. If I had been a little more careful, a little more cautious, this could have been prevented.”
“But your class isn't an archer. Of course, you've done an amazing job so far, but seeing you like this breaks my heart.”
“Then it's also my fault for not bringing an archer.”
“Really. Then is it also a mistake that we came to the Cave of Screams in the first place?”
Hayeon shot me a slight glare and slowly got to her feet. I only responded with a faint smile and said nothing more. But I didn't think I was wrong. Whether it's a caravan or a clan, leading a group means you have to take responsibility as the representative, no matter when or how a problem arises. It was true that Ahn Sol had missed her footing. I could warn her to be careful during the expedition, but blaming her by saying, ‘We fell into a trap because of you,’ just wasn't in my nature.
She slowly walked over to my side (to be precise, to the side opposite the knee Ko Yeonju was using as a pillow) and turned her head to look at the others, probably to check if they were asleep. I had already confirmed with my Third Eye that everyone was sleeping, so I watched her with a calm expression.
Then, she turned back to me, reached out with both arms, and gently cradled my head. I let her guide me, burying my face in her embrace. Sometimes, I found women to be truly amazing. We had explored and fought just the same, yet I could smell a pleasant fragrance from her.
Hayeon gently stroked my head and spoke in a low voice.
“Sometimes, you have a tendency to try and do everything by yourself. You don't have to carry such a heavy burden. We can help you, too.”
“...”
“And you're still a Year 0 User, aren't you? Of course, you're far too experienced to be seen as one, but no User can be perfect all the time, right? Just think of it as a good learning experience and be more careful next time. So please, cheer up now.”
She finished speaking and stopped stroking my head, instead pulling me into a tight hug. I closed my eyes, feeling the softness against my face. After a while, I felt a little calmer. Then, she released me from her embrace and quietly knelt down. She made herself level with my eyes and, without a word, pressed her lips to mine.
Peck.
A warm, soft sensation touched my lips and then was gone. As I stared at her, Hayeon gave a bashful little smile.
“I did that to give you strength. I hope you weren't too offended.”
“No, it's fine. I'm not offended.”
I touched my lips for a moment. My old self probably would have said something like, ‘What does it matter to someone like you?’ but I didn't do that now. Instead, I felt genuinely comforted and even grateful. It suddenly occurred to me that the former was the reaction of a psychopath, and the latter was normal.
Looking at Hayeon, who was cautiously watching my reaction, I felt an inexplicable urge to laugh. I carefully lifted Ko Yeonju's head from my lap, set it down, and calmly stood up. As she said, there was no need to be disheartened. The others would probably wake up soon, so it was better for me to get my own tasks done.
This time, our positions were reversed. She looked up at me, and I looked down at her.
“Hayeon. When the others wake up, please explain the situation to them. Try to keep them from getting too agitated. For now, we'll rest here for a bit before resuming the expedition. But since there was a large tremor, I'm going to check if the surrounding terrain has changed. I'll be back.”
“Okay, I understand. Be safe. But don't go too far, and come back soon.”
Her words sounded much like a wife seeing her husband off. With that thought, I started walking down the passage in front of me.
*
“He probably thinks it's his responsibility. His face, which is always so calm...”
“Knowing his personality, that's possible. He seems like a perfectionist in some ways. That's not necessarily a bad thing in the Hall Plain, though. Anyway, as the one leading the caravan, I can sympathize with how he feels. It's a position where the more you take, the more responsibility you bear. Well, since he gives more than he takes, maybe that doesn't apply to him.”
“Ugh. Now I feel bad for Oppa.”
“W-we also seem to have unknowingly pushed a lot of things onto the leader. We should reflect on that deeply.”
As the murmuring voices reached her, Ahn Sol felt her consciousness returning. She slowly opened her eyes to see the ceiling of the clearing where they had first arrived. Seeing a large, sunken hole in the center of the ceiling, she shot up with a start.
“Oh my. Ahn Sol, you're awake too.”
“Sol. Is your head okay?”
Hearing the concerned voices around her, Ahn Sol shook her head. Her mind was foggy, and an inexplicable sense of shame and embarrassment washed over her. She clearly remembered entering the clearing, the flash of white light, and even the messages that appeared in the air afterward. But after a second flash, she couldn't recall a thing. It was as if a strip of film had been cut in the middle and the remaining ends spliced together.
“W-what in the world happened...?”
As Ahn Sol stammered, Hayeon quietly approached and sat beside her. Just as Soohyun had asked, she would immediately go to anyone who woke up looking confused and explain the situation. Hayeon's explanation was coherent and logical, and the others all nodded along as they listened. Of course, the parts where she glorified Soohyun a little were charming enough to be overlooked. (In her telling, Soohyun had become a great leader who, despite saving everyone, was reflecting on his own failure to prevent the incident.)
Listening to Hayeon, Ahn Sol hung her head low. When it came down to it, the fault was mostly hers. The thought that they wouldn't have fallen into the trap if she hadn't missed her footing, combined with the fact that Soohyun was now in a bad mood, pricked at her conscience.
Seeing Ahn Sol, Hayeon spoke in a comforting tone.
“Lift your head. No one here is going to say anything to you. The only one who might is Soohyun. If you just show him you'll be more careful from now on, he'll be more than satisfied with that.”
“That's right, Sol. It's okay, so lift your head. Just tell him you're sorry later. And like Jung Hayeon said, you just have to be careful next time. People make mistakes.”
With Ahn Hyun chiming in to support her, Ahn Sol seemed to find some strength and managed to raise her head. Watching them comfort each other, Ko Yeonju crossed her arms and let out a smirk. The deep smile on her face was a sure sign she was thinking up something mischievous.
“Ah, anyway, this whole subconscious thing is scary. So everyone except the leader revealed their subconscious... what if I said something I shouldn't have... This is really bothering me.”
At Shin Sangyong's grave words, everyone's expression hardened. The only ones who remained unfazed were Jung Hayeon and Ko Yeonju. An awkward silence descended upon the group, and anxious looks appeared on their faces. Although they couldn't remember their own words and actions while their subconscious was exposed, they all had a nagging feeling in the back of their minds.
It was then that Ko Yeonju, who had been quietly enjoying the atmosphere, raised her hand lightly and spoke.
“Oh my. I heard it, too.”
“““What?”””
Ahn Hyun, Lee Yoojung, and Ahn Sol asked in unison. She gave a faint smile and nodded. Ahn Hyun blinked, then asked again with a slightly hesitant expression.
“Um, did you hear... everything?”
“Not everything. I wasn't affected by the spell either, you see. Of course, I couldn't move like him, and I almost lost consciousness a few times later on. I was so exhausted I couldn't hear it all, but I do remember the voices I heard here and there. I know what the three of you said, at least... Should I tell you?”
Ko Yeonju was smiling, but her smile carried a very dangerous scent. Seeing it, the three of them flinched and swallowed hard.