Chapter 84
Chapter 84
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: Toy Ghost Story
-----------------------------------------------------------------
84.
----------
The child loved toys.
But.
The child merely loved toys.
The child had no money to buy them.
The child loved toys.
But.
The child had not a single thing in their hands that could be called a toy.
The child loved toys so much.
The child truly wanted toys. So the child thought.
‘
It’s time to wake from this dream.
’
Hiding their small body in the darkness.
Dodging the shadows of adults.
They closed their eyes, curled up their little body, and fell into sleep.
To wake from the dream called reality.
To return to the dream called reality.
To go to a world where they could touch all the toys they wanted without end.
They closed their eyes shining on that illusory world and even abandoned the heart beating to live in that illusory world.
So they would never open their eyes again in the nightmare called reality.
The child closed their eyes.
With a bright smile on their lips.
Wanting a dream from which they would never wake.
----------
*****
The moment I looked at the black ink puddle spreading wide across the floor beneath my feet.
‘Finally!’
I had a way to turn this situation around.
No law says I have to die.
Bubble bubble.
As the ink puddle suddenly began to boil, my gaze locked onto it, like it was preparing to spit something out.
Ptooey!
!
The ink puddle really spat something out.
Grab—
The moment I snatched the thing that leaped from the puddle with both hands, the first sensation transmitted through my palms was.
Fluff—
……?
Fluff?
It was a soft texture.
A softness I’d never felt before in my life.
The texture was really good.
My gaze immediately went to the thing clutched in both hands.
What I faced there was—
A pillow made of soft white silk fabric.
……A pillow?
A pillow so fluffy that just lying on it would guarantee a deep sleep was now in my grasp.
And right now.
This ridiculously fluffy pillow…
Flash—!
I had to block that flash hurtling toward me with the intent to erase my very existence without a trace.
No shield.
No weapon.
No armor.
Not even something worthy of being called an item to turn the tables on this situation.
Just this pillow in my hand.
I had to block that attack with its overwhelming destructive power.
Fzzzflash—!
Until that flash, intent on wiping me from the world, reached me.
One second.
!!
‘You’ve got to be kidding!’
Too late to dodge.
The only thought flashing through my mind right now.
Swish!
Was that I had to block that attack with the thing in my hand. It dominated my head.
It wasn’t a wrong judgment, of course.
It was just that what I held out to block it.
Was an ordinary pillow you’d see at home.
Squelch—
I felt the sensation of the flash burrowing into the pillow, followed by my instinctive sense of death.
Of course.
There’s no way a mere pillow could block an attack with that overwhelming destructive power.
…It’s over.
…….
…….
?
Huh?
Still.
Alive…?
No pain. But I’d definitely felt the subtle sensation of the flash touching the pillow.
Even though I should be spewing blood from my mouth by now, I was still standing here on both feet.
My gaze went to the pillow in my hand.
The pillow came into view completely intact, unlike what I’d expected.
My gaze quickly dropped to my body at the sight of the perfectly fine pillow.
Just in case there was a huge hole blasted through my chest. I hurriedly checked myself.
And my body was…
‘…Perfectly fine?’
It was fine.
I lowered the pillow in my hand and checked my surroundings.
But there was no hole scorched into anything from the flash that had been flying furiously at me moments ago.
…….
‘What the hell?’
Not enough info.
But the flustered voice of Seo Eun-bom, who’d fired the attack at me, filled in the missing context.
“Wha…wha-wha-what? Dodged again? Oh, what do I do?”
Seo Eun-bom was panicking.
Which meant.
I had just.
Blocked Seo Eun-bom’s attack.
Who?
No way, me?
As questions filled my head, my gaze naturally.
Went straight to the pillow in my hand.
“No way……this pillow blocked it?”
This ordinary-looking pillow?
Blocked Seo Eun-bom’s attack?
…For real?
So it wasn’t just a simple pillow.
I stared at the pillow in one hand.
Grip—
I could do this.
I was certain I could get out of here alive.
With this pillow, I could buy time. And soon enough, this space would collapse without its ghost story anchor.
I just had to hold out until then.
I didn’t know how many more of her attacks this pillow that blocked Seo Eun-bom’s strike could handle.
But as long as it could block them.
Half my worries were gone.
The only other concern left…
Was the remaining usage time on the Mass-Produced Hero?
Fortunately, I didn’t feel hunger yet. But I couldn’t let my guard down.
Right now, I needed to.
Create an environment where I could take off this mask as quickly as possible.
To create that environment.
‘One-on-one is best.’
I poured strength into my legs in one go.
And leaped high.
My target: Seo Eun-bom’s sniping spot.
Flash—!
!
Seo Eun-bom’s attack came again.
‘That item is way too OP!’
Firing off mass-destruction items like that nonstop was reason enough to call it a cheat item.
I thrust out our max-level pillow, imbued with ‘Unwavering Serenity,’ toward the direction it streaked from at terrifying speed.
Poof—
Once more, with the sensation in the pillow.
It had really absorbed Seo Eun-bom’s latest attack. The flash hurtling at me vanished in an instant.
‘……This pillow’s a cheat item on par with that one.’
This pillow seemed to have performance way beyond normal too. If I could, I’d want to keep it by my side forever.
But right now.
My honest talk with Executive Director Seo Eun-bom came first.
Lightly—
Where I landed, a woman in a gray long jacket was aiming a massive sniper rifle at me—its barrel longer than her body—with her disheveled long hair spilling onto the floor.
And that woman was Z-Team Executive Director Seo Eun-bom herself, as I knew her.
“…….”
Among the employees I’d first met here, their forms came into view where I’d arrived.
Splat—
!!
On the floor, our Bear Doll Trio lay scattered.
Crunch—
Seo Eun-bom, that woman’s doing.
It looked like they’d been shredded in one go by something sharp.
…Twitch.
They still had faint movements. Coming here was the right choice after all.
I steadied my breathing.
And calmed my voice.
“This is…”
Click—
!!
Flash—!
The moment the flash burst from the end of the long barrel.
‘This crazy woman!’
Seo Eun-bom.
She pulled the trigger on me at this ultra-close range.
She’s insane.
Even knowing her own employees here would get caught in it, she pulled without hesitation.
I instinctively raised the pillow toward the incoming flash.
Pffft—
With the sensation in my palm.
Whoosh—!
Seo Eun-bom kicked off from her spot and leaped up.
She closed in right to my nose in one go, grabbed the axe at her waist, and swung the blade at my neck.
Clack!
!!
I grabbed her wrist in one motion.
I knew.
It was an insane reaction speed.
Probably thanks to the boosted physical abilities from the ‘Mass-Produced Hero’ I was using.
Otherwise, I definitely—
Would be dead.
My head would’ve gone flying from that axe blade, rolling on the floor.
And right now.
Seo Eun-bom, who’d tried to kill me multiple times, was right in front of my eyes.
Grit—
My teeth ground together.
But.
The voice I let out carried a gentle laugh. I couldn’t let personal feelings take over now.
As always.
I plastered a fake smile on my lips.
“Is this…the organization’s way of saying hello? Pretty one-sided greeting style.”
“……Our.”
“Yes?”
“Th-thank you for not killing our incompetent employees.”
?
Seo Eun-bom.
Suddenly thanked me out loud.
And then came her apology.
“So, apologies in advance……I’ve decided to kill you here. You’re…too dangerous.”
“…I’ll take that as a compliment.”
She was playing both sides of the conversation all by herself.
Grip—!
Strength went into the arm clutching the axe.
As expected……
The warning I mentioned to Lee Jui wasn’t enough after all.
This is a hassle.
If executive directors like this keep attacking recklessly from now on, it’ll be trouble for me too.
So.
I needed a solid warning this time.
Suppressing my emotions as much as possible, I infused my voice with a playful tone. I leaned my face toward Seo Eun-bom and stared her down piercingly.
“But this works out well. I had something to say to you too. Especially to someone of executive director level like you, ‘Seo Eun-bom.’”
“!!……How. My name.”
Shock surfaced on Seo Eun-bom’s face.
Yes, that expression…
Was what I wanted.
‘Keep doubting like that. Seo Eun-bom.’
I kept leading the conversation.
“I’ll call this a ‘mistake.’ Little misunderstandings happen between strangers all the time.”
Squeeze—
I gripped her captured arm harder.
“But from the second time on……I’ll take it as definite ‘intent.’ Repeated mistakes clearly mean there’s an ulterior motive.”
“…….”
Seo Eun-bom’s expression hardened coldly. Matching it, I laced my voice with a sneer.
“And I’m the type who returns what he gets in full.”
Whoosh.
!
I yanked up the arm I was holding high and hurled her with all my strength.
“Now we’re even.”
A bit of payback and minor revenge for what she did to our Bear Dolls.
Seo Eun-bom flew from my hand at high speed, straight into a pile of toys.
Boom—!
With a deafening crash that pierced my eardrums, she buried into the heap.
……She’s not dead, right?
A belated worry surfaced.
Rustle—
Faint movement from the toy pile caught my eye.
Good, she was still alive.
With no more business here, I hurriedly scooped up our scattered Bear Doll Trio from the floor.
Leaped lightly, and got out.
That’s it.
I’d delivered a solid warning to an executive director like Seo Eun-bom.
I was sure this would keep her off me for a while.
Confirming I’d put some distance between us, I gently brought my palm to my face.
Sliide—
Finally, I could take off our White Mask, the ‘Mass-Produced Hero,’ as it lost its form in my palm.
Still, lucky.
Even though the mask had been on well over a minute by the look of it, I felt no abnormalities in my body.
‘Really lucky.’
Shake—
Soon after, the ground beneath my feet began to shake.
Click—!
With the familiar lighting sound.
I’d successfully returned safely.