Chapter 46: This Chick Really Became a Monster, LOL
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 46: This Chick Really Became a Monster, LOL
I pressed a hand to my forehead.
Catherine had said this could be solved by finding an expert.
Rather than recklessly searching for Kwak Sa-yeon while another returnee was present, it was better to pursue that option.
In that case, the right move was to get out of the building.
“It won't be easy.”
Just then, Baeksan, who seemed to have read my mind, spoke up.
He stared at the wall in front of him with narrowed eyes.
“That bastard from before is a returnee from a Labyrinth. An Architect, at that.”
A rare but occasionally existing type of dimension one could be shifted to: a Labyrinth.
The Labyrinth dimension, known as a place of endless mazes and constant death, was said to be a hellish place where, once trapped, you had to wander until you found an exit.
If he was an Architect from such a Labyrinth…
“Don't tell me this entire building has become a Labyrinth.”
Upon hearing this, Catherine's eyes narrowed, and she quickly scanned our surroundings.
Since she knew Umbrella, she must have been well aware of his abilities.
“Yes. That's probably why he didn't show himself immediately, even after you appeared. It took me a while to notice, too. He's quite powerful.”
To think he could do something like that in such a short time.
Returnees truly were absurd beings.
“But since he had little time to create it, it can't be too complex. Labyrinths are built to be sturdy, which means they must always have an exit.”
This meant we were in for an unexpected maze run.
The answer, then, was simple.
“Si-ho, Seo-ho, Catherine. Let's get moving.”
Time to find the exit.
*
The smoke cleared, and above it…
Umbrella, having closed his umbrella, gazed down at the gaping hole.
He was certain he had cast his Labyrinth over the entire building before attacking them.
As a result, the building's durability had increased thousands of times over; it should have been impervious to most attacks.
Indeed, the other walls showed no signs of collapsing, even from his and Catherine's attacks.
The only thing that had collapsed was the single wall he had excluded from the Labyrinth when he launched his first attack.
“And yet, the floor enchanted by my Labyrinth has collapsed.”
And not just one or two floors.
At least ten floors had been destroyed.
If the Labyrinth hadn't drastically increased the number of floors, the blast would have reached the ground floor. The firepower was simply absurd.
“How dangerous.”
A direct hit from that, and even he would be unlikely to survive.
A variable.
Realizing an unplanned individual had appeared, Umbrella stroked his chin.
Just as Girasung had used the existence of Kwak Sa-yeon as a variable…
…the World Returnee Association now held a variable of their own: Kang Ha-chan.
“Ugh, hngh… Seo-ho… where did my Seo-ho go? Give him back. Give me back what's mine!”
Just then, he saw a woman crawling toward him.
It was Kwak Sa-yeon, half-naked and a complete mess, covered in dust from being beaten and thrown around.
She grabbed the cuff of Umbrella's suit trousers and screamed up at him.
“You… you're from Girasung, right?! Bring Seo-ho back right now! Kill those bastards who took what's mine and bring him back!”
“Hmm.”
He first took off his suit jacket and draped it over Kwak Sa-yeon.
“My lady, you must be cold. Please, cover yourself with this, and then we can talk.”
Having faced nothing but hostility and rage until now, this sudden kindness seemed to bring her back to her senses a little. Tears began to well up in her eyes.
“Seo-ho… why would he do this to me… hic...”
“There, there. It must hurt terribly to be abandoned by the one you love, doesn't it?”
Umbrella even took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears, offering a gentlemanly smile.
“Really… why doesn't he understand how I feel? Seo-ho is mine. I told him so many times that I wanted him.”
“Which is why, my lady, I would like to make a proposal, if you would be so kind as to hear it.”
As Umbrella spoke to the rambling, brain-addled Kwak Sa-yeon, her gaze fell upon him.
He made the handkerchief disappear as if by magic, then held up a single black pill between his thumb and forefinger.
“What has been taken can be reclaimed by your own hand. What will you do? Don't you wish to take him back with your own power?”
Kwak Sa-yeon's eyes fixed on the black pill as if mesmerized.
“……I… take him back?”
Facing her, Umbrella simply maintained his gentlemanly smile.
Seeing that smile, Kwak Sa-yeon reached out and took the pill he offered.
‘Every Labyrinth needs a monster to guard it, after all.’
She didn't even notice his gentlemanly smile twisting with malice.
*
About twenty minutes had passed since we'd set off to escape the Labyrinth.
It certainly lived up to its name.
What should have been ordinary hallways were twisted and tangled, creating a complete mess.
But there was one thing Umbrella hadn't anticipated.
The existence of Ha Si-ho.
Si-ho's spatial awareness was on another level, even within a maze. For her, who could instinctively grasp all coordinates, navigating a Labyrinth was no obstacle at all.
A spatial ability user was the perfect counter to a Labyrinth.
“Si-ho, how much longer do you think it'll take?”
“Ten minutes.”
So it takes about thirty minutes even when you know the way?
I shuddered to think how long it would have taken if we'd been wandering without her.
“I'm sorry. This is because of me.”
Seo-ho's apology cut through the silence.
His expression was grim as he followed silently behind us.
He seemed to think he was the one who had dragged us into this.
“Seo-ho.”
So I called out to him.
As the downcast Seo-ho looked up, I gave him an apologetic smile.
“I was the one who suggested this, remember? I made the offer knowing you could be in danger. If anything, I should be the one apologizing for not being better prepared.”
“What are you talking about, Ha-chan? You did all this out of goodwill for us.”
People have a natural tendency to avoid responsibility.
Responsibility is always heavy, always frightening.
But there are also those who willingly bear it.
They might be called foolish at times, but such people were often good at heart.
Seo-ho was one of them.
He was only a year older than me, now twenty-five.
An adult by any measure, and as a working hunter, a full-fledged member of society.
And yet, from a societal perspective, both he and I were still young, with most of our lives ahead of us.
Seo-ho was definitely more mature than others his age.
The guilt of failing to protect his mother and Si-ho in his youth, combined with the responsibility he felt to protect Si-ho now, must have defined him.
Those two emotions were too strong for any weaker feelings to take root in his heart.
“Seo-ho, the world isn't built on goodwill alone.”
It's natural to want to avoid responsibility, to blame others without thinking.
But Seo-ho doesn't do that.
He's a man with a strong sense of responsibility.
But if he keeps this up, it will eventually eat away at him and wear him down.
Emotions are a finite resource, after all.
“I've been studying all this time because I want to find my older sister, who was a returnee. I got close to the World Returnee Association for that reason, too. Helping you is an extension of earning their trust.”
It wasn't a lie.
I wanted to find my sister, and to do that, the Association's help was essential.
It was just that my initial connection with them had been a coincidence.
“So in a way, this whole thing benefits me, too.”
Good people, when they think they've caused someone trouble, tend to dwell on it.
They feel especially guilty in the face of vague goodwill, unable to fully read the other person's mind and intentions, even when that person suffers a loss.
That's why framing it as a mutually beneficial relationship can help alleviate some of that guilt.
“Besides, you saw it earlier, right? I have a bit of a grudge against that crazy woman, Kwak Sa-yeon. A lot of my personal feelings are tied up in this.”
The electrifying moment I kicked her with all my resentment was more satisfying than anything I'd ever felt.
“So don't worry about it too much.”
I kept walking, not stopping even as we talked.
Seo-ho watched my back for a moment, then lowered his head again, but he didn't apologize anymore.
Si-ho, however, gave me a brief, fond look before continuing to lead the way.
“Idiot. You're just asking to get betrayed one day.”
Baeksan grumbled beside me, but the fact that he didn't say more suggested he thought I'd done the right thing.
What a tsundere.
“They're coming.”
Just then, Catherine, who had been listening quietly, snapped her head up and spoke.
Just as I thought. As we neared the exit, they started to make their move.
“Location?”
I asked, looking at both Catherine and Baeksan. Both their heads turned toward the left wall simultaneously.
“Everyone, get back!”
The crimson-stained wall collapsed, and a blast of heat washed over us.
KABOOM!
Just as we narrowly dodged the blast and hit the floor, another crash echoed through the hall.
When I jerked my head up, the opposite wall was destroyed, and Catherine was gone.
“Catherine!”
I called her name, but there was no answer.
I'd caught a glimpse of Umbrella through the heat haze.
He must have attacked Catherine and dragged her through that wall.
Dammit. He knew exactly who our strongest fighter was.
I hadn't expected him to be able to appear from anywhere, thanks to his ability to manipulate the Labyrinth's walls.
“Si-ho, Seo-ho, are you two okay?!”
“We're fine!”
Si-ho's reply came as I aimed Thunderbolt at the wall.
“Baeksan.”
“Wait. If I possess you now, your body will definitely suffer side effects this time. Be more careful.”
I nodded, a cold sweat breaking out on my brow.
The sounds from beyond the wall, presumably Catherine and Umbrella fighting, were gradually fading into the distance.
THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD!
The problem, however, was that another sound was approaching.
Something was charging straight for us.
The moment my gaze shifted in that direction, I witnessed something horrific.
A monster that would make anyone think of a dimensional entity was charging toward us, shaking the very ground. It had multiple legs larger than a person, reminiscent of a spider or a crustacean, and an abnormally large torso.
But this creature was different from a normal dimensional entity.
Because the core of the monster was a woman I knew all too well.
Her naked upper body protruded from the monster's torso.
Her eyes were rolled back as if she'd been corrupted by the monster, fixed solely on us.
Kwak Sa-yeon.
She was charging at us, fused with a dimensional entity.
Aaargh! What the hell is that?
She was always a monster, but now she's literally a monster!
“Seo-hooooooo!”
Seeing Kwak Sa-yeon shrieking and charging madly, I grabbed Seo-ho and Si-ho and dove through the broken wall.
CRASH!
Having charged with the speed of a tank, Kwak Sa-yeon couldn't control her momentum and came tumbling down.
Realizing we would have been crushed flat if we'd been a second slower, I rubbed my arms, goosebumps rising on my skin.
“Wasn't that Kwak Sa-yeon?!”
“……I think so.”
A cold sweat trickled down my forehead as I answered Seo-ho's question.
The grotesque sight of a human turned into a dimensional entity was a shock even to me.
I mean, I hated her like poison, but I still knew her.
“Tch. That umbrella bastard must have had Arkrai. It's a nasty drug that fuses a human with magic extracted from a dimensional entity. She's a dimensional entity now.”
Naturally, I had no intention of saving her.
Whether Kwak Sa-yeon could be turned back from a dimensional entity or not was none of my business.
But there was a problem.
That woman was targeting us, and I couldn't control the firepower of my Brain Thunder.
“If Kwak Sa-yeon gets hit by Brain Thunder…”
“She'll die.”
I let out a small breath and looked at the two people behind me.
As someone who had lived in modern society, I couldn't help but hesitate at the thought of killing, no matter the method.
Get a grip, Kang Ha-chan. If I hesitate, Si-ho and Seo-ho could be in serious danger.
I hated Kwak Sa-yeon enough to want her dead, but the reason I couldn't bring myself to actually kill her was because the morals of modern society were holding me back.
But since she could kill us, I had to break free from those constraints.
“Kang Ha-chan, as long as you have returnees around you, things like this will keep happening.”
Baeksan, sensing my hesitation, spoke in a low voice.
“Returnees use the excuse of 'another world' to ignore the guilt of killing. Over time, that avoidance numbs them, until they feel nothing at all when they take a life.”
From beyond the wall, I could hear Kwak Sa-yeon slowly starting to move again.
“I'm not telling you to become numb. I'm not telling you not to feel anything. But.”
My grip on Thunderbolt tightened once more.
“You aren't strong enough to decide who lives and who dies while protecting those by your side. Remember that weighing the life of an enemy is a luxury you can't afford.”
My hesitation could get Si-ho and Seo-ho killed.
That was all that mattered.
“Si-ho, I need you to bind Kwak Sa-yeon.”
When I called to her, she nodded with a determined expression.
Thanks to Baeksan, my Brain Thunder had incredible power, but I couldn't fine-tune it.
On top of that, because I couldn't control it, each shot was an all-or-nothing blast that used up all the latent aura in my body.
I tried my best not to show it, but I was still feeling drained from the Brain Thunder I'd used to destroy the floors earlier.
In other words, if I missed this next shot, it was over.
“Can you do it?”
That's why I needed Si-ho's help.
With her power, she should be able to restrain Kwak Sa-yeon.
“Manager-nim.”
In response to my request, Si-ho looked me straight in the eye and smiled.
“In times like these, you can just say, 'Bind her for me.'”
She said the most reassuring words I could have hoped to hear.
“Ha-chan, I'll help too. Kwak Sa-yeon is after me, isn't she?”
I had already put him through a nightmare, but I bit my lip and nodded.
I knew that excluding him because it was dangerous would only make him feel worse.
“Let's do this.”
And with that, determination filled my eyes.
Time to take down Kwak Sa-yeon.