Chapter 168
Chapter 168
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 168
Chapter Title: The Illusory Bridge Between Two Worlds
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[Part 2 Episode 31] [S공금]
§ The Illusory Bridge Between Two Worlds
Overhearing the conversation between Seol Do-yoon and Lee Yoo-hyun by chance, Dun wrinkled the bridge of his nose.
'No way, why's that guy's worldview so messed up?'
He'd start to grow on you, then suddenly make you want to ball up your fist. Listening to him talk, you'd think he was the villain, but the results were always wholesome.
The guy's nuts.
Whatever, though—as long as they were on the same side, it didn't really matter what he thought of him.
Sure, his motive sucked and it was kinda annoying.
"Dun!"
As Dun squeezed his body through the narrow sliding window and crawled in, Lee Yoo-hyun laughed and grabbed his hand, pulling him off the windowsill.
"Why climb in through the window when there's a front door?"
"Habit."
Lee Yoo-hyun watched Dun brush the dirt off his shoes into the trash can.
He must've been avoiding people's eyes—cap pulled low, mask on. It had slipped down to his chin because it was hot, though.
He'd even bought new clothes in the meantime.
He seemed like he'd adapt quickly, but seeing him fully modernized like this was hilarious.
"Hm? I've seen that outfit a lot... Must be trendy these days."
He said it looked familiar, and sure enough, it was the kind of casual getup Sa-byeok wore around.
Seeing Dun in the exact same thing felt weird. Their vibes already overlapped a ton.
"Oh, this? Borrowed it from some kids around here."
"No way... From Sa-byeok?"
"Huh? Yeah. She lent it to me."
She couldn't imagine those two meeting, let alone getting along—it was wild.
For some reason, it felt like they shouldn't cross paths.
"Wow... When did you two meet and hit it off? Gotta admit, Dun, you've got a knack for making friends. What'd Sa-byeok say when she saw you?"
"Not much? Just grabbed her and asked to borrow it, and she said sure and handed it over."
"Haha, Sa-byeok's sweet, right? Oh, to you she's noona?"
"Huh? Uh... Yeah, but call me casually. I'm an isekai type—free from all that."
Sure, even back in the Empire there was a culture of calling older folks noona or oppa, but Dun shamelessly pushed through.
Lee Yoo-hyun stared at him quietly.
Was it less about the setting and more cultural differences?
The word "isekai" suddenly hit him—Dun wasn't some game character; he was a real person from another world.
That fact made his chest swell.
The live-action version of his favorite in-game character, and every moment they'd shared was real.
'More importantly, if he's really an isekai person and not a game character, I gotta watch my words.'
From the guy's perspective, living his own life, terms like "live-action" or "character" could come off as pretty discriminatory.
As he spaced out staring at Dun, Dun tilted his head.
"What."
"Nah, it's just... Having you here feels like a dream."
Dun chuckled to himself at Lee Yoo-hyun's words. Then he leaned back, gazing up at the yellowish ceiling light in the Association President's office.
Just seeing that light brought back a flood of memories.
"Feels like a dream for me too, being here."
It was like overlaying the past as a filter on reality.
This weird sensation reminded him of dreams from the past he'd had occasionally.
The difference? This felt vividly real.
"Anyway, got something to ask you. Truth is, I only got here because of you."
"Me? My doing?"
"You made that package for me, and then World Transfer unlocked. My skill leveled up, and boom—here I am."
Keeping that in mind, Dun recalled the status window from when he'd first undergone body conversion.
[Conditions met. [Dun Package]'s [The Illusory Bridge Between Two Worlds] package partially unlocked.]
[[The Illusory Bridge Between Two Worlds] Paradox Penalty applied.]
He'd made a point to memorize everything Dun Package-related, keeping it fresh in his mind.
And since he was good at not forgetting stuff he'd committed to memory, it was crystal clear.
Alongside World Transfer, there was this 'The Illusory Bridge Between Two Worlds' package in the Dun Package, seemingly handling time paradox stuff.
It had said "partially" unlocked.
Which meant there were more elements to unlock...
"It's been a while since I got my powers, so it must've developed some, right?"
Maybe Lee Yoo-hyun could tweak the package further?
"No info window here, so not sure if I've grown, but they said my mana pool's bigger now."
"Lemme check."
"Huh?"
Using the system window under any conditions was a Bacinnum privilege.
Dun pulled up Lee Yoo-hyun's info.
{NPC Lee Yoo-hyun}
Level: 112
He'd just thrown it up without thinking, but the chronicle (record parchment) popped first.
The info was a shock.
'What the fuck...'
Why the hell NPC?
An inexplicable chill crawled from his feet to his neck.
Dun then opened the regular system window to check Lee Yoo-hyun's info.
[Player Lee Yoo-hyun]
Level: 112
Here it said Player. Since it wasn't in-game, the display varied slightly.
Dun spaced out, staring at his two info sources.
"Dun?"
Lee Yoo-hyun tilted his head at Dun, who'd suddenly gone rigid.
He'd offered to check something, then clammed up.
'He asks about my powers out of nowhere—must need 'em.'
Dun had to be super curious about the ability that brought him here.
To help even a little more, Lee Yoo-hyun circulated mana through his body, entering awakening mode.
The dormant energy surged out, stirring a light breeze around him.
His neatly styled hair fluttered in the wind, and a deep purple hue overlaid his black eyes.
It was like his in-game look from the hunter capsule.
Now fully awakened, Lee Yoo-hyun looked back at Dun.
"Truth is, targets I can update show an 'updatable' marker."
Dun's body was glowing faintly. That meant the package he'd given Dun could be updated too.
He'd issued tons of packages, but this was a first.
Updatable package?
"You're showing as updatable right now."
"What? For real?"
Dun's face lit up at the idea of further upgrades.
"Pull the recipe. Let's update it."
Dun egged it on eagerly. Last time, the package had netted him a whole world.
Now curious herself what it'd do, Lee Yoo-hyun nodded and generated the recipe.
Dun Package Update Recipe
Bacinnum's Soil
"You got Bacinnum's Soil?"
"Huh? What soil?"
Dun tilted his head. He thought of the soil for body conversion, but if so, why specify "Bacinnum's"?
From changing body form with soil, though, maybe Bacinnum had default soil?
Imagining his height shrinking 1cm, Dun recreated the body conversion sensation, gathering soil in his hand.
[Legendary+] Bacinnum's Soil
Description: Soil infused with powerful energy. Vast mana swirls, unable to escape.
"Here."
As suspected. Item born from sacrificing his height. Farewell, my 1cm.
Swallowing his regret, Dun placed the Bacinnum's Soil in Lee Yoo-hyun's hand.
The moment she gripped it, he felt his internal mana amplify sharply.
Lee Yoo-hyun gulped and spoke.
"...Where the hell do things like this even come from?"
"You know I got everything. Now hurry and update me."
"Got it."
She was curious for details, but since that was his nature, it actually made sense.
Him casually bossing her around stirred old memories. Swallowing a laugh, Lee Yoo-hyun gripped the item and activated the skill.
[Package update complete!]
With the alert, the mana around the soil in her hand vanished.
In its place appeared a syringe.
'Right, Dun's scared of needles.'
Before he saw, Lee Yoo-hyun converted it to pill form.
From issuing so many packages, she'd learned to alter delivery methods.
Kids in Abyss had balked at syringes, so she'd experimented.
"Here, Dun. Pop this, and you'll update."
"Not a syringe?"
"Can change the form now."
Dun took the plastic potion bottle with the pink cap from Lee Yoo-hyun and checked its info.
[Legendary+] Dun Package 2.0
Drink to auto-update.
The update process was as simple as receiving the package.
Holding the bottle, Dun took a deep breath, then dumped the potion in his mouth.
World from package creation—wonder what this brings.
[Update complete!]
[[The Illusory Bridge Between Two Worlds] package fully unlocked!]
[Unpack [The Illusory Bridge Between Two Worlds] package?]
'The Illusory Bridge Between Two Worlds?'
Same text from the paradox penalty mention. So it tied to the Dun Package.
Dun skimmed the alerts, then selected 'Yes' to unpack.
[SSS-Grade Main Quest] Resolve Current Timeline (T.O-760) tp (time paradox) Status
Quest Details: Create a cheat and hand it to Yi Sa-byeok, then turn into Dun. [View Sub-Quests]
Reward: Permanent 20% Ability Utilization Boost
Failure/Rejection: Oblivion via Time Paradox
'Quest?'
Dun blinked slowly at the quest window that popped right after unpacking.
Quest name's no joke. Hate all the foreign words.
Roughly, paradoxes causing issues—stabilize 'em.
Reading down, he paused at 'create a cheat.'
"......"
One side of his brain throbbed. Puzzle pieces he hadn't cared about clicked, but it wasn't fun.
Cautiously, Dun selected 'View Sub-Quests.'
Autonomous Quests:
[S-Grade Quest] B-Class's Pyo Sang-hoon
Details: Figure it out.
[S-Grade Quest] Busan Hysis Gate
Details: Figure it out.
Mandatory Quests:
[S-Grade Quest] Re-enter Default Room
Quest Details: Recover memories presumed lost from Ra-hee noona.
[S-Grade Quest] Kill Yi Sa-byeok
Details: Kill her and extract soul from body to send to the past.
The unease from 'create a cheat' crystallized into 'Kill Yi Sa-byeok.'
Dun stared blankly at the status window.
"Haha......"
It started with a small laugh.
Memories of his wretched past flooded in.
Crawling from misery's pit, scraping by toward light, only for death to snip it.
And the cause? Himself.
"Haha, hahaha!"
Dun clutched his stomach, laughing loudly.
Tears welled in his distorted eyes, dripping down.
"Fucking powers, goddamn beast... Haha......"
After laughing long, Dun flopped onto the sofa, head bowed silently like a dead rat. Tears plopped onto his small hands.
Flustered, Lee Yoo-hyun approached with a worried face.
"Y-You okay? Did you get some harmful power or something?"
"......"
Fidgeting, she grabbed tissues to wipe his face, then gently patted his back instead.
First time seeing tough Dun cry—shocking, yet déjà vu hit.
Couldn't pinpoint why, but it hurt her too.
After a bit, as he calmed, Dun spoke.
"Didn't get a harmful power."
"......"
Dun rose weakly. He roughly wiped his face with the tissue she gave and tossed it.
"You're... really okay, right......?"
"Yeah. Power-up feels great."
"Won't tell me what it is?"
"Nope. Personal."
Dun shuffled toward the exit, grabbing the Association President's office door handle.
"Where you going all sudden?"
"Dorm."
She urgently called after the suddenly fragile-looking Dun.
"Weren't we gonna hang out?"
"Later....... Sleepy."
"S-Suddenly?"
"Yeah."
Suddenly, he didn't want to think at all. After coming this far, he just wanted to die and end it.
Even fierce emotional urges fade after sleep.
He wanted to crash fast.
Bad anxiety and doubts swarmed.
'Was going to the orphanage a mistake?'
Normally it'd shock him mildly, but now it choked him hard.
Life wasn't all misfortune, yet each hit was so massive it erased any memory of luck.
Dun wanted to focus on his happiness. Sleep first.
Or drown in water.
Nah—better if he'd died opening his eyes in Montgijel.
'......'
Dun thought of Rihao-well, Prim, and others who cared, then slapped his face.
Smack!
§ § §
His cheek stung from the hard slap.
After school, leaning on the rooftop railing staring at the sky, a sudden urge to climb over hit.
The ground below looked dizzyingly far.
'But nah, not this.'
What am I thinking? After fighting so hard to live.
Just laughing with school kids, feeling too happy.
Truth was, he feared the happiness wouldn't last. It felt empty even now.
But still—not this.
Knowing loss's pain, he hated causing it in others.
I stepped back from the railing, lay on the rooftop floor, and stared blankly at the sky.
§ § §
"Dun!! Why'd you slap your face like that!"
"Ah, sorry. World transfer and new power must've made me sleepy."
More than that, he was exhausted—wanted to sleep.
"I'll walk you back."
"Nah, go home. Follow me and I'll log you out of life."
The joking words dripped heavy fatigue. The sleepiness sounded real.
"Dun......"
Lee Yoo-hyun gazed worriedly.
The small, shuffling back strongly overlapped someone.
No clue why the constant déjà vu.
Lee Yoo-hyun blurted.
"If something's wrong, tell me. Please....... Even small worries. Got it?"
Dun, who'd only ever thought of himself, turned to look. Face full of concern.
"Got it."
Staring blankly at her face, Dun replied.
"Thanks to your power, I'm alive now. Not harmful—grateful."
"......"
"So don't worry."
With that and a 'don't follow,' Dun quietly closed the door and left the office.