Chapter 163
Chapter 163
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 163
Chapter Title: Completed Works
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Walking through the empty city felt surreal.
On the deserted streets, only trash like cans and snack bags rolled about, pushed by the wind. In the empty storefronts, goods were on display with no owners or customers in sight.
As if not wanting to be consumed by the city's gloomy atmosphere, Lee Si-woo posed a question to the young Si-woo.
“Si-woo. You said the wraiths are failures, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then… there must be successes, too. Correct?”
“No. There haven’t been any successes yet. At least, not up to the moment I escaped the research facility.”
“Hmm, what’s the goal of the man who established that facility? And what’s the factor that determines success or failure?”
“Well. I don’t know everything… but I know this for sure. His goal is to bring down Moomyeon, and the factor that separates success from failure is whether or not they can break Moomyeon’s system.”
“Moomyeon? But why?”
“I don’t know why. Who could possibly know what’s going on inside that man’s head?”
“Hmm…”
Young Si-woo glanced at Lee Si-woo and cautiously asked.
“By the way, who are you and the sis, exactly?”
Luctator, who had been picking her ear while eavesdropping on their conversation from behind, pouted and said.
“Not sis. Elder.”
Young Si-woo scratched the back of his head and said.
“This weird sis hasn’t changed a bit from when I saw her seven years ago. And you’re always wearing that ridiculous suit. But you’re both incredibly strong… And I’ve never heard of or seen suits like the ones you and the… ahem, the Elder wear. But whenever I see you… people in suits seem to appear quite often. Is this a coincidence?”
Lee Si-woo gave a wry smile at young Si-woo’s sharp question.
Just like him, a master of suspicion.
Moreover, it seemed that to the young Si-woo, Lee Si-woo himself was acting as some sort of ‘anomaly.’
The trial world basically operated on a loop system, and each time a chapter was cleared, the city and NPCs were reset.
But it was different when Lee Si-woo met the young Si-woo.
The young Si-woo was not reset and retained all his memories related to him.
As if it were all intentional.
‘Then what about the ancestral demon? Does he… not reset like Si-woo? No. That would increase the chances of every chapter becoming a mess. He probably resets.’
Pushing aside the thoughts that brushed past his mind, Lee Si-woo opened his mouth.
“We are a kind of intruder.”
Lee Si-woo knew better than anyone that a clumsy lie wouldn’t work on himself.
So he decided to mix lies with the truth.
“Intruders? What’s that?”
“We are beings from another, independent dimension. The timeline there is different from here. So for you, what happened at the orphanage was years ago, but for me, it was just a few days ago.”
“A few days ago… you say?”
“Yes. That’s why the Elder’s appearance hasn’t changed either.”
“Then the suits…”
“They’re the weapons of our world.”
“…The people at the police station. They’re from the same world as you, right?”
Lee Si-woo grinned at the perceptive young Si-woo’s response.
“You catch on quick. That’s right.”
“Okay. My head is even more of a mess, and I don’t fully understand… but I think I’ve got the gist of it. But I have a question. If you’re a being from another dimension, and you’re intruding on our world… you must have a purpose, right? What is that purpose?”
To young Si-woo’s bold question, Lee Si-woo replied in an indifferent voice.
“It’s because of greed. Of course, everyone’s purpose is different so I can’t explain it precisely, but most are coveting the resources of this world.”
Young Si-woo’s eyes sparkled as he asked.
“You too?”
Lee Si-woo made a circle with his index finger and thumb, a faint smile on his lips.
“Yes, I come here for this, too. Well, if you dig deeper, there are other personal desires… but let’s talk about that later, when we get closer.”
“…I understand. I’ll keep that in mind for now.”
“Alright, now it’s my turn to ask, right? Si-woo. What’s your purpose? Why were you trying to help the people at the police station? Were you worried they’d be in danger?”
Young Si-woo chuckled and scratched his head.
“Yes. Well, I was worried about them. I have the knowledge to save them, and it pricked my conscience to just leave them be when I could see the danger right in front of them. But… I have another, real purpose. That bastard who locked me up and experimented on me with all sorts of monsters. I want to screw that demon over.”
Lee Si-woo stroked his chin and spoke in an interested tone.
“You want to screw the demon over?”
“Yes. I can’t just take things lying down. For six whole years, I went through all sorts of hell in that bastard’s research facility. And just walk away from it? Heh, no way. So… hyung. Please help me.”
*Tiring.*
[Secret Chapter 2 will now open.]
[Objective]: Help Lee Si-woo eradicate the source of the wraiths.
“I don’t know what that demon’s goal is, but there must be a reason he released the wraiths. So… I’m going to wipe out all these wraith bastards.”
“Wipe out the wraiths? How?”
“The wraiths have a progenitor. A sort of boss-like entity. A creature commanding wraiths of this scale would likely have very few weaknesses and be incredibly powerful. It’s probably the closest thing to a successful creation among the wraiths. But… there’s a reason the demon calls the wraiths failures. These things are completely helpless against Moomyeon’s ‘Sacred Relics.’”
After licking his lips once, young Si-woo said.
“Every city has a cathedral of Moomyeon, and this Normaltown is no different. Let’s go there. The Sacred Relic there should be more than enough to purify the wraith boss.”
* * *
Moomyeon’s cathedral was in the center of the city.
As Lee Si-woo took in the grandeur of the massive white building behind the square where a statue of Moomyeon stood tall, a question suddenly arose.
“Si-woo. You said the wraiths are weak to the Sacred Relic, right?”
“Yes. It’s a fatal weakness they can’t overcome.”
“Then how can there be no one at the cathedral? According to you, this place should be a sanctuary. A place the wraiths can never invade.”
Young Si-woo’s face was tense as he spoke.
“It is a sanctuary. The wraiths can never invade this area. Yes. That is, if the wraiths were the only ones who came to this city.”
Finally getting the picture, Lee Si-woo said.
“There’s something else.”
“Yes. Another failed creation, one that isn’t affected by Moomyeon’s Sacred Relic, must have occupied the cathedral first. That’s the only way the wraiths could be running rampant through the city.”
“Hmm, in that case…”
Just as Lee Si-woo was about to continue, a beastly roar echoed from the cathedral, and a silver shadow shot out, climbing atop the statue of Moomyeon.
A lycanthrope with silver fur crouched on the statue, looking down at the uninvited guests who had trespassed on its territory.
It was the first perfect beastman Lee Si-woo had witnessed in the trial world.
Young Si-woo’s voice trembled as he looked at the silver-furred lycanthrope.
“That’s… not a success, but it is one of the completed works.”
“If it’s completed, isn’t it a success?”
“No. They’re strictly different. That one… is complete as a species, but it doesn’t have the capability to break Moomyeon’s system. So it’s hard to call it a success… Hyung! Watch out!”
The lycanthrope charged at Lee Si-woo without a moment’s hesitation.
It seemed to have instinctively recognized Lee Si-woo as the most threatening one here.
Its speed was so fast that it was comparable to Luctator in her Rat Suit.
The Lee Si-woo of yesterday, in his Frog Suit, would have had a tough time dealing with it.
But that didn’t apply to the Lee Si-woo of today.
*CRASH!*
Lee Si-woo’s right hand, covered in red bear fur, slammed into the lycanthrope’s face.
The lycanthrope struggled, its face caught in Lee Si-woo’s hand like a puppy whose snout was caught by its owner, but it was useless.
His physical abilities, strengthened after evolving into the Frogbear, coupled with his brute force, had completely overpowered the lycanthrope.
And then, the ‘Wildness’ Talent activated.
*Grrrrrrr.*
A beastly growl escaped Lee Si-woo’s lips as his eyes turned bloodshot.
Wildness seeped into his spirit, and his adrenaline went into overdrive.
Negative emotions like fear and dread were devoured by the killing intent directed at the enemy before him, and his physical abilities, already unmatched in Chapter 2, were elevated even further.
At this point, considering the strength-enhancing gauntlets, he was on par with the Rank 3 Grizzly suit.
It seemed nothing could stand against Lee Si-woo now.
*CRACK!*
A single blow.
Just one was enough.
To break the lycanthrope’s neck.
And with that as a signal, more lycanthropes poured out from behind the cathedral.
They were all of the wolf tribe.
Species based on wolves, but Lee Si-woo didn’t bat an eye.
No bear was afraid of a wolf.
Even if his helmet was closer to a frog’s.
And so, the slaughter began.
*Crack.*
After breaking a lycanthrope’s ribs with a single kick, a purple tongue shot out from Lee Si-woo’s hand.
*Lick.*
The purple tongue gently swept across the faces of five or six lycanthropes, and their movements stopped as if time had frozen.
What came after was simple.
One by one, he just had to meticulously snap their necks and crush their skulls.
Watching Lee Si-woo single-handedly take on dozens, hundreds of lycanthropes, young Si-woo’s jaw hung open.
“My god…”
Young Si-woo knew.
He knew how strong the lycanthropes were.
They were an army that knew no fear, natural-born predators who hunted their prey with organized movements.
Yes, they were clever and strong.
But against Lee Si-woo, it was useless.
Cunning tricks were like a mirage before overwhelming power, ready to vanish at any moment.
But perhaps because of that?
Young Si-woo failed to notice the ominous presence behind him.
*Thud.*
An intruder wrapped their left arm around young Si-woo’s neck, pulling him into their embrace, and whispered.
“Hey, kid. You’d better keep quiet. Unless you want to end up like those wolfies over there.”
Young Si-woo recognized the owner of the voice as the woman he had met at the police station.
It was Viet, in the Cat’s Suit.
“Why are you… here?”
Viet stared with a horrified expression at Lee Si-woo, who was wiping out the lycanthropes as if a cat toying with mice, and said.
“Why else? I came to get the knowledge in your head. But… what the hell is that thing? Don’t tell me that’s the guy I think it is?”
Viet wanted to believe it wasn’t him, but looking at the frog helmet and the torso, she couldn’t help but think it was the same person.
How could a guy she’d considered a meal become so strong in just one day?
It was utterly unbelievable.
And that wasn’t all.
Grizzly had been tracking him, so how did he survive?
‘Those two arms. They look just like Grizzly’s arms… Don’t tell me, did that bastard kill Grizzly and get his suit watch? No. Then he should be using the Grizzly suit, but that’s clearly a different suit. This is insane. What the hell is going on? Ah, I don’t know. I’ve secured the kid, so let’s just get back to the police station.’
Viet was confused, but she judged that since she had young Si-woo, the best course of action was to get out of there without confronting that monster.
Viet threatened the struggling young Si-woo to deter any resistance.
“Kid. I’m telling you now, if you so much as open your mouth, you’re dead. So be quiet. I don’t plan on killing you either…”
*THWACK!*
With a dull thud, Viet’s head snapped forward.
Simultaneously, a low kick executed at an artistic angle shattered her balance.
Seizing the opportunity, young Si-woo slipped out of her grasp and bolted towards Lee Si-woo.
Sprawled on the ground, Viet’s eyes searched for her attacker.
Behind Viet, Luctator, who had taken off her stuffy Rat Suit helmet, scratched her cheek and said.
“What? You want something?”
“…You crazy bitch, how dare you… What are you all doing! Shoot! Shoot them all down!”
Viet screamed at the NPC police officers who were standing by, ready to provide covering fire with their rifles, but nothing happened.
Steel nails, flown in without a sound, were already embedded in their hearts and throats.
Finally realizing that things had gone wrong, Viet was about to make a run for it when Lee Si-woo, who had just grabbed the last lycanthrope’s head with one hand, spoke.
“Freeze.”
Crushing the lycanthrope’s skull with just his grip, Lee Si-woo continued.
“You’d better not move. Unless you want to die.”
Feeling the killing intent laced in his chilling voice, Viet froze on the spot.
She had a premonition that if she so much as lifted a finger, her life would be over.
‘Shit, I’m screwed.’
Viet’s face fell.
The sound of Lee Si-woo’s footsteps approaching her echoed in her ears like thunder.