The Night Is Too Dark (7)
The Night Is Too Dark (7)
"Kyaaaah!"
"Help me! Save me!"
"Aaaaah!"
The victims' death screams had a suffocating weight just by hearing them. It was even worse for me, because I couldn't see what was happening behind my back. I could only imagine the carnage.
"No, no..."
I had to push the monsters back with everything I had. No—this was already my limit. I'd swung my sword until my arms felt like they'd fall off, and now, gambling on regression, I threw my whole body into it: elbows, feet, whatever I could.
"Kek!"
"Grrrrrgh!"
Every swing of my sword split flesh; every kick burst it open. Death radiated from every part of me, and the air filled with golden clusters of light.
It was divine might made manifest. A heightened state born from desperation and focus. The moment a monster entered my vision, it dissolved into light.
And yet.
"Why, why?! Why won't you help?!"
It was still impossible on my own. Even though I was advancing step by step, there were still hundreds of people to save. This speed was hopelessly insufficient.
"Come out! I told you to come out! Fight! You fucking bastards!"
I screamed until my throat tore, but there was no response. Even William Smith, who'd been trying to break out of his room, was gone.
"Can't you hear the screaming?! People are dying right the fuck now!"
"Even if it's just us—!!"
A woman's voice, ragged and tearful, echoed from somewhere.
"...Shouldn't we at least survive...? Do you really think forcing a path to Floor 2 makes any sense?"
"Then what about me? It's doable right now! Just help a little..."
"That's... you."
"..."
Even in the middle of that intense battle, I stopped for a moment.
"We... we aren't as strong as you... If we joined a plan like that, we'd all end up dead..."
"Aaaaah!"
"Save me! Save me!"
"I know it's wrong. I know it goes against human decency. But... there's nothing else we can do..."
The speaker was sobbing, her voice trembling with shame and the will to live.
"I'm... I'm not some great person who can die for others..."
No one from the other rooms answered. The silence was agreement enough.
A firefighter rushing into a blaze, ready to die, is noble. But that nobility rests on the fact that not everyone can do it. Only a hero risks their life for strangers.
And... the people gathered here were not heroes. They were just ordinary, small people.
"..."
I wanted to berate them, but I couldn't find the words. At heart, I was no different. I could act so recklessly only because regression freed me from the threat of death.
I sympathized with their cowardice.
"Jun-ho! Jun-ho! How much farther?!"
"Save me! Save me!"
"Mom, Mom..."
But even in that brief moment of my inner turmoil, the otherworlders were dying. There was no time to think. Act first. Do what needed to be done.
"Everyone, follow me!"
I swung my sword wide, forcing the surrounding monsters back. In that gap, I pulled the magic device from my waist and roughly threw it to the ground.
Wooooong!
A barrier instantly sealed the right corridor. It was too soon to use it, but I had no choice. I had to force open a path to the stairs right now.
"Fuck, fuck!!!"
It was unfair.
I'd tried so hard. I'd repeated regression after regression, struggled so hard. I'd even obtained martial strength on par with the upper ranks of players.
Yet I still lacked the strength to save them.
I could only watch people die behind me.
What the fuck do you want?
Why drag people into the Tower, force unwanted power on them, and throw them into this hell?
It's not rational. It just doesn't make any sense.
It drove me mad. But the worst part was knowing I could do nothing.
"All of you—get the fuck out of my way!"
I didn't even know who I was saying it to. I just put my fury into my sword and swung it wildly. I didn't even have time to check if the otherworlders were following behind me. I just cut down the monsters in front of me.
After charging forward like a madman, I finally reached the stairs.
Clang!
With a metallic sound, my sword snapped. The price of swinging it like a club even after the edge was gone.
Normally I'd step back and assess the situation calmly. But right now, I didn't want to. Even if it meant regressing, I wanted to vent this pent-up rage.
"Uaaaaaah!"
I charged at the orcs with my bare hands, empty-handed. Regression? Consequences? I didn't think about any of that. This was pure fury, irritation, and self-loathing.
Wooooong—
The moment I realized it, a heavy, hot sensation blazed from the scabbard on my right hip—the one I'd obtained on Floor 3.
Without thinking, my hand reached for the hilt. A perfect grip, and a crimson sword slid free from the scabbard.
—Fury
By the time the Status Window displayed its name, I was already cutting.
It was rough, destructive, and hot.
"Kueeeegh!"
"Kyaaagh!"
As if the heat wasn't just my imagination, the monsters cut by the sword began to burn. No, they burned fiercely even without being touched.
"This is..."
The moment I recognized it, my course was set.
"You fucking bastards!!!"
I charged toward the stairs.
To kill just one more of those monsters.
**
Frustrating.
Even after preparing my best, the monsters forcing their way in were frustrating.
Furious.
I loathe these monsters that charge at me with madness in their eyes.
It hurts.
The weight on my shoulders is agonizing, and I'm ashamed I can't bear it.
I'm sorry.
I promised to protect them. I'm sorry I couldn't keep that promise.
I cut, pouring all those tangled emotions into my sword. Thought fell away; I gave myself over to pure destruction.
Was this what liberation felt like? A cool sensation spread through my chest, and power surged from my body. I felt like I could do anything.
I cut in a trance, as if it were a game. Every swing of the fury-filled sword set the enemies before me ablaze.
I cut and cut, and when no monsters remained in sight, the sword called Fury vanished. My head spun, my vision swimming.
"Huff, huff, huff..."
Before I knew it, I was lying flat on the ground. Frozen soil pricked my cheek. This was the courtyard in front of the castle. When had I come all the way out here?
Exhaustion crushed me. Hunger tore at my gut. I'd never felt anything like this since I began regressing. My body felt hollow.
"..."
Only then did my head cool. I looked down at the scabbard on my hip. The vivid sensation of that bright red sword I'd held moments ago was still fresh.
Had the scabbard forged a blade in answer to my seething fury? Or had I triggered some condition exactly when I grew enraged? The causal link wasn't clear.
—00 : 35 : 11
Thirty-five minutes left. I realized why I could see no more monsters. I'd slaughtered every last one of them. There was no way any remained.
"Ha, haha..."
Only then could I laugh, just a little. I'd won. No matter how badly this fucked-up Tower rigged the game, I'd endured. Regression? It would probably happen. This would become something that never happened.
But even so, the fact that I'd won here and now wouldn't change. No matter what bullshit that angel pulled, I overcame it.
After lying there for about five minutes, letting those feelings drain from my chest,
"Hoo..."
I got up and started trudging back into the castle. A win was a win, but now it was time to clean up.
**
"Are you alright, Jun-ho?"
When I reached the basement first, Yun Jung-hyun greeted me with a smile.
"We... are fine. Three people lost an arm, four lost an eye... but no one died. It's all thanks to your plan hitting the mark."
The mood in the basement wasn't cheerful, but it wasn't dark either. Everyone had properly performed their roles and admirably endured the trial. They'd achieved satisfying results.
"What about Floor 3? Did you manage to contact them?"
"Our magic device broke during the battle, so we haven't been able to..."
"...I see. Get yourselves organized. I'll meet you on Floor 1."
"Yes, understood."
After a rough assessment, I headed to Floor 2. A considerable number of otherworlders were wandering the corridor. Easily over a hundred at a glance.
"...What a relief."
To be honest, I hadn't been worried about the otherworlders back there. I'd just focused on killing the monsters in front of me.
But seeing this sight lightened my heart a little. I'd never expected to save them all from the start.
Their expressions were somber, but this was enough. Even if it wasn't a perfect success... I'd succeeded.
"...Jun-ho."
"...Sir Thomas?"
"...I think you... should come... this way..."
I thought I'd succeeded.
**
The moment I opened the door and stepped inside, the thick stench of blood hit my nose. An ominous chill crawled over my skin.
The first thing I saw was William Smith, leaning against the wall.
Looking utterly exhausted, he stared vacantly at the floor with hollow eyes.
"..."
As I watched him, my gaze slowly shifted and reached the center of the room.
"...Baron?"
"You've... come..."
Baron Jorge. He greeted me.
His side had been roughly ripped open, his internal organs exposed.