Chapter 175
Chapter 175
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 175. What Must Be Given
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Walking down a brightly lit corridor.
One containment room door visible every time we pass down the corridor.
Unlike before, no signs of life, no sounds at all.
That made it feel even more ominous.
And that wasn't the only thing to worry about.
I turn my gaze back.
Park Ye-eun with the still-unconscious Jang Chaeyeon slung over her shoulder, and Yoo Daon walking beside me.
"Ugh..."
And finally, Song Arin grabbing the wall mid-stride and dry-heaving.
Song Arin's condition had been seriously off since earlier.
"Arin, you okay?"
"..."
Song Arin looks at me with emotionless eyes.
A feeble sound leaks from her lips.
"...It's hard."
"Should we cut it?"
At this rate, it'd be better to just carry her piggyback.
Song Arin shakes her head at my words.
"No."
"..."
"...I'll get used to it eventually."
She dry-heaves again—ugh—and covers her mouth.
"It's just... this mind... I can't get used to it, ugh..."
"Daon."
"Yes?"
I turn to Yoo Daon, who'd been watching the scene right beside us.
"What do we do in cases like this?"
She connected her in the first place, so she should know the fix best.
After all, the one I'm connected to right now is Yoo Daon.
Why the hell is the difference this huge?
Is what Song Arin's showing now the real Yoo Daon?
But the Yoo Daon standing before me, wearing that troubled look, seems like a totally different person.
Or is there some method I don't know about?
"Uh, um..."
Yoo Daon gives a troubled look at my question.
"I don't really know either."
"But maybe you could help somehow."
This state was slowing us down, and just making Song Arin suffer.
"Hmm, uhmm..."
After some thought, Yoo Daon approaches Song Arin, who's propped against the wall.
"..."
Song Arin's gaze shifts to Yoo Daon.
Yoo Daon meets her eyes and smiles softly.
"Accept it."
"...What?"
"All those thoughts are right."
"...This...?"
"Yes."
Song Arin's expression stiffens at her words, and Yoo Daon nods with a serene look.
"Accept it."
"...Ugh..."
Song Arin dry-heaves, and Yoo Daon rubs her back, whispering in a calm voice.
"That's how you do it."
"Hoo... hoo..."
Song Arin takes several deep breaths at Yoo Daon's words.
"Hoo..."
Her breathing steadies far more than before.
"..."
Her blank gaze turns to Yoo Daon.
"Perfect!"
Yoo Daon beams a bright smile and nods.
"...Is she really okay?"
"Yes, Arin's fine now. Right?"
"..."
Song Arin stares straight at me, then looks away.
"I'm okay."
"..."
Is she really?
"Don't worry."
Song Arin nods to me.
"I won't burden you."
"..."
Words the Song Arin I know would never say.
"If anything comes up, tell me right away. I'll cut the connection."
"Yeah. I'm fine. Don't worry."
Song Arin's gaze fixes on me.
Her unfocused pupils stare right at me.
"I'll keep a good eye on her too."
"..."
Yoo Daon raises a hand to speak, but I couldn't trust her on this.
I turn back to Park Ye-eun.
"Ye-eun, you watch Arin close too."
"Got it."
Yoo Daon mutters beside me, something like "I can watch her too," but I tune it out.
*
"..."
We keep walking down the bright corridor.
We pass another single containment room door.
"Lost?"
"Looks like it."
No choice but to nod at Yoo Daon's words.
Absurd as it was, we'd gotten lost underground in the Gangdong Branch.
More accurately, we'd lost our way.
"Feels like we're looping the same spot."
Park Ye-eun mutters while scanning around, not a drop of sweat on her.
"Yeah."
"...What now?"
"..."
"..."
We hadn't said it aloud, but Park Ye-eun and I both knew exactly what choice lay before us.
"Ah, Oppa. I'm seriously anxious here."
"Me too."
No choice but to nod at Park Ye-eun's words too.
"But no other options."
I turn to Song Arin standing there blankly, and Yoo Daon beside her, gazing at me.
"Through the door?"
"I don't mind!"
I shift my gaze to Song Arin.
"...Whatever you say."
Our eyes meet; she stares straight at me as she speaks.
I look away first.
"...Fine. Through the door it is."
Deep breath. Stand before the containment room door.
Flash back to the first incident there—containment rooms always ramped up the tension, no helping it.
Yoo Daon steps ahead, grabs the knob.
"Open it?"
"Please."
I nod; she opens the door.
-Clunk!
Knob turns; door swings open.
"..."
A cool breeze blows in.
Wind?
"...What the hell?"
I take in the sight beyond the door.
Patchy grass on the ground, gray sky overhead. Tombstones stabbed into the earth.
"Graveyard?"
Park Ye-eun mutters.
Right on the money.
A graveyard.
Open a containment room door, and bam—graveyard.
The whole situation made no sense.
"Go in?"
"..."
I mull Yoo Daon's words for a moment.
Looping containment corridors like a hamster wheel, door leading to graveyard.
Obvious as hell that this was the way forward.
Problem was, that blatant sign left us no choice but to follow.
"...Let's go."
Looping forever wouldn't solve shit.
Yoo Daon nods and steps out.
Soon, we all follow her lead outside.
-Swish...
Grass crunches underfoot; wind picks up.
"Graveyard, alright."
"Don't stray too far."
I warn Yoo Daon as she eyes a tombstone—just in case.
No clue where we'd ended up, after all.
Look up ahead.
Tombstones stretching endlessly, a massive one smack in the center.
Whatever, it was one hell of a big graveyard.
"..."
Yoo Daon stares hard at a tombstone.
"Why?"
"Something's written here."
Yoo Daon mutters, showing me the stone.
Neat letters carved into it.
[That body was offered to aid God's flesh.]
"...Not your standard tombstone."
Normal ones I knew had names, birth and death dates—nothing like that here.
"This one's the same."
Yoo Daon mutters at another.
[That soul was offered to nourish God's spirit.]
All the rest too.
[All was offered to prove oneself to God.]
[That spirit became fine sustenance for God.]
[Having nothing, offered it all to God.]
Every one just phrases on how they'd served God.
"..."
Song Arin pores over the inscriptions with blank eyes.
"Anything ring a bell, Arin?"
"...Even if I told you, it'd be worse than your take."
She shakes her head.
"Don't wanna mess up your deductions with useless chatter."
Not like Song Arin at all.
"Nausea any better?"
"Yeah."
Song Arin nods slow, straightens up.
"I'm good."
Then blanks out on the tombstone again.
"..."
Cut the line now?
Just have Park Ye-eun carry her.
"Don't cut."
Song Arin stares at me like she read my mind.
"Better meat shield than baggage."
"No plans to use you as a meat shield, Arin."
Observe a bit longer. Cut if it gets bad.
For now, think.
Inscriptions, the cross.
Hands-clasped man.
"..."
Church ties, sure—but nothing else clicked.
Keep reading tombstones.
All much the same.
Midway through, we reach a massive one.
Crane my neck to take it in.
Five times my size at least.
Massive—like heavy machinery had hauled it here.
"..."
And on it, just three stark characters.
[Offer.]
At the same instant, a translucent panel floats in midair.
[Name: Offer.]
[Age: Sacrifices need no age.]
[Specialty: Your fervent heart is your specialty.]
[Talent: Loving me is your talent.]
[Background: Your life restarts the moment you meet me.]
[Weakness: Meeting me lets you live perfectly, free of any weakness.]
"Urgh...!"
"Jaeheon?"
"Don't come!"
Yoo Daon's voice—I yell back as a vicious headache slams my skull.
-Shraa!
Manual unfurls.
[Office Manual]
[Containment Object - Graveyard - Latest revision by Management Team Han Sang-beom]
1. Treat the entire graveyard zone as one massive containment object.
2. No interactions recorded with tombstones here; the giant one defies conversation by any entity.
3. Upon sighting the giant tombstone, offer tribute.
4. Your heart, your soul, your everything.
5. Thus securing your citizenship awaiting in the heavens.
'Offer.'
A whisper echoes in my head.
"Gh...!"
Headache intensifies.
Simultaneously,
-Shraa!
Manual page rips free.
[Page contaminated: deleted.]
[Opening new page.]
-Shraa!
Manual flips to fresh page.
Through the pounding agony, I read.
[Office Manual]
[Containment Object - Graveyard - Written by Accounting Team Kim Jaeheon]
1. Critical fails.
2. Regression failed too.
3. Physical destruction failed.
4. In the end, only offering works.
5. Leaving this here for my future self to offer.
I scan the manual frantically.
What he left me...
"..."
Got it.
Grip the manual tight.
-Shraa!
Rip out the page.
"I offer!"
What to give was set.
The one thing past me could give future me.