Chapter 194
Chapter 194
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 194. The Real One
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When I was little, I once watched a scary movie with my younger sibling, covering their eyes whenever a frightening scene came up.
I remembered firmly telling them, "No, you're too young for this," even as they whined that they wanted to see too.
"Sister?"
Song Arin stared at the person in front of her with wide eyes.
"That person? No way."
"Chaeyeon, is your sister someone I know...?"
Song Arin and Yoo Daon's reactions were different.
"...From my perspective, it's an old colleague."
"For me, it's someone I was hospitalized with back in the day. I heard they died during a transplant surgery."
"...All I see is just a mosaic filter."
"It's a total mess, a total mess."
I turned away from Song Arin as she let out a sigh.
Was everyone seeing something wrong?
I narrowed my eyes and stared at the person—or whatever it looked like a person—in front of me.
-Zzt...
The sound of electricity crackling rang out, and a mosaic-covered face entered my vision.
No matter how hard I tried to look, the mosaic on the face wouldn't disappear.
It wasn't causing a headache either, so it couldn't be a mental attack.
"You three. Does staring at it make it hard to look away or anything like that?"
"If you figured it out right away, it's not a mental attack."
Song Arin replied as she stepped back,
"Wait a second!"
Hearing that, Yoo Daon didn't hesitate and bit down hard on her own thumb with her teeth.
-Crack!
The sound of flesh tearing echoed, blood spraying out.
"Ugh..."
Song Arin grimaced and turned her head away in disgust, while Yoo Daon answered in a bright voice.
"At least I don't feel anything!"
"...Thank you."
"No problem!"
Yoo Daon waved her already fully healed finger with a smile.
"..."
I glanced at Jang Chaeyeon, who hadn't said a word.
She was staring blankly at the mannequin, as if she didn't even have the presence of mind to speak.
"Chaeyeon."
"..."
"Chaeyeon."
"Y-Yeah."
Only after I called her twice did Jang Chaeyeon look at me.
"Are you okay?"
"...No."
Jang Chaeyeon muttered in a small voice and shook her head.
"I don't think I am."
"What does it look like to you, Chaeyeon?"
"Sister."
Jang Chaeyeon stared fixedly at the mannequin.
"She's looking at me, smiling with my sister's face."
"..."
I looked back at the mannequin again, but to my eyes, it was still just a face covered in mosaic.
"Let's smash it."
Song Arin, who had been watching the scene, spoke up.
"I don't know what it is, but if it's twisting all four of our perceptions like this, it can't be anything good. Better to destroy it now and eliminate any future threats."
"..."
Jang Chaeyeon looked at Song Arin, then at me.
Then back at the mannequin.
"...You're right."
She nodded, gritting her teeth.
"For the future... better to get rid of it."
"...Understood."
I drew my pistol, and Jang Chaeyeon squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away upon seeing it.
Honestly, she wasn't wrong.
We should deal with it while we have the chance. Calling the Containment Team to lock it away would work too, but the problem was that we seemed trapped here ourselves.
[Critical: 2->1]
The world turned black and white, time slowing down.
Looking at the mannequin,
"...Huh?"
There was no red dot.
In the monochrome world, the mannequin with the mosaic on its face was simply turning its head toward me.
-Zzt... Zzzzt...
Intense noise filled my ears, and at the same time,
-Whoosh!
The mannequin raised its arm.
[Critical: 1->2]
Critical was canceled.
[Chronos's Shield: 10 seconds remaining]
Yoo Daon, having grasped my intent, stepped forward, spread her arms wide, and a translucent barrier unfurled, deflecting its arm.
"What the hell! Why'd it suddenly start moving!"
Song Arin shouted loudly and extended her fingers straight out; the mannequin's body froze as if pinned by something.
"It's not working!"
"Did you piss it off?"
"You're the one who suggested smashing it, Arin!"
"Shit, you're right!"
As Song Arin flailed her arms around, the mannequin shook its body like it was dancing.
At the same time, Jang Chaeyeon thrust both hands forward and clenched her fists, twisting the mannequin's body at an unnatural angle.
But only for a moment.
-Whoosh!
It swung its limbs wildly, and Song Arin, who was at the rear, hurriedly pulled her arms back.
"You idiot! Be careful!"
"Whoa!"
I felt something latch onto my waist, and without my control, my body yanked backward instantly.
Jang Chaeyeon was fine too, since she was back with Song Arin.
-Thud!
"Ugh!"
Yoo Daon, who had crossed both arms to block the attack, went flying backward.
"Daon!"
"I'm fine—Huh...?"
Yoo Daon muttered in confusion. When I looked up at her,
"H-Huh?"
Yoo Daon's body was changing.
Her arms flopped like paper, her legs melting away like paint spreading in water.
Soon, she collapsed to the floor, and picture frames began appearing around her body.
-Crackle!
Noise leaked from it, and at the same time, Yoo Daon's arm sank into the canvas.
She was turning into a painting.
"Daon!"
I had to do something.
"Don't come close, Jaeheon!"
As I approached her, Yoo Daon urgently shouted and looked at Song Arin.
With a calm face showing no trace of fear, she yelled at Song Arin.
"Arin! Take care of Jaeheon for me!"
"...Got it!"
Song Arin grabbed my arm and pulled me back.
Yoo Daon smiled in relief.
Soon, her body and legs were sucked into the painting,
-Thud!
The sound of a painting hitting the floor echoed.
"...This is insane, for real."
"..."
Song Arin took a deep breath, and Jang Chaeyeon turned her gaze there too.
Inside the painting was Yoo Daon.
She lay there in surgical scrubs with her eyes closed, a figure in a doctor's gown approaching her side.
[Name: Not-So-Distant Reunion]
[Canvas, Made into a Human]
[50 x 50 cm]
"..."
I recalled the way she had looked at me.
She hadn't asked even once for help until the end.
This was trust.
Trust that I could fully restore her.
And I had the duty to live up to that trust.
"We need to end this quickly."
"Don't let it touch you."
"I know."
Song Arin and Jang Chaeyeon fell back, and I retreated too while drawing my gun.
-Bang!
I fired just in case, but it only left a bullet mark on the mannequin's body without dealing any significant damage.
Jang Chaeyeon, who had carefully picked up Yoo Daon's painting, tucked it under her arm and looked at me.
"What now?"
Can't let it touch us. Touch leads to becoming a painting.
"...We attack from a distance, I guess."
"But there's no one to hold it back if it comes at us."
"..."
Critical doesn't work.
Chronos's Shield and taxidermy can't be used without Yoo Daon.
In the end, all that's left is Method, Coordinate Rip, and...
"..."
Observation.
I quickly shifted my gaze to Jang Chaeyeon, who nodded upon meeting my eyes.
"Got it."
"...What do you got?"
Song Arin looked at Jang Chaeyeon with a dumbfounded expression, and Jang Chaeyeon replied,
"I don't know. But whatever it is, I'll follow."
"Thank you."
Song Arin, having overheard our exchange, sighed with an exasperated look and stepped forward.
"Fine, I'll hold it down."
"Please do."
"If I turn into a painting, pick me up."
"Will do."
Song Arin smirked, then yanked her hand, and the mannequin froze as if wrapped in threads.
'Observation' was good, but it cost one Critical, which was too risky.
Critical was already hard to fulfill the conditions for, and using one just to get info verification.
If seeing weaknesses or background guaranteed a win, sure, but my eyes weren't that kind.
Still, it was the only option now.
[Using Observation.]
[Critical: 2->1]
Jang Chaeyeon widened her eyes, and the Critical count dropped by one.
The info on the mannequin before me melted into view.
[Name: Proof of Art]
[Age: Created Just Moments Ago]
[Specialty: Artwork Creation]
[Talent: Realization]
[Background: Masterpiece, Born Here.]
[Weakness: A mediocre masterpiece becomes ordinary when placed among many masterpieces.]
A mediocre masterpiece becomes ordinary when placed among many masterpieces?
Lightning flashed in my mind.
"Everyone, out!"
Jang Chaeyeon and Song Arin dashed out at my words.
"Where to!"
"Outside!"
I took Yoo Daon's painting from Jang Chaeyeon, tucked it carefully into my arms, and hurriedly backtracked the way we'd come.
-Clack! Clack!
Footsteps echoed from behind.
Jang Chaeyeon gritted her teeth.
"Sister... Why..."
Passing the sculpture room, the canvases, we burst out through the now-open door.
"...Huff... Huff...!"
Where had all those people gone?
The artworks were all in place, but we were the only ones there.
-Clack... Clack...
The sound of something hard stepping on the marble floor.
Looking back, the mannequin with its mosaic-covered face appeared in front of me.
It looked around,
And the part presumed to be its eyes landed on the Aesthete's self-portrait.
Its movement stopped.
"..."
The mannequin stared fixedly at the painting.
"...What."
Song Arin muttered as she watched it.
"It stopped."
"..."
Jang Chaeyeon stared at it intently.
"She's right."
"Huh?"
Jang Chaeyeon muttered and looked at me.
"It's her."
"It's her."
As I agreed, footsteps approached.
-Clack... Clack...
The same sound of something hard stepping on the floor.
"...Ugh..."
A horrific headache hit me,
And Jang Chaeyeon and Song Arin stood by my side.
"...I really didn't want to meet you like this."
Song Arin muttered, extending her fingers as if preparing threads,
"What did you do to my sister."
Jang Chaeyeon raised both hands forward, muttering in a voice filled with rage.
"Ahaha."
Someone emerged from the darkness.
A human woman's head atop the mannequin's torso.
The Aesthete stepped out from the shadows into the light.
Her body reflected the light,
"No wonder."
The Aesthete looked at Jang Chaeyeon.
"You're the real one."