Chapter 206
Chapter 206
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 206. For What Purpose
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The first person to step on the moon said this:
[This is a small step for a man, but a giant leap for mankind.]
That's what he said.
When they first arrived on the moon, did they know the truth about it?
Did they think this was a step toward the future?
Or did they realize it was a step toward destruction?
If they knew, what must the one who said those words have felt?
Stray thoughts begin swirling in my head.
...
I force my legs to move as I look around with eyes that have grown distant.
-Thud... thud...
The sound of my footsteps echoes through the surroundings.
The thing above my head doesn't move.
Whether it's asleep or dead, it makes no sound, shows no reaction.
Light shines down from above.
I look at the floor.
Bright light pours down.
It's an absurd story, but I'm bathed in moonlight.
A translucent window flickers into existence on the floor with a crackling sound.
[Name: Last Bastion]
[Age: -]
[Talent: Salvation]
[Talent: Salvation]
[Background: Fundamentally, they act to save people. Naturally, that includes you.]
[Weakness: Do not look at the light source.]
The Management Bureau's arrangement.
If I just lift my head like this, will everything reset?
But...
...
I don't raise my head.
Keeping my gaze on the floor, I take a step forward.
Everything will return to how it was.
I have no idea how favorably it will turn out. I'd have to have tried it before.
What I'm seeing now is the impending doom—and the doom I've successfully averted this time too.
But the fundamental problem remains unsolved.
The larva is still alive, and killing it would only bring an even harsher future.
...
I know this better than anyone.
I can't win against that thing.
Even if I did win somehow, I couldn't handle the aftermath.
That said, it's no reason for me to stop resisting.
I rack my brain.
What I can do.
The best interference I can manage, even if it's not victory.
...
I raise my head and look at the ceiling.
In my blurry vision, the sleeping thing comes into view, and pain like my eyes are burning engulfs me as another translucent window appears.
[Name: Moon]
[Age: xdefkd years since creation]
[Talent: -]
[Talent: -]
[Background: No amount of struggling can permanently prevent the birth of life.]
[Weakness: There is no need to touch its weakness right now.]
It feels like someone is speaking to me.
My vision grows even darker, but I'm satisfied.
An egg is just a shell.
As time passes, the strengthening larva will shake its body, and the moon will awaken more frequently.
How do I stop that?
...
"Block the shell."
How?
I slowly look around.
In the pouring moonlight, the branch chief is nowhere to be seen.
Song Arin lies there.
Bathed in the bright moonlight, tears stream from her eyes.
No translucent window appears.
Yoo Daon and Jang Chaeyeon are... already too far gone to recover.
It would be nice to get some help from someone.
As I think that,
...
"Uh."
An unexpected voice comes from behind.
I slowly turn my head.
Faded blonde hair cascades down.
...
"Uh."
Ailin rises from her spot.
-Clink...!
As she stands, the broken cross necklace falls to the floor in two pieces.
...
The same cross I saw at the orphanage.
Why does Ailin have it?
The hole in her head has already vanished, leaving only a headache, it seems. She furrows her brow deeply and looks around.
"Wh-what? Failure..."
...
...
My eyes meet Ailin's, and she runs toward me.
"Hey, you okay?"
She supports me.
"Ailin."
"Yeah."
"One request, and one question."
"You're way too calm even with things like this?"
Ailin mutters in an exasperated tone, but I ignore it and speak to her.
"First, don't look at the sky."
"Got it."
"Next, what's with that cross?"
"Cross?"
Her face fills with confusion as she mutters and looks at where she was lying.
...
"What is this?"
Shock fills her voice.
"Why is this here...? No, why do I even have it...?"
"That's enough."
I cut her off, clinging to my fading consciousness.
"It's not important right now. We have something to do first."
...
She looks at me.
"Take me down."
"Down?"
I point to the chain-link elevator, and Ailin nods.
...
"Got it."
She starts walking, supporting me.
My vision is shot, but it doesn't hinder her much from leading me.
...
"Ungh..."
She grunts as she grabs the pulley with both hands and starts turning it. The manual elevator slowly descends.
Soon, it hits the bottom floor with a loud thud.
...
"Hoo."
Ailin takes a deep breath and grabs my arm.
"Let's go."
"Thank you."
With her support, I stand in the center.
...
"What are you planning?"
"Repairs."
"What?"
Ailin squints.
I close my eyes.
Until now, I've endlessly pondered and worried about other things, other people, but surprisingly, there was one thing I hadn't dwelled on much.
Me.
The abilities of Kim Jaeheon.
For something that awakened during Butterfly's Dream, I'd neglected thinking about it too much in relation to myself.
What is Critical?
Up until now, Critical has been my powerful finishing blow.
It still is, of course.
But does Critical have to be limited to attacks?
Dealing a fatal blow to others.
That can certainly lead to destruction.
But sometimes, not destroying can be the true fatal strike.
Especially against something that's awakening to destroy the world.
It's about changing the direction of thought.
Not breaking, but filling. A Critical for repair.
At that moment, a translucent window appears.
[Critical: 1 -> 2]
I turn my head to look at Ailin's blurry face.
"Ailin."
"Yeah."
"From now on, you're my eyes."
"Got it."
She nods and tightens her grip on the arm supporting me.
"What do I do?"
"Find the wall with the biggest crack."
"Uh, yeah. That's easy."
She mutters uncertainly and looks at the walls.
"And be careful not to look at the light on the ceiling."
"Got it."
She quietly begins scanning the surroundings.
...
"Ah."
She reaches out.
"This one?"
I look toward the wall at her words.
My vision's bad, so I force my legs to move, and Ailin慌張ly supports me as we walk.
...
"Yeah."
Just as she said.
A huge crack runs across the wall.
One that looks like it could shatter at any moment.
...
My body tenses.
This Critical idea is just theory.
In the worst case, using Critical might make the wall crumble.
...
My hands start to shake.
What if what I thought was the answer ends up killing us all?
Could I take responsibility for that?
This was a matter of responsibility.
...
As I hesitate,
-Smack!
Ailin grabs my wrist and presses it to the huge crack.
"Don't worry."
She overlays her hand on mine.
"I'll share the responsibility."
...
"Do you know what situation this might bring?"
"No idea."
She speaks boldly and squeezes our overlapped hands.
"But I'm not so petty that I'd refuse to extend a hand to someone crushed by responsibility."
She says that and looks at me.
"Do it. It's our responsibility."
...
"Thank you."
"No."
Ailin smirks.
"You would've done the same."
...
[Critical: 2 -> 1]
Critical vanishes,
And with a tremendous cracking sound from the fissure...
...
"What."
Shock laces Ailin's voice.
The crack is sealing.
Like it's being repaired, the crack seals shut.
...
"Good."
Relief washes over me.
I let out a big sigh and look at Ailin.
"Next. Take me to the next biggest one."
...
"W-Wait a sec."
She mutters in astonishment but supports me and starts walking again.
Soon, she brings me to another massive crack.
"Including the last one, these two were the biggest."
"Understood."
As I place my hand on the crack, Ailin overlays hers again.
...
"We see responsibility through to the end, right?"
...
I avert my gaze from her and look at the huge crack.
[Critical: 1 -> 0]
Again, the crack begins to seal.
It seals with a grinding sound.
At the same time, a translucent window appears before my eyes.
[Name: Egg]
[Age: -]
[Talent: Egg]
[Talent: Egg]
[Background: It was merely one frail human who resealed what should have already hatched.]
[Weakness: Given enough time, the egg will break again.]
...
A strange sensation overtakes my body, and another translucent window appears.
[You can now reflect on yourself.]
[Critical's maximum increases to 3.]
...
So I have to overcome trials like this to grow.
I feel like it could stop increasing now.
...
"But."
Ailin looks at me as I dazedly think of other things.
"What's this even for?"
...
For what?
I look at the two sealed massive cracks.
We've succeeded today.
We've postponed doom and earned the right for at least one survivor to return.
But that can't be all.
Someday, we'll have to face this head-on.
Whether I'll be there then, I don't know.
Those who did this in the past must have felt the same.
They dug pits, built stairs, saw and heard horrors, bled from their eyes and ears, yet created all of this.
From the stairs to the moon, to the machines here. None of it was my doing.
They paved the way for me.
They knew.
That they themselves couldn't use the stairs they built.
That sometimes they had to enter the cabin crying and write.
That sometimes they had to abandon everything right before their eyes.
That sometimes they had to lock themselves in machines and sacrifice all for the greater good.
And that they sealed the egg more firmly, pointlessly.
What was all that for?
"The answer is set."
I raise my head and look at the ceiling.
The brightly shining moon is there.
What we've done is all different.
But everything we've done has been for one single thing.
"A better future."
The brilliantly shining light fills my vision.
*
-Crash!
I roll off the narrow bed.
"Ow!"
"Eek!"
Soon, voices of many people ring out.
I open my eyes and look around.
People are piled up on the cabin bed.
"Ow..."
Ailin on top,
"Ungh."
Song Arin beneath her.
...
"Heavy."
Jang Chaeyeon below that.
...
"H-Hel... p...! S-Sca... ry...!"
Yoo Daon.
"You guys are all too weak."
Even the branch chief.
Five pairs of eyes look at me.
"Nice!"
The branch chief grins and gives a thumbs up.