Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Loop
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To me, Critical was my last bastion.
It was like a golden ticket that was hard to obtain again after using one.
It felt different from the infinite tickets possessed by Yoo Daon.
The moment I raised my gun and aimed it,
“!”
Before I could even react, it leaped toward me, and Yoo Daon reacted first, hooking her right arm onto its right arm to deflect it before blocking the incoming mace with her left arm.
“Krgh...!”
Blood spurted from her arm, and in that meantime, Jang Chaeyeon extended her hand, sending its body flying backward from the powerful impact.
Could we fight it?
“...Something's off.”
Jang Chaeyeon murmured while staring at her hand.
“No impact.”
“...And it's fast.”
Yoo Daon said while stroking her arm. By now, there wasn't a single wound mark on it.
“Even I can't keep blocking it forever.”
“I'll block it for you then.”
“...But you can't block it forever either.”
I wished they'd stop fighting.
I looked at it.
“Deceive me. Deceive me. Deceive me. Deceive me.”
It muttered the same words over and over while shaking its head repeatedly.
Should I shoot?
If I used Critical, I could end it most reliably.
But the phrase I'd seen earlier floated in my mind.
[Your understanding of ??? has increased.]
[Name: Basement]
[Age: -]
[Trait: Looping]
[Talent: -]
[Background: Why is it that madmen who want to pursue art as humans exist everywhere? Even though those who blame the material for their own lack of aesthetic sense can never achieve greatness in their lifetime, he opened a workshop to prove his stubborn conviction.]
[Weakness: This space disappears along with the owner's annihilation.]
[Critical: 0->1]
The information I'd read about the basement earlier bothered me.
If I used it now, it felt like I'd be in big trouble when it really mattered.
Should I save it?
Unknowingly, my expression turned grave.
And as if misreading my expression, Yoo Daon gasped in surprise, then pulled a hair tie from her pocket and tied her hair back.
Her black hair formed a perfect ponytail.
“It's fine! I can handle it alone! Don't worry!”
“...I can do it too.”
Jang Chaeyeon nodded slowly while looking at me.
“Just stand there and count the stains on the ceiling, and it'll all be over!”
Was that the right expression to use in that moment?
Yoo Daon spoke confidently and charged forward.
-Thud!
As she rushed in, it once again embedded the mace into her arm, sending a spray of blood.
But without flinching at all, she pushed forward and threw her head back before slamming her forehead into it.
-Crack!
With the sound of something shattering, it staggered back a few steps, and seizing the opening, Jang Chaeyeon widened her eyes and thrust her hand out, grasping.
-Boom!
It was sent flying backward once more.
“...It's definitely weird.”
She furrowed her brows.
“The impact feels faint.”
“That's what I thought too, right?”
Yoo Daon replied calmly as she returned to our side.
Her clothes were once again in tatters.
The Management Bureau really needed to provide new clothes.
“It's like... ...hitting something that's somewhere else.”
“...”
Somewhere else?
Somewhere else.
Jang Chaeyeon seemed to have the same thought as me and met my eyes.
“Are we thinking the same thing right now?”
“Seems like it.”
“...Are you two getting all buddy-buddy again, talking without me?”
Yoo Daon grumbled at our words.
“Sorry, Daon. I hate to ask, but could you fight it one-on-one for a bit?”
“...It's not that hard.”
“When I give the signal, drop flat immediately.”
“...Okay.”
Yoo Daon replied in a sulky tone and stepped forward.
“What should we do?”
Soon Yoo Daon charged at it again, and with the sound of something tearing, Jang Chaeyeon calmly looked at me and asked a question.
“If I pinpoint the coordinates for you, can you use your ability like scraping and ripping?”
“Got it.”
Jang Chaeyeon nodded as if understanding my words.
Honestly, was scraping the right term? I wasn't even sure if that's what it was called. But as the saying goes, even if you take the wrong road, you'll end up in Seoul—so let's go for it.
I drew my gun.
“Now!”
The moment Yoo Daon heard me, she dropped flat.
[Coordinate Rip: 1->0]
[Coordinate Rip: 0]
[Time until Coordinate Rip recovery: 24:00:00]
Good thing this one recovers after time passes.
Soon, graph paper draped over the world.
This time, the target wasn't a pinpoint.
A broader range.
Yet something we couldn't normally grasp.
New graph paper overlaid the existing one.
If what we'd seen so far was space, what I saw now was something beyond space.
Jang Chaeyeon seemed to understand my gaze as well; she widened her eyes, looked where I was looking, and extended her hand.
Soon, that place was cleanly excised, revealing the monster with a bewildered expression.
“How-”
I quickly drew my gun and fired several shots.
Flames burst from the pistol as its body twitched.
As expected, normal weapons were useless.
But the person with me wasn't normal.
Yoo Daon widened her eyes and leaped at it, wrapping her arms around its waist.
“Now!”
Then Jang Chaeyeon clenched her fist without hesitation, staring at that spot, and twisted in the opposite direction.
-Crack!
Its waist folded grotesquely before snapping with a crack.
And from the arm holding it to her shoulder, Yoo Daon's twisted grotesquely as well, emitting a horrific sound.
“Kyaa...!”
It perished without even screaming, while Yoo Daon bit her lip hard and writhed in agony.
“Daon!”
I rushed to her quickly.
“...I-It's... fine...”
Yoo Daon answered haltingly, breathing raggedly.
Soon, her arm began returning to normal.
“You okay?”
“...It hurts.”
Yoo Daon groaned, touching her now fully restored arm.
“That really hurt.”
“...Sorry.”
“It's fine. I was going to catch it anyway.”
Jang Chaeyeon bowed her head to her once more, and Yoo Daon stared at her before sighing and shaking her head again.
“...More importantly.”
Having recovered from her wound, Yoo Daon glared at me with fierce eyes.
“You need to explain now. How did you two get so close? And! That... whatever it was... from the Cube incident last time!”
She was talking about the combined technique.
“...”
“You're not going to keep it from me after ripping a person's body like that, right?”
“...”
In the end, Jang Chaeyeon seemed to have a conscience too, slowly nodding and turning her gaze to me.
“...It's not hard.”
In the end, I gave Yoo Daon a brief explanation about the Cube incident, and upon hearing it, she pursed her lips repeatedly as if feeling wronged.
“How is this fair...! Make me one too... that shared thing!”
“Do I make them?”
Even if telekinesis and eyes match somewhat, how do my eyes match with Immortality?
No matter how much I racked my brain, no ideas came.
“...Let's go for now.”
That wasn't up to me anyway.
When the time comes, my eyes will decide on their own, or if not... well, nothing. Sorry, Yoo Daon.
I took the lead and started walking.
When words don't get through, you run—that's the original plan.
Opening the door revealed the same hallway,
and stairs.
“...Is it over?”
Yoo Daon let out a sigh of relief, and Jang Chaeyeon's expression lightened a bit as if her mind eased.
“Shall we go up then?”
Yoo Daon said lightly and climbed the stairs,
-Slice!
Something severed her neck, sending it falling.
“W-W-whoa, that startled me.”
Like déjà vu, she grabbed her neck again.
Her neck returned to its original state.
“...Huh? Aren't we leaving?”
Yoo Daon touched her neck in confusion and looked at me.
My mind was the same.
Why couldn't we get out?
Did something go wrong?
Cold sweat trickled down.
“...Ah, no way.”
Jang Chaeyeon's face turned pale.
“...Did you think of something?”
Seeing her expression, an ominous premonition rose.
“...Sorry.”
She bowed her head deeply.
“...I might have made a mistake.”
“Mistake? Ah-”
A phrase surfaced in my mind.
[4. If you have carefully reviewed the above manual, please nod your head.]
Yoo Daon grabbing her cheeks came to mind.
Did Jang Chaeyeon nod back then?
She did.
-Flip flip flip.
The manual opened.
[Manual for Those Who Violated the Manual]
1. Finding this manual means you have taken the wrong path and descended into the Basement.
2. Please follow the manual accordingly. Failing to do so may have a severe adverse effect on your body or mind, and the Management Bureau bears no responsibility for it.
3. Open the door in front of you and enter, but do not respond no matter what speaks to you.
4. If you responded when something spoke to you, close your eyes, crouch in place, and wait until it passes.
5. Check the subsequent manual on the poster visible after passing through the room.
6. Absolutely do not go back up the stairs.
“...Sorry.”
Silence fell with Jang Chaeyeon's apology.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.