Chapter 240
Chapter 240
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Responsibility
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"Ugh, uwaa..."
Park Ye-eun was trembling in fear.
While walking with Yoo Daon, the sun suddenly set.
It had been 48 hours.
She didn't know the exact details, but the man had said that according to the manual, things would get dangerous after 48 hours.
So Park Ye-eun hurriedly flipped open the manual, but Yoo Daon moved even faster.
"It's coming."
"Huh?"
-Pak!
Yoo Daon shoved Park Ye-eun backward and bent at the waist.
Park Ye-eun's vision flipped upside down, and soon something pitch-black entered her sight.
"Danger-"
-Tat!
Yoo Daon leaped forward and embraced the thing.
"Grab the bag and run! I'll catch up!"
"Y-Yes...!"
Park Ye-eun spun around and kicked off the ground,
-Boom!!
An explosion rocked the air, sending a blast of wind that slammed into her back and sent her rolling across the floor.
"Oof...!"
Her body tumbled across the stone floor several times before finally losing momentum and coming to a stop.
Feeling a pain like her spine had snapped, she staggered to her feet.
"Ugh..."
Where was Daon unnie?
She hurriedly lifted her head, and someone emerged from the blazing scarlet flames.
The figure stepping out from beyond the roaring crimson inferno.
"Ah, really sorry about this..."
She smiled bashfully while covering her body with both arms.
"C-Could you give me some clothes...? They all got blown off in the explosion..."
"Ah, yes...!"
At Yoo Daon's words, Park Ye-eun snapped out of her daze and frantically rummaged through the bag for clothes.
Yoo Daon, now dressed in them, checked the fit this way and that before looking at Park Ye-eun.
"Well, shall we go?"
"Uh, where to?"
"The exit. Jaeheon will be waiting there."
"Uh, did you plan to meet oppa there?"
"Not exactly, but Jaeheon wouldn't fail to make it out."
Yoo Daon smiled as she started walking.
"Come on, let's hurry."
"..."
Park Ye-eun followed behind her.
A creepy feeling kept making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.
"Um, but..."
"Yes?"
"What was that thing earlier...?"
"..."
Yoo Daon gazed off into the distance at Park Ye-eun's question.
"Fear."
"Huh...?"
"Nothing a kid needs to know."
Yoo Daon smiled brightly.
*
There are countless interpretations of the afterlife.
Some say you go to heaven, others claim endless reincarnation, and some insist you're swept into the river of forgetfulness, losing all memories before heading to the underworld.
But what lay right before my eyes felt like a mash-up of them all.
-Shaaa...
Smoke rose from the far end, while a pitch-black river flowed right in front of us.
And that chilling sensation creeping up from behind.
"Let's move!"
We all started running.
Song Arin reached out, and threads unraveled like spider silk, forming bridges between rooftops. Jang Chaeyeon swung her hand, and my body felt lighter than before.
"You'll be able to jump higher now."
"Thanks."
"..."
I glanced at the sobbing Eileen.
She was weeping uncontrollably, as if experiencing sorrow for the first time and unable to hold herself together.
We didn't even have time to ask if she was okay.
"If you want to live, we have to go."
"..."
"Eileen."
Eileen was stifling sobs.
I couldn't fully grasp her feelings, but I could easily imagine what was going through her mind.
Could I convince her?
The moment that thought crossed my head, Eileen staggered to her feet.
"..."
She adjusted her rifle.
Without a word, she rose on trembling legs.
Her shaky legs carried her gaze toward the distance.
There was no hope in her eyes. If anything, it was thick despair clouding them.
But there was something even greater.
A sense of responsibility.
It had been the same at the amusement park—Eileen always emphasized responsibility.
The burdens she had to shoulder herself.
What exactly was responsibility to her, that it could make her rise even after losing her parents right before her eyes?
It was almost inhuman—pure reason, or perhaps sheer willpower.
If you needed that kind of mental fortitude to become team leader, I didn't want the job.
"...Let's go."
I hadn't expected her to speak.
We kept leaping across rooftops.
Yellow roofs, blue roofs, black roofs.
"Huff... huff..."
The creepy, hair-raising feeling grew closer with every passing second.
How many rooftops had we crossed?
"...I see it."
Jang Chaeyeon muttered beside me.
I lifted my head at her words.
"..."
A tall mountain loomed ahead.
A translucent window popped up.
[Name: Hill of Joy]
[Age: -]
[Specialty: -]
[Talent: X]
[Background: They believe this is the origin point of all life.]
[Weakness: -]
Seeing the hill meant...
"The exit's close!"
"Run!"
Song Arin yelled as she wove threads into a bridge.
"I'm telling you, I can really feel the ominous vibe now!"
"I know!"
We hurriedly vaulted over rooftops.
The mountain drew nearer.
The end of the row of houses came into view.
We had to jump down.
"The exit!"
Song Arin pointed below as she shouted.
She was right.
There was a wooden door, just big enough for one person.
"Chaeyeon!"
"Yeah!"
No hesitation.
We all leaped down.
As we jumped from the rooftop, Jang Chaeyeon reached out, slowing our fall.
-Thud!
Even so, I ignored the pain shooting through my knees and forced my legs to move.
When we reached the door, Song Arin let out an incredulous yell.
"Wh-What the hell is this!"
She stared at the door as she shouted.
No handle—just a small groove.
As we stared at the slot meant for inserting something, a line of text appeared.
[No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.]
"Wh-What does this even mean...!"
Song Arin panicked, shoving and pulling at the door, but it didn't budge.
"Arin, hurry up...!"
"I want to open it too...!"
When the door refused to yield, Song Arin started yanking at it with her threads.
Still, it didn't move an inch.
"Move."
Jang Chaeyeon brushed Song Arin aside as she spoke.
And at that exact moment,
-Shiver...!
Every hair on my body stood on end.
I whipped around in a hurry and saw it.
A figure with white wings.
It wore an eyepatch and held scales in one hand.
"...An angel?"
Song Arin muttered as she stared.
Yes. An angel.
The kind you see over and over in paintings and media until you're sick of it.
A translucent window appeared.
[Name: Angel]
[Age: X]
[Specialty: -]
[Talent: -]
[Background: Each creature had four faces: the first was the face of a cherub, the second the face of a human, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.]
[Weakness: -]
Was that really an angel?
My eyes said yes, the info said yes—but my body refused to believe it.
So what was this primal terror screaming in my head?
My whole body was yelling at me to run right now.
[Critical: 3->2]
I had drawn my gun without realizing it.
The world turned black-and-white, a red dot appeared.
I yanked out my pistol, pulled the trigger, and the bullet pierced its forehead.
It crashed to the ground with a loud thud—
It didn't.
"..."
As if it were the most natural thing, it flew straight toward us.
The angels flew toward us.
"..."
Jang Chaeyeon hurriedly raised her hand to block it, but she recoiled with a nosebleed.
"It won't...!"
As Jang Chaeyeon fell back, Song Arin shouted loudly.
"What the hell are we supposed to do with these things!"
"Jaeheon!"
At the same time, a voice came from beyond the door.
It was Yoo Daon's.
"Daon!"
Yoo Daon reached out to me, and a flash of light streaked through my mind.
If I couldn't block it, I'd have to stop it.
[Using Taxidermy.]
[Critical: 2->0]
The world froze.
Yoo Daon stared at me with a blank expression.
"Wh-What?"
"Daon, we have to stop that thing!"
"S-Suddenly?"
Yoo Daon widened her eyes at my words but soon nodded.
"Th-That's an angel, right?"
"Yes!"
"...Okay."
Her expression hardened as she closed her eyes and focused.
-Chains rattled!
Chains burst forth, binding the angel.
"It's... done...!"
"Good."
Yoo Daon let out a sigh of relief, and frozen time resumed.
"..."
"..."
I'd already burned through all three Criticals.
And we'd barely passed the village.
Silence.
Jang Chaeyeon and Song Arin, who had been preparing, stared at me in bewilderment.
"Wh-What..."
"It won't hold for long."
They looked puzzled for a moment at my words, then nodded and turned to the door.
"So, how do we open this?"
"Force won't work."
"Then what do we put in it?"
"Did you pick up anything on the way?"
"As if."
Song Arin and Jang Chaeyeon traded barbs like they were arguing, while I racked my brain.
Trial and groove, trial and groove...
"..."
Quiet Eileen slowly stepped forward.
"Eileen?"
"Churches are always like this."
Eileen murmured.
When she raised her head, that heavy weight of responsibility filled her eyes once more.
Eileen removed the brooch from her neck.
The frankincense brooch emitted a faint glow in the darkness.
"To get in, someone has to be prepared to stay here after everything ends."
She murmured as she brought the brooch to the door.
The brooch embedded itself into the door, and it creaked open.
-Creeeak...
The four of us rushed out, and Yoo Daon patted me down frantically.
"Jaeheon, are you okay? Any pain...!"
"...I'm fine."
I pushed away Yoo Daon as she fussed over me and looked at Eileen.
"Eileen."
Eileen raised her head.
"...It's fine."
She cut me off, as if she knew what I was going to say.
"Anyway... ...it's meaningless."
She started to say something but trailed off, closing her eyes.
Indescribable emotions flickered across her face.
Regret, sorrow, resignation—or perhaps hope.
"...Let's go."
Eileen looked ahead.
The tall mountain loomed before us.
Hill of Joy.
-Pages rustled!
The manual unfolded.
[Office Manual]
[Hill of Joy - Anomaly Team Kim Jaeheon Revised Edition]
1. Do not make choices you will regret.
2. Do not give up.
That was all it said.