Chapter 293
Chapter 293
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 293. The Way to Become One
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A storm rages.
Yoo Daon steps forward first, dodging its fist, while Jang Chaeyeon blasts it from the rear with telekinesis.
-Thud!
"Whoa! It's super pissed—"
-Crash!
Before Yoo Daon can finish her sentence, its fist slams into her face, and her head vanishes just like that.
"—off!"
Of course, a few seconds later, her head pops back into place like nothing happened.
"It's pissed us off good, but what do we do now?*"
And every time the monster attacks, Ailin skillfully blocks the dangerous blows with her gun while standing by my side.
"What can we do?"
She'd dragged our hopeless fight up to an even level.
"We fight with our lives on the line and win."
A head-on clash is all we can do.
Should I use Critical now?
No, let's wait a bit longer.
I've only got one shot. If it fails now, it's a total disaster.
"That's why everyone looked at us HR Team folks like we were crazy when the topic came up."
"If you tell me who, I'll go squeeze their brains myself," Song Arin says.
"I'm not that kind of person!"
Song Arin yells at me while wrapping a thread around an incoming arm and snapping it.
"At this rate, we might actually pull it off."
Jang Chaeyeon comes up beside me.
What a feeling.
We used to always lose in direct confrontations, but now we're cornering a containment object like this.
If things keep going this way, we could really contain it safely...
...But I don't need to worry about that. I'm on the HR Team.
"Alright. This time, we'll finish it for good... Let's end it."
Someone else like An Sanghyeon will handle the containment.
What the hell went wrong when things were going so smoothly?
Jang Chaeyeon nods at my words and extends her hand. With tremendous pressure, it slams straight into the floor.
-Grraa... Urrgh...
"Ha! That's the price for underestimating the bottomless malice of humanity!"
"Whoa, it's such trash."
Song Arin laughs and points at it, while Ailin mutters in amazement.
"Hey! Considering what it's done to humanity—"
The moment Song Arin points accusingly,
-Snap!
Something snaps.
The sound of a thread breaking.
I hurriedly look up.
The purple threads visible only to me flutter in the air,
Then they move against my will,
"Arin, watch out...!"
And plunge straight into the Butterfly's Mother.
Song Arin freezes like she's malfunctioning.
"Arin...!"
"Traitor."
Before I can finish, Song Arin turns to me with a cold voice.
"I trusted you, so how could you do this to me—"
"Hey!"
Before Song Arin can finish, Yoo Daon charges in, balls her fist, and smashes the back of her head.
-Smack!
With a massive sound, Song Arin clutches the back of her head.
"Ow...!"
"Huh, she's not out yet!"
-Smack!
Yoo Daon swings down even harder on Song Arin's head.
"You crazy bitch...!"
"Hngh!"
-Smaaack!
"Guh...!"
Yoo Daon takes a deep breath, steps back, then drives her fist into Song Arin's head again.
At the same time, Song Arin grabs her head and collapses.
"...!"
And the threads fall away.
"Whew! Three hits were a bit tough!"
Yoo Daon raises her fist like it's no big deal.
"Hey, is Song Arin oka..."
Ailin approaches her with wide eyes,
"Urk...!"
A fierce headache assaults my head just like before.
"Ugh...!"
Jang Chaeyeon clutches her head, frowning, and looks at me.
"I hear something."
"You hear something? What?"
"Resentment? Grievances? Sadness-like stuff."
Jang Chaeyeon's expression grows more serious.
She looks around frantically like she's hearing voices.
"It's yelling 'traitor' at you."
"Chaeyeon, you okay?"
"...No."
Jang Chaeyeon's expression turns graver.
She extends her hand, and suddenly something explodes right next to me.
"S-Sorry."
Jang Chaeyeon mutters with a flustered look and bows her head slightly.
"Just now, something..."
Ailin and I exchange glances.
This could be a problem if it keeps up.
"Should I knock her out?"
Yoo Daon raises her hand at her words, and Jang Chaeyeon, who had reached out into the air, nods.
"Yeah, do that."
"Okay, then..."
"No hitting."
"I'll choke her out."
Then, ignoring me, Yoo Daon goes behind Jang Chaeyeon and starts strangling her.
"Urk..."
Soon, Jang Chaeyeon collapses unconscious too.
"...Whew!"
Yoo Daon lets out a big breath.
"You two are acting weird!"
"...Are you two okay?"
"I'm still fine!"
Is she really?
I look at the smiling Yoo Daon and the serious-faced Ailin staring at me.
No choice right now.
"...Kim Jaeheon, something's off."
"Yeah, seems like it."
"Right? I smell something sweet."
Yoo Daon and Ailin approach me, and I have to nod at her words too.
"How about you, Ailin?"
"I'm fine. She says she hears something, but nothing's reaching my ears."
"That's weird. Maybe because you don't have abilities?"
"...Could be strong mental fortitude."
Ailin mutters like her pride's hurt at Yoo Daon's words, and Yoo Daon shakes her head.
"No, my mental fortitude isn't that strong! But since I'm fine, it's probably not that."
"That's bragging."
-Bang!
Ailin fires her gun, blocking the Butterfly's Mother's advance.
Ignoring their exchange, I stare at the Butterfly's Mother in front of us.
From the situation—no, it's definitely that thing.
Looking at what just happened: Song Arin's method got straight-up 'hijacked' and linked to the Butterfly's Mother against my will.
Jang Chaeyeon said she heard something too.
But why are Yoo Daon and Ailin fine?
Rubbing my throbbing head, lost in thought, I look back at the Butterfly's Mother.
[Name: Butterfly's Mother]
[Age: Created 20 years ago]
[Specialty: Parasitism]
[Talent: Parasitism]
[Background: Having tasted betrayal and deception, it has now surrendered to an unbearable rage.]
[Weakness: This is neither an adult nor a complete form. If you have a trump card, save it.]
This is neither an adult nor a complete form.
Above all, save the trump card if you have one.
In other words, don't use Critical now.
The problem is...
-Whoosh!
-Thud!
Yoo Daon takes the lead, blocking a fist, and a grotesque sound echoes from her arm, but she ignores it and looks at me.
With just these two, I can't think of a way to take it down.
"Won't work, Ailin."
"Yeah."
"The three of us take it down."
"...You know bombs don't work on that thing, right?"
Ailin speaks in a flustered voice at my mutter, and I nod at her question.
"Yes. We still have to."
"This is insane."
Ailin sighs deeply and picks up her gun.
How do we kill that thing?
I ponder for a moment.
"Take your time to think—"
Yoo Daon turns to speak, and a hole punches through her solar plexus.
—about it!"
But like it's nothing, she yells and looks at us.
"I'm fine, so!"
"Let's do this as fast as possible."
I look at Ailin, and she nods back at me.
Then, as I explain to Ailin what I'd seen, the weakness, and the current status, she nods.
"Got the gist."
"..."
"So, its life isn't just one, but we've only got one bullet."
"Right."
"...Tricky."
Ailin furrows her brow.
"If we can't kill it now... then kill it when it becomes complete?"
"Not wrong, but..."
I don't know the conditions for it becoming complete. What if it gets even more dangerous?
"...That's valid too."
Ailin nods at my words.
-Thud!
"Oof!"
Yoo Daon rolls across the floor toward us and stands up.
"S-Sorry. It's stronger than I thought."
She stammers and shakes her head, and in that moment, an idea hits me.
Even if I get it, why are Yoo Daon and Ailin unaffected?
I look at Ailin.
[Name: Ailin]
[Age: 21 years old]
[Specialty: None]
[Talent: None]
[Background: After meeting you, she lives having forgotten everything. It is her weapon, her shield, and her curse.]
[Weakness: She is still no different from an ordinary person.]
...No clue.
I tear my eyes from the translucent window and look at Yoo Daon.
"Daon."
"Yeah?"
"You said it smells sweet now, right?"
"Y-Yeah...?"
She sniffs.
"What about me?"
"You... you smell like you, Jaeheon?"
"What do you smell like?"
"M-Me?"
Flustered, she mutters and lifts her own arm to sniff.
"Just a sweet smell... ...Sweet smell? On me?"
She mutters with a puzzled expression.
"Why..."
She looks at me as she mutters.
I think I get it.
"Daon."
I look at Yoo Daon.
"Y-Yeah...?"
Yoo Daon looks at me with a flustered expression.
"Get me out."
"Huh?"
I look at her puzzled face, then turn to Ailin.
"Ailin, once I'm out, you shoot with me."
"Explain first. Explain."
Ailin sighs.
"There's an explanation."
...
I look at the Butterfly's Mother.
It's a mother right now. So it needs offspring.
That offspring, as I said earlier, is the king.
And the vessel for that king is me.
"...I'll become the king, so Daon, you have to pull me out."
Both of them look at me like, *This guy's saying crazy shit again*.