Chapter 335
Chapter 335
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 335. Coordinated Assault
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-Thud! Thud!
The floor shook, and the Observer, who had been staring straight at me, turned her head.
"What should I do?"
"...Come here."
The Observer called me over, and I stood beside her.
"Listen up."
"I'm listening."
"Unnie's body is weak."
"Weak?"
Even after Jang Chaeyeon poured everything she had into it, it came out unscathed?
The Observer caught my gaze, let out a small laugh, and cleared her throat.
"Yeah. But it's weak."
"..."
"Didn't you think something was off?"
"Off?"
"What did Unnie do when she fought us?"
What did she do?
Jang Chaeyeon knocked it away, Song Arin erased the incoming attacks, Yoo Daon confirmed, and Eileen and I fired our guns.
"...Ah."
I recalled what had been strange.
"It dodged the bullets."
"Exactly."
The Observer smiled in response to my mutter.
"...You mean shoot it with a gun?"
"Right."
That's really it?
I stared at her in disbelief, and the Observer met my eyes with a grin.
"Jaeheon, you're smart, so you'll figure it out quick."
"Can't you just tell me the answer?"
She widened her eyes at my words, glanced around, and whispered to me.
"Then there won't be a Critical."
"...Kehok! Kehok!"
I was coughing and catching my breath from the unexpected answer when the Observer called the others in a soft voice.
"Arin. And you, the creepy one over there."
"Ah, saying it like that really makes me feel creepy."
"If it's the creepy one, that's gotta be me?"
"Yeah, black hair, that's you."
The two of them chatted as they walked over to the Observer.
"Good, you're here. Arin, you block the attacks. Creepy, can you watch how the attacks come in?"
"...I can't do much."
"Yes, understood!"
Song Arin grumbled while Yoo Daon smiled as if the "creepy" label didn't faze her at all and nodded.
"And you, blondie."
"What."
"Shoot from next to Jaeheon."
"That guy's got split personality?"
"Let's say that's it."
Eileen looked at me in bewilderment, and not knowing how to explain further, I just nodded.
"As for me-"
"You think first."
With that, the Observer extended her hand, and a gentle wind pushed back the thing charging at us.
Just how much had I told Jang Chaeyeon back then?
Anyway, that wasn't the important part right now.
-Bang! Bang!
Eileen's gunshots rang out, followed by the sound of Yoo Daon darting around, and then sudden silence letting me know Song Arin was properly helping the others.
The reason it dodged bullets.
Yet still took Jang Chaeyeon's attacks.
"..."
Weak to piercing wounds?
That logic was too ridiculous.
Seeing no translucent panel appear proved my current guess was wrong.
-Shing!
"Hey! It's black hair!"
"I'm fine!"
Something sliced through the air, and Yoo Daon let out a pained scream. My gaze flicked toward her but I hurriedly shook my head.
To break this situation, I had to keep thinking.
This was the time the others were buying me.
Or maybe getting hit by Management Bureau guns is dangerous.
"..."
No translucent panel appeared.
"...Damn it."
No matter how I racked my brain, nothing solid came up.
All I could think of was that it avoids Criticals for self-preservation.
"..."
That thought sparked something in my mind the instant it hit.
Aestheticism. It knows about me.
And it had deflected my Critical before.
I recalled meeting Aestheticism in the art gallery.
I fired a Critical, it bounced it off like nothing, and we desperately fled.
"..."
It even knew I was observing it, so Aestheticism spoke to me through a translucent panel.
So, could Masterpiece have heard about me from Aestheticism?
"..."
Entirely possible.
Assuming it inherited some knowledge from Aestheticism, its creator...
-Whoosh!
Masterpiece swung at Yoo Daon, and one of her arms sprayed blood as it flew into the air.
"Hng...!"
Gritting her teeth, she thrust her awl at its head, but it effortlessly dodged and kicked her away.
-Thud!
Something snapped, and Yoo Daon flew far off, rolling across the floor.
Next, it charged at Song Arin like it was her turn.
Song Arin hurriedly backed away and snapped her fingers, threads wrapping around its arm, slowing it momentarily.
And this was my chance to test my hypothesis.
I immediately drew my gun, aimed at Masterpiece, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
-Bang!
The gunshot echoed,
"...!"
And Masterpiece flattened itself to the floor, dodging my shot.
It blocked Song Arin's attacks and Yoo Daon's awl, but it absolutely refused to take my bullet with its body.
Meaning, it had a reason to avoid my attacks.
And honestly, only one reason came to mind.
I glanced at the translucent panel.
[Critical: 0]
No matter how I thought about it, it had to be Critical.
But when it was dormant, Criticals didn't work.
Ah, my head hurts.
One thing was certain, though.
-Bang!
I started slowly firing at Masterpiece gun in hand.
It slipped around dodging the shots, and during that time, I spoke up.
"For now, Chaeyeon... no, Observer... no, Chaeyeon..."
"Observer's fine."
"Thanks. What you said seems half right, Observer."
"Huh, only half?"
She stared at me wide-eyed.
"But earlier you said you knew."
"Of course. I know you, so I knew you'd get it."
"Did I used to be this hopeless?"
"You really don't know how hopeless you are."
Unbelievable.
But I couldn't tell the Observer now that it had no Criticals and they didn't work anyway.
If Masterpiece overheard, it'd turn the tables against us.
Admit it.
We could hold out in a full-frontal fight, but we couldn't gain a decisive edge.
And the only reason we could even keep this stalemate was one thing.
-Bang! Bang!
That I had Criticals, and it feared they could hurt it.
This was psychological warfare.
As I slowly aimed and fired my gun at it, it listened to our conversation and dodged without closing in.
In other words, fool your allies first to fool the enemy.
"...For now, I'll watch for an opening and kill it. Everyone, trust me and leave it to me."
I said to the others.
First, fool the allies—
"...?"
Yoo Daon tilted her head at my words,
"..."
Song Arin furrowed her brow slightly as she looked at me,
"...Hmm."
Eileen eyed me curiously, then
"Ah."
The Observer smiled like she got it.
What? What is it?
"Got it. We'll do as you say."
The Observer nodded with a grin, and the others nodded like they understood too.
"Yes! If it's Jaeheon, you can definitely one-shot it!"
"Whew, if it's you, you're the only man I trust."
"Yeah. I'm entrusting my life to you."
The others smiled and took up positions.
What the hell.
Why did it feel like everyone knew something I didn't?
I was supposed to fool the allies, but I felt like the one being fooled.
No helping it now—I'd already said it.
"Alright. Let's go."
I didn't know. I'd just do what I could.
*
When the man issued calm orders to the others, seemingly unaware of what he was thinking,
Yoo Daon and Song Arin exchanged glances.
'He's lying.'
'Total lie.'
Their thoughts aligned perfectly.
Yoo Daon narrowed her eyes slightly, lost in thought.
'Jaeheon takes responsibility, but he never says he's doing it himself. He just quietly shoulders it.'
Song Arin smirked.
'Him saying he'll watch for an opening and kill it? That guy's the type to just blast away without a word when the chance comes.'
They looked at each other again and smiled.
Usually they couldn't read each other's minds, but right now it felt like they could.
'Jaeheon's struggling right now too.'
'That guy's still grasping at straws.'
Yoo Daon leaned forward, gripping her awl tighter, and Song Arin attached threads to her arms and legs to assist her movements.
'Then I'll buy time and somehow draw out hints so Jaeheon can find the answer.'
'I need to give that guy a lead so he figures it out, think together.'
Yoo Daon turned to look at Song Arin, and Song Arin looked back at Yoo Daon.
'For that, I need Arin to hold on.'
'The black hair needs to endure somehow. I'll support her.'
Like one body and mind, the two moved in sync.
Masterpiece attacked with inhuman joint twists, and Yoo Daon forcibly matched her body to those movements.
-Crack!
Her joints bent where they shouldn't, dodging or blocking its attacks,
-Crackle!
And in the same moment, her body snapped back, achieving the feat of fighting a containment object with a human form, while
"..."
The man stood biting his lip, deep in thought.
And soon, his eyes flashed open.