Chapter 341
Chapter 341
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: First Failure
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"Hide!"
Jang Chaeyeon grabbed my arm and yanked me down, and at the same time, I pulled her with me as I ducked low.
-Swish... swiiiish...
Something dragging across the floor from above.
-Thump thump thump thump...
At the same time, the mannequin started moving, tapping a knife against the empty cutting board.
Where should we hide?
I didn't even have time to think.
-Swiiiish... thump... swiiiish... thump...
Footsteps were coming from above.
"This way."
I pulled Jang Chaeyeon under the desk with me and held my breath.
-Thump thump thump thump...
-Swiiiish... thump...
In the chilling silence, something heavy descended.
"...Ugh."
Then, with a groan, it entered the living room.
<...>
<...>
No one said a word.
Huddled desperately under the low table, we stared at the source of the noise.
Massive legs, and long dangling arms.
It was something with a body structure more akin to a giant than a human.
I strained to look up at the monster, but from under this desk, that was as far as I could see.
<...>
<...>
The children remained silent.
And perhaps that didn't sit well with it.
The legs moved slowly, stomping the floor, as a pot-lid-sized hand snatched up one of the children's heads.
[Kyaak!]
The child screamed, but it ignored the cry, gripping the head as it lumbered toward us.
Jang Chaeyeon and I clamped our hands over each other's mouths, holding our breath, as it approached the mannequin with the child's head in its grasp.
-Thump thump thump thump...!
We heard it slowly placing something on the cutting board where the mannequin was still uselessly slashing away.
-Thump... thump...
The sounds of pounding on the board began to slow and stop.
"Ah... Ah..."
In their place, a groan-like sound echoed.
-Thud... swiiiish... thud... swiiiish...
Heavy footsteps passed the table and headed out the door.
...
...
After a moment, Jang Chaeyeon started to wriggle out.
I grabbed her urgently.
She looked at me questioningly.
But I just shook my head, mouthing, "Wait."
Fortunately, she seemed to understand and stayed put, sitting still.
How much time passed?
-Creeeak...
The door closed, followed by heavy footsteps fading away outside.
"...It's gone."
"...It was just hanging around until now?"
"Guess it sensed something was off."
It had closed the door properly when it came in. What tipped it off?
Whatever was on this floor suspected our presence enough to stick around.
Better to play it safe.
I crawled out from under the desk slowly and scanned the living room.
One child's head was missing.
In contrast, atop the mannequin's body—previously headless—
"...Ugh..."
A bruised child's head wobbled unsteadily.
I could somewhat understand how Aestheticism had come to be.
But at least it didn't seem hostile toward us; it just muttered unintelligibly while spinning in circles.
"...Let's head up."
With its owner gone, this was our chance to search.
We climbed the stairs slowly, Jang Chaeyeon following behind me.
-Creak... creeeak...
As we started up the stairs.
[Ahaha! Ahahaha!]
The children began laughing again.
The laughter sounded more mocking than before.
...
[Ahahaha!]
It left a strange bad taste.
*
At the top of the stairs lay a rotten hallway and an open door.
An indescribable stench wafted from inside.
If Yoo Daon were here, she could've helped us sniff out the smell better. Kinda disappointing.
"Don't think about other people."
"I can miss them a little."
I didn't know how she read my expression anymore, but I replied calmly to her remark and entered the room.
Everything felt oversized.
Like when I was a kid peeking into adults' rooms.
"The chair's tall."
"Yeah."
"The bed's huge."
"Yeah."
"Big enough for two."
"Probably made for that."
I replied nonchalantly as I looked around the room.
It was sparse.
Ridiculously large furniture, an easel for painting, and a palette.
...
One painting hung on the easel, and Jang Chaeyeon and I stared at it.
It depicted a single person.
Just an ordinary portrait of a woman. Nothing special.
...
No translucent window popped up, and the painting didn't come alive.
It was literally just a painting.
As we stared at it, Jang Chaeyeon narrowed her eyes and muttered.
"Looks familiar."
No, it wasn't Jang Chaeyeon.
It was the Observer.
"That guy came out?"
"In times like this, I'm more useful, right?"
"You're Chaeyeon anyway."
"So cold."
She replied without a hint of offense and gazed at the painting on the easel.
"Hmm. I remember where I saw it."
"What is it?"
"It's one of the faces I saw when I fought Aestheticism."
One of the faces from the fight?
"Hold on. You never mentioned that."
"You never asked."
Was she messing with me?
I stared at her, and she waved it off with a smile.
"Kidding. But I can't tell you everything, you know. Like, 'It looks just like this painting, and this is a memory I gained from the fight.' I'd never get through it all."
...
"If you don't like that, live with me for about ten years."
"Nothing more important?"
"You're so cold."
She answered in a voice laced with amusement, then stared intently at the painting.
"When I fought Aestheticism, I noticed one thing."
"Yeah."
"It was... weird."
"Not strong. Weird?"
"Yeah."
She nodded at my question.
"It was strong, sure, but the world's full of strong things."
...
I looked at her as if to say keep going, and she slowly continued.
"Like punching air?"
"Hmm."
"No matter how much I smashed, it felt like I couldn't touch the core essence."
Similar to what the branch manager told me.
The real body was elsewhere.
"And the energy I felt closest to was this one."
"You should've led with that."
I drew my gun and aimed at the painting.
"Wait."
Suddenly, her voice was far more emotionless than before as she grabbed my shoulder.
"I'll do it."
Right. Better her ripping it silently than me making noise.
I lowered the gun, and Jang Chaeyeon slowly raised her hand.
-CRACK!
With the sound of the canvas shattering, something oozed from beneath it.
"Huh?"
As I let out a puzzled noise and Jang Chaeyeon shoved me back.
[Ahaha! Ahahaha!]
[Wahaha!]
Loud laughter from the children below erupted.
Loud enough to reach us through the floor.
Then the door flew open, and something charged toward us with savage footsteps.
It was a massive man.
Wearing an old fur coat, with hands dangling to his knees.
Or rather, I wasn't sure if man or monster was the right word.
Jang Chaeyeon stepped in front of me protectively.
"Be care—"
Before she could finish, it swung a massive hand, exploding her head in a spray of blood.
Next in my sight was the giant hand lunging straight at me.
It reached my neck.
Something burst, and pain surged.
At the same time, I felt myself tumbling somewhere.
"...Kuhk!"
I opened my eyes.
My neck hurt.
"Koff!"
Coughing brought up blood.
Jang Chaeyeon and I had tumbled off our chairs, sprawled pathetically on the floor.
It had just torn out my neck...
Hers had exploded.
And there stood a person in a tailsuit, staring blankly at the scene.
"Two left."
He held up two fingers.
"...We just died?"
...
Ignoring me, Jang Chaeyeon prodded at her head this way and that.
I felt the pain of my neck being ripped out, but her head had burst, so she must be in worse agony.
I looked up at the tailsuited man, who pointed elsewhere with a finger.
-Thud!
-Thud!
An enormous noise echoed.
The branch manager and Aestheticism were still fighting, I supposed.
Jang Chaeyeon sat dazed, clutching her head, while I endured the neck-tearing pain.
"Chaeyeon, rest."
After a moment's thought, I took off my coat and handed it to her.
I wanted to take her with me, but...
No time.
The branch manager was buying us time in his battered state.
"If I challenge and fail, one left?"
"Yes."
He nodded at my words.
"Got it."
No time to deliberate.
I forced down my raspy voice and sat in the chair.
Dizziness washed over me again, cool wind tickling my head.
What went wrong?
Where did I mess up?
[Ahaha! Ahahaha!]
The children's laughter rang out again, pleasant wind brushing my hair.
Think.
What did I do wrong?
I strode back toward the house.
This time, I'd succeed.