Chapter 346
Chapter 346
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Closing Curtain
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[Critical: 2->1]
I hurriedly raised my gun and aimed at the Aesthete, and at the same moment, the world turned black and white as a red glow appeared on her body.
This time was different.
Until now, that red glow had never once appeared on the Aesthete's body—which, conversely, meant she was utterly exhausted.
-Bang!
The moment I pulled the trigger, the bullet lodged into the Aesthete's body.
"...!"
The Aesthete, struck by the bullet, smiled.
Smiled?
Doubt and worry surged up in an instant, and I pulled back, but the Aesthete, hit by the Critical, also staggered back a few steps and took a deep breath.
"...That's why I told you never to hit me."
She muttered as if recounting something she'd heard from someone.
"..."
"..."
The Aesthete raised her head and looked at me.
That was right.
It was an undeniable fact that she and I were in a relationship where we couldn't tolerate each other.
Which meant my task was clear.
"Now then, Branch Manager! Throw your punch!"
"No, if you're gonna say it that cool, go hit her yourself!"
The Branch Manager grumbled as she swung her fist, and the Aesthete hastily dodged it.
With a sound of air splitting, Jang Chaeyeon swung her hand, and Song Arin, eyes closed like she was playing an instrument, extended her hand, sending threads spraying out.
Yoo Daon stood by my side with her awl at the ready, and Arin was also firing her gun next to me.
It was decent—no, this was a combat lineup that could hold its own even in the Management Bureau.
The problem was that even this lineup wasn't quite enough against the Aesthete.
"Our teamwork's a bit off, huh?"
The Aesthete tilted her head as she dodged attacks left and right.
"More precisely, those three sync up well, but those two don't quite fit?"
"That's 'cause they weren't on the same team."
"And they still made it here? Oh my, Wooju. Did you get sweet on her at your age?"
The Branch Manager's punches seemed to grow fiercer, the whooshing wind now sounding almost like explosions.
The Aesthete herself, who had said it, just laughed merrily and kept dodging.
Even knowing one wrong move could kill her, she laughed as if enjoying it—and I couldn't quite understand that.
Did she have some ace up her sleeve?
Two hypotheses flashed in my mind, but first, there was something to try.
"Daon. Go check somewhere else with Arin for a bit."
"Hmm... What should we look for?"
"...Can you sniff it out, Daon?"
"I'm not a dog, but..."
Yoo Daon looked puzzled, then nodded.
"But if it's a request from Jaeheon, I'll find it even if it doesn't exist!"
"Please."
"Got it! Let's go, Arin!"
"...I'll go too, then."
The two hurried off.
Now it was my turn.
"Branch Manager! Keep sticking to her and tie up her legs! Chaeyeon, go to the back and keep throwing stuff, Song Arin, to my side!"
Everyone moved swiftly at my command.
The Branch Manager clung to the Aesthete like gum, and Jang Chaeyeon ran to the back as ordered, lifting objects.
Song Arin came to my side and looked up at me with a puzzled expression.
"You're here, but what's next?"
"Arin, you're going to harass the Aesthete. Keep disrupting her with your threads."
"Like tripping her legs? Got it."
She extended her hand, and threads shot out, wrapping around the Aesthete's legs.
Perfect teamwork.
Everyone moved exactly as I intended, and the effect was immediate.
The Branch Manager's fist smashed into the Aesthete's body, Jang Chaeyeon hurled statues, tables, and sofas at her.
Finally, Song Arin shook her threads, tormenting the Aesthete's legs and torso nonstop.
Before long, Yoo Daon and Arin returned to me.
"We found this."
Yoo Daon handed me something.
"...This is..."
A canvas.
An unfinished painting.
"..."
I looked at the picture.
A familiar face stared back at me.
No, not just familiar.
The face I saw every morning in the bathroom mirror was waiting for me.
"...Is that me?"
Yes.
It was a portrait of me.
Not particularly handsome, not ugly either.
If anything, the details felt a bit lacking.
But why had she painted this, and why did Yoo Daon bring it?
"...There's a really weird smell here."
Yoo Daon, catching my gaze, nodded, and Arin nodded too.
"...It felt strange."
Strange feeling.
I slowly examined the painting.
Then a translucent window appeared.
[Name: Nameless Portrait]
[Age: Created 3 months ago]
[Specialty: X]
[Talent: Potential]
[Background: Once, this could have been a masterpiece. Now, it's merely an insult to the creator's pride.]
[Weakness: Show it. Prove it wrong by showing it a failure.]
What did that mean?
Show it?
Just like that?
Puzzled, I stared at the portrait of myself, then slowly lifted it up.
Fine. Let's try doing what it says.
"..."
"...What're you doing?"
As I held the portrait high above my head, Song Arin muttered in disbelief, and everyone else turned to look.
The Aesthete was no exception.
"...Ha."
She let out a deflating laugh as she saw the painting.
"So that's what it means."
She muttered something incomprehensible and slumped her body.
Something had changed.
Looking back at the Aesthete, the smile on her lips was one of resignation, different from before.
I turned my gaze to her.
She dodged the Branch Manager's fist with a delighted smile and took Jang Chaeyeon's attacks.
At the same time, a translucent window appeared above the Aesthete's head.
[Name: Aesthete]
[Age: Created 500 years ago]
[Specialty: Mental attacks, art creation, and anything related to art]
[Talent: Embracing the times]
[Background: For a long time—a very long time—this entity has pursued art. So much so that now everything bores it.]
[Weakness: It no longer feels interest or amusement. The final interest it must feel is predetermined.]
The final interest it must feel is predetermined?
What did that mean?
The moment I thought that,
"Now!"
The Branch Manager raised her fist and brought it down on the Aesthete, who dodged.
At the same moment,
-Boom!
A chair launched by Jang Chaeyeon flew toward the Aesthete's head, and as Song Arin swung her hand, the threads tightly bound the Aesthete's leg, halting her movement.
The chair smashed straight into the Aesthete's head, and at the same time,
-Crack!
The Branch Manager's fist slammed right into the Aesthete's face with a bursting sound, sending her flying through the air to crash into the wall.
"..."
"..."
Silence hung for a moment, and the Branch Manager looked at her hand in bewilderment.
"Wh-what? Why'd it hit...?"
She muttered, unable to believe it herself even after landing it.
"She should've dodged, obviously...?"
She wasn't the only one.
Song Arin and Jang Chaeyeon stared at the hole where the Aesthete had crashed, equally stunned.
I was the same.
I'd expected blood spraying and at least one of my arms flying off.
"...Hoo..."
Then a sigh came from behind the wall.
We all tensed and stared, and soon her voice followed.
"I can't move."
"...I'll take the lead."
Yoo Daon swallowed hard and slowly stepped forward.
She approached the Aesthete and turned to look at us.
"...You can come over."
"..."
At Yoo Daon's words, we all approached the Aesthete.
She lay there with a massive hole in her body and her face completely bloodied.
"...Whew."
She exhaled deeply and looked at us.
"...What's the intent?"
It was probably the question on all our minds.
I stared intently at the Aesthete, and the others did the same.
"Intent?"
Hearing my question, the Aesthete smirked.
"Didn't I tell you?"
"..."
"There's only room for one artist in this world."
That's what she'd said.
So wasn't this about fighting me?
Seeing my expression, the Aesthete laughed merrily.
"But just now, you reminded me."
"..."
"That my pursued masterpiece was a failure."
"..."
She meant shaking the portrait.
"You were supposed to be my masterpiece, but I chose the wrong material."
The Aesthete muttered as she looked at me.
"But you still have the perfect material."
"Perfect material?"
"Yeah."
She looked at me as if I'd asked something obvious.
"If I beat you here, you'll create truly perfect art."
"...Perfect art?"
"You don't get it."
She stared intently into my arms.
Not at me.
At what's in my arms—
-Flutter!
Suddenly, the manual unfurled and landed in my hand.
"Fear, terror, sorrow, and despair."
Murmuring like a song with her eyes closed, the Aesthete continued.
"And the resolve and will that surpass those emotions."
"..."
"The moment you reach here, your defeat becomes the most beautiful art directed at me."
Then the Aesthete opened her eyes and smiled at me.
"And I can't let that happen if I want to be the sole artist."
"...Even if it means your death?"
"Is death a big deal? It's just not being able to think or move anymore."
She muttered dismissively, then blew air from her mouth to tidy her falling hair.
"You think mere death can stop me from becoming an artist?"
It was madness.
But conversely, it was so very her.
"So in the end, I win."
She grinned at me.
"Right now, I'm still the superior artist. My death means you lose that chance forever."
"I see."
I raised my gun and aimed at the Aesthete.
"I think I win. Because my art doesn't need sorrow or fear."
"Oh? So you think resolve and will are necessary?"
"They'd be nice."
The gun barrel pointed at her head.
"But I'm not an artist."
"Yeah, yeah."
Hearing me, the Aesthete laughed and closed her eyes.
"Fine, let's say I win."
"..."
I tensed my finger on the trigger, and at that moment, the Aesthete's eyes snapped open.
"Right."
"...What."
"Let me give you one fun piece of advice before I go."
She smiled slyly and continued.
"The end is coming. For me, for you, for everything—none can escape it equally."
"..."
"A storm will rise. Prepare yourself."
Then, as if truly done speaking, she closed her eyes and stopped breathing.
"..."
I pulled the trigger.
-Bang!
The gunshot echoed.
*
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...It's over."
We all stood there with strange expressions, and in the end, unable to bear the silence, the Branch Manager spoke first.
"She was a weird one to the end."
"Compared to the hardship, yeah."
"...The end."
Then Jang Chaeyeon, who'd been quiet until now, muttered and spoke up.
"That word 'end' bothers me too much."
"..."
I felt the same.
The end.
The Aesthete had died calmly, as if prophesying an apocalypse.
And the manual's words to me about the inescapable future and my happiness.
"...Do you know what it is?"
I held up the manual and asked, but it said nothing.
"...Anyway."
The Branch Manager, watching us, clapped sharply to liven things up.
"We survived, right? And we took out the Aesthete we needed to. That's a huge accomplishment. Be proud—no, you all deserve the Hall of Fame."
The Branch Manager spoke brightly.
"You could go to even better places... but no one's going anywhere!"
She hurriedly stopped herself.
"Anyway! ...Yes!"
She seemed lost in thought, rolling her eyes before sighing.
"Whew... I'll look into it. 'Storm'... I have a hunch about something."
"What is it?"
"Not sure yet, so I won't say now."
The Branch Manager shook her head.
"Good work, anyway. Time to head back."
She was right.
It was time to go.
"...Tell me the exit."
At my words, the manual opened, explaining the exit.
"Over there."
Jang Chaeyeon, beside me, poked my arm.
"Yes, Chaeyeon."
"...Thanks."
"..."
"You came for me, in the end."
"I thought it was necessary too."
"And I was part of that necessity."
"..."
Jang Chaeyeon looked at me and smiled.
"Thanks."
"...No problem."
Yeah. I'll accept the thanks. No need to—
"And I love you."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
My mouth, about to say "You're welcome," hung open.
The others all stared at Jang Chaeyeon.