Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Great Escape
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I glance at Yoo Daon, then at the Team Leader.
Unlike her dancing happily, he's just standing there normally, but with a worried expression as he looks at Yoo Daon.
"Don't leave here. We don't know what might happen."
Thinking I might dash out right away, Ailin grabs my arm and speaks in a low voice.
"You can go get her!"
"Team Leader?"
The Team Leader shouts loudly.
"She got up and left on her own a little while ago, and nothing happened, so... isn't it fine...?"
His voice trails off rapidly.
I meet Ailin's gaze.
If what she said is true, the Team Leader should already be dead or something by now.
"She should be fine."
"...Looks that way."
"Why isn't the Team Leader going, then!"
"There's nothing I can do if I go! Besides, right now, ignoring the sound is taking all I've got!"
I recall the Team Leader I've dealt with so far.
He can't do what he can't do. He does what he can.
He's incredibly good at being objective about himself.
Not only that, but we've spent countless days together handling paperwork.
Surviving means being strong.
"I'll be right back."
I spring up from my seat, step down from the attraction, and start walking toward her.
She's still dancing as if enjoying herself.
From a certain angle, her figure even overlaps with mine.
Invincible against physical attacks, but no different from an ordinary person against mental ones.
Strong enough against mental attacks to have confidence, but no different from an ordinary person against physical ones.
"Daon."
I call out to Yoo Daon softly, but as expected, it seems she can't hear me as she continues dancing happily.
"Ahaha!"
"Daon."
Her eyes shift toward me.
Her mouth is smiling, her legs are hopping around joyfully, but her eyes are staring straight at me.
"...It's okay if it hurts a little, right?"
She can't answer my question, but somehow I can read it in her eyes.
The most reliable method.
I pull the pistol from my pocket.
"I'm sorry."
She says nothing.
I firmly grab one of her shoulders as she dances, tangle my legs with hers to keep her from flailing, and pull the trigger against her smiling temple.
-Bang!
Her dancing movements stop, and she slumps into my arms like a rag doll.
"Daon?"
"...Ugh."
She mutters, pressing against my shoulder and burying her face in my chest.
"My head..."
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah... Thank you..."
She mumbles, then lifts her face from my arms.
"I'm really... nothing without you, Jaeheon."
"That can happen. Even when I tensed my muscles to resist a knife stab, it still went in."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
She lets out a small laugh and shakes her head.
"Get back on first. You should talk with the Team Leader a bit."
"Oh, right, the Team Leader helped me out."
"He did?"
"Yeah. He said something was audible, and his face suddenly got super serious. He told me it felt really bad and to be careful."
"Then why didn't you?"
"I plugged my ears too... What was I supposed to do if I could still hear it..."
Yoo Daon pounded her chest lightly with a clenched fist, looking wronged.
"It's like... the words resonate past the eardrums, right into the chest or something."
How did the Team Leader ignore that?
I glance at him, and he waves as our eyes meet.
"Come on already! I hate it here!"
"Daon, should I go with the Team Leader?"
"Uh..."
Her gaze shifts to Ailin, and she hurriedly shakes her head.
"No! You can just go with the Team Leader... ...or with me...?"
"If we go together, both of you would have to switch seats."
That wouldn't just be inefficient—it'd be no different from gambling on the unknown.
"...Got it..."
Yoo Daon nods dejectedly and heads over to the Team Leader, sitting down again.
I sit next to Ailin as well, and the attraction starts up again with its rattling sounds.
Since both attractions are moving at similar speeds, they end up right next to each other.
"...This works out better."
"Yeah."
"We can respond right away no matter what happens."
"..."
"...You okay?"
"...Yeah."
Then there's the Team Leader and Yoo Daon's conversation.
Does it have to be this awkward?
The Team Leader seems to care about Yoo Daon in his own way, and Yoo Daon seems to respect him in her own way, which is probably what's leading to this stilted talk.
"So, what's next?"
"Well, about that..."
Ailin trails off at the end of her sentence.
How am I supposed to explain that Jang Chaeyeon blasted the attraction with force afterward, so we don't know.
"We'll find out once... we get there."
As I trail off, Ailin just looks at me for a moment without saying anything.
-Rattle! Rattle!
The attraction keeps shaking and moving.
-Rattle, clunk!
Soon, with a loud noise, the attraction comes to a stop.
[We will be performing a brief inspection.]
A woman's voice echoes out.
"...This feels ominous."
No sooner do I finish speaking than the Team Leader snaps his head up and looks behind us.
"Team Leader, feel anything?"
He nods at my words and looks at me with a face full of worry.
"Jaeheon."
"Yes, Team Leader."
"Something's coming. Feels really bad."
"...Daon."
"Got it."
Yoo Daon stands up and hops over to stand by my side.
It's cramped.
"It's coming!"
As we're making space for Yoo Daon, at the Team Leader's words, I hurriedly look ahead.
-Vroooom!
A blaring horn echoes.
In the dark space, red light illuminates us.
"...A train?"
A massive horn blasts in response to Ailin's mutter.
A gigantic train appears before us.
It looks like something out of an old Western.
The difference is that the front is soaked in blood, with chunks like flesh stuck to it.
[Chronos's Shield: 3 seconds]
"Daon!"
"Yeah!"
Yoo Daon reaches out her hand.
A translucent semicircular barrier expands, and the train slams right into it.
-Thud!
With the sound of something colliding, the train stops.
No time to think.
I glance at the stopped train for a moment, then at Ailin.
"Up front!"
Without even hesitating, she moves to sit next to the Team Leader at my words.
[Chronos's Shield: 1.5 seconds]
I think about Yoo Daon's shield.
What happened to that giant who attacked back then?
It couldn't overcome its own force and fell backward.
Meaning this shield has some reactive force.
I hurriedly hop forward along the attraction and squeeze in next to the Team Leader.
"Hey!"
"Get on!"
"Yeah!"
Yoo Daon starts to reach out but quickly turns her body, and the translucent shield vanishes.
The train pulls back, losing all acceleration, and just as Yoo Daon sits next to Ailin and squeezes in,
-Bam!
The train shoves the connected attraction and starts moving.
The one behind acts as a cushion, pushing us forward, and acceleration builds.
"Uwaa...!"
"Eek...!"
"This is dangerous as is!"
Ailin shouts loudly.
"Team Leader!"
"What!"
"Shout when it feels the most dangerous!"
"Got it!"
[Chronos's Shield: 0.5 seconds]
Just once.
The train starts shoving the attraction at terrifying speed,
-Krunch, krunch...!
The attraction behind us starts breaking with ominous sounds.
"Push it to the limit!"
"Yeah...!"
The Team Leader closes his eyes and starts focusing.
The exit still isn't in sight.
I wish it would hold out just a bit longer, but
"Now!"
He snaps his eyes open and shouts. Our eyes meet, and Yoo Daon immediately thrusts her hand out.
In that split second, the train stops and gets pushed back,
[Chronos's Shield: 0 seconds]
[30 minutes until next charge]
The shield is completely depleted too.
The speed has dropped noticeably, but the attraction is still being pushed at a dangerous pace.
"...We'll have to block it with our bodies."
Yoo Daon looks at me.
"Hold my shoulders."
"Got it."
Not sure if it'll help, but I slide my hands under her armpits to support her.
"Hup...!"
She kicks off the crumbling attraction with her feet.
-Grind!
The sound of bones grinding rings out as she furrows her brow deeply, but her legs quickly return to normal, and she keeps pushing repeatedly.
How many times does she sacrifice her legs?
By the time her skirt hem is all tattered, looking like a miniskirt,
"...Isn't that the exit!"
At Ailin's voice, I look back.
Bright light is visible.
Do we have to fly out from there midway?
"...Team Leader!"
"What now!"
"Like before! But this time, we jump!"
"...This right?!"
"Got any better ideas!"
"Fine! Just say the word!"
I hurriedly stand up, and the Team Leader starts waving his arms as if preparing to leap.
"One... two...!"
-Krraaack!
The attraction is now ripping apart with indescribable noises.
At this rate, we'll be shredded before reaching the exit.
The moment we enter the light, the Team Leader bellows.
"Jump!"
I squeeze my eyes shut and leap.
I feel floating, then tumbling on the ground. Yoo Daon, who regained her balance quickly, grabs my rolling body.
"Urk..."
As I curl up from the pain of being battered all over, Yoo Daon starts checking me worriedly.
"Jaeheon, you okay?"
"...Yeah."
Though my whole body hurts.
A headless guide hands two tickets to Ailin and the Team Leader.
"Let's go."
With Yoo Daon's support, I get down, and Jang Chaeyeon and Song Arin are waiting right at the exit.
"You okay?"
"No. It hurts."
"Wanna rest a bit?"
After a bit of commotion, the six of us gather and start checking the tickets.
"...So with this, we have a total of four."
Six people left, four tickets.
"...That means one more place to go."
Our gazes turn to the spot with the name covered.
Under maintenance.
"...We'll know when we go. If it's no good, we can head to another land."
"That sounds like a bad idea."
The Team Leader hurriedly cuts me off.
"That place... feels off."
"If the Team Leader says so..."
The option of heading to another land is immediately shot down.
Our gazes turn to the spot with the name covered.
Under construction, it said. Will this even be properly operating?
[House of Ghosts]
Seeing the grotesquely written name, only a bad premonition rises.
"Team Leader..."
"This one's the... least ominous."
"..."
I really don't want to go.