Chapter 197
Chapter 197
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 197
Chapter Title: Something Unstoppable (2)
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“Jeong… Su-ji…”
Go Yeong-jun’s eyes wavered, and his demeanor turned strange.
The muscles in his face twitched erratically, his expression changing from moment to moment.
“…Park… Tae-min.”
Then, a name long erased from his memory escaped Go Yeong-jun’s lips.
“Park Tae-min… Park Tae-min… Park Tae-min…!!”
*CRASH!*
Go Yeong-jun ground his teeth, then ignored me and charged into the building.
Having heard Go Yeong-jun’s loud shout, the twins hurried over.
“Hyung, what’s going on!? Why did you say that bastard Park Tae-min’s name…?”
“…Let’s follow him for now.”
*Did she somehow look into Go Yeong-jun's memories?*
No, even then, it should be impossible.
Go Yeong-jun remembers Park Tae-min being dead.
As such, implanting a false memory that Park Tae-min killed Jeong Su-ji to use as a trigger was impossible.
Manipulating his memory to make him believe Park Tae-min wasn’t dead would require a power completely different from mental domination.
Something Ada couldn't do.
*'Don't tell me Park Tae-min is alive.'*
That was the only possibility.
I hadn't confirmed if Park Tae-min had actually died back then.
Still, I couldn't imagine Park Tae-min, with stats barely around 10 and no experience, surviving amidst that horde of Death Bites.
“By the way… we’re right in the middle of them again, Oppa.”
Jo Min-ah broke out in a cold sweat.
We’d pushed forward to stop Go Yeong-jun, which meant we were now effectively in the heart of enemy territory.
“Drive out the fakes…”
“Kill the fakes…!”
The brainwashed people approached, weapons in hand, their aura menacing.
The effects of suggestion and brainwashing deepen over time.
It was clear just by seeing how the initial commands of ‘drive them out’ and ‘catch them’ had now escalated to ‘kill them.’
This was not a good situation.
Even if Jun Bo-ra used Teleport to move us inside the building, they would all follow since it was right nearby.
We had to find another way.
“…If we just go into the building like this, things will get ugly.”
Jun Bo-ra, who had been standing back-to-back with me, spoke slowly.
“I’ll be the decoy.”
“No. It’s too dangerous.”
“I have to do at least this much. It was my fault in the first place.”
Jun Bo-ra smiled bitterly.
“It’s fine. I have Teleport, so I won’t be caught easily.”
Her resolve seemed so firm that I didn't argue further.
Her suggestion was also the most logical one.
I nodded as if I had no other choice.
“Alright. I’ll finish things up quickly and come help, so hold out until then.”
“Running away is my specialty, so don’t worry.”
Jun Bo-ra touched each of us in succession, teleporting them away starting with Jeong Ha-yeon.
When it was my turn, she hesitated for a moment, then met my eyes.
“You know…”
A smile that looked particularly fleeting.
I think that was the first time I'd ever seen someone look so sad while smiling.
“I wanted to be a protagonist too, but I guess it was too much to ask.”
*Fwoosh!*
In an instant, the scenery changed.
I could feel the aura of madness directly above, so I knew we had been teleported to the right place.
The expression Jun Bo-ra had shown at the end bothered me.
*…Surely she isn't planning on making a bad choice.*
She wouldn't.
At least, from what I'd seen of her so far, Jun Bo-ra wasn't that weak.
“That Nuna will be okay, right…?”
“If a teleporter is determined to escape, no one can catch them. She’ll be fine.”
Still, we couldn't afford to be complacent.
Abilities can't be used indefinitely.
She had already used Teleport quite a bit today, so the faster we finished this, the higher her chances of survival.
“Se-hyeon-ssi, please stop that boy.”
“I don't mind, but what will you do, Ha-yeon-ssi…?”
“I will stop Ada. If we catch her, Jun Bo-ra-ssi will be safe too.”
“Th-Then we’ll help you, Unni!”
Jo Min-ah immediately sided with Jeong Ha-yeon.
*Huh.*
While I was momentarily flustered, Jo Min-woo also moved to her side.
“Oppa, what’s wrong?”
“You two sided with her so naturally.”
“Well, of course. There’s no way you’d lose to him, Hyung…? Since you'll obviously win, we should lend our strength over here.”
He had a point.
He had a point, but the fact that the twins had so readily chosen Jeong Ha-yeon over me left a strange, bitter taste.
“Unni, that way!”
“It’s important to keep her from escaping. Got it?”
“Trust us. She's pulled a runner a couple of times, we won't let her do it again.”
The three of them moved away, in the opposite direction of the stairs.
Given Jeong Ha-yeon's personality, our opinions were bound to clash in the future.
To the point where it could become a life-or-death confrontation.
If the twins were to side with Jeong Ha-yeon instead of me then, too…
“…No, that won’t happen.”
[Are you jealous? Gyaak!!]
I flicked Besial on the forehead as he grinned like a devil.
*He flies well.*
I was probably just on edge because of the situation with Go Yeong-jun.
I shook my head and went up the stairs.
*KABOOM!!*
A considerable shockwave spread out, making my clothes flutter.
I frowned at the power of madness, which had grown even stronger than before.
“Die, Park Tae-min!!”
There, Go Yeong-jun and Park Tae-min were fighting tooth and nail.
***
“This isn’t the time to be looking for me.”
Ada let out a small laugh as she looked at the three blocking her path.
The flame-wielding twins and a woman who was glaring at her as if she wanted to kill her.
*‘As long as it’s not Kim Se-hyeon.’*
Normally, Ada was confident against any opponent.
There was no one completely immune to her mental interference, and as long as it worked, she could turn any fight in her favor.
Ada tilted her head slightly and smiled knowingly.
“The moment Go Yeong-jun kills Park Tae-min, his madness will fully awaken. Did you know?”
“Se-hyeon-ssi went to handle that, so it’s fine.”
“Hmph.”
“More importantly, if we let you go here, there will be more victims.”
[‘Judgment’ has been activated.]
[A verdict has been passed on the target.]
[Verdict: Evil (惡)]
*‘I had a feeling, but she really is the Holy Judge.’*
A debuff that forcibly lowered all of one's abilities by one rank.
This was the first time Ada had experienced it herself.
*‘For it to affect me, the power of Judgment must be S-rank… and those twins are at least A-rank. He’s raised them well.’*
It wasn't surprising.
The L-Team that Ada belonged to had also been formed with Roberto at its core, who personally selected and trained several members to S-class.
“Well, I told you, this isn’t the time to be dealing with me.”
Her control might have weakened by one rank, but the brainwashing hadn't been broken.
As people began to gather around Ada protectively, Jeong Ha-yeon, who had looked ready to charge at any moment, found herself unable to move.
“There are brainwashed people inside the building too…!”
“Fools are perfect for buying time. That kid, Go Yeong-jun, probably believes my lie without a shred of doubt.”
Sticking her tongue out slightly, Ada vanished from the spot.
“Huh!?”
“She suddenly disappeared!”
“A Warp Scroll…!”
Jeong Ha-yeon ground her teeth as if she'd been tricked.
An item that allowed one to use Teleport even without the trait.
Jeong Ha-yeon knew they existed since they were sold in the shop, but she had never used one because they were so expensive.
There was no way to catch Ada now that she'd escaped with Teleport.
With no other choice, the three decided to leave the area immediately.
“I’ll open a path!”
*Fwoosh!*
Jo Min-ah calmly spread fire across the floor.
*‘If the path is completely blocked, they try to cross the flames with their bare bodies, but if there’s a path, they’ll try to use it.’*
The flames spread along a set route, creating a path shaped like a wine glass.
The flames were only about 10cm wide, but the brainwashed players instinctively avoided them, gathering toward the center.
“Now!”
*Whoosh!*
Just as the three of them leaped over the fire to get to the wall, the flames flared up all at once.
The brainwashed players turned and staggered toward the other side.
They would have to take the long way around, but since a path was open, there was no need to cross the wall of fire.
“You don’t think Yeong-jun actually killed Park Tae-min, do you!?”
“I think… it’s fine.”
Jo Min-ah had been using Detection continuously.
The ferocious aura unique to madness wasn't growing any larger, maintaining its current state.
Jeong Ha-yeon immediately affirmed it.
“Se-hyeon-ssi must be handling it well.”
***
*No need to stop him.*
I looked past Go Yeong-jun, my gaze shifting beyond him.
At a glance, it looked like a black wall, but it was specially reinforced glass, coated to be opaque from the outside.
With my Extreme Eye active, I could clearly see the 'real' Park Tae-min on the other side.
The Park Tae-min fighting Go Yeong-jun right now was a fake.
It wasn't an illusion, though.
It was a clone with a tangible form and power.
A trait called ‘Gemini Avatar.’
“So you’re finally here.”
Park Tae-min’s avatar, deflecting Go Yeong-jun’s attacks like flowing water, focused on me.
Half his face was covered by a mask, but he was still recognizable.
“Impressive that you’re still alive.”
“That’s right. I almost died. No, I was on the verge of death.”
*CRASH!*
Hit by a counterattack, Go Yeong-jun’s body was sent flying.
Unlike the main body, this one was not only intact but outstanding.
Were its stats around A-class?
I could tell at a glance that this power wasn't obtained through normal means.
“If Lord Cheon Jin-ha had found me just a little later, that is.”
“…Cheon Jin-ha?”
The Guide of the Abyss, the one who had essentially been leading the demon research in Paradise.
The one who was captured and killed by Han Hyeok-jun.
*‘I see.’*
While researching demons, Cheon Jin-ha had also been conducting research on dominating and taming demonic beasts.
The appearance of the Death Worm, which should never have been there.
If I assumed Cheon Jin-ha was behind it, then it all made sense.
“Thanks to him, I was given a second life.”
The avatar disappeared, and the special glass turned transparent, revealing the other side.
He was sitting in a wheelchair, his lower body out of sight.
Instead, strange machines, likely the product of modification, were attached to him, creating a sight that some might find repulsive.
This was the real Park Tae-min.
“Park Tae-min!!”
Go Yeong-jun bared his teeth and raised his voice.
“You, you raped and killed Su-ji…!”
*…So that's how they triggered him.*
They didn't just say he killed her; they exploited Go Yeong-jun's feelings for Jeong Su-ji.
Park Tae-min didn't respond.
He could have denied it, but he didn't.
*Is he saying it doesn't matter either way?*
“How far has the research progressed?”
“Do you want to know?”
*Crack.*
A crack appeared on Park Tae-min’s smiling face, and a piece of his skin fell off.
Demonization is a process where a human becomes a monster, unable to return to their original state on their own.
However, the stage Park Tae-min was demonstrating was the next level.
It was something only possible when one reached the final stages of the research, able to freely turn the demonic power on and off.
*‘Still, it seems they haven't been able to mass-produce it…’*
“Where do you think you’re going!”
Unlike me, who was deliberately observing, Go Yeong-jun seized the opportunity to rush at Park Tae-min.
“You think I’ll let you do that!!”
“Let him.”
*BAM!!*
Go Yeong-jun’s charging body was slammed into the floor.
His head pressed down by my hand, Go Yeong-jun glared at me with venomous eyes.
“Why are you interfering…!”
[Attacking someone while they’re transforming is bad manners.]
Besial chuckled.
“Stay still. I understand how you feel, but letting your emotions take over will ruin things that could have been resolved.”
I needed to know the exact progress of their research to properly strategize against the ‘Tarwi’ we would face later.
More importantly, if Go Yeong-jun killed Park Tae-min, he would fully awaken.
“Let go! That bastard, I’m going to kill him no matter what!”
“Go Yeong-jun. Look closely.”
I forced Go Yeong-jun, who was thrashing about, to look at Park Tae-min, then pointed out the flaw in the brainwashing.
“Park Tae-min is a cripple with no lower body. He couldn't possibly have done that.”
“…”
Park Tae-min's trait, 'Gemini Avatar,' only mimics his appearance; it's not capable of special actions.
Lacking internal organs, it's incapable of most biological functions like eating or excreting.
“Then… why did I… *Ugh*…! No, I can’t believe it…”
“Just stay quiet. If you act out, you’ll be playing right into their hands.”
As his eyes started to turn black again, I bound Go Yeong-jun’s body with darkness.
As confusion set in, the simmering madness began to encroach upon the reason he had barely regained.
“Cool your head. I’ll end this quickly.”