Chapter 260
Chapter 260
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 260
Chapter Title: The Death of Kim Se-hyeon (2)
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“Hwang Chan-jin!?”
“Mister Choi Yeon-soo!”
Behind Hwang Chan-jin, Choi Yeon-soo gave a strained smile and a small wave.
“Choi Yeon-soo. If you're Kim Se-hyeon's ally, you should raise your stats more. This won't be enough.”
“*Pant, pant.* You're just too... strong. You damn bastard.”
“...It seems you don't realize that even this level of strength is hardly a guarantee.”
Hwang Chan-jin muttered under his breath.
“Keuh, what's this? Reinforcements?”
“...”
His gaze went past Graham.
The Primeval Demon Beast and the Dragon of the End.
It was impossible to immediately understand what had happened to make such a mess of things.
Instead, Hwang Chan-jin pointed his sword at Graham.
“Where is the Ring of Domination?”
“Why does everyone I meet keep asking for that thing?”
*Crack!*
A crack appeared in the ice holding Graham.
From within, sharply transformed blood energy was breaking the ice.
“I'll ask again. The Ring of Domination?”
“Why don't you find it yourself?”
The temperature dropped, and frost formed.
*Creeaak.*
The crack sealed shut.
New ice surged forth, slowly covering Graham's body.
“Krrrugh...!”
“I'll ask one last time.”
The moment his eyes met Hwang Chan-jin's cold gaze, Graham realized this one was different from the others.
This guy was dangerous.
His abilities were a bad matchup.
Growing desperate, Graham focused his attention on the pools of blood scattered on the ground.
Blood energy was most powerful when using one's own blood.
But that didn't mean it was weak when using blood from other sources.
*CRACK!*
However, Graham's attempt was futile.
Cha Eun-ha's lightning, the twins' flames.
All the surrounding pools of blood had vanished without a trace.
“Is that your answer?”
“You damn...!”
The whites of Graham's eyes turned red.
His entire body turned an even deeper shade of red.
The ice gradually melted from the heat of his boiling blood.
Jun Bo-ra shouted urgently.
“Hwang Chan-jin! You have to finish this quickly! There's no time! We have to get to Kim Se-hyeon!”
“I can't let you. You will stay here and...!”
[Ice Blade - Blue Wave]
*Shiing.*
An incredibly clear ring of a sword sounded out.
A natural draw, as if it had cut nothing at all.
Nothing was cut, yet something had been sliced.
Behind Graham, who had become a statue with a look of shock on his face, a wave of ice stretched out like the tide.
*Hoooo.*
A chilly breath escaped Hwang Chan-jin's lips.
“It seems you know where Kim Se-hyeon is.”
“Uh... uh, yeah! This is no time to waste! Everyone, grab onto me, quick!”
Jun Bo-ra came to her senses.
Grabbing Jun Bo-ra's hand, Jo Min-ah asked.
“Unni. Did Oppa really die...?”
“He said he was going to die... but I don't really know. We'll have to go and see. I need to know what that guy was thinking.”
“He's not the type to let go of his life on his own.”
Hwang Chan-jin stated flatly.
Choi Yeon-soo also nodded.
“He wouldn't say something like that unless he had a way to come back even after dying.”
“Is there a way to do that?”
“...How would I know? If I knew, I'd use it myself.”
“What is it!!”
“Agh, you're so loud! Stop talking! If you keep chattering, I'll leave you behind! Teleport!”
From the destroyed city to a giant canyon.
As the scenery changed in an instant, the commotion naturally died down.
That wasn't the only reason.
Anyone would react the same way upon witnessing the unnatural space right before their eyes.
Cha Eun-ha narrowed her eyes.
“This is a strange place. It's like the space is separated; light can't even get in.”
“Right. This is where the Dragon of the End is... no, was. Kim Se-hyeon went inside.”
“Then there's no reason to stand around.”
Hwang Chan-jin strode forward.
“Wait a moment. There might be a trap, you know?”
“If he went in first, it would all be destroyed by now. And it doesn't look like there's anything here.”
“That seems right. Jun Bo-ra-unni also said we don't have much time, right? Let's move forward for now.”
“Right! If there's anything, I'll use my detection skill to the fullest.”
[There's no need for that.]
The group stopped in their tracks.
An unhappy-looking demon with a familiar face was floating in mid-air.
Hwang Chan-jin's eyes glinted with interest.
“One Who Covets Treasure.”
[It's been a while since I've been called that.]
“Why are you here?”
[Come inside first. I'll explain. About what happened to Kim Se-hyeon.]
Several gazes were exchanged.
Why was a demon who should be in Korea here?
How did it know about Kim Se-hyeon?
They had a mountain of questions, but they quietly followed Besial, listening to his explanation.
They passed through an open barrier to a place with traces of a giant egg having hatched.
[...And so, Kim Se-hyeon died, but his body was restored. Here.]
Where Besial pointed, Kim Se-hyeon lay as if dead.
Jo Min-ah rushed over.
“Oppa!”
No matter how many times she shook him, he didn't even stir.
On the off chance, she placed a hand under his nose, but his breath was so faint she couldn't tell if he was breathing at all.
“Didn't you say he was eaten by the Dragon of the End? Why is his body still here?”
[I told you, it was restored. An item called the Source of Life or something activated.]
*The item he got from defeating the Disaster of Verdure.*
Hwang Chan-jin understood immediately.
“Is he alive?”
“I don't know. But... I don't think he's dead.”
[To be precise, he's neither alive nor dead.]
“What do you... mean?”
[...His body was restored, but his ‘existence’ wasn't.]
The Dragon of the End devours a target's existence.
Not just the body, but everything else.
It eradicates every part of a target, down to the very roots.
[If his existence isn't restored, he can't wake up even if his body is. He's an empty shell, so to speak.]
“N-No...!”
Jo Min-ah's face crumpled.
“Then what are we supposed to do!”
[His existence needs to become distinct.]
“So, what's the way to make his existence distinct!”
[Don't scream. If you weren't someone Kim Se-hyeon cares about, I would've already popped your head.]
Jo Min-woo scowled and grit his teeth.
Besial was lost in deep thought.
“Can't he become distinct on his own?”
[No. Existence is something created by others. If everyone treated someone as if they didn't exist, could you really say that person exists? To become distinct on your own, you'd need to possess something tremendous, but Kim Se-hyeon isn't at that stage yet.]
“...Then is there a way to restore his existence? What can we do?”
[The best way to realize a person's existence is to understand the path they've walked. It's even better if it's someone who was close to them. You all need to enter Kim Se-hyeon's mental world. However.]
Besial paused.
[One wrong move, and you could get swept away and never wake up yourselves.]
A heavy silence descended.
But the silence didn't last long.
“I'll go.”
Hwang Chan-jin stepped forward.
“I have a debt to collect from Kim Se-hyeon. I can't let him go like this.”
“M-Me too! I still haven't paid back what I received from Oppa!”
“Me too! I'll definitely grab Hyung and bring him out!”
“Come to think of it, I have a lot to collect, too. That bastard. He treated me like a tool, didn't he?”
“It would be troublesome to lose the place I belong to again.”
“In this kind of atmosphere, I guess I have no choice but to raise my hand.”
One by one, they raised their hands.
As everyone present raised their hands, Besial's eyes widened slightly.
He had expected it to some extent.
But not that they would agree so readily, without a hint of hesitation, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
For a moment, Besial felt a pang of envy.
[Looks like you've all made up your minds. Now, place your hands on Kim Se-hyeon's body. Don't touch anywhere weird. Yeah, like that. Hold on tight. The moment you let go, you'll suffer a considerable shock yourselves. Here we go.]
The ground fell away into an endless abyss.
As if thrown into a black hole while traveling through space, they were endlessly sucked into somewhere.
The moment everyone felt that sensation, they found themselves in the middle of a silent darkness, as if nothing had happened.
“This is his mental world...?”
Jun Bo-ra looked around.
A place where only darkness resided, yet it didn't feel dark. A strange place.
A place where lighting a fire wouldn't illuminate the surroundings.
Though she found it strange, she also felt it was somehow natural, leaving Jun Bo-ra unable to get her bearings.
“Over there.”
Hwang Chan-jin pointed to a spot.
Where all eyes gathered in the direction he pointed.
There was Kim Se-hyeon, curled up, hugging his knees.
***
*This world can go to hell.*
It was an ordinary day.
His parents had gone out to the supermarket, and his older sister had gone with them.
That day, too, Kim Se-hyeon started his stream.
“Today, I'll be doing a guide for this game. I've already beaten it once, and today I'm planning to do a speedrun.”
-Wait, didn't this game just come out yesterday? lololol
-How did you beat it already? Nah, you're joking lol
“There's a hidden mechanic here. If you use it to get past like this... there. It's a kind of shortcut. Right in front of the boss room. This way, you can clear stage one in under 10 minutes if you're fast.”
-?
-Holy shit
-??? What did I just see
-Wha... What is this?
-Wow, it took me hours just to clear the first scenario, and you just did it in 8 minutes? Is this real?
-Is the Strategy King a god? Is the god the Strategy King? Is the King a strategy god??
-Let's goooo speedrun!
-But aren't you supposed to be off today?
“It's not my usual streaming day, but I just couldn't wait to show you this speedrun. Well, some days are like that.”
Kim Se-hyeon glanced at the clock.
Quite some time had passed since he started the stream.
‘Are they stuck in traffic?’
What could happen in the space of an hour?
Kim Se-hyeon thought nothing of it and moved on.
However, by the time the stream ended, his family still hadn't returned.
The stream was short that day, but did grocery shopping really take this long?
Kim Se-hyeon felt a strange sense of unease.
-The number you have dialed is not available. Please leave a message after the beep...
-The caller is outside the service area.
The calls went unanswered.
Before he knew it, the sun had set and darkness had fallen.
Still, there was no sign of the front door opening.
‘Something definitely happened.’
He shot up from his seat.
At that moment, the screen he had just turned off lit up with a call from an unsaved number.
Normally, he would have rejected it immediately.
But Kim Se-hyeon sensed something and answered the call.
-May I speak with Kim Se-hyeon-nim?
“Yes, that's me. Who is this?”
-First, please remain calm and listen. Your family consists of a father, a mother, and one older sister. Is that correct?
“...That's correct.”
The words didn't come right away.
It was only a few seconds of silence, but to Kim Se-hyeon, it felt like hours of waiting.
-Your family members have gone missing.
His heart sank.
-We are searching through various means, but... there is currently no evidence. We are sorry.
As if thrown into the Arctic Ocean, the blood in his veins ran cold.
He couldn't feel any strength in his hands.
It was a wonder he was even holding the phone.
Kim Se-hyeon replied in a trembling voice.
“What... What does that mean?”
-That is all. We are sorry.
“No, don't just say you're sorry. You have to tell me! What exactly happened?”
-We are sorry.
The man repeated his apology and then hung up.
“Damn it...!”
Kim Se-hyeon hurriedly grabbed some clothes and ran out without even putting them on properly.
What had happened?
He couldn't bear it without seeing for himself.
‘What the...?’
There were strange people.
They definitely weren't police, but they were doing something at the scene of the incident.
He flinched at the sight of them carrying various weapons, including real swords, but he couldn't back down.
Kim Se-hyeon looked around and, seeing a brief moment when people were distracted, slipped into the accident scene.
“You. How did you get past the surveillance?”
Someone was there.
Someone with a troubled smile, who didn't seem like an ordinary person.
*I have to run.*
Kim Se-hyeon made a quick decision, turned his back, and started running.
However, the man caught up in the blink of an eye and tripped him.
“Kuk!?”
“If you were going to run, you shouldn't have come in the first place.”
He reached out his hand.
“You will forget what you saw here. No, it would be better to replace it with something else. It's truly unfortunate, but it's not good for ordinary citizens to know about this.”
“Let me go! What the hell are you doing! Why won't the police tell me anything!?”
“I'm truly sorry. We'll try our best, but... no, we will definitely solve this. So, for now, please go back.”
*What the hell does that mean?*
But the words only swirled in his mouth, never coming out.
His memories blurred and were replaced.
As his consciousness faded, Kim Se-hyeon heard someone's conversation.
“What's wrong?”
“Ah, Nuna. Someone managed to get in. I altered his memories a bit.”
“He did well to sneak in. Should I strengthen the barrier?”
“How?”
“Who do you take your nuna for? I'm Lee Min-hwa, the Guild Master of the Hongryeon Guild. You think I can't do something like that?”
He couldn't understand what they were talking about.
Kim Se-hyeon could no longer hold onto the thread of consciousness and let it go.