Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: The One Who Would Be a Hero vs. The One Who Would Save a Child (1)
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Upon arriving at the abandoned orphanage, Red opened her storage cuff and took out a pouch she had stored inside.
She took a cookie from the pouch and took a bite.
It was a cookie made by the children.
A gentle smile graced Red's lips.
Though it lacked the shape and taste of one made by a professional baker, to her, it was the best cookie in the world.
After finishing it, she opened the storage space again, put the pouch of cookies back inside, and got out of the car.
The building was much larger than the orphanage Red sponsored, and its yard was as wide as a school field.
But now, it was an abandoned building.
Red remembered its former splendor.
She had thought it was all part of Isaac's dedication to providing the best environment for the children, but knowing the truth now, she was overcome with disgust.
She broke down the entrance gate and strode across the yard.
Someone was standing in the middle of the yard.
Red recognized the person and scowled slightly.
Her opponent, Isaac, on the other hand, was beaming.
Isaac raised a hand in a friendly greeting.
His attitude, as if they were friends, left Red speechless.
“It's been a while since you've been here, hasn't it? I'd love to offer you something, but as you can see, there's nothing suitable around. There's a quiet café a little ways from here. Let's go talk there.”
“…”
Red glared at him fiercely.
Isaac scratched his cheek with a troubled expression.
Isaac let out a dry laugh and said,
“Don't make that face. I know why you're here, and I completely understand how you feel right now. But if you knew my circumstances, you'd understand why I did what I did.”
“Understand? You expect me to understand after what you've done? Seriously?”
Isaac placed a hand on his hip and nodded.
His face was calm.
“Once you hear my side of the story, you'll definitely understand.”
A sneer played on Red's lips.
“I have a lot of questions for you, but we'll get to those later. Let me be direct. Where's Lily?”
As if it were an unpleasant question, the smile vanished from Isaac's face.
Looking genuinely uncomfortable, he pressed a hand to his forehead and let out a long sigh.
His eyes flashed as he stared at Red.
“I want to clear up this misunderstanding with you quickly. Is that *thing* really so important?”
“*Thing*…?”
“What do you even think that child is?”
Red's brow furrowed.
Isaac continued in an irritated tone.
“It's a bug. Something that shouldn't exist in this world. What do you think will happen if we let a bug like that live? The world will come crashing down. So just forget about it. It's better if it disappears. More importantly, right now…”
Isaac's words were cut off by a fierce roar.
It was the sound of Red kicking off the ground.
She lunged at him with incredible speed, aiming a punch at his head.
The punch was blocked by a suddenly formed wall of ice.
“Haha, I would have been in big trouble if I hadn't prepared.”
The moment the corners of Isaac's mouth lifted slightly, a large crack appeared on the ice wall, and with a loud crash, it shattered with surprising ease.
Isaac's eyes widened, and just as he belatedly tried to move his hands,
his neck was caught in Red's grip and he was lifted into the air.
“Ghk…”
As Red tightened her grip, Isaac's eyes narrowed.
His arms flailed in the air, as if he were suffocating.
Isaac's face gradually turned blue from the lack of air.
Yet, a smile remained on his face.
As his smile widened, his body began to turn into an ice statue.
Just as his flailing hands grabbed Red's arm, trying to freeze it, Red squeezed his neck hard.
*Crack!*
His neck shattered, and his body and head fell to the ground.
Red looked down at the broken Isaac with an indifferent gaze.
She didn't let her guard down.
Because what had crumbled before her was merely a clone.
It wasn't over.
*Swoooosh—!*
A thick, white fog suddenly filled the yard, obstructing her view.
Isaac's voice echoed from within the fog.
Red's eyes darted around quickly.
She couldn't see a silhouette or sense any presence. Yet, she remained remarkably calm.
“Did you think I'd be waiting for you without any preparations? I'm not a fool, and I know your personality all too well.”
Isaac's voice was filled with confidence.
Certain of his victory, he continued speaking leisurely.
“You're strong, no doubt. Even if I went all out, I'd probably fall a little short. But you know what? Power isn't everything in this world. I know you well. You can never beat me. This is a fight I absolutely cannot lose.”
Hiding in the fog, Isaac watched Red.
There was pity for her in his eyes.
It was only natural, as she was fighting an unwinnable battle.
Isaac knew Red's skills and patterns well.
He knew exactly what kind of attacks she used and how she delivered them.
He might not have known at first, but after memorizing all her patterns, he had overwhelmingly crushed her in the game's event battles.
“I just want to talk. So could you please retract that terrifying killing intent?”
Not wanting to harm her if he could help it, he pleaded with her.
An even fiercer aura radiated from Red's body.
A refusal.
Isaac's expression turned regretful.
“I don't want to hurt you. So…”
Isaac moved.
The fog he had conjured was special.
The caster's magic, presence, and even footsteps were muffled by the fog.
As such, he casually walked behind Red and gently placed his palm on her back.
“Let's clear this up with a conversation.”
Seeing Red show signs of moving,
Isaac warned her not to try anything foolish.
“It's best if you don't move. You know well enough what 70% of the human body is made of. What do you think will happen if I use my power here?”
“…”
Red let out a soft sigh.
“…Fine, go ahead. Tell me what grand purpose you had for doing all this.”
Isaac paused for a moment before uttering the words.
“To save the world.”
Isaac began to explain.
That this world was heading for ruin, and he was working to save it.
And that while everything was going smoothly, a foreign element had appeared, causing a problem for his perfect plan.
“So who is this person that made you resort to this?”
“It's someone you know well. The Grim Reaper. That's the one who can destroy this world.”
“…”
“The Grim Reaper, who obstructs my ideal plan, must disappear.”
“So you did all that? To defeat the Grim Reaper?”
“The Grim Reaper is strong. You, of all people, should know that, having faced her directly. If everyone attacked together, we might be able to subjugate her, but there would be many casualties, and the city's balance would naturally be broken. I don't need to tell you what would happen after that, do I?”
“…”
“We need to subjugate the Grim Reaper without destroying that balance. That's what I've been preparing for. All to protect the world, to protect our friends.”
“Saving the world… what a truly noble mindset.”
“Right?”
Isaac's face brightened.
He seemed to think Red empathized with his grand cause.
But her next words made Isaac frown.
“Absolutely absurd.”
“What…?”
“Didn't you hear me? Should I say it again? Everything you've said is utterly ridiculous. I thought you were after power or authority or something. But this... this is just some even weirder delusion.”
“Do you really mean that? How could you say such a thing? How could *you*!!”
Isaac flared up.
Red scoffed as if his reaction was pathetic.
“You really don't get it, do you.”
“What don't I get?”
“You should be honest with yourself. Do you really think what you want is peace and love?”
Isaac was at a loss for words.
It was a question he couldn't comprehend.
Isaac believed his every action was for the good of the world.
That hadn't changed even now.
Just as Isaac was about to say, "Yes," Red spoke first.
“I didn't see it when I was close to you, but after we grew apart, I started to see you for who you really are. You don't care about the world or your friends.”
Isaac is affectionate and friendly, getting along well with people.
But Red had always felt a faint sense of unease from his attitude.
At first, she thought it was just her imagination.
But on the day of the children's funeral, that unease became distinct.
And now that she knew everything, she understood the true nature of the unease she had harbored.
“Tell me. Did you ever see your comrades... the citizens... as real people?”
Back when Red and Isaac worked together.
Red remembered all of it.
Isaac would gather people he needed to his side, then use those connections for his own benefit.
If someone became useless or a threat, he would coldly discard them, even if they were a comrade.
His every action was astonishingly efficient. But in the process, he was indifferent to the state of his comrades.
He was obsessed only with the results.
Everyone found Isaac's attitude a bit unsettling, but they didn't pay it much mind.
They figured that in this bleak world, someone with Isaac's personality was relatively decent.
Above all, his orders always brought about amazing results. Regardless of the state of his comrades or the collateral damage.
‘So that's it. That's what it was.’
Isaac treated people like pieces on a game board.
He still did.
As Red talked with Isaac, she intended to gauge his state of mind.
She felt no guilt from him whatsoever.
His expression, his gaze, his tone—none of it held any sadness or anguish.
He was merely resentful that his plan had been ruined.
“World peace? Protecting your comrades? Don't make me laugh. You just want to win the game. You just want to win and get your reward.”
Red turned her head and smiled brightly so he could see.
“Why pretend to be so noble? We've come this far, so just be honest. You're just a common piece of trash. The kind of disgusting trash that can't even be recycled.”
Red could feel the palm on her back trembling.
His breathing had become ragged, too.
She didn't need to see his face to know what it looked like.
“And I'm the janitor who can't let trash like that lie around.”
Negotiations Failed
Silence fell.
Only the sound of a man's trembling breath could be heard from within the fog.
In a voice that seemed to be holding something back.
“……Then, it can't be helped. You brought this on yourself. It's going to hurt, but try to bear it.”
The plan to resolve this through dialogue had failed.
So, it was time to move on to the next step.
Subdue Red and rummage through her mind.
Then, he would make it as if nothing had ever happened.
The outcome was already decided.
No matter how durable her body was.
If he just activated his magic here…
*Thwack!*
“Eh…?”
For a moment, his thoughts froze.
He couldn't comprehend the scene before him.
The hand on Red's back—or rather, his arm—was bent at an unnatural angle.
Red, who had just had her back to him,
was now facing him directly.
Just as the pain belatedly crept in and he was about to scream, a new, intense pain struck his abdomen three times with incredible speed.
"Keuk," Isaac staggered back a few steps.
“Ugh…!”
He doubled over and vomited the contents of his stomach.
As his senses were overwhelmed by the immense pain, he belatedly lifted his head.
A fist slammed into Isaac's head.
A tooth went flying through the air.
His body was sent flying spectacularly, tumbling across the ground several times.
With each roll, groans of "Keuk, kgh," escaped his lips.
“Guuh…! Guuuaaargh…!”
Completely sprawled out, Isaac twitched on the ground.
Then, the familiar sound of footsteps approached his ears.
“No time to waste. Let's end this quickly.”
Red cracked her neck from side to side and shook out her hands.
Isaac thought that something was going terribly wrong.