The End of the Path We’ve Walked (12)
“My brother is dead…? Don’t lie. Why would my brother be dead! He’s right in front of my eyes right now!”
When Yoon Seon-ho shouted with tears streaming down his face, it made the creature even happier. It grinned broadly and kindly explained to the poor human who was denying reality.
“Listen carefully, stupid human. I forcibly tore out your brother’s soul and took over this body. So your brother is dead. Well, if you’re lucky, he might still be alive somewhere in this body, as you said.”
Was it because the sensation of being strangled had become familiar? Although its face had turned reddish-purple from lack of blood flow, it could speak much more clearly than before.
Sa Hae-geon asked the monster wearing Yoon Seon-hoo’s disguise:
“Explain exactly why we shouldn’t kill you.”
“Ah, that. As I said earlier.”
The creature looked over the Guides lying on the floor with gleaming eyes and said:
“If I die, those ones won’t wake up. They’re important to you, aren’t they?”
“The reason they can’t wake up is.”
“They’re currently having an extremely happy dream. A dream so happy they would never want to wake up from it. I made it that way.”
The conquest team’s faces hardened at the creature’s behavior, acting as if it had done something impressive. A dream so happy they couldn’t wake up from it. That statement essentially meant there was no possibility of them waking up voluntarily.
At that moment, An Jong-hyeok asked:
“How can we believe that? You could be lying to save your life.”
“Humans are so suspicious, how annoying. Bring one over. I’ll show you personally.”
Sa Hae-geon frowned as he watched the monster arrogantly wiggling its fingers. The headache squeezing his head was getting worse. Ever since he thought he had lost Chae Do-min, he’d been showing signs of going berserk.
And from the moment he heard the monster’s words that Chae Do-min had collapsed and might never wake up again, his berserker state had been accelerating. At this rate, he might go berserk right where Chae Do-min was. Although the Guiding wavelengths that Chae Do-min unconsciously emitted were caressing his body, it wasn’t enough.
He desperately needed Chae Do-min. The complete Chae Do-min. Chae Do-min who smiled at him and whispered love. The warmth of him that had completely colored his world.
Sa Hae-geon barely suppressed his wavelengths, which seemed ready to run wild at the slightest disturbance, and tightened his grip on the creature’s throat. Anyway, as long as he didn’t use more abilities, it should be fine. As Sa Hae-geon’s grip tightened, the creature’s facial muscles began to twitch grotesquely.
“If you kill me, all of them won’t wake up, I told you…!”
The creature squeezed out these words, and Han Yoon-jung stepped forward.
“Do you think we wouldn’t have prepared for that?”
“Ha! Acting so high and mighty when you’re desperate before me.”
Han Yoon-jung narrowed her brows at the creature’s sarcasm. Of course, since they had never anticipated such a situation, they hadn’t had time to prepare for the creature’s sudden actions. But that was only outside the dungeon. Now that they had assessed the opponent’s capabilities inside the dungeon, there was no reason to retreat or hesitate. Besides, she had something in her pocket that could resolve this situation.
Han Yoon-jung turned her head slightly and made eye contact with An Jong-hyeok. He mouthed the words:
‘It’s certain.’
Meaning that the monster wearing Yoon Seon-hoo’s disguise was indeed the final boss of this dungeon. Then there was nothing more to wait for or tolerate. Han Yoon-jung said coldly:
“Let’s deal with it.”
At that instruction, Yoon Seon-ho and the creature widened their eyes. Deal with it? Despite the warning that if it was killed, everyone would never wake up? Was their claim about being prepared not just an empty boast? The creature’s pupils, which had been acting superior, trembled from side to side.
“Your foolish act of stealing a human body has ultimately worked out well for us.”
At Han Yoon-jung’s words, the creature violently shook its body as if struggling, trying to brainwash everyone in the hideout. But as soon as it attempted to interfere with their minds, Han Yoon-jung’s hand holding the artifact tightened. The artifact that nullified mental attacks vibrated slightly in her hand.
Soon, the creature sensed something was wrong and looked around with wide eyes. Mental domination wasn’t working. No. More precisely, something was interfering. It was a very familiar energy. A power like a cozy home was helping the humans, not it.
It couldn’t believe it. The creature, laughing hopelessly, tried to deal with Sa Hae-geon who was choking it, squeezing out its last strength. But before it could make any attempt, shadow hands that wriggled up from the floor and sharp spears made of earth aimed for its throat. Not only that, a solid shield firmly surrounded Sa Hae-geon’s body.
Only the creature was fighting a lonely battle.
“Ha, haha… Hahaha…! You damn… stupid humans…! I will definitely…!”
Those were its last words. Before the rest could follow, a powerful current from Sa Hae-geon’s hand struck the creature’s entire body. It was overwhelmed by a burning sensation and pain as if its whole body was being torn to shreds.
“You dare…!”
The creature’s breathing grew harsh with rage. As if making a final struggle, it summoned the monsters sleeping beneath the dungeon. With the ground rumbling from afar, massive monsters revealed themselves one by one. The eyes of the monsters, disturbed from their deep sleep, glowed ferociously.
The monsters roared toward the prey inside the cave.
“Kuh, khaha, khihaha…! I won’t die quietly with you right before me.”
A-class Espers hastily formed a formation, spreading shields, but the energy the monsters were emitting was ominous. At that moment, an Esper from the conquest support team showed Han Yoon-jung a tablet.
“Madam Vice Minister…”
The tablet screen displayed the ranks of the monsters. Five A-class, three S-class. Since they were types of monsters never seen before, there was no specific conquest strategy. Han Yoon-jung was about to instruct the A-class Espers to focus on spreading shields and safely scout first.
A powerful stream of water extended from the cave and constricted the monsters’ bodies. The monsters, soaked with water, howled roughly as if irritated. Not stopping there, the dungeon sky then flashed, and massive lightning bolts struck where the monsters were standing.
The conquest team’s eyes widened at the powerful force that made the ground rumble loudly. Despite their thick skin, the monsters hit by lightning trembled and staggered. Sa Hae-geon, who had chosen to overpower rather than targeting the monsters’ weaknesses with elemental advantages, was breathing heavily.
He couldn’t allow monsters near where Chae Do-min was. Behind Sa Hae-geon, sounds of the conquest team hastily dealing with the monsters could be heard, but his gaze was entirely fixed on the creature. Perhaps due to overusing his abilities, his breathing became so rapid that it was difficult to breathe.
Sa Hae-geon, making an effort to regulate his breathing, looked at the creature with fiercely fluctuating pupils and sent a high-voltage current through its slowly beating heart.
“Kuk, khuk…”
Before it could even gasp and suffer from the pain it had never experienced before, its heartbeat began to stop. As the creature’s gaze gradually dimmed, Sa Hae-geon unhesitatingly threw its body to the ground.
Then he went to Chae Do-min and carefully lifted his body.
“Hyung…”
Despite calling softly, Chae Do-min didn’t open his eyes. It seemed like he might reach out and call Sa Hae-geon’s name at any moment, but Chae Do-min’s eyelids remained as immovable as if a stone had settled on them. While Sa Hae-geon traced Chae Do-min’s cheek with trembling hands, Yoon Seon-ho, still restrained by the Espers, stared emptily at his brother sprawled on the floor.
He shook his intermittently trembling body in pain and asked in a faint voice:
“Brother, is that you? Is it really you?”
Then Yoon Seon-hoo’s lips trembled and lifted. Just as he was beginning to hope that perhaps his brother’s soul had returned to the place where the monster had disappeared, Yoon Seon-hoo’s lips moved.
“You… are really stupid. Your brother… is already, kuk, dead, I told you.”
The creature, taking in Yoon Seon-ho’s face coloring with despair, burst into laughter with a metallic sound and looked up at the empty space. It could feel its heart hardening. Something must have gone wrong somewhere, as it could no longer feel any pain. Simultaneously, a heavy drowsiness came over it, and even breathing became difficult. It seemed death was approaching.
It was a little scary, but that was okay. What was there to fear when it was just briefly returning to part of its home? It was just about not being lonely anymore. Since it had given despair to humans until the very end, that was good enough. If it had been in its original body instead of a human’s, it would have easily withstood this level of attack, but it had been foolish.
With blood trickling from the corners of its mouth, the creature’s gaze gradually faded, and soon its body went limp. At the same time, the monsters outside the cave also turned to dust and vanished.
“Brother… Brother…!”
Yoon Seon-ho, who had belatedly shaken off the Espers’ hands and rushed over, wailed as he shook Yoon Seon-hoo’s body, but the heart that had stopped beating would not beat again. Yoon Seon-ho just cried helplessly, holding Yoon Seon-hoo’s hand. An Jong-hyeok, who had been watching the devastating scene, silently placed his hand on Yoon Seon-ho’s shoulder.
No one could add words. They just picked up the Guides lying on the floor and moved them outside the cave. Sa Hae-geon also came out of the cave, holding Chae Do-min tightly. Before leaving the cave, he briefly glanced at Yoon Seon-ho but didn’t speak to him.
* * *
Immediately after the S-class dungeon disappeared, the entire nation raised their glasses and cheered. Many people were tilting their glasses or holding modest gatherings throughout the streets. Quite a few were immersed in emotion, as it was the first time they felt such gratitude and preciousness for the ordinary daily life they had always taken for granted.
Thinking that perhaps dungeons were created to make people appreciate their ordinary lives.
But unlike them, the faces of the Espers who had gathered again in the Ability Department headquarters’ main conference room were bewildered. The Minister had appeared proudly before the citizens with great joy immediately after the conquest, but honestly, the conquest team felt deflated. They had expected the conquest to be more difficult and arduous than ever before, but it had ended surprisingly simply.
Moreover, all the S-class Espers had done the active work. They had just whined and tried to be clever until they finally came to their senses at the end. Even then, their achievements were not satisfactory.
At that moment, the conference room door opened, and Han Yoon-jung walked in. She looked at each of the seated Espers, who didn’t appear particularly happy, and tilted her head.
“Your expressions don’t look good. Why is everyone like this when the conquest is over?”
“It ended… more anticlimactically than expected. And it wasn’t particularly dangerous. It seems like you scared us too much, Madam Vice Minister.”
Han Yoon-jung burst into laughter at one Esper’s hesitant words.
“If it had truly been dangerous, I wouldn’t have taken you all. I would have selected only elite personnel. Of course, there were many unexpected variables, but still… I’m glad it ended safely.”
“Yes, well…”
“And there’s a misconception you all often have. Our Ability Department doesn’t look down on or regret those who aren’t S-class ability users. We believe all ranks are equal and should receive the same treatment. Well, that might sound absurd to S-class ability users who have to suffer a lot for the crime of having more exceptional abilities than others. But isn’t that an unavoidable issue?”
Perhaps thanks to the successful conquest of the S-class dungeon, Han Yoon-jung’s face was brighter than usual, and her voice was warm. The Espers, who had always lived with an inferiority complex about their ranks, flinched at Han Yoon-jung’s words but then tightly pressed their lips together. Thinking that perhaps the conflict between S-class and lower ranks was something they had created themselves.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
