Chapter 169

Chapter 169

Seo Dawon walked through the downtown without hesitation, as if he knew his way.

I thought it had been less than an hour since the sirens went off and we were ordered to evacuate... During that short period of time, all the asphalt roads were destroyed, and many of the shops on the ground floor were engulfed in flames. Even the parked cars were not left intact. Most of the car's hoods were crushed and on fire; there were several that were completely turned upside down.

In addition, I couldn't see other people anywhere. However, bloodstains could be clearly seen on the road or the broken windows, amplifying the bleak image.

[Kyaaak!]

[Beep-]

Furthermore, aside from the [Gargoyle], all sorts of other monsters were making a mess of the city center. Where and when did these monsters-like an ant swarm-pop out from? These bizarre looking monsters roared and demolished the surrounding buildings.

At that moment, an intact car slowly crossed the road; I looked inside, wondering if a person was driving... As expected, the speed was far too slow. There was a monster instead of a person behind the wheel. A spider the size of an adult man was gripping the steering wheel; it stopped after ramming into a telephone pole. The spider slowly crawled out of the shattered window.

The situation skyward was even more severe.

On the other side of the road there was a 50-story building. On the upper floors, a humongous black band-like, snake-like thing wriggled around until it had wrapped once around the circumference. Black scales flashed brilliantly when sunlight occasionally pierced through the ash-covered sky when the wind scattered the clouds.

Of course, no snake could ever be that large a size, so that thing was also probably a monster. I had no idea what that snake monster's goal was, but it steadily headed towards the top floor. During its ascent, I could hear the small chiming bursts of windows shattering as the glass couldn't withstand the force.

Huge flying objects that didn't appear to be airplanes or helicopters cast dark shadows onto the ground, terrible screams heard from afar, gunshots that sounded like fireworks... All this combined made me wonder if I had entered humanity's hell.

However, no monster rushed towards us even though we penetrated through to the center of this bedlam. Obviously, Seo Dawon must have done something. While staring blankly at the gruesome monsters destroying the city from within the mage's embrace, I hoped that no humans would appear in front of me.

"What...is that?" I asked.

Seo Dawon soon stopped walking; before us stood a giant altar that seemed anachronistic with today's modern urban aesthetic.

I had thought the thing before me was an altar because it looked like a pyramid cut in half with a staircase in the middle that led to the top. There, a dark blue flame wavered gently as it burned... I lacked the vocabulary to describe such a sight other than 'altar.'

Furthermore, the monsters placed something into the flame as if they were offering tribute, bowing their heads politely as if humbly bowing.

Naturally, I had misgivings about the 'thing' the monsters were offering. I had thought, 'No way'... But, as I looked around my surroundings, I was shocked to see human corpses piled along the side of the road. I had even seen a hole carved into each body's chest.

Simultaneously, I noted the faint smell wafting from the altar.

The smell of roasting meat...

"Urgh!" Eventually, I shuddered and closed my eyes. No matter how 'unreal' this world may be, my mental state wasn't strong enough to endure the implications.

Rather, at this point, I wasn't sure if I had entered the [Vengeful Ghost Memory] or if this was really happening.

In the midst of such confusion, a clear voice caressed my ears. "I needed a large amount of mana to get here."

It was Seo Dawon.

And, his tone felt somewhat ominous. My eyes opened reflexively; Seo Dawon opened his mouth to speak while looking down at me. "At first, I thought about using my lifespan... But that wasn't enough to cross worlds."

"What..."

"That's why I decided to accept the scenario."

Rather than directing those words at me, it was as if he were speaking to deride himself. So, even without an explanation, I could guess that something fatal had happened to him.

"Are you....okay?" 1

My question tumbled out instinctively, but Seo Dawon still adopted a smooth smile. In the end, he didn't respond to say he was fine, but he lowered me to the ground. Then, he slowly walked ahead.

He motioned for me to follow him immediately.

However...my feet stopped moving at the scene that soon unfurled before me. As soon as Seo Dawon started walking ahead, the monsters flocking at the altar began retreating, giving a wide berth to avoid him.

At first, I had thought Seo Dawon had used some skill, but I soon realized something was off. The retreating monsters all politely bowed their heads to the ground; as soon as the monsters fully backed off, I could see a white ride standing upright in front of the altar, hidden by the monsters' bodies earlier.

It was a staff. Where there should have been a jewel encrusted into the staff's head, a skull had been embedded.

Seo Dawon picked up the staff. As soon as he gripped it, blue light poured from the skull's eye sockets. It was as if the staff recognized its own owner.

Bizarrely, the altar's flame, which seemed like it could burn forever, had disappeared instantly as soon as Seo Dawon had grasped the skeletal staff. Because the color of the altar's flame and the light gleaming from the staff was so similar, there was obviously an eerie connection between the two.

Furthermore, when Seo Dawon lifted the staff into the air, the altar began to collapse on its own-as if it had finished its role. There was no sound as it collapsed in on itself. As if it were a balloon losing air, it melted into the soft ground; only a pit-a gaping black maw-remained.

That pit was filled with piles of ashes and burned corpses. As if the sky that had covered this ravaged city and its inhabitants had been preserved there.

"That's not...?" I hurriedly asked before I could even untangle the mess that was my thoughts in my head. Seo Dawon calmly looked back at me. He opened his mouth as if to answer me, but, before that, the shadow beneath his feet started to grow rapidly.

The shadow, which had reflected an ordinary person's shape, gradually increased in size until it transformed into a gigantic horned devil's face. The enlarged shadow opened its mouth wide and began to laugh.

[It's as you can see]

It answered, mockingly.

* * *

Immediately afterwards, Seo Dawon turned around, staff in hand, and approached me. On the surface, it still looked like Seo Dawon, but, on top of his head, a [label] that only appeared for Named Boss Monsters had appeared.

However, I couldn't identify what monster it was because the letters were all broken. Either way, since that naming convention was usually attached to monsters, I was definitely shocked.

Users becoming monsters... Seo Dawon, what on earth did you do?

"How did this..." I started.

[It's all thanks to you.]

The monstrously transformed Seo Dawon looked like he would be able to exert a tremendous force, even at a first glance. As he walked closer, step by step, the far-off buildings collapsed-one by one-like the altar that had collapsed not so long ago.

I hadn't necessarily checked where the buildings collapsed, but I supposed a similar black pit might have been left behind. If that was the case, then how much power did this Seo Dawon have? Wouldn't he have enough power to just destroy this world...?

What's worse, the courage to boldly move at my own pace had long since crumbled with Seo Dawon's appearance; my belief that this place was simply within the scope of the [Vengeful Ghost Memory] had cracked. If, as the other had said, something bad had happened in the real world, and Seo Dawon made a horrible choice in order to arrive here, then...

Then who was I? And what was this world?

So, bewildered and frightened of the Seo Dawon in front of me, I trudged backwards and eventually turned my back on him. While running, I honestly didn't think I could escape. I just wanted to look away from that scene.

At some point, I couldn't hear the sound of chasing footsteps. By the time I realized, Seo Dawon's chest was already right in front of my nose. I couldn't stop myself, so, with a thump, I crashed into his arms. The tip of my nose stung painfully. It was all so futile.

'What should I even do to escape from here?'

No matter how hard I run, I'm still within this guy's grasp...

I bit my lips, panicked. It was then-

"Choi Lee-kyung!"

Just then.

'Seo Dawon' called for me from behind.

TL: Happy New Years! This is my belated present to you all <3

I have...so many thoughts...I'm waiting till one or two more chapters to give my guesses though O.O

Footnotes