Chapter 117
What would happen to the future developments if I killed him?
That thought crossed my mind.
Was it too late to be thinking about that now? That was also true. Sa Jaeheon had already become aware of my existence.
So…
I decided to act on impulse.
That bastard was already a risk.
He’d shown his face, he’d attacked.
If we let him go here, he’d become a future threat.
“Lee Hoin, move.”
Lee Hoin looked at Kim Seonghyeok with eyes full of contempt for a moment.
“Ah… am I like a monster? Sure, student. I admit it. I’m a monster. But if you kill me here, you’ll become a monster too.”
He kept talking.
Pointlessly.
Letting out a breath, I picked up the dagger I had thrown earlier… more precisely, the one that had been stuck in someone’s arm and then dropped when they reflexively pulled it out.
“Do you want to fall into hell together?”
His voice didn’t waver.
As if he were confident he could persuade me.
But his body told a different story.
Maybe because his head had been slammed, his brain wasn’t properly processing commands… his body trembled uncontrollably.
“We’ll just fall into the same pit–”
“Even monsters shake when they’re scared?”
I exhaled slowly.
Words like “monster” or “demon”…
I didn’t like them.
Because sometimes criminals seemed to enjoy being called that.
Especially the ones who called themselves that.
Like they thought it made them something special.
Or something feared.
“What kind of monster are you? All I see is a coward running his mouth until the moment he dies.”
“……”
“Scared?”
Just a criminal bastard.
Whatever reason he had…
In the end, that’s all he was.
“That works out well.”
“Wait–”
I stabbed the knife into his neck.
A sickening heat filled my grip.
For a moment, I shut my eyes tightly… then opened them.
‘…Ha.’
It reminded me of when I stabbed my master’s heart.
Damn it.
—
[Is this the beginning of trauma?]
—
For a moment, I closed my eyes tightly again.
Then I picked up Kim Seonghyeok’s magic stones, placed them in my palm, and stood up.
From far away, the grinding sounds were getting closer.
So…
“Run, Lee Hoin. We have to go.”
Lee Hoin glanced back briefly, then started moving ahead.
What was he thinking?
‘…It’d be nice if there were a skill that constantly monitored mental state.’
That thought was interrupted by one thing.
—
[At this rate, you’ll put a leash on him too.]
[What if he gets hurt somewhere without the narrator present? You should tie him up and carry him around.]
[Perhaps what the narrator really wants… is a puppet. Something obedient, something that stays within expectations.]
[Most ‘third parties’ adopt methods like this. It’s one way to operate, so I won’t stop you.]
[Now then, let’s continue striving.]
—
The commentator’s words.
That “let’s continue striving.”
‘Ha….’
Of course, I was worried.
Not because Lee Hoin was useful or not.
‘…He’s a companion.’
We were moving together.
He had followed me all this way, relying on me.
So naturally, I felt responsible for taking care of him.
And after seeing his trauma response back in the mountains…
I was worried about his current state.
It already felt like he had pushed himself too far just to come here.
That’s why…
From far away, I could hear the statues moving.
Grinding.
Along with it came the sound of something slamming into the ground.
Screams.
Wet, dragging noises.
Those sounds carried over.
So I couldn’t help but worry about Lee Hoin.
I looked quietly at his back as he moved inside the room.
All mental problems worsen when hidden.
I knew that.
***
—
[You have obtained Bernhardt’s Will IV.]
[Bernhardt’s Will IV ▼]
As I was dying, everything felt regretful.
For what reason did I hide everything?
Why did I leave behind marks no one would ever see if I died?
Now, at the end of death, I think I understand.
I, who mocked others as ignorant…
Was no different.
Like they said…
I had been consumed by items.
Yes.
Only now do I understand.
Instead of calling Ernst,
I should have told Ernst to take that child and run.
Ah, now everything is too late.
I am rotting,
And my son died crying.
My son, □□□□□…
Resent me forever.
—
—
[Something is attached to the back of the letter.]
[It is an unidentified monocle.]
[You have collected “Bernhardt’s Monocle.”]
[Bernhardt’s Monocle]
You can finally see the world as Bernhardt did.
Did he truly distinguish all curses perfectly?
Equip it to find out!
At last, we obtained an item that could identify curse marks.
That meant this damn repetition was finally over.
Time remaining: 2 hours.
—
We had to gather everything we could within that time.
So first, we checked the items we were carrying.
Then…
The voice of the “Saint” echoed.
“From now on, the rules will change. The sound of the statues’ footsteps will diminish. They have learned the concept of ‘speech.’ Now, the statues can ‘speak.’”
I frowned instinctively.
If statues could use human language…
That meant they could pretend to be people.
Just standing still.
For now, we continued sorting.
Most of the items we brought were unusable.
They were cursed.
As we kept throwing away useless items…
A voice suddenly came from behind.
“…So, you’re not going to help?”
A familiar voice.
A small boy’s voice.
I didn’t know how long he had been there.
Lee Hoin turned to look.
So did I.
The child, his face completely covered with cloth, mumbled again.
“You promised… to take me to Ernst….”
He even started sniffling.
—
[That’s not entirely wrong. You did say you’d help, didn’t you?]
—
…Sniffling, he continued as if pleading.
“I’ll let those men play with my dad’s eye….”
“…”
For a moment, I was speechless.
Then…
—
[Haha! That’s just like our narrator, so absorbed in playing the hero!]
—
We decided to take him with us.
Of course…
Whether we could survive after meeting that “Ernst” was another matter entirely.
***
Finding “Ernst” wasn’t difficult.
We just had to follow the thudding sounds.
As the sound got closer, the child spoke less.
Lee Hoin also fell silent, tense.
“I don’t like that thumping sound.”
“Me neither.”
“This place is really weird. I want to get out.”
“Me too.”
Whispering voices came through a slightly open door.
Voices filled with fear.
We stopped.
“I’m so scared.”
“Me too.”
“It’s too scary. How long do we have to stay here?”
“I want to leave. When can we leave?”
The voices kept going.
Lee Hoin swallowed.
I kept my mouth shut.
Something felt off.
We were right near “Ernst.”
That pounding sound…
It was so close it felt like a heartbeat beside us.
And ye…—
People were chatting calmly over it.
Saying they were scared…
But not even properly closing the door.
And…
Their voices carried no real emotion.
“It’s so suffocating here.”
“I want to leave.”
“I’m so sad. I want to go home.”
“Let’s go home. Let’s just go home.”
“I don’t want to die.”
It sounded like lines being read from a script.
Lee Hoin frowned.
I stayed silent.
This felt bad.
Not just bad…
Very bad.
But we had to pass that door.
All corridors were straight.
We didn’t know which path led to Ernst.
We were so close.
Almost there.
‘Maybe it’s fine if we don’t provoke it.’
Thinking that, I moved carefully.
Very slowly.
Quietly.
Whatever was inside…
Probably…
“Helga’s voice…”
The boy in my arms spoke.
His voice echoed through the corridor.
Fortunately… or unfortunately…
The thing he called “Helga” kept muttering.
Just as we were about to fully pass the door…
Creeeak.
A statue moved.
Then…
The door burst open.
Before I could completely pass it…
I came face-to-face with a statue,
Its face is covered with cloth.
The statue stared straight at me…
And raised its hand.
Drawing a circle in the air.
—
🙂
[Looks like misfortune is hard at work again today.]
—
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