NOVEL NEXT Chapter 13
Episode 13
I pressed my temples hard.
“…Give it back.”
Still, Jang Chae Yeon was reaching out toward the Cube, and Yu Da On was nowhere to be seen.
Let’s think based on the information I’ve gathered so far.
As soon as she lost the Cube, Jang Chae Yeon lost her will to fight. Sure, she dropped me from a building, but there must be some reason she isn’t snapping my neck like a chopstick.
Can a person really change just by holding or not holding the Cube? But it didn’t seem like the Cube had any mind control effects.
Yet, as the migraine overwhelmed me, doubts began to creep in.
I had felt this way since the Butterfly Incident; whenever I felt a migraine, someone or something around me would get strange.
First, it was when Yu Da On was seeing something different from me, and the second time, it was when Song Ah Rin tried to hypnotize me.
The information I was able to access didn’t contain anything about this, making it hard to be certain. It felt like pure speculation.
Let’s assume my speculation is correct: I’m experiencing an allergic migraine due to some mental influence.
In that case, this Cube must be causing some sort of mental contamination or impact.
Could it be that I was already perceiving something incorrectly?
I looked back at the Cube.
[Name: Cube]
[Age: Manufactured in the 1900s]
[Special Skill: Reality Alteration]
[Talent: X]
[Background: This Cube is an enigma from the 00s, regarding how it was made. Was it even created in that time? Do you really believe this was made in the 1900s? This Cube can overturn your common sense, solidify it, and sometimes even erase it entirely. It must be handled with extreme caution.]
[Weakness: This Cube is likely indestructible. No matter what happens, don’t question its existence. You are you, as you are.]
No, let’s not doubt. The weakness section says not to doubt myself as well.
So, is Jang Chae Yeon’s mind being controlled by this Cube?
But then again, her actions just now were too clever—she didn’t seem like someone who had lost her intellect.
I held the Cube above my head.
Jang Chae Yeon’s gaze followed the Cube upwards.
I lowered the Cube.
And Jang Chae Yeon’s gaze followed right back down.
Seeing this, it looked like she had lost her intelligence.
No, let’s stop messing with this weird girl for now.
So, what should I do with this?
I can’t just give away the Cube without any grounds. Even though it seems like all these problems lead back to the Cube.
And for some reason, I feel like my combat power has been amplified,
“…For now, just follow me. Then I’ll give you the Cube.”
“…Okay.”
Jang Chae Yeon nodded obediently. It’s hard to believe she was the same girl who had just twisted Yu Da On’s neck 180 degrees.
“Alright… To get the Cube back, we need to find someone first.”
“Who?”
“Someone with black hair, kind of long… skinny… wearing pink… um, with a cute face?”
Trying to describe Yu Da On with my poor articulation was a challenge.
“…That one?”
Jang Chae Yeon pointed to one side.
Flailing around,
Something presumed to be Yu Da On was upside down with only her lower body sticking out, shaking her legs vigorously.
Why didn’t I see that?
“Can you pull her out?”
“If I pull her out, will you give me the Cube?”
“I’ll think about it.”
“…”
Annoyed, she looked at me but still lifted her hand, looking towards Yu Da On.
With a sound of debris crashing down, Yu Da On groaned and began to rise.
“Wow… I really thought I was going to die. Or did I? Did I die once?”
She started dusting off her head and upper body, making a joke only she could make.
“But how—oh!”
Then she looked at me and screamed, quickly standing in front of me.
“It’s dangerous!”
Jang Chae Yeon looked at Yu Da On like she was a foolish person.
“…”
“It’s okay, probably not going to hurt us. At least not right now.”
Yu Da On stared back at me with a puzzled expression, then faced Jang Chae Yeon.
“What did you do? Did you blow your brain out with a bullet or something?”
“You’re saying whatever you want, aren’t you?”
With a talent like that, would I have jumped out of the hotel?
“No, then what did you do?”
I briefly explained the situation to the bewildered Yu Da On.
“So, you took the Cube, and she became an idiot, huh?”
“…In short, yes.”
“But the Cube wasn’t originally there.”
“What do you mean by that?”
I looked at Yu Da On, who was casually saying strange things.
“Jae Heon, did you see the Cube when you first met her?”
“…Huh?”
Now that I think about it, Jang Chae Yeon didn’t have the Cube when we first met. If she did, I would have known.
“I saw it clearly. Her hands were empty. No way she could hide a Cube that big in her clothes.”
Could it be that big—No, let’s not think that.
Unintentionally, my gaze flickered back to a certain part of Jang Chae Yeon, which was showcasing a significant presence. Let’s not think crazy thoughts.
Fortunately, I must not have caught her attention, as Yu Da On began chatting happily.
“If my memory serves me right, the Cube popped out when Jae Heon shot it. It wasn’t visible before that.”
And now that she mentioned it, that could be right.
When I was pulled up by my collar, there was no sign of the Cube either.
In other words, it meant the Cube emerged only after I shot a bullet into Jang Chae Yeon’s forehead. I had no idea what kind of correlation that suggested.
“Anyway, we’ve retrieved the Cube, and Jang Chae Yeon is compliant, so isn’t that enough? Shouldn’t we just call the Management Agency like this?”
Yu Da On said, suggesting what seemed like common sense. Meanwhile, Jang Chae Yeon was staring at me intently.
“…Will you give me the Cube?”
Now that I could call them, but…
Does it feel right to finish it like this?
It felt like something wrong would happen if this just ended here.
I wasn’t doubting the Management Agency. However, I didn’t think they would always make the right call.
“Wait a moment.”
I raised my hand, stopping Yu Da On as she reached for her phone.
“…Why?”
Yu Da On gazed at me in confusion as she lowered the phone, obeying.
“Let’s try something.”
I handed the Cube to Yu Da On.
“…What’s this for?”
Yu Da On tilted her head while holding the Cube.
“How does it feel?”
“What do you mean how does it feel…?”
Yu Da On closed her eyes, making sounds as she pondered.
“…I don’t feel anything.”
“Feeling uneasy? Like the world is collapsing? Doubts about your identity?”
“…Why would I feel that? Is the Cube supposed to do something like that?”
Seeing her act as if she touched something ominous, Yu Da On handed back the Cube.
In the meantime, I examined Yu Da On.
[Name: Yu Da On]
[Age: 23]
[Special Skill: Immortality]
[Talent: Regeneration (Undetermined)]
[Background: She, who cannot die, lives while doing her duties at the Management Agency. Originally she was destined to become an outstanding individual, but due to someone’s interference, she was allowed to continue her story at the Management Agency.]
[Weakness: It’s foolish to have reincarnators and immortals as enemies.]
I set aside the background that had changed and wondered if there was anything else.
“…”
“…Are you looking at me?”
I observed her intently, but she didn’t say anything particular.
“…What are you looking at!”
Yu Da On screamed, indicating her body with her arms crossed.
“There’s nothing to worry about there.”
“How would I know that!”
True, I didn’t really know.
With Yu Da On chattering behind me, I lost myself in thought again.
Holding it for a short time wouldn’t be a big issue. So what would happen if I held it for a long time?
“…Huh.”
At that moment, Jang Chae Yeon, who had been quiet, pointed at the Cube with a blank expression.
“…It moved.”
“…What?”
I looked at the Cube in response to Jang Chae Yeon’s words.
The Cube was moving and adjusting itself.
“No, why is this happening?”
I quickly gripped the Cube tightly and turned it several times, but it began spinning rapidly as if my actions had no effect.
“…I don’t want this!”
Desperation infused Jang Chae Yeon’s voice, which had been emotionless until now, as she suddenly spun and began running away.
“Wha—?”
And so I stared blankly at her and Yu Da On.
In that instant, one face of the Cube aligned.
Bright light poured out from the Cube, enveloping Yu Da On, Jang Chae Yeon, and me.
The blinding brightness felt like it would blind me, and it gave the sensation that my existence was being sucked somewhere else.
If a soul existed, is this what it would feel like to get sucked away?
The seemingly eternal feeling ended, and as the light faded, the scenery before my eyes was completely different from the remnants of the hotel earlier.
Before me was nothing but a blue ocean.
“…What the heck is this?”
Where am I? What is this?
“Ah, ahhhh…!”
Upon seeing this place, Jang Chae Yeon dropped to the ground, shrieking as she hugged her shoulders with both hands.
“I don’t want this…! I don’t want this…! Not twice…!”
“Hey! Get a grip!”
As I watched Yu Da On rush towards the wailing Jang Chae Yeon, I also intended to go to her,
“…Huh.”
Words began to appear on the surface of the ocean.
[Name: Cube]
[Age: Manufactured in the XX decade]
[Special Skill: Reality Alteration]
[Talent: X]
[Background: This Cube is an enigma from the 00s, regarding how it was made. Was it even created in that time? Do you really believe this was made in the 1900s? Is what you are seeing now really reality? Or is it the Cube deceiving you? That is a question only the Cube can answer.]
[Weakness: An unknown force has caused cracks to form in the Cube, and it has entered self-repair mode. Nonetheless, don’t forget: you are you, as you are.]
I rubbed my eyes repeatedly.
And then I looked back at the ocean.
The unchanged writing floated on the ocean’s surface.
I gazed at the sun shining in the distance.
Above the sun, the same words appeared.
My head began to spiral into confusion.
“…Jae Heon.”
Yu Da On softly called my name.
“Look over there.”
Following Yu Da On’s words, I turned to see where she was pointing.
A desolate city unfolded before my eyes.
Half-covered in jungle, it showed signs of a civilization that once thrived.
In that moment, a story I heard earlier that day flashed in my mind.
[The Cube, one of the containment objects held by the Gangdong Branch Management Agency, resembles an unsolved puzzle cube. However, with each face aligned, small and large reality alterations occur, and when all faces are aligned, a massive reality alteration happens. A recent occurrence of reality alteration transformed an entire city into an uninhabited island, causing all citizens to perish.]
Ignoring Jang Chae Yeon’s wailing, I gulped.
This might not be a reality alteration at all.
Maybe it could be something even more dangerous than that.
Thud,
The Office Staff Manual fell from my pocket.
Soon, like magic, the manual unfolded, revealing its contents.
It was page 3.
[Office Staff Manual]
1. You may encounter things at the Management Agency that surpass your imagination and toy with your reason.
2. This is not to say you shouldn’t be scared. Don’t forget, it is the fear that allowed humanity to survive through countless wars.
3. However, don’t stop moving forward. Containment objects, or unknown foes are unknown, but that’s all the more reason to adopt an inquisitive attitude and take action.
4. Good luck.
“…”
I knelt down to retie my shoelaces.
Yu Da On looked at me, puzzled.
“…What are you doing?”
“Getting ready to go.”
“Where to?”
Where else?
I gestured towards the city.
“To find the exit.”