NOVEL NEXT Chapter 16
Episode 16
“Brighter than I thought.”
That was my simple impression.
A bluish light was illuminating the inside. The absence of visible light sources only made my mood worse.
“…How are your eyes?”
Yu Da On tapped my shoulder and asked.
“I’m fine now.”
The memory of being informed under the guise of conversation resurfaced.
This time, I really had to be careful. Back during the Dream of the Butterfly incident, there was at least a friendly monster residing in the Management Agency, but now there were just three individuals who were a bit more unique than regular people.
Of course, if I had only thought that way, I wouldn’t have even come here.
“Do you remember?”
Jang Chae Yeon slowly shook her head at my question.
“No, not at all. It still feels like there are gaps in that memory. But I do remember wandering around here for a long time.”
She made a complicated expression.
In the end, Jang Chae Yeon couldn’t tell me anything right now.
If she had called us over, she must have had a reason.
I began to carefully look around.
The interior was surprisingly spacious compared to its appearance, and while I had no idea where the light was coming from, there was enough illumination to inspect the surroundings. And the interior was desolate, with a hole in the exit and a door that had no visible handle.
Why had Jang Chae Yeon wandered around in a place like this? With the exit right there, what had she been looking for? Or did she see something different?
“…I’m going to lie down for a bit.”
Yu Da On looked around and stretched out her legs, lying flat on the floor.
In the end, only Jang Chae Yeon and I were left looking around.
Soon, Jang Chae Yeon pressed her hand to her forehead and began muttering.
“…No. Then…”
Looks like I’m the only one left now.
But since she called me, there must be a reason.
Perhaps she was hiding something. I wandered around restlessly and finally succeeded in finding something.
“I found it.”
A small cube hidden in the corner.
I pondered whether there was any need to hide it this much as I examined the cube.
[Name: Cube]
[Age: Manufacturing Year XXXXXXXXXXX]
[Specialty: Reality Alteration and Absorption]
[Talent: X]
[Background: This cube has the ability to alter and absorb reality. Whether it absorbs by altering reality or alters by absorbing reality is yet to be determined. Currently absorbed in the cube is a city.]
[Weakness: When one cannot tell whether the chicken or the egg comes first—- // Wasn’t I supposed to come here to talk?]
“…”
It was a funny expression, but no voice could be heard except from my own eyes.
Should I try shouting?
“…What are you?”
I muttered quietly, and soon the weakness section changed.
[Weakness: I will let you out.]
Suddenly like this?
I involuntarily squinted at the translucent window. Why was it turning out like this all of a sudden?
“What about the others?”
[Weakness: The chicken – – – // The black-haired woman can be sent away, but the white-haired woman cannot.]
I shifted my gaze from Yu Da On to Jang Chae Yeon.
“Care to take a guess?”
Thinking back, Jang Chae Yeon had left with the cube. It was certain that when we first started tailing her, she had the cube with her, but during the fight, she didn’t have it anymore.
Under normal circumstances, I would have thought she came to catch us while leaving it in her room, but that hypothesis shattered when I lodged a bullet into Jang Chae Yeon’s forehead. She had spat the cube out when the bullet lodged itself in her head.
I held the cube in my hand.
A cool sensation coursed through my fingertips, and a migraine began to rise.
But disregarding that, I began to concentrate on fitting the cube together.
“…As expected.”
It didn’t budge at all.
They say that reality shifts happen whenever one face of the cube fits together, but the cube was designed so that it couldn’t physically be aligned.
“I can’t align the faces physically. It was necessary from the start to implant something like the cube into someone.”
In the end, the critical shot I took wasn’t aimed at Jang Chae Yeon.
It halted the aligning process that was occurring in my mind with the cube.
Then, let’s organize the information regarding the cube.
It’s dangerous if it aligns, but it can’t be physically aligned. Ultimately, some kind of ritual-like action would be required to align it. Jang Chae Yeon has been chosen as the ‘executor’ of this ritual.
But how did they manage to subdue her by some means? What had turned her, who the monsters had casually erased, into this?
A window appeared in front of me.
[Your understanding of the cube has increased.]
No more phrases flowed from the cube in front of me.
[Name: Cube]
[Age: Manufacturing Year XXXXXXXXXXX]
[Specialty: Reality Alteration and Absorption]
[Talent: X]
[Background: The cube made from far away has the ability to alter and absorb reality. Whether it absorbs by altering reality or alters by absorbing reality is yet to be determined. Currently absorbed in the cube is a city.]
[Weakness: There’s no need for you to play around on the board— // // // // ]
Only the weakness window in front of me was shaking wildly.
[Weakness: Sometimes… // // // // //]
The cube was intentionally blocking my weakness window.
I attempted to have a staring contest with the cube to read the weakness window, but unfortunately, it seemed my weakness window kept glitching, continually erasing the text.
At this rate, it would be endless.
I stood up with the cube in hand.
As expected, the entrance to the cube closed, and all the faintly glowing light sources vanished.
Then, the door on the opposite side opened, and like earlier, figures that looked like humans began to walk out slowly.
“I don’t want coffee today.”
“I don’t want to feel pain anymore.”
“I don’t want to live.”
They were no different from those things from earlier.
Once more, I gripped my gun, and before long, Yu Da On and Jang Chae Yeon had also stood ready behind me.
“Did you achieve results?”
“Yes. I think we can find that side’s memories too.”
“Do we have to break through that to do that?”
“That’s right. We also need to share some emotional connection.”
“Alright.”
“Huh?”
The last question was Yu Da On’s, but Jang Chae Yeon smoothly continued her thoughts.
“If necessary, I could do it. What do we have to do? A kiss? A hug?”
Has this woman lost her mind?
“Have you gone crazy? Why would I kiss or hug you?”
At my words, Jang Chae Yeon stiffened.
“Uh…? Emotional… connection…?”
“Do I go around kissing my friends for emotional connection? Don’t say such things out loud.”
Jang Chae Yeon fell silent at my words.
Soon, whack! something hit my back hard, leaving me writhing in pain on the ground without even able to scream.
Jang Chae Yeon rolled up her sleeves and stood in front of us.
She continued in a flat tone.
“No need. I’ll take care of everything.”
But her earlobes were beet red.
“No, what I mean is, who jumped to conclusions and started a drumroll and something-”
Whack!
I decided to stay quiet.
*
We really didn’t need to.
Jang Chae Yeon literally obliterated the monsters rushing at us, while I lay back writhing in agony and watching, and Yu Da On gently rubbed my back while watching.
“…Phew.”
Soon, Jang Chae Yeon took a deep breath and sat in front of me.
“So, what do we do?”
“…Hmm.”
I looked at Yu Da On.
Yu Da On met my gaze with a puzzled expression.
‘Then I should stake my life on Kim Jae Heon, right?’
…This is a really peculiar situation.
“So—”
At that moment,
Click,
I heard something aligning from the cube I was holding.
“Uh?”
“You can’t do it alone!”
Jang Chae Yeon shouted loudly, grabbing my hand, and time for everyone except Jang Chae Yeon and me froze.
“…”
“…”
I opened my eyes, which had been closed.
Yu Da On’s eyes were wide open.
“…Da On?”
I waved my hand in front of Yu Da On.
No response.
I tapped her cheek softly.
Still nothing.
Tightly, the hand that Jang Chae Yeon had clasped around mine was gripping tighter.
Though her hand trembled, Jang Chae Yeon held onto mine.
“I remembered.”
“…What is this?”
Her face was filled with fear.
“…It would be too hard on your own. …I should have gone with you.”
“What is this about?”
“…The final torture.”
A deep despair filled Jang Chae Yeon’s eyes.
“An endless confinement of a person in the void of time, doing nothing.”
“…”
So, this was it.
“But… still… you can’t do it alone… if it’s together…”
Jang Chae Yeon began to mumble while hugging her knees.
“…Wait a moment.”
The previously frozen weakness began to spit out text again.
[Weakness: Sometimes, not playing the game at all is the method.]
“…”
I sat opposite Jang Chae Yeon, who still wore a gloomy expression.
“…Uh…?”
Jang Chae Yeon stared at me intently.
“Chae Yeon, is there something you like?”
“Uh…?”
Let’s turn the board upside down.
If something isn’t enjoyable, we should make it enjoyable.
“What kind of food do you like? Hobbies?”
“Uh? Uh?”
Only confusion bloomed on Jang Chae Yeon’s face.