Chapter 341

Fuck, seriously... this was not even funny. A thrill of having seen through reality rose inside me. No matter how severe his injuries were, he had just been treated with a potion. And someone like that could not withstand this much pure grip strength?

'Sloppy.'

What would the real Kwon Taehan have done?

First, he would have tried to pry my hand away. And after that....

'Who knows?'

It was not real anyway, so why did I need to think about it?

The illusion, vivid enough to seem real, opened its mouth. Perhaps because I was gripping his throat, his voice did not come out properly. Even so, Kwon Taehan tried his best to convey something.

I tightened my hand and slowly read the shape of his mouth.

My name. And....

'Why?'

At that moment, the sensation filling my hand vanished like sand in an instant. The illusion immediately turned into black sand and poured down onto the ground. Then, the Dungeon filled with black sand shattered and collapsed.

'That was easy.'

It was sloppier than I had expected, so escaping was easy. A final moment where everything was over and both Kwon Taehan and I could live?

Was that not excessively hopeful? And to show only the result like this... without any process at all.

I understood what the Dungeon intended, but if it wanted to do that, it should have deceived people more properly.

'Ah.... Does this mean Kwon Taehan will notice quickly too?'

I briefly had that thought while watching the waves surge in again over the collapsed Dungeon. Fragments of the illusion breaking apart in the waves flickered before my eyes for a moment.

It would need to be more elaborate to buy time.

My body was pushed downward by the current, then my ankle was seized firmly. Right after I felt myself being dragged down, my body struck a massive barrier.

I did not feel any pain. However, the sensation was very similar to when I had watched the previous 'runs.' I was clearly at the scene, but I could not interfere. It was invisible, but there was a thorough dividing line.

And there....

'It's Im Haekyung.'

A very young Im Haekyung, at that.

'How old are they?'

They did not look very big. Twelve or thirteen at most? Their attitude was too calm for an elementary school student, but then again, it was impossible to imagine Im Haekyung running around excitedly in the first place.

'Ah, the order.'

Had Im Haekyung said that they saw my past at the beginning because it was not their turn? Then, because I killed Kwon Taehan and ended a kind of 'trauma' stage, had they been made to see this scene?

It did seem to dig in starting from childhood. I had recalled memories from the very beginning as well.

'Interesting.'

It was not simply because I was seeing Im Haekyung as a child, but because the sight did not quite match the person they were now. Well, children were all roughly the same when they were unawakened and physically weak.

Even now, their features were not particularly strong, but when they were young, they definitely looked even more delicate. With thin, fluffy, light-brown hair pressed against the backrest of the sofa and large eyes blinking, they seemed strangely out of place.

Dressed in fairly neat clothes, they sat as though buried in the enormous sofa, their fingers interlaced and resting over their stomach. The strangest thing of all was their gaze. Staring quietly at empty space, they looked as though they were observing something, or perhaps lost in thought.

'Funny. What could they possibly have to think about?'

Still, I had a rough idea of 'what thoughts' Im Haekyung had been having at this time. They had already told me before.

'From when I was very young, I thought the world was going to end. It wasn't that I had some precocious desire for that to happen... It's hard to explain clearly, but I had that certainty. Once you look at the world with that certainty, everything feels extremely strange. The world is going to end, yet everyone is acting as though nothing is wrong? Are they fine because they have all accepted death?'

'.......'

'I realized that truly no one knew when I entered middle school. I was somewhat confused then. To me, it had been an extremely primal piece of knowledge that had been obvious since birth. Not something that had to be gained through experience....'

They had predicted upheaval or destruction from birth.

I slowly looked around and roughly determined the time period. The house was well maintained and quite large. An orphanage would not have furnished a place like this, so it was probably after they had been adopted.

'Then are they in middle school now?'

They looked too small for that.

At that moment, the door burst open and a familiar face entered. The person wearing a school uniform, with long hair twisted and tied into one ponytail, looked different from now, but they were not difficult to recognize.

'It's Song Hwayoung.'

After taking off her shoes and hanging up her bag, Song Hwayoung saw Im Haekyung lying as though buried in the sofa and asked,

"Why are you here? Didn't you say you were going to some gathering with Mother today? She was busy since morning. Where is Mother?"

"She went to the gathering."

"Why didn't you go?"

"Father told me not to."

"Ah."

Song Hwayoung easily accepted Im Haekyung's answer, fanned herself with a booklet as though hot, then checked the time.

"Did you eat?"

"No."

"Why? Do you want to eat now? Should I make something for you?"

"No, I'm not hungry."

"You still need to eat. Eat now. I have to go out soon. Today is my first day at the academy. I can't be late."

Im Haekyung dropped one arm onto the sofa armrest and quietly looked up at Song Hwayoung. Song Hwayoung seemed quite accustomed to that gaze, because instead of looking back, she busily moved around gathering her things. Im Haekyung sat idly, quietly following Song Hwayoung's movements, then suddenly spoke to her.

"Big Sis."

"What?"

"Want me to tell you something interesting?"

"What is it?"

Song Hwayoung answered carelessly while packing her bag, and Im Haekyung continued in a calm voice.

"Most things I predict come true."

"What?"

"I just... think I'm good at things like that. Predicting what will happen in the future."

"You've always been good at things like that."

"Exactly. But why don't they believe me...."

"Believe what?"

Song Hwayoung reflexively asked back, then paused while packing her bag. After pulling the zipper all the way closed, she slung it over her shoulder, walked closer to the sofa where Im Haekyung was sitting, and sat beside them.

"Haekyung. You don't need to worry about things that are so far away. You're just someone who worries too much."

"No, I don't worry. It's just a little frustrating."

"You...."

Im Haekyung's eyes were bright as they stared directly at Song Hwayoung. The fact that there was no particular hesitation in their voice felt similar to how they were now.

'They're certain.'

With their legs drawn up and their body leaning back comfortably, Im Haekyung spoke calmly.

"In the end, you'll be grateful to me, Big Sis."

"What are you talking about? That thing you mentioned back then? The end of the world?"

"Isn't it possible?"

"Of course it's possible! But the world isn't going to end tomorrow, so why are you already worrying about something like that?"

"I said I'm not worried."

Sitting with their knees raised, Im Haekyung rested their hands on top and lightly played with their fingers, then added with a soft smile,

"I'm not worried."

"Ha...."

"And when that time comes, I'll save you too, Big Sis."

In the end, Song Hwayoung shook her head, stood up, and left the house. Just as she was about to step through the door, she grabbed the doorframe, poked only her face back inside, and warned,

"Don't say things like that to Father."

"I won't. I'm not going to save Father or Mother."

"No.... Ah, just don't say things like that anywhere."

"Have a safe trip."

With that, the sound of the door lock engaging rang out.

Im Haekyung turned their gaze back to empty space, erased the brief smile from their face, and slowly sprawled over the sofa again. Watching their dangling legs for a moment, I organized my thoughts.

Song Hwayoung had been wearing a high school uniform, so Im Haekyung had to be at least fourteen. I did not know exactly what Im Haekyung had been thinking around this time... but was this the beginning of their own 'intense' memory?

'Hm....'

It showed a long trauma as though playing a film, then made the person remain here forever in a form where they 'overcame' the most decisive moment. If falling into the state of temporary omnipotence Im Haekyung had mentioned was the final stage....

'Could it not happen even now?'

What had Im Haekyung wanted most at this time?

'Certainty.'

At that moment, my eyes met Im Haekyung's as they stared into empty space.

It was definitely not my imagination. In truth, no matter how much they were wearing the shell of a child, Im Haekyung was already an S-rank mental-type Hunter. Seeing through a reenactment this crude would be easy.

The moment Im Haekyung perceived me beyond the mind, I felt the wall blocking the empty space disappear.

It felt as though two spaces that had been completely separated merged together in a bizarre form. It was probably possible only because this was not a real space, but a place made entirely from the mental world.

Im Haekyung quietly stared at me, then asked first,

"Who are you?"

Fuck, how... was I supposed to explain this?

Of course, now that they had perceived even me beyond the wall, if I gave them more time, they would finish thinking it through on their own and escape quickly.

'But that doesn't mean right now.'

I decided to reach the conclusion quickly. If I could give Im Haekyung certainty, we could reach the final stage anyway. Making them believe their words were correct was nothing difficult. In fact, what they thought was the right answer.

However, it was not exactly something to discuss in the apartment of an actor and a businessperson, where someone could barge in at any moment. I strode toward the sofa where Im Haekyung was sitting. Without showing any sign of avoiding me, they only slowly raised their gaze and followed my movements.

"I'll tell you something interesting, so do you want to go outside?"

"I don't want to go out."

Well, if they did not want to, it could not be helped.

I nodded, lifted Im Haekyung, and covered their mouth.

"......!"

The illusion felt fucking real. I had just come from killing someone, and now I was staging a kidnapping. I lightly clicked my tongue, adjusted my hold on them, and leisurely walked out of the house.

"No, I want to go out."

Maybe I would respect the wishes of the current Im Haekyung, but there was no need to respect the wishes of the brat they had been back then.