180 – No Face (2)
“Is it the same?”
Choi Si-woo turned the flashlight in his hand around to see if there were any changes in the hideout.
It’s only been two days, but since you know that the flow of time here is strange, you never know.
▶Fortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any significant change. I don’t see any traps.
Move forward slowly.
I passed the places I had already searched with Yurika without even looking back.
There is only one place to go.
A place where I felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
“…… “
Sure enough.
As soon as I reached the end of the hallway, a strange sensation once again caused a slight discomfort.
What should I say?
It feels as if an invisible mosquito is buzzing right in front of you, annoying you.
I rummage through my arms.
I stared at the two keys in my grasp and threw one of them into the air.
Dalkkak―
Surprisingly, the key stopped in midair with a clicking sound.
He quickly throws the other one into the air.
Once again, the sound of something breaking is heard along with the sound of spinning.
Space.
The gap opens and collapses, revealing another transition door through which one can enter, like a gate.
‘… Is this the Method?
Another dungeon within a dungeon that sometimes appears at the gate.
Perhaps this may also be a technique that uses it.
‘No, that’s probably fine.’
Choi Si-woo wondered why this place could be opened with the key given to the children.
Why did they put in such a cumbersome structure?
If I wasn’t planning on not showing it at all, there would have been a better way.
It’s like… Isn’t the intention to knock down the children and check?
“… “You son of a b*tch.”
He cursed softly and carefully retrieved the two keys.
To K, ‘No risk. I hear you say, ‘I think it would be good to go in.’
Choi Si-woo slowly took his steps towards another transfer door.
* * *
▶… Is it wider than you think?
As Kay said, what we saw upon entering was a very spacious room.
As a rule of thumb, the three playgrounds at Prunel Academy were the size of a combination.
As if there was some kind of magical device here, a cool enough wind was flowing everywhere.
About 3 hours after I walked around carefully looking around.
“…… “
Choi Si-woo placed the body of the last person he discovered, Joun Yun, side by side on a chair.
Seolgaram, Erina, and even the just-discovered Yuen Joun.
The bodies of all my colleagues, who could not be found except for Yurika, were all gathered here.
▶…… Check. It’s definitely me.
‘…… ‘
Even though a long time had passed, all of the bodies were in clean condition without a single wound.
Probably No Face, this bastard wrote something related to And preserved it.
However, just as Yurika had no face, each of the three had an important part cut off.
Seolgaram, with both legs cut off neatly, leaving only the upper body.
On the other hand, Yuen had both arms cut off.
Finally… Even Erina’s skin, including her hair, was torn off and wrapped in bandages.
It was so terrible that I couldn’t bear to open my eyes.
I guess it’s fortunate that it doesn’t rot or decompose.
“… Ha.”
Choi Si-woo took a deep breath.
We try to calm down the emotions that are churning deep inside our hearts, and each of us wraps ourselves tightly in a huge white cloth that looks like a wrapping cloth.
When you open your hand, a golden scroll appears with a soft light.
We carefully placed each and every one of them in the .
“Whoa…” “
Choi Si-woo, after asking for Kay’s understanding, took a cigarette out of his arms and lit it.
I just couldn’t let go of it.
I almost quit because I was worried about Yurika… I’m sure she’ll forgive me for today.
She lifted her forehead, looking at the gray smoke rising from her hair.
With this, all of her colleagues, including Yurika, were recovered.
It feels too late, though.
However, there was one thing that was puzzling.
‘… ‘Why isn’t my body there?’
Of course I thought I would be confident in the first round… No matter where I looked, I couldn’t find it.
No Face, given the personality of this crazy guy, I must have collected it too.
… Aren’t you going to come back to life and play with dolls or something?
‘… ‘Just thinking about it makes me curse.’
I crushed the finished cigarette with my hand and put the butt into the empty cigarette pack.
First, I stopped worrying.
Because it is not a classification that can be solved just by thinking about it.
Rather than that, it is now time to investigate ‘this’ that we discovered for the second time.
I opened the wooden box on the table.
Contained inside are beads the size of the palm of your hand.
There were more than 20 of them, and each one had a unique color.
▶… What on earth could it be? This?
“… “That’s right.”
A box filled with spheres whose identity cannot be determined even by Kei’s investigation or system analysis.
I thought it was pretty important just by looking at it, so I brought it…
I pick one up and turn it around.
No response even when magic power is put into it―
“…… ?”
That moment.
Suddenly, my mind starts to stir and unidentified memories flow in.
I stared blankly ahead without any intention of letting go.
A small but warm village that appears to be in the countryside.
A brown-haired young man whose name I don’t know who lives there.
And a female childhood friend who grew up with the young man.
From Noble mtl dot com
As time goes by, the two people who were tickling each other become closer and start holding hands and dating.
The date soon turned into a deep night of lovemaking, and the neighbors were seen giggling and making fun of the two.
Time passes. How many years? How many decades?
A more mature young man gets down on his knees and proposes to a woman.
The scene where the two happily accept it and finally kiss happily.
The video ended right there.
‘… ‘Have you seen Kay?’
Choi Si-woo, free from his thoughts, quietly dropped the marble in his hand into the box.
After a while, Kay also answered slowly.
▶Yes……
‘… Looking at your reaction, it seems like you felt it too.’
▶……
I pick up something else and try to hold on to it.
What appears this time is a completely different childhood story of a man and a woman.
This also had a similar basic flow.
The difference is the day each person became an adult.
Parting for each other’s future… Then, a few years later, they meet again by chance, fall in love, and become a couple, unfolding a warm love story that anyone would love.
“…… “
Choi Si-woo stiffened his face as his feelings became increasingly clear.
Just in case, let’s take a look at one more thing.
This time, the story of an old couple unfolds.
This is a story of a couple whose children have all gone to the city and the two remaining couples rely on each other as they wait for their approaching death and close their eyes at the same time with God’s blessing.
All three were stories about sweet love.
If you look at this point, you might think it’s just a magic tool with videos like that.
But……
‘… No.’
No.
This is not just a heart-warming story.
This memory unfolding now does not end with a simple video.
People who appear in this bead.
Even the simple folding screens are all stories of people who have spent their lives trapped in this bead from the beginning.
Yes, absurdly enough, I was observing these people with each bead forming a small world.
A well-decorated model garden.
Merden in a beautiful fairy tale.
The evil spirit’s hobby of watching from a high place.
‘… I’m guessing right? K.’
▶… Yes. You’re right. Just as the Master felt, I also just It.
There is no doubt that these are all people who have been trapped here from the beginning.
Bang―
As soon as Choi Si-woo finished speaking, he hit the alloy wall with his fist.
A mark filled with the form of anger is engraved on the shattered wall.
Heat rises deep inside my head and my eyes turn red.
‘… How… how… ‘
No Face, how much do you plan on toying with people?
Me and Yurika… It’s not enough to play with children, but they also thoroughly imprison and observe innocent people?
And that too until death?
So that they don’t even realize that they are trapped?
‘…… ‘f*ck.’
I vaguely knew that No Face had become a complete idiot after gaining an ego.
But I didn’t know it would be this bad.
I would have understood if he had just acted like a reaper killing everyone indiscriminately.
The essence of this guy is the Six Demons, that is, the Demon King.
He is a servant of the Demon God and his mission is to return this world to nothingness.
But the act of trying to force yourself to know and analyze people through such bizarre and incomprehensible behavior was so disgusting and repulsive.
“… Phew.”
Choi Si-woo closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Try to find composure.
“…… I’m sorry.”
Looking at the beads, he quietly apologized.
I can’t even guess what they’re made of.
Unfortunately, he could not liberate these people with his own strength.
Slowly close the box and seal it with the .
In the future, if you find a way… I promise to save you at that time.
Choi Si-woo stood up and began to thoroughly investigate the surroundings again.
* * *
“… “This must be it, right?”
▶I think that’s probably true.
After rummaging around for a while, what I found was a thick wad of paper that looked like an old book.
There was so much illegible writing that at first I thought it was a history book from another world.
‘… ‘It’s the same as No Face’s font.’
It was this guy’s diary.
Choi Si-woo slowly turned the paper over carefully so as not to break it.
I quickly turn through chapters I don’t understand, and I also quickly turn through fragmentary sentences and meaningless phrases.
‘… There’s only one thing I’m curious about.’
This is his purpose.
Any parts that are not related to it are skipped over without hesitation.
“…… !”
Soon, Choi Si-woo stopped at the middle part, which contained the thoughts and emotions of No Face.
【The reason I first became aware of myself was pain.】
【That blow that penetrates deep into my roots, draws a diagonal line, and reaches far into the distance.】
【Despite the fact that it was not a proper technique or ability, there was nothing that was as painful, vivid, and painful as that.】
‘… ‘This can’t be right.’
Before I died, the final blow that split his face… Are you talking about ?
【I spent several days in extreme agony. Feeling the pain of burning, he swung his sword at random and completely destroyed the surrounding terrain.】
【Originally, this would never happen under my normal self. Defeating, killing, and sending enemies into nothingness who always approach like machines. That is my mission.】
【I don’t know the reason. It’s something that has been going on silently ever since I was first born and when I was able to move my limbs.】
【If I think about it again now, it was probably a mission engraved on me by the demon god who gave birth to me. No, in the first place, these days, I have doubts as to whether I was really born from a demon god.】
【I was different. Unlike my brothers and sisters who received powers like me, I did not receive anything from the demon god. And there was no absolute obedience. I don’t know why. Still, I just get the feeling that it doesn’t matter.】
【The frantic days stopped on the 7th. The pain goes away. And what was in that place was my ego. Who am I. No face… ? Those are nothing but words arbitrarily added by those who fear me.】
【Who am I? I spent a month just thinking about that.】
【Then it was one day. A woman’s final moments suddenly came to mind. She is a woman looking and smiling. She was a silver-haired woman touching her stomach and looking at her with a determined expression. An ironic request to slit her throat there. For some reason, I, the being I am, could not disobey those words.】
【For the first time in my life, I did something inefficient. I didn’t swing the sword right away. I adjusted my sword and cut off his head with as little pain as possible. Why? Why? Why.】
【In response to the endless questions, I made one decision.】
【As a bonus, I will try to understand the women who resisted me until the end. I will revive them for that purpose.】
