Chapter 10 – Practice (3)
I saw such a movie when I was young. It was a movie in which a gloomy voice could be heard in a dark cave. The voice was very hoarse and sullen. The protagonist of the voice let out a tear-like scream, and the protagonist trembled.
[Keep it off…]
The main character sat down in the corner of the cave and asked the voice.
“Who, who are you?”
My friend, who was almost as perverse as a pessimist, complained like this while watching the scene.
“Fuck, if you hear that kind of voice, you should run away right away. What are you answering If you’re like me, run away.”
I thought so at the time. But that wasn’t it. People become calmer and more polite than anyone else when faced with an incomprehensibly urgent and fearful situation. I asked the owner of the voice politely with my hands together.
“Who, who are you?”
[Come here. For thousands of years, I’ve waited for a righteous man to bring me out of this underworld.]
The voice sounded like the sound of a lyre. At the same time, there was an aristocratic antiquity without a hint of frivolity. I took a small step back and said.
“Who, who are you?”
[I am a fragment of what was once called the Almighty, now nameless. You. What is your name?]
I didn’t answer. I hurriedly started looking for a way out. It was because they said that all sorts of fucking creatures live inside the gate, and all sorts of weird things happen. This could have been one of those malevolent phenomena or hallucinations. I thought that was more likely than the possibility of a fragment of the Almighty appearing in front of me.
I kept running my hands here and there. But even in the dark it was clear. There was no way to get out of this place, and the only way that led to the other place was in the direction of the voice. The voice continued to speak to me in a very kind and lithe tone.
[Dude, are you dead? Don’t die He is a righteous man who came to this place after several thousand years. Can you answer me? If you’re afraid of me, it’s fine if you just talk here. Please don’t die.]
I couldn’t stand the pathetic tone of the shrapnel. I awkwardly said hello.
“Uh… Hello?”
The fragments jumped with joy at the mere word thrown at them. The intense emotion emanating from his voice was enough to inspire even me for a moment.
[Oh oh oh! You’re alive! Okay. You. If you don’t want me out, let’s talk. Tell me about the outside While I was sealed, what happened outside?]
“That’s it…”
I sighed and sat down again. When I thought about it coldly, this was a dead end. If the creature in the darkness had malicious intent, it would have been faster to just hit me in the head and kill it than imitate a fragment of the Almighty.
Even if this was a hallucination, there was no way for me to get out of here. I pretended to be fooled and decided to believe that this voice was a fragment of the real Almighty. I said.
“If I get you out, can I get out of here?”
[You’re taking me out? Really? Ahhh! You are finally free! You can finally see the outside world! You. If you take me out, I too can send you up here. Trust me!]
The shrapnel’s voice echoed through the basement. I could feel the dirt falling. I decided to believe his words. Anyway, I had to get out of here. Although we look different, we have the same will to live. I got up from my seat. I firmly compacted the soft soil with my feet and walked forward cautiously.
The closer I got, the more I saw something black in my eyes that had grown used to the darkness. It had the appearance of floating pudding in zero gravity. If I had seen it from the outside, I would have burned it, convinced it was slime.
[You! Touch me! We can get out! We are! Can do!]
The shrapnel was screaming as his body trembled. I wondered if I could touch it again, but it seemed like there was no way I could get out without this. I closed my eyes and reached for the debris. A mushy, unpleasant texture entangled with her hands.
“Ugh… !”
[Ooh oh oh oh!]
My mind was dizzy. Am I paying the price for doing something wrong? I tried to come to my senses, pressing hard on my temple, which ached like a needle. I could feel the shards that touched my hand creeping up and seeping into my body.
[Ooh oh oh! Ooh oh oh!]
The shrapnel screamed and was completely absorbed into my body. I felt my heart beating loudly. His breathing became rough, and the muscles in his body twitched. When I looked up, a faint light entered my eyes. A voice rang in my chest.
[You. Trust me and climb the wall.]
The walls were made of dirt. Even the slightest touch with your hand would quickly break it down. I looked around with a worried face. The voice rang once more.
[Believe me. You. Got me out I will do everything in my power to bring you out.]
There were no options. Either stand here like an idiot or climb the wall to survive. I drove my hand into the dirt wall with all my might. The soil I gave strength to started pouring down like a waterfall. I overcame the collapsing dirt wall and started to climb the wall forcibly.
In the rushing torrent, only the cheers of the Almighty could be heard.
[Believe me.]
*******
“Aaaaagh!”
When I came to my senses I was lying in the infirmary. Senior Yoo-jeong, who had just entered the hospital room, was staring at me with a startled look on her face. She blinked her eyes and took one deep breath and asked me.
“Mr. Suhyun. Are you okay?”
Is this a dream? Did I eventually die because I failed to escape? Or was it a dream that I met the Almighty, and I was just rescued by workers? I unconsciously touched the area around my chest. The body was as usual. There were no black marks on his hands, and the muscles that were alive and moving were the same as usual.
It really felt like waking up from a dream. As I touched my body here and there, I felt Yu-jeong’s stare at me and cleared my throat.
“Ah… Yes. Are you okay. I think it’s okay.”
“Please wait. I’ll call the doctor.”
Senior Yoojeong put the paper cup she was holding on her desk and went out again. Only then was I able to control my mind by reflecting on my surroundings again. It must have been a dream. I don’t remember clearly the circumstances before and after being rescued, so it was clear that I was just buried in the mud and had a terrible dream.
“What are you dreaming about, really?”
[I would be sad if he died.]
“Fuck!”
I was startled by the gentle voice in my head and jumped in place. And after making sure no one was around, he said in a low voice.
“Who, who are you?”
[I am a fragment of what was once called the Almighty, and now has no name.]
The voice still claimed to be the Almighty. I looked around once more, then lowered my head and asked in a low voice.
“Did you save me?”
[You. Saved himself I gave my strength, and it was you who made it happen. I praise your will to go up to the ground with gritting teeth even in the mud.]
In the end, it was the story that he saved me. I was told that everything I saw in the dark was not a dream. Thinking it wasn’t a dream, I couldn’t help but look at my body again. I was more exhausted and tired than usual.
Said the voice.
[In giving you strength, I used up all my remaining strength. I need a long break, and your body will be my resting place.]
“Then, that… Can’t you get back the bulging muscles you showed in the cave earlier?”
[If you become stronger than you are now, you can do it. You. You can be strong enough. I don’t want to see you rely on my power to cut down on your potential.]
I was a bit disappointed, but I kept my mouth shut because he was right. The voice continued his words.
[I’m tired, so I’m going to rest now. I will fall into a deep sleep, but I will answer whenever you call. You. I hope to be a little stronger next time we meet.]
The voice faded. I still couldn’t believe it. Did I really absorb the fragments of the Almighty? Even when I moved my body to see if something had changed, I felt only excessive fatigue.
“Mr. Suhyun. I’ll go in.”
A knock was heard. Senior Yoojung came in again. After that, there was a doctor. The doctor was an old, wrinkled man, and when he saw that I was fine, he stroked my beard and admired it. He asked me while flipping through the medical chart.
“Have you come into contact with any unusual creatures or plants or something inside the gate? It doesn’t come out in the test, but I’m asking because there is a creature that causes sequelae later.”
I pondered for a while here. Should we talk about fragments of the Almighty?
– I express my sincere condolences to Mr. A, a broadcaster who died this time.
At that moment, a scene of the guild master of the Diamond Club mourning the death of broadcaster A was playing on the TV. The moment I saw that scene, I thought of this. It was a world where even if some of the guild’s awakening secrets were revealed, neither mice nor birds would die. If the fact that I ate a fragment of the Almighty is known, are there really no people who want to kill me without even a mouse or a bird knowing?
Will the Black Dragon Ark save me? Wouldn’t he try to kill me anyway?
You must keep a secret. The existence of fragments of the Almighty in my body had to be kept a secret until I became stronger. I shook my head and said.
“Nothing in particular. It was just dirt.”
Senior Yoo-jeong seemed really relieved at those words. I really liked senior Yoo Jung who cared about me that much.
