LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 204
Silence ensues.
With a face full of terror, Song Ah Rin clutches my collar.
“A-Rin.”
“…What is that, seriously?”
She mutters while gazing at the ceiling of the hollow space.
That thing, wriggling and moving.
Every time I look at it, my heart races uncontrollably, ringing alarms in my head.
Danger! Don’t go near it!
What in the world was humanity trying to prevent?
Wait, how did we even survive among such things from the start?
Is this a world crafted from the likes of me or the Branch Chief?
Seems plausible.
“Don’t look.”
Just as the translucent window seemed about to reappear, the Branch Chief covered my eyes with her hand.
“Kim Jae Heon won’t be able to hold out.”
“Even with a mental barrier?”
Honestly, isn’t holding out pretty good at this level?
The Branch Chief shakes her head.
“It’s not about the mental barrier.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
If it’s not the mental barrier, what exactly is the Branch Chief trying to convey?
“Pure terror. As long as you’re human, it’s fear you can’t resist easily.”
“…”
“When ordinary people simply experience it and lose their sanity, don’t you think Kim Jae Heon would go mad looking at it through his eyes?”
The Branch Chief looks up at the thing hanging in the hollow space.
“Of course, I’m not an ordinary human, so I’m fine.”
While she says that to lighten the mood, it barely registers for me right now.
Next to me, Song Ah Rin is holding onto my sleeve, her head bowed, and beside her, Aileen is gasping, staring at the ground.
“Anyway.”
The Branch Chief turns her gaze back to me.
“Kim Jae Heon is remarkable. Even a veteran Management Agency employee would act like those two here.”
After glancing back at the thing hanging in the hollow, the Branch Chief opens her mouth again.
“Now, let’s explain what needs to be done.”
“…”
“It’s impossible to physically defeat that. Once it awakens, well, it’s safe to say it’s game over.”
“I’m listening.”
The Branch Chief nods at my response and continues.
“So we need to put it back to sleep.”
“How?”
“There are two main methods.”
She points at the monster with her finger.
A massive tub sits nearby.
“We’ll use that to put it to sleep.”
“What is that?”
“It’s best not to know what it’s made of. But we’ll use it to put it back to sleep.”
“…Understood.”
The Branch Chief nods and carries on.
“And the other method. It’s not an exaggeration to say I came here for this.”
The Branch Chief mutters, clenching her fist.
“What is it?”
“Beat it until it falls asleep.”
Has this woman finally gone bonkers at the right time?
Receiving my gaze, the Branch Chief shakes her head, looking innocent.
“No, I swear it’s the truth!”
“But didn’t you just say physical attacks won’t work?”
“They won’t, right?”
“Then?”
“Well, there’s always a way.”
The Branch Chief avoids my eyes as she answers, then—
“Ugh…”
“Aah…”
I scoop up the dazed Song Ah Rin and Aileen into my arms.
“Alright, let’s go then?”
The Branch Chief, with both girls resting on her, looks at me.
“…Let’s go.”
“Make sure to follow me closely. Being brave is good, but there’s really no point in looking at that.”
With that, I begin to walk behind the Branch Chief, keeping my eyes on the ground.
*
The hollow space was vast.
It felt like it could fit three giant sports stadiums combined.
Even without the bizarre thing hanging above, it was enough to put anyone in a foul mood.
The dread tightening around my heart had improved much since earlier.
“You’ll get used to it. Humans are creatures that adapt.”
The Branch Chief murmurs as she crosses the hollow.
“…Ugh.”
Before long, Song Ah Rin, hanging onto the Branch Chief’s shoulder, groans and looks at me.
“I think I’m getting somewhat used to it now.”
“A-Rin, are you feeling okay?”
“…It’s damp.”
She mutters, touching her sweat-soaked body and giving me an annoyed look.
“…What are you looking at?”
“I’m not looking.”
“…”
She turns her gaze away.
Ah, she remembers.
“Did you get really scared?”
“…Yeah. Very scared.”
Song Ah Rin lets out a deep sigh in response.
“My body wouldn’t obey, and my mind went numb. I couldn’t even think about what hints I might have received.”
“…”
“…Honestly, I’m still scared. I don’t even dare to look up at what’s above.”
She mumbles as she gazes at me.
“Can you walk?”
“I can walk.”
“Seems you can.”
“Okay.”
“AAAAH!”
The moment I said that, the Branch Chief dropped Song Ah Rin, and she fell to the ground, clutching her waist, glaring at the Branch Chief.
“Seriously, act your age…!”
“What did you say?”
“…Nothing…”
As soon as she caught the Branch Chief’s gaze, Song Ah Rin looked away.
“What about Aileen?”
“She’s not in her right mind yet.”
Song Ah Rin mumbles, glancing at Aileen.
“Wait a moment. I’ll clear away your fear.”
Soon, she places her hand on Aileen’s forehead, and Aileen closes her eyes,
“…Ugh.”
Aileen, seeming to have a headache, presses her temples while waking up.
“…”
“…”
Their eyes meet, and Aileen gives me an awkward look.
“…I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright.”
While Aileen and I were chatting, the Branch Chief dropped Aileen, and she lands skillfully on the ground, looking up at me and the Branch Chief.
“This is good.”
The Branch Chief, smiling as she looked at us, had us all puzzled gazing back.
“Now we just have the last hurdle left.”
“…”
At the end of the hollow space, there was a crudely constructed…
“Elevator?”
No, should I even call this an elevator?
It was a metal cage.
Inside the cage was a handle, and the elevator moved upwards by turning the handle, resembling a pulley system fit for a novel or history book.
“Just installing that has already led to five people committing suicide out of sheer terror.”
The Branch Chief states matter-of-factly as she opens the door into the metal cage.
– Creeeak…
The sound of rusted metal grinding fills the air as the iron door opens.
“It probably took far too long to make stairs, so they brought in a levitating employee and haphazardly fashioned this.”
“…Isn’t it going to drop us?”
Song Ah Rin mutters uneasily at the Branch Chief’s words, and the Branch Chief nods.
“I’ve actually fallen once.”
“…”
“But hey, we managed somehow back then, so we should be able to manage this time, right?”
Her irresponsible remark leaves us all speechless as the Branch Chief nonchalantly starts turning the pulley with one hand.
“Here we go!”
The manual elevator rises smoothly.
“…”
With a perilous speed and unsteady trembling that offered no sense of security, as the elevator ascended, Song Ah Rin gripped my sleeve tightly, closing her eyes in distress.
“Should I quit my job…”
“Seriously?”
“No…”
While I was exchanging idle banter with Song Ah Rin, the elevator creaked and rattled as we ascended.
After climbing roughly ten stories, the Branch Chief finally stopped turning the handle.
“Let’s get off now.”
She applies the brakes and opens the iron door.
“…Ugh…”
As soon as we stepped off the cage, Song Ah Rin clutched her chest as if struggling to breathe.
“It’s stronger than before…”
“…”
Aileen was also sharply on guard, scanning her surroundings, while the Branch Chief moved as if going for a stroll.
“Alright. Now we need to inject a tranquilizer into the tub.”
In front of the Branch Chief stood a very old device.
It looked like something only capable of displaying black and white images, an ancient and intricate machine.
The Branch Chief skillfully manipulates the machine,
– Aaaah…
– Uuuh…
A sound akin to human screams emerges from behind the machine.
“…”
Watching this, Song Ah Rin’s body tensed.
“That thing inside the machine… what is it?”
Song Ah Rin points at the machine while looking at the Branch Chief.
The Branch Chief turns her head to look at Song Ah Rin.
“…A noble spirit, a will only for the greater good.”
“…You’re insane.”
A look of shock appears on her face, and the Branch Chief operates the machine with a wry expression.
The scream-like sounds cease, and—
– Push…
Something begins to fill the tub.
“Now we need to shoot that.”
The Branch Chief murmurs as she looks up.
– Huu…
The sound of heavy breathing grows louder.
“Once it starts spraying, you’ll see apparitions or hear voices.”
The Branch Chief looks at us.
“As opposed to being crushed by this feeling, you might wish for death, and actually die. You might go to extreme lengths to take your own life.”
She looks at us.
“This isn’t a level that’s controllable. Only someone who has deceived themselves extensively or possesses a power beyond human control could withstand it.”
“…”
“But here’s the thing I’m about to say.”
The Branch Chief murmurs as she gazes into the hollow.
“When you want to die, just die.”
“What?”
What is she talking about?
“If you’re going mad, just die. That way, it’ll be easier to reverse.”
We exchange glances, questioning the Branch Chief, and—
“There’s no time, so I’ll just start now.”
She presses some buttons.
– Shhhh…!
Steam begins to escape.
– – –
Sounds emerge.
It was the cry of a child.
No, it sounded like a sparrow chirping.
Actually, that’s wrong. This is the cry of someone reaching the brink of life and death.
No, I’m wrong. This is merely a scream emitted to torment us.
Is it even a sound?
“Hah…!”
If there’s a soul, I feel like that sound just fractured mine.
“…Cough…!”
I can’t breathe.
I forcefully try to gulp in breaths, struggling to gather my senses.
In the terrifying pressure weighing me down, I can’t even bend my legs, just leaning against the wall and repeating the act of inhaling and exhaling.
– Bang!
A gunshot rings out from somewhere.
– Thud!
Something collapses near me.
Aileen lies sprawled on the ground with a hole in her temple.
“…Hah… Hah…!”
Calm down. Just breathe in and out. Focus solely on surviving. Don’t pay attention to anything else—
“Get a grip.”
Someone tightens their grip around me from behind.
– Thump… Thump…
I can feel a heartbeat against my back.
With a firm embrace, Song Ah Rin whispers.
“You can do it.”
“Hah…!”
“Breathe in, then exhale. Don’t lose yourself. You are you.”
In a calm voice, she murmurs, tightening her embrace around me.
– Thump… Thump…
Her heartbeat begins harmonizing with my breathing, and—
“…Huh…”
I managed to somehow regain my sanity.
“…Are you okay?”
Song Ah Rin whispers, still holding me from behind.
“…I’m fine.”
“Great.”
Bump, she rests her forehead against my back before letting go.
“…A-Rin, how could you recover so quickly…”
“It’s a secret.”
She mutters that and looks ahead.
The Branch Chief stood there.
She was staring intently at the steam being emitted.
– Push…
In the dark space, steam is released, then abruptly cut off.
Silence.
Did we succeed?
Did we put it to sleep just like that?
Then how do we go back—
– – –
A sound breaks through.
It was the sound similar to a crying child.
“…Kim Jae Heon, Song Ah Rin.”
The Branch Chief murmurs as she looks at both of us.
“We’re going with Plan B.”
“…What?”
“Kim Jae Heon. Look at that immediately.”
In a daze, Song Ah Rin mutters, while the Branch Chief’s gaze fixes on me.
“…”
I raise my eyes to look at it.
It’s an insect.
Simply, just the torso attached.
[Name: Moon]
[Age: xdefkd years
[Ability: -]
[Talent: -]
[Background: Witness the birth of new life!]
[Weakness: Put to sleep. Immediately.]
Crackle!
The translucent window disappears, and blood drains from my eyes.
“…”
My right eye is gone.
“You, your eye…!”
Song Ah Rin gasps in horror.
“…Let’s put it to sleep.”
But ignoring her, I looked at the Branch Chief and opened my mouth, saying,
“…Alright.”
The Branch Chief nodded.
“Let’s put it to sleep.”
– – –
The sound of a child crying echoed throughout the hollow.