Chapter 132
Won Tae-beom swallowed a hollow laugh as he gazed upon the neon green sea.
It was a sight that reminded him of the trial he had been trapped in long ago.
That place hadn’t been a sea, nor had it been neon green.
But it was the same in that it was a ruin composed of endless despair.
[Dreg-ification in progress... 9%]
The system window that had appeared the moment he was soaked in Neo clearly illustrated the current situation.
This was his first since he had been infected with the BT-DFH virus.
For a giant tentacle to smash the trial space to pieces, causing everything to plummet underground.
Even having experienced it firsthand, it felt like a dream.
Won Tae-beom took out and donned the Paladin’s Oath.
The moment he put on the silver gauntlets, he felt a slight sense of rejection.
It seemed the gauntlets accepted the BT-DH virus, but would not permit the Neo infection.
Since the residue had not been infected by his conviction, it was a natural rejection in a way.
However, it didn’t really matter.
Once he became a complete Dreg anyway, items would lose their meaning.
Won Tae-beom thought of the first thing he needed to do.
He had to find and regroup with the Special Task Team.
’I should find Trainee Han first.’
If possible, he intended to prioritize searching for Han Goyo.
Je Hyun-oh and Kwak Han-mook had sufficient means to respond to such a crisis, but Han Goyo had nothing.
He had even been brainwashed and was not in his right mind.
The fact that he himself had played a part in that continued to scratch at Won Tae-beom’s mind.
It had always been him who forced the sacrifice of the few for the sake of the many.
He had never once seen a minority who chose sacrifice of their own accord, like Han Goyo.
Perhaps because it was an exceptional case, it weighed on him more.
Since Han Goyo’s physical abilities were lacking, there was a possibility that the residue-ification caused by Neo would be even faster.
It would be best to search as quickly as possible.
It was while he was checking the immediate vicinity, moving via floating debris on the sea.
Feeling the presence of someone approaching, he turned his head.
A large black silhouette immediately filled his vision, accompanied by the sound of metallic feathers folding.
Thud.
Je Hyun-oh landed on a piece of a building, unusually without his goggles.
"Lieutenant Won."
The first words out of his mouth were not about the current situation.
"Let’s agree not to report anything that happens from this moment on to Commissioner Jang Seok-yoon."
Having had his voice changed due to the infection, Je Hyun-oh rarely spoke aloud.
Won Tae-beom was surprised that he was speaking at length, but the content was even more unbelievable.
It was something a Lieutenant Colonel should not say.
Originally, Je Hyun-oh was the type of person who wouldn’t care at all what he did.
Yet, Je Hyun-oh was giving an order specifically to protect Han Goyo.
Including Kwak Han-mook, the incomprehensible behaviors they had shown during Han Goyo’s temporary disappearance seemed to have intensified.
What was it about Han Goyo that pulled them in so strongly?
Won Tae-beom slowly opened his mouth and asked.
"What happens if I disobey?"
"Then Trainee Han won’t be at the Agency."
A hollow laugh escaped him because it wasn’t a threat to kill him.
He could feel that Je Hyun-oh knew him well.
There was a reason the Agency had placed Je Hyun-oh as the head of the Field Response Headquarters.
As long as Han Goyo could remain at the Agency, Won Tae-beom didn’t care which side he took.
"I will follow your orders."
As soon as he heard the consent, Je Hyun-oh snatched him up and flew rapidly.
"Lieutenant Won. The boss fight starts within 20 minutes. Find the creatures and return them to Trainee Han.."
Je Hyun-oh stopped abruptly in mid-air in the middle of his briefing and looked up at the sky.
Then, he suddenly accelerated explosively, crossing the sea. The water’s surface split along the trajectory of his flight.
Je Hyun-oh’s body, which had been flying without hindrance, suddenly faltered.
Their feathers made a metallic clattering sound, and Je Hyun-oh dropped Won Tae-beom precariously onto a platform.
He almost missed, but Won Tae-beom was more than capable of adjusting his landing.
However, he wondered why Je Hyun-oh had wavered during flight.
Why suddenly....
Did he...
His thoughts were cut short. It was because a certain sensation sharply sliced through his entire body.
It was a survival instinct.
But he could not escape.
His body moved beyond his will.
He didn’t want to lift his head, but as if someone were pulling a string, he looked up at the sky automatically.
Something massive existed in the sky.
A form entangled paradoxically, as if mocking the laws of nature.
He wanted to look away, but it was not permitted.
Held captive, he gazed up at the sky.
Hideous information that a human brain could not contain rushed in, shattering his retinas and crushing his brain.
Too many. Eyes. Gazes. Eyes. Gazes. Eyes. Gazes. Tens. Hundreds. Thousands.
Tens of thousands. Hundreds of millions of eyes.
Please stop. Don’t look. Stop.
’The eyes? Pupils? looking at me.
Light!
"...!"
He gasped sharply.
A blindingly white light filled his vision.
If the light hadn’t forcibly blocked his sight, his brain would have been pulverized.
Won Tae-beom felt blood streaming from both eyes.
He realized belatedly that he was heaving, vomiting blood.
He lifted his head, blood leaking through his teeth.
The white light that for a moment turned night into day was the light created by Representative Cha’s Great Sun Tathagata.
A semi-circular white sword-qi was soaring toward the sky.
However, the one who had leaped high and swung the sword was now falling backward.
As if making a final struggle, Representative Cha fell helplessly, yet he called out to Han Goyo with a blood-stained voice.
Je Hyun-oh quickly snatched something up almost at the same time Representative Cha fell into the sea of Neo.
A massive pillar of water surged.
A moment later, Representative Cha, drenched in Neo, climbed onto the debris.
He pushed up the lower part of his mask and vomited blood.
The hand gripping the Great Sun Tathagata was trembling and convulsing.
After vomiting blood repeatedly, Representative Cha muttered in disbelief.
"That thing is the boss? Ha..."
Won Tae-beom felt the same.
He had entered numerous trials, but no boss had ever shown such a presence.
Even he, who had already seen the bottom of hell, had never seen anything like this.
But that wasn’t the end.
Won Tae-beom saw black figures beginning to emerge one by one from the sea of Neo.
The figures appearing like filth were the dregs.
Along with the ones that originally inhabited the underground labyrinth, the correctional officers who had fallen into Neo were rapidly turning into dregs.
The black figures continued to increase in number.
It was a sight where it was obvious the sea would soon be filled.
Above was an entity of unknown identity, and below, the dregs were gathering.
A pressure, as if he were blocked from all sides, caused cold sweat to pour down.
"Aha! So this is your grave! Finally!"
Simultaneous with a ringing in his ears, a hallucination of a high-pitched laugh tormented him, making his head throb.
Won Tae-beom barely managed to ignore the hallucination and looked back at Representative Cha.
He was readjusting his mask.
Judging by the fact that his hand was still convulsing, he too seemed to have taken considerable damage from the entity in the sky.
This happened just from looking at it once.
He didn’t even want to imagine what would happen a second time.
The moment he realized death was imminent, he felt a force compelling him again.
His head was forced upward. Just as he trembled at the pain of his brain being crushed-
A golden streak shot out, covering the sky.
It was a meteor shower with long tails.
However, the light did not fall but soared upward toward the sky.
The moment it struck the entity in the sky directly.
A scream that felt like it was scratching his brain slammed down from all directions.
As blood flowed from his ears, he finally saw what the entity in the sky-which he hadn’t even been able to properly perceive looked like.
Inside one giant eye, countless smaller eyeballs were packed.
The meteor shower had embedded itself into those eyeballs.
Struck by the golden light, the entity closed some of its eyes.
As the eyelids of dozens of eyes closed, the pressure weighing down on his body lessened significantly.
Won Tae-beom watched with vacant eyes as Je Hyun-oh descended, flapping his wings leisurely in the air.
Je Hyun-oh placed something sparkling onto the debris on the sea.
Won Tae-beom parted his lips unconsciously.
Ah....
It was utterly flawless.
Swaying in pure golden light, it was beautiful.
It was so radiant that it made him forget the moment his brain almost crushed under the entity in the sky, and he stared blankly.
But this was not salvation.
It was similar to the entity in the sky, yet entirely different.
A being composed only of warm and soft things, made so that one would want to accept it endlessly, without even feeling a sense of rejection.
It evoked a pitiful protective instinct, yet it was a being that would immediately erode one’s mind the moment they touched.
The instant he perceived the dissonance, a chill of horror covered his entire body.
Reflexively stepping back, he almost slipped and fell.
But if he could avoid that thing, falling into the sea would be fine.
He’d rather enter the Neo....
"...!"
A sharp pain flared in his forearm.
He saw a metallic feather scratch his skin and retract.
The golden light that had covered his entire consciousness slowly cleared, allowing him to distinguish the opponent.
Won Tae-beom slowly closed and opened his eyes as if waking from a dream.
The surrounding objects slowly came into focus.
Je Hyun-oh was standing on a large piece of a building opposite him.
And beside him, something was positioned.
As soon as he saw the eyes emitting a brilliant radiance, Won Tae-beom realized that this was the golden light that had captivated him until a moment ago.
At the same time, a fearful question was etched into his mind.
What on earth is this?
One thing was certain. It was not human.
Staring blankly at what he presumed to be Han Goyo, Won Tae-beom shifted his gaze.
Je Hyun-oh was in a fairly decent state.
Though he had wavered during flight earlier, other than that, he seemed unaffected by the entity in the sky or the being right next to him, appearing no different than usual.
Je Hyun-oh was even in contact with it.
Like a crow that had found the shiniest object, he was firmly gripping the wrist of the being standing beside him.
Far from fearing a non-human entity, ecstasy flowed through Je Hyun-oh’s eyes.
Rather, it was a joy, as if he had been waiting for this very moment.
It was surprising that Je Hyun-oh was showing such emotion, but....
How could he not be afraid?
The way he treated it without a single hint of rejection was almost miraculous.
Wondering if he was the only one feeling this primal fear, he looked to the side.
Though his face was hidden by the mask, it was certain that Representative Cha was also deeply shaken by that thing.
Won Tae-beom opened his trembling lips.
"What is that?"
It was a fragmented question, but the subject was obvious.
He asked without daring to refer to it carelessly, but the answer that came from Je Hyun-oh was depressingly simple.
"It’s Trainee Han."
That thing is Han Goyo.
A strong sense of resistance rose within him at the words that defined the being’s identity without hesitation.
At that moment, Representative Cha sprang up and leaped across the debris in a single bound.
He approached Han Goyo in an instant.
He seemed to try and grab him by the collar, but a metallic hand blocked his approach.
Representative Cha glared at Je Hyun-oh and spoke in a grim voice.
"Explain."
The smile lingering in Je Hyun-oh’s eyes deepened.
If he had been wearing his goggles, he probably would have displayed an emoticon.
"Explain what?"
"Explain what the hell is going on right now, Lieutenant Colonel Je Hyun-oh."
Beyond the metallic hand, Han Goyo gazed up at Representative Cha.
Struck directly by the golden gaze, Representative Cha’s menacing aura immediately softened.
That being was even more dangerous because it did not provoke hostility.
However, Representative Cha looked a bit more bewildered than that.
Won Tae-beom thought he knew why.
Originally, Han Goyo had shown very friendly reactions toward Representative Cha.
But the current Han Goyo, while looking the same on the outside, seemed like a completely different being.
In those golden eyes, there was only indifference and a slight curiosity toward the being blocking his path.
Watching this, Je Hyun-oh replied with an annoyed tone.
"Is Representative Cha my superior?"
At the retort that there was no reason to explain, Representative Cha grit his teeth and spoke again.
"Then just tell me the way to turn him back to normal."
At that moment, Won Tae-beom also read the thought that flashed through Je Hyun-oh’s eyes.
Is there any need to do that?
Since he revealed his thoughts plainly without any intention of hiding them, there was no way Representative Cha wouldn’t know.
It was the moment he placed his hand on the Great Sun Tathagata.
Han Goyo opened his lips.
He seemed to be saying something, but for some reason, not a sound could be heard.
However, Je Hyun-oh seemed to be able to hear the voice, as he responded simply.
"Just the two of you? It would be better if there were more."
Throughout the exchange, Han Goyo’s gaze was fixed only on Je Hyun-oh.
Je Hyun-oh, speaking in a strangely affectionate tone as if dealing with a child, soon conveyed Han Goyo’s words instead.
"He says let’s kill the thing floating in the sky. Representative Cha, are you going to cooperate?"
Hearing him blurt it out so nonchalantly, Won Tae-beom felt like he was losing his mind.
But Je Hyun-oh spoke as if discussing a mundane operation.
"If that thing dies, he might return to normal."
Representative Cha was silent for a while. He spoke while keeping his eyes on Han Goyo, not Je Hyun-oh.
"Lieutenant Colonel Je."
Veins popped on the back of the hand gripping the sword hilt. Then, a chilling voice dropped.
"You’d better take responsibility for the words you’ve spat."
And Representative Cha immediately drew the Great Sun Tathagata.
Watching this, Won Tae-beom couldn’t help but wonder.
But how?
The sea was swarming with dregs, and the entity in the sky couldn’t even be looked at.
Because the moment one’s gaze met it, the brain would be crushed.
Although the pressure had decreased as several eyeballs were closed by the golden meteor shower, it hadn’t disappeared.
Even now, without facing it, it felt as if his body were being continuously pressed down.
Since even breathing was a struggle, everyone except Je Hyun-oh, who was relatively unaffected, should be considered combat-incapable.
Just as he concluded that there was no answer other than death.
A system window of a form Won Tae-beom had never seen before appeared before his eyes.
[Event Quest: Follow the Young God.]
[The Young God does not forgive those who harm His kin.]
[To appease the Young God’s wrath, will you suppress ■■■?]
[Upon acceptance, you will temporarily receive the Young God’s protection.]
Along with the incomprehensible content, the options presented were absurd.
- Moment of Glory!
- I shall follow the will!
- For the Young God!
There was no option that signified refusal.
As if possessed, Won Tae-beom chose the last option.
Then, a cheerful fanfare sounded, and the pressure that had been weighing down his entire body until a moment ago vanished.
It was as if he had escaped the influence of the entity in the sky and entered the influence of another being.
The tedious tinnitus and hallucinations that had tormented him also disappeared completely.
It was a silence he had experienced for the first time in a very long while.