071 – So this is the taste of lying!
When Jin Eun-byul opened her eyes, she looked at her body, which was connected to cold machinery.
First off, she had no feeling in her lower body.
“Uuuhh….”
Tears flowed.
She had merely touched the “Antique Box” that she received as a birthday gift from her father.
From that moment on, she felt as though she had been pushed to the passenger seat, and someone else had taken the wheel and was driving her life.
Realizing that someone was on the other side of the transparent acrylic wall, Jin Eun-byul soon spoke.
“…Prince Juhyun?”
With a cracked voice, she asked, and the male student leaned his face closer to the transparent window.
It was Prince Juhyun.
During the time when Jin Eun-byul had no control over her actions, she still genuinely liked Prince Juhyun.
That’s why the situation was problematic.
Since Jin Eun-byul possessed the concept of 「Foreshadowing」, she already knew why Prince Juhyun was here.
“…Gr…Please don’t….”
“I see, you already know what I’m about to say. Let’s break up.”
“Why… why….”
“You’ll never be able to walk again, right? Why should I have to take care of a girl like you? And because of you, I’ve had to feel so much failure and humiliation from Hanamjin—.”
Prince Juhyun said cruel words and turned around abruptly.
No matter how much time passed, Prince Juhyun didn’t come back, and Jin Eun-byul cried dry tears.
Thud, thud, thud.
After some time had passed, the sound of a man’s footsteps was heard.
Did Prince Juhyun come back? No, it wasn’t him.
“Hehehe…you’ve really been torn apart, haven’t you? Well, you were the weakest among us, so it’s expected. Hehehe—I’ve always wanted to say this, and thanks to you, I get the chance.”
The man pressed his face against the acrylic wall of the special room where Jin Eun-byul lay.
With eyes so red that the whites were almost invisible, Jin Eun-byul was shocked.
“Youuu….”
“Eun-byul, long time no see. Why the face? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Y-you… how are you here? Aren’t you supposed to be in ju—juve…”
“I don’t have much time, so let’s get straight to the point. Do you know where Seugal is? I have a debt to collect from her, a really big one. Reeeally—.”
“…….”
Jin Eun-byul tightly shut her mouth.
Seeing this, the man grinned, tilting his bl**d-red eyes.
“So that’s how you want to play it?”
Krang!
The reinforced glass shattered.
The man’s hand pierced through and reached for Jin Eun-byul’s bandaged chest.
“Don’t misunderstand. I have no interest in your flat chest. It turns out that what people nowadays call concept stones aren’t exclusive to Demon Beasts.”
Crack! Boom!
“Guhk, guuhhk….”
A particularly cold and icy sensation pierced through her bones and clutched at her heart.
As Jin Eun-byul helplessly cried under the deathly cold touch, someone spoke.
“Is there anyone there?”
Click!
The lights turned on in the special holding room, revealing someone.
Neither Jin Eun-byul nor the man who had just tried to k*ll her was in sight.
Her chest, which should have been pierced, was intact.
‘Is this a dream? Reality?’
It didn’t feel like a dream at all.
Evidence of this was the icy chill still lingering on Jin Eun-byul’s chest.
「Is this a country? We demand an explanation from the president!」
「Has the government known about the existence of minds?–A national press conference—」
「Was there government involvement in Jineubyeol’s disappearance while being held in custody—」
When I turned on the TV, it was filled with noisy and uninteresting political stories like demands for the president’s resignation, impeachment protests, and counter-protests, so I quickly changed the channel.
After all, the government itself would become meaningless in less than a year, so their efforts seemed futile.
“Is there any interesting variety show?”
━Yiningyaing.
“Will it come on after flipping a few channels?”
━Gweeying.
It’s the first day of no school.
I’m enjoying this honey-like free time at home.
I’ve been busy for a few days, so a day’s rest wouldn’t hurt, right?
My 「Leap」 and 「Emotion」 levels also increased after the fight with Jin Eun-byul, so I should celebrate!
Both are now at Class 3!
I heard that Class 3 concepts go beyond affecting oneself and start affecting others like overflowing water.
That USB I threw, which pierced through the Demon’s chest at high speed, is a good example.
「Emotion」 at Level 3 is also very useful.
I can now see things I couldn’t see before.
「Name: Cotton Candy Cloud Yining
Possesses: Expand details ☜
《???》 – Insufficient Emotion level to view this.
《Cloud Lv.1》 – Like clouds floating in the sky, fluffy.
《Rock Lv.1》 – Can become as hard as a stone on the road.
《Bud Lv.1》 – Can sprout like grass in a meadow.
《Sand Lv.1》 – Can scatter like sand on the beach.
State: 《Very Hungry》 – Yiningyaing」
“d*mn Yining! So many concepts!”
━Grrrrr…!
Everything Yining absorbed randomly.
Looks like a cloud, but has quite the appetite!
“Didn’t you just eat an hour ago? Are you hungry again?”
━Ing.
“Actually, I’m the same. How about a good feast today?”
After an extravagant shopping trip at the convenience store, something came to mind.
“But why is your name 「Cotton Candy Cloud Yining」? Wasn’t your name just 「Yining」?”
━Yiningyaing.
“Seugal named you?”
Seugal just arbitrarily adding a name to my emergency rations, Yining.
Is this some kind of joint ownership?
“Anyway, I should visit Seugal and Yoo Yeo-reum.”
It’s been about three days since I last saw them.
Thinking about what might have happened to Seugal and Yoo Yeo-reum, who I left locked up in 「The Princess’s Room」 for three days, even I, who didn’t fear the Demon, start to feel tense.
Well, snack time first!
Kimchi cup noodles, string cheese, and store-bought chicken legs!
Hoomp, hoomp-. Chew chew chew-.
“Kya, this is the life!”
━Gweeying.
This is a rare delicacy you can never taste in an apocalyptic world.
The TV, functioning electricity, washing machines, and fans—all must be enjoyed while they last.
In other words, I’m currently experiencing a time-limited happiness.
“For a few months!”
So now, it’s about time to meet Seugal and Yoo Yeo-reum.
I headed back to school, and the security uncle in charge of managing access to the Great Labyrinth greeted me happily.
“Jamin, aren’t you suspended?”
“I heard that if you rest for a day, you must train for ten to regain your momentum.”
“That’s true. But if I let you in here while you’re suspended, it’ll get me into trouble. Uh… Hey, don’t get caught by anyone!”
That’s why it’s important to maintain good behavior regularly.
Thanks to the flexible security uncle, I was able to easily enter the Great Labyrinth.
“Did the structure change a bit in a few days?”
The Great Labyrinth, as its name implies, is a place where you easily lose your way. It’s said that its structure and terrain change irregularly, making surveys and explorations difficult.
【Heading to the Princess’s Room…!】
Of course, I have the concept of 「Emotion」, which allows me to find the room where I confined Seugal and Yoo Yeo-reum without trouble.
Creeeak-.
As the door opened, Seugal’s eyes widened like a full moon.
“Hey, you son of a b*tch!”
Whoa, sounds good.
Even though she may have been starving for days, she still had the spirit to curse.
How about Yoo Yeo-reum?
Yoo Yeo-reum was clinging to the wall, openly wary of me.
“Don’t come near me.”
Her prudent manners are impressive.
I actually prefer women who are this well-behaved.
Twooosh!
Suddenly, Yining jumped out of my bag and clung to Yoo Yeo-reum.
Like a cicada clinging to a tall tree!
━Gweeying.
“Ma…Monster! Get away from me!”
She panicked and flailed.
Ziiing!
Laser beams shot out from her eyes.
“What!?”
I was surprised.
How did Yoo Yeo-reum charge her lasers in this pitch-black room? The glowing rocks attached to the ceiling seemed to have served as her light source.
Fortunately or unfortunately, after firing lasers from her eyes, Yoo Yeo-reum wavered like a mosquito bitten by poison and collapsed with a faint thud.
“Yining, come here. She doesn’t like Demons.”
Swish!
I pulled Yining off Yoo Yeo-reum’s body and took out snacks and beverages I brought from my bag, laying them out on the floor.
“Huhk! It’s food! Give it here!”
The annoyed Seugal lunged forward.
Yoo Yeo-reum grabbed a strawberry milk and started sucking it through the straw.
# # #
After a simple meal, as we relaxed, Seugal asked me.
“What were you doing that you came now?”
“I fought Jin Eun-byul. If only I could upload it to MyTube, it would have a guaranteed ten-million view count, so watch carefully.”
I showed them the video saved on my phone.
It was a beautifully edited video of the fight between the Demon Jin Eun-byul and me.
“Jin Eun-byul was this kind of monster? I knew she felt strange even before, but a mind…?”
“Mind,” they murmured.
Yoo Yeo-reum and Seugal stared intently at the monster on the phone, occasionally glancing at each other’s faces, exuding a very suspicious vibe.
It felt like they were sharing some secret unknown to me.
“What happened while I was gone?”
The three days I was away.
I thought Yoo Yeo-reum and Seugal probably fought fiercely, but surprisingly, their relationship wasn’t as bad as I expected. When I asked, both Yoo Yeo-reum and Seugal shook their heads.
Nothing happened, they said.
“That feels like a lie.”
Kekkek.
I sniffed Yoo Yeo-reum.
I smelled sweetness.
The scent of a lie.
“S…Stay away.”
As I took a step toward her, Yoo Yeo-reum took a step back. But soon, she was cornered by the wall.
I pounced on her.
“Looowwwll!”
“Ah! Don’t do iiiit!!!”
Yoo Yeo-reum screamed like a startled cat.
It was the first time I had heard her make such a loud noise, but by the time I realized it, I had already grabbed her and licked her neck.
Tchak-.
“Yeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!”
“Wha!? This taste—.”
An intoxicating sweetness spread throughout my mouth.
Candy!
Yes, candy!
Why does Yoo Yeo-reum taste like candy?
「Name: Yoo Yeo-reum
Possesses: Expand details ☜
《Light Lv.4》 – Can shine as brightly as a dying Supernova.
《Photosynthesis Lv.2》 – Possesses photosynthetic ability like an ancient tree.
《Modesty Lv.2》 – Modest like a princess in a story.
《X-ray Vision Lv.2》 – Can see through targets like precise medical equipment.
《Candy Lv.2》 – Sweet like first love in adolescence.
State: 《Great Humiliation》 – Vowed for thorough revenge before taking her own life by biting her tongue.」
What?
There’s a new possession here.
「Candy」—it!
Even if not as valuable as ketchup, candy is still an important future resource, which is why “Candy Maker” Choi Chang-sik is such a VIP—more important than the President!
But what were you doing that you gained the concept of candy?
I’m curious about the three days I was away.
But she probably won’t tell me easily.
Swish!
I raised the “Punishment of Love.”
“You both lied to me, so you deserve punishment, right?”
Fear flickered in Seugal’s eyes.
But it was fleeting—
“Yoo Yeo-reum! Now! Now!”
At Seugal’s shout, Yoo Yeo-reum grabbed me from behind.
Is this some kind of rebellion?
I thought it might happen once, but not today!
Gaaaaaahh!
Thinking I could easily escape, the soft, squishy sensation on my back was too unfamiliar and alluring, clouding my mind for a moment.
Molkanmolkan-.
“Aaaaahh! What kind of attack is this? My body’s heating up!”
Without missing a beat, Seugal stepped in front of me.
She started stretching, focusing on her ankles.
“Yoo Yeo-reum, I thought we’d agreed to love each other.”
“S-shut up! I’ll kick you! Seugal kiiiiick!!!”
Pfft!
I jumped into the air just as her kick was about to hit me.
Unfortunately, Seugal’s kick hit Yoo Yeo-reum’s groin instead.
Pooooof!
“Uuuurgh…!”
Yoo Yeo-reum slowly collapsed forward.
This is chaos!
“Since I’ve reached Class 3 Awakenment, do you think you two, with limited combat experience, can defeat me with such amateur teamwork? Your punishment is Seugal enduring a tickling attack!”
I heard from Baek Yeo-ul that Seugal was very ticklish.
This was proven true as her face turned ashen.
“H…Surrender!”
“One cannot surrender until 15 minutes have passed.”
Swish!
I extended my hand toward Seugal’s side.
She convulsed like a fox hit by an arrow.
“I’ll talk! Just stop! There was a monster!”
“Hey! Seugal…!”
Yoo Yeo-reum, clutching her groin and lying on the floor, cried out.
But Seugal, already talking freely, spilled everything.
“You showed me something similar in the video on your phone. According to Yoo Yeo-reum, it had very red eyes!”
If it’s similar to Jin Eun-byul, then it’s likely a mind. A mind with completely red eyes.
A mind like that is roaming through this Great Labyrinth.
It would be wise to investigate.
“Since you’ve admitted the truth, you deserve a reward—tickling time!”
“Hanamjin you fking aaaaaaaaarrrrrrghhhhhh!!!”
“In exchange, if Seugal withstands my tickles for 15 minutes, I’ll grant one wish to each of you. Anything except letting yourself go.”
The flow of the air changed instantly.
