102 – When the Wills of the World Collide #1
This was back when Nam Woo-joo was still known as Baek Woo-joo.
Back when Baek Yeo-ul was around seven years old.
Baek Yeo-ul once broke a pot while visiting relatives. It was a treasured orchid that Great Aunt had particularly cherished when she was alive. Seeing the flower rolling amidst the pile of dirt, Baek Yeo-ul felt as if all the bl**d had drained from her body.
“Clash!”
Baek Yeo-ul was filled with fear at the thought of getting scolded by Great Uncle.
Great Uncle Baek Dae-won was a terrifying person. Baek Yeo-ul had never even seen him smile.
At this point, Nam Woo-joo, then Baek Woo-joo, came across the frightened Baek Yeo-ul and said:
“You stay quiet.”
That day, high school student Baek Woo-joo received a hundred strikes on his calf from Great Uncle for breaking the jar, which was a memento of his mother.
Swack, Swack, Swack!
Despite enduring the strikes from the cane continuously, Baek Woo-joo never revealed that it was Baek Yeo-ul who was the real culprit.
He didn’t even let out a small groan.
“Brother, I’m sorry!”
Baek Yeo-ul, overwhelmed by fear and guilt, burst into tears; but Baek Woo-joo simply patted Baek Yeo-ul’s head as he applied ointment to his swollen calf.
“We’re family, aren’t we? Families should cover for each other’s mistakes and even share burdens. But next time, be more careful.”
That was the kind of man Baek Woo-joo was—someone who could take the blame for others.
Baek Yeo-ul followed Baek Woo-joo like a real brother, and Baek Woo-joo, in turn, cherished his only cousin sister, Baek Yeo-ul, quite dearly.
Even after Great Uncle passed away in an unfortunate accident and Baek Woo-joo began his work as an Awakened One, taking on dangerous missions inside the Great Labyrinth, he would bring Baek Yeo-ul little gifts such as flowers or small stones.
“Brother, when will you go to the Great Labyrinth again? Huh? What will you bring me next? Is there a small animal? Maybe a squirrel or a pumpkin bee?”
At the time, Baek Yeo-ul thought that exploring the Great Labyrinth was merely an exciting adventure. She wanted her cousin brother to bring her amazing gifts every day from the Great Labyrinth.
Every time, Baek Woo-joo would only pat Baek Yeo-ul on the head.
Time passed, and they both grew older.
Baek Woo-joo became Nam Woo-joo.
Baek Yeo-ul grew up and eventually became a high school student.
Though they had grown up like siblings, due to their busy lives, they saw each other less often. In particular, Nam Woo-joo, hailed as Korea’s great hero, lived a life without rest.
Still, Baek Yeo-ul was proud of her cousin brother who frequently appeared on the news and in newspapers.
Even though she herself was dealing with bullying and tough times.
It was then that Baek Yeo-ul met Hanamjin.
Their first meeting was awful!
Hanamjin kicked her b*tt and even broke her phone—but!
Seeing Hanamjin living alone after losing his parents, Baek Yeo-ul was reminded of her cousin brother who had become Nam Woo-joo after losing both of his.
For some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to hate him.
They were similar.
Both had experienced sorrow yet refused to cry.
Both appeared strong enough to stand alone, but in reality, they were lonelier than anyone else.
To Baek Yeo-ul, the demonic Nam Woo-joo also seemed much like Hanamjin.
In truth, distinguishing between the two held little significance.
“Brother!”
Baek Yeo-ul called out to Nam Woo-joo with the same sentiment as when she had watched her cousin apply ointment to his red, swollen calf in her childhood. She wanted to deny that her family member, who had been so kind, was now a demon harming others.
Though she could no longer recognize a single feature of the person she knew.
Still, if there was even the slightest hope left…
[——.]
Nam Woo-joo said something.
It was incomprehensible.
“…Are you trying to provoke him!?”
“Su-ho, what should we do?”
“I don’t know!”
As they looked at the Star Demon and Baek Yeo-ul, people tensed or were thrown into confusion. Even the veterans found it difficult to determine a course of action as they had never experienced anything like this.
Sarrr—.
The Star Demon floating in the air descended to the ground. He slowly began approaching the extermination squad members, prompting everyone to raise their guard to the highest level.
“He’s coming!”
“Prepare for a counterattack!”
“Hold on!”
At that moment, Hanamjin raised his fist to his ear—a signal to stop.
“Let’s observe for a bit. And Bangdaengi, keep talking. Try to evoke Nam Woo-joo’s memories!”
…
Jin Eun-byul and Nam San-ho.
Both had become demons through concepts they could not bear, yet still had distinct preferences.
Jin Eun-byul loved Prince Juhyun, while Nam San-ho was fixated on Seugal.
It seemed as though all other emotions had been cut away like impurities, leaving behind only pure preference.
Then what about Nam Woo-joo and Baek Yeo-ul?
From what I could see, Nam Woo-joo and Baek Yeo-ul had a very close relationship.
Even if the overly responsible and noble Nam Woo-joo had become a demon, the probability that he still cherished Baek Yeo-ul was high.
No, perhaps even stronger in some ways.
That’s why I didn’t stop Baek Yeo-ul when she volunteered for this extermination team. If there were two keys to subduing Nam Woo-joo, one of them was Baek Yeo-ul.
Anyway!
We might learn something about demons through this encounter that we didn’t know last time.
Nam Woo-joo was clearly reacting strongly to Baek Yeo-ul’s voice.
“Bangdaengi, keep talking! Things about your brother and your memories together!”
At my words, Bangdaengi nodded determinedly.
The usually fearful face of someone who usually just cowered now appeared quite trustworthy.
“…There was that time I pulled apart the plastic model you were collecting, and then the time I accidentally overwrote and erased the save file of the game you had been painstakingly storing…”
Are these real stories?!
Even hearing them made me angry.
It felt like imaginary memories were forming inside my head.
Still, it seemed effective for the parties involved.
I could capture Nam Woo-joo’s starlight responding strongly with ’emotion’.
“You remember, right? That time I took your pet hamster out for a walk in the park and lost it, and we both spent 3 hours looking for it! And—!”
“Kuuaaahh!”
This was nothing short of mental pollution.
Unreal memories kept stimulating my neurons, making them unbearable!
Bangdaengi, what the hell did you do?!
If these were real events and I were the one who lived through them, I imagine I’d be extremely angry.
Perhaps it’s having the opposite effect.
[…I must eliminate the threat to the nation.]
Swoosh.
The arm of the Star Demon extended toward Bangdaengi.
Sliiiing.
Seugal, who had been watching this spectacle, unsheathed her sword.
“Hanamjin!”
“Hold on!”
The Star Demon’s outstretched hand froze mid-air, just before reaching Baek Yeo-ul.
At the last possible moment.
[Nation…? What must I protect…?]
The hand that didn’t quite touch Baek Yeo-ul seemed conflicted.
There was a strong resolve to protect something, but the actual ‘something’ had been lost.
At that moment, Baek Yeo-ul stepped forward, placing her spotty pink hair against Nam Woo-joo’s starlit hand.
The scene resembled an older brother gently patting his younger sister on the head.
For a moment, Nam Woo-joo’s starry body shone brilliantly, reflecting the changes in his emotions.
“Baek Yeo-ul?”
Nam Woo-joo spoke.
He even gently smoothed her hair with a “Swoosh Swoosh”.
“You were always the kind of younger sister who needed a lot of attention.”
Everyone watching was greatly surprised.
“He spoke!”
“The Star Demon just spoke, right!”
“We can communicate!”
Wi Seon-a, who was recording all of this on video equipment like an experimental doctor, said:
“Certain smells or tactile sensations may trigger memories, like the Proust effect, even in demons! If this is true, it’s an immense discovery! Fascinating!”
Anyway, Nam Woo-joo’s sanity had returned.
However, the awakened him seemed rather angry.
“Why did you come here! Everyone, get out fast!”
“We came to save you Brother!”
“You dimwits! There’s some b*stard here! No one can resist the darkness of the Red King! He infused me with darkness, and after that, it was like a brainwashing…”
Nam Woo-joo’s babbling.
Then he shouted loudly, as if realizing something.
“Wi Hyun-a! Everyone get out there! I… while I still have my wits about me…! As your commander, I order you to stop this operation! Whatever happens, this operation must end!”
All the squad members just looked at each other when Nam Woo-joo, their commander, gave this order.
At that moment, Jeon Su-ho, the most experienced comrade of Nam Woo-joo, shouted.
“Woo-joo! We won’t leave you! Everyone, get out your stop generators and set them up!”
At Jeon Su-ho’s command, ten veteran Awakened Ones assembled a mechanical device on the spot.
It looked like a coffin-shaped machine.
“Nam Woo-joo, you know what this is, right? It’s a ‘Stop’ concept infused shield! Once you go inside, everything will end smoothly! Hurry!”
“There’s something more important than me leaving! Go outside and find Kore! To oppose the Red King, we must find her! Only she can…”
Nam Woo-joo, talking incomprehensibly, hesitated.
Seugal asked.
“Kore, as in the Fairy Princess Kore?”
“Yes! Seugal, I don’t know how you ended up here, but you must know who Kore is, and where she went! Find Kore!”
Whatever Kore is, what’s important is that things are proceeding more smoothly than expected.
If we were fighting the Star Demon, we’d all be severely injured by now.
It’s true, after nine misfortunes, a great fortune might find us.
And so, even after enduring nine misfortunes, humans can still yearn for that one fortune and continue to live.
Bangdaengi acted really well here.
Even with all these mistakes, she’s deserving of being called the Goddess of Fortune.
“Nam Woo-joo! Stop hesitating and get into the coffin!”
I kicked Nam Woo-joo’s back hard when he hesitated too much. I thought he might ruin everything while stalling.
“Perk!”
“Ughh!”
With a cry, Nam Woo-joo tumbled into the ‘Stop’ cage, where his body froze instantly like a preserved specimen.
The ‘Stop’ concept seems powerful.
Was this part of Nam Bada’s scheme?
If such a thing exists, it would be enough to capture demons alive.
“We did it! Mission accomplished! Let’s all escape now!”
Clap, clap.
I applauded for everyone.
With the hope of everyone returning safely, everyone’s faces brightened.
Sussussussu—.
At that moment, the forest of fairies trembled violently.
Is another demon beast coming?
No, based on my prediction, what’s coming this time is worse than that.
Sussussussu—.
It was a swarm of rats. A vast, pitch-black swarm of rats surged like a wave.
But, upon closer inspection, they were not actually living creatures. It was merely ‘shadows’ or ‘darkness’ borrowing the shape of rats.
This sight caused Seugal to exclaim in horror.
“d*mn! It’s darkness! The Dark King’s power!”
Where has her usual pretense gone? She swore violently. The sight startled Wang Juhyun, who said in a trembling voice, “Seugal, you, just now, you just said d*mn…” but Seugal didn’t seem to care.
“Yeah, d*mn! It’s darkness! Teacher Wi Hyun-a! Hurry up and open the portal! Hurry! We all need to escape!”
“It’ll take a bit of time! I never expected we’d be retrieving Nam Woo-joo so quickly! It’ll take at least 10 more minutes to set the coordinates!”
Ten minutes.
A short time, but Seugal became more anxious.
“We’re all going to d*e! If Yeo-reum were here, at least—.”
Seugal glared at me while frowning.
It was then.
Flash!
The darkness in the form of a swarm of rats changed shape like icicles rising from the ground and enveloped Wi Hyun-a.
Sliiiing!
If Wi Hyun-a were incapacitated here, we’d have to find another exit. Would we survive until then? That’s why I was about to leap forward to save Wi Hyun-a.
Sscaaahh!
Instead, bl**d splattered, and Wi Hyun-a rolled on the ground.
In her place, Wang Juhyun stood grabbing her shoulder.
He had pushed Wi Hyun-a aside and sacrificed his right arm, severed by the blade of darkness.
“Juhyun, Juhyun!”
“Stop being noisy and focus on opening the door.”
Despite the immense pain from the severed arm, he didn’t care about it, and instead, twisted his lips in what looked like satisfaction.
“I’ll buy you time. I also know how to act when needed.”
When his eyes turned toward me, they seemed to boast, “What about it?”
For just a moment, his pupils gleamed, just like Yeo-reum’s.
It was Wang Juhyun imitating Yeo-reum’s glow using his Rank 4 concept of ‘Cloning.’
Paaaahh!
The imitation was nothing grand.
But imperfectly brilliant all the same.
It was enough to repel the darkness of the rats for just a moment, and I honestly admired it.
“Great.”
…
