This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 645

It felt as if not only my body but also what people call the mind or soul was being sucked away somewhere—whoosh!

For some reason, a throbbing sensation suddenly enveloped my head.

As I reflexively clutched my head and let out a groan, there was this oppressive air that pierced through my lungs, making me feel like even breathing would worsen my lung health.

The stale, fishy air that I desperately wanted to erase from my memory lingered.

After years of not experiencing it, the air whispered sweet nothings right into my ears.

If I was going to come back to this anyway, then what was the point of running away so desperately?

As expected, a monster like you—no, even something that couldn’t be called a monster—seemed much more fitting here than among people.

Perhaps it was because of those malicious whispers echoing around me.

Until I reached the Heogye beyond the Rift, my left arm, which had been calm, suddenly buzzed to life as if waking from sleep.

Well, from this guy’s perspective, it probably felt more homey here than back in reality.

It was at that moment when I reached out to grip my left arm, feeling a sensation that I hadn’t experienced in a long while.

“Ugh…”

A familiar voice filled my ears, the sound of groaning that jolted me back to reality.

Suddenly, amidst that noise, the figure of my Senior, staggering while clutching her head, came into view, just like I had moments ago.

Was it possible that she felt dizzy too, just like I did?

Looking at her condition, however, it seemed worse than mine.

Unlike me, who quickly regained my senses, she was still bracing her head with her hands, her expression crumpled.

‘Come to think of it…’

Even when I was first dragged here, it was like this.

While I felt a slight dizziness, my consciousness remained clear, unlike Chae-rim or the others, who had lost their consciousness entirely.

What could be the reason for this difference, now and then?

Was it because I was a man?

Was that why this difference occurred?

But thinking back, among those swept up in the Rift, there were a few other men besides me too.

And they too had lost their consciousness.

So that meant it wasn’t a difference caused by gender…

Then what could it be?

What difference existed between me, Chae-rim, and my Senior that left me, of all people, unharmed?

Was it because of my arm?

Even that probably wasn’t the answer.

Sure, I might have this messed-up arm now, but back when I got swept up with Chae-rim during the sudden Rift, my left arm was perfectly normal.

‘Or could it be… because of that?’

As my thoughts wandered here and there, they finally reached a certain point.

Perhaps my expectations of regaining my senses quickly were misplaced, as it didn’t seem easy to shake off the dizziness crowding my head.

My Senior, who had been staggering for quite some time, began to lean towards a pile of various debris.

The direction she was tilting towards looked perilous, filled with things that clearly shouldn’t touch her body.

From large pieces of glass covered in thick, red dust to rusty steel beams—who knows when they had broken.

The moment she tipped over, it was obvious we wouldn’t emerge unscathed, so—

“You need to be careful, Senior.”

I immediately reached out and snagged her arm.

Then I swiftly pulled her back towards me, away from danger.

Considering the dizziness consuming my mind, perhaps I had no energy to resist or maybe she simply trusted I wouldn’t harm her—either way, my Senior came flying into my arms without any struggle.

Thanks to that, I could momentarily enjoy the fresh air in this miserable world.

“Are you okay?”

As I looked down at her resting in my embrace, she took a moment to catch her breath before slowly nodding.

“…It’s better than before.”

Then she started questioning if I was alright in return.

“I’m fine.”

I meant for her to focus on getting better without worrying about anything else, and it seemed she quickly caught onto the consideration in my words.

With another nod, my Senior relaxed her muscles and leaned comfortably against me.

As I supported her with my body, my eyes scanned our surroundings quickly.

Naturally, I was trying to assess if there was anything around or anything that could pose a threat to us.

Fortunately, as I scanned, I noticed there weren’t any immediate threats.

The unfortunate part, however, was that while the area was safe, there wasn’t much to see.

‘Clearly…’

If my memory served me right, I knew that explorations had been organized by several countries, including Korea, to establish something resembling Forward Bases throughout the Heogye.

So why wasn’t there anything in sight?

Where on earth had we landed?

Had we perhaps fallen into a remote outskirts far removed from the center?

That would indeed be troublesome…

That word, ‘troublesome,’ was an understatement.

My goal was to find Yoonseo, who must be somewhere here, and give her a solid smack on that well-structured forehead—not leisurely exploring the Heogye.

There were other troubling thoughts too.

Just like Yoonseo, somewhere in this place, I felt an uneasy anticipation about the existence of the ‘Girl’ and the ‘Queen.’

I didn’t even know why I felt this way, but the entity called the ‘Queen,’ who couldn’t let go of her obsession with me and had sent the ‘Girl’ to kidnap me in reality, was the source of my concern.

But what would that monster do if it realized I was in the Heogye, a realm that wasn’t reality?

Honestly, it was pretty obvious.

It would undoubtedly make every effort to trap me this time around.

Before that could happen, I absolutely had to find Yoonseo and get out of this world.

And yet, here I was, dropped into a place with no signs of human presence whatsoever.

How on earth was I supposed to find Yoonseo in this vast and pointless Heogye?

While pondering that, I hoped an ingenious solution would come to mind, but contrary to my hopes, nothing that could be considered a decent plan surfaced.

In a hopeful attempt, I turned on a couple’s location-tracking app, but it was useless in this place.

So what could I do?

Time-consuming and dangerous as it was, I had no choice but to rely on my two feet.

That’s when I made that resolve.

Boom—!

An ominous sound erupted from the ground beneath my feet.

A sound that usually came from something collapsing or breaking.

It didn’t seem like I was the only one to hear it.

The Senior leaning comfortably against me flinched and gripped my clothing tightly.

The ground that was supporting us began to shake back and forth right after that.

“Ugh…!”

“Dogun…!”

I imagined the Another Ones might swarm us, but I never expected to face something this disastrous.

The panic evident in the Senior’s voice spared no feelings.

I was just as bewildered by the current situation.

Wait, suddenly an earthquake? What the heck…?

As I braced myself to avoid falling while those thoughts raced through my mind—

‘…Huh?’

There was a sensation, as ominous as the sound I’d just heard, starting from beneath my feet.

The ground suddenly felt like it was sinking away.

Reflexively opening my eyes wide, I was enveloped by the feeling of falling into some unknown abyss.

That’s why I tried to push the Senior aside.

It was a decision born purely from instinct.

But my outstretched hand pushing the Senior away was outpaced by her arms wrapping around me with all her strength.

And so…we plunged into the unknown together.