This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 153

The cave—and not just any cave, but the interior of a root, was far deeper than I had presumed.

At the same time, it was incredibly intricate.

To support such a massive structure without collapsing, the roots extended chaotically in all directions, as if to make a point.

As a result, there was only one way to reach the source at the end of those roots.

And what I witnessed through that one path was nothing short of shocking.

It was… a tree.

A tree that served as a factory.

A factory that simultaneously functioned as a display case.

And inside the display case were countless creatures, cursed to remain alive but trapped forever.

“Ugh…”

“Ah… L-Let me die…”

“Just kill me already…”

People were crammed inside the tree.

They writhed painfully, half-absorbed into a grotesque wall of pulpy flesh.

If hell exists, it might look like this.

The horrific sight rendered me speechless, and I felt something rise within me, threatening to emerge from my throat.

“Ugh…”

With a look that suggested he could die at any moment, a man hung limply while tentacles made of flesh slithered towards him.

“Ahhhh… D-Don’t come near me…!”

Realizing the danger too late, the man twisted and struggled, but—

“Ugh…?!”

The tentacles were much quicker, suddenly lunging and engulfing the man’s body.

Crack—Crack—Squish!

With every violent thrash of the tentacles, the sound of bones cracking and flesh being pulverized echoed through the cave.

How long had it been since that man’s body, embedded in the fleshy wall, was consumed by the tentacles?

At some point, the ominous yet feral sounds that reverberated through the chamber came to an abrupt halt.

The tentacles’ squirming also ceased at that moment.

What had once been still suddenly flared open again, just like when it swallowed the man—

“Ugh…!”

A few round, mochi-like objects were spat out.

And as those items rolled on the ground, something began to approach them slowly from somewhere.

The moment I witnessed that scene, I knew.

There were no queens among those fiends, and this tree was not merely a nesting ground.

“This is… here is…”

The source.

Only that word spun in my mind.

Seeing ‘that’ was none other than in the midst of this chaos.

How on earth should I describe what I saw?

It was something like a rare jewel, shaped like an apple, as if only a few existed in the world.

That bizarre object was being passed around among the Another Ones through the grotesque tentacles.

Could that possibly be the fruit of this tree?

Just as I entertained that thought, the hand clasping the jewel tightened, only for it to shatter into pieces shortly after.

The problem was what happened next.

A creature presumed to be a Bruiser flung the shattered remnants into the air, splitting the void in two as if someone had wielded a sword.

“A Rift…!”

In that instant, I sensed it.

That was it.

That was the only way to return to the original world—

“Hm? Who are you?”

Then, I heard a ‘voice.’

Chills raced down my spine.

The sudden voice pierced through my senses like an arrow.

It wasn’t just abrupt.

“…Since when?”

When had I been caught from behind?

Though my thoughts were distracted elsewhere, I had been vigilant, so when did it happen?

“This place is off-limits to others.”

And… how could this voice be so nonchalant?

“Ahaha, did I scare you? Sorry if I did.”

If it were a person—at least, if the entity speaking from behind was indeed a person—there was no way they could be so calm.

No one could stay serene witnessing such a hellish scene.

Some would feel fear; others would feel disgust.

Yet the voice addressing me lacked the very essence of those feelings.

“Hm, why so quiet? Ah! Can’t you speak?”

The only two emotions apparent in the voice were:

“Or do you just not want to answer?”

‘Curiosity’ and ‘Interest.’

‘How could…’

How could such emotions exist when confronting this horror?

…Was what was behind me truly human?

As that thought crossed my mind, it happened.

“Ahaha, I can’t hold it back.”

With an innocent and blissful voice filled with anticipation—

“I’ll have to find out myself.”

The connection with what was launched was severed.

Where in the world…

What was I witnessing?

What could be so captivating that it caused someone to stop eating and focus so intently?

Right as I pondered this, Chae-rim’s face, which had been frowning the entire time, suddenly lit up.

“Could it be…?”

Had she found it?

The way back to the original world?

The intensity of her emotions was powerful enough that I couldn’t think otherwise, but just as suddenly, her expression froze.

“Ugh…”

Then, a moment later, she pressed her hand to her forehead as if stricken by a headache.

Seeing someone who had seemed perfectly fine not long ago suddenly act like that was genuinely concerning.

“Um, are you alright?”

Could it be that she was suffering from anemia due to blood loss?

Just as that thought crossed my mind—

“…Gather your things.”

The statement came out of nowhere.

“What?”

“No time to explain, hurry!”

As I instinctively started to question her, urgency quickly followed.

I shoved down my curiosity right at that moment.

Of course, I was still curious, but Chae-rim must have a reason to be acting this way.

The problem was, I hadn’t found my bag yet…

Reluctantly, I collected the clothes I used to lay Chae-rim down earlier, tying them together to make a makeshift bundle.

Then, after team up with Chae-rim, who had joined me at some point, we began to stack everything I had gathered into the cave.

However, there were too many things to cram into a single bundle…

In the end, I had to discard the clothes I was wearing to fit everything inside.

I could sense Chae-rim flinch beside me, but I forced myself to ignore it.

The embarrassment would be short-lived, but the regret of not preparing while I could would haunt me until I died.

Seeing Chae-rim’s increasingly anxious expression made it clear that things were going terribly wrong.

“Have you gathered everything? Hurry!”

After collecting all I could, I followed Chae-rim as she began to lead me further into the cave.

Yet our escape didn’t last long.

“Ugh…”

Chae-rim’s legs weren’t in good shape for running.

Walking was manageable, but running was clearly pushing it.

As we began to sprint along the path deeper into the cave, she started to limp.

I grew uneasy, and sure enough, she finally reached her limit.

“Are you alright?”

“Damn it…”

With both my legs functioning normally, the uneven terrain felt hellish as I dragged my injured legs along.

Chae-rim reacted instead of answering, grinding her teeth as sweat poured down her face—something I hadn’t seen at the start of our escape.

I realized then.

I had yet to understand what Chae-rim was fleeing from, but I knew we couldn’t keep going like this.

“This won’t work. Get on my back.”

I securely tied the bundle around my waist, then knelt in front of Chae-rim.

“It’s impossible. I’d rather fight the fiends here than—”

If I had intended to do that?

I would have done so long ago.

She certainly had enough strength to do so.

Yet she had chosen to escape first because she believed it was the best option.

Forcingly grabbing Chae-rim’s hand, I’d confidently made her comply, certain of my reasoning.

Having hoisted Chae-rim onto my back, I started to sprint toward the cave’s depths, following her directions.

Of course, it wasn’t easy.

The uneven ground made running difficult even without an additional passenger, let alone carrying that bundle.

I stumbled several times, almost losing my balance.

Despite that, I persevered because of…

“I found it.”

“What?”

“I found it. The way back to the original world.”

It was thanks to the hope conveyed in Chae-rim’s words.