This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 154

“Did you find it?”

To be honest, I was more all bewildered than happy.

That’s only natural considering I was prepared to rot here for at least a few weeks.

But here I was, not even a day since I fell here, and I had already found a way to return to my original world.

It was hard to believe.

Hard to believe, but… I decided to trust it.

Chae-rim spoke with such conviction that she must have seen something important.

And what if I hadn’t believed Chae-rim’s words at all?

“W-what is it?”

Without a shred of hesitation, I wouldn’t have bothered asking.

And that question triggered a vision Chae-rim had seen.

Thanks to that, I heard about the human factory set inside the tree, the people being dragged inside, and the only way to return to the original world.

“So if we can just get that fruit…”

“We should be able to return to our original world.”

Chae-rim’s face showed no sign of joy as she said that.

It was hard to believe she was someone who had found a way to return to the original world.

Does that mean there’s something weighing on her mind?

What could that be?

Could it be that she’s worried about the people trapped inside the tree?

But then again, I was troubled by the actions she had shown after waking from her focus.

If that were the case, there wouldn’t be any reason to rush and hide like this.

“The problem is that it probably won’t be as easy as it sounds.”

As if confirming my thoughts, Chae-rim mentioned the existence of “that.”

“Are they able to talk? The Another Ones?”

An existence that shatters the conventional wisdom that communication with the Another Ones is impossible.

And while not being an original body, it possessed the ability to infiltrate Chae-rim’s senses and catch up with her.

What should we call that?

“Could it be a new variant?”

“…I don’t know.”

“Huh?”

“I said, I don’t know. So for now, let’s try to avoid it.”

What’s certain is that it won’t be an easy opponent.


The place where Chae-rim encountered “that” is likely a significant location for the Another Ones as well.

So it’s highly probable that “that” guarding that location is stronger than the Bruisers.

It was probably at that moment that I thought about it.

With a rumbling noise, the ground shook.


And along with that, the wailing of the Another Ones I heard once before began to echo through the cave walls.

“Oh no, run!”

And thus began a flight that lasted an astonishing three days.


The roots were so deep and widespread that even moving only as Chae-rim pointed, it took us that long to reach the exit on the other side.

Of course, during those three days, we didn’t just run.


For some reason, Chae-rim suddenly took a turn for the worse due to her injuries, leaving me on edge for almost half a day tending to her.


I also discovered signs of people who seemed to have lived here for days, and we fought off the pursuing Another Ones several times.

Of course, Chae-rim did all the fighting, though.


Anyway, through all this, I became more and more convinced that Chae-rim was ridiculously strong.


No matter how many appeared, once Chae-rim waved her hand, they all turned into roasted chickens, and every time I witnessed that, I couldn’t help but laugh awkwardly at the sheer impossibility of it all.


And the fact that she’s on my side raises doubts about whether a better situation exists.

Seeing as reality was the way it was, the longer I spent time with Chae-rim, the more I became convinced.


With her, by her side, I could return to the original world.

Focusing on caring for Chae-rim was also part of this process.


“Are you tired? Or does something hurt somewhere?”

“Why? Are you going to give me a massage if I say I’m tired?”

“If that will ease your fatigue, then by all means, I wouldn’t say no.”

I was confident in my skills when it came to massages.


I didn’t even need to go back to my previous life; just during this life, I had practiced on my mom’s shoulders when I was a kid, and later, I’d relieved Yoonseo’s and my Senior’s fatigue, so I’d honed my abilities through actual experience.

“…Enough with the nonsense, just rest.”

Regrettably, it seemed Chae-rim didn’t trust my abilities.


So I decided to slightly change my approach.


If I couldn’t relieve her fatigue, I should at least alleviate some other discomfort.

“By the way… it should be calm for a while now, right?”


I asked Chae-rim this to see if she felt the same.


“Hmm… maybe? Still, we can’t be completely assured.”

That was her reply after she scanned the surroundings briefly.


If that’s the case, there’s no reason to delay further.


So I first stood up.


“Where are you going?”

“Uh… I just want to look around and see if there’s anything useful.”

“…Don’t wander too far. It could be dangerous.”

“Got it.”

After leaving the space that was acting like a hideout, I quickly scanned the area.


Then I spotted what was likely a metal frame from a swing in my past life.


The swing that should have hung from it was nowhere to be found, but that only made it more appealing.


It was the perfect height.

So I pulled that out from the wreckage and wrapped a piece of cloth I found nearby over it.


What was born from that looked like a changing room.


Of course, it was intended to be used as a shower, not a changing room.


With how precious water was, who would bother showering?


Chae-rim’s appearance made agreeing with that sentiment impossible.

After all, with every fight being handled by her, things got messy.


Well, we had cleaned up most of the obvious mess with wipes after things had settled, and what we couldn’t handle with wipes was washed away with a small amount of water, but… the discomfort wouldn’t just disappear.

Especially since Chae-rim was a woman.


If I was starting to hit a limit with just wipes, it goes without saying she would feel much more anxious about it.

So this was my idea.


If she could at least take a shower, then while it wouldn’t completely relieve her stress, it would ease it to some extent.


‘Shower would be a bit much.’


If I could find something like a rubber hose, I could somewhat mimic a shower, but for now, this would have to do.


The real disappointment was that all I had was lukewarm water.


When you’re exhausted, there’s nothing like warm water to soak in that makes your body feel a bit better, right?

Keeping that in mind, I wanted to provide at least that warm water, but that was a bit too much for now.


There weren’t any means to do so, and the risk was high.


‘Anyway…’


With the shower area ready, it was now time to call for someone to use it.


So I turned away from there and headed back to where Chae-rim was waiting.

‘I hope she’s happy…’

“Then, I’ll be watching over there, so call me if you need anything.”

“Why? Are you planning to sneak a peek at me while I shower?”

“…Uh…”

“Just kidding! Just kidding.”

When I asked if she could follow me for a bit since I had something to show her, she willingly obliged, but I never expected something like this would come out of it.


While I was grateful for Dogun’s thoughtfulness for considering me when he must have been tired himself, I also felt a bit embarrassed.


After all, was it that obvious?


Of course, I didn’t think to turn him down or anything.


That would only dismiss the effort Dogun put into making it, and frankly, I was starting to hit my limit with feeling dirty myself.

And Dogun was probably no different.


He hadn’t been able to clean himself for days either.


‘Let’s shower quickly and get out of here.’


I murmured this to myself as I tossed aside the combat suit I was wearing.


Not knowing when the creatures might swarm again, I needed to finish my shower as quickly as possible so Dogun could have his turn, too.

Thanks to Dogun’s care, the shower I could finally take after days was helpful in managing my stress.


Using my abilities, I heated the water prepared in the shower area, pouring it over myself made me feel like all the fatigue and stress inside me was melting away.

“Ahh…”


Savoring that refreshing and pleasant sensation like something inside me was ringing, I started to think it would soon be time to step aside.


Just then, something suddenly triggered in my detection net, which I had set up even while showering.


Reacting instinctively, I dashed out of the shower area the moment I sensed something.


“Ahaha, hi there.”


‘That’ voice drilled into my ears.