This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 660

‘How long…’

How much longer do I have to wait?

It had already been an hour since the nine who decided to head upwards disappeared into the corridor that seemed to lead above.

With that, could it be that everyone was beginning to feel a bit anxious?

“This is really… just waiting aimlessly is tormenting.”

“Right? I didn’t think it would take this long…”

“But surely, we’ll get a signal soon, right?”

In various corners, grumbles began to bloom like flowers named Complaints.

That must have been the moment everyone was doing their best to hide their impatience.

Boom—!

The sound that had reverberated through the narrow tunnel was of a different dimension entirely compared to the weight that compelled them to hurry forward.

No, it struck the chamber directly.

Yes, that was exactly the case.

What initially sounded like an explosion quickly enveloped the chamber, and an incredibly intense tremor began to shake it.

It was as if a giant had swung down an arm to smack the chamber.

“Cough…!”

“E-everyone, be careful!”

Even if the chamber was made of flesh instead of rock, could it have been safe against such a shock?

Deep cracks began to mar the rough surface that swayed so violently; what followed was a sticky sound as it began to split open.

Then, pouring out from those gaps were transparent and viscous liquids that were indistinguishable—like those observed when facing the ‘roots’ at the forward base.

There was no guarantee these contained harmful substances, but it was undoubtedly clear that getting drenched in that would not lead to a pleasant outcome.

Perhaps for that reason, everyone’s expressions turned urgent as they began to unleash their talents, but the ice flowers that erupted from beneath their feet were far more effective than their frantic attempts.

As if to freeze the air itself, the white chill spread everywhere, bringing the ice flowers that bloomed along the ground face to face with the oncoming wave.

Wave and flower field.

Logically, one would expect the flower field to be wiped out without a trace at the moment they clashed, yet the scene before them was the opposite.

Chiiiiiing—!

Was the temperature greater than it appeared?

With a sound reminiscent of a scorching iron plate, steam instead enveloped everywhere.

Just like that, the ice flowers that stood against the approaching wave began to stretch their stems as if they had no intention of stopping.

Would that be the appearance if one were to freeze the entire sea during a strong wind?

What had an ominous momentum that threatened to engulf them suddenly became ice.

Then, unable to withstand the momentum behind, it shattered into countless pieces.

But that was merely the beginning.

The liquid, filled with chunks—big or small—froze in place.

Then shattered again.

Frozen and broken.

That spectacle repeated itself over and over.

The moment it finally fell silent was when a small drop of sweat began to trickle down Yoonseo’s face.

“Phew…!”

Perhaps it was due to its immense size?

Even though it was merely a part of the root that got wounded, the amount of fluid gushing out was staggering.

If this was just a segment, how much would it be when combined with all the roots sprawled out?

Confronted with such overwhelming numbers, one might lose the sense of how significant they truly were; it felt dizzyingly immense.

“Maybe…”

It might be impossible alone.

That’s what I almost mumbled because of that thought.

“Excuse me? What did you say?”

“Oh, nothing.”

But… I should give it a try.

If it doesn’t work, I can just let these people handle the rest.

“It looks like they’ve already started up there; we should begin as well.”

“Are you sure? You seemed to have exerted quite a bit just now…”

“Tracking what’s where isn’t a problem.”

What really mattered would be what happened after.

Swallowing the words I couldn’t bring myself to voice, I took my spot in the middle of the chamber.

As I settled into my position, the remaining four began to encircle us defensively.

“No matter what happens, I won’t let a single finger be laid on you, Miss O. So don’t worry and focus on tracking the roots.”

I nodded slightly in response to one of them.

And then… I closed my eyes.

Shutting my eyes… I focused on the liquid still pouring out from the split gaps.

Since I was squeezing my eyes shut to bring my concentration to the max, I couldn’t see anything.

Yet, I could still see it.

The sight of something that flowed like a stream across a valley, now beginning to shoot upward into the air in harmony with the guiding hand,

And how those rising streams morphed into round shapes reminiscent of rice cakes,

It was all as clear as if I were witnessing it with my own eyes.

Those rounded forms, shaped like rice cakes, began to scatter everywhere.

It reminded me of hunting dogs tracking their prey.

And finally… the last operation to completely wipe out the ‘Another,’ known as humanity’s nemesis, had begun.

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At the very moment Yoonseo began tracking,

The nine heroes who had headed ‘up’ long ago faced the ‘Tree,’ which could be described as the embodiment of ‘Another,’ and had already entered into battle.

However, their expressions were far from pleasant… The reason was simple.

It was because of the scene unfurling behind the Queen, who stood protectively over the Tree.

Even from below, it was dreadful, but facing it directly was more horrifying.

The sight of thousands upon thousands of humans hanging along the walls like artifacts displayed in a museum shocked the heroes—

And even Chae-rim, who was known for her unmatched combat sense despite her talents, was astonished when confronted with the ‘Queen.’

The gap that emerged in such a scenario led to devastating consequences, easily claiming the lives of those who came seeking to wipe out this world’s formidable foe.

A will so vast that it could use the brains of countless humans as a secondary processing unit.

And this will was carefully molded into an existence that could defend itself against external threats.

Although it had developed some curiosity towards humans due to an incident that occurred, the ‘Queen’ was originally such a being…

When Chae-rim, who faced her nemesis for the first time, learned the method of killing through ‘experience’ and ‘study,’ the gap that formed was far too easily filled with the lives of those who had come to erase her from this world.

“Gack…!”

“Ugh…!”

Like it had always been there, a long, thin white mass protruded from the bodies of the last two standing heroes.

The bodies of the two, who had each given up their sides and hearts, began to shrink in an alarming manner.

It was as if that mass was absorbing something from within them.

“Hmm, I see.”

Thud—!

In the end, the two fell helplessly to the ground.

“Your…”

An indescribable chill enveloped the area.

And into the silence that descended echoed only—

“You’ve come to kill me.”

It was just the voice of the ‘Queen.’

A voice laced with sorrow; thus, everyone felt the urge to retch.

And even more so, they were horrified.

The two who had just fallen were not the kind to be taken out so easily, even if their rank was the lowest in this spot.

Even they would need to struggle for quite a while to subdue those two.

Yet, to see them fall in an instant like this…

Indeed, it happened in the blink of an eye.

It was precisely for that reason everyone couldn’t help but recall.

The image of ants crushed without a trace beneath human feet.

Maybe it was because that sight surged in their minds, but fear began to swell in the eyes of the remaining people.

As everyone was being engulfed by such terror—

“Hmm, this is much worse than I expected.”

An emotionlessly dull voice cut through the group.

“—I have to do it again.”

Snap—!