novelraw Chapter 6 : Chapter 6
Chapter 6 : Chapter 6
Chapter 6: Murderer (2)
"......Th, th, that."
For a moment, Seo Yeonhwa found it hard to even breathe.
Her trembling hand, unbeknownst to her, dropped the knife.
Was the problem that she assumed the witch, just because it took a human form, was the same species as her?
However, for any kind of animal, wasn't the neck a vital spot?
-Huhu. A brave person. Wonderful.-
The witch who spoke tilted her neck at a bizarre angle.
Crack.
The dagger embedded in her neck fell out as if it were flicked away.
It was done without using a hand.
Snap.
The witch, setting her head straight again, spoke.
-You already. Seem to have decided to walk the path of Ma.-
Seo Yeonhwa recalled the magic the witch had used.
The scene where she made a human explode with a single glance.......
-Hmm? What do you think.-
Thoughts or anything.
Nothing came to mind.
She couldn't think of anything.
Unable to come up with even a handful of crude excuses that she needed to spit out right away.
She fell, trembling violently.
Thud.
-Oh my, how cute. To be this nervous.-
"......"
-But you don't need to worry. I only punish those who deviate from the scenario. I won't cause any harm to an excellent participant like you.-
The witch's words were true.
Her words held a certain magical power that made them 'impossible to disbelieve'.
They were words that seeped into the heart, faster than understanding.
"Th, then me? What on earth?"
-Courage is.......-
The witch extended her hand.
-Always a virtue to be praised.-
It seemed she intended to help her up.
-Valor. A mindset more suited to the mythological age than modern times. I...... no, we feel favorable towards people like you.-
Seo Yeonhwa took the witch's hand and stood up.
Even the goblins around her did not try to attack her.
Instead, wouldn't a goblin passing by her give a slight nod of its head?
At a glance, it even looked like a greeting.
-Because you are already a monster.-
The witch gave a fresh smile.
-There's no need for repentance. You haven't committed a sin. It would be correct to call you a pioneer who has merely adapted to the new order.-
[The Constellation ‘Serpent of the Deep’ is looking at Seo Yeonhwa.]
A phrase appeared on Seo Yeonhwa's status window.
The moment the text appeared, her gaze was drawn to it, even though she didn't intend it.
'Constellation? If it's a Constellation, is it what the witch talked about?'
But she still didn't know what a Constellation was.
Soon.
She would find out.
[The Constellation ‘Serpent of the Deep’ is sponsoring Seo Yeonhwa.]
An unknown energy began to fill her body, and the witch blessed her.
-Live with your sin. Make that your new order.-
And then.......
"Ugh!"
Seo Yeonhwa felt something changing.
The 'Stigma', a blessing bestowed by the Constellation, was delivered.
But who could call that a blessing?
Scales were sprouting from her skin.
Her fangs grew sharper, holes opened in her stomach and chest.
A snake that appeared from somewhere pierced through her body in a figure-eight pattern.
"Ah. Ah. Ah."
Her round pupils split, becoming long and vertical.
[Snake's Molt]
[The body's durability and regeneration are enhanced.]
[Physical Resistance C]
[Regeneration B]
"Aaaaah!"
As she screamed, her mouth grew large enough to far surpass a human's body.
[Snake's Predation]
[The mouth becomes larger. Can swallow things up to 6 times the body's size, and no harm will come from swallowing anything alive.]
She knew without looking in a mirror.
She was becoming a monster.
The witch approached her and whispered.
-That scream. Please let me hear it more clearly. The Constellation might be pleased, you know.-
[The Constellation ‘Serpent of the Deep’ is satisfied with Seo Yeonhwa's aptitude.]
-Such unconventional sponsorship is rare, after all.-
***
[4th Floor]
It was a place already swept through by goblins, and the hallway and guest rooms were littered with corpses.
More people had died from being pushed and trampled by each other than were killed by goblins.
"Leave it. It's a fruitless task."
Han Chulwoon said without looking back.
"Yes......"
Kang Yuha had tried to look for any possible survivors.
But the man issued a death certificate with a single word.
'......How can he know without even looking. Is he reading my mind?'
Past that hallway, to the place with a vending machine.
Clang!
Grrrind.
Han Chulwoon struck it with force.
The vending machine spat out drinks.
He could have put money in and bought them.
It was just, this way was more fun, so he tried it.
Violence was stuck to him like a habit.
Though it was a violence that was now controllable.......
Plop.
Han Chulwoon picked up a fallen drink.
Click.
Fsssss-
The coldness of the can.
The sensation at his fingertips of pulling the tab.
Even the refreshing sound of the carbonation, which had been compressed inside, bursting out.
That refreshingness.
Just with his hands and ears, it was already enjoyable.
Gulp.
He poured it down his throat.
He slammed it down in one go, to an extent that was almost eccentric.
Only after pouring it down so much that his nose stung and tingled.
"Kheu."
He lowered the can, frowning.
And he used coins.
[You have raised Stamina by 2 points.]
[Strength : 13]
[Stamina : 15]
[Focus : 8]
[Willpower : Error(Unknown)]
[101coin remaining.]
With this, Stamina was 15.
It was the stamina level of a well-trained athlete.
'The minimum requirements have been met.'
The liquid fructose seemed to instantly seep into his blood vessels.
At the same time, thanks to raising the Stamina stat, his body began to recover rapidly.
A refreshing sensation, like carbonation, seeped deep into his body.
He opened another can, and consumed the sugar.
Gulp gulp.
And then, after crushing the empty can.
Crunch!
He tossed it on the floor.
He picked up another drink.
He drank the drinks in succession, almost like breathing.
At that moment.
Swoosh.
A hand approaching from behind picked up the crushed can and moved it into the trash bin.
"It's a ship that will be abandoned anyway."
Han Chulwoon said.
"......Still."
Kang Yuha answered hesitantly.
"Fine. If it makes you feel better."
Han Chulwoon let out a small laugh.
He liked this kind of conversation.
They were words that had flowed in many previous lives, but he wanted to hear them again today.
So he wouldn't forget again.
She was a woman who was good beyond her measure.
It was a heavy morality for she herself, and for Han Chulwoon, it was a heart so fine it was too dazzling, making him squint.
"......"
That reaction was welcome.
Things like cans scattered on the street, even in peaceful times, few people would have cared.
"Take this."
He handed her 3 fruit drinks.
They were all drinks that Kang Yuha liked.
"Oh?"
She was surprised to see the drinks.
But she didn't ask again.
Her adaptation was fast.
She was about to take a sip and say thank you, but Han Chulwoon was already moving far ahead.
Without him saying to follow, she walked after Han Chulwoon.
***
They arrived at a guest room on the 4th floor.
There, a man was dead.
He had been stabbed in the neck with a sharp object.
He was the person who would later earn the nickname, ‘Punisher of Glass Shards’.
His name was Kim Jinheon.
He was a one-time colleague.
If he had given up on Kang Yuha and come to this ship from the beginning, this was a guy he used to make a colleague.
He was a rotten guy, but he was also a guy who listened well after being beaten a few times, and he carried out dirty errands well.
If you got down to it, he was a guy who clicked better with him than Kang Yuha.
On top of that guy's corpse.
Flick.
He flicked his finger, sending a white flower flying.
'Sleep well.'
It was just.
Because he couldn't gather them all.
He just left it.
The more he learned of various futures, the more he realized how many possibilities had to be discarded just to move forward.
The branches of fate he could not choose kept catching his eye.
They say you can't get everything you want in life, but the truth he didn't want to admit was that what gets discarded in the process is human beings.
It's a life that won't get any better.
He finished his brief reminiscence and spoke.
"Yuha."
"Yes?"
"You go around the left hallway and retrieve weapons. There should be a box."
Han Chulwoon picked up a knife of about 30cm from the next room.
[Short Sword]
[It is a short sword.]
[Slash E]
[Thrust E]
It was a Short Sword.
Usually, there are various swords that can be classified as a short sword.
However, this was shorter than the general class of short swords.
It was an object that was half-close to a dagger.
Well, if you directly translate 'short sword', it is 'dagger', but.......
What is commonly called a short sword is closer to a 'smallsword' than a dagger.
'A weapon prepared for beginners.'
By now, people with nowhere left to run on the 1st floor would be searching all over the ship, seeking survival.
This was a weapon prepared to be found naturally in the midst of doing so.
'It would be a good thing if that weapon was aimed only at monsters.'
What is sharper than a weapon is human suspicion, and that seed had already been sown.
The rule that if you kill a person, you become a 'monster' and won't be attacked.
In addition to that, isn't it showing the goblins slowly descending one floor at a time from above?
'Internal conflict will arise.'
The scenario never commands.
It always leaves a small gap, and lets people slip through that gap.
It gives the illusion of choice.
But the scenario participants probably don't know that whichever path they take, they're in the state of livestock being dragged to a slaughterhouse.
'Choice....... Yes, it's something that must be done by now.'
He knows their purpose.
And, he knows their secret principles of action.
Even if he doesn't try to predict what's next, he predicts it out of habit.
The memories he tried to shake off keep fanning him, telling him to take the efficient path.
'......But.'
If it's a life of just being swept away by past memories.
He would see the same result every time.
The direction he thought was most efficient is a large, clear highway.
Whose end is blocked.......
It was a future whose end he had confirmed countless times, repeating it with futile hope.
'That's why, I have no choice but to kill.'
Swoosh.
He thought as he looked at the knife he obtained.
An original smallsword would be larger than this, and its killing power superior to this dagger.
However, it's heavy.
To the point that it's difficult for a normal person to swing it even a few times.
Besides, in a narrow space like the ship's interior, its length could actually be a hindrance.
Because you could swing it and hit the person next to you, or hit a wall.
A dagger is easier to handle.
It's a small consideration, in a way.
And another room.
[Hand Axe]
[It is a hand axe.]
[Slash E]
[Shock D]
There was an axe, too.
The destructive power is definitely superior on the axe's side, but it's not easy to handle because of its size and weight.
However.
Swoosh-
Swoosh-
Han Chulwoon skillfully cut through the air.
He liked the feeling of the weight in his hand.
He felt the inertia, moving by absorbing his body weight.
Twirl.
He tossed it lightly into the air and caught it.
'Yes. This much weight is good.'
He familiarized his hand with the sensation of swinging it.
[You have acquired Weapon Mastery (Lowest).]
[The possibility for the following skills has been opened.]
[Sword Mastery (Lowest)]
[Axe Mastery (Lowest)]
[Spear Mastery (Lowest)]
[Bow Mastery.......
.......
Just by playing around with it for a moment, the skill was activated.
It was thanks to the experience latent in Han Chulwoon's memory.
However, since he already knew all of it, it ended at his hand feeling a little more comfortable.
But even a small difference was reward enough.
And Kang Yuha returned, having found two more weapons.
"Here they are."
One more Short Sword.
And there was also a Hammer.
As for why all the names were in English, Han Chulwoon didn't know either.
There were many weapons with ordinary Korean names, but strangely, among the beginner weapons, there were many in English.
"Yes, good work."
Han Chulwoon took all the weapons and rubbed them on the ogre hide he had brought.
He was smearing the ogre's blood and fat.
To a human, this blood or that blood would feel the same, but goblins distinguish ogre blood.
He could expect the effect of them being afraid and hesitating for a moment.
In addition, the ogre's fat helps prevent the weapon's blade from being easily damaged.
'The blade becomes duller instead, but it's not like opponents who can be cut in a single blow are common anyway.'
Next to him, Kang Yuha's lips twitched.
There was a lot she wanted to ask.
The reason Han Chulwoon came to this ship.
And the current situation, his actions, and everything else was a question.......
"I'm a regressor."
"......Yes? Just now......."
"Yes. What you heard is correct."
At his abrupt answer.
Kang Yuha suddenly had the experience of reality clinging tightly to her skin.
A regressor.......
Absurdly, that one unrealistic word explained so many things.
Was there such a reason for him acting as if he knew everything?
Did he even know that she sometimes read NovelBins, and that regression was often used as a subject?
Like now.
It even explained the reason why he threw out the answer before she even asked anything.
His words and actions were close to precognition.
[The Constellation ‘Six-Eyed Prophet’ is uncomfortable with Han Chulwoon's precognition.]
[The Constellation ‘Six-Eyed Prophet’ says that the overuse of prophecy breeds tragedy.]
He didn't even add a reason why she should believe this absurd explanation of 'regressor'.
That, rather.......
"It was a sufficient explanation."
Became belief.
Han Chulwoon didn't reply to her words.
Because she was a person who grew stronger when left alone.
Because she was a person who, if you just set her direction a little, would realize more on her own than if you taught her in detail.
The many stories he wanted to tell her if they met again, he firmly pressed them down.