By Zephyria 
[The Abyss Dweller of Crimson Flames]
Though they were the same characters, they were different from the True Eye Text that emitted an ominous warning. Not only were they complete, but these characters were drawn in the air as if embroidered using the beginning and end of fate as the thread. Yoo Jiha instinctively felt what these characters, which compressed identity and the trajectory of a life, signified.
To recognize another by calling it, and to become a representation of existence. A name.
Just in case, he read it aloud with a trembling voice.
“The, The Abyss Dweller of Crimson Flames?”
「……¡」
One of the Aberrations, which had raised its spear high to blow away Jeil Heon’s head, flinched and turned its face. Not only the Aberration, but Jeil Heon also wore a look of surprise. Is—is it really their name? Jiha hurried to read the remaining names.
“The Despairer of Sulfur. The Forgetter of Black Flames.”
「How do you know our names¡」
「There is no way a human could knowww¡」
They really were the Aberrations’ names. Not identification codes assigned by the Management Bureau, but names the Aberrations, possessing egos, had given themselves. He decided to ignore the fact that their naming sense was so cringeworthy that the person calling them felt embarrassed.
「Human. What is your name¿」
“Yoo, Yoo Jiha.”
Calling their names did not cause the situation to change drastically. The Aberrations did not surrender, nor did they suddenly harbor infinite goodwill. However, at the very least, conversation became possible.
The human and the Aberrations viewed each other as subjects rather than objects. Being able to name oneself meant that one’s existence was confirmed, and recognizing this meant they could regard each other as equals and form a relationship. That was the nature of a name.
“Abyss Dweller of Crimson Flames, Despairer of Sulfur, Forgetter of Black Flames. I know it’s your rule to punish sinners, but rescuing this person is also our duty. Isn’t there any way we can compromise?”
「I can give you half of the sinner’s body.」
「Upper half.」
「Lower half.」
「You choose.」
The only way the victim had even a sliver of a chance of surviving was the upper half… Just as a gruesome image flickered through his mind, Jeil Heon, who had been silent, spoke up.
“Since he committed his sins with his tongue, how about pulling out the tongue?”
「Mere bodily mutilation cannot atone for the sin¡」
“This Aberrant Realm hasn’t even been open for a month. You say you’re imitating humans, but you don’t even have an opening sale?”
「……¿¡」
Jiha was more surprised that the Aberration was persuaded by those words than by Jeil Heon suggesting they pull out a tongue as if it were as simple as plucking a hair. And the victim, who had been spaced out not knowing how the situation was unfolding, truly had his tongue ripped out by the Aberration.
“Aaaagh!”
The victim, whose thick chunk of flesh was torn out entirely, rolled his eyes back and fainted, while flames flying from the Aberration’s fingertips cauterized the wound to stop the bleeding.
「It is an opening service.」
“Oh, thanks.”
The Hell Warden entities disappeared after leaving a word that they wouldn’t enter their house again because compromising was too tedious.
As the Aberrations vanished, the stifling heat that had been pressing down on the air lifted, and the lava and cliffs disappeared. Only the shimmering white mist in the distance remained as the same scenery.
[Hidden World Record]
Name: Olle Trail Great Blazing Hell Painting
Classification: Aberrant Realm-O-Pi-084
First Sighting Date: 202X, Month X, Day X
Survival Rate: Less than 10%
Exploration Rate: Estimated less than 20%
Unexplored Area: Everything except the Path of Murder and Private Opinion
Remarks: A painting that was temporarily quarantined by the Jeju Branch disappeared and was rediscovered in Incheon. Some people who witnessed the painting in Incheon immediately left for Jeju Island and went missing. As a result of experiments with criminals, it was confirmed that people who have committed sins punishable in the Great Blazing Hell feel an extremely strong urge to go to that location upon witnessing the painting.
There were discussions regarding closure, but it was decided to monitor it for the time being considering the extremely poor internal environment. Can’t they just not commit sins?
Along with the Procedure Manual, drugs to stabilize the victim’s psyche will be placed in the Hell Painting. Also, please note that the Ministry of Justice has requested a consultation to use the Hell Painting as a method of execution for death row inmates serving time for murder.
In the first exploration, Agent Jeil Heon succeeded in compromising by threatening the Aberrations to mutilate a part of the victim’s body; however, as this is a clever move only possible for Agent Jeil Heon, please do not attempt to imitate it rashly. Especially Agent Lee Kang-min, I am talking to you.
└ Why me ㅠㅠ
The memories of the cyber wrecker, who had been a victim of the Olle Trail Great Blazing Hell Painting, were erased. However, perhaps due to some influence on his subconscious, he trembled and turned himself in to the police as soon as he was discharged from the hospital.
The full story of the influencer’s suicide case was as follows. The cyber wrecker had conspired with the influencer’s ex-boyfriend and intentionally uploaded fabricated and slanderous videos. On the day the influencer attempted suicide, they visited her house and found her unconscious after the rope she had just hung herself with snapped. The cyber wrecker tried to call 119, but the ex-boyfriend blocked him and hung her by the neck again.
He didn’t know if the world had become a little better, but at least one murder case that was about to be buried had come to light. He wondered if it was fair to think that rescuing him instead of leaving him be had some meaning.
‘My memories have become very blurry, but…’
Having seen visions of naked corpses, the sight of a tongue being ripped out was equally cruel. Even Yoo Jiha, who prided himself on his tempered mental state, found it hard to endure and received an incantation in the infirmary to blur his memories. Thanks to that, the horrific scenes in the Hell Painting faded quickly like an old nightmare.
However, the sensation of reading the names remained vivid. Unlike the true eye, there was no strain on his eyes, and it was as natural as scanning his vision normally. It wasn’t as if he had forced it to fit; it felt as if it had found its rightful place.
But that was all. He didn’t know what more he could do just by knowing names. Honestly, if it were the company, he felt they would choose to kill or quarantine an Aberration rather than have a conversation with one. He didn’t know how this sudden manifestation happened, but he wished it were a more useful ability that could help Jeil Heon.
Moreover, even that didn’t last long. Perhaps it was a one-time occurrence, because after some time had passed since escaping the Aberrant Realm, the names became invisible again. Jeil Heon also looked quite troubled.
〈I don’t know if I should say it’s a good thing. A rare ability that only you possess is actually dangerous.〉
〈Why isn’t this one allowed? It’s the same that only I can lower your Corruption Level, Mister.〉
〈Instead, the target for that is only me. Since it’s been proven that it has no effect on other Aberrations, Suk-young is overlooking you. On the other hand, no one knows what utility reading an Aberration’s name has until it’s tested. You heard why Captain Jeong naturalized in our country, right?〉
It was because he was sick of being treated as a test subject.
〈Suk-young is the type of person who would willingly sacrifice the few for the sake of the many. She will force that choice not only on herself but on others as well.〉
Despite being the closest of friends, he evaluated her sternly. The pride of being loyal to the state and protecting the citizens constituted Kang Suk-young and was her great cause.
〈You too, Mister? Is your disposition similar because you’re friends?〉
At those words, Jeil Heon laughed lightly and stroked his hair. Leaving only the words, “I’m the opposite.”
What did he mean by that? While absentmindedly touching the hair he had stroked, Jiha quickly got off the bus when it arrived at the stop. It had been a while since he’d come home because he’d been too busy dating. He decided he should pack something delicious to feed the Mister.
On the Saturday Yoo Jiha went down to his family home in Suwon, Jeil Heon climbed a mountain path carrying a single black bag. It was a bag containing an artifact he had blackmailed—no, requested—from an Aberration he met in Hamhung.
Meeting the owner of an artifact is not an easy task. Jeil Heon could not visit Jongmyo Shrine personally, and even if he did, the possibility of being allowed to meet as a mere individual was slim.
Because of this, he asked Gong Ran-sa, who had not been corrupted even after becoming an anomaly, to deliver a message. The request of a patriot who sacrificed himself for the independence of Korea would not be easily refused. Even if the owner did not appear before him, he would descend. After that, it was his job to persuade the owner of the artifact.
As he climbed the mountain, he was immersed in the same thoughts as Yoo Jiha. The reason Yoo Jiha was able to accurately grasp the essence of Jeil Heon—the one who had fused with an Aberration at Eight Phases Mental Hospital—and read the True Eye Text was because he possessed the true eye that Jeil Heon had given him.
However, the case of the Hell Painting was different.