By Zephyria This bastard, really. Eui-jae tried to pry Sa-young’s hand off his neck, but strangely, he couldn’t muster any strength.
Lee Sa-young scrutinized Eui-jae’s face intently before reaching out with his other hand. The large hand clicked, removing the mask.
Thud…. The mask, which hadn’t been repaired long ago, fell powerlessly to the floor. Eui-jae glared at Sa-young with wide eyes. Okay, he’s seen my face, so he’ll stop this rude behavior.
‘You’re dead.’
Forget comforting, I’ll start with re-education.
However.
Sa-young showed no change in expression or attitude even after seeing Eui-jae’s face. Rather, the hand gripping his neck tightened even more. Enough to make it hard for Eui-jae to bear. If it were a normal person, their neck would have broken long ago. Eui-jae coughed, gritting his teeth.
‘This bastard…!’
He barely opened his eyes to see the man in front of him. Lee Sa-young, while mercilessly strangling him, was meticulously examining Eui-jae’s face with his gloomy purple eyes. Finally, he lowered his eyes and sighed softly.
“What was I expecting….”
It was a lonely and self-deprecating voice. Eui-jae stopped struggling. Unease crept up his neck. Lee Sa-young’s attitude right now was as if….
‘He doesn’t seem to recognize me….’
This was an unexpected development. Could the entrance have led to another world? He wanted to say something, but only choking sounds came out as he was being strangled. Gradually, he began to run out of breath.
A languid voice echoed.
“It’s annoying…. It’s not an illusion, and the fact that you’re really alive, even more so.”
“Cough, huh….”
“Can’t have that…. Someone like you, wearing this mask.”
Squeeze. The hand gripping his neck tightened even more. Purple eyes gleamed ominously.
“I want to kill you….”
‘He’s really going to strangle me to death!’
How much did I suffer to come back here? I couldn’t die at his hands like this. Eui-jae put strength into his hands to remove the strangling hand, and gradually gave momentum to his legs, which were dangling in the air. It was then.
“Lee Sa-young! What are you doing right now?”
A sharp voice flew in. The hand pressing down on his neck loosened slightly. Eui-jae didn’t miss the opportunity and struck Sa-young’s wrist hard. Without time to break his fall, his feet and knees hit the floor with a thud.
Eui-jae, almost prostrate, clutched his throbbing neck and coughed. He gasped for breath, which made him gag. Eui-jae scratched at the floor, panting. Tears welled up in his eyes. Cough, cough…. Through the rough, continuous coughing, the sharp voice rebuked again.
“You…. Wow, were you just trying to strangle someone to death? Are you really crazy?”
“…….”
“You’ve lost it again. Can’t you open your eyes properly? Hey!”
“…Get lost.”
“That’s it! Hey, don’t go alone! Wait there!”
The hem of a black coat fluttered as he walked away. The sweet scent also faded away. Eui-jae coughed and caught his breath. Someone approached the spot where Lee Sa-young had left. A gentle and firm hand grabbed Eui-jae’s shoulder.
“Hey, are you okay?”
It was a familiar voice. Eui-jae struggled to lift his head. Honeybee was staring at him with a worried look. Eui-jae blankly stared at her and nodded.
“…Yes, I’m okay…. Cough, cough.”
However, he couldn’t even finish a single word before a cough burst out. Honeybee patted Eui-jae’s back and clicked her tongue.
“I’m sorry, he’s been a bit… um, not in his right mind lately. Look up for a second. Let me see your neck. …Oh my! You’re going to have a bad bruise.”
“…….”
“I want to heal you, but I don’t have any spare Elixir right now…. I wonder if Doctor will heal you? He’s been busy lately.”
Eui-jae rubbed his sore neck. Suddenly, a question popped up. Honeybee knows the face of the Hanover Soup Restaurant worker, even if she doesn’t know the face behind J’s mask. He rubs his face. It’s his bare face.
‘Why isn’t she pretending to know me?’
“Ga-eul! Come here for a second!”
“Yes? Yes!”
Eui-jae lifted his head. Student Ga-eul, wearing glasses and with her hair down, was running over. Seeing her adult form, it seems like I came to the right place. Ga-eul was carrying a small bag around her waist. Honeybee pointed to Eui-jae.
“This person, Lee Sa-young strangled him? Do you have any Elixir left?”
“Yes? Uh, just a moment….”
Ga-eul started rummaging through her bag in a fluster. Soon, she took out a bandage with a tearful face.
“I’m sorry, I used up all the Elixir earlier…. I only have bandages.”
“Then wrap the bandage around him. Anyone can tell he’s been strangled right now.”
“Yes… just a moment!”
Ga-eul approached with the bandage. Eui-jae blankly stared at her. Student Ga-eul knows Cha Eui-jae’s face. She also knows that he is J. However, she was treating him as if he were a stranger.
‘What is it?’
Careful hands touched Eui-jae’s neck. A rough bandage wrapped around his neck. Eui-jae grabbed the hand fixing the bandage.
“Excuse me, Student Ga-eul.”
“…Yes? Uh, um. I’m not a student….”
Ga-eul rolled her eyes and asked with a troubled face.
“What’s wrong? Are you in pain…?”
“Well, it doesn’t hurt, but…. Do you perhaps not recognize me?”
“…Yes? I don’t think so.”
Ga-eul replied with a flustered expression. She didn’t seem to be lying. Even Student Ga-eul doesn’t recognize me? As Eui-jae only moved his lips, Honeybee pushed her hand in front of Eui-jae’s face. She glared at him with a displeased face.
“Hey, don’t hit on the kid.”
“No, it’s not that…!”
He was so frustrated he could jump up and down. As Eui-jae waved his hands and arms in frustration, unable to speak, Ga-eul smiled awkwardly.
“You seem to be a Hunter, so we must have run into each other at Seowon Guild…? I’m sorry, I must have forgotten.”
“Well, he must be a Hunter. If he didn’t die even after Lee Sa-young strangled him. How did you end up here? This area is a restricted zone because it’s a Whitening-progressed wasteland.”
“…….”
He felt a sense of déjà vu. What on earth is going on? Eui-jae glared at the air and summoned the System.
At that moment. A pure white System Window appeared.
[The user ‘Cha Eui-jae’ has cleared this Dungeon.]
[Also, since you died in this Dungeon, an impriting distortion effect will be applied to prevent confusion.]
Who decided that?
[The user himself agreed.]
Ah. Eui-jae rolled his eyes. Could that System Window that kept popping up right before entering have been that? He was annoyed and waved his hand to get rid of it. Eui-jae glared at the System Window.
Shouldn’t you ask at least twice?
[As a reward for clearing the Dungeon, the equipment and Inventory at the time of entering the Dungeon have been maintained.]
‘I don’t need it!’
Eui-jae looked around and found a small puddle of water. He quickly went on all fours and reflected his face in the water. It’s his face as it is. Eui-jae turned his face this way and that, thinking. It said impriting distortion effect. So, does that mean other people see a completely different face?
‘If even Lee Sa-young can’t recognize me….’
The distortion must be enormous. Eui-jae touched his clean face and sighed deeply. He heard a whispering voice from behind.
“Did he go crazy from the shock…? Ga-eul, you never know. Be careful.”
“Yes, Unni.”
I can hear everything.
Eui-jae staggered to his feet. Even though his face is distorted, can’t I just reveal who I am with words? They’ll believe me if I provide evidence. Since his face is distorted, there’s no risk of Honeybee recognizing his face. Eui-jae, after confirming the presence of Lee Sa-young, who was standing a little away with his arms crossed, said in a serious voice.
“I’m J.”
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
A terrible silence flowed. The two people were not surprised, nor did they laugh, but were just staring blankly at Eui-jae. Lee Sa-young didn’t even look this way. What is it? Eui-jae said again.
“I’m telling you, I’m J. I came back in from outside.”
Honeybee frowned and tilted her head. She whispered in Ga-eul’s ear.
“…Um, what language is that? Russian? Something about Stuttgart…. Pishon bashon…. Didn’t he say that?”
“I don’t know…. I’ve never heard of it.”
“I really can’t understand a single word. You know what I mean by being so obviously suspicious that it’s not suspicious at all?”
“I know…. Could it be a Dungeon clear hint?”
“Hey, you were speaking Korean well until just now. Speak in Korean.”
Eui-jae suddenly realized. Could it be that the impriting distortion is not only on the face but also….
“Lee Sa-young! Did you understand?”
“…I don’t care.”
It was distorting the words too!
Unable to believe this reality, he tried to communicate several times. And he came to the conclusion that only when he talked about things related to the Dungeon, it was conveyed in a strangely distorted language. I’m J, and I came to pick you up, let’s go out together, let’s escape, the System crazy bastard made me like this, and so on. Even if he tried to convey his sincerity, they only looked at Eui-jae with pitiful faces. Honeybee whispered to Ga-eul again.
“His language must be mixed up because he has a problem with his head.”
No!
Nothing was easy. What should I do? Eui-jae dropped his shoulders and picked up the mask that had fallen on the floor. Honeybee’s face hardened when she saw the smooth, Go stone-like black mask. She strode up to Eui-jae. And after seeming to gauge Lee Sa-young’s reaction, she asked in a small voice.
“Is that mask yours?”
“Yes.”
“Ah…. I was wondering why he suddenly went crazy.”
Honeybee ruffled her hair irritably. She put her arm around Eui-jae’s shoulder and pulled him towards her, then lowered her voice even more.
“Hey, don’t wear this mask in front of him. I don’t know if you’re a J fan or a follower. Got it? Looking at you now, even your clothes…. Tsk, you need to change your clothes too.”
“But….”
“Just do as I say. Unless you want to be strangled again.”
“…….”
Eui-jae stroked his neck, which still had pain. Lee Sa-young really strangled him with the intention to kill him earlier…. Honeybee grumbled.
“Whenever he sees anything related to J….”
At that moment, a cold presence approached. A strong arm wrapped around Eui-jae’s neck as if to strangle him and pulled him away.
“You must be bored…. Telling all sorts of stories to a guy you’ve never met before.”
“Wait, why are you taking him again?”
“Isn’t it suspicious? He was lying in the wasteland, without Mutation, and with a body without a single wound….”
The firm arm around his neck suppressed his breath again. Damn it. He was about to strangle him to death if anything happened. Eui-jae frowned and lifted his head. Their eyes met. The purple eyes were as sharp and cold as a blade. The kindness and warmth that had always been directed at him were nowhere to be found.
Thick lips parted.
“I’ll kill you and leave, right here.”