Chapter 66: Chapter 66

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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Chapter 66: Nightmare (1)

【Many observers are pleased with the swift progress.】

【'Night Owl of the Audit Bureau' asks, "Does this channel never take breaks?"】

【'The Raven of the Administration Bureau' advises that a man must eat properly to accomplish great things.】

As soon as the mission began, the "eye" reopened, and the observers' messages poured in.

But there was no time to respond to each one.

Because—

"Wh-why is my face like this?"

Jieun's—well, what used to be Jieun's—face was distorting grotesquely.

Every visible part, from her face to her neck and even under her clothes, was crimson.

It was as if the outer layer of her skin had been peeled off, leaving only raw muscles exposed.

Yes, like a yacha from an old illustrated folio.

And that wasn’t all.

The eyes, swelling and shrinking in an instant with every movement of her facial muscles, were horrifying.

Still—

"Why are you looking at me like that...?"

Saying something like, "Your face looks like a monster," would surely hurt her feelings.

"Uh… it's just… really red."

"R-really? I don't feel hot, though∮∃..."

Huh?

It sounded like she made a strange noise at the end.

"Kyahhh! Y-your face, what's ∀∏?!"

"Yours too! What’s ¤¿ː∑ happened?!"

At that moment, Lee Yeji and the foul-mouthed colleague also screamed at the top of their lungs.

Pointing at each other with monstrous faces, they started yelling.

"Hyung-ni... H-hiiiick!"

Jaehyuk trembled as he approached but recoiled in horror.

This is… no doubt—

'It's started!'

One of the psychological test missions mentioned as an example in the proposal.

A mission supposedly used to screen large groups of people: Nightmare.

[The final mission, 'Nightmare,' has begun.]

[Defeat the Nightmare!]

The mission was designed to push participants to their limits and test their mental fortitude.

Something about "nightmares" and "illusions" had made me curious about the form it would take.

[Participant 'Lee Eunho,' the Nightmare begins.]n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

[You are tormented by illusions born of the Nightmare's terror.]

[Excessive fear causes your muscles to tense.]

[Strength stats drop significantly.]

[Agility stats drop significantly.]

Sssst!

A chill ran down my spine.

It felt like someone was blowing cold breath right behind me.

"Kyaaah—ahh! Please save me! ШЯъ, I didn't mean it!"

"A-a monster! It's ∮∃¡!"

The cacophony of screams from over a hundred people filled the air.

Still—

'I thought this was just about feeling fear when facing monsters.'

But no matter where I looked, all I saw were grotesque, monstrous figures.

Moreover, their speech was increasingly distorted, making communication difficult.

'With the "Disobedience" title…'

It granted a benefit to perceive the core of things.

I glanced around, hoping it might help, but nothing stood out.

Every creature, without exception, had a pulsating, bright red organ near its chest.

Just one thing was different.

['Disobedience' title effect reduces Nightmare's impact slightly!]

[You can hear the Nightmare's words!]

‘I nearly missed hearing that garbled mess.’

Exhaling, I tried to calm myself.

The feeling that something would soon tear at my neck and limbs made my entire body freeze.

The thought dominated my mind: I can’t trust anyone but myself.

But—

"Summon!"

I couldn’t just stand idly by.

The moment I felt the familiar weight of the sword in my hand, I calmed down a little.

Who would have thought that stroking a weapon could bring comfort?

It was a strange sensation, but for now—

'I must stay composed.'

According to the proposal, this Nightmare was said to bring out the "fear of the abyss."

It would manifest the thing one feared most, drawn from deep within.

What could it be?

My abyssal fear.

'Death? Deletion? Or perhaps… an overwhelmingly strong, unbeatable foe?'

All were possible.

Truly, each was terrifying to the core.

Even so, I resolved to face whatever came, gripping the handle of the sword.

Then—

[Participant 'Lee Eunho,' you have entered the Nightmare's domain.]

With a chilling message, I suddenly felt it—

'!!'

The weight of something I had forgotten on my leg.

"Ha."

A hollow laugh escaped as I clutched my pant leg.

And then let go.

—Swiik, tap.

Just as I had every day for the past ten years.

Is this it?

The deepest fear buried within me.

"Damn it! Why are my legs...?"

— Swoosh, tap. Swoosh, tap.

‘Going back to the old days.’

To the time when all I had was my body, and then I lost even that.

Back to those days when I desperately struggled to survive, no matter what.

‘...Better than being erased.’

I can’t run, fight properly, or even dodge.

Thinking this, I let out a self-deprecating chuckle.

And then, Jaehyuk, beside me...

"Kyaaaah! M-my body! What the...!"

Collapsed and flailed on the ground.

Even though it was a monstrous thing, his intact limbs dangled as if they’d fallen off his body.

“Heeeek! It’s tearing apart! What the hell!!!”

He even started grinding his face against the asphalt in sheer panic.

Damn it.

Jaehyuk’s hallucination... It must be...

‘The experience of having his whole body disassembled, piece by piece.’

"Aaaaaargh! What the hell!!!"

“Jaehyuk, it’s just a hallucination! Don’t worry!”

I came to my senses and shouted, but it was too late.

“Aaaaaaaah!”

Jaehyuk seemed completely unable to hear anything by now.

His dilated pupils were filled with fear and despair, and his wide-open mouth looked like it was about to drool.

But.

— Clang!

...Maybe it’s better that he can’t hear.

Because if he could hear the sound of blades clashing, growing closer from the distance, it might only make him more desperate.

— Thud!

A monster wielding a bone spear attacked another monster, ragged and blood-red.

That’s how it appeared.

But the sounds it made...

“Gyaaah! ...Ugh!”

“What the hell?! Don’t come near me!”

...were nothing but the grotesque screams of ordinary people.

“Everyone, grab your weapons! We’re about to be attacked!”

I shouted to the others around me, but there wasn’t much we could do.

In the chaos of battle, I couldn’t even tell if the figure before me was Jieun or an incubus.

— Thwack!

“What the hell is happening?!”

“Get lost, damn it!”

We couldn’t recognize them, and they would kill anything they saw.

At this point, fighting with our eyes closed wouldn’t be much different.

But.

‘I can’t just sit and take it.’

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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Even in the middle of this brutal, indistinguishable melee, I have to figure it out.

The difference between humans and monsters.

— Pitiful... humans...

— Peace through death...

Maybe it was due to the title I held, but I occasionally caught phrases, presumably spoken by the incubi.

But that was all.

With everyone so mixed up in this vast space, it was impossible to tell who was saying what.

Still.

‘There’s got to be something.’

I focused all my vision on the sporadic battles happening around me.

‘Huh?’

I blinked at a strange sense of déjà vu.

Above the monsters’ heads floated red numbers, indicating their remaining health.

The rate at which it decreased was different.

「91.0%」

「87.0%」

「83.0%」

...

Most of the health bars were dropping by 1% at a time.

But for one...

「99.7%」

「99.4%」

「99.3%」

...

The health was decreasing by only 0.1% per hit.

Despite being stabbed and slashed just like the others, the minimal fluctuation in health indicated that its base health was at least ten times higher.

‘Is it that one?’

Click!

With a strange certainty, I raised the gun I had already summoned.

Thanks to the creature carving its way toward me, there were no obstacles between its back and me.

All I had to do was pull the trigger.

But.

‘What if I’m wrong?’

Hesitating over insufficient evidence, I paused for a moment.

“By the way...”

Jieun, looking monstrous herself, tilted her head and spoke.

“Why is that one hitting a person instead of the monsters?”

Huh?

“Hey! There’s a monster right next to it, isn’t there?”

She even shouted in confusion.

Wait a second.

‘Could it be...?’

A possibility flashed through my mind.

And simultaneously, I shouted.

"Jieun, how do I look?"

"Æ€?!"

Jieun's flushed red face turned towards me, and her eyeball, as big as a fist, pop! shot out.

Not entirely, though—more like it dangled on a red string, springing like a coil.

"Ugh."

Fighting the impulse to avert my eyes, I waited for her response.

Jieun finally opened her mouth.

"ΔΘφ... your eyes are clear, your nose is ъ¤∮... you're handsome!"

As expected.

There was a reason she’d been spewing incomprehensible nonsense earlier.

To Jieun’s eyes, we looked perfectly normal—not like monsters.

And the reason for that was...

"Your mental fortitude is high, so you’re immune to illusions!"

"What? The illusion’s ‰∀ already started?"

Pop!

Her spring-loaded eyeball shot out again, but I ignored it and pointed toward the thing I had been watching.

With an assured gesture, I asked:

"Is there a monster here? Where?"

"Uh… right there, under the traffic signal ‰∮! Just now, with a sword ∮ъШЯ‡!"

Found it.

— Swish, tap! Swish, tap! Swish, tap!

Dragging my tree-stump legs, I slowly approached.

Three steps.

Three steps that felt like thirty. After finally closing the distance, I waited for my gun and the creature to align in a straight line.

Bang!

The bullet tore through the air.

At the same time, a faint golden orb cut through the crowd and embedded itself in the monster’s back.

And then—

Kyahhhhh!

The creature spun around and charged at me in an instant.

"ΔΘφ! Dodge it!"

"...I can’t!"

Not with these legs.

So then...

‘I’ll handle it before it gets close!’

— Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

I fired repeatedly.

When the creature came close enough that I could see the saliva strung between its fangs like a curtain—

[You have defeated a Nightmare!]

‘Got it!’

The monster vanished, struck by the golden bullet.

Thank goodness.

If I hadn’t had my gun, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything with these legs.

Now then...

"Jieun, how many monsters are there right now?"

"Φ¿─Ξ∑! About thirty?"

About thirty nightmares left.

Even fighting them head-on would be dangerous, but they were mixed in with the others who had succumbed to confusion.

And worse—some of the monsters seemed to have heard the gunfire, slowly creeping toward us.

[10 minutes have passed.]

[The influence of the nightmare is increasing!]

To make matters worse, a grim announcement echoed around us.

"I... urgh!"

Thud!

The nightmares began to rampage more violently.

"Ψ‡ I don’t know!"

"Do, ШЯ¿¤!"

And then, people overwhelmed by the crushing fear started breaking away from the group, running frantically.

[You cannot leave the arena.]

…Only to slam into what seemed like an invisible wall.

And those who found themselves trapped in dead ends...

"!!"

"Run!"

— Thud!

A gleefully approaching monster impaled them with its spear, skewering them like meat on a spit.

One, two, three, four…

Screams.

“I-I can’t take this anymore! ЯШ¤! Please, let me out!”

And the spectators watching this couldn’t control their trembling legs, one by one collapsing to the ground.

“Ugh, ΔΘφ! What do we do? No one can pull themselves together ΞΘΔ!”

To anyone, it was a hopeless situation.

But—

“It’s fine. We can handle this ourselves.”

"∀¤€…? But we can’t do anything…!"

Jieun was right.

With everyone paralyzed by fear, we wouldn’t stand a chance.

That is, in our current state.

“Let’s get a little help.”

“Help? ΦæЯ?”

Ever heard of this?

‘When gear isn’t enough, you use potions.’

“Summon!”

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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