Chapter 520
Theatrical Regression Life
Episode 520
Song In-myeong wasnât this tired from the beginning.
âAh, this much is possible.â
âis that so?â
âDo you know how much experience I have in escape rooms? âI am the one who beat the famous mirror maze in 20 minutes.â
âWhat is an escape room and what is a mirror maze?â
ââ¦There is such a thing, mister.â
Even before entering the souvenir shop and the maze, Song In-myeong was full of confidence.
The maze did not seem to be a very difficult problem for him, who had a keen sense of humor and an unusually sharp mind.
The problem was that this maze was a space made up of monsters.
âFuck you!!â
It didnât take long before Song In-myeong started screaming.
Thatâs because even though the darkness was lightened by the sacrifice of Lee Jae-heonâs hand, it did not mean that it had become completely bright. Limited vision and monsters that attack when you get close. Thereâs even a hidden monster trapâ¦
âAre you okay?â
âItâs not okay at all! Itâs not okay at all! âPlease fucking save me!â
Song In-myeongâs specialty was chopping up people, not destroying monsters.
In the first place, Song In-myeong was a man with good spirits, good intelligence, and excellent physical ability. He was only injured enough to scream. If it had been anyone else, he would have died right away. It was that level of difficulty.
Lee Jae-heon reacted quickly to Song In-myeongâs words asking for his life.
âThen I will go in now.â
âOh yeah⦠huh? uh? what?â
âIâm in.â
âCanât you get out of there right now? âWhere are you crawling with that body?â
âYes, Iâm out.â
At that moment, the monsters forming the wall shook and the entire terrain changed in the blink of an eye.
ââ¦.â
âI think I made a mistake. âIâm sorry about this.â
âMan, heâs really obnoxious right now.â
âI often hear that.â
âIf I die, you have to save me next timeâ¦â
âI will keep this in mind.â
Thatâs how Song In-myeong got trapped in the maze.
It wasnât just a reset, Song In-myeongâs location remained the same, only the locations of the monster walls changed. I didnât confirm, but it seemed like the same would probably apply to monster traps.
âIf the reset button is pressed like in a game, donât I have to go back to the entrance of the souvenir shop?â
âI just returned to the entrance.â
âSo, on my conscience, shouldnât I, who is playing with him, go?â
âI didnât think this was a very conscientious dungeon, butâ¦â
âWell, I guess I was hoping for too much.â
Is it possible for there to be a conscience in the underworld?
âItâs like shit.â
Anyway, this is what happened.
ââ¦Ha fuck⦠Still, it seemed like something was going on just now⦠If it resets like this, what the fuck am I supposed to do⦠Ah, what a shitty situation⦠Ah, a shitty mazeâ¦.â
It wasnât for no reason that Song In-myeong was confident and thought, âOh, leave it to me.â
Without any hints, Song In-myeong was looking in the right direction to avoid the traps that attacked from nowhere in this terrible darkness.
Only then did Song In-myeong hear the sound of a humid wind blowing. My eyes found an invisible path in the dark walls of a maze, and my skin sensed danger and recognized traps.
âI thought it was half-hearted, but reallyâ¦.â
It seemed like he had reached more than halfway, but what Song In-myeong now saw in front of him was a dead end. The road that had been open until just a moment ago had become blocked.
ââ¦What should I do if this happens? Just like the typical way to solve a maze, blindly going around with your hand on the wall is unreasonable since it is a monster wall in the first place⦠Still, if you go around without using your head and leaving as many traces as possible, it seems like you can find your way again⦠.â
Song In-myeong came up with a solution even though he was going crazy and jumping up and down because of this injustice. His instinct to avoid danger and his head spinning naturally provided an answer and calmly guided him to his next action.
ââ¦.â
But it wasnât the body.
ââ¦Can I take a break and then go?â
âAre you very tired?â
âIâm just saying this because Iâm tired and think Iâll just go to sleep.â
Although not as bad as Lee Jae-heon, Song In-myeong was also in tatters.
I was in a situation where I was trusting myself and finding my way through life.
This means that I personally experienced many dangers, such as traps that stick out from under my feet, grab my ankles and knock me down, traps that have thorns that sprout out and pierce my body, and traps that quietly wait in the dark with their mouths open.
âNo matter how I am, I think this is a bit egregious.â
Since there was no way to stop the bleeding, it was natural for blood to drip onto the floor.
Song In-myeong sighed heavily and looked at the thick paper I was holding. Because of this situation, the map of Lee Jae-heonâs dojo that he was holding also became tattered.
âEven if itâs broken like this, youâll still exchange the productâ¦?â
âIt just occurred to me that the person in question might have to go to give me the product.â
âMister, do you have any enmity against me? âAmnesia, thatâs all bullshit, right?â
Of course it wasnât Gura. If Lee Jae-heonâs memory had been intact in the first place, there was no way he would have reacted as mildly as he did now. Although Lee Jae-heon now uses the same courtesy as then, his tone is quite soft.
âOh my gosh, Iâm so dumbfoundedâ¦â
Song In-myeong himself, who was finding his way harder thanks to that gentle response, also found it funny.
âWould you mind if I treated you like this on a regular basis? uh? âDo you like it?â
âWhat do you meanâ¦?â
âI have suffered a lot of heartache from his discriminatory treatment of chicks.â
âI was disappointed that Inmyeong wasnât a chick. âDo you want me to comfort you?â
âOh, itâs okay, really. âItâs so fucking annoying.â
The tone that changed in an instant, as if he was changing something because he was disappointed, made Song In-myeong feel uncomfortable. He got angry for no reason, but soon calmed down.
ââ¦Okay, Iâve come this far, so thereâs no way I can look back.â
Iâve come to realize that this isnât the end even if I die, but⦠If you donât remember the last episode, Song In-myeongâs current death is not another beginning, but just a dogâs death.
I didnât want to go through such an unpleasant experience.
âAre you going to keep standing there blankly?â
âDo you need any other help?â
âOh, please talk a little more⦠No, I donât need anything, but Iâd like some support.â
âItâs not difficult.â
âIt means donât go anywhere and stay there.â
I didnât want to die like a piece of meat without any value, which I didnât intend. Coupled with the fatigue from the last episode, Song In-myeong felt that his sanity was becoming dull.
My brain felt numb and tingly, like when I ate something cold. I was dazed, like someone who had just woken up. There is no water anywhere in the souvenir shop, but why can I hear the sound of rushing water?â¦
ââ¦.â
Song In-myeong closed his eyes tightly and took another step.
Blood was leaking out from the soles of my feet that had been pierced by the trap, but I was able to endure it, perhaps because I was dazed. Wherever he walked, deep red blood stains remained.
ââ¦I was looking for a path when I saw thisâ¦â
Now, the blood stains remaining on the floor were clouding Song In-myeongâs judgment.
Blood that did not stop bleeding was a good paint, and Song In-myeong left a trace on the floor with his flowing blood, marking it to avoid going down a blocked path. I was finding my way one by one like that, but now itâs all meaningless.
âIf the wall is going to be reset, letâs reset the floor as well. What is thisâ¦? âSo fucking distracting.ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
In a situation where it was obvious that the blood stains overlapped and could not be displayed properly, Song In-myeong burst into laughter.
âIs he there?â
âYes, itâs still at the entrance.â
âYou canât go anywhere without telling me.â
âof course.â
ââ¦This isnât an auditory hallucination, is it?â
âI donât think so.â
âYes, thank you very much.â
He finally understood the feelings of Park Da-young, who couldnât even read a single sign.
âhead hurts.â
I have a headache this bad, so how can I even see the text?
* * *
âThis⦠isnât going to work.â
Han Do-yoon smiled awkwardly and said.
âKim Ki-jeong can never cross.â
ââ¦.â
âLook, it hurts my pride, but I think the same way, so I canât refute it and just keep my mouth shut.â
âMr. Han Do-yoon, are you doing this because you have some kind of hard feelings towards me?â
âBut itâs true that you canât crossâ¦.â
ââ¦.â
âRight?â
The place they were at was the beginning of âFriends by the Streamâ, a corner beyond the âWater Worldâ.
Through Hong Gyeong-jun, I heard from Park Da-young about how to cross âFriends by the Stream.â The characteristics and rule precautions of this corner were the same. And Han Do-yoon and Kim Ki-jeong came to a conclusion.
âItâs a problem even across the road. Iâm still nauseous because of the fishy smell. A feeding experience center? I heard there are monsters there too? I donât know if Kim Ki-jeong can endure that. Of course, Mr. Kijeongâs hearing will be of great help in the dark monsterâs lair, but that doesnât mean he can kill people.â
Seo Jang-hwa and Jeong In-ho were convinced by Do-yoon Hanâs words.
âWell, with that appearanceâ¦.â
âIt might be a bit difficult.â
This may have been the worst environment for Kim Ki-jeong, who was weak in many ways.
âNo, itâs not that Iâm weak⦠youâre too strongâ¦â
âI say so.â
âIâm not saying thatâs the case, but thatâs what it is⦠Hangchwi.â
âYou must catch a cold.â
âKhaengchwi.â
Kim Ki-jeong kept sneezing, perhaps because his body was so wet as he passed through the âUnderwater Worldâ. Not only was the significant drop in body temperature a problem, but Kim Ki-jeongâs unique mycorrhea also became a problem.
âSniff here⦠what should I say? I feel strangely unpleasant and uncomfortableâ¦â
âDo you feel dirty?â
âYes, a little. It feels like 3-year-old stagnant water is all over the place. It felt like I was at an old fish market, perhaps because of the fish-like monstersâ¦â
In addition, the humming sound in the enclosed space also contributed to his pain.
âHonestly, my ears are hurting now. Just the sound of water was enough to make me crazy, but I donât know where the sound is coming fromâ¦â â
â¦Mr. Kim Ki-jeong?â
ââ¦.â
Kim Ki-jeong, who had been hesitant, continued speaking with a pale face, perhaps due to his body temperature.
ââ¦Itâs true.â
âyes?â
âI donât know where the sound came from.â
âItâs the source, right?â
âThis humming sound. Itâs definitely not the sound of water⦠If itâs a sound hitting an enclosed wall, there has to be a source. âThis is where this sound originated.â
âAh yes. Yes.â
âI donât know that.â
Seo Jang-hwa asked, tilting his head at his words.
âIsnât it just the sound of water? âA humming sound is a sound that occurs anywhere in an enclosed space.â
ââ¦In reality, such noises usually come from pipes or devices inside the walls of a building. Or itâs usually the sounds of people or animals that are transformed as they hit various places.â
âArenât we people?â
âWe are doing this because the sound is not coming from us. Look, the room weâre in doesnât have a lot of objects or bumps that would significantly alter the sound.â
Kim Ki-jeongâs ears were more sensitive than expected.
âIn the first place, the location of the sound cannot be specified. âI even caught the footsteps of a monster 1km away⦠Where does this sound come from?â
âMaybe itâs because itâs too far away.â
âIf it was a sound so far away that I couldnât pinpoint it, I wouldnât have heard it in the first place. I know the starting point of every sound I hear. I can hear it all. But now I donât know.â
ââ¦.â
ââ¦Thatâs thatâ¦.â
Kim Ki-jeongâs voice trembled slightly.
ââ¦No sound like this could exist in the worldâ¦â
He seemed to be in a mild panic.
ââ¦Kim Ki-jeong, it would definitely be better for you to wait here.â
ââ¦That would be better.â
Kim Ki-jeongâs ears were more sensitive than other survivors could imagine, and he himself had confidence in that. As his confidence was great, Kim Ki-jeongâs shock at the unknown noise seemed significant.
Jeong In-ho thought to himself.
âDoes it mean that the more you know, the greater your fear?â
Ordinary people, including Jeong In-ho, can easily understand and move on even if they hear a strange sound out of nowhere, but Kim Ki-jeongâs case was a little different.
He had a good ear and was even a music major who could understand the source of the sound. It had to be assumed that there were no sounds in the world that he didnât know about.
So the sound that Kim Ki-jeong couldnât guess from the beginning was a scary story in itself.
(Continued in the next part)