RFH Chapter 19 — [R15]

 

Episode 19

 

"Let’s find a way together for now."

Min Hyemi spoke in the gentlest, most harmless voice she could muster to calm him down.

"There might be a way..."

"I doubt it. I’ve already looked into it enough."

Min Hyemi couldn’t bring herself to say more in front of the young Yoo Seongtae. 

Instead, she leaned closer to Seon Jejun and whispered.

"How are we supposed to get this?"

"...I’m thinking."

While they remained silent, the boy, perhaps glad to have met people, continued talking.

"Still, it’s not bad that someone has shown up to die with me. Who knows, you might lose your minds and do something to me."

"What kind of events repeat here?"

"There are terrifying creatures hiding throughout the mansion. Judging by the fact that you’re still alive, you’ve been lucky enough to run into the less dangerous ones. Perhaps in the basement, the first-floor bathroom, or the storage?"

"........."

"The Crow Doctor operates on any human he finds immediately, using his scalpel. The Flower Head Monster makes flowers bloom all over the body. Oh, and there’s even one that opens up people’s brains."

"........"

"R-right, I get it."

What Yoo Seongtae had once mentioned about having his brain tampered with turned out to be, shockingly, true. Not that he wanted to confirm it this way.

"This place is a safe zone. But in an hour, it loses its effect, and we’ll be forced out."

"And after that?"

"The safe zone changes every two hours. I just wander in search of the next one, and if luck runs out, I meet my end."

"Don’t you at least remember where those horrifying creatures are?"

"There are some that move around."

".........."

Oddly enough, the fact that their first encounter was with a basement monster was considered fortunate.

When Min Hyemi glanced at Seon Jejun as if asking him what they should do, he murmured lazily.

"The cooldown is over."

"What?"

"The genre shift."

"Oh...!"

Her eyes widened as she realized Seon Jejun was also a returnee, possessing the unique abilities characteristic of one.

<Genre Shift> was a power that outright disregarded the logic of the world.

If Seon Jejun used <Genre Shift> to turn this world into a myth, it might even be possible to save Yoo Seongtae’s thoughts!

"I’m thinking about the myth’s story now."

While Seon Jejun worked on the scenario, Min Hyemi decided to focus on calming the boy.

"Just wait a moment. I think we’ve found a way."

"That’s impossible."

Yoo Seongtae smirked unpleasantly.

"You’re from Korea too, aren’t you? There’s no way you have any special powers."

"...Sometimes, God saves us..."

"I don’t believe in God."

Min Hyemi almost said, 'Neither do I,' but bit her tongue. It wasn’t the time to sow distrust.

Bang!

Suddenly, the door burst open.

The boy’s frightened eyes darted to the doorway.

When she looked toward it, Min Hyemi found herself staring at an unbelievable face.

"Yoo Seongtae?"

The grown Yoo Seongtae, now a member of Exodus and the one who had once kidnapped her, stood there.

"How... how is this possible?"

The boy, flustered, pointed at Yoo Seongtae with trembling hands.

"Th-that’s me…?"

"Yes, it’s your future self," 

Yoo Seongtae said without hesitation as he approached the boy.

"I’ve come to show you your future."

"What?"

"No one will save you. You’ll experience over a thousand cycles of repetition there."

"H-ha ha…"

"You will forever repeat death."

The boy started laughing, his face contorted with despair, his eyes showing he had completely lost it.

"What are you doing?" 

Min Hyemi stepped in front of the boy. At some point, Seon Jejun had also taken a battle stance.

"I’ve come to stop you," Yoo Seongtae replied.

"But there should have been Hunter Kwon Anna and others ahead of you."

"I entered this rift ahead of time," 

Yoo Seongtae shrugged as he continued. 

"Don’t interfere with the opening of this rift. I must throw this world into chaos."

"But if the monsters here break out, many people will die. Even the system predicted that humanity would eventually lose."

"Oh, that? Don’t worry; I’ll win."

"What?"

"I want revenge against this game. I’ll let these creatures escape and then slaughter them all."

That statement raised a question in Min Hyemi’s mind. Did that mean…?

"So you’re saying no one will get hurt?"

"No? Other humans need to suffer like I did. I’ll drive a few hundred mad first, then deal with it."

In that case, the rift had to be closed as quickly as possible.

"Don’t interfere. We’re here to save you."

"I’m no longer that person. The me from back then has long been worn away."

This wasn’t going to work. There was no reasoning with him anymore.

Min Hyemi signaled to Seon Jejun, who moved immediately.

Bang!

The powers of S-Class Awakeners clashed mid-air.

The sheer force they used was beyond her comprehension as they began to fight.

‘But if it goes on like this, Seon Jejun won’t be able to use his Genre Shift skill.’

Min Hyemi anxiously watched their battle unfold. Yoo Seongtae’s thoughts seemed to have collapsed completely, leaving him in despair on the ground.

"Don’t believe his words!"

Min Hyemi barely managed to lift the boy and shouted with all her heart.

"We’ll save you!"

"No, humans cannot save humans."

To some extent, Min Hyemi agreed with the boy’s words.

But Seon Jejun was different.

He was like Prometheus, a god intent on saving humanity.

‘I can’t let this go on.’

Resolving herself, Min Hyemi stepped into the fight. The two, who had been destroying the room with their overwhelming powers, paused their skills.

"Hurry and change the genre already!"

After shouting to Seon Jejun, Min Hyemi rushed toward Yoo Seongtae.

"You crazy bastard, stop getting in the way!"

"Hmm, I don’t plan to fall for your tricks like last time."

"I didn’t want to do this either, but…"

[Skill <Temporary Paralysis> Activated!]

[Those who are frequently paralyzed gain the ability to paralyze others for a short time!]

Why she had often been paralyzed was a story left untold.

Regardless, for a brief moment, Yoo Seongtae was frozen in place.

Taking advantage of that opening, Seon Jejun activated the most powerful skill a returnee could wield.

[Skill <Genre Shift> Activated!]

Finally, Seon Jejun’s power came to life.

The radiant light, bright enough to illuminate the entire world, made Min Hyemi instinctively turn around.

Standing in front of the despairing young boy was Seon Jejun, his usual languid expression intact. Yet, in that moment, he exuded an air of transcendence, a calm and serene demeanor befitting a higher being.

"Pitiful boy, I will save you," 

Seon Jejun murmured as he placed his hand on the young Yoo Seongtae’s forehead.

"Aah."

The boy opened his eyes, a look of realization dawning on his face.

Gone was the despair and gloom that had once shadowed his features. Looking around with an expression of disbelief, the boy saw the change.

This mansion was no longer the terrifying domain of monstrous creatures.

Those horrifying entities were now melting away, dissolving into nothingness throughout the mansion. Unable to withstand the power of a god, these twisted lifeforms were being erased from existence.

"How…?"  

The boy looked up at Seon Jejun with a dazed expression.

To him, Seon Jejun’s face now appeared so divine that it was almost impossible to meet his gaze. Even Min Hyemi, wide-eyed, could only stare at Seon Jejun’s profile in awe.

"I never believed in gods…"

"It doesn’t matter if you don’t believe in me. I will save all those in the lowest depths."

Finally, life returned to the boy’s eyes. The dark energy that had weighed on him vanished, and the boy, who had been teetering on the edge of becoming a monster, began to return to being human.

Min Hyemi realized it at that moment.  

She was witnessing the creation of a new myth.

[<Yoo Seongtae> has been saved!]

[The rift is disappearing!]

[The door to the distorted world is closing once again!]

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