NOVEL WEB Chapter 89: Star, The Phantom (6)
Cha Ye-Eun quietly looked down at the map before her.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen…?” Jin Seok-Tae asked, looking at her worriedly.
Ye-Eun said quietly, “It’s odd.”
“Pardon…?” Seok-Tae asked.
“It’s strange for the Red Ghost to have suddenly appeared here,” Ye-Eun said, drawing Gwak Do-Woon’s route on the map with a red marker. “If his goal were to buy time, he should have gone in this direction, not that one.”
She spoke almost as if she were questioning herself. According to the map, Do-Woon was climbing up a steep mountain ridge that was difficult to climb even for a Player. As he was being chased, he should have gone downward, where the slope was gentler… but he was making sure to avoid going downward.
“Well, maybe it’s because he thought the lower part of the mountain would be blocked by the punitive force,” Seok-Tae suggested.
“Still, climbing up the steep slope is just as difficult as going through… Wait,” Ye-Eun stopped, suddenly realizing that Do-Woon was not moving far from the Gate.
Do-Woon seemed to be putting in a lot of effort to escape, but he remained hundreds of meters away from the Gate—no, he was moving around the Gate, which suggested that his goal was neither to flee nor buy time. Then what…?
“Pardon?” Seok-Tae asked, tilting his head in confusion.
“It’s a trap! He deceived us and dragged us into a trap made by the Highoff Clan!” Ye-Eun shouted.
“T-Then…!” Seo-Tae exclaimed. His expression turned grave as he realized the gravity of the situation.
“Who’s going after the Red Ghost right now?” Ye-Eun asked urgently.
“T-The Myeongga Clan Players, Mr. Woo Yeong-Geun, Seo Jeong-Gwon from the White Tiger Clan…” Seok-Tae listed off.
“Shit!” Ye-Eun cursed in frustration.
Out of all the people in the world who could have fallen into the trap, it just happened to be a group of important figures. That was no doubt what the Highoff Clan had been aiming for.
‘Yes, Gwak Do-Woon was bait, but not just any bait. He was meant to lure important people!’ Ye-Eun thought as she grabbed her revolver off the table, moving quickly.
* * *
“Hah! How can an old man like you do that? You’d better be careful, because it’ll take a long time for your bones to heal again at your age,” Jeong-Gwon said, mocking Do-Woon.
Thud!
Thud!
Each time Jeong-Gwon walked forward, his [Tiger Kill] coalesced further into the shape of a tiger. The [Tiger Form] Jeong-Gwon had mastered was [Fierce Tiger]. Like a beast that overwhelmed its opponents with raw power, Jeong-Gwon emanated intense energy.
Before Jeong-Gwon, Do-Woon’s red ghost energy flickered like a candle in the wind, as if it would dissipate at any moment. Despite the situation, Do-Woon remained unaffected; instead, his eyes shone even more viciously as he seemed to be waiting for an opportunity.
The sight made Yeong-Geun think, ‘Something’s wrong. He’s too calm.’
No matter how great Do-Woon was, he was a veteran of the past generation, soon to become obsolete. There were some, such as Sword Sky Tiger Munseong, who only grew terrifyingly strong as they aged; however, most people’s abilities weakened over time.
In contrast, Jeong-Gwon was at the peak of his career, which meant his abilities were greater than Do-Woon's. Besides, Yeong-Geun himself was present too, and he was confident that he was just as good as the White Tiger Clan Raid Team leaders.
It was suspicious that Do-Woon was dealing with two difficult enemies, Jeong-Gwon and Yeong-Geun, simultaneously, but he did not seem wary at all. In fact, he had revealed a desire to fight as if this outcome were for the best—no, as if he had wished things would turn out this way…
‘Wished?’ Yeong-Geun thought, his eyes widening as he felt a shiver running down his spine.
Just then, Woo Hye-Bin came running toward Yeong-Geun, providing reinforcements in the form of several players. She called out, “Uncle!”
The problem was that she and the Players had arrived at the worst possible moment; Yeong-Geun tried to call out to his niece not to approach.
“I’ll invite every one of you to the hell we had to go through. It’ll be a perfect place to test your abilities, Do-Woon said, clapping loudly with a cold smile.
Clap!
“Old man! What the hell are you talking…?!” Jeong-Gwon exclaimed, preparing to leap toward Do-Woon.
However, the surroundings abruptly changed. A storm of red ghost energy raged across the ground and distorted the mountainside, causing an abnormal phenomenon unlike anything Jeong-Gwon had ever seen or heard of.
Pzzzz―!
“Team Leader, step back!” Moon Yi-Byeol shouted.
Jeong-Gwon instinctively leaped backward to join his team. However, he was too late to avoid the strange phenomenon.
[The ‘Trap’ has been activated.]
[The Skill ‘Qimen Dunjia[1]’ has been activated; the Trap ‘Phantom Maze Circle’ has swallowed you up!]
The red fog limited Jeong-Gwon’s vision; all his other senses, which normally allowed him to know his surroundings like the back of his hand, were dulled as well. The air felt suffocating, as if his face and eyes had been covered.
“What the hell…?” Jeong-Gwon muttered as he looked around, feeling perplexed.
Yi-Byeol, who was standing right next to him, replied with an annoyed expression, “It looks as if we’ve fallen into the Phantom Demon’s trap.”
Jeong-Gwon’s other team members were nowhere to be found.
“The Phantom Demon? The Highoff Clan leader got us? How can that bitch who only deals in illusions…?!”
“Can’t you see yet? That’s why the Phantom Demon is a force to be reckoned with. She tricks people’s senses with her illusions. Did you even consider thinking of how dangerous it is whenever she causes a mass illusion?” Yi-Byeol patiently explained.
“Still, I can just smash everything…!” Jeong-Gwon shouted confidently.
“Do you really think you can physically break apart illusions?” Yi-Byeol retorted. Jeong-Gwon stayed silent.
“That’s why I told you not to jump in first just because a target appeared… I guess my efforts were futile in the end,” Yi-Byeol grumbled, sighing and clutching her head. She felt incredibly frustrated with Jeong-Gwon, who had fallen into the enemy’s trap like an idiot after going on a rampage.
Feeling slightly guilty, Jeong-Gwon flinched. However, he soon resumed boasting, saying, “All I need to do is find the trap’s core and destroy it! Just wait, I’ll destroy this silly… Huh? You…” Jeong-Gwon blinked at Yi-Byeol, who was being swallowed by the red fog.
“Oh, it began to eat me away earlier than I expected,” Yi-Byeol said, narrowing her eyes. She quickly told Jeong-Gwon, “Team leader, if my guess is right, this illusion is designed to spread us out as much as possible in order to defeat us one by one. I don’t know what illusion she’ll use, but she‘ll definitely use illusions to attack, so be careful.”
“Hey, you!” Jeong-Gwon yelled.
The red ghost energy had already swallowed Yi-Byeol up to her neck. She continued, “I’m telling you, never let the illusions get you. Never!”
Just like that, Yi-Byeol completely disappeared into the red fog. Jeong-Gwon quickly reached out to grab Yi-Byeol, but his hands just passed through empty air. Only he was left in the complicated fog maze.
“Fuck! What the hell is going on?!” Jeong-Gwon fumed. Still, nothing changed.
Jeong-Gwon’s gaze soon turned cold, and he calmly scanned the area using [Fierce Tiger] to the fullest. Executive Director Oh always criticized Jeong-Gwon for being ignorant, and Yi-Byeol often sarcastically advised him to think a little; however, he had not won the rank of White Tiger Clan Raid Team leader in a poker game. He often acted belligerent during battles, but he was still capable of rationally observing the situation.
―It’s you.
From somewhere, he heard a faint voice that resembled a ghostly wail.
“There you are!” Jeong-Gwon shouted.
Rumble!
Drawing forth a lot of his mana, Jeong-Gwon punched as hard as he could. The tornado created by his vicious [Tiger Kill] instantly blew away everything ten meters ahead of him. However…
―Yes, it’s because of you.
―If it weren’t for you…!
The red fog that had been blown away returned. The ghostly wail also sounded clearer, rather than fading.
―Your mother…!
―If only you had never been born…
“No way,” Jeong-Gwon muttered as he stopped walking.
His eyes, which usually always shone with confidence, lost focus for the first time. Jeong-Gwon could not believe that a memory he had hidden somewhere deep in his mind was coming to the forefront once again. The ghostly wail—no, the voice—was from a memory he had never wanted to remember again.
“Impossible! You’re dead!” Jeong-Gwon yelled, but his voice trembled. His hair, which symbolized both his ignorance and his bravery at the same time, shook noticeably.
―Your mother wouldn’t have passed away like that!
―You’re a bastard who killed your mother.
The ghostly wail grew louder little by little. It felt as if an invisible ghost had come close, and was now standing right behind Jeong-Gwon. The red fog grew thicker, practically suffocating him.
―Die! You murderer!
The fog resembled a pair of hands that were very fragile, and yet impossible for Jeong-Gwon to resist. Those hands had brought him nothing but despair and frustration; he thought that perhaps it would be better for him to die. He felt suffocated, and his eyes were filled with a look of grief. Soon, they lost focus.
* * *
[The Trap ‘Phantom Maze Circle’ has activated!]
“Uncle? Uncle!” Hye-Bin loudly called out for Yeong-Geun.
After the red fog surrounded her, she noticed that no one was by her side. The bodyguard mister had always stayed by her side, but he was now missing. She could not find the Players from the Sword of Ohsung Clan, who had constantly tried to make her laugh, nor could she find Yeong-Geun and her uncle. It was as if… as if she had returned to a time she had never wanted to remember again.
“Where… is everyone?” Hye-Bin called out, trying to sound as if nothing was wrong, but her voice trembled faintly.
At that time, she had been walking on the street after having tteokbokki[2] with her friends, talking about a handsome boy in their hagwon[3], which idol had caught their eye, and what good perfumes there were. She was unsure whether she had been returning home or going to the hagwon; nevertheless, she had been caught up in a Gate, a hell that had appeared out of nowhere.
It was as if her memories were flashing before her eyes.
―Hehehe, yes. Run, run. Kill more monsters.
―Swing your knife wider, you dumbass! You should be better after receiving such an expensive brand!
―What? You can’t do anything? Hehehe, well, fine. Then just die. You should be useful somehow, right?
Hye-Bin heard the madman Jeon Choong-Jae’s voice. She was fully aware that she was hallucinating and hearing voices, however. After all, Choong-Jae was dead. He had been killed by Mister Lee Chang-Sun. She had seen everything with her own eyes, so the voice had to be fake. However, it did not sound fake.
―I wanted to live too…
Hye-Bin could hear another voice alongside the ghostly wail. The voice was very quiet, but it sounded as clear as day. She turned pale and looked around, but she could not see anything. Nevertheless, the ghostly wail surrounding her got louder.
―I died because of you.
―I didn’t want to, but I did it to save you.
―I hate you.
―I hate you. I hate you so much.
―Hye-Bin, we hate you so much. Why are you alive when we’re dead? Huh?
Three shadows emerged from the red fog. Hye-Bin was familiar with their sizes, physiques, and shapes. There was no way she could have failed to notice; they were her friends, whom she had always been together with before they were caught up in that hell. Although the shadows lacked their faces, her friends were cursing her, speaking in voices she could never forget.
No matter what happened, she had tried to avoid ever recalling those dark memories, burying them deep within her mind. Even when her uncle had tried to talk to her, her worried parents had asked her, and her therapist had given her counseling, she had avoided talking about them… but the memories resurfaced little by little.
The dark memories combined with the red fog, manifesting hands. Those hands crept up Hye-Bin’s fragile body and slowly began to strangle her. She choked, having trouble breathing.
―Why are you the only one who gets to live happily?
―We’re friends, right?
―Right, Hye-Bin?
―Friends never hide anything and always grant each other’s requests.
―So.
―So…!
The shadows darkened as they approached Hye-Bin. They came so close to her that she could feel their breath. The three shadows chanted together, looking at Hye-Bin.
―Let’s go together.
“I…!” Hye-Bin could not answer them, no matter how hard she tried.
The memories ate at her consciousness. Fear, guilt, and other negative emotions overwhelmed her body, and she felt as if an invisible darkness were dragging her soul into an abyss.
Just before she lost consciousness, as the three shadows combined into one to eat up Hye-Bin, she could not help but vaguely think of the face of her savior, whom she had met in the midst of the nightmarish pain she had thought she would never escape.
‘…Mister!’ Hye-Bin shouted in her thoughts. She called for Chang-Sun as loudly as she could in her mind.
Slash!
The darkness suddenly split apart with a sound like tearing paper; the three shadows dragging Hye-Bin into the abyss disappeared like a mirage.
Thud!
Hye-Bin collapsed, coughing and trying to catch her breath. She could not even afford to wonder what had happened.
“There you are.”
Hye-Bin heard a familiar voice and instinctively raised her head. Through her hazy vision, she could see Chang-Sun reaching out his hands, just like the last time he had saved her.
“Are you hurt?”
Translator’s Thoughts:
This is a translation of the author’s comment regarding this chapter:
I’m leaving a comment because it seems I’ve unintentionally caused some misunderstandings. First of all, Woo Hye-Bin isn’t a heroine. (There’s no way a sixteen-year-old girl can become a heroine ^^;)
Just as Chang-Sun gained inner peace by meeting ‘Gramps’ in Arcadia, I wanted to depict Hye-Bin mentally growing up after meeting Chang-Sun.
I hope you show a lot of affection for Hye-Bin and look forward to seeing how she will grow with her idol, Chang-Sun.
1. Qimen Dunjia is an ancient form of divination from China. It was created to help formulate military strategy and tactics. ☜
2. Spicy rice cakes, a famous Korean street food. ☜
3. This is a kind of private educational institution that exists in Korea. They are usually smaller than institutes and academies. ☜