NOVEL NEXT Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Since finding the note, Jang Chae Yeon has become incredibly cooperative with us.
“Can you hear me?”
“Ah, yes.”
With a rumble, the sound of debris is heard.
After Yu Da On passes first, Jang Chae Yeon waits for me to follow before crossing.
Thanks to that, finding the road is so easy it feels almost non-existent.
“I’ll take the lead.”
When walking outside, Yu Da On took the lead.
“Then I’ll keep watch from the back.”
“Alright… I’ll look for any dangers in the middle.”
Jang Chae Yeon stood behind, naturally placing me in the center.
A strange procession continues. A man in the middle, with women in front and behind, creating an inexplicable line.
In front, Yu Da On walks confidently; behind, Jang Chae Yeon looks around, extremely tense, while I survey our surroundings from the middle.
It was a quiet but not entirely safe exploration.
Sometimes, the debris beneath our feet would collapse, and fragments from above would fall from the building.
If it had just been Yu Da On and me, one of us would have likely had our heads smashed, or Yu Da On might have pushed me, leading to her own injury—one of those three scenarios.
– Thud!
A brick narrowly avoids hitting Yu Da On’s head as it falls.
“…Ah, thank you.”
“I just did what needed to be done.”
With a mere flick of her hand or a side glance, Jang Chae Yeon made the stones ghost around us.
Strange emotions stirred within me.
This is real!
If it had only been Yu Da On and me, I would’ve been way more tense, and if anything happened, it would have likely resulted in a bloody mess, but having Jang Chae Yeon here resolved everything.
While lost in those useless thoughts, I paused at Yu Da On’s “Huh?” sound.
“…I see something over there?”
Standing beside Yu Da On, who squinted while indicating something at the end, I narrowed my eyes too.
I could see something there.
“People…?”
A figure stood still.
I squinted to look at the figures.
[Name: Cube (Human)]
[Age: -]
[Trait: One-Time Use]
[Talent: X]
[Background: Once human, these beings chose to lose their self-identity and become subordinate to the Cube after a long time.]
[Vulnerability: Just like human vulnerabilities.]
Dressed in rags, they move quietly, almost as if they’re in a horror movie scene.
Sometimes, I could hear the words they mumbled.
“Hello, nice to meet you, let’s keep our spirits up today!”
“I don’t want to go to work, I want to go home!”
“Have a hot dog, it’s delicious!”
“It seems like they’re people!”
“…How are there people here?”
It seemed that Yu Da On and Jang Chae Yeon still didn’t realize their true identities. Why can’t they hear it?
I quickly raised my hand to silence the two.
“…They’re not human.”
“Yes…?”
“Are you sure?”
“No, I mean, can you not hear them talking?”
The two wore puzzled expressions.
“…I saw it.”
“Got it.”
At my words, Yu Da On immediately took a defensive stance, while Jang Chae Yeon still looked puzzled.
“…Anyway, I believe you.”
When am I supposed to explain all this?
After a moment of staring at me, Jang Chae Yeon nodded as if she understood and turned her face forward again.
“Do we have to pass through here?”
“…I think so.”
“What if we turn back?”
“It’d take too long. We have no need to waste time.”
Jang Chae Yeon nodded in agreement, sounding much more reliable than when she was screaming like a fool earlier.
“Let’s break through.”
“How?”
“Let’s force our way through. The Security Team can hold them off in front, while Chae Yeon will annihilate them from behind.”
“…Chae Yeon… …Got it.”
After a moment of silence, Jang Chae Yeon nodded.
Aren’t girls supposed to drop the “-ssi” after their names these days? Both Yu Da On and Jang Chae Yeon are causing quite a stir.
“Chae Yeon can’t use her powers continuously, so there’s about a 3-second cooldown. During that time, Da On and I will have to hold out somehow while maintaining basic defenses.”
“…! When did you…!”
“I told you my eyes are good, didn’t I?”
She raised her voice but then lowered it, pursing her lips and staring straight ahead.
“And Da On, if you feel like you might die, let me know. I’ll cover you while you regenerate.”
“…”
“Da On?”
“…Ah, yes. Then I’ll leave the gun to Jae Heon.”
“Are you sure it’s okay?”
“I can handle myself in a brawl too, you know?”
With a cheerful fist pump, Yu Da On raised her hand. Looking at her like this, she seems reliable, but knowing she’s immortal makes her even more trustworthy.
Before we go, I check the handgun I have.
The bullets are still good. There are three magazines.
If I don’t use them all, this should be manageable.
“Alright… then here we go. Da On, lead the way.”
At my signal, Yu Da On dashed forward, drawing the attention of those things.
“Delicious fish and chips for cheap!”
“No team dinner today!”
Then, those… things that looked like humans charged at us, making strange noises.
Yu Da On skillfully reached out to the approaching figures.
– Splat!
One of their jaws twisted around before falling.
The ones rushing from behind were sent flying far away with just a flick of Jang Chae Yeon’s hand.
– Crash!
I too followed closely behind Yu Da On and started firing.
“…Nice shooting!”
Gasping for breath, Jang Chae Yeon came up behind me.
“I know, right?”
I found what I just said incomprehensible.
It felt like my eyes were automatically correcting themselves. If this were a game, it would feel like some sort of aim assist was turned on.
I don’t recall feeling anything like this the last time I shot.
– Crack.
One of them bit Yu Da On’s neck, blood gushing out, but unfazed, she punched the one charging at her with her other hand.
As my bullet lodged into the head of the creature biting her neck, its teeth fell out, and just like that, Yu Da On’s neck returned to its original state.
The enemies approaching from afar were toppled or blasted away with just a flick of Jang Chae Yeon’s hand.
The bullets I fired found their mark, driving straight into the heads of the enemies while Jang Chae Yeon sent them flying away, and Yu Da On was right there.
I felt overwhelmed.
A tank, a damage dealer, a debuffer, and a scout rolled into one.
We were no longer a no-damage team.
We could be seen as a perfect damage team.
Lost in my moment of emotion, I noticed the end of the enemies starting to come into view.
I took a deep breath and cried out.
“Prepare to break through!”
Yu Da On gritted her teeth and started running again, and we began to follow closely behind her. Many hands entwined around her legs, clinging to her shoulders and waist.
“Ah-”
“Wait.”
Yu Da On’s balance started to wobble, and the path she was clearing began to close in.
In that moment, Jang Chae Yeon dashed past me, eyes wide in realization, and placed her hand on Yu Da On’s back.
– Crash!
– Crunch!
Yu Da On bent like a bow and flew forward.
Like a human cannonball.
…No, it wasn’t just her waist bending—it looked more like her spine was breaking, right?
Having turned into a human cannonball, Yu Da On surged forward, smashing down the monsters in a perfectly straight line, before she came to a roll on the ground and eventually stopped.
The breakthrough was successful.
Only,
“…No…”
“She’s not dead.”
Yu Da On’s waist was bent in half, and Jang Chae Yeon spoke with an unemotional tone, glancing at me.
“…Ugh…”
Yu Da On began groaning. Soon, her waist started returning to its normal position.
“…That’s pretty unsettling, you know?”
“But we broke through.”
“This is really unsettling, you know?”
“It was the best method available.”
Naturally, as soon as Yu Da On revived, she retorted against Jang Chae Yeon, who casually brushed off her words.
“Do you dislike me?”
“No. But I have no reason to like you either.”
“Jae Heon! This person is bothering me!”
“Can you please stop fighting?”
Aren’t we just trying to escape with our lives here?
My head hurts. My head hurts.
With that, Jang Chae Yeon and Yu Da On had just revived and were already bickering, eventually ending the argument with Jang Chae Yeon saying, “Alright, I’m sorry.”
Somehow, we succeeded in breaking through, and there were no major threats until we took a few more steps. Sometimes enemies appeared, but we managed to pass either by ignoring them, shooting them, or having Jang Chae Yeon blow their heads apart using her psychokinesis.
“…How’s your vision?”
Once things settled down a bit, Yu Da On approached me with a worried expression.
Come to think of it, I had forgotten.
I blinked as I looked around.
“…Huh?”
“What’s wrong?”
“They’re not showing anymore.”
The explanations that had been visible just a moment ago had completely vanished.
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
“Maybe not.”
“…It’s come.”
While whispering to Yu Da On, I stopped in my tracks at Jang Chae Yeon’s words and looked ahead.
In front of us stood a massive black square.
“What is this—”
“A Cube.”
I stared quietly into the Cube at Jang Chae Yeon’s words.
[Name: ???]
[Age: ???]
[Trait: ???]
[Talent: ???]
[Background: The plans that were being matched in someone’s mind have gone awry.]
[Vulnerability: ??? – – Please come in.]
What the heck is this again?
No matter how much I squint, nothing becomes clearer.
“Can you see anything?”
“…This isn’t a Cube, is it?”
“…Then what is it?”
“…”
It’s been matched.
I suddenly recalled the moment I shot Jang Chae Yeon in the forehead.
“I think this thing… is a bit broken.”
“…?”
The two looked at me with faces full of question marks.
“See for yourself. You’ll understand.”
Having seen one of the things I analyzed with my own eyes, it no longer felt that surprising.
Besides, this was something I shot and broke. It might be possible to win.
There seemed to be a chance after all.
“Let’s go.”
“Without any preparation?”
“Haven’t we already calmed our breaths? We can’t gather weapons anyway.”
“True, but…”
“Let’s go.”
Well, we wouldn’t be able to take support from the Management Agency anyway.
As I began walking, Jang Chae Yeon followed behind me, and ultimately Yu Da On shouted, “I’ll come with you!” and followed us.
And so, the three of us stepped into the Cube.