NOVEL NEXT Chapter 7
### Episode 7
It didn’t take long until I could walk again.
“Thank you.”
“No, I should be the one thanking you.”
I pulled away from Yu Da On, who was supporting me as a sign that I was okay.
“Uh, are you sure you’re alright? You could lean on me a bit longer.”
“I’m fine; there’s really no need to rely on you.”
“Um.”
After glancing around, Yu Da On nodded.
“Was the place you mentioned earlier, the Isolation Room? The Dream of the Butterfly?”
“That’s right.”
“But how did you know the name?”
“Oh, that’s…”
I began to explain what had happened to Yu Da On while checking each nameplate in the Isolation Room.
I had formed a few hypotheses, and as my understanding increased, I was able to gather more information, which in turn allowed me to save Yu Da On.
Yu Da On also examined each nameplate while listening to my story, seeming fascinated.
“Looks like your ability is developing. I’ve heard sometimes there are people whose abilities can develop over time.”
“If that’s the case, they could’ve made it develop sooner.”
Yu Da On murmured as if disappointed at my complaint.
“I wish I had a bit more ability too.”
“Isn’t being able to not die enough?”
“What good is that? If all I can do is not die, I can’t slay the monster that Jae Heon… fainted earlier.”
Yu Da On gazed at me apologetically, and perhaps because she thought the mood was dropping, she brightened up again.
“Well, saying this doesn’t change anything, right? Let’s hurry and find it.”
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
It might feel frustrating.
At first, I thought, “Not dying? That’s totally awesome!” But that was only true when it came to ordinary people. If I ended up in this crappy situation where one wrong step could lead to death, it just represented a ticket for infinite retries.
…That sounds a bit like a scam, right?
No, I can ponder such useless thoughts later.
Let’s think about the pupa.
“Da On.”
“…Just Yu Da On or Da On is fine too.”
“Okay, Da On. So, um, what was it like when you were parasitized?”
“The feeling?”
Yu Da On pondered for a moment, resting her chin on her hand.
“It felt like something was tickling my brain. But it wasn’t just my head; it felt like literally inside this head was ticklish…”
Knock, knock,
Yu Da On balled her fist and tapped it lightly on my head.
“I couldn’t think straight… and I was having trouble speaking.”
“Uh…”
“And there was this really sweet smell, you could say… I should’ve remembered better. I’m sorry.”
“Oh, no need to apologize. But wait, sweet smell?”
“Yeah, something like… candy… …like the smell that’s around now…?”
Yu Da On paused in her speech, eyes closed, and began sniffing.
“This smell…? Don’t you smell it?”
“Smell?”
Following suit, I sniffed like Yu Da On, but there was no smell at all.
“I can’t smell anything.”
“Really…?”
That doesn’t smell to me, but it does to Yu Da On?
“Can you perhaps tell where the smell is coming from?”
“Yes, just a moment…”
Yu Da On, eyes closed like a drug detection dog, started to lead the way while sniffing.
“It seems to be this way…”
Did something change?
I took a quick glance at Yu Da On’s status.
[Name: Yu Da On]
[Age: 23]
[Specialty: Immortal]
[Talent: -]
[Background: Unbeknownst to her, she has gained the ability to leverage her experience through her horrific parasitic experience.]
[Weakness: She has begun to trust you. At this point, if you were to stab her in the back, she would have no choice but to endure it. Of course, she would come back to life.]
Is this even advice about weaknesses?! What a joke.
I turned my gaze away from the ridiculous weakness section and examined the background closely.
Leverage her experience.
What on earth does that mean?
“It smells strongest here…”
As I thought deeply, I lifted my head to look ahead.
A half-crumpled iron door, and inside, an atmosphere that screamed, “enter at your own peril.” I could even hear something dripping.
Praying it wasn’t, I confirmed the name of the Isolation Room.
[Isolation Room CA137 – The Life/Dream of the Butterfly]
Ah.
“This is indeed it…”
Yu Da On made a face that clearly expressed her reluctance to enter. Don’t make that face! I don’t want to go in either!
“…We have to go in, right?”
“…You lead the way.”
“I guess I will indeed lead the way.”
After a brief side glance at me, Yu Da On began walking ahead. But what if I go in and something pierces my head? That would be the end for me.
Fortunately, as soon as we entered, there was no disastrous incident of Yu Da On’s head or any part of her body bursting apart.
“…I can’t see anything.”
Yu Da On murmured as she took a step, and I followed her into the room.
As Yu Da On said, the room was engulfed in darkness, as if the very light had been snuffed out.
“…Did the light go out?”
“It seems so. Let’s wait a moment.”
I considered taking out my smartphone to switch on the light, but hesitated, fearing what might happen if I did and stood there waiting for my eyes to adjust to the dark.
“…Do you hear something?”
Yu Da On tapped my arm softly, lowering her voice.
A sound?
I opened my eyes wide and listened carefully.
– Thump, thump,
It was a pulsating sound. Too large and slow to be a heartbeat.
“What about the smell?”
“…It’s strong. It feels like someone coated the entire room in honey.”
Yu Da On murmured.
As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, the surrounding scenery gradually came into view.
Ordinary walls, with no windows to be found anywhere, and no decorations inside the room at all.
It was truly a room meant solely for isolation.
One other notable thing was,
– Thump, thump,
There was a giant cocoon in the center of the room.
Fastened with yellow threads all over the walls, the pupa, about the size of two people, was pulsating.
“…What is that?”
I quickly gazed at the cocoon.
[Name: Life of the Butterfly – Pupa (Imago)]
[Age: ???]
[Specialty: ???]
[Talent: ???]
[Background: Having been prevented from becoming an imago by the Management Agency for a long time, this has finally gathered enough nutrients to break free from their interference.]
[Weakness: This is not yet an imago. However, the time given to you to observe this does not seem long. At the very least, you need to disrupt this sleep to have a chance.]
“…”
Is that thing the imago?
“What is that…?”
“That’s the one causing us all this misery.”
“I was hoping it wouldn’t be.”
Yu Da On sighed.
“Do you have any good ideas on how to handle this?”
“How about we just shoot it with a gun first?”
Hearing my suggestion, Yu Da On looked at me and shook her head.
“I don’t think that’s a very good idea.”
“But that’s the only plan that comes to mind for me right now.”
“I think I might have one.”
Yu Da On continued, trailing off like she wasn’t quite sure.
“Um… It seems that when that monster entered and left my body earlier, something happened.”
“Something?”
“Um… how do I explain this… I feel a sense of familiarity toward that monster now.”
Yu Da On stared intently at the cocoon.
“It feels like I’m looking at someone I’ve known for a long time.”
“…”
Could it be that she’s being mentally dominated?
If that’s the case, I can’t see a way out of this situation.
Clenching my fists in tension, noticing my mood, Yu Da On hurriedly continued.
“That doesn’t mean I feel any kinship or anything with it. It’s just that I think I might be able to use this a bit…”
“How?”
“I think I can wake it up. If I’m right, it also might feel something similar to me.”
“…”
I stared at Yu Da On quietly.
“That sounds dangerous.”
“It will be dangerous, right? If I’m not a fool, I’ll realize that I am human when I wake up mid-process.”
“…”
“But it’s okay.”
She briefly took my hand in the dark, giving me a reassuring gesture before letting go.
“I need to solve this situation, but if that’s the easiest way, I should take it. And I appreciate it. Honestly, if you had abandoned me, it would have been a surprisingly simple problem to solve.”
“…I understand.”
“My memories are a little unclear, though.”
Though it was hard to see in the darkness, I could tell she was smiling.
“It sounds funny to say this, but you’re betting your life on me, huh?”
After saying this softly, Yu Da On started to take steps forward.
– Pat, pat,
“Then I guess I should bet my life on you as well, Jae Heon.”
[Your understanding of Yu Da On increases.]
[Yu Da On’s abilities are awakened by you.]
Yu Da On placed her hand on the cocoon.
Before long, the cocoon began to unravel, and something slowly descended from the air.
It was a butterfly.
No, it was too grotesque to be called a butterfly.
The wings of the butterfly were there, but where its face should have been was devoid of eyes, nose, and mouth.
Strangely long arms dangled, and where legs should have been, the body of the butterfly was stuck.
The butterfly turned its face toward Yu Da On.
[Name: Life of the Butterfly – Incomplete Imago]
[Age: ???]
[Specialty: Parasite Creation]
[Talent: ???]
[Background: This object was on the precipice of a great evolution but was interrupted by mere trifles.]
[Weakness: A butterfly that could not emerge from the pupa on its own is destined to die without ever spreading its wings.]
Then, it began to flutter its wings vigorously and swung its arms around.
Yu Da On’s lower half was ripped apart.
Blood splattered everywhere as Yu Da On was cut in two.
However, she did not stir from that spot.
Instead, she reached out to grab the monster’s arms.
A translucent window appeared above her head.
[Name: Yu Da On]
[Age: 23]
[Specialty: Immortal]
[Talent: Regeneration (Undetermined)]
[Background: Refusing death, she becomes embroiled in bizarre events from her very first day at work. But because she cannot die, she is determined to risk her life once more as she encounters others, unlike the numerous people who have manipulated her.]
[Weakness: -]
Time around her begins to rewind.
As if the dead her came back to life, her lost body reattached itself as if it had never been gone.
Yu Da On, fully restored, held the monster’s arms and smiled at me.
“How’s that?”
Seeing her like that, I gave a thumbs up.
“That’s so awesome!”