Chapter 17
Chapter 17 – Trauma Penalty (2)
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Translator: HH
[Penalty commencing . ]
[The trauma of the Monster Hellfire Maiden is being created . ]
A fancy western style residence .
I was here .
No, the word ‘here’ probably didn’t fit . I wasn’t here . It was just my consciousness floating around like a ghost, looking down at things from a third person perspective .
‘What is this?’
I was taken aback .
‘What’s happenin…?’
-S, Save me .
Then, I heard a voice .
A young child was sitting in the corner of the 2st floor lobby . At first, I thought she was talking to me, but she pleaded to someone else .
-Please save me…I’m hungry…something to eat…something to eat, please…
-Mm .
A person dressed like a noble .
-Orphans like you are the plague of this kingdom .
-Something to eat…
-Left alone, you eat society . You don’t even work . You wander around from one village to the next, spreading your disease . I’m a prison ward that isolates those like you from the kingdom .
In an instant, information entered my brain .
A time when there were many wanderers because there wasn’t enough food . The noble gathered orphans into his residence . He funded an orphanage as a cover . He was known as a kind wealthy man, a great businessman, and a conscientious man with knowledge .
-Others treat you as rotten . I’m different .
But in this large mansion .
-I’m going to educate you .
The noble was just a tyrant .
-Those who look for food just because they’re hungry are beasts . Of course, you were born in the field like beasts, but you shouldn’t live like one .
-I’m hungry…hungry…
-Endure it . Even if you’re hungry, endure it . Endure it, and become a human .
The noble smiled . It was a generous smile . He was someone who was able to smile at a skinny child who’s rib cage could be seen .
-Repent!
The crazy bastard called other crazy bastards .
-Aaaaaack!
-Oh, children of witches! The plague of our kingdom! Don’t worry . God never turns his back on you . Like him, I won’t turn my back on you sheep!
-It hurts…it…hurts…
Some god’s priest raised his hammer .
-Pray!
A time when lunacy was wrapped up as kindness .
The screams didn’t end inside the mansion .
-I’m hungry…
Starvation .
-I don’t like it…please forgive me…why…forgive me…
Torture .
-Ah . Thank you…kind sir . Kind man…reward for enduring pain . Promise . Thank you . Thank you, kind man…
Brainwashing .
These orphans were brought in like corpses and left as corpses . It was only the death of someone who was about to die, but the children couldn’t imagine the pain between the two .
Tens, hundreds, thousands were in the mansion .
And tens, hundreds, thousands of deaths .
‘…’
I stared blankly at the sight in front of me .
‘Just what…’
-Wow . Eff . What’s this?
I was able to come to attention thanks to someone .
‘You were looking too? I thought you weren’t here . ’
-I was looking from the beginning . I didn’t know you were here . I couldn’t see you .
‘Mm . Seems like both of our consciousnesses are floating around…’
-That’s not my problem .
Bae Hu-ryeong spoke .
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-What kind of crazy psychos are these? Ha . They’re educating them into humans? How would these nonhuman bastards educate others into humans?
‘…This is probably the origin of the 10th floor boss stage . ’
Before my consciousness flew over here, a voice told . [The death of the enemy who killed you is being reenacted . ]
If it was the enemy who killed me…it was the real doll hiding somewhere in the hellfire residence . That meant this was the trauma the doll remembered .
‘I had no idea . ’
I whispered .
‘The monster was a human when it was alive…’
-Not all monsters are like that . Only the bosses are like that . Usually boss monsters are made from humans from other worlds .
I heard him click his tongue .
-Carnivorous plants, or heroes of other worlds . Things like those . As you cross the 11th floor, it becomes more intense .
‘What? Why didn’t you tell me that?’
-You didn’t ask .
‘…’
He was so shameless that I was speechless .
-But I’ve never seen something like this . Tsk .
‘What?’
-The origin you talked about . The scenes we see now . I knew boss monsters were from other worlds, but how would I know what happened to them . It’s not like I’m psychic…
Bae Hu-ryeong muttered to himself .
-I feel like shit .
Agreed .
‘…Yeah . ’
Things worse than this were probably happening all over the world right now, but imagining it and seeing for myself was different .
I didn’t know if it was a good or bad thing .
-F, Fire!
But the [Trauma] ended soon .
Some servant accidentally tipped over a candle . The servant passed by without noticing it . It was nighttime . When people were sleeping, fire slowly and quietly spread . It was too late when someone realized the flames .
-Cough, gasp . Cough!
-We have to get awa…
The flames soared up .
The ropes in the basement burned up . The chains burned up . The cuffs around the orphans burned up as well, and brainwashed kids, tortured kids, and starved kids burned . It was like the fire burned all brainwashing, injuries, and starvation .
-Ah…
The children opened their mouths . The burning chains were tightened around the childrens’ ankles and wrists . They couldn’t move, like they were dolls . They just screamed .
However, I could hear it .
-I don’t want to die .
Hate .
-I’m hungry .
-I want to live…
-Kind sir .
The grudges and resentment entering my consciousness .
-I didn’t do anything wrong . I didn’t have a family . But it was still ok . I wanted to play a bit more . But…
-It’s not our fault . I feel wronged . I didn’t do it .
-I’m hungry .
The mansion burned up .
The chandelier in the 1st floor lobby burned up . The bedroom of the residence’s owner burned up . The fancy curtains . And the stone stairs that led down to the basement .
-I don’t want to die .
Crack .
Crack-
Sparks flew everywhere .
Now what I could see was a mansion burning up from far away .
[Trauma reenactment finished . ]
[The penalty is ending . ]
And I returned to a day before .
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When I opened my eyes .
Bae Hu-ryeong and I didn’t say anything . We both silently sat on the bed .
Rather than being shocked…it was because we didn’t know how to react .
-Mm…
After a while, Bae Hu-ryeong scratched the back of his head .
-It was really sad and pitiful . I saw it well . But isn’t there nothing we can do?
“Wow . That’s the first thing you say? You really…”
-Yup . Right . My personality is trash .
He frowned . Have you ever seen a gorilla get mad? It was totally similar to this .
-But the truth is always like shit! The 10th floor boss is just a monster, and the children have already died in another world . It’s something that happened a long long time ago . Zombie . What can you do!
“…”
-And if it was something that happened in this Tower, you could die 4000 or 5000 times to return to the past . But that happened in another world in a different time . Even if I was alive, I couldn’t fix that! Even if I was Sword God and not Sword Emperor, I couldn’t do it .
He was right .
-Find the real king and hunt it . Kill it .
Bae Hu-ryeong spoke .
-And go the the 11th floor . That’s the only way you’re gonna clear the 20th, 30th, 40th, and 50th floor . If you decided to become the hunter at the top, deal with these things yourself!
He was right again .
But .
“Flame Emperor also thought that way . ”
-Hm?
“Flame Emperor . Shit Emperor . Yoo Soo-ha . The first human I hunted . ”
I got up from my bed .
I tied my sleeping back to my backpack . I carried my backpack . I inserted my sword into my waist . In other words, I was ready to climb the tower . Even though it wasn’t the best, I was still getting ready a a hunter .
“Did you know? Yoo Soo-ha would’ve 100% found the real doll and exploded its head . Whether he saw the trauma or not . Without any hesitation .
-So what?
“I don’t want to be like that Flame Emperor bastard . ”
I climbed the tower .
Like the last time, I tricked the doorkeeper .
And I stepped in front of the mansion again .
The same noble mansion that I saw in the trauma .
-Hey! You’re not a baby . You’re not gonna get the boss just because you don’t want to be like that guy? What are you gonna do . You have to get rid of the boss to clear the stage, you zombie fool!
“Who said so?”
-What?
I put my hands on the door and murmured to myself .
“Damn . I was stupid . ”
-What are you talking about?
“I was stupid! And you were equally stupid . Shit . We’re saying we can’t remember .
Bae Hu-ryeong wrinkled his forehead .
-Did this kid lose his mind? You being stupid is a fact all over the world, but why am I stupid too? I grew up hearing that I was a genius .
“Skill card . ”
I mumbled in annoyance .
“The S Class skill card we didn’t pick . Do you remember it? The Hellfire Limit . You went crazy saying I had to pick this one . ”
-Hm? Of course I remember .
-Huh, this Zombie . Fine…listen .
Bae Hu-ryeong rattled on with a frown . I guess the fact that he was called a genius when he was younger wasn’t a lie . He said everything on the card without a single mistake .
[Hellfire Trap]
Rank: S-
Effects: Regrets . Resentment . Complaints . What you couldn’t do, the voice that you couldn’t say, the wishes that you weren’t able to achieve . Burn them all . ‘It’s hot . ’ Is it hot? Make the world a clump of fire . ‘I feel like I’ll die . ’ Die . If you want you, the Aura’s hellfire will descend anywhere within 2 km of you .
No one can leave the hell without your permission .
No one .
※However, you have to be within the radius .
I quietly listened to the skill summary and asked him .
“Sword Emperor . Don’t you think something’s wrong?”
-Sheesh, this is so frustrating . What’s wrong!
“The last section . ”
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[No one can leave the hell without your permission . ]
[No one . ]
I spoke .
“It says no can can escape from the hellfire trap without the boss monster’s permission . No one . Then just how were the players who challenged the 10th floor able to escape from it .
-Huh?
Bae Hu-ryeong blinked .
-…Huh? Fuck, yeah, why?
There was a guild called Black Dragon .
The person who controlled them was the Rank 2 hunter . The Black Witch challenged the 10th floor countless times . Everytime she did, she failed . The Rank 2 failed, but all the hunters came back alive .
They all came back alive .
“It doesn’t make sense . ”
I put some strength onto my arms .
It slowly opened .
“It says escaping itself is impossible if the boss doesn’t let you go . That’s the skill…and they escaped perfectly fine even without killing the boss . Everyone . So it doesn’t make sense . ”
-Then…what happened?
“Shit . There’s only one answer!”
Creaaak .
The door opened like it was welcoming me with its arms wide open .
“The boss let them! Escape!”
The 10th floor boss .
The stage that humanity hadn’t been able to subjugate .
The mansion of hellfire prison came to view .
[You have entered the boss stage . ]
[The challenger is hunter Kim Gong-ja . 1 person . ]
[May luck be with you . ]
“Can’t you tell seeing how she let them escape? The boss, these, they never considered the hunters enemies . ”
-… . .
[The boss stage is commencing . ]
“They just wanted to play with the people who came . ”
Candles .
All over the mansion, candles tilted over . Fire spread from where they fell over .
-Giggle giggle!
Dolls came from flames . They couldn’t move, like they were tied down by something . They just turned their heads to look at me .
-Are you gonna play with me?
The dolls opened their mouths .
-Are you gonna play with us?
-Freeze tag? The flower has bloomed? Hide and seek?
-The ice melted . The flowers all ripped . Let’s go with hide and seek!
-Let’s! Play with us! Play hide and seek with us!
-Hahahahah!
The flames soared up .
The chandelier in the 1st floor lobby burned up . The bedroom of the residence’s owner burned up . The fancy curtains . And the stone stairs that led down to the basement .
In the midst of everything, the children, who were now dolls, didn’t burn up .
“…”
I clenched my teeth .
“Alright . I’ll play with you . ”
[Your skill is activating . ]
The skill I received from my last lie . I used the fire immunity skill on myself . The moment the skill was activated, the heat washed away from my body . I could breathe easily . My vision was a bit clearer from the smoke too .
I could see the faces of the dolls .
-Huh?
-He’s not burning .
The dolls’ faces were all different . They didn’t have any expressions, but I knew .
-Isn’t it hot?
-Weird guy .
-Can you play?
-Are you gonna play with us?
I nodded my head again .
“Yup . Hide and seek . Be careful . I never lost hide and seek when I was young . ”
-Giggle giggle! It’s a weird guy!
-Hide! Everyone hide!
The dolls all laughed . I told them to hide, but no one moved . Tens . Hundreds . Thousands of children laughed .
-Ready or not, here I come . Ready or not…
Hide and seek began .
“…got you . ”
I roamed the mansion . I grabbed dolls while I walked around . When I patted their heads, the dolls’ heads creaked up . Then, they opened their mouths to speak .
-Beep! Not me!
The dolls disappeared while laughing .
-Not me!
-Not me!
Everywhere I turned, there were dolls . There were so many . I got each and every one of them .
-…
One .
-Hey, this is…
Another one .
-This is…a memorial service .
Bae Hu-ryeong muttered .
Memorial service .
Comforting the soul of a dead person .
I quietly walked around the mansion . I saw the chains that wrapped the orphans, and I saw their cuffs . Where the chains and cuffs were, there were always dolls there .
The fire burned up .
-It’s not me! Not me! Not me!
-No! Not, me . Me…me…not…me…
-Not…me…
Time flew by .
Eventually, I was in the basement . I had just stepped down the long stone stairs . There were dolls on the stairs as well . They were all toppled over . Like they had stopped while trying to escape from the basement .
“…”
I got all the children who had fallen on the stairs, and stood in front of the last doll .
-Are you gonna play with us?
The doll was leaning against the wall .
Around the doll, there were hammers, scythes, and nails .
-…
I slowly walked towards it .
And I patted the hairless doll’s head .
“Got you . ”
The head of the child who made this hellfire was small . Enough to be wrapped around one hand .
“…You’re it now . Kiddo . ”
There was silence .
The doll raised its head . Like the other dolls, the doll was expressionless . The doll spoke with the face that lost its expression .
-Kind man .
Its voice wasn’t the only thing it let out . Lips . Skin, Eyes . Her body slid down like paper . The fire instantly swallowed the doll, and it continued to speak like a broken record .
-Thank you .
And it melted .
-Thank you .
The doll burned up . The chains melted down . Cuffs, hammer, scythe, pick, nails, they all burned up . Even the trace of starvation . The fire that had lived its life completely disappeared .
Death disappeared without a trace .
I stood alone in the middle of the abandoned mansion .
“…”
For years .
[Congratulations . ]
For years, humanity hadn’t been able to clear this place .
[Normal stage clear . ]
[Hidden stage clear . ]
[You have cleared the bonus stage . ]
That day . The tower’s 10th floor was cleared .