novelburst-info
Chapter 250
Chapter 250
Ha Eung Eung had the strength to defeat the pillar.
If it was a regular pillar without any special gimmicks, she could have easily destroyed it.
However, she lacked information.
She had no foreknowledge that something like the Collective of Despair would emerge from within the pillar.
As a result, she consumed much of her inner energy.
And she realized.
Even if she used her best finishing move, which was capable of great destruction, it wasn’t enough to stop the End of the Hand, a 30km-wide force.
Even if she summoned a higher level of martial arts temporarily, there wasn’t enough energy within her to fully unleash it.
‘I was too reckless.’
Her confidence had led her astray.
She knew the game’s highest difficulty balance was all over the place, but even so, after feeling her lack of strength during the King of the Abyss battle, she still had hoped to escape into the game world.
In doing so, she neglected her training and frequently visited the Wildlands. This negligence had brought her to this point.
[Frustrating, but the Great Demon was thorough in its preparation. Stopping that hand in one strike is impossible, even for you. This is the only way.]
Boogeyman, sensing the point of no return, had volunteered to sacrifice himself.
Ha Eung Eung found herself in a position where she could no longer stop the End of the Hand without relying on Boogeyman.
‘I had the opportunity. If I had known that the feast would end at this moment, I would have arrived prepared.’
The notification of the end of the feast was a trap in itself.
As long as enough time hadn’t passed, the feast would only end when the player reached the Pillar of Ascension.
She had believed, in her arrogance, that she could handle anything with her strength.
She had been reckless.
Arrogant.
Regretful, now.
[Interaction Choices]
[Boogeyman hopes for you to escape. You...]
- Cannot let you go like this.
- There must be another way.
- Let’s abandon the raid and escape.
[?3. Let’s abandon the raid and escape.]
It wasn’t too late.
Let’s escape.
But even in this moment, Boogeyman shook his head.
[There’s no way that hand won’t catch us before we leave the city.]
[Even if we’re lucky and escape, do you think those who didn’t listen will be safe?]
“!!”
In the city, where everyone was desperately trying to flee, a group of monstrous cavalry riding steadily toward them cut through the crowd, forcing their way through.
They had been assigned to create chaos outside the city, but as the situation escalated, they were now reinforcement forces that had entered the city.
If she and Boogeyman ran away now, they would never be able to outrun the cavalry.
[We don’t all need to fall here.]
[I’ll leave the rear to you.]
“!!”
Hands rose from the ground, striking vital pressure points, a familiar technique often used in bloodsucking martial arts.
Ha Eung Eung quickly gathered her inner energy for defense, but Boogeyman’s overwhelming dark power was far greater than her own, so her movements slowed and resistance became impossible.
[Protect my comrade, the one who will face the end in the Wildlands.]
Stop. I can’t accept this kind of farewell.
Boogeyman, I still have things I want to ask you...
[?4. Led away by the enemy cavalry.]
The words she could not utter, with her body being dragged toward the spears, disappeared into the distance.
“Please forgive my rudeness, my lord.”
“Let me go! Please, let me down! I still have things to ask Boogeyman!”
“No matter how much you struggle, I can’t let you go there. We can’t waste the sacrifice of the Wardrobe Monster!”
With her back turned, Boogeyman shot toward the Pillar of Ascension with full speed.
[The debt has been paid.]
With that final line, Boogeyman’s form shattered.
Surrounded by darkness, his gigantic figure emerged with full power, like a shadowy king of the abyss.
Her growth, which had absorbed the strengths of both the enemy and allies, was dazzling.
‘Stop it. I don’t want to see that light again.’
Ha Eung Eung clenched her fists, blood forming on her palms.
An alert appeared before her eyes.
[High-risk sudden event triggered.]
[The Blood Tracker dispatched by the Great Demon has detected Boogeyman’s presence and has begun to act from an ambush in the city.]
[If the Blood Tracker comes into contact with Boogeyman, his life is at risk.]
They said there’s no bottom in hell.
Ha Eung Eung, unable to hide her resentment, realized something strange about the event.
Looking closely, it felt off.
“?”
A sense of confusion washed over her face.
Boogeyman had infiltrated the Collective of Despair within the Pillar of Ascension.
The Blood Tracker was following him.
To recover Boogeyman’s blood, one had to enter the Pillar of Ascension and disturb the Collective of Despair.
Entering was one thing.
But how would he get out?
The event felt strange, impossible to understand.
Boogeyman had done his best.
But he realized it was not enough.
For 20 years.
For all those years under the Great Demon’s control, with his body mixed with the blood, flesh, instincts, and traditions of countless monstrous beings, it was impossible to control or change.
It was nothing more than a vessel for the Pillar, a twisted mass of hatred, despair, and frustration.
But he could not simply crumble.
Even if he couldn’t take control, he wanted to buy time.
‘The end of civilization, the mountain of garbage. In that place, the Silent Swordsman fought with her life to protect this body, which had become nothing more than a burden. Even knowing it was futile.’
Boogeyman remembered her devotion.
Despite the Great Demon’s betrayal, despite swearing never to trust anyone again, he couldn’t ignore the purity of her sacrifice.
That night, Boogeyman had sworn he would one day repay the debt.
And now, finally, that time had come.
‘Your friendship and devotion were not in vain. I will prove it with my body.’
The mind that had long since surpassed its limits.
What moved her now was instinct.
Celestial Death.
Born to be a demon, a being destined for a murderous path.
But against that fate, the mind had been controlling the instincts. This time, it was the instincts that guided her.
‘I will kill.’
‘I will kill the Great Demon who betrayed me and pushed me into the abyss of hell.’
‘I will kill these remnants of despair that bind me!’
The mind and instincts merged.
The strength that had been suppressed was released, overwhelming the fragments of herself that tried to crush her identity.
The movement of the End of the Hand stopped.
No seduction of her identity could sway her.
This hand, the destruction of the city,
would never be allowed.
Not until the Silent Swordsman left the city.
No matter what happened, it was a miracle that could not be believed.
‘We did it.’
The Silent Swordsman had escaped the city.
- Congratulations. You did it.
- It was tough, wasn’t it? Good job.
- You don’t have to hold back anymore.
In Boogeyman’s mind, countless fragments of his identity rushed toward him.
- So now, we can kill them all, right?
The uncontrollable murderous intent overtook the mind.
After escaping the city, Ha Eung Eung found herself free from the interference of the enemy cavalry.
She realized the End of the Hand was moving again.
‘We failed. No, we could never have succeeded from the start.’
Boogeyman had already done everything he could by giving them the time to escape.
Meeting Boogeyman, trapped in that giant body, was now impossible.
Perhaps it was better not to meet him.
Even if they did meet again, she knew she wouldn’t find the Boogeyman she remembered, nor his original self.
‘This feeling... I never thought I would feel it again. I’m so angry. So angry.’
Ha Eung Eung clenched her fists, feeling the blood well up.
An alert popped up in front of her.
[High-risk sudden event triggered.]
[The Blood Tracker sent by the Great Demon has detected Boogeyman’s presence and has begun to act in ambush in the city.]
[If the Blood Tracker contacts Boogeyman, his life will be in danger.]
Was this how far Boogeyman would fall?
Frustration was mounting as Ha Eung Eung realized something was wrong with this event.
She hadn’t fully grasped it yet, but something was off.
“?”
The confusion on her face grew.
Boogeyman had infiltrated the Collective of Despair inside the Pillar of Ascension.
The Blood Tracker was now on his tail.
To recover Boogeyman’s blood, they needed to enter the Pillar and disturb the Collective of Despair.
But how would they leave?
This event felt wrong.