Chapter 44
“Find what exactly? Don’t tell me... Is that Min-Seo?”
Jun-Hyuk looked at Min-Seo with disgust as if he was looking at a monster. Jin-Seo didn't say anything, but she cowered as if she was frightened by Min-Seo's madness.
I quietly stared at Min-Seo's smiling face.
“...”
‘I found it,’ was what Min-Seo had said. What did she find exactly?
Suddenly, the words Min-Seo spat out to me earlier echoed in my ears.
‘Flashlight, no. Cell phone. Do you have a cell phone or a laser pointer?'
Cell phone or laser pointer. In a situation where bird-type demonic beasts had taken over Eiden Hill, Min-Seo had suddenly looked for these items. Looking for silver bullets and silver swords wouldn’t be enough to deal with this situation, let alone cell phones and laser pointers.
The bird-type demonic beasts would only attack when light flashed. This was a fact that anyone could figure out if they had an eye for it. However, it is not clear ‘who’ was being attacked when the light flashed. First, it attacked me, then Jun-Hyuk. At first glance, it appeared to attack random targets.
'Nobody move.'
However, when Min-Seo declared that no one should move, no one moved. Everyone just stood still and kept silent. It was only that time that, despite the flash of light, the demonic beasts did not attack.
What Min-Seo was looking for, the thing that she was trying so hard to prove...
“Hey, you guys. You know the game Red Light, Green Light? It's the same as that game. The demonic beasts only attack moving targets when the light flashes.” [1]
It was a rule about ‘who’ the demonic beast attacked when the light flashed.
“What kind of bullshit is that all of a sudden? Why are you suddenly talking about traffic lights?” Jun-Hyuk said with a laugh as if he had heard something absurd. Why are you suddenly talking about traffic lights? In this world, was there anyone other than Jun-Hyuk who could ask such a question?
Min-Seo opened her mouth as if she was speaking to an inferior existence while maintaining a twisted smile. “I think everyone else understands except you.”
Min-Seo was absolutely right. Jin-Seo nodded as if she understood Min-Seo's words as well. Jun-Hyuk finally realized that he was the only one left out of the loop and scratched the back of his neck in an embarrassed manner.
“Well, I think I know what you mean.” Jun-Hyuk belatedly pretended to understand.
Min-Seo said with a light sneer, “Also, demonic beast attacks have priorities. Rather than just attacking people that are moving, they tend to preemptively attack people who are trying to fight back.”
“How do you know that?”
“When Sun-Woo tried to throw a stone earlier, the demonic beast overlooked everyone else and attacked Sun-Woo first.”
"Aha." Jun-Hyuk nodded his head. He didn't seem to understand what she was saying. It looked like he was just roughly pretending to understand.
“Also, the boss is over there, that one.” Min-Seo pointed at something in the sky with her finger. A set of hazy eyes were staring down at us from the dark sky as if they were observing us.
“That’s the one that’s been watching us all along and is also probably the one that’s deciding the attack priority. It’s the one that’s been emitting light as a signal to attack as well.”
“Emit light? The demonic beast did that?”
“I saw it earlier, and it seemed like the light was coming out from its eyes. I don't know the theory behind it, but that seems to be the case. It also seems to have a significant amount of intelligence,” Min-Seo continued to explain.
Jun-Hyuk was tilting his head through the entire explanation as if he didn't understand. Jin-Seo had been watching the demonic beast’s movements for a while, and she muttered in a small voice, “...Their altitude has decreased.”
I glanced up at the sky. The demonic beasts were gradually lowering their flight altitude and approaching us. With a sluggish nod, Min-Seo slowly said, “If it comes down to the ground, then its intention must be to kill us all... Or something like that.”
“Really? Why bother?"
“They must be planning something big, or they might just be playing around with us. Looking at what they are doing, it looks like they are Baphomet three,” said Min-Seo. Baphomet was a word that was used to indicate the danger level of demonic beasts. The higher the number, the more dangerous a demonic beast was. Baphomet three referred to a demonic beast with intelligence comparable to that of a human.
A demonic beast with such intelligence would often play around with humans as toys.
“We probably can’t just sit around and wait for rescue,” I said while watching the approaching demonic beasts.
"You’re right. We don’t know when help will arrive, after all.” Min-Seo nodded her head. I was lost in thought for a moment.
Throwing a stone at them was impossible. It was because the demonic beasts would attack before I could get into position for a throw. However, I couldn’t use Granbwa's power either. The demonic beasts were flying, and Granbwa's power was not suitable for dealing with flying enemies.
[Since the weather is like this, I think that one would be the most suitable one. However, it’s a bit ambiguous because we’re in the mountains.] Legba’s voice rang in my head.
I also thought of 'that being.' Against flying demonic beasts, they were the most effective countermeasure. The weather was also just right—a cloudy sky.
However, this was a mountain.
If I used that being's power incorrectly, it was possible for us to sink into an even more dangerous situation. Above all, I had no confidence in controlling that being’s power.
“So what are you suggesting? We can’t move, we can’t counterattack, and you’re saying that we can’t sit still either? What the fuck,” Jun-Hyuk grumbled next to me while I was wondering whether there was a way of handling this situation. Min-Seo was touching her chin while staring into the air. She looked like she was thinking hard about something.
Soon, she smiled widely. Her smile always had a creepy edge to it. “I think it would be better if only one of us died than all four. How does that sound?"
With her ominous opening statement, Min-Seo recited her plan with a creepy smile on her face. Meanwhile, our faces gradually hardened.
* * *
“Oh, by the way, I don’t want to be the sacrifice. Choose amongst the three of you.”
"What? That’s not fair—”
“Because I’m the one who came up with the plan,” Min-Seo declared without raising an eyebrow. It seemed like a natural thing to say.
Jun-Hyuk let out a dry laugh as if he was dumbfounded. However, he didn't have any way of retorting, so he just stayed quiet. Jin-Seo looked up at the sky. The demonic beasts were getting closer. They had approached so close that the wind generated by the flapping of the demonic beasts’ wings was blowing onto their heads.
The remaining time was probably around five minutes. If we could not make a decision before then, all four of us were going to die here.
“What do you want to do?” Min-Seo asked while looking around the surrounding area. It looked like Jun-Hyuk didn't like Min-Seo's attitude as he was muttering something with a wrinkled face.
Sun-Woo also just looked up at the sky with a blank face without listening to her.
“...”
Jin-Seo hung her head as she recalled Min-Seo's strategy.
‘Whether it’s by throwing stones or by running around like a screaming madman, one person becomes the bait and draws the attention of the demonic beasts. In the meantime, the rest of us can run away. Isn't it simple?'
If they followed Min-Seo's strategy, there was a high probability that three of them would be able to escape. According to the rule, ‘The demonic beasts attack the target that counter attacks first,’ the demonic beasts’ attack would be concentrated on the bait. However, the bait would almost certainly die.
'So, I say that it's better for one person to die than for all four of us to die.'
It was a cruel and cold operation that did have a single touch of humaneness to it. However, as Min-Seo said, it was better for one person to die than for all four of us to die. It was cruel, but logically speaking, there was no strategy as rational as this one.
The problem was, who would become the bait?
“Why are you still undecided? Someone gather their courage and step up.”
The problem remained unresolved for a long time.
Within the forest that was filled with silence, Min-Seo had boldly made her statement. In response, Jun-Hyuk twisted his mouth violently.
“Then you do it. You’ve just been blabbering on since earlier.”
“I can’t. If I die, it will be a big loss for Florence Academy.”
“What? What about me, then? Are you saying that it's fine if I die?” Jun-Hyuk complained.
"Even if someone like you were to die... Nevermind. Anyway, decide for yourselves quickly.”
Jun-Hyuk touched the back of his neck.
“Wow, I feel like I’m about to die of anger. Should we all just die together? Huh?"
“Not bad. I don't mind either way,” Min-Seo replied confidently. Not only was she someone who took the lives of others lightly, but she also took her own life lightly.
Jun-Hyuk must have been speechless at her brazen attitude, as he could only let out choking noises. He was on the verge of fainting. Afterward, there were some altercations, but no one was quick to step forward.
Obviously, life was not something that could be thrown away so easily.
“Do I just have to draw their attention?”
Then, Jin-Seo’s voice quieted the commotion. For a moment, there was silence in the forest.
Jun-Hyuk blinked his eyes and looked blankly at Jin-Seo. Min-Seo smiled and nodded. “I was wondering when someone would volunteer. That’s right. You just need to grab their attention for a moment. About five seconds?”
Based on her tone of voice, it felt like she already knew that Jin-Seo would claim to be bait from the start.
Jun-Hyuk blabbered while furrowing his eyebrows as if he did not understand, “What, what, really? But why?"
“She has the highest chance of surviving even if she becomes bait. As expected of Jin-Seo. She is smart,” Min-Seo sarcastically replied in her stead.
Jin-Seo was roughly able to read the movements of the demonic beasts. Sun-Woo, Jun-Hyuk, and Min-Seo would all die with a hundred percent chance if they became the bait. However, if Jin-Seo became the bait, that probability would be reduced to around eighty percent. In other words, there was a chance that she would be able to survive.
“No, isn’t it common sense that the person who originally came up with the idea should also sacrifice themselves? Min-Seo should be the bait.”
Jun-Hyuk still looked like he didn't understand, but Jin-Seo had already made up her mind. No matter what Jun-Hyuk said, he couldn't shake her resolution.
"Okay. Then, when the decoy gives the signal, we all run away. Understood?”
“No, what the heck? You're insane—!”
“Ah~ yes. I applaud Miss Jin-Seo’s courage in volunteering to become the bait!”
Jun-Hyuk was about to spit out a swear word when suddenly paused and stared blankly at Min-Seo. Even in this situation, Min-Seo was smiling brightly like a child. Her attitude was goosebumps-inducing. There seemed to be no concept of human dignity or respect for life in her head.
"It’s okay. Because I won't die," Jin-Seo said with a clear smile. She looked resigned, as if she was prepared for death.
She questioned herself.
Would the life obtained at the cost of the lives of others be truly happy?
The life she had now had also been acquired at the cost of her adoptive mother's life. Misfortune always blew through her life like a storm and would always take away precious people around her. In the place where the storm passed, only ruins remained. She had been wandering through ruins ever since five years ago. It was a lonely and desolate place where no one resided. She imagined a life that was obtained at the cost of Sun-Woo’s or Jun-Hyuk’s life.
That wasn’t life. It was death disguised as life or a life that was harsher than death.
“...”
Jin-Seo looked up at the sky again. The approaching dark clouds had completely swallowed the sun and covered the entire sky. The sound of the demonic beasts’ wings resounded ominously through the pitch-black darkness.
Somehow, the sounds seemed closer than before.
When she glanced at Sun-Woo, she saw that he was still staring blankly at the sky. He had a completely calm face, as if the fact that she was about to become bait was none of his business.
Jin-Seo’s heart started to feel complicated. But that wasn’t enough to shake her resolution.
Within the darkness, she felt the touch of her bracelet on her left hand. It was no longer a bracelet due to snapping from the impact of the fall. It was just a crudely woven string. When she realized that, her heart felt a little peaceful.
Jin-Seo took a few steps forward.
"No."
Then, a voice came from within the darkness. It felt like a command or perhaps a scolding. Jin-Seo unconsciously stopped her steps at the firm tone.
Silence arose.
Nothing could be seen or heard. Everything was covered and blurred by a pitch-black abyss. For a moment, it felt like time had stopped.
Flash.
At that moment, a flash of light drove away the darkness. In that fleeting moment, Jin-Seo saw him. She saw his back as he stepped forward confidently. However, the darkness once again came and covered her vision, causing his figure to disappear.
────!!
The darkness did not last too long. Lightning split the sky in half and drove away the darkness. The sound of thunder reverberated in the ears. At the same time, one of the demonic beasts turned to ashes and fell powerlessly onto the ground.
───!! ───!!!
The thunderbolts continued to strike without rest, shattering the darkness in the sky into dozens of pieces. Darkness and light crossed hundreds of times before their eyes.
The shattered sky spewed out thunder as if screaming. Several demonic beasts dropped down from the sky like rain. It looked as if a storm was raging. Within the center of the storm, the silhouette of his back was lit up.
“───.”
He turned his head halfway to look at her and spoke to her. His voice was not audible because of the thunder. Only a faint echo was barely transmitted.
...'Please?'
Jin-Seo tried to decipher the meaning through lip reading, but she was unable to guess the meaning from the shape of his mouth alone.
Meanwhile, the storm, which was a mixture of thunder and thunderbolts, still raged in the sky. The demonic beast corpses piled up one after another, and her hair blew gently from the resulting wind.
It took a long time for the storm to stop, but eventually, it did.
In the place where the storm had passed, in the ruins with nothing left...
There, he remained.
1. It’s not actually ‘Red Light, Green Light,’ but I translated ‘??? ?? ?????’ in a similar way to what they did in Squid Game. ?
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