Chapter 43.3

Chapter 43.3

“Let’s split up! That way, if even one of us escapes—”

“Ms. Goral!”

“Yes?”

“You’re safe.”

“......?!”

“Didn’t you recently pay the fee? There should still be time left until the next cycle.”

“Ah!!”

Since Go Yeongeun had recently had her ear taken, she likely still had ‘time left’ in her usage cycle!

Hope flickered in Go Yeongeun’s eyes.

“Then I’ll go and try to distract—”

Screeeeeeech—

“......”

“......”

It had entered.

The usher machine.

Drrrrrrk.

Under the bronze candlelight, I saw the machine clearly for the first time.

It was mercilessly sharp and intricate.

Its form resembled a spider, with metal parts added as though the steel had been grafted onto flesh. Its head and thorax were oddly connected, with an abdomen and lower body beneath.

Yet its vaguely humanoid, bipedal shape evoked a sense of uncanny dread, as if it was toying with the boundaries of intelligence and form.

Its jagged, needle-like legs moved erratically, with joints bending at bizarre angles.

From its head, eight gas lamps shone yellow light, piercing through the pale shadows.

“......”

Go Yeongeun, who had been moving forward, froze in place.

It seemed as if the trauma from losing her ear had surged back into her mind.

Understandable.

Screeech—

The machine passed right by her.

‘I knew it.’

Which meant the machine was chasing...

Me and Baek Saheon.

Screeeeech.

I deliberated for the briefest moment.

If the machine’s attention shifted to Baek Saheon, I could quickly erase my presence and escape.

It would be difficult while the machine focused solely on me, but with two targets, Braun’s ability might still work.

– Oh, shall I use it now?

I made my decision.

“No.”

Instead, I shoved Baek Saheon aside.

“......!”

“Run.”

Baek Saheon already had only one eye left.

He knew that meant the machine might take more than just his remaining eye this time.

‘Who knows what kind of reckless actions he might resort to?’

Even if it took his ear as a substitute, the rejection of someone who had already lost one eye would likely be far more extreme.

I couldn’t predict the lengths he might go to.

It was better to let him run.

“I said run.”

Besides, I know this world well. I’m already familiar with several methods for restoring lost body parts, and I’m confident I can use them more easily than others...

That’s precisely why I’m standing here.

‘It’s a situation I’ve calculated and come to terms with.’

The problem is... this overwhelming revulsion!

Who could accept this so calmly and indifferently?

Having both eyes plucked out raw by a monster!

Especially in a room surrounded by the displayed eyes of others who were taken!

Cold sweat dripped down my chin.

‘Even so, I have to go through with this.’

I gritted my teeth.

It wouldn’t be completely detrimental to have my eyes removed.

‘If I can’t endure under these conditions, I might as well give up on surviving here entirely.’

Honestly, there would never be better conditions than now to test whether I, with my cowardly heart, could endure the horrors of this ghost story.

Learning to withstand recoverable losses would help build my resilience.

Yet, my clenched hands trembled.

‘Shit...’

Ziiing.

A massive needle, sharp and metallic, like the leg of a spider, moved toward my face.

I held my breath.

Whoosh—

The needle was raised, ready to pierce my eye...

Ziiiiiiiing.

“......”

I rolled my eyes to the side.

In the darkness, a massive, spider-like form was approaching from the distance...

Ziiiiiing, screeeeech.

Another usher machine.

“......”

What’s this?

‘Aren’t the machines supposed to have a programmed route?’

Shouldn’t it be impossible for their paths to overlap?

Sure enough, the machine that was about to extract my eye seemed to malfunction for a moment. Then, as if recalibrating its route, it moved away from me.

It was as though it adjusted its trajectory on its own.

Screeeeeech...

“......”

I couldn’t even exhale in relief.

The new machine would just extract my eyes instead.

I simply held my breath and stared at the newly arrived machine.

It lifted its spider-like appendages high, stopping right in front of me.

Then suddenly...

“Huu.”

......?!

“You okay, Roe?”

The spider-like form crumbled away, revealing a human wearing a badger mask.

“...Supervisor!”

It was Supervisor Park Minseong, his face drenched in cold sweat, grinning slightly.

“Phew... That was close!”