CH 2

Warning: This chapter might make you feel uncomfortable or trigger something. Please be aware that this series is only fiction.

Coins.

By giving more power to the constellations in the novel, they were omnipotent in themselves because they were objects close to God in the first place, but they could have more substantial power by owning ‘coins’. Unlike ordinary goods, coins were certain goods that could only be obtained by breaking dungeons or selling items from dungeon in system stores, but the only other way to supply and demand coins were through the constellations.

Constellations sponsor coins to their contractors or to the awakened struggling inside the dungeon, and those who received the sponsorship purchase items or skills that could not be obtained by ordinary routes and use them to target the dungeon.

Therefore, I also wanted to get out of this place by sponsoring Baek Tae-beom to buy skills…

‘I don’t have enough coins?’

The constellations in the novel used coins to sponsor, but why don’t I have any?

‘Don’t tell me, I have to collect them myself?’

There was nothing more ridiculous than that. I can’t believe I have to work hard after I’ve become a constellation and I don’t have the crucially needed coins. I was going to die before a worker could even work.

“What are you whispering about?!”

“What does it matter to you!”

“What?!”

I answered reflexively and said, “Oops.” The old man with the face of an angry goblin strode towards me.

Baek Tae-beom, who had just awakened, has a stronger body and would be fine even if he gets attacked, but if I get hit by that guy’s fist, my nose bone might break easily.

Should I say I was happy? Baek Tae-beom blocked my way.

“Please stop it.”

“These little….”

‘That’ Baek Tae-beom is taking my side. I felt as if a ferocious dog, who would bark fiercely at others, become quiet only in front of me, so I felt a bit touched again. I raised myself up by tiptoeing behind Baek Tae-beom and spoke, looking right at the man.

“It seems that we are not the only ones seeing the weird windows that had just popped up, But you saw it too, right? About the dungeons.”

“So what?”

“I don’t think this is happening to just us right now, is it? As you can see on your phone, this is happening all over the world in real-time. So instead of just swinging your fists right now, we should all figure out how to get out of here!”

Then I quickly hid behind Baek Tae-beom. This was because the man who put up with Baek Tae-beom and made fun of me, looked like he wanted to punch me.

Unlike before, the uncle didn’t rush to see if Baek Tae-beom who was standing in a fairly threatening manner was bothered.

[Dungeon <Little Purgatory>]

[Within the time limit, defeat the demon monster that lurks inside a human’s body and escape the elevator.

Reward: 3,000 Coins

Penalty for Failure: Death

Time Limit: 60 Hours]

It’s too vague to defeat a demon-type monster hiding inside a human body. There was also no hint of a demon hiding among us. Doesn’t that mean that there was a possibility that that man’s daughter, who was about to cry again, may be the demon, or even that Ahjussi himself?

We were given 60 hours, but I was not confident that I would last 60 hours in such a cramped elevator. Besides, if the elevator falls in the aftermath of a fight, what kind of death is this?

“Then, who’s the demon?”

“We need to find out now! Don’t you have any guesses?”

The man, who was looking at us with the most suspicious look on his face, suddenly saw an old man in the corner. The expression of the old man, who did nothing, was engulfed in fear, but to the man, it seemed like a devil in the making.

Suddenly, the Ahjussi grabbed the old man’s collar and shouted.

“Hey, old man! You’re the demon, aren’t you?”

“I, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I, I don’t know, I don’t know….”

“Say it right! Before you get beaten and searched!”

“Oh, I’m sorry…. Please don’t hit me…!”

Baek Tae-beom looked at me with a shameful face. It looked like he didn’t know what to do. Seeing his innocent and handsome face, I shouted because I felt I had to step up without realizing it.

“Don’t just swing your fists, think about it, you bastard!”

“What?”

“…Well!”

I spoke politely. However, as if he could not feel my efforts, he threw away the old man with a grim face and strode this way. He told Baek Tae-beom.

“Move. Let me crush the nose of that bastard.”

“…No, I don’t like it.”

“Do you want to get beaten up again?”

Baek Tae-beom grabbed my arm and pulled me back, hiding me further, and spoke with a rather rough voice.

“Try it. Then I’ll really think you’re the demon.”

“What?”

“Let’s say it in words. If you keep beating people all the time, isn’t the demon actually Ahjussi? It’s suspicious to see you fussing like this over and over without even thinking about it.”

At Baek Tae-beom’s words, the man shut his mouth. It seems to have been plausible logic to him. Fortunately, the man who was huffing and puffing went back to where his daughter was. 

I tapped Baek Tae-beom on the shoulder and thanked him.

“I’m alive, thanks to you.”

“No, what? You helped me earlier. But my eyes are… Is it really golden right now?

I responded frankly.

“It is glowing gold.”

“…Is that so?”

“But it’s still pretty, so don’t worry too much about it.”

It really was. Baek Tae-beom’s eyes were so pretty even for me, who had zero sense of aesthetics. Not only were his eyes stunning, but he also had a handsome face, which made him even prettier.

Baek Tae-beom looked shy at my words, as he bowed his head and rubbed the back of his neck.

It would have been nice if this had changed things, but it didn’t.

Time passed quickly.

I wasn’t hungry, but I slept like crazy. Twenty hours have passed, yet the situation didn’t improve in the slightest. Then, the phone light flickered.

The child in the Ahjussi’s arms cried with a whimper.

“Dad, I’m hungry….”

“I’m sorry. Hang on a little bit, okay?” The firefighters will be here in no time.”

However, since the dungeon has already been created, there would be no way in from the outside unless something special happens. Anyone would know that the situation was hopeless.

Above all, the dungeon in which we are now confined, <Little Purgatory>, is a ‘scenario’ dungeon. In the first place, scenario-type dungeons cannot be entered from outside.

There are only two cases in which someone can access the dungeon you have entered from the outside. First, when the dungeon is reopened because all internal personnel is dead, or when the dungeon is converted to a cleared dungeon.

‘Damnit. What the hell can I do?”

Still, Baek Tae-beom spoke to me in the corner, maybe he felt sorry for me.

“Should I lend you my shoulder?”

“No, it’s okay.”

“Even though I look like this, I am strong enough that you can lean on me.”

What does it mean that you ‘look like this’? You look strong no matter how anyone looks at you, even looking at those broad shoulders. However, not wanting to say anything more, instead of responding, I buried my face in his shoulder.

“Daddy… I’m hungry. I’m so, so hungry….”

“My daughter, let’s think about what to eat when we go out.”

“Can’t we just eat now? I’m very, very, very hungry… .”

But the conversation I heard was strange. There was something uncomfortable about hearing the child’s whining. When I looked up again, my eyes met Baek Tae-beom.

“What’s wrong?”

“That’s….”

Am I mistaken? It was only a moment when I thought so.

“Can’t we just eat dad?”

“What? Wait, huck…!”

A terrible situation was unfolding where I turned his head urgently. The child opened her mouth wide enough to swallow the Ahjussi’s head.

“Euak, Ah…! Ugh…!”

I could feel the color draining from my face. When I hurriedly got up, Baek Tae-beom supported me and stuck me close to his back. It was not enough for the child to devour her father’s head, so she bowed down and continued to eat his scattered body.

The more it ate, the more the horns on the child’s head grew as its wings spread out from her back. It was a perfect demon.

The old man who was watching the scene trembled and collapsed. I felt like I was going to faint at the ridiculous situation in front of me.

[The constellation, ‘The One Who Knows The End’ is synchronized with the body.]

But if I passed out here, I would surely only be the prey of that demon. I grabbed Baek Tae-beom’s wrist.

“Now. We have to kill it quickly!”

“Ha, but, how…”

“I will draw its attention, so you attack from behind.”

I don’t know why I said that with such confidence, but after I finished speaking, I let go of Baek Tae-beom’s wrist and slowly approached the demon. Blood dripped from the corner of the child’s mouth as it ate, and its wings flapped on its back. 

Its eyes were torn vertically and smiling, and as soon as his eyes met mine, he tilted his head sideways.

“Hungry?”

It was damn terrifying. But strangely, I didn’t tremble.

“Did you learn proper etiquette just to eat on the floor that way?”

“Human?”

“Yes, I am human. I don’t know why you’re doing this, but look at this. Yes?”

I turned on the flash on my phone and shook it wildly in front of the demon.

“It’s blinding, isn’t it? It bothers me, it’s… argh!”

As the demon rushed to me at once, I got startled and fell backward. Still, I shoved my cell phone into the demon’s mouth and shouted at Baek Tae-beom.

“Now!”

However, at the same time as I spoke, Baek Tae-beom rushed at the demon, but was hit by the tail that came out of the devil’s ass and flew away at once. I screamed and spit out at random. (그러나 내가 말하는 동시에 백태범이 악마에게 달려들었으나 악마의 엉덩이에서 나온 꼬리에 얻어맞고 단번에 날아갔다. 나는 기함하며 마구잡이로 내뱉었다.)

“Aren’t you the awakened?!”

“W, what….”

“There’ll be skills, skills! Use your skills! Isn’t there?!”

“S-skills… What, what is…!”

Crack.

The sound of my cell phone being crushed rang in the demon’s mouth. I screamed in horror.

“I’m not even done with the installment plan, you son of a bitch!”

But it wasn’t the time to be worrying about phones. The thing I need to worry about the most now is my body, If things go on like this, it was only a matter of time.

Then, I suddenly remembered a trick.

[The constellation, ‘The One Who Knows The End’ asks Baek Tae-beom to make a contract with him.]

[The constellation, ‘The One Who Knows The End’ warns Baek Tae-beom that if he doesn’t sign a contract with him, he will seriously injure his nose.]

[The constellation, ‘The One Who Knows The End’ shouts at Baek Tae-beom.]

“I, there… What kind of window is in front of me right now… .”

“Do it! I don’t know what it is, but just do it!”

I sent a message to Baek Tae-beom and shouted.

I never dreamed that I would make a contract with the man who would destroy the world, but it was better than dying like this.

[Baek Tae-beom accepts the contract of the constellation, ‘The One Who Knows The End.’]

[You have a new contractor.]

[From now on, you share a part of your feelings with the contractor]

[Congratulations! 5,000 coins will be given to you who succeeded in the first contract.]

At the same time, I desperately opened the store page and bought an item, and threw it into Baek Tae-beom’s hand right before it was ripped off by the demon.

[You sponsored an item to a contractor]

And the dazzling trajectory of the sword cut the demon’s throat. Baek Tae-beom looked surprised as he swung the sword without realizing it. The moment the demon was cut, the blood that had been strewed on me quickly turned to dust and disappeared.

[Congratulations on clearing the dungeon! The reward has been distributed.]

This crazy world.

I muttered curses, as I looked at Baek Tae-beom, who was supporting me.

Ake:

Rin: Ake hasn’t commented. Ah, no, I’m just an uploader for this project. Since this series has ‘dungeon’ genre etc, you should be aware that that scene above will come :’)