CH 11

You may think that I misheard the words of the <Magical Conch Shell> but seeing the reaction of ‘One Who Is More Dazzling Than The Sun’, it seems that I did not. I couldn’t put into words how terribly sad I was.

Have I not influenced Baek Tae-beom yet? Will the gang of Yoo Jin-woo, who is still alive, contact Baek Tae-beom again?

If that was not the case….

Will Baek Tae-beom’s younger brother die in the end?

I never thought that knowing the future would give such a terrible feeling.

[CH.#643nj5/One Who Is More Dazzling Than The Sun]: Answer me.

I was in no position to have a proper conversation with him. All of my thoughts were focused on Baek Tae-beom’s younger brother. As expected, it was clear that his brother was dying.

If so, I must protect his brother unconditionally. Otherwise, this ending will never change.

[CH.#643nj5/One Who Is More Dazzling Than The Sun]: It’s really amazing.

[CH.#643nj5/One Who Is More Dazzling Than The Sun]: I want to have a proper conversation with you

[CH.#643nj5/One Who Is More Dazzling Than The Sun]: But looking at the current situation, that seems a bit difficult.

I turned back at his words. Something was moving in the lake I came out of. The water surface was shaking, and something was moving in it. And with a splashing sound, an arm came out of the surface.

The problem was that the arm was made of fleshless bone.

It was an undead monster.

As expected, the skeleton sitting on the bottom of the lake was a monster.

I put the <Magical Conch Shell> into my inventory and pulled out my staff. The monster moved its jaw while trembling, and walked out onto the land, looking straight at me with its eyes wide open.

Without any hesitation, I swung my staff.

[You used a skill. Skill : Thorn of Sin]

[Activating Thorn of Sin.]

Then, numerous thorns popped out of the air and caught the movements of the skeleton. Like a sharp whip and chain.

However, the problem was that undead monsters did not feel pain.

It made a bizarre noise as it clashed its teeth and raised its chin. I clicked my tongue as no damage had been inflicted. Rather, it was struggling to remove the thorns attached to its body as if it was inconvenient.

However, I did not buy this staff simply because of the skill. I walked closer to the skeleton, which seemed to be able to escape out of the thorn at any moment. Its wide, open eyes stared at me. As if screaming at me to put back the treasure I’ve taken.

But, ignoring its gaze, I swung my staff as hard as I could and slammed its skull.

Clang!

The skull flew away and fell back into the lake.

Splash!

The body of the skull without its head trembled and then drooped. And soon turned to dust.

Yes. The true value of this staff was that it was unnecessarily futile and hard. My arm, which was swinging it strongly, throbbed.

[The constellation, ‘One Who Is More Dazzling Than The Sun’ is amazed by your actions.]

[The constellation, ‘One Who Is More Dazzling Than The Sun’ has sponsored 500 coins.]

[Current coins possessed: 511]

I didn’t know whether to be sad or happy that the 500 coins were free. It made me want to laugh.

I bent down and picked up what came from the monster’s corpse.

[Bone Fragment of the Dead F]

[It is a bone fragment of the dead.]

I could get some pocket money if I sell this.

“Hyung!”

Then, I heard a voice in the distance.

“Ga-hyun Hyung!”

Baek Tae-beom?

It was a voice that came from the other side of the passageway where I previously went into. Is your work done already? It was going to be a struggle to get into the passage again since my whole body was heavy due to my dampened clothes.

As I passed through the passageway with difficulty, along with the people they saved, there stood Lee Myung-won, and Baek Tae-beom.

“Hyung!”

Baek Tae-beom, who had a bright face when he saw me, quickly shifted into a stiff face as soon as he saw my wet body.

“… What’s this? How did you get wet?”

“That’s….”

“Did you go into the water?”

“I guess so?”

With Lee Myung-won by his side, I couldn’t tell a lie, so I told them the truth.

TL/N: To remind you all, it is because Lee Myung-won can most likely sense the truth and lies due to his ‘Intuition’ skill. Yikes.

“Why?”

“I knew there would be something underwater.”

Baek Tae-beom, who had hardened his expression, sighed. Then, he took off his outer garment and put it over my shoulder as he pulled me up.

“Isn’t it cold?”

I didn’t know how such a kind man could destroy the world.

It was absurd.

Baek Tae-beom. Just wait and see, I’ll definitely protect your brother.

“It’s alright.”

Lee Myung-won, who was looking at us, said.

“Let’s go outside first.”

***

“Hyung!”

“Min-seok-ah!”

As soon as they got out of the dungeon, the Dongsaeng who was rescued ran to the young man who had been waiting in front of the dungeon. The young man burst into tears as he hugged his Dongsaeng.

“Thank you, thank you so much….”

“Hyung! These hyungs defeated them all! Like a hero!”

“Heuk, …Well, did you say thank you yet?”

“Ah, right. Thank you, hyungs!”

Seeing the cheerful child made me smile. Was Baek Tae-beom’s younger brother that young? It was difficult to infer what his younger brother would look like as only his brother’s death was mentioned in past recollections.

When I went outside, it felt even colder. As I trembled, Baek Tae-beom, who had his arm wrapped around my shoulders, hugged me a little more.

He’s so confident about physical contact.

“Hyung, let’s go home.”

“What?”

I was so embarrassed that the words came out first. When I turned my head and looked up at Baek Tae-beom, he was clearly looking down at me with his golden eyes.

In Greek mythology, it was a golden apple with a brilliant shade that Paris offered to the most beautiful of the three goddesses. When we made eye contact, he lowered his head a little more and brought his face closer to mine.

PR/N : So, technically the author compares Tae-beom’s eyes to the golden apple.

My house. It’s close here.”

“…Why am I… going there?”

“Hyung, you’re soaking wet right now.”

Baek Tae-beom lowered his eyes and gently stroked my shoulders.

“Since you’re wet, let’s dry ourselves at my house. It’s too cold to go on like this.”

I swallowed reflexively.

“You don’t have to do that….”

Go to the house of the worst villain who will destroy the world. That fact was just confirmed, so would you still like to go?

But when I saw Baek Tae-beom’s face, which looked somewhat sullen, my heart was shaken.

“Are you heading back?”

Lee Myung-won, who was talking to the people in black, approached us again with gloves on and asked.

“We have to go.”

“Wait a minute.”

Lee Myung-won looked through the wallet he took out and held out a business card to me.

[Hansung Group Lee Myung-won]

[010-XXXX-XXXX]

“Why did you….”

“I don’t know, but my constellation urged me to do this.”

Lee Myung-won put the business card in my hand with a nonchalant face, as if he did not see Baek Tae-beom staring at him from my side.

“What did you do while I was away?”

“…….”

“You don’t have to say it. I think I know. I have a guess.”

“Lee Myung-won-ssi.”

“But I have no regrets saving those people.”

Lee Myung-won looked down at me and spoke, and then turned his back away from us. Baek Tae-beom, who was looking at him with an expressionless face, said lowly.

“Let’s go.”

“…Wait a minute. Did something happen between you two?”

“That can’t be, Hyung.”

Baek Tae-beom patted my shoulder with a friendly-looking smile.

“Are you going to my house first?”

“…Alright.”

“Wah!”

TL/N: An excited expression that Koreans use. Imagine Baek Tae-beom saying that with an enthusiastic tone.

Baek Tae-beom smiled as if he was in a good mood.

To my surprise, the house I visited was just an ordinary college student’s house. I thought it would be gloomy because it was the house of the villain, so it felt comical. There was no denying that I was a little disappointed. Because in my head, I thought that Baek Tae-beom was raising some kind of monster.

I awkwardly stood in the middle of the living room and looked around.

“Hold on, Hyung.”

Baek Tae-beom went into the room, took some of his clothes and a towel, and gave it to me.

“You can go and wash up first.”

“Is that alright?”

“Of course.”

Baek Tae-beom slowly lowered his eyes.

“Today, because of my stubbornness, we went into the dungeon together. You shouldn’t have gone with me.”

“Uh… As a result, you saved another person. That’s fine, isn’t it?”

“But Hyung also got hurt.”

Baek Tae-beom felt the back of my hand as he held the clothes. After feeling a stinging sensation, I recalled the memory as I went through the passageway.

Is this really enough to say that I was hurt?

“Your body hasn’t healed yet.”

No, I’m already in good health.

It’s been a long time since I got pretty healthy. Maybe it’s because I am a constellation, but when I slept, my injuries seemed to heal faster.

I turned my eyes away from the awkwardness.

“I’m okay.”

“…Okay. You can go wash up first.”

I was pushed into the bathroom. I took off my wet clothes and sighed as I turned on the water. It didn’t take long for me to wash up and come out.

The only problem was the clothes.

“…What is this.”

Baek Tae-beom’s clothes were too big for me. The end of the trousers were dragging across the floor and the top was so baggy, making it look like it was going to fall off any second. I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. No matter how tall and big Baek Tae-beom is, how can there be that much of a difference?

“Tae-beom-ah!”

“What’s going on, Hyung?”

“The clothes are too big!”

The person on the other side of the door didn’t say anything for a moment, as if embarrassed by what I said, walking back and forth, until he finally walked away from the door.

And then came a light knock.

“I left different clothes outside the door.”

The new clothes Baek Tae-beom brought were a light, short-sleeved shirt, and shorts, which fit quite well.

When I came out without even drying my hair, Baek Tae-beom opened his eyes wide as if surprised. He then slowly looked up and down at me and covered his mouth.

I opened my eyes wide.

“Do you really have to laugh at me.”

“No– I’m not.”

“Be honest.”

“I’m really not.”

It was obvious when his ears turned red as if he had been holding back his laughter. I snorted.