Chapter 96 – The Pursuer X

[Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 96

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The Pursuer X

19

The collection of spirit monsters by Cheon Yohwa proceeded rapidly. By the end of summer vacation, the Pokédex completion rate had already reached nearly 80%.

Victory was already assured.

However, the problem lay in the fact that with each spirit sealed into the hourglass (a substitute for a Poké Ball), the world seemed to suffer a slight hiccup.

“Huh? The world is shrinking?”

“Yeah. It’s quicker to see it for yourself.”

I boarded the flight with Cheon Yohwa on the airship.

Savoyea S-21, a modified rear seat panel. Originally a bizarre vehicle that circulates in Japan, I brought it along whenever I felt bored.

“Wow, it has two sets of wings! That’s so cool!”

“So you do know something.”

“Hehe, yeah! My mom always taught me to praise enthusiastically whenever someone proudly introduces something that seems kind of meh!”

“....?”

The airship soared past Jeju Island and reached the East China Sea. Cheon Yohwa, who had been lively and noisy, pointed to the horizon with a cry of “Ah!”

“Sir! What’s that?”

She pointed with her finger at a massive wall of fog.

It was as dense as something you’d expect to see in the movie “The Mist”, covering the entire horizon between the sea and sky.

“That’s the edge of the world.”

“The, the edge?”

“I realized it not long ago. My guess is that every time you wrest control of a spirit from the Void, the size of the world itself seems to shrink bit by bit.”

“Wow......”

“Let’s get closer.”

Vroom!

The engine sputtered.

Our airship approached the “fog wall”.

“Wow. I can’t see anything at all......”

“I’ve tried before, but we can’t go into that fog. It feels like an invisible barrier blocking us. A few days ago, we could go further, but sealing one more spirit has reduced our range to here.”

“Whoa. But how does trade work then? You often order international deliveries, but the news was quiet about this.”

“That’s the interesting part. Look.”

Swish-

A massive bow of a cargo ship emerged from beyond the fog. It was a container freighter, smoothly gliding out from the path beyond the fog wall as if it were natural.

“Whoa?”

“See that? Everything else in this world, aside from us two, operates perfectly fine. It’s just within this ‘fog wall’ that this separate world forms.”

“Um, I’m a bit confused... So, in reality, only the world inside the fog wall exists, but outside, it looks like everything is functioning normally?”

“Probably.”

The airship skimmed past the fog wall.

“This world is akin to an illusion created by the Void.”

The spirits of the hundred tales sealed by Cheon Yohwa were not just random entities; they were disciples of the Void.

Taking them from the Void was akin to stealing a part of existence itself.

“Analogous to taking memories from humans or data from computers. This world, this illusion, requires resources from the Void that are increasingly scarce. Now, there’s hardly anything left beyond the Korean Peninsula.”

“I see......”

“It’s been proven that everything in this world is nothing more than shadows mimicking existence.”

“......”

Cheon Yohwa’s words dwindled abruptly. Given the bizarre phenomena witnessed thus far, people were understandably overwhelmed.

“Let’s head back, sir. It’s getting cold.”

“Just wait a moment. There’s one more thing I want to show you. You’ll regret it if you miss this.”

“......?”

“Right now.”

I looked up at the sky.

The sun was setting. Crossing over to the west, the sun—perhaps just an illusionary sphere visible only in this narrow world—attempted to pass beyond the fog wall. At that moment, the fog clouds that bridged the sky and the sea were dyed entirely crimson by the sunset glow.

A short, soft breath escaped from the back seat.

“...Beautiful.”

Cheon Yohwa sighed. Was this the right moment to intervene?

“Have some coffee and relax.”

“Oh! Sir... You didn’t have it delivered, you brewed it yourself? Wow, thank you.”

“No problem. It’s my little hobby.”

I had many hobbies, but being a barista was my favorite.

Finding satisfaction in bombarding caffeine to suit the taste buds of others was more rewarding than anything else.

After numerous trials and errors, Cheon Yohwa’s palate had found a compromise between “coffee is bitter” and “coffee is sweet.”

Espresso? Is this coffee? It’s more like herbal medicine. Macchiato? It’s sugary water.

Cheon Yohwa proclaimed the unification of left and right wings while establishing a new political party.

Expected to face criticism from both sides, Cheon Yohwa, like those who advocate for third parties, overflowed with baseless confidence. The party name was ‘Double Espresso Cream Latte.’

The cream is not mixed, served like ice cream. Chocolate is thinly sliced and lightly placed on top. The chocolate should be between 70% and 90% cocoa. Drink it yourself, mixing the cream little by little, so include a straw or spoon. There, done.

“It’s delicious...”

Cheon Yohwa had the happiest expression in the world.

“When the coffee is well-made, it feels so fulfilling... Sir, could you make this for me every morning? These days, without the coffee you make, my head starts to feel fuzzy around lunchtime.”

“Thank you for the high praise. But even though I really want to, it’s not easy.”

“Why?”

“Here, civilization is intact, so getting coffee beans, cream, and chocolate was really easy. But when I return to reality, I can only make it occasionally.”

“Hehe. You’ve added one more reason not to want to go back to reality...”

-”Heh. How delicious is it? Can I have a cup too, sir?”

“Shut up.”

Cheon Yohwa muttered.

The temperature in the room dropped by one degree.

“Before I really kill you.”

-”...”

Clink, clink, clink.

The 98 sand clocks on the shelf slightly trembled. In the middle of the table, the stainless steel kettle was rocking as it boiled water.

Phew. Cheon Yohwa gently blew the steam heated by the coffee to return the room’s temperature quietly.

“Thank you, sir.”

“Hm? Coffee is my hobby...”

“Not just coffee. Everything.”

“...”

“I know you have many secrets. But one thing is certain. No matter what happens to our school, you could have just ignored us.”

A blizzard blew.

“I sometimes imagine what would have happened if you weren’t here. Anyway, time is what’s left, so I often indulge in various fantasies.”

“I see.”

“I was scared of ghosts since I was little.”

White snow appeared from white fog and hit the white window. After hitting, the snowflakes were swept away by the wind and disappeared beyond the fog.

It existed because it was white, and it disappeared because it was white.

Existence’s blanching.

“My father is like the leader of a cult. Well, just the leader itself.”

“...”

“Do you know? Our house is huge. It even has a church-like facility underground. Every month, hundreds of people gather there, chanting strange incantations... My family name is Yeongyang Cheon. But my father insisted that I use the character for heaven as my surname, both at home and at school. Haha, weird, right?”

“...”

“Sir, did you see the strange talismans stuck at our school?”

“Yeah. I saw them.”

“This school is also run by our family. The principal just brought in a relative and seated him, but it’s practically my father’s. Most of the kids here are from the cult family.”

“...”

“So, one day, the sky suddenly turned bright red, and when the ghosts appeared, I just somehow accepted it. Ah, of course, it’s divine punishment.:

Snowflakes stuck to the window. Snowflakes endlessly bloomed and faded away.

Existence was in bloom.

“But we can’t just let the kids die.”

“...”

“Maybe this is our family’s fault. I couldn’t figure out how it came to this, being almost a runaway... But still, as the student council president. Because I was always called lady by the cult. I have to take responsibility.”

In the 10-square-meter room wrapped in the scent of white flowers, Cheon Yohwa’s story flowed.

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