Chapter 183 - Endless Forward

I never particularly disliked horror movies since I was young.

Sure, I'd get startled when a ghost suddenly popped out with a "boo," but I wouldn't exactly be trembling with fear.

Actually, when watching horror movies, seeing people around me get scared was often more entertaining than the movie itself. Last time when we all watched a horror movie in the living room with the lights off, seeing Seo-eun jump nearly to the ceiling in fright was more fun than the actual film.

Anyway, the point is that horror movies don't really scare me. Plus, my mental fortitude has been further strengthened after walking among monsters in the Han Group's basement recently.

And thinking about it now, I realize how fortunate that is.

Why, you ask?

Well, because this place is basically like a horror movie set...

A dark basement.

I stood alone in the middle of a place where some kind of sticky, black jelly-like substance covered the walls everywhere.

Well, not exactly alone.

"..."

I had this jellyfish-like machine floating beside me, following me around.

It was a robot I brought along at Seo-eun's request—or rather, her half-threat that she might cry if I didn't take it—when venturing into this dangerous devil's castle. Its main feature is a camera that allows our Ego-squad members to watch the situation here in real-time. It supposedly has weapons attached for self-defense too, but I'm not sure about that.

...For the record, getting here wasn't easy at all.

Everyone was worried, asking why I was going somewhere when I hadn't fully recovered yet, and concerned I might get hurt again if I went alone.

Of course, when their concern started taking the strange direction of trying to confine me at home, I had to quickly persuade them. I mean, I was the one who tried to kill that villain first, so how could I not know their weakness?

I understand their concern, especially since this devil's castle has such a terrifying visual that makes it look like a final boss location in a game...

Particularly to Su-bin and Seo-eun, it must have seemed like I was entering a tiger's den alone. Even Eun-wol and Ha-yul, who usually just smile and nod at whatever I say, were against it.

Still, after much persuasion, I was finally able to get out. On the condition that I take Uncle Desik, Behemoth, and this jellyfish robot with me.

"Hmm... so, where am I now?"

[Oppa. First, try turning right.]

"Okay?"

And so, I was finally able to walk through this devil's castle.

...The sticky, dimly lit floor is really unpleasant. I mean, I'm not exactly scared, but... it's just not nice.

[...Wait, Oppa. Why does this place look so haunted? It's scary even just looking at it through the screen.]

Seo-eun's voice came through as her jellyfish robot looked around.

No, Seo-eun. There are no ghosts here. Just devils.

...Well, they're just called devils, but they're really just intertwined biological organisms.

With such thoughts, I ventured deeper inside.

Crossing bizarrely twisted terrain, I finally spotted Stardust.

"....."

Hmm. She's still safe.

Only after seeing Stardust with my own eyes could I finally breathe a sigh of relief. Hah. Thinking about how she faced dozens of life-threatening situations here in the original story made me too anxious to just sit still. Seeing her directly like this is much better.

I hid myself and went up to the second floor first.

And just as in the original story, devils appeared on the first floor.

Then Stardust arrived shortly after, and the first battle finally broke out.

"...Hmm."

Thanks to the open center of the building, I could watch the entire scene.

After several minutes of intense fighting, the battle finally ended with Stardust's victory.

As she quietly dusted herself off and left, I, who had been watching her from behind, finally relaxed a bit. Yes, at this rate, she should be able to make it to the final boss without much trouble.

And with that thought, something occurred to me.

"...."

...Hmm, did I come here for nothing?

Thinking about it, maybe rushing all the way here was a bit of an overreaction. Stardust would handle things just fine on her own.

With the tension gone, my reason finally returned.

Now that my anxiety had disappeared, I realized I might have overreacted. I just rushed here impulsively because I thought Stardust might get hurt.

....Should I go back?

It really seems like I was being too overprotective. Stardust would surely manage well on her own.

[Oppa? Why are you just standing there?]

After pondering for a moment, I made my decision.

Right. Still, I should at least check on how Stardust is doing. There's no use regretting after something happens. Better to be prepared.

...With that in mind, there's a better way than what I'm doing now.

With that thought, I turned and headed in the opposite direction from where Stardust was going.

[Huh? Oppa, where are you going?]

The jellyfish robot followed me, puzzled by my sudden U-turn.

There was a brief misunderstanding where Seo-eun thought I had finally decided to go home and expressed relief that I'd made the right decision, but I quickly explained that wasn't the case. ...She grumbled a bit, though.

So I walked back up the way I came, stepping on those sticky black liquid monsters again.

...Sigh. What good is teleportation if I can't use it? I need to conserve it, so I can't use it casually.

Crossing through the culture center infested with black secretions and devoid of people, I took the escalator up.

Hmm. This feels like I've been dropped into an apocalyptic world. An empty, damaged department store... it has a zombie movie vibe.

While having such idle thoughts, I looked around and clicked my tongue. ...Power inflation has really gone to hell. What is this already? It seems like just yesterday that guys like Monkey Spanner were causing trouble, and now such powerful enemies are popping up. As expected.

...Fortunately, they all still have clear weaknesses, so that's good.

With such thoughts, I returned to the first floor with my cape fluttering. Ah, now I can see some sunlight filtering through the blackened windows. Yes, it was too dark earlier.

There was one reason I came back to the first floor.

Now that I've confirmed Stardust is fine, I can just watch from the control center.

Compared to the eerie, haunted-looking basement, the ground floor feels empty. It looks like there's nothing here.

But this is actually a trap.

The control center is hidden here.

With that in mind, I walked to some corner of the ground floor and finally found a door that seemed invisible but was faintly visible if you looked carefully.

Yes. This is it.

"Come forth!"

I shouted as I kicked the door open.

-Creeak?

Then I saw several strange-looking monsters.

Unlike the devil-like creatures that Stardust had fought earlier, these were black entities that looked like golems.

-Kkeeeek!

Upon seeing me, they all rushed at me at once.

"Holy Punch!"

-Kyaaaak?

As soon as I brandished the holy cross I had prepared in advance, they all just melted away.

Phew. Done!

Easy, right?

[...It's still amazing to see that again. Oppa, what's the principle behind that?]

"Hmm... a product of science and magic?"

Now that Stardust wasn't nearby, I spoke more freely and loudly as I rummaged around to find a chair to sit on.

After wiping off the strange black liquid, I plopped down, feeling alive again.

I placed my holy cross next to the chair.

In the original story, this mission ultimately failed, and some devils escaped into the ecosystem, hiding in nature. This weapon was only developed much later to catch them.

Of course, since I roughly knew the principle, I had prepared it in advance by finding the Vine Witch, the woman who had put a spell on my diary, and had her make this weapon.

Well, it didn't necessarily have to be cross-shaped, but there's something about the aesthetic...

Anyway, the reason I came here is simple.

This is the control center of this devil's castle.

And proving my point, there were numerous monitors attached to the front. The image quality is a bit poor... but they're like CCTVs showing all the infested spaces below.

For reference, this wasn't originally here. It was created by the guy called Demons who caused all this. It's been abandoned now.

"....He really is a troublemaker."

I found myself muttering.

Demons. The guy who showed the greatest impact before the final Moonlight Church terror attack. With the sole purpose of bringing hell to the mortal world, he prepared all this madness. Unlike other villains who relied more on their abilities than their brains, this one actually had some intelligence.

By the way, he's currently trapped in his own seal at the deepest part of this place, gathering power.

And the day he breaks free will probably be the day hell descends upon the Republic of Korea...

'Well, he failed in the original story anyway.'

Yes. Even in the original story, he failed to resurrect. More precisely, he half-resurrected, but Stardust and the Association gave their all to barely stop him. Some devils did escape, but they prevented the Republic of Korea from falling, so that's a win, right?

With that thought, I leaned back against the chair.

And after finding and touching a hidden control panel, I could see Stardust walking down a corridor.

[...This is good. This way, Oppa won't be in danger unnecessarily.]

"Right?"

I nodded at Seo-eun's relieved words. Yes, I can watch from here and go down if something happens. Besides.

'Stardust only goes halfway down on the first day before turning back.'

Yes. This event is a major one that takes almost a week. Stardust is also very cautious since she doesn't know what's ahead. She'll also be tired from continuous battles.

In other words, she'll probably return in a few hours. So I can just leave then.

I relaxed with that thought.

Several hours later.

"Wait... why does she keep going down?"

I muttered in confusion as I watched Stardust continue to descend on the screen.

She's already fought many battles since earlier, she should be regrouping by now. How far down is she going?

I started to feel anxious.

Hmm. Should I use Plan C?

[Oppa... what are you thinking with that serious expression...]

Seo-eun just muttered that as she looked at me.