Chapter 244
"Ugh...!"
The wide-open pupils were rather adorable. From the shape of its facial features to the small habit of raising its arms—how could it resemble young Yeon so much? Looking at this, it really confirmed that this child is indeed my daughter.
However, there were also clear differences. Back then, Yeon, burdened with her terminal fate, approached everything with irritability and sensitivity. Even Yeon's personal caretaker, who disliked me, would sometimes come to me for help, unable to handle her outbursts.
Compared to that time, Soo-ah's whining is just a cute display of affection.
Truly.
"Sniff, sniff..."
Then Soo-ah started sniffing around on her own. While deeply focused on catching a scent, Soo-ah suddenly stopped and muttered curiously.
"I smell another female..."
...Could it be that the smell of Jin Yeseo lingered on me after our sparring session? It certainly felt like Soo-ah and Jin Yeseo needed to bond more.
If Soo-ah had said such a thing in front of others... I shuddered to even imagine what would happen next.
"You little rascal. Calling someone a female."
"Hmph."
That said, there was no need to scold her right away. Soo-ah was simply lacking in common sense.
When I lightly pinched Soo-ah's cheeks to stretch them, a squeak resembling that of a squeaky toy resonated. I then carried Soo-ah in my arms and headed to the bathroom. It was a perfect time for it, too.
Soo-ah asked curiously.
"Daddy, where are we going?"
"To take a bath."
"Huh?"
At that moment, Soo-ah's body stiffened. Her round, glimmering pupils were now filled with clear terror. Immediately, Soo-ah flailed her tiny limbs adorably, trying to free herself from my grasp.
"D-Daddy, I don't like baths..."
As expected from someone who used to be a cat. However, this time, I had no intention of granting Soo-ah's wish.
Bathing is one of the essential aspects of living like a human. Letting my daughter remain filthy would be a clear failure as a parent.
As soon as we stepped into the bathroom, Soo-ah, as if the earlier incident had never happened, began bursting soap bubbles and laughing joyfully. Later, we sat across from each other at the dining table and had a light dinner.
"Chew thoroughly... nom."
I gazed at Soo-ah, who sat across from me. Watching the being with eyes so much like mine clang her utensils, I felt a strange sense of emotion.
It was as though the world, for a fleeting moment, was filled with peace and hope. Without realizing it, I found myself wishing. That this small moment of happiness could last forever.
*
"Daddy... I'm sleepy..."
Soo-ah, who had been nodding off while sitting on the chair, rubbed her eyes and walked over to climb onto my lap. I carried Soo-ah in my arms and headed to the bedroom. Just as I was about to lay her down and pull up the quilt, Soo-ah suddenly opened her eyes wide as if recalling something forgotten and shouted.
"Kiss!"
"...What?"
"I forgot!!"
Soo-ah, springing up, stretched out her arms and jumped up and down. Seeing her so desperate, I couldn't help but hold Soo-ah in my arms again. Well, it wasn't unusual for a child to seek warmth from their parent...
"Lick."
"...Soo-ah?"
Soo-ah's kisses were rather peculiar. She would half-stick out her tongue and lick my lips. And the animal she reminded me of... was still a cat.
A kiss, as I knew it, involved lightly touching lips to the cheek or mouth. Should I teach Soo-ah that method too?
"...Soo-ah?"
Immersed in such light thoughts, I suddenly noticed Soo-ah freeze. Soon, an almost tangible silence enveloped the bedroom.
"..."
Frozen in place, Soo-ah stared at me blankly. Like someone who had just received an enormous shock.
In the corners of her eyes, faint moisture began to gather. Before long, Soo-ah broke into tears, her face contorting as she sobbed uncontrollably.
"Hic... hic..."
Her sorrowful cries shattered the stillness of the night and echoed through the room. No matter how much I tried to console her, the inexplicable sadness only deepened. Ultimately, I could only lay down the tear-exhausted Soo-ah to sleep before I, too, managed to retreat to bed.
And that night, I dreamt.
***
I was running through an unknown place. Blurred scenery soon expanded, filling my vision.
Dried-up grass and trees. Beneath them, the ground, cracked and darkened, emitted toxic fumes.
With my enhanced senses vividly expanded, the acrid smell pierced my nose. Even as my breath caught in my throat and the muscles in my limbs screamed, I didn't stop the desperate sprint.
I turned to check on my companions. Familiar faces came into view. The three older sisters. The elites of the 66th Unit and my precious saviors.
Their bodies were filled with countless scratches, large and small. Their protective suits and blades, having gone without maintenance for days, were already tattered—beyond repair.
Why was I running in this unfamiliar place with my sisters?
It didn't take long to resolve the question in my mind. A streak of sticky liquid pooled on the ground reflected my face like a mirror.
The perpetually exhausted, sharply torn gaze.
The person who seemed to find joy in scolding me or beating me senseless under the guise of sparring.
I was... the Unit Commander.
-Jin, Sehwa, Chaewon! Are you alright?
A familiar voice came from my mouth. Glancing at each other, the sisters exchanged looks and nodded.
-Still holding up! But... Unit Commander! Ahead!
-Screeech!!
At Sehwa's alarmed shout, I immediately turned my head to look ahead. With an ear-splitting cry, a grotesquely twisted Demon Beast leapt out. Covered in writhing tentacles, it charged at us with its gaping maw.
I drew a blade, already missing several teeth. I slashed apart dozens of tentacles darting like spikes and climbed onto the Demon Beast's back. Piercing where its spine should be and raking downward, it let out a pained wail.
The massive creature collapsed, rippling the air around it.
-The mutation rates of the Demon Beasts are rising. It's clear we're nearing the core of the Corrosion.
I nodded at Sehwa's analysis without slowing down. As waves of past memories surged through me, I found myself becoming one with the owner of this body.
The reason we set foot on this land was to finally seize the trail of a Specter we had pursued for 15 years. But it didn't take long for me to realize the misunderstanding.
In this game, the hunters were not us but them. All of this was purely a trap to ensnare me, and before we realized it, we had walked straight into the enemy's encirclement.
The retreat had long been cut off. That left only one option: to pierce the heart of the hunter.
Thus, the grueling march continued for several days. Plants grotesquely twisted, spewing toxic spores in all directions, and powerful Demon Beasts pursued us relentlessly like beings under a spell.
Every single thing surrounding us reacted with hostility. Although we were close to the enemy's heart, the state of the Unit Members was already at its limit.
There were other issues as well.
-Jin! Snap out of it!
-Huh? Oh?
The Unit Members' eyes flickered between clarity and cloudiness. Some shook their heads violently as if trying to shake off something.
In the midst of hell, we were losing our minds. Each of us was facing our own nightmares. Though we knew this was the witches' classic method to cloud the rationality of intelligent beings, there was nothing we could do.
-You called me... a friend...
And I, too, was haunted by a Specter. A very old Specter of Paechun.
-And yet... then, then why... did you... do this to me...
-Annoying.
It began whispering again, blood pouring from its hollow eye sockets. It was more talkative than usual today, so I shoved my blade into its mouth. Naturally, there was no sensation of impact.
-Heh, heh, heh...!
Its form dissipated like mist, leaving behind a terrible laugh that grated against my brain. Soon, its voice foretold destruction.
-I'll wait for you... in hell... See you soon... friend...
*
In the ruins of the Ancient Civilization, overlooking the Eastern Sea, we finally came face-to-face with the true form of the hunters.
Five women surrounded us on all sides. Behind them loomed the shadows of massive Demon Beasts.
-As expected of adversaries.
The woman in the center, who had looked down on us with arrogance the entire time, finally spoke.
-To think you managed to break through the encirclement with less than half your former strength.
Instinctively, I knew. This was the one who had led us into this trap and brought us here.
And the task was clear. To kill every witch here. Including that woman who smugly muttered as if she had achieved something.
A long battle ensued. The Unit Members, who had fought together for over ten years, absorbed the enemy's attacks as if they were one body.
I finally crushed the head of the first witch. On the following day, the second witch met the same fate. After two more days passed, I managed to pierce the throats of the third and fourth witches.
-Impressive, truly impressive.
And now, only one witch remained.
-You are all worthy of Unification!
Ignoring her mocking praise, I charged straight at her, aiming for the center of her forehead. Crunch! Giant Demon Beasts jumped out from all directions to shield the witch. The Unit Members, fending off the swarming beasts that blanketed the area like an army of ants, began to falter. They had already drained their last dregs of strength.
Before I knew it, I stood alone before the witch. Behind me were mountains of severed and sliced corpses.
Not even an omnipotent god could block an attack at this range. Let alone these mere insects. If I could just drive my blade into her forehead, she would soon writhe on the ground, wailing like a beast.
But the witch stood still, wearing a sinister smile. Her skin began to ripple, changing form. Soon, the serene face of a woman, as pure as a Holy Maiden, gazed at me and smiled faintly.
-Yu... Jeong...
It was merely a fleeting hesitation caused by the imprint etched onto my soul. I knew better than anyone that it was not real.
However, it was hesitation more than sufficient to create a brief gap.
-I told you.
And the woman, with a subtle smile, slightly moved her lips.
-He won't... be able to move an inch.
-Puk!
Along with the excruciating pain of my heart being pierced, I finally woke up from the dream.
*
"Hah...!"
Cold sweat flowed like rain. The tips of my raised fingers trembled uncontrollably. My mind was still in the middle of the battlefield, but my body already felt the texture of a comfortable bed.
I suddenly turned to look at the window space. Perhaps due to the strong wind, today the window creaked eerily. The wind was blowing from the northeast.
"Unit... Commander?"