157 – 157. Gone with a Smoke
It’s black.
When I opened my eyes, everything was black. It was indescribably black. Darker than the darkest forest in the middle of the night when the moon doesn’t even shine, darker than the back of the eyelids closed just before sleeping.
In that black space, only my body emerged like an awkward composite photo. It was like advertising that the place I am now is not real. Because there is no way I can see my body in a space where not a ray of light enters.
Therefore, this place was not real. If it’s not reality, it’s like a dream, unconsciousness, mental world, or dimensional rift. Doesn’t it often appear in novels or cartoons?
Okay then. Let’s think about it for a moment.
I was fighting the Dawning guys a little while ago. Therefore, it’s not like I’m dreaming unless they suddenly pour me sleeping pills. However, there was no reason to be dragged into a grandiose place like a dimensional gap.
In other words, this is my mental world, or unconsciousness.
I couldn’t believe that such a desolate and empty space was my mental world, but I thought it was. The important thing now is, why did I, who was fighting in the middle of the fight, be dragged to a place like this in the first place?
The cause was roughly predictable. No, I was almost certain. In this world of darkness, if there is anything that has color other than me, that must be the cause.
It was right in front of my eyes from the very beginning. In fact, I don’t know if it’s close enough to say it’s right in front of me. In this world without light or contrast, there was no sense of distance.
Because of this, I couldn’t tell if the silver orb was really the size of my fist, or if it was so far away that it looked like a fist.
I could only guess that it was primordial silver. Because the last memory right before I lost consciousness was wrapped around me as if I was being eaten by him.
A bastard.
I called the primordial silver a bastard. He wasn’t as advanced as a human, but he had a distinct ego. As I looked at the silver orb floating alone in the darkness, his thoughts, thoughts, and consciousness flowed like a river through my head.
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Like telepathy. I asked him without opening my mouth once.
Who are you?
“I am.”
I asked silently, but the answer came back with a sound. A clear voice like jade beads rolling on a clear silver tray.
It was a voice like an untainted child.
“I am the original silver.”
I know that.
“The beginning of silver. Ether. Sorcerer’s Stone. You. Call it that But all. No.”
Not everything. Then what the hell is it?
“My name. I don’t know either. Name. Doesn’t exist?”
I don’t know the name. I dont have a name. It was truly an untainted ego, just like the first impression. A raw personality that has not even been given a name to define itself, and has not even been able to recall a name.
That’s why I asked. Why, why the hell did you attack me?
“Attack. No.”
Then I’ll change the question. Why didn’t you calmly stay in the ampoule and run wild? Why did you aim for Talisman and run?
“I was hungry.”
I am hungry. No matter how selfish it was, it was unlikely that the primordial silver would consume food like a creature. If that was the case, I would have been chewed up right away, starting with my whole body. No, did you try to digest it by melting it? Anyway.
I then asked. That you were hungry Then, did you try to consume Talisman’s mana?
“Right.”
With that answer, a small tentacle protruded from the silver sphere. A tentacle as dainty as a baby’s hand gently points to my right hand.
“It’s delicious.”
The tentacle pointed at Talisman swayed from side to side like the tail of a restless puppy in front of the snack.
“Your mana. Very tasty. And very bold. A lot. First time ever like this. A lot of delicious things. So I ate a lot.”
The magic absorbed through Talisman is pure magic itself. If the primordial silver was an artifact that devours mana, there would be no other delicacy that goes beyond that. In other words, Eun in the beginning was like a three-year-old child eating ice cream for the first time in her life. Of course, I will do everything in my power to take even one more bite.
“But. The delicious thing is over.”
The silver tentacle shook its head and retreated. A movement full of regret.
I looked down at my right hand. The color of the jewel embedded in the talisman looked particularly cloudy.
Temporary malfunction due to overload.
For some reason, I was able to detect Talisman’s condition at once. Is it because the original idea of silver is passed down as it is?
“It’s over. But. I want to eat more. So. I will eat more.”
“What?”
I asked back at the ominous declaration. But the primordial silver showed no interest in me anymore. Those feelings clearly flowed into my head. And what he’s trying to do.
“…… Stop.”
“I hate it.”
At that moment, the scenery began to slowly return from the other side of the world, which was only dark.
“Stop.”
“I hate it.”
Collapsed buildings. Sidewalk blocks all overturned. In the meantime, the military troops who surrounded me in cover. All those landscapes pass by quickly. My body quickly passes them.
“Stop it!”
“I hate it.”
I was running. Regardless of my will, I was spurring the ground, breaking through the siege, and running after only one person.
“f*ck you to stop now!”
“You. Noisy.”
The moment Taehyun Ryu was caught in the center of his field of vision, Eun of the beginning looked back at me with a gruff voice. Sharp spines sprouted from its surface as if threatening me.
“Until the end. Shut up? There is?”
“This piece of metal bastard…… !”
In the next moment, tentacles protruding from all sides bound my whole body.
***
-Too Kwaaang!!
The silver scepter exploded on the ground, and fragments scattered in all directions. A look of nervousness appeared on Ryu Tae-hyeon’s face, who had managed to avoid the fist right before.
‘I wouldn’t even be able to find a bone if I got hit properly.’
You could have guessed just by looking at the way he fought against the dawn, but his physical ability, which was eroded by the primordial silver, was literally outside the standard. It was only natural that the special artifact, Beginning of Silver, was overlapped with the strengthening effect of the epic skill, Cherry Blossom of Love.
“Kyaaa!”
“Taehyun!”
“You bastard monster!”
Shin Jae-ho flew in between the students who were wandering around. A kick wrapped in bright yellow lightning aimed at the monster’s back and extended.
However.
-Kreuk!
-Quaang!
The monster took out a bunch of tentacles from behind and slammed them into the ground. Right after that, Shin Jae-ho’s kick exploded with a loud sound.
-Pajijijijik!
A kick that still boasts great power. However, unlike before, most of the electrical energy flowed directly to the ground through tentacles embedded in the ground. It was a kind of simple lightning rod.
“Annoying…… !”
-Kreuk!
The monster laughed bitterly. The monster wasn’t just running wild. It was constantly learning even at this moment. Through the knowledge peeking into Ahn Su-ho’s head and the experience gained from the ongoing battle.
– Whirly Ririk! Tuong! Empty! Tuong!
A bunch of tentacles wielded by the monster hit Shin Jae-ho’s body. He didn’t just greet me, he also counterattacked with a kick almost simultaneously, but he couldn’t block dozens of tentacles with just two legs. Shin Jae-ho’s body flew through the air.
“Proximity!!! Hurry up and join us!!!”
The platoon commander’s urgent cry resounded. Because the monster broke through the siege and went in the direction of the civilians, the ranged attack of the special lease was sealed. It was also a trick that the monster, the primordial silver, had learned through learning.
While the crew members in charge of close combat ran at it, the monster ran again at Ryu Tae-hyeon, who was far away. Ryu Tae-hyeon avoided his body several times, but each time the monster only looked at Ryu Tae-hyeon and chased him.
‘Why are you following only me?’
The question did not last long. Ahn Su-ho’s words flashed past in his mind.
‘You can’t come! You’re reacting to Talisman! If you come close, you’ll get caught up in it too!’
“…… Are you aiming for Talisman? But why?”
Ryu Tae-hyeon did not have a perfect knowledge of Talisman or magic. The same goes for primordial silver. Because of this, Taehyung Ryu couldn’t figure out why the monster in front of him was aiming for Talisman.
I didn’t know, but I thought I could use it.
‘Suho hyung is losing his temper right now. Or maybe it’s being manipulated by that metal. It would be impossible to get out of that state on your own. So I can only hope that the special lease will take down his brother.’
The special lease was having a hard time against the opponent of the crazy monster. It’s only natural that it’s a unit to deal with superhumans, not monsters in the first place.
‘But if he’s only targeting my talisman, I can use that to help the special lease. Either he lures him into his path, or he draws attention and aims for a surprise…….’
Once the monster is subdued, any number of excuses can be made for Ahn Soo-ho, who was caught in it. Either he was manipulated by an artifact, or he lost his mind. If he said it that way, Ahn Soo-ho would not be punished for his crimes. It was true in the first place.
However.
‘Okay. Then, explain the situation to those crew members-‘
-Pueruk!!
“Kuhup!?”
Taehyun Ryu, distracted by planning the strategy, overlooked one very simple fact. It was the fact that Ahn Soo-ho, who was wrapped in silver in the beginning, was strong beyond standard.
The difference in physical abilities between the two was obvious. Ryu Tae-hyun, who was lured and sleeping, was barely avoiding the monster’s attack. In the midst of that, he sold his eyes, saying he was planning a strategy, so it was only natural that he failed to evade and caught up.
“Oops… ….”
Ryu Tae-hyeon groaned while holding on to his side as he had been beaten. A few of his ribs caved in as I strained his palms. The bones are completely crumbled.
The monster attacked Ryu Tae-hyeon without missing the chance. A hand twice as big as Ryu Tae-hyun’s grip violently gripped his right hand.
“Quaaa!!”
-Kiyiying!!
With a shrill scream, the talisman was forcibly activated.
At the magical energy gathering from all directions, the primordial silver smiled deeply and devoured the magical energy. Then, the smaller the body was, the more it grew again, and the monster had grown into a huge body of about 4 meters, just like when it first encountered the special lease.
“This, son…… !”
-f*ck!!
Ryu Tae-hyun threw his fist as hard as he could. However, he did not budge from the hardened body of the monster. It didn’t matter how many times I hit it.
-f*ck!! Poop!! Few!!
The more he hit, the more Taehyung Ryu’s fists hurt. As if the monster didn’t care about Ryu Tae-hyeon, he only focused on consuming his mana. Ryu Tae-hyeon made a devastated expression at the futile result.
That moment.
-Krueiii profit?!
The monster that had been growing in size convulsed once. Like a porcupine erecting thorns, the monster turned its head.
“Eunsol?”
“…… Leave Taehyung alone…… !!”
There Naeun-sol was sweating profusely with one arm outstretched. Tears welled up around her eyes, whether from worry or fear, and her body shook like an aspen tree.
However, the will that emerged in his eyes was determined. Her monstrous body roared once more as she clenched her fists.
Na Eun-sol’s psychic ability is metal manipulation.
She had the ability to freely manipulate any substance that she could recognize as metal. In a way, it is an ability that can be said to be the natural enemy of silver in the beginning, just like the electricity series.
However.
-Kreurreure… ….
Even though her ability type is a natural enemy, her output was insufficient to control the primordial silver filled with mana. Naeun Sol desperately tried to get the monster away from Ryu Tae-hyeon, but at best she was only at the level of applying unpleasant vibrations to the monster’s entire body.
-Jurrureuk.
Dozens of tentacles flowed from the back of the monster. At that moment, Taehyung Ryu urgently shouted.
“Eunsol! Run away!”
– Kiik.
But it was a belated warning. The monster, which rotated halfway while bending its back, used its rotational power to swing its tentacles in all directions.
“Wow!!”
“Kyaaa!!”
“Quaaa!!”
“Aagh!!”
Screams from all directions. There was no exception to the tentacle that was swung by Jung-gu heating. The special unit members who rushed at her, the police, Naeun Sol, and even the other students who were with her. Everyone fell out equally to the silver whip, which was much sharper and faster than before.
– Kiik. Kick. Kick. Kick.
Seeing that, the monster laughed. It was an obvious laugh. In that short time, the original silver finally realized even the fragments of emotion after repeated learning after learning.
“This damn bastard…… !!”
It was a remarkable thing, but to Ryu Tae-hyeon, who did not know the circumstances, it was nothing more than an ordinary mockery. Furious to the point of his head, he punched his fist with all his might.
-Teoong!!
The monster’s head turned around at the much stronger power than before. Temporary ability increase due to intense emotions.
However, even that did not give a meaningful blow. Ryu Tae-hyeon’s expression, which had brightened for a while, darkened again in an instant.
‘Damn it… ….’
Ryu Tae-hyeon was deplorable. He was too strong even when his enemies were strong. Is he or is he himself weak? It was the first time in my life that I felt helpless like this. In the meantime, it wasn’t that he hadn’t met someone stronger than him at all, but the monster in front of him was the first existence with such an overwhelming difference.
Feeling helpless.
Frustration.
A sense of defeat.
Such emotions filled Ryu Tae-hyeon’s mind. His tightly clenched fists slowly waned, and his head began to fall to the floor.
But then.
‘Huh?’
Ryu Tae-hyeon was puzzled that the head of the monster hit by him was still turning. He wondered if he hadn’t come out of the shock yet, but he didn’t. The monster was perfectly conscious.
Conscious, he stared in one direction.
“Heo Eok. Huh Eok. Heo-eok…….”
“Uh, sister… ….”
There were Kang Ha-neul and Ji Ye-won. Kang Ha-neul was sitting on a pile of rubble. In front of them, Ji Ye-won pulled out the obsidian blades from both hands and stood as if protecting the river sky.
But both blades were broken, and her body was also unwell. Numerous scars painted all over her body. It was clear who made it.
The monster was staring at them both. His smooth face didn’t even have eyes, but he was clearly looking at them.
– Crying! Crying!
Soon after, the monster’s shoulders began to tremble, and then the whole body began to shake violently. As if the monster that had let go of Ryu Tae-hyeon was in pain, he knelt with his head wrapped around him.
A bleak cry escaped from his gaping mouth.
-Ahhhhh…… !
It was the cry of a beast. However, Ryu Tae-hyeon, who heard it closest, overheard the sighs of people in the midst of the cries.
“…… Suho hyung?”
-Kraaa!!
At Ryu Tae-hyeon’s call, the monster swung its fist. However, before reaching Ryu Tae-hyeon, his right fist was caught by his left arm and stopped. It looks like he blocked his own fist.
-Kuaaa!!!
A human voice mingled with the fierce roar again. Noseong. As the name suggests, it was a scream full of rage. The monster, which had lost its human form, swayed without rest and tumbled across the floor. It looks like everyone is in pain.
-………… Don’t run amok mind! Still… ! There is… !
At that time, a clear voice, completely different from the cries of the monster so far, leaked from the monster’s open mouth.
-Be still… ! Stay… ! No… ! I’m still hungry… ! Why. Come now… !
“The target is down! All large-scale maintenance!!”
The members who could move at the cry of the platoon commander formed a formation in perfect order. In the meantime, the monster continued to suffer, and at the end of melting, it turned into a half-slime.
Soon, Ahn Soo-ho’s eyes were gently revealed through the flowing face.
“…… Brother?”
He looked at Ji Ye-won and Kang Ha-neul with eyes wet with anguish. In that instant, the eyes of the three met.
Immediately.
“Shoot Jun-“
-Tuhwaaa!!!!
Just before the command of the platoon commander was issued, a dark smoke screen rose around Ahn Soo-ho.
As opposed to compressing it for an attack, a smoke screen literally smoked for trickery. Thanks to this, the black smoke instantly crossed the range and completely filled the surrounding area. It looked like dark clouds from the sky had just landed on the ground.
-…… ! ………… !
-…… ! ………… !
Amidst the thick smoke, words were exchanged between the members of the task force.
On the other hand, Ryu Tae-hyeon was standing in the middle of it, staring down at the floor in front of him devastatedly.
“…… Brother.”
There was nothing left where Ahn Soo-ho was a moment ago.
Not only him, but also the primordial silver that flowed around him.
Nothing was left.