The World after the Fall

Chapter 28: Dead man (3)

Jaehwan knew everything when he and Mino stood at the fork in the road.

[Don't be foolish, witch.]

[If you don't keep to the deal, that old hag is dead.]

Whispers kept flying to Mino. Jaehwan knew what was going on. Someone was threatening her and was holding a hostage. And the criminal wanted Jaehwan.

Jaehwan thought Mino would betray him.

After [Understanding] the world through countless [Suspicions], he realized that this world was full of stats and data. It was filled with people selling even their spirits for higher stats. To Jaehwan, Mino was the same kind of dead corpse. The [Suspicion] that was never wrong warned Jaehwan that Mino would betray him. That was why Jaehwan did not listen to Mino.

-As far as I know, a 'human' is someone who lives day by day and considers it happiness for surviving. Not with some big dream.

When Mino's story ended, Jaehwan came back to his senses.

-In that sense, you don't seem like a 'human' to me.

With those words, Mino left him, with no hesitation or betrayal. His [Suspicion] was wrong. That's when Jaehwan's thoughts went blank. [Suspicion] lost power and the words that came to him from all around stopped and his world was covered in silence. He felt his heart ache.

Why did she look 'human'?

He couldn't understand. As he saw Mino walking away, he shook his head. Similar things were happening, one after another.

Mino answered that she would not go back to the past.

Meikal made the scabbard together with Jaehwan.

They became human at that moment, but only for a short time.

They soon returned to being dead bodies.

Jaehwan knew. Focusing on each of them would not change the world. No matter how many times he saved them, they would not become human. Jaehwan turned back.

That was when his [Suspicion] returned with the voices.

[The witch has betrayed us! Send the message!]

[…The [Nightmare] we brought is no use then.]

'[Nightmare]?'

That was how Jaehwan came. Mino looked up to him and asked, "…Did you really come because of the size?"

She thought Jaehwan really would've come because of that, but he did not answer.

Janya was thrilled by Jaehwan's appearance.

'I don't need to go looking for him then.'

He was sure that Jaehwan had the stone as Janya could feel the power of the Greens in him. Jaehwan asked, "Hey, you guys have a [Nightmare] right?"

Janya's face darkened. It was top-secret, even among themselves that they had a [Nightmare]. Janya sent a [Whisper] to ones working on the silence barrier outside.

[He knows about the [Nightmare]. What happened?]

[…That can't be…]

It seemed they were too shocked. Jaehwan asked again, "Where's the Nightmare?"

"…I won't tell you," Janya blurted out accidentally. He realized that he had confessed that they had a [Nightmare], but it was too late.

"Bring the [Nightmare] here."

Janya frowned.

'Is he mad?'

He appeared suddenly and asked about the [Nightmare], and now was ordering him to bring the [Nightmare] here.

'…Why am I listening to him anyway?'

Janya became angry. He was the eldest of the Jan brothers. He was the shadow of the Forest Region and the Killer of the Forest.

"I heard rumors that you mean to fight the Fortress… it seems you really are as mad as the rumors say."

Mino expression turned grim as she saw Janya pulling out two swords.

[Be careful. They are 4th stage Adapters.]

After fighting with them, she realized that Janmyung and Janmang were close to the 4th stage. But Janya was well into the 4th stage. The 3rd and 4th stages had vast differences as they were considered the beginning of high-stage Adapters. Most of the elders in the clans were at least in the 4th stage.

"Do you think I will lose?"

[…No.]

Mino was surprised that she was admitting it so easily. He was up against a 4th stage. The enemy was someone that could even fight a Garnak. He was able to wipe out the Red Fox Clan like a piece of cake. Yet she was still not worried.

The one who moved first were the brothers.

[Shadow]

The shadow swords swung at Jaehwan. It was hard to tell which was real and which was not. Jaehwan moved to dodge, but the attacks followed. Jaehwan barely managed to dodge the blades.

'That's why they say 4th stage and above are high stages.'

The skill that the man was using was very powerful. Jaehwan was planning to find the real ones by using [Suspicion], but their spiritual pattern was not easy to recognize.

Jaehwan became annoyed and decided to deflect all the blade attacks. White light filled the air as Jaehwan used 'Slight Stab' multiple times. There were so many that the attacks left traces lingering in the air.

Janya frowned.

"This can't be…!"