Ch.11National Events Are Dangerous (2)

After the inexplicable situation ended, I returned to the hotel under the guidance of the two people and rested.

“I really hate going outside…”

As I was enjoying the fantastic collaboration of cool air and warm blanket, the events from earlier flashed through my mind.

‘Quite interesting.’

Although the content was somewhat irritating, the information I heard from Choi Hamin, a fellow returnee, was quite valuable.

Returnees automatically become awakened ones upon returning to Earth. However, I didn’t fall into that category.

There were two possible reasons for this.

‘First, because I didn’t follow the regular route.’

Unlike other returnees who were sent back to Earth by some mysterious power, I found my own way here.

It seemed like a minor difference, but problems usually arise from such trivial matters.

‘And second…’

Simply because I was too strong.

“…That’s entirely possible.”

It was a somewhat embarrassing thing to say, but it wasn’t self-flattery. It was a serious hypothesis.

I didn’t know who was behind this ‘awakening’ process, but there was a good chance they had deemed my power a destabilizing factor for some reason.

‘…’

There was something that had been bothering me throughout my meeting with Choi Hamin.

Why didn’t my peculiar aversion manifest when dealing with Choi Hamin?

And what exactly was the scope of this side effect?

First, dungeon monsters and Choi Hamin, who were exempt from my anxiety symptoms, had one thing in common: they both possessed power originating from another world.

If so, could the scope of this side effect be limited to Earth’s beings?

In other words, there might be an intention to prevent me from harming Earth’s living creatures. That was the hypothesis I was forming.

Looking at it that way, it aligned with our earlier conversation in many aspects.

‘Of course, there’s also Seoha’s case, so I can’t be certain yet.’

If I could meet other returnees, I might get closer to the answer.

After finishing that train of thought, I spent several hours immersed in gaming.

Once again, the intercom signaled a visitor.

“Who is it now…”

I whined as I moved toward the room door. Of course, this time I didn’t forget to check the visitor’s appearance through the intercom.

“…”

I could immediately identify the visitor at a glance.

It was the S-rank hunter who had trouble with Seoha earlier, the woman called Helena.

As soon as I confirmed this, I stopped in my tracks and held my breath.

If I pretended to be absent, would she just leave?

Of course, that wouldn’t happen.

“I know you’re in there. Are you not going to open the door?”

“Um, I promised not to let anyone in…”

“I could open it myself, you know.”

“…I’ll open it right away.”

I finally surrendered and obediently opened the door.

It was clear that opening a locked door would be nothing for an S-rank hunter.

With her deep teal hair fluttering, Helena entered the room.

“We’ve met before, haven’t we?”

“…”

She wore a seductive smile, but the desire behind it was clearly conveyed to me. Whether for good or bad, she definitely had business with me.

“I can’t be away for long, so I’ll get straight to the point.”

After flashing a smile, Helena asked me as if she knew everything.

“Are you hiding your power?”

“…”

Hearing that, I could only stare blankly.

No, the current me doesn’t have any power to hide?

As if my intention wasn’t conveyed, Helena continued immediately.

“You’re a returnee.”

“Y-yes, that’s true…”

“And you’re the one who taught Song Hayeon, right?”

I couldn’t help but be surprised by that statement. I hadn’t expected her name to come up suddenly.

But it helped me understand roughly why this situation had arisen.

Clearly, she became interested and came looking for me because of that.

‘I didn’t expect things to turn out this way…’

Perhaps the trouble with Seoha was for the same reason.

I remained silent for a moment, contemplating what answer to give.

I didn’t know how she would react if I answered hastily.

Seeing this, Helena smiled again and reached out her hand toward me.

“…I don’t think you’re going to tell me willingly. Then, I’ll ask your soul directly.”

“Huh?”

No, I’m more than willing to tell you!

I was just thinking about how to phrase it!

Before I could voice this objection, my vision gradually blurred.

And just like that, I lost consciousness in an instant.

#

As an S-rank hunter, Helena was quite proficient in necromancy and was truly versatile in that field.

Naturally, she could summon someone’s soul to extract a confession, as she was doing now.

Whoosh.

“Show me your soul.”

After talking directly with her, Helena sensed there was something there. The girl before her surely had the answers she was seeking.

With an expectant smile, Helena summoned the soul of the girl, Baek Eunha.

Swish.

Of course, she had no intention of causing harm. After getting her answers, she would properly erase the memory of this encounter. That would resolve the issue.

Such thoughts were completely wiped from her mind the moment she saw the form of the soul that appeared.

‘What… is this?’

She had summoned the soul, but its form was not visible.

Something like chains completely wrapped around the entire soul, binding it tightly.

Though she had used this method dozens of times before, this was a first. Helena felt her heart racing for the first time in a long while.

“…”

What is unknown must be known.

Only then would she be satisfied.

Clink.

Helena carefully manipulated death energy to remove part of the chains, and immediately became agitated.

Whoosh!

‘Ah.’

Suddenly, the world turned black.

She couldn’t see anything.

There was nothing wrong with her vision.

It was simply that the death energy that burst forth had filled the room in an instant.

“What…”

Dense.

It was too dense.

Even high-level undead like liches she had encountered in dungeons didn’t possess such death energy.

It was, in a word, on a different level.

“…Ah.”

She could instinctively tell.

Helena was trying to touch something that should not be opened.

But she simply couldn’t resist.

‘I want to see more.’

Clink.

Clink.

As if entranced, Helena began to remove more chains.

One layer. And then another.

And at some point, she came to regret her actions.

“Ah.”

What she heard were screams.

The lamentations of spirits, the howls of hungry ghosts trapped in hell.

Whether it was reality or illusion, such sounds seemed to actually echo in her ears. Her thoughts were paralyzed, and her body’s five senses malfunctioned as if broken.

Helena finally realized.

Even that overwhelming death energy from before was just a fraction of the being before her.

This was clearly something that should not exist in this world.

It was hard to believe that such a thing could even take human form on the outside.

Literally, it was the Living Death.

‘…’

Helena froze in place like a mouse before a cat, unable to move even slightly.

Cold sweat poured down, and her hands and feet trembled finely.

Even in this state, her brain organized the newly discovered facts.

When faced with extreme terror, people unknowingly shed tears.

‘Ah…’

Helena instinctively knew.

She would die here and now.

Even after death, she wouldn’t be able to close her eyes, and her soul would be devoured without leaving a trace.

The devoured soul would be bound to the being before her for eternity, unable to escape, and would suffer endless pain as the price for her rudeness.

Literally, until the end of the world.

Just as Helena was about to fall into despair, the world suddenly flipped.

Clink.

Somehow, the removed chains moved on their own to find their place, and the soul covered in death energy hid its appearance again and returned to Baek Eunha’s body.

Whoosh.

“Huff, gasp.”

She didn’t know exactly what had happened.

She didn’t even want to know at this point.

With her vision restored, Helena could only blankly wipe away her tears with an expressionless face.

#

“…”

“Um, excuse me…”

I stared at the woman before me in utter confusion, not knowing what to do.

Clearly, my memory cut off after she reached out her hand to me, but when I regained consciousness, she was somehow trembling with a blank expression as if in a daze.

“P-please calm down…”

“…”

The uniquely relaxed atmosphere she had was now completely gone without a trace.

Her beautiful eyes were reddened as if she had been crying, and her trembling body had cooled, losing its warmth.

It took a considerable amount of time to calm down the completely disheveled Helena.