episode_0137

I feel dizzy. It feels like I am floating on an endless ocean.

My body was so weak that I couldn’t even lift a finger. No, I don’t even know if my body exists.

“……..!”

And now. Unknown memories begin to come to mind like waves crashing into my head.

It hurts and hurts as if your head will break, as if someone else’s memory is being hit directly into the human brain.

But… no voice comes out of my mouth. I just struggle in maddening pain and hope that this moment will pass.

I… What happened? If he is dead, why am I in so much pain, and what are these memories that clutter my mind?

That moment when my head was filled with thoughts of terrible pain and this situation.

“….uh.”

As if waking up from a deep sleep. I open my closed eyes. When I open my eyes, a familiar, yet different space appears in my field of vision.

The sunlight is so hot that it feels like your skin is melting. The cries of cicadas ringing in my ears.

…Southern. I was standing in a small southern town. This scorching heat and the cries of cicadas are probably characteristics that only the southern part of the entire empire has.

“Venice! Come on in!”

It was my first time seeing this place, but it was a time when I looked at the village, which was so friendly and cozy. I hear someone’s voice calling my name.

“…Yes, Mom!”

A young voice comes out of my mouth. That voice was so familiar. That’s right… it’s exactly the same as the voice I had when I was very young, before I even went through a period of transformation.

I laugh and run home when I hear my mother’s voice calling my name. Then, we eat and talk in a familiar way.

A kind mother. My father, who was a bit blunt but strong, and me.

‘…….’

A cozy family meal scene. No, I look at another version of myself. My body… was like a soul, floating in the air, looking at the happy family.

…I felt like I finally understood. This situation, the identity of that child called ‘Venice’, and this situation I’m in right now.

I was… looking at another memory of ‘me’. And… if Venice is set in the south, there will only be one person.

I still remember it clearly. When I first opened my eyes using ‘Sync’ and looked at my reflection in the mirror in front of the sink.

Reddish muscles. Scars carved all over the body. And… bright red eyes that seem to show no emotions other than endless anger and hatred.

The feeling of my heart boiling like lava every time I look at a monster and oppose it. And as I continued my life, the thought of wanting to kill all monsters began to fill my mind.

…you. No, why did I change like that? His childhood… must have been that of a very ordinary child and a happy family.

Time begins to pass quickly. It was a speed that an ordinary person would not even notice, but strangely enough, all those fast scenes began to pile up in my mind.

My daily life was normal. An ordinary young man living in a nameless small town in the muggy South.

Except for a body that was superior to that of ordinary people, he was a young man who had nothing special about him and wanted nothing more than a peaceful life.

“…I see. I was… a really ordinary kid. I just wanted a happy daily life and family. And the little child who wanted his friends’ laughter to last forever.”

That time when I looked at that image. I don’t know when he came next to me, but there was a person standing with his arms crossed, floating in the air like me, looking at ‘my’ smile.

Scars left on the reddish muscles, black messy hair and sharp blood-red eyes.

…me. ‘Venice’ served as the leader of the Scar mercenary group. I looked at my other self blankly.

“Don’t worry. Because this space… is not a place with the will to harm ‘me’.”

Perhaps because he noticed my gaze, his red gaze looked at me with a slight smile. The emotion in his eyes was sadness.

You’d be a fool not to notice… this situation. After taking my gaze away from him, I look at ‘me’ in the rapidly passing time and talk quietly.

“Why… did it change like this?”

“…You don’t mean to belittle, do you? Personally, I am proud of it.”

“Oh, no! That’s not it…!”

“Puhuh… I know. There’s no reason for me to explain.”

He smiled slightly as he looked at me, who was trying to apologize hastily, and then began to look at the space changing before his eyes again.

He said nothing, as if if I looked over there, my question would be answered. Therefore, I also quietly looked ahead.

‘My’ daily life was very ordinary. Every morning, I wake up, stretch, eat, then help out with the village work and take a break in my spare time.

I normally talk to my friends, joke around, eat, and then go to sleep. That was all.

Because my talent was quite outstanding, my parents and residents recommended careers related to combat, but I always declined.

Because I didn’t want to harm lives. It’s just… if this happiness can continue, there won’t be a need for a lot of money.

There was no grand reason. Because I was a young man who was very timid and knew how to be satisfied with even small happiness.

Then one day. I was asked to go to the next village on an errand, and I left there without any worries.

Because I’m the fastest in this town. It would be nice to run errands and breathe in some fresh air.

And most of all, the special pie from the town next door… it was delicious no matter what time of day I ate it. I’ll have to pick up a few on my way back. I, my mom, and my friends really liked that pie.

I quickly left the village with excited steps, and it was my loved ones who saw me off.

“…I thought about it every night before I went to sleep. That day… if only I hadn’t left town. I wonder if things would have been different if I had refused to run the errand.”

At that time. I, who had been quietly observing the situation until now, let out a low, dark voice.

The dark voice, like the howl of an animal, seemed to be filled with endless self-reproach.

…then. It’s a story about something happening after you leave this village.

“Thank you! I’ll come again next time!”

“Draw. I hope you enjoy the pie.”

After quickly arriving in the next town, I quickly finish my errands, get the apple pie I was really looking for, and start heading back to the town.

Contrary to his face without a ounce of worry, the ‘I’ standing next to me closed his mouth and clasped his hands tightly to suppress the emotions that threatened to explode at any moment.

I ran fast and ran again. The speed was faster than that of an adult male, but Pi’s appearance was still maintained.

As I continued to walk excitedly, I had already reached the entrance to my village.

however.

“….Huh?”

The village, which was once cozy and warm and gave off only a friendly smell, began to emit a thick and terrible smell that should not have been released.

When I started gaining muscle little by little and was able to swing a knife, I went hunting animals with my father several times.

I refused every time, so my father caught the animal himself. The thick scent of blood that wafted out when setting traps, shooting arrows to catch animals, and then dismantling them.

The terrible memory of feeling dizzy and nauseated just by smelling it was still vivid in my mind. That may be why I stay away from harming life.

But why… Now, even though we are so far away from our village, the thick scent of blood resonates throughout the forest. This thick and deep scent of blood cannot be compared to the blood of just a few animals.

Thump…thump…thump…

My heart starts beating like crazy. Endless anxiety begins to eat away at my mind.

I hurriedly started running toward the village, and soon looked at the revealed entrance to the village.

Cheeky.

The pie box that I was holding tightly with both hands falls to the floor, crushing the pie to the point where it is unrecognizable.

However, my heart began to break and split even more than the crumbled and disheveled pie.

“Ah…ah…”

The town I loved. My cozy and happy village… everything was broken, broken and collapsed.

Friends who have known each other since childhood and who have laughed and talked together even now as adults are all lying sprawled on the floor with only their upper or lower bodies remaining.

Body parts that belonged to someone were left on the ground, and the brown ground was stained red.

As I walked through the burning and collapsed village in a daze, I arrived at a place where I could hear the only faint sound of breathing in a village where no other sounds could be heard except the sounds of burning and buildings collapsing.

my home. A space where I have lived my whole life and where all my memories and happiness reside. Now everything has collapsed and I sit down in an unrecognizable place.

“….ah…buzz.”

“Venice…”

My mother was lying down with empty eyes and a large hole in her abdomen, and my father was breathing faintly and looking at me with eyes that looked as if they were about to close at any moment.

My father’s eyes, which had always looked firmly ahead, were dim, as if they could disperse at any moment.

“… A monster… attacked. Everyone…tried to resist. I couldn’t stop it.”

“Ah…father…ahhh…!”

“I’m sorry, son. Just look ugly…and leave. Me too, Mom… I love you.”

The moment when the pitifully shaking hand touched my cheek. Even my father left my side, leaving behind only a faint smile.

Drip-drip-drip.

Shoot…!

That time when I looked down at my father blankly. The raindrops that had been falling one or two at a time began to get stronger, and then a shower began to fall.

I sit down and look at the sky. The sky full of dark clouds seemed to be looking at my dead heart, and the endless raindrops were me. And it is as many as the tears shed by those I love.

Why… did this happen?

I… only hoped for a little happiness. You mean you couldn’t even protect that?

…monster. The ones who took away my happiness, the people I love, and my village.

“….Kill.”

Water begins to flow down my face. Are these my tears or rainwater?

I don’t care about that. My body was becoming cold due to the cold raindrops, but the heat in my heart was getting hotter and hotter, and it felt like my body was going to melt.

“Monster….! I will kill all the monsters in this world…!”

I howled and shouted until my cries reached the sky. In that place where everything I loved collapsed and disappeared into insignificance.

Time begins to turn quickly again. I began to focus on training everything except sleeping time.

Even if it feels like my heart will explode. Even when muscle pain makes it difficult to move even a finger. I didn’t rest even for a single day, even though fatigue came as if I was telling myself to stop.

Only one thing, the will to kill all monsters, was constantly engraved in my mind.

Once I was trained to a certain degree, I started training and hunting monsters at the same time. Of course, there were a lot of mistakes at first. There were many times when I almost died.

Even when a goblin’s blade cuts through flesh, when an orc’s fist hits the solar plexus, or when a gnoll’s arrow gets stuck.

It was painful, tiring, and difficult, but I lived tenaciously. It didn’t matter where, as long as I could kill the monster.

One or two scars are engraved on the body. But at the same time as the scars, muscles and skills also began to form within my body.

I started to get a knack for killing monsters. I studied what parts of monsters were weak and what living things were generally weak against, and applied them.

One day, while I was dealing with monsters alone, I happened to rescue a peddler who was being attacked by those monsters.

The peddler saw my skills and suggested that I join a mercenary group. I was tempted by his offer and ended up joining a small mercenary group that no one knew about.

It didn’t matter where I belonged. For me… as long as I could kill monsters, it was okay.

But the mercenary group I joined was, in a word, a mess. All of the mercenary members did not even try to receive the request and were busy playing and eating.

That time when I went out for my first request. I was scared of dealing with the gnolls, and they even interfered with my ability to deal with them, so I immediately left the mercenary group.

Although distrust and hatred toward people built up. I started to become interested in the mercenary group.

I’m not alone, but if I join forces with people I can trust. I thought I might be able to kill more monsters.

Since then, he has moved around countless mercenary groups. However, I didn’t like them all.

Either they lacked combat power, they were addicted to lewdness or debauchery, or they were places where there were only scoundrels.

“…So, why are you leaving? You’re a very useful person.”

“You guys… are obsessed with women all day long and neglect requests.”

“What?! You fucking bastard!”

“If you want to hit it, hit it. If you want to fight for your life with me.”

“Ugh… You fucking bastard!”

“It’s you and the members. The operation is a mess, and I don’t even have any skills.”

“…You think this is easy?! If they tease you, why don’t you try dressing them up!”

Although he left the mercenary group right away, the story he told was quite believable.

…If I become the general manager. If I could do that, I felt like I could deal with monsters more efficiently.

I immediately went to a village called Leria in the south. The mercenary guild there not only recruits mercenary members, but also recruits leaders to lead the mercenary group.

And… the memories after that. These were just memories I knew well.

All the memories began to pass by quickly, but I remembered them as vividly as if they had just happened before.

And at the same time, a thought begins to occur.

The days when I carried out activities with the name of my alter ego on my back, taking over my own body.

What would he think? Would he hate me for robbing him of the pain and effort he went through his entire life in an instant, taking over his body and acting like his original body? Could it be that he hates me?

Royu said it was okay because everyone was the same ‘me’… but to be honest, I still didn’t really understand.

“Don’t worry. I was watching all those journeys…”

“…Yes? How…”

“I was confused at first. Suddenly my vision changed and I was filled with unknown thoughts.”

“……”

“I was worried that my body might have been taken away, so I immediately tried to take it away if I acted differently from my beliefs. Because I knew that I could do it if I put my mind to it.”

He… no, he had been watching me from the beginning. But… he never regained his body. Then that means…

“…That’s right. What you did was exactly what I would have done if it were me. In some ways… wouldn’t it be natural.”

-I am you, and you are me.

I feel like my heart is being touched by his words. At the same time, I feel a little bit of regret.

“Don’t you… hate me?”

“That can’t be possible. In the end, you made my wish come true. And… I am grateful to you.”

Why is he thanking me? His eyes were so warm.

“I saw and felt your actions. You… Seris, you saved her and countless mercenaries. But… at the same time, you saved me too.”

He began to mutter quietly. Even when he was first appointed as leader, he had no interest in anything other than killing monsters.

However, it is said that when I entered the body, I observed my actions and reflected on myself.

Not just a machine that slaughters monsters, but ordinary days where I talk to people and even laugh.

“I… that day. I thought all my petty feelings were buried along with the village. But… it wasn’t.”

me. Venice, the leader of the Scar mercenaries, began to smile brightly. There wasn’t an ounce of worry or regret left in that smile.

“…Thank you. For making my will come true. For allowing me to remain human.”

“……”

“Please continue to take good care of me. I, ‘we’ will continue to be with you for the rest of our lives.”

As I held the hand he gave me and shook it, all the memories of ‘me’ as the leader of the Jaska mercenary group began to settle perfectly in my head.

Everything from trivial emotions, habits, and memories.

Then, the space surrounding us gradually cracked, shattered, and returned to the original dark space.

“Are you done? Well… I guess it’s my turn now.”

“Okay. Give it a try.”

“Nice to meet you, um… what should I say? Another me?”

And at that time, I heard a sly yet deep voice, and as I turned my head, I faced another me.