episode_0138

Black, roughly tied ponytail. And the two red dots on the smiling face seem to exude mystery.

“Is this your first time seeing me like this?”

“Yes…that’s right.”

“Haha… True. I knew this day would come, but now that it has happened, it feels really awkward.”

Just as he said, a suffocating and awkward atmosphere seemed to fill this dark space.

But… we knew that we were the same person, so we could tell what each other was thinking just by looking into each other’s eyes.

“Well…there’s no need to say anything else. So, are you ready?”

“Yes. I’m ready!”

“···It won’t be a good look.”

Sigh-!

As soon as I finished answering, he smiled and clapped his hands. Then, the dark space begins to twist, break, and change into another space.

It wouldn’t be a good look… What on earth happened to make him smile such a bitter and empty smile?

gulp.

I swallowed my saliva without realizing it. Second me. What would my life be like other than the leader of the Scar mercenaries?

The space that was all broken and destroyed begins to gather and merge again, and a space emerges before our eyes.

I thought that a bright space like the first time would appear and bright sunlight would surround me, but the space that appeared before our eyes was a darker and more empty space than the dark space we were standing in just moments ago.

Jeop-jeop-jeop-.

In an infinitely quiet and dark space, only the sound of light footsteps resonates loudly. It was clearly a light footsteps, but since no other sound was heard other than the footsteps, the sound only seemed loud.

I struggled with all my might to escape this space of terrible silence, but I could not move a finger due to the chains that bound my body.

···I lower my head and look at myself. Several layers of chains bound my body as if not allowing any struggle. And I am chained and lying like a corpse on a small bed.

Turn your head. At the same time, I couldn’t help but be very surprised. Besides me, dozens of children were tied to the bed in the same position as me.

And… all of their eyes were empty, and there was no light, as if they belonged to a dead person.

laboratory. okay. This place is a laboratory. And people, including me, are experimental subjects who are only being experimented on by someone.

Obviously, a lot of memories came flooding back the first time. From the time I was born, to the happy days and precious moments from my childhood that I can barely remember, everything.

But now, I don’t even remember any of it. I definitely saw someone that came to mind in my memory, but their faces and voices were not clear, as if they were hidden by dark clouds.

widely.

Finally, the continuous sound of footsteps stopped. As I rolled my eyes and looked at the place, I saw someone approaching and stopping at the bed on the far left side of the vast laboratory.

‘·····!’

And that appearance… was one I knew all too well. A black robe that covers everything from head to toe. A logo with deformed eyes and an unknown symbol.

····Warlock.

They are abominable and deserve to be killed. The identity of the person I, or rather we, was experimenting with was a warlock.

Why on earth? And why us? Numerous questions came to mind, but of course I couldn’t open my mouth to voice them.

“····Begin.”

“Experiment number 1. Let’s start the experiment.”

As the warlock’s low voice resonates, the person with empty eyes spits out short words like a machine.

The warlock performs unknown actions on the bound person. That… is black magic. It seems as if black magic is being used and injected into the person’s body.

Bugrrr!

Pow-!

After the warlock injected him with black magic and fell away from him for a moment, his body turned red and red and soon exploded, leaving behind only a terrible stench.

“···Experiment number 1 is a failure. Next.”

“Experiment number 2. Let’s start the experiment.”

Even though people exploded in front of his eyes, the warlock moved on to the next step without blinking.

And just like the person before, a man just answers like a machine with empty eyes.

-Quaaah!!!

This time, a terrible scream echoed through the space, and the man literally melted and disappeared.

So the experiment continues. Some people’s faces become rat-like, and some people’s hands and feet become deformed.

“···Next.”

And finally. The warlock stands in front of my bed, looking down at me and quietly muttering.

“···Experiment number 8. Let’s start the experiment.”

I don’t even feel like trying to rebel. There was a reason why my body was restrained, but like other dead people, I couldn’t utter any sound other than ‘I’m going to start the experiment.’

I couldn’t even do anything. Even as I looked at the warlock’s wrinkled hand being raised and the black magic coming out of his hand heading towards my body.

What happens to me…? Will I die a horrible death like the seven people who were experimented on before me?

A distant fear comes to me. But I couldn’t blink. As for me, we are just mice that are stuffed and experimented on.

However, my body did not shatter, explode or die as I thought. I still couldn’t say anything or move my body, but I was clearly alive.

“···Ho?”

And for the first time, a voice of admiration came out of the warlock’s mouth. And after a while. I could only stare blankly as another warlock led my bed and headed somewhere.

“···What a terrible sight. Isn’t that right?”

As I lose consciousness again, I feel as if my soul has escaped from my second body, and at the same time I hear his voice.

He always looked at me with a sly smile on his face, and he only gave cold and sharp eyes to the warlocks who were walking below or conducting experiments.

“What on earth happened? Why on earth are black magicians…”

“···As you can see, it’s an experiment. In order to increase the warlock’s army, experiments are conducted on both adults and children. I too… was unlucky enough to be caught here.”

“Then you…”

“Yes. I may have been caught by bad luck, but I guess I was lucky enough to have a knack for black magic. Should I say it’s thanks to you… I was able to survive.”

I stare blankly at the laboratory I left with him. The experiment continued, but no one survived except me.

So then, how on earth was ‘I’ able to survive and live in this place?

I had that question and tried to ask a question, but the space changed faster than my mouth could open. And I returned to the first-person perspective again, rather than the observation perspective while floating in the air.

“···One.”

Deep!

“···Two.”

Byak-!

A vast, dark vacant lot. Countless people, including me, hit, stabbed, or cut the human-shaped doll in front of us at the same time the warlock’s voice rang out.

The areas we target include the philtrum, solar plexus, between the eyebrows, where the heart is located, etc. All parts contained vital points that were fatal to humans.

Without even a single second of rest time, we continue to attack people’s vital points. However, no one rebelled or refused orders.

No, it would be correct to say that I couldn’t do it. Because we were all slaves under the control of dark magic that we could not bear.

“···Ready.”

Ugh…!

“···Divergence.”

After training our bodies for several hours, and unable to rest, we immediately began training to bring out our dark magic.

Of course, most of those alive today, including me, were capable of black magic, so most of them were able to draw out black magic by following the words of the black magician, but there were also some who could not.

“···There are some failures.”

And… of course, the only punishment for failed works is death. And I looked at the people in the distance, exploding, melting, twisting horribly and dying.

···Their eyes were empty and lifeless due to severe brainwashing, experiments, and torture. Only when they were about to die did their eyes waver.

This place is hell. We had to work all day to become the killers we never wanted to be, without even being able to gain freedom.

The only rest time given to us is about 10 minutes for meals and time to sleep. Even then, all the food distributed was rotting fruit, and there was only four hours of sleep.

There was no hope anywhere. Because we became slaves to black magic and could not stand against their control over us.

···but. In a space where everyone lived like machines, I was able to think. Of course, I acted the same as them, but being able to ‘think’ was important.

While carrying out the warlocks’ training, I overheard their conversation. It would have been hard to say we overheard because it was being said loudly right in front of our eyes.

First of all, as I expected, we are all under the influence of great dark magic. Due to countless drug experiments, torture, and brainwashing, not a single person was sane.

Except me.

I don’t know why. Maybe I was simply more talented than others, but even though I couldn’t act freely, I could still think.

Inside hell, where no one has the will to rebel or is given freedom. I engraved my will among those who had become puppets.

No matter what happens, I will get out of this place.