episode_0204

Dalkak-.

The carrier opens.

A black suitcase that Eunha always carries with her.

This is an object that she, who can ignore most things with a smile, asks us not to touch with a very desperate look.

An eerie air escapes from the suitcase, which is opened more lightly than expected.

“… … .”

Late at night, it feels like walking around an area where no one is allowed in a department store where no one is allowed.

Banharin comes to his senses as the cold air brushes his cheeks and lightly bends his stiff fingers.

Is it guilt that prevents me from fully opening the half-open suitcase?

Or maybe it was the fear that hit the back of my neck.

It’s hard to tell.

gulp…

Ban Harin swallowed his saliva without realizing it,

After a moment of contemplation, I opened the suitcase wide with an expressionless face.

… … .

The first thing you see is an old and rusty jigsaw.

And a flute made of bone.

Next to it, dusty prayer beads and a cross lie side by side.

A bundle of amulets tied with red Korean paper catches my eye.

A tarpaulin and a black plastic bag that were once used in the E-class promotion exam.

Extra box tee and 2 pairs of pants.

The internal pocket for small items contains a plastic bag containing pure white salt and a ‘Derringer pistol’ loaded with one bullet.

‘Pistol…? Even when I asked her to carry a pistol for self-defense, Eunha said all sorts of things, saying it wasn’t like a hunter… When did she get something like this?’

Ban Harin took a quick look inside the suitcase and let out a complicated sigh.

Could it be that they believe in some strange pseudo-religion?

This is Ban Harin’s honest impression after examining the galaxy’s carrier.

Let alone daily necessities, these are items I don’t know what they are going to be used for.

I don’t know why I keep all this miscellaneous stuff in my suitcase.

‘There was no sign of him believing in any religion… but it is not surprising that his mind was devastated due to the recent attacks and incidents.’

A mind that has lost its focus and is reeling is likely to want to rely on beliefs that have no reason.

Ban Harin tried to ignore his confused feelings.

It suddenly occurred to me.

During the E-level promotion test, he was removing his internal organs in the association bathroom.

Cutting his wrist with a box cutter in the living room of his own home.

Sometimes it appears in my dreams.

It may be because of the guilt of not being able to properly protect the galaxy.

“… … Is this a book?”

and. After a while.

Ban Harin was ‘observing’ the items in the suitcase one by one.

Deliberately hidden among all kinds of junk,

I found a pitch black book.

… … .

By any chance, someone

Even if you open the suitcase and check the contents,

It looks like it was desperately hidden, asking people not to look at it and pass by.

A black book without a title.

Ban Harin carefully ‘observed’ the [Black Book], which was as thick as a college textbook.

Everything was pitch black.

The jet black cover is made of leather, and the inside material is also black.

However, no matter how much force I applied, the [Black Book] could not be opened, as if it had been glued on.

Did Eunha read a book like this?

No, was he a book reader to begin with?

Pajijikㅡ.

Ban Harin, who was checking the [Black Book] with golden eyes, frowns.

‘… … I don’t feel any mana. As for the other items in the carrier, none of the items presumed to be ‘artifacts’ exist.’

Ordinary objects.

There were a lot of strange miscellaneous things in it, so I thought it was an ‘artifact’, but it wasn’t.

Aside from the pistol, there isn’t a single dangerous object in sight…

A strange but ordinary carrier.

When I opened Eunha’s suitcase, which looked suspicious today, it turned out to be nothing.

I don’t know if it was just a guess, or if I was possessed by something, but

Ban Harin decided to place significance in eliminating one of the dangers lurking around the galaxy.

“How about it, team leader? Is there anything wrong?”

“No problem.”

‘Owl’ sitting in the back seat asked a question.

Ban Harin, who was returning the contents of the suitcase to its original location, answered coldly.

I’m glad there are no dangerous items.

The missing team members are a problem, but the safety of the galaxy is more important than anything else.

All that remains is to return the carrier to its original location before Eunha notices.

For Van Harin, it’s a simple task.

“An ‘artifact’ that must be hidden from others… For example, I thought there would be an item related to the ‘swarm of black bugs’ seen in [Cheorwon crack shop], but I guess not.”

“The voice is very disappointing.”

The conversation started out normally.

Ban Harin wiped his expressionless face at the ‘owl’s’ sarcasm.

“At least we can find out why Eunha escaped our surveillance and disappeared without a trace…”

Stop.

And, at that moment.

Ban Harin felt something strange and turned his head.

… … .

The air has already become as cold as winter.

The fishy smell of iron stings the bridge of your nose.

Pretending to be in the back seat.

“… … .”

strange.

It’s a familiar but unfamiliar voice.

Ban Harin quietly turned his head and looked at the back seat through the rearview mirror.

“… … at las. You opened your eyes.』

[Rare Hunter Protection-Kill Department] Team 1,

‘Owl’ smiles softly,

He was facing Ban Harin.

… … .

Our eyes meet.

… … .

… … .

Rattling. It rattled.

A sound coming from the trunk.

The sound of people struggling to get out of here.

click.

The door is locked.

The car’s engine turns off, and frost begins to form on the transparent windows.

“… … Who are you?”

『It’s me, team leader. ‘It’s an owl.’

The back seat seen through the rearview mirror.

‘Owl’ was looking at Banharin in a slanted posture.

[Rare Hunter Protection – Kill Section] Team 1, Ban Harin’s team member.

Hunter, called ‘Owl’ by others, is sitting in the back seat.

Hunter Association’s suit, facial features,

Even your voice and tone of voice…

Ban Harin’s idea of an ‘owl’ is correct.

“I asked who it was.”

Grumpy!

But it’s different.

It’s different.

Ban Harin, whose eyes shine golden, observes ‘that’.

The bitterly cold air suddenly changed in an instant… no, I only noticed it now.

The sound of my pounding heart emits white breath.

can not understand.

An ‘owl’ that suddenly appears, a car that turns off,

There was also a rattling noise coming from the trunk.

It’s not a skill.

No artifacts were used.

Because I don’t understand.

If it’s not ‘mana’ and skills, how can you explain the current situation?

The unknown discovered from afar is a curiosity,

The unknown that stands up on both feet and runs towards you only brings about fear,

Ban Harin ignored his trembling fingertips and created ‘Mana’.

‘Even if you don’t understand, there must be a cause.’

The reason why ‘that’ appeared.

Ban Harin looked down at the wide open galaxy carrier.

All kinds of junk.

Hidden inside was an untitled [black book].

It was from the moment I discovered it.

Banharin’s eyes ‘observe’ it.

“… … .”

A pitch black book.

Cover made of leather.

Jet black leather.

Painted pitch black,

human skin.

“『Don’t touch my child’s things without permission, beast』 ”

Immediately after, ‘Owl’ spoke.

… … .

A foreign voice.

A beast wearing human skin and a voice imitating a human.

A cry that is closer to an animal than a human.

Quick!

At that moment, Ban Harin’s left eye ruptured with intense pain.

“Ugh…!”

‘Skill’ stopped.

Ban Harin covered his left eye, which was bleeding.

Her right eye, which had returned to its original black color, distorted in pain.

Chijijikㅡ….

The smell of blood instantly fills the car.

It’s sticky.

At the same time, the radio, which is not on, starts making sound.

The radio sound was clearly audible even with the car engine turned off.

A loud frequency sound scratches my eardrums…

Soon, a gloomy voice that touches the soul begins to flow.

{『Please, look down on the dirty beasts. Please watch over our suffering and resentment.』}

I smell blood.

In Van Harin’s left eye.

From the [black book] placed in the carrier.

From the breath of the ‘owl’ sitting in the back seat.

From the voice coming from the radio.

Is this hell?

Have you opened the gates of hell?

I don’t know.

“… … .”

My body doesn’t listen.

My whole body freezes at the sight of death approaching before my eyes, and I look at the ‘owl’, forgetting even my breathing.

I don’t have the courage to look directly at it, so I watch its actions through the rear-view mirror.

‘… … Eunha. Is this it? ‘Is that ‘that’ right in front of you that you were trying to hide from me and Eunbangul?’

Seueuugh.

While Banharin watched with his eyes wide open,

‘Owl’ reached towards the passenger seat and picked up the wooden cross in the carrier.

‘That’ is holding the cross upside down and reciting a verse from the radio.

{『If you really exist, please, join those who are exhausted.』}

{『Stop and walk the ascetic path of going back. Mixing and understanding.』}

『In that way, we will all face the overturned cross and move forward.』

Phew.

Reciting the reversed verse,

Looking at the frozen Ban Harin,

‘Owl’, a team member of [Rare Hunter Protection-Kill Department],

He pierced his own temple with the cross he was holding in his hand.

… … .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

4. Cognition is the connection of existence.

– Have you heard the saying, ‘Knowledge is power’?

– With every action you take to recognize and get to know each other, ‘they’ will become closer to you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

​

Excited. Excited. Excited.

Ban Harin pressed his left eye and exhaled heavily.

cold. Every time you breathe, white breath comes out.

The windows are frosted, and the nauseating smell of blood fills the car.

She felt goosebumps running down her spine and looked at the frosted rearview mirror.

The ‘owl’ sitting in the back seat.

It’s dead with a wooden cross stuck to its temple.

The blood soaking the car seat once again reminds us of the death of ‘Owl’.

His teammate died before his eyes.

It wasn’t something that was done to me by a monster or a villain.

He was possessed by ‘something unknown’ and committed suicide with his own hands.

… … no,

Was he alive?

Was it really an ‘owl’?

‘What the hell is this…’

Banharin tried to calm his confused mind.

I don’t understand the current situation.

Where did it go wrong?

Probably from the moment I discovered the [Black Book] in my suitcase. From then on, something started to go wrong.

“Cough…! Ugh…”

And, what confuses Banharin the most right now is…

The fact is that no movement of mana has been detected so far.

I can say for certain that she was unmistakable when it came to ‘observing’ something.

In other words, I wasn’t affected by someone’s skill.

The artifact didn’t even activate.

But someone died.

Away from the ways of the world,

Something unknown…

『Be thankful that there is salvation at the end of suffering.』

At that time, ‘Owl’ spoke.

A corpse with a cross on its temple and its eyes half-closed moves languidly and imitates a human voice.

Ban Harin, who did not show emotions in most situations, gritted his teeth to hide his body trembling.

Can not be done. That’s dangerous.

Like a class A monster at the level of an urban disaster, it is not dangerous if you encounter it alone, nor is it at a level where you can survive if you run away.

I can know this because, as a member of the association, I have encountered and ‘observed’ numerous data on monsters.

Can’t win. You can’t run away.

Which hunter can compete?

It feels like dessert on the table.

The primal fear caused by the survival instinct makes Ban Harin’s heart pound.

Rattle rattle rattle…

Ban Harin, feeling the greatest danger of his life, tried to get out of the car, but the door did not open as if it was broken.

An eerie voice constantly plays from the radio, which is turned off, and the car does not move no matter how many times you try to start it.

I tried hitting the window with my elbow as hard as I could, but it didn’t even flinch. Even my elbows don’t hurt.

The laws of physics themselves are wrong.

It’s out of line.

『Recognition is the continuation of fate.』

『Fear comes from the unknown, but you have already recognized us.』

『Do not be afraid.』

A solemn voice.

As if to stop Ban Harin from escaping from the car, the corpse of the ‘owl’ speaks to him.

The voice does not resemble the beast from before.

It is the voice of a darker, pitch black being.

『Do not be afraid.』

Because the voice of ‘it’ contains a sacredness that captivates people,

Although it seems like your soul will be polluted just by facing it,

That too is an example of sanctity.

Ban Harin inadvertently turned his head and looked back at the back seat.

The corpse of an ‘owl’ seen with the naked eye, not through a rear-view mirror.

There is a bright light behind it.

Something in the shape of an upside-down cross.

It becomes a ray of light crossing the dark clouds and shakes Banharin’s heart.

But Banharin was not afraid.

Because he exists. Knowing that we are moving forward together under the overturned glory.

Harmony means matching, and harmony means being contaminated with each other.

Therefore, we will allow ourselves to be contaminated with others and overcome hardships with a united spirit.

Because I know that salvation is there…

… … .

… … .

Kwasik!!!

I came to my senses.

Ban Harin, who felt a strong resistance to his own thinking circuit, hit his thigh with an ‘object he was holding in his hand.’

A dizzying pain penetrates my thigh, and my mind becomes clearer for a moment.

“Haa…! ha…! Ha…!”

The lukewarm air entering my lungs feels unfamiliar.

Breathing heavily, she looked down at her thighs with a devastated face.

A bloody ‘wooden cross’ is stuck in her thigh like a stake.

The black suit pants turn red and a dizzying pain continues.

It hurt so bad… but thanks to you, I came to my senses.

For a moment, Ban Harin’s heart pounded and he unconsciously grabbed his left chest.

A wooden cross pierced through the thigh.

What Ban Harin was holding in his hand right before he came to his senses.

And she… tried to drive that cross into her temple.

If I hadn’t come to my senses in time, I would have met the same ending as ‘The Owl’.

『Ignorance is not a sin, but foolish action resulting from ignorance is a sin.』

『That’s why you live and this person died.』

Whether Banharin was moaning in pain or not, the corpse of the ‘owl’ was chanting in a sacred voice.

“but. Now that you recognize us.』

『The next person to live will not be you.』

And with the end of the word ‘it’, the body of ‘owl’ fell sideways like a doll whose strings had been cut.

… … .

… … … .

… … Jump up!

Then suddenly,

The ‘owl’ stood up in a panic and started talking.

“And one. Answer me.』

“… … .”

『What kind of snacks do kids eat these days?』

“… … ?”

Strange question.

Banharin answered honestly what he knew.

『… … is it.”

Shake it off.

After hearing the answer, the body of ‘Owl’ fell down helplessly.