Saving My Favorite in a Doomed World

Cha Jaeha prepared for the imminent future with an expressionless face. From his in-ear device, he could occasionally hear Ha Cheongwon’s voice and noises from the Management Department.

 

Although all members of Unit 1 were equipped with radio in-ear devices, only Jeong Mueum and Cha Jaeha wore them properly. In fact, Jeong Mueum was the only one who used the in-ear device for its intended purpose.

 

– Mr. Cha Jaeha, can you hear me?

 

Ha Cheongwon’s voice came through on a private channel with Cha Jaeha.

 

“Yes, I can hear you.”

 

– The gate will open soon, so I’ll explain quickly. Although there is only one gate this time, it will open simultaneously on the 6th floor and other floors. The principle is likely that the gates will close simultaneously once all the monsters are defeated. Of the monsters I saw, I remember the abilities of the ones on the 6th floor where you are. The monster that will appear on the 6th floor has the ability to create hallucinations.

 

“Seems similar to Jin’s ability.”

 

– Yes. It appears to read abilities that could become individual traumas and show hallucinations related to it. And if someone who sees this can’t endure it and loses consciousness…

 

After a brief pause, his voice returned with heavy breathing.

 

“Their head will explode and they will die. Literally, in reality.”

 

“…”

 

– Hero Jin, who has a similar hallucinatory ability, is currently overseas on an international cooperation mission and cannot return. And other heroes who have similar abilities are only about C-rank and unable to handle it.

 

“Hmm.”

 

– ….Is Mr. Yoo Hwashin around by any chance?

 

“Yoo Hwashin?”

 

– I’m sorry, but as part of the Management, I once investigated how heroes came to the center. So, I already know how Mr. Cha Jaeha acquired his abilities. ….I thought Mr. Yoo Hwashin might be more suitable for this case, so I was wondering if he is nearby.

 

Even as he said it himself, Ha Cheongwon knew that his suggestion didn’t make any sense.

 

Yoo Hwashin did not have a clean past without scars. He had recently almost died, so his trauma might still be severe. Despite this, Cheongwon wanted to recommend him because…

 

‘I think that guy can handle it just fine.’

 

A judgment heavily mixed with personal opinion. Not a great decision as a commander.

 

“I understand your suggestion for now.”

 

– Mr. Cha Jaeha—

 

“The gate is opening. I’ll hang up.”

 

– Mr. Cha Jae…

 

The connection abruptly cut off. Silence ensued. Cha Jaeha braced himself against the wind pressure from the opening gate.

 

It was not his first time dealing with an S-rank gate. Moreover, like before, there were no civilians in this building today. This should be enough to use his ability.

 

Yoo Hwashin was still on the 5th floor.

 

‘Can that guy handle it alone?’

 

Hwashin had shown excellent results in sparring and had performed well in actual S-rank gates and other incidents. Recently, he even minimized the damage after Cha Jaeha’s battles.

 

An ability with no known limits. That was why it was even harder to understand his true intentions.

 

Why did he try to save people by using his ability to the point of coughing up blood, despite often appearing carefree?

 

Although no sense of duty could be detected from him, he sometimes made incomprehensible sacrifices for others.

 

“…Peculiar.”

 

The word that Cha Jaeha muttered was referring to Yoo Hwashin, who might be struggling on the 5th floor, and also referring to the monster emerging from the gate.

 

The monster was beautiful like a painting, and also took on a familiar human form. The blue skin and unknown scabs attached at every joint seemed to emphasize that it wasn’t human.

 

The monster, with long eyelashes and horizontally elongated eyes, gently opened the gate and smiled softly.

 

Ha Cheongwon, left with a disconnected earpiece, bit his nails slightly. The future he had seen was before Unit 2 arrived there and after it was resolved.

 

He couldn’t know what happened in between, so he couldn’t suggest a solution.

 

However, what was certain was that the monster’s ability might be the worst match for Cha Jaeha.

 

***

 

“Oh, dear.”

 

Hwashin chose the emergency exit stairs to go up to the 6th floor. Covering his nose and mouth with a soaked handkerchief, he slowly creaked open the door.

 

As soon as he opened it, glowing spores drifted in through the gap. The spores floated in the air, filling the entire 6th floor.

 

“It looks like it’s already using its power. Are you okay, Pii?”

 

“Pii, pii!”

 

Pii nodded in his pocket. How cute. How could Pii be so brave and adorable? Despite being white like Dragon, it was on a completely different level from that coward. Well, it did come from a different dimension. Anyway.

 

“Still, just in case, stay inside.”

 

Hwashin said this and gently rubbed Pii’s small head with his finger.

 

Only after confirming that Pii had returned to the inner pocket of his coat did Hwashin peek out again. Through the thick spores, he could see the monster smiling docilely. And a few steps away from it, he saw Cha Jaeha.

 

Collapsed.

 

“Spore poisoning.”

 

The spores created by the 6th-floor monster cause instant mental paralysis upon inhalation. The monster’s magic infiltrated the paralyzed mind, finding deep-seated traumas and replaying them endlessly in the victim’s head.

 

What awaited at the end of this intoxication was the destruction of mind and body.

 

In this process, Cha Jaeha witnessed his parents burning to death over 1000 times right before his eyes.

 

Their flesh burned and turned to ash, their faces, not yet completely consumed by the heat, melted away under the influence of the magic, and the hands reaching out to him detached from their arms and fell.

 

And the burning corpses say to the young child.

 

– It’s alright

 

– We’re fine

 

After that, Cha Jaeha became a hero. The child, who vowed to save people with the ability that killed his parents, became a hero to others, but conversely, avoided people.

 

A terrible hallucination.

 

But through this incident, Cha Jaeha learned how to control fire.

 

Yoo Hwashin lowered his handkerchief and opened the door completely.

 

This monster itself didn’t have very strong attack power.

 

It would probably die instantly from a single word. But the crucial thing was that even if it died, the spores remained. Those who were addicted and couldn’t escape would face a gruesome end.

 

Cha Jaeha would escape from this. He just knew.

 

As Hwashin snapped his fingers, the monster waiting for them with a benevolent smile split in half from the head down. Like before, he coughed up blood, but Hwashin spat it out cleanly onto the floor and immediately headed toward Cha Jaeha.

 

The hallucinations caused by the spores presented a whole world. There was also a way to peek into that world.

 

Just like opening a rift in dimensions, you could open a rift in the hallucination. Hwashin sat down and leaned against Cha Jaeha, who had lost consciousness. Then he slowly inhaled the spores.

 

Thunk. Hwashin’s head, having lost consciousness, came to rest on Cha Jaeha’s shoulder.

 

***

 

“I didn’t think of this.”

 

So, I have a trauma too!

 

In the hallucination, Hwashin, slowly moving his unaccustomed body, chuckled.

 

Ah, how could he not have thought of this?

 

So, what was his trauma?

 

What unfolded before Yoo Hwashin was a scene from when he was Elric. It was the hill behind the village where he had stayed very briefly.

 

At Hwashin’s feet, corpses were strewn about. The identity of the corpses was not monsters, but people. A foul smell rose from the pool of blood where the bodies lay.

 

And before Hwashin’s eyes, a man in armor appeared.

 

“…How old was I then?”

 

Hwashin smiled, half-closing his eyes.

 

The silver knight in armor silently looked at Yoo Hwashin while holding a sword.

 

If there was anything strange, it was that the knight’s armor was also painted with blood, and there was no neck guard under the close helmet. A deep wound was visible on the neck that could be seen through the gap.

 

“I guess you’re my trauma?”

 

The corpses on the ground reached out and grabbed Hwashin’s ankles.

 

– It’s because of you.

 

– Your greed killed him too.

 

– If only you hadn’t encouraged him, we would all have been fine.

 

Hwashin shook off their hands and stepped on them firmly.

 

“Still, the villagers never reflect on their actions, do they?”

 

This was why saving people was pointless. They always thought in ways that benefited them best.

 

He thought he had shed his past, but seeing that such residue still remained, it seemed that the figure and the past related to it were important.

 

With a smiling face, Hwashin approached the silver knight holding the sword. The knight still stood there silently, extending his sword towards Hwashin’s neck.

 

“You’re really annoying. Seriously.”

 

Escaping addiction was simple. He just needed to eliminate the cause of the trauma. In this case, he probably needed to kill this guy.

 

That was too simple. He could do this much, it was a past that he had overcome a decades ago.

 

Hwashin reached out his hand as usual. And he just needed to utter one word ‘Die’, or he could shout ‘Explode’ like on the 5th floor. Or he could tear it apart.

 

“…I see.”

 

However, he couldn’t say any of those. Instead, the hand he raised trembled slightly.

 

“It really seems to be trauma.”

 

Well, the reason I started smiling like this was after meeting you, so it makes sense.

 

“But that doesn’t mean I can delay what needs to be done, right?”

 

Hwashin withdrew his hand.

 

He couldn’t kill him. Maybe he could crush and twist the corpses under his feet, but not this.

 

So, he decided to push himself a bit harder.

 

Anyway, his real self must have collapsed towards Cha Jaeha, so if he destroyed this side, it would likely connect to that side.

 

Then let’s destroy this world itself.

 

It should work if he destroyed this place completely.

 

– Then your mind will collapse too.

 

‘My goodness. I can hear your voice even in this illusion. Dragon, I must be really crazy.’

 

But that was fine. He felt like he wasn’t alone.

 

With a self-mocking laugh, Hwashin looked up at the sky. The clear sky stretched endlessly high, but this world was fake.

 

Hwashin snapped his fingers towards the sky.

 

「…Crumble」

 

Hot blood welled up from his lower abdomen. This time, he vomited blood from inside, gushing it out. More blood than usual dripped onto the ground.

 

In the center of the sky. Sharp glass shards fell from a pure white cloud. With a loud noise, the world collapsed. The sphere, covered with blue forests and clear skies, broke.

 

‘I’ll heal it later, and slowly… head towards… Cha… Jaeha…’

 

The collapsed world’s floor covered Yoo Hwashin. Or, he must have collapsed. Thus, his vision flickered.

 

When Hwashin regained consciousness again,

 

“Whoa!”

 

He was in a world surrounded by red lava. He roughly rolled his body that was lying face down to lie on his back on the floor. Then he thought carefully about what had happened. When he dealt with the S-rank monster, his condition was fine. Did he collapse if overexerted himself?

 

“Terribly weak constitution.”

 

What kind of life did Yoo Hwashin lead? His body was almost like a doll. An empty shell doll with only moving joints left. It was obvious from his pale skin.

 

Yoo Hwashin, with a creaky body, slowly turned his neck.

 

‘I should be more careful. Losing consciousness at a critical moment is the worst.’

 

Hwashin walked along a black path drawn in the red world. It was an illusion anyway. In an incomplete world, only the necessary parts would be completed.

 

The end of the path was roughly cut off, as if he had reached his destination. Cha Jaeha was there. Cha Jaeha in this world had a slightly younger face than the present Cha Jaeha.

 

Cha Jaeha was kneeling, his tearless eyes meeting the burnt fingers of his parents. Then, with a scream, he covered his face with his hands. As his cracked voice filled the world, time reset, and everything repeated.

 

The gate opened, and Cha Jaeha ran holding his parents’ hands. They just needed to endure until the hero arrived. Like in every story, one of them fell while running and was caught by the monster. When the monster’s fist rose high, Cha Jaeha tightly shut his eyes.

 

And when he opened his eyes again, all he could see was the burnt surroundings and dead monsters.

 

Though he didn’t understand, he thought it was fortunate and reached out to grab his parents’ hands again, but what he grabbed was a black lump. A mix of blood, flesh, and bone.

 

“….Ah……Ah…Ah!”

 

Time reset again.

 

How many times had it been?

 

How many times had Cha Jaeha seen this scene?

 

Cha Jaeha’s eternal trauma. To overcome this trauma, he needed to acknowledge that he really burned his parents to death. And only after he hugged the corpses and sent them off, promising never to do it again, he could return to reality and gain the ability to control fire.

 

But was that really the ‘truth’?

 

Moreover.

 

“Hah. What does that young kid know?”

 

He was only 23, just 23.

 

He was young now, but he was even younger then.

 

Hwashin stepped on a blue glass shard and moved towards the fleeing Cha Jaeha in the repeated time. The fire rose, and his parents burned.

 

Here was one surprising fact.

 

Trauma was reconstructed based on the person’s memory. That was the truth, and truth overcame lies. But sometimes, that truth differed from reality. That was why memories were imperfect.

 

Cha Jaeha, scared of the monster’s fist, tightly shut his eyes. And he used his power. Hwashin intervened in that process.

 

When young Cha Jaeha opened his eyes, he saw an unfamiliar man blocking the monster’s fist with one finger and smiling.

 

“Hello.”

 

“…Oh, oh.”

 

Ah, right. Until Cha Jaeha realized this place was fake, he didn’t remember reality.

 

“Are you a hero? Then…”

 

Mom, Dad. We’ll be okay now.

With a sigh of relief, he looked for his parents beside him but couldn’t find them. Why? Why? he didn’t do anything this time.

 

“Cha Jaeha.”

 

“…How do you know my name-.”

 

“Look. Do you see this fire?”

 

“….Yes….”

 

“This monster you met, it didn’t just throw a punch, but struck you and your parents with a fist that spewed fire.”

 

A secret only known to those who had read the book.

 

Cha Jaeha didn’t kill his parents.

 

At that time, monsters that used special abilities hadn’t been discovered, so no one knew about it, but by coincidence, the monster Cha Jaeha met was one that used fire abilities, and Cha Jaeha also awakened under the influence of that mana.

 

“You didn’t kill them.”

 

“….Uh, uh…..”

 

“It wasn’t you who did it.”

 

Tears streamed down from the eyes of the 23-year-old Cha Jaeha, trapped in the midst of repeated scenarios and mixed memories. Hwashin stood awkwardly in front of Cha Jaeha, who was crying silently.

 

“Hey, hey. …Don’t cry.”

 

…

No, wait. When will I ever see him cry again?

Once he crossed over to that world, Cha Jaeha wouldn’t cry, just stay expressionless.

 

Still, making a kid cry as an adult made him feel a bit guilty.

 

“Grr, grrr.”

 

The monster, unable to hold back, trembled and pulled back its fist.

 

“Huh?”

 

And then it lowered its head like a bull and charged forward. Hwashin shouted towards the crying Cha Jaeha.

 

“Jaeha, you can use your ability now, right? Then shoot some fire this way.”

 

“What? Uh, but. Um.”

 

Cha Jaeha alternately looked at his unconscious parents and Hwashin. He knew now that his fire didn’t kill his parents, but what if he killed this man? What if this man burned to death? What if this hell repeated again—

 

“Hey. Cha Jaeha.”

 

The charging monster was now right in front of Yoo Hwashin. At a distance where its breath directly reaches him, blowing his hair, Yoo Hwashin leisurely smiled and said, now completely turning his back to the monster.

 

“Trust me.”

 

I absolutely won’t die. You know that too.

 

I know that too.

 

What an incomprehensible statement. Cha Jaeha slowly raised his hand. It was not that he trusted the man; he just wanted to trust him.

 

Soon after, a young but familiar word reached Yoo Hwashin’s ears.

 

‘Explode.’

 

And so everything burst into flames.