Ordinary Art Factor [EN]: Chapter 203

“…Because you’re the one that person chose.”

“Exactly! That person doesn’t even know who I am, and I don’t know why they chose me! Isn’t this enough? Why! Why do I have to take responsibility for you until the end!”

“…….”

Suddenly mute?

Why can’t you speak!

Why can’t you just say that this is enough!

Seriously, why, what for! Why do I have to follow you! Damn it!

“Slurp, slurp. As expected, Jjajangmyeon [black bean noodles] is the best. With sweet and sour pork, Jjajangmyeon, fried dumplings, and a glass of Baijiu [a strong distilled liquor], this is paradise… Cough!”

When did you get here?

What’s with that indifferent look?

“We have to go.”

“Shut up!”

“…….”

“Get lost!”

You rotten thing.

Now you’re nagging even when I’m eating.

Even a dog is left alone when it’s eating. Ugh.

“What shall I catch today~ Spotted knifejaw would be nice~ Black porgy would be nice~ Gizzard shad would be nice~ Anything is fine, just bite~.”

I was humming a song I made up as I finished preparing my fishing gear and was about to put on a shrimp bait… when suddenly a shadow falls over me.

“We have to go.”

“…….”

“Let’s go.”

“…Didn’t I tell you to get lost! Shoo~ Get away. Scram~.”

“…….”

“Haaam. There’s nothing more to see. Should I watch the latest movie instead of a variety show?”

I flopped down on the living room sofa, fiddling with my precious parts inside my shorts, looking for the TV remote…

“It’s here.”

“Thanks.”

“We have to go.”

“…….”

“Let’s go.”

“…Want me to show you mine? Why don’t you get lost?”

“…….”

“Ugh. Damn it. I’m getting constipated because of Sara… Cough!”

“We have to go.”

“…You crazy bitch! This is the bathroom! Do you want to smell my poop? Get lost!”

“…….”

“Haa….”

I’m going crazy.

I’m really going insane.

This fucking bitch appears out of nowhere, regardless of time or place, and drives me crazy.

Whether I’m eating, going fishing, lying down watching TV, or even taking a dump, she suddenly appears and repeats ‘We have to go,’ ‘Let’s go.’

It’s a relief that she doesn’t appear in crowded places… Wait, have I met anyone lately?

Aside from playing billiards with my seniors, the only people I’ve met are those annoying neighbors disguised as good Samaritans.

Anyway, something that’s not even human, yet is somehow subordinate to me, keeps trying to take me somewhere, scratching at my insides.

I’ve begged and pleaded with her to just leave me alone, but she won’t budge.

I’ve screamed at her to just do it herself, but she barely listens.

Meanwhile, she keeps appearing in front of me at every chance, constantly repeating that annoying, bizarre incantation, the ultimate self-destruct skill, Sara Matilda.

I don’t want to be involved with you anymore!

Why are you bothering someone who doesn’t want to be bothered!

Please just get lost!

“We have to go.”

“…….”

“Let’s go.”

“…….”

“I’m telling you, we have to go.”

“…Haa… Okay, let’s just ask one thing. Where are we going?”

“To that place.”

“…Eeeek! You fucking bitch! That’s not what I was asking! Where is it that you want to go!”

“It’s that place.”

“…Kuaaaak! You crazy, insane, son of a bitch! Get lost! Get lost!”

“You know it too. You just don’t realize it. It’s not far. It’s there.”

“…….”

I couldn’t calm the anger that had risen to the top of my head, and Sara pointed outside to the terrace, saying strange things.

“…What, what is it? Hallasan [a mountain in South Korea]?”

“That’s right. It’s there.”

“Ha, you’re saying we have to go to Hallasan?”

“That’s right. That’s the place.”

“…….”

You fucking bitch….

You should have said so sooner.

If it wasn’t far and the destination was set, I wouldn’t be so frustrated. If you just said, ‘Let’s go there for fun,’ or ‘Would you like to go for a walk together?’, I would have said yes. But why do you have to drive me crazy with those fucking words like, ‘Let’s go,’ ‘We have to go!’

“…If I go to Hallasan once, it’s definitely over, right? After that, don’t ask me for anything else. Okay?”

“If you come.”

“…Haa… What kind of bullshit is that again. Fine. I’ll go tomorrow, so prepare… Well, you don’t have anything to prepare. Okay. Let’s go tomorrow. Let’s go!”

After hearing my answer, Sara disappears again without a word.

Haa….

Damn it….

Damn….

How did I get that absolute-grade skill, Sara Matilda?

Can I return it?

The next day, in the morning.

I threw on some casual clothes that didn’t look like hiking gear, pulled out my sneakers, and was about to head to Hallasan Eorimok [a trail on Hallasan] using the security vehicle….

“Oppa [term used by younger women to address older men they are close to]~ Let’s go together.”

“You fucking bitch.”

“Hyungnim [term used by younger men to address older men they are close to]! Let’s go together?”

“You fucking bastard.”

“Oppa, is something wrong? Your language is colorful today?”

“Hyungnim, is something wrong? Why are you like this?”

That’s right, isn’t it?

Is this the normal reaction of people who hear swear words usually?

Ah, no?

That bitch isn’t human, so I shouldn’t expect this kind of reaction?

Anyway, that’s not the point, why are you guys here?

“What is it? Why are you guys in front of my house like this?”

“Oppa, let’s go together.”

“Me too.”

“I’ll follow you too, Hyungnim.”

Ji-hye, Mi-hye, Gil-su, and even Han-deuk.

As expected, those annoying neighbors disguised as good Samaritans are following me.

But, how did you guys know I was going to Hallasan?

“Why are you guys going up Hallasan? If you have nothing to do, wash your feet and go to sleep. Ah! Are you guys doing well with the guild operations? Ji-hye, are you doing well with the Jeju branch operations? You guys are so out of it, is this the time to go play? Aren’t you working? Huh?”

“Oppa, are you going to Hallasan? Oh~ Cool! I should get some forest bathing in a while.”

“Oh~ Sounds good. Me too, me too.”

“They say that drinking Makgeolli [Korean rice wine] at the top of the mountain is good for your skin.”

You didn’t even know where I was going?

Then why did you come out!

Forest bathing?

I’m going to swear at you so much, so get lost, and please drink Makgeolli at your own house!

“Haa… Fine. I’m too lazy to shake you off, too lazy to ask, and even more too lazy to explain. Follow me or don’t, get lost or die, do whatever you want.”

“Oh~ Cool~.”

“Kahaha. Hyungnim. Who made Hyungnim angry? You sound like you’ve given up on life? Kyakyakya.”

“…Hyu….”

I was about to get into the security vehicle, ignoring the annoying people who were saying ten words for every one word I said….

“Hyungnim. When going to Hallasan, you have to go by bus to get the real taste. I called a limousine.”

Okay.

Fine.

Wherever we go, whatever we go with, I just need to get there.

So please, please….

Shortly after.

I headed to Hallasan Eorimok in a limousine bus with the annoying people.

Ji-hye and Mi-hye were humming strange songs, and Gil-su and Han-deuk were still doing boring skits in front of me.

What’s funny is that they didn’t know where I was going, so they just followed me unconditionally?

Or are you guys just bored, just extras?

Looking at it this way, it’s the original members of the support party that I formed in the early days of awakening.

It feels like just yesterday that we were sniveling and crawling on the floor to clear 10th or 9th grade dungeons, but now the time has come when five of us are together in a large limousine bus with plenty of space.

Life is fleeting, and memories are fresh… bullshit!

I’m disturbed and disturbed.

Why am I sitting here and going with these guys!

I’m about to have my head explode because of the self-destruct skill Sara, who isn’t even human!

“Oh~ Snowscape (雪景) [Seolgyeong, a scenic view of snow]!”

“Oh~ You use Chinese characters?”

“Oh~ You’re witty.”

“Is that funny? Keuheuk.”

They’re having fun.

They’re having a lot of fun~.

Anyway, I’ve come all the way to Eorimok.

“Sara.”

“Yes.”

The self-destruct skill Sara Matilda, who had already manifested at my words.

“Where do I go?”

Sara points to one side without saying anything.

“The summit?”

“It’s above there.”

“Okay. Lead the way.”

“Yes.”

I don’t know if only I can see Sara’s three pairs of wings behind her back, but the annoying neighbors don’t seem to care even though Sara has manifested.

Well, they know it’s my exclusive skill and it’s not the first time she’s suddenly manifested like this, so I guess they just take it for granted.

Anyway, the snow-covered scenery of Hallasan is quite pretty… awesome. Keukeum.

While admiring the surrounding scenery, I dissuade the tourists from crowding around, slap Gil-su on the back of the head for saying brazenly that we are awakeners to the manager who said that we can’t go to the summit without crampons or sticks, and ignore Ji-hye and Mi-hye who are taking selfies with their phones that they took out at some point, and climb slowly for about an hour.

A cool breeze that makes my lungs feel refreshed sweeps through my head along with the open space in all directions.

Even when I was in elementary and middle school, I grumbled about having to climb Hallasan again, and I was forced to climb it several times under the name of unity in the company while living in society, but still.

Winter, snow-covered Hallasan is literally a spectacle.

The world sparkles with all white light, and the surrounding clouds and blue sky soothe my rotting insides.

While I was taking in the surrounding scenery and inhaling the cool breeze into my lungs, Sara came up to me and pointed to Baekrokdam [the crater lake on Hallasan] below, spouting nonsense.

“It’s inside there. We have to go there.”

“…….”

Um….

So….

Did I hear that right?

“Inside there? So, there’s something inside that Baekrokdam?”

“Yes. There’s an entrance 30m below.”

“30m? You’re saying we have to go inside?”

“Yes.”

“Then I have to go down there?”

“Yes.”

“That’s a restricted area?”

“…….”

“And I can’t dive 30m? Especially in this weather?”

“…….”

“Weren’t we just supposed to come to Hallasan and leave?”

“We have to go there.”

“…….”

You fucking bitch!

Should I really hit her?

“Haa… Wait a minute.”

I felt something strange while listening to Sara’s words.

First.

First of all, the story that there is a dungeon under Baekrokdam is unheard of.

If the dungeon magic tracking team operated by the government or the association is operating normally, then at least minimal security guards or staff should be dispatched here to prevent civilians from entering… Ah, 30m underwater?

Then second.

Why does Sara keep telling me to go there?

I stopped trying to figure out the meaning of her existence after she was subordinated to me in the bio dungeon, but I felt something with the Elixir of Darkness.

That’s why I crawled on the floor of the dungeon and found all three of those Elixirs of Darkness.

I’m guessing that’s the reason why the wings on her back were created, but is this not the end?

If not….

“Um… Gil-su.”

“Yes. Hyungnim.”

“Contact the branch manager and tell him to come here.”

“The branch manager? You mean the Jeju branch manager of the Association?”

“Yeah.”

“Here?”

“Yeah.”

“For that old man to come all the way up here, it’ll take at least a few hours…”

“You little punk! What about helicopters? Tell him to come by helicopter! If that doesn’t work, tell him to skydive!”

“Yes, sir.”

You fucking bastard!

Your sentences are getting longer and longer, aren’t they?

Gil-su took out his phone, touched it a few times, and suddenly turned to me.

“But, Hyungnim, why are you calling him? Should I just say you’re bored?”

“…You son of a bitch! Do you think he’ll come if you say I’m bored? You… Haa… Never mind. Tell him there’s an unidentified dungeon here. Call the team leaders too.”

“Really? There’s a real dungeon here? Where?”

“Oppa! Really? There’s a dungeon here? Really?”

“Is it true?”

“Hyungnim! What did you say earlier…”

The kids next to me were surprised and asked again, and Gil-su still had his phone out, just talking.

“Gil-su… Can you make the call? Right now.”

“Yes, sir.”

That fucking bastard.

Should I really hit him?

‘Tu-ta-ta-ta… Ta-ta-ta.’

As a helicopter flew in from over there, the accumulated snow scattered in all directions with a tremendous gust of wind.

Damn it!

Why don’t you land further away!

Why does it have to land in the vacant lot right next to us… Ah, are we supposed to avoid it? Hmmm.

Well, whatever.

The Jeju branch manager of the Awakened Association and the heads and team leaders of each department, who received Gil-su’s call, began to flock in like ants to a broken honey pot.

What is there to eat that you’re all gathering like this… Hmmm. I called you, didn’t I?

“What do you mean? An unidentified dungeon here? The Association’s network shows nothing unusual.”

The branch manager, who got off the helicopter, threw a question at me without even greeting me.

Well, me too.

“It’s not visible on the surface; it’s inside. Underneath there.”

“Underneath? You mean under Baekrokdam [a crater lake on top of Hallasan mountain]? In the water?”

“Yes.”

“How do you know that?”

“Just because. Why? Are you just going to leave?”

“Ahem. Of course not. Who are you talking to? Let’s check with the Navy first. See if they have any divers…”

The branch manager muttered to himself and took out his phone to make a call.

That’s it for now. The rest is up to the branch… No, come to think of it, something’s a bit strange.

“Sara, how were you planning to go down there? Let alone diving, breathing… Ah, you wouldn’t care. But I’m a perfectly normal human who breathes. If my head gets cut off, I die, and if I can’t breathe for more than 5 minutes, I die. No matter how much you tell me to go there, if the conditions aren’t right…”

“You can go with me.”

“… What?”

“It doesn’t matter if you’re connected to me.”

“… So, it’s okay to go down there?”

“Yes.”

“If I move with you, I won’t die even if I don’t breathe?”

“You’ll reach a similar conclusion.”

“…….”

What the hell does ‘reach a similar conclusion’ mean… Haa… Shit.

I finally understand that Psy’s [a famous Korean singer] way of speaking is really easy.

“So, to put it simply, if I move with you, it’s okay for me to go into the water and not breathe for 5 minutes, right? You understand exactly and clearly what I’m saying, right? Huh?”

“Yes.”

“…….”

What the hell is her real identity?

Seriously….

As a sense of stuffiness, annoyance, unpleasantness, and frustration flooded my head like a tsunami at the word ‘connect’ from Sara, the branch manager finished his call and approached me to explain the situation.

“It’s the first time in my life that I’ve had to call Navy divers to the top of a mountain. They say they’ll be here in about an hour, so in the meantime, let’s have an in-depth conversation…”

“Cancel it.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“Cancel it. I’ll go in on my own.”

“What do you mean? How are you going to go in?”

“Right? I don’t even know what I’m saying. I think I’m slowly going crazy. Hehehe. Going~ crazy~.”

As I suddenly started doing crazy things that sounded like a song, the branch manager laughed awkwardly and looked at me strangely.

“I’m crazy! I’m crazy right now~ Who’s the crazy guy in this neighborhood? It’s me~ Ku-ha-ha.”

“Oppa! Are you crazy? What’s wrong?”

“That’s the answer~ Woo-woo-woo~ Hehehe.”

“Hyungnim!”

“Guild Leader!”

“Don’t even call~ my name~ I really can’t hear it anymore~ Hehehe.”

‘Thwack!’

“Ugh!”

“Wh, what are you doing!”

“You crazy bastard!”

Suddenly, someone hit me hard on the back of the head, and my head snapped forward, followed by a delayed pain.

I turned around to see which son of a bitch it was, and Gil-su had a very serious expression on his face for once….

“Hyungnim, are you back to your senses now? A little while ago, you were singing strange songs and seemed to be hypnotized or brainwashed, so I did it on purpose…”

“… Is that so? It’s okay. Hit me if you want. It’s okay. Hit me if you want. Hehehe.”

“Ugh. Hy, Hyungnim…”

“Oh, Oppa. Why are you being so scary!”

“Guild Leader! St, stop it!”

Thud.

“… The joke’s over. And Gil-su.”

“Yes? Yes.”

“How dare you hit me in the back of the head?”

“Th, that’s not it. You were acting strangely just now, so…”

“… Okay. Never mind. If I keep doing this in the future, you can do that too. Isn’t life originally fleeting?”

“Yes?”

“… Hehe. Interesting.”

I chuckled to myself like a slightly deranged person and went into the makeshift tent with the branch manager.

A little later.

“Could it be PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)?”

“Hyungnim? No way. Then what about all this time when he was fine?”

“That’s right. There’s no way Oppa would be like that. He’s always been confident, so it doesn’t make sense that he’d suddenly be like that now.”

“No. Why would he suddenly come here? He usually hates walking so much. But he walked here for almost an hour or more.”

“He was in the dungeon for quite a while too…”

“You can’t compare clearing a dungeon to living everyday life outside.”

“Hmm… Then should we take him to the Association’s hospital? Not the blue one…”

“The white one?”

“The white one.”

“Hmm… Instead of that, how about we do this?”

“How?”

“Gather around.”

The four of their heads gathered in the middle, whispering something.

Are they huddling together and rubbing against each other because of my current state?

Wow~ They’re having so much fun? Hehe.

But, guys.

It’s not that I’m crazy…

It’s that you guys, every now and then, while eating, watching TV, fishing, or taking a dump, suddenly have some bitch appear and keep saying, ‘Let’s go,’ ‘We have to go,’ so you really have no choice, and you give up, and you just let things be, and when you actually come to that place, it’s the middle of winter, on top of a mountain, and you have to dive 30m into cold ice water. And that bitch says that if you’re connected to her, you can move easily… Do you guys even know what the word ‘connect’ means?

By the way, ‘connect’ means that a part of your body and a part of her body have to be connected… Ku-aak!

Am I really thinking something ridiculous?

Surely that’s not really the case, is it?

I roughly discussed the aftermath of clearing this unidentified dungeon with the branch manager in the tent and came outside.

It’s not easy to control a place where tourists flock to Jeju Island all year round as a civilian restricted area, but it’s unclear who would be responsible for what happens later if a dungeon that hasn’t been verified is opened recklessly. Someone has to take responsibility and either open it or close it, but why are they asking me that? Tsk.

I was cooling my heated head while looking at the snow-covered scenery when Sara, who appeared out of nowhere, suddenly said something.

“Let’s go now. Take my hand.”

“…….”

Suddenly appearing, a sudden word.

A small, white hand flickered in front of me.

Well, it’s far from what I thought. Hmmm.

“… No thanks?”

“It’s the easiest way to connect.”

“If you say so, then so be it. But my mom told me not to let a strange woman hold my hand.”

“…….”

“My mom said so.”

“…….”

“But, well, you’re an existence subordinate to me, and you’re definitely not a strange woman, so I’ll do you a favor. But don’t get the wrong idea.”

“…….”

If a girl who is so pretty that she could slap a celebrity back and forth is holding out her hand and staring at you with wide eyes… Sigh… Never mind.

She’s not human. She’s not human. Let’s get a grip.

“If I take this hand, will I move over there?”

“Yes.”

“What happens after that?”

“You’ll be a little dizzy. Let’s go.”

“… What happens after that?”

“See for yourself when you get there.”

“…….”

Damn it.

Would it kill you to just tell me?

You should at least tell me something in advance so I can prepare myself!

In this situation where I’m going into an unidentified dungeon that hasn’t been discovered yet, and not in a normal way, I’m going to move like this just listening to you!

“Okay, let’s go. This is a one-time thing! Got it?”

“If you come.”

“…….”

Okay. Better to die than suffer.

Anyway, too many cooks spoil the broth.

I don’t know why you’re trying to take me so persistently, but I’ve been thinking about this a little since I got the Elixir of Darkness.

‘Is this really the end? What is the purpose of this Elixir of Darkness?’

It felt like I had one foot in an unknown world.

Enough with the foolish guesswork.

Okay. Let’s go.

As I took Sara’s small hand, blue light flickered from the three pairs of wings on her back, and a spectacle of light began as the summit of Hallasan seemed to touch the winter sky.

The kids over there screamed and ran over at the sudden situation.

The world is all blue.

‘S… Pa… Aaaah!’

“O, Oppa!”

“Hyungnim!”

“Guild Leader-niiim~.”

The voices of the kids calling me faded away.

‘Woo-woo-woo~ Woo-woo….’

Hmm… Is it that again?

Is this the third time?

A beautiful woman sitting in a huge chair with a weary expression.

Hundreds, thousands of mature towers filling the horizon.

As time passes and the vivid mature towers wither and fall, a small mature tower metamorphoses again in its place, and Zerglings [a basic unit in the Starcraft game] swarm around in droves, or Hydralisks [another unit in Starcraft] metamorphose into Lurkers [an upgraded form of Hydralisk], and Ultralisks [a powerful unit in Starcraft] run around.

The sky opens, blue light pours down, and as the heavens and earth flash with a tremendous roar, a huge number of Zealots [a Protoss unit in Starcraft] chop up Zerglings with long gauntlets, and Zealots are consumed by the Hydralisks’ poison needles.

The Dragoons’ [a Protoss unit in Starcraft] cannon fire pours down on the Spine Crawlers [a Zerg defensive structure] and Hydralisks, and the siege tank’s [a Terran unit in Starcraft] bombardment obscures the sky. Through the acrid smoke and red fire net, hundreds, thousands of Wyverns and Guardians, and Mutalisks [Zerg flying units] cover the rear.

A huge number of Thorcans tear apart Ultralisks and Lurkers, and the magic mist of the magic worms covers the horizon.

The sky burns, and the earth dries up in a red blood color.

The huge mature tower burns, and wingless women cover the Thorcans with their bodies.

And then the replication of the fallen warrior.

As the blue eyes of the woman with huge wings, who was wielding a blue blade and slicing Thorcans, turned red, the echo of a dirge resounding from the depths of the sea towards the world.

‘Woo-woo-woo~ Woo-woo….’

‘Sss… Paaaah!’

The world spins and spins.

The blue world recedes, and red light approaches.

“Ugh!”

“We’ve arrived.”

“Arrived where… Uwaaaah!”

Even though I didn’t mix my alcohol yesterday, I feel like I have a terrible hangover, and I feel like I’m going to throw up.

It’s hard to keep my balance like I’m seasick or carsick, and my legs are shaking.

While I was bent over, seriously contemplating the food I ate this morning, Sara gently stroked my back.

“It’s the first and last time.”

“What the hell are you talking about… Uwaaah!”

“I hope that the result chosen by that person is the same as my choice…”

“… Shit. What are you….”

Whether Sara’s stroking had an effect or not, I straightened up when I felt somewhat stable and was about to say something to Sara when… Huh? Wh, what is this….