Chapter 251: Real and false (4)
Chapter 251 - Real and false (4)
"What is this?"
[Special main mission! Please protect Sigma!!]
Sung Hyunjae, who had been silent all this time, suddenly sent a mission. Wait, if it was a main mission, wasn’t it Sung Hyunjae who sent it? Or was it Rookie?
"Never mind, what does he mean by protect? Given my situation, I should be running away."
It could be different if I had Eunhye, but wouldn’t a rank C insisting on protecting an SS rank be a hindrance? Even so, I was about to check the mission details when an S-rank guard from Sollemnis approached us. They seemed to be the ones who had shouted that a monster had appeared.
“Report.”
Sigma spoke, and the S-rank guards opened their mouths and then closed them again. Both Sigma and I waited for their response. They were totally absent. In reality.
The S-rank guard took a step closer to Sigma.
kiiik—
The wind rose with a deafening noise. I felt a hand push me towards the hallway wall. Blood splattered, and Sigma delivered a powerful kick to the S-rank guard who had attacked him. As they were pushed to the end of the hallway, the S-rank guard screamed.
“You, monster! What did you do to Sigma-nim?!”
…What? Sigma’s eyebrows furrowed. There was a long cut on his chest, and I could see the blood flowing. The wound was quite deep.
“That needs treatment—!”
“It’s dangerous.”
Kaang! The chains extended, blocking the S-rank’s attack. Was that b.a.s.t.a.r.d crazy? Why were they acting like this all of a sudden? That’s your boss, you know?
“I think there’s a monster behind this, let’s get out of here first!”
Since there was no reason for them to suddenly go crazy seeing Sigma and start screaming to ask what he had done to Sigma, it was very likely that a monster with mental abilities had appeared. I quickly took a potion for emergency care on Sigma’s wound and then tried to run down the hallway. But Sigma chose a different path.
“This way.”
“What?”
Grabbing me by the waist, he threw his chains towards the wall. With a roar, the wall collapsed, forming a huge hole. I mean, this way was probably faster. He was that reckless with other people’s buildings, huh. Lifting me, Sigma jumped without hesitation.
- Kiik, kiii.
A piercing scream came from above. It was from a huge bird with gray feathers covering the sky. Chrrk, the chains tightened, aligned, and fell towards the ground at an angle in front of their owner. Sigma landed on top of them.
“Hyung!”
I heard Yoohyun’s voice. Blue willow leaves covered the sky and spread in all directions. Perhaps because we were right next to the Mana Hole, he was using his abilities without restraint. Just as it was meant to be used originally, Willow Leaves interfered with the monster bird’s vision, distracting it.
“Let me go now, okay?”
“Why? You’re mine.”
“What do you mean, hyung?”
Yoohyun, who had walked through Willow Leaves and approached us, asked sharply. I was a bit embarra.s.sed to confess, “I entered confidently only to receive the penalty of the contract, haha.” Though it would have been fine if I could remove the curse.
“Uh, that’s… I broke the contract terms, so…”
“It’s okay, we just need to kill it.”
Yoohyun said cheerfully. No, I need you to wait a bit, brother.
“We just need an object to remove the curses… hgh!”
Kw.a.n.g! A bullet narrowly missed Sigma and me, sinking into the ground. Dirt and chunks of the ground flew. Yoohyun deflected the flying magic bullets one after another with the tip of his sword, his expression showing disgust.
“That S-rank, aren’t they affiliated with Sollemnis?”
“They suddenly attacked him, calling him a monster. It could be a mental or hallucinatory ability. Ah, stop it already! I won’t run, I can’t run now!”
Or at least hold me properly. He kept shaking, and I was getting dizzy. Unlike a certain person, the experience on board was completely horrible!
Yoohyun, blocking the shooting instead of Sigma because he was carrying me, set a fire. Then he ruthlessly shot the dark blue flames towards where the S-rank from Sollemnis was. With a loud noise, parts of the building were shattered, burning with hot flames.
At this rate, all the remaining buildings of the Defense Agency would also collapse.
“Hand him over.”
Yoohyun said coldly.
“I don’t want to.”
Sigma also responded coldly.
“What are you doing?”
Moon Hyuna, who had appeared without me noticing, asked with a spectator’s att.i.tude. And finally, the monster above our heads roared vigorously. I think we should catch the monster first. It was an SS rank.
Hey, guys.
“Put me down, okay? Sigma-ssi. Anyway, I can’t even undo the curse right now.”
“He’s my hyung. Take your hands off him now.”
“The C-rank belongs to me. You’re the one who should give up.”
“Hyung-nim is so popular ~ Fight, fight!”
…Forget about not stopping them, are you fanning the flames? Don’t pull out the alcohol. Where did those snacks come from?
“Why don’t you two calm down and catch the monster first, okay?”
“If he lets go of hyung first.”
“This is Akates, that’s your job.”
“Hey, if you two work together, I’ll solve this for you.”
Ah, d.a.m.n it. Don’t tell me the protection mission meant defending Sigma from my brother. If it were a side mission, I would just not get the rewards, but it was a main mission of all things. For now, I opened the mission I hadn’t been able to check.
Styled Box with Neon Effect
[Special main mission! Please protect Sigma!!] To you, Sigma is real. It’s the duty of an elder to take responsibility and protect Sigma, who has been recognized by the only real person in the world and rejected by the fakes! At the very least, save a life for him~ ^▽^ Rewards: Key to raid the dungeon]
…I reread the mission"s content, not understanding it immediately. The real... what? By "the only real one," did it mean me? I was the only one who had come here with my original body. So, was this saying that because I acknowledged him, Sigma became real? Did that make sense? Though from the words "for you," it didn"t seem like he was perfectly real.
‘And rejected by the fakes?’
Was that why the Sollemnis S-rank Guard attacked Sigma, calling him a monster? The reward was an item for the dungeon raid, so I couldn’t skip this mission.
‘…Why are there no exact conditions?’
How long do I have to protect him? I didn’t know if it was Sung Hyunjae or Newcomer, but write it clearly! Is it until I finish installing the discs? Anyway, if I just had to reserve a life for this, it wouldn’t be that hard. It must be difficult to intentionally kill an SS-rank guard.
“Yoohyun! You can’t kill Sigma!”
Yoohyun, who was aiming for Sigma’s arm to get me out first, frowned.
“Why?”
“Apparently, he needs to be alive for the dungeon raid.”
“He just needs to be alive?”
“Uh, well, he should be as unharmed as possible.”
“Got it. Then I’ll just cut off an arm.”
As soon as his words fell, he wielded a thin, whip-like sword. Sigma’s chain blocked the unpredictably bending blade, which shone with reflected sunlight. No, I think cutting off his arm isn’t exactly leaving him unharmed.
“Yoohyun, calm down, ugh, Hyuna-ssi! Hyuna-ssiii!”
Don’t just watch, stop them! Anyway, you’re the oldest, you know? I don’t know how old Lambda is, but please help! Although neither of them was using skills, perhaps out of consideration for me, the clashes between the chain and the flexible sword alone hurt my ears, and my eyes were blinded by the heat they radiated.
Upon my call, Moon Hyuna laughed. She didn’t seem to have any intention of helping. At that moment, the monster bird that had been circling the sky for some reason suddenly flapped its wings forcefully.
-Kiiik!
And with a screech, it dove sharply. Directly towards Sigma. Sigma, looking at the monster bird, made a big leap back, dodging its attack.
Kwagagak, its beak pierced the ground, and its claws raked in all directions, raising a cloud of dust. Yoohyun, who had been interrupted by the monster bird, leaped into the scattered Willow Leaves.
“How annoying.”
Along with his slightly irritated voice, Yoohyun threw a wire between his fingers. The wire, with a black s.h.i.+ne, which seemed higher ranked than mine, tightened around the monster bird’s neck. Han Yoohyun dropped onto the bird’s back and pulled the wire tightly. The tendons stood out on his wrist exposed by his sleeve, and the monster bird opened its beak wide.
-Kiek, kii!
When its body was forced to bend, the monster bird spread its wings as if to take off. But before it could, a sword pierced its tight neck. Kwadeuk, the soft and flexible sword pierced the monster like a lance, followed by a small explosion. The monster bird, with more than half its neck blown off, stopped struggling.
Yoohyun, who had disposed of the monster, keeping it as far away from my path as possible, coldly looked at Sigma again. Sigma met his eyes, refusing to back down.
Was there an item in the Point Store that would help these b.a.s.t.a.r.ds get along? Should we have a drink together?
“Over there! It’s that b.a.s.t.a.r.d!”
At that moment, Sollemnis guards a.s.saulted us. They all held weapons and glared at Sigma. There were also guards from other cities around us, but only Sollemnis guards were very hostile. Did they think that Sigma, who looked like a monster to them, had killed Sigma?
“But the monster is dead.”
Sigma murmured softly. His expression also seemed slightly confused. He looked bewildered seeing his own people suddenly attacking him.
“Let’s avoid them for now. Hyuna-ssi, sorry, but could you hold them off?”
After all, I didn’t want to harm the Sollemnis guards. Moon Hyuna nodded, pulled out a giant spear, and swung it strongly. Gusts of wind swirled, raising dust and construction debris, blocking the Sollemnis guards.
“Yoohyun, I’ll explain, so follow us.”
My brother nodded, looking displeased. Before the dust raised by Moon Hyuna settled, Sigma moved quickly. Yoohyun closely followed us as we headed back into the building.
“Alfa-nim! That… the one in front of you is…!”
The Akates guards, who were evacuating people, shouted in surprise. It seemed Sigma didn’t look normal to people from other cities either. They didn’t immediately attack like the Sollemnis Guards, but they seemed apprehensive.
“I’ll handle it, so evacuate all buildings. Also issue an evacuation order for the city.”
“Ah, understood!”
At Yoohyun’s words, the Akates Guards nodded and turned around.
After that, everyone we encountered looked at Sigma in surprise, as if they had seen a monster. They seemed to have seen something sinister.
“I’ll explain properly.”
How could this happen suddenly just because I accepted Sigma as real? I really couldn’t understand it. Even if the fake had become real, what was with their reactions?
The place Sigma reached after quickly ascending the building was none other than his own quarters. Did the Sollemnis people think he wouldn’t come to this place? Upon entering, Sigma finally let me down. Ugh, my back.
“Use the item to remove curses first.”
Yoohyun, who had followed us, closed the door and said.
“I can’t use it now.”
Yoohyun seemed unhappy, but realizing, he didn’t ask more. Sigma might try to interrupt if we let points slip. My brother, who had come to my side while looking around, suddenly stopped. His scarlet eyes widened.
“…What is that?”
Yoohyun’s voice trembled slightly at the end. What had he said exactly… Ah. My Doppelgänger Doll was sitting quietly in a chair by the window of the large living room. Please get rid of that.
“It’s Han Yoojin. I’ll give it to you.”
Said Sigma.
“…Hyung, I think it’s better to kill him after all.”
Yoohyun-ie gritted his teeth. Laughing, I accepted the 21-year-old Medsang celebration champagne prize I hadn’t claimed. The golden champagne bottle landed in my hand.
“First, sit down, both of you. Listen to my explanation, and then you can fight or not.”
Sigma sat on the sofa, but Yoohyun stared at the Doll with a slight frown, approaching it slowly. A finger full of hesitation reached towards the Doll as if to touch it but was withdrawn.
“It’s a Doppelgänger Doll. They also exist in our world.”
“…I’ve heard of them. Can I touch it?”
Why was he asking that? But originally it was mine. When I nodded, Yoohyun touched the Doll and grimaced. Then he brushed it again sneakily. Was it novel to him?
“First of all… I think this problem arose because I recognized you as real, Sigma-ssi.”
I brought gla.s.ses and poured champagne while speaking. It smelled good.
“I’m not sure, but I think the people of this world have started to feel a sense of rejection towards you. The Sollemnis guards seem to believe you killed yourself.”
His eyes, s.h.i.+ning like champagne, blinked slowly.
“Are you saying I was transformed into an existence from your world, C-rank?”
“I’m not exactly sure. But it seems to be my influence, so I apologize first.”
“Why are you apologizing, hyung? Anyway, this is a world temporarily created inside a dungeon. Once we leave, it will either disappear or reset.”
Yoohyun said coldly.
“Sure, but for now, they are people who live, move, think, and feel normally. Hyuna-ssi also said she treats them as real. Forget it, Yoohyun, what are you doing?”
“I wonder how similar they are.”
Um, okay. I turned my gaze to Sigma.
“So, to start, I think it would be better to send back the Sollemnis guards. If it’s okay with you, could I announce that Alpha took care of the monster that killed Sigma?”
“…Do as you wish.”
Sigma responded quietly. His expression was calm, but he must not have felt comfortable with it. What to do, really. Even if this was a world that would reset or disappear as Yoohyun had said, this was still extremely uncomfortable. For the time I was here, I must take responsibility.
“Then, Sigma-ssi. …If you leave Sollemnis, will you still call yourself Sigma? Can I ask what your real name is?”
“I don’t remember. But.”
He seemed lost in thought for a moment before opening his mouth.
“Little Moon. I think that’s what I was called.”