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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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Talent can be a cruel burden.
Especially when that talent is the ability to kill with terrifying efficiency.
“Stay back! Don’t come near me!”
Such power often inspires fear and revulsion, rather than praise and admiration.
A young boy, orphaned and alone, living in the mountains.
He’d awakened to his talent for killing the day he impaled a bear with a sharpened branch.
A Main Skill that transformed any object he held into a deadly weapon, granting him an intuitive understanding of combat, a preternatural ability to see the optimal path to victory, despite having no formal training.
Sword Saint.
This gift, bestowed by the heavens, had blossomed in the harshest of environments, a force of nature as unpredictable and destructive as a natural disaster.
“Monster! He’s a monster!”
A herbalist had been the first to discover him.
He’d witnessed the boy hunt, a sharpened stone lashed to the end of a branch his only weapon. The child’s movements were fluid, precise, his instincts honed by necessity. He’d struck without hesitation, targeting vital points with deadly accuracy.
The herbalist had fled, his legs trembling, his mind reeling from the sight.
For those unprepared, a lifeline offered could quickly become a noose.
“Why do you hate me?”
His talent, a source of constant fear and suspicion, had brought him nothing but isolation. He’d hunted beasts, protected the village, yet they shunned him, their fear palpable.
He despised this power, this unwanted gift.
He hadn’t asked for it, didn’t understand it, didn’t know how to control it, or why.
“…Woo Do-hyun, focus. This is a dream. Remember what Seok-hyun said? It’s just a dream.”
Woo Do-hyun shook his head, trying to clear the fog from his mind.
This was just a replay of the past, a fleeting memory. A bright, happy future awaited him.
If he just trusted Lee Seok-hyun, if he waited patiently…
Everything would be alright. That was the only way out. He had to believe.
“Commoner…”
And he wasn’t the only one struggling.
The eight remaining students, trapped in Raystember’s dream, fought desperately to maintain their composure, to avoid succumbing to despair.
Raystember’s usual tactic was to lull his victims into a false sense of security, to show them happiness before shattering their world with a dose of carefully crafted despair.
But ever since his encounter with Despair of Destiny, his powers had become unstable, unpredictable.
“Seok-hyun…”
He dredged up their deepest traumas, their most painful memories, dragging them into the depths of their own personal hells.
“Seok-hyun… please… hurry…”
They were trapped, drowning in a sea of their own fears, their hopes fading. All they could do was wait, clinging to the belief that Lee Seok-hyun would save them.
Dark mana seeped into their minds, corrupting their memories, tempting them to abandon their humanity.
“Kill Lee Seok-hyun. That is my destiny.”
Kill him in the dream.
If you fail, you die.
Raystember, his mind consumed by this singular objective, no longer cared about the other students. He’d forgotten his usual gentlemanly facade, his meticulous planning, his penchant for savoring his victims’ despair. His powers raged unchecked, his reason clouded by a single, overwhelming obsession.
“Kill him. Kill him.”
He was no longer a cunning predator, a master manipulator, but a mindless machine, driven by a single, destructive purpose.
“Kill Lee Seok-hyun.”
The game of hide-and-seek had become a race against time, a desperate attempt to defuse a bomb before it detonated.
If he didn’t destroy the dream’s core in time, they would all die.
Raystember, transformed into a monstrous, grotesque figure, rampaged through Lee Seok-hyun’s dream, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.
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–Seok-hyun! Seok-hyun!
–Mom! Dad!
–It’s okay… it’s all going to be okay… You’ll live… You’ll survive…
–But what about Mom? What about Dad? We have to stay together… right? Right? Right?
–It’s okay… everything will be alright…
Fragments of his past, distorted and jumbled, flashed before his eyes. The sounds of his parents’ deaths echoed in his ears. He saw himself, alone, standing vigil in a silent funeral home.
With each fracture in the dream, forgotten memories resurfaced, forcing their way into his consciousness.
“This is intense.”
Infinite Track heightened his senses, sharpening his perception, forcing him to confront these painful images, these unwanted memories, even as he tried to avoid them.
He scanned the dreamscape, his enhanced vision allowing him to see in all directions. He tracked Raystember’s movements, plotted escape routes, and forced himself to confront his own trauma.
He clenched his jaw, his teeth grinding, his lower lip bleeding. He had to remain silent, lest he shatter the illusion of control.
“Lee Seok-hyun! Lee Seok-hyun! Where are you?! You must die in the dream! You must!”
Raystember’s sudden shift in tactics caught him off guard.
He hadn’t anticipated this level of desperation, this blatant disregard for his usual methods. The Archdemon, his composure shattered, was no longer playing games. He was a wild beast, driven by instinct.
The sight of Raystember, transformed into a monstrous figure three stories tall, charging towards him with murderous intent, was terrifying.
“What the hell did he eat?”
He dodged the Archdemon’s attacks, weaving through the constantly shifting landscape of his memories, launching spider silk at the buildings that materialized around him, using them as anchors to swing away from danger. Raystember was clearly out of control, his powers raging unchecked.
“*Grrrrr… Growl…”
The Archdemon roared, a guttural, animalistic sound that echoed through the dreamscape. He charged blindly, his massive body crashing through buildings, his limbs tearing through walls, his only focus on capturing Lee Seok-hyun, regardless of the destruction he caused.
Lee Seok-hyun pushed Infinite Track to its limits, but he was losing ground. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before he was caught.
–”Who gave you permission to set up shop here?”
–”Look at this punk’s eyes. He’s just a kid… but those eyes… fucking terrifying.”
–”Let’s go, then. I don’t have any parents, you know? Nothing to lose. I’ll kill you all and rot in jail. Let’s do this.”
Memories, sharp and fragmented, flashed through his mind.
A boy, abandoned by society, forced to fight for survival.
He’d learned to meet violence with greater violence, to cultivate an aura of menace, to project an image of strength.
“Lee Seok-hyuuuuuun!!!”
–KWA-BOOM!
Raystember’s massive arm shot out, its claws grazing Lee Seok-hyun’s clothes.
The Archdemon’s eyes, burning red, were fixated on him, his fangs dripping with saliva.
His body, wreathed in dark mana, was a terrifying sight.
Each time a memory resurfaced, Lee Seok-hyun faltered, his movements slowing, his body momentarily paralyzed by the past. He knew he couldn’t afford these lapses in concentration, yet his instincts betrayed him, his body reacting before his mind could catch up.
–“Seok-hyun, Mommy will protect you. Daddy’s here too…”
–“…Yeah, right. Just… go sell your wares. You crazy bitch.”
–“I’m quitting. I’m done.”
–“What? Why? What’s going on?”
–“I… I just… need a break.”
–“Don’t you love me, Oppa? Please… just this once… I promise… I’ll stop… I really will… Why… why don’t you believe me? I told you I love you, you asshole!”
*–Wretch…”
Memories, bitter and raw, clawed their way up his throat, spilling from his lips, a viscous sludge that coated the floor, reflecting his own distorted image.
“L-Lee… Seok-hyuuuuuun!”
–BAM!
His momentary lapse in concentration proved costly. Raystember’s fist slammed into his back, sending him crashing to the ground.
He’d tried to block the blow with spider silk, twisting his body at the last moment to minimize the impact, but it was too late.
He felt a searing pain as his body slammed against a wall, his ribs cracking, a steel rod piercing his side. Yet, strangely, he felt no pain. The memories, the emotional onslaught, had numbed his senses.
‘This is insane.’
To be forced to confront his deepest traumas while simultaneously battling an Archdemon… Wasn’t this a bit much? He wanted to complain, to protest the unfairness of it all, but there was no one to hear him.
Final Destiny, a game known for its brutal difficulty, was now pushing him to the brink, demanding he overcome this impossible challenge.
‘At least he’s not thinking straight.’
Thankfully, Raystember’s rage had made him predictable. He was no longer using his usual tactics, his cunning and manipulative strategies replaced by brute force. He charged blindly, like a raging bull, his only goal to capture Lee Seok-hyun.
If he hadn’t faltered, if he hadn’t been momentarily paralyzed by the memories, he could have easily evaded the Archdemon’s attacks.
‘But what about the others? The longer this goes on, the more danger they’re in.’
Raystember, unable to control his own powers, was undoubtedly unleashing a torrent of nightmares upon them, their minds at his mercy. He had to end this, and quickly.
“Lee Seok-hyuuuuuun!”
“Stop calling my name. I’m starting to like it.”
*–Whoosh… BOOM!
Raystember leaped into the air, then slammed his feet down where Lee Seok-hyun had been standing just moments before, a devastating ground-pound attack.
This wasn’t his usual style. He wasn’t a brute force fighter, but a cunning manipulator, a master of illusions. His tactics had become crude, simplistic.
‘But where’s the core? Where’s the heart of this dream?’
To find what he valued most, amidst this chaotic jumble of memories… It was an impossible task.
Yet, he had to try. He had no other choice.
*–I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you…
*–…So you knew all along and still played with my heart? Did you, Oppa? You knew, and you still… did this to me. Didn’t you?”
–“Seok-hyun, she’s hopeless. Just give up and find someone else.”
“Knowing everything and still loving someone… that’s true love, you assholes.”
He retorted to the ghosts of his past, dodging Raystember’s attacks. He moved by a hair’s breadth, his skin grazed by the Archdemon’s claws, his bones exposed where his flesh was torn. He endured, driven by Infinite Track, his body moving on instinct, fueled by the will to survive.
‘Is he… slowing down?’
He was still moving, still dodging, still driven by Infinite Track, but his injuries were taking their toll. His movements should have been slower, his reactions dulled by the pain, yet…
He was somehow keeping pace with Raystember, evading his attacks with the same ease as before. This meant only one thing: the Archdemon was weakening.
“Lee Seok-hyuuuuuun!”
“Shut up already. You’ll make me fall for you.”
–Whoosh… BOOM!
He leaped high into the air, then, using both feet, slammed down on the spot where Raystember had been standing just moments before. A devastating, meteor-like attack.
This wasn’t his usual tactic either. Raystember wasn’t known for using physical attacks. His style was more subtle, more insidious. But his attacks had become predictable, almost simplistic.
‘But where’s the core? Where is it?’
Find what you value most amidst this chaotic maelstrom of memories. It was an absurd demand.
Yet, he had no choice but to comply. He launched himself into the air, dodging another attack.
*–I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you…
–…So you knew everything and still pretended? You lied to me. You used me.*
*–Seok-hyun, he’s hopeless. Give up.
“Knowing everything and still loving someone is what true love is all about, you idiots.”
He retorted to the ghosts of his past as he evaded Raystember’s attacks, his skin tearing, his bones exposed. He endured, fueled by Infinite Track, his body moving on its own, driven by an indomitable will to survive.
‘But he’s definitely slowing down…’
He was still moving, still evading, still powered by Infinite Track, but his injuries were accumulating. He should have been weaker, his movements hampered by the pain, yet…
He continued to dodge Raystember’s attacks with surprising ease.
“L-Lee… Seok-hyuuuuuun!”
“What?”
–WHOOSH… BOOM!
He dodged another attack, then turned, finally facing Raystember directly. He’d been too focused on escaping, on avoiding the Archdemon’s attacks, to truly see him.
And in that moment, as their eyes met, he understood.
He saw where the core of this dream resided.
‘He really made this the core…?’
He couldn’t believe it. The sheer absurdity of it was almost comical. He glanced at the mirror.
It was time to wake up.
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