(EP-187.1) Own place #3
187 – Each in their own place #3
My evolution was done in secret like a thief over a fence.
It was midnight, when most were asleep, or to be precise, a little past 1am.
In the unusually calm dorm room, I picked my choice. It felt like a ritual, which made the atmosphere solemn.
“Status Window.”
Reciting the cliché but intuitive line, several characters appeared in front of me.Then, I pressed on one of them.
Uuuuung-.
With that, my body was enveloped in a strange cluster of lights.
Glowing beads resembling fireflies gathered around me for a moment. Soon, my entire being welcomed an unusual warmth that had never been experienced before.
“Eueug.”
My heart thumped, and the feeling of blood rushing engulfed me from head to toe. I trembled from the abrupt change.
And before I knew it, my face touched the soft carpet.
Realizing that I had fallen, I gripped my chest without being able to take any action.
“Eurgh….”
My body felt like it had turned into a furnace.
Thump, thump.
Each heartbeat resonated in my head and ears as if they were getting hammered.
Although not painful, it felt like all the senses in my body were heightened to the maximum.
It was like having Theo Gospel’s system options from volume, brightness to sensitivity all cranked up.
The closest word to describe it would be, panic.
━Let’s stop here for today, and go to bed.
━Why is there so much to do-.
Kungkung-.
━Ah, the guy upstairs is at it again. Keep it down.
The still dormitory began to feel noisy.
I never would’ve thought that a quiet night would have this much bustle.
Soon, all the sounds turned into a buzz and my eyes went dark.
* * *
“…….”
When I regained consciousness, I was in a quiet and serene space, as if all the murmuring up until now were made-up lies.
Where was I?
I felt a mix of relief and confusion. It was disconcerting to find myself in an entirely unfamiliar place, having just collapsed in my dorm room.
I’d only ever felt like this once, which was when I woke up in Theo Gospel’s body.
Seukseuk.
I looked around.
Chambang chambang-.
I was currently in a very shallow sea, just reaching my ankles.
Yes, an open sea.
Not a ripple was present under the rising black sun. It was just silence.
“Ah.”
─Ah.
Even my voice echoed back to me.
Where was I? Was this a dream?
Then…
In the vast world before me, something suddenly appeared.
─Dudung.
A door.
I couldn’t tell when it appeared in front of me, but a completely out-of-place door just stood there in the void.
It was suspicious, but there was nothing else in this vast expanse. So I approached the door, skimming the shallow waters.
Kiiiiik-.
The door finally opened.
Inside, I discovered a ruin-like space intricately carved in granite and marble, along with a magnificent throne.
The gigantic chair, sparkling like starlight, was incredibly tempting as if it held all the treasures of the world. However, the moment I spotted what was seated upon it, I was profoundly shocked.
It was incredibly distorted.
Something unrecognizable in form.
With the black sun set against its head like a crown, I could see its enormous and thin frame. It vaguely resembled a human, yet it looked disturbingly blasphemous.
At the same time, the lotus position and its numerous hands doing hand-signs gave it a sacred appearance. It was peculiar to witness the coexistence of such contrasting attributes.
But the thing that bothered me the most was neither of these, rather it was the mouths that protruded like gaping wounds all over its body.
─Murmur.
The mumbling of the mouths were overwhelmingly negative, and I could barely make out a few words.
Still, I could sense that it was a bad omen. A monster singing about a turbulent and an uneasy future…
Shake-.
Did that just move?
Gooo-.
It suddenly turned its gaze toward me. Its presence, several times larger than mine, felt crushing, making me want to scream.
“━━─.”
However, what escaped from my wide-open mouth was a dreadful silence.
Thanks to this, anxiety surged through my entire body.
Kwaoooooooooo-.
When I saw the giant palm turn towards me, my hair stood on end and I felt my blood rush. It was as though there were foams in my mouth.
I had to get out of here!
“Kuaak-!”
As I squeezed every ounce of strength from my body, a guttural sound escaped my mouth. Of course, there was no time for me to worry about that. I vigorously fled with my itching body.
Seueuk.
The enormous hand continued to chase me.
The problem was that the speed at which the hand pursued me was much faster than I could run.
Was it impossible to outpace it with my Half-Fairy legs? If only I had practiced running more diligently like Elga said–!
Just when I thought the giant hand had finally caught me, something shook loudly.
Edited by: faker
