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Join the Server“It’s okay, Dokyeom. Bite my arm.”
By the time those words reached his ears, he couldn’t stop. Dokyeom kept breathing over the arm he was gripping. Then he bit down hard on the flesh between his teeth.
Crunch-
He bit his own tongue.
Time seemed to stop. In the silent space where neither movement nor breath existed, red blood dripped down Beom Yeonhu’s forearm. The pain was so intense that Dokyeom felt his ravenous appetite slowly subside. Only then did his surroundings come into view.
Everyone was frozen in shock. There were so many people here. In the distance, Baek Jiwun stared at Dokyeom with bruised eyes, and against the wall, Jeong Ilun wore a complicated expression. There were also raid hunters who seemed to have just rushed in.
All their gazes were fixed on Dokyeom. In the silence.
“Ha…”
As he shifted his gaze, he saw Beom Yeonhu’s unfamiliar face. He almost seemed angry. That gentle Beom Yeonhu was angry.
“…Dokyeom.”
Beom Yeonhu had opposed coming here. Even after arriving, he’d tried to convince Dokyeom to limit himself to outside the gate. That’s why Dokyeom vaguely understood the depth of disappointment and regret on Beom Yeonhu’s face.
“I’ll take care of the rest… so release your skill and… get some sleep. Let’s rest now.”
“I… ha, I want to…”
How to explain? Dokyeom let out a tired breath, then pushed Beom Yeonhu’s chest away as thirst surged.
“Hyung… haah, hyung…”
Hatred, malice, resentment, loneliness, pain, they rose inside him, and he had no way to withstand them. Panting and chewing his tongue was all he could do.
But the biggest problem was…
“…When I get hurt, ha… stay away, hyung…”
He couldn’t release [Monstrous].
The skill wouldn’t deactivate. No matter how urgently he recited it, it was like the switch was broken, refusing to activate.
What should he do? Even if he lost consciousness here, the skill might not release. Worse, he couldn’t rule out the possibility of running wild again like before.
Should he drain all his magical power?
Given the massive mana pool from becoming an S-rank with [Monstrous], even that wasn’t easy. Dali’s mana was three times more than Agon’s. Even if he rampaged to exhaust it all, the aftermath when the skill released would be worse.
Because of the backlash.
Even now it was this hard. He had no confidence in enduring the aftereffects.
As saliva pooled in his mouth, the violence surged like a flame again. Dokyeom lifted his head, exhaling, and caught Taeseongyeon in his vision.
Those distant eyes.
Seeing his pupils darkened more than usual, a chill ran down his spine. Something scraped through his mind.
If it were Taeseongyeon…
He didn’t know why he thought that. Probably because of a scene that flashed like light in his messed-up head.
‘[Protection]’
Swoosh-!
“Dokyeom!”
The moment the grip holding him loosened, Dokyeom broke free from Agon and Beom Yeonhu, springing toward Taeseongyeon like a starving beast. He reached out and grabbed the fabric of Taeseongyeon’s clothes that he had crumpled earlier.
Impulsively, his fist swung viciously at him. But,
Thud-
His fist was caught easily in Taeseongyeon’s hand and yanked forward. Their bodies collided, and Dokyeom coughed harshly.
“Cough, cough…! Ha…!”
“Looks like it hurt.”
Dokyeom felt a solid arm wrap around his back. The voice in his ear sounded bored as usual, and the way Taeseongyeon tilted his head to ask was as calm as ever.
But his words were cold.
“If you couldn’t handle it alone, you should have waited. Or at least taken care of yourself to cause less trouble. I go out of my way to help, so why do you keep disappointing me?”
“What do you want me to do about… disappointment? If you don’t like it, hit me, cough… or something.”
Dokyeom let out a hollow laugh. He said he was annoyed that after all his help, this was what he got. But what choice did Dokyeom have? This was the only solution he knew.
“I owe you one now. I’m fully prepared to be scolded. Let’s go outside.”
“Fine… but wait, let me see your face… your face, Mr. Taeseongyeon.”
Dokyeom pushed him hard with his fist. Finally, Taeseongyeon’s expressionless face came into his blurring vision. Those impossibly clean eyes.
“Dali… ha, take care of our Dali… please.”
Those eyes somehow inspired confidence.
“And… if I go wild after this… you deal with me. You can hit me… but don’t kill… don’t kill me.”
“Hunter Han Dokyeom. Is now the time to worry about others?”
It wasn’t a question. The low tone carried rebuke. Cold eyes tore into Dokyeom. You think this is sacrifice? he seemed to say.
Keeping his drooping head up with effort, Dokyeom blinked.
Yeah.
Even that was ridiculous. Then who was supposed to sacrifice? Here, in this world, with the author who caused everything standing right here, who would bear all this and sacrifice instead?
Dokyeom laughed like he was exhaling. He could say that because he didn’t know the truth. After all, everything was predetermined, and only a handful of things could convince these people. If he could tell them, it would be easy.
In the end, someone had to carry the burden, and that ‘someone’ just happened to be Dokyeom.
“…Anyway… it’s none of… your business, ha…”
Dokyeom’s hand curled tightly on Taeseongyeon’s shoulder. His trembling arm looked ready to collapse. Dali screamed inside him. The monster thrashed, trying to devour everything, and each movement cost Dokyeom blood and sweat.
“Da, Dali… no… don’t… be, be good…”
Every time his knees buckled, Dokyeom grabbed Taeseongyeon’s clothes and stubbornly held on. Taeseongyeon’s figure wavered in his vision.
Please let it work. Let it be like before… let it face the same situation.
Breathing uneasily for a moment, Dokyeom locked eyes with Taeseongyeon and moved his lips. In that moment when those eyes that seemed to embrace everything briefly turned gold,
Words flowed out inadvertently.
“…
Then.
Beeeep-
As if waiting, an irritating mechanical sound rang from somewhere. Even as his mind grew distant, Dokyeom tracked the source. His tilting head buried into Taeseongyeon’s shoulder. It was from the wrist wearing a smartwatch.
Beeeeep-
The sound came from inside the cracked screen.
Ahh-
As the world went dark, Dokyeom let out a sigh. This sound meant someone’s death.
The one he wanted so badly to save: Nam Yuseong.
The notification of his ‘death’ poured out like a scream. The moment Dokyeom’s eyes closed in despair, the world died along with Nam Yuseong’s life.
Utterly black.
In the end, he couldn’t save Nam Yuseong.
****
His body felt heavy, as if he’d been in a long sleep. Dokyeom jerked like someone woken from an uneasy dream, then forced his eyes open.
A white space. Vast, open, with nothing. Yet it was familiar and peaceful, a place that radiated longing.
Dokyeom had been here once before. Where the old man, the woman, the man, and the girl were.
As soon as he realized, voices came with presence.
[Youngest, are you trying to kill us? You came here all grown up, but you let that scoundrel lead you by the nose and twist your fate. He called you here to abuse you? I’m not letting him near you. Tell him to get lost.]
[Sister, why are you glaring at him the moment you see him? You look just like a stepmother.]
[You’ve got quite a mouth on you now.]
A woman in elegant hanbok and a girl in a formal dress appeared, chattering. Dokyeom clenched his fists as emotions surged. Unfamiliar longing rose in his throat, stinging his eyes.
Next to them, a man in uniform suddenly appeared. Worry etched in his kindly eyes made Dokyeom’s breath tremble.
[It’s no wonder sister is worried; our youngest’s face is so worn every time we see him. I was already concerned about leaving him alone, and now he’s back so soon…]
[It’s the hardship of growing.]
The gruff voice came from behind. Dokyeom turned in surprise, and the hunched old man clicked his tongue as if pitying him.
[If we tell the youngest to stop, will he listen? I just wish the youngest wouldn’t get hurt… But coming here isn’t a good thing, is it.]
[Child, if he listened to us, he wouldn’t have run away in the first place. Pitiful, yes, and infuriating… but how can we stop him from coming to save himself?]
[That’s why it’s more pitiful. How hard must it be for him to come to his own home, which he couldn’t visit?]
At the old man’s words, everyone fell silent, complex feelings on their faces. Dokyeom himself wanted to know. Where this place was. Why he felt such strong nostalgia toward them. Why the words stuck in his throat felt so choked.
The excitement doesn't stop here! If you enjoyed this, you’ll adore Illusionary Dream. Start reading now!
Read : Illusionary Dream
