Chapter 16: The Penalty of Trauma (1)

Ever since the Tower had appeared in this world, the Black Dragon Guild had been the best guild. The Black Witch, the leader of the guild and the Rank 2 Hunter, had attempted to clear the tenth floor’s boss monster stage dozens of times already, but had failed every time. Still, she had managed to bring back all of her Tower Raid Team members alive.

「Our abilities aren’t why we failed to clear the tenth floor. We were just a little unlucky.」

That was what the Black Witch had said in one of her interviews. However, the Fire Emperor had made an incendiary declaration after singlehandedly clearing the tenth floor.

「Winners make their own luck, you losers.」

The interview was named “Shoutout for Losers” later. Having become a group of losers overnight, the Black Dragon Guild became hostile toward the Fire Emperor... Well, that wasn’t important anymore because I had already killed Yoo Soo-Ha, eliminating the possibility of him saying anything like that in an interview.

The problem at hand was why the Fire Emperor had been the only one who could clear the tenth floor. Was it the Fire Emperor’s overwhelming power? Was there another reason? Those questions were about to be answered.

***

[Initiating the boss monster stage.]

All the candles that illuminated the mansion fell over at once, starting a fire. The mansion was alight in no time, as if the entire structure had been doused in oil. Only the dolls were unaffected by the blazing fire.

—Hehehehehe!

—You’re it, Mister! We’ll run away!

—Let’s run. Let’s run! Let’s run away from here!

There were thousands of doll girls in the first-floor lobby alone, so I assumed that there were tens of thousands of dolls in the entire mansion.

It’s one of them. I swallowed. Only one of them is the real one.

Being forced to gamble on one in some ten thousands odds was the reason why the Hunters before me had failed to clear the stage.

Everyone burned to death while trying to search for the real doll. They have ten minutes to search at most if they want to escape before they die.

The fire currently consuming the mansion was no ordinary fire; it was Hellfire, the fire of aura.

And it’s burning up the whole mansion.

The boss monster of this floor knew how to use aura! The Raid Teams that had come before me had met one of the two endings: they had died in the Hellfire or escaped before their demise. One of the Hunters had risked his life and bet against the odds, but it was useless. He had ended up as yet another Hunter who met a gruesome, painful end in the fire.

The stage was an unassailable sea of fire. And...that was the reason why the Fire Emperor got to clear the tenth floor.

“He certainly rides on his luck,” I muttered.

Right—the Fire Emperor’s aura was fire, the same type as the boss monster’s. To other Hunters, this mansion was an inferno, but the Fire Emperor had found it as comfortable as his own home.

“Tsk.”

To sum up, the Fire Emperor was a great match for this stage.

He would have just wandered around until he found the real one.

Yet he had the audacity to claim it was a matter of competence. I really couldn’t find any redeeming features.

—Aren’t you the Hunter who rides on luck, Zombie? The Guardian smirked at me.

I frowned. “What are you talking about? Even right now, I’m using my aura, but I’m barely holding out.”

Sweat dripped between my eyebrows. It was really hot; far more intense than any sauna and much sweatier. If I hadn’t enveloped myself in my aura, I would have already been burned to a crisp.

—Yeah. You have at most one minute left, though.

The Guardian’s assessment was annoyingly accurate.

—You might like to know that Gramps Marcus has no problem holding out here for at least thirty minutes. Do you want to know why he hasn’t tried this stage yet? It’s because he wants to get better first and increase thirty minutes to one hour.

“...Yeah, yeah. Thank you so much for telling me about the difference between the Sword Star and I.”

—Hehehe. The Guardian freely flew around the burning lobby.

The doll on the floor gave gurgles brightly, and a ghost giggled in the air. This was truly a haunted mansion.

—So what now? You only have two Coins.

“What do you mean what? I have to die first, obviously.”

—Hello? Do you seriously think you’ll suddenly have all the aura in the world if you die here? the Guardian scoffed. There are only two ways to clear this stage! You get incredibly lucky and find the real doll, or you should be a master of aura so that you can endure the mansion’s fire until you find the real doll. But you made a stupid choice and only bet two Coins, didn’t you? It won’t work.

“Hehe.” I didn’t stop laughing even though I was drenched in sweat. “You only considered one side of this. Maybe you think you considered both sides, but there are actually three sides to this.[1]”

—What?

“Let’s see who wins after I die.”

When I had twenty seconds left until I ran out of my aura. I walked toward the closest doll. I didn’t...really have a reason for it. If I had to come up with one, it would be that it was too boring to stand around and wait for my death. Perhaps I would be really lucky and find the real one.

—Are you going to play with us?

The doll’s head twisted around, the rest of its body remaining unsettling still. Despite the fire burning everything in the mansion, the frilly dress the doll was wearing didn’t so much as sizzle, as if it were immune to fire. Movie makers should have scouted this doll for their next horror movie long ago.

“I got you,” I said, putting my hand on the doll’s head.

—Wrong! I’m not the one you’re looking for! The doll gurgled.

The doll let out a laugh—along with its lips, skin, eyes... The entire doll melted away like candle wax. Even as the fire devoured it, the doll kept mumbling like a broken record.

—It’s not me! It’s not me! It’s not me! Not! Not...me. I’m... not... It’s... It’s not me... I’m...not... It’s...not me...

“Wow...” I was speechless. A chill went down my spine even though I was surrounded by fire—it was more gruesome than I had imagined it would be. “That’s creepy. Why did the Tower have to make the boss monster stage like this?”

—No one knows the Tower’s divine will, Zombie. They even gave an overpowered Skill to a weasel like you. If the Tower was a person, they would be a perverted psychopath.

“Out of all the ways you could have said it... Ugh.”

I couldn’t grumble any longer. The moment I ran out of aura, the fire swallowed me. The first thing that melted was the soles of my shoes; next was my sleeves and then my hair.

“Agh... Arghhh! Urgrhhhhh!”

From head to toe, I was covered in fire. The fire kept burning away at me even after it had eaten away my skin and flesh. It only grew more wild when it found tastier food. As it reached my nerves, bones, esophagus, and intestines, I screamed.

—And you’re an even bigger pervert than the Tower. Wowza. I know you want to become the best Hunter in the world, but you have no problem getting burned to death? You’re a real pervert, Kim Zombie! You have my approval!

I wanted to die as soon as possible, even if it was just one second sooner! At one point, I couldn’t make a sound nor hear one after my eyes and ears had been burned away. The moment I felt like my brain became so hot that it was going to explode, I heard the voice I had been waiting for with all my heart.

[You have died.]

Shit. The freaking fire could have killed me sooner.

***

I breathed like a man who had barely managed to escape a watery grave. In truth, I only felt like I was breathing because I was actually in the Underworld, the world of darkness where I moved around like a ghost.

[It has been determined that your death met the requirement of the Skill activation.]

[Duplicating Monster: Hellfire Maiden’s Skills at random.]

And this was also my land of opportunity.

[Creating Skill Cards.]

Cards floated in the dark, empty air. Somewhat surprisingly, the boss monster only had one golden card. The rest of them shone with a silver or shit-colored light.

Now, you haven’t forgotten about our promise, have you?

—I know. Do you think I’m a guy who would go back on his word? Don’t worry. The Guardian quietly laughed. Let’s see what Skills this young lady has.

The Guardian floated around to the opposite side of the Skill Cards to tell me what was written on them, as we had promised. He started with the golden card.

—Whoaaaa! Hey, this is a jackpot.

Infernal Barrier

Class: S-

Effects: Your unresolved grudges, your unheard voice, and your unfulfilled hope. Burn them all.

“It’s hot.” Is that so? Turn the world into a ball of fire. “I feel like I’m going to die.” Kill everyone instead.

As long as you desire, your Hellfire will manifest within a two-kilometer radius. No one can escape this hell without your permission. No one.

※However, you must be within the barrier too.

It was a formidable Skill.

—This is a must, Zombie. We don’t need to bother looking at the others. Pick this one.

—...Hmm? Hey, Kim Zombie. Why aren’t you saying anything?

No, it’s just.... My brow furrowed. Something bugs me, but I don’t know why.

What was wrong with me? Even though it was a genuinely remarkable Skill, something about it kept bothering me. It didn’t feel right, like an upset stomach after a meal, or the water pipes at home were broken but I didn’t know exactly which pipe was malfunctioning.

...Anyhow, read the next Skills please.

—What? I don’t think you’ll get a better Skill than this one. Don’t you have to pick this one?

I have a specific Skill in mind, so come on. I gestured at the Guardian.

He pouted a bit, but he continued to list the Skill Cards like I asked.

—Alright, listen up... Labyrinth Creation’s Class is A-. Next is Doll Control; this is Class B. Remote Control is Class B-. This Class C Skill is Trap Installation...

He came to an abrupt stop before explaining the last Skill Card, one that shone silver.

—The fuck? His lip quivered.

I grinned. I knew it.

—No, hey... Wait...

It’s okay. I can tell what it is, so you don’t need to bother reading it out aloud. I was certain that I’d gotten the Skill Card I was looking for.

[Choose a Skill Card.]

The cards flew around me like a hurricane, but I was focused on one card only. It wasn’t much of a problem.

—Hey! Gong-Ja! Hey! Let’s not do this. The Guardian also knew what I was trying to do and was dead set on stopping me. Look at this golden card! It’s Class S Skill! It’s awesome! With this Skill, you’ll be able to use the Infernal Barrier whenever you want! How cool is that!

I don’t know.

—Why wouldn’t you know how cool it is? If I were a woman, I would fall head over heels for your infernal bad boy charm! Let’s gooooo! Today is going to be day one of Kim Gong-Ja’s chick magnet liiiiife!

You should have noticed that something was wrong from the start. I chuckled.

There was a clue.

Only one doll is real among the tens of thousands of dolls. The real doll owns the Skill, so it’s immune to fire, naturally. But why would the fake dolls be fine in the fire? I reached out and snatched the silver card.

—Arghhhh! No! No! Fuck no!

There is only one answer to this question, Mr. Sword Emperor. I flipped the silver card.

Always Be Careful Of Fire

Class: A

Effects: Ouch, it’s hot! Your entire house will burn down if such a strong fire is left unattended. But rest assured, animate and inanimate objects you select are immune to fire. Be free from the fear of fire and enjoy a life of safety!

※However, it will make you 300% more vulnerable to water and ice.

That was right: in the Hide and Seek in the Infernal Mansion, the tenth-floor stage, the boss not only had the ability to burn but could also prevent something from burning. I clenched my fists, rejoicing in my imminent victory.

Yes! I came, I saw, and I got it!

The Guardian lost it.

—No... No... Hic. Hnnngh. This is wrong... This is so wrong...

What do you mean, no? All I have to do is use the fire immunity Skill on myself, and I’ll have all the time in the world to search for the real doll. Then it’s game over! You’re going to be calling me Mister Gong-Ja real soon!

—Shit... Fuck... What kind of fuckery is this... This bet is a scam. It’s broken as hell...

Hahahahaha! Call me Mr. Gong-Ja!

My laughter echoed in the dark world, joined by a quiet voice that wasn’t mine.

[You have chosen a Skill Card. Copying the Skill.]

[Rewinding twenty-four hours.]n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

It was a cannon announcing that I was close to winning the bet between me and the Guardian. All I had to do now was to go back a day and challenge the tenth-floor boss monster again.

[Your Hunter Class is E.]

But that wasn’t it today.

[Initiating your Skill penalty.]

—Huh?

Oh, wait.

I never heard the penalty message until now because I had been a Class F Hunter. Since I was now a Class E Hunter, I was going to receive the Skill penalty for the first time in my life. What would it be?

[Recreating your killer’s trauma.]

[The penalty’s intensity level is weak.]

[The penalty’s theme is hell.]

Huh? Trauma? I tilted my head at the unexpected word. What does it mean my killer’s trauma will be—

Before I could finish my thought, the world around me turned pure white.

1. The raw is ??? ??? ?? ?? ????. ??, ?? ?? ?? ??? ??. It’s about the Korean idiom of how one should consider a matter from various angles. ☜