Chapter 334: The Direct Approach
Listening to Jang Chae-yeon's voice, I too turned my gaze to the mannequin standing before me.
"..."
"Why isn't it moving?"
Yu Daon approached us with a thoroughly wary expression.
"Good question."
I didn't know either.
Why wasn't it moving?
From my perspective, it was already moving.
I looked at the text above its head again.
[Name: Masterpiece]
[Age: Created a few months ago]
[Talent: Art]
[Specialty: - ]
[Background: This has ultimately become a splendid work of art.]
[Weakness: - ]
The status hadn't changed at all.
Let me think.
What can I do?
"..."
Should I use Critical?
Might as well try.
[Critical: 1 -> 0]
The world momentarily turned black and white, but no red light was visible.
"..."
Nothing.
Does that mean I should seal Critical?
But we have too little information.
"...Tch."
"What's wrong?"
"Can't land the finishing blow?"
"...Hmm. Yeah."
Song A-rin rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought, while Yu Daon and Jang Chae-yeon also lowered their gazes to the floor and closed their eyes as if pondering something.
However, it seemed no one had come up with a brilliant solution, as nobody spoke up.
"..."
If we stay like this, it won't work.
Maybe we should just attack.
My brief moment of clicking my tongue in frustration was interrupted when Jang Chae-yeon tapped my shoulder and whispered.
"If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, how about this?"
"Huh?"
"Remember? When we went to the factory."
"...Ah."
That's when I got the joint technique with Jang Chae-yeon.
Observation.
The ability to show what cannot be seen.
"..."
Right. That might work.
"...But if I use that, I'll lose my big one-shot move. Are you okay with that?"
"...Hmm..."
Jang Chae-yeon fell into thought upon hearing my words, but Yu Daon raised her hand and answered with a confident voice.
"It's fine! Because I'm here!"
"You, Daon?"
"Not that I'll take it down! I'll buy time somehow, and then someone can find a way, right?"
It was a very Yu Daon-like answer.
The only problem was that nothing else was coming to mind.
"..."
"It's fine."
As I continued to agonize over it, Eileen placed a hand on my shoulder and spoke.
"As she said, we can handle it somehow."
"Yeah. You always try to take the last hit by yourself."
"Right."
Soon, Song A-rin and Jang Chae-yeon also looked at me and nodded, and eventually, pressured by the others, I had no choice but to nod along.
"Understood. Then let's do it."
"Okay."
Jang Chae-yeon nodded.
She raised her head and looked at the mannequin before us.
At the same time, a semi-transparent window floated up.
[Using Observation.]
Soon, the previously invisible text on the semi-transparent window began to fade away as if melting.
[Name: Masterpiece]
[Age: Created a few months ago]
[Talent: Art]
[Specialty: Art]
[Background: This has ultimately become a splendid work of art.]
[Weakness: The only way to destroy this work is through force. Fight and destroy it using force.]
"..."
We have to fight it head-on?
I re-read it just in case, but unfortunately, the visible text remained there, betraying my expectations.
"What does it say?"
Jang Chae-yeon tilted her head and looked at me, and I had no choice but to tell the others what I had seen.
"...It just says to fight?"
"...With that thing..."
"..."
Naturally, the reactions were unanimously negative.
However, the advantage of the HR Team is our ability to quickly grasp a given situation and resign ourselves to it.
We put our heads together and began agonizing over a method.
"Why isn't that thing moving?"
"Maybe it's in a dormant state or something?"
"Can it be in a dormant state?"
"That's what I meant."
Eileen, meeting my gaze, scratched her cheek and answered.
"That's not entirely impossible."
Then, Song A-rin, resting her chin on her hand, nodded.
"Actually, looking at it now, it feels like the flow of its spirit is asleep, you see."
"When are you going to stop adding 'you see' to the end of your sentences?"
"I'm deliberately not correcting it because you asked for help, but do you want us to die together right now, you see?"
Song A-rin glared at me with wide eyes, and I just shrugged and stopped teasing her.
"Anyway, does that mean we have to break it now?"
Yu Daon raised her awl.
"..."
Frankly, she wasn't wrong.
"It's dangerous, though..."
"Since that's what it says, we have no choice, you see."
Song A-rin let out a sigh.
"If we're going to break it, it means it's a risk we'll have to bear someday."
"..."
Her words were also correct.
The answer was already given; all that was left was to act.
I turned my head to look at Jang Chae-yeon.
The important thing wasn't my opinion, but Jang Chae-yeon's.
What would she think?
"..."
Jang Chae-yeon, meeting my gaze, gave a slight nod.
"I'm okay with it."
"Really?"
"Yeah. ...Miracles don't happen often in this world."
"...Understood."
She wasn't wrong.
"Everyone, prepare as I've instructed."
In that case, we just have to break that thing as safely as possible with all preparations made, and then go kill Aestheticism.
We have a long way to go.
*
"...Heave-ho...!"
Groaning as I moved the statue, I looked at the scene before me.
Numerous statues were lined up, and Yu Daon stood in front of them.
"Daon, are you really sure about this?"
"Of course!"
Yu Daon nodded with a smile.
"..."
The original plan was for all of us to hide behind the statues, aiming to use them to block an attack if it were to wake up and strike.
"But then there'd be no one to watch the situation, right?"
Because of Yu Daon's words, everyone except Yu Daon ended up going to the back and hiding behind the statues.
"Is everyone else ready?"
"Yeah."
Jang Chae-yeon nodded and raised her hand.
"Hoo, I'm ready, you see."
Song A-rin closed her eyes, clenched her fist, then opened it.
"..."
Without a word, Eileen drew her gun.
"Chae-yeon."
"Yeah."
Jang Chae-yeon took a deep breath, 'Hoo,' then stretched both hands forward and swung them as if clapping.
-KWAANG!
At the same moment, a tremendous vibration shook the room, accompanied by the sound of something shattering.
"Kheuk...!"
Holding onto the statue as the floor shook, I heard Yu Daon's voice from beyond the statues.
"It only broke a little! Whoa-!"
Then, with a Piyung! sound, Yu Daon's words were cut off as a spray of blood shot up into the air.
There was no time to check Yu Daon's condition.
-KWANG!
The statue in front of us shattered to pieces as something reached out from beyond it. Song A-rin hurriedly muttered something and clapped her hands, causing the thing to vanish into thin air.
"...What did you do?"
"If you have time to ask that, hurry up and think of something, you see!"
Song A-rin clicked her tongue, then closed her eyes again. Eileen and I drew our guns and began firing.
-Bang! Bang! Bang!
As gunshots rang out, something shot out from amidst the dust of the shattering statue with a Pat! sound.
Watching the silhouette dash away, I looked for Yu Daon with my other sight.
Fortunately, she was fine.
Her neck was severed, and she was holding her own head with both hands, but...
Soon, she reattached her head to her neck and waved, calling out to us.
"I swung at it, but it's super fast!"
"I know! Daon, over here!"
Calling Yu Daon to our side, I turned my gaze back to Jang Chae-yeon's sister.
Now I could see it.
A mannequin made of wood, with wide-open eyes staring at us.
Jang Chae-yeon's sister, with her eyes wide open, was staring at us.
And what it had just swung was...
"Fingernails."
"At least it's within the bounds of common sense, so that's a relief."
Eileen answered my mutter in a joking tone before firing her gun again.
-Bang! Bang!
Gunshots echoed, and it began running across the floor again, dodging the bullets.
"It's fast!"
Eileen muttered as she reloaded her magazine. At the same time, the mannequin flew towards us again.
-Paat!
It leaped high into the air as I pushed off with my foot.
"Hu-eup!"
Jang Chae-yeon clenched her fist tightly, and it was nailed in place mid-air.
"Good job, Chae-yeon!"
"...Hup!"
Hearing my cheer, Jang Chae-yeon forcefully slammed her hand down towards the floor. With the sound of the floor crumbling, it was smashed into the ground.
"Did we get it, you see!"
"No. It doesn't seem like we landed an effective hit."
Eileen muttered coldly, countering Song A-rin's words.
-Wooddeuk!
It rose from the shattered floor, brushed itself off, and looked at us.
"...If it has a human head, shouldn't its durability be that of a human head, you see?"
"You're right. If it were me, being slammed down from that height with that force, my head would be buried in my shoulders."
I ignored Song A-rin and Yu Daon's conversation and looked at it.
"..."
"..."
Jang Chae-yeon stood in front of us, spreading both arms as if to block it.
"...Chae-yeon-ah."
It opened its mouth.
It was a benevolent voice.
A voice that seemed like it could become friends with anyone after a few conversations, and even win everyone's favor.
"...Sister."
And Jang Chae-yeon, without relaxing her guard, looked at it and spoke in a stiff voice.
"Seems like a lot of time has passed. You're already an adult."
"..."
In response to its words, Jang Chae-yeon said nothing and merely clenched her fist.
"Oh my. A-rin is here too."
"..."
Song A-rin frowned and covered her ears the moment she heard its voice.
"Get a grip Song A-rin, get a grip Song A-rin..."
Song A-rin rapidly muttered something to herself.
It looked at Song A-rin, smiling, then shifted its gaze back to Jang Chae-yeon.
"Chae-yeon-ah. Will you come over here? Sister will treat you well."
"...Sister."
Jang Chae-yeon took a step forward.
-Thud.
"Yes. Chae-yeon-ah."
"..."
-Thud.
"Jae-heon."
Yu Daon grabbed my sleeve, and Eileen aimed her gun.
"Yes, that's right."
It smiled, and Jang Chae-yeon took another step.
"You crazy bitch! Get a hold of yourself, you see!"
And Song A-rin, who had been quiet until then, also widened her eyes and glared at Jang Chae-yeon.
"Jae-heon!"
Yu Daon pulled my sleeve more strongly.
"It's fine."
"Huh?"
-Wooddeuk.
A strange sound came from Jang Chae-yeon's neck.
"We've come too far to discuss family bonds now."
Answering in a calm, mature, yet sorrowful voice, Jang Chae-yeon thrust her hand forward.
-Wheeeeing!
It was flung backward and smashed into the wall. Jang Chae-yeon turned around and looked at me.
"Jae-heon-ah."
"..."
No, to be precise, the Observer was looking at me.
"Listen carefully. I'll explain from now on."
She muttered in a calm voice, looking straight ahead.
"..."
The mannequin walked out from the wall, and the Observer spoke again.
"You can do it. If it's you."