*
A man stood before people who were bound with their eyes, mouths, arms, and legs all restrained.
They were struggling to escape somehow, but what could they do in that state?
"Eup!! Eueup!!!"
Despite their screams bordering on desperation, the man was looking at the humans with an indifferent expression.
"Still not enough... The quality is too low."
"I'm... I'm sorry! Oh... Deepest Darkness-isiyeo!"
Behind the man, figures wearing bizarre masks and robes stood in a line.
A man wearing clothes that were different from the others, Kim Cheol-soo.
Kim Cheol-soo sighed deeply.
"Well, nothing I can do. I need to replenish the consumed power."
As Kim Cheol-soo reached out his hand, a dark aura began to emanate.
When the dense darkness, so impenetrable that one couldn't see inside, engulfed the hostages, they all began to tremble as if having a seizure.
Even with their mouths blocked, screams could be heard, and the sight of the black aura corroding both men and women was repulsive, but the reactions of those watching were different.
"Ah... What a beautiful sight this is..."
"Ah!! Darkness-isiyeo!!"
For those who had fallen into fanaticism, it was the sight they had so desperately yearned for.
The humans touched by Kim Cheol-soo's power gradually began to wither, and soon, they turned into shriveled mummies.
Kim Cheol-soo, or rather, Shaks, looked at the corpses, devoid of any life, as if they were inanimate objects.
"Step aside. I need to be alone."
"Ah... As you wish!"
"As the darkness wills!!"
Shaks, who had taken over Kim Cheol-soo's body, entered the room and sat on a chair.
The spacious room was decorated with bizarre ornaments, which he found quite pleasing.
"They have a decent sense of aesthetics."
The man stroked the ornaments, raising the corners of his lips. The clear sensation felt by his fingertips.
The sense of touch that he could feel because he had a body, how long had it been since he had felt such a sensation?
His original target was Lee Byeong-ho, but what could he do if he didn't come over?
Compared to Lee Byeong-ho, this body was infinitely lacking, but if he thought of it as a body to pass through temporarily, it wasn't bad.
Kim Cheol-soo's body, which he had come to occupy through a contract, to die at the hands of the woman he loved most, what a miserable and beautiful death.
Since becoming Kim Cheol-soo, that man's memories and his own memories had been mixing, but there were no major problems.
Compared to the years he had lived, Kim Cheol-soo's life was only a moment, so the probability of mistaking his own identity was low.
"Did that bastard die? It seems he couldn't help it, even with such power."
If it weren't for that man, this opportunity wouldn't have come.
The man who called himself Proto, if it weren't for that man, he wouldn't have been able to descend into this world.
Using the hole that man had created, he was able to gather the power to descend into the present world through contracts with the humans there.
The thing called the Devil's Stone was the proof of the contract.
"It's incomparable to the power that can be obtained from the humans here."
Perhaps it was because he was a being from a higher dimension, but compared to the power that could only be obtained by completely burning a life here, the power that an Awakened gained when using the proof for a moment was greater.
The more humans contracted with him like now, the sooner his true resurrection would be.
"Stupid bastards."
They might think it was an object that could give them power, but in reality, it was just an object that made their bodies burn.
It forcibly activated even the rare energy that couldn't be used normally, so of course, they could use powerful force.
Therefore, it was only natural that they would suffer from side effects.
It only converted power to burn forcibly, making the user stronger, but in reality, they were just using their own power.
He was giving nothing and getting a part of their life force in return, so where else could there be such a perfect contract?
"This world is meaningless."
He had already seen a higher dimension, so what was the point of ruling humans here?
If he could exert influence in the world where Kim Cheol-soo lived, swallowing this dimension ruled by the incompetent Freya would be nothing.
"Keuheuheuheuh! Keuhahahahaha!!!"
Originally, it was impossible to exert influence in a higher dimension, but the hole created by Proto made it possible.
The man had disappeared, but the hole he had created was still maintained.
The string of contract formed through the crack, the more humans contracted with him, the stronger the string connected to that world would become.
By stealing the power of those bastards through it, and becoming a complete being, it would be possible to subdue the insects and become the true king.
"Insects... You dared to ignore me. I'll destroy you all."
If he restored his power by devouring the trash-like sacrifices, even the Hunters of that world wouldn't be able to defeat him.
Especially that unlucky human, was his name Kim Si-woo? He was going to tear that bastard's limbs apart.
"Oh, that bastard's memories are so intense that I've become sympathetic."
Kim Cheol-soo, who met a miserable end until the end, should he grant him revenge as compensation for handing over his body?
"Keuheuheuh... While I'm at it, I'll tear that bitch apart too."
*
"Kyaaaaaaak!!!!"
With Park Hye-ji's scream, I fell into a strange thicket.
I didn't know where it was, but I felt some pain from the impact of the fall.
Still, it was fortunate that it was soft because of what looked like grass or weeds. Park Hye-ji didn't seem to have any major problems using me as a cushion.
"Eueueuk..."
Park Hye-ji, who was riding on top of me, groaned and opened her eyes.
Well, it wasn't bad to be pinned under a woman like Park Hye-ji, but was she planning to stay on top of me forever?
"If you've come to your senses, why don't you get off?"
"Ah... Ah? I'm... I'm sorry. I was suddenly moved here."
Park Hye-ji apologized in a flustered manner and hurriedly got up.
So, I tried to get up, but suddenly Park Hye-ji staggered and fell again. This time, she was even more closely attached, creating a picture of Park Hye-ji crushing me.
Park Hye-ji was placing both hands on my chest, wasn't it usually the other way around?
"I didn't know you'd be so aggressive."
"What? What are you talking about... Uh... It's... It's a mistake! I suddenly can't put any strength into my body..."
"I would have let you touch me if you wanted to touch me that much."
"I... I said it was a mistake!!"
Park Hye-ji shouted and got up.
It wasn't a lie that she couldn't put strength into her body, as she staggered several times even after getting up, so I grabbed her.
"Are you okay?"
"Ah... Well... I'll be fine if I rest a bit..."
"Hmm... Is this Freya's dimension?"
"Fre? What did you just say?"
"Ah. Just talking to myself."
My body felt heavy and weak, similar to when I came to find Callisto's legacy last time.
In other words, my abilities were limited, which was a problem in a situation where I had to catch and beat up that Cheol-soo bastard.
Judging by the fact that Park Hye-ji was also out of her mind, should I assume she was in the same state?
When I activated my Dantian through the Secret Heart Method, my heavy body began to lighten.
Even if my body was heavy, I could still deal with that Cheol-soo bastard if I had the True Azure Moon Style.
Judging by the overflowing Mana around me, it seemed certain that this was Freya's dimension.
I had grasped the situation, and now I had to check the most important thing first.
'Machina?'
["Si-woo-nim. Are you alright?"]
'Yeah, I'm fine. This is Freya's dimension, right?'
["It seems so... But there's a problem."]
'A problem?'
["I can't contact Freya... And some of my abilities are also limited."]
'You can't contact that goddess? Well... Even if that's the case, I know my abilities are limited.'
My body was heavy, and my inventory was also malfunctioning.
Fortunately, the Blue Star Blade was in my bracelet, so I didn't have to worry about weapons for now.
["There's a more serious problem than that."]
'A serious problem? Don't tell me the save-load isn't working properly?'
[...]
Hey, why aren't you answering, Machina?
Machina was making me anxious, and as I was about to use the save-load due to the continued silence, I saw a shocking notification.
[Cannot load.]
I felt dizzy at the notification that I couldn't load the previously saved point.
Don't tell me I can't even save?
[Save point has been saved.]
Fortunately, saving seemed to be working normally, and I could load the point I had saved after coming over.
"Hey, why are you standing there with such a serious expression?"
"Ah... No. I'm just trying to figure out the situation... So, how's your body?"
"I thought I'd be fine if I rested... But it doesn't seem to be the case. And I can't use my power properly either."
Park Hye-ji said that and tried to draw out her Mana, it wasn't that she couldn't use it at all, but she could handle some water.
It's just that it seemed infinitely weaker compared to the original Park Hye-ji, should I say that's the problem?
I already felt overwhelmed.
["It seems like the problem arises because you didn't come through a normal route."]
'It's because we came through the crack, right?'
["That's my guess. Since you can't get help from Freya, you should move carefully."]
'I will.'
That Cheol-soo bastard, making people suffer like this until the end.
I'll cut off his head before Park Hye-ji next time.
Still, it wasn't a completely hopeless situation. I knew where this was, and I could use the save-load ability from the point I came over.
"Let's search the surroundings first."
"Yes... It seems like we won't be able to move once the sun sets."
She answered as if she was okay, but Park Hye-ji's voice was slightly trembling.
Well, it would be strange if she wasn't anxious, being in an unknown space with her power weakened.
I gently patted Park Hye-ji's shoulder.
"Don't worry too much. I'll figure something out."
"Wh... Who said I was worried? I... I'm not worried at all..."
"Okay."
"..."
After answering that, she subtly came closer to me.
She's kind of cute in a subtle way.