Chapter 107
I knew all too well that it wasn’t real.
And yet, an unbearable sense of disgust washed over me.
Perhaps this feeling had been brewing from the moment Je Hyeon-oh was locked in solitary cell number 13.
He, who possessed the strongest and fastest wings, had been confined to a space where he couldn’t even fly a single span.
I had barely managed to endure the fact that my subordinate was trapped in such a narrow, suffocating place, but to go as far as creating this kind of educational material.
Acting as if they knew his weaknesses, the method to subdue him, and everything else.
I felt a hot rush of heat flood my eyes, and my heart began to thrum.
Thump, thump.
With every beat of my heart, it felt as if a ball of fire was racing through
my veins.
It was the heat of ■■■ that I had yet to digest.
The system window indicating the prison guard’s progress began to glitch.
[Becoming a rookie prison guard... 53%]
The system window, flickering unstable as if it might vanish at any moment, made a static sound and completely shifted.
[Returning to the Young God..... 10%]
I knew instinctively.
Once the newly changed progress bar was filled, Neo would disappear from within me.
But I wasn’t surprised in the least.
Something like this couldn’t possibly change me.
I realized that my state was slightly abnormal.
Was it because of the fever?
I felt as though I was losing my composure, becoming increasingly emotional.
I struggled to calm my excitement.
It was deeply unpleasant that they used Je Hyeon-oh to create such a hologram, but in the end, it was just a fake.
I just had to deal with it quickly and finish the training.
Trying my best to maintain my calm, I looked ahead.
I knew exactly what was about to happen.
The holograms in the ring would vanish, and Creature No. 1 would appear first.
From then on, I would face the holograms of the creature prisoners from No. 1 went to No. 12, one by one.
Only after facing creatures twelve times would I be able to see Creature No. 13.
But had no desire to waste time meaninglessly.
[Prisoner No. 1-]
The screen, where the letters were appearing, suddenly froze.
Then, bizarre phrases began to appear as if there were an error.
[No. 1 No. 1 No. 1 Prisoner No. 1 Prisoner No. 1 Prisoner No. 1 Change? Ch? ange? Shall I change it? Something else? Som? ething else? Whatever the Young God wants!]
The letters shook and broke apart, then the screen shut off with a thud before turning back on.
[Let’s try to subdue Prisoner No. 13.]
Ding, ding, ding!
A clear, high-pitched metallic bell rang out.
Along with the round bell, all other creatures vanished, leaving only a single hologram.
Bright lights illuminated the ring from all sides, leaving not a single shadow.
However; the black hologram seemed to devour the light by its mere existence.
The spot where it stood was perfect darkness.
It was the hologram of Je Hyeon-oh.
"To commit such a rude act using Roasted Chestnut’s subordinate."
Dominic spoke into my ear, more solemn than ever.
"You must protest to the master of this place, Roasted Chestnut."
Listening to Dominic’s voice, I stared at the fake that looked exactly like Je Hyeon-oh.
The fake was created by recklessly mimicking my subordinate.
Clang, six metallic wings unfurled.
I felt no emotion at the sight.
Those were wings that should move freely in the vast sky.
What could they possibly do in a space like this?
At most, they would just swing metallic blades.
My eyes were still hot, and the heat continuously expelled from my heart felt as if it were buming my entire body through my veins.
For some reason, I welcomed that heat.
It felt as if it were further exhilarating me.
’Stay calm.’
I tried to compose myself.
I spun the suppression baton in my hand once and thought.
Je Hyeon-oh is strong.
But the hologram failed to capture him properly.
I could tell the moment I saw it.
The appearance was a plausible imitation, but it only contained a tiny fraction of his abilities.
As expected, they hadn’t fully grasped Je Hyeon-oh.
Since I was still infected by Neo, my physical enhancement had not completely vanished.
This was more than enough to deal with a fake.
The fake looked at me.
The gaze staring through the goggles reached me, but I remained indifferent.
After a brief moment of probing.
The fake lunged at me.
The metallic hand rushed forward with considerable ferocity.
Kwang!
The suppression baton and the metallic hand collided.
Thanks to the physical enhancement, it wasn’t difficult to block the attack with the baton.
However, a tingling sensation traveled into my palm.
The hologram, which even implemented the sensation of impact, didn’t feel like a mere illusion.
But I knew this was clearly a ’fake.’
The corners of my mouth curled up slightly.
How could I not know?
I knew far too well what my subordinate was like.
The metallic hand swung repeatedly.
Every time it narrowly missed me, claw marks were etched into the floor.
Facing a fake that couldn’t even create a black crescent moon felt like playing with a beast.
I was pushed back until I hit the chains surrounding the ring.
As the heavy iron chains rattled against my back, I lightly twisted my body to the side.
The metallic hand struck the chains where my back had been just a moment ago.
Sparks exploded in all directions from the powerful collision.
But all it did was cut the chains and slice through the ring.
To me, who knew the power that could not only shred the arena but slice through the floor, it felt pathetic.
The severed chains lay strewn across the floor.
After easily dodging the metallic hand, the wings clattered this time.
But the fake did not know how to dismantle the metallic feathers to use them as blades.
Because of that, the attack pattern was extremely simple.
It was a basic variation where, if a direct hit with the metallic hand failed, it would immediately follow up with a swing of the metallic wings.
To me, who had been pushed to the brink of death by Je Hyeon-oh, these attacks were boring beyond belief.
The sharp wing lunged horizontally, aiming for my throat.
I leaned my upper body halfway back to avoid the attack.
Simultaneously, I twisted the suppression baton in my right hand, grazing the side of the passing metallic wing.
The metallic wing, its trajectory skewed, sliced through the air helplessly, and the fake staggered.
I glanced at the value.
[Returning to the Young God..... 76%]
The percentage was rising rapidly.
It would be best to finish this before Neo’s physical enhancement disappeared.
Moreover, it was no longer worth my time.
I thought as I dodged the metallic hand trying to pierce me.
In the first place, I didn’t know how to subdue Je Hyeon-oh.
But this was a cheap imitation.
There had to be a flaw somewhere.
"Roasted Chestnut."
Before I knew it, a soft touch reached my cheek.
"You must not think of yourself as a trivial creature."
He whispered softly to me.
"Roasted Chestnut, you are a god. Do not forget your essence."
The moment I heard Dominic’s whisper, I realized what I had to do.
Kwang!
The metallic hand swung toward me once again.
I held the suppression baton horizontally and blocked the metallic hand.
With a screeching sound, the baton bent.
While enduring the pressure the fake was exerting, I looked closer.
Ah... Now I could tell. What that thing was made of. It wasn’t a simple hologram.
Because some power had been infused into it, it mimicked a physical form, albeit roughly.
But it was crude.
Infinitely crude.
It was an existence completely detached from the real thing.
Unlike my subordinate, the method to subdue it was simply simplistic.
I didn’t want to waste any more time on this piece of trash.
Just before the baton bent to its limit.
I instantaneously released the strength in my hand and lowered my body.
The fake, unable to react nimbly, tumbled forward following the force it had been pressing.
Without missing the moment it wavered, I slipped out to the side.
And immediately positioned myself behind the fake.
I held the suppression baton vertically and slammed it down into the root of the wing.
At that, the wing feathers crumpled from just this one action.
The fake trembled its wings as if in pain.
I looked at that sight coldly.
The fake’s hologram vanished.
Successful in subduing Prisoner No. 13.
Letters announcing my success were etched on the screen. Ignoring the obvious notification, I checked the value.
[Returning to the Young God..... 100%]
After subduing the fake, the percentage was full.
[You have returned to the Young God!]
The system window sent one last notification and disappeared. I could feel that Neo had completely vanished from within me.
However... the heat swirling inside my body did not disappear.
A grand fanfare, cheers, and the sound of applause were heard.
[Y-y-young? Young God? God? Young Lamb? Trainee Young Lamb, excellent.]
[This is a surprising achievement that no other trainee has shown.]
[The second ’practical training’ has ended.]
[Please move to the next room to begin the final training.]
The door to the next room opened, but I did not move.
The moment I saw the word ’training’, it felt as if sparks were writhing in my heart.
I threw away the suppression baton I was holding.
Crash!
The baton embedded itself in the screen.
The flickering screen went black with a pop.
Even though I had removed the annoying thing, I still felt an unresolved sensation.
It felt as if lava, rather than blood, was flowing through my veins.
"Roasted Chestnut is a fast learner, it is rewarding to teach you."
I slowly lowered my gaze to look at Dominic.
Dominic was moving around my body as he pleased, saying things I couldn’t understand.
"Hmm... It certainly seemed to be a struggle. Still, Roasted Chestnut will need something like this."
As I blinked slowly, Dominic smiled.
"Because Roasted Chestnut needs to become a bit more god-like."
His body sparkled.
Sparkling like a star, Dominic suggested to me.
"How about trying to deal with that trivial creature in the corner as well?"
Then, he pricked up his ears toward the vine plants outside the ring.
"It will help in relieving Roasted Chestnut heat."
I stared blankly at the vine plants.
The heat of ■■■ still filled me.
I felt an impulse to burn everything.
Even though I knew I was being strange, I couldn’t control it.
I tried to suppress the impulse, but...
Why should I endure?
"Quiet!"
A thunderous shout rang out.
I, who had been staring blankly at the vine plants, flinched and snapped back to my senses.
Someone grabbed my shoulder roughly and turned me around.
Only after blinking a few times did the other person come clearly into view.
"Captain Kwak?"
Kwak Han-mook had come to find me much faster than I had requested.
I smiled slightly in greeting, but he looked at me with a hardened face.
I hurriedly let Kwak Han-mook know that I was sane.
"I didn’t become a prison guard."
"No, fuck."
Kwak Han-mook spoke in a faintly trembling voice.
"That’s not the problem right now."
" ..Excuse me?"
"What the hell is wrong with your eyes?"