ALL NOVEL Chapter 37
“It’ll sting a bit.”
Yu Da On leaned over and wrapped a handkerchief around my arm.
As the cloth touched the wound, a sharp pain hit me, making me instinctively furrow my brow.
“Ouch, it really hurts.”
“Of course it hurts when someone gets stabbed.”
“Hearing that from someone who had their neck chopped off by an axe makes it a bit less credible.”
Yu Da On leaned in closer, tightening the handkerchief around my arm.
“Ah!”
“First aid complete!”
With a smile, she gently flicked the end of the ribbon she’d tied and gazed out the window.
“Still, this is a big problem. I have no idea where we are.”
“You’re right.”
I stared at the dark mountain path that was completely shrouded in uncertainty. Not only did we have to rely solely on the vehicle’s headlights, but we had no clue about the way ahead.
“There’s no signal, right?”
“Yep, none.”
Song Ah Rin nodded with a sigh, her voice heavy with disappointment.
After we managed to escape safely, the first thing I wanted to confirm was whether Jang Chae Yeon and Song Ah Rin were still connected.
If anything happened to Jang Chae Yeon or if she went too far away, I was worried that the method might get cut off.
When I checked with Song Ah Rin, she said that even now, whenever she sees me, she feels a strange sensation, which meant Jang Chae Yeon should be fine.
I had hoped we might be able to contact headquarters too, but unsurprisingly, we were completely out of coverage.
“Shouldn’t we be worried about the team leader?”
“Oh, the team leader.”
Song Ah Rin’s sulky tone made me think of him.
“He should be fine.”
“You sound oddly confident.”
“He’s the kind of person who deserves that confidence.”
He was someone who had returned from the Dream of the Butterfly incident unscathed and had resumed his duties before me.
If the day ever came when the team leader dies, it would probably be on a day when a missile or something equally catastrophic falls right in the middle of the city.
But then again, unlike the four of us, we couldn’t drag someone around who had zero combat skills.
I brushed my throbbing wound and looked at Song Ah Rin.
“A-Rin.”
“…Huh. What is it?”
Song Ah Rin took a deep breath and faced me.
“How much do you know about the Mountain God incident?”
“About the Mountain God incident, huh?”
Song Ah Rin narrowed her eyes, lost in thought.
“To be honest, I don’t know much. Probably as much as the white-haired one does.”
“I see.”
So she refers to Jang Chae Yeon as the “white-haired one.” That makes Yu Da On and me the “black-haired ones,” I suppose.
I pondered her words, my curiosity piqued again, wondering where I could find detailed information about the Mountain God incident…
There it was.
I pulled out the manual from my pocket.
“…I didn’t think of that.”
Looking at the manual, Song Ah Rin sighed while rubbing her forehead.
Focusing intently, I opened the manual.
Let’s see, Mountain God… Mountain God…
Soon enough, the manual spread open to the desired page.
[Manual for Office Staff]
[PRV – ‘Mountain God’ – Isolation Team Lee Sung Hoon’s Record]
[The entity was first discovered 30 years ago at XX city, YY district.]
[As has been the case, entities referred to as ‘gods’ are inevitably influenced by the largest faith—which is
[The damages caused by this incident include
“…”
“Any insights?”
“Not particularly.”
While the specific details eluded me, one thing became clear.
The weakness of the mountain lodge owner I had seen first, and the weakness and background of the baby-like statue.
At first, I thought it was just playing tricks on my eyes, like with the Cube incident, but it was something else altogether.
‘You who fail to comprehend the words of the god, the time has come for them to become true, so here it is.’
‘All tears shall be wiped from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’
All of this was, quite literally, the background and weakness.
If so… the background could be considered the god that died 30 years ago returning.
And what about its weakness?
Reading it plainly meant it did not have a weakness.
A headache struck me. I needed to shift my focus elsewhere.
I recalled what I had seen in the manual.
‘A being referred to as a god takes on a form that mixes folk faith and mainstream religion.’
‘If god existed, then a management agency wouldn’t be necessary, right?’
As I pondered this, I remembered what Song Ah Rin had said in the train.
Seated in the passenger seat, I fiddled with the ends of the ribbon tied around my arm as Yu Da On cleared her throat and called for me.
“Kim Jae Heon.”
“Yeah?”
“If you’re feeling alright, shall we move again?”
“Sure, let’s go.”
“Alright, then let’s try to find an exit or a village first.”
After discussing among ourselves, we decided it would be a viable approach to find an exit and call for help, or if that didn’t work, to wander around searching for Jang Chae Yeon or, if possible, the team leader.
Yu Da On skillfully released the handbrake and manipulated the gear.
Her proficiency showed; it was evident she could handle a type 1 vehicle.
I can only drive a type 2 automatic.
I wonder if I could drive something like a bulldozer later on.
The car began to rattle as it drove along the bumpy road.
“Let me know immediately if we lose contact with Chae Yeon, A-Rin.”
“I got it.”
Song Ah Rin grumbled, twisting a lock of hair around her finger.
“There shouldn’t be any issues; the white-haired one will be fine.”
“You seem confident.”
“It would have been too easy for someone to die if they’re truly that weak.”
Her tone was oddly self-assured.
An uneasy silence hung in the air.
Aside from the rattling of the wheels against the poorly maintained road, no one spoke up first.
“This is the third time we’re going this way.”
Song Ah Rin crossed her arms and broke the silence.
I suddenly lifted my head, glancing back as I had been lost in thought about weaknesses, phrases, and backgrounds.
“Huh?”
“I had a weird feeling, and I kept seeing that crooked tree as a marker, so I kept turning around.”
Song Ah Rin continued while looking outside.
“Even though the black-haired one changed direction, we keep returning here.”
“…”
Yu Da On and I remained quiet.
“We’re going in circles. I don’t think we can find an exit.”
It seemed like the worst-case scenario I could envision had hilariously come to fruition.
“Then it looks like escaping has become a non-option.”
“I’ll try looking for another way.”
Yu Da On said cheerfully, then pressed the accelerator again.
How long had we been driving outside?
“Hey, there’s something over there.”
“Yeah. I see something.”
A soft light appeared.
It looked like the kind of glow found in a village.
“Must be a village, right?”
“Looks that way.”
Yu Da On and I looked closely towards the light.
“Should we head there…?”
“At this point, we have no choice.”
In our current situation, we couldn’t afford to retreat.
Even if it was dangerous, we had no alternatives but to step forward.
“Driving there feels like a suicide mission, so let’s walk from here.”
“Sounds good.”
We quietly opened the doors and got out of the car.
If we could see it clearly, it didn’t seem too far away.
“What are we going to do once we get there?”
“I need to hypnotize as many people as possible.”
In response to my words, Song Ah Rin hesitated.
“…Sure. If that’s what you want, I’ll do it.”
Maybe I should just keep Jang Chae Yeon connected for life.
“And then?”
“Well, let’s find Chae Yeon… and then track down the mastermind to either overcome or destroy it.”
“That sounds easier said than done.”
Song Ah Rin sighed deeply.
“Let’s assume everyone there is a follower of the god. It’s best to operate under that assumption. Trust no one.”
“Understood!”
“Even if you tell me to trust you, I won’t.”
Leaving behind the brightly responding Yu Da On and the grumbling Song Ah Rin, I began to walk slowly toward the light.
*
Indeed, the village was not far away.
“The lights are on, but… it feels a bit strange?”
“True.”
I couldn’t help but agree with Yu Da On’s observation.
It didn’t feel like there were any people living in the village.
Only the lights were on; there were no animal sounds or human voices—no signs of life whatsoever.
“…It feels like a village of dolls.”
Yu Da On murmured with a disturbed expression as she stepped into the village.
“I’ll lead the way; you two keep some distance and follow.”
With that, both Song Ah Rin and I nodded and started following her.
The more we walked into the village, the stronger the eerie vibe became.
Yu Da On, who was leading, suddenly crouched low and gave us a signal, prompting us to drop quickly.
Through the window, we could see the silhouette of a person.
Were they eating something? Two figures illuminated by the orange glow of the window cast shadows.
As Yu Da On attempted to crawl forward while still crouched—
Something felt off.
I peeked through the window.
They were sitting in chairs, yet didn’t make any movement to eat.
Like dolls.
“…That’s not a human.”
I whispered, pointing at the figures visible through the window.
Song Ah Rin and Yu Da On looked at them too, their eyes widening in realization.
“Wow, you’re right.”
“Then this really is a doll’s village, huh?”
Yu Da On inched closer, whispering.
“Still, we should be careful.”
Given our previous experience with clay dolls at the mountain lodge.
“If all our opponents are like this, I’m really going to be useless.”
Song Ah Rin muttered bitterly as she crawled along the ground.
Sometimes crawling, sometimes bowing low while continuously observing our surroundings.
As Yu Da On had said, this truly was a doll’s village.
There wasn’t the slightest trace of human presence.
Above their heads floated the same labels.
[Name: Human]
[Age: -]
[Traits: -]
[Talent: -]
[Background: And the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.]
[Weakness: All humans are destined to return to dust upon death.]
It felt like a lightning bolt struck my brain.
“…They say that god created man from dust.”
I spoke slowly, crawling forward, while Song Ah Rin and Yu Da On turned to look at me.
“Right.”
“What if this place is paradise?”
“Paradise?”
“What if, just like Adam and Eve were born in the Garden of Eden, this is the Mountain God’s Eden?”
Song Ah Rin froze at my words.
“The birth of a god.”
“Huh?”
“Time is running out.”
Song Ah Rin looked at me and Yu Da On, her expression grave.
“We don’t have time. If we don’t resolve this now… it’ll escalate to a level four disaster.”
“What do you mean by—”
Bang!
As Yu Da On was talking, the top of her head exploded off.
Blood sprayed, and she collapsed, pushing herself against the floor with her hands.
“Cough! Cough!”
Her head regenerated as if it were reforming, and Yu Da On clutched her neck and coughed.
“Ugh, dirt got in my mouth!”
“Get back!”
Ignoring Song Ah Rin’s urgent voice, a clay doll reached out its blood-soaked hand, turning its head towards the cloudless sky.
As if waiting for the day it might become human.