Necromancer Survival
chapter-424

Thud–!

When I opened the door, the floor in front of me gradually collapsed, as if it had been waiting for me. I had to stop abruptly–as if I was stepping at the edge of a cliff.

[OoKkeeKkee!]

The monkey leaped around as it looked behind us. Even if I didn’t turn around, I could tell Dawon was chasing me.

[Choi Lee-kyung, you’ll never find your way out of here anyway.]

Dawon didn’t even bother to respectfully call me ‘Hyung-nim’ anymore. I clenched my fist as if I had swallowed something bitter. Even if I needed to jump out of the building, I knew that I must avoid being caught by Dawon at all costs.

But suddenly, the hallway began filling with new blocks. The floor tiles turned black, and the once-red columns turned white. The previously straight path split into multiple alleys, and everything in front of me changed in real time. Dawon truly had the ability to reshape this entire mansion.

‘That isn’t unexpected, though.’

Of course, that didn’t mean I was giving in.

Without turning back, I threw myself into the newly formed space. As soon as I entered the hallway, yellow lights flickered on, almost as if they had been waiting for me. One by one, the lights illuminated in sync with my running, guiding me straight down the center of the path.

“Haah, cough…!” I ran so hard that sweat pooled down my back.

Numerous people stood waiting for me in the large hall I arrived at.

The moment they saw me, gasping for breath, their heads turned slowly, scanning me with an eerie gaze. The tranquility of their stares sent a shiver down my spine, but I soon sensed something off about these ‘people.’ Under the chandelier, I noticed the faint shadows of thin threads attached to each of them—just like the ones I had seen on the Shikigamis.

‘They’re all dolls.’

In other words, Dawon had prepared this ‘place.’

As soon as I realized that fact, the dolls began to back away as if they were making way for me.

Dawon was waiting for me in the center of the path created by the parting crowd…even though he was behind me until a little while ago. He wore black ceremonial robes, and stood behind a golden veil. His red eyes–the very thing I used to identify him–pierced through the golden threads.

[I told you that you can’t get away from here.]

Then, when Dawon deftly shook his hand, I unwillingly approached him, step by step. I was forced onto my knees in front of him; when I sat down, a beautiful melody began to flow forth from somewhere.

At the same time, dozens of motionless puppets began to perform synchronized actions. Some raised champagne glasses, while others danced with one another. The scene was surreal and unsettling.

Jingle–! Jingle–!

I was approached by the servants with bells dangling around their necks. They neatened my messy robes and started braiding my long hair with a pretty, oil-slicked thread…. Like they were preparing for a wedding banquet.

“……”

Regardless of my desires, my makeup was applied calmly. In this bleak situation, I couldn’t change my expression, but I was still allowed to speak freely.

I asked Dawon, “…What happens after the banquet?”

[You’ll accept *everything.*]

“You’re going to erase my memories?”

[No. You’ll realize that, no matter what you do, you’ll realize that you can’t get away from me.]

Dawon then unfurled the fan he was holding. The fan was unique in that it was made of bleached-white bone. Tattered black feathers were attached to it.

But, every time he swung the fan, this sloppy party populated by dolls began to feel increasingly ‘real.’

[The wedding will begin soon…]

[They’re the perfect pair…]

[How beautiful.]

Soft whispers began to rise from within the hall, which had been suffocatingly silent except for the flowing music.

I realized that the puppets, which all appeared identical at first, had suddenly transformed into distinct, lifelike figures, each focusing their attention on me. Dawon’s fan had begun showing me fantasies.

Even the void-dark face, discernible only through the glowing red eyes of this “Vengeful Ghost,” had returned to the original ‘Seo Dawon’s’ face. Moreover, this time, he did not adopt a child’s appearance but rather returned to the age of the ‘Seo Dawon’ I knew well.

“……”

[You seem to like this appearance.]

He smiled slightly, and the fan he held, once made of bone and feathers, had transformed into an elegant white fan adorned with jade.

‘I shouldn’t try to distinguish what is a hallucination.’

The moment I saw him, I steeled myself. I decided not to waste energy discerning reality from illusion. In fact, I had a strong hunch that trying to do so would only lead to trouble.

But, I thought there must be one last opportunity before the wedding ended. However, no matter how optimistic I was trying to be, I was getting nervous because everything was proceeding the way ‘Seo Dawon’ wanted.

I was still unable to move, but the servants appeared before us, carrying a small tray.

The try was actually a liquor table; two large glasses and a white, porcelain jar stood atop it. Dawon poured wine into one of the cups, filling it halfway, and then handed the bottle to me. I unwillingly followed suit, pouring the wine into the other cup. Though the porcelain jar had been filled with a brackish, blood-like liquid, the moment it poured out, the liquid transformed into a clear, fragrant wine.

‘I shouldn’t try to distinguish between the two…’

I kept blinking, trying to take my mind off the whole thing. I just needed to focus on one moment–the instance where Dawon wouldn’t be able to control me.

“Drink.”

“……”

And, just when I placed my lips on the glass…

[OoKkeeKkee!]

The monkey, lurking beneath the table, popped out and attempted to overturn the tray. Although the waiting attendants quickly restrained the monkey before it could cause much chaos, the brief distraction was enough for me. Instead of drinking the wine, I gnawed down on the cup.

Cr-r-r-unch–!

Fortunately, the remnants of the broken glass merely remained at the tip of my tongue. Dawon looked at me as if he was about to say something, but by then, the wine had already spilled all over me. In that instant, the animated movements of all the puppets around us came to a sudden halt.

‘No, perhaps they never even moved in the first place.’

I kicked off and rose to my feet; Dawon didn’t even try to hold onto me. He merely stood up gracefully and approached me.

But, at that moment, I felt a strange discordant feeling.

“Jo Chan-young…”

Dawon’s face had changed. He now looked like Jo Chan-young–as I recognized him from our brief meeting the other day.

I thought that even this might be a trap, but Jo Chan-young only approached me, holding out a dagger–the dagger I had used to slice through the Shikigami.

[This is your last chance.]

“……”

[The key is within you.]

His tone was rather business-like and objective, as if he were remarking on a given truth… As if the key was in my pocket.

Even after I was given the dagger, I stood there, dazed. Jo Chan-young didn’t rush me. I hesitated for a long while–still doubtful of his appearance, and then gave myself a light cut on the palm of my hand with the dagger.

“Nnngh…”

The sharp sting and the beads of blood that formed felt uncomfortably real. Whether it was my imagination or not, the pain seemed more like that of reality than of something contained to the “Vengeful Ghost Memory” that I was trapped in.

‘He told me to find the key…’

Then, he wants me to dig through my body with this dagger.

‘Until the end… Haah…’

I thought I should finish this quickly and sign the contract with Jo Chan-young. Therefore, though I was quite fatigued, I held the dagger high.

And, the moment I was about to swing–

–I suddenly saw my shadow.

I stood still and lifted my head, only to see Jo Chan-young grinning widely, his mouth stretched unnervingly. As soon as our eyes met, his grin vanished, replaced by a twisted grimace, his mouth opening as if to speak.

But this time, I was quicker.

I swung the blade over the invisible threads above my head. Surprisingly, as soon as I did that, I could see the strings connected to my shadow being cut.

[Ahahah!!! What a waste!!! Seriously, what a waste!!!]

For a moment, I heard a hysterical voice screaming from above: a mix of anguish and laughter, though I couldn’t tell if the being was mocking me or enraged.

Thump–!

Furthermore, Jo Chan-young’s large body, which was about to rush at me, suddenly bent over–as if the being controlling him had thrown him away.

Wary of the sudden situation, I looked around, but I heard nothing more. The only thing that remained was the summoning circle beneath my feet, flickering as it began to glow once again.

I was soon surrounded by a glare of light before I was moved into a dark space.

TL: This is as creepy as it is triumphant.