Chapter 27
Chris was the exact opposite of lazy me. He was so diligent that he couldn’t let time slip by without doing something, using every minute and second efficiently.
…Just like I used to be.
How much time had passed? Chris came down, carrying two full garbage bags.
“Boss, where do I take out the trash?”
“The back door…”
Before I could even finish speaking, Chris swiftly went out, shouting, “I’ll do a patrol round while I’m at it.”
Shortly after returning, Chris prodded me with his foot.
“Hey, go upstairs and rest.”
“A part-timer kicking the boss with his feet…”
Now Chris was pushing me with a broom. I finally gave up and got up from where I lay.
“Stairs, my eternal nemesis…”
I groaned as I climbed up.
“You’re all smiles in front of customers. The two-faced boss, huh?”
Chris clicked his tongue loudly enough for me to hear.
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The posters Chris had been making during his spare time had piled up. They were adorned with vivid cocktail illustrations, almost professional quality. I couldn’t stop admiring them.
“Wow! These are impressive!”
“This is basic stuff.”
Chris shrugged nonchalantly.
Despite not knowing his full story, it was surprising to see such a fearsome final boss from another dimension have this kind of talent.
The posters were filled with cocktails in warm colors.
“There’s quite a variety too.”
“I drew them by copying the ones you make.”
“Got it, decision made! Since it’s a day off, let’s go put up these posters.”
Today’s schedule was set on the spur of the moment. We’d put up posters in the busy streets and attract potential customers with free tasting samples.
“Go where?”
“Downtown. To another dimension, that is.”
“Another dimension…”
It was better to show him directly than explain it a hundred times.
I packed the posters in my bag and opened the door.
“Follow me.”
“Where is this place?”
Chris, who had followed me through the door, was stunned.
Even though he knew about the existence of dimension-crossing doors?
Well, I suppose intellectually knowing is different from viscerally feeling it. I calmly explained.
“There’s a special magic cast on this door. This allows us to cross over to other dimensions.”
“This is unbelievable..”
Chris trailed off, lost in thought for a moment before slowly opening his mouth again.
“I can’t believe it. To think merely crossing through a single door could lead to a peaceful place, or one where people fight to kill each other.”
Chris seemed deeply shocked and kept mumbling to himself. He looked so unexpectedly innocent that I found myself staring at his face.
There are two kinds of final bosses: those who are innately evil and those who are made evil by circumstances.
Chris seemed to be the latter. He came from a harsh dimension, after all.
If that’s the case, just like I changed the keywords in the ‘Regressor Lady’ dimension, maybe I could suggest a different path for Chris too.
‘He doesn’t seem like the final boss just yet.’
I had no intention of meddling outright. I just wanted to help this suspicious loner find a bit of relaxation.
That was all.
“Can’t you return to your dimension?”
“It’s impossible since I don’t know where it is.”
“I wonder what’s become of my dimension by now…”
“Well, what major incident could have happened in the meantime?”
I answered nonchalantly.
What could happen if you disappeared from the world for a few days?
Unless you’re a king or something, there wouldn’t be any significant problems. People around you would worry, but that’s it.
Since crossing over dimensions, Chris had become more taciturn than usual. He must be thinking about the place he originally lived.
Perhaps he was reminded of someone he missed.
‘I envy that.’
No one would miss me.
What stung even more was the fact that I had no one I particularly missed either.
‘I do miss my friends sometimes.’
But there were no faces that came to mind before bed. No one whose memory would bring tears to my eyes.
The only inconvenience I felt nostalgic for was the internet and how food and goods could be delivered to my doorstep at just a tap of my fingers.
But what use was any of that, really?
“……”
Lost in my own complicated feelings, I too fell silent. Even as the silence stretched, we took in the sights of this unfamiliar dimension.
‘I need to work hard if I want to pay next month’s subscription fee.’
Time was cruelly ticking away, after all.
‘Right, I should start hustling.’
An ordinary commercial district would be ideal, but for some reason, the scenery before me was bleak.
A desolate field devoid of any vegetation. Looking up, jagged cliffs jutted out sharply here and there.
“We should probably go back and look for another dimension first.”
“How do we return?”
“There’s a way…”
The moment I reached to grab Chris’s arm so we could go back together—
Woosh!
A fierce gust of wind blew, knocking me sprawling to the ground.
“Who’s there!”
Chris brandished a mop, blocking the path of the suddenly appearing ‘something.’
“Kkkkigiikk…“
Making a strange noise, the creature was a gigantic insect, as big as a bear.
Faced with its towering silhouette, I broke out in a cold sweat. The pain from hitting the ground was overwhelmed by the terror looming before me.
I was paralyzed, crushed by the overwhelming presence of a creature that had lived its whole life as a predator.
“Boss, let’s make one thing clear.”
Chris’s voice was colder than usual. Without taking his eyes off the insect, he asked me,
“That thing isn’t your ally, right?”
“Of course not…”
I managed to reply.
Thinking about it, it was only natural. Out of the countless dimensions, how many would be friendly to humans like me?
Horror and survival genres have a long history.
Many of them end with total annihilation.
If I can’t even qualify as a supporting character in this dimension, let alone the protagonist…
‘It’s dangerous.’
I barely managed to get back on my feet. It seemed I had twisted my ankle from the fall as a stinging pain shot through it.
“Come here! Don’t recklessly fight it, we need to get back…”
Before I could finish speaking, the giant insect charged straight at Chris.
As he rolled to evade it, the massive bug switched its target to me.
“Well, what do we do now?”
Before I could even think of turning to run, Chris found an opening and lunged at the giant insect. His fist pierced its soft spot, and the once intimidating creature collapsed with a thud.
“It seems they have no intention of letting us go.”
Chris, having swiftly dealt with the giant insect, dashed towards me.
With a sense of urgency, even.
“Why…”
“Watch out!”
Woosh!
The giant insects swarmed in from all directions, emitting an ear-splitting screech.
It wasn’t just one. We were surrounded by over a dozen of the massive bugs.
‘Too many!’
The relentless barrage of attacks made my vision spin.
“Damn it. Do you have a way to get back?”
“You have to hold my hand… Ugh, or I can go back alone and come back for you…”
“Are you crazy? We’re going together. Where do you think you’re going alone!”
Chris shouted that if I went back alone, he would curse me for the rest of his life.
“!”
Of course, we had no time to argue. The insects’ attacks continued relentlessly.
I dodged their razor-sharp pincers, only for some creature to grab my shoulder. I tried removing my coat, but the tighter I struggled, the deeper its claws dug into me.
“This thing!”
Chris rushed towards me, but the insect took flight faster, carrying me along with it.
<Warning> Retreat is recommended.
Since the insect grabbing me was merely a monster and not the protagonist, the system seemed able to exert its power.
‘Telling me to retreat alone?’
That would safely return me to the cocktail bar.
But…
‘What about Chris…’
I looked down at Chris’s diminishing figure in my vision. We were already so high that it was impossible to resist. Falling from this height would be fatal.
<Warning> Retreat is recommended.
We may not have been particularly close, but I was still his employer.
It wasn’t about the 3,000 coins.
‘Chris is in danger because of me.’
I recalled a time when the bar manager had dumped an overwhelmingly large event on me alone, sneering “Just handle it” as he left.
I had managed to pull it off, but was utterly drained afterward.
What had the bar manager said back then?
“See? I knew you could do it. When you’re young, you have to take on challenges, Lee Sena.”
At the time, I could only force a smile, but resentment still lingered in my heart.
Chris was now surrounded by nearly a dozen towering insect monsters.
‘If I go back alone… I’ll be the worst bar manager in any dimension.’
I swallowed hard. We were still alive. As long as we were alive, there had to be a way out.
“Lee Sena!”
At that moment, the giant insect abruptly soared even higher. The violent flight felt like my internal organs were being shaken loose.
“Oh, please fly smooth…”
I felt like I could vomit up my insides any second.
How much time had passed?
The moment that felt like an eternity ended as my body was flung to the ground. The rough surface grated my skin raw.
‘It hurts…’
As I cradled my arm, an insect’s compound eyes filled my vision.
Hundreds of tiny eyes, all filled with my reflection.
The chilling terror made me hold my breath.
“Kkiiiii…”
Insects slightly smaller than bears approached, making an eerie sound.
The reason I had been captured alive was clear.
‘They’re going to feed me to their young.’
I had to do something to avoid being eaten.
But what?
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Thank you for reading! ♡
