The Damn Family Is Back Again - Chapter 321



321. Loner (4)

In a short time, my mind was calculating faster than ever.

Kim Minhyuk.

Yes, that was my name.

The name I lived with in reality.

But how does he know this?

It’s impossible.

There’s no way he could know.

Because I didn’t live as Kim Minhyuk. I only lived as Carsein Bagland.

It was impossible for it to be mentioned.

The power of a prophet? There’s no way he could figure it out with something like that. Even though he was renowned as a prophet in the Peselos Empire and among the Westerners, we live in different worlds.

The system? It’s possible, I guess. But even if it knows my name, there’s no way it would reveal it. How could a system that only functions for me do that? By what means?

With a very faint hope, Pollux might know the name and be able to convey it. But, that can’t be. I have already figured out how tight-lipped he is.

In other words, it’s impossible.

There should be no way for Beneris to know my real name for any reason.

However, since this impossible thing happened, I gained another certainty on my side.

“Yes. That’s right. You were the same.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb. We’re in the same situation, aren’t we?”

A name written in three characters in Korean.

Unlike Pollux, a name that is neither new nor awkwardly called.

There is only one way to solve this great contradiction.

“It’s possible because you’re Korean. It’s possible because you were possessed by this game’s world. Am I wrong?”

“…Well. I don’t know.”

“Ha, you’re going to play dumb like that? Then shall I present some evidence? The Kingdom of Wederos has long since perished. But a prophet who suddenly appeared possessed the power of the Kingdom of Wederos. Thanks to that, a weather prediction device that would never be used here is being used. What do you think about this?”

“…”

“If it was solved only by prophecy, they wouldn’t have made a device to help with weather prediction. Just telling the weather would be enough.”

As I pressed him, driving the wedge in firmly, Beneris looked at me intently and spoke meaningfully.

“Those eyes… I see. You must have lived a hard life too.”

“What?”

“I once had eyes like that too. It’s not someone else’s business.”

I thought he was admitting it obediently.

Why is he suddenly saying such random things?

“The world must have been hell, right? People around you deliberately harassed you, and even though you were falsely accused of all sorts of things, no one helped you. The people who were next to you disappeared one by one, but the closest people made you the most miserable.”

“…!”

“Being alone, you must have been busy just trying to survive. So you relied on calculations, and something inside you must have gradually become paralyzed. But if you go through this twice, it’s natural for a person to be more broken.”

My head felt slightly numb.

This is practically a sign that he was possessed…

“…Tsk. Is this the end?”

He spoke with a bitter smile. Eyes looking at the void, not at me. Those eyes… as if looking at a status window.

But Beneris denied it himself.

He only showed vague answers or said he didn’t know to my pointed questions, never affirming.

‘Ha. Is that so.’

I realized the reason for the contradictory attitude.

In such a case, there can only be one reason.

The status window is sending a warning.

In that case, I should slightly change my words to not go against the system.

“Veneris. You have been active in the empire for a few more years than I have, right?”

“…Yes.”

“Then you must have found out something first?”

Veneris looked at the air for a moment and then turned his gaze back to me.

“Yes.”

Oh.

Is that so?

I have never directly used specific words like possession or player.

In other words, it is possible to have this kind of conversation without using the words that need to be avoided.

First, slowly.

It seems better to ask the most questionable point first.

“But before that, I have something to tell you in advance.”

“Hmm?”

“First, I need to let you know that you don’t have much time. You can no longer return to the place you stayed. The search has just begun.”

“…!”

“According to the prophecy, it seems that asking one question is the limit. It would be wise to use your time carefully.”

-Ding!

▶Warning! Someone among those chasing the player has found a trace!◀

▶The chase event is activated. The village of Eleor begins to be searched.◀

▶Compiling episode progress information…◀

…

…

I had forgotten because surprising things kept happening one after another.

Yes. I was trying to check the additional clear conditions and came in to fill the achievement.

Before that, the cold week was approaching, but I was thinking of leaving this place because I lacked money.

It was a situation where it wouldn’t be strange if a chase started at any moment.

‘Is it because of this that we have some time?’

▶The intimacy among the workers is high. Due to the friendly relationship, the chase speed is slowed down.◀

[ Chase Speed Reduction Rate: 10% ]

▶The intimacy with the key figure, Monen, is high. The chase speed reduction rate increases.◀

[ Chase Speed Reduction Rate: 25% ]

Good.

Then I must gather as much information as possible from here.

“I, Veneris, as the prophet of Wederos, will tell you what you want to know. Ask.”

*

There were too many things to ask.

Simply put, how to escape the current pursuit situation.

How to evade the chase event and what choices to make to avoid being caught by the family.

To satisfy the survival condition of Chapter 4, it was not enough to ask one by one.

But one must not be deceived by what is in front of them.

One must grasp the biggest thing.

One must get all the answers with a single question.

To do so.

This question must not be confined to Chapter 4.

There were two experiences.

Two experiences in reality and in the game.

As Veneris said, the world was hell.

Whether in reality or in the game, the fact that one was a picked-up child did not change.

A child not connected by blood was lucky enough to be picked up by a mentally ill mother and could live in a wealthy family.

But the reality faced was nothing but miserable.

Because there was no blood connection.

Therefore, one had to receive all the contempt and hatred.

One could not receive affection from the humans called family. At some point, even the only mother who had cared for them let go.

Then unexpected incidents and accidents occurred within the household.

I had to endure bullying, discrimination, and false accusations.

When I expressed my grievances, it only got worse. The more I got angry, the bigger the fault grew, like a balloon inflating.

Sometimes, I was physically abused, and it wasn’t just for a day or two. I lived with constant verbal abuse.

And this was from my family.

Was it any better outside?

Not really.

I had to endure all kinds of bullying.

I had to face discrimination different from others.

A persistent stigma followed me, making a normal life impossible.

There was no difference between the society at school and the aristocratic society.

If they decided to bully me, I had to endure it.

If they falsely accused me, it became my fault, and I couldn’t even express my anger properly, swept away by the surrounding public opinion. Even though I lived a wealthy life in a prosperous family.

Someone to help? There was no such person.

If the powerful family members had intervened, it would never have happened.

Knowing that even my family wouldn’t help, the bullying intensified.

As the anger piled up, it eventually turned cold.

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At some point, my attitude towards them became indifferent, and I got used to the abuse.

I didn’t consider those people as family.

I didn’t consider that place as home.

They were demons.

That place was hell.

To survive in a place where even family couldn’t be trusted, I had to live a solitary life.

Only to survive.

I let go of all connections with others.

I held a pen, endlessly calculating and recalculating.

Feeling only the cold blood flowing.

“…Is the calculation done?”

“Yes.”

In the endless calculations without writing a single formula, the conclusion was drawn.

In the end, it was compressed into a single question.

“I’ve experienced it twice. As such, most of the information matched almost perfectly. From the background of the Pesellos Empire and the Bagrand Duchy to the overlapping elements of specific characters, the events that were almost identical, and the answers and processes through the item called Memorial, everything was like that.”

-Thud.

Karsein struck the ground with the hilt of his sword.

“Except for just one thing.”

“…”

Veneris, who had been staring intently at the struck ground, shifted his gaze to Karsein.

“The Kingdom of Wederos. This alone doesn’t overlap. In any world, this had nothing to do with me. Moreover, you are clearly not the protagonist. So how did we end up in the same situation? Why do you and I share the commonality of possessing the power of the long-destroyed Kingdom of Wederos?”

“…”

“You know well that this isn’t the only thing, right?”

A simple game setting?

There are far too many gaps for that to be the case.

Thus, the question leads to one path.

“What exactly is the identity of this Kingdom of Wederos?”

The Kingdom of Wederos.

This itself holds the greatest contradiction.

If all the events so far have overlapped with reality, this alone does not.

Karsein… no, Minhyuk was convinced that this unnecessary element was the key to clearing the game.

A short silence ensued.

Veneris responded with a faint smile.

“You already know the answer. You’ve already heard it from Pollux, haven’t you?”

“From Pollux…?”

Karsein tilted his head.

“When did that ever…”

-So I thought. Both Veneris and you. Perhaps the reason you possess the power of the Kingdom of Wederos was to serve as a bridge to cross over to this place.

“No way…”

“That is the truth of this world.”

The prophet does not speak falsehoods.

If the Kingdom of Wederos is the only difference between the two overlapping worlds.

Possessing the power of the Kingdom of Wederos is merely a bridge. It was used as a means to possess a real human in the game, not just a game setting.

“But, but…! How can such an overlap make any sense?!”

“You might say it’s the same experience, but if the same thing happens consecutively, it’s not a coincidence.”

“…What?”

“Kim Min-hyuk, there was a reason you entered Carsein’s body. In other words.”

-Flap.

A piece of paper with the name Kim Min-hyuk written on it falls helplessly.

“It also means there is a reason you came here. Just like I did.”

“Wait, what does that…!”

Veneris turned around abruptly.

“Now, get out of here. The pursuers will be here soon. If you escape through the back, you’ll find a way out. And, according to the prophecy, there will be someone waiting for you.”

“…!”

-Ding!

【 The fate of someone else in this world will be determined by your choice. 】

【 You failed to save someone in the past, and that person eventually met their death. 】

【 This time, can you save them? 】

【 Your death brought despair to someone. This despair spread like a plague and anchored their soul here. 】

【 It’s not too late yet, Kim Min-hyuk. 】

▶Adding more secrets of the world.◀

【 It is inevitable. Coming here, and being possessed by Carsein’s body. 】

I want to ask more, but there is no time.

I had to run away to avoid the pursuers.

At this moment, Veneris left one last piece of advice.

“It would be better to look around more.”

Look around…?

Carsein kept mulling over those words.