The Whispers in the Dark

But the more I listened, the more I felt I lacked the capability.

How was I supposed to seal a Demonic Sword that even Jeong-won hadn’t perfectly contained? It was a task far beyond my level to tackle simply because I had a talent for debuffs.

“I—I really can’t do it!”

“You can. I’ll show you.”

However, whatever Jeong-won had seen in me, he replied with a voice full of absolute conviction.

He then approached the wall, intending to show me the sword. He gripped the hilt and detached it from its mount.

Watching him, I spoke up.

“Didn’t you say that sword… is dangerous?”

“Drawing the blade from the scabbard is truly dangerous, but I can control it at the level of simply holding the hilt. Of course, anyone touching this sword without prior knowledge would try to draw it immediately.”

It was then. No sooner had he finished speaking than the sword began to vibrate with a low, thrumming hum.

As soon as I heard the sword’s “cry,” a chill ran down my spine. It felt as if a multitude of people were sobbing in deep sorrow.

Furthermore, a black aura began to manifest around the blade. The aura slithered up Jeong-won’s body like a snake.

The mist coiled around his limbs and neck, its sharp tips constantly trying to prick at his eyes and ears—as if it were trying to burrow into his mind.

“D-Danger—!”

“It’s alright. I am currently protecting myself with a skill. Look closer. Concentrate, just like when you were drawing the circle.”

At his words, I tried to steady my pounding heart.

I slowly opened my eyes, and something I hadn’t seen before—a faint, hazy film—was wrapping around Jeong-won’s body.

“……Oh?”

“Can you see my skill now?”

“What is this?”

“It’s one of my skills, ‘Blade Veil.'”

The hazy barrier surrounding Jeong-won looked, upon closer inspection, like a hedgehog bristling with sharp thorns. The translucent shroud flickered as it stood its ground against the encroaching aura of the Demonic Sword.

“Now, take a step back.”

I followed his instruction and stepped back. As soon as I did, Jeong-won took a step back as well.

Keeping that distance, he told me to place my hands on the floor and draw a circle.

“This floor is made of a special material, a type of Sealing Stone. Before I plunge this Demonic Sword into the floor, draw a circle to surround and protect yourself.”

“Can a circle really protect my body?”

“Because it is an energy imbued with your unique properties, it will be heterogeneous to the energy of the Demonic Sword. Distinguishing between the two is the most important part.”

With that final word, before I could even stop him, he thrust the Demonic Sword straight into the floor.

Sssssst— Zap!

Sparks flew from the sword like a welding torch. And the moment I finished drawing my circle, the Demonic Sword began to shudder violently.

Jeong-won now gripped the hilt with both hands, his expression grim and focused.

[Gyaaaaaaaah—!]

From that moment on, an indescribable, grotesque sound erupted from the blade. Simultaneously, the soft light that had illuminated the room vanished instantly. It felt as if I had been cast into a pitch-black void all alone in a matter of seconds.

“J-Jeong-won!”

“I am still right where I was. Do not worry.”

Though he was invisible, Jeong-won encouraged me with his voice, as if being mindful of my terror.

“…….”

I kept my hands firmly on the floor and looked around the space where I sat.

Outside the small circle surrounding my body, everything had turned a total, absolute black, but inside the circle, I could faintly see the silhouette of my own body. The circle itself held a weak light.

‘……It’s colder than before.’

I swallowed hard, my mind racing.

Vroom—.

Then, a low buzzing sound echoed from somewhere. It was coming from the spot where Jeong-won had been standing.

I lifted my head toward that darkness and flinched so hard I nearly pulled my hands off the floor.

I felt something black and massive slowly circling me. I wondered if this was how one would feel meeting a whale while sinking into the deep ocean.

On the verge of tears, I called out to him.

“Jeong-won? I… I’m really scared.”

But Jeong-won merely replied calmly, as if he knew exactly what I was seeing.

“No matter what form it takes to threaten you, it cannot harm you. This sword only attacks the one holding it.”

“Haah… okay.”

“From now on, you won’t even be able to hear my voice. Do not let yourself be deluded, even if you hear strange sounds. Remember. You must not take your hands off the floor—”

Regrettably, his voice cut off abruptly before he could finish. Panic rising, I tilted my head back and cried out for him.

“……Hello? Hello! Jeong-won? Jeong-won!”

And then, I was alone.

If I could have felt even a hint of a presence, I would have believed it was Jeong-won and endured.

But after his voice vanished, a suspicion crept in that I was truly the only one left in this space. No matter where I looked, there was only obsidian darkness.

I considered expanding the circle, but it wouldn’t move, as if it were wedged tightly into the space.

No, in fact, the size of the circle was slowly shrinking, as if something were gnawing away at it. My nerves frayed as I watched the black fog encroaching on my boundary.

“Why… why put me here…….”

Resentment toward Jeong-won began to sprout. How could he thrust such a massive task onto me when we had barely started our lessons?

“……I can’t die here.”

I had worked so hard to come back; I couldn’t die such a hollow death. But the cold grew more intense, and Jeong-won’s voice remained silent.

I looked around. And when I turned my head forward….

Thump—

I heard the sound of something colliding with my circle.

It was trying to enter my circle from behind. Cold sweat began to pour down the back of my neck. Moreover, because I had both hands planted on the floor, I couldn’t even turn around.

During that time, the ‘thing’ slammed into my space from behind once more.

Thump—!

Judging by the vibration, which was stronger than before, I felt it was a deliberate attack.

“Wh-What is it?”

I muttered to myself.

“Hansol.”

Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind me.

“Huh? Jeong-won?”

Relieved, I was about to take my hands off and turn around, but my body was stiff from holding the same posture for so long.

As I struggled to lift my hands, the voice behind me spoke again.

“That’s right, it’s me.”

“…….”

But… something felt wrong. A sense of inexplicable revulsion washed over me.

“Look at me. Turn around.”

Thump—!

And as it spoke, it was… kicking the space behind my back. My skin crawled, and I clamped my mouth shut.

“Hansol-ah~ Hansol-ah~.”

A moment ago, I thought it was Jeong-won’s voice, but listening closely, it was a bizarre sound—a mix of a woman’s and a man’s voice.

‘They,’ who had been calling my name in a sing-song manner, seemed to grow annoyed that I wasn’t moving and began to kick the perimeter of my circle violently.

The echoing recoil made me feel nauseous. But the fear was far greater.

“Hansol, if I catch you, I’ll tear you apart!”

“Hahahaha! Look how scared he is.”

“Hansol, Hansol, Hansol…….”

Now, they began to leave black handprints all over the circle. Watching the hand shapes being pressed rapidly against the edges, I squeezed my eyes shut to keep from fainting.

Screeech, skritch.

But the grotesque hands touching the circle were now making a scratching sound, as if trying to rip through my visualization to get inside.

I didn’t want to open my eyes, but I felt something drawing closer and could no longer ignore it. To them, I must have looked like a fish in a transparent tank.

My teeth chattered so hard I had to clench my jaw, biting my lip in the process. Then, I shouted my skill.

“[Darkened Eyes].”

It wasn’t that I thought the skill would work on them. I just felt like I would go insane if I didn’t do something.

But amazingly, shortly after I used the skill, the strange noises stopped!

“Haah, haah…….”

Catching my breath, I tried to figure out a way to escape this situation.

However…….

“You’re a Player, aren’t you?”

The moment I felt a sense of relief, someone whispered right into my ear.