Chapter 115: The Witch’s Hut Part 5

-Flash!!

A powerful light from [Sunlight] burst forth from my grasp.

-Sssssssss!

Like the sword of the Sun God Arzan, the sharp rays burned the shadows. Taking advantage of their hesitation, I turned around and started running. I didn't have enough strength. It felt as if the magical power was stiflingly trapped in my core like I was in someone else's body.

Let's head to the park!

If I reach the park, the situation will turn in my favor. Even though I currently have no totem, bow, or arrows, I am still…

A druid.

Even as I ran towards the park while straining my memory, the cawing of crows still echoed above me. Caw, caw, caw. That chilling cry, waiting for me to fall.

Unbelievable.

Who would die so easily?

Even if I die, I will die after seeing the face of the origin god!

I could see the park sign in the distance. I pushed myself to run faster. Just a little more, a little more! My breath was coming out in gasps. After all, right now I was in the body of an ordinary office worker, not a druid.

-Thud!!!

Maybe it was because I was in such a rush, but I ended up tripping right in front of the bushes. After rolling across the lawn and hurriedly getting up, I noticed something strange. I didn't feel any pain at all. It was as if the grass had cushioned my fall.

There was another odd thing as well.

This is…!

A radiant light of five colors was emanating from the inner pocket of my coat, where I had placed Beepy. I carefully reached into the pocket. I grasped something light, smooth, and hard.

It was a bow.

Even though my inner pocket was smaller than my palm, I had no doubt that what I was pulling out was a bow. Like the space ring, the bow slowly emerged from the tiny pocket. Even though its size was clearly too large to fit inside.

The bow gleamed softly with five colors as if it was carved from opal. I had seen this bow before. When I defeated Grizel, the bow had broken, and then…

Beepy had burst into flames and transformed into this.

With this, I could fight.

I stood up and climbed the nearby plane tree. Even though I was wearing dress shoes, I managed to reach the top with ease, as if the tree itself was supporting my feet. The branches and leaves gently parted to give me a clear view. I scanned the surroundings and saw a shadowy figure crawling from the alley.

-Grrr…

-Grrrr…

-Gulp!

It was devouring the surrounding darkness as it approached quickly. From the shadows cast beneath the glowing signs to those of the drunken people wandering around, the shadowy figure consumed everything. And the crows flying around it seemed to be searching for me.

I slowly pulled the invisible string made of light attached to the bow. Then, as the light slowly gathered in the center, a five-colored arrow appeared.

-Zzzzzt, zzzzzzt…

When I pulled the string to its limit, the five-colored arrow at the end began to spin and emit a sharp electric sound. Not yet, just a little more, a little more… I waited for the shadow to cross the park entrance.

-Thump.

-Swiiiiiiiiichhhh!!!

The moment the shadow stepped on and broke a tree branch, I released the string I had been pulling with all my might. The five-colored arrow spun long and fast, shooting out like a meteor shower.

By the time the shadowy figure realized it, it was already too late.

-Thud!!!

-Bubbling!!!

The arrow pierced precisely through the center of the shadowy figure. Like it was made of mud, the shadow exploded, briefly revealing something in its center. It was hard to distinguish due to the darkness, but it was about the size of a fist…

"…a heart?"

The thing that was pulsating was clearly a "heart" if I was not mistaken.

-Bubbling!!!

The scattered pieces of the shadow bubbled and then evaporated; it disappeared completely. The crows that had been circling around grew panicked and scattered in all directions. Some were struck by fragments of light and screamed as they fell.

-Beep…

With a feeble cry, the bow returned to its form as Beepy. It seemed to have exhausted all its strength to help me before collapsing into my palm. I gently placed it back into my inner pocket and carefully climbed down the tree. Then, I ran toward the park entrance where the shadowy figure had been.

"....!"

There, the black heart was still pulsating.

What on earth is this?

It was clearly a suspicious object. I turned on the faucet by the entrance of the park, held the cold water in my hands, and began to recite a spell.

"The clear spring is like the eye of the sacred forest; nothing can hide the truth from it…"

Though the faucet wasn't a spring, and the park wasn't a forest… It should still work, right? I poured the water I had collected over the still-pulsating black heart.

-Sssssss!!!

Fortunately, the spell worked. Along with the smell of burning, the shadow that had been congealed like black tar evaporated, and a clean bright red heart was revealed.

A heart.

"...."

Hearts were one of the magical materials frequently used by wizards and witches.

With this size, it must be the heart of a snow mountain monkey.

This must be the medium of the spell that created the witch's dark space. I placed a broken branch from the ground between my palms and said a brief prayer. Then,

-Thud!

I pierced the center of the heart with the branch.

The heart stopped without shedding a single drop of blood. Immediately, there was a sharp ringing in my ears. It seemed to be a phenomenon caused by the collapse of the "dark space". It felt like motion sickness and a wave of dizziness and nausea washed over me.

That wasn't the end of it.

At the same time, the space began to distort around the extinguished heart. Like a twisted coil, everything started spinning, merging, and splitting together. I had to make a considerable effort to stay conscious.

Amid the strange feeling as if my body was being reassembled, I felt a brief…

Sadness.

It's been so long since I saw my parents' faces…

Should I say I was fortunate to be able to feel this so vividly, or should I say I was unfortunate?

How were my real parents doing…?

I must return safely for their sake.

This thought seemed to help me maintain my sanity.

***

When I opened my eyes again, there lay a collapsed unknown woman in front of me. Her identity was easy to guess. With hair as white as the snow of the silver mountains, this woman was undoubtedly the "witch".

She must have been shocked because I destroyed the medium of her spell. I clutched my throbbing head and got up.

"You're finally awake."

A familiar voice sounded from behind me.

"…Sir Khalid?"

"Too late, way too late."

He grumbled in his usual nonchalant tone. What? Did Khalid never enter the dark space in the first place?

Perhaps noticing my puzzled expression, Khalid let out a chuckle.

"I'll explain everything in time, but why don't you start by untying this?"

Now that I looked, Khalid's body was tightly bound by something. On closer inspection, it was a chain with a magic stone embedded in the middle. Behind him, a golem lay half-destroyed and scattered everywhere.

"What on earth happened here?"

I struck the magic stone with Hydra's fang, shattered it, and then broke the chain. Perhaps because his body had been stiff, Khalid couldn't get up right away and began massaging his limbs while leaning against the wall.

"You managed to escape the dark space. For a druid… you're quite an unusual guy, Theodore."

"You flatter me."

"That there is the crazy witch."

Khalid pointed out the fallen woman with a nod of his head.

"Since she's like that, I assume you destroyed the medium of the spell?"

"Yes, it seems so. It looked like the heart of a sow mountain monkey…"

"Haha, a snow mountain monkey."

Snow mountain monkeys were among the fierce wild animals living in packs in this harsh mountain terrain. They were as dangerous as goblins. If there was just one, it wouldn't be a problem, but facing three or more made things quite tricky. Because of this, the fur, tail, and feet of a snow mountain monkey were rare magical materials.

"If you destroyed the medium, she won't be getting up anytime soon due to the shock."

"Still, it's best to restrain her, right?"

I used the chains that had bound Khalid to tie up the fallen witch. Perhaps due to the severe shock from the medium's destruction, two streams of blood were flowing from her nose.

"The illusion you experience must have been as real as reality itself. So how did you know?"

"Well, for me, 'reality' has a slightly different meaning than usual."

Quite different indeed. If you compare the Republic of Korea on Earth where I used to live, and this pseudo-medieval land that is.

"Rather than that, what about the others…?"

"Since you destroyed the medium, everyone will wake up soon."

Khalid gestured towards a corner of the hut. There, our companions were also asleep.

"Until then, let them enjoy a bit of happiness. Forcing them awake could damage their minds."

"Happiness?"

"Yes. They say the illusions in the dark space created by the crazy witch are so beautiful and happy that you don't want to wake up."

"..."

It wasn't exactly like that for me.

Sure, seeing my parents' faces and enjoying a peaceful life was nice. But the crows and shadows…

They certainly didn't bring any happiness.

I looked at the witch with a serious expression. Did she know about my true identity? Is that why I dreamed of my previous "reality"?

"Why that face?"

"Do you know how these 'illusions' work?"

"It's simple. They show the person what they desire the most."

"..."

"Why you ask?"

"I don't think I saw only what I desired."

"What do you mean?"

"Is it possible for another power to interfere with the 'dark space'?"

"Impossible. It's a private space of the witch or wizard."

"Really impossible?"

"..."

At my question, Khalid narrowed his eyes and stared at me.

"What exactly did you see, Theodore?"