Theatrical Regression Life

HELHEIM SCANS

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Demon God ]

Chapter 95

Let this ugly struggle have meaning.

* * *

Normally, when a tree catches fire, it continues to burn until it rains. However, that wasn’t the case with the trees in the underworld.

'It extinguishes on its own.'

Jung Inho blinked as he watched the flames gradually die down.

He had felt this way before returning to the past, but common sense from the real world didn’t apply in the otherworld. Given the pitch-black sky with no light source, it might have been expected.

As the fire diminished, he held his breath, watching a dog-shaped monster wandering aimlessly, lost without the fire. Unlike the algae monsters, these creatures didn't have good eyesight, but they were fast runners and varied in size. Some were as small as toy dogs, making them difficult to find if they hid.

'Besides, they seem to have good hearing and smell...'

Getting away from them quickly was the wise choice.

Jung Inho turned his head to look elsewhere. In the distance, though still within sight, were two women he recognized, each crouching behind a different tree for cover.

'It would have been better if they had climbed the trees.'

But they must have been in a hurry too. Given their lack of experience climbing trees, it was easier to hide in those corners rather than drawing attention with unfamiliar actions.

Jung Inho observed a monster crawling in the opposite direction, and once the flames were completely out and the creatures vanished from sight, he moved. It was time to silently return to the two companions who had been hiding so well.

He looked at his blistered palm and switched his monkey wrench to the other hand.

'Still... I don't know why those things became aggressive.'

His blistered and skinned palm stung, but it wasn’t painful enough to scream. Jung Inho continued walking quietly, making sure the quadruped monsters wouldn’t hear him as he pondered.

'This never happened before.'

Those dog monsters, as odd as it sounds... were relatively gentle.

He hadn’t observed them for a long time, but if there was one thing Jung Inho was sure of, it was that they rarely attacked first.

Of course, some monsters did attack first, but that was due to their individual characteristics, as could be inferred from their appearances. Not all monsters were the same despite similarities.

But generally, the dog-shaped monsters reacted calmly. Even before returning to the past, when Choi Jungman kicked one in the belly, it just whimpered a few times and ran away. Although he later got ambushed by it, it wasn't particularly fierce.

So, Jung Inho thought the current reaction was...

'When they can't stand hunger.'

It’s when they catch the scent of food in such situations.

With that thought, Jung Inho erased the images of the quadruped monsters from his mind. As long as he was alive, he could ponder the cause later. For now, he had to focus on protecting his companions.

When he reached the spot where the two women were hiding, he called Kwon Yeonhee.

"Yeonhee-ssi, it’s me."

"...Ah, ah."

Her shoulders, which had tensed up in surprise, slowly relaxed. It was similar to how cats puff up their fur when startled, though not cute, it really looked like that.

Lifting her head and scanning the surroundings, she asked in a crawling voice.

"The, the monsters...?"

"They moved to the other side. They don’t seem to be moving by sight, but at least they probably won't come back here."

"Ah, that's a relief."

At that moment, Yoon Garam, who had been hiding behind another tree, approached them.

"Are you alright, Jung Inho-ssi?"

"...I'm fine."

Jung Inho asked Yoon Garam.

"Are you alright?"

It was a story about that mental state.

'I don't fully understand, but it must be a kind of trauma.'

In the time that no longer exists, Jung Inho learned what she was afraid of.

When Yoon Garam was in high school, she went on a trip to a mountain lodge with her family and experienced a major accident. The lodge, built from wood and nestled in the forest, caught fire and burned to ashes.

She was the only survivor of the incident.

"If you feel uncomfortable anywhere, please let us know right away."

"Yes, I will."

Jung Inho felt a familiar frustration at her awkward smile. She seemed to understand the meaning behind his words, and despite her apologetic expression, he couldn't feel the sincerity of her regret.

After staring at Yoon Garam for a moment, he smiled at Kwon Yeonhee.

"Of course, you too, Kwon Yeonhee-ssi."

"I will... do the same."

...Oh dear.

'Did she notice too?'

It seemed that Kwon Yeonhee had also learned about Yoon Garam's condition.

Although Yoon Garam hadn't yet explained her condition in detail, there was an inherent sense of unease about her. Something must have happened between them while they were inside the tree dome.

'No wonder they were staying apart instead of together.'

As Jung Inho maintained his forced smile, Yoon Garam nonchalantly spoke up.

"Where do you think Dr. Ha Sungyoon is?"

Jung Inho lifted his head at Yoon Garam's words.

"...Dr. Ha Sungyoon."

"And Kang Mina, and the two students. Noh Yeonseok too... they've all scattered."

"......"

"Even the director."

She paused and muttered with a sigh.

"Where could they be?"

"...I don't know."

"They keep disappearing whenever we look away."

HELHEIM SCANS

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Demon God ]

It sounded like she was speaking to a naughty child, but her voice wasn't like that. In the calm voice that seemed subdued, Jung Inho detected a hint of resignation.

As she watched the distant flames die down, Yoon Garam continued.

"Do you think they dislike us?"

Jung Inho couldn't respond.

"Director... dislikes us? Why?"

"I get the feeling he keeps trying to distance himself from us.... Maybe he finds us burdensome because we need so much attention."

"Uh..."

"Even though he’s always helped us..."

Her gaze swept over Jung Inho and Kwon Yeonhee.

"...this time, I'm not sure."

It wasn't that Director Lee Jaehun had abandoned them, but rather that they had abandoned him.

In truth, it wouldn't be strange if Director Lee Jaehun had run away from the group. He had sustained numerous injuries while protecting them, far surpassing the fingers on one hand, and had been their emotional support all this time.

'He always remained so composed, but if you looked closely, he was barely holding on.'

Then again, perhaps...

'...Maybe that's what scared them.'

Yoon Garam recalled the moment when Director Lee Jaehun stood up, coughing blood.

She didn't particularly like horror movies, but she sometimes watched zombie movies with friends. Or movies like ‘The Exorcist’, featuring demons.

And Director Lee Jaehun's appearance closely resembled those.

'The most certain thing is that he didn’t look human.'

But the person in question was undeniably human. A slightly deranged altruist who had sincerely helped them while bleeding profusely.

And they had turned their backs on such a person and ran away.

"...What should we do now?"

Yoon Garam touched her ear before lowering her hand again.

"When you went to help the director, he refused, right? That's why you came alone."

"......"

"Are we even allowed to seek him out?"

Jung Inho bit his lip at her seemingly worried voice and then released it. He tasted a faint hint of iron, which only made him feel more disturbed.

Unlike the two women here, he had spoken with Director Lee Jaehun.

‘Did you ever see us as humans?’

‘Of course not.’

‘…….’

‘How could I?’

They had a conversation....

"...For now."

"Yes."

"For now... let's find him."

Jung Inho muttered in a tired voice.

"We need to have a talk with him."

Director Lee Jaehun had been deliberately keeping his distance from them.

A similar situation had occurred when they first left the company, and given how Yoon Garam had just spoken, it was an undeniable fact. Jung Inho believed the reason was to create an environment where death was always an option. There was evidence for this.

And now, since being dragged by the algae monster, Director Lee Jaehun has been acting strange. Even if everything else was a mental issue, coughing up blood was a clear sign of a physical problem. If this were the real world, he would have been rushed to the emergency room long ago.

‘Director Lee must know this too.’

Yet, hiding his condition and continuing to distance himself meant two things, at least in Jung Inho's judgment.

‘That he hasn't given up on the option of death...’

And that he believed his condition posed a threat to the group.

For a moment, Jung Inho recalled the time when Director Lee Jaehun stood up, coughing blood. The discomfort in his entire body, the blood flowing from his mouth that left him panicked and confused, but in the end, he only said one thing to them.

‘Run away.’

From what?

"......"

What did Director Lee Jaehun want them to run away from?

He took Kwon Yeonhee’s hand and helped her up, saying,

“I'm worried about Dr. Ha Sungyoon, Yeonseok, and the others... but the director wouldn't have stayed in one place. He must have gone to find the scattered members."

"...Would someone be with him?"

"He’s not the type to do nothing all this time."

Director Lee Jaehun was keeping his distance, likely to create an environment where it was easy to die, but that wasn’t all. Given how he had bled while helping them, he might have been trying to stay away because he thought he would be a harm to them.

But it wouldn’t be for the ridiculous reason of being a burden. If there was anyone most skilled at survival, it would be Director Lee Jaehun. So the ‘harm’ he was worried about would be a real threat.

Since being dragged by the algae monster, his condition had worsened. His mental state appeared foggy, and mistakes had become frequent...

“Let’s find the director.”

All his abnormalities were connected to the algae monster.

Jung Inho looked at the bloodstains on his hands and continued.

"When I last saw him, he was bleeding...”

"......"

"If we follow the bloodstains, we should be able to find him quickly."

If the reason for Director Lee Jaehun's strange behavior, and his certainty that he would harm them, was related to the algae monster, if he was affected by it that night he was dragged...

One thing came to mind for Jung Inho, who had returned to the past.

“Let's move.”

...The algae monster had the ability to drive people insane and make them murderous.

And so, I killed someone.

HELHEIM SCANS

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Demon God ]