Salvation Through Delusion C6

Chapter 6

What the—? Ms. Petal isn’t gone… she’s still on my back. Her limp arms are still hanging over my shoulders, her body still in my grip—everything’s exactly the same.

But why can’t I feel her weight?

Even as confusion flickered through my head, the answer dawned on me. I looked up, and the spirit was floating above, tilting her head at me.

“Did you do this?”

[I can’t lift Petal~ But Sparkly Eye can~ Sparkly Eye blows the wind~ Fwoooosh~ Just like this~]

Sparkly Eye?

I turned my head instinctively—and came face-to-face with a massive floating eyeball outside the window.

It was one of the floating creatures that had tormented me when I first crawled out of the pond. Back then, it had cackled and danced in front of me—but now, it was rolling its eye anxiously, avoiding my gaze like it was scared to death.

What’s wrong with it? Suspiciously helping me out of nowhere?

But I didn’t have time to question it. Maybe spirits just had some kind of mutual understanding. Whatever the reason, I wasn’t about to waste the opportunity. With lighter steps, I hurried down the stairs.

I stopped several times, worried I might get caught—but thankfully, everyone had already fled to the shelter. The building was empty.

The doors hung wide open, furniture overturned in chaos—a clear sign of how frantically people had run. Thinking of the terrified residents, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. A false monster alarm had caused real panic.

As I stood there, staring at the mess, the spirit’s urgent voice echoed beside me.

[Hurry~ Hurry, hurry~ You have to move~ Humans walk too slow~]

“Yeah, just a second.”

I excused myself and ran toward the first-floor kitchen I’d passed earlier.

If I was going to escape, I needed a weapon.

I was stuck in a strange world with no clue where I was going—and now I had an unconscious companion to protect. Even if I got out of the retreat, there was no telling what dangers lay ahead.

I rummaged through drawers and shelves but found nothing useful. Then—finally.

Alright, this will do.

In front of a wooden shelf, I spotted a long kitchen knife. A bit dull, but still solid enough. I wrapped it in a dishcloth and tucked it under my arm.

[Too slow~ Too late~ Humans move slower than caterpillars~]

Really? I grab one knife and suddenly I’m a bug? Swallowing my irritation, I just muttered, “Yeah, yeah,” and left the kitchen.

No matter how fast I ran, the spirit wasn’t satisfied.

[Slooow~ Hurry, hurryhurryhurry~~]

A Korean spirit, maybe? That tone of relentless nagging felt awfully familiar. The problem was this pathetic body. Even after running a short distance, I was gasping like my lungs were being ripped apart.

“Haah… hah… hah…”

[Move more~ Move your legs more~ Why don’t humans run on four legs~?]

If I could, I would.

[Aaaah~ You can’t even run on all fours~ Worse than a dog~ Aaaah~~]

You wanna start something? I wanted to snap back, but she wasn’t wrong. My legs were trembling despite the weightless body on my back.

Still, I finally circled the building and reached the stable—

“Ugh!”

A strangled noise escaped me as the sudden, crushing weight dropped back onto my back.

She’d turned heavy again.

Without warning. No signal. Just—bam.

Barely stopping myself from falling face-first, I glanced upward.

[Oh dear~ Sparkly Eye ran away~~ Sparkly Eye’s such a coward~]

Coward? Funny how that coward had no problem terrorizing me the other night.

I wanted to say something snarky, but the weight pressing down on my spine made it impossible to speak without groaning. After catching my breath, I grit my teeth.

“Fine. I’ll handle it from—”

Scrreeeeeee!

The sound tore through the air like nails raking against metal.

I froze.

It came from inside my head, resonating through my skull. Plugging my ears wouldn’t help—this wasn’t a sound you could block. The first time anyone heard it, they usually vomited or passed out.

Because there was only one kind of creature that made that noise.

“Why the… hell is there a monster here?!”

I clenched my teeth, but then—realization struck like lightning.

Wait. No way.

I looked up, horrified, at the spirit floating above.

Don’t tell me—

You didn’t just ring the bell… you actually brought a monster here?!

How—how the hell did you even do that?!

Scrreeeeeee!

My earliest memory of a monster was that same sound—

A monstrous, spider-like creature with eight legs and a body covered in glossy black armor.

Each had clusters of eye-like nodules across its head, though they didn’t use them to see. Those weren’t eyes—they were sensory organs that detected scent and sound.

And worse—

They could sense fear.

That’s how they hunted. Humans who thought they were safe, hiding in silence—those were always the first to die.

They covered cities like a tide of black insects, devouring everything in their path. And once you’d seen them—truly seen them—you could never escape the memory.

Their shells were impenetrable—ordinary weapons couldn’t leave a scratch. Even bombs didn’t work; they absorbed the kinetic energy and released it harmlessly, like mirrors reflecting light.

The only thing that worked—ironically—was pure, physical force.

The first Eye of Hell had opened for just five hours. In that time, the monsters that poured through took months to subdue—and even by the time the second Eye opened half a year later, not even half had been eradicated.

“Fuck.”

I spat the curse and broke into a sprint toward the carriages. The distance was less than ten meters, but it felt like ten kilometers.

I didn’t even know how I made it there. By the time I reached the first carriage, my back was bent into an awkward L-shape, Petal’s legs dragging limply against the ground. Somehow, I managed to grab the handle.

Click.

Locked. Of course it’s locked.

Panting, I yanked harder, but it wouldn’t budge. Without thinking, I set Petal gently on the ground and drove my elbow through the window.

CRASH!

Glass shattered and rained down, cutting into my skin. I ignored the sting, reached inside, and unlocked the door.

My only thought was to get her to safety.

“Urgh… ngh—”

My face flushed red from exertion as I heaved her into the carriage, pushing until she slid onto the floor. Slamming the door shut, I collapsed into the driver’s seat and grabbed the reins.

‘Mo, tell me how to drive this thing.’

[It requires carriage-operation magic. Currently unavailable.]

“What do you mean, unavailable? You told me this guy graduated because he knew that spell!”

[Correct. However, that single success required magical artifacts worth several mansions.]

“What?! Several mansions?!”

Goddamn it, Rue. I wanted to dig him up and throttle him.

But right now, I could barely hold myself upright, let alone resurrect anyone.

I jumped down from the seat and turned to the spirit.

“Stay here and guard your Petal. I’ll draw the monster away. If anyone comes, stop them. And if it’s too much to handle—get Sparkly Eye back to help you.”

[I can do it alone~~~!]

Well, she did summon a monster, somehow. Don’t know how, and I’m not sure I want to. That’s a mystery for later. For now, I had one goal—lead the monster away.

Scrreeeeeee!

The noise echoed again, closer this time. It was definitely near.

I crouched low and crept toward the exit—then noticed something.

A wooden post beside the carriage, with a coiled rope looped over it.

Rope. Knife.

Well. Looks like I don’t have a choice.

I gave a bitter laugh, stepped outside, and scanned the surroundings.

‘Mo, combat mode.’

The command barely left my lips before my heartbeat quickened.

Mo was rerouting all systems to focus on battle readiness. My vision sharpened, a faint overlay of glowing 3D lines mapping the environment in real time.

‘Analyze the terrain around the pond.’

In seconds, data filled my vision.

[Two depressions suitable for cover. Two narrow gaps the monster cannot pass through. Three elevation drops under one meter, one above.]

Colored dots appeared over the map as Mo marked each spot.

‘Find routes that could slow the monster down between the trees. You’ve memorized my preferred attack pattern?’

[Yes. Two routes match your typical engagement parameters.]

Red dotted lines shimmered across the projection, outlining paths through the forest.

Even in this unfamiliar terrain, the strategy came together instinctively—how to use the ground, how to lure it.

The problem, though, wasn’t the plan.

It was this damn weak body.