The F-Class Healer Omega is a Villain [BL]
Chapter 30: I’m the only threat

Chapter 30: I’m the only threat

"But you won’t be able to see them."

Cheon Areum stood up with Yoon Seoyul as he spoke. Hwan held his chin, thinking. Inho was the one to probe further.

"What do you mean? Are they invisible?"

"Not exactly, but I need to confirm something first."

Cheon Areum walked over to the stall, and as he expected, there was no one behind it—though he had been watching over it so no one could slip out. They couldn’t have gone anywhere else, either, since the stall’s back was a wall.

"You saw something, right?"

Inho searched the stall thoroughly as he asked. The others and Kim Ryung had separated from them since the non-guild members were insisting on checking out the buildings. He had sent Kim Ryung with them so he could fire a signal into the sky to let them know if they encountered any monsters or wanted to regroup—and Cheon Areum could also call them back if he wanted but not now.

I just hope they haven’t fallen into any traps...

"It was an illusion. All of you must have felt it too—the feeling of being watched from somewhere. That’s also an illusion. Don’t believe anything or anyone from this town."

He had read in the book that monsters would sometimes take on human form to fool real humans and gain their sympathy through shared language. This type of behavior was usually found in S-Class gates, where these kinds of tricks were everywhere—but this was different from that, too.

"Wow, you hear that, Hwan? If it wasn’t for me, you would’ve been stuck in here for the next two decades!"

"Are you stupid or just oblivious? The gate won’t last for that long."

"So you’d just give up?"

"That’s not what I meant..."

Cheon Areum observed the energy in each of the buildings in his line of sight. For some reason, whenever he used his abilities, an agonizing headache gnawed at him, making him squint his eyes every time.

"If it’s too much, I can just bring everything down. They won’t be able to hide."

With a strange expression, Cheon Areum turned to stare at Yoon Seoyul, who had seriously suggested bringing the whole town down—with no guarantee of finding anything. What a brute.

"There is no need for that."

He waved, dismissing it without a second thought. Deciding on the building that radiated the heaviest wave of negative energy, they entered the two-story house and ascended to the second floor. The upper floor housed two bedrooms and a narrow storage room tucked at the end of the hallway. Everything looked untouched, normal—beds made, curtains drawn, a half-folded blanket on a chair. It felt like a lived-in home to anyone who couldn’t see everything covered in a thick layer of black shadow.

"Ever since you mentioned it, I keep feeling like someone’s watching me from behind... It’s quite unsettling."

Inho, who had followed him into the bedroom, stared at the cotton doll sitting on a chair with an uneasy expression. This bedroom belonged to a child—a little girl, judging by the furniture, decorations, and the little girl sitting on the bed, glancing at Cheon Areum. If he had told Inho that right beside him there really was a little girl watching them both, he would’ve run out by now.

"Can you sit on the bed next to the pillow there?"

Cheon Areum pointed to the exact spot the little girl’s silhouette was sitting with his eyes. Inho scratched the back of his head as he got closer to the little girl—just when he was about to touch her, the little girl moved away and came closer to Cheon Areum. She made a motion of tugging his hand, and her arm showed him the way out of the room. She was telling him to follow her.

"I am sitting. What now?"

"Nothing. I was just messing with you..."

Cheon Areum said before trailing after the little girl.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"What’s going on, Inho?"

"I don’t know—he just started staring into the air and walked away!"

The little girl passed through a door in the living room on the first floor—when he was forcibly stopped and spun around.

"Where are you going?"

Yoon Seoyul stared into his eyes as he spoke with urgency. Cheon Areum turned to the door again.

"You see something, don’t you? What is it? Tell me."

"Just wait here. I’ll be back soon."

Cheon Areum replied, looking at the door. He pushed Yoon Seoyul’s shoulders to free himself, but he didn’t budge at all. He glared at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What’s the meaning of this? Let me go."

"...Let’s go together."

"No. It’s dangerous for you. Stay here."

Yoon Seoyul quietly glanced down at him.

"Is this... a lover’s quarrel?!"

Inho exclaimed, climbing down the stairs with Hwan. Hwan shut his mouth with his hand instantly, but the words were already out and about. Yoon Seoyul sighed, drawing back his arms.

"Good. All of you, wait here—or not, but don’t follow me. This is a warning."

Cheon Areum spoke, creaking the door open. It was a basement engulfed in darkness.

"Ten minutes. If you don’t come back in that time, I’ll follow and find you."

"You won’t be needed."

Saying that much, Cheon Areum stepped down onto the old wooden staircase leading to the basement, closing the door behind him. The wood creaked with each step. He couldn’t see anything, so his movements were slow as he made his way into the basement.

"Sorry for the long wait, everyone."

Though he couldn’t really see—and it was kind of stupid of him to speak to himself—he could sense all of them. Cheon Areum was surrounded by them, but they didn’t dare come too close to him.

"Mimicking kids to lure me in here... I don’t like that."

Cheon Areum spoke in a solemn and composed tone. They couldn’t speak back to him, either. Sitting on the ground in a cross-legged position, his hand under his chin, he waited patiently. In complete silence and darkness.

They’re not afraid of death, but they don’t want to die.

They’re afraid of me, but they don’t want to die.

As a threat to them, I must be eliminated.

"That’s it, right?"

"But I need to kill all of you to get out of here."

*

Everything was dark—just like before.

But not just dark—suffocating. Heavy. The kind of dark that pressed against his entire being. There was no air. No space. Just the scent of rot and old wood pressing down on him.

His arms hit something hard. Close. All around him. His knees were bent, his shoulders crammed. The space was too small. Too tight.

A box.

A coffin.

He slightly drew his legs back and kicked. The wood cracked. Again. He kicked with every ounce of strength he had. The third time, the lid snapped and flew out, dirt raining down on him. It poured in cold and fast, coating his face, filling his mouth. He twisted onto his side, spitting, coughing. He scrambled upward, dragging himself out of the grave like something reborn. Soil clung to every inch of him, but he didn’t stop until he collapsed on the grass above, coughing up dirt, chest heaving.

"Kh—Khhk—haa—"

He didn’t think he would lose consciousness so easily. The moment he pressed the ground and began to manipulate them to come out, he lost all sense of sight, collapsing in the basement. Where was he right now?

Cheon Areum wiped his face and observed the area. It was an old graveyard. The gravestones, worn and faded with time, leaned crookedly in the overgrown wild grass. A few gnarled trees had forced their way between the graves, their twisted branches casting long, claw-like shadows. Tied to their limbs were delicate silver bells—dozens of them—swaying ever so slightly and ringing softly, though no wind stirred the air. The entire town felt suspended in death. There was no wind, no birdsong, no rustling leaves. Nothing that breathed. Nothing alive.

*BOOM*

Behind him, a loud explosion sounded. He instinctively turned to the source of the sound. It was a signal explosion from Kim Ryung. Behind him, he could see the town where he had left the others. The smoke from the explosion cleared in the sky, but the town still seemed to be smoky... A dust storm? No, that couldn’t be—not with such still wind.

[Skills:

Soul Bind (S)

Healing Hand (A)

Energy Explosive (S)

Mind Corruption (S+)]

[Energy Explosive (S) - Imbue objects or even air with energy ’charges’ that explode with devastating force.]

"This should do it."

Stretching languidly as he stepped out of the graveyard, Cheon Areum moved toward the nearest and tallest building. His steps were unhurried, almost lazy, but his eyes gleamed with intent. Reaching the building, he raised his hand and pressed his palm flat against its cold, aged surface. For a heartbeat, nothing happened.

Then—A thunderous blast ripped through the air.

The entire top of the building erupted in a dramatic blast of black energy, debris shooting out like a firework of ruin. It was far more destructive than Kim Ryung’s signal—unnecessarily so. The plume of smoke spiraled upward like a twisted signal flare. That should be enough of a message. If they still didn’t come to him...

He’d go find them himself.