Chapter 55
Crossing the Broken Bridge (1)
From within the dust, the silhouette of a human figure appeared.
He was dressed entirely in black,
wearing a long black coat that swayed with his movements,
and in his hand was a beautiful, sharp sword reflecting a cold light.
From the very first glance,
Arthur felt a clear hostility emanating from that person.
His eyes were calm…
but behind that calm lay a suppressed anger,
steady,
and frightening.
His aura was powerful,
overwhelming,
pressing upon the space around him without him even moving.
Arthur smiled beneath his mask.
Not a mocking smile…
but one of interest.
This person was different.
The man looked at Arthur,
and suddenly an expression of clear shock appeared on his face—
a mixture of disbelief and astonishment.
At that same moment, a message appeared:
{The Constellation Secretive Plotter is watching you with interest}
Arthur thought quickly:
'Why now?
He didn't comment on my fighting,
he didn't comment on me saving the little boy…
but the moment this person appeared,
his interest showed up.
Is there something I don't know?
Or is this man…
more important than he seems?'
Arthur truly did not understand the way constellations thought,
nor the reasons behind their interest in him.
He smiled calmly beneath the mask
and looked directly at the man in front of him.
The man slowly moved his sword,
then returned it to its sheath,
and stepped forward.
"You…
what is your name?"
Arthur felt a genuine urge to punch that arrogant face,
but he restrained himself.
Instead,
he smiled,
bowed slightly,
placing one hand over his chest
and the other behind his back.
A perfect theatrical gesture.
The appearance of a true joker.
"You may call me Arthur…
and you?"
The man's expression darkened.
He did not answer.
He suddenly turned around
and moved toward the next carriage without saying a single word.
Arthur smiled with interest,
then turned toward the small boy.
"Let's go, kid.
Ah, right…
you still haven't told me your name.
I am Arthur Narin,
and you?"
The boy smiled shyly
and spoke in a low voice:
"I'm… Yi Shun."
Arthur smiled at him.
'Well…
should we leave now or stay?
I don't know what's happening in the outside world,
but I'm sure chaos has spread across all countries.
That damned dokkaebi didn't tell me anything.
No instructions, no explanation…
just anger, and then he disappeared.
Damn…
leaving is better.
I'd rather fight than stay here meaninglessly.'
Arthur moved and stood in front of the subway gate.
He tried to open it…
it didn't move.
He pushed it hard…
it didn't budge.
He looked at his body.
He was stronger than before,
but…
not as strong as his original body.
In his original body,
he could destroy an entire subway with a single motion.
But now…
he couldn't even break a door.
He smiled bitterly.
And in a moment of distraction—
he felt something tugging at his pants.
He opened his eyes
and looked down.
It was Yi Shun.
His face was pale,
sweat pouring down,
his trembling hand pointing toward the gate's window.
Arthur followed his gesture.
In the distant water,
a massive monster was moving slowly.
A creature resembling a serpent…
or a sea dragon.
The Ichthyosaur.
The subway had stopped on top of a high bridge
stretching over deep waters.
The monster looked at the train for a moment,
then dived back into the depths.
'If we stay here…
I don't know what will happen.
And if we leave…
we might die at the hands of that monster,
or something worse.
But…'
Arthur looked at Yi Shun.
"Kid…
are you ready to follow me?"
His voice was calm,
firm.
Yi Shun nodded.
Arthur smiled.
He raised his sword
and closed his eyes for a few seconds.
He gathered the energy within his body
and directed all of it toward his right arm…
and toward the sword.
His hand was coated in black Armament Haki,
hard,
shining.
(The haki cannot be seen, but it is mentioned here for clarification.)
He opened his eyes
and looked at the solid gate.
He raised his arm high,
then brought it down with tremendous speed.
An X-shaped strike.
At first,
nothing happened except for a small scratch.
But after a few seconds—
the gate shook violently,
then shattered,
its pieces scattering like foam.
Arthur stepped back,
feeling the magical energy inside him drop slightly.
Sweat began to gather on his forehead.
Armament Haki…
was no longer what it once was.
In the world of One Piece,
he relied solely on spiritual power.
But here—
he was using power from another world.
He had to support it with magical energy,
and he was still weak.
His spiritual power was still immense,
but his current body could not endure it for long.
If he overused it…
his body would shatter and he would die.
Arthur smiled
and looked at Yi Shun.
"Let's go, kid."
Yi Shun clenched his fists
and followed him.
They left the train
and began walking across the bridge.
Empty cars filled the place.
Blood was everywhere.
'It really is the end of the world.
Why, even once,
can't I go to a world where I can rest?
No killing,
no fighting,
no constellations,
no rulers…
just peace.'
He sighed quietly.
But deep inside—
he was enjoying it.
After a few steps,
a red window appeared.
{Second Scenario: Escape
Category: Sub
Difficulty: E
Conditions:
Cross the Broken Bridge
and enter Oksu Station
Time Limit: One hour and thirty minutes
Reward: 200 coins
Failure: ????}
Arthur stopped.
'Broken bridge?
But this bridge…
is intact.'
He noticed two things at the same moment.
First:
the Ichthyosaur had emerged again,
and it looked larger than before.
Second:
another group was trying to cross the bridge.
Three men,
a boy,
and a girl.
And suddenly—
the dokkaebi appeared out of nowhere.
He was smiling with twisted delight,
looking at Arthur with anger,
and at the young man from the other group with a similar gaze.
{An easy game isn't fun, is it?
It wouldn't be entertaining if you escaped like this…
so let's add a little change.}
Arthur felt malice overflowing from his words.
The dokkaebi snapped his fingers.
{Difficulty has been adjusted:
E → D}
{Reenactment of the thoughts of evil dead
Nearby groups have been filled with Black Aether}
Arthur shivered.
He looked behind him—
the corpses…
had begun to move.
Yi Shun whispered in fear:
"Zo… zombies?"
{The zombies have awakened from eternal slumber}
A blue window appeared.
|New Mission
Return the dead to their eternal rest
and soothe their souls
Time Limit: One hour
Reward: 500 points
Failure: ???|
Arthur looked at the window.
Then he heard shouting from ahead.
It was the young man from the other group shouting:
"Fall back quickly!"
At that very moment—
the Ichthyosaur descended.
One attack.
One bite.
And the bridge collapsed.
---
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