Chapter 15

"Shut up. Seo-un is practically a civilian now. What if something dangerous happens?"

"If I can't even protect Seo-un, we might as well all die."

Seo-un's mood soured at the tension between the two.

"Han Don-hee, stop it. I don't want to be a burden, and Cha-ha, you don't have to protect me either. If you can recruit Kim Ee-ji, go for it."

Seo-un didn't hide her irritation.

"Um... I don't know if I should interject, but Ee-ji-ssi also came to Seoul today. She called me and was cursing Cha-ha a lot..."

Han Don-hee started speaking, and Kang San glared at her.

"Cha-ha is apparently transferring! She suddenly stopped all communication and asked me to find out why that guy is acting like that. She was cursing at me, calling him a lunatic."

Cha-ha laughed at Kang San's raw expression.

"Cha-ha, you, you... Have you been dating Kim Ee-ji?"

"No? Kang San, if you contact her again, tell her I don't want to be called a lunatic."

"I don't want to get involved!"

"If you didn't want to get involved, you shouldn't have said anything."

"Well, that's... I just thought the atmosphere was a bit off."

Her head throbbed. It wasn't usually this bad, but the tension among the three seemed to have worsened.

Now, with her powers gone, she couldn't maintain balance. Reflecting on the past, she realized that her ability to act as a stabilizing force was due to her powers. Back then, she didn't have to hear such pitiful words about protecting her.

Seo-un let out a short sigh and shook off her thoughts. The past was the past; focusing on the present was more important.

Since she had decided to work with them again, she needed to find a way to balance things out.

"The important thing is to deal with the mutants, so let's go to the horror house and find the mushrooms first. I'll give 50 churros to whoever finds them first."

The only thing she could use to balance things was churros.

"Give me 100."

"I'll fry 150, okay? Please stop fighting, you foolish immortals."

<Similarly foolish 'Elephant Shrew Cha Seo-un'>

This wasn't the Messenger taking revenge on their behalf...

Seo-un pushed the three forward, urging them to hurry. As they passed through the arched gateway, she heard:

<Danger! Get back!>

Seo-un, who was about to follow, stopped dead in her tracks at the Messenger's warning.

The urgent warning made her look at the three who had already passed through. They all drew their swords simultaneously.

Did they sense something inside? Seo-un, standing on the other side of the gateway, observed their movements. Cha-ha, who suddenly turned his head, adjusted his grip on his sword. Clang! A flash of light burst forth. Han Don-hee, who was at the front, suddenly swung his sword at Cha-ha. The collision of their energies created a shockwave that enveloped her.

Did those lunatics finally lose their tempers and start fighting?

If it were just a simple fight between hot-headed men, she would have sighed and left it at that, but the two were using their unique abilities, causing a disturbance.

Cha-ha's sword was enveloped in white, and Han Don-hee's in blue. Fortunately, Kang San was only destroying a 360-degree ride. Or rather, the ride was being sliced like tofu. Cha-ha and Han Don-hee, displaying abnormal behavior, clashed their swords as if they were fighting mutants.

Watching them from the perspective of a perpetrator, she understood why immortals were treated like monsters. Kang San's sword, infused with energy, was slicing through the metal structure.

Once, she had experienced such a time, but now it was both awe-inspiring and terrifying to be close to. Seo-un, unable to find a way to stop them, clenched her fists in frustration.

On the day she awakened as an immortal, she clearly felt the source of immortals.

Just as the universe began with the explosion of a single point, a fierce explosion occurred in her heart. Like the expansion of the universe after the Big Bang, enlightenment spread throughout her body.

If all actions, such as writing with a pen, walking with two legs, and holding a mug, originate from brain signals, she, upon awakening, could perceive the cells that form the foundation of her body.

It was like a universe in itself.

The cells in her body were like stars emitting vast light and heat, and together they formed the universe that was her. Since immortals are the universe, the energy they possess is vast.

The real universe contains countless stars and planets.

Our galaxy alone has over 100 billion stars like the Sun, but humans have never left the solar system. If we consider how much we know about the universe, it's like knowing only a grain of sand in a mountain.

Thus, the level of an immortal depends on how well they understand their own universe.

Immortals can project the energy contained in their universe outward, and this energy is called 'Cosmos.'

Just as the universe contains countless stars of various sizes, the energy projected by each immortal varies in size. However, the fact that these top-tier immortals are using Cosmos in their fight is not something to be dismissed as a simple emotional conflict.

Perhaps today is the stage where hallucinogenic spores spread before the mushrooms are created? Otherwise, their behavior is hard to understand.

"Hey! You lunatics! Get a grip! The theme park will be destroyed! Our guild can't afford to pay for this!"

Seo-un shouted, but her voice was drowned out by the sound of the churro stand being destroyed.

Since it's the day before the creation, the entrance must be guarded, and the hallucinogenic effect only activates after passing the archway. If that's the case, she might also fall into a hallucination after crossing the threshold.

If she gets involved in the fight, she might be reduced to dust by their swords. But if she leaves them be, one of them might die, or only one might survive.

Worse, a blue aura was seeping into Cha-ha's white Cosmos. The more they clashed, the more Han Don-hee's Cosmos was being absorbed by Cha-ha. Cha-ha was like a black hole.

His Cosmos was of a different quality from other immortals, capable of endlessly consuming the energy of other immortals. Of course, only she and her uncle knew this.

Cha-ha!

Seo-un's shout was still drowned out by the noise.

<Rest assured! 'Elephant Shrew Cha Seo-un' has a terrifying ability!>

The Messenger, who always belittled her, was surprisingly supportive.

It was hard not to feel a sense of anticipation about what terrifying ability she might have. After all, she was such an immortal just a few months ago.

<Elephant Shrew Cha Seo-un is actually a 'Mad Mushroom Resistant Shrew'!>

"..."

Well, she had already experienced the side effects of mad mushrooms in the underworld. If she developed resistance, it was fortunate.

She couldn't just stand there, so she made up her mind and jumped in place. But she still couldn't easily move forward.

The white sword, like a snake, began to devour Han Don-hee's energy. While the stars in Han Don-hee's universe might be nearly infinite, if a certain amount was absorbed, his abilities might be diminished.

Seo-un kicked away her hesitation and ran through the arched gateway.

She couldn't fully trust the Messenger, so she held her breath and ran down the left slope. She hoped the three wouldn't see her in a strange hallucination. Seo-un repeatedly held and released her breath.

What if the hallucinogenic effect affects me? Her feet tingled with anxiety. However, the Messenger's words proved true once again.

The roller coaster, towering high, was stationary, and the amusement park, which was always bustling, seemed to be on its first day off. If not for the sounds of destruction and explosions from above, it would have been peaceful.

Seo-un found the horror house before the three could destroy it further. She ran so fast that she was almost out of breath. Before entering, she looked for the switches at the ticket booth, intending to turn on all the lights inside.

She quickly flipped all the switches in the booth. When she peeked at the horror house, the sign was lit up.

The ride seemed to be operating, but the problem was that Seo-un wasn't a visitor. There must be lights for cleaning or maintenance, but as a non-employee, she had no idea where they were. Seo-un had no choice but to take out her phone and check if the flashlight worked.

Now, she had to find and destroy the mushrooms in the house on her own. She pushed the tightly closed door with both hands.

Creak, creak, creak!

A chilling sound came from somewhere. She quickly shone the flashlight down and saw a rail on the floor. The sound grew closer, and she hurriedly raised the flashlight.

"!"

1) Cosmos: A Greek word meaning the orderly universe.