Global Awakening: Only I Can Respawn
Chapter 132 - 3/9] It Was All A Lie

"What is this?" Gina mumbled as soon as they entered the cave.

It wasn't a cave, but a nest. Everywhere their eyes went, all they could see were eggs. Dozens upon dozens of Hydra eggs. Most eggs had small cracks on them as if they were ready to hatch.

"This is bad…" Anna whispered.

Everyone's reaction was the same. They didn't even want to think about the chaos the eggs would bring once they hatched.

The swamp was already a dangerous place to be, but with these creatures added to the mix, they could forget about killing the Hydra. Hell, even stepping out of the swamp alive would be impossible.

"No wonder the quest said to survive for two days," Yeji mumbled. "These eggs would hatch by then. I don't even want to imagine what will happen then..."

"We need to destroy them now," Lysandra insisted.

But that was easier said than done. If they destroyed the eggs, the Hydra could learn about it. Then it could either appear before them or go into hiding, making it impossible for them to hunt the Hydra.

But, if they didn't destroy the egg, they'd get swarmed by Hydra-lings. Neither of those options was good, by Lucifer decided for them by accidentally falling on an egg, crushing it.

"Oops…" Lucifer covered his mouth, nodding toward the eggs.

"Smash the eggs!" YuWon instructed the rest.

Without hesitation, they began destroying the eggs. But as the eggs got crushed, a strange green gas hissed out from them. The gas then mixed with the fog and filled the air with an unsettling odor.

"What is this smell?" Gina asked, quickly covering her nose.

Since she had the best sense of smell in the group, she knew something was wrong. But everyone ignored her. They couldn't afford to stop with so many eggs left to destroy.

"Keep going!" YuWon ordered, ignoring the gas.

But a moment later, YuWon's vision blurred. He tried to stay awake, but couldn't.

"Guys, I—" he tried to say, but everything went black.

***

YuWon opened his eyes, but the place was awfully bright suddenly. It didn't feel like he was in the cave. As he sat up, he found himself in a strangely familiar place, bathed in the orange glow of a setting sun.

"Where—?" YuWon mumbled, looking around. "No..."

YuWon's eyes widened as he recognized the place. It was the college rooftop, the same place where he was planning to end his life.

"This… can't be!"

YuWon yelled as he tried to stand, but his legs buckled beneath him. His leg was broken, just like before he had awakened to his powers.

"No, no, no…" he muttered, slapping his leg in frustration. "This can't be happening!"

YuWon's breathing became uneven as his heart began pounding in his chest. Everything he went through.., that couldn't be a lie.

The memories came flooding in, though they were hazy, as if something was erasing everything, like he had woken up from a dream.

"This isn't real… right?" he whispered.

Then the doubt crept in. What if none of what he went through was real? He remembered taking pills to help him take the last step to end it all. But what if it knocked him out and made him have a dream instead?

As much as YuWon didn't want to believe it, that seemed to be the only believable answer. After all, how could monsters arrive in their world? Those things only happen in movies and novels. Not in real life.

"All of it," he whispered. "Was everything... fake?"

Tears welled in his eyes as he tried to hold on to his memories, but they were slipping away, replaced by old scenes of him being bullied, mocked, and beaten. The life he had forgotten about had caught up to him... but there was more.

Suddenly, laughter echoed from the stairwell, snapping YuWon out of his thoughts. A moment later, Hoon and his gang arrived at the terrace, acting like they owned the place.

"Hey, look at this!" Hoon sneered. "What's this loser doing at our spot? Either way, it's good timing. Your dumbass stepsister refused to kiss me again. Now you'll have to pay for it."

YuWon was still on the ground but looked up in disbelief. It was just like before. He was the weak one, always had been, and always would be.

It was as if all the strength and confidence he had gained while fighting monsters never existed. But maybe... he was living a dream.

"Get lost," YuWon muttered weakly.

"What was that?" Hoon raised an eyebrow, stepping closer. "Come on, say it again, bitch!"

Before YuWon could do it, Hoon kicked him on his side. The kick sent YuWon stumbling as pain shot through his ribs, and he gasped, clutching his side. But it was just the trailer for what was to come.

"This bitch thinks he's a tough guy?" Hoon mocked.

Then, he stomped on YuWon's hand, grinding his knuckles into the concrete.

"You've always been a pathetic piece of trash. What makes you think that's ever gonna change, huh, bastard?"

YuWon winced and tried to fight back, but Hoon's gang held him in place. Then it happened, all of them began beating him. Every muscle and every bone in his body screamed in pain.

"Let's see how much you can take," Hoon sneered, enjoying the sight of YuWon in pain.

The fists hit his face, and the kicks beat the little defiance he had in him. YuWon curled into himself, trying to protect what he could, but the blows kept coming.

"Stop it..." he muttered weakly, trying to resist.

But the confident YuWon was gone. All that remained was the weak, broken college student—a nobody who couldn't even protect himself.

Memories of fighting monsters, taking revenge and feeling unstoppable faded away. And got replaced by familiar memories of humiliation and pain from everyone's hands.

This was his reality.

Being beaten by a bunch of guys who enjoyed tormenting him. That was his reality. Not slaying some monsters and having a harem.

Those were the things he desired. But they weren't real.

"It was all just... in my head," YuWon whispered as despair took hold. "I was never anything more than this... maybe... it's time to end it all."

Just then, he heard a voice, a familiar feminine voice.

"Get up, YuWon," the voice echoed in his mind. "This isn't real."

Not real? Then how can I feel this pain? No... this is real.

But the voice kept urging him.

"Wake up..." the voice called again. "Goddamn it, just wake up and I'll let you do whatever you want to me!"