These Lunatics are Obsessed With Me-Chapter 140

I couldn’t quite explain why that spot bothered me so much. But whenever I tried to find a reason, there was always a plausible one.

This was a vast, open field with not a single large tree in sight. The only thing around was ankle-high grass, its slightly yellowish blades swaying gently in the wind.

Yet in one small corner, the grass remained completely still, untouched by the breeze. It was such a small area that no one would have noticed unless they were looking closely.

Yet, for some reason, my eyes were drawn to it first—only then did I realize something was off. It felt strange, even to me, but I didn’t have time to dwell on it. I turned to Park Yoon-sung and spoke frankly.

“That grass over there hasn't moved at all since the wind blew earlier.”

"Yes?"

"I think we should check it out."

"…"

Park Yoon-sung gave me a serious look before turning away and signaling to the others.

Kang Soo-hyun, relying on his detection skill, and Yeo Min-jun, guarding him, moved toward the spot I had pointed out. The rest of us stayed back, ready for whatever might happen.

Soon, they came to a stop. I watched them nervously. If my instincts were right, something was bound to happen. My whole body tensed.

Of course, with Yeo Min-joon’s defense skill, even if a boss monster appeared out of nowhere, he wouldn’t die or suffer serious injury—but that didn’t stop me from worrying.

In this strange dungeon, the unexpected was the norm. I swallowed hard, keeping my eyes fixed on Kang Soo-hyun and Yeo Min-joon.

Kang Soo-hyun examined the motionless patch of grass, then closed his eyes, activating his detection skill. A moment later, he opened them again and shook his head at Yeo Min-joon.

“…There’s nothing there?”

Park Yoon-sung murmured beside me.

Kang Soo-hyun and Yeo Min-joon stayed put for a while, but nothing happened. When Kang Soo-hyun looked our way, Park Yoon-sung gave him a slight nod, signaling them to return.

“…”

That shouldn’t be possible. Why isn’t anything happening?

More importantly, it didn’t make sense that an S-grade detection skill wasn’t picking up anything. I frowned.

“I’ll go check it out too!”

“Yes? Hunter Han Yi-jin!”

“Eden, let’s go!”

“Okay!”

At my words, Eden replied as if he’d been waiting for this. Without hesitation, he grabbed my waist and lifted me into the air. By now, I was quite used to being carried around like this.

“…Hyung?"

“…?”

Kang Soo-hyun and Yeo Min-jun, who were just about to head back, widened their eyes at the sight of me and Eden. I landed beside them, feeling a bit awkward. The moment our eyes met, Kang Soo-hyun immediately spoke.

"Hyung, why did you come here? It's dangerous."

"Dangerous? But nothing hap—"

Just as I was about to ask if nothing had happened, I felt an unsettling energy. Kang Soo-hyun and Yeo Min-jun must have sensed it too—they flinched and instinctively lowered their gazes.

A circular patch of grass, large enough to fit one or two grown men, remained eerily still, untouched by the wind. But the moment I stepped closer, it began to quiver as if vibrating.

"All of a sudden—what’s going on…?”

“It’s dangerous!”

As soon as I muttered in disbelief, Yeo Min-jun shouted at the top of his lungs. At that very moment, a strange sound echoed in my ears.

Gigik, gigigik!

"Ugh…!”

"What is this…!”

A strange, unidentifiable sound pounded against my eardrums. Instinctively, I raised my hands to cover my ears, but it was useless—the noise only grew louder, almost as if mocking my resistance.

Only then did I truly understand how sound alone could render someone powerless. It was a cruel realization, forced upon me too late. But even recognizing it felt like a luxury when all I could do was endure, hands pressed tightly against my ears.

Nevertheless, I vaguely realized something—this ‘sound' that left me powerless was, somehow, trying to communicate with me. The thought seemed absurd, but at that moment, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t just noise—it was trying to speak to me.

"Kugh…"

But before I could even process that thought, the pain in my ears became unbearable, as if they were on the verge of bleeding. Forget having a conversation—I felt like I might die before I even got the chance to try. Gritting my teeth, I let out a desperate shout.

"Stop it…!”

I didn’t expect my shouting to make a difference—it was just a desperate attempt to vent my frustration. I hadn’t shouted in hopes of a response, but simply because I had to do something. Yet, at that moment, the noise abruptly stopped.

“…?”

I looked up in disbelief—only to meet the gaze of a ‘being’ staring down at me.

"Oh…”

【…】

Something elongated like a snake hovered in the air. Was that… its eye, glowing yellow? Its piercing gaze lingered on me, observing intently. I blinked, uneasy under its stare.

The sheer pressure made it hard to breathe. Even in front of S-class hunters, I could run my mouth without hesitation, but now, the words refused to come out, as if they were trapped in my throat. A chilling thought struck me—one wrong word, and I might not make it out of here alive.

【It's fine. You can speak comfortably.】

“…!”

A calm voice echoed in my mind, as though it had read my thoughts. There was something familiar about the voice—I was certain I’d heard it before. I tilted my head, then finally opened my mouth.

"Who… are you?"

【Huhu.】

"…"

I mustered the courage to ask, but there was no response. I decided it was best to stay silent and endure, hoping to make it out of here alive.

【I can tell you everything except who I am.】

“Really…?”

【Hmm… no, wait a second.】

“…”

I had no idea what it was trying to do. The inconsistency in its manner left me feeling strangely drained. I looked up with a cold gaze, gradually growing more accustomed to the pressure weighing down on me.

【Ey, it'll be fine. Ask me anything!】

“…”

Will this really be okay?

I had my doubts, but I couldn't voice them. If my guess was correct, this person—no, this entity—was…

"Haa…”

But right now, my mind feels clouded. I thought I had gotten used to it, but my body began to tremble again. It was deeply disorienting, having my body and mind completely out of sync.

【I thought the pressure would be lighter here, but I guess not.】

"No, I'm fi… I'm fine.”

I held on with everything I had, sensing that if I let this chance slip away, it might be my only one. I forced myself to make eye contact with him.

“I have a guess about who you are.”

【Hoo?】

"The items I got from the dungeon… it was you who gave them to me, wasn't it?"

【…】

I had always been unusually lucky with items. There were moments when it felt like someone had deliberately given them to me, almost as if it were all planned. I had dismissed it as luck back then, but now, I was beginning to understand the truth.

【Well, some of them were from me… some from them… and some from us.】

"‘Them'? ‘Us'?"

【Yes.】

"…"

He had a unique way of speaking, and I was starting to understand the rules. It felt like they weren't allowed to call each other by name directly—maybe because of causality?

In the novel, they never appeared in person, only being mentioned through guild names. I had simply assumed the author was just fond of names from Norse mythology.

But once I realized that someone was giving me items, I couldn’t help but start questioning whether the events from the novel would really unfold as they did.

That’s because there were entities who had been watching over the protagonist, Kang Yoo-hyun, who had been subtly hinted at throughout the story. The gods of Norse mythology, specifically.

Could the gods of Asgard have been watching over the protagonists as constellations? And if, by chance, those constellations were also watching me, someone who had transmigrated into the world of this novel—everything seemed to click when I thought about it that way.

“‘They’ are the gods who are hostile to you? And ‘we’ are the ones on friendly terms with you?”

【Wow… You’re really smart.】

“Well, isn’t that just basic reasoning?”

【No. Absolutely not. The guy I know is strong but ignorant—he doesn’t even bother thinking things through.】

“Ah… Haha…”

I had a strong feeling I knew who he was referring to, so I kept quiet. If I could just keep the conversation going a little longer, maybe I could figure out the god’s identity before me—but my body wasn’t cooperating. I forced myself to stand, even though every part of me wanted to collapse.

【We don't have time for this. How about you stop trying to pry into me?】

"I was planning to."

Haa, I sighed and opened my mouth again.

"What is it you want from me?"

【Don’t you already know? Clearing the final dungeon, of course.】

“…Because it failed once before?”

【Yes. The Einherjar1 we trained couldn’t clear it.】

“…”

As expected, rather than feeling joy from confirming my hypothesis, a bitter sensation took over. This wasn’t the world of the novel I knew.

It was a world that had been destroyed and reset.

I frowned and asked.

“If I help, will it be possible to clear it?”

In Norse mythology, the Einherjar are warriors who have died in battle and are taken to Valhalla by the Valkyries to fight for Odin in the Ragnarok.