Chapter 93: Halo (11)
The Drug King's paradise offers more than just illusions—it provides emotions and pleasures beyond imagination.
This isn’t the effect of a drug, but a mid-tier divine power.
Unlike other substances that act directly on the central nervous system, this power operates in a fundamentally different way.
Hyun Suho, who had personally experienced it, keenly felt the difference.
This power doesn’t cause addiction or harm in any way.
Those who experience it may long for the sensation, but they won’t crave it.
It’s the perfect continuation of emotions that elevates one’s quality of life without any side effects.
However, even the Drug King's power has its drawbacks, much like actual drugs.
And these are extremely fatal.
“In the end, it’s just an illusion.”
None of the emotions were earned or achieved through personal effort.
They were simply borrowed through his power.
There’s no sense of accomplishment, no satisfaction.
In response to Hyun Suho’s words, the Drug King asked, seemingly puzzled.
[What does that matter? Is distinguishing between truth and illusion important? Are they even different to begin with?]
It’s a fulfillment of the soul that no physical activity can provide.
Even if one were to experience every possible pleasure on Earth simultaneously, they wouldn’t be able to feel the same level of joy as this paradise offers.
But Hyun Suho still shook his head.
“Of course, they’re different. Truth and illusion can never be the same.”
The pink giant shrugged as if that couldn’t possibly be true.
[Here, nothing is needed. Everything is fulfilled. Isn’t a life without any lack astonishing?]
“What’s wrong with having a sense of lack? It’s the driving force that pushes life forward.”
[Life is nothing but a continuous cycle of pain and suffering. Even family, friends, and lovers inevitably bring about conflict and discord.]
“What meaning is left in achievements that come without overcoming pain and hardship?”
[This is a perfect world. A paradise that neither needs to add nor take away anything.]
“Perfection is just an illusion in the end. Once something is filled, it’s only natural for a sense of emptiness to follow.”
[You can do only what you want and enjoy only what you desire.]
“How can a person live only doing what they like? Sometimes, you have to endure things you dislike.”
Hyun Suho hadn’t fully escaped the power of the Drug King yet.
Despite possessing EX-class talent, with his specialty being mental strength, he wasn’t completely free from the Drug King's influence.
Yet, he still resisted.
Even in his hazy state, Hyun Suho responded without hesitation, prompting the Drug King to ask with a tinge of frustration.
[Why do you dislike living a life of ultimate pleasure?]
Once again, the answer came immediately.
“Because there’s no progress.”
Complacency.
That was the biggest flaw Hyun Suho saw in the paradise the Drug King had created.
“No reflection. No attempt to understand. No pondering. Not even an excuse.”
The fog in Hyun Suho’s eyes was gradually dispersing.
Now it was his turn to ask a question.
“Why don’t you fight?”
Though he was an alchemist, a support role, the Drug King's combat power was immense.
He might not be able to defeat Death Star, but he could certainly land a blow or two.
Yet, the Drug King had chosen to turn away.
“You call this place paradise? Far from it! This is nothing but a deathbed, quietly waiting for euthanasia.”
Lost in the Drug King's power, people would forget fear and pain.
Even when Death Star destroys the Earth, those under his influence would laugh and enjoy the moment.
That was the path the Drug King had chosen.
[What’s so wrong with that? Inevitable death is coming. Is it only Death Star that brings it? This world is constantly plagued by war, disease, and aging that slowly tightens its grip on people.]
Death Star is an end.
But Death Star wasn’t the only end.
All people, every living being, must face an end in some way or another.
What difference does it make to an individual whether the universe is obliterated or they simply die of a heart attack?
[The paradise I’ve created, this ‘Joy-full,’ is the only solution to escape from that pain and fear.]
As he spoke, the Drug King spread his arms wide, and the pink mist surrounding him surged like a storm, engulfing Hyun Suho’s entire body.
Rumble!!
Persuasion was followed by force.
The Drug King was trying to make Hyun Suho succumb to pleasure by force.
[You’ll soon be grateful, boy. You’ll feel true liberation, free from all suffering and pain.]
The Drug King's invention and power, Joy-full.
It was an ability that forcibly made others happy.
Once under its influence, a person would never be able to feel negative emotions again.
As the power began to envelop his entire body, Hyun Suho launched his counterattack.
“Nova!”
[I'm on it.]
This was the Drug King's domain.
In his current state at Level 6, there was nothing Hyun Suho could do to harm the Drug King physically.
That’s why he prepared a mental attack instead.
As soon as Hyun Suho’s will was transmitted, Nova immediately activated her ability.
Whirr!!
Like a projector, the image of someone began to materialize in front of Hyun Suho.
A young girl, about five years old.
She had dark, tanned skin and was joyfully running through a field.
That was all.
It was merely a hologram, and the girl couldn’t do anything in reality, especially within the Drug King’s domain.
But astonishingly, after the girl appeared, the raging force that had surged like a tornado came to a sudden halt.
After a brief moment of silence, the Drug King’s trembling voice could be heard.
[...Joyce.]
From the beginning, the Drug King had appeared, laughing boisterously.
Even when Hyun Suho refuted all of the questions, the Drug King’s voice remained full of amusement.
It was as if everything was just a fun game.
The Drug King had remained relaxed and indifferent, even in the face of the clear betrayal of the Tang clan.
To him, Hyun Suho’s small acts of rebellion were nothing.
But this time, it was different.
For the first time, a hint of distress crept into the Drug King's voice.
Finally, in a sharp voice, he started pressuring Hyun Suho.
[Boy… what are you doing?]
Rumble! Rumble!
The once heavenly pink world began to shatter in an instant.
The fluffy clouds split apart like shards of broken glass, and the sun melted away like molten metal from a furnace, spewing out black smoke.
It now looked more like hell than heaven.
Amidst the Drug King’s rage and the changing world, Hyun Suho calmly asked, “What’s the matter? Weren’t all the pains gone here? Weren’t all the miserable memories erased?”
Hyun Suho amplified the image, making it clearer.
The Drug King screamed in horror.
[Get rid of it! Get it away from me!]
“Just because you can’t see it or try to forget it doesn’t mean it’s gone! Ignoring it doesn’t make it disappear. Just like your daughter, Joyce!”
[Uuuuuugh!!]
The Drug King howled like a wolf.
The figure in the image was the Drug King’s daughter, Joyce.
It was a scene from over ten years ago.
The reason Hyun Suho deliberately showed an image from ten years ago was because Joyce had died a horrific death after being caught in a gang war back then.
Nova cautiously asked:
[We have the footage from the time of Joyce’s death as well. Shall I play it?]
‘No, that’s enough.’
Just recalling it was already effective enough.
Pushing it further would be too cruel, even to a parent who had lost their way.
“This place is just another escape for you. Tell me, was there truly a paradise waiting at the end of your retreat?”
[Stop! Don’t ask anymore!]
The giant pink figure raised both arms to cover his ears.
But simply covering his ears couldn’t block out the truth.
Hyun Suho pointed at the pink mist swirling around them.
“Interesting, isn’t it? This vivid pink color. It’s definitely not something that occurs naturally.”
Whether it was from dye or a chemical substance, the color was artificial.
So, why had the Drug King gone out of his way to use such a color?
It wasn’t just a drug—it was the very essence of his power.
“Joyce really liked this color, didn’t she?”
[Ohhhh!!!]
At last, the Drug King broke down and wept.
When a hunter reaches level 8 and barely attains the lowest level of divine power, they can finally acquire abilities.
But abilities aren’t something that can be custom-made or arranged as one wishes.
Divine power is an ancient energy that existed before time itself.
It’s a distant and incomprehensible force, as far away to humans as the ends of the universe.
Thus, a hunter can only set a direction—they can never fully grasp the destination.
The Drug King was no different.
He envisioned an ideal world with no worries, no pain, no hatred, and completed his divine power.
But even the Drug King couldn’t completely rid himself of yearning.
Joyce’s favorite bag.
The pink bag she clung to until the moment she died was something the Drug King had never forgotten, deep in his mind.
“In the end, you couldn’t let go either. And yet you call this a paradise? It’s a place that could never exist.”
In the end, it was an illusion.
A falsehood, not the truth.
No matter how close it might seem, it could never replace reality.
“That’s why I won’t stay here.”
Was that the final blow?
The swirling pink mist around them began to slowly calm and thin out.
Like fog dissipating after the sun rises.
The Drug King's divine power, Joy-full, was completely destroyed.
Shhhhhh!!!
When he came to his senses, Tatiana and the shapeshifting alchemist father and son stood before him.
The surroundings were nothing but barren land.
It was land so desolate that it had been abandoned even in Russia, where it was impossible to farm.
But Tatiana was doing everything in her power to protect that land.
“As an alchemist, you’re better than him,” Hyun Suho remarked.
The now much-diminished pink giant stirred.
[Kuhahaha! Is that so? So that’s why I couldn’t affect you?]
The Drug King had been interested in Hyun Suho at first because Halo had no effect on him.
Back then, he thought it was simply because Hyun Suho had a unique constitution or special abilities.
Of course, Hyun Suho did have special abilities.
But his resistance to Halo stemmed from a completely different reason.
[A soul that doesn’t settle and continues to move forward. That’s why my power was useless.]
The Drug King's real body was somewhere in South America.
Yet even from there, he had enough strength to wield his power.
[Let me ask you one thing, boy.]
“As many as you’d like.”
[Is fighting the Death Star your way of moving to the next level?]
The Drug King knew all about the Death Star.
It was inevitable.
The malice and destructive power radiating from the Death Star were so strong that they could be felt clearly even from hundreds of light-years away.
So he had decided to forget it.
He had chosen not to look up.
He had decided to pretend it didn’t exist.
But unlike the Drug King, Hyun Suho was staring the Death Star straight in the face.
Hyun Suho opened his mouth.
“It’s not exactly that.”
[Then what?]
“It's just...”
After thinking for a moment, Hyun Suho furrowed his brows and, clicking his tongue, said:
“It’s annoying as hell, isn’t it? The idea that everyone has to tremble because of one obnoxious bastard. So, I’m going to crush that lunatic to pieces as payback.”
[……?!]
The Drug King was momentarily dumbfounded by Hyun Suho’s words, then burst out laughing as if they had gone back to the beginning.
[Hahaha! Hehehe! A masterpiece! A masterpiece!!]
