Seven people, consisting of s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah, Yi Sung-Jin, Hyun Sahng-Min and Yun Seo-Rah, as well as three people Seol shared food with earlier on, were standing on the corridor right outside cla.s.sroom 3-2. They seemed to be unable to enter the safe zone.
That wasn"t the end, however.
Seol found three rather familiar figures outside cla.s.sroom 3-1. Lee Hyung-Sik and Jeong Min-Woo stood triumphantly, while Kahng Seok was sitting on a chair, looking quite relaxed and pleased with himself.
"You finally showed up." (Kahng Seok)
Kahng Seok raised his hand and greeted Seol. Ignoring him, Seol walked closer and spotted Hyun Sahng-Min"s darkened expression. Anger was evident on his face as well. s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah looked like she"d had just about enough of those three, too.
"….They say it"s a spell that restricts access." (Hyun Sahng-Min)
Hyun Sahng-Min glanced at Seol and groaned out.
"A spell that can restrict access?" (Seol)
Just as he finished thinking this, Seol"s steps came to a halt. No, that wasn"t quite right - he couldn"t go forward as if there was an invisible wall blocking his progress.
Seol lightly tapped on the seemingly empty air. Knock, knock. There was nothing in front of him, yet the sensation of knocking on cement was transmitted to his hand.
"You"re wasting your time. You see, I got this as a starting bonus. No one can enter without my permission." (Kahng Seok)
Kahng Seok slowly fidgeted around with his fingers. There was a half-torn piece of paper held between his index and middle finger.
"You haven"t forgotten that my Mark was a silver, right? Mister high-and-mighty gold Mark." (Kahng Seok)
Kahng Seok giggled insidiously. Seol frowned slightly, instead.
"You opened the door to the sixth floor, didn"t you?" (Seol)
"Bingo." (Kahng Seok)
"And why?" (Seol)
"Mm? I got the key through the drawing machine. Don"t you know that you will definitely receive the key if you spend 199 coins?" (Kahng Seok)
Of course, Seol knew that. But, he was curious of the reason why Kahng Seok would waste his coins getting that key in the first place. After all, what with Seol and Yun Seo-Rah taking away almost all of the coins, Kahng Seok and his goons couldn"t have had the easiest time searching themselves.
It would have been tough just finding enough for their gate usage fee, so why….
"Ahh…." (Seol)
It was then, a hypothesis formed in Seol"s head. He reflexively turned his head around to look behind him - at the fainted Yun Seo-Rah.
"Yup, as expected! I knew you were a smart guy!" (Kahng Seok)
Kahng Seok exclaimed in a display of pleasant surprise.
"Actually, I have to admit that this was a gamble with low odds of success. I mean, in order for us to succeed, two things had to happen, you know what I mean? If you had chosen never to leave this safe zone in the first place, then my plan would"ve been all for nothing." (Kahng Seok)
"What are you saying?" (Seol)
"However, I definitely knew you"d crawl out of here. Seriously now, a nice gentleman like you wouldn"t just sit still on your a*s after hearing that loud Uwaaaachk, am I right?" (Kahng Seok)
"As for Yun Seo-Rah… Well, I was planning to approach her when the time was right, but for some reason, she was getting really fired up trying to find more coins. Oh well. It was a good thing for us in the end, so it doesn"t matter, right?" (Kahng Seok)
Hearing this, the pieces finally fell to their intended places.
The first step of Kahng Seok"s plan was to get the sixth floor access key. With three of them working together, finding 199 coins wouldn"t have been that difficult.
After acquiring the key, Kahng Seok kept a close eye on the situation.
From the very beginning, he never planned to hit Seol. No, he planned to attack Yun Seo-Rah the moment she revealed that she was in possession of the map.
The timing was important, but the main variable remained Yun Seo-Rah. Kahng Seok had to try something, anything to separate her from Seol.
The original plan was to have one of their members a.s.sault either Yi Sung-Jin or some other poor sucker to draw Seol away, and in the meantime, the remaining two would attack the isolated Yun Seo-Rah. Her personality meant that, even if there was some kind of an incident unfolding somewhere, she"d not care and thus not make a move herself.
However, Yun Seo-Rah was focused on finding more coins well beyond the midnight mark. How could this situation be any better for Kahng Seok and his goons?
So, trio a.s.saulted Yun Seo-Rah as she entered the girl"s restroom. After robbing her of her coins, they went to sixth floor before Seol reached the bathroom, and opened the door. Then, when Seol was still on the fifth floor, they came back down to the safe area and activated the restriction spell.
"All of you lost your d.a.m.n minds!" (s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah)
s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah loudly swore at them.
"You insane b*stards! You crippled a person to this degree, just for some measly coins?" (s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah)
"No~pe. That wasn"t my original intention. I just wanted to knock her out. I swear, that was all." (Kahng Seok)
Kahng Seok defended himself as if he was being wrongly accused of a crime.
"But then, that girl was so d.a.m.n persistent, you know what I mean? She grabbed onto the bag and didn"t want to give it up, and that really p*ssed me off. So, that"s why…." (Kahng Seok)
The end of Kahng Seok"s sentence blurred; Jeong Min-Woo standing next to him giggled unsightly, and then, from seemingly out of nowhere, produced a dagger and performed a stabbing motion in the air. He too was an Invited, albeit as the bronze Mark.
KKKIIIEEEHHHH-!!!
With an exquisite ill-timing, a devilish roar resounded out from the distance. The complexions of almost everyone present paled. The very first monster they encountered upon the start of this journey, the one that gave them such a nightmare - the Gaeg-gwi was climbing up to where they were at this precise moment.
"Wow. Sounds like that thing is really p*ssed off, isn"t it? Oh, well. It"s been locked out down below all this time, so there"s that." (Kahng Seok)
Kahng Seok and his two cronies were the very example of relaxed demeanor, even then.
"If you"re waiting for the end of this spell"s duration…. Well, I feel like I should inform you right now, that you all should just give up." (Kahng Seok)
"Are you saying it"ll last forever?" (Seol)
"No ways. It"s not that crazy a cheat item. Not only the duration, but the size of the effective area is limited, actually. If I were to increase the area to its maximum permitted width, then it"ll probably last around 8 minutes, tops? ….However, what do you think will happen, if I only keep the area to half its maximum size? Such as, only around this part of the corridor." (Kahng Seok)
Kahng Seok pointed once each towards safe zone"s front and rear entrances. Seol didn"t reply. There was no need to, after all; Kahng Seok was implying that, when the spell"s covered area decreased in size, the duration of the spell would increase, instead.
"With that Gaeg-gwi coming up, you wouldn"t be able to go to the sixth floor yourself, though?" (Seol)
"Oh, that? You don"t have to worry. You see, I"m a really lucky b*stard. Look here." (Kahng Seok)
Kahng Seok pulled out another piece of paper and waved it around the air.
"See? I"ve got another paper talisman with a spell written on it~!" (Kahng Seok)
Seeing how he was playfully teasing Seol and others like that, it seemed this must"ve been his natural born talent. Seol couldn"t help but think that the reason the b*stard turned out this way was all thanks to suffering a bad prenatal development or something close to it.
"Please! Let us in!"
Someone behind Seol shouted out. It was the young man who tried to sneakily ask Seol to revive his dead friend, right before the treasure hunt commenced.
"Mm?" (Kahng Seok)
"I, I haven"t done anything wrong to you, have I?"
Hearing that, Seol couldn"t help but chuckle bitterly.
"Are you trying to imply that I did something wrong, then?" (Seol)
Forming a fake expression that screamed "I didn"t think about that!", Kahng Seok opened his eyes wide and began rubbing his chin in a show of deep deliberation. Then, as if he was being a benevolent benefactor, he murmured rather loudly.
"Yes, indeed…. It could be so. I"m sure it"s unfair to you, like this. Fine. Good, good. You, you, and you. You three, I"ll grant entry." (Kahng Seok)
The three men and woman glanced at each other, and then, without any hesitation, ran forward. It was a repeat of the time when they were entering the second floor safe area as soon as the metal barrier was lowered. Only after rus.h.i.+ng inside the safe zone did they began spitting out sighs of relief.
And so, the moment Kahng Seok had been waiting for finally came. He gazed at the remaining few outside the barrier with a relaxed smile.
"Huh…." (Seol)
Seol inwardly issued a disappointed groan. It seemed that the lessons taught on the second floor weren"t enough for these idiots.
"It"s a good thing that I made preparations." (Seol)
Seol slowly reached inside his pockets, getting ready to finish this nonsense once and for all; but, before he could….
"So, what about you, Mister Student? Or you, Hyun Sahng-Min?" (Kahng Seok)
Seol"s hand stopped just before he could grasp the spell b.a.l.l.s. It was unknown what he was thinking at the moment while he withdrew his empty hand from the pocket.
"You wanna die like this? Hey, you want to die to that Gaeg-gwi monster that murdered your pretty and kind sister? Siblings, eh? Is it like, "get one and you get another" kinda deal?" (Kahng Seok)
"I, I…." (Yi Sung-Jin)
"Hey, man. Miss Yi Surl-Ah must be spinning in her grave. I"m pretty sure she"s fervently praying for me to save your hide right now." (Kahng Seok)
Kahng Seok confirmed that Yi Sung-Jin was trembling like a leaf, and then s.h.i.+fted his attention to Hyun Sahng-Min.
"And you… You did what you could already, right? No, wait a minute - could it be that you"re feeling guilty conscience or something? What the? I thought you were a realistic b*stard like me? Was I wrong?" (Kahng Seok)
"Just come in already. There ain"t n.o.body here to tell you sh*t." (Kahng Seok)
Kahng Seok"s words were as slick and seductive as the whispers of a viper. After hearing those persuasive words, Hyun Sahng-Min and Yi Sung-Jin kept staring at each other before s.h.i.+fting their gazes to a single man.
However, Seol simply stood there in silence.
The first one to make his move was Yi Sung-Jin. He resolutely shut his mouth and trudged onwards. He walked past the invisible barrier and entered the safe zone.
"Kek…. Still so young, yet so impressively decisive. Very good. You could even become a general in the future." (Kahng Seok)
Kahng Seok lightly tapped on the youth"s shoulder. The boy didn"t say anything and entered the cla.s.sroom.
"However, you are more loyal than you look, aren"t you, Hyun Sahng-Min?" (Kahng Seok)
Even then, Seol didn"t show any response. Seeing this, Hyun Sahng-Min licked his lips regretfully and pulled his cap low. After spitting out a low groan, he began moving as well.
"….Sorry." (Hyun Sahng-Min)
….After leaving behind that single word.
"Oh, hang on. How about giving me a smoke first?" (Kahng Seok)
Kahng Seok stopped Hyun Sahng-Min before the latter could enter the barrier.
"Don"t forget the light." (Kahng Seok)
Only after Hyun Sahng-Min personally lit the cigarette for Kahng Seok was he allowed in. Kahng Seok sucked in the cigarette smoke once; he then proceeded to feign shock after "finding" s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah standing there.
"What"s the matter with you now? Did you become an exhibitionist all of a sudden after taking your pants off once?" (Kahng Seok)
s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah gritted her teeth. Yi Sung-Jin and Hyun Sahng-Min"s desertion was quite shocking, but there was a far more grave matter of her own safety to worry about here. Thinking back to the confrontation that happened in the a.s.sembly hall, and the humiliation she had to suffer on the second floor, she just knew there was no way Kahng Seok would make things easy for her now.
However, Kahng Seok proceeded to shatter her expectations as if he was trying to show off.
"Hey, now. I was just joking, you know. Just a joke. I can tell that you ripped your s.h.i.+rt to stem Yun Seo-Rah"s blood loss. That is commendable. But still, you keep standing there and you might come down with a flu, you know?" (Kahng Seok)
Kahng Seok then took off his cardigan and pushed it towards s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah"s direction. He waved it around slowly, as if telling her to come and take it. She couldn"t help but grow suspicious.
"You, doing this again….!" (s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah)
"Nope. I"m not trying to lead you on. I promise." (Kahng Seok)
"But, why….?" (s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah)
"Stop trying to make me say the obvious things. Take this and put it on, already. Don"t you get it already?" (Kahng Seok)
"….Uh?" (s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah)
"Man, this lady is really slow on the uptake, huh. I"m saying, you can also come in here. Do I have to spell it out for you too?" (Kahng Seok)
s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah lightly swallowed her saliva. Why was he suddenly acting like this?
She could just about understand the reason why - most likely, they must"ve held a deep grudge against Seol, all because of what happened on the second floor.
A powerful indecision gripped her, then. Meanwhile, Seol still showed no signs of movement.
s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah stood between Seol and Kahng Seok as she weighed up her options before a strange light flashed by on her face for the briefest of brief moments. And then….
"Argh, my arm hurts." (Kahng Seok)
Just as Kahng Seok lowered the offered cardigan just a tad, she moved her feet.
"That"s right. That"s right." (Kahng Seok)
She took a quick glance at Seol a couple of times, but her feet never stopped moving. Before long, she crossed the barrier. A strange smile formed on Kahng Seok"s face.
"Oh? So you really came, eh?" (Kahng Seok)
"What do you mean….?" (s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah)
"No, no. You did well. Take this before my arm falls off, will you?" (Kahng Seok)
Kahng Seok raised a small fuss while waving the cardigan around. s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah glanced at Seol one more time, before reaching out. Just as her hand touched the offered clothing, though - Kahng Seok suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her in close.
"Mommy?!" (s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah)
Like someone falling face first, she fell forward and ended up in the still-seated Kahng Seok"s embrace.
"You like looking for your mom a lot, don"t you?" (Kahng Seok)
"W, what are you doing?!" (s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah)
"Stay still, will you? You came here knowing this would happen already." (Kahng Seok)
"I, I….!"
Thud, thud…
The low vibration from the floors below continued to get closer. s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah"s stiff body flinched ever so slightly. Kahng Seok"s hand, lightly patting her back, slowly crept lower, past her slender waistline and eventually, arrived at her pet.i.te, round rump.
"Or…. You"d rather go back outside?" (Kahng Seok)
She began trembling even more when Kahng Seok whispered in her ear. Gradually, all strength seemed to seep out from her. Even when he began roughly kneading her b*tt like rice dough, s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah didn"t mount any form of resistance.
"Now, do you feel like listening to what I"m saying?" (Kahng Seok)
"You don"t want to answer?" (Kahng Seok)
"….Y, yes…"
When s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah replied with honorifics, Kahng Seok"s complexion brightened to reflect his happiness.
"Uh-whew. My little b*tch, look how soft and fluffy your a*s is." (Kahng Seok)
Slap, slap.
Kahng Seok lightly slapped her rear, causing s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah to squeeze her eyes shut. Quite surprisingly, though - she then carefully wrapped her arms around Kahng Seok"s back, and dug deeper into his embrace. Seeing this, Lee Hyung-Sik and Jeong Min-Woo wolf whistled quite loudly. Kahng Seok burst out in a boisterous laughter when she began gently rubbing her cheek to his.
"Very good. See? If you behaved this way from the beginning, everything would"ve been simpler. If you start making me feel happier by showing some aegyo and stuff from now on, I"m gonna treat you right, you know?" (Kahng Seok)
While constantly enjoying the riches of s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah"s body, Kahng Seok then pointed his chin outside the barrier.
There were only two people remaining there - Seol and the currently-unconscious Yun Seo-Rah.
"So, how does it feel to be betrayed? Why don"t you enlighten us, Mister Gold Mark?" (Kahng Seok)
[Kahng Seok"s Status Window] [1. General Information] Summoned date: March 16th, 2017
Mark grade: Silver
s.e.x/Age: Male/29
Height/Weight: 178.8 cm/ 72.6 kg
Current condition: Good
Job: LV. 0 (Invited)
Nationality: Republic of Korea (Area 1)
Affiliation: N/A
Alias: N/A
[2. Personality] Temperament: - Maverick (Tries to do things the way he likes, regardless of others.)
- Self-centered (Vigorously pursues his own personal gains only.)
Apt.i.tude: - A gift of gab (Possesses great talent at talking and making speeches.)
- Sadism (Feels s.e.xual gratification only after inflicting physical or psychological pain to another person.) (TL: Really? How is that "Apt.i.tude"?)
[3. Physical Level] Strength: Low - Medium
Endurance: Medium - Low
Agility: Low - High
Stamina: Low - High
Magic: Low - High
Luck: Medium - Low
Remaining ability points: 0
Seol was busy looking at Kahng Seok"s Status. He felt like he could understand just a little where it all went south for this idiot. Besides that "gift of gab", he seemed to be suffering from a few noticeably negative traits.
"Hey, friend." (Kahng Seok)
Seol"s brows furrowed slightly at that. A friend, huh.
"I feel really sorry for you." (Kahng Seok)
Kahng Seok seemed to be genuinely sorry for Seol, judging from his facial expression.
"Why do you insist on living like that? Mm?" (Kahng Seok)
He lightly tapped on s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah"s head and continued on.
"You don"t seem to have any morals." (Seol)
"Morals?" (Kahng Seok)
Kahng Seok began chortling as if he had heard something funny.
"Aigoo~, my friend…. Ah, I get it, I get it. Really. There is a reason to be mindful when we"re on Earth. There"s laws and stuff - and if I don"t follow them, I will end up behind bars. However…." (Kahng Seok)
Kahng Seok pointed at the ground below.
"However, this isn"t Earth. Meaning, there"s no reason for me to stay the same here. You are an Invited too, so you should know this by now, no? We"re going to a brand new world? My a*s. In the end, this is all just a f*cking game, man. A game. And you"re supposed to enjoy playing games." (Kahng Seok)
"A game, huh." (Seol)
"Yup. So, what"s the point of keeping up with your morals here? Like, what"s the f*cking point of being the best, kindest, and the most fair in this place? There is no one here who gives a sh*t about those things. Only "me" counts. I"m telling you, n.o.body cares." (Kahng Seok)
"Ahh, aheuck!" (s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah)
Kahng Seok suddenly grabbed s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah"s hair and yanked, causing her to gasp out in pain.
"Look at her. She"s your proof. She only latched onto you for a bit so that she can leech off of you. I mean, you saw it with your own two eyes, right? How did she react when the situation changed just now?" (Kahng Seok)
s.h.i.+n Sahng-Ah slowly averted her gaze.
"So, the point here is that, don"t suffer losses. You have that much talent, and I can tell you got a quick brain in that head of yours too, so why couldn"t you just close your eyes and commit to the program?" (Kahng Seok)
Seol continued to listen while standing there, his arms across his chest.
"You want to look after these weaklings? What a load of f*cking bull. You think all those with power are evil, and weaklings are all pure, nice folks? You still think these losers are nice?" (Kahng Seok)
Kahng Seok pa.s.sionately spat out his words.
"I can see that you"ve received some mental damage just now. But, you know what, don"t be too discouraged, man. That"s how~ the world operates. You"re supposed to exceed the "haves", and step on the "have-nots" - that"s the only way you can survive. You stay mindful of this guy and that girl, then sooner or later, you"ll be bitten by all sorts of stray mutts. Only you"d end up dead." (Kahng Seok)
Seol slowly closed his eyes. The words coming out of Kahng Seok was something he too was thinking about recently.
"You still don"t get it? What happened to Yi Surl-Ah earlier? And what"s happening to you now?" (Kahng Seok)
"You see, it"s not that the "one who"s supposed to make it" are making it, but those who are willing to make it, are making it. Also, it"s not that those supposed to fail are failing, it"s just that they are destined to never make it. Simple." (TL: Man, this line was a real ch.o.r.e to TL. I"m not going to tinker with it anymore than I already have, so this is what you"ll get.)
"…Those who are destined to make it…." (Seol)
"That"s right!" (Kahng Seok)
Kahng Seok shouted out of the blue and extended his hand.
"Now that I"ve talked this much, I"m sure you get it now. So." (Kahng Seok)
"Like true men, why don"t we let bygones be bygones. As a symbol of starting over…. Ahh." (Kahng Seok)
As if he remembered something, Kahng Seok withdrew his hand.
"I still should make you apologise, though." (Kahng Seok)
Seol"s eyes narrowed.
"An apology, huh." (Seol)
"That"s right, an apology. The spot you sucker punched me still hurts, you know?" (Kahng Seok)
Whew - Kahng Seok spat out a sigh and loosened his shoulders.
"If you"ve really changed the way you think, I"m sure it"s not that difficult for you to do something as small as making an apology, right?" (Kahng Seok)
Seol quietly stared at Kahng Seok.
"Well, it"s a simple matter, anyway. All you have to say is one word - sorry. Then, we can become true friends afterwards." (Kahng Seok)
Seol took a glance at Yun Seo-Rah.
"Not her. You gotta leave her there." (Kahng Seok)
Kahng Seok must"ve noticed Seol"s gaze, because he spoke in no uncertain terms.
"I"ll have to refuse your apology if it comes from a minds.p.a.ce where you"re thinking that you can"t help it if it means saving Yun Seo-Rah. You see, I really hate hypocrites." (Kahng Seok)
Seol s.h.i.+fted his gaze away and then, placed his left hand on the invisible barrier.
"…Mi…" (Seol)
Kahng Seok smirked; his mouth opened up progressively wider in a smile as if his long-held wish was finally being granted.
"…Mi…" (Seol)
Seol sounded as if he was desperately squeezing out his voice "unwillingly". Like a kid opening up his birthday present, the colours of Kahng Seok"s expression brightened even more.
Seol held his breath, then clenched his fist.
"….Michinnom." (TL note at the end)
"I was lyin…. Huh?!" (Kahng Seok)
Just as Kahng Seok forgot what he was going to say and sat there stupefied, the safe area behind him became quite noisy.
"What the h.e.l.l?" (Jeong Min-Woo)
Jeong Min-Woo turned around to find out why it became so noisy over there.
And, just as Seol was about to produce a spell ball from his pocket…
< 16.="" a="" dangerous="" treasure="" hunt="" (4)=""> Fin.
(TL: The Korean word "michinnom" literally means "crazy b*stard." This is a wordplay of sorts, because in Korean, "sorry" is "mi-han-hah-dah". Hence, Seol said "mi" a couple of times, leading Kahng Seok on to think that he was going to apologise, when he was actually going to call him a crazy buffoon.)