Chapter 10: The Rite of Passage Begins |
I was suddenly reminded of an interesting TV show I once watched. What if an ordinary person was suddenly thrown into a life-threatening situation? The show claimed that people act rationally for only about fifteen minutes after a crisis hits. After that, reason disappears, and they act purely on instinct. If that's true, could I say the group I'm leading has already skipped that part?
We were currently on a high hill in the forest, stopping for a moment on the high ground to catch our breath. Even though it was just a hill, the path had been steeper than expected, and everyone was clearly exhausted. After taking a moment to breathe, I looked down, and just as I'd predicted, the clearing where we had been sitting just an hour ago was now densely packed with Deadmen.
The others groaned as they stared at the clearing, now so small it could be covered by a hand. It was obvious that if we had been even a little slower to leave, we would have become their prey. Even the sharp-tongued woman, who had been so spirited before, was rubbing her arms as if goosebumps had broken out on her skin.
Everyone's expression was complicated. Monsters existed, and their lives were in danger. As they accepted this reality, their faces, without a word spoken, betrayed a flood of negative emotions. But that was something I couldn't help them with. From now on, I planned to stay out of it as much as possible and quietly observe from the back. I had seen their basic information, but I still needed to see how they would actually behave.
"Pant... pant! Damn it... What the hell are those things?"
It was Park Dong-geol, still gasping for breath from the climb. I shook my head as I looked at him. If only he would just keep quiet, he might at least be average. When you thought about it, the crisis we just faced happened because he kicked a stone. In other words, he was the one who caused it. If it were me, I'd be too ashamed to say anything, but he seemed to be incredibly thick-skinned.
Sighing, I turned my head and saw An Sol, still crying in An Hyeon's arms. For a moment, I thought she was pathetic, but this experience taught me one thing. If the crying An Sol was indeed the Brilliance Priest I knew, I had assumed her future was more or less guaranteed. Considering her 100 points in Luck, I thought she would naturally pass the Rite of Passage. But the outcome was different. I had confirmed that the future could change with even the slightest deviation in action.
An Hyeon, who was wiping away An Sol's tears, seemed to feel my gaze and bowed his head to me. He had realized I was the one who had fired the arrow and killed the Deadman. I could see the gratitude in his eyes. I gave him a slight nod to show it was nothing and turned my gaze back down the hill.
Growl! Growl!
"Waaah!"
I didn't know if they had been nearby or had followed us from the clearing, but two new Deadmen appeared, desperately trying to climb the hill. However, they weren't moving as fast as before.
Deadmen are quite fast when charging in a straight line after spotting prey. However, their speed drops significantly if they have to curve their path or climb to higher ground. It wasn't that they couldn't climb the hill, but it would be simple enough to just stab a sword through their heads before they reached the top.
The panic was less severe than when they first saw the Deadmen, but there were still screams. It might sound harsh to Lee Bo-rim, but I had no intention of going out of my way to save her. For one, her screaming duet with An Sol from the start had been grating on my nerves, and after looking at her user information, I couldn't find any use for her. If she survived, it would be her own good fortune; if she died, it would be her fate.
‘It's about time they started to react... Will it be cooperation, division, or will things just stay the same?’
To start a proper conversation, dealing with the Deadmen climbing up from below was the first priority.
Just then, An Hyeon made his move. He must have left his sword back in the clearing, because he left An Sol's side and picked up a fist-sized stone. I had been loading my crossbow, but I paused to see what he would do.
If you gave an average adult man in South Korea a knife and told him to hit a target at a certain distance, how many would succeed? I wanted to see if cutting the Deadman's left arm with a sword earlier had been skill or just luck.
Unlike before, An Hyeon carefully judged the direction and distance before throwing the stone at them with all his might. And the result was...
Thwack!
"It was nothing special."
An Hyeon's throw was excellent. The stone made a sickening thud as it successfully crushed the Deadman's head. Watching the monster collapse limply, An Hyeon's eyes gleamed with a newfound understanding, and he easily dispatched the remaining one.
"Yeah, nothing special. So don't get all high and mighty just because you took care of two of them."
But Park Dong-geol, apparently displeased with An Hyeon’s composure, chimed in again. An Hyeon couldn't just ignore the comment; he stopped in his tracks and stared at Park Dong-geol.
Finally, An Hyeon's lips slowly parted.
"It's all thanks to you, mister. Thank you."
"What kind of bullshit are you spouting all of a sudden?"
"When I saw the one that attacked my Sol earlier, I noticed something heavy lodged in its chest. Thanks to that, I realized that a stone could pierce them too."
Hearing An Hyeon's words, Park Dong-geol realized he was being mocked, and his expression immediately turned foul.
An Hyeon's words were aimed at the fact that Park Dong-geol had kicked the stone that nearly caused the disaster in the clearing.
"What, so you're saying we're in this mess because of the stone I kicked? How do you even know if that was the stone I kicked or not?"
"I don't recall saying anything like that. I just said thank you."
Seeing An Hyeon's smooth reply, Park Dong-geol looked ready to explode. But then, as if remembering something, he opened his mouth, his voice a low growl.
"Fuck, and what did you two do that was so great? Don't you know we all nearly died because of that bitch clinging to you?"
"Bitch?"
"Yeah, a fucking crazy bitch, what else? Everyone else made it up here just fine. She's not a child, so why couldn't she even stand up on her own?"
An Hyeon's face hardened. It seemed he had no rebuttal for that, as he clamped his mouth shut. An Sol, feeling guilty that her brother was being berated because of her, hung her head low and began wiping her eyes.
"Ugh, I can't stand watching you act so tough. When you get down to it, who was the one who started all this?"
But we had the sharp-tongued woman on our side. As expected, she didn't stay quiet this time either. She immediately came to An Hyeon's defense, and Park Dong-geol's expression twisted once more.
"Hey, you bitch. If you don't shut that pretty, chattering mouth of yours, I'll really kill you. Understand?"
"Hey, you bastard. If I were you, I'd be too ashamed to even open my mouth. Making a mess of things and then acting like this. And thanks for noticing I'm pretty."
"These goddamn bastards... are you all trying to get yourselves killed today...?"
All three had their faults, but Park Dong-geol was the one everyone disliked from the start. Realizing the atmosphere was turning against him, he finally fell silent.
Just when it seemed we had escaped one crisis, another fight broke out. At this point, it was beyond mere incompatibility; you could say they were practically mortal enemies. The frustration in my heart, which had started to fade, came rushing back. I habitually fumbled for a cigarette, but of course, I didn't have one. The thought that simply getting rid of Park Dong-geol would be more helpful in moving things forward began to solidify in my mind.
Still, since I had decided to observe them for a while, it was right to stick to that plan. After going through all the trouble to bring everyone here, the thought of returning to square one was certainly vexing.
In any case, the memory of what just happened would be vivid in a corner of everyone's mind. How on earth could I unite these people? No matter how much I thought about it, no clear answer came to mind. I finally concluded that I should leave them for a while. Strictly speaking, this place wasn't safe either.
Click!
I deliberately made a loud noise while loading the crossbow, and just as I'd expected, it drew everyone's attention. With a nonchalant expression, as if it were nothing, I finished loading the arrow, then met everyone's eyes and spoke.
"For now, avoiding those Dead... ahem. Those monsters seems to be our first priority."
"Everyone knows that. So what are you suggesting?"
‘This crazy bastard must have a death wish.’
For a moment, I wanted to plant an arrow right in Park Dong-geol's mouth, but I barely managed to hold back. If it had just been the two of us here, I would have smashed his jaw long ago.
"Arguing when we should be pooling our strength seems like a waste of time. I'll step away for a moment, so why don't you all discuss your opinions and decide on a course of action in the meantime?"
My words were logical and hard to refute. Of course, I expected there would be questions. However, the person who asked was unexpected.
"Why are you leaving? If we're going to discuss things, it would be better to do it together, wouldn't it?"
The person who spoke to me was a woman with a cold expression, one whose information I hadn't had a chance to see earlier. She looked to be about my age, or perhaps a year or two younger, and looking at her, I was unconsciously reminded of someone with a familiar aura.
‘For now, just try to sort it out amongst yourselves.’
"...Because those monsters could rush out just like they did in the clearing. I'll stand guard nearby, just in case. So, please call me when you've reached a consensus."
"...Don't go too far."
My reply was a little late, but thankfully I managed to avoid arousing any unnecessary suspicion. Besides, no one was going to stop me from willingly taking on the risk of standing guard.
After finishing my words, I slowly made my way to a suitable hiding spot I had noticed on our way up. Once I had put some distance between us and concealed myself within the forest, I immediately activated my mana. Soon, all my senses sharpened, my sight and hearing becoming much more acute. From this distance, the group wouldn't be able to see me, but I could observe them in such detail that I could even hear them breathing.
After I moved, a cold silence fell over the hill. The corpses of the Deadmen scattered below only added to the gloomy atmosphere. It was as if their mouths were sealed; no one was willing to speak first. Everyone wore a different expression, but the most interesting to watch was Park Dong-geol. One moment he would be scowling as if in deep thought, and the next he would break into a smirk. I began to suspect he might be a psychopath.
Time passed. In other novels or comics, the protagonist usually steps up to lead people, and everything works out fine. But in the group gathered here, there was no one suitable to be a definitive leader. Wasting time like this was not a good strategy. The more time passed, the more the anxiety in people's hearts would grow, and someone might lose their reason and begin to act on pure instinct.
At that moment, two women rose to their feet.
The person who cautiously stood in the center of the group was, surprisingly, Lee Bo-rim. The sharp-tongued woman, who had also started to rise, glanced at her and then sat back down. It seemed she intended to hear what Lee Bo-rim had to say first. After looking around at everyone with anxious eyes, Lee Bo-rim slowly began to speak.
"E-everyone saw the monsters just now. To be honest... when I first heard about this from the angel called a Helper, I thought it was just a bad dream. But now, I have no choice but to accept this as reality. Of course I'm anxious. I'm so anxious I feel like I'm going crazy. I'm sure it's the same for me and for everyone else here."
No one interrupted her. Sensing that everyone was focused on her words, Lee Bo-rim’s voice began to gain strength.
"Honestly, we were able to survive just now thanks to the man who went to stand guard. But he's one of us, so we can't just keep depending on him, right? I believe that right now, the answer is to work together to find a way to survive, rather than fighting among ourselves."
Though her words were conventional, Lee Bo-rim had grasped the core of the Rite of Passage. Cooperate and act. Her persuasion seemed to have some effect, as the dead atmosphere seemed to shift slightly. Then, Lee Shin-woo, who had been dejected this whole time, finally opened his mouth.
"Then, what do you think we should do now, Nuna...?"
He trailed off at the end, but his meaning was clear enough. He was asking her to share her thoughts, since she was the one who brought it up. However, it seemed Lee Bo-rim hadn't thought that far ahead, as she answered in a voice lacking confidence.
"That... I'm not sure yet... I just hope that from now on, we can stop fighting and calmly exchange our opinions."
"I agree."
Just then, Park Dong-geol, who had been watching for an opportunity like a hawk eyeing its prey, took a step forward.
Unlike before, Park Dong-geol's face wore a serious and calm expression. But I immediately scowled. At a glance, it might have seemed sincere, but my eyes couldn't be fooled. I could tell that his expression was just an act. The bastard was undoubtedly plotting something wicked again.
============================ Author's Note ============================
1. Typos and context corrected.