Chapter 25: City of Traps. |
“Obviously, I’m against it. The answer is obvious if you compare the forest to this place, isn’t it? I’m not willing to risk my life on your uncertain prediction. I don’t think it’s right to leave this city and take the same risks we did yesterday.”
I had a sliver of hope, but it was just as I’d expected. Lee Yu-jeong cast her vote against leaving, bringing the count to one for and one against. It left a bad taste in my mouth, but I decided to wait and see how things played out.
After Lee Yu-jeong, it was Kim Han-byeol’s turn. If she voted in favor, there might still be a chance, so naturally, all eyes turned to her. She stared at my face for a moment before speaking in her usual quiet voice.
“I don’t particularly want to leave either. But based on my own judgment of him, I don’t believe he has any ill intentions. After all, he’s made good decisions for us so far. While there isn’t enough evidence to prove what he’s said, I believe there’s a basis for it. I can’t choose to agree or disagree. So I’ll abstain.”
Kim Han-byeol chose to abstain. In a way, it was the safest choice. Lee Yu-jeong seemed convinced we would stay, a wide grin spreading across her face. I began preparing for the possibility that things wouldn’t go my way. If a boss monster appeared, so be it; I would just have to kill it. The problem would be doing it without getting caught.
Only An Hyeon and An Sol were left. An Hyeon glanced at his sister, then stroked her hair and spoke to her.
“Sol.”
“Yes?”
“What do you want to do?”
“Sol, you’re against it too, right? Of course you are. It’s safe and comfortable here. If we go outside, scary monsters will come roaring after us!”
At some point, Lee Yu-jeong had started treating An Sol like a complete child. An Sol seemed to notice it too, because as Lee Yu-jeong tried to scare her with an exaggerated expression, her cheeks puffed out and her lips pouted as she slowly shook her head. She glanced at me one more time before speaking in a cautious voice.
“I… I want to agree with what Su-hyeon says.”
Oh?
“Right! Of course, you agree— wait? What? You agree?”
Lee Yu-jeong, who had been nodding excitedly, saw her expression change in an instant, and she looked ready to pounce. An Sol quickly hid in An Hyeon’s arms. An Hyeon and Kim Han-byeol were so surprised their eyes went wide as they stared at her. An Sol, burdened by their gazes, mumbled for a while before finally speaking slowly.
“Yes. I agree.”
“Why! Why on earth!”
“Hic…”
An Hyeon shielded a frightened An Sol from Lee Yu-jeong’s murderous glare and gently asked for her reason.
“Sol. You need to tell everyone why you agree.”
“Okay… Um… Just because. I just have a feeling. Because…”
The moment he heard the word “feeling,” An Hyeon’s expression changed drastically. It was only for a second, but I saw it clearly. What on earth was going on?
“Hey! You can’t just base it on a feeling…”
“Be quiet!”
At An Hyeon’s sudden outburst, Lee Yu-jeong quickly shut her mouth. An Hyeon’s face was dead serious. He frowned, looking at An Sol with grave concern. Oblivious to his gaze, An Sol simply nodded and raised a slender finger to point at me.
“Before, it was just a vague feeling… but last night, I dreamed about Su-hyeon.”
“Everyone, please be quiet for a moment. Sol, keep going. Tell us everything.”
“We were all sleeping in this room when a huge monster appeared. It was like an Alien. The monster came straight to our building… and put everyone in danger. It seemed like we were all going to die, trapped like that. No, I think I definitely saw us die. But then, suddenly, the dream changed.”
“How did it change?”
“Like winding a clock, the dream went back to the beginning, and suddenly Su-hyeon was there. The monster appeared again, but this time it was different. Su-hyeon told us all to run while he held it off. I was in my brother’s arms, frantically escaping the city, and when I turned to look back, worried about him, the dream ended.”
“Do you remember anything else?”
“At the very end, a terrible roar? A scream? I think I heard some kind of sound… but I’m not sure.”
We all held our breath, hanging on her every word. And for the first time since my return to the past, I looked at her with genuine interest. As much as this was outside my area of expertise, I honestly couldn’t comprehend it.
Her stats were 75 Magic and 100 Luck. My own 96 Magic wasn’t just an ordinary score; it was a value that would make me a top-tier mage even in the Hall Plain. Yet, even with the power of The Third Eye, I was barely permitted to see a single second into the past. But she, through the power of dreams, could vaguely glimpse both the past and the future.
Of course, there was a clear difference between us. I could see events that had actually happened in the past and could manifest this power whenever I chose. She, on the other hand, couldn't be certain if her visions were interference or reality, and they seemed to manifest randomly. Her extremely high Luck stat likely made them quite accurate.
In any case, one of the questions I’d had from the beginning seemed to be answered. The reason I never saw them in my first life was clear. They must have gathered for some reason and come to this city. And it seemed they had stayed longer than two days and been killed by the boss monster. An Sol was probably the sole survivor of that city.
“Haa…”
I heard An Hyeon let out a deep sigh. Having finished her story, An Sol looked around anxiously. An Hyeon tapped his fingers on the living room floor, lost in thought, before turning to everyone with a troubled expression.
“I also agree with Su-hyeon.”
“Why you too? You said you didn’t want to leave either! Are you just siding with your sister?”
Lee Yu-jeong immediately shot back, a look of disbelief on her face. An Hyeon looked at her apologetically before speaking.
“I’m not just siding with her. This might sound a little funny, but…”
An Hyeon lowered his head slightly and gestured to An Sol, who was still in his arms, as he continued.
“I’ve lived with Sol for over 19 years. We’ve been through a lot. And every time, I’ve noticed that she has incredibly good intuition.”
Of course, she does. With 100 Luck, one could gain skills like Intuition or Clairvoyance, even precognition if the rank was high enough. As I was thinking this, Lee Yu-jeong frowned and lamented.
“That damn intuition, intuition, intuition. I’m sick of it.”
“This isn’t a lie; I’m certain. Whenever Sol felt uneasy, something bad always happened. It’s rare for her to hear things through dreams, but… anyway, with three votes for, one against, and one abstention, it’s decided that we’re leaving. As we agreed, I expect everyone to follow the decision. Everyone, up. Let’s move now.”
“We’re leaving right now?”
“Since Sol had a dream like that, it’s better to leave as soon as possible. Let’s all just pack the essentials. Su-hyeon. Can you stand watch, just in case?”
“Okay. I’ll do that. Call me when you’re all done.”
Seeing An Hyeon’s different demeanor from yesterday, I smiled with satisfaction. I equipped the crossbow to my left arm, dusted myself off, and stood up.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Though subtle, An Hyeon had definitely changed. From going on patrol by himself this morning to his unusually proactive attitude, it was clear. Of course, a few words with me yesterday couldn’t have completely changed his inner state. But at the very least, he had altered his outward behavior, suggesting he intended to follow my advice as far as he could. It was a positive change, so I hummed a tune as I surveyed our surroundings.
An Hyeon was right; if we were going to leave, now was the best time. Procrastinating and dragging our feet, only to set off in the afternoon and wander around at night, was something to be avoided at all costs. It would be far better to leave in the morning and find a place to rest by the afternoon. I could hear a lot of bustling from downstairs; it seemed they planned to take as much as they could.
Breathing in the air that still held a morning chill, I felt my head clear. If it had just been people like Park Dong-geol, Lee Bo-rim, or Lee Shin-woo, they would have thrown a fit about staying. Things had turned out surprisingly well. This was why it was so much easier with high-level users. A moment of silence for Park Dong-geol’s party.
We had physically survived the Rite of Passage’s most difficult areas—the forest’s interior and outskirts—and psychologically conquered the trap-laden city. Now, as long as we were careful of randomly appearing boss monsters and other survivors, the path to the central gate should be relatively easy. The other monsters that would surely appear…
“Excuse me…”
Just as I was thinking about the other monsters that would appear as we headed toward the center, I heard someone call my name. I turned at the sound of their presence to see Kim Han-byeol standing there. With a small bag on her back, she looked just about ready to go.
“Yes. Are you all finished with your preparations?”
“I’m done. The others are still getting ready.”
“I see. Then I’ll keep watch a little longer.”
“…Could we talk for a moment?”
I was taken aback by her sudden request to talk, but I nodded in reply.
“Of course.”
She glanced at me hesitantly before slowly approaching my side. I was curious about what she wanted to say. Uncharacteristically, Kim Han-byeol seemed to be gauging my reaction for a while before she spoke in a cautious voice.
“Did you… hear anything from Yu-jeong or An Hyeon?”
“About you and Yu-jeong fighting?”
“That, and… anything else.”
I hadn’t heard anything else about Kim Han-byeol, so I shook my head.
“I see. Actually…”
Her story wasn’t anything major. It was just about her opposing Lee Yu-jeong’s idea to leave. Honestly, when she mentioned saying, “the living have to live,” a bitter smile came to my lips, but knowing it wasn’t her true intention, I could let it slide. Complaining about it now would only make me look petty, so it was better to just accept it gracefully. Besides, things like this were commonplace in the Hall Plain, so it wasn’t something to get angry about.
“…I’m sorry. I was just so angry back then. If I put myself in your shoes, I can only imagine how offended you must have been…”
It was the first time I had heard her usually calm voice sound so dejected. Her relationship with Lee Yu-jeong still seemed strained, but that was a difficult matter for me to meddle in. I looked at her with a slight smile and spoke.
“No, I’m not offended. In fact, I think you did the right thing.”
“…”
“I mean it. You made a calm, rational judgment of the situation. If they had left then, just like you said, they wouldn’t have found me and would have been killed, 100%. It’s nothing to apologize for.”
“Still…”
“Yu-jeong is so hot-headed, I was a little worried, but I’m glad you’re here. If something like that happens again, please do the same thing. I’d actually prefer it that way.”
“…Thank you.”
As she finished speaking, our eyes met. And for the first time, I saw her smile. It was just a faint, fleeting smile, but she was undeniably beautiful.
Suddenly… ‘she’ from the Hall Plain crossed my mind.