Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Chapter 15: To the New World (6)
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First, while heading back to Seoul, I contacted the twins' homeroom teachers.
I asked them to excuse the kids from evening self-study due to family circumstances.
I texted the kids too. Told them to come straight out after classes.
I'd already steeled myself to some extent. Whatever objections they raised, I'd ignore them.
Even so, sighs kept escaping me.
But time is fair, at least.
It doesn't drag just because there's no good solution.
Before I knew it, the unfamiliar bell rang, and checking my watch confirmed regular classes were over.
Before getting out of the car, I glanced at my phone.
Fortunately, the divine traces that had lingered for over four hours had faded significantly.
They just looked like a light brown now.
‘This should be fine.’
The twins, who saw me every day, might sense something off.
But it wouldn't give a blatantly alien vibe.
About fifteen minutes after I got out of the car?
Yeon-woo spotted me at the school gate and came sprinting over.
She hugged me so suddenly I couldn't see her expression.
All I caught was how deadly serious she looked while running.
Jin-woo's expression wasn't great either as he approached with quick steps.
I cut in before either could speak.
“For now, let's head home. We'll talk there.”
“……Okay.”
This bought me a little more time, but I already knew.
Putting off the explanation wouldn't change anything.
Maybe that's why swallowing my sigh felt especially tough.
* * *
“So, you're saying we should stay with Uncle Jong-hoon for a while?”
To Yeon-woo's question, I nodded calmly.
“Yeah.”
I'd already arranged for the siblings to stay at Jong-hoon's place while I was gone.
-If you're really going, let's sort out the house. I can't leave the kids alone; it makes me too anxious.
I felt the same unease about leaving them by themselves, and I trusted Jong-hoon.
We were moving tomorrow.
Today, I'd only cleared time to explain things to my siblings.
‘Not that it was a proper explanation.’
No way was I going to admit I was volunteering for something dangerous.
I just said I had to be away for a bit. That was it.
Then I notified them they'd be staying at Jong-hoon's.
From the twins' perspective, I knew it felt like a total dick move.
But even after thinking it over countless times, telling them the truth didn't feel right.
Once my announcement ended, Yeon-woo kept her head down, fidgeting with her hands.
After a long silence, Jin-woo broke it.
“Got it.”
He didn't ask why I had to leave or where I'd be going.
Just that one word: understood.
‘……These aren't the kids I know?’
When I got tangled up with Nam-gyu and stayed out overnight, how much nagging did they do?
The twins I knew wouldn't let this slide so easily.
Narrowing my eyes at them suspiciously, Jin-woo and Yeon-woo exchanged a strange glance.
‘What was that just now?’
Something felt off. Before I could point it out, Jin-woo beat me to it.
“We're not little kids who can't survive without you anymore, Hyung. Don't worry and go do what you need to.”
Jin-woo's face looked a lot like mine from back in the day.
I was the only one speechless in the unexpected moment.
Arguing here would just make me look like the weirdo abandoning his kids.
Either way, me leaving was set in stone.
So the kids letting me go quietly and accepting my decision was a relief.
‘Why does it feel so off, though?’
Something must've gone down between them while I was away.
Otherwise, they wouldn't let this pass so smoothly.
As I pondered how to pry out their little conspiracy.
Yeon-woo, who'd been keeping her head down, straightened up and spoke.
“Oppa seems like it's hard to explain, so I won't ask for details.”
“…….”
“But promise me. Promise you'll come back.”
This time, it wasn't just surprising—it was a bit shocking.
I couldn't get used to whatever they'd talked about between them.
‘Back then, she'd have burst into tears for sure.’
When did these tiny kids I used to carry around grow up to say stuff like that?
I looked at the twins with complicated eyes, then let out a sigh.
Whatever they'd discussed, I had no right to dig it out of them.
I couldn't nag them for not holding on or questioning me.
No matter what they said, I was going anyway.
So it was time to thank them quietly for seeing me off.
‘Feels weird.’
Ruffling Yeon-woo's hair, I answered flatly.
“Yeah, I promise.”
“Okay, that's good enough.”
Only then did Yeon-woo hug me, sniffling.
“Oppa always keeps his promises.”
With that non-conversation of a conversation sweeping things under the rug, I started packing at dawn the next day.
By evening, Jae-hyuk joined to help with the move.
‘Gotta stop by the realtor later too.’
As I mentally sorted pre-departure tasks, my gaze dropped lower.
「Progress: 12.71%」
I had to finish preparations for Bihar before that bar filled up.
* * *
Repay glanced sideways while mopping as usual.
But nothing was there. At least, not to anyone else.
Only Repay could see the chat window floating in that spot.
- Diamond: Just think—if you get caught, you're fucked.
- Lollipop: What the hell happened anyway?
Plenty of people were ready to answer Lollipop, who'd just joined the chat today.
- Worldstar: Starts with money to lure them in.
- Diamond: Then threats with family.
- Balloon: After that, you're slave material for sure. They dump all the illegal crap on you.
- Balloon: Guy I know is hauling drugs right now 'cause his kid got nabbed. They let him talk on the phone once a day. Pretty tragic.
- Lollipop: Family? In this day and age?
- Balloon: Apparently the bureaucrats have their hooks in deep. Total loyalty mode. They even volunteer to threaten other players' families.
- Worldstar: Check the community posts—it's obvious. They're too busy sucking up.
- Lollipop: This is really happening?
- Emperor: We haven't experienced it ourselves. If we had, we wouldn't be in this chat. But based on K's post, better safe than sorry.
- Emperor: He concluded not to trust the government—keep an eye on them. The info he got was too contradictory, so prioritize safety.
- Lollipop: No way…… Could it all be rumors?
Repay's brow furrowed at Lollipop's response.
‘What's with this guy?’
Something smelled off. Why the constant denial, like it couldn't possibly be true?
Same as everyone else—he hadn't experienced it either.
‘Am I overreacting?’
No, no. With this issue, overreacting wouldn't even be weird.
Repay chewed his lip, brow still creased.
‘Already two weeks.’
There'd been a post on the player community: ‘Essential Read for Chinese Players.’
It exposed government bureaucrats hiring players as private soldiers, then using families as hostages for control.
To verify, he tried adding that code-named player as a friend.
‘Deceased.’
The poster was dead.
Then similar posts popped up a couple more times.
After that, counter-posts claiming it was all rumors started appearing.
They got buried quickly under the flood of others, though.
The problem was, Repay knew which side was true.
Working as a janitor at the Great Hall of the People, he'd overheard plenty.
-If they don't obey, boom—the tracker explodes. Right here, fused to the spine!
-Even monsters can't do shit if it's on their head.
-Exactly. Gotta keep the vermin from going wild with power they don't deserve.
-Tracking's essential. Once that's in, we can use them more efficiently.
-Hahaha, giving them a chance to devote themselves to the great People's Republic of China, eh?
His sharpened hearing caught the whispers from visiting high officials perfectly.
Their smirks during that exchange were burned into his memory.
- Rabbitfoot: If it's bullshit, go run to the government yourself.
That's why he couldn't let it go—gotten all prickly about it.
- Rabbitfoot: Everyone, watch this fucker. Looks like a slave trying to bait us.
- Lollipop: What? No way! Don't twist it like that!
- Worldstar: How about kicking him from the room first?
- Balloon: Agreed. Kick him and check the community. If he's a real slave, he'll be active soon enough.
Everyone left in the group chat—hypersensitive to safety—agreed to boot Lollipop.
Lollipop vanished from the chat shortly after.
But the unease only thickened.
- Balloon: If he's legit a slave, all our code names are compromised.
- Emperor: Reject all friend requests for now and cut back on community activity. Time to lay low.
- Rabbitfoot: Listen to Emperor. Bureaucrats are in a frenzy right now.
Who can snag more players.
Who can claim the strongest ones.
To China's elite, players were just useful chess pieces—private soldiers to toy with.
That's why they scrambled to find and own as many as possible.
‘If the government brands you a criminal, you're done.’
A man in his late thirties got arrested a few days ago for allegedly trying to assassinate a Politburo member.
How many knew he was a player who'd rejected their recruitment?
That his elderly parents and two young sons vanished overnight?
Repay wouldn't have known either if he hadn't overheard the higher-ups murmuring while working here.
‘The news even called him an orphan. Whatever.’
Once you're caught, no escape. So hide better than anyone.
Repay had nothing to protect, so he was somewhat lucky.
But others would bend one by one before power.
Even with superhuman strength, past human ties meant no true freedom.
Silver lining? Players had a place to run.
‘Bihar.’
According to K's post, an official gate would open soon.
Leading to a world of intelligent beings.
‘I got no kids, never had parents.’
If he could slip away alone, he'd be safe from the regime.
Just hold out quietly without causing trouble until then.
To avoid suspicion or tracking, he kept showing up to work steadily.
Glancing down, progress was over 90%.
‘Just a few more days.’
As he mopped in the shadowy corner like a ghost.
A chill crawled up his neck.
Repay was a player who'd cleared level 2 missions before servers linked—plenty of field experience.
So he made the best call to protect himself.
His body moved before his mind could catch up.
Damn system