I Said I'd Let You Live
"Oh, you're not the usual person."
I had arrived at the gate entry point, but the staff member on duty today was different.
"Yes, he has the day off today. I'll be assisting you instead."
A day off? I was told he was assigned to me exclusively, but I guess things happen.
Besides, there was no one else to ask, and it wasn't like a change in staff would cause any major issues.
"Sure."
I sat down as guided.
"What kind of floor are we looking at today...?"
"I'm going into a random floor. Solo."
The employee gave a strange smile.
"Understood. I'll have it ready for you shortly."
For some reason, the preparation took longer than usual. Was he a rookie who had just started?
Well, whatever. Helping someone enter the tower wasn't exactly rocket science anyway.
I closed my eyes and waited.
About ten minutes must have passed.
"Everything is ready."
"Thanks."
That took forever. I almost fell asleep.
"Entering the Babel Tower."
Whoosh.
After the familiar sensation passed, I opened my eyes.
"...?"
What was this now?
"Haha, hello there."
Aside from me...
"Nice to meet you."
There were...
"We look forward to working with you."
Three other people. And they clearly seemed to know each other.
I definitely queued for a solo run, though...?
Right then, the face of that rookie employee flashed through my mind.
...Did he mess up?
I knew something felt off.
I scratched the back of my head and looked at the three of them.
"Ah, I came in expecting a solo run..."
The men smiled warmly, showing no signs of embarrassment at my words.
"That's perfectly fine! We were actually thinking three people was a bit lacking."
"Since fate brought us together like this, let's work together."
"I'm Um Gyeongseok."
The man in the middle offered his hand, and I ended up shaking it in a daze.
"I'm Kim Sangyeop."
"I'm Lee Baekjung."
Well, look at that. I never expected to end up in a party play like this.
But it didn't really matter. Solo or party, it was all the same to me.
Besides, if we ended up on the same random floor, it meant our levels were relatively similar.
I could just do a quick run and leave.
...I was planning to summon Imir and test his combat capabilities, though.
I would have to postpone that for next time. Since he was a demon, it would be awkward to pull him out in front of strangers.
"What is your class, Taepyeong?"
Um Gyeongseok, who seemed to be the leader, asked me.
"I'm a damage dealer."
"I see. You look strong."
"Yes. But..."
I glanced at Um Gyeongseok.
"Did I ever tell you my name?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
The three of them stared at each other in silence.
"Hahaha!"
Um Gyeongseok laughed and replied, "You're a famous figure, aren't you? I've seen you on the news."
"That's right, I saw you on the news too."
"Me too."
Hmm...
"...Ah, I see."
I shrugged lightly.
Well, it was true that I had appeared on the news quite a bit for various reasons. Even so, because of my rather average appearance, people rarely recognized me on the street.
Were these three just exceptionally observant?
"Anyway, what are your classes?"
"I'm a damage dealer."
"I'm a damage dealer too..."
"Damage dealer."
"..."
Oh...
"I see..."
How peculiar. A party of three damage dealers?
Unless they were insane, who would do that? Especially when you had no idea what would pop up on a random floor.
They look perfectly normal, though.
Are they crazy?
Well, of course, if you have the skills, you can pull it off. You can, but...
If they actually had that kind of skill, there's no way their faces would be unfamiliar to me...
I had never seen their faces before. I had never heard their names either.
"..."
Something felt fishy.
But nothing had happened yet. For now, I decided to just watch and see.
"Four damage dealers. Now that's a novel combination."
"Hahaha..."
"I look forward to working with you."
I offered a bright smile, acting as if nothing was wrong.
Only then did the three of them relax slightly.
There's definitely something going on.
But it wasn't like the Association would let actual criminals enter. What could they be plotting?
If they try anything funny, I'll kill them right away—
...Whoops.
I shouldn't be thinking about killing people so casually. I was a civilized man! A modern citizen! A proud son of Korea who grew up receiving a proper public education!
There was no way someone like me would want to kill people, right?
The only reason such a thought crossed my mind even for a second was because of Imir. It was because I was influenced by that bastard of a demon!
...Wait, I killed Kenji too, didn't I?
No, but that was under extenuating circumstances, so it should be excused, right? I only killed Kenji because he would have turned into a Kappa if left alone. So that didn't count.
I wasn't that kind of person. Anyway, this was all that demon bastard's fault.
Beep—!
Just then, a loud notification sound rang out.
As usual, I raised my head to look at the sky.
Species Match
A Species Match.
The rule was that the side with the most survivors wins.
In short...
...I just have to kill everyone else, right?
I liked how easy it was to understand. I just had to wipe out the other species and call it a day.
Ah, wait. No.
If the side with the most survivors wins...
That means I have to keep my teammates alive too.
I had to make sure these shady bastards didn't die?
Hmm. I take it back.
This was going to be a fucking hard game. A deathmatch would have been much easier.
First of all, I want to get the most kills...
How would this play out?
If they were tanks, healers, or supporters, it would be one thing, but right now, everyone was a damage dealer.
There was no way they would listen if I told them to "just hide quietly in a safe place." Damage dealers were notoriously prideful, after all.
"Taepyeong," Um Gyeongseok spoke up first. "We're planning to hold out in a safe place during the early phase. What do you think?"
...Huh?
Hold out in a safe place?
What was he talking about?
Are you guys really damage dealers...?
Obviously, we should wipe them out first. Why were damage dealers talking about hiding in a safe place as if they were healers?
Perhaps I was staring at him with a look of sheer disbelief without realizing it.
"Ah, haha... Is that a bit much?"
Um Gyeongseok scratched the back of his head with an awkward laugh.
The other two, Kim Sangyeop and Lee Baekjung, didn't look much different.
"Hiding doesn't really suit my style," I said.
At my words, Um Gyeongseok's expression stiffened slightly.
Huh? Did that sound too boastful?
But what could I do? It was the truth. I had never hidden before, so I didn't even know where to hide.
"Then what do you plan to..."
"If it's alright with you, could I go solo?"
"Solo...?"
"While the three of you stay hidden."
The expressions of the three darkened even further at my words.
Huh? Did that sound too condescending?
But...! No, that might have hurt their feelings. I should watch my mouth.
"Or you can just follow me around."
At this, their expressions grew even darker.
Geez... I didn't even know what I said wrong anymore. Let's just go.
"Anyway, I'm heading out."
"W-Wait a minute!"
"Yes?"
"No matter what, we should move as a team."
Um Gyeongseok held me back, breaking out in a cold sweat.
"Then are you coming with me?"
"For now, waiting and hiding together is..."
"Hey, I told you I don't do that."
"T-Then...!"
"If you're scared, just stay hidden. I'll finish this and come back."
"We'll go with you! We'll go together!"
Well, well.
It wasn't like I threatened to kill them if they didn't follow. Why were they acting like this?
"Well... follow me if you want, then."
After a brief hesitation, the hunters began to follow behind me.
Why were they so tense? It wasn't even a deathmatch.
If it were a deathmatch, I'd have to kill everyone except myself...
I glanced back at the three of them.
If this place were a deathmatch...
I would have had to kill those three as well.
I didn't like that idea. Wiping out a thousand elves was nothing to me, but fellow humans were a bit... uncomfortable.
Kill...
I felt like I heard a faint voice whispering, but I ignored it.
I'm glad it's not a deathmatch.
I took a light step forward.
Because I don't have to kill humans!
"Pant, pant..."
"Brother, that bastard..."
"Can we really pull this off...?"
Whispers echoed.
In a cave filled with a mixture of fishy stench and filth, the three cultists of Gakseonghoe lowered their voices and whispered to one another.
Screeech!
The vampire's shriek rang out, followed by...
"Do you want to die?"
Lee Taepyeong's voice, which was incredibly dry in comparison.
"Where do you think you're baring your fangs?"
A seemingly ordinary dagger...
Thud!
...was driven into the vampire's neck with ease.
Spurt!
Blood sprayed out.
Even as he was drenched in the blood, Lee Taepyeong didn't even bat an eye.
Urgh...!
A vampire wouldn't die just from having its neck pierced. They were a species that only met true death when a stake was driven through their heart and all their blood was drained.
Lee Taepyeong knew this fact well.
However...
Squish!
Far from driving a stake through its heart...
Squelch!
Lee Taepyeong was merely twisting the blade inside its throat.
And the three cultists trembled as they watched the scene unfold.
"The other vampires."
Keh...!
"They're nearby, aren't they?"
Grrr...!
"You can't be alone."
Gush! Gush!
The vampire continued to spew blood.
"If you tell me where they are..."
Gurgle!
"...I'll let you live."
Lee Taepyeong spoke with a smile.
"I'll give you three seconds."
Tremble, tremble!
"Three."
Tremble, tremble!
"Two."
Tremble, tremble!
"O—"
Point!
The vampire reached out in a certain direction.
"Okay."
Confirming the direction, Lee Taepyeong smiled brightly.
Slash!
He sliced the vampire's neck clean off.
Thud!
The vampire's head rolled on the floor, its mouth agape.
Gasp, gasp...
The three cultists watched in sheer horror.
He's a monster...!
He was more of a monster than any creature they had encountered here!
Without realizing it, the three cultists were shaking violently.
Whether he noticed their reaction or not, Lee Taepyeong approached them without even wiping the vampire's blood off his face.
"Here."
Lee Taepyeong handed the vampire's head to Um Gyeongseok.
"A-Aaaah!"
Um Gyeongseok shrieked as he reflexively caught the vampire's head.
"Geez, why are you screaming like that...?"
"U-Ugh!"
"At your level, surely you've killed at least one vampire before."
Gasp, gasp...
Just like the vampire's head, the three cultists couldn't say a word, their mouths merely opening and closing.
Um Gyeongseok barely managed to open his mouth.
"W-Why did you k-k-kill..."
"I didn't kill it."
"T-The h-h-head..."
"These guys don't die until you pierce their heart."
Lee Taepyeong looked at the three cultists as if they were the absurd ones.
"Then why, why, why..."
"I said I'd let it live, so I just detached the head."
Cold sweat ran down the spines of the three cultists almost simultaneously.
Regardless of their reaction...
"I'm going to check out that direction."
"Ha..."
"Make sure you hold onto it tightly so the head doesn't attach back to the body."
At Lee Taepyeong's casual, dismissive remark, they nodded their heads.
Nod, nod.
But the same question was blooming in the minds of the three cultists.
Can we really kill this fucking monster...?