23. I Became the Villain's Emergency Rations
23. I Became the Villain's Emergency Rations
23. I Became the Villain's Emergency Rations
I unfastened the chains on my legs, left the dark room, and walked toward the common area where Black Dawn went about their daily lives.
'So it really was a room built for confinement.'
It wasn't a basement, but the room they'd kept me in sat at the end of a very long corridor — a secluded space where no sound could reach anyone else.
A gloomy passage with only faint lights along the dark, narrow hallway.
Dust drifted down. The air hung heavy. The whole place gave off an inexplicably unsettling feeling.
As I followed her without a word, Han Yu-wol spoke.
"What sort of space do you think this is?"
"...a prison?"
A room built deep where no sound could be heard.
It had to be a room designed for confinement.
The other Black Dawn members had already left. Han Yu-wol, now escorting me alone, let out a short laugh.
"If you're shutting someone away, then I suppose it is, but the purpose is different. That room is the 'Room of Education.'"
"Education..."
The word "education" had an ominous undertone, especially coming from Han Yu-wol.
In the normal sense, education means imparting knowledge or skills.
But the kind of education Han Yu-wol meant was, presumably, the sort that reshapes someone's personality.
"From now on, if anyone tries to drag you into that room, scream. That would be far better."
"...thank you. For now."
Of all the Black Dawn members, Han Yu-wol was the one most favorably disposed toward me.
Offering a little gratitude to someone like her was basic human decency.
It certainly wasn't because I'd let my guard down around her.
After walking the long corridor to its end, a door came into view.
It was barely large enough for Hwang Pil-du, who stood over two meters tall, to fit through.
When Han Yu-wol turned the handle, an utterly unexpected space unfolded before my eyes.
'Whoa...'
A sound close to a gasp escaped me before I could stop it.
I lost myself for a moment in the staggering view — all of Seoul spread out before my eyes.
"This is the Black Dawn hideout where we live. What do you think? Wouldn't you like to spend the rest of your life here?"
Han Yu-wol whispered into my ear from right behind me.
Resting her hands on my shoulders, she began pointing things out one by one.
"This is the living room we come to whenever we're bored. The charm is that you can see all of Seoul at a single glance."
Black Dawn's hideout had never been revealed in V. AGE, and it had always been a subject of fierce debate among players.
The fact that the hideout was the top floor of a high-rise — a place with a direct view down onto Hero Academy — was a huge shock.
Where did they even get the money...?
"You have an expression that says you can't understand how criminals like us live in a place like this."
Han Yu-wol wasn't wrong.
Don't most criminals live in dark, gloomy basements?
Holed up somewhere no one knows, carrying out their work in secret.
But Black Dawn practically flaunted their presence, as if daring anyone to ask, "Why hasn't anyone arrested us yet?"
Han Yu-wol wrapped her arms around my neck as I stood staring through the window into the night view.
"This is the view we always see. Looking down on people from above, lording over them. If you grow a little stronger, Si-jun, you could join us..."
"Don't waste your breath."
I brushed Han Yu-wol's arms off my neck.
No matter how much money, power, and might Black Dawn possessed, I knew the future. If I took their side, the world would plunge into chaos. I wasn't about to be swayed by sweet, syrupy words.
Han Yu-wol stared at me with a regretful expression, then moved toward the next spot.
"This hallway leads to our individual rooms, in order. Mine is at the very end, on the right. If you can't sleep, come find me. I'll personally put you to bed."
The room at the very end, on the right.
I was never setting foot in there.
There were seven rooms total along the long corridor. Each had distinctive features visible from the doorways, making them easy to tell apart.
"This is the kitchen. We take turns cooking each day, but everyone's eating preferences are so different there's a lot of complaining."
Han Yu-wol wore a troubled expression.
Considering she'd probably served the others beef still dripping blood, the complaints made perfect sense to me.
"We each handle breakfast and lunch on our own, but we always eat dinner together. As a provisional member, Han Si-jun, you must attend as well."
Being around Han Yu-wol alone was unpleasant enough, and now I was supposed to eat among all seven of them?
I worried the atmosphere alone would give me indigestion, but since I'd lost my sense of taste, that probably wouldn't happen.
In a way, choosing to lose my sense of taste had been a blessing.
"Hmm... I think that's about it? I'll show you the floor below bit by bit later. We have plenty of time, after all."
Han Yu-wol smiled as she announced the tour was over.
Every time the corners of her lips lifted, fear got to me first.
Then Han Yu-wol looked at me with an uneasy expression and asked a question.
"Si-jun, do you like being the center of attention in front of other people, or do you hate it?"
"I hate it. A lot."
"I thought so."
Why ask a question like that?
It didn't make sense at first, but Han Yu-wol's next action immediately made the answer clear.
"It's almost dinnertime. You wouldn't want to become my meal in front of the others, would you?"
"Wait. Right now is a little..."
I slowly stepped backward, trying to get out of this situation.
I couldn't just stand there and let her take my blood the moment I arrived.
The blood she took would have to be replenished by my body, and the Golem Core I'd brought couldn't restore that.
Han Yu-wol drew closer.
I tried to retreat as far as I could, but what stopped me was the wall.
Clang.
What?
The sound it made when I hit it was a metallic clang.
It wasn't an ordinary wall.
"I forgot to mention one thing. The space we live in also has an elevator going down. You're free to use it."
But with freedom comes responsibility, she added.
With nowhere left to run, trapped against the wall, I had Han Yu-wol closing in on me.
A sharply defined nose, pale skin.
A beauty mark beside her captivating red eyes.
She was undeniably beautiful — and a threat.
The scent of wine clung to her as she pressed her lips to my nape again.
"Haa... back then... slurp... there were too many people... so I... mwah... was beside myself, you know...?"
She pinned my body roughly and sucked my blood.
'Dammit... I'm losing strength...'
When the human body runs low on blood, dizziness sets in.
Strength drains away, and helplessness takes over.
Han Yu-wol surely knew that basic fact, but she showed no sign of stopping.
"Isn't that... enough now...?"
I called out to Han Yu-wol through the unpleasant sensation of my blood being drawn, but her pupils were dilated. She seemed fully immersed in savoring the taste.
She had embraced me in a rigid, immobilizing hold, and her strength left me unable to move an inch.
Ah, at this rate I'm going to lose consciousness.
"S...top!"
Just as I shouted, trying to push Han Yu-wol away, the elevator door behind my back slid open.
Whoosh...
The empty shaft appeared as the door opened.
I had been leaning against the elevator door, so I had no choice but to fall inside.
Thud!
"Agh..."
Because Han Yu-wol had her weight on me, the impact that hit my back was far worse than I expected.
Did the door have to open at that exact moment?
I spoke to Han Yu-wol, who was lying flat against my chest.
"That's enough... I'm hurting like hell..."
At those words, Han Yu-wol rose without a word.
Her eyes looked a little unhinged, which stirred a certain dread in me.
"I think I now understand why your blood tastes so good, Si-jun. The distinctive mana that people carry — yours is empty, which makes it far more delicious..."
...I didn't especially want to know the secret behind my blood.
But since it came from Han Yu-wol, the foremost expert on the taste of blood, the idea that my blood had a flavor distinct from other people's was probably close to the truth.
Han Yu-wol stood up, and I rose from the elevator as well.
But who had used the elevator at this hour?
Behind the satisfied Han Yu-wol, a small, pink-haired woman came into view.
She was looking at us with an expression full of curiosity.
"Yu-wol! And the pet!"
"...I'm a person, you know."
The pink-haired woman giggled at something that amused her.
Her name was Ban Ha-na.
By appearance she looked around my age, but judging by her mentality, I suspected she might be even younger.
Slightly wavy pink hair, dreamy pink eyes — a girl who gave an overall impression of cuteness.
She was a villain who always clutched a rabbit doll in her hands.
Han Yu-wol directed a question toward her.
"Where did you go, Ha-na, that you had to interrupt our good time?"
It seemed being interrupted had put her in a foul mood.
Ban Ha-na answered Han Yu-wol with her characteristic bright energy.
"I went to the rooftop! I planted seeds! Wanna come see?"
"No. Watch over them yourself, Ha-na. I'm sure if you keep trying, they'll grow nicely even without soil, yes?"
Unlike before, her tone was firm.
Han Yu-wol spoke as if there was no soil on the rooftop.
'How's a flower supposed to bloom without soil...'
That alone gave me a rough idea of Ban Ha-na's level of knowledge.
One of the things they wanted from me was to educate Ban Ha-na.
I couldn't even begin to imagine how to teach her.
Ban Ha-na spoke to Han Yu-wol with a slightly downcast expression.
"Okay... come see when the flowers bloom later! But what were you two doing? You were stuck right together?"
"Indeed. What could we have been doing, stuck together?"
What could they have been doing?
Ban Ha-na fell into deep thought at the question.
In the meantime, Han Yu-wol gestured to me, and we were able to slip away from the spot while Ban Ha-na remained lost in thought.
"Ha-na is sweet, really... she's sweet."
A smile accompanied the word "sweet."
From how quickly she left, it seemed Han Yu-wol didn't care for long conversations with Ban Ha-na.
It felt like a prolonged chat with her would drain your energy and shave years off your life.
After that, Han Yu-wol showed me where my room was.
A spare room, as she put it.
It was twice as spacious as the dormitory at Hero Academy, and it was hard to find anything it lacked.
A state-of-the-art TV. Refrigerator. Air conditioner. Desk. Sofa.
Remarkably good treatment for someone who'd been kidnapped.
I had to admit they were treating me rather well.
"I'll be able to go back soon... right?"
They'd said they would take me somewhere.
I didn't know when, but Shin Hae-il had said it would be soon, so it couldn't be too far off.
But where?
I tried to think of a place someone with no mana like me could go, but I'd never played the game without mana, so nothing came to mind.
What could I possibly do among these vicious villains?
Lying on the bed, I thought it over carefully.
Wait for the heroes to rescue me?
No, the heroes weren't foolish enough to pick a fight with Black Dawn.
They understood the value of life better than anyone.
Then wait for Yu Ha-yeon to rescue me?
No matter how fast she was growing, by the time that happened, Han Yu-wol would have drained me of blood and turned me into a mummy.
A situation with no apparent way out.
The despair of having to remain among villains washed over me.
Exhausted, I closed my eyes and slowly began to sink toward sleep.
'Ban Ha-na.'
A plan involving her came to mind, and with that, I closed my eyes in that unfamiliar den of villains.