Eve's Liberation
Eve was now a free woman. After taking her own life, the reason I had been able to meet the manager so quickly was thanks to the resurrection ability's Save & Load function.
Rank: S
Trait: Save & Load
Penalty: [REDACTED]
I could arbitrarily decide where to resurrect. The only thing I had to consider was my physical condition. If I saved while suffering from a fever, I would come back in that same miserable state. Possessions were not something I could control. No matter how many times I tried killing myself while clutching a million won, only Veritas and my clothes would return with me. Everything else was hidden behind ■■■■-■■■■ anyway, making it impossible to tell what had been added or lost.
After retrieving my pistol from the manager, we discussed the upcoming match schedule. Ever since witnessing my return from death, the manager had begun looking at me the way a lovestruck girl might. I disliked being popular with men, and being popular with women was just as troublesome. The only person who existed for me was Naram noona. Only Kang Naram… If my gender had been reversed, would I have become a menhera or a yandere?
“Then let’s do it this way. Jason executes Eve first, and then you make your entrance. I’ll tell the audience and the big spenders that a special event has been arranged.”
That wouldn’t work. If Eve died, everything would be for nothing. I had to convince the manager somehow.
“My revenge isn’t some cheap sideshow. It’s true that I want to kill him in front of as many people as possible, but treating it like a mere surprise would be deeply unpleasant.”
“Then what do you suggest?”
“Cancel the fight with that gladiator immediately. And promote it properly. Announce that someone has come to take Jason’s head.”
“That’s a bit difficult.”
“Why?”
“Jason has a high reputation in the arena. His name has spread to other cities, and plenty of people travel long distances just to watch him fight. Compared to him, your fame is still minor. Your skill is acknowledged, of course, but you need something to draw people’s attention.”
“Hmm.”
“It seems you want to save Eve as well.”
“I owe Adam a debt.”
“In that case, I have a proposal.” The manager’s eyes gleamed with greed. He wanted something from me.
“How about fighting in front of the crowd before your match against Jason?”
This bastard really knew how to do business. A fight? With the muggle’s magic wand, it would be over in an instant anyway. I attached one condition to the manager’s suggestion.
“Bring me the most notorious ones. One would be boring, so several should do.”
“Of course. I’ll bring fighters as vicious and cruel as Jason. By the way, what will your fighter name be? Some use their real names like Jason, while others use aliases like Green Serpent or Black Horn.”
A name. I had discussed this with Naram noona before. When we first fell into this world, we had talked about needing aliases because “Woo Suho” and “Kang Naram” sounded too obviously Korean. It had felt like those English name games people played when traveling abroad. Naram noona, being the ultimate otaku that she was—and that was part of her irresistible charm—had suggested…
“Undead.”
The one who does not die. It wasn’t because I looked like a skeleton or zombie. It simply meant someone who kept coming back to life, and that was the alias she had recommended. For reference, she had given herself the name Artemis—the goddess of the moon from Greek mythology.
“Not Aphrodite?”
“Noona’s a virgin.”
“Hey!!”
Anyway, the name Undead seemed to appeal to the manager as well. Naram noona’s naming sense was truly excellent.
“We’ll go with that. The one who does not die—quite an attractive name.”
“And.”
“Yes?”
“I’d like to meet the girl called Eve.”
The time had finally come to meet Adam’s younger sister. I sent a message to my sleeping noona.
If everything went wrong, I would need this to face Jason. Noona was probably still fast asleep in bed right now. I left one more message for her as she journeyed through dreamland.
I hoped she was having a good dream.
Adam and I walked through the underground passage. Ever since witnessing my resurrection, he had been keeping a strange distance. We moved forward in silence.
“How do you feel?”
“P-pardon?”
“You’re about to be reunited with your sister. How does it feel?”
“Ah, I’m incredibly happy. Honestly, I still can’t believe it. I never dreamed things would be resolved so smoothly.”
Adam bowed his head to me.
“Thank you so much. Thanks to you, Sir Suho, I can finally rescue my sister. It’s been so long since I last saw her… my heart is trembling at the thought.”
Even the arena staff couldn’t meet the gladiators freely. The only time Adam could see his sister was when she needed a healer—that is, only when she was injured.
“How on earth did you boil that snake-like manager alive…?”
“I just stimulated his emotions well.”
“Aha.”
“When I said I came to avenge Jason’s mother, the manager looked quite moved.”
“?”
I tossed out a light joke. By now, I should have heard Naram noona’s voice calling “Suho-ya?” but she was still fast asleep. Rubbing my empty ears, I walked forward.
Eve was inside an iron cage. She wore rags, and whether from the cold or something else, she was curled up and trembling. Someone should have at least given her a blanket. The manager had money to serve expensive fruit and alcohol to his guests, yet he treated the hardworking gladiators like animals. It wouldn’t be surprising if one day a disgruntled fighter stabbed him with a blade.
“Eve!”
At her brother’s voice, the girl inside the foul-smelling cage lifted her head. She had the same snow-white hair as Adam, and her eyes were blue and clear, yet they carried an unidentifiable chill. Her arms and legs were wrapped in bandages, and she looked filthy. Naram noona would probably have looked just as haggard at the mere sight of her.
“Why did you come?”
“Of course I came because I wanted to see you. By the way, I have good news for Eve…”
“I already told you not to come here again. You’ve done everything you could. I’m satisfied.”
Adam couldn’t hide his bewilderment at his sister’s sharp tone.
“How could I just leave you behind?”
“It’s fine! I don’t need any more help! I’ll handle it myself! So please, just go!”
“……”
“It’s all over now. I’m already dead to Jason. I don’t want you to see me die… Please leave.”
“Where’s the bathroom?”
Everyone fell silent at my words. I hadn’t said it because I actually needed to go—it was just to change the atmosphere. I hoped they wouldn’t misunderstand. It wasn’t Woo Suho’s humanity that was lacking, but his sense of humor…
“……Oppa, who is that person?”
Eve’s gaze locked onto me.
“Ah, this person is…”
“Woo Suho.”
Very few people would look kindly upon a stranger speaking an incomprehensible language. Her eyes were wary. Compared to the researchers who had stared at me like I was a monster, it was almost cute.
“He’s the one who saved you at your brother’s request.”
“……He saved me?”
“That’s right. Instead of you fighting Jason, I’ll be taking your place. With the money your brother paid, you’re now a free woman.”
Eve’s eyes widened. Her gaze was filled with questions. As she suspected, nothing came for free.
“I’m not familiar with this world. And there’s something I need to find. So in exchange for saving you, I plan to make use of both you and your brother.”
“W-wait a moment. I don’t really understand what’s going on…”
People didn’t need to understand every situation. What mattered was how one surrendered to the current. My own actions after being transported from the Supernatural Research Institute to this world were a good example. I inserted the key the manager had given me into the lock.
Click.
The iron-barred door opened. I spoke calmly to the dazed Eve.
“Congratulations on becoming a free woman.”
I smiled. She didn’t need to thank me. After all, I intended to work her just as hard later.