Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Random Encounter
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Random Encounter.
Random Encounter.
A system that frequently appears in some open-world games, literally referring to the appearance of randomly encountered elements.
While moving around the map in a game, sudden, unpredictable events can occur. In most cases, these are called random encounters.
It was a system all too familiar to someone like me, who had gleefully wasted his life playing games.
However,
That and this are completely different things.
A needlessly bubbly female voice.
In a situation like this, that cheerfulness felt even more bizarre.
'If they're going to notify me anyway, couldn't they do it in a straightforward way like a status window?'
Unfortunately, it seemed this game didn't operate a customer service center.
No matter how much I vented my complaints inwardly, all I got in return were a couple more echoes of that whiny female voice.
"Fuck."
Only after irritably pressing my temples hard.
Did the voice noisily ringing in my ears finally disappear.
I quickly scanned my surroundings.
The gaze of the homeless man looking down at me when I first fell into the game was still etched in my mind like a trauma.
A gaze that saw a person's body merely as a lump of meat, utterly devoid of humanity.
If Christine hadn't appeared as suddenly as an assassin sent by my old chemistry teacher Kim Joo-seok, I might be face-to-face with my late grandparents in the afterlife by now.
'A random encounter in this situation.'
My body froze up instantly.
Everything around me felt terrifying, as if it were all targeting me.
My breath caught in my throat.
And a slight itch at the nape of my neck.
I could finally understand what it meant to sense danger through the skin.
And amid all that.
Three broad-shouldered thugs were walking toward me from the opposite side of the street.
Their outward vibe, combined with the suspiciously perfect timing of their appearance, left no room for doubt.
"So I told 'em right there, this pot's all mine!"
"Kuhuhu, bullshit. You think that makes sense?"
"What's the problem? He brought back the cash. We just gotta eat well off the guy who won it."
The three of them seemed to be chatting amiably with each other.
"……."
"……."
But they were subtly scanning me up and down.
That gaze was sticky, like tar.
"Heh."
The dirtiest and most vicious-looking one among them—let's call him Thug #1 for convenience.
He let out a low chuckle.
Staggering,
He didn't seem that drunk, yet he stumbled toward me as if tripping over his own feet.
"Whoa there!"
Eek, eek.
I took a quick step to the side.
Thug #1's thick shoulder brushed past empty air.
"Hoo, dodged it?"
As if I wouldn't.
I held back the urge to snap back curtly.
His face alone screamed bad temper.
No need to pick a fight on purpose.
But regardless of my reaction, they just burst out laughing at each other.
"Look at the size of him! You think he'd stick around without running?"
"Standing still would be the real idiot move."
Their actions felt awfully contrived.
As if they had every reason to pick a fight with me specifically.
Indeed.
I could once again truly feel that I was inside a game.
'Not like there's any compulsion or anything.'
But what could I do?
The situation had already unfolded.
The thugs looked itching for a fight with me.
And since I hadn't turned and bolted the moment I spotted them,
I'd lost my chance to escape the random encounter event.
"Hey, say something. New face around here—here for a tour or what?"
"Look at those ragged clothes. If it was tourism, he'd have hired some half-assed bodyguard. Not like he's got multiple lives."
Casual tosses of words.
But laced with intent to pressure me.
When I showed no reaction,
They must've thought I was scared stiff, because they approached me all high and mighty.
"Big guy like you, but cowering like that."
And then he swung his palm sharply.
Aimed right at my cheek.
"You little shit, snap out of─."
His movement looked like slow motion.
Whoa, acceleration ability! Superhero! Flash!
Hero stories are DC over Marvel, after all.
Makes no sense for a megacorp heir to play hero in a tin can suit. Batman’s bat suit is a different story, of course.
Anyway.
I had so much leisure to entertain such trivial thoughts,
That I saw the entire world moving in slow motion.
The thick palm that looked like it skipped handwashing after the bathroom slowly passed in front of my eyes.
Spit droplets bursting roughly from his mouth.
Eyeballs gleaming like glass marbles.
Even the wrinkles on his cursing face.
It unfolded like a scene captured by a high-speed camera.
Maybe that's why.
'Hitting him now would spin his jaw right around.'
The opening was so glaring.
I found myself instinctively slapping Thug #1's cheek instead.
With my fist.
"…Guhhhhk."
And the world snapped back to normal speed.
"Ah."
I watched Thug #1 fly off, still gripping my fist.
The remaining two thugs stared at their fallen comrade with blank eyes.
"Wh-what the…!"
Panicked voices.
For the record, I was panicked too.
It had been years since my school days of petty scraps—first time I'd ever hit someone.
The remaining thugs.
Thug #2 and Thug #3 turned to me.
And quickly assessed the situation.
"This fucker!"
Both hands dove into their jackets simultaneously.
In a spot like this, the odds of them pulling out wallets and saying, 'Sorry for the trouble!' were zilch.
Once again, my body moved on reflex.
One had a knife.
The other…
I kicked the hand of the guy grabbing a pistol grip hard.
"Gah!!"
The pistol soared into the air.
Thug #2 clutched his fingers bent in different directions and toppled backward. Ouch, that’s gotta hurt.
Coincidence or instinct?
The pistol I’d kicked spun a few times in midair, then arced naturally back toward me.
*Click.*
I checked the pistol’s status, just like Christine had taught me.
The shape was a bit different, but the basics were the same, so spotting the safety and firing mechanism was easy.
The last one, Thug #3, looked ready to charge at me any second,
"……!!"
But he spotted the gun suddenly in my hand and slammed his feet to a halt.
In the blink of an eye, I’d neutralized all three thugs.
Even from my perspective, it was a bit bewildering.
'What the hell?'
Was I always this good at fighting? If I’d known, I’d have skipped job hunting and gone pro in UFC.
"H-human, spare me!!"
No loyalty to Thug #3, apparently.
He bolted without a backward glance.
I aimed the pistol at his retreating back, then slowly lowered it.
I wasn’t some psycho killer— no reason to shoot a fleeing man.
Just the two thugs left, wriggling on the ground like bugs.
Thug #1, who’d taken the initial smack to the face, was still out cold, so
"F-fuck!! You know who we’re with and you still attacked!?"
It was the finger-broken Thug #2 spitting venom.
How the hell would I know that…
And I wasn’t the attacker…
They say scared dogs bark loudest, but I wasn’t thick-skinned enough to just take it.
'Affiliation? They’re with an organization? Makes sense—they didn’t look like plain bums.'
So, what now?
With #3 already gone, finishing these two here wouldn’t change much.
And,
Even if I was in a game, these thugs looked unmistakably like living beings.
'But I can’t just let it slide…'
Letting it go felt like it’d bite me later.
What to do, really.
As my deliberation dragged on, Thug #2 lowered his voice a notch and continued.
"…Just calm down and hear me out. We’re with the Family, see? So put the gun down now and─."
"Hm."
"……."
The babbling Thug #2 suddenly shut his trap.
I’d only pondered briefly, but the gaze he shot up at me was thick with fear.
With his finger bones shattered to bits, pain probably made rational thought impossible.
Then, a brilliant idea struck me.
I squatted in front of the downed Thug #2 and pressed the muzzle to his forehead.
"Hik!!"
In truth, I’d casually flicked the safety on earlier, so no bullet would fire, but Thug #2 had no way of knowing that.
Drip, drip, drip…
I pretended not to notice Thug #2’s pants soaking through.
"And you."
I smoothly slipped a lie onto my tongue.
"Know who I’m with?"
For reference, my affiliation was a shop called 【Grocery Store】.
Boss was Christine.
And the other employee was a turret that went [Pew!].
But Thug #2 wouldn’t picture a grocery in his head from that.
"……."
I pressed the silent Thug #2.
"What Family? Just local street punks."
They wouldn’t want a gang war either.
"If you wanna go full war, fine by me. We’ve got the justification anyway."
"…Damn it."
In this city, this district,
There had to be more than one or two such organizations.
And I’d taken down three thugs barehanded.
"Might as well thin their numbers while we’re at it…"
No way he’d doubt my identity now.
I shoved the pistol muzzle harder against Thug #2’s forehead.
"O-okay! No need for gangs to fight! I’ll put in a good word, just spare our lives!"
I kept silent.
"Spare our lives, sir…."
Finally, I got the reaction I wanted.
I shoved the pistol roughly into my pocket and deliberately nudged the downed man’s body with my foot.
"Take your buddy and scram."
"…Yes, sir!!"
Despite his broken fingers, Thug #2 hoisted his unconscious comrade and vanished in a flash.
…Taken care of?
Not the cleanest resolution, but I couldn’t exactly kill them here.
My heart was still pounding wildly.
"Hoo…."
Only after a couple deep breaths did the tension in my body start to ease.
'Alright, decided.'
I turned on my heel decisively.
How many minutes had passed since stepping out?
And this kind of incident already.
My confidence in going out was shot.
'I can grab my stuff next time.'
No mattress, blanket, or pillow wouldn’t kill me.
…….
Still, gotta sleep with the turret tonight.