Believer (2)
The meeting fell into a temporary lull. No one said a word.
Kate, having excused herself from the table, was brewing black tea, while Lee Jun-ho and Kim Woo-hyun stared blankly into space. They were likely communicating through the NaN system, which allowed them to send messages to one another.
No doubt they're talking shit about me.
I stood up and headed to the restroom.
“Um... Ha-woon.”
It didn't take long for Kim Du-gyeom to follow me inside. I knew he would.
I washed my hands, keeping my eyes on him.
“If I did something to upset you...”
There he went again, playing the victim, putting on his nice-guy act. It was so nauseating I felt like throwing up the kimchi fried rice I'd eaten yesterday.
“I'll do my absolute best to cooperate, so...”
I shook the water off my hands and turned to face him.
“Hey.”
“...Yes?”
I have a personal philosophy.
There is absolutely no need to treat someone like a human being when they don't even act like one.
“You fucking piece of shit.”
I went straight for the throat with an insult.
“...”
Kim Du-gyeom's expression stiffened.
“Who the fuck do you think you are, talking to me?”
For me, this was a test of his threshold. How far would I have to push him to get a reaction? How hard did I need to strike before he shed that sickening mask and showed his true colors?
“I won't say it twice. If you don't hand the Scout role over to me, the moment the labyrinth starts, I'm going to hunt you down first and beat you to a pulp.”
“...What about the broadcast?”
“Do you think I give a single shit about the broadcast? Did you not watch Episode 2, you son of a bitch? Huh? You fucking bastard.”
The corner of Kim Du-gyeom's mouth twitched.
It wasn't out of fear or terror. If anything, he was feeling the exact same emotion I was.
If I had to describe it in one word: pissed.
In two words: fucking irritated.
“You've got a pretty filthy mouth for someone ranked 96th. Beat me to a pulp? Do you even have the skills to back that up?”
A crack formed in Kim Du-gyeom's mask. In my eyes, I could practically see the fragments flaking off his face.
I offered him a bright smile.
“Yeah. You can look forward to it.”
“...”
Kim Du-gyeom glared up at me. I stared down at him. After a brief, tense staring contest, he let out a long sigh.
“Fine, be the Scout. It's not like anything's going to change anyway. Oh, but you do know that anyone ranked below 50th gets eliminated during the mid-term vote, right?”
“Fuck off.”
I shoved my middle finger right in his face, the tip of it brushing against his nose. Kim Du-gyeom exhaled a hot, ragged breath but turned around without another word.
I let out a dry chuckle.
“...Amusing.”
Especially since there are no cameras in the restroom.
A sociopath with a clear, unwavering goal really is built different.
“...Hyung. What are we going to do?”
In the meeting room left behind by Seol Ha-woon and Kim Du-gyeom, Kim Woo-hyun asked Lee Jun-ho.
“About what?”
“Shouldn't we stop him, even if we have to challenge him to a duel? If Seol Ha-woon becomes the Scout...”
Kim Woo-hyun had a timid personality. Because of that, he was terrified of Seol Ha-woon's military-style dogmatism and self-righteousness. He was already shaking in his boots without even having experienced it firsthand.
“I couldn't even clear the Survival Labyrinth, so I really have to clear it this time, Hyung...”
“Hey, kid. Don't worry about the labyrinth. You've got me and Kate. With two S-tiers on the team, even a rank 96 could sit back, eat bread, and still clear it.”
Despite his words, Lee Jun-ho didn't actually doubt Seol Ha-woon's abilities. He just hated the idea of being dragged around by him.
“...Right?”
“Yeah. So just focus on securing your own screen time.”
“Okay...”
Kim Woo-hyun still looked anxious.
“...Hyung. Or should we just strike first?! Ah, you don't even have to step up. I'll do it.”
“Drop it. You're no match for him.”
“Why? He's rank 96. I know plenty of offensive spells too!”
Rank 96. To Lee Jun-ho, that ranking was honestly absurd.
“He's much stronger. Way more than rank 96.”
Seol Ha-woon was a man who had endured the fires of actual combat. He was someone who had clawed his way back alive from the very battlefield where Seo Ji-hyuk had died.
While Jun-ho had been boasting about graduating at the top of his class at the Explorer Academy, Seol Ha-woon had been navigating real battlefields and taking lives. Lee Jun-ho could smell the thick scent of blood lingering on him.
“...Fine.”
Kim Woo-hyun pouted.
“Good. Go do some meditation.”
Letting out a soft sigh, Lee Jun-ho slowly drew the longsword from his waist. It was a habit of his whenever he felt stressed.
The blade reflected the room's lighting, casting a sharp blue gleam into his pupils.
Lee Jun-ho thought blankly.
Swords are beautiful.
The act of cutting is beautiful as well. An art form that is entirely uncomplicated, simply dismantling the structure of an object.
A surface sliced by a sword is like a blooming flower bud. An aesthetic elegance rising from sheer simplicity. Perhaps it is the purest form of beauty.
Lee Jun-ho ran his finger along the flat of the blade.
“Hyung. You're bleeding.”
“...”
A small bead of blood welled up on his index finger. Lee Jun-ho felt a sudden wave of tension. No matter how much he pretended otherwise, Seol Ha-woon was a massive source of stress for him.
He couldn't figure out what kind of person Seol Ha-woon was. He didn't understand the logic or reasoning behind his actions. He didn't even know what had transpired between him and Seo Ji-hyuk.
On the flip side, Seol Ha-woon seemed to know him inside out. Those eyes felt as if they were peering into the deepest recesses of his soul, making it difficult to hold his gaze for long.
A man who kept his own cards completely hidden while effortlessly reading everyone else. Even this sudden trolling had to have some hidden motive...
Just then, Kim Du-gyeom returned. Seol Ha-woon followed closely behind him.
“Um, I spoke with Ha-woon...”
Kim Du-gyeom's complexion was somewhat pale. His expression alone made it easy to guess how the conversation had gone.
“I think it would be best for Ha-woon to take the Scout role. For the success of our team...”
"Now, we will begin the voting for the Scout role!"
Yu Ji-in spoke from the monitor, as if she had been waiting for this exact moment.
She suddenly demanded a vote, offering a bright smile.
"Please write down the name of the Scout you want for each team and submit it!"
Seol Ha-woon's expression stiffened, while Kate nodded in satisfaction.
“We'll have to vote now. We have no choice,” Kate said.
The rules had shifted again. Originally, the Scout was supposed to be decided internally by the team.
Was this Yu Ji-in's whim, or did the production team decide this would make for better television?
After a brief vote, Kim Du-gyeom was elected as the Scout. He made a show of nervously glancing at me, while the other six members let out sighs of relief.
I remained silent.
I wasn't going to trust a single piece of information Kim Du-gyeom brought back anyway, and what I had said to him still held true.
I would disrupt them with everything I had.
Who?
Kim Du-gyeom.
"Selection of Scouts for all twelve teams is now complete."
"Scouts are not allowed to bring any electronic or magical devices with them."
Scouts had to rely entirely on their own physical bodies. Because the labyrinth they entered was in a pre-opened state, the use of electronic and magical devices was strictly prohibited.
They had to grope through a distorted world with their bare hands to gather fragments of information.
"Now, I will announce the list of Scouts."
"The Square Scout: Kim Du-gyeom. The Luxury Hotel Scout: Kang Hyun. The Casino Scout: Im Hae-jun..."
Yu Ji-in spoke from the monitor. I glanced at Kim Du-gyeom. He looked as though he was on the verge of tears.
Naturally, because the cameras were rolling.
A timer materialized before his eyes.
“Haa...”
Entering the labyrinth, Kim Du-gyeom let out a hot sigh. Before even beginning to search the Square, he gritted his teeth so hard they ground together.
“That fucking piece of shit.”
He immediately cast off the suffocating mask he'd been forced to wear.
“Maybe I should just kill him. That motherfucking bastard...”
He couldn't contain his rage. A fucking cripple whose head he would have crushed if they'd met on the outside. Fuck, should I just kill him right now? Act like it was an accident and bash his face in?
“Fucking asshole, piece of shit, motherfucker.”
Thud. Thud. Thud. He stomped violently on the ground to vent his anger before finally looking around.
—Whoaaa!
—Assemblyman! Look over here!
There were people everywhere. It was quite literally a sea of humanity.
“What the fuck? Why are there so many people?”
On a central platform stood a man who looked like a politician, with his wife and daughter seated behind him. They were surrounded by a tight perimeter of bodyguards.
The first objective that came to mind was VIP protection. It was obvious they had to protect that politician.
—Everyone! Do you remember what I told you at ■■■! Do you remember when I promised to protect ■■■ from you all!
A thunderous roar erupted from the crowd, echoing the politician's booming voice.
“Shut the fuck up.”
He covered his ears. Grimacing, Kim Du-gyeom waded through the crowd, already plotting a scenario where he could steal the spotlight.
There were a few anomalies in the crowd. Individuals whose mana wavelengths differed from ordinary humans, carrying concealed weapons.
The objective was definitely to prevent the politician's assassination.
Kim Du-gyeom scanned his surroundings.
Suddenly, the edge of a concrete building caught his eye. It was quite a distance from the square, but he quickly bolted toward it.
“...!”
He quickly ducked behind a tree. There were armed men stationed near the abandoned building.
This is definitely it.
There's something here.
Which means this spot is mine.
Only two minutes left. Not like a professional Scout could find out much in five minutes anyway. He just needed to make it look like he worked hard.
Kim Du-gyeom began sprinting in place. Working up a sweat to make it look like he'd been running around frantically, he surveyed the state of the building and the surrounding area.
Because the moment they entered, he had to head straight here.
“...There was someone giving what looked like a campaign speech in the center of the square. It seemed like our objective is to protect him.”
Returning to the meeting room, Kim Du-gyeom reported exactly what he had seen and felt.
“Also, there were people with unusual mana wavelengths mixed into the crowd. You'll understand the moment you see them. Most of them are wearing hats and hoodies...”
He casually described their appearance, pretending he had observed them thoroughly.
“I'll draw the layout of the square for you.”
He pulled out a pen and paper and began sketching the scene from memory.
Kim Woo-hyun gasped in admiration.
“Wow, Du-gyeom-hyung, you're really good at drawing.”
“It's just a hobby of mine...”
He smiled bashfully as he mapped out the structure of the square.
“There was someone who looked like a security chief standing right next to the speaker, and his wife and daughter were sitting in chairs behind him... It was incredibly spacious.”
Kim Du-gyeom described the shape of the square, the key figures involved in the speech, and the overall spatial layout.
There were no lies in this drawing. After all, it was going to be broadcast.
Kate nodded in satisfaction.
“We should divide our assigned sectors then.”
“Ah, President Kate.”
Just then, Kim Woo-hyun pointed across the room.
“But that person... doesn't seem to have any intention of cooperating at all.”
Seol Ha-woon. He was keeping his promise perfectly. He was currently sitting in a rocking chair in the corner of the meeting room, leisurely enjoying his tea.
Kate shook her head.
“Ignore him.”
“Ignoring him is fine, but if he gets in our way—”
“If it's VIP protection, we'll deploy four people in the square and position the remaining three around the perimeter.”
Kate pulled out a pen and divided the square's sectors like slices of a pizza.
“I'll take this spot then.”
Lee Jun-ho was the first to claim a spot, pointing to the top-right sector. It was the area closest to the abandoned building Kim Du-gyeom had marked.
“There... there were quite a few suspicious people over here...”
Kim Du-gyeom quickly pointed to a different location—the exact opposite, in the bottom-left.
“Really? Then I'll go there.”
Lee Jun-ho, who loved a good fight, fell right into the trap. As an S-tier, he would naturally volunteer for the more difficult task.
“I'll... take this side then.”
Kim Du-gyeom naturally claimed the top-right sector that Jun-ho had originally pointed to.
Kate questioned him.
“Was there any location suitable for a long-range sniper?”
“Uh... well... I couldn't check that far. I was too focused on memorizing the square itself. I'm sorry.”
He lied through his teeth without batting an eye.
Why would I tell you? I need to get there first and hog all the screen time.
“It's fine. This is more than enough.”
“I'm glad to hear that...”
The team members continued to discuss their assigned sectors and movement patterns, while Kim Du-gyeom stole a glance across the room.
Seol Ha-woon was quietly sipping his coffee.
If I could, I'd slice him to pieces right now, but I have to endure.
Just repeat 'patience' three times in my head. He's just a pathetic loser who won't even make the top 50 and will get eliminated anyway. He'll disappear on his own...