Home Sweet Home (3)
Inside the subspace, the robot Astroal held out three small pieces of wood to the explorers. The number '7', representing their purchased stay time, was carved into them.
"Pfft. Is this what you were busy tinkering with just now?"
"I literally saw you picking up wood chips and hammering away earlier."
Without a word, the robot picked up six potato chips.
"...Just six? Usually, people give you a whole bag."
At those words, the explorers' interest was piqued.
Explorers, by nature, were slaves to calories. Especially when they were on duty. In exchange for movements that transcended human limits, they consumed calories at a superhuman rate.
To make matters worse, they had lost their food bags while fleeing from the orcs.
"...But there's no packaging. It's kind of hard to trust."
Beep-beep.
The penguin looked as if it agreed. It also seemed to be silently venting its frustration at someone who wasn't present.
"Anyway, it's free, right? Give it here. I'm starving to death..."
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
The three of them each chewed on a chip. Their eyes widened.
"What... what flavor is this? It's actually good."
"Wait a minute. Is this... jokbal flavor?"
Korean suddenly burst from the Swordsman's mouth.
Indeed, up until now, their entire conversation had been in English!
The Marksman furrowed his brow.
"What are you saying? Speak in English."
"Jokbal. It's fascinating. It's a dish sold in my country—braised pig's trotters."
He ate another piece with a loud crunch and asked,
"This is delicious. How much is it individually?"
C-minus. It was cheaper than a flat C-grade, but the average market price was still around one to two thousand dollars.
"...That is fucking expensive. More importantly, can you even appraise spoils? Aren't you just taking whatever we give you?"
"Evaluation, my ass."
Scoffing, the Marksman pulled a crude teacup from his bag of spoils and handed it over.
"Appraise this."
"...Oh? What about this?"
It had a bizarre shape, but it was a well-tempered Orcish double-bitted axe.
Explorers—especially 'adventurers' who roamed the lawless outer zones—could roughly estimate the grade of spoils just by looking at them.
The robot's appraisal ability was remarkably accurate.
"Huh... and this?"
The Marksman held out an item that even he found difficult to appraise. It was a sly trick.
This robot's appraisal function seemed to be the real deal, and hiring a professional appraiser was quite expensive. If they could save money on anything, they might as well.
"Ugh, quick-witted, aren't you? Hey, do you know how much a C-minus grade goes for on the outside? You can get at least two thousand dollars for it."
"...Fine, whatever. Just give them to us. We're hungry. Only twenty pieces."
The explorers bought twenty potato chips and shared them. Two thousand dollars' worth of potato chips. It wasn't even enough to fill a single bag, yet they felt surprisingly full.
"...I can't help it. Give us twenty more."
Their appetites had been whetted. They had tasted an incredibly stimulating snack on an empty stomach.
"Ah, damn it. Hey, robot. Just give us all the remaining ones."
Twenty pieces, twenty pieces, twenty pieces.
In an instant, they devoured all sixty pieces.
"No more?"
"What a shame."
Belch. The Marksman rubbed his stomach and let out a loud burp.
It really was a high-calorie food; despite being mere chips, the sense of satiety was extraordinary.
"...Hey, robot. You won't attack us while we're sleeping, right?"
A sudden wave of anxiety washed over them.
Even if Astroal had demanded all of their spoils as the price for the rest area pass, they might have had no choice but to comply if they wanted to live. However, price-gouging would also destroy the shop's credibility.
Astroal had calculated a cost that would generate word-of-mouth publicity without resorting to extortion.
"...Yeah, I get it. Basically, you're saying you follow some kind of robotic code of ethics."
They gathered around the dying campfire. The Spellcaster revived the nearly extinguished embers.
Whoosh!
"Uh..."
The Swordsman muttered as he stared blankly into the flames.
"So... we basically spent about twenty grand to save our lives..."
"If you're dead, your net worth is zero anyway."
The Marksman and the Spellcaster lay down on the ground, while the Swordsman sat in a chair.
"...Ah. At least we'll get to watch the next episode of that show."
"What? That Labyrinth Exploration NaN thing?"
"Yeah. Back home, that's all anyone talks about."
"I know. It's currently ranked first or second on our streaming platforms too. I don't get what's so interesting about it."
"That's because you're from a different culture... Wait, no. Just watching Seo Ji-woo and Kate should be enough, shouldn't it?"
Whoosh.
A gentle breeze blew past. Their conversation drifted to a halt.
Just as the three explorers were blinking their eyes, about to drift off to sleep in the warmth of the campfire—
The robot suddenly spoke. They half-opened their heavy eyelids.
"...Alarm service? What's that?"
"..."
The three of them looked at one another. If they fell asleep like this, would they be able to wake up within seven hours?
No matter how they thought about it, it was impossible. Unless they set up a night watch.
Naturally, none of the three wanted to stand watch.
"How much?"
The explorers placed their hands on their foreheads. *Tap. Tap. Tap.* Like a rhythmic drumbeat.
"...You really are a fucking ruthless businessman."
Beep-beep.
The penguin's eyes blinked.
Its expression seemed to say, Thank you for the compliment.
"Now, we will reveal the rankings!"
Yu Ji-in's voice filled the entire set.
Whirrr—whirrr—whirrr—
It was so loud it made his eardrums ring. Ever since he had gotten the implants, his nervous system had become excessively sensitive, which was proving to be a problem. He would have to think of a way to 'dial down' the output later.
"First place."
First, a massive number flashed on the screen.
It's either Kang Hyun or Lee Jun-ho. Before my regression, it was Lee Jun-ho.
"Lee Jun-ho!"
It was exactly the same.
Firecrackers and fanfares erupted. Lee Jun-ho exhaled deeply and ran a hand through his hair.
The surrounding explorers congratulated him, and Lee Jun-ho himself offered a smile.
He climbed the stairs amidst everyone's applause.
"Thank you. I will continue to strive. I will accept myself and become a better swordsman..."
I skipped the rest of his speech.
Lee Jun-ho had a solid fanbase. This was why the 'timing of one's debut' was so crucial. Having worked as a child actor in three or four famous dramas, Lee Jun-ho possessed a much thicker middle-aged and elderly fanbase compared to Kang Hyun.
"Second place, Kang Hyun!"
First and second place were exactly as expected. It was as natural as breathing.
Kang Hyun climbed the stairs like a model and sat in the chair just below Lee Jun-ho.
"Third place."
It'll be either Kate or Seo Ji-woo.
"Kate!"
If Kang Hyun was a model, Kate was 100% pure royalty. Elegance seemed to flow from her very gait. Was she shooting a movie or something?
She gracefully ascended and took her seat next to Kang Hyun.
"Fourth place, Seo Ji-woo!"
"Hmph!"
Flipping her hair, Seo Ji-woo strode up the stairs before suddenly looking back at me. Our eyes met. The camera caught the moment instantly. Seo Ji-woo flashed me a look that resembled a smile before continuing her ascent.
I swallowed a sigh.
Next was fifth place Ryu Yeon-hwa, sixth place Jo Woon, and seventh place Kim Dong-ha...
"Whoaaaa!"
A sudden roar erupted. Kim Dong-ha, seemingly having never expected to rank seventh, jumped up and down like an orangutan.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Oh-ho, oh-ho!"
If you mixed him and Kate together, you'd get a perfectly normal human being.
It continued with eighth place Kim Woo-hyun, ninth place Yun Hwa-rim, tenth place Lee Jong-su, and twelfth place Im Hae-jun...
"Yes!"
Im Hae-jun clenched his fist. His upward trajectory was also far steeper than before my regression. During the first tally in the previous timeline, he had been somewhere in the early twenties.
If he actually made it into the debut group at this rate...
A sudden curiosity struck me.
Had Im Hae-jun ever once in his life considered the possibility of his own death?
"Fourteenth place."
At that moment, Yu Ji-in's eyes locked onto mine. She wore a strained, uncomfortable smile.
For some reason, she didn't seem particularly fond of me either.
"Seol Ha-woon!"
Top twenty. It's like the student who ranked dead last in the school suddenly scoring in the top 10% on midterms. People are going to suspect cheating.
I leaned on my cane and made my way up.
"Whoa~ It's Je-Mal-Olh~"
Twelfth-place Im Hae-jun craned his neck and beamed at me.
I straightened my back.
"We will now announce the rankings starting from twentieth place..."
From twentieth place onward, the names were revealed in batches of five, stopping exactly at fortieth.
"Now, for the list of eliminated participants."
Yu Ji-in's voice dropped to a somber tone. The remaining thirty must have felt like their blood was drying up.
"Explorers whose names are called, please stand in a line."
Yu Ji-in read out the list of eliminated participants in a steady, measured voice.
"Kim Ki-yeon, Kim Seo-ho, Kim Yu-ji, Na Ye-ri..."
Twenty people in total. As if they had expected this to some degree, they hung their heads in sorrow nonetheless.
"Everyone, please say your final goodbyes to the viewers."
Yu Ji-in gathered them at the front and had them deliver their farewells.
"Ah... I... I really wanted to do my best... but I guess this is the limit of my abilities... To everyone who supported and voted for someone as lacking as me until the very end, I am truly, so, so grateful..."
Clutching the microphones, the explorers shared their parting thoughts one by one. Most of them were on the verge of tears.
"...Farewell. Everyone, please come down."
Yu Ji-in gestured to those of us standing atop the pyramid.
What, are we doing a tearjerker moment now?
All the explorers began to move. I, too, tapped my cane against the steps as I descended.
Stairs were incredibly difficult for me. Both going up and coming down.
"Brother Mal-Olh."
I had barely reached the first floor when a man suddenly approached me. His name was Kim Chung-ho. I knew thanks to the name tag on his uniform.
"I became a huge fan of yours this time, hyung. You were seriously so cool. I really hope you make it into the debut group."
He's a good kid.
"Yeah. Thanks. See you around."
"Yes, sir! It's an honor!"
As I shook his hand and turned around, there was another person standing right behind him.
"Ha-woon oppa!"
This time, it was a woman.
"...Huh?"
Her name is Na Ye-ri. I don't know her. Who is she?
"I've wanted to talk to you all this time. I was hoping that if I survived this week, we could team up in next week's labyrinth..."
"Yeah. That's a shame."
"Yes... *sob*."
She began to sniffle silently. Soon, her crying intensified, and her slender frame trembled.
"I should have worked harder... so I wouldn't have any regrets... just like you, oppa..."
The camera was capturing the two of us.
Even if only for the sake of the camera, I feel like I should say something.
"Don't regret it. There's no need to. You're just you."
I just blurted out whatever came to mind. I hadn't given it much thought.
But perhaps because she was young, she seemed to take it deeply to heart.
"...You're right."
Na Ye-ri wiped away her tears and nodded. A smile of determination and resolve spread across her face.
"I am me. Because I am myself... I'll work even harder."
"Sure, go ahead."
"Thank you, truly. I'll keep cheering for you! I'm going to be a Je-Mal-Ohl fan too!"
"Sure, thanks."
"Then... I'll see you again someday!"
"Sure, see you."
Then, she scurried away on her own.
Just like that, the eliminated explorers and the survivors exchanged well-wishes. Though they called it well-wishes, it was really just an endless cycle of consolation and weeping. Standing in the middle of it all, I felt a bit dazed.
Why are they crying so much? It's not like their lives are over. If anything—
"Congratulations. From 96th to 14th. That's insane, isn't it?"
I knew that voice without even looking. It was Seo Ji-woo.
"...Thanks."
In that split second, three cameras swarmed us. No, four, if you counted the jib crane.
"You're fourth. Did you go up a rank?"
"Yeah. Thanks to you. Thank you."
Seo Ji-woo subtly gestured with her fingers out of the camera's view. She was signaling me to feed her a line.
I willingly followed her direction.
"If you're grateful, buy me dinner sometime."
"...Huh?"
Seo Ji-woo took a step back, completely caught off guard.
That was a bit of bad acting.
"Well... I-I'll think about it."
Just as Seo Ji-woo stammered her reply on purpose—
"Now, everyone. Have you finished saying your goodbyes?"
Yu Ji-in flashed an ominous smile.
"The surviving explorers will now proceed to the next labyrinth."