Chapter 39
Chapter 39
As I opened the iron door on the 4th floor, the hallway I used to walk down so familiarly came into view.
'Right... I used to pass through this hallway to study for the TOEIC...'
Reminiscing, I opened the door to the large lecture hall...
Kkii-ik
Teol-keok!
Huh?
The door wouldn't open, as if blocked by something.
Thump thump!
I pushed with all my might, but the door had no intention of opening, and just as I was about to use Disassembly,
"I-is that Gi-cheol?"
I could hear a woman's voice from inside.
'Are they survivors?'
While I was hesitating, holding the doorknob and wondering what to do, I heard several voices from inside.
You crazy bitch! Hey! Did you... do it or not?!
S-sorry...
Fuck...
From below... there wasn't any...
Hurry up and... shove it in and get ready for battle.
'The atmosphere feels bad... By the way, that voice just now... could it be Teacher Haeyoung?'
Because there was a thick wall between us, the words were coming in and out.
Since I wanted to try talking to the leader, I knocked differently than before.
Knock knock knock
The inside went quiet, and
"Who is it!"
A man, presumably the leader, shouted.
Uh...
'It's a question I always hear, but it's always awkward to answer...'
After a moment of hesitation, I decided to be honest.
"Just a passerby. I came in wondering if there was anything worth taking in this building, and it turns out there are survivors here."
At my words, the people inside became chaotic, as if there was an uproar.
C-Captain... isn't that... Woo-seong!?
The words... right now... the person... Woo-seong...
Fuck!! Everyone, grab your weapons!!
Huh?
I couldn't understand what was being said inside, and
"I think there's some kind of misunder-..."
"Shut up!"
Captain! What should we do about the... murderer!!
Fuck! Then are you going to let him in... and give him a turn?!
Th-that... still, we could... talk...
That's the bastard who killed Woo-seong!!
'Something is definitely going wrong...'
I had definitely killed people after the Ruined Game situation broke out.
I had killed evildoers, but there was no excuse for killing people.
However, I could proudly say that I wasn't that kind of person, but
"It's pretty bitter to be called a murderer so openly like this..."
I laughed awkwardly and took a step away from the large lecture hall.
"Everything I'm about to say is the truth. Whether you believe it or not is up to you."
At my words, the chaotic interior went quiet, and
"I came in through the rooftop. There was a green tent up there..."
I didn't know how the conversation would go if I said I'd traded it for money, so I decided to play dumb.
"No, there was a green tent and chairs from this YDM Academy."
Even though I'd already traded it all for candy...
"I have no intention of harming you. And if the teacher inside is Teacher Haeyoung, she will know my name."
'I used to act like an attention seeker in every class, so the teacher remembered my name...'
I finished speaking, reminiscing about the past.
The people inside became chaotic at the mention of the rooftop, but when I even said the teacher's name, they went quiet.
Captain... let's... try untying it.
That's right! If it's true... it could be... right?
Two men conveyed their opinions to the captain, and
Hoo... fine... come in...
"Wait! Please wait! I'll go get the teacher right now."
My status had risen from 'murderer bastard' to someone who could receive honorifics.
"Yes, take your time."
Because the words were cut off in the middle, I couldn't properly grasp the atmosphere inside.
I waited for the door to open and went into another lecture hall, but
'They already looted everything and moved it to the large lecture hall.'
There was nothing in the group study room next door.
"But you didn't lick it clean, heh heh."
I tore off and disassembled the clock, whiteboard, notice board, etc., hanging on the wall, and
"Gotta pack everything up nice and neat~"
Satisfied, I returned to the front of the large lecture hall.
Thud... thud...
When I returned, instead of the deep male voice I'd heard just a moment ago,
"U-um... you know me?"
I heard the voice of the teacher I'd heard until I was sick of it in the past.
"Wow... I'm so glad you're alive, Teacher. It's me, Geumseul! I took the 550 class."
"G-Geumseul?! I-is that really you!?"
The teacher spoke in a different, excited voice than before, and this time, since she was speaking in front of the door, I could hear the whole conversation.
Teacher? Do you know someone named Geumseul?
Of course! He was a bit of a blockh... no, he wasn't good at studying, but he was a kind kid.
'Ah... Teacher... you thought I was a blockhead...'
"Teacher... I raised my first TOEIC score from 330 to 800, so 'blockhead' is a bit..."
"Ah... sorry, but you did take the 2-month short-term class twice, didn't you?"
"Cough... That was your recommendation, Teacher, to take the 550 and then the 700..."
Clatter! Thud! Kkii-ik!
Instead of an answer, a dull sound came from inside.
'Are they moving the desk that was blocking the door?'
A moment later,
Click! Kkii-ik
Only after the lock was undone did the door open.
The large lecture hall had many windows, so the inside was bright, and
"Ugh..."
I squinted at the bright light that suddenly pierced through.
That was only for a moment; as my vision recovered, I saw three men aiming sharpened mop handles at me with trembling hands, and
"It really is Geumseul!"
"It's been a while."
I could see the teacher approaching me with an awkward gait.
--
I was able to enter the lecture hall with the teacher's approval, and
'Wow... how did they survive in here...'
The inside of the large lecture hall was absolutely miserable.
There were 12 people in total.
One man who looked like the captain,
Two men holding spears,
And the teacher in front of me, along with 8 women sitting in the corner, sobbing and crying.
The women weren't even on beds; they were sitting on academy chairs and the 4-seater chairs provided in the hallway, and I don't know how they did it, but I could see a large number of skewers made by ripping off the legs of desks.
Behind the lecture hall where the printer used to be, there was some remaining water, a small amount of snacks, and mysterious boxes.
'The food supply is poor... I wonder if there's food in those boxes too?'
The people's condition wasn't that good either.
The women must not have been able to wash for a long time, as they all had soot on their faces and hands, but strangely, the area around their mouths was exceptionally clean.
'They must have wiped it while eating and drinking something.'
If I dared to guess, this place wouldn't last more than 3 days without new farming.
Teacher Haeyoung must not have been eating well either; her cheeks had lost a lot of weight.
"You've lost a lot of weight, Teacher."
"I-it just happened..."
She pulled her coat together and blushed.
She was someone who always sang the song of 'diet, diet', but this surely wasn't the body she wanted...
I raised both hands toward the people who were still wary and sat down in front of the door I had entered through.
There were so many stories I wanted to ask, but in a world like this, even a simple question could be a big wound, so I was worried about how to break the ice.
'Ah... this is so burdensome. Should I have just passed by...?'
As I leaned my back against the door, the man who looked like the captain tapped the teacher on the shoulder, and the teacher asked me with an awkward smile.
"B-by the way, they said you came through the rooftop, how did you get here?"
"Ah, it's all thanks to this guy."
I pointed to Kkamang-i, who was dozing on my head, and
"Is that a crow?"
Kyang...
He was a guy who would writhe at the word 'crow'.
Cute...
"Teacher, you've played the Ruined Game before, right?"
"Huh? My husband told me to play it, so I did... Come to think of it... Jin-soo?"
She turned her head toward the man who had just tapped her shoulder, and
"Didn't you say this world is the same as the Ruined Game?"
I could see the man with a frowning expression.
So this guy is the captain.
I stood up and offered him a handshake.
"My name is Kim Geum-seul."
Squeeze
"I'm Park Jin-soo..."
He gripped my hand tightly.
Name: Park Jin-soo
Level: 12
Free Point: 0
Dexterity +6
[Skill View]
[A] Trap Crafting Max: You can create powerful traps with simple materials.
'Whoa... is he a one-trick pony with traps?'
Back in the Ruined Game days, traps were a popular skill because if you had enough materials, you could get the maximum effect with minimal expenditure.
'So that's why they made skewers with desk legs like that...'
I let go of his hand and smiled.
"Haha, thank you, Jin-soo-ssi. Teacher being alive like this must be all thanks to you."
At my sudden praise, he gave a bitter smile, and
"Heh heh... we all help each other to survive..."
Help each other to survive?
It's true, but that smile felt unpleasant.
"So, Teacher? Are you going to keep staying here?"
"W-well... I want to go home too, but... there are the kids... and home is far... and also..."
The teacher trailed off, glancing at the men.
'Hoo... is there no other way?'
I knew I would be criticized, but I chose to be honest.
"If you hold out like this... in a week... there won't be anyone alive in this place a week later."
"You little shit!!"
Provoked by my words, Jin-soo swung his fist at me, and
Thwack!
I took out the spear I had put in my inventory and stabbed his stomach with the back end.
"Ugh!"
Thud...
I didn't like showing off my power, but in a world like this, being ignorant was a sin.
That ignorance would eventually lead directly to death.
"If you act up without knowing who you're dealing with, you'll die quickly."
"Argh... cough!!"
"Jin-soo!!"
The teacher ran toward Jin-soo, who was coughing on the floor, and the men who had been wary until just now were trembling.
"Geumseul! How could you!!"
"That guy raised his fist first, so does that mean I should have just taken it?"
"Th-that's not it, but... still!"
Hoo...
The teacher of the past was such an upright and positive person.
She would never have been someone to send such a look of resentment.
What made the teacher so miserable?
Is it because the world has become like this...
Or was she wearing a mask like that all along...
"The teacher of today is not the teacher I knew."
I was a little disappointed.
'Ugh... I shouldn't have come in, it just ruined my mood...'
Thump...
I took out 6 bottles of 1.5-liter water that I had stored in my inventory, placed them in front of the teacher, then turned around and walked out the open door.
She smiled brightly at the sudden appearance of water, but was flustered by my retreating figure.
"G-Geumseul! Where are you going!"
The women who were crying and trembling even though I had entered,
The men who were consumed by fear as soon as Jin-soo collapsed.
"This place is already a dead space, so I don't want to stay long."
With that as my final word, I went up to the rooftop the way I came.
--
Click... Kkii-ik...
The moment I opened the rooftop iron door,
"Where the hell did he go!! God, this is driving me crazy..."
I could see a fat man cursing while roaming the rooftop.
"Huh? Gasp!! W-who are you?"
As soon as that man saw me, he ran away to the corner of the rooftop and asked me, and
'Ah... could he be the owner of the tent...?'
I hurriedly woke up Kkamang-i, who was sleeping on my head.
"Kkamang-i...? Let's go to that big building over there. Please."
Kyang...?
The guy who was dozing flapped his wings at my words, landed on the floor, and grew in size.
Krawwwk...
Perhaps still sleepy, the guy's cry lacked energy.
"Arghhh!! P-please spare me!!!"
The fat man prostrated himself on the floor and covered his head.
'Tent... I'm sorry!!'
I apologized in my heart, then climbed onto Kkamang-i's back, and
Flap!! Flap!!
We moved away from that spot.
--
Thump!!
"Good boy, good boy, thank you."
Krawwwk~
We landed on the building in front of a famous department store in Daegu.
Standing at the edge of the rooftop, I checked the signs to see what kind of shops were in this building, and
"Hmm... Pharmacy... Dermatology... Cat Cafe...?"
Tilting my head, I decided to visit the cat cafe on the highest floor first.
--
The rooftop iron door was locked, but I entered the inside through a simple Disassembly, and as I went down the stairs, I could see a space that had become a mess.
"At least there are no corpses, so that's a relief..."
I wondered if this cafe was structured so you could play with cats on the 3rd floor and play various games on the 4th floor, because what came into my view were scattered cards and game consoles.
There was a foul smell, perhaps because drinks had spilled on the floor and dried up.
I endured the stench, disassembled everything inside the building, and then went down to the 3rd floor.
On the 3rd floor, there was a counter, a drink bar, and a space for cats, and
"Oh!! Jackpot!"
Rummaging through the drink bar, I was able to make a huge discovery.
"This is it, this! I was getting sick of only drinking plain water and cola~"
It was the powder for various drinks.
I had given up on things like fruit because they were already rotting or turning mushy, but there were so many other things I could salvage.
Inside the coffee machine, there were some unground coffee beans left, and there were many things that would improve my quality of life, such as iced tea, misugaru (roasted grain powder), lemon tea, chocolate powder, etc.
"Hehe~ Jackpot!"
I chuckled as I packed the powders, and finally, I even took apart the coffee machine and put it in my inventory.
"I don't really know how to use it... but someone at home will know~"
Having finished my satisfying farming, I cleanly looted even the remaining furniture, turned it into peanut butter, and went down to the 2nd floor.
--