Chapter 24: The City of Traps.
Chapter 24: The City of Traps.
The next morning dawned. After talking with Ahn Hyun before daybreak, I returned to the room and switched places with him on watch and nursing duty. Even when I said I was fine and he could sleep longer, he stubbornly pushed me toward bed. With no other choice, I lay in a corner of the living room intending only to rest my eyes, but I must have fallen soundly asleep. I decided I needed to reflect on that.
Even if nothing currently stood in my way, I could not afford to let my guard down. Perhaps I was the abnormal one. No matter what I did, I was only satisfied after pushing myself to the limit. Ten years had turned that into a habit, and I deliberately avoided sleeping deeply or eating my fill. I was about to rise, thinking it was time to pick up the pace, when I sensed someone nearby. Opening my eyes slightly, I found an unexpected person sitting neatly beside where I slept: Ahn Sol.
“Ah!”
Ahn Sol had been tilting her head restlessly, but when our eyes met, they widened like saucers. There was no need to be so startled. I was not her enemy. In a voice meant to assure her that I would not hurt her, I offered a gentle morning greeting.
“Hey. Are you feeling any better?”
“Ah, good morning.”
A smile naturally formed on my face as I watched her greet me politely, despite her flustered state. Ah, I really shouldn't be like this. Why do I get so soft whenever I see this girl? She stirred an endless desire to protect her. I slowly pushed myself up. She watched me move, hesitating for a moment before speaking in a voice barely louder than a mosquito's buzz.
“O-Oppa.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m sorry….”
“Hm?”
What is this nonsense all of a sudden? I felt like I’d heard the word “sorry” a lot yesterday and today. I looked at Ahn Sol with a questioning expression, and she lowered her head as she continued.
“Um… I heard… because of me… you had a really hard time….”
Her words omitted so much context that anyone unaware of the situation might have misunderstood them. Setting that aside, watching Ahn Sol stammer made me worry about her future. How could she endure life among the extraordinary people of the Hall Plain when she could barely speak to strangers? This child would one day become the Priestess of Radiance, standing alongside the Shadow Queen and the Princess of Execution as one of the foremost female Users? That future seemed impossibly distant. I answered with an indifferent expression.
“You don't have to be sorry. In fact, you did exceptionally well. I heard you saved everyone's lives, right?”
“N-No! I don’t really remember that part very well!”
I knew she would become disheartened again if I revealed my inner thoughts, so I just shook my head with a benevolent expression. My praise had clearly reached her, as her expression brightened and she began to wave her hands with a silly grin. Her every thought was plain to see on her face. She was, in a word, completely guileless. I was genuinely curious how someone could raise a child to be so pure and innocent. Just then, I heard someone call me from behind.
“Soohyun-orabeoni. If you’re awake, please have your breakfast.”
“?”
“What is it, Orabeoni? Why are you gazing at this maiden with such puzzlement?”
“?”
“Why are you looking at me like… Dammit, fine. I'll talk normally. Ahn Hyun told me you took over nursing Sol and stood watch for us yesterday. I made you breakfast as thanks. The rest of us have already eaten, so don't worry.”
“Mm. Yes, that’s definitely Lee Yoojung. Thanks.”
I nodded and held out my hand, and she slammed a plate down in front of me with an annoyed look. The menu was the same as yesterday: tuna crackers. I wanted to tease her, asking if this was the only thing she knew how to make, but seeing the cold glare she was giving me, I figured it was best to just keep my mouth shut.
“……”
“……”
I reached out and took a bite of a cracker. Lee Yoojung and Ahn Sol sat quietly, watching me eat. I was in the middle of chewing when I put the cracker down with a dissatisfied look. Seeing this, Lee Yoojung blinked as if to tell me to eat more, while Ahn Sol was still grinning innocently, for whatever reason. Have they all lost their minds today?
“Do I look like a monkey in a zoo to you?”
“Not that much. It's just that the way you eat is strange.”
“The way I eat?”
Not that much, huh. Hmm. Was I eating that strangely? I was just eating the way I always… As I thought about it, a realization struck me.
“Ahn Hyun chews a few times and swallows, but Oppa is the complete opposite. You take tiny little bites like a miser, chew each one as slowly and thoroughly as possible, and swallow only a little at a time. You do not eat much, either. Why do you eat like that?”
I couldn't answer right away. Lee Yoojung's eye for detail was sharper than I expected. To tell the truth, there was a time when food was scarce while I was being chased by elves in the Elven Forest. I rationed the remaining food, eating just enough to get through the day, and the eating habit stuck with me. Besides that, whenever I was preparing for battle, whether forming a caravan or joining an expedition, I never ate until I was full. I did it to heighten my senses as much as possible, because the feeling of fullness can dull them.
However, I couldn't tell them the truth, so I decided to subtly change the subject.
“It's just a habit. I eat when I need to, but in situations like this, I tend to eat a little less. Anyway, I don't see the other two. Where did everyone go?”
“Ahn Hyun and Kim Hanbyul? Ahn Hyun went out to scout the area alone, and I think Kim Hanbyul went up to the rooftop.”
I breathed an inward sigh of relief when Lee Yoojung answered readily, showing no signs of suspicion. Then, feeling a gaze on me, I turned my head to see Ahn Sol watching me with her bright, clear eyes. When our eyes met, she smiled that silly grin again, her face still showing a hint of awkwardness. What is with her today?
I felt that Ahn Sol was a lot like a small child. When a child first meets a stranger, they are instinctively wary. They’re afraid and anxious, worried the stranger might harm them. If you approach them thoughtlessly at that point, they’ll show their displeasure and burst into tears.
The way to get close to such children is simple. At first, you keep a certain distance and do nothing, letting them recognize that you at least mean no harm. Then, their curiosity piqued, the child will toddle over to express their interest. That is the perfect time to befriend them.
After a little contemplation about Ahn Sol—or rather, after indulging in pointless thoughts—I chewed another cracker Lee Yoojung had made and considered something else. If each day rolled over at 24:00, then this was our second day in the Trap Point. In other words, we were safe only until 24:00 that night. No one said it aloud, but everyone seemed quite fond of the place.
“I hope they get back soon. There’s something I need to talk about.”
“Talk about what? Something like what we should do from now on?”
“Something like that.”
“What is it, Oppa? Tell Sol and me first.”
Lee Yoojung sat with her knees together and both arms wrapped around them, watching me curiously. Ahn Sol’s face also grew slightly tense when our future plans came up. I expected considerable resistance, but I decided to confront it directly. No matter how difficult it was to say, this was something they all needed to know.
“I think it would be best to leave this city today.”
As soon as I finished speaking, their expressions hardened in an instant, just as I'd expected.
*
“I just finished a short patrol. Just as you said, hyung, it’s eerily quiet.”
That was the first thing Ahn Hyun said as he walked through the front door. At my request to talk, the entire group had gathered in the living room. Kim Hanbyul seemed to have collected herself while getting some fresh air, as she had recovered her usual cold and calm expression. I scanned everyone's faces before speaking.
“I’m sure you all remember the things the angels told you before you came to this place they call a Rite of Passage.”
“Well, I don't really remember. I was too busy fighting with that winged bitch to hear anything.”
A bitter smile appeared on my face as I looked at Lee Yoojung tilting her head. Setting her aside for a moment, I turned to Ahn Hyun and Kim Hanbyul. They thought for a moment before speaking up one by one.
“I read the precautions, but there were so many… They don't provide food or water, so find it yourself; death in this space means actual death, so be careful; the condition for survival is to go to the central Warp Gate, and… uh, what else was there?”
“To survive for seven days.”
Kim Hanbyul finished Ahn Hyun’s sentence. And those were the words I had been waiting for.
“Exactly. Survive for seven days. Hanbyul-ssi, do you remember anything else attached to that condition?”
At my question, Kim Hanbyul made a brief, inexplicably displeased face before she spoke.
“I remember. I think I heard the angel say directly to never settle in one place. They said to either keep running for seven days or go to the center.”
I nodded at her words and was about to speak again when Lee Yoojung quickly jumped in, beating me to the punch.
“But Oppa, it's safe here, isn't it? There's plenty of food, we slept well, and we have a house. Don't you all remember yesterday? We suffered like hell the moment we got out of that forest.”
“She has a point. Hyung, do we really need to leave this place? We don’t have to believe everything those angels tell us.”
When Ahn Hyun backed her up, Lee Yoojung’s face brightened considerably as she looked at me. It was clear she really didn't want to go outside. I met their gazes and began to speak in a quiet voice.
“I think you’re all thinking too complacently just because it’s comfortable right now. Try thinking about it from the opposite perspective.”
“The opposite?”
“Yes. As Hyun saw during his patrol, this city is far too quiet. We were constantly on edge in the forest, and you were attacked after coming out. The same thing will probably happen again once we leave. But…”
I paused for a moment before continuing.
“The angels did not want us settling down like this. They warned us directly: survive for seven days or reach the central Warp Gate, and never settle in one place. We need to understand what they intended. When the meaning of a Rite of Passage is considered alongside our situation, staying here runs against its purpose. This is obviously strange, is it not? Compared with outside, the facilities are comfortable, food is plentiful, and there are no monsters. I believe this is a trap. I have an ominous feeling that we have no idea what might happen if we remain.”
“…So Oppa is saying we should leave just because you have a bad feeling.”
“I know it's hard to accept based on a premonition alone. But it's true that there's a really unsettling energy here. I believe the most efficient way to handle a place like this is to rest just enough, take just what we need, and leave. If possible, I'd like for us to leave before the day is over.”
Although I was trying to persuade them, I was not confident I could make them accept it. Persuading people in immediate danger was entirely different from persuading those who felt safe. Even I knew my argument lacked force this time. It was not wholly illogical, but much of it depended on prediction and intuition. That could not be helped; there was inevitably a gulf between someone who knew the Hall Plain and those who did not.
No one spoke for a while, but their dissatisfied expressions made it clear they did not want to leave. I could simply defeat the Boss Monster if it appeared, but this was a place prepared by the angels, and I wanted them to follow the standard course at least once. The more comfortable they remained now, the more they were bound to suffer in the Hall Plain. Ahn Hyun met my eyes, then looked around at everyone and spoke.
“Since everyone seems to have a different opinion… let's put it to a vote.”
“A vote?”
“Yes. But I’m going to set two conditions for this vote.”
“What kind of conditions?”
His unexpected suggestion piqued my interest. A vote. It felt like I hadn't heard that word in a long time. When Kim Hanbyul also reacted with surprise, Ahn Hyun gave a small nod and answered.
“The conditions aren't anything special. First, each person can exercise their right to vote for, against, or to abstain. However, you must state the reason for your choice. And second, whatever the outcome, everyone will follow the decision without complaint.”
Convinced that the vote to stay would win, Lee Yoojung spoke in a cheerful voice.
“I agree, I agree! No objections from me. A vote, huh? I like it. Let's do it right now. I'll go first, okay?”
“Right. It is best to decide quickly. I’ll record Soohyun-hyung as one vote in favor, since he has already explained his reasons.”
“No objections.”
“In that case… does anyone have any other opinions? If not, we’ll proceed.”
After Kim Hanbyul, Ahn Sol, and I agreed, Ahn Hyun nodded and turned his gaze to Lee Yoojung. Slowly, her mouth opened, and everyone focused on the words she was about to say.