Chapter 25: The City of Traps.
Chapter 25: The City of Traps.
“Obviously, I’m against it. The answer is clear if you just compare the forest to this place, isn’t it? I don’t want to risk my life on Oppa’s uncertain prediction. I don’t think it’s right to leave this city and take the same risks we did yesterday.”
I’d held out a sliver of hope, but as expected, it was a no. Lee Yoojung cast her vote against leaving, bringing the tally to one for and one against. It left a bitter taste in my mouth, but I decided to quietly watch how things played out.
Next up was Kim Hanbyul. If she, at least, voted in favor, there was still a chance, so all eyes naturally turned to her. She stared at my face for a moment before speaking in her usual calm voice.
“I don’t particularly want to leave either. However, based on my own judgment of him, I don’t believe he has any ill intentions. In fact, he has always made good decisions for us so far. While there isn’t enough evidence to prove what he says, I believe it serves as a valid basis. I can’t choose for or against. Therefore, I will abstain.”
Kim Hanbyul chose to abstain. In a way, it was the safest choice. Lee Yoojung already seemed certain that the group would stay, and she wore a broad smile. I prepared for an outcome I had not expected. Even if a Boss Monster appeared, I could simply beat it to death. The problem would be doing so without anyone noticing.
The only ones left were Ahn Hyun and Ahn Sol. Ahn Hyun glanced at his sister, then stroked her hair as he spoke to her.
“Sol-ah.”
“Hm?”
“What do you want to do?”
At Ahn Hyun’s question, Ahn Sol’s expression turned thoughtful. She folded and unfolded her fingers, as if counting the votes so far. Her eyes met mine for a second, and she flinched, her face flushing red as she quickly looked away. Still, she kept sneaking glances at me from the corner of her eye, making me wonder if she was feeling sick.
“Sol is obviously against it, right~? Right? It’s safe and comfortable here. If we go outside, scary monsters will come rushing at us, rawr~!”
At some point, Lee Yoojung had started treating Ahn Sol like a complete child. Ahn Sol must have sensed it too, because when Lee Yoojung tried to scare her with an exaggerated expression, her cheeks puffed out and her lips formed a pout as she slowly shook her head. She glanced nervously at me one more time before speaking in a cautious voice.
“I… I’ll agree with Soohyun-oppa.”
Well, now.
“Right! Of course you’ll agree— Huh? What did you say? You agree?”
Lee Yoojung had been nodding excitedly, but the moment she heard Ahn Sol’s answer, her expression changed and she lunged forward as though she might devour her. Ahn Sol quickly hid in Ahn Hyun’s arms. Ahn Hyun and Kim Hanbyul stared at her with wide eyes, equally surprised. Overwhelmed by their attention, Ahn Sol worked her mouth silently for a while before beginning to speak.
“Yes. I agree.”
“Why! For God’s sake, why!”
“Hng…”
Ahn Hyun pushed back Lee Yoojung, who was seething with a terrifying expression, then soothed the frightened Ahn Sol and gently asked her reason.
“Sol-ah. You need to tell everyone why you agree.”
“Okay… It’s… just because. I just have a feeling. Because…”
The moment I heard the word ‘feeling,’ Ahn Hyun’s expression changed drastically. It was only for a second, but I saw it clearly. What was that all about?
“Hey! You can’t make a decision based on just a feeling…”
“Quiet!”
Lee Yoojung quickly shut her mouth when Ahn Hyun suddenly raised his voice. His face was dead serious. He frowned, staring at Ahn Sol with a grave expression. Unaware of his intense gaze, Ahn Sol simply nodded blankly and pointed at me with a slender finger.
“Before, it was only a vague feeling… but last night, Soohyun-oppa appeared in my dream.”
“Everyone, please be quiet for a moment. Sol. Go on, tell us everything.”
“We were all sleeping in this room when a huge monster appeared. It was like an Alien. That monster came straight to the building we were in… and put everyone in danger. I thought we were all going to die, trapped like that. No, I think I definitely saw everyone die. But then, suddenly, the dream changed.”
“How did it change?”
“The dream rewound to the beginning as though someone were winding a clockwork toy, and then Soohyun-oppa appeared. The monster came again, but this time it was different. Soohyun-oppa told everyone to flee while he held it back. Hyun-oppa carried me as we escaped the city, but I suddenly became worried about Soohyun-oppa. The moment I tried to look back, the dream ended.”
“Do you remember anything else?”
“At the very end, a terrible roar? A scream? I think I heard some kind of sound… but I’m not sure.”
We all held our breath and listened intently. For the first time since returning to the past, I looked at Ahn Sol in earnest. Even allowing for the fact that this lay outside my knowledge, I honestly could not understand it.
Her stats were 75 points in Magic Power and 100 points in Luck. My own 96 points of Magic Power were anything but ordinary; even upon entering the Hall Plain, they would have made me stand out among mages. Yet even with Third Eye, I had barely been permitted to see one second of the past. Ahn Sol, however, had borrowed the power of dreams to glimpse both past and future.
There was, of course, a clear difference between Ahn Sol and me. I could observe events that had actually occurred in the past and activate my power when I chose. She could not know whether what she saw resulted from interference or had truly happened, and the ability seemed to manifest at random. Her Luck having reached its limit was probably why the visions matched reality so closely.
In any case, one of my initial questions seemed to have been answered. The reason I had never seen the others during my first playthrough was clear. For some reason, they must have gathered and entered this city then, only to remain beyond the two-day limit and fall to the Boss Monster. Ahn Sol had probably been the city’s sole survivor.
“Haaah…”
I heard Ahn Hyun let out a deep sigh. Having finished her story, Ahn Sol looked around anxiously. Ahn Hyun tapped his fingers on the living room floor, lost in thought, before finally turning to everyone with a troubled expression.
“I agree with Soohyun-hyung as well.”
“Why you too? You said you didn’t want to leave either…! Are you just siding with your sister now?”
Lee Yoojung shot back, her face a mask of disbelief. Ahn Hyun looked at her apologetically for a moment before speaking.
“I’m not just siding with her. This might sound a little funny, but…”
Ahn Hyun lowered his head slightly and gestured to Ahn Sol, who was still in his arms, as he continued.
“I’ve lived with Sol for over nineteen years. We’ve been through a lot together. And every time, I’ve noticed that her intuition is incredibly sharp.”
Of course. With 100 points in Luck, obtaining an ability such as Intuition or Clairvoyance could even permit future sight, provided its Rank was high enough. As I considered this, Lee Yoojung frowned and complained.
“That damn ‘intuition,’ ‘intuition,’ ‘intuition.’ I’m so sick of it.”
“This is not a lie. It is certain. Whenever Sol felt anxious, something bad always happened. It was rare for her to receive a warning through a dream, but… anyway, with three votes in favor, one against, and one abstention, we will leave. As we agreed at the beginning, I expect everyone to follow the result. Everyone up. Let’s move.”
“You want to leave right now?”
“After a dream like that, I’ll feel better if we leave as quickly as possible. Everyone, pack only the bare essentials. Hyung, please keep watch just in case.”
“Okay. I’ll do that. Call me when you’re all done.”
Seeing how different Ahn Hyun was from the day before, I smiled with satisfaction. I strapped the crossbow to my left arm, brushed myself off, and stood.
*
The change was subtle, but Ahn Hyun had definitely changed. He had gone out alone to patrol that morning and seemed unusually proactive. A few words from me the previous night could not completely transform what he felt inside, but the change in his outward behavior showed that he had taken them to heart and intended to do everything he could. It was a positive development, so I hummed as I surveyed the area.
As Ahn Hyun said, if we were going to leave, now was the best time. Dilly-dallying and leaving in the afternoon only to get lost at night was something to be avoided at all costs. It was far better to set out in the morning and find a place to rest by the afternoon. I could hear a lot of bustling from downstairs; it seemed they were planning to take as much as they could.
Breathing the air that still carried a morning chill cleared my head. If the group had consisted only of people like Park Donggeol, Lee Borim, and Lee Shinwoo, they would have thrown a fit about staying, but matters had gone surprisingly smoothly. That was the advantage of gathering high-quality Users. A moment of silence for Park Donggeol and his party.
We had physically survived the forest’s interior and outskirts, considered the hardest section of the Rite of Passage, and psychologically overcome the Trap Point. As long as we remained wary of the Boss Monster that could appear at random and of other survivors, the road to the Central Gate should have been relatively easy. The other monsters that would inevitably appear…
“Excuse me…”
Just as I was considering the other monsters that would appear nearer the center, I heard someone call out to me. I turned and found Kim Hanbyul standing there. A small bag was strapped to her back, suggesting she was almost ready.
“Yes. Are you all finished?”
“I’m done. The others are still getting ready.”
“I see. I guess I’ll have to keep watch a little longer then.”
“…Could I talk to you for a moment?”
I was puzzled by her sudden request but nodded in response.
“Of course.”
She slowly approached my side, looking like she was trying to gauge my reaction. I was curious about what she wanted to say. Unlike her usual self, Kim Hanbyul hesitated for a while before speaking in a cautious voice.
“Did you… happen to hear anything from Yoojung-unni or Ahn Hyun-oppa?”
“About you and Yoojung fighting?”
“That, and… anything else.”
I hadn’t heard anything specific about her, so I shook my head.
“I see. The truth is…”
Her story was not especially complicated. She had opposed Lee Yoojung when Yoojung wanted to go out. I did give a bitter laugh when she mentioned her final remark that the living had to survive, but I knew it had not reflected her true feelings, so I let it pass. Complaining now would only make me look petty, and accepting it openly seemed better. Such things happened constantly in the Hall Plain, so it did not particularly anger me.
“…I’m sorry. I was just so angry back then. Putting myself in your shoes, I can imagine how unpleasant it must have been…”
It was the first time I had ever heard her usually calm voice sound so dejected. Her relationship with Lee Yoojung still seemed strained, but that was a difficult matter for me to meddle in. I looked at her with a slight smile and spoke.
“No, it wasn’t unpleasant. In fact, I think you did the right thing.”
“……”
“I mean it. You judged the situation calmly. If everyone had gone out then, just as you said, they would not have found me, and Yoojung and Hyun would certainly have been killed. I do not think you have anything to apologize for.”
“Still…”
“Yoojung is so hot-headed that I was worried, but I’m glad you were there. If the same thing happens again, please do exactly what you did this time. I think that would be better.”
“…Thank you.”
As I finished speaking, our eyes met. And for the first time, I saw her smile. It was just a faint smile that lasted only for a fleeting moment, but she was undeniably beautiful.
Suddenly… ‘she’ from the Hall Plain flashed through my mind.