Su (1)
I snapped my eyes open. On either side of me, Ji-yun and Si-eun were still chattering away without pause. When Si-eun saw me wake up, she jumped in surprise.
“O-oppa. You’re awake? Were we being too loud?”
“Sorry. We were trying to keep our voices down...”
I sat up and looked around. It was still pitch-black night. The sun hadn’t risen yet. The only light inside the Cradle of Rest came from the lantern I had left outside.
Ji-yun and Si-eun—both completely naked—stared at me with worried eyes. I asked them,
“Didn’t you hear anything just now? It sounded like someone was calling my name...”
At my words their eyes widened in fear.
“W-we didn’t hear anything at all. Just the sound of us talking to each other...”
Ah. While they’d been gossiping nonstop, Si-eun must have started speaking casually to Ji-yun. Not that it mattered right now.
“I swear someone called me. Or did I mishear it?”
My muttering made both their faces harden.
“M-maybe it was a ghost?”
“Ji-yun, don’t say that! You know how much I hate ghost stuff...”
Hold on. You two aren’t even alive anymore.
‘Was it a dream? But it sounded way too vivid for that…’
I lay back down. That was when the voice returned, ringing directly in my ear.
“Whoa!”
I screamed and bolted upright. Ji-yun and Si-eun shrieked along with me.
“Kyaa!”
“Oppa! What’s wrong? Why are you acting like that?”
I scanned the area, searching for the source of the voice. There was nothing there—only the two terrified women staring back at me.
What the hell? Am I losing my mind?
Then the voice came again.
“Who… who are you?”
“Ah…”
There was no way I could forget. It hadn’t been that long. This was the rat-headed bastard who’d helped me obtain the Necromancer class.
“I remember.”
He had something to say? And out of nowhere like this?
I frowned and spoke into empty air.
“If you have something to say, can’t you just say it like you’re doing now? There’s no need for us to meet face to face, is there?”
‘Three months’ pay cut doesn’t sound like that big a deal…’
I thought for a moment, then spoke to Ji-yun and Si-eun, who were staring at me with wide, round eyes.
“I’m going to step out for a bit, so wait here. It’s nothing serious, so don’t worry.”
Ji-yun asked in a voice heavy with concern,
“Oppa, is it really okay? Were you talking to someone? What…”
“I’ll tell you later. I’m really fine, so stop worrying. I’ll be back soon.”
I quickly threw on my clothes. I didn’t think the rat-head would try to harm me. For some reason he seemed to bear me goodwill, and thanks to him I had obtained the Necromancer class.
Still, that didn’t mean I could trust him blindly. I turned to Juniel, who was standing blankly in one corner of the Cradle of Rest.
“Follow me.”
Juniel was my strongest asset. Even if something went wrong, she should be able to buy me enough time to escape.
I stepped out of the Cradle of Rest with Juniel and closed the Gate of Rest. As the portal slowly vanished before my eyes, I thought,
‘With the Gate of Rest closed, the Cradle of Rest is now floating in an isolated dimension. So what exactly are Ji-yun and Si-eun seeing through the glass wall from inside? I’ll have to ask them later.’
I walked slowly out of the classroom with Juniel trailing behind me like a ghost. Suddenly I noticed that her hand axe—the one that should have been her dedicated weapon—was missing.
“Juniel. Where’s your hand axe? You know, your weapon.”
She stretched one hand out to the side. A loud whoosh-whoosh-whoosh sound came from outside, and something smashed through the hallway window and flew straight into her grasp.
“Whoa!”
The hand axe that had flown in from outside now rested in Juniel’s hand.
Damn it, are you Thor or something? You scared the hell out of me. It must have been lying around outside.
Anyway, now that Juniel was properly armed, it was time to head out. We moved together toward the main entrance of the Chungui Hall.
With a soft rustle, the rat-head appeared right in front of me. Just like the last time we met in that strange space, he was floating in mid-air. He wiped his forehead as if sweating, then spoke.
The rat-head laughed, then turned his gaze to Juniel standing beside me. His eyes widened.
Did he recognize her?
The rat-head frowned as he stared at Juniel and muttered to himself.
He examined Juniel from every angle.
Did this rat-head not realize I hadn’t said a single word since we met? If he was just going to ramble to himself, why had he asked to see me?
“Um…”
“Ah, yes… So why exactly did you call me? Aren’t you supposed to be an administrator? Is it even allowed for someone in your position to meet privately with a regular player like this?”
The rat-head nodded as though he agreed.
“I get it. So why did you call me? Even though it means risking that ‘enormous punishment’ of a three-month pay cut?”
“…Information?”
“…Why?”
At my question the rat-head’s eyes widened.
“Why are you giving me information? You said we shouldn’t meet privately. You said it was dangerous. So why are you sneaking around to offer me information anyway?”
I lifted one corner of my mouth.
“There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Goodwill without a reason doesn’t exist. You must want something from me—that’s why you’re offering this so-called goodwill. Am I wrong?”
The rat-head stared at me in silence. Then he smiled faintly and spoke again.
I didn’t need his life advice. I wanted a straight answer.
As if reading my eyes, the rat-head nodded and continued.
What was this? It was the same question he’d asked when I was choosing my class.
I answered, irritation clear in my voice.
“Isn’t this the same question from back then? I already told you. I have no such intention. I’m perfectly satisfied with the way things are right now. Why would I kill the Demon King and go back to the old world?”
“What? What do you—”
What the hell was he talking about? They wanted to help me because I had no intention of ending this insane world? And that wasn’t just the rat-head’s personal opinion—it was the entire management company’s stance?
While I was still trying to process his words, the rat-head kindly continued.
“…Why?”
The rat-head seemed to ponder for a moment. Then he looked up and spoke again.
“…Money?”
“Uh… I’m not sure?”
Average, huh. The fact that he used that word told me this so-called “game” wasn’t happening only on Earth.
The rat-head kept talking.
“So the longer this game drags on, the more profit it brings you.”
The rat-head clapped his hands together with a loud smack.
Hmm. I could understand that much. But…
“Why me?”
“Honestly, I’m not exactly normal, but I’m not that special either. There are billions of people on this planet. Surely there are others who think the same way I do. Plenty of people must want this game to continue instead of ending it. So why pick me out of all of them?”
The rat-head smiled.
The rat-head spread his palm wide. Five fingers. Seeing something so human-like on a rat-headed creature only made it more repulsive. Was this the uncanny valley?
Right. I’d heard that 5-star classes weren’t exactly common.