Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: A Desperate Gamble
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It was a dirty, thankless job, but Kyle had no choice. As he moved to treat Anetium, he sensed a strange presence and snapped his head up.
Zzzzzing!
With a strange hum, a pure white portal materialized above Anetium's head.
At the portal's sudden appearance, both Kyle and Martin's expressions hardened.
“A white portal…?”
As Martin stared blankly at the bizarre phenomenon, Anetium, who hadn't yet noticed the portal above her own head, snapped impatiently.
“You damn slowpokes! Can’t you heal me any faster?! If I die because of this, what do you think will happen to you….”
Before Anetium could finish, the white portal grew in size.
Like a bubble instantly swelling into a vortex, the portal expanded so rapidly that it soon became large enough to cast a shadow over Anetium.
Only then, sensing the strange presence, did Anetium look up.
“Huh? What is this….”
And that was it.
Like a snake swallowing a mouse, the white portal had devoured Anetium whole.
The white portal, which had swallowed Anetium's massive body without a trace, began to fade away with a final, strange hum.
Snapping back to his senses, Kyle shouted urgently.
“No…!”
Imagining the horrific consequences of Anetium's disappearance, Kyle shot forward as if propelled.
But by the time he arrived, the white portal had already vanished.
There, with no trace left but Anetium's bodily fluids soaking the ground, Kyle collapsed and clutched his head.
He was afraid to even imagine what disaster this incident would bring upon the Pure Tribe.
“Damn it… why did this happen….”
As Lee Si-woo watched the portal devour Anetium from behind, the smartphone in his pocket buzzed.
As Si-woo silently felt the smartphone's vibration, a single bead of cold sweat trickled down from below his ear.
The goosebumps on his back showed no sign of disappearing.
For some reason, the smartphone's vibration felt like the burp of a carnivorous animal after a meal.
‘Predation… is this what it meant?’
The Butler had said.
That to connect, it needed to secure energy through predation.
In other words, it meant he had to secure a weakened lifeform and feed it to the phone.
But there was something strange.
When he killed the fanged spiders, the predation phenomenon hadn't occurred.
‘Perhaps the prey wasn't worthy enough?’
Just as a starving tiger wouldn't eat insects, perhaps this mysterious phone also had a discerning palate.
No, that had to be it.
Otherwise, there was no explanation for why the phone hadn't devoured the fanged spiders.
While Si-woo was busy organizing his thoughts, the surroundings grew noisy.
The squad members, finally realizing what had happened, began to murmur amongst themselves.
“We're screwed. Our tribe killed a 2-star monster from the Monster Tribe.”
“Bullshit. Who killed it? Didn't you just see? A weird portal ate the damn spider. It was an accident! We didn't kill it!”
“Don't be a fucking idiot. Hey, you moron. Get a grip. You think if you spout that same crap to the Monster Tribe, those bastards will just say, ‘Oh, okay, we understand’?”
“That guy's right. To them, the circumstances, the process—none of that matters. What matters is… the spider disappeared in front of us, and naturally, we're the only ones left to take the blame.”
Listening to the sporadic voices of the squad members from all around, Si-woo took a deep breath.
In truth, Si-woo had a choice.
The phone had asked him whether to predate, and if he had refused, this mess naturally wouldn't have happened.
But, despite that, Si-woo chose predation.
Because he was running out of time.
‘One week until the old man arrives. But if I keep getting treated like a rookie, I won't even get a chance to investigate the sickened demon. So, I feel bad for them, but it's to my advantage to make the situation as chaotic as possible.’
He needed information to find the sickened demon, but that was impossible with his current standing as a rookie from another dimension.
That's why he hadn't hesitated when the chance to turn the tables arrived.
To use the magic implement to prove his worth.
Si-woo walked over to Martin and spoke to him casually.
“Martin.”
Clearly under a great deal of stress from the current situation, Martin turned to Si-woo with bloodshot eyes.
Already dealing with a headache, Martin became annoyed by Si-woo's forwardness and snapped at him irritably.
“…What, what is it?”
Despite Martin's usually easygoing expression twisting into a vicious scowl, Si-woo spoke in a calm tone.
“Shouldn't we clean up the scene before the Monster Tribe realizes it was our doing?”
Martin let out a dry laugh and replied.
“I was wondering what you were going to say… You think we don't know that? Hey, there are more than a few monsters who are masters of tracking. Even if we try to clean up, if one of them shows up, figuring out what happened here will be a piece of cake.”
“Then what if we cover the tracks with other tracks?”
At Si-woo's repeated nonsense, Martin waved his hand dismissively.
“Look, rookie. Can you stop bothering me and get lost? Tsk, a guy who just got to the Pit, acting like he knows something… Kid, no matter what tricks you pull, it's useless as long as there are Scavengers who can track three-month-old trails. So please, just shut up. Let me think for a minute.”
As Martin fumed, Si-woo silently took a bead from his clothes. A strange, fiery energy instantly spread through the area.
Feeling the unusual energy emanating from the bead, Martin's expression hardened.
As befitting a 2-star talent, he recognized that the bead was no ordinary object.
The old man had originally given the bead to Si-woo in case he died before the man could return.
But Si-woo had no intention of using such a precious item passively.
After all, things were meant to be used.
As the saying goes, 'if you save it, you'll lose it.' He had to use it boldly when the opportunity arose.
Yes, to seize the initiative and react proactively to the situation.
Si-woo's eyes gleamed as he spoke in a calm tone.
“Martin, please call Squad Leader Kyle. I have something to tell him.”
* * *
Standing before Kyle and Martin, Si-woo cut to the chase.
“This bead was given to me by an old magician.”
Kyle was startled by his words.
Because in this world, the weight of the word 'magician' was anything but light.
“A magician?”
“Yes.”
Kyle glared at Si-woo with a look of clear displeasure and retorted.
“…Why would a magician give something to a guy like you?”
“I don't know that either. But he said he would come to save me in a week, and until then, I should use this bead to overcome any crisis.”
Martin wiped his dry face. A cold chill ran down his spine, and his heart sank.
If Si-woo's words were true, it was as if they had been walking around with a ticking time bomb all this time.
“Crazy… Squad Leader, I think we'd better watch what we do and say from now on. A rookie protected by a magician? If this is true, isn't he more dangerous than a time bomb?”
But Kyle couldn't agree with Martin.
He couldn't accept the fact that an incompetent and useless underling like Si-woo was under a magician's protection.
“A magician is coming to save you? You expect me to believe that bullshit right now?”
Si-woo held out the bead in his hand.
“Whether you believe me or not is up to you, Squad Leader. But one thing is certain. An object doesn't lie.”
Kyle narrowed his eyes coldly and glared at Si-woo.
With a gaze steeped in deep suspicion, Kyle muttered.
“A bead… Fine. So? What the hell is it, and what does it do?”
“I heard from the magician that this is a magic implement. He said that if I throw it, something like a pillar of fire will erupt to help me, and that nothing in the Pit can withstand its power.”
Despite Si-woo's words, Martin and Kyle's faces remained unimpressed.
For them, who had held insignificant positions on the surface, a magic implement was too precious an item to even know about.
Kyle snorted, a sneer forming on his lips.
“Ha, a magician….”
Like everyone else here, Kyle was also from the surface, born and raised there until he committed a crime and fell into the Pit.
Therefore, he knew better than anyone how terrifying magicians were.
He knew that even the lowest-ranking magician could annihilate every living being in the Pit if they so desired, and that they were arrogant tyrants with such a strong sense of privilege that they didn't even treat non-magicians as human.
Furthermore, he knew that such a magician would never associate with someone like Si-woo, a being from another dimension.
Kyle's eyes flashed as he snapped.
“You're full of shit, you little bastard. What? A magician's got your back? This son of a bitch, trying to pull a fast one…”
Greatly enraged, Kyle pointed a finger and shouted.
“I don't know where the hell you heard about magicians, but they aren't generous enough to sponsor a maggot like you!”
Kyle strode forward, grabbed Si-woo by the collar, and growled.
“What the hell does a punk like you know about magicians? They aren't considerate enough to back a lowly bastard like you! Nor are they merciful enough to pay a price for something they want from an insect. On the contrary….”
Kyle swallowed dryly and continued.
“You'd be lucky if they didn't just place all sorts of restrictions on you and work you like a slave for the rest of your life.”
As if Si-woo's words had struck a nerve, Kyle grew emotional and didn't hesitate to use harsh language. Si-woo sighed and spoke.
“Then why don't you see for yourself?”
“What?”
Si-woo said to Martin, who was standing beside him.
“Martin, could you lure some members of the Monster Tribe over here? It would be best if they were high-ranking or at least somewhat useful within their tribe.”
“From the Monster Tribe? Hmm, it's not that difficult, but… why them all of a sudden?”
Si-woo shook the bead and said.
“If we're going to test whether this is real or fake, it's less of a waste if we have a sacrifice.”
Thinking that the cornered Si-woo was bluffing with empty bravado, Kyle roared.
“This bastard still hasn't come to his senses…!”
Smack!
Kyle slapped Si-woo across the cheek. The force was so strong that Si-woo, his head ringing, fell to the ground and coughed repeatedly.
Blood splattered with each cough; it seemed the inside of his mouth had burst.
Kyle glared at Si-woo with a frosty gaze and said.
“Martin, don't listen to this crazy bastard. If we fall for this guy's tricks and lure monsters here, not only will things get worse, but our squad members could end up dying for nothing. And as for you… I can't let you be. You don't know your place and you're trying to be clever… I think it's best to deal with you right here.”
Silently listening to Kyle's murderous words, Si-woo wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and stood up.
Si-woo's eyes, black as the night sea, stared intently at Kyle.
For a moment, a shiver ran down Kyle's spine.
He didn't know why, but that unsettlingly calm gaze made him deeply uneasy.
Si-woo opened his swollen lips.
“If you find it so hard to believe… how about this? Why don't you find out for yourself, Squad Leader?”
“…What?”
“This bead, you said it was fake. Then I'll throw it at you. That should prove it, won't it? Whether my words are lies or not.”
The bead rolled on Si-woo's palm. At the movement of the bead, which looked like it could fall at any moment, Kyle and Martin flinched involuntarily.
The bead's movement felt as menacing as the timer on a time bomb.
Was it because he had flinched without realizing it?
His pride wounded, Kyle's eyes narrowed fiercely, and he lifted his foot as if to kick Si-woo.
Not to be outdone, Si-woo also prepared to throw the bead in his hand. Martin stepped between them and said,
“Stop! Squad Leader, that's enough. I'll go out and lure the Monster Tribe guys over here.”
Kyle, surprised, shouted.
“Martin!”
Martin waved his hand dismissively, as if he had made up his mind, and said,
“That's enough. Of course, I know you're from the surface, Squad Leader. But please, calm down. Who would tell a lie that could be exposed so easily? Frankly, it's not that hard to just check if it's real or fake.”
Just as he said, Si-woo had been calm the entire time.
So much so that it was hard to think of him as a bluffer or a liar.
“Martin, you're the one who needs to get a grip. We just met this bastard today. We don't know where he came from, or if he's a pathological liar or something. And you're going to trust a moron like that and lure them here? Are you out of your mind?”
“Ha… Squad Leader Kyle, look at that guy's eyes. Does he look like a madman… Ah! Forget it, let's just do this. I'll take responsibility. Or what? Is it not enough that you don't trust the rookie, you don't trust me either?”
Just as Kyle was about to reluctantly back down at Martin's ultimatum, Si-woo spat out bloody saliva and said irritably.
“Sorry, but I've changed my mind.”
At Si-woo's unexpected words, Martin's eyes widened in anger.
“What? What did you just say?”
Si-woo swept his ice-cold gaze over Martin and Kyle and said.
“I took out this bead purely out of goodwill to help you. But Squad Leader Kyle not only accused me of being a con man, he also assaulted me. Under these circumstances, why should I use my precious magic implement to help you?”
Kyle twisted his lips into a sneer.
“And what if you don't help? You going to throw that pathetic little bead of yours?”
In fact, even as Kyle grumbled, he had a bad taste in his mouth and a very bad feeling about this.
Of course, his experience and common sense still warned him that Si-woo was a con man or a bluffer, but at the same time, Si-woo's confident demeanor was unsettling.
“If I have to.”
“Go on, try it. You're really trying all sorts of bullshit, aren't you?”
Runes appeared on the surface of the bead, which had been resting demurely like a new bride in Si-woo's grasp.
Just as a cold smile touched Si-woo's lips, he threw the bead with all his might.
Kyle and Martin, who had never imagined he would actually throw the bead, followed its trajectory with their eyes.
Like a single frame in slow motion, the bead flew slowly. Just before it hit the ground, which was covered in traces of Anetium, Si-woo's voice echoed softly.
“What the hell. You told me to try it, so I will.”