Choi Ji-won Is Rude (1)
Choi Ji-won Is Rude (1)
"Hello! Haven't we met somewhere before?"
"..."
"Maybe... it was Korea University? I think I've seen you around campus!"
Shik!
Just like before, in an instant, Choi Ji-won slashed the bridge of my nose.
"...Don't bother me. Get lost."
Well, I guess she didn't go to Korea University.
[You have taken damage.]
[Regressing to the moment you first entered Floor 0.]
***
"Maybe... Sinchon University?"
Slash.
"Or... Anam University?"
Slash.
"Hyehwa..."
Slash.
"Hoegi..."
Slash.
"You went to a fucking community college, you bitch."
Slash.
I called out every university I could think of, but all I got back wasn't a warm greeting but a cold blade.
"I don't really know many high school names..."
The possibilities boiled down to one of three things.
One: I don't know the university she goes to.
Two: She's never gone to university.
Three: I guessed right, but she's a crazy bitch who doesn't give a damn about alumni and just goes straight for her sword.
Whatever the case, it seemed impossible to draw any meaningful reaction just by pretending to know her.
Maybe intimacy was the problem.
This time, I tried learning swordsmanship from Choi Ji-won just like in a past cycle.
"Huff. Huff."
"I've taught you as much as I'm going to. Now leave."
"...Miss Ji-won."
"I said get lost."
"If you could just let me ask one thing..."
"No."
"..."
She just refused to give me an opening from the very start.
No matter how much I cosplayed as a model citizen, the door to Choi Ji-won's heart would not open.
Even when I did good things, she wouldn't treat me with hostility, but she never treated me favorably either.
She silently provided food like it was some sort of obligation.
Every time I received a meal, I'd say "Thank you," but I never got a response. Not even once.
No matter what I said, Choi Ji-won never gave me a meaningful answer.
Out of sheer frustration, I even acted crazy and charged right at her.
'Hey, you Joseon bitch!'
"...Hold on, Boong-boong. Even so, calling her a 'crazy psycho bastard' is going too far."
'...I never said that, though?'
A fist swung at me with the speed of a loosed arrow.
Wham!
[You have taken damage.]
[Regressing to the moment you first entered Floor 0.]
***
This time, I could at least faintly see the attack coming.
The problem was, I still couldn't block it even if I saw it.
Her fist flew in a bizarre, curving trajectory, on a course that was simply impossible to block with the angle I was holding my sword.
Actually, I would have regressed even if I blocked it. Her punch was fucking strong.
"...Ruthless bitch."
I had no idea what the problem was.
No matter what I did, she just refused to engage.
Had Choi Ji-won been an 'unconquerable' character from the very start?
Fuck... should I just give up and go look for the boss?
I felt like I'd definitely find the boss if I just put in the time.
Or there was the option of tailing other people.
For example, that firefighter guy had left the clearing with a group of survivors on the morning of Day 2.
I could clear a path out of the clearing in advance and then follow him from Day 2. That was also a way to...
"Huh?"
Wait a second.
Other people?
I'm not talking about getting someone else to do weird shit for me.
Choi Ji-won was consistently cold to everyone, and I'd never seen her have a long conversation with anyone except the short-haired girl, Baek Da-hye.
Meaning, she wasn't just singling me out. She treated everyone like they were psychopaths.
I plan to use 'other people' in a slightly unconventional way.
"Heh heh... Hehehehehe..."
Choi Ji-won.
I'll put your limits to the test.
Smack!
[You have taken damage.]
[Regressing to the moment you first entered Floor 0.]
***
"Huff, huff, huff, huff..."
He ran. And ran. And ran again.
Even though his body had wrung out every last drop of moisture, leaving him unable to sweat anymore, even though his head was swimming dizzily, even though his breath was caught in his throat, Kim Jun-gyu could not stop.
"Kwaaaah!"
Because right behind him, a large goblin was chasing after him like a maniac, gripping its sword in a reverse grip.
Things had been fine until the day he first entered the Tower.
Kim Jun-gyu's group had discovered that killing goblins dropped food, and they roamed the Tower with the lighthearted feeling of playing a video game.
They were a little short on food, but they had never felt a genuine threat to their lives.
The cold steel weapons in their hands were sharp, and the goblins were weak.
That's how Kim Jun-gyu's trio breezed through the first night.
With their sense of crisis gone, their steps were overflowing with confidence, and their shoulders were squared.
As they walked with an imposing air, Kim Jun-gyu's group came face-to-face with a large goblin sitting on a tree stump.
"Big bro Jun-gyu. Honestly, doesn't that one look a bit strong?"
"Hey, we're already level 10. Killing standard goblins doesn't even make a dent anymore. Time to switch up our prey."
"If you say so..."
The thought that it might be dangerous never crossed their minds.
Because they thought a goblin was still just a goblin.
The first one to step up was the guy he'd become friends with after coming to the Tower.
"Big bro, I think it's because I dumped all my stats into Strength, but I feel like I could probably bench 500 kilos now."
He flexed his biceps. The bulging muscles looked reassuring.
"I'm gonna go fuck that bastard up with a side lateral raise form. Watch this."
With a hand axe gripped in each hand in a ridiculous pose, the guy approached the mutant goblin.
Shik!
"Huh?"
The mutant goblin suddenly moved with incredible speed, snatching the hand axes right out of his hands.
Crack!
"Urk...!"
His skull was split clean in half on the spot.
"Uh... uhh..."
As Kim Jun-gyu and the other man stood frozen, unable to process reality, the goblin didn't hesitate. It picked up the other fallen hand axe and threw it.
Thwack!
A sound so light it was almost surreal.
The body of the man standing perfectly fine next to him toppled over, and hot blood splattered wildly across his face.
"Uh... AAAAAAAAH!!!"
Kim Jun-gyu began to sprint like a madman.
He ran like that for about 10 minutes.
"Huaack, huaaaack..."
Even though Kim Jun-gyu had more stamina thanks to his increased level, sprinting at full speed for 10 minutes was too much.
"Huack! Kaff!"
His vision suddenly spun. A sharp, stinging pain bloomed from inside his lip; he must have bitten it with his front teeth.
Had he tripped over a stone? When he belatedly tried to get up, he couldn't muster any strength in his arms.
"Ku-hegh. Ku-hegh. Ku-hehehehehe..."
With heavy breaths, the mutant goblin slowly approached.
It looked pretty worn out too, but its condition was far better than his.
"Please... somebody... help..."
"Ku-hehehe..."
The large goblin wiped the drool from the corner of its mouth with the back of its hand, and just as it raised its sharp claws toward Kim Jun-gyu—
Shing—stab!
Along with a sharp sound of splitting air, the goblin's movements halted.
Without a word, the mutant goblin slowly bent forward.
"...Huh?"
No. It wasn't bending forward.
Its waist had been cut so cleanly that its upper body was separating from its lower half.
Splurt!
Green blood belatedly sprayed everywhere.
"Are you alright? Get up."
And a savior, who must have been standing behind him, helped Kim Jun-gyu to his feet.
The sunlight shone down like a halo, making his face difficult to see, but the sword stained with green blood was perfectly clear.
"Ah... Ahh..."
Had this man saved my life?
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you...!
His voice wouldn't come out because he was so choked up, so he just kept repeating 'thank you' over and over in his head.
"...His trait is F-rank too. This one won't mesh either."
The savior muttered to himself in a low voice. His gaze, which had been fixed in the empty air, soon landed on his face.
"What's your name?"
"Kim Jun-gyu... It's Kim Jun-gyu..."
He barely managed to force the answer out in a cracked voice.
The savior who had asked for his name nodded his head slightly and then immediately grabbed his shoulder firmly.
"Jun-gyu. It's tough, isn't it?"
"...Yes."
It was tough.
Two close friends had died.
And he himself had been yanked back from the brink of death.
This Tower wasn't a space where you could hunt comfortably, la-la-la, like some RPG.
It was a space of survival of the fittest, killing and being killed.
Facing the cruel reality, Kim Jun-gyu's spirit had been completely broken.
"I'm sorry... for being so weak..."
Kim Jun-gyu hung his head low.
But the savior patted his shoulder with a benevolent smile.
"It's okay."
"...Pardon?"
"It's okay to be weak."
"But..."
You can't survive in this Tower if you're weak.
Kim Jun-gyu was already terrified of fighting. He had no confidence he could beat even the weakest goblin.
You can't get food or water unless you kill. Kim Jun-gyu had been weeded out.
"No."
The savior shook his head firmly.
"You can survive even if you're weak. You can enjoy life even if you're weak."
"But how..."
Tap.
With that mysterious finger, the savior pointed in a certain direction.
"Go back."
"...What?"
"To the place where you first started. Go back to that place."
He gently stroked his back with a warm touch.
"There's a warm nest there, you know? Food and water, and even people who will welcome you?"
It was a sweet story that sounded like heaven itself existed.
"...Okay."
All Kim Jun-gyu could do was nod his head.
Choi Ji-won.
Let's see just how many mouths you can feed all on your own.