The Night Is Too Dark (4)
The Night Is Too Dark (4)
"Ah, I hope there's no misunderstanding about my laughter. The situation was just so absurd—I wasn't mocking you, Mr. Jun-ho."
"..."
"The two who found the portal first went inside... and the remaining five players were discovered fighting over the last three spots. Once things became urgent, everyone threw themselves into the portal, and it closed after reaching five. I was on the front lines fighting, so I couldn't intervene."
Yun Jung-hyun shook his head side to side.
"I also think hiding the portal's existence was the right call. Revealing it would only cause strife... and I respect your willpower for not entering even after you'd found it, Mr. Jun-ho."
Yun Jung-hyun looked around. "But people have already found out."
The players' eyes were gleaming. Their gazes, filled with deep resentment, were directed at me.
The night of Day 4 was harder than any before. A slime monster had appeared that made all our groundwork meaningless.
"I pride myself on making only the best choices since we were summoned to Floor 4. Our strength is hardly lacking. More than ten people have A-rank Traits or higher, and above all, we have you, Mr. Jun-ho. And yet, twenty players have died."
Our preparation was perfect. Our forces are strong. When you consider all that, the difficulty here is clearly abnormally high.
"I nearly died myself just now. My throat was cut badly, but I survived thanks to William. In this state..."
How are the rest of the weaker players supposed to survive? Even if they barely get through today, what about tomorrow?
In this situation, I hid a portal that could have let them escape? No wonder the resentment is pouring out.
"I understand. I get the situation."
I stomped my foot down hard—bang! As the sound rang out, everyone's attention snapped back to me. I also intended to activate the 'Awe' Trait.
"First... I'm sorry for hiding the portal. But I believe it was the right decision, and I'd likely do the same again."
This happened because too many people gathered on the castle's fourth floor. My judgment was not wrong.
"And I don't think you're in a position to resent me. I contributed more than all of you combined."
I glared back, meeting each person's eyes one by one. Their gazes dropped to the floor. They know it too—that I didn't do anything wrong.
"It's unfortunate things turned out this way, but survival comes first, doesn't it? Our judgment wasn't wrong. Please at least acknowledge that. I'm counting on all of you again tomorrow."
I gave a light nod to Baron Jorge, Yun Jung-hyun, and William Smith, then walked down the stairs to the third floor.
Now there was just one more day to endure...
But I had a feeling it would be the hardest day of all.
**
Inside the small room next to the stairs where we always held our meetings.
"I'll be honest. I think we should abandon the otherworlders. Now that it's known you hid the portal, Mr. Jun-ho, no player will sacrifice themselves for the otherworlders anymore. You could force them through violence, but they'll never fight earnestly."
Yun Jung-hyun spoke while spinning his dagger. Even though Baron Jorge was listening, he didn't hesitate.
"I realized this while fleeing. The monsters' attacks were consistently aimed at the fourth floor. They're targeting them, not us."
"It could simply be because they outnumber us!"
"And isn't the largest group here the otherworlder group?"
"..."
"Most importantly, if we fight while protecting the otherworlders, we'd have to abandon the best option we have."
Yun Jung-hyun tapped the wall he was leaning against.
"I think the Tower is telling us outright: use these rooms."
Actually, fortifying one of these rooms as a base is the best method. The entrance is narrow, there's no risk of being attacked from behind, and most importantly, the walls are sturdy.
If a few people took turns guarding the entrance, these small rooms would be an ideal fortress.
"But... that would mean the weak get culled."
William Smith cautiously countered.
"These rooms are cramped. No matter how many you squeeze in, you need space to fight, so ten at most can fit."
He let out a deep sigh, crossed himself, and continued.
"Inevitably, the strong would band together. They'd look for members who can lighten each other's burdens."
There are only ten people per room. Ten people must take turns holding the entrance.
Of course, it's terrain that favors defense, but with no idea what will appear on the final day, everyone will want their room packed with the strong. No kind-hearted player will willingly make room for a weakling when lives are at stake.
"And the first to be culled would be... you otherworlders. Even if someone took you in, it wouldn't be with good intentions..."
"..."
The otherworlders were the weakest on Floor 4 and also the most numerous. If we go with Yun Jung-hyun's idea of each group holding a room, no one would want to be in the same room as them.
"...Could we not intermix your people and mine?"
Baron Jorge spoke with his head deeply bowed.
"Listen, Baron. We agreed we'd survive, didn't we?"
"...That's true. But the situation has changed. I beg you... They all have families..."
Yun Jung-hyun shot back sharply, but Baron Jorge just silently kept his head bowed.
"Ah, jeez... come on, don't do this."
Everyone here knows. No one made a major mistake. In fact, we've all worked together and nearly achieved the best possible result. It's just that Floor 4's difficulty is absurd.
"...Let's do this."
In the end, I had to step in.
"Let's have the players hold out in their own rooms. Mr. Jung-hyun, please manage them so the forces don't become too concentrated... The otherworlders will hold the fourth floor like today. Instead, I will guard the entrance to the fourth floor."
"...You're our greatest asset, Mr. Jun-ho."
Yun Jung-hyun was trying to tell me to abandon the otherworlders in a roundabout way. But my resolve was firm.
"I believe the otherworlders' lives weren't given to us for no reason. To put it bluntly, we don't know what will happen if we abandon them. This is the Tower."
"...That's true, but."
Yun Jung-hyun seemed to reluctantly accept, and William Smith nodded.
"You..."
Baron Jorge grasped my hand tightly. Unlike a noble, his hand was wrinkled and rough.
"Truly... truly, thank you."
"...No, it's what I have to do."
This was the right path. I was certain of that.
**
-18 : 11 : 01
"Killing the otherworlders might be the right answer."
Surprisingly, it was Ahn Gyeong-nam, Ahn Gyeong-jun's older brother, who said something so insane.
"...You do realize what you're saying, right?"
"I know I'm saying something terrible. But I'm only talking about the answer that 'the Tower wants'."
"...Are you even awake right now?"
"No. That's not important right now."
Ahn Gyeong-nam had urgently asked me to come to the secret library, so I had. He was flipping through old books with bloodshot eyes.
"The moment the remaining past and the advancing future become one, you will once again realize that you all die. Do you remember this passage?"
"I remember."
But hadn't we already interpreted it? 'The moment the remaining past and the advancing future become one' referred to time, and 'you will once again realize that you all die' was the monster attack.
"I thought so too at first. But look at this. Let me read it for you."
Ahn Gyeong-nam picked up another book scattered on the floor and began to read it slowly.
"When do we feel life most intensely? It is when we think of death. We must not turn away from death. We must always keep death in a corner of our heart, so that we may always give our best to life."
"..."
"It's a religious text. We can see that the people of this place have long valued 'death'."
"...Continue."
"If we interpret it based on this, 'you will once again realize that you all die' doesn't mean you actually die. Rather, it implies survival. How can a dead person realize they're dead? Unless they were pulled back right before death."
"Alright, let's say that's the case. Then how do you interpret the first part, 'the moment the remaining past and the advancing future become one'?"
"The otherworlders. They clearly wore medieval-era clothing. At least, not modern. In other words, 'remaining past' means the otherworlders, and 'advancing future' means us. When enough otherworlders have died so that their numbers equal ours, we will be given a chance to survive."
"...That's a huge leap."
"But it's plausible."
This didn't seem like the Ahn Gyeong-nam I knew. The Ahn Gyeong-nam in my memory was rational and reasonable. Now he was like a racehorse with blinders on. I needed to calm him down, so I spoke in a soothing tone.
"Don't you remember the Tower's Tutorial? This Tower was made to judge humanity. Would doing something like that be the right direction?"
"No, that's exactly why what I'm saying is right."
Wham! Wham! Ahn Gyeong-nam slammed the book in his hand.
"You know Floor 3 has separate difficulty levels. My younger brother entered Floor 3-5, the hardest difficulty."
"..."
"I haven't heard the details... but I heard there's an entrance in the final room that only one person can enter. The intent is clear: they're telling you to fight each other."
Since Ahn Gyeong-nam didn't recognize me, I'd assumed Ahn Gyeong-jun hadn't talked about Floor 3. But it seems he left me out of it, while still sharing what happened.
"Was that room fake? No. The rewards were probably given properly. This Tower encourages immoral behavior. It's leading you down the easy path. You might ask, isn't it a trap? Yes. In the long run, it's likely a trap. When you reach the final Floor 66, won't the judgment of God fall upon you?"
Ahn Gyeong-nam argued passionately, spittle flying.
"But what meaning does it have if you die right now? Is it right to fear some distant judgment and die right now? Huh???"
Ahn Gyeong-nam, who had been shouting with veins bulging in his neck, soon bowed his head deeply.
"Da-hye... I'm dating her. But she probably won't make it. Her level is low, and she's a gentle person. At this rate... she'll definitely die on Day 5. Please, I'm begging you..."
"..."
"If things go badly... please, abandon the otherworlders."
If Ahn Gyeong-nam's words were true... then I'd been given a choice once again.
The choice to abandon the otherworlders until their numbers matched the players'.