Chapter 90: The Path of Choice (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 90: The Path of Choice (1)
Having dealt with the players in an instant, Jinhyuk retrieved his Twin Dragon Swords.
'The others will take care of the remaining fanatics.'
Now that the Breaker was gone, there was nothing the fanatics could do.
At best, they would resist with chipped blades.
All that was left now was to deal with the Cult Leader.
'Then, I just need one person to guide me.'
Although he could find it on his own, the Cult Leader had over ten hideouts, so there was a risk of wasting time.
'I don't like the sound of that.'
The best option was to leave this blood-soaked place as quickly as possible.
Jinhyuk scanned his surroundings.
Oh!
Right on cue, someone caught his eye.
That girl. Her face practically screamed "born guide."
Unlike the other fanatics, she also seemed slightly less (?) crazy.
She was a rare talent in a place like this.
'Alright, I choose you.'
Jinhyuk quickly lunged forward and subdued her in an instant.
Since she was completely focused on running away, subduing her was even easier than he had expected.
"I-I'm sorry! Please spare me. Please, spare my life. I don't... want to die."
A girl with short hair screamed.
'Good grief.'
He had only lightly pressed down on her shoulder, but anyone listening would think he had chopped off her arm.
"Calm down. If you behave, I won't kill you."
"R-Really?"
"If I were going to kill you, I wouldn't be having this annoying conversation."
He spoke without emotion.
But to the girl, these words carried more weight than any persuasion or threat.
Considering the strength Jinhyuk had displayed so far, there was no need for him to waste breath explaining.
"But if you lie or try any funny business, that's it."
A guide just needs to guide well. That was all.
"Yes. I understand," the girl nodded.
"Do you know where the Cult Leader is right now?"
"Yes."
At least she had proven her usefulness.
He had been worried about wasting time because the Cult Leader had so many hideouts, but this relieved that concern.
"Your name?"
"Andrea. Please call me Andrea."
"Good. Andrea. Guide me to where the Cult Leader is. Do that, and I'll guarantee your life. Oh, and think carefully before you answer."
[Lv4 'Brand of the Flame Soul' has been activated.]
"Because I don't really care for empty promises."
Whoosh!
Red flames flickered from Jinhyuk's fingertips.
Andrea flinched, but only for a brief moment.
"I promise."
With this, a temporary contract was forged. An unfair contract where betrayal meant being burned alive.
* * *
Jinhyuk traversed the dark passage, following Andrea's lead.
'We're heading to the 12th stone chamber.'
He had wondered if she might try to stall for time or lead him to some strange place, but it seemed his worries were unfounded.
After all, if Andrea hadn't been there, he would have chosen either the 7th or 12th stone chamber himself, as they were the most heavily secured.
Just then, a thought crossed his mind.
Why was such a timid girl running with a bunch of fanatics?
"Do you believe in that god of theirs too?"
A Demon King who demanded blood and sacrifices, and the 5th-floor fanatics who existed solely to resurrect him.
Without a faith that transcended blind devotion, one could never associate with them.
However, the answer he received was different from what he expected.
"No. I... don't think there is such a thing as a god in this world. If there were, there's no way he would leave a hell so full of despair abandoned like this."
"Then why do you follow the Cult Leader?"
"It wasn't my choice. I was sold."
"Sold?"
"Yes. Abandoned. By the family I should have trusted most."
Andrea muttered, her eyes lifeless.
'So that's why she was here.'
The locations scattered across the 5th floor—the mines, the gladiator arena, the psychiatric ward—all had wretched environments.
Naturally, abandoning one's family for a few pennies was bound to be a common occurrence.
Jinhyuk smacked his lips bitterly.
'Turns out she has quite a tragic story.'
The system had stated that killing an evil person would grant 0.1 Adaptive Stats.
In that case, did a bystander who was sold against her will also count as evil?
There was only one way to find out the answer to that. But...
Jinhyuk put aside any thought of seeking that answer.
"This might not be much comfort, but I'm similar to you. I was abandoned at an orphanage as soon as I was born and grew up alone."
Amidst loneliness and despair, he had to learn about reality at far too young an age.
"But blaming your parents, blaming the world, and blaming yourself doesn't change anything."
Instead, he tried to do what he could with that time.
Though he didn't have much talent as a streamer, at least he never forced his viewers to donate using poverty as an excuse.
It was enough to receive only as much as he worked for, and only what the viewers wanted to give.
"Of course, your situation is much bleaker than mine was. It's not like I was in danger of being sacrificed if I said the wrong thing."
He knew that their situations were by no means identical.
Therefore...
"I'll kill the Cult Leader and tear down the cult. No one will ever try to kill you again. So stop looking like your life is already over. It's making me depressed just looking at you."
"..."
Andrea's eyes shook wildly.
Her expression showed she had never expected him to say something like that.
"What are you staring at?"
"No, nothing. Thank you so much for saying that. But the Cult Leader... no, the Cult Leader is much stronger than you think. He uses a strange power."
"I know."
"Pardon?"
"The power he has, and how to defeat him. I know all of it."
Jinhyuk smirked.
It was an incredibly lighthearted laugh, far from serious.
Yet, why was it?
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Andrea's heart began to beat strangely.
As if a small light had appeared on the pitch-black path she had walked her entire life.
A tiny spark ignited in the heart of the girl who had struggled in despair.
There was no further conversation between them. They remained faithful to their respective roles as employer and guide.
After walking for a few minutes, they arrived at a place where a black iron door was firmly shut.
"It's here," Andrea said softly.
"Right. Good job."
Jinhyuk nodded, examining the door blocking the entrance.
The surface of the iron door was covered in runic characters drawn in blood.
'It's a spell formula to maintain the Illusion Barrier inside.'
Is it saying, "Come in if you dare"?
'Interesting.'
Jinhyuk immediately reached out toward the door.
At that very moment—
Rumble!
The thick iron door swung open.
* * *
[You have entered the 'Passage of Choice'.]
[There are 2 challengers.]
A room filled with an immense pile of rusted keys.
This was the first trial of the Passage of Choice.
"T-This place is..." Andrea looked around.
She was likely bewildered, as the entire scenery had suddenly changed.
"Don't worry, just stay still," Jinhyuk reassured Andrea.
It was then.
Bzzzt!
Along with static, a doll wearing a white mask appeared on a screen.
The red lipstick drawing swirls on both of its cheeks was quite striking.
It felt as if its next line would be, "I want to play a game."
[Welcome, sacrifices. I am Valseter, servant of the Cult Leader. I am commonly known by the alias 'Host'.]
"Huh? Did you say your foot odor is a terror?"
[Eeeek! It's not Foot Odor, it's Valseter! Valseter!]
For some reason, the more he spoke, the more misleading it sounded.
"That's a hard name to remember. I'll just call you Foot Odor."
Jinhyuk scratched his head in annoyance.
[Grrr. How dare you... I'll make you regret angering me. Do you know why this place is called the 'Passage of Choice'? It's because you must make a choice between life and death to proceed! But because of your insolence, I will only tell you the bare minimum. I will make sure you bury your bones here!]
"Yaaawn."
Jinhyuk let out a long yawn.
No, seriously. Why did the guys in these places always spout nonsense without even being asked?
Maybe they expected him to squeal like a newbie in an unfamiliar place and hang on to every little piece of information.
But that was far from the case for Jinhyuk.
[Fine! Whatever! Let the game begin. I have hidden a key in this room. The time limit is exactly 5 minutes. If you cannot find the key to open the door within that time, you will be crushed by the walls closing in from all sides!]
Along with Foot Odor's threat, rumble!
The walls on all sides suddenly began to move.
At the same time, a timer indicating the remaining time appeared on the screen.
The walls closed in relentlessly.
If they couldn't find the key, they would meet a gruesome death, just as he said.
However, finding the real key among the mountain of keys seemed no different from finding a needle in a haystack.
[Bwahaha! Beg on your knees right now, and I might give you a hint to choose the real key.]
Foot Odor burst into maniacal laughter.
But then...
"Found it."
Jinhyuk picked one out from the pile of keys.
[Don't make me laugh. You just picked a random one...]
Click!
The door opened.
[H-How...?]
His eyes bulging as if they were about to pop, Foot Odor grabbed the screen.
Man, back away from the camera. Your face is a real jump scare up close.
"I just guessed."
[W-What?! You guessed out of all these? Do you expect me to believe that?]
"Believe it or not."
While Foot Odor was panicking over the unbelievable situation, Jinhyuk and Andrea entered the second trial.
This time, it was a room filled with transparent glass syringes.
Right then, pshh!
White smoke spewed from a vent in the wall.
The smoke quickly filled the room.
[Hehe. The smoke you just inhaled is a deadly poison that will completely melt your blood vessels over time.]
Having regained his composure, Foot Odor spoke.
"P-Poison?" Andrea's face turned pale.
"So he says," Jinhyuk chimed in with a nonchalant face.
[The syringes contain various liquids. One of them will grant you a second chance at life, but the rest contain highly acidic poison. Life or death. The choice is entirely up to you.]
Thirty syringes lay on the table.
Only one of them was the antidote to neutralize the poison. The rest were deadly poisons that would kill you in a gruesome manner the moment they were injected.
[If I were to give you a hint...]
"No need."
Without hesitation, Jinhyuk picked a syringe and plunged it into his arm.
Squeeze!
The liquid entered his body.
[Hey, you asshole! At least listen to the hint before you choose!]