Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Those Left Behind, Those to Be Left Behind (4)
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CRASH!
The sound of something shattering rang out.
The children were startled, but once they realized what had happened, their faces turned pale.
“Th-This is bad! We have to run before that monster gets here!!”
It seemed like a large mirror placed outside had been broken.
The place was already eerily silent, so a sound like that would have echoed throughout the entire school.
“No. We can’t go out.”
Considering the Ghost Shadow's characteristics, running away was actually not a good choice.
Through Extreme Eye, I pinpointed the location of the three bullies who had caused this.
The stairs at the far end, not far from the auditorium.
It seemed they planned to hold their breath midway down and watch how things unfolded.
“I’ll go out and act as bait for the monster. You all stay quiet in here.”
“What!?”
The children's faces stiffened.
Their expressions darkened as if recalling a bad memory.
Come to think of it, they did say the other students were pushed out as bait and died.
It seemed I had inadvertently triggered their trauma.
“Don’t worry. I’m completely on your side. I won’t betray you. And I’m not going to die to that monster, either.”
To reassure them, I smiled and handed the crystal to Jo Min-ah.
The expressions of the four, including the twins, shifted to surprise once more.
“The four of you use that.”
“B-But then, you won’t have a way to escape…!”
‘You.’
A word that still carried a sense of distance.
“I can just find another crystal and get out. As you saw earlier, I have a way of finding them easily.”
Thump, thump.
From not too far away, I could hear the sound of the Ghost Shadow running.
There was no more time to delay.
“I’ll draw the monster’s attention while I look for another crystal. As soon as you see an opportunity, use that crystal and escape. Got it?”
I spat out the words quickly and left the auditorium.
The footsteps had grown louder.
A sound like scraping glass.
Or perhaps the low groan of a rusty machine being forced to turn followed behind it.
[The 'Angel of Benevolence' is pleased with your good deed.]
[You have received a sponsorship of 300 coins.]
‘Finally.’
I checked the new coins and closed the system window.
The players awakened through this incident are being watched by all sorts of beings.
Among them, angels are beings who favor good.
If you act in a way that pleases them, you can acquire coins through methods other than quests, just like now.
Still, unconditionally performing good deeds isn't wise.
You have to know how to balance it.
Because angels aren't the only ones who sponsor you.
[The 'Devil Who Mocks the Heavens' reads your inner thoughts and cackles.]
[You have received a sponsorship of 500 coins.]
Angels judge based on outward appearances.
Demons, on the other hand, consider a person's personality and thoughts to judge the reasons behind their actions.
Just because they're demons doesn't mean you have to perform evil acts to get sponsored.
Their way of life is simply to do whatever they find amusing.
To get the most coins, it's important to act in a way that earns sponsorships from both sides.
‘Use the demons to get coins, but never trust them.’
There are beings higher than those two, but they won't make their move just yet.
You have to use everything that exists.
You have to know how to turn the tables and use even those who try to use you. That's how you survive here.
“Over here!”
“Kiiieeeek!!!”
As I shouted, the Ghost Shadow that spotted me let out a roar and scrambled down the hallway on all fours.
Watching it bizarrely scuttle forward, its feet touching both the ceiling and the floor of the hallway, I couldn't help but let out a dry laugh.
I can see why the kids called this a horror game.
I immediately turned and dashed for the stairs at the end of the hall.
“It’s coming this way!”
“Is he crazy!? Why would he become bait and come this way… Dammit! Run!”
The three bullies who had been watching from their hiding spot scrambled down the stairs in a panic.
Not a chance.
I had no intention of letting go of such excellent bait to draw aggro for me.
Fwoosh!
I grabbed the railing and vaulted over.
A male student who was running down the stairs screamed and froze in place. I gave him a little smile before descending another floor.
“Kiiieeeek!!”
“U-Uwaaah!”
“Run!!”
Judging they'd be caught if they went down the stairs, their footsteps receded toward the hallway.
The Ghost Shadow went that way, too.
It was only natural for it to chase the easy prey right in front of it rather than me, who had already vanished from sight.
‘The message about finding the crystal must have appeared for everyone here.’
It was obvious what those guys were thinking.
If they weren't the ones who found the crystal, it must have been those kids. So, they would go find them, steal the crystal, and escape.
Starting a fight to steal it was uncertain because of me, so they planned to draw the Ghost Shadow's aggro and benefit from the chaos.
The plan wasn't bad, but their opponent was.
While they successfully drew its aggro, I made my way down to the first floor, where the faculty office was, without any interruptions.
‘A teacher’s… corpse, I presume.’
It was a sight that could only be described as gruesome.
As I was about to pass by, silently praying for his soul, I noticed something sticking out of his pocket.
‘A lighter.’
He probably smoked.
Having a lighter is useful in many situations, so it'd be good to take it.
I put the lighter in my pocket and looked around.
There was also what appeared to be the corpse of a student, so I collected a shuriken that looked useful.
…A shuriken. This is definitely not a weapon a beginner should be using. Of all the things to pick.
I silently prayed for their souls and entered my target destination, the faculty office.
“Found it.”
The crystal in my hand shimmered.
When I'd checked with Extreme Eye back in the auditorium, I confirmed the other crystal was here.
I had already memorized the school's layout from playing 'End of Apocalypse,' so it wasn't hard to know this was the faculty office.
[Small Mana Crystal]
A small crystal for escaping the Ghost Shadow's barrier.
It doesn't contain much mana. Up to 2 people can escape with it.
[Someone has discovered a Small Mana Crystal.]
[Remaining Crystals: 0]
I fiddled with the crystal, the size of two finger joints.
Only two people could escape using this crystal.
Assuming one of them was me, that left one empty spot.
I already had a plan for how to use it.
‘All that’s left is to set the stage properly.’
I put the crystal in my pocket and left the faculty office.
Just then, the four, including the twins, who had made it down to the first floor, spotted me and asked urgently.
“Hyung, you found the crystal, right!?”
Jo Min-woo's expression brightened when I nodded.
It seemed he had been worried.
‘You were like that in the game, too.’
Once he decided to follow someone, he would trust them even after being betrayed, believing there must be a reason.
He tended to prioritize those precious to him, making him an incredibly reliable ally.
As an enemy… that damned soft spot of his made him easy to deal with.
“Then let’s get out of here! I think we just have to touch the crystal to the door…”
“Kiiiiiiieeeeeeek.”
A sound like gears grinding when they don't fit together echoed out.
The sound a Ghost Shadow makes when it's enraged.
It was coming from the left staircase on the second floor.
“Shit, how long is that monster bastard going to keep following us!”
“Shut up and run! If those bastards got the crystal, they’ll be trying to leave, so we’ll run into them at the door!”
Following that, the group of bullies appeared, coming down to the first floor via the left staircase.
There were definitely three of them, but their number had already dwindled to two.
The thugs glanced left and right, then spotted us gathered on the right. Their eyes glinted as they picked up speed.
And right behind them, the Ghost Shadow appeared.
“No way, are those guys trying to steal our crystal…!?”
“And they’re leading the monster right to us!”
The Ghost Shadow enjoys toying with its prey.
Using a barrier to trap them is part of that.
It gives them hope by providing a means of escape, then enjoys watching them struggle.
It guides its prey to slowly break down in terror, then devours them one by one when they are mentally shattered.
But if the prey doesn't move according to its will and is about to escape entirely.
“Kiaaaaaaaak!!”
At the sound that seemed to eat away at their minds, some of the kids collapsed.
The Ghost Shadow's cry erodes one's mental strength.
Just hearing it a few times puts you at a disadvantage, so it would be troublesome for the twins, who likely had no coins yet, to remain here any longer.
“You go first.”
“What!?”
“Once you’re out, head straight for Jeungsan Station. There’s a group of survivors there. It’ll be safe since there are many other players, too.”
“But, Mister… no, Oppa…!”
I pushed the shoulders of one of the twins, who was raising her voice as if to say she couldn't.
Caught off guard, she stumbled back and touched the door, activating the crystal's power.
[Due to the effect of the Large Mana Crystal, the holder and up to 3 adjacent people will escape the barrier.]
“W-Wait…!”
“Even if those guys are trash, I can’t just leave them, right?”
“Hyung!!”
Jo Min-woo reached out his arm as if to grab me.
But his arm vanished just before it could reach me.
He had been sent outside the barrier.
It wouldn't have mattered even if he had reached me.
The large crystal's effect could only let four people out.
As the fifth person and the one farthest away, I wasn't included in its effect.
“They got out!?”
“Fuck! Hey, you there! You have the remaining crystal, right!? Hand it over, now!”
The group of bullies, having missed their chance by a hair's breadth, rested their hands on their knees, panting.
Even though they were out of breath, the accent in their curses remained unchanged.
“You mean this?”
“Yeah, that! Give it here, now!”
“Kiaaaaaaaa!!!”
The Ghost Shadow's speed increased.
As the thumping sound grew closer, the shaking in their eyes intensified.
“Why should I?”
“What do you mean, why? Just give it to us! Can’t you read the room!?”
An arm shot out.
A fist that flies first when things don't go his way.
It was easy to guess what his school life was usually like.
[Using skill, 'Extreme Eye'.]
[Character Information]
Name: Park Tae-min
Gender: Male (16)
Strength: 3 | Stamina: 2 | Agility: 3 | Mana: 0
Unique Ability: (None)
Traits: Contempt for the Weak (E), Inept Fighter (E)
Skills: Reckless Punching (E)
His stats had increased.
The usual way to raise stats is with coins.
With no quests available, and less than a day having passed, there was only one way a player other than me could have gotten coins at this point.
‘Sponsorships.’
There was no need to guess who sponsored him.
Given that a teacher and many students had been sacrificed due to their actions, there was only one being who would find that amusing and cackle.
A demon.
But even if he got coins, he couldn't just raise his stats right away. He wouldn't know how to use them.
Did he figure out how to use coins through some route, be it by chance or something else?
“You’re the one who can’t read the room.”
I tilted my head slightly to dodge the punch, grabbed his arm, and slammed him to the floor.
“Huh…?”
He had been looking forward, but now he was staring at the ceiling.
His expression showed he couldn't comprehend what had just happened to him.
Despite being 16, he had a sturdier build than the average adult man.
He must have been confident in his strength, and on top of that, having awakened as a player, he would have been brimming with confidence.
KWANG!
“Keuk!”
My total strength stat is 13.
With a mere 3 in strength, he could never beat me in a contest of power.
“Th-This bastard!?”
The remaining one swore but didn't dare to charge in.
All his stats were at 1. A level where awakening was meaningless.
“What you should be doing isn't shouting at me to hand over the crystal. It's begging me to please let you out with me.”
“…”
Park Tae-min was quick on the uptake.
Perhaps realizing from that one exchange that he couldn't win, he glared but didn't charge again.
“In any case, this crystal can only let two people escape, so I can't take both of you out.”
“W-What!?”
“So, decide. Who gets to leave.”
A moment of silence passed.
They glanced at each other, and while I wondered what would happen, the outcome was preordained.
“Obviously, it’s me…!”
Park Tae-min shoved his friend next to him, knocking him over, and stuck close to me.
“Wh-What are you doing!?”
“You would’ve been dead long ago if it wasn’t for me, so who cares!?”
“You son of a bitch…! You heartlessly abandoned Ha-jin when we were running away, too!”
The betrayed student's face twisted in anger before quickly turning to despair.
The Ghost Shadow was already at point-blank range, so he had given up all hope.
I suppressed a laugh.
How could they all move exactly as I predicted?
I thought idiots like them only existed in novels and comics, but here they were in real life.
“Alright, good! Let’s go, quick! While that monster is attacking that guy…!”
I stared silently at Park Tae-min as he urged me toward the door.
Then, in an instant.
CRACK!
I clenched my fist and crushed the crystal.