What Must Be Protected (4)
One to two minutes. That was how long it took to cut down the entire demon legion. Yun-seok even hunted down and killed the heretics who were trying to flee. He then calmly scanned the surroundings to check for any remnants before slowly walking back to the carriage where the others waited.
“Who… who the hell are you? How can a human possibly do something like this?”
It was Wellington's question. He backed away involuntarily at the sight of Yun-seok approaching. But as Yun-seok stopped, he seemed to regain his senses, his face twisting in regret as he bowed deeply.
“…My apologies. I asked a foolish question. That's not what I should be saying right now. Thank you for saving us.”
Just like that 'Jang-il' from the 6th Floor Plaza, expressions of gratitude like this still didn't sit right with him. Yun-seok averted his gaze with effort and said,
“…Then let's get going.”
To think that's all he has to say after performing what feels like a miracle from the gods…
Is this kind of thing just everyday for him?
So nonchalant, like he just did what needed doing.
Wellington felt a chill at the sight, yet at the same time, nothing felt more reassuring. “…Very well.”
Somehow sensing Yun-seok's temperament, Wellington kept it short. He simply nodded and climbed into the driver's seat. As Yun-seok hopped onto the roof, he maneuvered the carriage around the piles of corpses littering the ground.
Yun-seok silently kept watch over their surroundings, and the others didn't open their mouths either. Amid an atmosphere starkly different from the previous lively chatter, the carriage raced through the forest.
“……”
They traveled on like that for quite some time before Yun-seok broke the silence, addressing Wellington. It was far from small talk, of course.
“Do you think there are more heretics out there?”
“…Probably not. Leading a force this size across the border would have been a massive gamble for them already.”
“I see.”
Coincidentally, Yun-seok's hunch matched Wellington's. Though unlike him, it wasn't based on any realistic assessment of this world's logic. He just figured that since this was a mission from the Tower of Heaven and he'd obliterated the demon faction, there shouldn't be any more enemies left.
Clatter.
Clatter.
The carriage wheels rolled peacefully. A day, two days, three days, four… He couldn't put his finger on why, but every night felt like the calm before the storm to Yun-seok.
* * *
“Rick! Rick!”
Yun-seok opened his eyes at the familiar alias now ingrained in his ears. El was leaning out the window of the moving carriage, calling for him. Even Kanna Blitz, who always warned her it was dangerous, seemed too tired to nag anymore.
“What is it?”
“Come on! Can't you talk more casually?”
“…This is casual for me.”
With an awkward smile, Yun-seok replied. It wasn't about respecting her as a person regardless of age. Even knowing she was just a child, it felt uncomfortable to drop the formalities since she was the same El.
Yun-seok smoothly changed the subject. “Anyway, what is it?”
“Look ahead! It's the sea! The sea!”
He might not have noticed from atop the carriage, but the ocean had been visible for hours. Still, saying so would just invite hassle, so Yun-seok held his tongue.
About two more days…
It had been exactly 43 days since arriving in this world. Wellington said they'd reach the port of Jaris in two days. Just two more days on this endless sloping road where they passed merchant caravans heading inland a dozen times a day, and the mission would truly be over.
Yun-seok felt a strange mix of emotions.
Feels kinda like graduation day.
After the day he wiped out the heretics, the group—except El—had been wary of him, knowingly or not. But as time passed, they gradually opened up, learning about him and letting their guards down.
They started talking to him freely, and Yun-seok enjoyed the conversations too. It helped him grasp the common sense and culture of this new world in greater detail. He learned about El's unfortunate past and confirmed that James Hamblton really was Raguna's ancestor, just as she'd said.
Of course, even without that, it had been pleasant time. He'd often cracked a smile when El and James started bickering. Well, Wellington had zero sense of humor and occasionally soured the mood, and Kanna's cooking was bizarrely off despite her homemaker vibe… but Yun-seok didn't mind.
He couldn't act all buddy-buddy due to his personality, but he genuinely liked them.
We probably won't meet again…
Right now, in this moment, they were undeniably alive and breathing. But ultimately, they were virtual recreations by the Tower. They'd vanish the instant the mission ended.
A wave of emptiness washed over him, but Yun-seok didn't let it consume him. Even if he'd felt comfort among them for the first time in a while, he wasn't soft enough to get lost in it and forget his goals.
…Stay focused until the end.
He reined in his loosening resolve without realizing it. He couldn't afford to relax until the mission concluded.
El knew his level yet still hesitated to enter this place, after all.
This can't really end just like that.
Clearing the sole-difficulty 8th-floor mission was one administrator's desperate wish. Yet it had never been cleared in all that time. Which meant there had to be more to it than just the demon challengers from the heretic faction—something hidden.
As those thoughts swirled, the carriage jolting down the slope suddenly halted.
He hadn't sensed any presence. Why?
Yun-seok instinctively reached for his sword hilt. And then—
The carriage door opened, and El and Kanna stepped out. El looked up at Yun-seok on the roof and called out energetically,
“I'm gonna go pick some flowers!”
It was code for going to the bathroom. Yun-seok nodded, and Kanna led El toward the bushes by the roadside slope.
Yun-seok used Blood Demon Qi to block his ears—a courtesy to the women. But this was the trial ground bestowed by the Tower of Heaven. He realized too late that such consideration could be suicidal.
A special challenge exists within a 200m radius.
Yun-seok immediately reopened his hearing, cranking it to its limit.
“Kyaaahhh!”
A sharp, feminine scream pierced from afar. Roughly 200 meters by distance, he estimated. And with that message popping up just now—was this coincidence?
No way.
Yun-seok drew his sword and bolted. And then…
He saw two women with disheveled clothes, fallen on their butts in the bushes. El and Kanna.
For now, Yun-seok blocked their front and demanded,
“Bathroom… no, picking flowers—why'd you go this deep in?”
Kanna's face flushed red as she answered,
“We had to go this far so those guys wouldn't hear… No, look! Over there!”
Yun-seok followed her pointing finger. About 10 meters away stood a man in casual clothes draped only in a black cloak wrapped around him. It seemed they'd startled at the sight of him crouching and screamed.
A special challenge exists within a 10m radius.
No doubt this was the special challenge. For a moment, he wondered if the man was in trouble like James. But then—
The man, leaning against a tree and casually drinking water, looked at Yun-seok. And…
You have encountered Calamity.
The moment he saw those black eyes—nothing special on Earth—his breath caught. No, it actually stopped. His body froze like during the pre-duel countdown.
Choose who must die.
Deep in Yun-seok's mind, a fragment of emotion writhed. Shockingly, it was a primal fear he'd never felt—not even from Cheonma, Steel King, or that administrator martial artist trying to kill him.
* * *
“A high priestess of the Trinity faith and Trejan's shamaness… Even if you're just remnants, with four gods gathered, it's no wonder the barrier failed.”
The man muttered as he glanced over Yun-seok's group. What was this guy's deal? He looked ordinary at a glance, but something was off. He was undeniably real, yet felt alien, as if transcending life itself.
“Just chalk it up to bad luck and accept your fate. I've done my part.”
He had no idea what that meant. Not even why the system demanded he choose who dies. But he couldn't stay frozen like this.
Drip.
A bead of blood trickled from Yun-seok's lips. He'd bitten his tongue to break the paralysis. It worked—his body moved.
His first action: raise his sword and point it at the man.
The man looked mildly surprised. And then—
Wellington and James appeared.
“…Who the hell is that?”
Wellington asked Yun-seok. Without sparing him a glance, Yun-seok answered curtly,
“Calls himself Calamity.”
“C-Calamity…? You don't mean the strongest of the Ten Disasters…?”
Yun-seok had only read the message. He didn't know for sure. But the man's next question confirmed it.
“You're an unusual human. How did you know about me?”
The affirmative tone hit them hard. Wellington, James, and Kanna began trembling. The man ignored their familiar reaction.
“Fine. Then you must know about the curse on me too.”
“……”
Curse.
The word jogged Yun-seok's memory of James's tale about Calamity from the Ten Disasters: a horrific curse forcing him to divide all life he encountered in two.
“Five in total, so three just need to die. Choose. Who dies, who lives.”
“Choose…? I thought anyone who encounters you dies.”
“No one's met me since I got the barrier, so outsiders might have it wrong. That was back when I didn't fully understand the curse.”
James must've had outdated info from long ago… Whether this was fortune in misfortune was debatable.
“Rick…”
Wellington looked to Yun-seok, eyes full of question: What now?
Yun-seok had no answer for that gaze.
Three, huh…
The number brought an instant option: sacrifice El, Wellington, and James. That would guarantee mission success—they weren't tied to it.
Pure efficiency, the rational choice. But…
Then what makes me any different from them?
The only difference was 'no choice.' Compromising for personal gain was the same.
As furrows deepened on his brow amid the turmoil—
Wellington stepped forward. “Pick me first. I have no desire to survive.”
“Sir Wellington!”
Kanna cried sharply. Wellington, who always yielded to her, ignored her completely this time.
Seeing that cleared Yun-seok's foggy mind.
What the hell was I doing…?
Did fear paralyze him? Thinking sacrifice first instead of fighting—this self-pity was pathetic.
“No need.”
Yun-seok pushed past Wellington and faced the man head-on.
“If someone has to die here today, it'll just be that one guy.”
The man didn't scoff. Instead, his eyes gleamed with interest at this intriguing turn.
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