Chapter 78

 

Upon entering floor 3-5th, the four climbers decided to split into pairs to tackle their trials individually.

 

“…Phew, that was tough, wasn’t it?”

 

“…Well done.”

 

And here.

 

After defeating the golem, Kang Chan and An Kyung-Joon reached a strange tunnel-like space.

 

They were waiting for Kim Jun-ho and Dok Su-hee.

 

“It seems the other room... is taking some time.”

 

“…Indeed.”

 

Initially, the combination of the shy An Kyung-Joon and the taciturn Kang Chan seemed almost bizarre.

 

But, fighting back-to-back through trials sparked an odd camaraderie between them.

 

It’s what they call the suspension bridge effect. These two unlikely companions had somehow become comfortably familiar with each other.

 

“Heh, but that voice earlier? Do you remember what it said?”

 

“…Voice?”

 

“Yes. The one we heard upon entering.”

 

“…Ah.”

 

A solemn voice had declared:

 

[Drink from the goblet of shared blood and look straight into the eyes of your comrade. Understand your shoulder-to-shoulder comrade completely. Only then will the true trial begin.]

 

“Does this mean we’ve become blood-bound comrades? The fighting was done by our souls, but…”

 

An Kyung-Joon cracked a smile.

 

“…Ha.”

 

Rarely, Kang Chan also slightly lifted the corners of his mouth, saying,

 

“Weren’t we already comrades?”

 

“Ha, haha… Is that so?”

 

In a warm and friendly atmosphere, An Kyung-Joon, usually reserved but talkative once comfortable, constantly chattered about various things, while Kang Chan quietly listened and nodded.

 

How much time had passed?

 

-Thumb, Thumb

 

“Hey, I think someone’s coming?”

 

Footsteps echoed from far within the cave tunnel. Had Kim Jun-ho and Dok Su-hee finally cleared their trial? An Kyung-Joon was about to go greet them when,

 

“…Wait.”

 

Kang Chan stopped An Kyung-Joon in his tracks.

 

“Why? What’s wrong?”

 

“…There’s only one set of footsteps.”

 

-Thumb, Thumb

 

Kang Chan was right.

 

There was only one set of footsteps audible.

 

And… there were supposed to be two people coming.

 

“…”

 

“…”

 

The smile vanished from An Kyung-Joon’s face, hardening into a grim expression.

 

Now, he could smell it too.

 

The bitter, acrid scent of fresh blood.

 

-Thumb, Thumb, Thumb…

 

Finally, the footsteps ceased.

 

“…”

 

-Goooooo

 

Kang Chan, radiated deadly intent.

 

The reason was clear.

 

Kim Jun-ho with his head bowed low and his hair dyed red was snow in front of him.

 

And not just his hair…

 

Blood... Blood... Blood…

 

Blood was caked under his fingernails. His leather armor had soaked up blood, altering its color. His entire body was stained with the hue of blood.

 

“…Where’s Dok Su-hee?”

 

Upon Kang Chan’s question, Kim Jun-ho finally raised his head.

 

His mouth was twisted into a manic grin, a smile so unsettling it sent shivers down the spine.

 

“…She’s here.”

 

He pushed something both red and white towards Kang Chan.

 

“I brought only the necessary part.”

 

It was Dok Su-hee’s severed right hand.

 

.

.

.

 

“What! f*ck!”

 

And I cursed loudly, suddenly standing up.

 

Yes, this was the familiar stone chamber, and what I had just witnessed was a nightmare shown by the tower.

 

“Ha, ha…”

 

Perhaps the tower had realized that ordinary sights no longer fazed me, for it kept showing me visions of my own downfall.

 

It seem to have figured out that my greatest fear is losing my sanity, crossing a point of no return.

 

Honestly, I won’t deny having thought about using just the wrist... but I can’t shake off the feeling that it’s just not right. It’s too psychotic.

 

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…”

 

I looked down at Dok Su-hee, who quietly turned her head away and began to cry.

 

I want to kill her. Forgiving her for betrayal at the very end is something only a saint could possibly do.

 

I’m just an ordinary person, petty if anything. Expecting me to just brush it off with a ‘That happens!’ like some noble hero is out of the question.

 

If it weren’t for my regression to the past... the other three would have been utterly doomed. After risking their lives on the third floor and enduring hell, they wouldn’t have been able to reap any rewards. Dok Su-hee must pay the price she owes.

 

“…”

 

But, does that justify killing her?

 

Do I have the right to judge someone for something that hasn’t even happened yet? Moreover, Dok Su-hee didn’t try to kill us, she only attempted to subdue us.

 

My head is a mess. Kim Jun-ho screaming ‘Kill her!’ and another part of me arguing ‘Hey, killing her might be going too far...’ are at war.

 

“Oppa… I’m sorry…”

 

“Mm…”

 

After much deliberation, I made up my mind internally.

 

“…Su-hee. Can you stand up?”

 

“Eh, what?”

 

“Can I ask you something?”

 

Sentimentality aside...

 

I’ll decide after hearing her out.

 

**

 

“Wipe off your sweat…”

 

“…Thank you.”

 

Sitting across from each other in an awkward atmosphere, I decided to start the conversation.

 

“…Did something happen during the tutorial?”

 

I dove straight into the heart of the matter.

 

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I heard you struggling earlier. You were saying sorry, Oppa, tutorial, shaman… among other things.”

 

I hadn’t actually heard her say ‘tutorial, shaman’... but that was my guess. I had seen something before I regressed.

 

“…”

 

Dok Su-hee doesn’t respond. Yeah, spilling the beans right away would be odd.

 

Looks like I’ll have to be the one to break the ice again.

 

“By any chance… do you know about the goblin shaman from the tutorial?”

 

“…! How!”

 

Finally, showing a reaction, Dok Su-hee’s eyes went wide in surprise.

 

How did I know? I saw you using the goblin shaman’s protective shield.

 

“…I was there too…”

 

But I trailed off, concealing my true feelings with a melancholy voice.

 

Perhaps it’s because of the many times I’ve regressed, but acting has become all too natural for me.

 

“…Jun-ho…”

 

Dok Su-hee’s eyes were tinged with a distant sorrow. I didn’t miss the opportunity to continue.

 

“…Can you… tell me about it? Talking about tough times… has helped me a lot…”

 

By saying this, I hinted that I, too, had just experienced a nightmare about the tutorial.

 

“…”

 

After much hesitation, Dok Su-hee finally spoke.

 

“…Yes.”

 

**

 

“…You know there’s a hidden boss in the tutorial, right?”

 

“I’ve seen it. The Minotaur.”

 

“…We killed it.”

 

Dok Su-hee mentioned that the tutorial they were summoned to had an unusually strong assembly of players.

 

“Everyone was strong, kind… capable… and admirable.”

 

Normally, tutorials tend to devolve into survival of the fittest, every man for himself scenarios.

 

But this tutorial was different.

 

“50 of us gathered. Instead of fighting over a golden orb, the mood was more about ‘Let’s all survive this together.’”

 

Even the weakest among them had a Grade B trait. It was the elite of the elite.

 

For them, escaping the tutorial with the golden orb was easy. However, they chose not to leave.

 

The fifty heroes, capable and responsible, opted to defeat the Minotaur, accepting even at the cost of some sacrifice.

 

Thus, the seal was broken, and the monster faced off against fifty humans.

 

“…It was a bloodbath.”

 

Out of the 50, 30 died. The remaining 19 were severely injured or maimed. Dok Su-hee, focused on support, was the only one left unscathed.

 

“Still, we won. We survived. We could smile because of that.”

 

…Until the goblin shaman jumped into the swamp, leaving behind only his staff.

 

“…We searched the island thoroughly. From the belongings of the dead, we were able to find the golden orbs they hadn’t eaten.”

 

There were many people but only one orb.

 

Staying on the island meant certain starvation. They were in a position where they had to choose who would survive.

 

“And the chosen one was…”

 

“Yes. It was me.”

 

-“Our wounds are deep. Your trait is the highest scoring. You’re the youngest among us.”

 

Because they were such remarkable people, they gave Dok Su-hee the chance to survive.

 

But even the most noble among them must have feared a meaningless death... They would have wanted to believe that their sacrifice was for a cause.

 

“…People told me that if anyone could clear this tower, it would be you. Your trait is useful, so you can do it. We believe in you.”

 

They hoped their deaths would be meaningful and left their will with Dok Su-hee.

 

And that will... became a heavy burden, pressing down on Dok Su-hee’s shoulders.

 

“…Ever since then, I dream nightmares every day… I’m scared to fall asleep… Maybe I should have died there too…”

 

Unable to continue, Dok Su-hee cried. She said she had been summoned to the tutorial with her brother.

 

And perhaps her brother...

 

“…”

 

Despite what Dok Su-hee had done, a wave of sympathy surged within me. I had been in a similar situation before.

 

“…I’ve been through something similar.”

 

“…”

 

“After the goblin shaman took the golden orb and killed himself in the swamp, I had to run away, leaving my dearest friend behind in the tutorial.”

 

The day I was betrayed by the goblin shaman.

 

At the tutorial’s field, as the sun was setting.

 

I lost my first friend, my confidant, my companion.

 

“…The wound still hurts.”

 

“…”

 

“But… I’m still trying. Because if I give up, their sacrifices would mean nothing.”

 

This was my heartfelt truth, without a shred of falsehood.

 

The Choi Ji-won I knew that day is no longer in this world. The Choi Ji-won that exists now is different from that Choi Ji-won.

 

And my friend, Choi Ji-won, told me I could do it. So I should move forward.

 

…Despite the pain of regression, I proceed.

 

For a friend I can no longer see.

 

“…You’re amazing.”

 

Dok Su-hee, tears streaming down her face, nodded faintly.

 

“I… may seem fine on the outside, but inside, I’m rotten. But Jun-ho... I can feel that you’ve overcome it, and that seems so incredible to me. I… I couldn’t possibly…”

 

She wasn’t showing her cold exterior from before.

 

Nor her lively demeanor seen up until now.

 

Dok Su-hee, revealing her true, hurt, and suffering self, smiled at me.

 

“…”

 

Slowly, emotions began to flow from Dok Su-hee.

 

 

 

“…”

 

An SSS rank. Thanks to her, my awe trait evolved.

 

No, more than that, it’s been a while since I’ve experienced the transfer of emotions. I could feel that she truly admired me.

 

“…Jun-ho.”

 

After wiping her tears with her sleeve, Dok Su-hee looked straight into my eyes.

 

“The reward for the third floor. If it’s not an individual reward but distributed... I want to take it all. Please invest in me. Help me clear this tower.”

 

“…”

 

“I believe you would understand. No, perhaps you’re the only one who can understand me. If I fall here, those who died for me would have died for nothing.”

 

I hesitated to respond. The two Kim Jun-ho in my head were fighting more fiercely than ever, having now descended into a ground fight.

 

“And… I have a way to subdue An Kyung-Joon and Kang Chan. With Kang Chan, if I use the goblin shaman’s staff I obtained from the tutorial…”

 

“…?”

 

That was until Dok Su-hee started making strange claims.

 

“That…”

 

“Yes? What?”

 

“Why subdue…”

 

“Because I need to monopolize the rewards. They are great people, but… I can use the rewards much more valuably. You would understand, wouldn’t you?”

 

“Uh…”

 

“I’m likely to have a higher trait grade... and I’m smarter… and have a sense of responsibility… Moreover, it’s for a greater cause, so you should understand… It’s not like I’m killing them…”

 

“…”

 

Carefully choosing my words, I had to offer a fundamental solution.

 

“Let’s not subdue anyone, and I’ll try to persuade them myself. Don’t do anything rash, okay?”

 

“…Yes.”

 

Dok Su-hee nodded after a long silence.

 

‘This is a bit…’

 

‘I told you I was dealing with a crazy bitch, you idiot.’

 

The two battling Kim Jun-ho in my head stopped their submission holds.

 

Because the gaze that Dok Su-hee now revealed was laden with intense madness.

 

“…Let’s go.”

 

And finally, I was able to make a decision regarding Dok Su-hee.

– – – End of Chapter – – -

 

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