Chapter 99 - Escape by Talent (2)

Viewers expressed their concerns over Gyeongbok's acceptance of the quest.

-Really, he's going to break out without any highlights?

-It's not a physical game, is it okay? hdd

-Oh, Godple knows what he's doing.

-The dice have already been cast.

-Cudari is so evil, so evil!

However, since he had already accepted the quest, there was nothing he could do. Gyeongbok chuckled at the reactions and stood up.

"Well, let's start by dealing with these shackles first."

The shackles around his ankles.

Without removing them, no matter how powerful his abilities were, he wouldn't be able to do much.

'But I don't know which item can unlock these shackles.'

His ability was telling him the locations of the items needed for escape, but it didn't clearly indicate their uses.

'Maybe I'll figure it out once I get the item.'

Gyeongbok looked around again. But all he saw was a layer of old dust.

"In movies, they at least give you a saw, but there's nothing here."

-Saw hdd

-It's an escape room, not a thriller, lol.

-Godple would find a way to cut the chain with a saw.

-Really lol, perfect-sawing comes out.

-What is perfect-sawing, lol?

Gyeongbok took a few steps.

Before he could take more than a few steps, the chain tightened and made a creaking sound.

"Hmm, it would be difficult to examine the body even if I lay down."

The distance between the body in the center of the basement and Gyeongbok in the corner was considerable. Even if he stretched the chain to its limit and lay down, he wouldn't be able to reach it.

-Can't escape if you're short!

-Stop the heightism against short people!

-Heightism wtf lol

-It's obvious they want you to find another way.

-Really lol, Godple is of average height, if it's not possible, it's not possible, lol.

-He's clearly over 180 cm, lol.

-Not just his head, his height is model spec.

-As if his face would be good too!

While the viewers chatted, Gyeongbok turned his eyes to the shackles.

"Oh, the shackles aren't fixed."

One end of the shackles was attached to his ankle, and the other to a pipe on the wall.

When Gyeongbok pulled the shackles to the side, the pipe also moved.

"This way, I can't go to the center, but I can go to the wall."

-Oh lol, found it right away.

-As expected, adaptation level max.

-This is perfect-adaptation, right?

-Just with this, he's in the top 20%, lol.

-What 20%? Barely made it!

-No, many people try to pull their ankles out like a slug, lol.

-It's VR, so it doesn't hurt, lol.

-If it were real, he'd give up in pain on the first try, lol.

Gyeongbok positioned himself as close as possible to the body along the wall. From here, he could examine the body if he lay down.

However, Gyeongbok's gaze was directed elsewhere.

"Hmm? This pipe is more rusted than the others?"

Gyeongbok lightly grabbed the chain.

"This... seems like it might come off if I apply some force."

-Oh? Is that so?

-<Message deleted by management bot (Warning 1)>

-What? Why is this a spoiler!?

-Oh lol, a spoiler already?

-KingPogo: Be quiet! (Bang!)

-Don't give advice, just watch.

Chuckle!

While the chat window was in chaos, Gyeongbok pulled the chain. With a creaking sound, the pipe broke.

Thanks to this, the shackles were effectively freed, but a hissing sound came from the broken pipe.

[Gas is leaking.]

[Remaining time – 30:00]

[Tip. The room's condition can change based on your actions. Always act carefully!]

Along with the system message, Gyeongbok frowned.

'What is this? I don't feel any particular threat.'

The answer to his question came quickly.

-Wow lol, first time seeing someone normal here.

-Really lol, trying to reach the body and breaking the pipe is the rule, lol.

-All thanks to perfect-observation!

-As expected, Godple's tutorial is different.

-Phew, thought my nose would break, lol. Lucky it doesn't hurt, or I'd have asked for a refund.

-This process is a bit annoying.

This was part of the essential tutorial, according to the viewers. Since it couldn't be avoided, it wasn't considered a threat.

"Thirty minutes, that's pretty generous."

Gyeongbok immediately flipped the fallen body. The body was wearing a vest with many pockets, and inside were various tools like a screwdriver, pliers, and a hammer.

-Oh! Found escape items!

-Perfect-farming ON!

-WTF is farming lol

-My mouth is watering!

-Oh lol, just grab them, you never know where you'll use them.

-It's a tutorial, so they're giving a lot of items from the start.

The viewers urged Gyeongbok, but he didn't touch the tools.

'Is this some kind of bait?'

The viewers' opinion seemed correct at first, but his ability gave a different answer.

None of the tools emitted a positive aura. They were clearly placed to confuse the escape method.

He reached into the inner pocket of the body.

"What's this?"

He grabbed and pulled out the item his ability was pointing to. In his hands were a blue card and a leather wallet.

-Oh? A key card?

-Lol, found it right away?

-What? Is it over already?

-Cudari must be seeing red right now.

-Cudari lol, never played Escapers before, huh?

-??? : What? You said it was hard! You lied!

-100 million won 77eok!

The viewers were already celebrating as if the game was over. Gyeongbok chuckled at their reaction.

"Come on, it can't be that easy. Let's keep the card and check the wallet."

Gyeongbok opened the wallet.

He saw a bundle of bills, a credit card, and a driver's license. They seemed unrelated to the escape.

'It's inside.'

He pulled out the bundle of bills and set the wallet down.

-Even in an escape game, greed for money?!

-What, are you a money counter lol

-Capitalist to the bone hdd

-Breaking news: Adam Smith's shocking confession! 'The invisible hand' is Purple's money-grabbing technique!

-WTF lol, why is he here

-Is he really crazy, lol

The viewers teased him, but Gyeongbok's interest wasn't in the money.

"Business card?"

Between the bills was a business card.

[Having equipment problems? Contact us now. 'ANDY' always finds the answer!]

The text below the name and contact information.

Gyeongbok tilted his head.

'Why is this an escape item?'

His ability indicated that this was a necessary item. Along with the blue card and the business card, there was nothing else to take.

With this, Gyeongbok stood up and said,

"The name on the driver's license was Andy, right? He must have been in charge of maintenance."

-Oh, that's why he had the tools.

-Andy gives the answer?

-What are you going to do with the answer lol

-Really lol, he's already dead!

-Oh lol, I get it! The answer was a séance!

-Séance wtf lol

-Suddenly necromancer vibes

While the viewers joked, he headed towards the entrance. The steel door was firmly closed and looked solid.

"Let's try the key card first."

Next to the steel door was a lock and a panel. When he placed the card from the body, a beep sounded and a green light came on.

-Oh! It worked!

-Oh lol, too easy?

-As expected, it's a tutorial.

-Cudari is crying lol

However, contrary to the viewers' expectations, the door didn't open. Instead, the green light on the panel turned yellow and the screen changed.

[□□□□□□]

Six empty spaces and a keypad below.

The meaning was clear.

"Hmm, this card isn't the main thing; finding the password is the main thing."

-WTF?

-It's six digits?

-What's related to numbers?

-Do we need to find something else?

-Oh;;; there's only the body here.

-Don't panic, there's still plenty of time.

-25 minutes is plenty!

-We should go back to the body.

The remaining time was now 26 minutes and 31 seconds. They had to find a six-digit password within the time limit.

The viewers urged Gyeongbok as if they were the ones trying to escape.

"No, I've already searched the body. The tools, the card I just used, and the wallet I saw earlier were all there."

His explanation made the chat window even more active.

-Is there a hidden exit?

-Oh lol, turns out the exit was a fake.

-WTF lol, they wouldn't make the tutorial that complicated.

-Is the password a fake? We should try to pry open the panel with the tools!

-No, that's impossible.

-Why say it's impossible before trying?

-Can a flathead screwdriver work with a crosshead?

-Oh lol, then it's possible.

-Just break it open with the hammer, lol.

-There's plenty of time, let's start with 000000.

-No, that won't work.

-Really lol, the rule is to try from the front and back alternately.

-What are you doing, stop manual labor and do some deduction!

-Is this collective intelligence?

The viewers proposed various theories, but most were just light-hearted jokes.

So, Gyeongbok focused on himself instead of the chat window.

When he tried to use his ability, he felt a different sensation.

'Before, it felt like my senses were heightened...'

Traps, ambushes, and enemies' attacks all came at him like sharp blades. To deal with them, his senses became more refined and intertwined, activating his sixth sense.

But now, Gyeongbok wasn't in a threatening situation. So, there was no reason for his senses to become more refined.

'I want to know the answer.'

Gyeongbok's will was different.

Until now, he had been trying to escape from threats and deal with immediate enemies.

But now, what he wanted was the answer to the problem. With a different goal and situation, his ability began to collect information in a different direction.

'My body...?'

His usually sensitive senses felt dull.

His vision blurred, the smell of dust disappeared, the buzzing of the light became distant, and his body felt stiff as if anesthetized.

However, his sense of time slowed down as before, and his mind was clearer than ever.

In this state, detached from his five senses, a voice suddenly broke the silence.

<How should we set the password?>

Gyeongbok was surprised but focused on this unfamiliar experience. It was undoubtedly a new way to use his ability.

<It can't be too difficult for a tutorial.>

<Alphabets and numbers are probably best.>

<Right, let's make it fun.>

It was a conversation between someone.

Though it was just a fragment, the context was clear.

'Are these the developers? Am I hearing their conversation?'

It was definitely a conversation between the developers of this game, Escapers. But how could he hear it?

Was it giving him the answer? A memory surfaced in Gyeongbok's mind.

'Grandma, you're not feeling well. Can't Aunt do the cleaning?'

After becoming a shaman, Grandma never entrusted the shrine to anyone. She diligently cleaned and maintained it every day.

Gyeongbok wanted to help, but Grandma always warned him not to get close to the shrine.

'Gyeongbok, everything I do is for my convenience.'

To prevent Gyeongbok from secretly entering the shrine, Grandma explained.

'All living beings have a spirit, soul, and ghost. Among these, the soul is unique to humans. Do you know why?'

Even if his ability overflowed, he didn't understand its meaning.

'Animals have spirits and ghosts, but not souls, because they can't overcome their instincts. In contrast, humans have souls that can overcome their instincts. Have you heard of belief?'

Belief (信念).

A word meaning faith and thought. Grandma smiled at Gyeongbok's answer.

'What humans cherish is imbued with their belief. They share their soul with the object. Even if it seems like I'm doing unnecessary work, it's not.'

Grandma stroked Gyeongbok's head with a proud expression.

'A shaman maintains the shrine to imbue it with their belief and thoughts. This makes it easier for the gods to come.'

At the time, he didn't understand. Now, he wasn't just understanding but experiencing it.

'Can I read the thoughts left behind by the developers?'

The conversation he heard wasn't from the current developers but from when they were developing the tutorial. The fact that his ability could read this meant they had put a lot of effort into the game.

But it was only for a moment.

'Alphabets and numbers.'

As the information was compiled, Gyeongbok's mind raced. At the same time, his sense of time returned, and his five senses returned to normal.

Gyeongbok quickly entered the numbers that came to mind on the pad.

With a beep, the yellow light turned green again, and with a creak, the steel door opened.

-?????

-What? What just happened?

-He solved it? How!?

-What the heck is going on!

-How did he do that, how did he do that!

-Oh;;; is he really a genius?

The viewers, who had been busy typing attention-grabbing comments, were stunned.

Unbelievable, but Gyeongbok had solved the problem in an instant. The open door was proof.

Then, the next question was one.

How did he come up with that answer?

-What was the clue?

-He can't have guessed, right?

-Considering the 1 in 1 million chance, it's not that hard, lol.

-Really lol, it's quite possible.

-But you said you saw something when they were making it!

-Godple, please explain!

Amidst the viewers' clamor, Gyeongbok took a deep breath. Then, with a relaxed smile, he spoke.

"The solution is alphabets and numbers."

His voice was confident. After all, he had heard the solution directly from the developers.

He showed the business card.

"As soon as I saw the six-digit password, this phrase came to mind. 'ANDY finds the answer'? Could the answer here be the password