Chapter 29

"Why are you doing that? ================================================================

'Just in case, are you guys also going to the warp gate in the center?'

'Probably not.'

'It's not just a casual question. Don't go. We managed to reach near the warp gate just two days ago, but we failed. We were only 300 meters away.'

'Why? We just kept stomping our feet and eventually decided to retreat. If we had made that decision a little faster... Jin-tae...'

'Do you know the survival conditions? It's better to just endure for 7 days. Especially, you can't deal with that guy. If it wasn't for Jin-tae, we would all have been killed by that monster. Even from a considerable distance, that monster accurately targeted us.'

'That monster...'

*

The conditions for the appearance of a boss monster are that you must not stay at a designated point for a certain period. There's also a random appearance condition, but that's unpredictable. Honestly, I was more surprised that Woo Jeong-min's group reached the warp gate in just three days. Of course, it wasn't entirely incomprehensible, given that Woo Jeong-min and Seon Yu-won later became famous in the Hall Plain. Suddenly, I recalled the face of Won Hye-soo, who was sobbing. She had cursed me, but it didn't really bother me. I knew too well the feeling of losing someone precious. I had been the same after losing my brother and her. For a while, I was driven mad. If I collected all the blood on my hands, I could probably fill several pools.

"An Hyun."

While walking, Yoo Jeong called out to An Hyun. When An Hyun lifted his head, she spoke in an unusually quiet voice.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"...For saving me just now, thank you."

An Hyun tilted his head, then seemed to remember something and nodded.

"Anyway, you have a bad temper. Try to calm down a bit. I was on guard from the start, so you were fine, but if I hadn't, you would have had a dagger in your forehead."

"That guy just makes me so angry!"

"Even so, you should treat others at least half as well as you treat Seon Hyun. Or at least have half of Han Byul's personality. What good is it if you only look half and half? Your personality is terrible."

"Ha... half? Really...? Ah... Hmph! Seon Hyun oppa is just working hard for us. Anyway, I don't like it."

An Hyun's comment about being half made Yoo Jeong's face turn red, and she turned her head with a snap. An Hyun's eyes widened at her surprisingly girlish behavior. This was a significant improvement. I was worried they might start arguing again, but fortunately, it seemed to pass smoothly.

At that moment, An Sol, who had been listening to their conversation, grabbed An Hyun's collar, and he automatically reached out to gently stroke her head. Seeing An Sol's happy face, Yoo Jeong's eyes sharpened. Only the dull An Hyun was oblivious to the subtle power struggle around him, diligently observing the surroundings as they moved forward. Why are popular guys always so clueless? Tsk tsk.

After walking for a while, we found a save point as the sun was setting. We didn't encounter a single monster during the journey. The group was happy, thinking it was good luck, but it wasn't something to be overly joyful about.

Since leaving the forest, except for a brief stay in the city, we had always been attacked by monsters. How could An Sol not have screamed when she saw the monkey corpses? Of course, I had intentionally led them to encounter monsters, but the group had received their due for the hardships they had endured.

Around the warp gate, there are monsters with a certain level of intelligence. The fact that we had killed the five monkeys, who were at the top of the initiation rite, suggests that they knew many monsters had been killed by our group. Their sensitive sense of smell would detect the pungent smell of blood on us.

I was certain of this, but after talking with Woo Jeong-min, I changed my mind. If a boss monster had appeared and was patrolling around the warp gate, there would be no bold monsters willing to operate near it, being at the top of the food chain.

In other words, if we didn't encounter any monsters tomorrow, the probability of encountering a boss monster like Woo Jeong-min's group would be high. It was an ironic situation. We had left the city to avoid a boss monster, but now we were facing the risk of encountering one again.

Of course, there was a difference between the two situations. If we had stayed in the city, we would have definitely encountered a boss monster, but now, the probability was uncertain.

After thinking for a while, I had a question. There are conditions for the appearance of a boss monster. And there are multiple survivors of the initiation rite, not just us. So, there must be cases where multiple groups meet the conditions for the appearance of a boss monster simultaneously. What happens in such cases? Adding the assumption that the probability of a boss monster appearing when approaching the warp gate is high, the situation becomes even more complex.

Suddenly, I realized how little I knew about the initiation rite. In the Hall Plain, I had spent 10 years researching and knew most things, but not the initiation rite. I only had fragmented memories of what users occasionally talked about. It wasn't suffocating, but it left a nagging feeling.

How much time had passed? After walking for a while, we finally found a point.

"Yellow roof. It looks like a cottage."

"Fortunately, we found it today. Let's rest here a bit early. Hyung, is that okay?"

"Don't stay for more than a day. There's a warning sign here too. At least it's better than last time. Right, oppa?"

"I'll go in first. I want to wash up quickly and change my clothes. Hehe."

"......"

"Hyung?"

"Oppa?"

"Uh? Yeah, sure. Let's do that."

Everyone looked at me with strange expressions as I nodded hastily. I shook my head to indicate that it was nothing.

After looking at my face for a moment, they saw the group chatting and I sighed inwardly. Immature kids. This is why group actions are inconvenient. If I had moved alone, I would have already entered the Hall Plain. Since I couldn't come up with a good plan, I decided to put it aside for now. I felt somewhat relieved.

In the past, when a survival issue arose, I couldn't sit still and would try to find a solution. But not now. Deep down, I had the mindset that if things went wrong, I would just cut through them.

"Oppa. What are you doing? We're going in first!"

"...I'll come in a moment."

Seeing Yoo Jeong waving at me with a cheerful smile, I moved calmly. I wanted to think about tomorrow's issues tomorrow.

*

It was deep into the night. I was sitting on the steps leading to the cottage entrance, keeping watch. We no longer take turns with just An Hyun and me. An Hyun, Kim Han Byul, Yoo Jeong, and I take turns. The exact rotation is unknown, but we switch when it feels like enough time has passed.

Yoo Jeong was the first, followed by me. Then Han Byul, and finally An Hyun. Each person takes about 2 hours, but Yoo Jeong tried to switch before an hour had passed (by my estimation). She avoided my gaze, clearly feeling embarrassed.

I habitually put my hand in my pocket and found a chocolate bar. As I was about to leave, Yoo Jeong, feeling guilty, slipped it into my pocket. She had secretly saved it. Since we had enough food and drinks, I didn't say anything. Since it was almost time to switch with Han Byul, I decided to eat the chocolate bar and drink the coffee before going in.

Just as I was about to open a packet, a coffee drink was suddenly offered to me from my right. Turning my head, I saw Kim Han Byul looking at me with a bent waist.

"You're hiding that and eating it alone."

"...Yoo Jeong gave it to me."

"That sister doesn't give up sweets, especially chocolate."

"She didn't keep to her watch time. She felt guilty and gave it to me."

Kim Han Byul smiled wryly and sat down next to me. She split the chocolate bar in half and took it.

"I'll enjoy it."

"I'll enjoy my coffee too."

Kim Han Byul was much more relaxed with me than before. She wasn't as lively as Yoo Jeong, but the distance between us had decreased. However, we were still the only ones in the group who maintained formal speech. It had become an unspoken agreement.

"What deep thoughts are you having that make your expression so bad? You didn't even notice I was here."

I knew. I just pretended not to. I took a sip of coffee and spoke.

"Ha ha, I was just spacing out. But my expression was bad?"

"Yes. After talking to that guy this afternoon, you seemed a bit stiff. Isn't that so...?"

Is that so? I always thought I maintained a calm expression. I unconsciously touched my face, and Kim Han Byul added calmly.

"But what did you talk about?"

"...Nothing much."

"I'm not the only one who felt that way. Hyun oppa, Yoo Jeong unni, and Sol are all subtly anxious. You've been quiet since then."

"I was just thinking about various things. Everything will be fine. I'm sure of it. Even if something happens, we'll handle it. Don't worry too much."

With that, I finished the chocolate bar and the remaining coffee in one bite. The more I talked to her, the more her memories came back to me. I wanted to leave quickly. So, I thanked her for the watch and was about to turn and go up the stairs.

"Wait. I still have something to ask."

In novels, manga, and dramas, the male protagonist is usually let off smoothly in such situations. Why isn't she? I felt a sense of dread as I thought Kim Han Byul's questions would start again. I had a strange feeling when she insisted on taking the watch, even though it was An Hyun's turn. I tried to speak as kindly as possible.

"I'm a bit tired. Can we do this tomorrow? I want to go in and sleep."

"I want to hear it now."

"I'm not going to run away."

As the atmosphere grew more serious, I tried to make a joke, but it didn't work. Kim Han Byul was already back to her cold expression, staring at me. Her face overlapped with the other girl's face, and I unconsciously looked away.

"I feel like I won't be able to ask again if not today."

"Ah, what you said earlier? It's really nothing. What was it..."

"Oppa."

I instantly closed my mouth. Just because she called me oppa? No, that's not it. I'm not a pervert who gets excited by that.

"Seon Hyun oppa. That's not what I want to ask."

Kim Han Byul's face was still cold and calm, but she had a different aura. She was angry, demanding that I not run away and stay in this spot. I realized she was serious. My expression softened, and I met her gaze calmly. Then she spoke.

================================= Author's Note =================================

1. Typos and context corrections.