Chapter 36

00036 To the Hall Plain!

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The teleportation was nothing special. Having experienced it hundreds of times, it felt like just another routine. After completing the teleportation to the <Inn of Beginnings>, I stepped out into the second-floor corridor, where it seemed noisy downstairs. Now, I had to wait for the users who had already entered the Hall Plain to guide the new users. Before they arrived, everyone usually remained tense and tried to stay quiet, so this noise was unexpected.

Once the new users complete all their settings, the teleportation barrier surrounding the inn will be lifted. As soon as the barrier is lifted, existing users will open the doors and guide the new users. In the past, I used to strongly dislike the existing users who took on the role of guides.

Their attitude is quite arrogant. It's like a newly promoted corporal looking down on a newly transferred recruit. Of course, they are also survivors who have made it through the initiation rites and once were new users themselves. I acknowledge their efforts and survival.

Their (the guides') words are often quite impressive. As they adapt to the Hall Plain, they start to feel a sense of superiority when they see new users, thinking, "I used to be like that." For reference, the user who told me this died three months later.

Regardless, I don't like it, but there's not much I can do about it now. Listening to their explanations and enrolling in the User Academy is currently the best option.

While we're on the topic, let me explain a bit more. The User Academy is a truly groundbreaking idea. I don't know who suggested its establishment, but it must have been someone with a good head on their shoulders. Unlike the old days when new users often died pointlessly in the early stages, the academy has significantly reduced such incidents.

Anyway, after meeting the kids and exchanging greetings, I was thinking about what to say. While walking down the second-floor corridor, lost in various thoughts, I found myself at the end of the corridor. Just as I was about to open the door in front of me,

"Damn it!"

I wanted to clear up any misunderstandings with the kids right away, even if it meant lying. I had to stop my hand from pushing the door open. Through the crack, I could hear familiar voices from the first-floor stairs, one after another.

"Don't bark at me! You bastard!"

"Does this punk even understand when I tell him? I saw it with my own eyes!"

"Your eyes must be broken! How dare you talk like that!"

"Crazy bitch. Did you only see me? Did you only see me? Borim saw it too! Right? She said the crossbow was split in half!"

Hearing the name "Borim," I had a pretty good idea who the voices belonged to. Troublemaker (?) Park Dong-geol. I didn't expect him to survive and enter the Hall Plain. To be honest, after parting ways with them, I had almost cut off all contact and didn't care whether they lived or died. Still, I decided to think positively. I remembered how they had been so thick-skinned at the beginning, and I thought I might have a chance to deal with them later.

I immediately recognized the high-pitched voice. Whenever and wherever I saw Yoo Jeong, I thought they must have a pretty bad history. I clicked my tongue and quietly opened the door.

"Shut...!?"

As the creaking door opened, I saw many people. Yoo Jeong, who was about to yell, stopped mid-sentence and looked up. I smiled awkwardly at her.

Sure enough, I was the last to be teleported. As soon as I stepped outside, I could feel everyone's gaze on me. Counting roughly, there were over forty survivors in the inn. In the past, it was a struggle to have more than twenty. It seemed that dealing with the boss monster on the sixth day had some impact. Normally, more than half of the people here would have died on the last day.

I descended the stairs step by step, greeting them lightly.

"You're all alive. It's a relief that you're safe."

Of course, you should be. You were sent through the warp gate with such care. Despite my seemingly casual greeting, there was no response. Just as I was starting to feel awkward, Yoo Jeong stumbled over to me.

"Bro...?"

"Yep."

She raised her arm and gently touched my face, carefully feeling my cheeks. Her eyes and lips were trembling, showing how surprised and emotional she was. It wasn't just Yoo Jeong; the hope they had clung to had become a reality, appearing right before their eyes. Ahn Hyun and his group, who seemed to have a rough idea of the situation, were also staring at me in disbelief.

Yoo Jeong continued with a choked voice.

"Bro... Is it really you, Su-hyun? It's not someone else, right?"

"Are you seeing a doppelganger? Ouch, that hurts. Don't pull so hard. It hurts."

"Congratulations on your survival. I never thought you'd make it... That's impressive."

I finally managed to pull away Yoo Jeong's hand, which was still touching my cheek, and heard a husky voice from the side. Turning my head, I saw, as expected, the surviving Woo Jeong-min and his group. Woo Jeong-min seemed to want to say more, but I shook my head slightly. He seemed to understand my signal and closed his mouth.

Behind him, Won Hye-soo looked at me with a shocked expression, and our eyes met for a moment. She turned her head away as a response.

Ahn Hyun looked overjoyed, Yoo Jeong looked half-happy and half-sad, and Sol was on the verge of tears, staring at me. Ahn Hyun and his group and I just looked at each other for a while. They seemed to want to say something but couldn't get the words out.

Even if they couldn't speak, it didn't matter, but I wanted to avoid this intense attention. It was already quite uncomfortable, and if Sol started crying in this crowded place, it would be really embarrassing.

I tried to calm Sol, who looked like she was about to cry, and moved to a more secluded spot. Meanwhile, Park Dong-geol, who had been completely ignored, saw us sitting at a table and grumbled, taking Borim to the opposite side.

After a while, as the crowd's attention waned, the kids seemed to have calmed down. The only thing that bothered me was Sol, who sat right next to me and had been holding onto my collar.

I sent a pleading look to Ahn Hyun, who smiled awkwardly and spoke.

"Bro, I still can't believe it. It's like seeing an immortal."

"Haha. Immortal is a bit much. I was just lucky."

Ahn Hyun shook his head. But, can you do something about this? She's not a toddler, so why has she been holding onto my collar this whole time? Sol, who seemed to understand my frustration, responded with a trembling voice.

"No, it feels like a miracle to me. While waiting downstairs, I kept thinking... Every time, I thought... Bro, you were..."

As she spoke, her grip on my clothes tightened. Seeing her choke up and start to cry again, I felt a bit awkward. But I inwardly smiled bitterly, knowing I had to lie.

"Anyway, it's a relief to see everyone alive again."

"You should have come earlier if you were alive! You always worry us... No, I'm sorry, Bro. It's not like you wanted to... "

Seeing Yoo Jeong's nagging, apology, and tears, I tilted my head. I didn't realize the kids thought so much of me, but I also felt a sense of pride. Yoo Jeong clenched her fist and wiped away the remaining tears from her eyes, continuing.

"Bro, tell me. That guy said your crossbow was broken in half near the warp gate. You weren't there, and neither was the monster."

Hmm. Here it comes. I was glad I had burned the boss monster's body in preparation for this. However, not properly disposing of the crossbow was my mistake. I wanted to gloss over it, but I felt a cold gaze. The source was Kim Han-byeol. If I let this slide, I had a feeling it would cause problems with her later.

Kim Han-byeol hadn't said a word since I arrived at the inn. Her face hadn't changed much since she first saw me. I turned my head and looked into her eyes for a moment. Reading the emotions in her eyes, I felt a bit troubled.

Overall, it was a relief, but I could sense a faint hint of distrust and suspicion in her gaze. Han-byeol was not just any kid. In some ways, she seemed quite similar to me. She didn't let her emotions or the situation around her sway her, always leaving room for reason. While I might never fully understand her, I knew she had planted a seed of doubt about me.

The inn wasn't as noisy as it was at the beginning, nor was it completely silent. The survivors were whispering to each other. I sighed inwardly. I've been sighing a lot lately. In the end, I decided to say I couldn't remember rather than make up a story.

"Right. That's true. I was trying to dodge the monster's attack... Maybe it targeted the crossbow. It was split in half right away. It was really bleak at that moment. Haha."

"Is your left arm okay?"

At my words, Kim Han-byeol immediately spoke. While it sounded like she was worried, to my ears, it was more like, "Didn't you have the crossbow on your left arm?" I clicked my tongue and answered.

"It was attacked by the tail. I instinctively raised my left arm, and it seemed to just graze the crossbow."

"Then what did you do next?"

"Honestly, I don't remember clearly. It felt like I was really going to die, and I couldn't think of anything. The monster was thrashing around, and I was rolling on the ground like a madman..."

I explained in a quiet voice, heavily modifying my actual experience and beating around the bush. The conclusion was that I took advantage of the dust and dirt to roll into the lowlands of the forest, and everyone nodded. Of course, except for Kim Han-byeol. Anyone who had faced the boss monster for more than three minutes would immediately see through the lies and inconsistencies in my story.

Kim Han-byeol seemed to be deep in thought and didn't ask any more questions. Perhaps because she hadn't experienced that situation and the atmosphere was mainly about celebrating my survival, she kept quiet. However, the suspicious look in her eyes didn't seem to have disappeared. I decided to stop talking here. After all, I had been beating around the bush to buy time.

The barrier outside the window was already quite faint.

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

Han-byeol's unpredictable attitude is a hint at an upcoming event. ㅇㅅㅇ

Ah, so many comments and recommendations. I couldn't write today for some reason. I even took two showers in the middle of writing... But I managed to post a chapter today thanks to your comments. Haha. Maybe tonight I'll dream of swimming in a sea of comments. Thank you to everyone who commented, gave coupons, clicked the follow button, and recommended the story!

『Lilifl』

1) People's Life: Congratulations on being number one! Yes, but honestly, Su-hyun's stamina needs to be increased. It's too low right now...

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11) Anbinnakdo: Zero Code. Haha... You'll see later, but Su-hyun will never use the Zero Code or wishes to revive people. It's not that he doesn't want to, but rather that he shouldn't. It's related to the ending, so I can't reveal it now. :)

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