Chapter 75 : Chapter 75

Chapter 75 - Promise

When I woke up in the morning and came out of the tent, a strange atmosphere felt thick in the air.

“So, for our coordination to be a little tighter, at this point, Ms. Darien should do this-”

“Ah, from what I've seen while traveling with Mr. Kim Gyu-sik so far, it's better to do it like this rather than that-”

What should I call it?

Extremely melancholic, yet burning with some kind of passion... that kind of feeling?

The closest feeling would be the atmosphere that would arise among 1st and 2nd-year students who are writhing with guilt for doing nothing while watching the 4th-year team leader hard carry a group project alone.

“Yeah. If she can give such meticulous impressions, why is she usually so...”

Yoo Ho-jun grumbled from the side, but I just shrugged and let it pass.

No, well.

It's good to have passion. There's no need to think deeply about a positive phenomenon.

Still, it would be good to clear away this gloomy atmosphere a bit.

Thinking that, I opened my mouth.

“How was yesterday? Did everyone have a good night?”

It was a greeting I had said with a rather bright tone to liven up the mood, but on the contrary, as soon as they heard those words, the surrounding atmosphere plummeted so sharply that I was taken aback.

No, what's with these guys.

Why are they suddenly digging themselves into a hole?

“...I'm sorry to say that last night was spent only on cleaning up this vicinity. Fortunately, after repelling them about 100 times, they no longer approached. We should have done more for you...”

“I know, right...”

“He's not angry, is he...?”

Starting with Ms. Seo Hye-in, who said that in a voice stained with guilt, voices that sounded like they would dig into the ground flowed out from all over.

Even though I was actually quite surprised.

‘...They cleaned all that up?’

I had told them to clean up the Demonic Beasts that might come here before going to bed yesterday, but that was meant to just beat them up and drive them away, not to turn the whole place upside down so that they couldn't even come near.

‘I did train them quite hard, but...’

What was this? Was this result coming out because they were passionate on their own? It was a good thing.

“You took the precious time to train us...”

“We're... trash...”

“...”

Ri...ght.

Anyway, it must be a good thing.

“You're thinking of it as a gain first after seeing that state...? Your character is...?”

Ho-jun.

Shut up.

***

[ Survive for the limited time. ]

[ I wish all Conquerors good luck. ]

[ 36:11:10 ]

“Hmm.”

The eventful day 1 had passed one way or another.

And now, we were entering day 2 in earnest.

In the game, instead of making combat reasonably possible from the night of day 1, the difficulty was adjusted by greatly strengthening the combat power of the Demonic Beasts from day 2.

Just off the top of my head, complete invisibility, super acceleration that increased their already fast speed several times, and rage that doubled their attack power. They appeared with a host of buffs that made one's teeth chatter just by hearing the effects.

While maintaining most of the previous characteristics. Like an attack flying at you if you make eye contact, or reacting well to violent movements.

So I had prepared various plans for day 2.

Because there was no meaning in surviving by myself. I had come up with various action plans that the other guys could do together.

“...”

“...It's quiet.”

“Yes.”

As you could tell just from the words Ms. Meirin next to me said.

Nothing was happening.

Yup.

It was truly peaceful.

We were leisurely munching on lunchboxes as if we were out on a picnic.

‘...This has never happened before.’

No matter what, I had never experienced it being this quiet in this section even in the original work.

Although, I had never formed such a super-luxurious roster consisting only of main characters without a single extra character and come up here before.

“...”

But, it wasn't just that; it felt like the synergy was unusually good.

In the original work, Darien and Ms. Seo Hye-in were a combination that had no contact point in the first place.

Even if they happened to meet, they were the kind of people who would awkwardly say, ‘Let's have a meal sometime’, and then never, ever, not even if they died and came back to life, meet again. Exactly that level.

But no matter how much I had recommended they go out together.

Wiping out the area so that not a single Demonic Beast could even come near was a case that had never happened even in the days when I was playing as a player.

It meant that the two of them had rampaged through here truly terrifyingly.

‘...This is a total win, isn't it?’

That meant that a positive synergy I didn't intend could continue to occur in the future.

And probably, the person who could be the key piece of such a synergy was the person right next to me.

Ms. Meirin, who was sitting on the ridge with me and staring blankly ahead.

“By the way, there's something I wanted to ask you, Mr. Kim Gyu-sik.”

“Yes?”

“...Why did you bring me? No matter how I look at it, compared to the others, I just seem ordinary...”

And as if we had some kind of telepathy, Ms. Meirin brought up those words from the side.

“You'll find out soon enough.”

This person, for now, was in a position no more or less than the common sense person in the team.

But to put it bluntly, she was a late-game carry character.

You didn't even have to look that far; you'd probably be able to see the effect properly even in the latter half of this ordeal.

“And for me, it's also the most comfortable.”

“...Pardon?”

“No. Seriously. I'm most comfortable with you, Ms. Meirin.”

It was true.

The simple-minded Seo Ah-in, Ms. Seo Hye-in who wasn't simple-minded but had a screw loose, Darien who was somehow unsettling to have around, Yoo Ho-jun who was unnecessarily perceptive and dug into things, and Lee Si-yeong who nagged me whenever she saw me.

No matter how you looked at it, there was no one like Ms. Meirin to just casually have by my side.

“...There's something I'm starting to realize. I think you need to be a little more careful with your words, Mr. Kim Gyu-sik.”

“Pardon?”

“For now, it's safe because everyone is just testing the waters, but it seems like there are signs of them developing to a terrifying level... Even now, there are probably a few people whose eyes would flip if they heard you say that to me.”

“...?”

Hey, no way.

They might feel sad, but why would their eyes flip?

“Well. That aside. There's one more thing I'm curious about.”

“What is it?”

“Why did you bring three lunchboxes?”

Ms. Meirin said that and looked down at the spare food placed next to her.

Well.

I brought it because it had a use.

I stood up from my seat with a smirk.

“That has an owner.”

“Pardon?”

“Someone's coming.”

Because any event that seems like it might be beneficial will definitely pass through my hands.

The fact that I was waiting in this vicinity even though I knew the Demonic Beasts wouldn't come was in the same context.

“You are...?”

The person who appeared before my eyes with a haggard appearance proved that fact.

***

Sepia Cavael. One of the current bishops of Daeshinjeon.

This person was also one of the Climbers who received an invitation and participated in the Second Ordeal.

One might ask why someone who had already reached a fairly high position in a transnational religious organization that was already recognized everywhere would bother to participate in a place like this, but well.

This person had her own internal affairs within the church.

The next Pope election was not far off, and she needed to accumulate merits. Other competitors were fiercely rising.

So she wanted to come here somehow and make a name for herself.

“...You seem to have gone through a lot of trouble.”

Her staggering state in shabby clothes, unbecoming of her position as a bishop, and without a single attendant, clearly showed what kind of hardship she had gone through.

Sepia flinched at my words and turned her head, but the fact that she didn't deny it made it even more certain.

“...”

And in the midst of that, her gaze kept lingering around the lunchbox that Meirin and I were eating.

Ah, right. It was a natural phenomenon.

She had had such a rough day that she had lost all her attendants, so there was no way she had eaten or slept properly.

It would be a relief if she had even had water properly.

“...By any chance.”

Sepia started to speak but quickly shut her mouth.

No matter what, as someone in a bishop-level position, she couldn't bring herself to say words that would compromise her dignity.

I silently waved a water bottle on top of the lunchbox.

It was quite amusing to see her gaze shift back and forth following this, like waving something in front of a cat.

“It's not for free.”

“...Tsk.”

Sepia gritted her teeth and glared at me.

If we were outside, she wouldn't have eaten these things even if I gave them to her, but to her right now, this was more precious than any gold.

We had packed plenty of camping equipment and food and had a bountiful time, but just from the fact that she came wearing her formal robes so rigidly, she must not have had any prior knowledge.

And camping in the forest with a bare body, I could guarantee.

At least for a bishop who had only been a bookworm, it would have been more than enough pain to make her abandon her dignity for a moment.

“...What do you want.”

“A promise that you, Bishop, will definitely accept our ‘request for cooperation’ once. That's all I need.”

At those words, a look of surprise briefly appeared on Sepia's face before disappearing. She had quickly managed her expression.

Well, from her perspective, a verbal promise was something she could just wipe her mouth clean of anytime by asking, 'Is there any evidence?', so that was probably it.

“That much is not so difficult. I promise on the faith of our Order.”

Seeing her calmly compose herself so quickly, it seemed she was thinking the exact same thing as me.

But, well.

‘Hooked.’

As I smirked and passed her the meal, Sepia began to devour it with gusto.

In the meantime, Meirin cautiously observed me and whispered.

“Um... is this really okay? What if she backs out later...”

“It's okay.”

I replied, looking up at the sky.

“There are two pieces of evidence, for starters.”

“Pardon?”

“One is... well... now.”

[ Survive for the limited time. ]

[ I wish all Conquerors good luck. ]

[ 36:00:00 ]

[ Passing the first half. ]

[ Conducting an interim settlement. ]

[ Teams with 5 or fewer members will be automatically eliminated. ]

“...What!”

Sepia's shocked form was soon engulfed in a halo of light and then disappeared in an instant.

All the Climbers in this floor in groups of five or less would be experiencing the same thing.

They had probably been ejected outside the Tower by now.

“...”

While Ms. Meirin was staring blankly that way, I added a word from the side.

“And now that those guys have been eliminated, you'll find out when you go out, but what we're doing right now. You can see it from the outside too.”

“...Pardon?”

“That is, the survival game we're playing is being broadcast live to the whole world.”

In other words.

The words Sepia had just said had become a promise that the entire world had heard.

She wanted to back out, but she had said with her own mouth something about the faith of the Order.

The risk of not keeping it was too great.

And to change her words now, she had already been kicked out of the Tower, so she couldn't do that either.

She should have been more careful with her words.

“...S-So. You just... with one lunchbox... snatched a business deal with Daeshinjeon...?”

“Yes.”

“...”

Normally, it would have been a matter of pouring astronomical amounts of money into lobbying for years just to get a word in.

But I had just accomplished that with an instant lunchbox worth a few thousand won.

“...This person... must never be made an enemy...”

Whether Ms. Meirin muttered that or not, I munched on the rolled omelet included in the lunchbox.

Hmm. Delicious.

No matter how I thought about it, it wasn't a taste worth paying that much for.

“Is he a devil...?”

Tsk, tsk.

No bad words.

Tip: Tap/click the left or right side of the screen to go to previous/next chapter.