Chapter 18: Choi Ji-won (1)

"Hello! Haven't we met somewhere before?"

"..."

"Maybe... at Korean university? I feel like I've seen you on campus!"

Whack!

Just like before, Choi Ji-won cut my nose in an instant.

"...Don't bother me. Get lost."

It seems like it's definitely not Korean university.

***

"By any chance, is it Sinchon University?"

Whack!

"Or... Anam University?"

Whack!

"Hyehwa..."

Whack!

"Hoegee..."

Whack!

"F*ck! You sarcastic…."

Whack!

I called out all the universities I know, but what came back was not a warm greeting but a cold blade.

"I don't know many high school names..."

There are three possibilities.

First, I don't know the university she attends.

Second, she has never attended a university.

Third, I got the answer right, but she's a lunatic who starts swinging a sword for no reason.

Whatever the case may be, it seems impossible to elicit a meaningful response just by pretending to know.

Perhaps familiarity is the issue.

This time, I learned swordsmanship from Choi Ji-won, just like in the previous round.

"Hoo. Hoo."

"I've taught you enough, now leave."

"...Ji-won."

"I told you to leave?"

"By any chance, can I ask you something?"

"No."

"..."

She doesn't give any room from the beginning.

No matter how much I cosplay as a righteous man, Choi Ji-won's heart remains closed.

Even if I do good deeds, she simply doesn't treat me hostilely but doesn't show any favor either.

Providing food as if it's an obligation, she silently goes about it.

I tried saying "Thank you" every time I received a meal, but I never heard a response.

No matter what I say, Choi Ji-won never gives a meaningful answer.

Feeling frustrated, I even pretended to go crazy and attacked her.

"Hey! You!"

“...Hold on, Boong Boong. 'Crazy bastard' is a bit too much.”

‘...I never said those words, though?’

A fist swung at lightning speed.

Thump!

***

This time, though, the attack was faintly visible.

But the problem is, even if I see them, I can't block them.

Her fist flew in a peculiar trajectory, and from the angle I held my sword, it was impossible to block.

Actually, even if I blocked, I would regress. That punch was fucking strong.

"...You maniac."

I don't know what the problem is.

No matter what I do, she simply doesn't respond.

Was Choi Ji-won an unbeatable character from the start?

F*ck... Should I just give up and go find the boss?

If I just invest enough time, I can definitely find the boss.

Or maybe there's a way to follow other people.

For example, the middle-aged firefighter led a group of survivors out of the vacant lot on the morning of the second day.

Prepping an exit from the vacant lot in advance and following him from the second day onward is also a...

"Huh?"

Wait a minute.

Other people?

I'm not talking about making them do weird things instead of me.

Choi Ji-won consistently kept her distance from everyone and never had long conversations with anyone except for short-haired girl Baek Da-hye.

It doesn't mean she's specifically discriminating against me. She treated everyone like a psychopath.

So what if I utilize "other people" in a slightly different way?

"Hehe... Hehehehe..."

Choi Ji-won.

I will test your limits.

Bam!

***

"Huff, huff, huff..."

Running. Running. And running constantly.

Kim Joon-gyu couldn't stop.

His body had exhausted every last drop of moisture, with not a drop of sweat flowing anymore. His head felt dizzy and disoriented, and his lungs felt like they would explode.

“Kwaaaaaagh!”

A large goblin with a drawn sword was chasing him from behind as if going insane.

It was fine until the end of the day they entered the tower.

Kim Joon-gyu and his companions wandered inside the tower with a light-hearted sense of playing a game, discovering that goblins dropped food when killed.

They were indeed a bit short on food, but they had never felt the threat to their lives.

The cold blade in his hand was sharp, and the goblins were weak.

So, Kim Joon-gyu and his three companions spent their first night easily.

With the disappearance of the sense of crisis, their steps were filled with confidence, and their shoulders straightened up.

As they walked confidently, they encountered a large goblin sitting on a wooden log, facing them.

"Joon-gyu Hyung, he looks pretty tough, doesn't he?"

"Hey, we're already level 10. We don't even need to bother killing goblins anymore. It's time to change our prey."

"Is that so..."

They didn't think it would be dangerous.

After all, goblins were just goblins.

The one who took the initiative was a young man, who became very close to Joon-gyu when they entered the tower and treated him as an elder brother.

"Hyung, I think I can handle 3 sets of 500 now, maybe because I put all my stats into strength."

His younger brother showed off his strength by flexing his muscles, which were bulging and impressive.

"That bastard, I'll show it what strength is. Hyung, watch closely."

His younger brother approached the mutated goblin comically with a hatchet held in both hands.

Swish!

"Huh?"

Suddenly, the mutated goblin moved and swiftly snatched the hatchet away.

Crack!

It split his younger brother’s spine in half.

"Uh...uh..."

Kim Joon-gyu and the other members froze, unable to accept the reality.

Without delay, the goblin threw the hatchet toward them.

Whack!

An unrealistically fast wind sound echoed.

The person standing next to them fell, and hot blood spattered on their faces.

"Ah... Aaaahhhh!"

Kim Joon-gyu started running away without thinking twice.

He ran like that for about 10 minutes.

"Hoo-ak, hoo-aaahhh..."

Kim Joon-gyu had gained levels and his stamina had increased, but the sprint for 10 minutes was too much.

"Hoo-ak-!"

-Thud!

Suddenly, his vision spun around. He felt a sharp pain inside his mouth as if he had been hit on his front teeth.

Was it because he tripped on a rock? Even if he tried to get up belatedly, he couldn't exert any strength in his hands.

"Kekheak, kekheak, kekekeke..."

Breathing heavily, the mutated goblin approached slowly.

It seemed quite tired as well, but its condition was much better.

"Please... anyone... help..."

Is this how I'm going to die? Just because I messed with a big goblin?

He only vaguely imagined growing old and dying. The actual encounter with death was repulsive, frightening, and disgusting.

"Please..."

"Kekhehe..."

After wiping the drool from its mouth with the back of its hand, the mutated goblin raised its sharp claws toward Kim Joon-gyu.

Swish!

However, with a sharp sound, the goblin's movement stopped. Without saying a word, it slowly bent its waist forward.

"...Huh?"

No, it's not bending the waist.

It's because the waist was severed, causing the upper body to detach from the lower body.

Splut!

Green blood, as if being blasted, splattered in all directions.

"Are you okay? Get up."

And the person behind it was the savior who lifted Kim Joon-gyu to his feet.

Because of the sunlight shining like a halo, his face was not clearly visible, but the green blood-stained sword was vividly clear.

"Ah... Ahh..."

Is this man the one who saved me?

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you...!

Unable to speak clearly due to his constricted throat, he repeated "thank you" silently in his mind.

"...This one is also an F-grade trait. Can it merge?"

The savior muttered to himself in a low voice. His gaze, which had been hovering in the air, soon focused on Kim Joon-gyu’s face.

"What is your name?"

"Kim Joon-Gyu... I'm Kim Joon-Gyu..."

With a cracked voice, he barely managed to answer.

The savior who asked for his name nodded slightly and immediately grabbed his shoulder firmly.

"Mr. Joon-gyu. It's tough, isn't it?"

"...Yes."

It's tough.

Both of his close younger brothers died.

He himself was barely pulled away from the grasp of death.

This tower wasn't a space where you could hunt comfortably like in an RPG.

It was a space to kill or be killed - a place where survival of the fittest was a law.

Kim Joon-gyu's spirit was crushed when he faced the harsh reality.

"I'm sorry... Because I’m weak..."

Kim Joon-gyu lowered his head deeply.

But the savior bestowed a compassionate smile and patted his shoulder.

"It's okay."

"...Yes?"

"It's okay to be weak."

"But..."

In this tower, if you're weak, you can't survive.

Kim Joon-gyu was already afraid of battles. He didn't even have confidence in defeating the weakest goblin.

Without killing, he couldn't obtain food and water. Kim Joon-gyu was in a state of defeat.

"No."

The savior shook his head vigorously.

"It's okay to be weak. You can still survive. You can still enjoy life even if you're weak."

"But how..."

Snap.

With that mysterious finger, the savior pointed in a certain direction.

"Go back."

"...What?"

"Go back to where you started. There, you'll find a warm shelter, food and water, and people who will welcome you."

It sounded like a sweet story about the existence of paradise.

"...Okay."

All Kim Joon-gyu could do was nod his head. He didn’t dare to question his savior’s words, no matter how impossible they sounded.

.

.

.

.

Seeing the guy leaving for the vacant lot, I couldn't help but smile.

Choi Ji-won.

Let's see how many people you can feed on your own.

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