꧁⎝𓆩༺✧ Ethan's POV ✧༻𓆪⎠꧂
'I should pay close attention.'
The moment Dokja's knife sank into the creature's hide, however, I almost immediately regretted that decision.
The blade scraped against flesh with a wet, tearing sound. I decided not to pay too much attention to that and simply burn his physical actions into memory.
"Eugh."
Several people visibly recoiled.
"Dokja-ssi..." Yoo Sangah muttered, but chose to remain silent, watching the person with whom she had once, butchering some sort of… whatever the fuck this thing was.
Meanwhile, Dokja continued dissecting the unfortunate rat as though he wasn't currently elbow-deep in monster guts. The skin was tougher than it looked.
He had to repeatedly stab and cut at it before finally finding some sort of seam running along the creature's back.
"Huh."
I leaned forward slightly.
There was an almost unnatural line running down its spine. Like somebody had designed the thing specifically to be cut open there.
"That's convenient."
"…Convenient?" Heewon repeated with a deadpan.
"It looks like an instruction manual."
"Why are you saying that like it's normal?"
It kind of was. At least by ORV standards.
Eventually, after several minutes of struggling, Dokja managed to peel away enough flesh to expose the spine.
And everyone fell silent, more than they were before. But this silence was of disbelief instead of disgust.
The thing was ridiculous. The entire spinal column was one continuous bone. Not separate vertebrae.
One bone. Like a sword hidden inside the monster's body.
'REALLY convenient… and ridiculous.'
"What the hell..."
Even Hyunsung-ssi looked impressed.
Dokja carefully cut through the cartilage around it before pulling.
-Snap-
The spine came free, and everyone stared at...
I honestly couldn't blame them. The thing genuinely looked like a primitive sword. A very ugly, primitive sword.
But still a sword. It did have some chips in it, though. I'd have to avoid that when making it myself.
Dokja then turned toward Heewon.
"You need a weapon for kendo."
Heewon blinked. Then blinked again.
Then accepted the bone sword.
"...Thank you?"
The look on her face suggested she wasn't entirely sure whether she should be grateful or horrified.
"Suddenly I feel like I've traveled back to the Paleolithic Age."
Dokja pointed toward a pile of rocks nearby.
"You'll need to sharpen it."
Heewon immediately walked off with the enthusiasm of someone who had just been handed a new gaming console.
"Hehe. Understood, Captain."
The grinding noises began shortly afterward. Someone was very excited.
Dokja looked around, and after noticing Hyunsung-ssi looking over at Heewon enviously, decided to make everyone weapons.
"All of you come here."
"Huh?"
"It would be better if you learned how to make your own weapons."
'Agreed.'
I was already kneeling next to one of the dead rats. Knowing how to make weapons out of dead monsters sounded significantly more useful than ninety percent of the things school had taught me.
And so, with thought acceleration running at full throttle, I activated another skill.
[Exclusive skill, Adaptive Mind Lv. 1, has been activated]
My pupils constricted, and my focus narrowed. I completely ignored the fact that I didn't even have a knife to cut the rat open, and straightened my fingers, forming sharp points.
''Ethan-ssi, here have thi- ''
Seeing me kneeling next to the rat, Dokja moved towards me to hand over the knife he had used.
Only to freeze in place when I, with a completely stoic face, cut open the rat in an instant, with my bare hands.
''…Right.''
Deciding it was worthless to even worry about me, he moved to help the others with a constipated look.
And so, everyone began making weapons, well, everyone except Han Myungoh, who looked like he was one unpleasant smell away from passing out.
One corpse after another, each ground rat corpse was used up. The tunnel quickly became filled with the sounds of cutting, scraping, and increasingly traumatized civilians.
The smell wasn't nearly as bad anymore. Ice Age was helping. A lot. Without it, I'd probably be vomiting my lungs out right now.
Still...
This was weird. Very weird. Just a few days ago, I'd been worrying about exams, what video to watch while eating snacks, and whether the snack I eat would even last before I find one. Contemplating if I was ever gonna get laid. Normal stuff.
Now I was sitting inside a subway tunnel, manufacturing prehistoric weaponry from giant rat skeletons. Using literal Superpowers, just to stop myself from hurling.
Life came at you fast.
I waited for the others to finish making their weapons while sitting in an Asian squat, and slowly sharpened my already razor-sharp blade. It was an exact copy of Heewon's, with slight adjustments I had made for myself. I had already deactivated all of my exclusive skills. I wanted to test myself. My everything, with just my base stats and nothing else.
But of course, my passive boosts from [Nerd] were still in effect regardless. God, I hate that attribute name.
"Not bad."
I looked up.
Dokja had somehow appeared beside me. He was looking at my blade in slight astonishment.
"Is that a genuine compliment?" I asked with a sly smile.
"Don't get used to it." His look of astonishment was replaced with bitter envy.
"There it is."
The universe was healing.
––––––––––୨ৎ––––––––––
A few minutes later, everyone had something resembling a weapon. Hyunsung received the largest spine and turned it into a spear. Yoo Sangah and Han Myungoh each got smaller versions. Gilyoung somehow ended up with a sharpened skull-bone that looked far more threatening than it had any right to. It honestly looked pretty cool; someone might even mistake it for a mage's wand
Meanwhile—
"Hehe." -Scrrrrch-
"Hehehe." -Scrrrrch-
Heewon-ssi was having way too much fun sharpening her bone sword.
I was beginning to understand why Uriel liked her. They both seem like the trigger-happy type.
[You have succeeded in acquiring weapons by yourself.]
A message appeared before all of us.
[A very small number of constellations are interested in the primitive nature of humanity.]
[100 Coins have been sponsored.]
"Oh?" I'd never say no to free money. The others were similarly surprised.
"We get coins for this, too?" Sangah-ssi asked.
You can get coins for anything, fam.
Dokja nodded. "Don't spend all of them."
"Always keep enough coins for survival costs. Use the rest to increase your stats whenever possible. Otherwise, you won't survive."
The atmosphere grew serious. Nobody questioned him anymore. Not like they ever did, aside from Baldy over there. But after everything that had happened so far, even he realized that Dokja was more in sync with this whole charade than he ever would be.
''Thanks for the pep talk, leader.'' I quipped, much to his bemusement.
As everyone finished preparing their weapons, we stood up and continued deeper into the tunnel.
The darkness seemed heavier now. More oppressive.
The sounds of our footsteps echoed ahead, and just like that, the hundred safe steps Gilyoung mentioned had been passed.
[The sub-scenario 'Food Acquisition' has officially begun.]
The ground beneath us moved. Dozens of scratching noises echoed from every direction. The concrete floor cracked and furrowed in a circular direction outward. Something crawled out.
Then another. And another.
Ground rats. My eyes quickly swept across the tunnel.
Thirteen. Exactly thirteen. But just to make sure.
[Exclusive Skill, Thought Acceleration Lv. 1, has been Activated]
The creatures formed a loose line across the tunnel passage. Their yellow eyes glowed faintly within the darkness.
This wasn't reading a scenario window and pretending to understand what was happening. This was our first real hunt.
And for most of the people here -Including myself- Their first battle.
I tightened my grip around my weapon. The rough bone felt cold against my palm. I plan to watch the others fight while only killing one rat. I need to let them grow, too. Besides, there was something else I also intended to try out.
Beside me, Heewon's expression hardened. Hyunsung-ssi lowered his spear. Even Sangah-ssi looked determined.
Dokja slowly started stepping forward and spoke out loud.
"There isn't a plan. We're beginners."
His gaze swept across everyone.
"It might sound cruel, but I don't expect all of you to survive."
Harsh. But honest. This wasn't a movie.
I glanced at Dokja. He glanced back. For a brief moment, it felt like we were thinking the same thing.
Survive.
No matter what.
"Still," Dokja continued, "All of you, survive. Please."
Then Heewon grinned. A fierce grin. Hyunsung-ssi tightened his grip. Sangah-ssi nodded nervously. Even Han Myungoh looked slightly less terrifie- Nope, never mind, he just looks bitter about something.
I couldn't help smirking. Honestly. If this group was going to die here, ORV would've ended around episode five.
So, I wasn't too worried.
Probably. Hopefully. Maybe.
...Okay, I was a little worried about any possible butterfly effects. But nothing I couldn't handle with the abilities I have in my arsenal.
"Then let's go."
Dokja and I took the first steps. And the instant our feet crossed the invisible line, the thirteen ground rats lunged.
The moment their claws scraped against the concrete, I felt my body tense on instinct. Every rat moved differently despite belonging to the same species. Some darted low to the ground, others leapt immediately, while a few hesitated just long enough to watch how we reacted before committing to an attack.
For a split second, I understood why ordinary people died so quickly in the scenarios.
It wasn't because they were weak. It was because there was no time to adjust.
One moment, you were a normal person worried about deadlines, grades, rent, and what excuse you were going to use after forgetting to answer a text message for the third time.
The next moment, monsters were trying to rip your throat out.
No tutorial, only survival. The same people whose corpses lay on the tunnel floor a few steps back could have adapted enough to survive, if given enough time.
[Exclusive Skill, Thought Acceleration Lv. 1, has been activated.]
My perception sharpened.
The world didn't slow down, not literally, but my thoughts raced ahead of my body. The twitch of a hind leg before a leap. The shift in balance before a change in direction. The tightening of muscles beneath coarse fur.
[Exclusive Skill, Adaptive Mind Lv. 1, has been activated]
My current objective is to observe, learn, and adapt.
Even without relying on Observation Haki, Ice Age, Heavenly Restriction, or any of the absurd abilities tucked away inside my growing collection of nonsense, I knew I was stronger than everyone here.
Dokja included.
But strength wasn't always helpful.
If I protected everyone from every danger, they would never grow into the people they needed to become.
So I remained just behind Dokja, Hyunsung-ssi, and Heewon, watching.
The first to move was Hyunsung-ssi.
There was no hesitation in him.
His spear shot forward in a clean thrust, lacking elegance but making up for it with absolute practicality. Years of military training translated frighteningly well into this new reality. He wasn't creative, but he didn't need to be. His footing remained steady, his center of gravity balanced, and every motion had purpose.
The sharpened spine pierced straight through a ground rat's neck. Blood sprayed across the concrete, and the creature collapsed.
"...I can do this."
His voice sounded more surprised than confident.
The real surprise, however, came from the woman beside me.
"Hap!"
Heewon's bone sword carved through the darkness. The skill itself wasn't special. At least, that was what most people thought.
{Kendo}
A skill frequently dismissed in ORV as mediocre, old-fashioned, and lacking the flashy appeal of stronger combat abilities. Most incarnations overlooked it entirely in favor of something more impressive.
Watching Heewon fight made that line of thinking seem laughable.
Skills didn't swing weapons. People did.
Kendo merely gave shape to countless repetitions already engraved into her muscles through years of practice.
Her stance remained composed. Every strike flowed naturally into the next. Every step adjusted instinctively. And, if I was seeing this correctly, a white arc was being drawn in the air every time she swung. What the heck? I thought it was just a visual thing from the Manhwa. It actually makes a 'Qi arc'?
The ground rats moved quickly, relying on animal instincts and numerical superiority, yet the moment they entered her range, they paid for it in flesh.
One rat lost its tail. Another screamed as its foreleg was severed. The third barely avoided having its skull split open.
"The patterns are simpler than I thought?"
She sounded genuinely puzzled, like she'd expected something harder.
Honestly, I understood why there were people who eventually took this supposedly insignificant skill and used it to cut down demons.
Jung Heewon was terrifying. Once again, as expected.
"Damn it!"
Her sword missed a rat by mere centimeters.
"I lost one! Somebody get it!"
The ground rat darted past her, straight toward the rear.
Toward Sangah-ssi, Gilyoung, and Han Myungoh.
I shifted slightly. Calculated some trajectories in case things got dangerous, so that I could intervene immediately.
The rat never got that far.
"Leave it to me."
Gilyoung stepped forward. The sharpened skull-bone in his hands looked ridiculous. It looked like something a child would've picked up while pretending to be a wizard.
Then he swung it.
-Crack-
The impact smashed directly into the ground rat's temple. His strength wasn't enough to kill it outright.
He was still a child.
But that wasn't the point.
The dazed creature staggered, and Sangah-ssi reacted immediately. Her hands trembled around the spear.
She looked pale. Even so, she thrust forward. The sharpened bone pierced through flesh. The ground rat convulsed violently.
Sangah-ssi flinched.
I saw it, the instinctive urge to recoil.
To let go.
To run.
Instead, she tightened her grip. Her knuckles turning white. The rat eventually stopped moving.
Sangah-ssi simply stared at it.
"...I..."
She didn't finish the sentence.
Meanwhile—
"U-Uwaaaaah!"
Han Myungoh contributed exactly what everyone expected him to contribute.
Nothing.
The man stumbled backwards, nearly tripping over himself while attempting to hide behind the others.
Despite putting actual effort into avoiding combat, he still somehow managed to get scratched across both shins.
I didn't know whether to be impressed or concerned.
Probably both.
A ground rat suddenly broke away from the others. Perhaps it noticed everyone else fighting in groups, even if loosely, and assumed I was also a weak link. Maybe it mistook my focus for daze, thinking I was scared stiff.
I exhaled slowly. One. I only planned on killing one.
The creature lunged, and I watched its movements. Going over everything, [Adaptive Mind] had gathered.
In that fraction of a second, I analyzed, modified, and improved every fighting style I had just witnessed.
And I moved. Side-stepping a mere inch out of the rat's way as it fell toward me, still airborne. And with one clean slice, it was severed in two.
Warm blood splashed across my sleeve. Silence settled briefly within me.
That was it—my first genuine kill. Well, as 'direct' as it can be. I had looked something living in the eyes and chosen to end it.
"...Huh."
I wasn't sure how I felt.
[A few constellations approve of your measured restraint.]
[The constellation 'Abyssal Flame Dragon' seems dissatisfied by your decision to hold back.]
Ignoring the messages, I stepped away from the corpse and watched the rest fight. The battle continued for less than a minute.
When Dokja pierced the final ground rat with the thorn, silence descended upon the tunnel once more.
Everyone breathed heavily, and sweat dripped down their faces. Minor cuts and scratches covered exposed skin.
Nobody had died.
For a first battle...
That alone bordered on miraculous.
Hyunsung-ssi planted his spear into the ground before wiping sweat from his forehead.
"...I think I can survive."
As though he had just realized it himself, he could actually fight to survive. Despite it seeming ridiculous.
Heewon immediately rounded on Dokja.
"Dokja-ssi, how many did you kill?"
"Four."
"Tsk."
Her expression darkened.
"I only got two."
"I got three."
Hyunsung-ssi sounded absurdly proud.
I looked down at the rat lying near my feet.
"I got one."
Heewon's head snapped toward me so fast, I was almost genuinely startled. I almost questioned how she didn't get whiplash from that…
"You only killed one?"
"That's what I said."
"You intentionally held back?"
"Who knows..."
"...You're annoying." She huffed out; her stamina was probably emptying.
I grinned while looking away. "Say it ain't so."
"And now you're pissing me off."
Dokja glanced toward me, but didn't say anything. He was busy looking at Hyunsung-ssi with an expression of envy.
Sangah-ssi collapsed onto the floor with a relieved sigh while Gilyoung sat beside her, looking strangely composed for a child who had just helped kill monsters.
Han Myungoh inspected the scratches on his legs with the expression of a man contemplating suing reality itself.
I stared at the blood coating my weapon.
'I really killed something.'
The thought settled heavily.
I wasn't horrified. Nor was I proud. I just... Acknowledged it.
"Dokja-ssi."
Sangah-ssi's hesitant voice broke the silence. "Your complexion doesn't look very good."
Dokja blinked.
"Ah. I was thinking for a moment." His expression looked slightly pained, as though he was regretting something. "Let's gather up the ground rats. We need to prepare today's food."
"Umm… sorry for asking, how exactly will we cook it? Surely we can't eat it like this."
"We can't eat it now, but there will be a way." There he goes again, yapping way too much bro.
Everyone silently stared at him, and some looks were thrown towards me, too.
'Tf did I do…?'
"Excuse me, Dokja-ssi and Ethan-ssi, I would like to ask you both something."
Dokja and I shared a look. "Yes?"
"Do you both, perhaps…do you know something about this situation?" Hopefully, no butterfly effect changed what's about to happen next.
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' is anticipating your choice.]
[A few constellations are anticipating your answer.]
"That…"
And before he could even open his mouth— A scream tore through the tunnel.
"A-AAAAACK!"
Everyone whipped around. In an ominous flash of movement, a massive shadow erupted from the darkness behind Han Myungoh. It was enormous, far larger than the others.
Its claws closed around his leg.
"S-SAVE ME!"
Sangah-ssi instinctively reached for him. Han Myungoh panicked. The giant ground rat had already started dragging him backward.
My eyes met Dokja's. Han Myungoh was bait.
Sangah-ssi getting caught in the process, however—
That hadn't been part of the plan. Dokja's plan, to be more specific. But I wasn't going to change that either. She will be necessary later.
"Grab this!" Hyunsung-ssi lunged forward, extending his spear.
Too late. The spear struck empty ground.
Sangah-ssi's hand slipped from Han Myungoh's grasp.
The giant rat dragged both of them downward, and the hole sealed behind them.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Then Heewon pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Haaah..." She inhaled deeply. "I knew that uncle would eventually give me cancer."
"...I'm sorry," Hyunsung muttered, lowering his spear. "I wasn't fast enough." His voice was laced with sadness.
Dokja went up and tapped his shoulder to cheer him up. "No one could've done anything." It worked.
"Should we chase after them?"
I already knew the answer.
More specifically, I knew what Dokja's answer would be. My eyes shifted toward him. He was staring at the ground with a thoughtful expression, as if piecing together a puzzle only he could see.
He then went to the back and pulled out his phone. He scrolled through something quickly, eyes moving across the screen.
Meanwhile, I remained quiet because I knew exactly what he was doing. This was one of those moments where knowing the plot was less useful than watching Kim Dokja work.
After all, there was a difference between changing what can happen and letting it not happen at all.
A minute later, Dokja slid the phone back into his pocket. His expression had become more certain. And he had that look. The 'I know something ridiculous' one.
Dokja slowly approached the spot where the two had disappeared, then crouched down.
The concrete around the opening hadn't simply broken. Something else lingered there; even without Observation Haki, I could feel it.
A strange energy.
The darkness around the entrance seemed thicker than the rest of the tunnel. Denser. Like the shadows themselves were breathing.
The sensation reminded me of standing near the black barrier we'd crossed earlier.
"Dokja-ssi?"
Hyunsung-ssi called out again, more impatiently.
This time, Dokja finally stood.
"We're going in."
Everyone blinked. With the sole exception of me, of course.
"Into THAT???" Heewon pointed at the darkness with a look that suggested she'd rather punch it than enter it.
"Yes."
The man could announce the apocalypse and somehow make it sound like he was talking about grocery shopping.
''I see, then-'' Dokja cut off Hyunsung-ssi before he could continue.
''Still, it's very dangerous to enter with a lot of people. Lee Hyunsung-ssi and Jung Heewon-ssi will wait here at the boundary. If anything happens, I will give you a signal.''
Heewon was about to open her mouth to complain, but after realizing something, she paused for a few seconds. Before saying something different from what she was about to say. Hmm…
''And why can't we go too?'' She asked after calming down a little.
Maybe my speech had done more than I had thought to her 'Punch first, ask questions later' personality. Only slightly, though.
Dokja instead looked to Hyunsung-ssi, ''Lee Hyunsung-ssi, Jung Heewon-ssi is very exhausted, so please take care of her.''
''Hah?!? I am completely fine!'' Never mind, there it was.
''Jung Heewon, being confident is good, but don't be reckless.''
''…'' The fight against the ground rats hadn't looked particularly difficult from the outside, but her breathing was noticeably rougher than before.
Most of her coins had gone into Strength. The result was obvious. She hit like a truck, sure, but the downside was that she burned through stamina far faster than everyone else.
Dokja pointed toward Hyunsung-ssi again.
"Lee Hyunsung-ssi."
"Yes."
"Please keep watch here."
He immediately nodded. "I understand."
Traitor. The look Heewon gave him was incredible. Poor guy.
"I said I'm fine."
"No." Dokja didn't relent.
"I'm completely fine."
"No, you're not." I chimed in with a grin.
"I can still fight." Her expression darkened.
"Forget about it."
"..."
"..."
"...I hate both of you."
"That's rather unfortunate." Truly was
"I'll survive." Dokja didn't seem to care much either.
The glare she sent him could've killed lesser men.
Unfortunately, Kim Dokja wasn't a lesser man. If he was going to die, it would be planned. I almost felt bad for her.
Almost.
Then Dokja looked toward me, and neither of us spoke. His gaze lingered slightly longer than usual.
Probably because he knew I wasn't tired. At all.
The others were exhausted, yet even after intentionally limiting myself throughout the fight, I still felt perfectly fine. And he knew for a fact I was holding back, too. He knew better than anyone, actually. I had already told him I had some tricks still up my sleeve. Things he didn't even know about yet.
Our eyes met. A silent question. A silent answer.
Yes.
I was coming. There wasn't really another option. Unlike the original story, leaving Dokja alone with only Gilyoung would've been stupid.
Even if he wouldn't admit it.
"Gilyoung and Ethan-ssi will come with me."
"Obviously," I muttered.
Gilyoung immediately walked over. The kid didn't hesitate for even a second. Honestly, his trust in Dokja was becoming mildly concerning.
Then again... I couldn't blame him. Let's hope he doesn't get disappointed in the future.
"Everyone else waits here," Dokja said.
"Don't die."
Heewon folded her arms.
"That's my line."
A faint smile appeared on Dokja's face before disappearing almost immediately.
Then the three of us approached the opening. The darkness waiting beyond it looked less like a tunnel and more like the mouth of some enormous creature.
The moment I stepped inside, an uncomfortable sensation washed over me.
Gravity twisted, and the floor shifted. For a split second, my balance disappeared. Then it returned.
"Very freaky..." I looked back to find the entrance already gone. Only darkness remained.
Very interesting.
The tunnel stretched downward at an impossible angle, yet walking felt completely normal. As if gravity itself had decided to stop caring.
Gilyoung nodded. "This way." And he grabbed onto Dokja's hand, while Dokja grabbed mine.
A faint strand of light extended from his fingertips. The darkness here wasn't ordinary. It swallowed light. So, we followed Gilyoung. Though I myself would have no trouble navigating through using Haki.
The deeper we descended, the heavier the atmosphere became. The black ether hanging in the air felt almost tangible. It felt as though we were walking through water.
Nobody spoke for several minutes.
Then Gilyoung suddenly broke the silence.
"Hyungs. May I ask you two something?"
"Yeah?"
''Hmm?'' It seemed he had something to ask me, too. Oh boy, what to say…
"When that uncle got dragged away with Noona..."
Here we go.
"Did you let it happen?"
Straight to the point, eh? I nearly laughed. Children really were pretty scary sometimes.
''When it happened, I was looking at Dokja Hyung's face. And Ethan Hyung was definitely fast enough to stop it. I have seen you fight before.''
Dokja remained silent for a few seconds and gave me a fleeting glance. I wanted him to answer first.
"Yes. I let it happen." Pretty straightforward.
Gilyoung looked toward me for my answer.
''Same here.'' He nodded like he had expected it, before staring at the two of us.
[Constellations of absolute good frown at your cruelty.]
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' is pressing you with shining eyes.]
Oh, please, spare me the judgment. Hypocrites.
"Why?"
"The ground rats collect things."
"Things?"
"Items."
I saw understanding dawn slowly on the boy's face.
"Treasure?"
"Exactly." Dokja's expression remained calm. "Normally, it is extremely difficult to find the correct path, since they are very complicated. But if we were to follow the rats directly, we can find things that would otherwise be impossible to locate.''
"I expected it to take Han Myungoh, but I didn't expect him to grab onto Yoo Sangah."
The answer was brutally pragmatic. Exactly the sort of answer Kim Dokja would give. He considered the answer before looking to me for mine.
''I didn't see the point in saving Han Myungoh, and since Dokja let it happen, I did too. As for Sangah-ssi, she will be fine. I had a gut feeling it would be beneficial for us if she were there, too. And I was also feeling a bit lazy.''
Dokja looked like he didn't believe a word coming from my mouth. Ouch? And neither did Gilyoung. He looked like he was considering something.
"Then your purpose isn't to save Noona or Ahjussi, it is the items?"
''Yes. Are you disappointed?'' Dokja nodded.
''Who cares about the items? I'm going to make sure you all return safely.'' I answered honestly. I really didn't need any items from this world. I already had a loot crate stuck to my soul. Dokja seemed to catch my drift, and so did Gilyoung.
''I see… I'm not disappointed, Dokja Hyung. You shouldn't lie.''
''…''
"If Hyung were such a person, you wouldn't have saved me on the subway. I believe in you." Touching. I used my free hand to ruffle the kid's hair, which he gladly accepted.
[Some constellations are touched to tears.]
[200 coins have been sponsored.]
'Seriously? Tears? Free money tho'
We kept walking downwards (?), before the kid spoke up again.
"Dokja Hyung."
"Yes."
"Are you a god?" Well, well, well.
"…Huh?"
"Or the Main Character?"
''Pftt… Cough cough.'' I barely held myself from bursting into laughter. Not at the absurdity of the questions, but the accuracy. It was hilarious.
Dokja didn't know that, so he mistook my stifling laughter for something else.
"I'm not the main character. Rather, I always envy the main character." Half right, half wrong.
"But you still know something about this world, right?"
That made him pause. "That's right."
"Then I'll ask you one thing. You too, Ethan-ssi"
Huh?
"I will answer it if I can."
''Yeah, what is it.''
"Once we clear all these scenarios…can we make a wish?"
"Wish?"
"Usually, there is a reward at the end of these stories. At the end of this story, is there something like that?" He trembled as he spoke, his breath shaky. Likely remembering something unpleasant.
"Yes, there is." We both said the same thing.
Dokja couldn't see my expression. Though there wasn't much of one there. However…
[Exclusive skill, Observation Haki Lv. 5 has been activated]
His expression was still not visible to me, but I could still faintly sense his emotions. And boy, was that a shitstorm. Guilt, sadness, loneliness, bitterness, protectiveness, all smushed together with a touch of melancholy. And even though I couldn't see his face, he would probably have a sad smile on his face. A tired, sad smile. He was probably REALLY glad no one could see his face right now.
I didn't wanna break that illusion
"We are almost there, hyungs."
The darkness stretched endlessly ahead. Eventually, however, I noticed something changing. The black ether was thinning. The pressure in the air was fading.
And somewhere in the distance—
Light.
[A few constellations are holding their breaths.]
A faint orange glow appeared, and the space around us suddenly widened. The narrow tunnel opened into an enormous underground cavern.
[Exclusive skill, Adaptive Mind Lv. 1 has been activated]
[Exclusive skill, Thought Acceleration Lv. 1 has been activated]
My grip on my weapon tightened, and Dokja also tensed up.
The smell hit first. Then the sounds.
Scratching.
Countless red eyes stared from the darkness.
And finally—
A tattered box.
The ground rats' treasure trove. Right on cue, a message appeared before us.
[The sub-scenario has been updated.]
[You have entered the 'Ground Rat's Treasure Trove'.]
This was where the real fun began. Time to lock in.
.
. . .
. . . . . .
(AN: Well well well...
Anyway here is ur 5k word chap, srry for delaying so much, have been busy babysitting.
This chap was pretty rushed and uhhh, idk felt weird to write these days. If u see any mistake or inconsistency, that wasn't intentional, do tell. I will fix it. We r sticking with shorter chaps.
How was the chap ->
Questions->
Next chap will be more fun. And ill take my time on it, might be 10k. So wait it out. If I get some good time to write, it will come out faster and will be good. Promise.
Anyway
See ya ﾍ(￣ー￣)ﾉ
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