Chapter 37
Gi Da-in blinked blankly.
At the end of her gaze was the firmly closed door of the 5th faction.
So…
‘She went to protect me.’
Yoo Yi-joo had blocked her and been taken to the 1st faction instead.
The moment she realized this, Gi Da-in’s face turned pale.
‘I have to go.’
At the same time, Gi Da-in began to move her feet unsteadily. As she walked like a child taking its first steps, someone grabbed her wrist.
Forced to turn around, Gi Da-in’s eyes met the 5th faction leader who had been watching the whole situation.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
It was Shin Shawol.
“L-Let go, please. Just now, Yi-“
“I know, I saw it too.”
He had vividly witnessed her being dragged away by the 1st faction member. However,
“But what can you do if you go there?”
Gi Da-in’s body flinched.
If Gi Da-in had gone now, they would both have ended up as sacrifices to the 1st faction. It meant Yoo Yi-joo’s efforts would be in vain.
Shin Shawol sighed as he saw Gi Da-in’s hardened expression.
“There might be a way.”
And he uttered words that even he found ridiculous.
‘A way?’
What way?
This is the 1st faction.
A place where C-rank would be knocked out in one hit.
Of course, C-rank isn’t weak, but all the dungeons in the Tower of Calamity are so difficult that even A-rank could die, which is why B-rank and above are properly treated here.
The 1st faction is no exception. It’s filled with strong people to the point where there are no faction members below B-rank. It meant the chances of Yoo Yi-joo coming out unscathed were close to zero.
But why…
‘Do I think it will be okay?’
Suddenly, Shin Shawol recalled Yoo Yi-joo’s expression as he looked back before leaving.
“I’ll be back.”
“Please take care of Gi Da-in until then.”
Yoo Yi-joo went to such a place on his own feet. With an oddly confident expression, not showing a hint of fear.
“Stay here for now.”
Shin Shawol sighed and released Gi Da-in’s wrist.
Since his faction members had picked a fight on their own and incurred a debt, he could at least let Gi Da-in stay in his area. That was the best help Shin Shawol could offer.
“There’s no point in going now.”
Shin Shawol said once more, as if explaining the reality. Gi Da-in was not unaware of this reality.
‘The chances of me, an A-rank, rescuing Iju from the 1st faction alone are…’
None, right. Feeling helpless, she bit her lip hard.
Suddenly, she recalled her first meeting with Yoo Yi-joo, who had saved her when she was about to be robbed by three men.
‘Even though I know I shouldn’t think like this…’
If only someone could help just once, like that time-
That’s when it happened.
Ding!
A system sound was heard.
Gi Da-in’s drooping head shot up.
[SYSTEM] A message has arrived from the faction chat!
This is…
💎
It’s been 5 hours since I was imprisoned in the 1st faction.
There’s one thing I’ve realized while being in this iron cage.
‘It’s mind-numbingly boring.’
In fact, I had already planned most things from the moment I entered here.
I checked the mana recovery speed, found out when the faction leader would return, and sent a message to Gi Da-in.
With this, my work here was done.
Which means it’s disgustingly boring.
‘The faction leader said he’d come in two days… it’s going to be continuously boring.’
I sighed deeply and closed my eyes.
‘Given her personality, Gi Da-in will move according to my plan, but I’m not sure how Shin Shawol will react.’
I was thinking it would be nice to have an offensive helper rather than the pacifist Gi Da-in or Shin Shawol whose sub-ability is the main one, when it happened.
“Miss, are you sleeping now? Wake up.”
A voice came from beside me.
I opened my eyes again and looked at the wall.
“I’m not sleeping.”
Next to the wall was a woman about the age of an aunt, who was also imprisoned like me. She spoke to me first, so she could be a conversational partner in this boring room.
‘Though we couldn’t talk much because of someone who said it was noisy.’
Still, in the few words we exchanged, there was quite good information.
It was that there was a way to use mana while ignoring the mana usage restriction device installed on my wrist.
Of course, only a very small amount of mana could be used.
For example, like the mana I used to send a message to Gi Da-in.
“Why did you call me?”
I asked quietly, pressed against the wall so that others wouldn’t say it was noisy. Then the woman said,
“Someone else is approaching our side now.”
Huh?
“Quite a handsome young man.”
Belatedly hearing those words, I could hear two sets of footsteps approaching.
I approached the iron gate and peeked out.
There were two men approaching. Seeing one being dragged by the other, he seemed to be in the same situation as me.
As I stuck my head out further to see the ‘handsome face’ the aunt in the next room mentioned, the man turned his head.
I quickly pulled my face back in and returned to the corner as if nothing had happened.
But what’s this?
The footsteps of the two men stopped.
“Hey, you get in here.”
And that too, into my cell.
‘They’re putting a man and woman in the same room…?’
As if it wasn’t his concern, the 1st faction member shoved the man into the cell where I was.
Clang. The iron gate closed, and I faced the ‘handsome face’.
Brown curly hair, blue eyes, and a build similar to Cha Si-hyeon.
“Um… nice to meet you?”
He smiled awkwardly and greeted me like a new neighbor.
I chuckled at that.
As I said, it’s possible to use a very small amount of mana. Like opening the inventory, sending messages. Or…
[Using skill ‘Peek (S)’]
[Name: Lee Cheong-sin
Rank: B(S)
Faction: None
Title: None
Trait: A Little Higher
Skills: Bull’s Eye (S), Instant Explosion (C), Danger Detection (C), Clearly (D).]
Like ‘Peek’, which consumes the least mana among my skills.
‘Found it, a helper.’
💎
The new person who entered my cell was extraordinary.
His trait, ‘A Little Higher’.
▸Possible to rise above a certain rank! (Maximum rank: S)
‘He can grow too, huh.’
And up to S-rank at that.
‘He’s talented.’
“Which faction were you in before?”
But this talented person was unusually talkative.
“I was wandering without a faction when I got caught. I should’ve just slept, but I was out looking for coins.”
Even now, he’s rattling off information I didn’t particularly ask for.
“Ah…”
“Well, it’s too late for regrets now.”
I see. I don’t care about regrets or whatever, but I can tell he’s a very friendly person.
“What’s your name?”
“Yoo Yi-joo.”
“I’m Lee Cheong-sin.”
I know. I saw it with my skill. He smiled cheerfully. His pointed canine teeth were particularly noticeable. As I was staring at them, Lee Cheong-sin explained an unexpected detail.
“Oh, my eyes are blue because I’m mixed-race. I lived abroad with my dad until I became an adult…”
And then he starts telling his unsolicited life story again. From what I gathered, he was the heir to a large company, but he came here wanting to be a hunter, much to his family’s chagrin.
‘Is it okay to tell these stories to someone you’ve just met?’
Thinking this, I briefly looked up at the ceiling.
Not the white wallpaper I always saw when I woke up at home, nor the clear view of the sea outside, but a stuffy gray ceiling.
I looked at that unfamiliar ceiling and then shifted my gaze to Lee Cheong-sin.
“Even though my father tried to stop me from becoming a hunter, I really wanted to do it. Well, of course, I’m only B-rank.”
To this guy who was still pouring out his circumstances, I couldn’t help but ask.
“Do you have a way out?”
“Huh?”
When I, who had been quiet, spoke up, Lee Cheong-sin tilted his head as if surprised by my response. Wasn’t he telling his life story for me to hear in the first place?
“You seem too calm. We’re destined to die when we wake up.”
“Haha, isn’t that the same for you?”
Lee Cheong-sin laughed and shrugged. I stared at him blankly. Soon, his laughter faded.
“…There’s no way out.”
The words that came after the laughter were, amusingly, devoid of any hope.
“But I’m satisfied that I can die as a hunter.”
He really likes being a hunter, huh.
I looked at him and smiled brightly.
“Lee Cheong-sin-ssi.”
If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to live longer and continue being a hunter?
“Would you like to escape from here with me?”
💎
To cut to the chase…
“Um, no thanks.”
I was rejected.
Firmly at that.
Caught off guard by the unexpected rejection, I was momentarily stunned. Then I asked.
“Why?”
“I don’t want to die painfully.”
Ah…
“How old are you?”
“I’m 23. How about you?”
“Twenty-six…”
He’s 3 years younger than me and he’s already given up? I felt deflated by this younger person who showed no signs of fight.
“Can I call you Noona?”
“Sure, whatever…”
“Great! You can speak comfortably to me too!”
I’m not sure what use changing how we address each other is when we’re about to die, but I just nodded.
“By the way, why are you here?”
The women destined for the faction leader’s bedroom and the high-ranked sacrifices are usually placed separately.
‘For Lee Cheong-sin to be with me means…’
No way… is that his preference?
As if reading my expression, he smiled sheepishly and said,
“No, it’s not that. My rank is low, and I don’t resist, so they seem to want to kill me slowly.”
His words were brutal despite his expression.
“I see…”
I nodded dejectedly and sighed.
‘Tomorrow, is it?’
Tomorrow, the 1st faction leader returns to the area.
‘There’s no way I’ll die, but…’
I guess it’s unavoidable to feel nervous.
“By the way—”
“Stop talking! You’re not the only ones here!”
Just as I was about to speak, someone shouted from beyond the cell.
“Let’s get some sleep!”
“Ah… sorry.”
Lee Cheong-sin apologized on my behalf. Hmm, did we talk too much? Well, it was already time to sleep.
Realizing this, drowsiness washed over me and I laid my back, which had been leaning against the wall, on the floor. My eyes closed slowly.
I’ll sleep for now.
“Good night, Noona.”
I thought I heard a light greeting from the far corner.
💎
Thank you for reading! ♡
