R1 Chapter 14

Posted by Lilac, Released on February 1, 2025

Chapter 14

“Koo-oo!”

At Koko’s thunderous cry, Baek Hwan, as if he could no longer hold on, pushed away Shin Yeoul, who was trying to support him.

“Go! If we keep this up, we’ll both get caught!”

His voice was urgent.

“What nonsense are you saying?”

Shin Yeoul, angry at such ridiculous words, told him to cut it out.

And while the two of them were focused on each other, I quietly walked over to Koko.

Koko, seemingly losing interest in the two, was pecking at bugs on the ground.

I picked Koko up.

“Koo? Koo!”

Koko blinked its eyes at me, rubbing its head against me. It seemed happy to see me.

“Sorry for being late. But you seem to be doing pretty well, huh?”

Koko looked strangely well-fed and glossy.

Anyway—

“Um…”

I awkwardly called out to Shin Yeoul and Baek Hwan, who were still bickering.

“Go. Just go!”

“Excuse me?”

“I can’t. Not alone.”

But it seemed like my voice didn’t reach them.

Baek Hwan, injured and shouting for Shin Yeoul to go, and Shin Yeoul, insisting they go together, were in a heated argument.

“Stop being so stubborn! At least one of us has to survive!”

In a moment of crisis, their concern for each other was touching—a truly heartwarming scene.

If only I weren’t here…

Uh, hello~ There’s a person here!

With Koko tucked under one arm, I called out and waved at them, but they showed no sign of noticing me.

What is this? Do S-ranks just not perceive little nobodies like me? Is that it?

“Fine. Then I’d rather fight to the end.”

It seemed their argument had reached a conclusion, as Shin Yeoul pulled a sword from his waist.

The sharp blade gleamed under the sunlight.

“Ha. Do whatever you want, you stubborn fool—”

Baek Hwan, letting out a helpless chuckle at Shin Yeoul’s resolute words, turned to look in my direction.

He didn’t even finish his sentence before freezing in place.

“What’s with you? Why did you stop—”

The same went for Shin Yeoul.

When they spotted me holding Koko, their eyes widened.

“…..”

Silence followed.

If I, just watching, felt this awkward, how embarrassed must they feel? This was truly an uncomfortable moment.

Baek Hwan, frozen stiff, awkwardly turned his neck to glance back and forth between me and Koko.

His face seemed to ask how long I had been watching.

Uh, from the beginning? I squinted and gave a sheepish smile.

And silence returned once more.

“Koo.”

Koko’s cry broke the quiet atmosphere.

At that sound, Shin Yeoul and Baek Hwan’s gazes met.

Simultaneously, their brows furrowed. It seemed they’d figured out exactly who was responsible for their current predicament.

Suddenly furious, the two of them started marching toward me.

How dare you mess with us? Baek Hwan’s face practically said it out loud. Shin Yeoul, on the other hand, looked ready to swing his sword at any moment.

“Koo-oo?”

Startled, I held Koko out in front of me.

The two halted in their tracks.

When I took a step closer, they instinctively stepped back. It was an effective deterrent.

Another step forward, and they retreated once more.

One step, retreat.

Oh.

Should I try it again?

“You…. you devil!”

As Koko’s intimidation continued, Baek Hwan squeezed his eyes shut and shouted.

Oops. I didn’t mean to, honestly.

But if they hadn’t come at me so aggressively, this wouldn’t have happened. Probably? Haha.

“Well… please calm down. Shall we talk first?”

It seemed some explanation was needed for this ridiculous situation, not to mention clearing up the misunderstanding that I’d kidnapped them on purpose.

But why weren’t they responding?

Receiving no reaction, I held Koko out again and gave it a little shake. Koko let out a dignified cry.

“Koo-ok.”

Nod, nod!

Shin Yeoul and Baek Hwan vigorously nodded their heads.

As expected of Koko.

Unlike before, the power dynamic had completely shifted in my favor.

I gently smiled, hiding Koko behind me. Honestly, pushing this any further might backfire.

After all, they were Rank 1 and Rank 2. There was no need to make enemies of them unnecessarily.

If I ever left the subspace, revenge would be inevitable. Especially since Shin Yeoul had saved me in the past, I didn’t want to disrespect him any further.

As long as they listened to me, that was enough.

“First, let me introduce myself. I’m Seojin. It’s a single character name.”

Although Baek Hwan probably already had all my information, I began with introductions out of courtesy.

It also carried the meaning that I’d tell them everything, so please look favorably upon me.

“So, what I wanted to say is….”

As I spoke, I noticed the two stiffen with each word. They were clearly tense, straining to hear what I’d say next.

Their faces looked like they were terrified of whatever I might say.

“I’m sorry!”

And with that, I bowed my head as low as I could.

“I have no excuse, even if I had ten mouths to explain myself!”

My voice scattered into the empty air.

Once again, silence fell.

✦✦✦

It had been three days since they were trapped in this strange, unknown space. Shin Yeoul was utterly flustered.

All his stats and skills had disappeared. His inventory was completely locked.

The usual quests or voices guiding him were nowhere to be found.

Because of something called “Subspace Maladaptation,” he couldn’t collect or touch anything—be it fruit hanging from a tree or the water in the nearby river.

A few hours ago, pieces of toxic slime had rained down from the sky.

He had to dive out of the way to avoid the falling remnants. In his weakened state, even a touch could dissolve his skin.

As a result, his entire body was now covered in dirt.

On top of it all, an absurdly powerful SS-ranked chicken had reappeared.

Truly, things couldn’t get more bewildering.

Or so he thought.

“I’m so sorry!”

But there was something even more shocking.

The very person who had trapped them here suddenly appeared and slammed her head into the ground in a bow.

“I didn’t mean to trap you here! It wasn’t on purpose!”

What….? What was that perfectly executed punishment posture?

Seeing Seojin suddenly bowing deeply to the ground, Shin Yeoul gave up trying to make sense of the situation.

All he had been doing was clearing a dungeon like usual… How had it come to this?

“I…. I only recently awakened! I don’t know how to control my powers yet, and I accidentally dragged you into my skill…!”

Standing next to Shin Yeoul, Baek Hwan rubbed his face with both hands, utterly exasperated.

Baek Hwan was at a loss for words.

An accident? They had suffered all this because of some accident?

Was this some kind of joke? His face was practically sunken in from all the stress and exhaustion!

“Why not just say you’re a ranker collector? That would be easier to accept.”

“N-no! Absolutely not!”

Seojin desperately waved her hands, denying the accusation. No, seriously! I swear! I’m losing my mind here too!

“I’ll let you out right now!”

Seojin shouted urgently.

“I-if you want, I’ll heal you too!”

She had just now noticed Baek Hwan’s limping steps. If possible, she’d douse him with the water from this space to help him recover.

And then—

Growl.

In the midst of their conversation, a long, drawn-out stomach growl echoed loudly.

It came from Shin Yeoul.

Having been completely caught off guard by the sudden apology, his tension had finally eased, leaving him hungry. His face flushed with embarrassment.

“Ah! I’ll give you food! Something delicious!”

Seojin quickly bowed her head again and shouted enthusiastically. If this could make up for her mistake, then sure.

She could serve samgye-tang right away!

Ko-oh…?

Startled by her murmured thought, Koko trembled. Oh, no, not you.
[*Samgye-tang is a representative summer health food. Soup made with chicken that is slightly larger than the chick is called Yeonggye Baeksuk, and the chicken is divided into half is called Banggye-tang.]

“Not necessary. Just let us out now.”

But the response was ice cold.

“I don’t want to stay in this place any longer.”

Baek Hwan, who had been keeping a fake smile plastered on his face the whole time, was no longer smiling. He was tired of this entire absurd situation, and it showed as he pressed his fingers to his temple.

“Y-yes! Of course!”

Terrified by Baek Hwan’s cold gaze, Seojin hurriedly summoned a portal to exit the space.

“But, um, I can only open a gate inside dungeons…”

She hesitated, showing them the portal she had created and continued explaining.

“And not just any dungeon. It’s the one that appeared in the guild building earlier!”

The image of them being chased by a chicken was still fresh in her mind.

Even though they were S-rank, heading into an S-rank dungeon in their current weakened state might still be dangerous.

“Will you be okay…?”

Seojin asked carefully.

But Baek Hwan ignored her and began walking toward the portal without a word.

He didn’t even think it was worth responding to.

To him, dungeons weren’t particularly frightening. They were places where he spent most of his time.

Besides, leaving this space would naturally remove the debuff, or so he thought.

Based on experience, leaving a dungeon usually meant debuffs disappeared.

Though this was the most severe debuff he had ever experienced.

“Take care! I’m really, really sorry!”

Baek Hwan wanted nothing more than to drag this woman out with them and throw her into a cage, but he knew that he couldn’t do anything within this space. Frustrated, he silently stepped through the portal.

Seojin, assuming they would naturally clear the dungeon as soon as they exited, simply watched their retreating backs. She had no intention of following them.

There was no reason to leave the dungeon in the building anyway. Once it was cleared, an emergency exit should open for her too, just like last time.

Finally, Shin Yeoul realized just how hungry he was.

And with that, the portal to the dimensional space slowly closed.

This was goodbye for real now.

Seojin felt a mix of relief and unease. Was it really okay to end things like this?

But what could she do? Saying goodbye cleanly was probably the best option.

And just a few seconds after the two S-rankers exited the space, something happened.

Bam!

The portal, which had been nearly shut, suddenly burst open again.

Huh?! Seojin was bewildered.

Through the gap, Shin Yeoul and Baek Hwan came rushing back inside, looking frantic.

W-wait, why are you back?!