00599 Those who fight to the death live, those who run to the death… . ————————————————– ———————-=
Inside a dark pit.
Shin Jae-ryong is dying.
‘I am… .’
Another me, laying Shin Jae-ryong on the floor and looking at him intently.
Another me took out an elixir from my arms.
‘I hope Shin Jae-ryong lives.’
Without showing the slightest hesitation, he opens the cap and tilts the bottle.
The other me, who was feeding the elixir, seemed really worried about Shin Jae-ryong.
That moment.
“!”
Suddenly I came to my senses. My eyes opened immediately. As I look around, I see the tent that I returned to late at night.
A table in the center, an entrance covered by a curtain, chairs placed neatly, etc. Everything was the same. Nothing has changed.
… So what happened? Was it even a dream?
Suddenly, the air felt cold against my skin. At the same time, layer upon layer of fatigue weighs heavily on my entire body.
But instead of sleeping more, I chose to get out of bed. For some reason, I felt like I couldn’t fall asleep, and even if I forced myself to fall asleep, I wanted to refuse to have the same dream as before. My feelings are still complicated these days… .
As I lifted the curtain and walked outside, I could see the still dusky dawn sky.
At this time, it is almost time for the first search team to be active. Although no specific instructions have been issued yet, it is highly likely that users who participated in the pit attack will remain quietly waiting today as well.
Wouldn’t it be better to participate in an exploration group to move your body and forget your thoughts? Just like yesterday.
In the end, I decided on my morning schedule based on my first thoughts and slowly walked towards the northern guard post. If you wait nearby, you might run into search teams trying to go out like yesterday.
However, in the end, only half of my expectations came true.
“purpose. Exploration of surrounding borders and strategic points.”
“C – 1 group total of 12 members. Search Joe Istantel Row’s Lee Jong-hak and 11 others confirmed.”
“I have checked the Commander-in-Chief’s clearance records.”
“You may leave.”
Users standing guard in the north completed a simple verification process. Lee Jong-hak nodded his head as if he understood, and then he signaled to the guards to wait a moment. Then he slowly looks back at me and sighs deeply.
“after. I’m sorry, but I will decline to speak with you. Mercenary Road.”
“User Lee Jong-hak.”
“No, no. “I really appreciate your offer to help me with the exploration, but I will politely decline this time.”
“… … .”
C – Lee Jong-hak, team 1 exploration leader, not only speaks sternly, but even shakes his head vigorously. I ended up tilting my head at that clear expression of opinion.
“why not… .”
“Exploration is the mission given to us. However, Mercenary Lords are not included in the cage. “You know.”
“But yesterday… .”
“Merchantry Lord. please.”
Lee Jong-hak doesn’t listen to everything and just says no. I couldn’t help but feel dumbfounded. This was not the case when I asked to join the expedition yesterday. No, on the contrary, they welcomed us with much fuss.
Then why not say no from the beginning?
Yesterday, they let us go out together with a happy smile, so why are they saying no today? And so suddenly.
“… “Please save me.”
It was then.
Lee Jong-hak suddenly grabbed my shoulder and made a request in an extremely sorrowful voice. I don’t know what happened, but his face looked so earnest that I had to keep my mouth shut.
“That’s me. “Did you know that our clan lord broke things a lot after going on an expedition yesterday?”
huh? Broken? If you are Lee Jong-hak’s clan lord… . Of course it’s Han So-young.
“no. Why is Istantel Low Road… .”
“Because of Mercenary Road.”
“… … ?”
“Didn’t I clearly tell you to take out only those users who did not participate in the pit raid? But why are you holding on to the strict Mercenary Lord? I swear a lot while doing this… . “No, you didn’t swear!”
Suddenly, Lee Jong-hak raised his voice.
“But our Clan Lord, once he gets angry, he’s really scary! Do you understand? No, you wouldn’t know! “I’m not the only one who has experienced it!”
Jong-hak Lee keeps repeating the word “a lot” and pounding his chest in frustration.
… Yeah, I know that too. In an emotionless voice, Han So-young carefully recites each and every mistake she made, and while she looks on blankly… . hmm. It’s a little scary.
“Wouldn’t it have been better if I told you the facts? “The user Lee Jong-hak didn’t come to me, but I came and asked for it myself.”
“Yes, of course! Of course! I definitely said that! But when you say that, do you know what you are saying? No matter how much it was, did you take it lightly? and!”
Lee Jong-hak, who was suddenly complaining(?), suddenly stopped talking and suddenly lowered his face to look as expressionless as possible. And then… .
for a moment. What about that face?
“Anyway, isn’t it user Lee Jong-hak who gave permission? So, don’t try to pass the blame onto Mercenary Lord for no reason. … “I mean, you’ve been criticized again like this!”
Lee Jong-hak bellowed in a slightly high-pitched, low-pitched voice, as if imitating Han So-young’s speaking style. He almost burst out laughing for a moment, but could barely hold it back. There’s no way Han So-young could have said something like that, but it was quite funny to think that she did.
“Do you know why I’m really angry?”
Lee Jong-hak’s mouth didn’t stop once he opened his mouth, as if he was trying to vent his anger.
“Oh yeah. No matter how harsh the world is, people can still worry in their lives. By the way. These days, my sides are so cold that I feel like I’m dying, but if you two are so hot, this is it!”
“… yes?”
“Damn it, long live the solo unit! hurray! hurray!”
“… … .”
… Suddenly, I heard words that were quite out of focus, but I had no choice but to remain still. It was because the voice shouting for independence was too sad to tackle.
Lee Jong-hak, who committed suicide in such a large way, said, “Hmm.” He immediately cleared his throat awkwardly and his face blushed.
“… Come to think of it, my colleagues are waiting for me. Well then, let’s go. Mercenary Road.”
“for a moment… .”
“I hope you understand my position.”
“… … .”
In the end, Lee Jong-hak bowed his head, turned around helplessly, and walked away. Without even being able to resolve each other’s misunderstandings.
I couldn’t catch Lee Jong-hak like that. No, I couldn’t catch it. I don’t know why, but I strongly felt that it shouldn’t be like that, that clearing up misunderstandings would be a process of killing Lee Jong-hak twice.
“… … .”
With Lee Jong-hak leaving, the morning schedule I had set up went awry.
Suddenly, the cool morning air is carried by the wind and passes by my body.
… Where should I go now? I don’t want to sit still like this, so I have to do something. Should we at least go to the casualty management center?
Suddenly, thoughts of Shin Jae-ryong and Helena crossed my mind. Although both suffered serious injuries, fortunately they received appropriate treatment and their lives were not in danger.
That’s not all. Tonight, I heard from a messenger from the management office that he had finally come to his senses. Although the two complained of mild dizziness as soon as they woke up, they couldn’t say much. (The priest said that stability was the top priority, so they were almost forced to come out.)
It’s a little early now, but I guess it’s okay for now.
Thinking like that, I immediately turned around and walked to the casualty management center. It wasn’t that difficult to find the tent where the two clan members were recovering, as I had already visited it once this morning.
“Uh, Clan Lord?”
However, the moment I slipped into the tent, I had to face a slightly unexpected situation.
There is no sign of where Helena has gone, and she is fast asleep, with Ansol taking her place. And on the makeshift bed next to me, Shin Jae-ryong was staring at me with his upper body raised. Judging from the bowl of food resting on his thigh, he was probably in the middle of a meal.
“Well, please come in.”
Shin Jae-ryong hurriedly wiped his mouth and quietly put the dishes away and spoke. Since it was like this, I thought it would look a little different if I left here, so I decided to go in without hesitation. Still, I feel a little sorry, so I guess I should leave early.
“It’s still very early. “You must be very hungry.”
“yes. I starved all day, so what can I do? ha ha ha.”
When I sat down on the outside of the bed and spoke, he smiled with an embarrassed expression on his face. When she saw Shin Jae-ryong’s flawless smile, she felt a little uncomfortable in her heart, but she barely suppressed it and forced a smile.
“It’s a good thing. “Wanting to eat is a sign that you are healthy.”
“yes. I think so too. Oh, did the Clan Lord eat?”
Sudden question. For an instant, my heart ached.
strictly speaking… . It’s not that I haven’t eaten at all, but I’ve only had a drink or two. I had no appetite and the food was difficult to swallow, so I couldn’t eat it well.
“just… . “It’s not time to eat yet.”
“Hmm. Of course it is. “But it looks like they’re ready for you to eat here at any time.”
“It’s the casualty management center. Oops. “Anyway, where has Helena gone?”
“Miss Helena, you don’t have to worry. “After she woke up, she kept complaining that she was dizzy and stuffy, and eventually she went out to go for a walk.”
“Like you said, there’s no need to worry.”
“haha… . Oh, Miss Sol just fell asleep. “She’s probably very tired from nursing us all night.”
Hmm, I see. Nursing all night.
Now that I think about it, I have something to talk about with Ansol… . Still, it might not be possible right now.
okay. Anyway, the second attack has just been completed. It won’t be too busy for a while, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take your time.
After looking at the sleeping Ansol for a moment, breathing evenly, I turned my gaze back to Shin Jae-ryong.
“Anyway, I’m glad it looks good. “Hyun-i was especially worried.”
“Gosh, I thought I was going to be hated. Still, I’m glad you were concerned. ha ha ha.”
I have now decided to move away. If you can eat or go for a walk, it is safe to say that you have almost recovered. I will probably be able to fully return by tomorrow, so I can just take care of the remaining work, or rather, the work that needs to be done then.
At least for now, I want to let you rest well.
I slowly got up.
“uh. Are you waking up?”
I nodded my head when he asked me if I was already going.
“yes. Rest is still a priority, and the food will get cold. “I’m sorry for interrupting your meal.”
“ah… . wait a minute. Clan Lord.”
“yes?”
“Before you go… . Actually, I have one question. “Can I ask you something?”
Shin Jae-ryong quickly opened his mouth. It was a voice that seemed a little urgent, but urgent.
Anyway, there was nothing to be concerned about, so I lightly bobbed my chin.
“sure. “Tell me.”
“that is… .”
“… … ?”
“By any chance, when you saved me, did you see any other users around?”
Another user?
I felt puzzled and fell into deep thought.
Was it there?
no. does not exist.
I may not have seen it because I was concentrating on Shin Jae-ryong, but from what I felt at the time, there was only one sign that I could see.
“I’m not sure, but I don’t think there was one. At least around here.”
“hmm… . Is that so… .”
Is something going on? Suddenly, a ray of sadness appeared on Shin Jae-ryong’s face. But that was only for a moment.
“All right. “I’m sorry for asking you something pointless.”
Shin Jae-ryong, who immediately smiled bitterly, cleared away the shadowy darkness and nodded his head calmly.
I shrugged to show that it didn’t matter.
“and… .”
And just as I was about to leave the tent.
“Thank you so much for saving me. Clan Lord.”
Once more, Shin Jae-ryong’s voice continued.
Thank you for saving me.
For a moment, I had no idea how to react, but before I could even think about it, it came out.
“… … .”
A severe feeling of exhaustion comes over my entire body, as if my entire body is suddenly losing strength. At the same time, her mind became more complicated.
However, even though I felt like I was staggering little by little, I forced myself to move my legs.
… Where should I go now?
No, before that, why am I wandering around like this since morning?
Time passes.
While I was walking aimlessly in a dazed mood, I suddenly caught my eye on an awkwardly erected fence. Before we knew it, we had reached the outskirts of the campsite.
When I tilt my head and look up at the sky, I can see the blue sky slowly dawning. It was still a bit hazy as dawn had not yet set.
I slowly sat down on the fence, took out a piece of tobacco, and put it in my mouth. And then I quietly fell into thought.
A dream I had this morning.
And thoughts about it.
In fact, it was something I didn’t really want to face. So she may have been intentionally wandering and trying to avoid it.
Because it was something related to my inner self.
From the first round to now the second round.
I have killed many guilty users, but I have also killed innocent users.
I have saved the lives of my colleagues, but I have lost them just as many times.
As I repeatedly experienced such processes, internal wounds that could not be erased arose.
In order to endure the scars that kept getting carved up, I had to find a way to live on my own.
It was probably from then on.
It was about drawing a line, dividing things into black and white, and starting to relate users to tools.
That’s how a set of values was born, and I have used it as my own motto and have been active in this world called Hol Plain.
When I returned for the second car, there was only one thing on my mind.
A kind of goal of unconditionally focusing only on my brother and Han So-young.
Anything else doesn’t matter.
In other words, it was true that other users actually thought of it as a kind of means to achieve that goal.
But yesterday, I saved Shin Jae-ryong.
Of course, no one would think it was wrong. There is no disagreement about the result itself, which I also sought.
However, what I really wanted to take issue with was the process of rescuing Shin Jae-ryong.
at that time.
So, when I found out that Ansol’s miracle, which I thought was a precautionary measure, was in vain and the clan members were not coming back. He had no thoughts in his mind. No, I just thought I had to save them.
But that wasn’t the case.
‘Merchionary Road. You need to think a little more rationally.’
What Yoo Ji-tae said was not wrong. He had to think at least a little about whether he could be saved and whether it was worth saving and then move.
Even when using elixir, he didn’t hesitate at all.
‘I will save my clan members, don’t you know what this means?’
okay. At the time, he was obsessed with the idea that he had to survive, so he didn’t know much, but maybe there was a different future. Saving Shin Jae-ryong and saving Elixir is, in my opinion, the best future.
But ironically, that choice had the best outcome: Shin Jae-ryong’s survival. If there had been even a moment of delay in the entire process of seeking, it would have resulted in irreversible results.
The sense of disconnect that came from there was driving me crazy.
I feel it only now that everything is over. The values that have supported me up until now and my behavior at that time are 180 degrees different. The difference between them becomes stark and the gap is finally revealed.
Other users might think nothing of it and applaud, but… . That gap was, to me, an absolutely terrible contradiction. It feels like something that has been holding me up in this hell until now is completely falling apart.
… Actually, I don’t know either. Why am I doing this?
Why did you act so proud in front of Anhyun when you were going to do this?
Chiik, chiik.
“… huh?”
Suddenly, I looked down at the slightly warmer energy, and before I knew it, I could see that the embers that had burned until the end of the year had reached my finger. I guess I thought about it too long.
When I came back to my senses, I suddenly felt a burning sensation in my throat and a dizzy sensation hovering over my forehead.
Come to think of it, have you ever had a proper rest since getting out of the pit?
“… “Ugh.”
Who are you criticizing? It’s my fault.
I sighed, but for now I threw away the tobacco and stomped on it. And just as I was about to take out an additional piece of tobacco and look down to check, I lowered my head without realizing it.
And that moment.
“uh.”
Suddenly, the dizziness became more severe, and I felt extreme dizziness and sudden fainting.
Tuk!
Almost at the same time, some hot liquid flowed down the philtrum and landed on the ground.
A small, red blood stain. When I reflexively scan my nose, blood stains appear on the back of my hand.
The moment I confirmed it was a nosebleed, I felt pathetic. A feeling of tightness wells up in her chest.
“really… .”
Thinking of first calming down the dizziness, I slowly raised my hand and cupped my forehead.
“what… . Is it like this… .”
And, unable to overcome the rushing water, he closed his eyes.
—————————= Review of the work ——————– ——-=
The next episode goes at midnight.
fantasy,
