154 – Training by the Returner (15)
“Huh?”
“Oh?”
The elevator door closed before the other players could react properly. What you need to worry about from now on is taking care of the aftermath. I think I can handle the three of them roughly… Is it only necessary to persuade women with short hair?
Wow.
The elevator moves whether I am lost in thought or not. After some time passed, the door slowly opened, and before the black mannequin holding the club could properly stand up.
Awesome! Pop!
The dwarven sword I threw pierced the top of the mannequin’s head, and the elevator door, which could not be opened completely, closed again. Shouldn’t you just throw a luxury sword? I’m going to regress anyway. The advantage of a returner is that you don’t have to skimp on items.
Wait a minute, what if other players attack me? Should I pull out that knife again?
Wow.
But before I could react, the elevator started moving again. I succeeded in the test speed run, but lost my sword. f*ck it, I should have just taken him down quietly instead of bragging.
After about 30 seconds. Whether I had a sword or not, the elevator door opened again, and four players with mysterious expressions were waiting for me.
“No, isn’t 1 a bit low?”
“What are we going to do now?”
At first glance, they seemed angry, but their expressions were complex and subtle. Still, do you still have a conscience? They seem to understand that it is not their situation to criticize me.
“Hey. Aren’t you in a situation where you can’t even feed one person? Yes? “Can I raise my voice like that?”
“… “
I have confirmed that I am far ahead in terms of force, and it is also true that they have no conscience. It seemed like I wouldn’t be able to wake up in the first place, so the act of asking me to do it just a little bit was crazy.
“No, if you do this… “Aren’t we all going to die?”
“It’s not right for everyone to die together… “
That’s why players say things with a lower voice. They too were aware that test failure = death.
“Who says you die if you fail the test?”
“… Yes?”
“That may not necessarily be the case.”
＜12Th floor＞
-Pass a total of three ‘tests’. A person may only participate in each test once, and no reward will be given if the final test is failed.
-All rewards are given individually after clearing the 12th floor.
“If we all choose [1] Difficulty level, we can live. “If you fail the test, you won’t receive any compensation, and nowhere does it say that you will die.”
However, this can be done by explaining the blind spots in the rules that I have realized. Could it be that I’m wrong? Couldn’t failing a test mean death? Then you have to go back. For now, I have no choice but to believe that my hypothesis is correct.
“Can I survive even if I fail the test?”
“If that’s the case… “
A man with moles and a man with acne were visibly relieved after hearing my explanation. From the beginning, these people seem to have been trying to survive.
“Yeah, but if you fail the last test, you won’t get all the rewards…” “
On the other hand, the woman with glasses still seems to have some regrets. Clearly, it states that no compensation will be given if the final test is failed. This means that the rewards earned in the first and second tests will not be awarded.
“So, are you going to do what everyone else does?”
“… All right.”
But this too could only be shot down by reminding her how conscienceless she was. You’re saying it’s not your situation to criticize me?
Of course, there is one person who is free from all these responsibilities.
“… “What about me?”
This is a woman with short hair. So far, she has been faithfully eating one portion, and has not done anything problematic, such as passing responsibility to me. Of course, if it weren’t for me, I probably wouldn’t have passed this test anyway… Still, it would definitely be unfair from her perspective.
To be honest, there was no need for me to feel her debt to her.
“Take this.”
“What is this? L… uh?”
“It’s precious, so take it for now.”
To make her situation go smoothly, she invested her precious elixir in her. Please keep it precious until I return.
“Now, let’s think positively. If anything, I would have been lost here, but I’m going to get out with my life saved, right?
“… All right.”
As if my persuasion had worked, the players entered the elevator one after another. If things go to the worst here… The last person may be forced to cover all remaining numbers and enter [126].
[1]
However, fortunately or unfortunately, number entry did not work until the last person entered. Finally, when the short-haired woman came out, the number on the elevator dashboard was [125].
“… “
“… “
Is it just a test failure? Or is this also a clear in its own way? The moment I swallowed my saliva without realizing it.
From Noble mtl dot com
-All tests passed. However, the last test failed.
-No compensation is given as a penalty.
-Cleared the 12th floor.
“Whoa.”
“I lived, I lived.”
A blue portal appears in the center of the room. Okay, now that I think about it, she said to ‘pass’ all the tests, she didn’t say ‘succeed’. Fortunately, my hypothesis was correct.
“Then, I’m leaving.”
Without checking the reactions of other players, I threw myself straight into the blue portal. This lab-like interior made me feel mentally ill. I want to go home as soon as possible.
After quickly passing through the portal twice, I finally saw the familiar scene of my living room. Now that I look at it, the air seems to taste a little different. The air in my room is slightly more humid, but it still has a cozy taste. Yeah, this is it.
But where did Jiwon go? Traces of her remained here and there, but she herself was nowhere to be seen. The moment when I, slightly embarrassed, froze.
Beep beep beep beep. The sound of a door lock coming from the front door.
“… “You’re here!”
Choi Ji-won, holding a convenience store bag in one hand and a bag in the other, looks at me and her eyes widen. I guess I pulled out the buzzer halfway because I thought it might be an intruder other than me.
“Junho!”
Choi Ji-won carefully placed Bungboong in the front door and immediately hugged me. Yes, I missed this texture and this scent.
“What happened? What took you so long? You were worried….”
“That… “
Choi Ji-won, who smells fragrant as if she just washed her face. Her complexion looks a little haggard, but her skin is white and her clothes are clean.
Thank goodness. I also thought Choi Ji-won was overly worried, but her condition was better than expected. The emotional distress wasn’t that bad. As soon as she felt relieved to see Choi Ji-won, her eyes closed and she fell into sleep.
“That… I have a lot to talk about. Shall we sleep for a bit and talk? You seem to be in good condition too….”
“Uh, uh… okay. Okay. “Sleep well.”
She hugs Choi Ji-won tightly in her arms and lies down on the bed. This warmth that escapes from the extraordinary and returns to the everyday. The familiar scent of a pillow. A soft blanket. My brain, which had been aching from stress all along, finally stopped working.
“… I kept taking care of it because I didn’t know when you would come, you idiot… “
I fell into a deep sleep.
**
Two days since I cleared the 12th floor. Choi Ji-won and I focused on resting without asking each other anything. Eat delicious food, go out to see fun things, and buy interesting things on the street. When it comes to resting, there are two types of resting: ‘hard’ resting and ‘relaxed’ resting, and we rested diligently. Two days felt so short.
After repeating the same actions in a small space, I was happy to spend time with my loved one. Yes, this is life.
“Wow, I guess I’ll buy something now.”
It was only then that I felt that my mind and body were sufficiently stable that I told the story of what happened on the 12th floor. It took 11 days for someone else to come in. After suffering endlessly because of a liar, I finally remembered the option of ‘running away’ and ended up here. Choi Ji-won listened to my story, nodding her head repeatedly, and sympathized with me.
If it’s long, if it’s long, if it’s short, if it’s short, the story is over and Choi Ji-won looks at me with slightly red eyes.
“… “You had a hard time.”
As she gently hugged me, I closed my eyes and enjoyed her touch. Happy.
“More than that, Junho.”
“Huh?”
“Now that I’m telling you, I have a gift prepared for you.”
Choi Ji-won gently wipes away a single tear and takes out her cell phone and inputs a Todododog text message. After some time, she received a call on her phone. The word ‘Association’ is written on the cell phone screen.
“I thought about what I could do while you were gone.”
Choi Ji-won holds out her ringing cell phone in front of me and gently shakes it from side to side.
“So, the story progressed right up until I became a player in the association. “To the extent that there is no problem if you refuse.”
“No way… “
“That’s right.”
That’s right.
“Information. “You needed it, right?”
Thanks to Choi Ji-won’s work, we are now able to extract the association’s information by repeating the regression.