Chapter 92 |
Despite blocking every possible entrance, 31 otherworlders have died.
“…”
Unconsciously, my gaze turned to Yoon Joonghyun. No damage, he said... Did he use them as meat shields?
“…No. All the players were under control. That couldn’t have happened.”
“The killer was a monster. Not the players.”
Understanding the meaning in my eyes, Yoon Joonghyun vehemently denied my insinuation. Sir Thomas also supported his words.
“…The hastily blocked passage was the issue. We used such large chunks that there were small gaps.”
Sir Thomas spoke as he looked at the castle.
Unlike the other tightly sealed passages, the one hurriedly blocked right before the monsters arrived had small gaps between the stones.
“…It was a monster that looked like a cat. It had three pairs of eyes and was about the size of a ten-year-old child.”
However, the enemy is not human. Therefore, it is not bound by common sense.
The gap was narrow, but enough for a small, flexible monster to pass through.
“We killed a total of twelve monsters. Seven were injured. Thirty-one died. We were complacent, thinking the inside of the castle was safe, and our vigilance was weak... The majority of the deaths occurred before the soldiers arrived.”
“…”
I reiterate, all the players are superhuman. Having reached the fourth floor, even the weakest player is stronger than an average person.
Hence, we forgot. How terrifying monsters can be to ordinary people.
“By any chance, the Baron…”
“The Baron is safe. However…”
Sir Thomas bit his lip, unable to continue. After taking a moment to compose himself, he finally finished his sentence.
“…I’m sorry. The Baron needs some time. If you have anything to convey, I will relay it to him.”
“…No. I’ll see him later.”
“…Yes. Then.”
Sir Thomas bowed his head and walked away. His winter coat was completely stained with blood.
“…”
When monsters die, their blood and fat disappear. But Sir Thomas’s clothes were drenched in blood.
The person must have passed away in his arms.
***
The monsters could no longer scale the walls, granting us a much-needed respite. About six hours passed, and it was now full daylight.
…To be blunt, the atmosphere between the players and the otherworlders was completely different.
“Wow, I leveled up by 10!”
“It was worth all the running around on the first day.”
“Let’s keep this momentum going!”
“Hey, hey, keep it down. They might hear you.”
The players, while not openly celebrating, were in a festive mood.
The defensive line had been steadily prepared since the first day. Blocking all the places where gates once stood, we managed to filter out the monster hordes, and by sealing the entrances of the castle, the frontline was narrowed.
Moreover, I personally handled one of the passages, so the remaining ninety-plus players could take turns guarding the last one. With such thorough preparation, it was natural that there were no casualties.
In addition, killing monsters meant farming experience points. Never before had so many monsters appeared from the tutorial to the third floor. If safety was assured, there would be no better hunting ground.
“Are you better now?”
“Thank you, thank you…”
Of course, it wasn’t so easy that those who chose the easiest routes in the tower – Silver tokens on the second floor, Level 1 difficulty on the third – could survive without injury. These were merely slightly stronger ordinary people, and the enemies were monsters.
But we had a healer, William Smith. His role was undoubtedly crucial in keeping the death toll at zero.
In summary, the mission of ‘survival’ had us all scared, but now it seems to not only give a lot of experience points, but the survival difficulty doesn’t seem that high. Some players even joked about wanting to stay beyond the five days.
“…My wife, my wife…”
“…No. No, you can’t…”
Conversely, the atmosphere among the otherworlders was indescribably grim.
There were three hundred otherworlders, of which fewer than twenty could fight. While the weapons wielded by the sturdy blacksmiths were somewhat threatening, they weren’t enough to easily subdue monsters. They were more akin to workers in an RTS game.
If monsters infiltrated, they would be utterly ravaged.
“…Shouldn’t we help them?”
Therefore, some players argued that we should assist the otherworlders. Notably, Baek Da-hye, the one with the buffer trait who always hung around the bespectacled man, suggested this.
“To be honest, we have some leeway. Later on, we were going to fight over who gets more experience points anyway. How about dispatching some people for defense? Or… maybe even lending them some magical tools from the second floor…”
As Baek Da-hye suggested, the players had some leeway thanks to thorough groundwork. Additionally, upon investigating the magical tools obtained from a hidden room on the second floor, they discovered many useful functions, such as creating barriers and releasing flashes of light.
“They’re people too; shouldn’t we help them a bit?”
Baek Da-hye’s words were entirely reasonable and made sense.
“Why should we?”
But this was inside the tower—a place where logic twisted.
“Aren’t they basically NPCs? Does anyone feel sad when minions die in a game? We should be thankful we didn’t use them as meat shields.”
Some didn’t see the otherworlders as people at all.
“It’s unfortunate, but it’s too early to say we’re safe. We survived today, but we still have two days left. How do we know if we’ll have leeway or not? What do we know about what’s coming next?”
Others refused out of a cautious sense of self-preservation.
“When we first formed the alliance, didn’t they agree to survive on their own? We’ve done our part. We shouldn’t feel guilty. It’s their fault for being too weak.”
It’s not wrong. When we first established the cooperative relationship, we considered the possibility of such events. The otherworlders must have mentally prepared themselves as well.
…However, the weight of death is entirely different when it becomes a reality.
***
The evening sun had set, and the sky was now a deep indigo.
Thud. Thud.
“…”
“…”
About twenty men, including Baron Jorge, were silently digging into the ground. The remaining otherworlders, now fewer than three hundred, watched the scene quietly.
Thud. Thud.
After some time, a pit was complete. Men carrying wooden planks covered with cloth walked over from the direction of the castle.
“Ailey. She was a bright child.”
Baron Jorge finally spoke.
“She was clumsy by nature, so she made many mistakes, but she was the best cook in our territory. It seemed like she just threw ingredients in without measuring, yet how did her dishes taste so good?”
They gently laid the cloth-wrapped body into the ground and covered it with soil. Though the earth was frozen and the men’s hands bled, none of them showed any sign of pain.
“Mickey. This guy had a hot temper but a warm heart. I thought he was always getting into fights, but one day, he caught a thief and brought him to justice.”
Another grave was filled. Even the players who dismissed the otherworlders as NPCs found it hard to watch and stepped away.
“Elyse.”
“Darren.”
“Michael.”
“Melissa.”
With each name called, another grave found its owner. By the time all the graves were filled...
“…May they rest in a better place.”
After a moment of silent prayer, Baron Jorge finally met my gaze.
“…Why have you come?”
“…”
I was going to ask, ‘Are you okay?’ But how could he be? A man who knew the names of each of his people couldn’t possibly be okay.
“Ah.”
Realizing something, Baron Jorge patted my shoulder.
“I know you did your best. It’s just… this damned place that’s wrong.”
Then he glanced around at the other otherworlders before looking back at me.
“…We need to talk among ourselves. Could you give us some space?”
“…”
I hadn’t come to offer comfort. I came to discuss future plans.
Unconsciously, I had thought, ‘I’ll save them next round.’
My eyes turned to the otherworlders, who were silently weeping. The deaths of others had shocked me, but not to the point of tears.
Why are they mourning?
Because once you die, it’s the end. You can never meet them again. That’s why humans fear and grieve death.
But not me.
When I regress, the dead walk around again as if nothing happened. Mistakes can be undone. With a bit of sacrifice, I can achieve the desired outcome. For others, death is unbearably heavy; for me, it is relatively light.
“I’ll see you tonight.”
…I have already ceased to mourn death.
***
The sun set, and darkness once again enveloped us. The moon was nowhere in sight, and the cries of beasts grew louder.
Rumble.
“…”
“…”
The walls began to shake. It was a familiar sensation by now.
-33 : 00 : 16
“The monsters are piling up. They’re faster this time.”
The second attack had begun.
– – – End of Chapter – – -
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