Chapter 152: Victor's Dilemma (1) |
Victor wanted to tell his family everything.
How he had been held captive by KF for a year, the brutal humiliations he endured, and the countless atrocities he witnessed.
He wanted to share all that he had experienced with his family without holding anything back.
But he couldn’t do that now.
“Sophia has, you know, ranked first in her district again.”
“How proud I am. She even has a rare job as a Guardian.”
The sister he had worried might fall behind was actually living better than he expected.
‘No, not just better; she’s totally nailing life, isn’t she?’
She was achieving district rankings with ease, something he had never managed.
Despite his worries, the fact that she was doing well brought both relief and a sense of emptiness.
He looked up at his parents, noticing their faces brighten.
How could they not be delighted to hear about their daughter thriving in the other world?
‘They look so happy, how can I say I was captured by KF and went through hell…’
It felt like throwing ashes into already cooked rice, so he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
Then his parents asked him directly.
“Victor, what happened to you? Why haven’t we heard from you for a whole year?”
“Ah… well, that is…”
As Victor debated whether to share his grim story, he finally decided.
Better not to spoil the mood.
“I, uh, took a trip abroad.”
“What? A trip?”
Shocked by his unexpected response, his parents exclaimed.
“Is that true? I thought you had been kidnapped by KF and were dead!”
“Ha, ha… KF? What time do you think this is…”
“So you just went on a nice trip?”
“And why didn’t you call?”
“I lost my phone…”
“How can you just not contact us? We were worried!”
Victor bowed his head deeply.
“I’m sorry. I had so much on my mind, wondering whether I should continue being a doctor and other concerns, I just wanted to get away. You know, just drop everything and leave.”
The parents’ faces immediately showed concern.
“…Depression, or something?”
“Yes… I’ve been feeling quite troubled. It’s embarrassing at my age, late twenties.”
“So you went traveling here and there?”
“Yes. I just wandered wherever my feet took me. When I ran out of money, I’d get a job and start working. Once I had money again, I’d travel…”
Once he started, the lies flowed easily.
Initially shocked, his parents seemed to accept his words as he elaborated.
‘Yes, it’s better to say I traveled because of depression than to admit being kidnapped by KF.’
It was a white lie, hoping his family would worry less.
“That’s good then. Have you sorted out your feelings now?”
“Yes. Now, I’ll never leave again. After all, there’s no place like home.”
“It’s good you realize that now.”
“Sophia is also doing well as a player, so you should focus and do your best too.”
“Yes, I will.”
Victor replied with a bittersweet feeling.
“By the way, where did Sophia go?”
“She got a commercial deal and went off to shoot.”
“Ah… really?”
“How happy she’ll be to know you’re back, huhu.”
Seeing his parents smile so broadly made Victor feel reassured about his decision.
“I’ll go check out my room; it’s been a while.”
“Go ahead.”
Returning to his room after a year, Victor closed the door and sighed.
‘It worked out. My sister and family aren’t suffering as much as I worried.’
He had wanted to see his family at least once before dying, and now his wish was fulfilled.
Now, there were no regrets left in his heart.
Rather, it turned out for the better.
Free of regrets, ready to leave.
‘I’m sick of endless survival games. I just want to rest now.’
Better to end his life surrounded by family than keep struggling to survive.
That year of captivity had left Victor physically and spiritually weakened.
“Son, you must be hungry; I’ve made food. Eat.”
“Yes!”
Enjoying a decent meal for the first time in a long time, they shared the stories they hadn’t been able to.
And in the evening, Victor was able to reunite with his sister who returned late at night.
“Oh, brother!”
“Sophia!”
They hugged each other, tears welling up in their eyes.
It was rare, but they had always gotten along well, hardly ever fighting.
“Where have you been, brother! I’ve been looking everywhere!”
“Ahaha, well, that’s…”
Sweating profusely, Victor again resorted to a white lie.
“What an unusual excuse! You just vanished on a trip without leaving a single message!”
“Uh, the same complaint from you and our parents, huh?”
“We were worried! We thought you were surely dead! Especially with all the upheavals!”
“I thought you were gone too. Who would’ve thought you’d survive up to Round 9…”
“Brother, didn’t you hear? I ranked first from Round 1. Of course, just in my district. The overall district is dominated by that player called Black Scythe. You know, if you’re a player, Black Scythe.”
“Oh? Oh…”
Did I know?
I’ve spoken with Black Scythe, saved by his terrifying force, and seen his formidable strength up close.
“Don’t you think that the player called Black Scythe is really something? I heard his level is incredibly high.”
“Yes, impressive indeed.”
“I heard he’s a player from Korea. Have you been there?”
“Ha, Korea? Black Scythe is a Korean player?”
“Yes. Didn’t you know? It’s all over the news. He’s working there as the captain of a squad called CPF, catching criminal players.”
“Oh, is that so.”
I didn’t know.
Having been in a place where I couldn’t even see a cellphone for a year.
‘So he’s been exterminating criminals there too?’
A new respect emerged for Black Scythe, who continued his efforts to eliminate crime in his own country.
“What about you, how did you survive all this time? What’s your job?”
“Me? I’m an Alchemist.”
“An Alchemist? There’s such a job?”
“I’d like to ask the same. What exactly does a Guardian do?”
As they inquired about the things they didn’t know about each other, time flew by.
Having already been close siblings, their bond deepened with the common ground of being players.
As the happy time passed and midnight approached, Victor lay in bed, deep in thought about his future.
‘From our talk, it seems Sophia doesn’t need to be worried about. She’s managing fine on her own.’
She was receiving respect in both the real world and the other realm.
While he was struggling desperately while captured by KF.
‘Riki has been taken care of by Mr. Marcus, and the other kids are safe too. Black Scythe has wiped out all the KFS monsters tormenting me.’
Everything seemed to be falling into place.
There was nothing left to worry about.
‘Then why does my heart feel so empty?’
Is it because of the harsh treatment under KF?
Or because my soul has worn out from watching the acts of those monsters every day?
Lost in thought, Victor stared blankly at the ceiling.
So engrossed that he didn’t notice the tapping at his window.
Thump-thump-thump-
“Huh?”
I'm currently Translating the following novels: Pick Me Up! | A Frontline Soldier Awakened as a Gamer In The War! | The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player. If you want to support me and read more chapters please subscribe to my Patreon!