RE: Player again

320

[Chapter 101] [Even If You Mix Blood with Blood (6)]

He didn't intend to kill all those on his hit list.

Because reinforcements would arrive from nearby administrative districts when dawn breaks.

The night-time ambush would have to stop by then.

So he had to kill as many as he could, then approach the students as if nothing had happened.

It's okay, this isn't the last chance to kill them.

Eunha decided not to be hasty.

There were still many opportunities left to change the future.

This incident was just the first button to seriously change the future.

"...E-Eunha?"

"Hello?"

""""......!!""""

Violent Venom

So he was killing those who needed to be killed first among those on his hit list.

He skipped over targets who had ghost spider silk attached but were of lower importance and in difficult situations to kill.

However, he killed those who absolutely had to be killed without feeling guilty, even if there were innocent people nearby.

He had no intention of leaving witnesses alive.

I need to create a situation for Im Gaeul to stabilize her regime by killing those close to the government.

Those who needed to be killed with top priority were children of high-ranking government officials and those whose parents maintained close relationships with the government.

Among them, children of those who would show antipathy towards the Fairy government in the future.

Or students who would become like that in the future, or students with parents who would change like that in the future.

"...Sa-save me...! Why are you doing this! What did I do wrong..."

"I-I did everything wrong! So please spare me!"

"...Ah.... Why on earth..."

Eunha looked down at three students kneeling on the ground with wet pants.

Those who would have been their friends were already collapsed, bleeding profusely.

They would soon be like that too.

"Tsk, this is what happens when the country falls... One had held onto a constituency for generations, one tried to bring in power from abroad... And one—"

"""...."""

The three students had dumbfounded faces with tears streaming down.

One seemed to understand Eunha's words referring to his father, while one was just gaping, not knowing about a future that hadn't happened yet.

And the last one—

"—His crime was being next to these guys."

Eunha bestowed death upon a student he didn't even know.

Then he quickly beheaded the other two before they could react.

He pondered how to dispose of the corpses, but decided to leave them to the monsters as he sensed their presence approaching nearby.

The world was once destroyed by monsters, and humanity met its natural enemy in monsters.

And coincidentally, humans sometimes learned ways to coexist with monsters.

Since I don't know exactly who opposes the Fairy in the current government, I have no choice but to kill based on the future.

It's been 10 years since the Fairy government was established.

The Fairy's existence became hope, but those who held high positions in the government, which was virtually in a state of anarchy before the Fairy government was established, still remained.

If they had driven them all out, they wouldn't have been able to stabilize the country.

Moreover, they even had the existing privileged class in their grasp.

They had to drive out those with many faults appropriately, and turn a blind eye to those who weren't.

As a result, those who retained their positions didn't like a woman much younger than themselves standing above them.

The wise ones revered the Fairy, while pigs blinded by their own desires tried to put the Fairy under their feet at any time.

For now, I'll hold off on people entering the Mana Management Agency or those whose parents are related to that side...

The Fairy's power comes from the "Blessing", and because there is "Blessing", people could recognize her as the head of state.

In a world where the sky had fallen, public sentiment was the will of heaven, and because there was public sentiment, the existing privileged class and players all had to acknowledge the Fairy's existence.

Above all, players who became the new privileged class in a once-destroyed world could solidify their position and establish order by supporting the Fairy who possessed the "Blessing".

For players who prioritized only ability, the Fairy who possessed the "Blessing" also had the legitimacy to reign over them.

To players, the Fairy was order, thus the Korean Mana Management Agency became an institution that could control them, and the Twelve Seats gained the qualification to set things right.

That's why the officials of the Mana Management Agency generally accepted the Fairy's existence more positively compared to other government agencies or organizations.

For now, there was no need to clean up the Mana Management Agency.

The Mana Management Agency and the Twelve Seats turning their swords on the Fairy was only in the distant future.

However, in this life, such a future would become a future that wouldn't happen.

Because players who had been a definite power for the Fairy wouldn't turn their backs as long as the government functioned.

Above all—

I should take this opportunity to thoroughly dry up the connections to the Prosecutor's Office.

—Because by then, he would have become a player.

☆

Lee Gukjong, Middle School Academy instructor.

He was actually a Japanese-Korean.

At the time, his mother, who was traveling in Korea, found herself unable to return to her home country and relied on his father whom she met then.

And his mother fell for his father who treated her generously in a dystopian world where she couldn't even speak Korean properly.

To the extent that when she could return to Japan as time passed, she naturalized to Korea and held a wedding ceremony with his father.

Kieeek─!!

However, Lee Gukjong, born that way, had to suffer discrimination from a young age for the non-reason of being a foreigner's child.

Although it's somewhat better now, the world before the Fairy government was established had strong antipathy towards foreigners who got stranded in foreign countries due to the sudden great calamity.

People wanted to vent their resentment about the world's destruction somewhere, and foreigners who couldn't receive proper protection from the state could be targets to release emotions on.

Lee Gukjong was born Korean, but he didn't receive treatment as a Korean until he was recognized as a player.

"Mo-mom─!!"

"Get a grip! Grab a sword and run behind me right now! There should be players back there!"

However, even after becoming a player, he who still couldn't escape the frame of being a foreigner gave up on remaining a player.

He decided to become an academy instructor while hiding his identity from students, using his appearance that looked Korean.

It was also because he had faced the wall of talent and liked children.

Above all, because he liked teaching someone rather than killing someone.

"...Is this as far as I go."

So he stubbornly made a path for students to escape, and even returned to danger for students who hadn't escaped yet.

After making nearby students escape, he now quietly murmured after confirming that there was no one around except himself.

Right in front of him, 7th tier monsters were swarming.

Now he had to buy time while blocking them so that the escaped students could leave this place.

Even if it meant burning this life.

If he could die for the students, he would face this death honorably.

Still, I wanted to visit Japan once before dying...

He couldn't block all the monsters.

He had to let a few pass.

I hope the students don't fall victim to the monsters I missed.

He firmly gripped his sword with a broken blade, dripping blood.

"You damn bastards─!!"

Lee Gukjong let out a battle cry.

If there was something he wished for before dying, it was to visit his mother's hometown that she sought last on her deathbed.

However, he couldn't fulfill his mother's wish on her behalf.

Because he would die here.

So, mother.

—I'm sorry...

"...Huh?"

His mana hit rock bottom.

Just when he thought he couldn't hold on any longer.

Suddenly, a flying sword strike split a leaping monster in half.

Lee Gukjong, covered in blood splashed towards him, couldn't come to his senses at the sudden situation.

He only blinked his eyes a few times.

Thousand Step

Sword Dance

The monsters that had been surrounding him were instantly killed.

"...Wh-what...?"

Who could have launched that sword strike?

Lee Gukjong blankly stared at the figure disappearing into the darkness.

Wondering if he was dreaming right now.

Then, after coming to his senses, he savored the joy of being alive.

☆

What?

It was Instructor Lee Gukjong?

Eunha thought about the academy instructor he had just saved while running through the darkness.

He knew that one academy instructor had died before the regression, and it seems it was Instructor Lee Gukjong.

Though not certain.

The incident he caused this time was much larger in scale than before the regression, and the future had changed to the extent that so many people died.

It was impossible to know whether the instructor who died in the previous life was Instructor Lee Gukjong or not.

For Eunha, he was just curious about the person facing a horde of monsters alone, so he helped while passing by.

If it had been a student, he would have thought about recruiting them, but since it was an instructor, he decided to lose interest.

He didn't care what happened to him, though it seemed he didn't have much internal mana left.

According to the ghost spider's thread, it should be around here...

Rather, Eunha decided to look for those he needed to kill.

The ghost spider's web was emitting a strong light in this area.

Before long, he discovered a green light shimmering in the forest.

...Why are there so many people there?

Students in groups, unaware that ghost spider silk was attached to their bodies.

There were no instructors, and players were battling monsters chasing after them.

It seemed he didn't need to worry about the players.

The problem was that only two out of about ten students grouped together were those who needed to be killed.

This is inefficient...

Eunha frowned deeply.

The students seemed to be calmly manifesting their internal mana to enhance their vision even while being chased by monsters.

Since the surroundings weren't that dark, he couldn't launch a surprise attack by hiding in the darkness.

In the end, he had to kill all of them, which was the height of inefficiency for Eunha.

Above all, among the students, he vaguely saw the figure of Hoshimiya Kaede.

She was the only one using a bow in the academy.

"4 o'clock direction! Watch out for that side!"

"...Hoshimiya! Help me here!"

"Wait. After I make a path..."

As he got a little closer, he could hear snippets of conversation.

He wondered how they were so calm, but it turned out Hoshimiya Kaede, with her talent as a ranger, was commanding them.

Her figure shooting Korean traditional bows at creatures hiding on the escape route was blossoming with talent at this moment.

Eunha quietly admired her archery skills.

That's when—

—Good instincts?

Hoshimiya Kaede turned around and shot an arrow towards Eunha himself.

Even though he had concealed his presence as much as possible, she keenly sensed his existence.

"—Come out."

Hoshimiya Kaede, who had cleared the surroundings, spoke while still aiming at the tree.

Eunha had no choice but to come down from the tree.

"Eunha!?"

"Why were you there!?"

"Geez, you scared me."

The students who had been on guard thinking it was a monster looked like they had aged ten years when they saw Eunha.

They didn't seem to care why he was here or why he was hiding in a tree.

However, Hoshimiya Kaede was different.

She still hadn't released her hand pulling the bowstring.

"Why were you there?"

"Because it's easier to move in trees."

At first, Hoshimiya Kaede hesitated when she realized the identity that fell from the tree wasn't a monster but a person.

Then, after confirming Eunha's identity, she secretly felt relieved.

And now she was hardening her face while suspecting him.

He casually replied that it was no big deal.

"Hoshimiya! What are you doing to Eunha right now!?"

"That's right! Now that Eunha is with us, escaping will be easier!"

"This isn't the time to fight!"

The students stopped her.

Eunha continued his interrupted words to her who was still wary of him.

"I was in the middle of saving people who couldn't escape nearby. That's how I discovered you guys."

"You, a student? With what qualification?"

"I don't think it's something I can't do."

"......"

Hoshimiya still couldn't shake off her suspicion.

Eunha, realizing he couldn't dispel her wariness in this situation, decided to retreat from his position.

Of course, while intercepting her words so she couldn't interrogate him.

"Since you're here, this place should be fine. I'll go check if there are people who couldn't escape, just in case."

"...Why don't we go together?"

Then Eunha laughed inwardly.

When he tried to leave, her face was tinged with bewilderment.

Now that he looked, her hand holding the Korean traditional bow was trembling slightly.

No matter how talented she was, it seemed she was inwardly worried when placed in a real combat situation for the first time.

She had an unexpectedly cute side.

He didn't know in his previous life.

"No, it's fine. You guys go ahead first. If you run straight in that direction, you shouldn't encounter any monsters."

"...Alright."

He appropriately persuaded those who expressed wanting to go together.

Hoshimiya Kaede, who finally lowered her bow, sighed.

"Then I'll see you later."

"I wish you good luck."

Come to think of it, this was the first time Eunha had a conversation with Hoshimiya Kaede in this life.

He promised to meet again.

She casually wished him good luck.

Eventually, Eunha, who left the place, confirmed from afar that she was advancing in the direction he had pointed.

Sorry for lying.

Actually, monsters were gathering in the direction she was going.

Because Eunha had fought there.

Creatures that smelled blood would be gathering from the surroundings.

Even Hoshimiya Kaede, sensitive to presences, wouldn't have considered creatures coming down from far away.

Surely her group would encounter monsters.

It was unknown how many would survive.

Most would die.

One thing he could be certain of—

—But you will live.

Hoshimiya Kaede would survive.

That experience would make her stronger.