RE: Player again

314

[Chapter 100] [To Those Who Live Treading on Death (5)]

The first floor of the Red Dungeon Player Academy only had a wide open space near the area leading down to the second basement, while the rest was just various paths connected to the open space.

Before heading down to the second basement, they were only able to rest after finishing an intense battle with monsters that appeared in the open space.

"...I feel like I'm going to die now. My head is really dizzy."

"Originally, if you use teleportation magic incorrectly, dizziness can occur. Everyone starts like that at first, but it gets better as you get used to it."

"...Boss. You didn't tell me that."

"Was there any need to tell you something you'd experience anyway?"

Eunhyeok, who sat down on the red-stained floor, looked at Eunha and complained in a sulky voice.

Eunha shrugged his shoulders as he retorted.

He had forgotten to mention it, but he also wanted Eunhyeok to experience the pain he had gone through before his regression.

It's unfair if only I suffer.

If Eunhyeok had heard his inner thoughts, he might have suggested fighting without rank.

Giggling softly, he soon exchanged glances with Shin Seoyoung.

Shin Seoyoung, who nodded, called out to Bae Subin and Cha Eunwoo among the resting children.

"Good job, kids. Today's dungeon exploration ends here. We'll rest for a while and then leave the dungeon. And... Eunwoo and Subin, I have something to tell you, so would you follow me?"

"...Yes? Yes!"

"...Yes."

Among the students, Jin Parang was the most injured.

Eunwoo, who was treating Parang's wounds, hesitated for a moment when her name was called, then stood up with a loud voice.

It seemed she was excited at the thought of receiving teachings from the one known as a "Named" to the public.

"Hey! How can you just go like that!"

"...Ah. Sorry, oppa. But you'll heal quickly even if I leave you as is!"

Cha Eunwoo was so excited that she even abandoned Jin Parang, whom she was treating.

Then she turned to Jin Parang, who was hurriedly shouting at her, stuck out her tongue and apologized.

It was a sight that couldn't have been seen from last year's Cha Eunwoo.

Parang, who tried to hold her back in vain, was left in a pitiful state.

"Phew..."

Meanwhile, Bae Subin, who was drenched in sweat from using magic continuously, acted calmly.

She flicked back her sweat-soaked hair that was sticking to her cheeks, then followed behind Shin Seoyoung.

Shin Seoyoung, who had put some distance between herself and the resting children, turned her back and spoke to the two.

"I'll tell you in advance... if Eunha hadn't asked, I wouldn't have taught you."

""......"

Shin Seoyoung spoke coldly in advance.

Eunwoo and Subin's faces hardened.

Regardless, she continued speaking.

"To be frank, you do have talent. But that talent isn't enough to satisfy my eyes to the point where I want to teach you. Do you understand what this means?"

""......"

"It means that although you might be good now, someday you'll see many people who are better than you."

Shin Seoyoung had no intention of praising the two.

She wasn't the type to flatter others, and it was also about establishing dominance.

She didn't want to argue and have a battle of wills later when she wouldn't have much time to teach.

While she wasn't sure about Eunwoo, who seemed like she might cry if pushed a little, Subin, who had looked at her with evaluating eyes when they first met, might try to climb over her if she wasn't careful.

So she needed to break their spirit at the start. This was a lesson she had learned while being an instructor at the Academy.

"The reason I called you two despite this is because, unlike the other kids, it's a shame that you have talent but aren't using your abilities properly. So I'm going to give you advice on how to use magic efficiently today."

After finishing her introduction, Shin Seoyoung turned her head to look at Cha Eunwoo.

"First, Eunwoo. I've been watching for a while, and you tend to use too much mana unnecessarily. Not only is your spell formula crude, causing a lot of mana to leak out, but you're using mana beyond what's needed, which is wasteful."

"...Yes."

Eunwoo nodded vigorously.

Shin Seoyoung pointed out Eunwoo's problem and gave her a task suited to her.

Then Eunwoo scurried to the wall and manifested her internal mana to try the task Shin Seoyoung had given her.

"Ugh..."

The task Shin Seoyoung gave was to surround her entire front body with a barrier the size of a finger joint and maintain it for 10 minutes.

The thickness could only be maintained by carefully controlling the mana consumption.

If it deviated even a little—

"—Again."

"Ah..."

"How is it? Surprisingly difficult, right? Maintaining the barrier for a long time shouldn't be too difficult since you've been at the Academy for a year now, but trying to pay attention to the thickness too will make your head explode."

Shin Seoyoung, who had laid down wind in the area, didn't miss the moment Eunwoo's barrier wavered.

She had shattered Cha Eunwoo's barrier just by snapping her fingers.

Realizing the task wasn't easy, Cha Eunwoo had to deploy the barrier again.

"And Subin, you..."

"But, instructor."

Shin Seoyoung was about to give Subin a task as well.

But suddenly Bae Subin interrupted her mid-sentence.

Sneering behind her glasses, Bae Subin looked up at her and asked.

"The magic you just used also seemed to use too much mana... isn't that right?"

"......"

"Originally, using magic while snapping your fingers consumes a lot of mana... Wouldn't it have been better to just chant and then break Eunwoo's barrier?"

Bae Subin spoke clearly and precisely.

Shin Seoyoung stared down at her, who was trying to talk back.

Look at this kid?

She thought her personality wouldn't be good, but she didn't expect her to pick a fight like this.

It seemed that the problem she had pointed out earlier had hurt Subin's pride.

It looks like this one needs some discipline before education?

So what.

Shin Seoyoung didn't care whether Subin's pride was hurt or not.

It wasn't like she had only seen this kind of student once or twice while teaching.

"...Subin, your chanting process is too intuitive. It's good to rely on your senses to deploy magic, but I still recommend chanting from start to finish when using magic. That way you can immerse yourself more deeply in the magic you're using. If you skip the process, you might cause a mana runaway later by mistake. Especially in urgent situations."

"......"

"So you—"

Shin Seoyoung took out a resonance line.

As she swung her hand from her stomach up to her shoulder, a strong wind blew.

She didn't stop there, but swung the resonance line several times in an X shape so that the directions intersected.

"—It would be good to learn how to deploy the chanting process step by step in urgent situations."

"...Kuk...!"

A gust of wind blew.

Bae Subin hurriedly raised her arms and struggled not to be lifted off the ground.

However, the gust created by the combination of several strands of wind swallowed her up.

Bae Subin's figure, swept up by the gust and flying into the sky, became smaller and smaller until it was hard to see from the ground.

She'll crawl back when her strength runs out.

There's no way she can continue chanting in that state.

Shin Seoyoung calmly watched this scene, waiting for Bae Subin to raise the white flag.

But Bae Subin was a tough one.

Beyond her expectations.

Shin Seoyoung immediately hardened her face.

"...Where on earth did Eunha find a kid like that?"

Shin Seoyoung said with a sour expression.

Bae Subin, flying around in the sky, was smiling.

Hehe

Shin Seoyoung got goosebumps.

That was a crazy girl.

She really was crazy.

☆

"Why did you call me to a place like this?"

There had been successive battles.

The friends had to fight by themselves while Shin Seoyoung was seriously teaching Eunwoo and Subin.

Naturally, the burden on Eunhyeok, Minho, and Parang at the front increased.

Minji backed up Parang, but without Subin's support from the rear, it wasn't much help.

Meanwhile, Hayang started supporting with magic in place of Subin, and as Shin Seoyoung had said, she modified existing magic on her own.

"The reason I called you isn't anything special... I have something I want to give you."

"What could it be that you want to give me something in a place with no one else around?"

And a rest period came to prepare for the next battle.

Eunha called Mok Minho, who was wearing a tracksuit covered in dust, separately.

Unlike usual, Minho, who was gulping down water without showing any courtesy, openly showed his annoyance.

"If the teacher says something, can't you just say 'yes' and come along? Why are you so dissatisfied?"

"Huh, that's a completely old-fashioned statement."

"......"

Mok Minho sneered. He, who usually adhered to formalities and manners, bound by authoritarianism, had said such words.

Eunha didn't know whether he should like this or not.

"...Alright, let's just finish the business."

If you were Parang hyung, I wouldn't have left you alone.

He wasn't completely sure that he had made Mok Minho or Cha Eunwoo perfectly on his side yet.

Eunha sighed and took out a ring from his pocket.

"...What's with the ring? Who are you going to give it to?"

"Who else would I give it to? I'm giving it to you. Here, take it."

"......"

Mok Minho stared at the ring threaded on a chain with a blank face.

He was clearly showing signs of displeasure as he stared at just Eunha's outstretched palm.

"Why are you giving this to me?"

"...Because I thought it would suit you well?"

"......"

Now it was Eunha who frowned.

What exactly was he not happy about?

Eunha was displeased with Mok Minho, who was showing an unsatisfied face without saying anything.

Should I really give this to him or not?

Somehow it was irritating.

He had carefully considered for a year and decided to include Mok Minho in his party.

Of course he would feel upset when the person himself showed such a reaction.

"I'm giving it to you because I'm worried about you. Just take what I'm giving you."

"Am I a child?"

Eunha had seriously contemplated for a long time.

Mok Minho, the unnamed player who met his death at the hands of On Taeyang in the future, unable to sprout his potential, ending up as just a protagonist of the Golden Knights.

The thought of recruiting him, who would be treated as a thorough villain, could be dangerous.

Moreover, Eunha was thinking of bringing in On Taeyang as well.

Even knowing that a fight would definitely break out if he put the two together.

There's Choi Eunhyeok as a talent who could replace Mok Minho.

Rather than recruiting Mok Minho, it might be better to teach Eunhyeok more.

I might hinder bringing in On Taeyang later if I unnecessarily bring this guy in.

Nevertheless, Eunha reached out to Mok Minho.

For two reasons.

"You are a child. You don't even know what you want to protect."

"...What does that mean?"

"There's authority because there are people, and there's a next because we're alive. Don't be bound by old-fashioned justifications and formless power."

One was because the Mok Minho he had thought of and the Mok Minho he came to know were completely different people.

In his previous life, people thoroughly defined him as a villain.

But was the Mok Minho he met in this life really a villain?

Was he truly a villain?

Or did he become a villain?

Or did he die as a villain?

Now Eunha couldn't tell what the truth was.

And Eunha judged what kind of person Mok Minho was from the second reason.

"If you won't accept this... well, I have an idea."

"...What are you planning to do?"

"I'll go right now and give it to Eunwoo in front of everyone."

"...Are you crazy?"

"Why? You said you won't take it, so I'm giving it to Eunwoo instead..."

"Ha..., shit."

"Oh my, you dare to swear in front of a teacher?"

"...Alright, I'll take it. I'll accept it. Thank you so much for giving me a ring. I won't... forget this feeling."

"You should have done that from the start."

The other was that his feelings for Eunwoo were not ordinary.

Mok Minho, who was brusque to others, always showed a kind face only to Eunwoo.

To the point where it was hard to think of him as a villain.

And Eunha had made that face himself before.

He used to make that expression secretly when he was with Lee Yujung.

He used to make that expression when he saw Ha Baekryeon acting cute.

That's why he could empathize.

The "Lone Wolf" was thoroughly a madman to others.

The "Lone Wolf" became a madman that no one dared to look down on in order to protect someone.

In the end, the "Lone Wolf" died as a madman after many failures.

And the "Lone Wolf" only gained a new life at the end of death.

So—

—I want to give it to you too.

What kind of feelings did Lee Yujung, who saw his death, have?

What happened to Ha Baekryeon after he died?

With that thought, what kind of feelings did Cha Eunwoo, who watched Mok Minho's death from On Taeyang's side, have?

With that thought, how did Cha Eunwoo live after Mok Minho died?

Either way, thinking from the position of the dead, they probably couldn't close their eyes.

So he wanted to give him a chance.

Just as he had gained a new life.

For him to gain a new life too.

Yet if—

"So what is this? It doesn't seem like an ordinary ring..."

"It's a one-time use artifact. It'll crumble after one use, so be careful when using it."

"Why are you giving an artifact to me...?"

"Think about that yourself... I'll let you know its function by text message."

—If he becomes a villain that way, then I won't leave him alone.

No, it's fine even if he becomes a villain.

As long as it doesn't harm me.

I'll praise justice and tolerate evil.

I'll turn your evil into justice with the logic of the strong.

But whether you become evil or justice.

If you try to bare your fangs at me, then I'll make you regret being alive.

Eunha knows.

Because he had experienced it once too.

Just as Ha Baekryeon was my shackle.

Just as I was Lee Yujung's shackle.

Cha Eunwoo was Mok Minho's shackle.

So there's no need to pressure Mok Minho to pressure him.

To make him regret his mistakes, I'll pressure Cha Eunwoo.

If breaking one to break another is effective, then I'll do it that way.

Because that would be efficient.

"─Do well."

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

"Forget it. Go in and rest now. Make sure to wear that to this camping trip. If not, you'll regret it later."

"Tch..., alright."

So hope from this moment.

That such things don't happen, please don't touch me.

Because ideal efficiency was not breaking both.

Eunha took a step after sending Mok Minho away.

"...Huh?"

Something was stepped on under his foot.

Along with the sound of something being crushed.

As he gently lifted his foot, there was a small bug writhing on the floor, crushed.

A 9th tier monster.

Eunha personally confirmed that it was still alive and crushed it with his shoe heel.

There was no emotion in that act.

He stepped on it because it was in front of his eyes.

Ah, I just ruined my shoes.

That's what humans are like.

There's no reason to kill the small creature in front of your eyes.

It was killed simply because it was there.

He might not even have known he killed it.

Do you think an elephant would really care about a mouse crushed under its foot?

They say even earthworms wriggle when stepped on, but what can a mere small creature do to a human by wriggling?

That's what humans are like.

That's what all living things are like.

All beings are living this moment and killing something unconsciously for no reason.

All beings live by treading on the death of something.

Death happens for no reason, and death always comes so suddenly.

So I say this.

"...I've done everything I needed to do roughly."

The death of you who live by treading on death will come without any reason, too suddenly, like a mere small creature.