Chapter: 29
“So?”
Yujin looked at the two fidgeting people with an indifferent expression.
“W-Well… we felt kind of sorry for him, so we thought we’d at least buy him a meal…”
“And do you have any money?”
The polite speech he had briefly returned to using disappeared once again.
Which meant one thing—Yujin wasn’t pleased with the current situation.
“Could you buy him something for us, Mr. Yujin?”
Isia asked with an awkward smile.
“Well, aren’t you just a saint? A real saint.”
Of course, it didn’t work on Yujin in the slightest.
“Why the hell should I buy food for an idiot like him?”
An idiot?
Wasn’t that going a bit too far?
As someone with perfectly normal common sense, Isia shot Yujin a dissatisfied glare.
But only for a moment.
The instant she saw the savage aura in his eyes, she quietly lowered her gaze.
Don’t ever provoke that lunatic.
If she did, she’d be finished.
Forget the meal—he’d probably drag her outside and make her dance with a pack of Red Goblins while covered in blood.
Her friends often joked that she was a little eccentric, but compared to Yujin, she wasn’t even worth mentioning.
He was a madman among madmen.
“I’ll pay you back later.”
Come on, how expensive could one meal possibly be?
Selling just a few of the miscellaneous drops from hunting would probably pay for several days’ worth of meals at an inn like this.
Not that she knew the exact prices yet.
“Hm.”
Yujin frowned at her words.
But he stopped objecting.
If she wanted to spend her own money, there was no reason for him to interfere.
Still, he made one thing absolutely clear.
“This is coming out of your share. When we settle everything later, I’ll deduct it properly. Don’t complain afterward.”
“I-I wasn’t going to!”
Who did he think she was?
A scammer?
After shooting Yujin another glare, Isia sat the man down and ordered food.
A rich meat soup.
Soft bread.
And a well-cooked steak.
The man hesitated for a brief moment when he saw the food.
Then hunger won out, and he began devouring everything in front of him.
Watching him eat, Yujin suddenly asked,
“Anyway, who is this guy, and why did you bring him here?”
One glance was enough to tell he wasn’t normal.
He hadn’t completely lost his mind, but he definitely wasn’t in his right mind either.
Sharing a table with someone like that wasn’t exactly pleasant.
“Ah, well… here’s what happened.”
Isia calmly explained everything she’d heard.
Her heart still felt heavy, but she didn’t let it show.
For some reason, she didn’t want Yujin to see her looking weak.
If it’s that lunatic, he’ll just call me soft and work me even harder!
It was only a guess…
But an incredibly accurate one.
“I just felt bad for him. And if we left him alone, I thought he might do something terrible. I figured maybe eating a meal would help.”
After listening quietly, Yujin nodded.
“What a complete moron. So in other words, he just got taken advantage of.”
“…What?”
How did he possibly reach that conclusion?
She genuinely couldn’t understand how that lunatic’s brain worked.
Then again…
That was exactly why he was a lunatic.
“Listen carefully. How many people do you think are in the same condition as him inside Terra?”
Yujin pointed his chin toward the man eating beside them.
“I… I don’t know.”
How could she?
He was the only player she’d seen all day.
“About thirty percent of them are probably in a similar state. Tomorrow there’ll probably be even more.”
“How many is that?”
Thirty percent.
Without knowing the total number of players, she couldn’t even imagine it.
“There are about twenty thousand players in total. So that’s roughly six thousand people.”
“S-Six thousand?”
That couldn’t be possible.
That many people had become broken?
“You think I’m exaggerating?”
Yujin snorted as though it were obvious.
“If you don’t believe me, go walk around outside. Half the people sitting in the alleys are probably crying.”
That’s exactly how it had been during the first run.
The Tower of Radiance was simply too cruel for ordinary people.
How many times in a person’s life do they witness someone else’s death?
Here…
The moment players entered the tutorial floor, dozens died.
The person who had been standing beside you just moments ago.
The one you had just been talking to.
The one who had greeted you.
In an instant, they became chunks of flesh collapsing into pools of blood.
How many players could witness something like that…
And still remain sane?
Anyone normal would naturally be consumed by despair and terror.
Yujin had been the same.
The overwhelming violence and grotesque carnage had frightened him.
Of course, he’d shaken it off quickly.
Most others couldn’t.
Every alley…
Became a hiding place for players who had already given up on living.
“Are you planning to feed all of them?”
One person?
Sure.
With some effort, maybe even ten.
But a hundred?
Two hundred?
A thousand?
Six thousand?
No matter how hard Isia tried…
It was impossible.
“I-I…”
“So leave them alone. You’re not helping. You’re just making yourself an easy mark for helpless idiots.”
Isia couldn’t answer.
Not because she agreed with him.
She was simply too shocked.
So many people had fallen into despair…
“And besides, it’s pointless. Even if you don’t take care of them, they’ll all come to their senses eventually.”
What was that supposed to mean?
When Isia frowned in confusion, Yujin shrugged and gestured around the inn.
The innkeeper.
The employees.
The NPCs walking through the streets.
“Why do you think they’re here?”
There was only one reason.
To return the players to a normal mental state as quickly as possible.
If anyone needed food…
The NPCs would feed them.
If anyone needed emotional support…
The NPCs would provide it.
That’s exactly why this city existed.
And why these NPCs were here.
“So stop sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”
Isia smacked her lips in frustration.
After hearing his explanation, she admitted he was probably right.
She hadn’t actually needed to interfere.
But even if the same situation happened again…
She knew she’d make the exact same choice.
Even if people called her a fool.
Even if they told her it was meaningless.
She still believed it was the right thing to do.
“Fine. I get it. Stop lecturing me already.”
“Lecturing?”
Yujin’s face twisted instantly.
If it had been anyone else…
He wouldn’t have bothered explaining anything.
He would’ve simply muttered, ‘What an idiot.’ and walked away.
But this was the Sword Empress.
That’s why he’d taken the trouble to explain everything.
And now she called it…
A lecture?
“Looks like yesterday was pretty comfortable for you. You’re getting bold enough to say things like that.”
Seeing him grind his teeth, Isia flinched.
Oh no.
The lunatic was seconds away from snapping.
She’d only gotten a little playful because he seemed to be in poor condition…
At this rate, getting thrown into a pack of Red Goblins was only a matter of time.
“M-More importantly!”
Desperately trying to change the subject, Isia racked her brain.
But nothing came to mind.
They hardly knew each other, so there weren’t many topics to talk about.
At that moment…
The one who rescued her was Park Jihoo.
“Hyung, what happened yesterday? I heard you collapsed.”
Nice!
It was a perfectly timed question.
She’d been curious about that herself.
In fact, she wondered why she hadn’t asked sooner.
“Hmm.”
An awkward look appeared on Yujin’s face.
Apparently, he had no intention of telling them.
“There was a reason for it. Don’t worry about it.”
That was all he could say.
“Then… can we go hunting today?”
Even to Isia, Yujin looked terrible.
Dark circles reached almost to his cheeks.
His posture was slouched.
Like someone whose muscles had been pushed far beyond their limit.
“Not today. Rest until tomorrow.”
Yujin answered bluntly, sounding dissatisfied.
Inside, Isia practically danced with joy.
She didn’t have to go through that living hell again until tomorrow!
Could there possibly be better news?
On top of that, her earlier slip-up had been completely forgotten.
Naturally, she couldn’t help feeling relieved.
“Then what should we do today?”
This time, Isia asked.
If Yujin allowed it, she planned to go outside and look around.
She wanted to see with her own eyes whether there really were that many broken players.
But Yujin had no intention of letting the two of them spend the day relaxing.
Can’t hunt?
Then do something else.
Who said you could lie around being lazy?
Yujin stretched out his hand toward Isia, who was secretly celebrating.
“Huh?”
Resting on his palm were two small stones.
“They’re Rune Fragments. Activate them and you’ll obtain a Trait.”
“A-A Trait?”
She knew what Traits were.
Didaskalia had explained them before.
What they were.
What kind of effects they possessed.
She had obtained skills and equipment already…
But she’d never even seen a Trait before.
Those are Rune Fragments that grant Traits?
Why was he offering something so valuable?
Looking at him with disbelief, Isia silently wondered if…
And she was right.
“This one’s yours. And this one’s yours.”
Yujin handed one Rune Fragment each to Isia and Park Jihoo.
“They suit you. Learn them immediately.”
“Whoa…”
Receiving the fragment, Isia stared blankly.
Most players didn’t even have a single skill yet.
Yet Yujin casually handed over something so precious…
As if he were giving them candy he’d picked up after paying for a meal.
“I-Is it really okay for us to take these?”
“If you don’t want them, fine. I’ll just give them to that idiot over there.”
Yujin flicked a finger toward the man who was still eating beside them.
“N-No! That’s not what I meant!”
Buying someone a meal and giving away a Trait were on completely different levels.
Even the Sword Empress wasn’t generous enough to give away something like this.
“Did you exhaust yourself yesterday trying to get these?”
Park Jihoo asked with a deeply moved expression as he accepted the Rune Fragment.
“No. Not at all. Why would I push myself that hard over something this trivial?”
The look of admiration vanished instantly.
Figures.
The warm feelings that had just begun filling Jihoo’s heart froze over immediately.
Even though he’d clearly been helped…
Why did he find it so difficult to feel grateful?
That’s a talent in itself.
Unfortunately…
It wasn’t a talent that would help anyone survive in this world.
“Learn them now. Don’t fool around and lose them.”
Yujin spoke as if they were nothing special, but Sword Heart [D] and Fighting Spirit [D] were among the highest-tier Traits obtainable on the First Floor.
Valuable enough that not only players…
Even NPCs would covet them.
Which was exactly why the correct choice was to learn them the moment they obtained them.
“T-Thank you.”
“Thank you very much.”
After thanking Yujin, the two activated their Rune Fragments.
Fwoooosh!
A brilliant burst of light erupted from the fragments, gently illuminating the interior of the Starlight Wanderer.
