Chapter 73

“…What did you say?”

“I said I’ll let you kill more people.”

Jo Chan-ho stared at me, dumbfounded, clearly not expecting me to say something like that. Even I couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh at how absurd this situation was.

‘What the hell… What kind of nonsense is this, you crazy…!’

“…Did I hear wrong? You’ll let me kill more people?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“…Mr. Lee Yun-seong, no… Lee Yun-seong. Did you take something? What kind of nonsense are you spouting all of a sudden?”

He even dropped the formalities, which showed just how ridiculous he found this situation.

‘Damn it… What is this?’

I couldn’t understand this scene. No, to be precise, I didn’t want to understand it. I could guess what my first-round self was thinking.

“You know the situation isn’t great… Mr. Byeong-ok.”

“…So? Is that a reason I should keep you alive?”

“You like killing people, right?”

“…What?”

“You enjoy murder, don’t you?”

“…..”

“Let’s make a deal.”

It seemed like my first-round self was throwing a gamble. The situation didn’t look good, so I could understand. Even though the dungeon had been discovered, people weren’t trying to conquer it.

Most weren’t even trying to hunt monsters. But challenging the dungeon with just this group would be suicide. So, we were stuck in a deadlock.

My first-round self must have been feeling impatient.

“I’ll tell you a solution to this situation, Mr. Byeong-ok. In return, you spare my life. Of course, you won’t trust me, so I’ll give you my weakness to hold onto.”

“Ha… Hahaha!”

Jo Chan-ho laughed like a madman for a while, then wiped his mouth and spoke.

“Heh… This is really entertaining. Hahaha… I never expected something like this.”

“…..”

“So, what’s the plan? You’re saying there’s a way to solve this situation?”

Jo Chan-ho’s answer was positive, but he didn’t put away his sword. Of course, he couldn’t fully trust my words.

“Yes, of course. Not only will you be able to kill more people, but we’ll also clear the tutorial.”

“What is it?”

“We’ll push the useless prey into the dungeon and use them as meat shields.”

I had a hunch, but it seemed my guess was right. The tutorial’s difficulty wasn’t normal, so I thought something must have happened in the first round, but I didn’t expect I’d actually come up with that plan.

“We can kill those who resist under the pretext of punishment. It’ll serve as an example, and everyone will follow your orders out of fear.”

“……”

“You don’t need to worry about others rebelling against you. Most of the people with combat abilities will support you. After all, if they stay still, they’ll die too, right?”

“Ha…”

“Most will probably voluntarily hunt down those hiding and bring them to you. Their lives are on the line, after all.”

Jo Chan-ho put away his sword, seemingly convinced by my answer.

“Pff… Puhahahahat!”

His reaction was understandable. After all, no sane person would come up with such a plan.

‘…Damn it.’

“Ah… I apologize for misunderstanding. You’re even more extreme than I thought.”

His words didn’t sound like a compliment at all. It just made me feel even dirtier.

“No, it’s understandable. I was also taking a gamble. I wasn’t sure if you’d trust me, Mr. Byeong-ok.”

“Haha, what an incredible idea. Using the prey as bait… I like it. I’m almost disappointed I didn’t think of it myself.”

‘Damn it…’

“However… I have a request.”

“Hmm… What is it?”

‘Sigh…’

I could guess what I was about to say.

“Could you announce the plan, Mr. Byeong-ok? You’re holding my weakness anyway, so this much should be fine, right?”

I understood why I made that request. From my perspective, I probably didn’t want everyone to know I came up with this plan.

‘…I must’ve been scared of how Yoo Hyun and Yoo Rim would look at me.’

The weakness I mentioned earlier was essentially the fact that I was the one who came up with this plan.

“Hmm…”

“You announce it, and I’ll support your decision.”

“Understood. However…”

Jo Chan-ho pressed his sword against my neck again and continued.

“I trust you won’t have any foolish thoughts. Understood?”

“…Of course.”

The next scene showed Jo Chan-ho explaining the plan to everyone.

Naturally, the others were horrified.

And so… those who opposed the plan were killed, and those who refused to fight the monsters were forced into the dungeon, allowing us to clear the tutorial.

Watching all this, I felt incredibly dirty.

Anyone could say it was for survival, that we had no choice. But the fact remained that I came up with and executed this plan.

‘…This is annoying.’

A rational decision, but an inhumane one.

Before I could even process my emotions, the scene changed again.

‘Yoon Yeon?’

It was a scene where Yoon Yeon and I were talking in what looked like an office.

“Clan Master. So, does that mean Yoo Rim, Yoo Hyun, and I will be excluded from this expedition?”

As I guessed, it seemed I had joined the Myth Clan in the first round.

It looked like Yoo Rim and Yoo Hyun had joined the Myth Clan as well. Judging by their attire, it seemed some time had passed since we joined.

“Yeah, that’s probably how it’ll be. The rookies will stay in the clan and train.”

“…I’ll join the expedition too, Clan Master.”

“…Really? Is there a reason?”

“It’s just… something feels off. I’m a bit uneasy.”

“Hmm… Didn’t we review it several times? The conclusion was that there’s nothing strange. You’re being overly paranoid.”

“That may be true… but still, you never know. My ability is…”

“Didn’t I prove it enough? Please take me on the expedition too.”

I watched the scene intently. My gut told me that from here on, there would be a connection to the downfall of the Myth Clan.

‘…I need to figure something out.’

The feelings I had for Yoon Yeon… I wasn’t sure what they were, but at least they weren’t negative. If possible, I thought it would be beneficial for me to save her in the second round.

‘That’s a perfectly reasonable thought. Yoon Yeon is helpful to me.’

Since she was someone who knew my abilities and still cooperated with me, I needed to help her at least once.

“Alright, I’ll take you with me. If that’s what you want…”

“…Thank you, Clan Master.”

Still, it seemed that in the first round, I was a clan member who was quite trusted by Yoon Yeon.

The scene began to change again. What appeared next was clearly not a good sight.

I was helping Yoon Yeon move. The bodies of Myth Clan members were scattered around, and I seemed to be cursing while trying desperately to save the severely injured Yoon Yeon.

I also didn’t look too good, as if I had been hit by an arrow in one arm.

‘…..’

“Damn it…! Shit! Didn’t I tell you?! Something was off!”

“…Cough… This is the first time I’ve seen you… show so much emotion… Kick…”

“Damn it, is this a time to laugh? Shit…! What should we do…? Those damn Outlaw bastards, they planted a spy in the clan… Damn it!”

‘Outlaw, spy.’

In the first round, I seemed unable to maintain my composure. It was clear to anyone that I was cornered. My face looked as if I was in a panic.

“…Just leave me… You know… right?”

“Damn it, shut up if you’re going to say that. You’re… the master of the Myth Clan, aren’t you? Don’t give up…”

“Ha… Those who should live must live… Should I let you die with me?”

“…Damn it, what do you mean die? Don’t say such unlucky things. We’ll just have to survive and go back together. It’s a tough situation, so just stay quiet.”

As Yoon Yeon said, my appearance was very different from usual. My emotions seemed to be running high.

No explanation was needed. The desperate expression on my face was proof enough.

‘…..’

Another problem was that as we moved, Yoon Yeon’s blood trail kept marking our path. It was obvious that the enemies would soon track us down.

I, from the first round, knew this too, which made me even more anxious. The problem was that there seemed to be no way to stop the blood trail. There wasn’t enough time to stop the bleeding.

Yoon Yeon also seemed to realize that there was no hope, so she pushed away the arm that was supporting her.

Naturally, as she pushed away the arm that was holding her up, she fell to the ground.

Thud!

“What… what are you doing?!”

“…Just you survive.”

“Damn it!”

In a hurry, I, from the first round, put my arms under her armpits and moved her to lean against a nearby rock.

“…I have a… cough… request.”

“…If it’s a request to leave you behind, I won’t listen.”

“Pff… You’re really stubborn.”

“…Is that something the Clan Master should say?”

“I… if I get caught alive by those bastards… I won’t end up well…”

“…..”

“…Can you… kill me and burn me…?”

“What, what are you saying?”

“…Just… if my body remains, those bastards will defile it… I’m sorry to ask this of you.”

‘……’

“…Do you have a dagger? Use it to… kill me and burn me. It’s my last request.”

“…..”

“…Kick, why do you look like that?”

“Just… stay quiet…”

“…Just in case, don’t do anything reckless trying to avenge me… okay?”

“Is that… the issue now? Damn it…”

“…That’s too much. No need to curse. It’s my last moment.”

I, from the first round, was biting my lip so hard it was bleeding. I must have known all along. That I couldn’t save her.

“…Yoon Yeon.”

“…Oh, you’ve grown up? Calling me by my name? Cough… You always called me Clan Master…”

“…Damn it…”

“…Ah… I take back my request… Sorry… Just burning me is enough…”

“……”

“…I’m… feeling drowsy… sleepy…”

“…..”

“I’ll… just sleep for a bit…”

Not long after she finished speaking, Yoon Yeon’s breathing stopped.

“Ha…”

“…….”

“Yoon Yeon.”

“…..”

Of course, no matter how many times I called her name, there was no response. Dead people don’t talk.

“…Burn.”

After standing still for a while, I finally accepted that Yoon Yeon was dead and activated a spell with a calm expression. Soon, Yoon Yeon’s body began to burn.

“…Sorry, but I can’t promise not to avenge you. Damn it… Stupid girl… That’s why I objected…”

“Damn it… You didn’t… listen to me. It’s your fault… your fault for being stupid. You brought this on yourself, you idiot.”

I forced myself to look away from my first-round self. It wasn’t a pleasant sight to see myself crying.

After standing still for a while, my first-round self began to leave, and my consciousness, which had been submerged, rose to the surface.