Chapter 60: Chapter 60

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 60: The Uninvited Guest (5)

The items Yurina left behind fell to the ground with a clatter.

“There’s a lot here, hyung!”

“Yeah. She must’ve worked hard hoarding all this.”

Whether she gathered them by killing others or received them as mission rewards, I couldn’t say for sure...

But now that they were in my hands, I’d have to put them to good use.

▣ Venom Pouch of the White Snake

-A venom pouch extracted from a venomous snake.

It is filled with a deadly poison that, when absorbed, spreads through the body within a minute, shutting down metabolism and hardening internal organs.

-Usable Count: 10

The small pouch filled with black liquid sloshed every time I shook it.

Fearing accidental exposure, I slightly opened the cap and immediately closed it again.

It must be the poison she used to coat that earring that stabbed me earlier.

A deadly poison that spreads throughout the body in just one minute.

I hadn’t realized it when I was the victim, but now that it was in my hands, it felt reassuring.

‘I hope it works on monsters too.’

“Store.”

I put it away for now.

▣ Compact Tracking Device

-A tracking device created by the Future Research Center.

When activated, it can track the location of the attached target on a map.

-Note: Once attached, it cannot be retrieved or reused, so caution is advised.

Next was a small round sticker.

It looked like the beige-colored patches people use behind their ears to prevent motion sickness.

I wasn’t sure if I’d have a reason to use a tracking device, but I stored it for now, just in case.

Next up.

▣ Refined Sleep Potion

-When consumed, it induces sleep within one minute. Duration: 2 hours.

-Note: While there are no side effects, it has a high dependency risk. Overuse can lead to an inability to fall asleep naturally.

It was a potion that promised sleep within a minute.

Basically, a liquid sleep aid.

‘This seems useful.’

And lastly, the most curious item of all—a strange gun with no magazine or bullets.

▣ Soeju Handgun

-A single-shot handgun crafted by the sensitive artisans of Soeju.

It is ornately decorated with gold plating and inlaid deer antlers, giving it high artistic value.

-Effect: Reacts to the user’s mental energy to generate bullets.

‘It reacts to my mental energy to generate bullets?’

So that’s why there were no bullets.

Skeptical, I held it in my hand and, avoiding the others, pulled the trigger.

— Bang!

‘!!’

The recoil was stronger than I expected, and my upper body shook.

At the same time, a faint golden light shot from the muzzle.

The light was so dim that I had to squint to see it.

I wondered if its power was as faint as its light.

Thud.

I approached the spot and examined it.

A shallow indentation had formed on the ground.

The invisible bullet had embedded itself with a clean, circular mark.

Its power was weaker than when I used Petrification to punch, or maybe about the same—but the speed was incomparable.

“Hyung! Uh... There aren’t any bullets, so how did you shoot it? I mean... Uh...”

Jaehyuk, who had run over, asked clumsily.

“It seems like the gun generates bullets on its own. But it might be weaker than a real gun.”

“Oh... I see?”

“If someone’s wearing armor, this wouldn’t kill them in one shot.”

But it’ll get stronger over time.

It said it reacts to my mental energy, after all.

And if I fire this kind of speed and force repeatedly from a distance...

Even I find that terrifying.

Anyway, I’d obtained some unexpected items.

‘Thanks to X targeting me.’

I guess I gained rewards and took the enemy’s life as the price for nearly being killed.

Sigh.

Even in this situation, calculating the practical value of items left by the dead made me feel pathetic.

But as I busily stored the gun into my inventory...

“Um, excuse me! Can you let me go now?”

The chef cautiously spoke up, still being watched by Jieun’s sword.

“I swear, I didn’t know she would do something like that! Please believe me!”

“Then why did you lie?”

“She told me it was something secret. That she had something important to say to me privately... So I just went along...”

Hmm.

So you got lured in that easily?

Even though you barely knew her?

From my perspective, that didn’t make any sense.

When I narrowed my eyes at him, the chef flinched like prey in front of a predator.

“So you lied just because of that? What about her made you trust her?”

“Well, because she’s... pretty...?”

“...Because she’s pretty, you thought she didn’t look like someone who’d commit something like a bombing?”

Sigh, what a pathetic excuse coming from someone associated with a killer.

It was so pathetic that it was almost believable.

“Observation Mission. What memory did you show?”

I threw out the question as a test.

If he was someone from a memory I recalled...

It wouldn’t confirm if he was X’s ally, but it would at least help me figure out what kind of person he was.

“W-Why are you asking about that...?”

“Answer!”

"Ugh! Fine! I'll talk!"

When the chef answered reluctantly, Jieun glared at him and gripped her dagger tighter.

Startled, the chef quickly began to speak.

"…Mukbang…."

"What?"

"I… I did a mukbang."

…What?

Everyone's face was filled with confusion at the unexpected response.

Then, as if to demonstrate, the chef began waving his hands exaggeratedly.

"Cooking and eating on camera! I did that, and it was pretty popular!"

Cooking and mukbang?

Indeed...

'I've seen that before.'

A mukbang where someone devoured noodles from a massive frying pan as if inhaling them.

It was so commonplace that I hadn't paid much attention to it.

So...

"What kind of dish was it?"

"Rosé pasta. Ten servings."

Pasta.

Right, this guy.

He started out with a simple mukbang but gradually became obsessed with donations and began behaving ridiculously.

Throwing noodles into the air, causing a complete mess… Who would have thought that someone who ate so disgustingly was a hotel chef?

Unimaginable.

"…I'll reserve judgment for now."

"But… what if he's her accomplice?"

"Are you sure about this?"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

At my calm remark, Jaehyuk tilted his head, and Jieun asked with a worried look.

However…

"I have a condition."

Attacking this guy didn’t seem to yield much benefit.

"Provide your testimony."

"Testimony about what?"

"That woman tried to kill me and attacked first."

Let’s make use of him for now.

Soon, people will come flooding in.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

* * *

It was a long night.

Someone tried to kill me, but instead, I killed them.

Not because the system ordered me to.

It was pure intent.

For both of us.

Yet…

"My hands aren’t shaking, and my heart isn’t racing wildly… nothing like that."

Am I okay?

Even being this calm?

As I blurted out my thoughts, Jieun faintly smiled.

"It’s a relief. It means you're a strong person, Eunho."

Her droopy, puppy-like eyes seemed more sorrowful than usual, and her smile carried a hint of melancholy.

She looked deep in thought.

"Eunho."

"Yes."

"Did this world make people evil, or were they always evil?"

So that’s what she was pondering.

She used to firmly believe that everyone was inherently good and that evil people had reasons that could at least be understood, even if not forgiven.

So I responded cautiously.

"I’m not sure… but people tend to change depending on the situation."

"…You’re right. That was a meaningless question."

A bitter smile appeared on Jieun’s lips.

'She’s waking up, bit by bit.'

Should I feel glad or sad to see her realizing that not everyone’s heart is like hers?

I don’t know.

So, as I silently patted her shoulder...

"Hey! You two!"

The security guard and cleaning lady approached us.

8:30 AM

It was already this late.

Come to think of it, the outdoor plaza was bustling with people getting ready for the day.

"Are you alright?"

"You don’t know how worried we were! Oh, dear, after going through such a terrifying ordeal…."

The security guard hesitantly expressed his concerns, while the cleaning lady fussed over me like I was her own child.

All because the foul-mouthed guy exaggerated last night’s events with his own interpretation.

He’d spun it as: "Yurina was a terrorist, and I risked my life to take her down."

"That person… really?"

…Of course, not everyone bought the story.

"Last night… it was…."

"…Looks okay, but… oh, it’s too scary… huh?"

Most of the murmuring people were from Itaewon.

Even if they had only known Yurina for a day or two, they had at least seen the mask she wore.

It would be hard to believe that such a woman tried to kill me and died in the process.

It was more believable that I had ulterior motives and killed her unjustly.

'This only blew over because the chef testified.'

At least he served some purpose, I thought, shrugging my shoulders.

Noticing this, the cleaning lady smacked me lightly on the back.

"If you’ve had such a rough time, you should sleep in! Why are you up so early?"

"Haha… I’m fine."

"You’re just going to hear nonsense if you come out early like this. Ugh! What are you looking at?!"

As she glared at a few people who had been staring, they flinched and quickly looked away.

Not bad.

It felt nice to be cared for.

8:50 AM

Feeling a mix of familiarity and unfamiliarity, I waited as time passed.

Some sighed while staring at the calm sky, and others kicked the ground with frustration, letting out heavy sighs of their own.

A thrilling tension in stark contrast to the peaceful mountain scenery.

“Noona! What’s today’s mission?”

“Not sure. The aptitude test is over, though.”

“Damn it. I thought the entrance exam was finally done.”

The swearer had a point.

The entrance exam was nearing its end.

Only one stage remained.

‘After the aptitude test, there’s only one thing left.’

At that moment, amidst the tension that filled the mountain, a cheerful announcement echoed.

[Attention, survivors in the ‘Yongsan District’ area!]

[At 9 o’clock sharp, the ‘Personality Test’ phase of the project will commence.]

“Personality test?”

The announcement confirmed the next step after the aptitude test.

[Survivors are requested to proceed to their designated areas by 9 o’clock.]

— Zap!

Suddenly, a map appeared before me for the first time in a while, filling part of my field of vision with a translucent window.

The safe zone, marked in green, was bordered on the left by a mountain and a park, while the right side was packed with small buildings.

“There’s only one safe zone!”

Roughly, I could tell where it was.

The final mission site in Yongsan District.

What bothered me, though, was…

“The safe zone… is way too big.”

“Huh?”

The diameter easily exceeded 100 meters.

Compared to the previous safe zones, this one was enormous.

But with only around 200 survivors left in Yongsan District, such a large space seemed unnecessary.

Which could only mean one thing:

‘This isn’t the end.’

Just entering the safe zone wouldn’t be the conclusion.

‘For a personality test mission, a space that size could only mean…’

It had to be that!

“Jaehyuk! Take this for me!”

“Huh? Oh, yes, ma’am!”

Now, with all the supplies packed…

“Let’s head to Noksapyeong Station! Move!”

“Got it!”

Run.

“Huff…!”

“We’re here!”

“Look! That’s the safe zone!”

We arrived at Noksapyeong Station Intersection, right at the entrance to the dazzling Itaewon streets.

Before entering the bustling area, we stood at the crossroads, surrounded by nothing but roads.

“Phew… Looks like everyone’s gathering!”

“There’s a lot of people, noona!”

Though no cars passed by, the area was teeming with a crowd converging from all directions.

People wielding weapons taller than themselves.

People glancing around, seemingly assessing others’ weapons and abilities.

People with sunken, dark eyes.

People trying to blend in and avoid attention.

“Personality test… Why gather us all here? What do they plan to do?”

Jieun asked, panting for breath, but I didn’t need to answer.

Because the impatient administrator addressed the crowd right away:

[Attention, survivors in the ‘Yongsan District’ area.]

[We will now commence the preliminary mission for the ‘Personality Test’ project.]

Now it was truly beginning:

The final gate of the entrance exam.

The start of the real Personality Test, for which no preparation was possible.

[A stadium has been generated.]

[‘The Eyes’ are being activated.]

— Crack!

A sound like glass shattering filled the air as eerie eyes covered the sky.

【The ‘Raven of the Administration Bureau’ greet their dear companions!】

【The ‘Ferryman of the Administration Bureau’ scoffs, questioning when they ever became companions.】

【The ‘Prince of the Investigation Bureau’ smirks, remarking it feels like a long time since their last meeting.】

As soon as ‘The Eyes’ opened, a flood of greetings from observers followed.

Then came another announcement.

— Zap!

[The preliminary mission involves a survey to assess participants’ personalities.]

[Your responses will serve as foundational data for future missions, so please answer honestly.]

“A survey, huh?”

I’d done something like this before—during a mock battle mission.

“Buried alive?!”

“Damn it! If we answer this thing, are they gonna bury us underground again?”

The swearer’s comment silenced everyone.

Even I, who had read the proposal in advance, couldn’t predict what would happen after the survey.

‘The questions themselves should be straightforward.’

Like any typical personality test.

──────◆──────

I would betray my comrades for personal gain.

──────◆──────

Yes, something like that.

[Participant ‘Lee Eunho,’ personality evaluation commencing!]

[Answer honestly!]

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]