Murmurs filled the room.
“Who...?”
“Never seen him before.”
“Is there soone like that here?”
“Probably just a new arrival we didn't notice.”
Despite the bustling noise, Seongho calmly scanned the people gathered in the lounge.
“You're all gathered here at this ti, and the conversation you were having earlier... seems like you've noticed that sothing isn't quite right.”
At Seongho's remark, a few people flinched, their shoulders trembling.
“I won’t say it again, so listen carefully.”
Seeing their reactions, Seongho continued.
“This place you’re all holding onto, trying to avoid leaving—this is a cannibal camp.”
The words, though they should have been known, sounded utterly incomprehensible coming from Seongho.
It was natural for the reaction to be negative.
“Cannibal...?”
“What... What are you suddenly saying?”
“Are you seriously telling us to believe that nonsense?”
Instead of getting angry at their inability to understand, Seongho pressed on.
“It’s natural not to believe, but you’ll have to try. Whether you want to or not.”
At the sa ti, he tossed a sack forward.
With the opening loosened, what was inside rolled out across the floor.
“Eek!”
“Ahhh!”
Those who saw it scread in horror.
Not everyone reacted the sa way, however.
“...Seohyeon Je.”
A pale, terrified voice murmured from Song Inhye.
As soon as her words ended, a second wave of panic spread among the group.
“D-Did you say Seohyeon Je?”
“No way...!”
“Is... is that really Seohyeon Je?”
“He was the one who went out yesterday!”
If the fear had continued, things might have gotten easier.
“D-Don’t be fooled! He might have killed him!”
“Yeah! Look at the blood on his hands!”
Foolish individuals who couldn’t let go of their doubt tried to sabotage the truth.
They didn’t stop there. They went on to label Seongho as an insane murderer and scread that he should be killed imdiately.
Seongho exhaled a deep sigh of frustration.
*‘It’s not a problem if they co at .’*
With his physical strength at level 7, dealing with multiple unard civilians was no issue.
The problem was, even if he knocked them out, he wouldn’t be able to force them out of the building.
Knocking them out one by one and moving them would take too long.
So, he needed them to walk out on their own.
*‘This won’t be easy.’*
The people here hadn’t threatened Seongho nor tried to stab him in the back like the Choi family did.
So, if possible, he wanted to evacuate them with minimal casualties.
Beyond his personal desires, this situation ca with a “Pioneer of Fate” quest.
To get better stat rewards, he had to save as many people as possible.
But just because there was a reward tied to it, did that an he had to put in more effort than necessary?
*‘This isn’t the only chance.’*
Seongho didn’t have an obligation to save those who were unwilling to face the truth, even after being shown the severed heads of the people who had died.
*‘If they refuse to believe, that’s on them.’*
Whether they stayed or left, Seongho had to proceed with his plans.
*‘They’ll act when they experience it for themselves.’*
Instead of putting extra effort into convincing them, Seongho decided to resolve things quickly.
At that mont, soone spoke with a trembling voice.
“C-Can you prove what you just said?”
Seongho, who had turned to leave the lounge, turned back.
There, despite the tension, stood soone staring straight at him.
“Who?”
“Oh, I... I’m Song Inhye.”
Song Inhye briefly introduced herself and continued.
“D-Do you have evidence... I an, sothing more concrete to prove that this is a cannibal camp, not just the head?”
Her eyes were firm, despite her nervousness.
Seongho decided to give one last answer, speaking slowly with a sigh.
“I do have evidence. Though I don’t have it with .”
“...Where is it?”
“If you follow the underground passage I ca through, you’ll see it. I think that place is where they butcher the at, a slaughterhouse, or sothing like that.”
“Underground passage...?”
Seongho explained the underground passage briefly, sothing none of them had known about.
Upon hearing this, the group began murmuring in shock.
“It’s not a pleasant sight, but... if you want, you can check it out yourself. I haven’t lied.”
Seongho stepped aside, making it clear that if they wanted to see for themselves, he wouldn’t stop them.
“W-What makes you think we’ll go all the way there...?”
“I’ll go.”
Before anyone else could protest, Song Inhye stepped forward.
“I’ll go and check it out. If what he says turns out to be a lie, only I’ll be in danger, so it won’t concern you. Don’t try to stop .”
Despite her trembling, Song Inhye spoke resolutely.
“W-Wait, please. I need to grab sothing...”
Seongho nodded without objection.
After a few minutes of awkward silence and sharp stares, Song Inhye returned, holding sothing unexpected in her hand.
“A cara?”
It wasn’t a regular digital cara, but a Polaroid cara, one that prints photos instantly.
“If what you’re saying is true, I’ll need to take pictures to convince everyone.”
Though Seongho wasn’t sure how effective it would be on people eager to stay in the camp, he couldn’t stop her from using her own cara.
Instead of stopping her, Seongho turned and began moving.
They retraced the steps Seongho had taken earlier to reach the basent.
After a brief mont, they arrived at the stairs leading deeper into the underground passage.
Song Inhye recognized the place.
“There’s no way out here, though...”
The door at the end of the stairs was locked.
It had been impossible to enter before.
But that was before Seongho had arrived.
“Now there is.”
Thanks to Seongho, who had unlocked it earlier, the door swung open.
He led Song Inhye down the stairs into the dark passage. He gave her one last piece of advice.
“The distance isn’t far—about 10 minutes at an adult’s pace. But whatever you see, hold on to your wits. It won’t be a pleasant sight.”
“Ah...”
“Towards the end of the tunnel, there will be people bound, along with a crow. They’re victims too, so don’t touch them. Use this lantern to guide your way.”
Seongho pointed to the lantern at the entrance, which Song Inhye imdiately grabbed.
“Do you have a knife or sothing sharp?”
“No, I... I’m not allowed to carry sharp objects...”
“Then, you’ll need this. Use it and return it when you’re done.”
Since Seongho needed it, he handed her a hand axe and cable ties.
She looked at the items in her hands with a conflicted expression.
Seongho didn’t mind much.
If she had bad intentions and tried to use the axe against him, he was confident he could subdue her.
“The direction is left.”
Seongho gave her one last direction, then turned and ascended the stairs.
A few monts later, he heard hurried footsteps behind him.
It was likely Yu Min-sang, who had finally made up his mind and was following.
Seongho ignored him and continued his way.
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