Chapter 51 Good and Evil (2)
“…”
There was the option of simply going straight to battle and ascending to the next floor, but Yoon-seok went to the plaza instead. Once he’d reached the next floor, there was no way to descend to the sixth floor again. What if the seventh floor was as ssed up as the sixth?
Then he would just have to clean it up. That way, the place wouldn’t be flooded with trash.
But…
‘I was worried over nothing.’
The plaza was brimming with challengers, whom all seed relaxed. It was like the past image of the sixth-floor plaza he’d heard from Jang-Il.
“Wow, that’s truly amazing! I can’t believe they sell ice cream here!”
Were there challengers who arrived around the sa ti as him? Behind Yoon-seok, he could hear soone murmuring in admiration. Sohow, the voice was strangely familiar. As if he’d heard them earlier…
‘Huh?’
Yoon-seok looked back instinctively and was startled. It wasn’t impossible since they completed their duels simultaneously, but the polite beast-man was there. He froze briefly when his eyes t with Yoon-seok and then choked on his breath.
“Gasp! Cough! Cough!”
A reaction as if he’d seen a ghost. With a bitter taste in his mouth, Yoon-seok approached instead of avoiding him. There had been an indescribable sense of discomfort, but it was when he was in the middle of the duel, so he just let it slide.
Now, he couldn’t help but ask.
“…Did you just say ice cream?”
Did he think that Yoon-seok was going to hurt him? Surprised, the beast-man replied in a flash.
“There, them! Do you see what they’re holding in their hands? That’s what ice cream is! It’s cold like ice and very soft, so it’s a delicacy!”
He wasn’t expecting an answer like that. Yoon-seok knew what ice cream was. But, he was curious how this beast-man knew about it. The more Yoon-seok’s brows furrowed, the more desperate the beast-man beca.
“Really! I wasn’t swearing at you. I was just amazed that they were selling it here….”
After hearing that, he understood one thing: he didn’t find out through the chat room. This beast-man already knew what ice cream was.
“Where are you from?”
“I-I’m from Seheranbad…?”
“Is there ice cream there, too?”
At Yoon-seok’s question, the beast-man answered as if he was offended.
“O-of course not! Ice cream is the food of the earth! Seheranbad is a terrible place, hot in sumr and cold in winter. Terrible in food culture too.”
Was this beast-man from Seheranbad? Or Earth? He didn’t know. Why did the beast-man remind him of those talented foreigners that often appeared on Korean TV shows? Yoon-seok was even more confused.
So without realizing it, he asked in an accusing tone.
“How do you know about the food on Earth when you’re from Seheranbad?”
The beast-man answered with a shrug.
“B-because that’s where I live…?”
…What?
At first, he thought he was joking, but he wasn’t.
“Do you know why most challengers can’t get back to the real world?”
“Yes, it’s because it’s hard to survive in a fragile body…”
“So you know. Yes, and I am also a challenger who was unable to return due to similar reasons. I don’t want to admit it, but…that’s why I chose to flee to Earth.”
“You ran away? Is that possible?”
“It’s possible. Doesn’t the 5th-floor Achievent Store sell anything and everything?”
Only then did Yoon-seok understand the whole situation. There wasn’t a hint of a lie that he was born in Seheranbad but was currently living on Earth.
*Dinsional Registration – One of the dinsions of Seheranbad, Kilian, Moorim, or Earth will be registered additionally. You can choose the destination when you use a return ticket. Price: 500 LP
Why hadn’t he thought of this before? Why didn’t he consider what other challengers might think as soon as they saw this item? Earth was different from other dinsions. Instead of losing power and returning as a weakling, there was no danger because their ability alone made them superhuman on Earth. All while the high civilization improved their quality of life.
Would there be a place this attractive for a duel challenger who was sick of repeated duels? Realizing his lack of insight, Yoon-seok asked the beast-man.
“…Then how long did you stay on Earth?”
“Half a year. Every day on Earth was happiness itself, but it was too risky for to invest more AP.”
“If you’ve been there for half a year, have you t other challengers like yourself?”
“Of course, do we just et each other? We even have a group chat for those who fled to Earth. We’re extrely close.”
It seed like there were more challengers at other levels who had settled on Earth than he’d expected. That raised a new question for Yoon-seok. If they didn’t commit cris, they would have to work and earn money to make ends et on Earth. So how were they able to live half a year without being exposed to the public?
The answer was simple. They received help from the governnt.
“In most countries, challengers are considered invaluable resources. Thanks to that, we were being accepted with great hospitality under high secrecy. It was enough to go out and catch monsters for them once in a while.”
In his previous trip to Earth, Yoon-seok had t with a group of people connected to challengers. They seed to be aware of challengers who ca from other dinsions and managed them well long before Yoon-seok was brought to the Tower.
“By the way…I’ve been wondering for a while. Can I ask you one question?”
There were many people around him, and maybe Yoon-seok wasn’t as dangerous as he thought? The beast-man asked cautiously. Grateful that he answered all his one-sided questions, Yoon-seok nodded his head gladly.
“Are you from Earth?”
Contemplating for a mont, Yoon-seok said yes to his question. There was no reason for him to lie anyway. He wouldn’t have asked this question in the first place if he hadn’t gained confirmation from the previous conversation. But…
“…!”
The beast-man’s jaw dropped and stayed like that as if he forgot how to close it.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I was so surprised that I let you see that”
He apologized after regaining his composure, probably thinking that it was impolite to do that in front of other people. Yoon-seok was pleased with the apology, but he wondered why he was so surprised.
“I hate to say this in front of you, but challengers from Earth are too weak. It might be better in other trials, but in duels, there were only a handful of Earth challengers who ascended to the fifth floor.”
The beast-man said he was considered a top-ranked challenger on Earth. He also added that all top-ranked challengers were from other dinsions. But Yoon-seok was different; he was too powerful. To the point where he thought if he was to return to Earth now, what kind of opponent would he be if all the top-ranked challengers fought him at the sa ti.
“Plus, it could be because of the initial environnt. Most people from Earth are very, very vulnerable. On the other hand, you…”
The beast-man didn’t finish the thought and gave him a wink. Yoon-seok didn’t ask what it ant. Even if he didn’t, he knew how his actions in the Great Battle might have reflected to the beast-man.
“Co to think of it, it’s fate that we’ve t like this, but we haven’t even exchanged nas yet. It’s Tehran Fahur. The family na is first. It doesn’t matter, so call whichever you like.”
He introduced himself, but Yoon-seok hesitated. It would have been easier if they were from different dinsions, but it was difficult to reveal his na to the beast-man who had connections on Earth. As if he could sense the atmosphere, Fahur laughed loudly and resolved the atmosphere before it could grow awkward.
“Haha, you don’t have to give your na. Instead, I’ll call you ‘Masked Man’ from now on.”
In the end, there was a compromise. It was ti for them to separate anyway. As he wondered the point of all of it, Fahur brought up a new proposal.
“It’s amazing to et a fellow countryman in a place like this. Would you want to move sowhere else with ?”
Countryman? He wanted to correct him that his hotown is Seheranbad, not Earth…
Yoon-seok decided not to do so. He just nodded and agreed to his proposal. There was no reason to hold on to him and ask questions here. He was about to take this opportunity to delve into the situation on Earth. It hurt his pride as a native of Earth, but it seed that Fahur knew more than he did.
“Why don’t you exchange money first and have so sweets? I’m stressed out, and my sugar level is low. Oh, it’s not like I’m stressed out because of you!”
Yoon-seok grinned at Fahur’s ambiguous reactions. He seed to know his way around the plaza, too.
“Oh, co to think of it, I was inconsiderate. Do you happen to know what the currency exchange is?”
“I heard it in the plaza on the sixth floor. You can change your points to buy daily necessities or build a building….”
“Sixth-floor square? Did you go there?”
Should he just tell him that he just returned from there? He even staged a massacre to prevent the seeds of evil from growing again.
“I heard that if a duel challenger goes there, you won’t see good things…”
“Things will be fine there in the future.”
Fahur, who tilted his head for a mont at Yoon-seok’s answer, soon shut his mouth. He didn’t bring it up again. He seed to have realized the aning of Yoon-seok’s words.
“…”
The two of them walked down the street in awkward silence. anwhile, Yoon-seok scanned the area and took in the scene of the seventh-floor plaza. It was different from the sixth floor, which was filled with several empty buildings around the plaza. People were moving within the buildings, and challengers walked on the streets just a stone’s throw away.
Yoon-seok looked at their heads carefully. No matter how peaceful the place was, he would occasionally see a judgnt mark. However, Yoon-seok didn’t pull out his sword imdiately. Suddenly, he thought of sothing he hadn’t before.
Was the judgnt mark definite? Just as people were born with different personalities, there must have been so who were born like that in nature. Of course, that didn’t an their committed sins could be forgiven. But nature was nature. What if one had suppressed their true self and lived normally? What if one has never bullied anyone and had never realized their true self?
“…”
Yoon-seok decided to put it on hold for now. It wouldn’t be too late to judge them after learning more about the plaza.
After a decent walk, Yoon-seok and Fahur arrived in front of a dilapidated building.
“This is the currency exchange office. You can convert the points collected in each trial into currency. There’s a rumor that the employee is an admin, but I don’t know if it’s true.”
When he opened the currency exchange store’s door and went inside, he was welcod by a neat interior, unlike the shabby exterior. To his surprise, the place was several tis wider than the outside. There were quite a few people, so Yoon-seok took a ticket and waited. The wait didn’t last long, as it seed Yoon-seok’s turn ca instantly.
“Exchange 5,000 AP only, please.”
“Yes, I, see…?”
The employee, who was moving her hand quickly at Fahur’s words, was startled. It was also the sa for Yoon-seok. Yoon-seok and the staff mber froze and looked at each other. She ca to their senses quickly and pulled up her hood to cover her face.
But it didn’t work. She covered her face anyway. Yoon-seok didn’t even know the face inside the hoodie in the first place. He once again looked closely at the staff of the currency exchange office, confirming it.
“…”
A hoodie down to the bottom of her nose. The bright color caught flowing through the hood. A unique body line belonging to a woman was visible even though it was a loose robe. No, there couldn’t have been another fancy robe embroidered with red, white, and gold thread.
“…Elle? Why are you here?”
“I’m not Elle…?”
The staff at the currency exchange station was Elle. Yoon-seok was utterly speechless.
He couldn’t believe the extra work she’d ntioned previously was sothing like this…
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