How to Survive as a Player Chapter 123

#123

It wasn’t an illusion. When I picked one up and bit into it, I felt a similar taste in my vague memory. Amid the quiet gaze, Sehyun silently picked up the spoon and began to scoop up the soup. The gazes that had been persistently attached to each other broke away only after Sehyeon finished one rice ball and a bowl of soup.

Everyone’s meal, whether it was breakfast or lunch, took place after that.

It was around that time that the frog man, who had been watching Sehyeon from afar, quietly left the restaurant.

Sehyeon organized the things she had to do while looking at Lee Jae-young, who was slurping soup, and her heroes, who were eating in silence.

First of all, let’s start with Kwak Jeong-han.

I couldn’t get the image of Kwak Jeong-han out of my mind, to the point where I started to worry about whether the treatment was good, or even if I was drinking enough water. He planned to go see Park Seung-geon after taking care of him.

Of course, Sehyeon had no intention of returning to the empire until the work regarding the Jaseng Empire was completed. If possible, the intention was to stay here for a short time until Yu Si-un was able to establish a base here, or until a means to communicate with each other was provided.

I turned my gaze and scanned the restaurant, but as expected, Ruhak was nowhere to be seen. Sehyun had never seen Ruhak eating. He didn’t even know what his appetite was. Unlike the heroes, the time I spent with Ruhak was sparse. like now.

Sehyeon sat quietly and waited until everyone finished eating, trying hard to keep his gaze from moving towards the door.

The time I went to Kwak Jeong-han was in the afternoon when the warm sunlight was shining. Euncheong blocked my way and stopped me from going straight after eating, so I had no choice but to turn on the fire inside the room and come out in the afternoon when the air was at its warmest, escorted by Euncheong.

Before leaving, he stopped at a restaurant to get some food, and then headed to the airship anchored on the mountain behind the village. The airship, which was barely settled between the slopes of the snowy mountain, was leaning precariously, trampling on the foot of the mountain.

However, perhaps because of the enormous weight, the floor was pressed down and it seemed so heavy that it would not fall even if a landslide occurred.

“Euncheong.”

“yes.”

“Don’t forget that you will remain neutral.”

Euncheong’s fists were clenched. The fist that had been so strong that it made a cracking sound was released the moment Sehyun turned around. Instead, Euncheong looked at Sehyeon with sad eyes.

“If it is an issue directly related to Rod’s safety, I don’t think there is an obligation to protect it.”

“You know that the more you do that, the more you have to protect it.”

“I can’t quote you.”

It was my first time. Euncheong spoke with such harsh emotions.

Still, Sehyun understood. The miserable sadness in his red eyes was so vivid that I couldn’t help but understand it. Suddenly, I remembered Ruhak’s words that he had whispered about being the 42nd time.

Did Euncheong go through that time too? It might have been something that not only Euncheong experienced, but also everyone else.

Only then did everyone realize what they had almost lost. Empire and comrades. And a barely stable life.

If what Ruhak said about the 42nd king was true, even if Sehyeon died, there was no guarantee that this would be the end for them as well.

What Euncheong was afraid of might be the story behind it. A life where everything is reset and reborn again and again.

“We put everything into Rod. The load… “This is our last.”

It was a statement that felt desperate. Although he was determined, his anxiety was clearly visible. Maybe that’s why she couldn’t say anything, as if her throat was clogged.

If Euncheong, the representative of heroes, came out like this, other heroes would not be any different. What I had feared eventually became reality. Since they are a race that cannot be mixed, the criticism directed at Kwak Jeong-han may have been sharper.

still.

“… “You have to hate the cause.”

Kwak Jeong-han was simply swept away. There was no reason why he should be blamed. Sehyeon did not want an ending where everything is good as long as the result is good. And Kwak Jeong-han was part of the process of the ending.

“Euncheong, the person you should be blaming is wrong. “If you were the person I was with at that time, I would have made the same choice.”

“I can protect the road no matter what happens.”

“If it is something that requires sacrifice or if you have to bear my mistakes… I don’t know, Euncheong. Do I need to be here? okay?”

“road.”

Euncheong’s slightly frowning face was unfamiliar. I could feel the suppressed anger in Euncheong’s clenched jaw. On the one hand, I felt pity for her because she was like a tree standing upright without anything around it.

“You know that Kwak Jeong-han is not the cause. And the cause includes me. They recklessly go out and create something like this, and they don’t even have a sense of caution, so they can’t even protect themselves. It’s been a waste of time so far… . So, I have to listen to the reprimand.”

Of course, the biggest reason is Park Seung-gun. However, Sehyun thought that she was also to blame for this incident. Being reckless and weak were also sins.

Euncheong’s eyes closed heavily. The cold frosty wind swept through his hair. The anxious feelings he had were visible.

“you are… You didn’t do anything wrong. “The heroes simply had no way to relieve their own helplessness.”

“Euncheong.”

Sehyeon stretched out his arm, looking at his weakly curled fist. Euncheong, who was standing there as if nailed to her feet, quickly narrowed the distance as soon as Sehyeon took a step closer. A strong arm wrapped around Sehyun’s skinny back.

“I won’t do that again. I won’t go there anymore unless you give me permission. and… When we get back, let’s go around the tower together. I’ll become strong enough so you don’t have to worry. “I’m sorry for worrying you.”

It would be nice to have other special skills to replace experience points, like Yoon Je-ha, who has blacksmith skills, but Se-hyeon didn’t have that. Therefore, he had to go through difficult towers to gain experience and raise his level.

Sehyeon had been neglecting that until now.

“… “Please promise me one thing.”

A desperate voice was heard through the cold armor. Her arms around his waist quickly relaxed. Instead, Euncheong looked closer.

“Promise me that no matter what happens, you will never leave our side.”

This may not be Euncheong’s only intention. I thought that way without even thinking about it. Because they were people who had never asked for anything, Sehyeon felt, albeit only superficially, the depth of loss that the heroes must have experienced. Maybe he was beyond measure.

“… “I’m not going, ever.”

Se-hyeon also had nowhere to return to. I had no intention of going to that old, narrow, cold place in the first place.

I didn’t know if this was an answer. However, Euncheong stepped back without answering and faced Sehyeon.

“Please take a look at him.”

At first glance, it was like seeing a smile. It seemed like a bitter smile. It wasn’t cozy, but it looked organized. And when the smile disappeared, Euncheong turned her back. It was at that time that I felt popularity behind Sehyeon. When I sent Euncheong away and looked behind me, Ruhak was there.

For some reason, Sehyeon stood looking at him for a long time. It was only later that the white breath led me to my feet. Sehyeon took his slow steps and headed towards Ruhak. It looked the same as usual, but Ruhak was also different. It’s hard to tell, but he looked exhausted.

I thought everything had come back, but the only thing that came back was Sehyun.

“Let’s go to Mr. Kwak Jeong-han.”

The solid back turning towards the airship conveyed silence. The interior of the airship that followed Ruhak was chillingly quiet.

The place where Ruhak stopped was in front of a cabin. Ruhak stretched out his hand toward the door where there was no sign of it. It was Sehyeon who stopped it.

“I’ll go in alone.”

I felt bright eyes, but I didn’t back down. But after a while, Ruhak took a step back. Instead of Ruhak, it was Sehyun who reached for the door. However, before entering, Ruhak left dry words.

“There is no need to try to convince. “If it doesn’t work out, that’s it. The author’s skills have ended there.”

Does that mean it’s that bad? Ruhak told the facts as they were. He wasn’t even being sarcastic. From his words, I was able to guess what Kwak Jeong-han looks like now.

“But it’s still right to talk about it.”

When I touched the magic stone doorknob, the tightly closed door was pushed to the side with a noise. All I could see was darkness without a single ray of light. As soon as I took one step in, the door closed again.

“Mr. Kwak Jeong-han.”

Even though it was midday, the interior was extremely dark. It was to the point where the object could not even be identified. Sehyun moved forward, groping the wall. And when something caught his hand, he felt someone approaching quickly.

I flinched in surprise and heard the sound of the wall being pressed against my ear. What followed after that was the sound of breathing coming from close by.

“… Mr. Sehyun… Is that correct… ?”

The voice was very hoarse. As I went up to find the muddy voice, I saw something faintly shiny. Sehyeon blinked and focused in the darkness. There were eyes there that seemed invisible.

“… Jeonghan, are you okay?”

It was like our eyes met. No, we encountered it. She had a hideous look that ran over her whole body in a chilling way. Condensed pupils, as if they were underwater, were looking down at Sehyeon.

“Mr. Sehyun… Is that correct… .”

“yes… “That’s right.”

Something cold touched Sehyun’s cheek. It was Kwak Jeong-han’s fingertips. His icy fingertips had sharp claws and claws. The moment a trembling hand brushed my cheek, I felt a stinging sensation. It was an excessively rough surface. I could feel the dried skin in his hands.

“… Mr. Sehyun… That’s right… .”

It was a sigh. Just when it seemed like relief had sunk in, a heavy body poured down on Sehyun’s body. Sehyun had to sit down due to the weight that seemed to be crushing her. Kwak Jeong-han’s head fell helplessly on Se-hyeon’s shoulder.

“Jeonghan, you didn’t collapse, right? Jeonghan… .”

Sehyun’s fingertips suddenly stiffened. I felt a slight tremor in his arms. The tremors gradually spread through my body, which felt heavy. Thick, trembling arms hugged Sehyeon’s body tightly.

Kwak Jeong-han was trembling. And he was crying. I could clearly hear the sobs hitting his shoulders. His arms, tightly hugging Sehyeon’s back, were full of strength.

Kwak Jeong-han, who said he had never cried, was crying.

Perhaps because I clenched my teeth, the sobs were small. However, perhaps because the silence was so thick, that was the only sound I could hear. Se-hyeon moved with difficulty and reached out to Kwak Jeong-han’s ear. His cheeks and ears that were touched by his fingertips were also very rough.

“… It looks like you were very worried. “If you cry like this.”